"Tell No One"

Harlan Coben's "Tell No One" is one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time and I've read some very good ones recently.  This one kept me on the edge of my seat and not wanting to put this book down!  There is corruption, greed, parental love, romantic love, friendship, and a rich man who believes he is above the law because he wants revenge.

Dr. David Beck and his attorney wife, Elizabeth, have known each other since childhood and were in love a long time before they married.  They have a ritual that involves returning to a childhood camp owned by David's grandfather but now abandoned.  They like to celebrate the anniversary of their first kiss there and carve their initials in a tree.  However, this year it goes very wrong.  David is knocked out and falls into the lake and Elizabeth is kidnapped.  She's later found murdered and it's determined to be the work of a serial killer.  Since David is in the hospital, his father in-law and Elizabeth's uncle (both cops) identify her body.  Everyone is devastated.

Fast forward a few years and David has put his life back together and tried to move on but just can't seem to do it.  When he receives an e-mail routed through a secure source one day, he is sure it is from his dead wife and she urges him to "Tell No One" that she's in contact with him.  However, as he begins to investigate to see if there is even a possibility that her body was misidentified, federal agents come looking for him thinking he may have been the one to kill his wife -- or set it up.  While he's defending himself, his life and the lives of those he talks to are in danger and he turns to a source he never thought he'd call on for help.

This book just keeps twisting and turning until it comes to a very surprising end!  It's definitely worth reading!
pazt

"Naked Came The Manatee"

"Naked Came The Manatee" is a novel written by thirteen Florida writers who have penned best sellers, hit movies, top-rated TV shows, and won Pulitzer Prizes.  This novel is unique in that each of them wrote one of its thirteen chapters.

It all started as a serial novel in 1995 for "The Miami Herald's Tropic" magazine as completed chapters were passed on to the next writer.  Florida became hooked and eagerly awaited the next publication.  The authors are Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, Dave Barry, James W. Hall, Edna Buchanan, Les Standiford, Paula Levine, Brian Antoni, Tananarive Due, John Dufresne, Vicki Hendricks, Evelyn Mayerson, and Carolina Hospital.  I've read books by Carl Hiaassen and they are always a lot of fun and I've just recently discovered Edna Buchanan so I sought this book at my local library.  Evidently it's out of print but they did have a hardback copy.

It was an easy and light read in the beginning but with each subsequent chapter (and the change in author and sometimes a very different turn in the plot) I had a more difficult time remembering and/or keeping up with the story.  It's an interesting concept but not one that maybe should be tried with any regularity in my opinion.  pazt

"Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken"

"Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken" is a Disney movie based on the true story of a runaway orphan, Sonora Webster.  Sonora is played by Gabrielle Anwar (also starring in TV's "Burn Notice") and I believe this may have been one of her first roles.

After Sonora's parents die, she and her younger sister are taken in by her mother's aunt but it's the depression and Sonora's attitude and the lack of money for food leads her aunt to the decision to place Sonora only in the care of the state.  Instead Sonora runs away to find Doc Carver's traveling show because she's seen his ad asking for a "diving girl" for a death defying stunt.  Sonora is sure she can do the job without even knowing what it is and she is determined.

Sonora finds the show but is turned away by Doc Carver.  However, as I said, she is persistent and she finally gets a job mucking out stables with the show.  When she comes to the attention of Doc's gambling son, he takes a shine to her and together they secretly train a horse that he won in a poker game.  Doc thinks the horse is untrainable but they prove otherwise and Sonora shows Doc that she can be a "diving girl" and, in fact, steals the show.  However, a tragedy threatens to keep her from performing but it appears nothing can keep Sonora down for long.  This is a very heartwarming story.  pazt

"Rizzoli & Isles" - The Complete Third Season

My hubby and I just completed the third season of "rizzoli & isles" on DVD and he was hesitant to watch the last episode because all the other seasons have been cliff hangers and he doesn't like waiting until the beginning of the next season (which we've already requested from the library but we're number 70 something in the list of patrons who want it!) to find out what happened.  So....I watched the last episode without him and it actually cleared up a couple of things left hanging earlier in this season and the only real "cliff hanger" is just a continuation of one we've already been waiting to see how it would resolve itself.  With that done he agreed to watch the last episode with me.

