Final Seconds by John Lutz and David August

Story tellers but not writers the authors put together an interesting mystery. After Will Harper, a bomb-squad officer for the NYPD, is injured in the field, he retires early. But when his former partner is blown up, along with a paranoid best-selling author and his Florida estate, Harper's idle days are over.

The Black Ice by Michael Connelly

Another enjoyable Harry Bosch mystery. Pretty far fetched plot but still was a ride. Narcotics officer Cal Moore's orders were to look into the city's latest drug killing. Instead, he ends up in a motel room with his head in several pieces and a suicide note stuffed in his back pocket.

Chosen Prey by John Sandford

Re-read September 2014. Based on the comment below, I wonder if this was the first John Sandford book I read. Since then I've read at least 20 others and what a source of pleasure. This, book 12 (out of a current 24), is where Lucas and Weather heat up.

Original comment from November 2009:
Enjoyed this book, I would read the author again. Cops looking for a fashionable serial killer in Minneapolis.

Mind Scrambler by Chris Grabenstein

This may be the best of the 3 or 4 Grabenstein's John Ceepak series I've read. They're all pretty similar and the tone is upbeat and light humored. Easy light read/listen.

Strip Tease by Carl Hiaasen

Good but not epic Hiaasen. My last of his novel's, this was somewhere in the middle. No Skink (Clinton Tyree) and belly laughs, but consistent good humor and story.

The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans

Interesting inside Hollywood autobiography of Robert Evans.

Up Till Now by William Shatner and David Fisher

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It's an autobiography of William Shatner and it was a light fun read.

9 Dragons by Michael Connelly

I enjoyed this book. Bosch was Bosch and that was good. The normally entertaining Elanore Wish was one dimensional and annoying - waste of a good character. One of the things I like most about Connelly books is the LA backdrop and the trip outside the US was not as interesting as the inside skinny on LA.

Pursuit Of Honor by Vince Flynn

Standard fare for Vince Flynn. He takes off right where he left off in the last book, but not quite as good.

Marine One by James Huston

I wouldn't recommend it unless you like mindless macho mysteries. I do, and the narrator, Joe Barrett, did a great job. I'll be looking for more from Huston soon.

The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva

Introduced to Silva with Moscow Rules over a year ago, I was interested in reading another of his books. I enjoyed The Secret Servant and the main character for both books Gabriel Allon. Looking forward to the next.

Takedown by Brad Thor

So so thriller, kind of disjointed but a fun read.

Darkness Falls by Kyle Mills

Enjoyed it but it was pretty mediocre. Environmental wackos create bacteria to halt global oil supply.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

So I thought this book would end up being dubbed The Lost Editor because it is so long. Indeed it does ramble and there are times I was thinking enough already, but I enjoyed the book. In all of Brown's books you get the sense that this guy can do something great yet his books come together as very good but not the masterpiece that appears at hand. I guess the bottom line is I'll read his next book, I hope his editor does too.

Killshot by Elmore Leonard

Killshot has lots of good parts, even for Leonard, but the story is unnecessarily dragged out. Good read, with editing it would be really good.

Even Money by Dick and Felix Francis

So the book is OK, mediocre. I've read over 30 Dick Francis books of and save the ones I haven't to read on my birthday. These new books, however, co-authored with his son Felix, lack the old magic. Too bad.

21 by Patrick O'Brain

Half full this glass was extended with 63 pages of what would have been the 21st novel had not Patrick O'Brain passed. Half empty, I can't shake this feeling that there will not again be another reading experience as this. What an extra ordinary journey it has been. When the last of it ended mid-sentence this morning I felt like something was lost. How fortunate to have stumbled upon this witty author and it's narrator, Patrick Tull, who has also since passed, who have become unwavering companions. Not once in the twenty books was there a misstep, each building on the other, describing the careers and lives at sea of two dear friends Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin.

Guardian of Lies: A Paul Madriani Novel by Steve Martini

Martini can be very hit and miss and this is closer to a hit.

Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin

Interesting, maybe some false premises. Questions our assumptions about what makes people really good at something.

Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon

Interesting style and the story kept me interested. Odd and quirky, I'd read another of the author's books.

Capital Crimes by Jonathan & Faye Kellerman

It's weird even for Berkeley. Gay gals and guys hooking up you knew someone would have to get hurt and our two cops would have to clean up. Think this will be my last time around with these authors.

Brain Rules by John J. Medina

Interesting books with simple rules to help your brain function optimally. Probably would have been better if it was 1/3 as long, but content kept interest.

