THE KEEPSAKE
by Tess Gerritsen
Ballantine Books
1745 Broadway in New York, NY 10019
ISBN: 9780345497628
www.ballantineboks.com
The discovery of a preserved mummy in the basement of Boston’s Crispin Museum causes much media attention. Egyptologist/ archeologist Josephine Pulcillo, in hopes of not disturbing the wrappings, plans to scan the mummy beforehand to see what they can learn. Medical examiner Maura Isles is invited to be present for the scan and discovers this is no Egyptian mummy of ancient times but a woman who died more recently. When a shrunken head is discovered behind a wall in the museum, homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Isles become suspicious they have a serial killer on their hands who is proficient in the ancient rites of preservation. This notion is confirmed when a bog-preserved body is found in the trunk of Josephine Pulcillo’s car. The only thing the three bodies have in common: Josephine Pulcillo, whom Rizzoli suspects is hiding secrets from her past.
This latest in Gerritsen’s series involving Maura Isles and Jane Rizzoli is an exceptional read; filled with historical information regarding mummification and forensics, enmeshed within a thrilling mystery. Dr. Isles is still involved in an illicit affair with a priest and Rizzoli remains in her stable relationship with an FBI agent. The two women are tough and independent and very likable. Rizzoli is maturing and mellowing in her marriage while Isles is in a relationship that brings her more despair than happiness. This well-written series continues to remain strong and fresh not only because of these strong women characters but the issues they face, forensically and personally.
Monday, September 7, 2009
THE SLEEPING DOLL by Jeffery Deaver
THE SLEEPING DOLL
by Jeffery Deaver
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
ISBN: 9780743260947
California Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Kathryn Dance is a renowned interrogator with an expertise in kinesics. Kathryn is sent to question prisoner Daniel Pell, known as the “son of Manson” due to his cult activities and the brutal slaying of the wealthy Croyton family in Carmel, mimicking the murders committed by the Manson family years earlier. Pell has recently been linked to another murder and Kathryn hopes to learn more about Pell and his reasons behind the murders. After the interview, Pell manages to escape and begins a murderous rampage, targeting those he feels have maligned him in the past in some way. Kathryn leads the investigation, aided by her good friend Michael O’Neil, chief deputy with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, and Winston Kellogg, a cult expert from the FBI. Kathryn turns to the three women who were part of Pell’s family years before, as well as the one victim he left behind when he murdered the Croytons, in hopes they can offer clues as to where Pell may be hiding.
This series is a refreshing addition to the mystery genre; exploring the intriguing world of kinesics and the role it plays in criminal investigations as well as everyday life. Kathryn Dance is captivating, an intelligent woman who is now widowed and whose priority is keeping her small family together. As always, Deaver offers his reader plenty of forensics information packed within a suspenseful plot.
by Jeffery Deaver
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
ISBN: 9780743260947
California Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Kathryn Dance is a renowned interrogator with an expertise in kinesics. Kathryn is sent to question prisoner Daniel Pell, known as the “son of Manson” due to his cult activities and the brutal slaying of the wealthy Croyton family in Carmel, mimicking the murders committed by the Manson family years earlier. Pell has recently been linked to another murder and Kathryn hopes to learn more about Pell and his reasons behind the murders. After the interview, Pell manages to escape and begins a murderous rampage, targeting those he feels have maligned him in the past in some way. Kathryn leads the investigation, aided by her good friend Michael O’Neil, chief deputy with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, and Winston Kellogg, a cult expert from the FBI. Kathryn turns to the three women who were part of Pell’s family years before, as well as the one victim he left behind when he murdered the Croytons, in hopes they can offer clues as to where Pell may be hiding.
This series is a refreshing addition to the mystery genre; exploring the intriguing world of kinesics and the role it plays in criminal investigations as well as everyday life. Kathryn Dance is captivating, an intelligent woman who is now widowed and whose priority is keeping her small family together. As always, Deaver offers his reader plenty of forensics information packed within a suspenseful plot.
