Not Without You
Jean Barrett
Five Star, Mar 9 2011, $25.95
ISBN 9781594149498
In 1991 news correspondent Kate Groen covers the Persian Gulf War. She loves her work, but is frightened when she is taken prisoner. Her spirits soar upon meeting prisoner of war US Army Lieutenant Efrem Chaudoir. They fall in love.
When they are freed, Efrem begins his plan to divorce his current wife Jackie who also wanted to end their marriage. He wants to be single so he and Kate can marry. However, his wife’s pregnancy keeps him married to a woman he does not love. Meanwhile in DC before she covers Kosovo, Kate meets kindhearted Gordon May who helps her move pass her lost love. Over the ensuing years, Kate and Efrem meet in various international hotspots like 1999 Kosovo and 2007 Afghanistan, but never seem to come together permanently even as their feeling for one another remains strong.
The star-crossed romance takes a back seat to the epic look at two decades of world events though the eyes of an army career officer and a journalist. Ironically both Kate and Efrem are a delightful pair when overseas at a hot spot. On the other hand when at home each comes across childishly resentful loathing their sacrifice for someone else though why they sacrificed never quite gels; for instance Jackie wanted a divorce too but gave up her desires for their child and besides by 1990s divorce even with kids involved had become commonplace. Still readers will enjoy Not Without You for its grand scale look at the crisis zones during the previous three Administrations.
Harriet Klausner
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Free Range Institution -Michael Haskins
Free Range Institution
Michael Haskins
Five Star, Mar 9 2011, $25.95
ISBN 9781594149290
Reporter Liam “Mad Mick” Murphy and attorney Rita Toledo go to lunch on what each hopes will prove a romantic interlude. Instead they watch Murphy's waterfront pal Jay Bruehl dive off the roof of the six-story Hotel Key West. A notorious snitch, the late Bruehl recently informed Murphy about a big drug deal. The Hotel Key West happens to host Colombian traffickers discussing importing deadly low grade cocaine though the Keys.
After gaining entrance to the drug meeting, undercover cop Rebecca Connelly vanishes. Guatemalan Father Thomas Collins claims angels informed him where Connelly is being held. They find her battered corpse at the locale the priest said she could be found. The federal, state and local law enforcement officials and the drug cartel target Collins and Murphy. Soon Key West becomes a graveyard as violence turns the Caribbean into a red sea.
The second Mad Mick Key West thriller (see Chasin' the Wind) is a wild over the top of Solares Hill (make that the proposed Miapolis) as once again readers will wonder what is the difference between the good and bad guys as neither seems concerned with collateral damage. The story line is fast-paced with more bullets flying in the Conch Republic than Al Capone ever authorized in Chicago as mad Mick lies to authorities to get the story and obtains reinforcements from a horde of souls even crazier than he is. Fans who ignore plausibility and appreciate that death has become a local growth industry will enjoy the Free Range Institution gunfight at Key West.
Harriet Klausner
Michael Haskins
Five Star, Mar 9 2011, $25.95
ISBN 9781594149290
Reporter Liam “Mad Mick” Murphy and attorney Rita Toledo go to lunch on what each hopes will prove a romantic interlude. Instead they watch Murphy's waterfront pal Jay Bruehl dive off the roof of the six-story Hotel Key West. A notorious snitch, the late Bruehl recently informed Murphy about a big drug deal. The Hotel Key West happens to host Colombian traffickers discussing importing deadly low grade cocaine though the Keys.
After gaining entrance to the drug meeting, undercover cop Rebecca Connelly vanishes. Guatemalan Father Thomas Collins claims angels informed him where Connelly is being held. They find her battered corpse at the locale the priest said she could be found. The federal, state and local law enforcement officials and the drug cartel target Collins and Murphy. Soon Key West becomes a graveyard as violence turns the Caribbean into a red sea.
The second Mad Mick Key West thriller (see Chasin' the Wind) is a wild over the top of Solares Hill (make that the proposed Miapolis) as once again readers will wonder what is the difference between the good and bad guys as neither seems concerned with collateral damage. The story line is fast-paced with more bullets flying in the Conch Republic than Al Capone ever authorized in Chicago as mad Mick lies to authorities to get the story and obtains reinforcements from a horde of souls even crazier than he is. Fans who ignore plausibility and appreciate that death has become a local growth industry will enjoy the Free Range Institution gunfight at Key West.
Harriet Klausner
The Terror of Living-Urban Waite
The Terror of Living
Urban Waite
Little, Brown, Feb 7 2011, $24.99
ISBN 9780316097895
In Auburn, Washington, horse farm owner Phil Hunt keeps his ranch afloat by occasionally escorting an illegal delivery though the nearby mountains to Canada. Phil still feels remorse over what he did two decades ago when he killed someone while transporting a load though he spent time in prison.
