LIVE WIRE

Myron Bolitar is trying to help one of his clients, former tennis star, Suzze T. Suzze is 8 months pregnant and her husband has disappeared. She asks Myron to find him and to figure out who wrote on her Facebook page that the baby was not her husband's. In searching for Suzze's husband, Myron sees a woman that he thinks is his sister-in-law. He hasn't seen his brother or sister-in-law for nearly sixteen years. Myron has always hated his sister-in-law but he would like to make contact with his brother. As Myron pushes harder to get to the truth, more secrets unravel and Myron realizes that learning the truth may cause more pain than he can handle. I love Harlan Coban's books and Myron Bolitar is my favorite. Myron is basically such a good and decent person. Still, he isn't afraid to get down and dirty to get to the bottom of a situation. This book features Win, Esperanza and Big Cyndi but Myron's fiance, Terese, is out of the picture in Angola. That is perfectly fine with me because the last book in the series featured her and was my least favorite. I loved how Myron has matured and how he realizes that many things are not as he wishes them to be. Rating - A+

IRON LAKE

Cork O'Connor is a man whose life seems to be falling apart. He is separated from his wife who is pushing for a divorce. He was the sherrif for years but got voted out of office on a vote for a lack of confidence. When Darlene LeBou asks his help in finding her son who didn't return after delivering newspapers, Cork is glad to help. He feels that his skills are finally needed. Tracing the boy's route in the midst of a snowstorm, Cork goes to the last house on the route and finds the old man, a retired judge, dead. The local officials seem quick to call this a suicide as the old man had cancer and they tell Cork that the boy is probably with his father, an alcoholic Indian. Cork isn't so quick to accept these easy explanations but the truth may get him killed. A couple of months ago, I listened to Vermillion Drift and I became a fan of William Kent Krueger. This book, the first in the series, was great. I loved how well the characters are drawn. There were many, but it wasn't confusing. Cork is a man who obviously has some serious flaws and is not in a great place in his life. Still, he remains a man of integrity, searching for the truth and accepting what is necessary for true justice. Can't wait to read the next in the series! Rating - A

SILENT MERCY

Alexandra Cooper, Mike Chapman and Mercer are all back together again and trying to solve some very strange cases. A body has been found in a Harlem Baptist church. However, the church used to be a synagogue and the body is headless. Soon, the head is found and another body is found in another church - with its tongue cut out. Alex, along with Mike and Mercer must find the connection to these murders with religious overtones. At the same time, Alex is in trouble with her bosses for her rigorous prosecution of a priest accused of molesting young boys. As always, I love Linda Fairstein's books. Some of this book made me stop and think because the Catholic church is very set in its views about women's roles and I have long disagreed with many of them. Other churches have their issues and this book brought out some of them. As usual, it was great to spend time with these three great characters. This time, there was little change in Alex's personal relationships. I am ready for her to get rid of Luc and start a relationship with Chapman, but there really wasn't progress in that direction in this book at all. In fact, there wasn't even a hint of jealousy as there had been in previous books. Rating - A

THE BEST LAID PLANS

Tru Newman is shocked to find out that her highly paid executive husband has been out of work for three months. Then, her best friend who is a TV anchor gets fired. Tru and her friend need to find work and fast, but Tru hasn't had a job for years. She's been busy being mom to her 14-year-old twins and maintaining herself in the most expensive way possible. She's also had some experience planning fundraising events. She cooks up the scheme to provide an escort service to men with older women. The business takes off immediately but how is Tru going to keep her husband from finding out what her new job really is?

This was a lighthearted, almost silly read by Lynn Schnurnberger. It was quick and enjoyable and lasted just long enough before the reader got totally bored. Things wrapped up just a little too neatly for Tru, her family and friends, but still for the most part, I thought it was fun. I won't be rushing out to read everything Ms. Schnurnberger has written, though. There are too many books of real substance to read first.

Rating - B-

BUTTERCREAM BUMP OFF

Mel's mother, Joyce, is thrilled to have a date after many years of being widowed. She picks out a stunning dress, a dress to "give a man a heart attack". When her date ends up dead - not from a heart attack, but murdered, Joyce is the prime suspect. Joyce insists she is innocent and it's up to Mel to find the murderer to clear her mom. Mel's main suspect may be the man's son, a rock star, who is crazy about her partner, Angie. Angie's new love has helped convince Tate that he has been overlooking Angie all of these years, but Mel is concerned that Angie may be in love with a murderer.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series. I wasn't quite as crazy about this one. A few things bothered me. First, there was this ongoing thing that all of Mel's friends and family kept commenting on the fact that she and Joe hadn't had sex yet. Eww! Who's mom brings up such things. I didn't think it was all that cute. Secondly, the murder plot was a little thin. Sometimes, Joyce was sure someone was following her. At other times, it doesn't seem like there is any danger at all. Still, I will probably read the next book. Oh, and the cliffhanger...kind of annoying since this was part of the storyline for the entire book.

Rating - B

THE SCENT OF RAIN AND LIGHTENING

Jody Lindner has returned to her hometown of Rose, Kansas to begin her job as a teacher. Everyone knows Jody. Not only are her grandparents owners of the largest ranch in the area, she is also the daughter of a man who was murdered and whose mother hasn't been seen since the night her dad died. Small towns don't forget such things, especially when Billy Crosby, the man who is accused of killing her father has been aquitted of the murder and is returning to town. All of the old memories are stirred up again and Jody is deteremined to know the truth once and for all.

I read Nancy Pickard's other novel, "Virgin of the Small Plains" last year and loved it. I was almost hesitant to pick up this one. I am so glad I did. More of a thriller than a mystery, I loved the way the past and present were woven together. I didn't guess the killer and was totally surprised and satisfied with the ending. The characters were realistic and human. I can't wait for Ms. Pickard to come out with another novel!!