THE TALL WOMAN by Wilma Dykeman
THE TALL WOMAN
by Wilma Dykeman
Holt, Rinehart and Winston
10801 N. MoPac Expressway, Austin, TX 78759
ISBN: 0030309654
http://www.harcourt.com
Lydia Moore grew up in the Appalachian region before the Civil War and married Mark McQueen shortly after it began. Her husband went off to fight for the Union while her father and brother fought for the Confederates. While the men were gone, outliers raided Lydia’s mother’s home, assaulting her and stealing the livestock. A pregnant Lydia returned to her old home place to tend to her mother and brothers and sisters. When her labor began, the doctor was too inebriated to come, so Lydia’s Aunt Tildy delivered the baby, who was turned the wrong way, causing brain damage. After the war, when Mark returned, Lydia learned he had been imprisoned. Her Mark was a changed man who dealt with demons from the war and harbored a deep hatred for the men who had raided Lydia’s mother’s home, blaming his son’s mental problems on them. Through the years, Lydia had more children while dealing with her husband’s alienation and cynicism, hoping that through her love, he would become the man he used to be. Times were rough in their mountain region, but Lydia worked hard, trying to do her best for her children and their small community.
Lydia McQueen is the epitome of a strong Southern woman. She never let challenges daunt her and plowed ahead, trying to do the right thing and persevere through. The Tall Woman tells one woman’s journey through life and the lives she touches as well as the changes she leaves behind.
by Wilma Dykeman
Holt, Rinehart and Winston
10801 N. MoPac Expressway, Austin, TX 78759
ISBN: 0030309654
http://www.harcourt.com
Lydia Moore grew up in the Appalachian region before the Civil War and married Mark McQueen shortly after it began. Her husband went off to fight for the Union while her father and brother fought for the Confederates. While the men were gone, outliers raided Lydia’s mother’s home, assaulting her and stealing the livestock. A pregnant Lydia returned to her old home place to tend to her mother and brothers and sisters. When her labor began, the doctor was too inebriated to come, so Lydia’s Aunt Tildy delivered the baby, who was turned the wrong way, causing brain damage. After the war, when Mark returned, Lydia learned he had been imprisoned. Her Mark was a changed man who dealt with demons from the war and harbored a deep hatred for the men who had raided Lydia’s mother’s home, blaming his son’s mental problems on them. Through the years, Lydia had more children while dealing with her husband’s alienation and cynicism, hoping that through her love, he would become the man he used to be. Times were rough in their mountain region, but Lydia worked hard, trying to do her best for her children and their small community.
Lydia McQueen is the epitome of a strong Southern woman. She never let challenges daunt her and plowed ahead, trying to do the right thing and persevere through. The Tall Woman tells one woman’s journey through life and the lives she touches as well as the changes she leaves behind.
BLOOD GAME by Iris Johansen
BLOOD GAME
by Iris Johansen
St. Martin’s Press
175 5th Ave. New York, NY 10010.
www.stmartins.com
ISBN: 9780312368128
Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan has dealt with evil killers before but Kevin Jelak is by far the worst. Jelak believes that if he consumes enough “rich” blood from strong women, he will become a vampiric god. Targeting Eve as the one woman whose blood will ensure eternal life, he leaves a goblet of blood in Eve’s refrigerator and begins playing the blood game with her. But first he must reach the proper level to receive her blood, so in the interim kills young women. When Jelak murders a Senator’s daughter, Eve’s lover, detective Joe Quinn is drawn into the hunt for Jelak. Joe is acting strange and Eve can’t figure out why and worries Joe is growing tired of her obsessive need to find the killer of her daughter years before. Seth Caleb joins the hunt, claiming he is attuned to Jalek and has been tracking him for years. Joe is reluctant at first to allow his help but eventually realizes Caleb has a connection to Jelak. But will either man find Jalek before he takes from Eve what he feels he deserves?
