THE GOOD COP Carter Ross Series No. 4

by Brad Parks

Carter Ross is a reporter for the Newark Eagle-Examiner.  He's been handed an assignment to investigate and write about the death of a Newark policeman.  Just as he's beginning, the death is ruled a suicide and Ross is pulled from the story.

That should have stopped him, but of course it didn't.  The more he learns about Detective Sergeant Darius Kipps, the more convinced Ross is that Kipps didn't commit suicide.  In fact, he had everything to live for.  Blocked at every turn by the police in his quest, Carter is determined to find out what really happened.

Along with his reporting duties, Ross is constantly side-stepping his boss Tina's quest to have him impregnate her.  She's decided that he's the perfect candidate to fulfill her dream of having a child before her biological clock runs down.  But while Ross is seriously interested in Tina, he's not willing to settle for just being a stud service.

Brad Parks has injected a tongue-in-cheek humor in his characters and THE GOOD COP is a hilarious pleasure to read.   It doesn't hurt that the setting is many of the New Jersey towns any New Jerseyan is familiar with!

I enjoyed THE GOOD COP so much that I've since gone back and read all the rest of the Carter Ross  series.  I'd suggest you start with an earlier one, but they're all fun to read as Ross tears up the turf in the Garden State!

ISBN 9781250005526
Pub. Date:  March 5, 2013
336 pages
Hardcover and eBook

THE JAMES DEANS - Moe Prager Series No. 3

by Reed Farrel Coleman

Moe Prager is a former NYC cop, a sometimes PI and half owner of a small upscale chain of wine shops.  He had almost made detective with the NYPD when he was pensioned out because of a serious knee injury.  He and his wife are struggling with their grief following Katy's miscarriage.

Bored to distraction with the retail liquor business, Moe almost doesn't mind when he is bullied into investigating the disappearance of Moira Heaton, a young intern to up and coming State Senator Steven Brightman (a la Chandra Levy and Gary Condit).  Wealthy mover and shaker Thomas Geary has his mind set on backing Brightman for higher office and since Brightman is still under a cloud of suspicion because of Moira's disappearance, Geary strong arms Prager into taking the case to clear Sen. Brightman's name.

THE JAMES DEANS is a good mystery, with plenty of twists and turns.  But the best part is Moe Prager.  He's a likable protagonist, using his luck and hunches to get to the heart of Moira's disappearance as well as providing the reader with the color and flavor of Brooklyn, Coney island and surrounding boroughs.   You can't miss with this one!

Lynn's note:  My son and daughter-in-law bought me a bag of books for Christmas....thank you so much!  Knowing how much I love to read, they're hard pressed to find mystery and thriller authors who are new to me.  One of the books in the bag was THE JAMES DEANS by Mr. Coleman.  

I was in the middle of a bunch of other books and finally started this one on February 12th.  Since then, in the last fourteen days, I've literally plowed through the entire Moe Prager series -- all seven books --and I've loved them all!  One of the nice things about Mr. Coleman's series is that Moe Prager lives his life and ages as the books are written, unlike some other authors' recurring characters who seem to live in a time warp.  

I cannot believe Reed Farrel Coleman's books haven't been as well recognized as others in the mystery/thriller genre.  They are, in a word, TERRIFIC!  Try one, you won't be disappointed!

ISBN 978-0-9792709-8-7
Pub. Date:  varies - 2005 - 2008 - 2012 eBook edition
212 pages
Paperback and eBook

THE SKELETON BOX A Starvation Lake Mystery

by Bryan Gruley

The third in the Starvation Lake Mystery series finds local newspaper editor Gus Carpenter involved in the investigation of the bingo night burglaries in the small town of Starvation Lake.  While the residents are attending bingo at the local Catholic Church, homes are being broken into, but strangely, nothing appears to be missing; the thief just rifles through personal and financial papers.

As tensions mount, things take a turn for the worse when someone is murdered during another break-in.  The victim is the mother of Gus' ex-girlfriend, local police woman Darlene Espers.  Even worse, the murder occurred during the burglary of the home of Bea Carpenter, Gus' ailing mother.

The town of Starvation Lake is fraught with more turmoil.  Even as the local sheriff  is under fire to solve the burglaries, one of his deputies is working against him while planning his own election campaign.  Then there is the born-again Christian group that's not only kicking up a fuss, but threatening to disrupt the season for the local hockey team, the lifeblood of entertainment and pride for this small community.

