LEFT FOR DEAD

A young deputy making a routine traffic stop is shot and left for dead beside the road. A young prostitute is cut, burned, raped and thrown out in the desert. She, too, is left for dead but fortunately is found by a Border Patrol agent. Ali Reynolds knew the young deputy when she was in training. She decides to go help his pregnant wife and children while he is in the hospital. Sister Aslem has been called in as a patient advocate for the young girl who is in the same hospital. Before long, Ali and Sister Aslem realize that it was no accident that both of their patients were left for dead and that someone may still be trying to kill them.

At first, this book really was slow for me. There seemed to be too many storylines with no clue how they tied together. I am a long-time fan of J.A. Jance, so I stuck with the book and I was glad I did. As always, her books are great mysteries and I'll be looking forward to the next one!

Rating - A

THE DROP

Harry Bosch is working in the Open Unsolved Unit of the LAPD. He is pleased to learn that his retirement date or DROP date has been extended by a couple of years. He's also pleased to be working a couple of new cases. One case involves a woman found raped and murdered but the DNA evidence points to a convicted pediophile who was only 8-years-old at the time. The other case involves "high jingo", the term for a highly charged political case. One of the city councilmen who Harry has history with has asked him to investigate the death of his son. Harry is reluctant to do so because the father hates Harry and the LAPD. Still, he agrees to take it on if the man will accept his findings whether they be suicide or murder.

It's been awhile since I have read a Harry Bosch book by Michael Connelly. The Mickey Haller books seem to have a lighter tone. Harry is always pretty serious and often bitter. I did enjoy the parts with his daughter. Harry has a good relationship with her and he tries to keep some of the darkness away for her sake. I also appreciated how in this book Harry had to mend fences with his partner after realizing he was a little to harsh on the man. Sometimes, Harry seems a little too self-righteous and I liked this turn. As always, a good mystery and a good read.

Rating - A=

SHOCK WAVE

The small town of Butternut Falls is conflicted about the decision to build a Pyemart. Some feel that it will destroy many of the local businesses. When several bombs go off, killing innocent victims, Virgil Flowers is called in to investigate. As usual, it seems that all Virgil does is go around to talk to people and flirt with local women but he always seems to get results. Virgil has incentive because before long, it seems that he is one of the bomber's targets.

I've gotten really fond of John Sanford's Virgil Flowers books. I didn't think anyone could be more appealing than Lucas Davenport and I'm still a great fan of his, but I like Virgil, too. He is funny, laid back and very, very sharp. Nothing is going to get past him! This book was fun because Virgil didn't really have a love interest. Of course, he is checking out all of the women but for once, he wasn't jumping in bed with anyone. I'll be looking forward to the next in the series!

Rating - A-

CINNAMON ROLL MURDER

Hannah and her sister are on their way to deliver cinnamon rolls to the Lake Eden Inn when there is a terrible accident on the highway. Hannah and Michelle stop to see if they can help anyone. They board a tour bus of the famous Cinnamon Roll Six who were scheduled to play at the Inn. One of the band members is injured and the bus driver is dead. Things get even more lively for Lake Eden when the man with the injuries is found stabbed at the hospital. It's Hannah to the rescue to find the murderer. Hannah needs a distraction because Norman is supposed to marry Doctor Bev in a couple of weeks and her heart is broken just thinking about it.

I always enjoy a stop in Lake Eden with Hannah and her family. This book was a pretty good one in the series. It was a little unclear why Hannah got involved in this particular murder since it didn't really affect her or anyone in the community like her usual investigations. Her mother seems to have changed for the better since her involvement with Doc Knight but had way too easy access to medical records. Of course, I had to hang on to the end to find out what would happen with Norman and Hannah. It was worth the wait and although predictable, I'll look forward to the next book in the series.

Rating - B+

ROGUE ISLAND

Liam Mulligan is a tough Providence, Rhode Island newspaperman. He's one of a dying breed and he knows it. He's supposed to be writing nice stories about dogs instead of hard news but Mulligan prefers doing things his own way. Right now, he wants to know who is starting fires in his old neighborhood. The fires are destroying property but also killing people. The closer Mulligan gets to the truth, the more his life is in danger.

I saw a review that recommended this debut novel by Bruce DeSilva and saw that it had won a ton of awards. I have a soft spot for newspaper stories and I'm glad I picked this one up. Mulligan is a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan who knows and loves his hometown, warts and all. The characters in this book were amusing, tough and disappointing - all very true to life. I even took the time to see if there is a sequel in the works and I was delighted to find out there was. I'll be there, Mulligan!

Rating - A

WHISPER TO THE BLOOD

Talia MacLeod is a popular Olympic biathalon who has been hired by the gold mine to promote their presense in the region. She's trying to convince all of the local citizens that the mine will bring jobs and prosperity and that the changes will be progress. Kate Shugak isn't convinced and now she finds herself as the head of the N'nitna Native Association. Things start heating up when a man working for the mine is shot to death. Then Kate's ward, Johnny, and others are attacked on the river on snowmobiles. Kate starts to realize that she has been out of the loop and it's time for her to start righting some wrongs.

Kate Shugak is a rich and wonderful character. She's fascinating because she isn't afraid to do what needs to be done and she commands respect. Whether it's facing down a rival for her man or finding out who is causing problems for the locals, Kate is the woman to get the job done. This is fast becoming one of my favorite series. I'm glad to have another series of books that I love listening to.

Rating - A

HELL HOLE

Danny and his rookie partner for the night are called out to a residence for excessive noise. The partiers turn out to be ex-Marines. While Danny is there, they get a call that one of their group has been found dead at a nearby rest area. It appears that he is a junkie and that he committed suicide. Danny and his partner accompany the leader to identify the body. Danny doesn't pretend to be the detective that his regular partner, John Ceepak, is but he notices some things on the scene that make him wonder if this case really is an open and shut suicide. Ceepak soon joins Danny to make sure justice is done.

I am a huge fan of this series and I think it just gets better and better. Danny is still a young man who takes life as easy as he can but he's getting to be a better police officer all the time. He's learned lots from Ceepak and he is starting to live closer to Ceepak's code. And who couldn't love John Ceepak. Always a winner!

Rating - A