Watership Down by Richard Adams

Bought this because of the great reviews but I found it boring and had no interest in finishing it.

Thunderball by Ian Fleming

Enjoyable, Bond is Bond.

Gamble by Felix Francis

The worst book in the Dick Francis series, Felix Francis doesn't have his dad's gift. Boring.

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

Like Quinn's other books, Ishmael puts out ideas that change the way you look at the world. Really interesting perspective.

The Third Option by Vince Flynn

The Third Option is Vince Flynn's third novel, and the second to feature Mitch Rapp, is standard fare - so if you like VF then you'll eat this up. PW: CIA counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp falls prey to government forces with an agenda of their own after Dr. Irene Kennedy is named the successor to dying CIA Director Thomas Stansfield -- a choice that enrages many inside the world's most powerful intelligence agency. Her detractors will resort to extreme measures to prevent her from taking the reins -- which makes Rapp an expendable asset. But Mitch Rapp is no one's pawn, and he will stop at nothing to find out who has set him up.

After The Funeral by Agatha Christie

OK.

When Cora Lansquenet is savagely murdered with a hatchet, the extraordinary remark she made the previous day at her brother Richard’s funeral suddenly takes on a chilling significance. At the reading of Richard’s will, Cora was clearly heard to say, “It’s been hushed up very nicely, hasn’t it.… But he was murdered, wasn’t he?”

The Man with the Golden Gun by Ian Fleming

Enjoyable read.

A brainwashed James Bond has tried—and failed—to assassinate M, his boss. Now Bond has to prove he is back on form and can be trusted again. All 007 has to do is kill one of the most deadly freelance hit men in the world: Paco "Pistols" Scaramanga, the Man with the Golden Gun. But despite his license to kill, 007 is no assassin, and on finding Scaramanga in the sultry heat of Jamaica, he decides to infiltrate the killer’s criminal cooperative—and realizes that he will have to take him out as swiftly as possible. Otherwise 007 might just be the next on a long list of British Secret Service numbers retired by the Man with the Golden Gun...

House Divided by Mike Lawson

Enjoyable but not the best in the Joe DeMarco series, but look forward to the next.

When the NSA was caught wiretapping U.S. citizens without warrants, a scandal erupted and the program came to a screeching halt. But the man who spearheaded the most sophisticated eavesdropping operation in history wasn’t about to sit by while his country sleepwalked into another 9/11. Instead, he moved the program into the shadows. So when the NSA records a rogue military group murdering two American civilians, they can’t exactly walk over to the Pentagon and demand to know what’s going on. That doesn’t mean their hands are tied, however. As the largest intelligence service in the country, both in money and manpower, they have plenty of options— mostly illegitimate.

One Dog Night by David Rosenfelt

If you liked any of Rosenfelt's books you'll like this one - it's classic Andy Carpenter. The plot gets a little unbelievable towards the end, but who cares. Light and very enjoyable.


For six years Noah Galloway has lived with a horrible secret and the fear that his rebuilt life could be shattered at any moment. Now his dread has become a certainty, and he has been arrested for the arson murder of twenty-six people.

What he needs now is defense lawyer Andy Carpenter, who most definitely is not in the market for a new client. So Noah plays his hole card: a shared love for Andy’s golden retriever, Tara, and the knowledge of what her life was like before Andy rescued her. Because Andy wasn’t her first owner—Noah rescued Tara first, and when he wasn’t able to care for her any longer, he did everything in his power to make sure that she was placed in the right home: Andy’s.

With that knowledge, Andy has little choice but to take Noah on, and he soon learns that the long-ago event that may destroy Noah’s life is only the beginning of an ongoing conspiracy that grows more deadly by the day. Andy will have to pull out all of his tricks to get to the bottom of this cold case turned white hot in the latest in David Rosenfelt’s popular mystery series.

St. Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters

The fourth in the Father Cadfael and I suspect I'll read the entire series. Interesting times and characters with a meandering, mostly predictable plot line.

Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva

A good story recycled with engaging characters - the author has a good series and keeps coming up with slight variations. Will read more of this series. Good entertainment.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Quirky, slow - lightly entertaining but not enough so to make me want to return to the story.

iWoz by Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith

There is definitely 'I' in iWoz. Interesting technical history in mediocre memoir, Woz didn't come across as that likable or hate-able. The story reads as follows: I was the first to do XXX...

Dust and Shadow by Lyndsay Faye

Very, very, good, hard to believe it's Faye's first book, can't wait to read her next book (due in March 2012). Pitting Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper in a vividly detailed nineteenth-century London. Ever since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the character of the detective Sherlock Holmes, fans have clamored for more. Numerous authors have taken up the task of keeping Holmes alive, but few have successfully delivered as faithful an offshoot as Lyndsay Faye's Dust and Shadow, wherein she brings an unparalleled authenticity to the legendary hero. Just as Faye breathes new life into Sherlock Holmes, she masterfully recreates one of history's most diabolical villains with her version of Whitechapel's serial killer; penned as a pastiche by the loyal and courageous Dr. Watson, and brimming with impeccable historical detail, this astonishing debut novel explores the terrifying prospect of tracking a serial killer without the advantage of modern forensics and profiling.

