Uniform Justice

Commandante Guido Brunetti is called to investigate the apparent suicicde of a young cadet at a military academy. Everyone seems to want to keep the situation very hush hush and no one wants the case to be investigated very clearly. Brunetti comes to believe that the boy was murdered and did not commit suicide but he must get past administrators of the school and his own bosses who want the case cleared as quickly as possible. In Brunetti's low-key way, he persists until he determines the truth of the boy's death.

I have only read one other of Donna Leon's books. I liked that one and I liked this one also. It does seem that she is bent on placing doubt about various institutions in Italy. This time it is the military and the government. Last time it was the Catholic church. I enjoy Brunetti and his family but I'm not sure that I appreciate all of the cyncism. However, I would probably be willing to try another book in this series.

Rating - B

CAUGHT

David Harwood is a small town reporter who believes that the people who plan to build a prison near town are a corrupt group. His opinion isn't popular with the owners of the paper who seem to be selling land to the prison owners. It is no secret that the newspaper is struggling and Harwood is concerned about his future but determined to print the truth. On a typical Saturday, he, his wife and his 4-year-old son go to an amusement park. One of them disappears and Harwood is made to look guilty. It takes everything that he has to sort out the situation and save his family.

Harlan Coben is one of those writers that I can't wait to gobble up everything he writes. "Caught" was well-written and lots of fun. It can be tough to see all of the odds stacked against the protagonist but somehow, Harwood seemed to be strong enough to take it and smart enough to keep his head throughout the ordeal. The most disturbiing part was his wife and her double life that was totally separate from her loving husband.

Rating - A

HEAT LIGHTENING

This is the second book in the series about Virgil Flowers. This time, he is investigating a series of murders where the victims are staged and have lemons stuffed in their mouths. Flowers soon realizes that these deaths are somehow related to an incident in Vietnam. In typical Flowers fashion, he becomes involved with the daughter of one of the suspects. The girl is beautiful and part Vietnamese. The killings continue and Virgil has to chase down the past history to figure out who the killer is.

I listened to this book and tape and it never really caught my interest. I could just have been distracted but I only finished it because I had already been listening for quite awhile and I just kept expecting to like it better. I had a hard time keeping some of the characters straight and Virgil was racing all over Minnesota which got a little confusing, too. I'll try another Flowers book but this one was disappointing for me.

Rating - B-

DARK OF THE MOON

This is the first in the series about Virgil Flowers. Flowers is a BCA agent in Minnesota. He works for Lucas Davenport following up on "the hard stuff". Flowers is an intersting guy. He loves to fish, writes for wild life magazines and has been divorced three times. He is called to a rural area in Minnesota when a rich old man is murdered in a fire. It soon becomes apparent that the old man was hated for good reason and that someone is trying to kill the heirs of his estate. More bodies are found and Virgil must dig back in time to find out how these people are related and what secrets they were hiding.

I didn't expect to like Virgil Flowers. I love Lucas Davenport and he is such a gentleman in so many ways. Flowers seemed like a poor substitute. As usual, though, Sanford weaves a great mystery and this small town setting filled with great characters and loads of possible suspects kept me intrigued till the end. I'll definitely keep on reading the Virgil Flowers books while I wait for the next edition from Lucas Davenport.

Rating - A

DOWN TO THE WIRE

Chris Turley is a news reporter just like his father was. However, Chris' dad was legendary and Chris' career has been much less spectacular. Until the day when he gets a call from a source to meet in a park. While Chris is waiting to meet his anonymous source, the medical building across the street blows up. Chris rushes in and helps save five people. Not only does he get the exclusive on the story, suddenly, he is a huge hero. A few days later, he gets another tip which implicates the mayor in a sex scandal. Once again, Chris has the exclusive story. His life has been changed forever. The next tip, though, makes Chris realize that he is being used as a pawn and that his life along with many others are in danger. Is the key something his dad reported on that angered someone, even all these years later?

I have read many of David Rosenfelt's books. I love his Andy Carpenter series. They are funny and wise-cracking. It took me awhile to get into this one because the style was different. Overall, I liked this book. Chris was a great main character and he was easy to like. The thing that bothered me most was the over-the-top killings and the threat to the whole free world thing that went on. It just seemed too much. Still, I'll check out David Rosenfelt's next book, whether it be in series or a stand alone.

Rating - B+

THE SPELLMAN'S STRIKE AGAIN

Well, things are never normal at the Spellman house but they are even crazier lately. Isabelle's mom doesn't like her boyfriend, so she is blackmailing her to date lawyers. Rae has been helping Maggie at her law firm and she's convinced that a convicted prisoner is truly innocent and she is pulling out all the stops to get him freed. Mr. and Mrs. Spellman are acting strange, too. There is a matter of Lost Wednesdays and also missing doorknobs and other hardware. It seems that Magie and David may have a secret of their own. Then there is Henry, who has been extra nice to Isabelle. What's up?

I'm sure that the Spellman's wackiness is not for everyone. I get a kick out of them and I look forward to each new edition. I think Isabelle has grown up a little and the change is nice. Can't wait to see what the Spellman's will be doing next.

Rating - A

NEVER LOOK AWAY

David Harwood thinks that he has some info for a great news story about the proposed new jail near his hometown. Some of the people at his newspaper seem to be discouraging him from getting his story printed. David also has problems at home. His wife, Jan, seems depressed and has said that he and his 4-year-old son would be better off without her. On a Saturday outing to a nearby amusement park, Ethan suddenly disappears. Things get even crazier when Jan also disappears. Soon David is fighting not only for his career but also his life.

I have read a couple of books by Linwood Barclay and I've liked them very much. This book, too, is a great story. It is unusual to have the female character be the evil one. I loved the pace and David's predicament was tough but never got ridiculously so, which I find annoying in other books. I'll be looking forward to Liwood Barclay's next book.

Rating - A