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The Ever-Running Man (Sharon McCone Mysteries) Review

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(More customer reviews)When a series lasts as long as this one, I'm always afraid to pick up the next volume. Thankfully, my fears were groundless. I loved this book.
Marcia Muller is one of the few authors who actually grows and matures with her writing. Her characters evolve easily as we learn more about their backgrounds and watch their lives take unexpected (and always realistic) turns.
Here we see Sharon McCone in her toughest and most professional persona. She's agreed to help find the man who's killing off the leaders of RKI,the high-powered security agency that employes her husband, Hy Ripinsky. As the story develops, we learn more about Hy and we get caught up on Sharon and her far-flung family.
Muller is one of the few authors who successfully delivers all three ingredients of a murder mystery: scene, characters and plot. I've lived in San Francisco and felt a little homesick as I read about the urbanized Bay Area, the 101 to Healdsburg, and the East Bay. Her characters feel like people we know...although I'm not sure I'd be up for coffee with them.
Even the plot feels masterfully drawn. Without giving anything away, there's one situation othat seems puzzling. It could be coincidence. But later this bump in the narrative - so small that it might be missed by an unattentive reader - turns out to hold the key to the puzzle...but not the way that experienced mystery fans would anticipate. Clues are dropped masterfully so the end was a real surprise, yet the author plays fair.
Muller has developed her craft so she communicates potentially boring straightforward information -- the results of a series of interviews -- in a way that sounds fresh and interesting.
As close to a perfect mystery novel as I'll read in this lifetime.

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Obsession, Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate Review

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(More customer reviews)I've read all of Kyra Davis' books and have enjoyed them all. This is the third in the Sophie Katz series and Davis is not letting us down. She keeps the fun as well as the mystery, romance and the adreneline going. It's a well written and quite a delightful page turner with Davis' signature quirky characters. This one has an interesting and funny quasy political plot and a facinating look into a what might be called by some an alternative life style and by others a devient and rather unusual one. Check it out.

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Mind her own business? Leave it to the experts? Not a chance. . . . especially when asked to spy on her friend's strangely behaving husband, Eugene, at one of San Francisco's hottest nightclubs. When Sophie shows up in a short red cocktail dress and the potentially two-timing hubby shows up dead, the would-be sleuth launches a full investigation. Without warning, Sophie plunges into a world of political mudslinging and campaign cover-ups. She uncovers some pretty dirty secrets, including a certain conservative congressional hopeful's involvement in the "Furry" community -- a group with a fetish for mascot sized animal costumes. Sex and politics, wouldn't you know? Sophie knows she needs help, and turns to P.I. (and ex-boyfriend) Anatoly Darinsky. Together they set out to discover who killed Eugene and why. Their professional relationship may be repaired, but what will this very unusual case do for their personal one? In the hilarious third book of the Sophie Katz series, Davis offers plenty of obsession, a healthy dose of deceit and a generous serving of really dark chocolate!

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Murder Among Us Review

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(More customer reviews)Kate Austen is an amateur sleuth, school teacher and mother, so I was expecting a light, maybe even frothy read. To my great delight, it wasn't. It offered more substance instead. The story moves along quickly and there are flashes of humor, but it's subtle humor. The characters seemed very real to me, and the storyline very believable. Kate's relationship with her daughters, her signifiant other and her mother-in-law were all developed and felt right. I intend to search out the author's other books.

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7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club) Review

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(More customer reviews)Fires are being set to homes of the wealthy, leaving the residents dead. Detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner, Rich Conklin, are trying to find the murdering arsonists when they get a tip on another prominent case. The case involving the disappearance of Michael Campion, the son of a former governor, has been at a standstill but an anonymous tipster provides a new lead. Soon, Boxer and Conklin have a confession, but will it stand up in court? Women's Murder Club member and Assistant District Attorney, Yuki Castellano, will have the case of her life as the trial starts. Meanwhile, will Boxer and Conklin find the deadly arsonists?
The members of the Women's Murder Club are at it yet again in 7TH HEAVEN. Each book is written to stand alone although the friendship of these women has grown throughout the series. There are hints about past incidents that fans of the series will appreciate. It should be noted that newcomers to the series will miss the character development that has built slowly throughout the series, as some of the members of the Women's Murder Club only make brief appearances in 7TH HEAVEN.
Patterson and Paetro delve a bit further into Lindsay Boxer's psyche, this time examining her relationship to Joe versus her commitment to work. Yuki's insecurities are also examined as she is up against a female attorney not known for losing. Will these two members grow stronger as they face adversity?
James Patterson and Maxine Paetro deliver another fantastic thriller with 7th HEAVEN. The fast pace will have readers rapidly turning pages to see just how things will unfold. 7TH HEAVEN is yet another hit from these two talented authors and is easily recommended.
COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

