Reviews (26)

Good Old Harry
I just finished reading Echo Park and really enjoyed it.I like the way Michael Connelly keeps the action moving and keeps the reader wondering what is going to happen next.I usually have some of the villians identified but in this case I did not see Abel Pratt involved in the plot.I too feel it would have been good to see what happened to those corrupt people.However, I used my imagination which perhaps is what the author intended.

What a disappointment!
Having read several of Connelly's books, I expected this one to be a cut above the usual crime thriller genre.I was sorely disappointed.Although the plot is somewhat interesting, the characterizations are weak and there is just too much tough cop talk and unbelievable heroics.The narration is weak, especially the personification of the FBI agent girlfriend, which is absolutely grating.I did finish it, but wish I could get my money back.

Harry Bosch remains one of the best cop characters in fiction
Settling in with a new Harry Bosch book by Michael Connelly is like getting together with an old, close friend you haven't seen in a long while.Harry is still with LAPD's Open-Unsolved Unit along with his partner, Kiz Ridder. Returning to the police force after a short, unsatisfying retirement, Harry still looks at cases from long ago, cases that he had a hand in, but were never solved.
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Subjects:  1. Bosch, Harry (Fictitious character)    2. California    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Los Angeles    6. Missing persons    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Police    11. Suspense    12. Fiction / Thrillers   

Reviews (2)

Baldacci's best
I'm quite sure, and I've read almost all of his books, this is his best yet. Brilliant plot, very believable characters. Best book this year since I read Bob Collins' "Ambassador Strikes."

Perhaps Baldacci's Best Yet. Sit Back and Enjoy This One!
David Baldacci's ensemble of fascinating and brilliantly created characters in `The Collectors' coupled with two intertwining plots of murder and a clever financial con make for a completely enjoyable and page-turning read.Following his best selling hit `The Camel Club' with some familiar faces and the addition of the sultry yet incorrigibly scandalous Annabelle Conroy, readers will be continually amused and entertained as Baldacci, as if a grand maestro, intertwines and blends the character action and movement with such ease and storyline pleasure.As usual and expected in Baldacci's novels, readers will be left turning the pages, in this case as the plot moves to a very interesting conclusion when the World of Washington politics and those involved with a long-term swindle are forced to collide. Folks, sit back and enjoy `The Collectors', it very well may be David Baldacci's best yet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Baldwin, James - Prose & Criticism    2. Conspiracies    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    5. Legislators    6. Secret societies    7. Thrillers    8. United States    9. Fiction / Thrillers   

Subjects:  1. African American psychologists    2. Cross, Alex (Fictitious character)    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    5. Fiction - General    6. General    7. Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)    8. Rapists    9. Thrillers    10. Fiction / General   

Reviews (22)

Weak and disappointing..
I never miss an Evanovich book.She is the only author I actually buy in harcover.I want my money back !!!This is a pale shadow of her usual writing.Maybe her publisher was pressuring her for a book so she tossed this one off.I don't know but I do know I was very disappointed.

Great Read!
This book is really funny and a quick read.This would be a good book to take on vacation or lounge by the pool because it is light and funny.I like all of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books and also Metro Girl, so I felt this book was comparable to those.If you want a laugh, this book is for you!

Another great book by Evanovich!
I LOVED Motor Mouth!It was such a fun read and I greatly enjoyed the characters.Being a NASCAR fan, I love the theme of these books even more.I greatly enjoyed Metro Girl, but have to say that I loved this one even more!I can't wait for the next Evanovich to come out!!I look forward to each of her releases and have yet to be disappointed!I highly recommend this one for a fun read full of laughs! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Fiction - Romance    4. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    5. Romance - General    6. Thrillers    7. Fiction / Thrillers   

Reviews (18)

A fading voice
Unfortunately the Sid Halley of old did not appear on a single page of Under Orders.The edgy, brilliant jockey-turned-investigator has turned into a boring, spectacularly non-verbal character who tells us things the Sid Halley of the earlier books would have ridiculed.For example, he describes for us his evening meal in long-winded, elementary school level prose.This may just be the natural end foretold in the previous books: over time the books became blander and sometimes boring.
Great to have Francis back
It is great to have Dick Francis (and Sid Halley) back. Unlike other reviewers, I think it is obvious that the person who wrote this DID write the other Francis (and Halley) books.

