Buried in Wolf Lake Review

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(More customer reviews)In the second book BURIED IN WOLF LAKE of the series A Winnebago County Mystery Thriller by Christine Husom, the heroine that we have come to know and love, Sergeant Corinne "Corky" Aleckson has been thrust into another frightfully in-depth investigation to find the identity of a psychopathic killer who targets women with specific features. After a family dog returns home with a young woman's dismembered leg, the investigation ensues as the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department attempts to unveil the mysteries buried in Wolf Lake. Will they work fast enough to keep another victim from the clutches of the evil that lurks nearby?
Christine Husom uses her past experience from when she worked for a sheriff's department to fill her books with realistic scenarios. Although fictionalized, the books are based on actual incidents. Christine has a natural talent when it comes to being able to immerse her readers into her books. The characters and atmosphere are rich in detail and realistic. I have to give Christine Husom great credit for being able to achieve such balance and readability. Her imaginativeness is to be commended and celebrated.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery/suspense or psychological thriller. I almost hesitate to label the book within these categories, because while the content is intense, it's not overboard. I would hate for anyone to pass up the opportunity to read this series based on book genre. Furthermore, the characters really become familiar and respected as you follow their daily lives and become immersed in their friendships, families and love lives.
Personally, I admire this series. After reading Murder in Winnebago County, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel. I read Buried in Wolf Lake in one day. I couldn't stand to put the book down for long, because I was always wondering what would come with the flip of the page. The passion that Christine Husum writes with is powerful and compelling. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment and have high hopes that Christine will continue with this series. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up. Once you do, you'll be hard-pressed to set it back down.


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When a family's Golden Retriever brings home a woman's dismembered leg, the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department launches an investigation unlike any other. Who is the young woman and where is the rest of her body? Sergeant Corrine Aleckson and Detective Elton Dawes soon discover they are up against an unidentified psychopath targeting women with specific physical features. Can they find him in time to prevent another brutal murder?Buried in Wolf Lake continues the saga of the bright, lovely girl who just happens to be the best detective in rural Minnesota.Most of the marvelous characters from her first thriller, Murder in Winnebago County, have returned for this adventure--but the killer she is pursuing is colder, crueler and deadlier than before.

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Summer at the Lake (Bookcassette(r) Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)What's the true test of whether it's a good book or not? When you can't bear to put it down and you don't want it to end, it's a good book! Greeley has characters with whom you can identify, a plot that keeps you going and a setting that makes you long for those big old houses by a pristine lake on summer days uncomplicated by bumper to bumper traffic and air pollution. I read the other reviews and wonder if everybody is so uptight these days that they can't imagine just laying back under an oak tree and reading a good book - not a great book, not a great work of literature. Just a good book. Lighten up, get a life, smell the flowers and learn to love just a "good" book.

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Out of Range (Joe Pickett Novels) Review

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(More customer reviews)You really have to wonder why C. J. Box isn't selling more books. He is clearly a talented writer with a gifted imagination. He has been recognized by critics and organizations responsible for literary awards, and yet his books are hard to find, even at the largest big box bookstores. I am hoping that with his latest book, Out of Range, the momentum he needs to move to the next level of recognition, will begin to build.
Out of Range is C.J's 5th Joe Pickett novel. For anyone new to the series, Joe Pickett is a Game Warden working for the state of Wyoming. You might not think there would be a lot happening in the life of a Wyoming Game Warden, but in Joe Pickett's Wyoming there sure as heck is! Seems this state has an over abundance of killings, deadly animals, and incredibly beautiful but dangerous landscapes, and Joe Pickett is a magnet that seems to attract all the various forms of trouble.
This book begins when Joe learns about the death/suicide of a good friend and fellow Game Warden and the man responsible for the highly visible Jackson Hole district. Joe is selected from a short list of Game Wardens to take over his friend's former district. As you might expect, Joe sees all kinds of reasons to doubt the "official" findings behind his friend's death, and it doesn't take Joe long to make enemies of the same people that apparently weren't getting along with the former Warden. Added to the problems in Jackson Hole, Joe is also having marital problems with the wife he temporally left behind when he had to relocate to the new district, and if that weren't enough, she is also experiencing her own form of grave danger.
While the conclusion is fairly predictable, the story builds suspense and anticipation throughout, and you will enjoy how Box pulls it all together at the end. This is a well written book, easy to read, and unlike so many similarly styled books, Box spends enough time introducing all the characters so that they are easy to keep track of and remember.
Highly Recommended!

