When is reality real, when are you insane? It’s the central question of many a psychological thriller, paranormal thriller and occasional romance. It’s also one of those questions I love in a book. Is the character nuts? Is what they are experiencing a figment of their imagination or is it tangible? This is a major part of Ben H. Winters’ latest novel BEDBUGS.

Susan and Alex Wendt have lucked into a wonderful apartment. Though Alex was originally dubious about the Craigslist ad that attracted Susan’s attention, it turned out to be a fabulous deal—at least on the surface. The apartment has a few small issues. Teeny tiny creepy crawly issues that are consuming Susan alive. Bedbugs. Horrible, awful, gruesome, make your flesh crawl bedbugs. Susan has a problem though—only she can see them. She lives in a deepening world of horror, and to the outside world it looks a lot like insanity. As she tracks down what they are, it turns out her problem might be bigger—and more terrifying – than she ever dreamed.

I’m a little torn about this Bedbugs. The first part is fabulous, can’t put it down, page turning thriller. I was caught up in the story and flipping through at a mad pace wanting to know what was coming, where the story was going. Somewhere towards the end the tension unraveled a little. I can’t put my finger on just what it was, the book just lost a little forward momentum. The final answer was satisfying, but it wasn’t—if you know what I mean. I guess after everything in the early bits I wanted a little more bang at the end.

Winters’ style is clean, I love the way he puts words together. He sets a scene, puts the reader in the center and lets the action flow, never seeming to get bogged down in endless description or long-winded explanations. The questions and answers appear as part of the meat of the story, and move along without stopping the reader. And that is becoming rare. So often in thrillers, the author will stop and ramble on for pages about whatever the question is, on and on, until I’ve completely forgotten what I was reading. Then it’s back to the story. Annoying. Winters doesn’t do that, it’s wonderful to read a book that has a story that moves along and goes somewhere. I do have an odd feeling I missed a few in jokes, like standing in a circle at a cocktail party and everyone giggles at something you don’t find funny, but I will forgive him that.

All in all, Bedbugs is a solid read, a good thriller, and I guarantee you will have the creepy “I need to bleach my pillowcases in hot water” crawlies for days after. It might not be at the tip top of my reading list, but it is far from the bottom and I definitely think it’s worth taking the time to settle in and let the bugs scurry over you for an evening or two. You won’t be disappointed.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars | Publisher: Quirk Books | Pages: 256 | Source: Publisher | Buy on Amazon

 
Harry Dolan introduced readers to the enigmatic magazine editor David Loogan in Bad Things Happen. Loogan returns in Very Bad Men, now having settled down in Ann Arbor, Michigan with police Detective Elizabeth Waishkey. They are living the quiet life until they are drawn into an investigation that involves a bank robbery that took place seventeen years ago. It starts when David finds a manuscript outside the Gray Streets offices and realizes it’s not fiction, but a real account of several murders. While the identity of the author is a mystery to David and Elizabeth, the reader is immediately introduced to the murderer, Anthony Lark. He has a hit list of men to kill—all of which were involved in the infamous Sault Sainte Marie bank robbery. But who is this disturbed man and why is he targeting the men on his list?

David and Elizabeth’s investigation takes them from Ann Arbor to Northern Michigan, and they meet a cast of interesting characters along the way. There’s an ambitious tabloid reporter, a retiring United States senator and his hopeful replacement/daughter-in-law, as well as his calculating adviser. The fun part is trying to figure out how all these characters are involved in the case and what secrets they are hiding.

While I really liked Bad Things Happen, I absolutely LOVED Very Bad Men (no worries if you haven’t read the first book, Very Bad Men is a standalone novel). There’s much more action in Very Bad Men and it’s one of those books you just can’t put down. It’s full of thrilling twists and turns that make it impossible to predict what will happen. David Loogan is a very appealing character and it’s hard not to like him. He manages to be confident and gutsy without being a jerk. Smart and witty, yet not pretentious. In fact, he’s a pretty darn perfect protagonist. Elizabeth and her teenage daughter Sarah are well developed characters as well.

I highly recommend Very Bad Men to any mystery reader, especially fans of Michael Connelly. I’m looking forward to reading more from Harry Dolan.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars | Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books | Pages: 432 | Source: Publisher | Buy on Amazon

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There are a few writers I enjoy reading just for the joy of their prose. In fact there are some writers out there that I would read peanut butter labels if they wrote them. I mean that quite seriously. It seems that the art of writing is disappearing from the world and sitting down to read a book that has lovely prose as well as a good, or even great, story is becoming rare. Louis Bayard is one of those writers. His words flow together beautifully, he is erudite and his latest work THE SCHOOL OF NIGHT is a joy.