Void Moon by Michael Connelly

OK, maybe a little better but relatively week for Connelly.  PW: Cassie Black, a resourceful ex-con, plans to burgle the Las Vegas casino's high roller suite where, five years before, a previous attempt resulted in her arrest and the death of her lover. It's an intriguing premise, and L.J. Ganser delivers a mesmerizing and nuanced performance. In creating Jack Karch, the bon vivant Vegas private eye who moonlights as a hit man, Ganser settles on a genial, almost charming delivery, underplaying the character's sinister psychopathology and adding to the suspense.

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

Really enjoying re-reading this series 25 years later. This is the first Bond book and a solid start that gives an insight to Flemings understanding that he was developing a series.

Freedom (TM) by Daniel Suarez

Even better than the first in the series, Daemon. I'm stealing someone else's words "...an ambitious novel, which sets out not only to entertain, which it surely does, but also to challenge the reader to consider social issues as broad as the implications of living in a technologically advanced world and whether democracy can survive in such a world."

Daemon by Daniel Suarez

The ideas in this book are so creative, fresh and insightful that it puts this book in a class of it's own. The story is pretty good too. PW: Gaming genius Matthew Sobol, the 34-year-old head of CyberStorm Entertainment, has just died of brain cancer, but death doesn't stop him from initiating an all-out Internet war against humanity. When the authorities investigate Sobol's mansion in Thousand Oaks, Calif., they find themselves under attack from his empty house, aided by an unmanned Hummer that tears into the cops with staggering ferocity. Sobol's weapon is a daemon, a kind of computer process that not only has taken over many of the world's computer systems but also enlists the help of superintelligent human henchmen willing to carry out his diabolical plan.

The Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters

Another enjoyable journey into this delightful series. Gervase Bonel, with his wife and servants, is a guest of Shrewsbury Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul when he is suddenly taken ill. Luckily, the Abbey boasts the services of the clever and kindly Brother Cadfael, a skilled herbalist. Cadfael hurries to the man's bedside, only to be confronted by two very different surprises. In Master Bonel's wife, he good monk recognises Richildis, whom he loved many years ago before he took his vows, and Master Bonel has been fatallly poisoned by a dose of deadly monk's-hood oil from Cadfael's herbarium. The Sherrif is convinced that the murdered is Richildis' son Edwin, who had reasons aplenty to hate his stepfather. But Cadfael, guided in part by his tender concern for a woman to whom he was once betrothed, is certain of her son's innocence. Using his knowledge of both herbs and the human heart, Cadfael deciphers a deadly recipe for murder.

The Sins of the Fathers by Lawrence Block

Slow plot, but Lawrence's characters are so interestingly normal. PW: Block has been getting better and better in recent Matt Scudder novels, but as this first hardcover version of a 16-year-old paperback shows, he was pretty good from the start. King's admiring introduction is generous but by no means overstated. This tale, which introduced the then-hard-drinking ex-cop, is spare and lean and full of dark insights into lonesomeness and anguish. The father of murdered Wendy Hanniford comes to Scudder to try to find out more about his errant daughter--not to find her killer, who was apparently her living partner, a brittle young man who was found in the street raving and covered with her blood and who killed himself shortly after he was arrested. In his dour, methodical, oddly empathetic way, Scudder finds out a great deal, altering several lives in the process.

Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Fun concept and light and enjoyable read, I would read another.  PW: Dexter, your friendly neighborhood serial killer, is a police department blood-spatter expert who, in his spare time, kills people. Not just anyone, you understand--he only kills other killers, people whom he believes deserve it. Is this because Dexter really has a heart of gold? No, he's a monster (he is the first to admit it), but at least he tries to steer his evil into productive channels. In the second of Lindsay's alliteratively titled thrillers (following last year's Darkly Dreaming Dexter), Dexter's nemesis, Sergeant Doakes, is getting a little too close for comfort, and there is also the matter of a psychopath on the loose. When Dexter's two problems eventually link up . . . well, what's a well-meaning homicidal maniac to do? Dexter, the cheerfully sociopathic crime fighter, is one of mystery fiction's most original, compelling, and oddly endearing heroes.

The Messenger by Daniel Silva

Very good and a good series. PW: starring Israeli art restorer and spymaster Gabriel Allon. Ahmed bin Shafiq, a former chief of a clandestine Saudi intelligence unit, targets the Vatican for attack, in particular Pope Paul VII and his top aide, Monsignor Luigi Donati, who both appeared in Silva's previous novel, Prince of Fire. Shafiq, who now heads his own terrorist network, is allied with a militant Islamic Saudi businessman known as Zizi, a true believer committed to the destruction of all infidels. Gabriel's challenge is to infiltrate Zizi's organization, a task he assigns to a beautiful American art expert, Sarah Bancroft. Gabriel promises he'll protect her, but plans go awry, and by the end Sarah faces torture and death.

Goldfinger by Ian Fleming

Rereading this series has been such a pleasant surprise, these books are much better than I remembered.

Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson

A very strong addition to the already strong Walt Longmire series. Johnson's subtle touch is masterful and the characters and the writing are so good that the plot is gravy on the cake.

PW: Johnson's sixth mystery featuring Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire (after 2009's Dark Horse) will remind readers that a big city isn't necessary for a compelling crime story and enduring hero. One blizzardy February day, Walt and his deputies—Victoria Moretti and Santiago Saizarbitoria—visit the Durant, Wyo., dump, owned by the Stewart family, to investigate a severed thumb found in a discarded cooler. There they discover that the Stewart family patriarch, George, was almost killed after someone dragged him behind a '68 Toronado. Walt winds up playing peacemaker between the cantankerous Stewarts, longtime Durant residents, and the owner of a new housing development bordering the junkyard. When a search of the dump unearths a surprising side business and two deaths follow, Walt realizes he has bigger problems on his hands. Series fans as well as newcomers will cheer the laconic Walt every step of the way.