Sadly disapointing
I was so looking forward to a new Sid Halley story.What a disapointment.Who wrote this mess?It doesn't have the tone of the author's previous books.The same characters are back but with totally different personalities. Their behaviours and dialogs just do not mesh with the earlier Sid Halley stories.Is Mr. Francis past his writing prime or did his late wife write the earlier books?I suggest taking this out of the library instead of purchasing it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. England    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Francis, Dick - Prose & Criticism    5. Halley, Sid (Fictitious character)    6. Horse racing    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Private investigators    9. Suspense    10. Thrillers    11. Fiction / Thrillers   

Reviews (15)

Superior LeCarre and a superior novel
For most long-time LeCarre fans, the question is not "should I buy this one" but rather how does it rate with his other works.Happily, this continues his strong recent showing and return to form in "The Constant Gardener" and "Absolute Friends."While "The Constant Gardener" had a compelling plot and "Absolute Friends" was perhaps stronger on characterization, "The Mission Song" manages to do well in both categories.Although both "Gardener" and "Friends" had their critics, I found LeCarre's new-found political commitments providing a logical and compelling direction for his fiction in the post-Cold-War era. Not all readers will agree, of course, depending probably largely on their own political views, but there seemed to be a loss of direction in the middle works such as "The Little Drummer Girl" and "Russia House." But it seems as if the current rancid state of world affairs, brought about largely by the lunatics in charge of this country and their UK facilitators, has energized LeCarre and prompted some of his best novels since the early classics.
Naive hero fails to convince
The orphaned love child of a Catholic missionary priest and a Congolese woman, the narrator of Le Carre's 20th book, Bruno Salvador (Salvo), grew up resourceful and compliant in Congo's Catholic missions. Rejected by both white and black classmates, sexually abused by the priests, he seeks refuge in the servants' quarters where he listens spellbound to their tales and absorbs their tribal languages.
Bravo! Le Carre
Not since The Tailor of Panama has Mr. Le Carre depicted his characters with such bravura!A timely piece of work with all, and I mean all, of Le Carre's trademark intrigue and humour.Loved it and recommend it highly to anyone that enjoys an excellent read.Boy, does he use the language in a superior way.A joy to behold! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage/Intrigue    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    4. Intelligence officers    5. Le Carre, John - Prose & Criticism    6. Thrillers    7. World politics    8. Fiction / General   

Reviews (5)

Did not work for me.
I have been a big fan of Mr. Woods since "White Cargo."His books are not great literature, but fun reads with interesting characters and the outcomes are never obvious.This book fail in that I was not able to relate to the characters, too much sex with nothing to do with the story (I am not against sex but it should be relevant, not sensationalistic).Well, you cant hit one out of the park every time.If you Like Woods still of writing and storytelling you need to check out the cult favorite "Tourist in the Yucatan" cool thriller!

Short Straw
Although Stuart Woods is one of my favorites reads, this book wasn't up to snuff. It's hard to believe Ed Eagle would have ever been married to such as low life woman and not know it, especially after her sister had already [...]his best friend. I knows it's fiction but I like to believe it could have at happened.

Mr Woods, please.....
I love to read his books! This was a disappointment to me. The basic story is ok and I like Ed Eagle as a character but at every turn this was about men thinking with their organ. Mr.Woods you can do better than this stupidity and have over and over and over again. Skip this one, save your money, read anything else! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Attorney and client    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Legal    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. Mystery fiction    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. Santa Fe (N.M.)    10. Suspense    11. Woods, Stuart - Prose & Criticism    12. Fiction / Suspense   

Reviews (285)

Back On Her Game
After a disappointing 11th book, Janet seems back on her game, maybe taking it to another level with TWELVE SHARP. This one is about Ranger, who it turns out has been married and has a daughter. The daughter has been kidnapped, and it appears she was kidnapped by Ranger. But looks can be deceiving, and it's Stephanie to the rescue.
The Love Triangle HAS to go.
I read all of the Stephanie Plum novels in a month and cannot wait book 13 (which I would love to be named Lucky 13)!The Ranger, Stephanie, Morelli trianlge is KILLING me!
Twelve Sharp
I really, really, really love the Stephanie Plum series. And I love Janet's other series as well. I really disliked this book. I felt the whole time I was reading it that Janet is just pushing out another book because we fans are waiting for more.
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Subjects:  1. Bail bond agents    2. Bounty hunters    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. New Jersey    8. Plum, Stephanie (Fictitious character)    9. Trenton    10. Fiction / General   

Reviews (62)

Patterson is great
James Patterson and Andrew Gross have another great novel in Judge and Jury, along with a previous combined effort, Lifeguard.

