So Book 29 of 2011 is Linwood Barclay‘s latest thriller The Accident
Comfy chair? Drinks? Snacks? Good lighting? Excellent! ‘Cause you’re not going to be getting up or stopping once you dive into Linwood Barclay’s latest release – The Accident. – Luanne Ollivier on Goodreads.com
Sheila and Glen Garber are your typical middle class couple. living in Milford, Connecticut. Glen owns a construction company and Sheila has lost her job and is taking an accounting course so that she can help out in the business. They have one daughter eight year old Kelly. Like most families and small business’ they’re going through a rough patch. The Garbers are not alone most of their friends are in the same boat. One Ann Slocum has started selling knock-off purses at “Purse Parties”. One night Sheila is late coming back from class so Glen goes to look for her. There”s a major accident a drunk driver drove up the on ramp on the expressawy and fell asleep the car was hit by another car The accident killed the driver as well as the driver and child in the other car. The drunk driver was Sheila! Soon Glen’s life, Kelly’s life and the lives of all those around him are falling apart. As Glen tries to figure out what happened why was Sheila drinking he also has to deal with Kelly’s problems at school and the problems of friends and neighbors.
The book like most of Barclay’s books was riveting and fast paced and throughout last nigh’ts Phillies game I couldn’t put it down! I love Barclay’s books because the stories always revolve around everyday people facing REALLY big problems! I enjoy the characters and the twisting plot, that most times was written in the first person, with Glen as the narrator and at other times when it was necessary it Barclay switch to the third person. So if you like Harlan Coben try Linwood Barclay!
So here is the me part of the weekend….. it started Sunday morning when I was going to go for a run. Opps! Forgot to put the running shoes in the clothes bag! I was a little frustrated but Kathy said go buy some shoes! So I headed over to Target and bought some cheap running shoes, figuring I could use the later for everyday and save running shoes for running! So on my way back I decided to check out the course that I had created through the residential neighborhood near our motel. Ah, the maps on Runners World are flat, but I forgot that we were in the rolling hills of Northern Viriginia not flat New Jersey! The course had some major climbs in it but I said let’s go for it! So I took off taking it slow. I forgot how hard it is to go up and then down several times in during a run. Anyway I modified the 4 mile run a little and it ended up being a 3.6 mile run instead completed in 35:57. But as I approached the end of the run I told myself that 3.6 miles with several hills is equal to at least 4.5 miles maybe 5!! Here’s the route. Check out the elevation part!!
The day ended at about 12:20 as I finished Book 28 for 2011 They’re Watching by Greg Hurwitz. Hurwitz is one of those authors whose books I pick up and enjoy every now and then and this one is no exception! This was a real page turner!
The story starts when Patrick Davis a high school teacher and would be screenwriter sells a script. But on the movie set he is religated to babysitting the star Keith Connor. The babysitting ends badly when Connor slams his face into a table and then tells everyone that Patrick did it! Davis was thrown off the set and sued by the movie studio. So Davis slinks home finds a new job teaching screenwriting and attempts to put his life back together and then it starts.
One day he finds a DVD in the entertainment section of the newspaper the video is of him! They’re Watching! Who are they and what do they want? Soon Davis’ life is more of a mess as he is drawn in situation after situation that only get worse and worse!! And as the reader your pulled into the mess and hope somehow he can get out!!
The book is well plotted with many a twist and turn! Writing the book in the first person, I think, makes you pull for Patrick even more! Like I said the book is really engrossing is tough to put down! (See above for the time I finished the book) As I look over at my TBR shelf I see another Hurwitz book Trust No One Maybe its time has come??…. Still to come a visit to DC and An Evening with Tom Russell!
A freezing wind pierced Erlendur’s clothes as he stood by the swings where Elias had died, and his mind roamed over the mountains and moors to another child who had once slipped from his grasp and now followed him through life like a sad shadow
Book 27 of 2011 is Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indriðason and is the 7th book featuring Icelandic detective Erlendur Sveinsson and his colleagues Elínborg and Sigurður Óli. (It’s actually the 5th book in the series that has been translated.) From Wikipedia:
Arnaldur’s books have been published in twenty-six countries and have been translated into Russian, Polish, German, Greek, Danish, Catalan, English, Italian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Chinese, Croatian, Romanian and French. Arnaldur received the Glass Key award, a literature prize for the best Nordic crime novel, in 2002 and 2003. He won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award in 2005 for the novel Silence of the Grave.