Trader Of Secrets by Steve Martini

Martini is excellent in the court room but this book was far from it and mediocre at best.

Forced To Kill by Andrew Peterson

Fun and intricate ride. Deals with torture but the author avoided the predictable plot lines most would have succumbed to. I would read Peterson again.

PW: Nathan McBride is never backed away from danger, and he's not about to start now, even if it means confronting the cold-blooded interrogator who tortured him to the brink of death more than a decade ago. When a mutilated body is discovered in a remote Utah lake, it ignites a chain of events that forces Nathan to face a dark chapter from a past he's worked hard to forget. Could his Nicaraguan enemy be active again? On American soil? The evidence is clear, but the stakes are higher than Nathan can know. In a showdown that will test Nathan's understanding of justice and mercy, he'll have to make a life or death decision that has the potential to expose and destroy people at the highest levels of government.

The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry

Long and detailed but a wild ride and enjoyable. Would read the author again but might consider an abridged edition. PW: At the start of bestseller Berry's second thriller to feature Cotton Malone (after The Templar Legacy), Malone, a former employee of the covert branch of the U.S. Justice Department, is trying to lead a secluded life as a bookseller in Copenhagen. Unsurprisingly, that hope is short-lived when his son is kidnapped and his ex-wife, Pam, asks for his help in rescuing the boy. The abductors intend to force Malone to reveal what he knows about the survival of the legendary lost library of Alexandria, which may hold ancient texts that could undermine Israel's claim to biblical legitimacy. Malone and his allies get mixed up in Washington intrigue and double-dealing as they try to identify the high-level traitor seeking to use the secret sources to change the dynamics of the Middle East. Characters implausibly leave enemies unsecured, placing themselves in unnecessary jeopardy, while the notion that the texts could have the desired effect may strike some readers as too far-fetched. Predictable plots twists (like the growing rapprochement between Malone and Pam) and superficial treatment of the issues between the Israelis and the Palestinians are further minuses.

Hit And Run by Lawrence Block

Block creates very interesting characters but Hit And Run had a mediocre plot. Nevertheless it was enjoyable and I would read more of his works. The first book in this series, Hit Man, was a compilation of short stories and it moved quicker and was more interesting.

Just one more job—paid in advance—and he's going to retire. Waiting in Des Moines for the client's go-ahead, Keller's picking out stamps for his collection at a shop in Urbandale when somebody guns down the charismatic governor of Ohio. Back at his motel, Keller sees the killer's face broadcast on TV. A face he's seen quite often. Every morning. In the mirror.

Buried Prey by John Sandford

Nothing special but consistently enjoyable like the rest of the (21 book) series. Gives a peek into the beginning of Lucas Davenport's career.  In 1985, Davenport was a young cop with a reputation for recklessness, and the girls' disappearance was a big deal. His bosses ultimately declared the case closed, but he never agreed with that. Now that he has a chance to investigate it all over again, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: It wasn't just the bodies that were buried. It was the truth.

No Time Left by David Baldacci

Short story. Not very good.

Sweepers by P. T. Deutermann

Pretty good, author has a lot of potential but many things were unbelievable. It begins with a routine police investigation. A beautiful woman is dead. A detective needs answers. And a newly appointed Pentagon admiral is scrambling for his career and for his life. Suddenly, the inner ring of the Pentagon is being rocked by a living nightmare: a Sweeper-a trained covert assassin, an ex-SEAL scarred by one horrific episode in Vietnam-has gone rogue. And his killing has just begun...

With a searing insider's view of Pentagon politics, retired Navy captain P.T. Deutermann writes military suspense worthy of Tom Clancy and Nelson DeMile. Now, in his electrifying new novel, a powerful ex-Marine and a courageous woman face a kill zone: of deception, ambition, and sweeping revenge...

The Informant by Thomas Perry

Great, I loved it, didn't want it to end. The third in Perry's The Butcher's Boy series (The Butcher's Boy, Sleeping Dogs and The Informant). The only thing I don't like about this series is that the book timeline matches the release timeline of about once every 10 years. Publishers Weekly: ...pits the Butcher's Boy (aka Michael Schaeffer), an impeccably effective hit man, against his old nemesis, Elizabeth Waring, an impeccably honest Justice Department official. Though Waring's boss, arrogant political appointee Dale Hunsecker, tries to hamstring her, Waring wants to bolster her 20-year pursuit of Mafia bosses by turning the Butcher's Boy into America's most important informant. Waring soon enters into an intricate pas de deux with a man who considers death a buy-sell commodity. Meanwhile, this icy yet strangely appealing killer, who reads Waring as well as she reads him, methodically murders capo after capo and their "made men" across the country, the only way he can safely return to his quiet retirement in England with his beloved wife, Meg. Perry offers a compelling, rapid-fire plot, credible Mafia and FBI secondary characters, an indictment of self-serving officialdom, and the old soul-shattering moral dilemma: what is truth?