Nearby in Silver Lake, Deputy Sheriff Bobby Drake struggles with the reputation of his father who was a highly regarded lawman until he was arrested for smuggling drugs into Canada. He has not seen his disgraced dad in a decade.
Drake happens to notice a horse trailer parked in a strange area. He goes to investigate and interrupts an illegal shipment. The operation that seemed benign when it worked smoothly now reveals to Hunt just how deadly his sideline has become. Phil flees from the law while his employers angrily send the Chef to collect their stolen goods and kill the transporter and lawman.
The aptly titled The Terror of Living is a great character study that looks deep into the souls of two men. Each makes it clear that life is not a simple choice between two forks in the road, but instead consists of multiple opportunity cost options in which going down an illegal path may be the best avenue, but how far one goes is the key. Phil like Bobby’s dad knows he is breaking the law when he transports illegal drugs into Canada, but does so to care for his family while also understanding he could go back to jail if caught. When does he and to a degree Bobby draw a line each refuses to cross become the focus of this excellent personalized thriller.
Harriet Klausner
Urban Waite
Little, Brown, Feb 7 2011, $24.99
ISBN 9780316097895
In Auburn, Washington, horse farm owner Phil Hunt keeps his ranch afloat by occasionally escorting an illegal delivery though the nearby mountains to Canada. Phil still feels remorse over what he did two decades ago when he killed someone while transporting a load though he spent time in prison.
Nearby in Silver Lake, Deputy Sheriff Bobby Drake struggles with the reputation of his father who was a highly regarded lawman until he was arrested for smuggling drugs into Canada. He has not seen his disgraced dad in a decade.
Drake happens to notice a horse trailer parked in a strange area. He goes to investigate and interrupts an illegal shipment. The operation that seemed benign when it worked smoothly now reveals to Hunt just how deadly his sideline has become. Phil flees from the law while his employers angrily send the Chef to collect their stolen goods and kill the transporter and lawman.
The aptly titled The Terror of Living is a great character study that looks deep into the souls of two men. Each makes it clear that life is not a simple choice between two forks in the road, but instead consists of multiple opportunity cost options in which going down an illegal path may be the best avenue, but how far one goes is the key. Phil like Bobby’s dad knows he is breaking the law when he transports illegal drugs into Canada, but does so to care for his family while also understanding he could go back to jail if caught. When does he and to a degree Bobby draw a line each refuses to cross become the focus of this excellent personalized thriller.
Harriet Klausner
Jack: Secret Vengeance -F. Paul Wilson
Jack: Secret Vengeance
F. Paul Wilson
Tor, Feb 1 2011, $15.99
ISBN: 9780765318565
In 1983 in Johnson, New Jersey Senior quarterback Carson Toliver is the big man on campus at South Burlington County Regional High School. Almost all the students worship the football team captain partly because Carson knows how good he is at the sport but instead of being a snob he is friendly towards everyone. Even Jack admires Carson especially after watching him intervene when a bully was threatening harm to a social Jersey Pine Barrens “Piney” misfit.
He is not surprised when his best friend Louise “Weezy” Connell goes on a date with Carson as she has an obvious crush on the star. However, Jack is stunned when a heartbroken Weezy tells him soon afterward that Carson sexually assaulted her. He pleads with Weezy to report the attack, but she has parental issues and fears retaliation so she prefers to say nothing; she begs Jack likewise to remain silent. However no one told Carson to shut up as he brags about that night. With his buddy’s reputation in tatters as she is now known at school as “Easy Weezy”, raging Jack vows to sack Carson with the Pineys providing support.
The third Repairman Jack “Secret” youth years (see Secret Histories and Secret Circle) is a superb entry that allows readers to see fourteen year old freshman Jack honing the skills that he will need as an adult working the Adversary Cycle countdown into Year Zero. Fifteen years old veteran sophomore Weezy adds an element of helpless futility as she believes she has no options to get back at Toliver the rat. Jack tries to wrong a right while learning to move and that violence begets violence.
Harriet Klausner
F. Paul Wilson
Tor, Feb 1 2011, $15.99
ISBN: 9780765318565
In 1983 in Johnson, New Jersey Senior quarterback Carson Toliver is the big man on campus at South Burlington County Regional High School. Almost all the students worship the football team captain partly because Carson knows how good he is at the sport but instead of being a snob he is friendly towards everyone. Even Jack admires Carson especially after watching him intervene when a bully was threatening harm to a social Jersey Pine Barrens “Piney” misfit.