In this installment Erlender and his collegues are called on an icy January day to a garden where a body has been found: a young, dark-skinned boy Elias is frozen to the ground in a pool of his own blood. Elias is a ten year old boy, whose mother a native of Thailand, has married an Icelandic man and moved her family Elias and his older brother Niran to Iceland. As Erlender’s team investigates the brutal murder they uncover the racism faced by immigrants to Iceland like Elias and his family. The story is a good police procedural as Erlender, Elínborg and Sigurður Óli try to piece together the events that led to the senseless murder. But I love this series, like many others, for the devlopment of the characters. They not only have to deal with work but their personal lives too. As Elínborg deals with a sick child, Sigurður Óli deals with the prospect of adopting a child and Erlender deals with the death of his long time mentor, his releationship with his adult children, and the spector of his brother whose hand Erlender lost on the moors during a freak blizzard so many years ago.
While I do think that you can pick up any of Arnaldur’s books and enjoy them, I think they are more enjoyable if you start at the beginning! So go find Jar City and get busy you won’t regret it!
A freezing wind pierced Erlendur’s clothes as he stood by the swings where Elias had died, and his mind roamed over the mountains and moors to another child who had once slipped from his grasp and now followed him through life like a sad shadow
Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indriðasonis the 7th book featuring Icelandic detective Erlendur Sveinsson and his colleagues Elínborg and Sigurður Óli. (It’s actually the 5th book in the series that has been translated.) From Wikipedia:
Arnaldur’s books have been published in twenty-six countries and have been translated into Russian, Polish, German, Greek, Danish, Catalan, English, Italian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Chinese, Croatian, Romanian and French. Arnaldur received the Glass Key award, a literature prize for the best Nordic crime novel, in 2002 and 2003. He won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award in 2005 for the novel Silence of the Grave.
In this installment Erlender and his collegues are called on an icy January day to a garden where a body has been found: a young, dark-skinned boy Elias is frozen to the ground in a pool of his own blood. Elias is a ten year old boy, whose mother a native of Thailand, has married an Icelandic man and moved her family Elias and his older brother Niran to Iceland. As Erlender’s team investigates the brutal murder they uncover the racism faced by immigrants to Iceland like Elias and his family. The story is a good police procedural as Erlender, Elínborg and Sigurður Óli try to piece together the events that led to the senseless murder. But I love this series, like many others, for the devlopment of the characters. They not only have to deal with work but their personal lives too. As Elínborg deals with a sick child, Sigurður Óli deals with the prospect of adopting a child and Erlender deals with the death of his long time mentor, his releationship with his adult children, and the spector of his brother whose hand Erlender lost on the moors during a freak blizzard so many years ago.
While I do think that you can pick up any of Arnaldur’s books and enjoy them, I think they are more enjoyable if you start at the beginning! So go find Jar City and get busy you won’t regret it!
Although I’ve visited Norway several times through the books of Karin Fossum, this is my first trip to follow the adventures of Inspector Harry Hole of the Oslo Police Department. Book 26 for 2011 is Jo Nesbo‘s The Snowman. While I’ve heard about Nesbo for sometime I never seem to see his books at book sales or at the library. So last week when I saw this one at the library I picked it up and was certainly glad I did! This is the 7th book in the Harry Hole series and at times I thought I missed a little but for the most part I thought that the book stood on its own.
The story revolves around the disappearance of several married women with children in Oslo. The disappearances are accompanied by the presence of a Snowman. Soon Harry Hole an alcoholic inspector with the Oslo Police Department, who is one of the few if not the only policeman with experience catching a serial killer is drawn into the case, after receiving a taunting letter from The Snowman alluding to Harry’s past history tracking a serial killer!
The plot is riveting with several twists and turns throughout the book leading to a very tense last one hundred pages! I enjoyed the character of Harry Hole and will go back and read the other books that are available to discover his full history. I thought that the translation was good and the words flowed well. For me sometimes translations get choppy or overly simplistic!
So until I can pick up another Harry Hole book it’s off to Iceland and another favorite series by Arnaldur Indridason featuring Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson. The book is Arctic Chill and is the fifth book in the series that has been translated and the 7th overall.
Although I’ve visited Norway several times through the books of Karin Fossum, this is my first trip to follow the adventures of Inspector Harry Hole of the Oslo Police Department.
Book 26 for 2011 is Jo Nesbo‘s The Snowman. While I’ve heard about Nesbo for sometime I never seem to see his books at book sales or at the library. So last week when I saw this one at the library I picked it up and was certainly glad I did! This is the 7th book in the Harry Hole series and at times I thought I missed a little but for the most part I thought that the book stood on its own.