Rating - A+

ORGANIZE YOUR CORPES

Charlotte Adams is a professional organizer who recently returned to her hometown to set up a business after being jilted by her fiance. Charlotte's first customer is Miss Henley, her nasty teacher from St. Judes' Grade School. Despite her friends attempts to convince her not to take the job, Charlotte is determined to help the woman clean up the old family mansion which is a hoarder's nest. Unfortunately, when Charlotte goes to meet Miss Henley, she finds her client buried in newpapers, her head smashed by a beam. Charlotte feels responsible for finding out how she died.

This is the first book in the series by Mary Jane Maffini. I had heard lots of good things about it and was looking forward to reading it. I found it pretty dull. I considered not finishing it several times. Even though the ending was good and I liked the supporting characters, I wasn't especially fond of Charlotte. Maybe she is too goody-goody or OCS. I'm not sure but I won't be rushing to read other books in this series.

Rating - B-

MAKING TOAST

Roger Rosenblatt and his wife, Ginny, had enjoyed a good life. He is a professor at SUNY and a writer. Their world is turned upside down when their daughter, Amy, a 38-year-old pediatrician and mother of three dies unexpectedly while exercising on the treadmill. They choose to move in with their son-in-law, Harris, who is a hand surgeon to help him raise the kids. They come to the realization that their lives will never be the same again. Still, they have an important job to do for their daughter in helping raise her children. In the case of the narrator, who is affectionately known as Boppo, his job is to make the toast in the morning and come up with the word of the day.

This story was very touching and describes clearly what it must be like to lose an adult child. Even though their lives were continuing on, it will forever be tinged with grief and sadness. I found the author's viewpoint especially sad because he doesn't believe in God or an afterlife. I think it would be most difficult to find any solace at all without faith in God. As sad as the subject was, I found the book uplifting as the children continued to grow and thrive.

Rating - B+

WRECKED

Regan and Jack Reilly decide to celebrate their first anniversary by getting away to Cape Cod for a romantic getaway in the off-season. They expect a quiet weekend to themselves and arrive in the midst of a terrible storm. The two busybody old ladies next door quickly barge in and make themselves at home since they have a broken window. Then, Skip, the caretaker, finds the body of a woman on the beach. When Jack and Regan go back with him to get the body, it appears that she has been washed out to sea. There are hints that Adele may not have been the nicest person after all as she had been buying gift pillows to give as apologies to people she had offended.

I started reading this book and then later picked up the audio book. I haven't read a Carol Higgins Clark for awhile and for the most part, I enjoyed the book. Sometimes, it seemed there were too many extra characters with their own side stories. There is humor in Ms. Clark's stories but at times the characters appear cartoonish or the sarcasm doesn't work very well.

Rating - B

SWIFT JUSTICE

Charlotte Swift, better known as Charlie, is the kind of person who likes to do things her own way. She has enjoyed running Swift Investigations as she likes and she has been pretty successful with her missing persons business. Her most recent case, though, is kind of strange. A woman claims that a baby was left on her doorstep with a note from the woman's daughter who she gave up for adoption at birth. Rather than being thrilled to be a grandmother, the woman is desperate to find her daughter and give the baby back. She wants Charlie to find the girl pronto! In the same week, Charlie's silent partner runs off with his girlfriend and his wife shows up, demanding to be a partner in the business. Charlie is frantic to send this woman back to the suburbs and her kids and have GiGi leave the business alone!

This seems to be the beginning of a new series by Laura DiSilverio. At first, Charlie seemed pretty tough and kind of unlikable but as the book went on, she seemed a little nicer. GiGi was a riot. She has a good heart but no experience as a private investigator. She bumbles her way along and somehow, in her ineptitude does just the right thing. Can't wait for the next installment. My only complaint was that at times this book just seemed to be setting things up for a series.

Rating - A-

BIG CHERRY HOLLAR

Ave Maria and Jack Mack have had their tough times. They lost their little boy, Joe, and Jack has learned that the mine is closing. He has been a miner his whole life. It's Ave Marie's way to try to fix everything but she soon finds that Jack Mack is insulted that she doesn't trust him to take care of her and their daughter, Etta. Ave Maria can't help but be concerned when she sees him talking to a woman that she doesn't know. After all, woman can sense these things, can't they? Ave Maria is determined to have a better marriage than the one her mother did and after the death of her son, she can't endure the loss of her marriage, too.

As usual, I loved every bit of this novel by Adriana Trigiani. Ave Maria and Jack Mack are great characters and it was heartbreaking to watch their marriage struggle. When Ave Maria meets another man in Italy, I kept hoping that she would make the choice that would keep her marriage together. As usual, all of the supporting characters in the book are rich and alive. I can't wait to read the last part of this series - and yet, I don't want it to be over!

Rating - A

BACK SPIN

Myron Bolitar finds himself in unfamiliar territory - on a golf course. He is at the U.S. Open with Win and is trying to sign new clients for his sports management company. He is quickly distracted when he is contacted to help with a kidnapping. The parents are both golf pros, in fact, the father is making a fabulous comeback after choking in the Open 23 years ago. Having your 16-year-old son kidnapped is enough to throw anyone's game off. Myron is frantically trying to locate the boy but he keeps finding more and more loose ends and puzzles to solve and this time, Win is unwilling to help him out.

I love Myron Bolitar and this is one of the older books in this series by Harlan Coben that was recently re-released. I enjoyed it. A couple of the latest books have kind of gotten off-course and Myron has been involved with some women who I didn't like much. This time, Myron is attracted to the female golf pro but he maintains his distance. In the end, he is glad he did. Once more, I was reminded why I enjoy this series so much!

Rating - A-