Although I'm a big fan of this series, I think I've enjoyed this season the most so far.  Jane and Maura spend the first episode dealing with the aftermath of last season's final episode and figuring out how to heal their friendship. It felt like this season had a little more humor in it -- quite the feat for a show based on a homicide squad.  This season involves all the members of Jane's family at some point with some secrets coming out.  Jane's mother (after being asked for a divorce by her father) starts dating again.  We meet Frost's mother and her new partner and watch Frost obsess over an old case that has been brought to his attention again in the midst of a case he and Jane are working on.  Maura is trying to figure out what role her biological mother might have in her life -- if any.  I loved the intermingling of the murder investigations with their personal lives.  My spouse did have one observation - What is it that Jane's cop brother Frankie does?  He's always around to help out if they need him in homicide or to take a family member home or ???  How come he has so much flexibility?  If you know the answer, clue us in, please!  pazt

"Seconds Away" - A Mickey Bolitar Novel

"Seconds Away" - a Mickey Bolitary Novel - is the second in this series by Harlan Coben.  It has been some time since I read the first book, "Shelter" but Coban spent the first part of this book recapping enough of what happened in the first book to refresh my memory and bring me up to speed.  Although these books are aimed at a teen audience, I enjoy them and plan to continue to read this series.  There is another series about Mickey's Uncle Myron that is also on my "to read" list.

Mickey Bolitar is an only child and like his uncle Myron he loves basketball.  When Mickey reaches the time for him to start high school, his world traveling parents decide it is time to settle in one place and give him the opportunity to experience being on a basketball team and having a group of friends that will be stable.  They move back to his father's home town but then Mickey's father is killed in an accident and his mother is so devastated that she ends up using drugs.  While she is in rehab, Mickey is living with his Uncle Myron but it's not an easy relationship.

Mickey has made some close friends since starting high school but he really doesn't know them well.  There is Ema who will not allow him to know anything about her home life -- even where she lives.  There is Rachel who comes from a very wealthy family and lives in a home that is gated.  Last but not least, there is "Spoon" (a nickname Mickey gave him) who is the janitor's son.  Together they form a formidable team when they come up against some very bad guys in "Shelter." 

Mickey is also learning some family secrets about the work that had his parents traveling the world and in "Seconds Away" he begins to discover another side of his Uncle Myron.  In the first book he meets "Bat Lady" - a woman who lives in what the locals seem to think is a haunted house but Mickey's interactions with her reveal more secrets as well as wisdom she imparts to him.

In this book, Rachel's mother has been killed and Rachel herself has suffered a slight gunshot wound at the same time.  Mickey and his friends are out to discover what happened but it appears they have put all their lives in danger again and Uncle Myron and the detective father of one of Mickey's basketball pickup game friends come to the rescue. 

Throughout the book Mickey is beginning to doubt that his father is really dead and at the end he has convinced his Uncle Myron to have the grave opened so he can see if it really is his father who is buried there.  He's beginning to be less antagonistic towards his Uncle Myron and I suspect the next book in the series, "Found," will be about an adventure with Uncle Myron.  Unfortunately, "Found" is not due to be released until 9/9/2014.  pazt

Reaching Out

As I was meditating this morning, a thought came to me:  We each live in our own insulated world.  No matter how much or how little we may have, we view the world from where we are.  It is only by being willing to look outside that world to see the pain or suffering of those less fortunate than we are (and no matter where I am in life there will always be someone with less -- less material goods, less love, less health, etc) that we will learn compassion.  It is only by stepping outside that insulated world that we can reach out in love, compassion, and generosity.  By helping someone else, I not only give to them but I also feed my soul and bring joy into my life as well as feel gratitude for what I have and for what I can share.  Namaste

"Winter Prey"

"Winter Prey" is John Sandford's fifth mystery in his Lucas Davenport series.  Sandford agrees with his readers that this might be one of the better books in this series.  It certainly kept me guessing till the end!