The story revolves around the disappearance of several married women with children in Oslo. The disappearances are accompanied by the presence of a Snowman. Soon Harry Hole an alcoholic inspector with the Oslo Police Department, who is one of the few if not the only policeman with experience catching a serial killer is drawn into the case, after receiving a taunting letter from The Snowman alluding to Harry’s past history tracking a serial killer!
The plot is riveting with several twists and turns throughout the book leading to a very tense last one hundred pages! I enjoyed the character of Harry Hole and will go back and read the other books that are available to discover his full history. I thought that the translation was good and the words flowed well. For me sometimes translations get choppy or overly simplistic!
So until I can pick up another Harry Hole book it’s off to Iceland and another favorite series by Arnaldur Indridason featuring Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson. The book is Arctic Chill and is the fifth book in the series that has been translated and the 7th overall.
Back of Beyond. is C.J.Box’s third stand alone thriller..It was eleased soon after the 11th Joe Pickett novel Cold Wind (which I started a while back and didn’t finish before it was due back at the library)
What the Press Says
“…timeless…gripping…resemble(s) an Agatha Christie closed-community whodunnit but with horses, bears, wolves, and hunting rifles.”” Sunday Times (UK)
AP: “…the new book may be his best yet…a roller-coaster ride of unexpected twists and turns, making “Back of Beyond” one of the most suspenseful wilderness thrillers since “Deliverance.” Associated Press / ABC Ne
“…a taut tale…that hooks you.” USA Today “If Box isn’t already on your list, put him there.” Toronto Globe and Mail
The Story
Back of Beyond was a fast and furious ride through the back country of Yellowstone Park. The novel’s main character is Cody Hoyt a divorced, alcoholic cop thrown off the Denver Police force and now stationed in Montana.
When Coty finds his mentor from AA dead in his burned out cabin, Coty knows it’s not the accidental death it appears to be but murder!
Soon clues link the murderer to an outfitter leading tourists on a spectacular multi-day wilderness horseback trip into the remote corners of Yellowstone National Park
. Coty’s son Justin is one of the tourist on the trip with his step-father to be! Among the tourists is fourteen-year-old Gracie Sullivan, an awkward but intelligent loner who begins to suspect that someone in their party is dangerous.
After accidentally shooting the coroner at the crime scene, Coty is suspended from the force and soon takes off on a chase to stop the tour and rescue his son from the murderer! The action is fast and furious and the book was a real page turner with lots of twists and turns.
Here’s what some folks are saying:
Final Thoughts
I agree with all of them. I’ve loved Box’s books from the first one I read ! I love the characters in this book particularly Coty and Gracie! So if C’.J.Box is not on your list of “to be reads” put him there! I myself hope this is not a stand alone but that Coty has another adventure. Hey James Lee Burke has two main characters why not Box! Maybe Coty can meet up with Joe Pickett!
So for seven years and six books, Karin Slaughter entertained her readers with her Grant County series, featuring Sara Linton and her husband Jeffrey Tolliver. Jeffrey was a cop and Sara a pediatrician and a medical examiner. In 2006, she started another series featuring a dyslexic Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent Will Trent and his partner Faith Mitchell. In 2009 the two series merged (I’m not telling why) in Undone. Book 24 for the year is the 3rd book in this series Fallen This book had me from the first page and I zipped through the book looking forward to what was going to happen next.
The story revolves around the kidnapping of Faith’s mother Evelyn Mitchell, former head of the Narcotics Division of the Atlanta Police Department and best friend of Will and Faith’s boss Amanda Wagner. I said the story got my from the first few pages that’s when Faith arrives late at her mother’s house only to pull up and hear AC/DC Back in Black blaring from the house and blood on the door handle! When she enters the house she sees it’s been trashed and blood is everywhere. There’s a dead man in the laundry room and a man with a hostage in her mother’s bedroom. Quickly things get worse as Faith kills one man and then the other as he is trying to escape! But where is her mother and why was she kidnapped!
This book is as much about the people as it is the storyline. Sara and Will, Faith and her children Jeremy and Emma, Amanda and Evelyn and their interwoven histories! It’s a story about family, and friendship and the effects of drugs. I have loved Slaughter’s books from the first one I read which was book two in the Grant County series Kisscut. That book was quickly followed by Book 1Blindsighted and all the rest and the books just keep getting better and better and I can’t wait for the 2012 edition!
Here’s an interview with Karin talking about Fallen Lena Adams was a very important and interesting character in the Grant County Series!