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Glad Hand Saloon Review

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(More customer reviews)"Glad Hand Saloon," Steve Scott's second Palm Springs novel, primarily concerns gay men with diverse attitudes about sexuality. In this case the former heavy hitters from Cafe Respect have moved on to a new venue, "Glad Hand Saloon," a gay bar and restaurant. Not to worry, mystery fans, where author Steve Scott goes, murder and mayhem are sure to follow. This book involves a naked body found dead under a pickup truck in the parking lot -- well, not entirely naked; the corpse was wearing a single, highly decorative boot, footwear that was two sizes too large.
Solving the problem of whodunnit in Scott's "Glad Hand Saloon" takes place amidst a swirl of subplots. Although a tour de force in "Glad Hand Saloon," the complex subplots and backstories sometimes threaten the main event -- the unidentified cadaver in the parking lot, e.g., almost all the major characters fall in love or at least in lust at one time or another, but they also kiss and tell which gets in the way of the real story.
"Glad Hand Saloon" introduces a dizzying array of unusual characters made memorable by their differences. In this book you meet a gay couple's response to monogamy -- and the lack of it -- and a bartender who seems to prefer chubbies and bears, but looks for love wherever he can find it; a Mexican American who struggles with his sexuality; a mystic-witch-clairvoyant whose predictions are invariably dark or deadly; and a bald co-owner who compensates for his hair loss by collecting hats.
For as many reasons as there are for "extended families," the Glad Hand has become the social center binding this diverse collection of older gay men together. Being an older crowd attracted to "country" or western attire, boots and levis are the clone uniform. And, sterotypically gay males, there's no discussion of major league sports in this bar. A strong point in author Scott's writing lies in his dialogue, crackling exchanges which can be coarse, sexually charged, and gender bending, a style that might have once been labeled "high camp." And in this western setting, the reader who hears the word "cowboy" used over and over, need only to close his eyes to hear Patsy Kline, Reba, and Dolly Parton crooning from the jukebox.
Another of Scott's many talents are his love of language. His use of extraordinary metaphor causes one to see things in new ways, perhaps creating indelible images the reader will never forget, e.g., "the crinkly sounds of breaking glass"; (coming out) "headed down the road to queersville"; "heard a hedge trimmer start its stutter"; "his black eyes stabbed then jerked away"; (his eyes) "scattering around the patio".
Finally, a contribution "Glad Hand Saloon" makes to the canon of gay literature is its expositions of major gay issues, e.g., AIDS, Hepatitis C, Separation from family and children, coming out, and suicide. Scott's new novel is recommended reading whether kept on your night stand, your beach blanket, or in your carry-on luggage.

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When a mutilated body is discovered in the alley behind a Palm Springs gay bar, known for its genuine rodeo posters and imitation cowboys, the Glad Hand Saloon becomes the epicenter of an investigation by a detective whose name-Kind-hardly matches his ambition to nail the killer. The dead body is wearing only one very fancy boot. In the detective's crosshairs are five gay men and a woman named Roper.