Working with newcomer Luke Whistler, a seasoned older reporter, Carpenter finds himself looking into the mysterious disappearance of a beautiful young nun decades earlier, and how her disappearance may be linked to both his mother and the events in Starvation Lake today.

I've enjoyed all three of the author's books, and his characters and writing just keep getting better.  Mr. Gruley has created another fun and satisfying mystery with THE SKELETON BOX....be sure to add it to your summer reading list!

ISBN 987-1-4165-6366-2
Pub. Date:  6/5/2012
336 Pages
Hardcover and eBook

CLIFF WALK - Liam Mulligan Series No. 2

by Bruce DeSilva

Liam Mulligan, a seasoned investigative reporter with the Providence Dispatch Newspaper, is back in this new mystery from Bruce DeSilva.  The second in the Mulligan series deals with legalized prostitution and pornography, specifically child pornography and murder in Providence, Rhode Island.

As I've mentioned in earlier reviews, I don't enjoy fiction that deals with heinous crimes against children. Especially when the story involves body parts.  To be honest, I would have stopped before I started if I hadn't read Mr. DeSilva's first book, ROGUE ISLAND, and thoroughly enjoyed not only his writing style but also his portrayal of graft and corruption in Rhode Island.

Mulligan is a likeable man who is dealing with the demise of the newspaper business, as well as with Dorcas, his shrill and angry soon-to-be ex-wife. Mulligan is joined once again in his investigations by Thanks-Dad, his nickname for the son of the newspaper's publisher.  Attilla-the-nun, State Police Capt. Steve Parisi, and a host of other intriguing and fun protagonists add to the author's smooth writing style and tongue-in-cheek dialogue.

But best of all, and lucky for the reader, the plot of CLIFF WALK is secondary to his scathing portrayal of the city of Providence; terrific fun if you don't happen to live in Rhode Island.  Being from New Jersey, which is very often portrayed as a mob-infested, crime-riddled state, it's refreshing to let another state take the rap for a change!

If you can get past the subject matter, this newest Liam Mulligan mystery is a good read and very entertaining.

ISBN 978-0-76533-237-0
Pub. Date:  May 22, 2012
320 Pages
Hardcover and eBook 

THE UNDERTAKER'S HILL

by Michael R. McGuire

Jake Fitzpatrick's life is a mess.  He's middle aged, divorced, friendless and working in a job he doesn't like.  Even his own mother doesn't like him very much. It can't get any worse; or can it?

When his Uncle Henry passes away and leaves him a large piece of land, it's a total surprise to Jake.  But the land comes with a catch; he has also inherited his late uncle's job as an undertaker, burying bodies on the land he just inherited.

Although the pay for his new job is substantial, Jake suddenly finds himself in a shadowy Kafkaesque world.  He doesn't know who he's working for, where the bodies are coming from, or why these people are dying.  Just as he's adjusting to his new found wealth and the horrors of his new job, he discovers that one of the bodies isn't technically a body at all; the woman he's supposed to bury isn't dead.  While he's agreed to take on the role of undertaker, Jake's not a murderer, and he finds himself on the run as he tries to stay one step ahead of the people he's been working for as well as trying to stay alive.

THE UNDERTAKER'S HILL is an intriguing and fascinating debut novel.

Author Bio:  THE UNDERTAKER'S HILL is Michael R. McGuire's first mystery novel and is available at Amazon.com as well as Lulu.com.  He has been an active playwright for twenty years and his plays have been produced throughout Connecticut, New York and the rest of  the country.  He is a 2005 CT Artist Fellowship recipient for his play THE NEW GIRL, and his play for young actors, PERSEPHONE RULES! is published by Brooklyn Publishers.  Mr. McGuire's current production THE DRAFTS: WHEN HALF THE SPHERE IS VISIBLE, a four playwright collaboration by Horse Trade Theater at The Red Room in New York City is running through May 26, 2012.  Don't be surprised to find Michael as part of the waitstaff at a local Stonington Borough restaurant....he's the one who bears an uncanny resemblance to a young Stephen King.

Pub. Date:  February 2012
199 pages
eBook and Paperback

NICEVILLE

by Carsten Stroud

"Something is wrong in Niceville" is the title of the overview of this novel on B&N.com.  I have to add that something is wrong with NICEVILLE because the book never seems to gel.