Loved the ending
I read all of Patterson's books--even those he co-writes which perhaps means he's not the writer. But I enjoy most of them for what they are--fun to read. And in this one, I loved the ending. It made me smile. And to me, that helps to make it a good book and a fun story.
buy it at a garage sale
James patterson aka whoever he is writing with at the moment has totally lost it... shallow plot, no in depth characters, really not much of a story. i didnt want to buy it but my neighbor insisted. it was her first patterson novel.. anyway, he is laughing all the way to the bank.. bad book.i didnt even finish the first 100 pages, thank goodness Target takes back books or i would be out 20.00. thank you . lisa baker. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    3. Legal    4. Mafia    5. Mafia trials    6. New York    7. New York (State)    8. Organized crime    9. Thrillers    10. Fiction / General    11. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    12. Psychological    13. Suspense    14. African American police    15. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction   

Reviews (7)

Other than Kenyon, awful compilation
I didn't like one story in this book other than Kenyon's, and even that wasn't her best.The book was actually so bad that I resent the money I paid for it.And to add insult to injury, the other book I bought that was a compilation including Kenyon was even WORSE.Just a total waste of money.Two of the stories are written in the first person -- and come on, are you a 12 year old writing a story for composition class? -- and all of them are hokey and, to be blunt, lame.

severely disappointed
Severely disappointed is the only way to describe my reaction to this anthology.I ran right out to buy this book because of all the positive reviews.Save your money and buy it used.

Some are silver and the others gold, but all GREAT!
To say that I was looking forward to this book for the authors that I already know and love is an understatement.I couldn't wait to read L.A. Banks' story and Sherilyn Kenyon's.However, I have to say that I not only enjoyed the stories from the authors that I am already familiar with and love, but I enjoyed the stories from the authors who were previously unknown to me as well.What a great introduction to something new!I am definitely going to be broadening my book collection with some new authors and of course will continue on with the ones I love and know already.This was a book filled with interesting, romantic and exciting tales and I would recommend it to anyone.KUDOS to these writers for a capital accomplishment.
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Subjects:  1. Fantasy    2. Fantasy - General    3. Fantasy - Short Stories    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Fantasy    6. Horror tales, American    7. Occult    8. Weddings    9. Fiction / Fantasy / General   

Reviews (5)

A Fish Out Of Water

BEWARE Lynley & Havers fans -they aren't in this book! Don't buy it!
How could Elizabeth George even think of letting her fans down like this? I've never before been moved to write a review but this book is a literary crime that cannot go unpunished!(Wish it had gone unpublished though.) Ever since I read George's first Lynley mystery, I've bought each subsequent new one as it was released. I've never been disappointed - until now. That's not to say I don't have some gripes with George; I do. For one, she's long-winded and seems to get more so with every passing book. Readers don't need a description of every locale on a given London road to believe that the author, self-consciously and insurmountably American, has been there. More irritatingly though, and no doubt stemming from the same self-consciousness, her overuse of Brit vernacular and colloquialisms is forced and rings false compared with true British writers, who have no need to prove where they are from. But to her credit, she has created a cast of winning characters and I tune in every time to see what has happened in Lynley's and Havers' worlds. Especially after the last book shockingly killed off a major character, we deserved to be rewarded for waiting and plunking down our money. I want to know how Lynley is coping with the death of his wife, and what is happening with emotionally-scarred Deborah, who was first on the crime scene? And what about Barbara Havers, the character with whose creation George struck pure gold? Both Havers' professional and private lives are utterly engaging ongoing sagas (when will she get together with that neighbor of hers?) and I feel completely ROBBED not to have received the next installment. Worse yet is the book itself, which I dumped after a tedious first chapter (and after I flipped through the rest of it thinking I could find the parts with Lynley et al. Trust me, they aren't there).George's attempt to write completely outside her milieu and misleadingly foist it on her loyal mystery-reading public strikes me as pretentious and patronizing - towards both the subject and the audience.She is off my "authors to trust for a good read" list. True British mystery lovers, wondering what to read now, might try Kate Atkinson's "Case Histories" and "One Good Turn" for superb writing and storytelling. The latter, her newly published sequel about detective Jackson Brodie, kept me up all night, entertained and awed. If only Ms. George's latest had done the same.