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The Tin Princess Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Tin Princess" is the forth book in the Sally Lockhart series - though it doesn't actually star Sally herself. Perhaps a better description of this book would be to call it a spin-off, as it is has several characters from the previous Sally books as its protagonists, and solves a mystery that has been brewing since book one. In the first book "The Ruby in the Smoke," a young street waif named Adelaide Bevan disappeared into the streets of London, and only now has she been found. Readers who may be unwilling to continue with this series due to the absence of Sally are instead rather forced to - it's the only way to find out what happened to that young girl.
Jim Taylor, the amateur detective (among other things) has finally managed to track her down, following the trail of young Rebecca Winter who has been employed in the service of a nobleman to teach a young woman in his household how to read and write. The two collide almost immediately, and soon it becomes apparent that the young woman in question is none other than Adelaide herself. But her situation has greatly changed - she is married to Prince Rudolf of Razkavia, making her a princess of that small country squished between Austria and Germany. Rebecca is appalled at the unlikelihood of the match, especially since she herself is a native of Razkavia.
And now things are about to heat up. With the assassination of Rudolf's older brother, Adelaide and her husband now find themselves heir to the thrones of Razkavia - but whoever was behind the conspiracy to topple the royal family is not going to stop till they control the country. Now with Becky as her translator and Jim as her bodyguard, Adelaide is travelling with her husband to the country she now rules - a country watched over by the Red Eagle flag. Legend says that so long as the Eagle flies over the Rock of Eschtenburg, Razkavia will always be free. Now in a strange land, with strange customs, and a plot against them, Adelaide, Jim and Becky must juggle politics, public relations, personal safety, betrayal within the court, assassination attempts and a mysterious missing member of the royal family. Needless to say (of any of Philip Pullman's books), it's a very exciting ride.
Pullman beautifully creates an entire country with vivid realness - its customs, economy, language, history, all of it comes across with perfect realism, but also a sense of intrigue that he can invoke so well: "The streets are so crooked and narrow that they have no names...the Devil went there once, and couldn't find his way out. Which means of course, that he's still there." Likewise, the characters are vivid and immensely likeable, and his themes of power and corruption (which appear in all of his books in one way or another) are in place. Of our main characters, only Becky is initially unfamiliar to readers of the Lockhart books, but she soon becomes an interesting figure, who wields her own type of power in being Adelaide's translator (often stating her straightforward opinions to Princess Adelaide in the course of conversations, or rewording Adelaide's informal slang to the listener).
But it's Jim and Adelaide that really take centre stage in the course of this story - passionate, strong, out of their league, star-crossed and determined, I have to say that I think they are Pullman's best romantic couple (disagree with me if you must, but that includes Sally/Fred and even Lyra/Will). Adelaide definitely foreshadows Lyra for the "His Dark Materials" trilogy - willful, spoilt, cunning and yet with a strange sense of innocence about her. Glancing at some of the other reviews, it's unfortunate to see she's rather unpopular - I thought she was a wonderful character, and every inch a queen.
Of those that are disappointed at the lack of Sally, there's no reason to completely despair. She is present at both the beginning and end of the story (as is Goldberg, her husband - sadly, no Harriet or Trembler) and is mentioned throughout by several characters. And in her own way, she plays a very big part in the course of the story - just watch how useful the knitted jersey she makes for Jim turns out!
Although this is not my favourite book in the series (that would be "The Tiger in the Well") it is the most re-readable, the most intriguing and the most poetic - the final passage in particular is beautifully written. I won't give it away, but I often find myself picking up the book just to read it again, and the images that Pullman invokes, especially in the escape from the old palace through the snow, are just beautiful. There is a certain amount of cynicism, but the barest touches of hope in the conclusion of the story. But whether you like it or not (because it *is* rather different from the first three books, and not just in the shift in characters) it is a necessary part of the series, to complete Adelaide and Jim's story.


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The Shadow in the North (Sally Lockhart Trilogy, Book 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)Pullman has a rare and valuable talent: his chosen field is the young adult novel, and he writes for young adults. Frankly, without condescension, and with a lively intelligence and subtle humor that shows he respects his audience as much as they (indubitably do) respect him. This novel shows a young woman in full command of her faculties being put into the teeth of an excruciating moral predicament, and if the road she eventually finds out of it is a simple one, that is because Pullman is not above granting a final bit of wish-fulfillment after he's run us through the wringer.
I'll leave the plot summaries to other reviewers; it's enough to say that it's a lively and political mystery / thriller and its coincidences, while implausible, do not betray their own internal logic. Pullman is first and foremost an observer of character, and what makes this book something that makes me, a 29-year-old guy who tends to read much more austere stuff, take notice, is the sheer aliveness of the characters. There's Sally, of course, a resolutely feminist young woman whose resolve and determination are surely of her time, even if some of her anxieties and dilemmas seem more resonant with the present than Victorian England; Frederick, her friend and peer who she loves, and with whom she argues helplessly and often; Jim, their young, streetwise friend, who is capable, brave, and eminently self-aware; and a large cast of supporting characters, many of them women, who are sharply limned and full of their own stories. The fact that Sally is living out what would have been, at best,a Victorian woman's fantasy is dealt with elsewhere; the fact that huge swathes of the dialogue is anachronistic is irrelevant.
What sets this apart from other young adult novels, even as it evokes them, is the very real sense of moral hazard and the awful consequences of the modern age that it portrays. The world into which Sally, Frederick, and everyone else is being swept is one where the old hunger for power is being given new, terrible means of finding its voice. The clarity with which Pullman evokes this sense of foreboding is remarkable, as is his restraint. At its heart this novel is a warning of terrible things that have already come to pass. It is insistent without being didactic, it shows rather than tells. In the end it convinces.
While the Lockhart trilogy is not as stunning as the His Dark Materials books, it's not trying to be. It's about one woman, her friends, and the world whose birth they must survive. If they are occasionally more than human, that might just be because something more than human is necessary to survive in this new world.