There is an enormous cast of characters, none of whom are completely fleshed out or particularly engaging and the story line is very muddy, jumping between protagonists.  There is an underlying tone of horror or the supernatural, but even this is muddled and not fully clarified or solidified, simply running like a dark thread throughout the novel.  It's like the author couldn't decide between writing a mystery or a horror story and decided to do both.  Kind of a Stephen King-ish feel, without ever satisfying.

When I start reading a book and invest my time, I feel compelled to try to at least give it my best shot and finish reading to the end.  However, with NICEVILLE, I was tempted to walk away more than once, and, after laboring through the story, I wish I had.

ISBN 978-0-307-95858-9
Pub. Date:  To be released June 12, 2012
400 pages
Hardcover and eBook

STAY CLOSE

by Harlan Coben

I have to preface my review of Harlan Coben's newest book by reminding everyone that I have been a long time fan of his, having read and enjoyed every book he's written.  This includes SHELTER,  the first in the Mickey Bolitar young adult series that was introduced in September, 2011, and which was terrific.

Sadly, STAY CLOSE is not terrific.  It's not even close to terrific.  In fact, STAY CLOSE is pretty mediocre.

My disappointment didn't arise from the entirely different cast of characters, and definitely not because I was looking forward to settling down with a new Myron Bolitar tale.   My disappointment arose from the convoluted story and the addition of two minor characters who added nothing to the story other than to be ridiculous and annoying, diminishing an already muddled and far-fetched plot. Perhaps Mr. Coben was just trying to poke fun at the plastic Ken and Barbie, but presenting them as preppy bible-spouting killers was absurd.

I would recommend you pass on purchasing STAY CLOSE.  It's not worth your time or your money.

ISBN 978-0-525-95227-5
Pub. Date:  March 2012
387 pages
Hardcover and eBook

CELL 8

by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom - to be released January 2012

John Meyer Frey was sentenced to death at the age of 17 in Ohio.  Tried as an adult, he was convicted of brutally murdering his girlfriend Elizabeth Finnigan.  John steadfastly proclaims his innocence and is befriended by guards and fellow prisonsoners during his decade on death row.

Edward Finnigan, Elizabeth's father, longs for the day when he can watch John Frey die.  He feels cheated when Frey dies of heart disease before he can be executed, and he's unable to let go of the grief and hatred that have consumed his life.

Fast forward a few years and John Schwarz, a singer on a ferry between Finland and Sweden is arrested for violently attacking a drunken ferry passenger.  Detective Inpsector Ewert Grens of the Stockholm Police is intrigued when the police begin to realize that Schwarz has been living in Sweden under an assumed name.  As dogged an investigator as he was in THREE SECONDS, Grens won't rest until he knows Schwarz's real identity.  As the facts come to light, reaching all the way to the United States, Grens finds himself in the unusual position of trying to keep a criminal from being extradited to a country that condones and enforces the death penalty.

Inspector Grens is almost as solitary as he was in THREE SECONDS, but it's heartening to note that Roslund and Hellstrom have given more depth to this likable character in CELL 8, as he begins to enjoy life a little more.

CELL 8 is a fine mystery, but it's more than that.  It's also a thought provoking discourse on the death penalty and of the politics and machinations involved in extradition between countries with differing views of this form of punishment.

ISBN 978-1-4027-8715-7
Pub. Date:  January 3, 2012
376 pages
Hardcover and eBook

ALL I DID WAS SHOOT MY MAN

by Walter Mosley - to be released January 2012

Leonid McGill is back, trying to right some of his earlier wrongs.  Years ago, he helped frame Zella Grisham for a $58 million dollar robbery; just another job he was hired to do.  He didn't know her, but he knew she was already in trouble for shooting her boyfriend Harry Tangelo when she found him in bed with her best friend, Minnie Lesser (could this character's name be any more diminutive?!).

McGill seems to have renewed his acquaintance with his conscience and he's set out to restore a more normal life to Zella.  Under the guise of working for her attorney, they manage to get her out of jail and McGill provides her with money, housing and a job.  But Zella's release triggers all manner of chain reactions, people are dying and suddenly even McGill's life and the lives of his family members are threatened.

In this latest from Mosley, it's a pleasant change to find Leonid so introspective and involved with his family, lovers and his past misdeeds; a tough guy with a really soft heart.  Mosley's smooth and fine writing make ALL I DID WAS SHOOT MY MAN an absolute delight to read and doesn't disappoint, despite a complicated plot that becomes too murky with too many characters.   