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Face of a Killer Review

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(More customer reviews)Sydney Fitzpatric, FBI forensic artist, is having a hard time fitting in at her new assignment, and it doesn't help that she suspects her ex-boyfriend is keeping tabs on her. Throw in a reluctant (at least at first) partner, the normal angst of her relationship with her mother and step father, a precocious 13-year-old sister, and a self-serving, political-insider 'uncle' who is seeking reelection, and the characters alone offer a treasure-trove of tension as a backdrop to a provocative plot.
It is the anniversary of Sid's father's murder, and she visits the man convicted. During this visit, the first seeds of doubt creep into her thoughts as to the man's guilt. So begins a journey where the Pollyanna of the FBI office travels into the gray area between right and wrong with the help of Carillo, her partner and an agent who is much more flexible about the rules. Sid discovers much about her father and his associates and about the man who has languished in jail for 20 years awaiting execution for her father's murder. But most-importantly, she learns a lot about herself in the process.
The story starts out a bit slowly, but once things get moving, watch out. Sydney is a sympathetic and compelling woman, and her quest for the truth is one you hope, until the very end, won't destroy her and her family.
I highly recommend Robin Burcell's 'Face of a Killer.'

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The Hunt (Red Dress Ink) Review

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(More customer reviews)While I have always remained partial to Sturman's first book in the Rachel Benjamin series, 'THE PACT' I have to regretfully admit that I now have a new favorite in this engaging series...'THE HUNT'! Not only was this installment filled with unexpected twists and turns (not only in the whodunit but also in Rachel and Peter's relationship) but it was also laugh out loud funny!
In the 'THE HUNT' Rachel finds herself, not so successfully in her opinion, trying to fit in with her super normal in-laws-to-be when her best friend Hillary seems to be abducted by a billionaire who does not want some sketchy information leaked just days before his company is supposed to go public. And journalist Hillary has collected all sorts of nasty tid-bits about this billionaire and his company and is all set to write her article when she disappears. Now it is up to Rachel and Company to find Hillary, thwart the company's endeavors to go public all the while trying to impress her soon to be in-laws! Stir all of these ingredients together and you have one hilarious concoction!
If you have enjoyed the rest of the series get ready to enjoy the best!

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While Other People Sleep (Sharon McCone Mysteries) Review

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(More customer reviews)Here is another great read from Muller. She has yet to dissapiont, unlike so many others that we have become accustomed to reading in this catagory. If you are just beginning with her, please start at the beginning of the series. While the ending was mildly anti-clamatic, her only better works were: "Double" and "Where echoes live." Muller is not a 'Sue Grafton,' her stories are not tired an weak. Muller still tells a wonderful story.

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Murder in San Francisco: A Jamie Prescott Mystery Review

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(More customer reviews)Like so many good things, Mariann Tadmor gets even better with time and experience. So does her signature detective, Jamie Prescott, who needs all of that experience to solve this multifaceted mystery. Tadmor has a gift for contriving colorful characters, and the cast in this third volume is the liveliest yet. As always, she provides plenty of detail without overdoing it.

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At last. The sophisticated female P.I. youve been waiting for. Jamie Prescott is well educated, well traveled, and speaks several languages. Working out of the Washington, D.C. area she travels the world, meets more unsavory characters than is good for h

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A Pointed Death (Pointer Mystery Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)A Pointed Death is a very well written, compelling mystery that brings together murder, corporate intrigue, bioscience, and one truly fine pointer dog named Skootch. In the interest of full disclosure, I must reveal that the author was kind enough to provide me with a copy of her book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I must also state that I have never given a five star rating to a first time author with a self published novel. This one is truly deserving.
I started this book with much trepidation. I know nothing about the biotechnology business or finance, two areas that play a large role in this story. For the first thirty pages or so, I was feeling a bit lost as the author seemed to be providing me with too much information. It wasn't long however until her characters of Nola, Janie Belle, and of course Skootch had me completely invested in the story. When Nola discovered a headless body that just happened to belong to a disgraced ex-employee, I was intrigued. When she met Harrison, fraud detective with caramel eyes, I was even more intrigued. When she started playing amateur sleuth and began discovering all the intricate threads that connected into a very ugly web of corporate and international crime I was totally hooked.
The author has a very readable writing style that flows well. She infuses her story with quite a bit of humour, often provided by Skootch the totally lovable dog. Nola is a fierce middle aged woman, often despairing of her current situations, but ever confident in her own abilities. She's a great character; a woman of intelligence and talent who steadfastly refuses to take herself too seriously. Her relationship with Harrison was very nicely portrayed in a way that added further unexpected depth to Nola's character.
The author obviously loves San Francisco as she includes a lot of descriptions of the city and it's surroundings. I was initially a bit put off by this, but soon came to appreciate the role the city played in the story. Her descriptions are so well done she has essentially created another character. By the end, I felt that I had actually been there.
As with all mysteries, in the end, the plot is the thing, and that is perhaps what surprised me most about this book. It is just expertly paced and plotted. There were no gaping holes of implausibility, no chapters that should have been left out or repetition of facts, or any of those other elements that often plague first time writers. This is a great example of mystery storytelling. I now know a bit more about finance, biotech, San Francisco, Episcopal Church Services, and Pointer Dogs. I was also late for work and fixed my kids frozen pizza for dinner so I could finish this up and find out how it ended! The author states in her final acknowledgements that this is a "silly escapist book". Perhaps I will only add that this is in fact a thinking person's escapist book. It was a fun ride and one that I would recommend to any mystery lover.

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