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Pyro: A Novel of Suspense Review

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(More customer reviews)Paul Wollf, Emerson's newest protagonist, is another superlative example of a deeply flawed individual who wins the reader's sympathy despite some character traits which, if Wolff were a real person, would make a sane person keep him at the proverbial barge pole's distance. But make no mistake, Emerson has not recreated his previous hero, Swope, in Wollf. Where Swope was a mindless womanizer, Wollf is a shy guy who knows he's not good enough for a good woman. Where Swope was a popular guy around the firehouse, Wollf holds the entire world at bay, his sternly leashed violence like a guard dog between him and his fellow creatures. But as in "Into the Inferno" Emerson does tell a thumping good action yarn all the while interlacing it with the hero's movement towards self-discovery. If Swope was the guy you hoped would be taking you home after the party, then Wollf is the guy you hope you're waking up with on a quiet Sunday morning.
As always, Emerson's well-honed descriptions and his ear for dialogue boost a story that in less gifted hands might end up merely workmanlike. Example: "I suck dark smoke all the way up. It tastes like the undercarriage of a fertilizer truck might." What an image! Makes me want a swig of Listerine bad!
Another plus for this author -- and some may disagree with me on this, but so what? They'll be wrong! -- is that he is so NOT afraid to stretch his skills, I mean really work at his craft, and the proof is in how he told this story from so many different points of view and still made the story cohesive and kept the flow of events and emotions constant. That can't have been easy, and it had to have been a conscious choice right from the beginning of the book.
I wish I wasn't going to have to wait another year or more for the next book by Earl Emerson. And I wish he'd do another book tour through the Midwest sometime! Why does the left coast get all the breaks?
Thanks, too, Mr. Emerson, for the opening quote from Elmer Slezak. I miss him!

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Fire Dancer Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, I'll admit it, I'm a huge fan of Colleen Coble--have been since the Rock Harbor series. But her latest, FIRE DANCER is my absolute favorite. Her characters, Tess and Chase, leap off the page and come to life. I felt like I was in Arizona, personally deep into the plot. An arsonist takes things to a personal level for Tess, and her family's ranch. Tess and her longtime rival, Chase, must work together to unsmoke the villain, and save not only the ranch, but the forests from the Fire Dancer. Get the book....you'll be in for quite the ride. I give it my highest rating!

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Dry needles had been piled up, and a match lay in the middle. Her boots smothered the flames. The match told her the fire had been deliberately set. But why? A flutter of white caught her attention. The wind whipped a paper nailed to the tree. She unfolded it and stared at the writing: Let the dance begin.A decade ago, Tess Masterson's parents died in a terrible barn fire. Now she's become one of the best smoke jumpers in the business. Though she makes a living jumping out of planes into roaring wildfires, she's never found the courage to face the wounds of her past--or to deal with the anger that flares whenever she encounters Chase Huston.When a serial arsonist known as The Fire Dancer strikes near her old homeplace in Arizona, Tess is forced to examine the past as it relates to the present. How will she confront her own demons while at the same time putting a stop to the terror that has the area in flames?

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Murder In Winnebago County Review

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(More customer reviews)I highly recommend "Murder in Winnebago County" by Christine Husom to anyone who appreciates a good mystery. I particularly liked the insight that is provided into the plotting mind of the killer. Although you never quite know what will happen next. Also, Sgt. Corky Aleckson is a well-drawn and believable protagonist. I expect to read more of her adventures in the near future.
"Murder in Winnebago County" is a really good read.

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Murder in Winnebago County features a the most unlikely serial killer in the most unlikely little Minnesota town. The clever murderer leaves a dramatically growing chain of apparent suicides who have everything, and nothing, in common. As her intuition helps her draw the case together, Sgt. Corky Aleckson doesn't realize that she has made herself the killer's next target.