ISBN 978-1-59448-824-5
Pub. date:  January 2012
336 pages
Hardcover and eBook

THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE - A Nina Borg Mystery

by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis - just released

Nina Borg's life is a busy one.  With two children of her own, her job is to help people; working as a nurse for a secret organization that provides medical care to illegals. When she agrees to meet her longtime friend Karin for lunch, Karin begs her to fetch a package from a public locker at the Copenhagen train station.  Unwilling to explain what's in the locker, Karin's parting words send Nina down the rabbit hole.

Nina discovers a drugged and naked young boy in a suitcase inside of the locker.  The boy, Mikas, is unable to speak Danish and when Nina discovers that Karin has been murdered, she doesn't know where to turn or who or what she's running from, trying to stay a step ahead of some very dangerous people searching for Mikas.

Another woman is equally desperate; Sigita Ramoskiene, a Lithuanian woman, wakes up in a hospital, the victim of an apparent alcohol overdose.  She doesn't have any memory of what happened to her and discovers that her young son Mikas is missing.  The tension builds as Nina struggles to identify and protect the boy, while miles away Sigita frantically searches for her son .  Unknown to each other, both women become deeply immersed in the horror of human trafficking.

THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE is a taut and satisfying Scandinavian thriller.

ISBN 978-1-56947-0
Pub. Date:  November 2011
313 Pages
Hardcover and eBook

NEW JERSEY NOIR

Edited by Joyce Carol Oates - to be released November 2011

This is a selection of brand new short stories and poems by some of our favorite authors. With over 50 books published in the "Noir" series, it was nice to find that the newest is set in New Jersey.

Being from New Jersey, of course I'm partial to our state and NEW JERSEY NOIR does not disappoint.  Forget the wonderful farms in south Jersey and the rolling hills, lakes and mountains in the north, this book is the turnpike of New Jersey; a seamier and scarier vision.

I expected that more of the authors would actually be from New Jersey, but with stories from the likes of S.J. Rozan, Lou Manfredo, Robert Pinsky and Alicia Ostricker, crossing state lines was not a problem.  Not a fan of poetry, but having grown up in Newark, I found myself calling friends to read parts of C.K. Williams' thought provoking and poignant NEWARK BLACK: 1940 - 1954.

Thoroughly enjoyable, NEW JERSEY NOIR is a wonderful compilation; you can't miss with this one!

ISBN 978-1-61775-034-2
Pub. Date:  November 1, 2011
280 pages
Available in Hardcover

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

FLASH AND BONES - Temperance Brennan Series No. 14

by Kathy Reichs - to be released August 23, 2011

Charlotte, North Carolina is hosting a major NASCAR event.  When a body is found lodged in a drum of asphalt at the dump adjacent to the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Dr. Temperance Brennan is part of the team.

While working on the case, Tempe is visited by Wayne Gamble, a pit crew member, whose sister disappeared with her boyfriend years earlier.  Gamble is worried that the victim could be his sister Cindi or her boyfriend Cale Lovette.  At the time of the couple's disappearance, Lovette was involved with the Patriot Posse, a right wing extremist group.

To complicate matters further, lab reports indicate that the unidentified man in the barrel died of ricin poisoning, a deadly toxin, and an employee of the CDC has gone missing.  Suddenly, the FBI is all over the case and has whisked away the body, as well as all the autopsy samples and reports.   But  this won't stop Tempe, who is working individually with both Charlotte Detective Erskine "Skinny" Slidell and Cotton Galimore, a disgraced former police officer who is now head of security for the Speedway.  She's determined to solve both the disappearance of the young couple, as well as determine who was found in the barrel, and how or if the two cases are connected.

Reichs' has created quite a mix for Tempe in this latest novel.  She's been recruited by her ex-husband and his finance to help solve their pre-wedding spats.  Currently without a love interest, Tempe finds herself attracted to one of the new people in her life.  She's finally letting her hair down a little and spouting expletives, which makes her character more likable and human.

FLASH AND BONES is a nice new offering from Kathy Reichs that not only provides the reader with a good mystery, but also covers the history of NASCAR.

