"In The Presence of the Enemy"

"In The Presence of the Enemy," a mystery by Elizabeth George, is a Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers novel. I've long been a fan of the Inspector Lynley mystery series I've viewed on public television but this is the first time I can remember reading one of the books. This one was "daunting" at 517 pages but well worth the read. The novel is divided into three parts with each focusing on a different aspect of this complicated case. Ten year old Charlotte Bowen, the daughter Dennis Luxford fathered but never acknowledged at the insistence of Charlotte's mother, is kidnapped and her life is threatened if Dennis doesn't admit her existence on the front page of the newspaper he edits. Matters are complicated by the fact that Charlotte's mother is a high ranking political figure who wants to preserve her career. When Eve Bowen won't give her permission for the story to be published, Luxford contacts forensic scientist Simon St. James for help hoping to find his daughter without involving the police. St. James and his assistant, Helen, as well as St. James' wife make some headway but not before the police have to be called in. When Lynley learns of their involvement without contacting authorities, he's furious at all three of them and it adds tension to his relationship with Helen -- who he hopes to make his wife. While Lynley works on the disappearance in the London area, he sends Havers out to the countryside to follow some leads. As they work the case from both locations, clues come together that lead to a climatic ending! George does an excellent job of character development so I felt I was really in their shoes understanding their feelings -- a book not to be missed! pazt

"Still Life"

"Still Life" by Louise Penny is the first book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. After picking up "Bury Your Dead" from my local library and reading it I knew I must read more of this series and decided to read it in order -- as is my favorite way to follow characters. This was Penny's debut novel and her talent shines throughout the book. The book is rich in details about the characters and the case but not the kind of detail that bogs down your reading but the kind that adds depth to a story and makes it come alive so that you feel like you're in the middle of the story itself. This book develops the character of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and sets the stage for the books to follow.

Why "Still Life" for a title? Page 140 of the hardback copy has a couple of paragraphs I'd like to quote to explain the title: "Life is change. If you aren't growing and evolving you're standing still, and the rest of the world is surging ahead. Most of these people are very immature. They lead 'still' lives waiting.....Waiting for someone to save them. Expecting someone to save them or at least protect them from the big, bad world. The thing is no one else can save them because the problem is theirs and so is the solution. Only they can get out of it."

If you love mysteries and want to discover a new writer and new character, don't miss Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series!

pazt

"The Oracle of Stamboul"

"The Oracle of Stamboul" is Michael David Lukas' debut novel and reads like historical fiction. Eleonora Cohen is a young girl who is a gifted prodigy and she changes the lives of all those around her including an eccentric Sultan who she charms and thus changes the course of an empire.

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written novel - losing myself in the story in the day that it took me to read it. I hope to see more novels by Lukas.

pazt

"Prayers For Rain"

Dennis Lehane has written another winner in "Prayers For Rain" which may be my favorite so far in his Patrick Kenzie/Anegla Gennaro series. In this book he really fleshes out the character of Kenzie's friend, Bubba Rogowski as we learn more of why he is the way he is and who he is.

Kenzie and Gennaro have gone their separate ways but when Kenzie and his friend Bubba become involved in helping a young woman named Karen Nichols, she makes a lasting impression on Kenzie. When he forgets to call her back after receiving a phone call message from her then later hears she's committed suicide, his antenna go up and he sets out on a trail to find out why because it is so unlike the young woman he met. The path leads him back into the arms of Gennaro as well as attracting the attention of a lethal killer. The writing is stupendous and the twists and turns in this case kept me guessing to the very end.

pazt