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Southern Cross (Andy Brazil) Review

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(More customer reviews)I can't understand all the horrible reviews this book got. I almost didn't read it because of them, but I loved Hornets Nest so figured I'd give it a shot and I'm really glad I did. I went into this book not expecting a whole lot due to the negative reviews, and I was pleasently surprised. I really enjoyed this book and the characters, I found it a very funny, entertaining and light story. I'm glad I didn't listen to the majority of bad reviews and hope that Ms. Cornwell will continue the series with another story involving Hammer, West and Brazil (as well as many more Scarpetta novels!).

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The Cat Who Smelled a Rat Review

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(More customer reviews)I was astounded when, in reading the covers of Lilian Braun's latest episode in her tales of James Qwilleran that "The Cat Who Smelled a Rat" was Volume 23. I went to her shelf and, sure enough, I had read them all. While they really are mystery stories, I don't really read them for that. Rather, over the history of the series, I have become addicted to life in the far north town of Pickaxe.
I love wandering through the town with Qwilleran, meeting the many quirky characters, sharing in the gossip, reading Qwill's columns over his shoulder and, above all, interpreting the mystic messages of Koko the detective cat. As, I'm quite sure, will any mystery lover who needs a break from the noir fiction that makes up so much of modern mystery writing.
This time Pickaxe is in the throes of an autumn drought, trying to prevent brush fires and waiting impatiently for 'The Big One', the first big snowstorm of winter. When a volunteer fire watcher is murdered at one of Moose County's famous mine shafthouses the mystery begins. Be prepared for an Haiku contest, an elopement, curling and many delicious meals consumed at Pickaxe's seemingly inexhaustable supply of restaurants and inns.
Of course, the real heroes of all Braun's stories are Koko and Yum Yum, Qwill's faithful Siamese sidekicks. Koko, by virtue of superior intelligence and wit, works dilligently to provide Qwilleran with the clues needs to discover the villain and reveal his nefarious scheme. Koko limited to growls and 'Yows' resorts to plant destruction, apple hockey and general chaos in order to keep Qwill on track.
If you've been following this series for as long as I have you will need no encouragement to read this new volume. For those of you who have never travelled to Pickaxe before, prepare for a lot of fun - all 23 volumes are well worth reading!!

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The Last Track: A Mike Brody Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)Based on a strong buyer review here, I gave The Last Track a chance, and I'm glad I did. Hilliard is new on the mystery/thriller scene but he writes like a well-practiced pro. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing right to the end.
His characters, including Mike Brody, are believable and well thought out. In fact, Hilliard gives you just enough background to suck you in, but not quite enough to completely slack your thirst for Brody. (NOTE: I am a major Robert Parker fan and love Spenser.) This book demands a sequel.
The dialogue throughout keeps the story moving and the "24" style time breaks that the author used in place of chapter breaks adds to the suspense. This is made for book groups (I'm recommending it to mine), plane trips, beach reading, or anytime you just want to curl up with a great read.


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Imagine if being late meant a child disappeared forever. That is the fear that drives Mike Brody--the man you want, when the one you love is missing. Mike is more than just a master tracker. An ex-Special Forces operative, smoke jumper, and now extreme adventure tour guide, he also possesses a unique ability to tap into the memory and emotional state of those he pursues. In The Last Track, a police detective recruits Mike to help find an asthmatic boy lost in the dense woods surrounding a dude ranch in Montana. An unwitting murder witness, the boy burrows ever deeper into the rugged terrain, fearful of being found. As Mike and a local officer search for the boy, the killer follows them. While the investigation expands, Mike's ex-wife, a well-connected journalist, uses her contacts to unravel the truth behind the murder. Her discoveries threaten to snare them all in a treacherous conspiracy . . .

