Call to Arms:The Corps Series, Book 2 by W. E. B. Griffin

Super strong series (SSS). Book two is almost as good as book 1, really looking forward to book 3. PW: The attack on Pearl Harbor swept America into the raging heart of the war. The stormy South Pacific presented a daring new challenge, and the men of the Corps were ready to fight. An elite fraternity united by a glorious tradition of courage and honor, the Marine Raiders were bound to a triumphant destiny....

Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard

Excellent even for Leonard. I often listened  to the dialog again because it is so sharp. Good continuation of the first book, looking forward to the third. PW: Now that mom’s gravy train has derailed, gambling, debt-ridden Palm Beach playboy Warren “Chip” Ganz has decided to take somebody rich hostage—with the help of a Bahamian ex-con, a psycho gardener/enforcer, and the beautiful, if underfed, psychic Reverend Dawn. The trouble is, they chose bookmaker Harry Arno as their victim, and Harry can scam with the best. The big trouble is, ace manhunter U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens is sleeping with Harry’s ex–exotic dancer ex-girlfriend, and Joyce wants Harry found. And since nearly everyone has guns, locating and springing the captive bookie almost certainly can’t happen without some measure of lethal difficulty.

Semper Fi: The Corps Series, Book 1 by W. E. B. Griffin

Very good. Griffin at his best. Look forward to the next in the Corps series. Introduces characters likely to continue through the series. This book starts in China just before WWII and ends shortly after Pearl Harbor.

Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler, Dirk Cussler

Painful. This story had great plot elements and could have been a really good read if it hadn't been stretched out. Four times too long. PW In A.D. 327, a Roman galley barely escapes a pirate attack with its extraordinary cargo. In 1916, a British warship mysteriously explodes in the middle of the North Sea. In the present day, a cluster of important mosques in Turkey and Egypt are wracked by explosions. Does anything tie them together? NUMA director Dirk Pitt is about to find out, as Roman artifacts discovered in Turkey and Israel unnervingly connect to the rise of a fundamentalist movement determined to restore the glory of the Ottoman Empire, and to the existence of a mysterious "manifest", lost long ago, which if discovered again...just may change the history of the world as we know it.

The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

Very enjoyable. Even though Clancy is too long winded, way too, this plot is excellent.

Three Shirt Deal by Stephen J. Cannell

Enjoyable. PW Following the success of his bestselling novel White Sister, Stephen J. Cannell’s latest blockbuster has Detective Shane Scully fighting to save a man railroaded for murder, while his wife, Alexa, has become a total stranger to him A small-time crook is doing life in California’s notoriously brutal Corcoran State Prison for the murder of his mother. He admitted to the crime, but now he claims his confession was coerced by the cops. A beautiful Internal Affairs detective, Secada “Scout” Llevar, asks Shane to help investigate, and he agrees after learning the original homicide detective was Brian Devine, a ruthless cop with whom Scully has a bad history. What begins as a routine review quickly turns into something much more deadly. The case is abruptly shut down by an LAPD deputy chief, and Shane begins to suspect that for unknown reasons the prisoner really may have been framed by the police. But some things, once started, cannot be stopped, and the investigation spirals dangerously out of control, implicating a violent Hispanic gang, a millionaire power broker, and the front-runner in the Los Angeles mayoral race...

The Secret Soldier by Alex Berenson

OK, mediocre read made enjoyable by Guidall's excellent narration. PW In Saudi Arabia, a series of terrorist attacks has put the Kingdom on edge. King Abdullah is losing his hold, and his own secret police cannot be trusted. With nowhere to turn, the king asks for ex-CIA agent John Wells's help. Reluctantly, and with the secret blessing of his former CIA boss, Wells begins to unravel the conspiracy, and realizes that there is more than one country at stake-because the plotters want more than the fall of a monarch. They want to start the final battle between America and Islam-with only themselves as the victors...

The Bone Thief by Jefferson Bass

Pretty slow but an OK read. PW The latest Body Farm novel picks up not too long after the previous one, Bones of Betrayal (2009), ended. Isabella, the murderous seductress, still haunts Dr. Bill Brockton, forensic anthropologist and founder of Tennessee’s unique research facility known as the Body Farm (he’s loosely based on Dr. Bill Bass, the Body Farm’s real founder and one-half of the novel’s writing team). Isabella disappeared at the end of the previous novel, and Brockton is concerned she might not have gone too far. Current events, however, including a couple of cases of corpse-dismemberment, are helping him keep his mind off her—until he makes a shocking discovery that could turn his life upside down.

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper White

If you like this author, then this is an enjoyable read, and typically funny. I'm on the border because the plots are so silly. PW Jane Jameson’s mama said there’d be days like this. Fired as the children’s librarian in Half Moon Hollow, Kentucky; broken-down car late at night. But mama didn’t think about the possibility of Jane getting shot by a deer hunter and left for dead. Or being made the undead by Gabriel Nightengale so she’d have a second chance at, well, life. Adjusting to life without chocolate and sunbathing—never mind a job—has its challenges, but sexy Gabriel is one major perk. If only she can figure out how to tell her parents about her new liquid diet. And who is trying to frame her for murder? Harper arrives on the scene with a chuckle-inducing, southern-fried version of Stephanie Plum’s the Burg. This tale, the first in a series, is less about twisting plots and more about following quirky characters, human and vampire alike. Jane is smartly written and more than a librarian in name only. Fellow pros will recognize the trivia-loving geekiness and well-meaning sarcasm of someone who has long lived in the book stacks.

Pronto by Elmore Leonard

When EL is on he's as good as they get. Pronto is fun and fast and has the color and style of EL. Unlike so many current books, EL keeps it short and to the point. PW: The feds want Miami bookmaker Harry Arno to squeal on his wiseguy boss. So they're putting word out on the street that Arno's skimming profits from "Jimmy Cap" Capotorto—which he is, but everybody does it. He was planning to retire to Italy someday anyway, so Harry figures now's a good time to get lost. U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens knows Harry's tricky—the bookie ditched him once in an airport while in the marshal's custody—but not careful. So Raylan's determined to find the fugitive's Italian hideaway before a cold-blooded Sicilian "Zip" does and whacks Arno for fun. After all, it's a "pride thing"...and it might even put Raylan in good stead with Harry's sexy ex-stripper girlfriend Joyce.

Defending Jacob by William Landay

OK, a good first novel. Grover is a fun narrator and keeps things light and moving. Might listen to Landay's next novel. PW: Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student. Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.

Odds Against by Dick Francis

Wonderful. I don't know if it's a good thing, but I didn't remember any of this book and it was like reading it for the first time. Typical Francis writing - totally enjoyable - his third mystery from 1965. PW: Former hotshot jockey Sid Halley landed a position with a detective agency, only to catch a bullet from some penny-ante thug. Now, he has to go up against a field of thoroughbred criminals--and the odds are against him that he'll even survive.