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.

New Tricks by David Rosenfelt

Exactly what you'd expect from Rosenfelt, funny, light and entertaining. Andy's client is convicted of murder and the evidence is stacked against them..and they kill the actual murderer but it is inadmissible.

The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson

Another enjoyable Walt Longmire story. Walt goes undercover in a small mean spirited town to solve a murder. No support from the town or law enforcement because someone has confessed to the crime.

Burden Of Proof by Scott Turow

The life of Sandy Stern, the lawyer Innocent and Presumed Innocent, life is laid out in detail following his wife's suicide. The intricacies and delicacies are up to Turow's high standards. I was interested the entire throughout the entire tale.

Rough Country by John Sandford

2025 Re-read and didn't remember it.

12/16 listened again, pretty good. 

Another enjoyable read about Virgil Flowers, a lawman who get's his man. This time the crime is set at a lesbian lodge. Sandford tells a good story and develops likable characters, but his plot and endings leave a lot to be desired.

Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow

This is an excellent book. I'd read it many years ago and it still kept me excited to return to. The prequel to Innocent, this book outshines it, and it was very good. Public Defender is put on trial for murder by his colleagues, enduring publicity and politics.

Innocent by Scott Turow

Judge who barely escaped being imprisoned for murdering a woman he had an affair with 20 years ago (Presumed Innocent) has another affair with equally disrupting results. The book is strong but peters out a little at the end. I enjoyed this read a lot.

The Black Cross by Greg Iles

This was a really enjoyable book. Wish it hadn't been so long or gone on as much as it did about holocaust travesties. Pacifist is called to action to stop Hitler from using nerve gas.

Don't Ever Tell by Brandon Massey

I could only get through a 1/3 of this book. The story was OK but the psycho ex-husband vows to toruture and kill everyone his ex cared for. I made it though the cutting up of grandma, but had enough when he tied some guy up and brought out the hot bacon grease....

Sleeping Dogs by Thomas Perry

Really enjoyed this. Retired assassin is forced to come back into the world of killing. 2nd of 3 in the Butcher's Boy series. Great Series.

Trigger City by Sean Chercover

Follow up to Big City, Bad Blood, Trigger City improves on a good start. I really enjoyed this book.

The Hunters: Presidential Agent Series, Book 3 by W. E. B. Griffin

Better than the other Griffin books I've read, The Hunters is a fun and light read. A cookie cutter plot with the lead role being the right hand man to the president, who can do everything very well including kill. But it works and I enjoyed it.

The Art of the Steal by Frank W. Abangale

A little dated and perhaps self promoting, but packed with interesting information and an easy read. The life of a con man and the cons that people play on the unsuspecting public. Some of the seem so obvious once you hear them and others are ingenious - it's often fascinating.

Open And Shut by David Rosenfelt

Light and entertaining. Lawyer takes on case that powerful people don't want him to at the request of his father.

Play Dead by David Rosenfelt

Play Dead was the second book by Rosenfelt I've read and I look forward to reading more. It's light entertainment. This story was about a man convicted of murder, whose case gets a second look when his golden lab shows up five years later.

Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover

PI takes a case that mixes him up with the mob and he ends up on the wrong side of things. Entertaining enough to want to read the author again.

I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter

I liked this book and will probably read another from the Bob Swagger series. TMI on gun info, but an entertaining story.

Vanishing Act by Thomas Perry

Good writer but the story dragged on and on with too many unnecessary details.

The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson

A good story that could have been very good if it was 1/2 as long. Too many side trips about things I wasn't that interested in. CIA guy infiltrates Al Qaeda so deeply the US wonders if he's turned.

Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson

Another slow moving but good tale about the Wyoming sheriff.

Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson

The Sheriff head to Philadelphia in another solid story. Downloading the next as we er, type...

Death Without Company by Craig Johnson

Slow, drawn out and very good. Look forward to reading his next.

My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Cheecky but some how endearing, these short stories about the famed butler are fun a little at a time.

The Cold Dish: A Walt Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson

Re-listened 2/18, very enjoyable to go back to the beginning of this excellent series. I think this is Craig Johnson's first book and I'd like to read another. Interesting characters and some fresh perspectives but a little slow and long.

Walt Longmire, sheriff of Wyoming’s Absaroka County, knows he’s got trouble when Cody Pritchard is found dead. Two years earlier, Cody and three accomplices had been given suspended sentences for raping a Northern Cheyenne girl. Is someone seeking vengeance? Longmire faces the most volatile and challenging case in his twenty-four years as sheriff and means to see that revenge, a dish that is best served cold, is never served at all.

The Hang Man's Song by John Sandford

Enjoyable read about computer hackers in a murder mystery.

Dark Of The Moon by John Sandford

Another entertaining Virgil Flowers novel but the weakest I've read so far.

Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

Read this because the reviews were so good...but it was too slow for me. Cute, the idea of a story told from a dog's perspective works, but the story moves too slowly.

Mortal Prey by John Sandford

I enjoyed this...Years ago, Lucas Davenport almost died at the hands of Clara Rinker, a pleasant, soft-spoken, low-key Southerner, and the best hitwoman in the business. Now retired and living in Mexico, she nearly dies herself when a sniper kills her boyfriend, the son of a local druglord, and while the boy’s father vows vengeance, Rinker knows something he doesn’t ... the boy wasn’t the target--she was--and now she’s going to have to disappear to find the killer herself.

Language of Bees by Laurie R. King

King is a beautiful writer, she has created a fascinating series with Mary Russell, but she drags this otherwise interesting tale on too many unrelated and unnecessary tangents so often I almost gave up on the story several times. Holmes discovers he has a son who needs his help...

Heat Lightning by John Sandford

I enjoyed this book a lot. Virgil Flowers is a casual detective in Minnesota. A group of Vietnamese come to pay revenge on Nam vets.

Beat The Reaper by Josh Bazell

An author to watch. To graphic for my tastes but the crude style was engaging. I enjoyed this book. Guy in the witness protection program becomes a doctor and one of his patients recognizes him.

Metzger's Dog by Thomas Perry

Funny, engaging characters and clever plot. Took a while to warm to it, but then I was hooked. Featuring a new Introduction by bestselling author Carl Hiaasen.When Leroy “Chinese” Gordon breaks into a professor’s lab at the University of Los Angeles, he’s after some pharmaceutical cocaine, worth plenty of money. Instead, he finds the papers the professor has compiled for the CIA, which include a blueprint for throwing a large city into chaos. But how is the CIA to be persuaded to pay a suitable ransom, unless of course someone actually uses the plan to throw a large city into chaos—Los Angeles, for instance? Assigned to cope with the crisis and restore the peace, veteran agent Ben Porterfield steps onto the scene to remind us that the CIA’s middle name is, after all, Intelligence. Enlivening the mix are Gordon’s beautiful girlfriend, Margaret, his temperamental cat, Dr. Henry Metzger, and Metzger’s friend, an enormous half-wild dog with huge teeth.

The Danger by Dick Francis

Solid Fancis. Second time reading and still fun. Advisor to kidnap families helps them navigate demands.

Silence by Thomas Perry

Long, disjointed but enjoyable. Six years ago, Jack Till helped Wendy Harper disappear. But now her ex boyfriend and former business partner, Eric Fuller, is being framed for her presumed murder in an effort to smoke her out.

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.