He is not surprised when his best friend Louise “Weezy” Connell goes on a date with Carson as she has an obvious crush on the star. However, Jack is stunned when a heartbroken Weezy tells him soon afterward that Carson sexually assaulted her. He pleads with Weezy to report the attack, but she has parental issues and fears retaliation so she prefers to say nothing; she begs Jack likewise to remain silent. However no one told Carson to shut up as he brags about that night. With his buddy’s reputation in tatters as she is now known at school as “Easy Weezy”, raging Jack vows to sack Carson with the Pineys providing support.
The third Repairman Jack “Secret” youth years (see Secret Histories and Secret Circle) is a superb entry that allows readers to see fourteen year old freshman Jack honing the skills that he will need as an adult working the Adversary Cycle countdown into Year Zero. Fifteen years old veteran sophomore Weezy adds an element of helpless futility as she believes she has no options to get back at Toliver the rat. Jack tries to wrong a right while learning to move and that violence begets violence.
Harriet Klausner
Shadow of Evil-Robin Caroll
Shadow of Evil
Robin Caroll
B&H Publishing Group, Mar 1 2011, $15.99
http://bhpublishinggroup.com/
ISBN: 9780805449792
In Eternal Springs, Louisiana, contractor Layla Taylor is stunned when a house she just completed is set on fire. Once the blaze is put out and the remains cooled down, a dead inspector is found inside. Detectives Maddox Bishop and Houston Wallace investigate the homicide-arson with Layla as the only link to both crimes besides the victim.
Maddox and Layla are attracted to one another from their first meeting. However, when more incidents including murder and arson occur, he knows the case comes first. He works diligently to keep Layla safe as she is the seeming focus that ties everything together, he does not want to have happen to her what happened to his mother almost two decades ago, which he still feels overwhelming guilt for not being home on time to protect her.
The latest Eternal Spring inspirational suspense thriller (see Deliver us From Evil and Fear No Evil) is a terrific police procedural with strong relationship bases. The sisters obviously love one another though disagree more than they agree on issues. The police partners provide strong support for each other on and off the job. Maddox with his remorse and guilt over his mom shapes his personality as he and Layla fall in love, but God is in their way as she believes strongly (as does her sibling) while he no longer accepts a deity who allowed a bad thing to happen to his mom. This occurs inside a strong investigation with an unexpected but plausible late twist as a serial killer-arsonist seems to target Layla.
Harriet Klausner
Robin Caroll
B&H Publishing Group, Mar 1 2011, $15.99
http://bhpublishinggroup.com/
ISBN: 9780805449792
In Eternal Springs, Louisiana, contractor Layla Taylor is stunned when a house she just completed is set on fire. Once the blaze is put out and the remains cooled down, a dead inspector is found inside. Detectives Maddox Bishop and Houston Wallace investigate the homicide-arson with Layla as the only link to both crimes besides the victim.
Maddox and Layla are attracted to one another from their first meeting. However, when more incidents including murder and arson occur, he knows the case comes first. He works diligently to keep Layla safe as she is the seeming focus that ties everything together, he does not want to have happen to her what happened to his mother almost two decades ago, which he still feels overwhelming guilt for not being home on time to protect her.
The latest Eternal Spring inspirational suspense thriller (see Deliver us From Evil and Fear No Evil) is a terrific police procedural with strong relationship bases. The sisters obviously love one another though disagree more than they agree on issues. The police partners provide strong support for each other on and off the job. Maddox with his remorse and guilt over his mom shapes his personality as he and Layla fall in love, but God is in their way as she believes strongly (as does her sibling) while he no longer accepts a deity who allowed a bad thing to happen to his mom. This occurs inside a strong investigation with an unexpected but plausible late twist as a serial killer-arsonist seems to target Layla.
Harriet Klausner
License to Ensorcell-Katherine Kerr
License to Ensorcell
Katherine Kerr
Daw, Feb 1 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756406561
Federal agent operative Nola O'Grady works for the most top secret government agency consisting of an entity of psychics that even the FBI and CIA are ignorant that it exists. She has doubts about coming home to San Francisco to work because she worries that her gifted family will get involved in her dangerous cases.
Making matters more complicated is her new partner Israeli Interpol secret agent Ari Nathan whose shoot first philosophy makes a bull in a china shop seems like ot behaves like a kitten. They investigate a serial killer who uses silver bullets to murder victims the psychopath believes are werewolves. Whereas Ari assumes the predator is insane, Nola knows the hunter targets are real lycanthrope as her brother Pat who ironically wanted to become a catholic priest was the first known victim.