Davenport has been staying away from his new state of the art office hiding out at his cabin up north and it's one of the coldest winters in Wisconsin history.  When a couple and their daughter are brutally murdered and their home burned to the ground, Sheriff Shelly Carr asks for Davenport's assistance.  In fact, he deputizes him to make it official. 

These deaths are just the tip of the iceberg and there is more than murder involved.  Davenport is part of the Sheriff's local team which includes Dr. Weather Karkinnen, a local surgeon, who, as a matter of regular rotation, acts as coroner on this case.  When she becomes a target, Davenport moves into her guest bedroom at night to act as a bodyguard and has someone routinely assigned to be with her at all times for protection.

Neither Davenport nor Weather have been in a relationship for some time and there is a mutual attraction that they eventually act on.  However, solving the murders and preventing additional ones takes precedence.
How many more "innocents" will die before they find their murderer?  pazt

"Judgment and Wrath"

"Judgment and Wrath" is the second book by Matt Hilton in the Joe Hunter series.  Joe has settled into what he expects to be a quiet life working in his friend Rink's private detective agency in Florida.  However, when he is hired to find a man's daughter (Marianne) and get her away from her millionaire boyfriend, Bradley Jorgenson, he may not have been given all the facts pertinent to the situation.

In the meantime there is a contract killer out there by the name of Dantalion who may complicate Joe's job.  As Joe is watching Marianne and her boyfriend, he recognizes someone whose intentions may not be the best for Marianne and Bradley.  When he intervenes, he almost gets himself killed and life gets a lot more complicated for Marianne, Bradley, Joe, and Rink and a lot of people end up dead.  Will he be able to complete his job without getting himself or anyone else killed?  This is another action packed, fast-paced novel from beginning to end and it took me until the end to find out why some "innocents" also ended up dead.  I'm already looking forward to the next Joe Hunter book in the series!  pazt 

"The Librarian - Curse of the Judas Chalice"

The third (and unfortunately what I understand is the last) Librarian movie, "The Librarian Curse of the Judas Chalice" again stars Noah Wyle as the Librarian, Flynn.  His beautiful costar in this movie is Simone, played by Stana Katic who also stars as Detective Kate Beckett in the "Castle" TV series.  Jane Curtin and Bob Newhart again play pivotal roles as Flynn's supporting staff (or is it his employers?) at the Library.

Flynn is having a hard time maintaining any kind of romance past about 6 months due to his duties as a Librarian (which he can't explain to his family or his girlfriends).  When his latest girlfriend storms out because he's taken her to London but isn't spending any time with her, Flynn has a meltdown and gets sent on a vacation.  His vacation turns into moping at home in his apartment till he's urged to get out and do something.  A dream leads him to New Orleans and a new romance and an adventure with Simone as his partner this time.  However, Simone has her own secrets that could either help or destroy their mission.

A gang of Russians have decided to bring back Dracula so they can rule the world although it doesn't appear they've actually thought through the consequences of that action!  If they can find the Judas Chalice, they can get what they're seeking so Flynn and Simone are out to find the Chalice first and stop them. 

I'm sad that there aren't any more Librarian movies in the making because they're full of action and comedy.  pazt

"Nobody Lives Forever"

"Nobody Lives Forever" is Edna Buchanan's first novel and third book.  She was a crime reporter for the Miami Herald and has used her career covering violent deaths to write a very interesting mystery.  From the beginning we pretty much know who the killer is so the mystery is how three close-knit detectives working as a team are going to uncover this killer.