This latest in the Eve Duncan Forensic Thriller series touches on the paranormal through one of its primary characters. Jelak is deliciously evil and Johansen does a good job relaying his unstable mindset. Eve and Joe are interesting characters, both independent and strong and realistically portrayed as a couple. Seth Caleb is intriguing and adds dimension. Forensics takes a bit of a back seat with this thriller, but this does not detract from an exciting, suspenseful read.
by Iris Johansen
St. Martin’s Press
175 5th Ave. New York, NY 10010.
www.stmartins.com
ISBN: 9780312368128
Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan has dealt with evil killers before but Kevin Jelak is by far the worst. Jelak believes that if he consumes enough “rich” blood from strong women, he will become a vampiric god. Targeting Eve as the one woman whose blood will ensure eternal life, he leaves a goblet of blood in Eve’s refrigerator and begins playing the blood game with her. But first he must reach the proper level to receive her blood, so in the interim kills young women. When Jelak murders a Senator’s daughter, Eve’s lover, detective Joe Quinn is drawn into the hunt for Jelak. Joe is acting strange and Eve can’t figure out why and worries Joe is growing tired of her obsessive need to find the killer of her daughter years before. Seth Caleb joins the hunt, claiming he is attuned to Jalek and has been tracking him for years. Joe is reluctant at first to allow his help but eventually realizes Caleb has a connection to Jelak. But will either man find Jalek before he takes from Eve what he feels he deserves?
This latest in the Eve Duncan Forensic Thriller series touches on the paranormal through one of its primary characters. Jelak is deliciously evil and Johansen does a good job relaying his unstable mindset. Eve and Joe are interesting characters, both independent and strong and realistically portrayed as a couple. Seth Caleb is intriguing and adds dimension. Forensics takes a bit of a back seat with this thriller, but this does not detract from an exciting, suspenseful read.
Monday, August 3, 2009
THE WRONG SIDE OF MEMPHIS
THE WRONG SIDE OF MEMPHIS
by Claire Applewhite
L&L Dreamspell
www.lldreamspell.com
ISBN: 9781603181167
Dimond Redding, former Vietnam War field nurse, moves to St. Louis for some peace and quiet, thinking to retire there. But that’s not to be. Two weeks later, a man is murdered in the apartment across the hall from Di. Di suspects the investigating detective is focusing on the wrong person when he arrests a friend of one of the tenants in Di’s building. Elvin Suggs, Green Beret during the Vietnam War, is reeling from his wife’s demands for a divorce. Suggs takes his dog and heads to St. Louis to visit Di, his best friend’s widow. Suggs, a private investigator, suspects something afoul when more people are murdered in Di’s apartment building, including his wife. When Suggs is accused of his wife’s murder, he decides to investigate on his own and soon finds his own life in danger.
Applewhite brings focus to Vietnam vets via the characters in this book, stressing their outlook on the war and the role they played in it as well as the lives they lead and the friendships they cherish from that time period. This whodunit has plenty of suspects with several shifty characters, all with secrets of their own, occupying the apartment building. Suggs is an appealing character with a warm heart and zest for life. His dog Vanna adds an appealing dimension to the read, as does Cobra, the homeless Vietnam vet Suggs helps.
by Claire Applewhite
L&L Dreamspell
www.lldreamspell.com
ISBN: 9781603181167
Dimond Redding, former Vietnam War field nurse, moves to St. Louis for some peace and quiet, thinking to retire there. But that’s not to be. Two weeks later, a man is murdered in the apartment across the hall from Di. Di suspects the investigating detective is focusing on the wrong person when he arrests a friend of one of the tenants in Di’s building. Elvin Suggs, Green Beret during the Vietnam War, is reeling from his wife’s demands for a divorce. Suggs takes his dog and heads to St. Louis to visit Di, his best friend’s widow. Suggs, a private investigator, suspects something afoul when more people are murdered in Di’s apartment building, including his wife. When Suggs is accused of his wife’s murder, he decides to investigate on his own and soon finds his own life in danger.
Applewhite brings focus to Vietnam vets via the characters in this book, stressing their outlook on the war and the role they played in it as well as the lives they lead and the friendships they cherish from that time period. This whodunit has plenty of suspects with several shifty characters, all with secrets of their own, occupying the apartment building. Suggs is an appealing character with a warm heart and zest for life. His dog Vanna adds an appealing dimension to the read, as does Cobra, the homeless Vietnam vet Suggs helps.