The Charm School by Nelson DeMille

Painfully slow and long but a very interesting story. It was hard to get through the first half of the book and hard to put it down the last half. The author obviously knows the subject matter. On the road from Smolensk to Moscow, an American tourist, Gregory Fisher, is confronted by a man on the run: an Air Force major who was shot down over appears from his hotel and soon turns up dead, the victim of a suspicious car crash. Intelligence officer Sam Hollis, press attache Lisa Rhodes and CIA bureau chief Seth Alevy must discover for themselves what is going on at the Charm School. They must also decide whether public revelation of a horrifying KGB operation during the new era of glasnost might not damage American/Soviet relations.

A Morbid Taste For Bones by Ellis Peters

Wonderful to listen to Patrick Tull again! May have found a new author/series to follow. Slow flow with interesting characters. Will read another in this series. Thus begins the first of what would ultimately come to be twenty Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, former crusader turned herbalist monk living in the 12th century world of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Predictably, the monks are anything but welcome in Wales - not only are they emissaries from an English abbey, which in itself would be bad enough already; they also seek to take what village folk consider their greatest treasure and, more importantly, the village's holy protectress. When wealthy squire Lord Rhysart, who has led the village in opposing the monks' mission, is found murdered, the monks quickly find themselves implicated. Cadfael, of Welsh descendance himself but now part of a mission from an English abbey, finds himself between all lines of allegiance in trying to find Rhysart's murderer; but find the murderer he must, to ensure the success of his brothers' mission and their safe return home. And it will take all his world-wisdom and all his understanding of the divine to unravel the mystery.

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci

Enjoyed this book, the Camel Club friends would have been a nice addition. Edgar Roy-an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like Federal Supermax facility-is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins-en route to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered.

Paul McCartney: A Life by Peter Ames Carlin

Biographers without access to the subject are at a distinct disadvantage. That said Carlin does a good job of weaving many perspectives on McCartney. Ultimately, while interesting and insightful, not having McCartney's direct input makes this book unmemorable.

Decision Points by George W. Bush

The casual friendly tone of the the book captures, but the lack of substance and petty jabs turns what looked like a promising book into a boring, long winded story. There are lots of disappointing books, but this one is poignant in that it had so much potential for insight into what it takes to run our country.

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly

Re-read again 8/16 five years later and enjoyed it, again. Really enjoyed this book, even as much as Lincoln Lawyer. Connelly's compelling fourth legal thriller featuring Mickey Haller (after Reversal) finds the maverick L.A. lawyer who uses his Lincoln town car as an office specializing in "foreclosure defense." Haller's first foreclosure client, Lisa Trammel, is fighting hard to keep her home, maybe too hard. The bank has gotten a restraining order to stop Trammel's protests, and she becomes the prime suspect when Mitchell Bondurant, a mortgage banker, is killed with a hammer in his office parking lot. A ton of evidence points to Trammel, but Haller crafts an impressive defense that includes "the fifth witness" of the title. Connelly has a sure command of the legal and procedural details of criminal court, and even manages to make the arcane, shady world of foreclosure interesting. While the prose may lack some of the poetic nuance of his early novels, the plot is worthy of a master storyteller.

In The Plex by Steven Levy

Fascinating insight into Google and the complexities of a growing company trying to keep values.

House Justice by Mike Lawson

Pretty good, the weakest in the series but still enjoyable - looking forward to the next one. After the head of the CIA, Jake LaFountaine, gives a secret briefing to a group of congressional leaders in Lawson's engaging fifth thriller featuring fix-it man Joe DeMarco (after House Secrets), someone leaks the information to the press. This slip results in the brutal killing of CIA agent Mahata Javadi (one of the bravest persons I ever met, LaFountaine tells a room full of reporters), who was working undercover in Iran. John Fitzpatrick Mahoney, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Washington's premier political puppet master, tasks DeMarco with finding the leaker. Despite three wild cards confounding the search—a Russian mobster, the wealthy head of a technology company, and a mysterious killer bent on revenge—DeMarco manages to remain alive and get himself a fabulous new girlfriend. The always present push and pull between the political machinations of alcoholic, egotistical Mahoney and De Marco's basic decency raises the ethical stakes.

Hit Man by Lawrence Block

Good read(s) - I didn't realize this was a compilation of short stories because they ran together so seamlessly. Look forward to reading Block again.

For some years now, Block's been chronicling the adventures of fatalistic hired assassin J.P. Keller. Now Block has revised and collected ten stories showing Keller doing what he does best. As he sallies forth from his First Avenue apartment to one American city after another at the behest of the old man in White Plains, Keller ponders whether he can kill a man he's grown to like, mops up after hitting the wrong target, serves as cat's-paw for killers initially more clever than he is, and agonizes over which of two clients who've paid to have each other killed he's going to have to disappoint. In between his methodical executions, he also checks out real estate in Oregon, consults a therapist, takes up stamp collecting, wonders if learning more about flowers would enrich his life, buys earrings for the woman who walks his dog, and worries how much of a commitment he can make to either the woman or the dog. It's the combination of the many things Keller ruminates about and the many things he tries not to (``This is the wrong business for moral decisions,'' the old man's secretary admonishes him) that gives him his melancholy fascination. Is the result a novel or a cycle of stories?

Dr. No by Ian Fleming

Better than I remembered. I'm surprised how good these books are after all these years, the stories are clever and must have been cutting edge in their time. Some far fetched things (e.g. giant squid) but it hold together. I'm enjoying this series more now than I did 25 years ago.