Homicide Detective Rich Barrish has two partners - Jim Ransom is a veteran cop who is embittered by his wife divorcing him before he can retire and run off into the sunset with her.  He thought he had time to win her back until his married daughter informs him his ex-wife has remarried.

Their junior partner is Patrol Office Mary Ellen "Dusty" Dustin who was previously Rick's lover until he fell for Laura, a young woman he stopped for speeding who then captured his heart, his home, and his bed.  This is not Dusty's first ill-fated romance but she's managed to keep her past life a mystery from her partners.

When the novel begins, Rick has asked Rob Thorne, a young high school neighbor of his (who wants to be a cop), to keep an eye on Laura while Rick works his usual night shift.  Laura is fearful of what might happen when she's alone at night.  When Rob sees what he believes is a prowler outside Rick's house, he goes to investigate and is shot to death.  This is the first of a series of murders all committed with the same gun.

When the investigation ends with a satisfactory arrest, it is not without its cost in lives and friendships.  I'm hooked -- I'm looking for another Edna Buchanan book!  pazt

"The Empress File"

"The Empress File" is John Sandford's second book in his Kidd series featuring an artist known only by his last name, Kidd, and a thief named LuEllen.  Kidd and LuEllen met when he observed her burglarizing one of his neighbor's apartments and they have an on-again, off-again working relationship when the need for their unique talents are called for.  They also have an on-again, off-again personal relationship complicated by other relationships or their personal needs for solitude.

Kidd also has a friend, Bobby, who he's never met face-to-face but they know each other through the computer.  In addition to his painting, Kidd has some serious computer skills and Bobby has unique computer abilities that Kidd is willing to pay for when they are needed.

When Kidd is contacted by Bobby requesting help in the town of Longstreet (located along the Mississippi River), Kidd is reluctant but Bobby is persuasive.  A very young black kid with computer talents that Bobby was helping him develop has been murdered by the local police when he is mistaken for someone who snatched an elderly woman's purse.  The corrupt local political machine has covered up the murder.  Bobby doesn't want them to revenge the murder but he asks that they help a local black woman and her team take down the political machine so they can replace it with a more racially balanced administration to rid the city of its corruption.

Kidd knows there are dangers involved but he's also in need of money to pay off the IRS because he unwisely spent a lot of the cash he got in a previous operation without giving them their share.  He contacts LuEllen and convinces her to work with him on this caper.  Unfortunately, there was some killing involved in their first job -- not that they wanted to do it but it became the only way to protect their own lives.  The killing didn't set well with LuEllen but she reluctantly agrees to help him.

Along the way they meet some nice and some not so nice people and figure out a way to make some money for themselves while helping Bobby's friends accomplish their goals.  However, they put themselves at risk again  -- physically when some really mean people go after them -- and personally when it appears Kidd has fallen in love with LuEllen and she's not sure what to do with that.  This is another Sandford book that it's hard to put down once you start it so be prepared!  pazt  

"Before I Fall"

It is hard to believe that "Before I Fall" is Lauren Oliver's first novel -- I hope it is the first of many.  I'm not sure where the idea for this story came from but it is certainly intriguing.

This book focuses on the life of Samantha (Sam) Kingston who is part of the "in-crowd" at her high school and, as a senior, she's living the life and dating a very popular boy and tonight she has plans to lose her virginity.  Those plans are delayed by a party one of her childhood friends is giving while his parents are out of town and she, her friends, and her boyfriend will all be there.  What Sam doesn't expect is that she'll be killed in a car accident leaving the party but even more unexpected will be waking up to her alarm clock going off and reliving that same day over again for seven days -- a version of the movie, "Groundhog Day!"

This time Sam already knows what is going to happen and she has the opportunity to do it all over again or make some changes along the way -- changes that impact other people and other lives.  In the beginning Sam is focused on her life and her popularity but she begins to see how Elody, Ally, and she blindly follow their friend Lindsay without question.  She learns how even one small action on their part can have a huge reaction in someone else's life and how bullying/tormenting a classmate can have consequences beyond what any of them might have predicted.