What Came Before He Shot Her
What a let down when I started reading this book, I had been waiting months for the new Elizabeth George novel with Inspector Lynley and all his sidekicks. What do I get? A lesson in class and race and why the disenfranchised have a reason to kill. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Mystery & Detective - General    4. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    5. Mystery fiction    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Subjects:  1. Boston    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Massachusetts    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. Mystery & Detective - Hard-Boiled    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. Parker, Robert B. - Prose & Criticism    10. Private investigators    11. Spenser (Fictitious character)    12. Suspense    13. Fiction / Suspense   

Reviews (25)

4 1/2 Stars
I thought this to be a fascinating and sometime graphic thriller. This is my first experience with Tess Gerritsen and will most likely read more from this author. As mentioned elsewhere, the characters backgrounds were shyed away from, and since I have not read any of her previous novels, I was sometimes a bit stymied. An entertaining read nonetheless.

Another Gem from Tess Gerritsen!
The Mephisto Club is a very fast paced novel, which is my favorite type of story.It brings back the recurrent main characters of Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles.This time Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles are dealing with an exceeding violent killer who murders his victims in a ritualistic fashion leaving clues that link him to the occult/supernatural.Is the killer a demon or is he merely a brillian sociopath who taunts his victims and the police alike?That is the question facing Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles as they try to track him.
Chilling!
I liked The Mephisto Club best of the books in this fine series.If you've liked any of the earlier books, you should definitely read this one.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    3. Fiction - Psychological Suspense    4. Medical    5. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Psychological    8. Suspense    9. Fiction / Suspense   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Koontz, Dean R. (Dean Ray) - Prose & Criticism    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery/Suspense    6. Psychological    7. Suspense    8. Thrillers    9. Fiction / General   

Reviews (15)

Outstanding paranormal mystery
Harper Connelly and her step brother Tolliver have been invited by Dr. Clyde Nunley to demonstrate her power for his anthropology class.She can find the dead and determine how they died and their names.He has an old graveyard at Bingham College which hasn't been used for 50 years and recently the records of the old church have been found giving the cause of death for those buried there. The records have been sealed so he is sure that like others he has invited for demonstrations he can show that she is a fake or at least not reliable.Good characters, good plot nicely done and some humor as she spooks the class and Dr. Nunley by being right all the time and by finding Tabahia's body double parked in a grave. (She had been hired to try to find her when she disappeared a year ago from her home in Nashville, Bingham is in Memphis.) And more humor when she weirds out the corner. I still like her southern vampire series better but this is very good and a little better than her first book in the series.

Harris never disappoints!
Harris never disappoints and Grave Surprise is no exception. Harris's prose is both quirky and smooth as butter, and these characters really grabbed hold of me. Made me laugh, made me tear up, made me turn the pages faster and faster, and sigh when I reached the last. It's wonderful to read a writer who knows her craft as well as this. I can hardly wait for her next!

Lightening Can Strike Twice
In this, the second in Charlaine Harris' Harper Connelly series, we learn oh so much more about Harper, her paranormal ability to sense the dead and how they passed, Harper's childhood, and most tantalizingly, her relationship with her stepbrother Tolliver. It's an excellent weekend read. Read more

Subjects:  1. Brothers and sisters    2. Children    3. Clairvoyants    4. Crimes against    5. Fantasy - General    6. Fiction    7. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery And Suspense Fiction    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Occult    12. Science Fiction And Fantasy    13. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Subjects:  1. Chee, Jim (Fictitious character)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Hillerman, Tony - Prose & Criticism    5. Indian reservation police    6. Leaphorn, Joe, Lt. (Fictitious character)    7. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. Suspense    10. Fiction / Suspense   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    3. Kidnapping    4. Police    5. Suspense    6. Terrorists    7. Thrillers    8. Fiction / General   

Reviews (152)

Dean Koontz always takes his stories to a new level
I have read Dean Koontz since I was in high school almost 15 years ago and I have to say I haven't been disappointed in his books yet.
another great book
Koontz has delivered another great book.He is a masterful suspense writer and has written another great book.Of course, not everything is truly plausible, but that's not why I read his books.Koontz books are difficult to put down because they are compelling and the reader wants to know what happens next.

Category Five Twister!
"The Husband" shocked me with a twist that had greater torque than any I've read recently.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Psychological Suspense    3. Kidnapping    4. Koontz, Dean R. (Dean Ray) - Prose & Criticism    5. Mystery/Suspense    6. Psychological    7. Suspense    8. Wives    9. Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Florida    4. Manic-depressive illness    5. Mystery & Detective - General    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Fla.)    8. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    3. Harris, Thomas - Prose & Criticism    4. Mystery/Suspense    5. Suspense    6. Thrillers    7. Fiction / Suspense