Sharpe's Siege by Bernard Cornwell

Real good, second in the series I've read and I suspect all of the books are good.


The invasion of France is underway, and the Navy has called upon the services of Major Richard Sharpe. He and a small force of riflemen are to capture a fortress and secure a landing on the French coast.
It is to be one of the most dangerous missions of his career. Through the incompetence of a recklessly ambitious naval commander and the machinations of his old enemy, French spymaster Pierre Ducos, Sharpe finds himself abandoned in enemy territory, facing overwhelming forces and the very real prospect of defeat.

Blowback by Brad Thor

I enjoy reading a book and being transported to an interesting place, and its a rude shock to have an author mix in his political opinions. I can turn on the TV 24 hours a day to watch angry people pontificate, it's totally uncool to have this guy spewing and taking my money while he's doing it. What kind of person would use a book as a forum to call a former first lady a bitch, ball buster, and then have the climax of the book including her being video taped giving someone a BJ. Really? A professional would not behave like this.

Whack-a-Mole by Chris Grabenstein

Danny and Ceepak are in top form for perhaps the best book in the series. These books are silly and make for a very light and enjoyable read. An innocent discovery on the beach in Sea Haven leads to a string of gruesome clues and one chilling conclusion: a long dormant serial killer is poised to strike again.

Heartshot by Steven F. Havill

This was a pleasant surprise, in the same way Craig Johnson's walt Longmire mysteries slowly take hold. Interesting regular people you come to like - look forward to reading another in this series.

Septuagenarian undersheriff Bill Gastner of Posadas County, N.M., is the skeptical, endearing narrator of this mystery debut by a writer of Westerns ( Timberblood ). Conscious of advancing age and his bulging waistline, Gastner distrusts both computers and the skills of newly elected sheriff Martin Holman, a former used-car salesman. When a large stash of cocaine is found in the car of five teenagers killed in a crash, local officials are stymied. A young state cop is brought in to mingle with the victims's friends, posing as Gastner's grandson. In short order, a grief-stricken father shoots the undercover cop, a moody teenager dies in a suspicious "suicide," and Gastner has a heart attack. Eventually Gastner, the surprisingly capable Holman and detective Estelle Reyes expose a complicated drug-smuggling operation. Airplanes, real and model, loom large in the denouement and the climactic flying sequence is a corker. If the villain's identity is not surprising, readers still will enjoy this caper and look forward to future appearances of curmudgeonly charmer Gastner.

Marker by Robin Cook

Written well, interesting plot, but I will stay away from this author. Too many superfluous side stories that go on and are dead ends. One character talks to another and is referred to another who then refers them to another to no avail.

From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming

Much better than I remembered, and other than the abrupt and unclear ending, a very enjoyable read.

The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall

This book is well written and has very good reviews, but I will not be reading this author again. Too slow and boring. I got 2/3 through the book and just didn't care.

The Second Perimeter by Mike Lawson

I wouldn't suggest this book to anyone, but I sure enjoyed it. I've enjoyed all of Lawson's books I've read thus far and look forward to the next.

PW: The second outing for political troubleshooter Joe DeMarco, who's employed by House Speaker John Mahoney, proves that Lawson's fine debut, The Inside Ring (2005), was no fluke. Soon after DeMarco's arrival at the U.S. naval base in Bremerton, Wash., which an espionage ring has infiltrated, dead spies start turning up. Their control, a beautiful Chinese national, Li Mei, appears to be killing her underlings once they complete their jobs. After Li Mei gets her hands on top secret information about nuclear submarine technology, she boldly takes the next step—kidnapping one of DeMarco's operatives, who, theoretically, could be tortured into revealing more secrets about nuclear subs. While the author's prose is highly readable and his plot fast-paced, it's the character of DeMarco, a man of insecurities, weaknesses and outright defects, that separates this new series from the herd. DeMarco also has a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor that contrasts nicely to the solemn gravity of his professional circumstances.

The Last Season by Phil Jackson

What a great insider look at the Lakers and the NBA. I really liked this book, wish it was much longer - even better wish Jackson wrote one every season.

The Chase by Clive Cussler

OK read but the author focuses more on detail than action. Very interesting details about life 100 years ago are exposed throughout the story.

Point Of Impact by Stephen Hunter

The first in a long series about the sniper, Bob Swagger. I accidentally got the abridged version, and I think it was a good thing, it kept the action moving and kept the macho spin from getting too tiring. Bob Lee Swagger, jungle-smart hillbilly and premier shootist, explodes as a thinking man's Rambo when Hunter's ( The Day Before Midnight ) canny plot overcomes the barrage of high-tech ballistics data in this otherwise satisfying thriller. Swagger's sniper kills were legendary in Vietnam until an enemy bullet sent him into seclusion at his home in the Arkansas mountains. Retired Col. Schreck lures him back into "the World" on the pretense that he will be testing new bullets, but instead presses him into his special "Agency" unit. Swagger's job is to predict which site on the president's upcoming speaking tour a professional sniper would choose for an assassination attempt--so Schreck's unit can prevent it. Swagger calls the hit just right but is shot and framed in the assassination by Schreck's men. Only FBI agent and sniper ace Nick Memphis believes that Swagger is innocent. Memphis and Swagger trace the real assassin through the shootist network, making clever use of gun-lore magazines. They take on FBI bureaucrats, Schreck's nasties, Salvadoran death squads and local law agencies to get to the final showdown. While the novel's firearms details may be daunting to non-NRA members, the characters, plot and courtroom finale will leave readers wrung out.