Sam also learns how much she loves her parents and her eight-year-old sister, Izzy, and she gets a chance to make a lot of things right in those 7 "re-lived" days.  Does she really die or is this all a dream?  You'll have to read the book yourself to discover your own answers to those questions.  pazt

"Rizzoli & Isles" - Season 2

My hubby and I just finished watching the second season of "Rizzoli & Isles" ---- again!  We didn't realize until we started watching it that we'd already seen it but this time we're ready for the season finale cliff hanger because we've already picked up the third season of "Rizzoli & Isles" from our library!  I'm so glad because I couldn't wait months again to see what happens next!

Detective Jane Rizzoli and forensic pathologist Dr. Maura Isles are based on characters from best-selling novelist Tess Gerritsen's series.  Isles and Rizzoli are close friends at home and at work -- although they don't always see eye to eye at work.  Jane is often frustrated by Maura's refusal to hazard a guess about something like cause of death because Maura, after all, is a forensic "detective" who deals in facts not guesses.

Jane is experiencing a lot of change in her personal life as her brother Tommy comes home from prison.  Her cop brother, Frankie, wants to move up to Detective so he keeps showing up to help with her murder cases -- with the encouragement of her fellow detectives.  Jane's parents are experiencing marital difficulties so her mother is living in Maura's guest cottage and working in the precinct deli.  As if that weren't enough, two romantic interests from her past show up almost simultaneously wanting to take up where they left off.

Maura has her own family issues -- an adopted mom, Constance, who rarely has time for her as her wealthy parents are always jetsetting off alone or together around the world.  When she discovers her biological father is Paddy Doyle, a Boston mob boss, she begins to be curious about who her biological mom is and experiences mixed feelings about Paddy himself when he pops up in her life periodically.  What better guy to have in your corner, though, when you need a little protection?

The season finale leaves us wondering if Jane and Maura's friendship can survive working together and the choices they both must make as a result of their jobs and their personal lives.  Love this series!  pazt

"Silent Prey"

In John Sandford's, "Silent Prey," which is the 4th book in the Prey series starring Lucas Davenport, Davenport has left the police force and is still making a lot of money working on his video games but they've taken a new direction -- computer simulations of police tactical problems.  His personal life is not so great since his girlfriend left with their daughter and he's a bit at loose ends.

However, his biggest case -- catching the murderer Dr. Michael Bekker (a psychotic pathologist) -- is coming back to haunt him as Bekker manages to escape jail and start killing people in New York.  Some people think Davenport should have killed Bekker when he was a Lt. with the police department -- instead of capturing him.

Davenport's life is about to get a little more complicated with the arrival of a New York policewoman, Lily, he'd worked a case with before and gotten emotionally/sexually involved with.  Lily's boss wants Davenport to come to New York to provide insight into Bekker and handle the media ostensibly but he has another agenda, too.  Someone is killing bad guys in New York and that might not upset the local police force but, whoever it is, has taken to killing a few cops now, too.  Lily's boss wants Davenport to go undercover to see if he can find out who is behind the killings because he suspects it's someone internally.

The Bekker case has Davenport paired with Barb Fell who is working the case and has street contacts that might prove useful.  Since Lily currently has a love in her life -- a policeman recovering from a heart attack, Barb seems a logical choice for a current romantic entanglement except that has its own complications.

As Davenport works both cases, some clues begin to surface pointing out why Bekker might be so successful in finding victims in New York.  As the hunt for Bekker seems to be coming to a successful conclusion, so does Davenport's theories about the police involvement in the street killings.  As usual, Sandford is a master at weaving a complex tale that holds the reader's interest and makes it difficult to put the book down until its conclusion.  Off to look for the next book in the Davenport Prey series!  pazt