Monday, March 2, 2009

THE GOOD GUY by Dean Koontz

THE GOOD GUY
by Dean Koontz
Bantam Dell/Random House
www.bantamdell.com
ISBN: 9780553804812
Hardback, 386 pages, $27.00
Genre: Thriller

Timothy Carrier is a man who keeps to himself and tries to live as simple a life as possible. Until one day when a man sits beside Timothy at a bar and passes him an envelope with ten thousand dollars and a picture of a beautiful woman named Linda Paquette. Timothy is intrigued by the woman but horrified to know the man has mistaken him for the contract killer he employed to murder her. When the killer later arrives and mistakes Timothy for the man who hired him, Timothy tells him the hit is off and gives him the money but pockets the picture. However, the killer makes it clear he will not be stopped. Timothy rushes to Linda’s house to warn her, and from that point on, both are engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with the killer who now is determined to kill Timothy as well and will go to any length to do so.

Koontz excels at creating evil characters and allowing the reader a glimpse into the mind of a deranged murderer. The story moves at a fast pace and is filled with gut-wrenching suspense and continuous action. Timothy and Linda are two damaged souls who immediately connect and trust one another. Koontz’s ubiquitous dog is present, and, as always, appreciated. The killer is deliciously malevolent and intense, and the story one that will keep the reader turning pages.

THE DEVIL'S BONES by Jefferson Bass

THE DEVIL’S BONES
By Jefferson Bass
William Morrow/Harper Collins
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
www.harpercollins.com
ISBN: 9780060759858
Hardback, 315 pages, $24.95
Genre: Mystery

Forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton is trying to figure out who murdered Mary Latham and how her car caught fire and burned so extensively when his criminal defense attorney gives him what are claimed to be the cremains (cremated remains) of his aunt, which look more like concrete mix than bone ash. With the help of forensic scientist Art Bohanan, Brockton investigates the crematorium in Georgia that was responsible for the cremation but keeps butting up against stone walls. Eventually, he discovers a horror the likes of which he has never seen before. Meanwhile, he learns that his nemesis, former medical examiner Garland Hamilton, has escaped from prison and is on the prowl. Knowing he’s in Hamilton’s sites, Brockton is relieved to learn Hamilton’s charred body is discovered at a fire scene in Cooke County. However, as Brockton soon finds out, things are not always as they seem.

This third installment in the Body Farm series is, as usual, chock full of interesting forensics information relayed through Brockton and his assistant, Miranda. Readers may find the book distracting as it seems to meander along from one investigation to the other, then dashes off to the conflict between Brockton and Hamilton. Although the three mysteries within the plot are good ones, perhaps focusing on one or two would provide a stronger read. The forensics investigations help buffer the distraction and will keep the reader invested throughout the book.

KILLING BRIDEZILLA by Laura Levine

KILLING BRIDEZILLA
By Laura Levine
Kensington Books
850 Third Avenue
New York, NY 1002
www.kensingtonbooks.com
ISBN: 9780758220431
Hardback, 247 pages, $22.00
Genre: Mystery

Jaine Austen’s career as a writer hasn’t been so fluid. Best known for a plumbing company ad, Jaine is surprised when her former high school nemesis Patti Marshall asks her to write a balcony scene for her wedding ceremony. When Patti tells Jaine she wants the lines to be a mix between Romeo and Juliet and Friends, Jaine wants to turn down the job but she needs the money. Jaine is hopeful Patti has matured from the bully she was in high school, but that’s not the case. Patti turns out to be the bridezilla from hell, demanding her idea of perfection from everyone around her while belittling them and making enemies of all. During the wedding ceremony, while Patti is saying her lines, she falls from her balcony and is impaled on a Cupid statuette below. The number of people who hated Patti is endless, and when one of Jaine’s former high school friends is arrested for the murder, she decides to conduct her own investigation and find out who really offed the high school diva.

This is a humorous series built around a refreshing protagonist, a woman who can’t say no to the wrong kinds of food and is a magnet for trouble. Jaine’s perceptions of her cat’s moods and expressions are amusing, as are the emails she receives from her parents who have retired to Florida. The mystery is a good one, and the characters are simply fun.

FUZZY NAVEL by J. A. Konrath

FUZZY NAVEL
By J. A. Konrath
Hyperion
77 West 66th Street
New York, NY 10023
ISBN: 9781401302801
Hardback, 270 pages, $23.95
Genre: Mystery

Chicago PD Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels is going through a good period in her life. She’s engaged to Latham, a guy she’s crazy about, is living with her mom in a house outside the city, and has just received word her archenemy Alex Kork is dead. Jack and her partner Herb Benedict are called to the scene of a murder, where a sex offender has been killed by a sniper. But the sniper isn’t finished and keeps taking potshots at Jack and the police officers investigating the crime scene. Jack manages to get the officers out of danger, attracting the attention of the sniper, and learns that two other snipers have murdered sex offenders in other parts of Chicago. In the midst of all this, Jack gets a call from her mother telling her she needs to come home. Jack, feeling something isn’t right, rushes home, where she finds her mother and Latham held prisoner by Kork. From that point on, Jack is engaged in a battle to save her own life, as well as her mom’s and Latham’s, and even that of her ex-partner Harry McGlade when he shows up. And not just from Kork, but from the snipers, who have tracked Jack down and want in on the fun.

Take a deep breath before beginning this book because there’s nonstop action and nail-biting suspense from the first page. Jack Daniels is a tough cop but Kork proves herself to be more than a worthy adversary and is as relentless as the Energizer bunny. The book moves along at a fast pace, with plenty of dark humor and witticisms thrown around, and a quirky surprise involving the obnoxious McGlade. Some readers may feel cheated by the ending, which leaves a question unanswered.