So the last couple of days have been hectic. Wednesday was a travel day down to Williamsburg, Va. to take my daughter back to college. Yesterday was spent lugging her stuff up three flights of stairs to her room. Fortunately, it was not quite as hot this year as last, but it was still hot! In addition to taking stuff from the car we also had to go and get the stuff she left in storage in the attic (the 5th floor) of a dorm a couple of dorms over from hers. That excursion included carrying the refrigerator and a large box down the stairs because they were working on the elevator! Then after we got her moved in it was time to go to Target and get the final stuff that she needed and then to The Home Depot for the rug and the air conditioner! But everything is moved in and her room looks great! Today was the trip home with a side trip to a cemetery in Baltimore to find some children of a distance cousin on my wife’s family tree. That trip was unsuccessful but I’m sure she took some good pictures!
In May, 1999,Stealing Faces became the first Signet book to make its debut as a downloadable electronic book compatible with Gemstar eBook technology (formerly Rocket eBook). In mid-September of 1999, six months after the electronic premiere of Stealing Faces, a mass-market paperback edition was issued by Signet Books. It’s now in its fourth printing.
I purchased the book at the Kindle store for .99 cents and it was worth every penny of it.
About Stealing Faces
The book is a taunt psychological thriller. John Cray is a psychiatrist who is also a serial killer. Cray kidnaps women then sets them loose in the desert, stalks them and when he catches them before he kills them he slices off their face and shows it to them!
But now the tables have been turned and Cray is being stalked by a woman. When Cray turns hunter and catches the women he finds that she is from his past and knows his secret……..now the question is can he control her and keep his secret
. The book unfolds like an onion and with the turn of each page another layer of the story is exposed and becomes more tense! Overall I thought that the book lagged a little in the beginning but the pace certainly picked up as the storyline became a little clearer. I enjoyed all the characters and am certainly looking forward to my next Prescott book
Post Update: Since I wrote this posts Michael Prescott has has written two series. The first was the Abby Sinclair & Tess Macallum series .Abby Sinclair is a freelance security consultant who hunts stalkers, and Tess McCallumm is an FBI special agent, in Los Angeles , California. There are five books in the series
The second series is Bonnie Parker, PI. Obviously, Bonnie is a Private Eye. There are six books in the series. The first book Cold Around the Heart is currently free on Kindle Unlimited! I think it’s time to revisit the books of Michael Prescott!!
After twenty years in traditional publishing, novelist Michael Prescott found himself out of work in 2007, his career apparently over. On a whim, he began releasing his older titles and some new novels in ebook form. Much to his amazement, sales took off, and by 2011 he was one of the bestselling ebook writers in the United States, profiled in USA Today and sought after for interviews. To date he has sold roughly four million books (both print and digital).
His latest full-length thriller is TEARS FOR THE DEAD, the fifth entry in a continuing series that also features COLD AROUND THE HEART, BLOOD IN THE WATER, BAD TO THE BONE, and SKIN IN THE GAME. A complete list of his books can be found at Amazon Author Central’s Michael Prescott page. Please be aware that more than one writer uses the name “Michael Prescott,” and sometimes the works of these other writers show up in Amazon searches or on Amazon sales pages. If a given book is not listed at Author Central, it is the work of a different author. From Amazon
So several weeks ago I was browsing the list of Mystery and Thriller Books in the Amazon Kindle store and came across Book 1 in the Laura Cardinal series Darkness on the Edge of Town by J Carson Black.
The author and series were new to me but the price was right 99 cents. So having money left from the gift card Peter gave me for Father’s Day, I quickly made the purchase.
What I found was a terrific read (Book 22 for 2011) and another series to follow (like I need another!) The series features Laura Cardinal a top investigator in the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) stationed in Tuscon.
When Arizona DPS investigator Laura Cardinal is sent to Bisbee, Arizona, to investigate the murder of a fourteen-year-old girl found in the park band shell, she knows immediately what she’s up against: a cunning sexual predator. But why is she plagued by the abduction of a schoolmate eighteen years earlier? In a runaway case that propels Laura from a lavish Tucson estate to the secretive heart of a north Florida town, she must confront the ghosts of her own past. Then another child goes missing–and Laura must race the clock to find her!
My Thoughts
I really liked this book. I enjoyed the character of Laura Cardinal – tough when she needs to be but displaying a tender side, too. I thought the story line moved along well and kept the book consistently interesting. Sometimes early in the book things were a little confusing and I found myself saying who? what? But as the book progressed things became clearer. I’m not sure what I think of the ghostly specter of Frank Endicott, who visits Laura! But I do know I’ll go back to Tuscon for another visit!