Blue At The Mizzen by Patrick O'Brian

The last full book of the series lives up to the excellence of its predecessors and the end of this journey is indeed sad for the reader but not for the captain and crew.

Blood Work by Michael Connelly

This is good Connelly from about 10 years ago. He takes a long time to cover very little, but the tale is well woven and despite some holes enjoyable to read. Retired FBI agent Terry McCaleb is asked by the sister of the woman whose heart Terry received from the donor program to investigate the donor's murder.

The Associate by John Grisham

Starts slow and picks up and then ends with no resolution. Yale graduate blackmailed into working for the largest law firm. The life as a first year lawyer in high stress firm was an interesting backstory that was more interesting than the plot.

First To Kill by Andrew Peterson

Total Lee Child knock off even read by Dick Hill. Retired army buddies and FBI take on american terrorists. Entertaining but nothing more.

Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard

Re-read March 2017 - very enjoyable. Real interesting start, fizzled out at the end but solid dialog all the way through. Sounds, as usual, like Elmo sat down and just started writing. Thin plot with interesting characters - I enjoyed it.

Dune by Frank Hurbert

Dune is the best written book I've ever read even after the 4th or 5th reading. I'm not a Sci Fi guy but this 1965 favorite deserves its reputation.

The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly

TCB came out in 1994 and exposes Harry Bosch's earlier life. The characters are the same ones from earlier and later novels and its a nice web of continuity. This is the 3rd of some dozen or more Basch novels and it is an interesting story but not exceptional. The plot takes Harry in search of the Doll Murderer a guy he shot a killed some four years ago and now is on trial for. But there's a twist the comes up in the middle of the trial...

The Increment by David Ignatius

Interesting story, a little slow, but worth the time. An Iranian scientist tries to inform the USA on their progress creating a nuclear bomb. The CIA works with the British secret service to resolve the escalating problem.

The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

Connelly stays with his native LA as a backdrop and brings back some enjoyable characters from the past. The Poet was one of Connelly's best, and the reporter and FBI agent who took down The Poet return in The Scarecrow. This story is not as interesting but it is an enjoyable read.

Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child

The 13th installment in the Jack Reacher series is one of the best. The break from the love interest taken hostage formula is welcome and keeps the book light. Probably would be well served with about 40 pages edited out, but it kept my interest and was a fun read. In this soon to be forgotten story, Reacher is on a train with a troubled woman - the rest of the story follows the ramifications.

Secret Justice by James W. Huston

Another macho right wing novel, this one extolling the virtues of torture. I enjoyed it. Rat water boards a terrorist and is brought to trial. In a case of mistaken identity the actual terrorist is out to do bad things to the US of A.

The Hundred Days by Patrick O'Brian

Another great episode. Napoleon is making a push - interesting history and story. Wish this series would never end.

Yellow Admiral by Patrick O'Brian

Very enjoyable. Only thing bad to say is that it is the 18th in the series and there are only two and a half books remaining. O'Brian is terrific.

First Family by David Baldacci

Fun book, using some characters from the Camel Club trilogy. Parts of the plot were questionable but all in all an enjoyable listen.

A Letter Of Mary by Laurie R. King

This is one of those books that I can't figure out why I like it. The idea of someone continuing on the Sherlock Holmes series is almost offensive. The writing style is the slow and meandering. The net effect is a very enjoyable series and A Letter Of Mary is another pleasurable peek into the latter years of Sherlock Holmes and his young wife Mary.

Mad Mouse: A John Ceepak Mystery by Chris Grabenstein

I like this series. It's very light and not a very good plot, but still enjoyable.

First Degree by David Rosenfelt

Re-read and it was enjoyable to see the start of the series.

Starts pretty slow, old story - lawyer needs to investigate to clear innocent client, but I'd read Rosenfelt again. Story was entertaining and I like the formula.

Divine Justice By David Baldacci

Forgot to add this one, read it a couple of months ago and I think I liked it. Not the best in the Oliver Stone series but a fun read.

Persuader by Lee Child

Reacher goes under cover to track a bad dude who killed one of his officers 10 years prior. Good story.

The Rainmaker by John Grisham

Read this yet again in August of 2021 and it is excellent.

Shortly into this book I realized I had read it many years ago. It is  a very good story and kept me riveted through the second reading. It's easy to see why Grisham became so popular. Young kid out of law school takes on a huge company with a huge law firm. A solid retelling of David and Goliath.

Dauntless: The Lost Fleet, Book 1 by Jack Cambell

Futuristic tale of galaxy battles with an old but enjoyable premiss. Problem is from the first few minutes of the book you know where it's going. Enjoyed it, but I don't know if I'd return for book 2.

Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child

The 10th of 12 Reacher stories I've read and I like them, but they are too detailed on silly things and they do all kind of sound the same, but they're fun.

Lost Light (Harry Bosch) by Michael Connelly

Connelly is in form and the characters and plot are very enjoyable. Bosch is retired and returns to an unsolved case. Good stuff.

Hell Hole by Chris Grabenstein

These John Ceepak and Danny Boyle mysteries have an excellent narrator and they're light and fun.  Hell Hole is a lot like Tilt A Whirl and I'd probably listen to one of the other two books in the series.

One Shot by Lee Child

This is the 8th of a series of 12 Jack Reacher stories I've read in the last year. Easy reading, fast and fun. Reacher helps a sharp shooter accused of randomly slaying 5 people - premise and ending are weak, but the book is still fun.

The Enemy by Lee Child

Goes back to when Reacher was younger and is a good read but the end is weak.  Lots of background info on the Reachers.

Tripwire by Lee Child

Enjoyable read, but not a very strong entry in the Jack Reacher series.

Lucky You by Carl Hiaasen

Winning the lottery is the back drop for Hiaasen's zaney adventure. Not totally cohesive and some of the charaters and side bars were a little dry but overall this was entertaining with some good chuckles.

Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn

Manly Macho Men save the day. Typical Vince Flynn crap and as usual I ate it up.

The Lion's Game by Nelson Demille

A good book but it would have been better if 1/3 of it was edited out. Cops, FBI, and CIA track a Libyan terrorist.

The List by Steve Martini

Started slowly but picked up to be enjoyable. Woman writes a book and has a man act as the author - spiced up with sex, murder and deceit.

Without Fail by Lee Child

Updated 1/17 - One of the best in the series. Lee Child's Jack Reacher series are fun and fast. This is a good book about two cops who try to assassinate the vice president and do battle with the secret service.

The Commodore by Patrick O'Brain

Think this is number 17 and continues the amazing tradition of consistency and well told story.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

This is a really interesting book about the building of a cathedral in the 1100's. I'd say it's a great book except it was too violent for me. The story is fascinating, and even though it is a really, really, long book, it is interesting all the way through.

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly

The lawyer from Connelly's Lincoln Lawyer is back and this time working with Harry Boche, another Connelly character who is usually the main character. Very interesting, fun and light.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Very good even as a second read. Siddhartha's journey through life from young to old.

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

The only epic I've read written in my life time. Audio is 40+ hours. It was a great listen and helped me catch a lot of things I missed when I originally read this. Apparently, there is a movie to be made by Johnny Depp - I sure hope they give this the care it deserves. Books don't get any better than this one.

Nov 2011 - The third read finds the author a little mellow dramatic, but still an awesome story.

Separation Of Power by Vince Flynn

Think I've read a half dozen of Flynn's books and this was the worst of the bunch. Story was OK but he constant digressions into characters pasts was boring. Ha, read it again and really enjoyed it.

Swan Peak by James Lee Burke

Apparently this is the 17th book in the Dave Robichseaux series. The writing is so fine and colorful its easy to see why the series is so successful. Two New Orleans cops travel to Montana to do some fishing. A dark well told tale of a psychopath and other twisted characters. Probably wouldn't read again cause it is so dar, but the writing is so good it's a tough call.

Term Limits by Vince Flynn

Flynn is a macho right wing pig and as much as I don't want to I loved this book. Fast read. Assassins are knocking off senators.

The Bourne Sanction by Eric Van Lustbader

Well written and starts of being interesting but too many twists and turns and character introspections left me feeling the editor was on holiday. It's just not Ludlum.

Black Notice by Patricia Cornwell

Enjoyed the first time I heard Cornwell but the next few grew tiring. Black Notice is her first book and it's entertaining, not as polished (silly) as the later works I've read.

Up In Honey's Room by Elmore Leonard

Elmore Leonard is hit and miss, and lots of misses lately. It was a nice surprise to recognize a lot of the characters from The Hot Kid, apparently this is a sequel. This was light entertainment. A cowboy tracking down subversive Nazis living in the states during WWII.

High Stakes by Dick Francis

Wonderful. I wish there were more Francis books to read. High Stakes is solid Francis and the reason I suspect he's been popular for so many years. 

Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva

My first Daniel Silva book - it was entertaining.

Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein

I liked it, I'll probably listen to the 2nd book in this series Mad Mouse. Funny and entertaining.

Hard Rain by Barry Eisler

Assassin in Japan. OK story, parts of it dragged.

Shadow Of Power by Steve Martini

Other reviewers of this book found the premise to unbelievable, but I didn't and enjoyed the read. This is solid Martini - good entertainment.