ISBN 978-1-4397-0241-1
Pub. Date:  August 23, 2011
288 Pages
Hardcover and eBook

THE REDBREAST - Harry Hole Novel No. 1

by Jo Nesbo
Translated by Don Bartlett

Inspector Harry Hole has somehow embarrassed the department.  As punishment, he's assigned to surveillance of neo-nazi activity in Oslo.

Expecting this to be a dull and annoying assignment, Harry is soon knee deep in murders; someone is targeting disgraced old solders and using an old, rare gun to do it.  Travelling back decades, THE REDBREAST reflects on the Norwegian government's collaboration with the Nazis during WWII, a dark period for Norway.

I came to this series more than a little late and read the Harry Hole novels completely out of order.  That said, THE REDBREAST was still wonderfully written, and is a compelling mystery from Jo Nesbo.  I do recommend that you start with this one if you're going to venture into this series, to better appreciate the interaction of the characters.

Pub. Date - 2000 and 2006
ISBN 978-0-06-113400-5
512 pages
Available in paperback

HOT WATER

by Erin Brockovich with CJ Lyons - to be released October 2011

AJ Palladino and her partner, lawyer Elizabeth Hardy, run a consumer advocacy business in AJ's hometown of Scotia, WV.  Despite AJ's misgivings, they've just been hired by Owen Grandel to put a positive spin on his company in Colleton Landing, South Carolina.  His high tech nuclear facility has the ability to create much needed medical isotopes in a safe environment, but the company has been plagued with unexplained accidents, and has run into serious problems with various factions protesting the facility.

Single mother AJ has more than just work to deal with.  Her nine year old son David is a genius who is struggling with cerebral palsy.  Her mother is agoraphobic and a hoarder.  AJ's elderly Gram is diabetic as well as being blind, and requires a full time caregiver.

While AJ struggles with the job requirements and the threat of a nuclear disaster in South Carolina, her devious ex-father-in-law has hired a hit man to eliminate any obstacles in the way of him getting permanent custody of David. Luckily AJ has Ty Stillwater in her corner, a sheriff's officer who is in love with her.

All of the story lines collide in this fast paced and explosive novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat! HOT WATER is well written and very entertaining.

ISBN 978-1-59315-684-8
Pub. Date: October 2011
288 pages
Hardcover and eBook

SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN - A Stephanie Plum Novel

by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum and her coterie of odd friends are back in this latest from Janet Evanovich.  When a dead body is found on the bail bonds lot, the office moves into Mooner's RV.

Stephanie and Lula try to apprehend skippers with their usual slapstick style and frequent bakery stops, while Stephanie's mother is foisting a former classmate on her as perfect husband material.  When more people turn up dead with Stephanie's name on them, it's starting to get personal.

This latest book in the series finds Plum sleeping with both Joe Morelli and Ranger after Joe's Grandmother Bella turns the evil eye on her, and she continues to destroy cars provided by Ranger at an alarming rate.

I like Evanovich's writing style.  I like the characters in the Stephanie Plum series.  I like the humor in Evanovich's books.  But I have to say that SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN was the same old, same old with just a little more sex.  Stephanie Plum is getting a little long in the tooth to continue the same lifestyle and inability to commit.  Although it's a fun, quick read with quirky characters, this book wasn't much different from SIZZLING SIXTEEN or the one before that, which is a real disappointment.

Pub. Date - June 2011
ISBN 978-0-345-52768-4
320 pages
Hardcover and eBook

THE ICE PRINCESS

by Camilla Lackberg
Translated by Stephen T. Murray

Author Erica Falck has returned to her small hometown in Sweden to settle her parents' estate.  On top of her grief over the loss of her parents, she is under a deadline for the biography she's writing.  Taking a break to go for a walk, Erica is hailed by Eilert Berg, the caretaker for the home of her childhood friend Alexandra, a successful gallery owner.  Berg has just found Alex dead of an apparent suicide.

When Erica visits Alex's parents, they are insistent that she would never have taken her own life, and they ask Erica to write a memorial article about their daughter.  Her research into Alex's life brings her in contact with an unusual and large cast of characters including Alex's husband Henrik, Anders, a severely depressed artist, and Francine, Alex's sister.

Erica is spending time with Dan, an old school boyfriend, much to his wife's unease. She's being pressured by her sister Anna and her brother-in-law Lucas to settle the estate and sell the family home; even while she worries that Anna is an abused wife.  To further complicate her life, Erica finds herself attracted to Patrik Hedstrom, the detective handling the investigation into Alex's death.  As Erica and Patrik dig deeper into Alex's life, long hidden family secrets begin to surface, leading them on the trail of the murderer in this Swedish thriller.