Bayard has skillfully played with setting in The School of Night, giving us both a modern day thriller and an Elizabethan mystery, and he has brought them together with seamless ease. The modern part centers around the death of Alonso Wax, a document collector, rumored to possess a very desirable letter by no less than Sir Walter Raleigh. The letter would prove the existence of the School of Night, a secret club of intellectuals who knew that gatherings might cost them their lives. Henry Cavendish, a modern scholar, goes in search of the document, and along the way things are complicated by murder and … Well, if I tell you more, it will give away too much, and this is a novel to sit back and deliciously unwrap a layer at a time.

This is one of those books that is almost impossible to put into a single genre. Thriller? Yes, magnificently. Historical fiction? Oh, yes! Intellectual mystery? Definitely! It fits all of these and more, I would even toss it into that generalized “literature” category, in that it is pure and lovely prose. Writing for writings sake. I have to admit, that it is addicting reading, I love a book where I can fall into the language and just enjoy it for that. Anne Rice is another author who has wonderful words (although her last few books, story-wise, left something to be desired.) Perhaps that is why I go back and read Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Evelyn Waugh and Patrick O’Brian.

The School of Night is a fabulous read. Whether you are looking for the best of the intellectual thriller with a dash of historical fiction or just a wonderful work of fiction, this is the book for you. Louis Bayard is one of the best out there, a writer for readers, crafting a solid tale with enough historical fact to give it a solid feeling, characters that really live and breathe and a story that is riveting. I do have to warn you, make sure you have a little time when you pick up this book, because you won’t want to put it down until you’ve reached the end.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars | Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. | Pages: 352 | Source: Publisher | Buy on Amazon

When Robert B. Parker died last year, I bid farewell to one of my favorite authors. Of course, just because he was gone didn’t mean his most famous character, Spenser, was quite finished. Painted Ladies was published posthumously in October, and now, in SIXKILL, Spenser makes his 39th, and sadly, last appearance.

With Sixkill, Parker returns to the familiar territory of movie making and the occasional sleaze of movie stardom—in this case Jumbo Nelson. Though a major star, Jumbo is a “bad boy” with a reputation that has been fairly earned—booze, woman and general debauchery. When a young woman is found raped and murdered in his room, Jumbo is arrested, but there is enough “off” in the case that the Boston PD, specifically, Capt. Martin Quirk, calls in Spenser.

During the course of his investigation, Spenser meets, then takes under his wing, Jumbo’s bodyguard, Zebulon “Z” Sixkill. This relationship is what truly forms the meat of the story, and while they investigate the murder, Spenser undertakes the task of teaching Z to be all that he can be. I’m not being snide with that remark, anyone who’s read Spenser will understand what I mean. Spenser has a hard code, one he has lived by for a long time and in passing it along, he is passing on who he is to the next generation.

Sixkill is quintessential Spenser; less about the crime than about the human condition. I think that is what has always drawn me to these books, and what I will miss the most. There was a line, a long, long time ago in Early Autumn when Spenser was explaining his friend Hawk to a very young Paul and Spenser said “He’s a good man, but he does bad things.” That ambiguity, that has long marked the Spenser series, is back in full force with Sixkill. I missed in a little in Painted Ladies, and I didn’t realize how much until I read this one. Towards the end Spenser and Sixkill discuss themselves, who they are and how they have to live—and see themselves. It’s a very telling moment both for Z and Spenser, that understanding, that knowing who they are and how they live and how that will define them forever. The way it always has been for Spenser, the way it always will be now for Z.

This is an incredibly poignant moment for me, reading the last page, closing the cover on this book knowing that I won’t have the chance to open a new Spenser novel from Robert B. Parker ever again. It’s the loss of a close friend. I spent many a book worrying that Spenser would go out in a blaze of glory, a volley of gunfire or an attack that even Hawk didn’t see coming. I could actually see Parker doing something like that, and having an epilogue from Quirk or Hawk, Susan or Paul. But, this ending, it was… it was utterly perfect. For a man who lived his life in violence, this was so quiet it was lovely. It reminded me of the ending of John Ford’s She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, when the sergeant rides off into the west, which is the end of the trail for all men. So, too, does Spenser go quietly into the west.

