THE VAULT - An Inspector Wexford Novel

by Ruth Rendell - to be released late September 2011

When four bodies are discovered  in an underground chamber below a London house, local detectives are unable to solve the case.  The police elicit the aid of retired Chief Inspector Wexford to help solve the mystery.

Reginald Wexford and his wife Dora are splitting their time between a guest house on their daughtter's property in Hampstead and their own home in Kingsmarkham.  Still adjusting to retirement, Wexford is more than happy to assist the local police.

Despite trying not to step on  Det. Superintendent Tom Ede's toes, Wexford finds himself more and more intrigued by this new case.  No one seems to know when the door from the inside of the home to the basement was covered over, but it's a major link to the timeline for when the bodies became entombed.  It adds to the puzzle when it's determined that one of the bodies has been underground in the vault for a much shorter time.

Wexford and his wife are also dealing with a major family drama and his daughter and grandchildren have taken over their home in Kingsmarkham.

While Rendell has a huge fan base, I found THE VAULT to be quite slow and plodding and lacking excitement.

ISBN978-1-4516-2408-3
288 Pages
To be released later in September 2011
Hardcover and eBook

PRIMACY

by J. E. Fishman

Liane Vinson is an animal researcher working at Pentalon, a secret animal research facility on Long Island.  Her workday includes driving through a crowd of animal rights protesters outside the facility.

Although the researchers are not supposed to become attached to their charges, Liane has a particular fondness for two young bonobo apes; a brother and sister.  She discovers that these two apes can actually speak, something unheard of in the world of animal research.

Keeping the apes' talent secret, Liane is determined to protect the two, and she enlists the aid of her friend, veterinarian Mickey Ferrone.   As bodies of her coworkers being to pile up, Liane and Mickey are on a worldwide race to find the origin of the two bonobos and a way to save them from extinction.

PRIMACY is a pleasant read, but too similar to others written by the likes of Michael Creighton or Robin Cook.

NOTE:  I received an ARC of this book, but Barnes and Noble is only featuring it as a Nookbook, so I'm not sure if a paper copy is available.

ISBN 978-0-9833809-0
390 Pages
Pub. Date: August 2011

THE GOOD FATHER

by Noah Hawley - to be released March 2012

Dr. Paul Allen is the chief rheumatologist at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.  He spends his working days investigating patients' symptoms to discover their underlying illnesses.  

When his son Daniel is accused of killing a rising political star slated to be the next president of the United States, Allen is unable to believe that Daniel is guilty, and employs the same investigative skills to try to prove Daniel's innocence despite overwhelming evidence.

Told mostly through the viewpoint of the father, we follow Paul's determined path to love and support his son, the product of his first marriage.  His continued inability to accept even the possibility of Daniel's guilt puts incredible strain on his second family, even as his career is disintegrating.


THE GOOD FATHER is interspersed with flashbacks to real-life famous or infamous assassinations from the '60s to present day, as well as Daniel's journey leading up to the shooting.  Coupled with the love and guilt carried by the father, Hawley has written an emotional story that's not easily forgotten.


ISBN 978-0-385-53553-3
320 pages
Pub. Date:  March 2012
Hardcover and eBook