THE ICE PRINCESS is a quick read that spends too much time on the personal and romantic relationships and not quite enough on the story.   A bit disappointing, it doesn't have the same intensity as most of the books I've read by other Scandinavian authors.

Pub. Date March 2011
ISBN 978-1-4516-2174-7
416 pages
Paperback and eBook

ROGUE ISLAND

by Bruce DeSilva

Someone has been setting fires in the Mount Hope section of Providence.  People are dying and the police and arson investigators aren't making any progress in catching the firebug.

Investigative reporter Liam Mulligan is devastated by the senseless death and destruction in his childhood neighborhood.  It starts to become personal when people he cares about are seriously injured.  Despite threats to his own safety, Mulligan is spending his time following the paper trail of just who benefits from the fires, a long and arduous road that takes him through the underbelly of Providence's mobsters and crooked politicians.

Mulligan (as he prefers to be called) is a busy man.  His ulcer is acting up.  He's been assigned the task of taking the publisher's son Mason under his wing, and he's not thrilled.  He's also cultivating a romantic relationship with fellow reporter Veronica Tang, while still dealing with his crazy, soon to be ex-wife.

Mr. DeSilva has created a likable character in Mulligan and I hope we'll be seeing more books featuring this ace reporter.  The grittiness of Rhode Island's long history of political corruption serves as the perfect backdrop for this terrific debut mystery.

Pub. Date June 2011
ISBN 978-0-7653-2981-3
304 pages
Paperback and eBook

TRICK OF THE DARK

by Val McDermid - to be released September 2011

Psychiatrist and psychological profiler Charlie Flint's pivotal testimony at Bill Hopton's murder trial allowed him to go free.  Charlie's professional life is now in limbo because Hopton murdered four people after his acquittal, and she has been suspended from practicing while an investigation into the circumstances is ongoing.

With time on her hands, Charlie is contacted by Corinna Newsam, one of her old professors at Oxford, and agrees to look into the murder of her daughter's husband.  Philip Carling was bludgeoned to death at his wedding reception and his business partners have been charged with the crime.

Charlie is married to her life partner, but after seven years she's not sure she's still committed to Maria.  She's very attracted to Lisa Kent, a self-help guru. While trying to decipher her own emotions, Charlie learns that Carling's young widow Magdelena is involved in a lesbian relationship with Jay Stewart, an author who also attended Oxford.  The more Charlie learns about Carling's death, the more convinced she is that his partners are innocent.  As she delves into the past, she begins to unravel the deadly trail left by the murderer; a twisted trail that leads all the way back to Oxford.

TRICK OF THE DARK is an intricate and explosive tale of deadly secrets and murder.

To be released September 2011
ISBN 978-1-932859-95-9
400 pages
Hardcover and eBook

THE DEVIL'S STAR - A Harry Hole Novel

by Jo Nesbo
Translated by Don Bartlett

When a young woman is found murdered in Oslo with a tiny red star shaped diamond under her eyelid and a finger missing, Harry Hole is assigned to the case.  When the finger of a woman reported missing is found with a ring embellished with the same type of red diamond, the team realizes they're dealing with a serial killer.

Unfortunately, Harry is partnered with Tom Waaler, someone Harry doesn't like or trust.  Harry has long believed that Tom murdered his friend and former partner, which makes working together nearly impossible.  But Harry has no choice because he is barely holding on to his job.  His drinking is still a problem and his one champion at work insists that they have to handle the case together because of scheduled vacations which leave the police force short-handed.

Working with Waaler and the investigation into the murders brings Harry to the brink, putting himself and everyone he loves at risk in this breathtaking mystery by Nesbo.
 
As I plow through all of the available books by Jo Nesbo, my only regret is that I didn't read them in order; in fact it seems that I've read them in totally reverse order.  As the characters change along the way, it would have been nice to be able to follow Harry Hole's relationships with his friends and co-workers.  Each of Nesbo's books is terrific by itself, but I'd recommend that you do it the right way to better understand all of the references to past events and characters.

Paperback Pub. Date February 2011 - previously published in 2006
ISBN 978-0-06-113398-5
452 pages
Available in paperback