THE RESQUETH REVOLUTION
THE RESQUETH REVOLUTION
by Mark H. Phillips
iUniverse
www.iuniverse.com
ISBN: 9781440109539
Steve Marks may be a brilliant physicist but his reputation is in the gutter due to past unethical behavior. Marks lands a job with a group of paranormal investigators tracking and destroying entities from another dimension they call “demons” who feed off human terror. With the help of his team, Marks devises a way to kill the demons, which backfires to the point of taking out prominent humans associated with these entities. The team is taken hostage by the U.S. military and forced to help find a way to cross dimensions and destroy the demons. Aware that demons have strong allies in governmental positions, the team doesn’t know who to trust and ultimately become involved in warfare with humans and demons.
Phillips’ concept is a bit complex but he is adept at delivering the story in such a way most readers will have no problem understanding the basic mechanics of quantum physics and the theory of dimensional worlds. The plot moves quickly and is filled with action, suspense and deception. Primary characters are well-developed and an integral part of the story. The premise is thrilling and readers will be so intrigued with this well-written sci-fi they will be reluctant to put the book aside once it’s finished.
by Mark H. Phillips
iUniverse
www.iuniverse.com
ISBN: 9781440109539
Steve Marks may be a brilliant physicist but his reputation is in the gutter due to past unethical behavior. Marks lands a job with a group of paranormal investigators tracking and destroying entities from another dimension they call “demons” who feed off human terror. With the help of his team, Marks devises a way to kill the demons, which backfires to the point of taking out prominent humans associated with these entities. The team is taken hostage by the U.S. military and forced to help find a way to cross dimensions and destroy the demons. Aware that demons have strong allies in governmental positions, the team doesn’t know who to trust and ultimately become involved in warfare with humans and demons.
Phillips’ concept is a bit complex but he is adept at delivering the story in such a way most readers will have no problem understanding the basic mechanics of quantum physics and the theory of dimensional worlds. The plot moves quickly and is filled with action, suspense and deception. Primary characters are well-developed and an integral part of the story. The premise is thrilling and readers will be so intrigued with this well-written sci-fi they will be reluctant to put the book aside once it’s finished.
THE RESQUETH REVOLUTION
THE RESQUETH REVOLUTION
by Mark H. Phillips
iUniverse
www.iuniverse.com
ISBN: 9781440109539
Steve Marks may be a brilliant physicist but his reputation is in the gutter due to past unethical behavior. Marks lands a job with a group of paranormal investigators tracking and destroying entities from another dimension they call “demons” who feed off human terror. With the help of his team, Marks devises a way to kill the demons, which backfires to the point of taking out prominent humans associated with these entities. The team is taken hostage by the U.S. military and forced to help find a way to cross dimensions and destroy the demons. Aware that demons have strong allies in governmental positions, the team doesn’t know who to trust and ultimately become involved in warfare with humans and demons.
Phillips’ concept is a bit complex but he is adept at delivering the story in such a way most readers will have no problem understanding the basic mechanics of quantum physics and the theory of dimensional worlds. The plot moves quickly and is filled with action, suspense and deception. Primary characters are well-developed and an integral part of the story. The premise is thrilling and readers will be so intrigued with this well-written sci-fi they will be reluctant to put the book aside once it’s finished.
by Mark H. Phillips
iUniverse
www.iuniverse.com
ISBN: 9781440109539
Steve Marks may be a brilliant physicist but his reputation is in the gutter due to past unethical behavior. Marks lands a job with a group of paranormal investigators tracking and destroying entities from another dimension they call “demons” who feed off human terror. With the help of his team, Marks devises a way to kill the demons, which backfires to the point of taking out prominent humans associated with these entities. The team is taken hostage by the U.S. military and forced to help find a way to cross dimensions and destroy the demons. Aware that demons have strong allies in governmental positions, the team doesn’t know who to trust and ultimately become involved in warfare with humans and demons.
Phillips’ concept is a bit complex but he is adept at delivering the story in such a way most readers will have no problem understanding the basic mechanics of quantum physics and the theory of dimensional worlds. The plot moves quickly and is filled with action, suspense and deception. Primary characters are well-developed and an integral part of the story. The premise is thrilling and readers will be so intrigued with this well-written sci-fi they will be reluctant to put the book aside once it’s finished.
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