Nothing To Lose by Lee Child

My favorite Lee Child book thus far. Jack Reacher is an interesting character.

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

Brown has some great plot ideas but needs to edit at least a third of the material out. The ending of this book was weak, an obvious solution that he stretches out to keep tension with a time running out scenario. OK.

Protect And Defend by Vince Flynn

OK, I hate this author, he's a hawk pig. His main character is so over done he make Bond seem like a wimp. But the books are too hard to put down. You have to pull yourself away from them. Fast reads that you'll never think of again. Can't wait for the next...

Small Favor by Jim Butcher

The only book that has taken me longer to read is the bible. Small Favor is one of the Dresden Files novels and it's not a bad book, maybe if I had read other books in the series and knew the characters it would have been more interesting. It left me feeling ambivalent and glad to be done with it so I could move on.

The Wine-Dark Sea by Patrick O'Brian

Patrick O'Brian chats a little before and after this recording about it's 1993 release. In this 16th installment our crew is off to South America spending time with indians and missionaries mostly in Peru. Good stuff.

Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen

Wow this was fun. I laughed out loud. I'll read it again. My favorite Hiaasen character, the guy who eats roadkill is in this book too. Great stuff, hated for it to end.

The Whole Truth by David Baldacci

Good thriller, easy read. Some defence contractor trying to turn the world back to the cold war by manufacturing lies across the globe.

Simple Genius by David Baldacci

Entertaning run of the mill thriller.

Body Of Lies by David Ignatius

Interesting plot and exploration of the Mid East. While it was longer than it needed to be I would still read another of the author's books.

Trunk Music by Michael Connelly

Good stuff, not a great ending, but a real fast and fun read.

Angeles Flight by Michael Connelly

Page turner, ending so so. OK, not great Connelly.

The Murder Game by Steve Allen

At first the inside references to Hollywood from someone so inside the scene was interesting. The repeated references became tiring. The story was pretty weak.

Deception Point by Dan Brown

This 736 page thriller had some great bits but on the whole was just pretty good.

The Hostage: Presidential Agent Series, Book 2 by W. E. B. Griffin

Turns out to be the book before The Shooters. Same book, different day, not great but entertaining.

Truelove by Patrick O'Brian

This series is often touted as the best sea faring saga ever. The reviews are consistently solid through all 20 books. Truelove appears to have received the weakest reviews in the series, but even so I found it entertaining. Soon I will have forgoton about the adventures but as is so often the case with these books, the journey is the reward.

The King Of Lies by John Hart

Some of the writing is very good, but it's an odd thing to be concious of while you're reading. Dark but not depressing story about a lawyer who due to a series of events has to rebuild his life.

Memorial Day by Vince Flynn

Enjoying this books is an embaracement, like admitting you like a BG's song. The main character, Mitch Rapp, is so macho even James Bond would fear, it's pro Patriot Act and predictable. But for reasons I can't explain I really enjoyed this book.

The Big Bounce by Elmore Leonard

So I really like Elmore Leonard but the last few books I've read haven't had very interesting plots. Leonard always has some catch dialog, but other than those witty parts the stories haven't been interesting.

The Nutmeg of Consolation by Patrick O'Brian

14th installment is pretty good, no real beginning or end, just a slice of life at sea in the early 1800's.

FAKE Forgery, Lies, & eBay by Kenneth Walton

Tried to stretch a short story into a book, but still a pretty good read. Fast read.

The Shooters by W.E.B. Griffen

Pretty good thriller about special forces in South America.

Thirteen Gun Salute by Patrick O'Brian

Pretty good.

Die Trying by Lee Child

Read this in Summer and must have forgot to add it, it was OK as I recall.

The Hard Way by Lee Child

This is the 3rd of 10 of Lee Child's Jack Reacher series and is the best. It's a pretty entertaining book, ending is just OK.

Stone Cold by David Baldacci

The continuation of The Collectors has the Camel Club keeping busy. Pretty good, not as good as The Collectors.

The Collectors by David Baldacci

Very good. Camel Club's second adventure, it appears there may be another...

Hunters Of Dune and Sandworms Of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Hunters of Dune was good, but it ended abrubtly in the middle of the story and the sequel, Sandworms Of Dune, wasn't published for another year. I would suggest reading the books together and in order. Pretty good but not as strong as previous Dune efforts.

The Letter of Marque by Patrick O'Brian

Great, wonderful, you name it. This is series is great and this book is a highlight.

The Game by Laurie R. King

Quiet good. Holmes and Russel go abroad to India.