BRYANT AND MAY ON THE LOOSE

The Peculiar Crimes Unit has been disbanded after the hierarchy of the London police department lost patience with their unusual approach to solving crimes. The members of the team have gone their separate ways and are trying to make new lives. However, when a headless body is found in a freezer in a developing area of London called King's Cross, the unit is pulled back together to fit all of the pieces and bodies together before the media ruins the project. Arthur Bryant is fixated on the layers of historical data in the area but John May is sure that the murders are unrelated to ancient tales. It will take the whole team to find the murderer.

This is the first book I have read by Christopher Fowler. I had heard lots of good things about the Bryant and May series and I have to agree that it is an enjoyable group of characters. I admit that starting late in the series made it difficult to keep some of the more minor characters straight. I do plan to continue with the series and I think I'll learn lots about London in the process.

Rating - B+

Cut, Crop and Die

Kiki Lowenstien and the other gals from Time in a Bottle are excited about the huge scrapbooking event that they are hosting with other scrapbooking stores. All seems to be going well until one of the guests, a recent winner in a huge scrapbooking contest, eats a tainted scone and dies of an allergic reaction. Every one is pointing fingers at the employees of Time in a Bottle and Kiki realizes that she needs to find the killer to clear her friends names. In the meantime, Kiki is busy trying to work out her relationship with Detweiler, meeting new men and getting along with her mother-in-law and a brooding teenager.

Joanna Slan writes a fun and lively story about Kiki and her scrapbooking adventures. Sometimes Kiki is klutzy and out of her element. At other times, it seems that she is totally focused on having a man in her life. Mostly, she is warm, funny and a very sympathetic character. All in all, it is usually it pretty fun ride.

Rating - B

THE REVERSAL

Mickey Haller has been asked to work for the prosecution on the re-trial of a man who was convicted of a murder 24 years ago. Some new evidence has come to light and the man must be tried again. Mickey agrees to take the case - if he can have ex-wife, Maggie McPherson, as his co-council and his stepbrother, Harry Bosch, as the lead investigator. Mickey knows he will have a fight on his hands, but even Mickey has no idea how many surprises the defense lawyer, Clive Royce known as Clever Clive, or the defendant will add to the trial.

Michael Connelly rarely disappoints, however the last book that I read by him, The Scarecrow, was nowhere near my favorite. This one was very, very good with both Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller working on the same team. Maggie McFierce was at her best too. Once the story got rolling it was really hard to put down. This was less dark and brooding than some with both Mickey and Harry focusing on their roles as fathers. As usual, though, with Connelly, the ending isn't the nice one that the reader would like to hope for.

Rating - A

WICKED WITCH MURDER

A woman named Diana has come to Tinker's Cove. She is a witch and she has opened a new store with various trinkets and the offer of psychic readings. Lucy Stone's friends are intrigued and the gals all go for a reading. Lucy doesn't believe in witches or psychics but it is a little disturbing when Diana sees nothing but bad things in Lucy's fortune. Sure enough, a couple of days later, Lucy discovers a dead body in the woods while walking with her dog. The man has been burned to death. A new neighbor, Ike Stoughton, is sure that Diana and witchcraft are to blame for the murder and everything else that is going wrong in the town. Ike's daughter, along with Lucy's girls seem caught up in the excitement of learning witchcraft, too.

I have really enjoyed the last couple of Leslie Meier books that I have read. Lucy Stone can be impetuous and find herself in dangerous situations but generally, she seems to have some common sense. Not in this book! She did some really dumb things. She also seemed to let Diana talk her into all kinds of things - staying at her house, doing witchcraft with her daughters, masquerading as her on Halloween night. The whole book seemed to have an underlying theme of tolerance for all religions which is fine but at the same time, the coven was having sex with all of the members and killing people. There is a time and place for tolerance! I was really disappointed. I'll give Lucy Stone another try but I think this was a reason I dropped this series a few years ago.

Rating - B-

ON THE LINE

Lydia Chin has been kidnapped and Bill Smith must find her before she is killed. The killer is someone from his past and he wants to play a game with Bill. Bill has to solve the clues to find Lydia. Bill seeks help from Lydia's cousin, Linus, who is a computer geek. Linus also has his friend, Trella, join the hunt. Together, the desperately race through New York, all the while eluding the police for a few transgressions and a Chinese pimp who thinks that Bill may be responsible for the death of one of his girls who was found while Bill is searching for Lydia.

This book was a thriller from beginning to end. Bill Smith's agony was palpable. The addition of the characters, Linus and Trella added lots to the story and I am hoping that they appear in future books. S.J. Rozan has a habit of switching perspectives from Bill to Lydia from one book to the next. This was Bill's book and it was very well done. I did miss Lydia, though. The book was a fast and exciting read and I can't wait for the next one!

Rating - A

SPRINKLE WITH MURDER

Mel and Angie, along with their good friend and partner, Tate, have created the business of their dreams. Their cupcake shop, Fairy Tale Cupcakes, seems to be taking off. Tate's fiance has asked them to bake 500 cupcakes for their wedding. Christie is not the girl that Mel and Angie would have picked for their friend. She is spoiled and demanding. Still, they want to support Tate and the large order will be good for business. Mel is sick and tired of dealing with Christie but she never expects to find her dead or to be the prime suspect in her murder.

This is a new series by Jenn McKinley. I had heard great things about it and they were all true. This is a fun read with a good mystery and great characters. I hear that there is a sequel and I can't wait to get my hands on it. There is a promise of romance between the characters and it will be fun to see if it develops.

Rating - A+

THE HANGING TREE

Gus is still in Starvation Lake. At times, his life seems to be stuck. His girlfriend, Darlene, is still married. He is still living with his mother who seems to be aging rapidly and dealing with memory issues. His job isn't going so well either as the paper seems to be constantly dealing with budget issues instead of big stories. Things change quickly, though, when Gus' cousin Grace is found hanging from the Shoe Tree just outside of town. Grace has always been wild, with a past filled with booze and men, but Gus is convinced that she did not kill herself. Gus is having a hard time convincing anyone that he is right and the town seems against him as he has been trying to clear Grace and stand up against an enterprenuer who has promised the town a new skating rink - with strings attached.

I loved Starvation Lake by Brian Gruley but it took me awhile to get into this book. I'm so glad that I gave it another chance. It really was a great story and it will stay with me for a long time. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series. Gus is likable and so are his friends. They all have flaws but that makes them more human.

Rating - A+

61 HOURS

Jack Reacher hitches a ride on a tour bus in the middle of a cold South Dakota winter day. The bus crashes and Reacher finds himself in the small town of Bolton. The town has grown recently with the addition of a new federal prison. Reacher spends the night with one of the local policemen's families and is drawn into the drama that develops as the town faces the assault of a Mexican drug dealer. Reacher finds himself responsible for the safety of an old woman who is to testify against the drug gang.

I was not very impressed with the last Reacher book I read. However, I kept hearing that this Lee Child book was very good. I'm glad that I listened to this one because it was trademark Child with Reacher fighting for good. I can't wait to get the next book because this was a cliffhanger ending.

Rating - A