Sixkill is Spenser and Parker at their absolute best. Fast-paced action, witty dialogue, erudite, and that philosophical undertone that makes Parker one of the truly great writers of the modern age. This is a book that is not to be missed.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Putnam Adult | Pages: 304 | Source: Publisher | Buy on Amazon

When I was growing up, once I had blasted through the Hardy Boys and a few similar adventures written for the younger audience, I was lost. There was really nothing else with heroes my age and exciting story lines—even then there were really very few with a girl as the main character. It made reading hard, and I was forced to venture into the scary world of grown-up books. That’s no longer the case. Luckily, there is a growing body of young adult literature, and Frank Cole’s THE GUARDIANS OF THE HIDDEN SCEPTER is an exciting read and offers a delightful heroine in his lead character Amber.

Amber is a student at the Roland and Tesh Private School for the Advanced and is drawn into an adventure from the very beginning by her archeology teacher Dorothy Holcomb. Seemingly a prim and proper archeologist, there is a lot more to Dorothy than meets the eye. Amber figures that out fairly quickly, breaking into museums is not typical archaeologist behavior. Dorothy has a few secrets, and one leads to her disappearance. Once Amber realizes what’s happened she and her friends—an interesting band—set out to solve the mystery pursued by those intent on silencing them forever.

The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter is a delightful read and a real page-turner, especially for its intended audience, but for older readers as well. It was enjoyable to see an intelligent, strong young woman leading the group, that factor is missing in a lot of fiction in general, especially this particular sub-genre. I loved the fact that Amber was not prone to whining, as so many teen leads are, and I really think Cole nailed his characterizations—not just Amber, but her gang as well, their voices rang true throughout the story. These were real flesh and blood people that I wanted to get to know and I was rooting for by the end of the book.

Some of Cole’s archeology/history, like a lot of the Dan Brown-style books, is a little questionable at times. I will say his research is far better than a lot of similar books and considering this is a young adult work, the research is even a little above and beyond. In fact, it might lead a young reader to head off to the library to learn a little more about archeology, and any book that encourages that is a good thing.

Frank Cole definitely has a winner in The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter with great characters and an interesting story guaranteed to keep younger readers (and their older siblings and parents) glued to a book instead of the TV or game console.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc. | Pages: 288 | Source: Publisher | Buy on Amazon

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If you liked Lisa Gardner’s award winning 2010 book, The Neighbor, you’re going to want to pick up her latest novel, Love You More. Detective D.D. Warren is once again partnered with Massachusetts state trooper Bobby Dodge to solve a murder. This time they’re investigating one of their own, fellow state trooper Tessa Leoni. Trooper Leoni’s husband is dead and she has confessed to shooting him in self-defense. Her battered face and other injuries back her story up. Sounds like an open and shut case, right? The thing is, Tessa’s six-year-old daughter, Sophie, is missing and Tessa’s story isn’t quite adding up. So what happened to the child? Could Tessa have harmed her own daughter?

If you pick up Love You More (and I highly recommend that you do), be prepared for some late nights. It kept me up well into the night because I just couldn’t put it down. It’s the type of thriller that keeps you on edge and breathless as you try to figure out what will happen next. And, much like The Neighbor, what makes the book a must-read is Gardner’s ability to create a captivating character like Tessa. Is she good? Or is she bad? She’s definitely manipulative, but you have to wait until the end of the book to find out all of her secrets.

Love You More alternates between the viewpoints of the two policewomen, Tessa and D.D., who are so much alike, yet forced to go head to head on this case. I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Kirsten Potter and Katie MacNichol. Both ladies are great narrators and listening to them was a pleasure.

Love You More has really cemented Lisa Gardner as one of my favorite authors. Her stories are haunting and packed with so many unpredictable twists and turns that they are unforgettable. I can’t recommend Love You More enough!

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Bantam | Pages: 368 | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

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As the saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait.” For Tom Clancy fans, Dead or Alive was definitely worth the seven-year wait, as it provided a gripping action packed story with the characters fans have enjoyed for the last two decades. I have been a huge fan of Tom Clancy since I first read Red Storm Rising in high school, so I actually read Dead or Alive right when it came out last December and instantly loved it. I decided to hold off on writing a review for a few months later to make sure my reaction wasn’t all fan boy glee. After a couple of re-readings I’m pretty confident in my first impression and think that you will enjoy it as well.