By Order of the President: Presidential Agent Series, Book 1 by W. E. B. Griffin

This is the first book in a series, and I found myself very interested in the history of the characters having read the 2nd and 3rd books a year or so ago. This was the best of the three and I enjoyed it a lot.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Really slow and meandering, but charming. Sweet characters. The debut of one of literature's favorite sleuths! Maisie Dobbs isn't just any young housemaid. Through her own natural intelligence - and the patronage of her benevolent employers - she works her way into college at Cambridge. After the War I and her service as a nurse, Maisie hangs out her shingle back at home: M. DOBBS, TRADE AND PERSONAL INVESTIGATIONS.
But her very first assignment, seemingly an ordinary infidelity case, soon reveals a much deeper, darker web of secrets, which will force Maisie to revisit the horrors of the Great War and the love she left behind.

New York Dead by Stuart Woods

OK, but I don't think I'd read the author again. Everyone is always telling Stone Barrington that he's too smart to be a cop, but it's pure luck that places him on the streets in the dead of night, just in time to witness the horrifying incident that turns his life inside out.
Suddenly he is on the front page of every New York newspaper, and his life is hopelessly entwined in the increasingly shocking life (and death) of Sasha Nijinsky, the country's hottest and most beautiful television anchorwoman.
No matter where he turns, the case is waiting for him, haunting his nights and turning his days into a living hell. Stone finds himself caught in a perilous web of unspeakable crimes, dangerous friends, and sexual depravity that has throughout it one common thread: Sasha.

Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben

Pretty good, fluffy entertainment. Sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron's prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend, a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead, the deal starts to go sour. Trying to unravel the truth about a family's tragedy, a woman's secret, and a man's lies, Myron is up against the dark side of his business--where image and talent make you rich, but the truth can get you killed.

Assassin by Ted Bell

Macho, mindless, mediocre this is OK entertainment. In the opening pages of Bell's fast and furious second novel featuring the large-living Alexander Hawke, the groom-to-be is having a case of nerves, and readers will find themselves uneasy as well. Sure enough, Hawke's intended, the lovely Victoria Sweet, is shot dead by a sniper minutes after the wedding ceremony. Meanwhile, America has been targeted by the nefarious Snay bin Wazir, known as the Dog for the curious doglike sound he makes when laughing, usually while throttling someone to death. Hawke is joined once again by his "merry band" of series regulars in stopping not only bin Wazir but in finding Victoria's killer, the infamous Scissorhands, risen anew from the pages of the previous Hawke novel.

The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein

The book is fine, just too depressing for my tastes, I stopped halfway through.

Fidelity by Thomas Perry

Perry is probably my favorite active author and this book was pretty good. After L.A. PI Phil Kramer is shot dead as he's getting into his car one night on a quiet street, his wife, Emily, and his staff set out to find whodunit and why. As they dig, Emily discovers Phil had many secrets. Meanwhile, Jerry Hobart, the hired gun, is ordered to kill Emily. Suspicious of his client's motives, Jerry starts investigating his client, who, the reader learns, is Ted Forrest, a wealthy playboy with a secret life.

House Secrets by Mike Lawson

Very enjoyable, I look forward to reading another in the series.  DeMarco is sent to investigate the death of a reporter, the son of one of his boss’ old colleagues, even though it appears to be nothing more than an unfortunate accident. He soon learns that the reporter was on the trail of Senator Paul Morelli, a rising star considered a shoe-in for his party’s presidential nomination. Some politicians are lucky, and Morelli has been luckier than most, but his past has already been thoroughly scrutinized and he looks clean. But then, why is DeMarco being followed by a pair of rogue agents who freelance for the CIA?

Print The Legend by Craig McDonald

Solid, well written and interesting...but for some odd reason its not hard to put down and not compelling to come back to. I felt the same way about Toros A Toros, and it's hard to explain because both are good books.

McDonald raises a little discussed theory about Ernest Hemingway's suicide in 1961—that the writer's last wife, Mary, killed her husband as an act of mercy—in his provocative third Hector Lassiter mystery (after 2008's Toros & Torsos). Set in Sun Valley, Idaho, at a conference of Papa academics in 1965, the plot zeroes in on three men who have come to the conference with their own pieces of unfinished business to discuss with Mary. One is crime novelist Hector Lassiter, Hem's old friend, who's heard rumors of the discovery of lost writings. Another is Richard Paulson, a Hemingway scholar who wants to set the record straight on the suicide. Finally, there's Donovan Creedy, an old FBI man who's dogging the case for his own, dark reasons. McDonald creates a fast-paced drama—replete with shifting motives and personal interests on the part of all the major players—about the lore of one of America's greatest novelists.

The Hunted by Brian Haig

Haig can write, sometimes he's very interesting, but I won't be reading him again. Too violent and goes on and on and on and on...

The incredible rise and fall of a Russian multimillionaire. The brilliant, hard-working Alex Konevitch amasses a fortune in the building trades in the early 1990s only to have it stolen by a cabal of KGB men led by the KGB's deputy director, who not only takes Konevitch's money and control of his company but also frames him for assorted crimes. Pursued by assassins, Konevitch and his wife go on the run. The couple make their way to America, where they begin to prosper, then fall afoul of a venal FBI director out to enhance his own reputation. The reality aspect of the tale will remind readers of the repressive regime that Russia was and may be again—and of the perfidy of individuals in our own government when greed and ambition are put before democracy and justice.