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The Smoke (Jethro) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's odd, but I've always felt that once WWII was over, London was back to the capital that we've gotten to know, full of black taxis, stately terrace homes, and monuments everywhere. Now I know better, thanks to Tony Broadbent's first novel, The Smoke: A Creeping Narrative.
This is a London that may be at peace, but it is certainly not a prosperous one. Everything is still rationed -- even bread, there's a flourishing black market, and most of the City is still in ruins from the German bombings. Worst still, there's not that much work to be had, and the economy is still depressed and looking to slide further into unrest. For a cat burglar like Jethro, it's lean times, especially if he can't get a good job or two in.
Lucky for Jethro he's very very good at what he does. As the novel opens, he's slipping into an embassy to pilfer the jewelry that the ambassador's wife and daughter were wearing to a social event. The heist goes smoothly, until Jethro almost gets caught, and the shooting starts. Unluckily for him, while he does get away, someone does get killed falling to his death on the street below.
And things just go downhill from there. In his plunder, Jethro finds not one, but two little black books, and both promise to get him into a lot of trouble. Even the people that he cares about are being threatened, from Ray -- Buggy Billy -- his scholarly fence, to his family are being harmed, and the local thugs are out to get him.
When Jethro is given an offer he can't turn down -- he can't even negotiate on it -- the story takes a surprising twist, and just when I thought the story was over, it wasn't. Instead, Broadbent builds everything up in a steady acceleration of suspense, to a final conclusion that hints of more to come.
I was really pleased with this book. The narrative is exciting, full of action and description and a real sense of life where even if the bombings are over, there's a new war that is brewing. The depictions of life are very well done, including those silky smooth men in MI5 who might not be as rough as the street gangs, but much more deadly.
What makes this novel work so well is the skill that Broadbent has in creating his protagonist, Jethro. He's survived the war, with terrible losses of his own, and while he's making a living in a very creative way of expressing 'redistribution of wealth,' there's something about Jethro that makes him a rogue, and a very likeable one at that. While he is breaking the law, he has a certain moral code that he lives by, and it has its own responsibilities and admonditions.
Several of the secondary characters are just as vivid, especial Ray, the well-educated, patriotic fence, and the very intriguing Seth who comes to Jethro's aid when he runs afoul of the treacherous Chalkie. Even the mob leaders are interesting, if detestible, especially the Emperor of Soho, Mr. Messima, who runs his underworld with all the subtlety and artistic flair of a Nero.
Most of all with this one is the language, with the rolling, rhyming Cockney slang and Jethro's own awareness of who he is and the decisions that he makes. I found myself flung into a world that's having a hard time of it, but still able to take pleasures in the small happy things of life, even with things turn tragic, there's still the idea that it's really going to get better soon.
A very nice touch was the inclusion of a glossary of the slang and speak of the novel, which really helped to sort out some of the novel, and a map of London just after the war.
For those who like their thrillers to be candid, honest and with a touch of humour, The Smoke is an excellent choice for a winter night's read. Broadbent has written a sequel for the next mystery about Jethro, and I suspect that it will be just as exciting as this one was, with the title being Spectres in the Smoke.
Four and a half stars, rounded up to five.
Recommended.

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The first Jethro mysteryFirst time in paperbackIt's 1947, and London, having toughed out the War, is being half-crippled by the Peace. It's the coldest winter in living memory, everything from bread to soap to underwear is rationed, and even beer, by official order, is watered down. No wonder the Black Market is thriving. But Jethro doesn't bother complaining much. As a jewel thief, he needs all his wits about him when engaged in redistributing the wealth of the upper classes. And the demands on Jethro's wits only increase when his thieving skills attract some unwelcome interest, first from London's thuggish crime lords and then from His Majesty's Secret Service, which wants him to pull a little job on the Soviet Embassy. You wouldn't believe what an honest Cockney cat burglar has to do to survive sometimes.

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Holy Smoke (Bones and the Duchess Mysteries) Review

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(More customer reviews)Holy Smoke is a heartwarming tale of forgiveness that anyone, particularly children who enjoy mysteries and are between the ages of 7 and 14, can enjoy. The book also brings up some awareness of Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, which may be helpful for anyone diagnosed with the condition, or anyone who knows someone who is.

-Athalia Stoneback


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Bones and the Duchess are at it again! When a neighborhood church burns to the ground, Bones is hired by the church reverend to discover the culprit, but on one condition: he must get the help of "the duchess". The duchess is a young girl named Verity, a bright twelve year old with Asperger's Syndrome who helped him solve the mystery of two missing girls in To Oz and Back. Verity claims to know who set fire to the church, but can she convince Bones? With the help of the reverend's adopted son Danny and Verity's clever instincts, Bones and the duchess set out on another investigation full of quirky characters, coded e-mails and lots of mystery! Holy Smoke is the second exciting Bones and the Duchess Mystery by Alexandra Eden.