This is an entertaining investigative urban fantasy that sub-genre readers will enjoy as O’Grady is a psychic Lara Croft and Nathan is her sidekick stepping on toes whose prime mission turns out to insure his female partner eats meals. Although the lead relationship is not a new combo (see Caitlin Kitteridge’s Black London and Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels) nor is the story line (see D.D. Barant’s Bloodhound Files), fans will enjoy the streets of San Francisco as seen through an otherworldly lens.
Harriet Klausner
Katherine Kerr
Daw, Feb 1 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756406561
Federal agent operative Nola O'Grady works for the most top secret government agency consisting of an entity of psychics that even the FBI and CIA are ignorant that it exists. She has doubts about coming home to San Francisco to work because she worries that her gifted family will get involved in her dangerous cases.
Making matters more complicated is her new partner Israeli Interpol secret agent Ari Nathan whose shoot first philosophy makes a bull in a china shop seems like ot behaves like a kitten. They investigate a serial killer who uses silver bullets to murder victims the psychopath believes are werewolves. Whereas Ari assumes the predator is insane, Nola knows the hunter targets are real lycanthrope as her brother Pat who ironically wanted to become a catholic priest was the first known victim.
This is an entertaining investigative urban fantasy that sub-genre readers will enjoy as O’Grady is a psychic Lara Croft and Nathan is her sidekick stepping on toes whose prime mission turns out to insure his female partner eats meals. Although the lead relationship is not a new combo (see Caitlin Kitteridge’s Black London and Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels) nor is the story line (see D.D. Barant’s Bloodhound Files), fans will enjoy the streets of San Francisco as seen through an otherworldly lens.
Harriet Klausner
Waterfall -Lisa T. Bergren
Waterfall
Lisa T. Bergren
David C. Cook, Feb 1 2011, $14.99
ISBN: 9781434764331
Every summer, sisters Gabi and Lia Betarrini accompany their archeologist parents on an excavation in Italy. The pair hates the dust and heat, but mostly the ennui. This year is especially difficult as their dad recently died and they are with their mom Dr. Adri Betarrini who works at an Etruscan dig where the youngest single male is a septuagenarian. Dr. Manero of the Italian government may send mother and daughter back to Boulder as he wants to horn in on the glory.
To pass time while mom and Manero argue over paper and espresso, the siblings enter a recently opened tomb just to look around. However, their boring hot summer ends when Gabi places her hands in handprints, which transports her back to what looks like a renaissance reenactment battle scene except the blood is obviously real. Two opposing knights Forelli and Paratore are the most combative enemies as Gabi learns she is in 1332 with these heirs to city states fighting each other. With Shakespeare centuries into the future and towering over all the women and most of the men, Gabi wonders how to go home when no tomb with handprints appears for her to try and no ruby slippers exist.
The first River of Time young adult thriller is a super suspense filled tale as teenage Gabi finds she is in all sorts of trouble starting with landing in a combat zone and unable to find immediate clothing that fits her being over a hand taller than the next tallest female in Siena. Fast-paced, prideful Gabi makes the exciting story line feel real. She is a stranger in a strange land struggling to adjust to missing her mom and sister; as much as to having no indoor plumbing and even though she knows a lot about the era using chamber pots are not the same as even portable toilets.
Harriet Klausner
Lisa T. Bergren
David C. Cook, Feb 1 2011, $14.99
ISBN: 9781434764331
Every summer, sisters Gabi and Lia Betarrini accompany their archeologist parents on an excavation in Italy. The pair hates the dust and heat, but mostly the ennui. This year is especially difficult as their dad recently died and they are with their mom Dr. Adri Betarrini who works at an Etruscan dig where the youngest single male is a septuagenarian. Dr. Manero of the Italian government may send mother and daughter back to Boulder as he wants to horn in on the glory.
To pass time while mom and Manero argue over paper and espresso, the siblings enter a recently opened tomb just to look around. However, their boring hot summer ends when Gabi places her hands in handprints, which transports her back to what looks like a renaissance reenactment battle scene except the blood is obviously real. Two opposing knights Forelli and Paratore are the most combative enemies as Gabi learns she is in 1332 with these heirs to city states fighting each other. With Shakespeare centuries into the future and towering over all the women and most of the men, Gabi wonders how to go home when no tomb with handprints appears for her to try and no ruby slippers exist.
The first River of Time young adult thriller is a super suspense filled tale as teenage Gabi finds she is in all sorts of trouble starting with landing in a combat zone and unable to find immediate clothing that fits her being over a hand taller than the next tallest female in Siena. Fast-paced, prideful Gabi makes the exciting story line feel real. She is a stranger in a strange land struggling to adjust to missing her mom and sister; as much as to having no indoor plumbing and even though she knows a lot about the era using chamber pots are not the same as even portable toilets.
Harriet Klausner
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