Hunting Season by P. T. Deutermann

Enjoyable story forgotten as quickly as it's read.  Would read another title by this author. Edwin Kreiss is a former FBI agent whose discovery of a Chinese espionage ring made him a lot of enemies and resulted in his early retirement. Now his daughter is missing, and nobody, least of all a junior G-woman named Janet Carter, is going to keep him from finding her. Browbeating the one clue to her disappearance out of a terrified college student, Kreiss follows his daughter's trail to a deactivated federal arsenal in southwestern Virginia, where a fanatic whose son was immolated at Waco is cooking up a plan to blow the ATF to bits.

House Rules by Mike Lawson

I liked this book and look forward to the next one in the series. It's light mindless spyventure. From Publishers Weekly...At the start of Lawson's snappy third thriller starring congressional snoop Joe DeMarco (after The Second Perimeter), a series of three failed attempts by Muslim terrorists to attack Washington, D.C.—one by plane, one by car, one by lone suicide bomber—causes nationwide panic. DeMarco wades into the mess when his boss, House Speaker John Mahoney, asks him to check out the possibility that the terrorist onslaught may have been more homegrown than it appears.

Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell

British soldier Sharpe stands out in India, 1799. Good read, would try another in the series.

Lovesick Blues: The Life of Hank Williams by Paul Hemphill

Very interesting biography of Hank Williams from cradle to grave. Left me feeling low.

The Mark Of The Assassin by Daniel Silva

Very enjoyable. Gabrielle is missing, but some familiar characters drift through. The ending is weak. Set in London, Cairo, Amsterdam, and Washington, the story line follows CIA case agent Michael Osbourne as he attempts to locate the terrorists who shot down an airliner off the coast of Long Island. Osbourne has two main antagonists: Delaroche, a KGB-trained expert assassin ordered to kill the handful of people who know the truth, including Osbourne, and the corrupt political culture of Washington, which ominously stymies him at every turn.

Hot Money by Dick Francis

081516 Re-read and enjoyed it a lot, not DF's best but certainly a pleasure.

I didn't think there were any Dick Francis books I hadn't read so this was a sublime treat. I'm to biased to say if this book was good or not, but I loved it. Written in 1987 when Francis was in true form. In this reincarnate of his magical formula, Francis tells of a father and son who search for the family member that is/has been trying to kill them. Too much detail about the family members, but I didn't care, loved the entire thing.

Dead Aim by Thomas Perry

Thomas Perry has become one of the my favorite writers. When combined with the narration of Michael Kramer, its a real treat to take in his novels. Dead Aim is about a 48 year old retired guy living in Santa Barbara who accidentally gets entangled with a club of people who murder for sport. Far fetched, but still very enjoyable.

Hell's Corner by David Baldacci

I think this is the 5th installment in the Camel Club series and it holds its own. Lots going on, maybe too much, but Oliver Stone et al are good company. Look forward to the next one.

Bad Blood: A Virgil Flowers Novel by John Sandford

Real good, I'm not sure the plot makes any sense at all but I am sure it should be disturbing. Doesn't matter, its a real enjoyable read in the very strong Virgil Flowers series.

Worth Dying For by Lee Child

Of the 13 books in the series this is the least interesting. On top of that it was the 'part 2' for the previous novel 61 Hours and its conclusion was underwhelming and incomplete. I think the technical term for a book like this is 'sucko'.

American Assassin by Vince Flynn

I really enjoy the Mitch Rapp series, and American Assassin might be my new favorite. Going back and getting the back story on how the spy was recruited and got his start was a lot of fun.

Broken Prey by John Sandford

 This was my favorite in the Lucas Davenport series. The author avoided an obvious plot path that was much appreciated. Real enjoyable.

Toros & Torsos by Craig McDonald

McDonald is an interesting author, and the combination of fiction with real events and people works well. I don't know if I'd read another one of the author's books, mostly because it's not really my thing, but it was well written and paced.

Spanning the years from 1935 to 1959, Edgar-finalist McDonald's second novel to feature crime novelist Hector Lassiter (after 2007's Head Games) deftly mixes myth, history and a serial killer who arranges dead bodies to resemble surrealistic art. Lassiter, whose work embodies the write what you live and live what you write ethos, loves hard, drinks hard and keeps an eye on avenging the loss of the beautiful blonde he meets in a Key West bar on page one. As a popular author, Lassiter interacts with such notables as Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles, whom the author skillfully animates. Other celebrities of the day make cameo appearances. Solidly grounded in such actual events as the Key West hurricane of 1935, the Spanish Civil War and Cuba's last days before Castro, McDonald's imaginative tale takes an enjoyably different approach to art and murder.

The Reversal by Michael Connelly

Re-read Feb 2017 enjoyed. Except for a weak ending, it's a good book. All of the characters who have survived the long series are gathered. Had potential to be great but didn't make it. Its middle of the road Connelly which is pretty good.

Longtime defense attorney Mickey Haller is recruited to change stripes and prosecute the high-profile retrial of a brutal child murder. After 24 years in prison, convicted killer Jason Jessup has been exonerated by new DNA evidence. Haller is convinced Jessup is guilty, and he takes the case on the condition that he gets to choose his investigator, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch (his half brother),  and his second chair, ex-wife Maggie.