Dead or Alive starts off soon after the events of The Teeth of the Tiger. The Campus, the secret anti-terrorism organization created by Jack Ryan during his time as President, is still on the trail of a dangerous terrorist known as The Emir. Unknown to Ryan, his son has joined The Campus, and meets up with familiar faces as they try to stop an upcoming attack on America before its too late. Meanwhile, after a quiet few years away from the public, Ryan Sr. is faced with a critical decision that could affect the course of history.

Although I’ve already said how much I liked Dead or Alive, lets go into some of the details. The book’s plot lines were well paced and easily flowed together without feeling forced. The same goes with how the different characters were integrated into the main storyline, which felt like it was done in an organic manner. This book was actually co-authored with Grant Blackwood, though you couldn’t really tell as it read just like the other Clancy books.

The one thing that didn’t sit well with me, though, was a very awkward transition near the middle of the book that just didn’t make sense. I won’t go into details to avoid spoiling folks, but at first I thought my hard cover edition was missing pages and I even checked the ebook version to see if it was different. It’s really a speed bump in the flow of the story, but it’s not going to detract from your enjoyment of the book. Hopefully the authors will explain what was going on in that part of the book or correct it in a future edition.

Dead or Alive is great for fans of Tom Clancy books or other action packed spy or political thrillers like those from Vince Flynn or Robert Ludlum. Age wise I’d say the book is really for adult readers, considering the some of the complicated subjects involved and some of the action scenes that can be violent (but not in a gratuitous manner). While Dead or Alive is part of the Jack Ryan series of books, one of the things I like the most about Clancy’s books is that he does a good job in creating a self contained story for each novel, but still ties it to the overall series. So you can start by reading Dead or Alive, just don’t be surprised if you want to go back and read Clancy’s earlier books.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Putnam | Pages: 848 | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

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Sometimes I think Dan Brown and his publisher have a lot to answer for. I’m sure you all know what I mean, we are being buried in piles of religious conspiracy theory novels, the likes of which the publishing world has never seen. I’ll grant some of them are very good, far better than Brown, and might never have seen the light of day without his Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code. Then there are the others, ones that might have started a strong series and are slowly being absorbed into overly complex plot and increasingly ridiculous premises. Why am I mentioning all this? The latest book by Luis M. Rocha THE POPE’S ASSASSIN.

On the night he ascends to the Throne of St. Peter, the newly elected Pope Benedict the XVI is handed a secret document. (I’m sure there are actually a lot of them, but in this case there is only one.) It’s the kind of document that can, of course Change The World (cue dramatic music). In this case, it’s the Gospel of Jesus and possibly the bones of Christ himself. This information is tied up with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, and the fun begins. The artifacts are in the possession of Ben Isaac, and in the power struggle between the Jesuits and the Vatican, Isaacs ends up in trouble. People start dying, secret documents pop up everywhere. And of course in the middle, Father Rafael, the Vatican’s shadowy priest/operative is sent in to investigate with his old friend Sarah Monteiiero, the British journalist who has aided him in the past.

Feeling confused? I don’t blame you, I was too. In fact, this is one of those books you really need to sit down with a notepad and jot down a who’s who at the beginning. Believe me, a few seconds spent doing this will make the book far more enjoyable. You will really need it. I pride myself in being able to keep track of people and plot points and after a couple of chapters dragged out a pad myself. I’m not sure that’s a plus in a book, when you have to keep referring back to a list to see who is supposed to be doing what with them when someone else is doing that with those.

The intricacies of Church politics might be a little off-putting for some readers as well. If you are a real die-hard reader of the genre, you might enjoy it, but the casual reader will find a lot of it preachy or a little like an academic lecture on the politics of the Vatican. I actually skipped over a lot of it, looking for the action. I went to a Jesuit University and rather enjoyed the Jesuits as bad guys, or sort of bad guys in the novel. The struggle between the Vatican and the Jesuit Order is a long one and it was interesting to see it crop up in a novel again.

Finally, I would like to say a word about the action. There is a fair amount of it, and it is rather, um, gruesome. Now, I have no problem with a good blood-splattering murder, but this book racks up a body count as impressive as a lot of big-screen blood and gore action flicks.

The Pope’s Assassin is not really a bad read. It has action, mystery and enough conspiracies to keep anyone happy. On the down side, it can be confusing at times, and the plot line does run off into some almost ridiculous areas. Still, it’s not the worst of the genre, and Rafael and Sarah are likeable. If you enjoy Dan Brown, or similar books, you should give Rocha’s The Pope’s Assassin a try.

Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Putnam Adult | Pages: 400 | Source: Publisher | Buy on Amazon

Years ago, it feels like a million of them now, I had the chance to review the first novel from a new author by the name of Brent Hartinger. It was a wonderfully written book and I remember hoping that is was just the first of a long career. Happily, it was, and Hartinger’s latest, SHADOW WALKERS, is a book with the perfect blend of horror, adventure and romance.

Sixteen-year-old Zach lives on a tiny island in the middle of Puget Sound. Even though he is close, by ferry ride, to Seattle and Tacoma, he might as well live on the other side of the earth. Hinder Island is a small place, everyone knows everyone and there’s not much for him or his brother, Gilbert to do. Even after two years, he still feels like an outcast and his one escape is the internet. That is until he’s grounded and loses his ‘net privileges for a week. Bored, he discovers a book on astral-projection. However, after an unsuccessful attempt he gives up. It’s not until his brother is kidnapped that he realizes that astral projection might be the answer to finding his brother. While in the astral plane Zach meets Emory, a teen like himself, and they embark on the dangerous adventure to find Gilbert and defeat an ancient creature that lurks in the astral plane as well.

Shadow Walkers is a great read. Even though it is a young adult novel, I was riveted and read it through almost without a break. The idea of astral projection is interesting and fairly unique; it’s not something I’ve run across in many books, and certainly not as the central theme. The time Hartinger put in on research and tying together the varying ideas relating to astral projection shows, and it gives the book an authentic feel as far as that part of the supernatural element of the story goes.

And let me say, the creature in this book will haunt you. I don’t care if you are eight or eighty, this is a well thought out and well conceived baddie. Once or twice I was sure I felt the chill of its presence as I read the book. It’s that well done. Creepy, horror, scary, creepy, terrifying and did I say creepy?

I really, really liked Zach. He wasn’t whiny, he wasn’t annoying and a lot of teen protagonists can be. When he realized his brother was missing, he also reasoned how to reach him and took the chance, no matter where it would lead him. Over the course of the book, I loved the way he grew, his strength and his loyalty. He is actually one of the most likable characters I have come across in a long time. When you add in Emory, his friend, then boyfriend, it is such a lovely mix. Their relationship is sweet, gentle and touching. The discovery of love is a perfect counterpoint to the rest of the story, and again, adds a sense of realism to the whole world, making it solid and believable.

Shadow Walkers is just a wonderful book, and I hope that there will be more Zach and Emory books in the future. I know I will anxiously await reading their next adventure. These are people I like, and would like to get to know even better.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Flux | Pages: 216 | Source: Publisher | Buy on Amazon

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Every once in a while I enjoy indulging in something that is light, bubbly and bright. Something with a little romance, a little adventure, a hint of danger and a dash of witty dialog. Jane Austen meets James Bond. Impossible to find, you say? Ah, well you haven’t discovered the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig and the latest entry THE ORCHID AFFAIR might well be the best of them all.

Laura Grey, a former governess, is fresh from the Selwick Spy School and sent as the Silver Orchid to the grim Paris of post-Revolutionary France. Her governess skills are used as cover, and she is assigned to Andre Jaouen, the assistant to Napoleon Bonaparte’s minister of police. Jaouen and his rival Gaston LaRoche are working together to ferret out a possible Royalist plot to overthrow Napoleon. As Laura begins to investigate, she discovers plots, secret meetings and enough danger and romance to keep the pages turning through the entire book.

Laura is a wonderful character, smart, tough and witty; and Jaouen, the unlikely hero, grew on me without my even really realizing it. Their romance was satisfying and not cloying or overly sweet. In fact, it was real. The whole book felt real. Despite the light banter here and there, it was definitely a bit grim. Paris was a pleasant place, the Revolution had taken a toll and this echoes through the book, the presence there without being forced on the reader with gruesome scenes or overlong explanations.

Fans of the series will be happy to find the modern-day storyline of Eloise and Colin in this book. Eloise’s research on the Selwick Spy School for her dissertation continues to give us insight and we get a further look into their lives and ongoing relationship. But that really took backseat to the other story in The Orchid Affair. In fact, if you are a first time reader, you can almost skip their story entirely, the other story stand so well on its own,

I was just so pleased with this book. Call it a guilty pleasure in someone who usually reads books with more grit, but The Orchid Affair is just wonderful. It is well researched and brings the era to life. The characters are delightful, and ongoing personalities make appearances as well. There is really nothing to dislike. The Orchid Affair is a perfect mix of historical novel, regency romance and spy thriller. Trust me, you’ll love it.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Dutton Adult | Pages: 416 | Source: Publisher | Buy on Amazon

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