BONES OF BETRAYAL by Jefferson Bass

BONES OF BETRAYAL
by Jefferson Bass
William Morrow/Harper Collins
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
ISBN: 9780061284748
Hardback, 368 pages, $24.99
Genre: Mystery

When the body of renowned physicist Leonard Novak is found frozen in a swimming pool in Oak Ridge, Dr. Bill Brockton is called in to help. Dr. Brockton takes the body to Knoxville for autopsy and there it’s discovered Dr. Novak died from radiation poisoning through a small pellet found in his intestines. Brockton, his assistant Miranda, an investigating detective, and the medical examiner are exposed to radiation but the medical examiner received the most dosage and is hospitalized. Dr. Novak was an integral part in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II, and Brockton’s investigation takes him back to the secret city to try to find out who wanted Novak dead. There, he meets Novak’s former wife Beatrice who regales him with stories surrounding the Manhattan Project. In Novak’s home, Brockton discovers a mysterious film strip which leads the investigation in a different direction.

Fourth in the Body Farm series, Bones of Betrayal offers the reader an interesting glimpse into the scientists and laymen surrounding the Manhattan Project, as well as the development of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, called the secret city. Brockton is a likeable anthropologist who is compassionate and caring and who seeks a committed relationship but never quite gets there. The character Beatrice’s anecdotes are enlightening and enhance the story. Some will figure out the mystery, but this book is worth the read simply due to the historical facts relayed.

AT FIRST SIGHT by Stephen J. Cannell

AT FIRST SIGHT
By Stephen J. Cannell
Vanguard Press
387 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016
www.vanguardpressbooks.com
Hardback, 328 pages, $25.95
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Chick Best, erstwhile dot.com millionaire, was at one time on top of the world, with a luxurious home in Hollywood, cabin in Big Bear, married to a beautiful woman, with a teenage daughter. But lately things have turned sour. Chick’s business is going under, his wife is having an affair, and his teenage daughter’s only interest is hanging out with a criminal biker and taking drugs. The family goes on vacation to Hawaii, where Chick encounters beautiful Paige Ellis and falls in love “at first sight.” Chick is despaired to learn Paige is married to Chandler, a handsome, altruistic man from a wealthy family who uses his time and money to help learning disabled kids. Chick makes an effort to get to Paige through Chandler, but it’s evident Paige is very much in love with her husband. Back home, Chick can’t keep his mind off Paige. When an opportunity arises to go to New York, he flies there, rents a car, and drives to her home in North Carolina, where his life begins its slow, horrific spiral downward into madness and deception.

Cannell’s depiction of the shallow mindsets of the materialistic rich is revealed with humor, although at times, it seems sad and unfathomable that people actually think this way. Chick is a character readers will not like, but his inner thoughts and insights, while usually obnoxious are, nonetheless, entertaining. The story has its suspenseful moments and the reader will root for Paige, an intelligent woman who grieves the death of a man she was very much in love with while trying to deal with Chick, a middle-aged, portly man with no morals who is slowly going mad.

AT FIRST SIGHT by Stephen J. Cannell

AT FIRST SIGHT
By Stephen J. Cannell
Vanguard Press
387 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016
www.vanguardpressbooks.com
Hardback, 328 pages, $25.95
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Chick Best, erstwhile dot.com millionaire, was at one time on top of the world, with a luxurious home in Hollywood, cabin in Big Bear, married to a beautiful woman, with a teenage daughter. But lately things have turned sour. Chick’s business is going under, his wife is having an affair, and his teenage daughter’s only interest is hanging out with a criminal biker and taking drugs. The family goes on vacation to Hawaii, where Chick encounters beautiful Paige Ellis and falls in love “at first sight.” Chick is despaired to learn Paige is married to Chandler, a handsome, altruistic man from a wealthy family who uses his time and money to help learning disabled kids. Chick makes an effort to get to Paige through Chandler, but it’s evident Paige is very much in love with her husband. Back home, Chick can’t keep his mind off Paige. When an opportunity arises to go to New York, he flies there, rents a car, and drives to her home in North Carolina, where his life begins its slow, horrific spiral downward into madness and deception.

Cannell’s depiction of the shallow mindsets of the materialistic rich is revealed with humor, although at times, it seems sad and unfathomable that people actually think this way. Chick is a character readers will not like, but his inner thoughts and insights, while usually obnoxious are, nonetheless, entertaining. The story has its suspenseful moments and the reader will root for Paige, an intelligent woman who grieves the death of a man she was very much in love with while trying to deal with Chick, a middle-aged, portly man with no morals who is slowly going mad.

ANOTHER THING TO FALL by Laura Lippman

ANOTHER THING TO FALL
by Laura Lippman
William Morrow/Harper Collins
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
www.harpercollins.com
ISBN: 9780061128875
Hardback, 325 pages, $24.95
Genre: Mystery

Private Investigator Tess Monaghan unknowingly ruins a shoot for the film crew of TV series Mann of Steel and instead of being chastised for it ends up with a new assignment: bodyguard to the show’s youngest actor, Selene Waites. The producer Flip Tumulty and his company have had a run of vandalism, leading to bad press, and Flip is concerned for Selene’s safety. With the aid of her friend Whitney, Tess reluctantly takes on the job, and quickly learns Selene is not as passive and uneducated as she appears. When Flip’s assistant is found beaten to death, Tess realizes Selene may actually be in danger and begins her own investigation into what happened to the assistant.

As always, Lippman provides the reader with an interesting view of Baltimore and its people and culture. The plot seems to stagger along at first, with no real sense of the characters involved. The killer’s mindset is initially hard to grasp, as is his reason for creating such havoc for the producer and his series. One interesting and refreshing character is Mrs. Blossom, one of Tess’s students in her private investigation class, who this reviewer hopes will return in future books.