Odd Hours - Dean Koontz

This is Koontz's fourth Odd Thomas novel. This is such an interesting character you find yourself anticipating the next book in the series as soon as you finish. This time you're left with more questions than answers so there has to be a fifth. Highly recommended.

Phantom Prey - John Sandford

Phantom Prey is the latest installment in the Lucas Davenport Prey series. There are a few authors and series I try to keep track of. Sandford and his Prey series is one of them. All the novels in this series are well worth reading. Highly recommended.

Echo Burning - Lee Child

Echo Burning is a Jack Reacher novel. Jack's saving another damsel in distress and doing it well. There are some twists in this one that'll catch you by surprise. This is my second time reading this book. Getting old has it's benefits. Every time you read a good novel it's like the first time :)   Highly recommended.

Quicksilver - Neal Stephenson

This is the first book in the Baroque Cycle series. If you like historical novels this story will definitely pull you in. It takes place in the 17th and 18th centuries. It covers so much ground I can't summarize and do it justice. Science, politics, finance, and religion are all mixed into a fascinating tale that has a fictional Waterhouse tying it all together. If you read Stephenson's Cryptonomicon that name will be familiar, as will others in this novel. It's a long but satisfying read. Highly recommended.

Maximum Ride: The Final Warning - James Patterson

This is another flying kid book in the Maximum Ride series. The target age level seems to be dropping with the series. I still enjoyed the story and will continue to read this series, but it's villains and protagonists are becoming juvenile and predictable. Patterson has joined the rank of some of my other favorite authors (Koontz and Grisham) and started preaching. At least when he gets on his soap box about global warming it's in the right venue -- a work of fiction. All that aside, I recommend this book to Maximum Ride followers and others.

The Dark Portal - Robin Jarvis

This is my first Jarvis book and I really enjoyed it. I have 10 grandkids and I like to read some books I can recommend to the older grandkids from time to time. This one will be on my Christmas buy list this year. It's the story of a brave band of mice who take on the sewer rats and their dark lord. This book is only the first in a series of books in the The Deptford Mice series. Highly recommended.

Curse of the Spellmans - Lisa Lutz

This is an excellent book for those who think their families are dysfunctional. You'll quickly discover just how normal you are. Lutz managed to top her first Spellman novel with this one. I look forward to many more. Highly recommended.

Hollywood Station - Joseph Wambaugh

This is an excellent cop story about policing in Hollywood. There are lots of characters, some cops and some crooks. The plot thread is salted with interesting short stories along the way to a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended.

Plum Lucky - Janet Evanovich

This is another Stephanie Plum story. It's short but sweet. The question becomes how many hot men can Stephanie juggle at once? I almost got a friend of mine, who only reads T.V. Guide and stamp and coin collector magazines, to read this one by quoting the last line in the book, "Diesel was gone...and so was my bra." He's waiting for the movie :) Highly recommended.

Creation in Death - J.D. Robb

A novel featuring Lt. Eve Dallas is always worth the read. This time it's personal and comes right down to the wire. I enjoy reading Nora Roberts in any guise. Very highly recommended.

The Darkest Evening of the Year - Dean Koontz

The first Koontz novel I ever read was Watchers. Golden retrievers are a focus in this story too. Once again Koontz has written a fascinating tale of people, both good and evil, that will keep you reading way past bed time. If you haven't read Watchers I highly recommend it too. You can read them in any order. They're both well worth the time. Highly recommended.

One caveat. Some authors are starting to get preachy on their favorite causes. Koontz is just a little distracting in this novel with his crusade for dogs. Not nearly as annoying as Grisham has been lately, but it does detract from the story.

Duma Key - Stephen King

King never fails to engage the reader. This story is interesting from beginning to end, and not a bad ending either -- for King. I didn't get much sleep while reading it, but I'll be able to sleep having finished it. I can't say that about all the King novels I've read :)   Highly recommended.

The Appeal - John Grisham

The Appeal is a good book. You keep wanting to turn the page and read the next section. It kept me up past 2:00 AM. However, Grisham is becoming a lot like Stephen King. His stories keep pulling you in but the endings almost make you wish you hadn't read the book. I warned you. Highly recommended.

The Complete Hammer's Slammers Volume One - David Drake

I really enjoyed this book. Drake writes stories that make you think and doesn't waste time or words doing it. This is a compilation of short to medium length stories on the topic of future tank warfare. This is an excellent book to read if you don't have big chunks of time, since the stories can be read and enjoyed in quickly. You can finish one before bed or knock off a story at lunch while you eat a sandwich and some chips. I'll be reading more Drake. Highly recommended.

Obsession - Jonathan Kellerman

This is another Alex Delaware novel with the usual cast of characters. Alex got his old girl friend back and a new dog and has plenty of dead bodies to sleuth over. Highly recommended.

Black House - Stephen King & Peter Straub

This is the follow up to The Talisman. I really think Straub might be a positive influence on King. I'm a happy ending kind of guy and that's one thing you could not count on with King. He could leave you feeling pretty wiped at the end of a book. Cujo and Pet Cemetery come to mine :)   This is an excellent story. Highly recommended.

The Hunters - W.E.B. Griffin

I'm reading these out of order because I grabbed the wrong book from the stack at some point and it's what I had on a long business trip. This is the third novel in the Presidential Agent series. Castillo is a great protagonist, and the rest of the characters do an excellent job of backing him up. Another can't put it down book. Highly recommended.

The Talisman - Stephen King & Peter Straub

The Talisman reminds me of The Stand and The Dark Tower series. I liked it. It was too bogged down in detail at times, but it kept my interest and the ending was unlike many King novels. You'll have to figure that one out. I've never read a novel by Straub, that I remember, so I can't gauge the influence he had on the final story. I'll have to give him a try. I read this book because I'm about to read The Black House and it's the sequel to The Talisman. Everything in order :)   Highly recommended.

Iron Kissed - Patricia Briggs

This is the latest Mercy Thompson novel. I really like the way Briggs writes. Before this book I read a science fiction that was very good but not a grabber. I could put that book down and pick it up later with no problem. Iron Kissed is a grabber. I missed sleep for this book because it grabs you from start to finish. Very highly recommended.

Heaven's Reach - David Brin

This is the final book in the uplift trilogy centering on the planet Jijo. It's a great finish and leaves plenty of this series' universe to explore in future novels. I recommend starting with book one and two before reading three. Highly recommended.