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Spectres in the Smoke: A Creeping Narrative Review

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(More customer reviews)This book explores a time and place not well covered in popular fiction - Britain just following the Second World War. The struggle with Germany had left this country destitute and exhausted, yet life went on. The Labor government tried to be all things to all people with little resources and the protagonist is dragooned into the dark corners of how this society must muddle on through. I have no idea if the details of London criminal society are at all authentic, but they seem so. The politics and economics are right in line with what history tells us. The characters are sympathetic and nuanced, motivations complex but sometimes noble. Violence is shown as ocasional but brutal and tension relieved at times by sardonic humor. Over all an engaging look at time usually out of our collective memory.

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The Girl Born of Smoke Review

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(More customer reviews)A Girl Born of Smoke starts off with an young girl, Aurora, running from a mysterious man and finding sanctuary with two strangers. After I read the first few chapters, I thought I knew what was going on, but I was wrong. Jessica Billings spins a tale that takes you through fascinating and unexpected twists and turns that truly leave you guessing about what is going to happen next. The moment you think you know who the good guys are, you will find yourself proven wrong in the next paragraph. I managed to catch on to some of the twists, but one took me by surprise and had me eagerly reading more.
Beyond the well-crafted story line, the characters are diverse and distinctive and a pleasure to get to know as the story progresses.
This is an excellent first novel of a new author who I hope will be writing more.

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When Aurora is thrust into a world torn apart by war, she realizes she is the magically gifted child everyone is searching for. Haunted by the guilt of her sister's accidental death and terrified of being found out, she swears never to use her powers. But all that changes when her best friend is mistaken as the wizard and kidnapped. In her struggle to rescue him, she finds evidence the opposing armies may be connected, controlled by a single individual with his own agenda. With loved ones on both sides of the war, she is forced to decide who she can trust as she tries to stop the fighting. But, can she even trust her own sanity?

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The Prince of Palos Verdes: A Sawyer Black Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)THE PRINCE OF PALOS VERDES takes place in Palos Verdes, California. Full disclosure: I live in Palos Verdes and I know Stephen Smoke. He's written a lot of novels and is a good writer.
But he writes about an aspect of PV I am not familiar with--the sexual antics of the very rich. Needless to say, not all of us residents are rich or sexually antical (is that a word?). What have we been missing?
Sawyer Black, a retired LAPD homicide detective is now rich, apparently from writing mysteries and having movies made out of them. When the wife of his billionaire friend, Justin Wright, is murdered, Wright asks Sawyer to help out, whatever that means. What it means is that Sawyer talks to a lot of rich people at eating and drinking establishments in and around Palos Verdes, all correctly identified, drinks a lot of fancy alcoholic beverages and learns about sexcapades that would make Casanova blush. In the evening he pets the koi fish in his backyard pond and wonders why his marriage is falling apart.
The plot of the book is well laid out. There are plenty of suspects, and they all get enough page time for you to form your own opinions about them. You will also find out what rich people like to eat and drink, and what a mess they make of their personal lives. (I suspect that not all of them live like this. Isn't Bill Gates faithful to his wife?) Their mansions are described, as well as the views from Palos Verdes (which is a hilly peninsula overlooking Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean).
If you like to live vicariously through the eyes of people most of us don't associate with, this book is for you. So jump into your Rolls; we're off to sip Grey Goose martinis and talk about sex parties...er, sorry, honey, if you've been listening I meant poker parties.


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Justin Wright is a collector...of things and people. Nothing in his multi-billion dollar empire was more precious to him than his wife, Judy. And nothing had ever threatened that empire...until the night he discovered Judy's dead body in the foyer of their Palos Verdes mansion.Sawyer Black is a retired LAPD homicide detective who now writes crime novels, some of which have been made into feature films. He leads an idyllic life in Palos Verdes and spends most evenings sipping brandy while petting fish in his koi pond and watching the sun melt into the Pacific. But his life, not unlike the lives of the characters in his novels, is not always what it seems. His marriage is in trouble, he's drinking too much...and his friend's wife has just been murdered.When Justin Wright becomes the prime suspect in his wife's murder, and his life and freedom hang in the balance, he turns to Sawyer for help.But Sawyer is not sure he can save his friend...until he saves himself.

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