Dog Tags by David Rosenfelt

Like all the stories in this series there is a formula, but the formula is good, light, and fun. Grover Gardner's narration is excellent. Rosenfelt is a consistent hit for no brainer entertainment.

Among Thieves by David Hosp

OK book about a lawyer who takes on a client who turns out to be involved in trouble between Boston gangs and the IRA.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The plot is interesting, the characters are interesting, and the 1897 details about daily life are fascinating. There appear to be lots of metaphor and underlying themes, but even without them this books is a lot of fun.

Strip by Thomas Perry

I think this was the best book of the year. I really enjoy Perry's style and the narration was spot on. Perry sometimes misses because he stretches his characters and plots, but he's on the money for Strip.

Star Island by Carl Hiaasen

Hiassen can write as funny a book as anyone and my all time favorite character, Clinton Tyree, shows up - this had a recipe for success. But the ending was a dud, like the author just decided to wrap it up and close shop. You could see the characters and the plot converging for a fun ending, with characters that you were interested to have meet and interact - but it never happens. The ending is uneventful and unfulfilling. But if we're lucky enough to have another Hiassen book, I'll get it in a heart beat.

The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

This classic was written in 1886 and still is a fun read. The plot is serious but somehow Stevenson is whimsical. Like the Sherlock Holmes stories, I got this from Lit2Go and have really enjoyed them.

Rules Of Prey by John Sandford

This is the first in the Lucas Davenport series and it's entertaining. There are at least 15 books in this series and you can see how Davenport became so popular with readers. This story pits a smart serial killer against a clever cop.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I can't enough of these stories. I wish they were infinite. Lit2Go provides free audio versions of all of Conan Doyle's work. 11 stories, including The Final Problem.

The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King

King is a fabulous writer who often goes into too much detail and stalls. The God of the Hive maintains a good pace and continues on where The Language of Bees left off. This book is much more enjoyable, I think because of the way she tells the story from Microft, Sherlock and Mary's point of view. This is the 10th book in the Mary Russell series and King's craftsmanship and care of Conan Doyal's previous work make these tales little treasures. One of the strongest in the series.

The Return Of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

13 more episodes of our beloved Holmes and Watson. Some stories are better than others but on the whole they are very enjoyable. I wish there were hundreds more.

Black by Ted Dekker

I tried to get into this story three times, but it just wasn't interesting.

Hostage Zero by John Gilstrap

Long and drawn out plot of a kidnapped boy taken to South America to hide the Secretary Of Defence's past. I wouldn't read this author again. This book should have been about 2/5 the length.

The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie

Disjointed. Got a little past half way through it and just didn't want to continue.

The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

A collection of a dozen short stories chronicling the methodologies and cases of Sherlock Holmes from the point of view of his closest friend and ally Dr. Watson. These stories at first seems a little silly but kept growing on me so that I got to the point I was excited about the next. Very enjoyable. The Jeremy Brett representation of these tales on PBS is the best acting I've ever been exposed to, yet these short stories hold their own by capturing the details of everyday life in the late 1800's.

Mortal Prey by Greg Iles

Early 90's erotic social network is breached by a charismatic killer. As expected, Iles writes very well, and all in all it's a good read but the story is long and disjointed.

Rolling Thunder by Chris Grabenstein

The latest in the series about Danny and his boy scout partner and probably the weakest in the series. Just OK.

Dead Center by David Rosenfelt

Typical Rosenfelt book, enjoyable, light and forgettable.

The Overton Window by Glenn Beck

Thriller that shows how marketing is used to push political agenda. Interesting concept but it was a mediocre read.

The Lion by Nelson DeMille

Good follow up to The Lion's Game. A little long, predictable and violent but an entertaining adventure. A terrorist keeps his word and returns to settle a score with the hero 3 years later.

61 Hours by Lee Child

The formula is tired and has lost some of it's shine. After 13 previous books building up this super macho character the author could back off, but instead Child continues to write such sophomoric drivel that you almost feel embarrassed for him. That said, the books are still selling and the story is mildly entertaining...but this one has such a bad ending it may dent future sales.

The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell

Just OK, probably wouldn't read this author again. In a London cemetery, a man’s body is found. During the autopsy, the police discover the body has been marked with a string of letters and numbers that appears to be the code for a particular file in the Family Records Centre. To locate the file and unearth its relevance to the murder, police engage the services of Nigel Barnes, a professional genealogist. So begins the first installment of what one hopes will be a series featuring Barnes, a wily and likable amateur sleuth. This is journalist Waddell’s first novel.

Death Benefits by Thomas Perry

This book has Perry's style and compelling characters, unfortunately after a terrific start the plot wanes and the focus shifts to less interesting material.

When a security man named Max Stillman plucks Walker out of the office pool and dragoons him into investigating a fraud against the McClaren Life and Casualty, Walker's previously safe life takes a new and potentially dangerous turn. As the pair begin searching for the missing employee, who signed off on the huge (and phony) payoff of a death claim, and follow her to a grave in a Midwestern wheat field, Walker discovers talents he never knew he had and a thirst for vengeance. With the mysterious Stillman, he tracks the conspirators to a New Hampshire village and an explosive and shocking conclusion to a fraud that's much older than either of the men might have guessed.