MY HUSBAND'S WIFE by Jane Corry

Returning from her honeymoon, young attorney Lisa Macdonald has been handed her first criminal case by her boss.  Far afield from the employment law cases she usually handles, Lisa's new client Joe Thomas is serving time for killing his girlfriend by pushing her into a bath of scalding hot water.

Mr. Thomas exhibits all of the symptoms of asperger's syndrome and instead of laying out what he considers is new evidence in his case, he tests her by presenting her with cryptic numbers that she must decipher.  As she is slowly being pulled into Joe's defense, Lisa is also struggling with her new marriage to Ed, an artist.

A young Italian girl in their apartment building has become part of Lisa and Ed's lives, as well as Ed's muse.  Ed is totally enthralled with sketching and painting Carla while Lisa spends longer and later hours working on her new case along with solicitor Tony Gordon.

At the culmination of Mr. Thomas' appeal, the relationships between many of the characters are altered.  But the book doesn't stop there. Jump ahead sixteen years and the secrets and lies that each of the characters has kept hidden change the course of all of their lives, leading to an explosive finale as this tense psychological thriller unfolds.

Hard to put down, Ms. Corry has written an engaging first novel and I look forward to more from this talented author.

ISBN:  978-0-7352-2095-9
Pub. Date:  January 31, 2017
370 pages
Available in Hardcover and eBook

THE ODDS, A Love Story

by Stewart O'Nan

Marion and Art Fowler are at the end of life as they knew it.  Married for thirty-one years, their marriage is pretty much over.  Marion just can't forgive Art for cheating on her and, with their children grown and gone, she's ready to begin a life of her own.  Compounding their marital problems, the Fowlers are one step away from foreclosure on their home and on the verge of bankruptcy.

Art is still deeply in love with Marion and he has convinced her to spend Valentine's weekend in the honeymoon suite of the poshest Indian casino on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.  While revisiting the local sights as they did on their honeymoon decades ago and enjoying lavish dinners together, Art has a simple sink-or-swim plan for the weekend.  He has withdrawn all of their remaining money to try to win enough to get their lives back on track financially at the high stakes roulette table and, at the same time, repair their marriage.

Like LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER, Stewart O'Nan's characters in THE ODDS tug at your heartstrings.  In this wonderfully written and poignant tale, the author brings Art and Marion to life in a touching story of love, hope and redemption.  O'Nan creates beauty in the everyday and THE ODDS is a delightful book...not to be missed!

ISBN 978-0-670-02316-5
Pub. Date:  January 2012
192 pages
Penguin Group

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

JOY FOR BEGINNERS

by Erica Bauermeister - just released

Now that Kate has completed her cancer treatment and is in recovery, her daughter Robin reveals that she has booked Kate for a white-water rafting trip to celebrate. 
Kate's first reaction is to decline.  But when Kate's six close friends, who have been her stalwart supporters throughout her illness, gather together to celebrate Kate's recovery, Kate challenges each of them. 

In 'pay-it-forward' style, Kate has agreed to conquer her own fear of rafting if each of her friends is willing to do something they don't want to do and conquer their own fear.  The catch is that Kate gets to choose the challenge for each of them. 

We follow Caroline, Marion, Sara, Daria, Hadley and Ava as they each face the one thing they feared the most and learn about each of them along the way, as well as the bond these women have with each other.

A little predictable, JOY FOR BEGINNERS is light women's fiction. 

Pub. Date June 2011
ISBN 978-0-399-15712-7
288 pages
Hardcover and eBook

BURIED PREY - Lucas Davenport Series No. 21

by John Sandford

Two young girls disappeared in the '80s and their bodies were never recovered; until now.  When an older house is demolished to make way for a new condo development, the girls' mummified remains are discovered.

Lucas Davenport was just a young rookie working the case when the girls first went missing.  Twenty-five years later he's back on the case and determined to solve it this time.

Let me preface this by saying that I've read almost every book John Sandford has written, including the ones starring that "effing Virgil Flowers".  And I've enjoyed most of Sandford's books immensely.

BURIED PREY is a solid mystery, but the annoying young Lucas Davenport presented in the flashbacks to the original case detracts from the story line.  He's arrogant, self-centered and a bit of a dandy.  Lucky for us he grew up to be such an intelligent likable character or Sandford may not have had so many fans for his PREY novels.

Pub. Date May 2011
ISBN 978-0-399-15738-7
400 Pages
Hardcover and eBook

THE OTHER LIFE

by Ellen Meister - just released in hardcover and as an eBook

When Quinn's artist mother was pregnant with her, she attempted suicide.  Because of this very close brush with death, baby Quinn was born with an unusual ability; she knew there was another Quinn living a different life and that she could identify the "portals" to reach the other side.  Throughout the years, her mother protected her from reaching through these portals. 

Fast forward thirty-odd years and Quinn Braverman is a young married mother with one child and another on the way. After undergoing tests, she and and husband Lewis are faced with the horrible choice of terminating the pregnancy or giving birth to a severely disabled child.  Quinn's mother had finally succumbed to her depression and died of an overdose, and Quinn desperately wants to talk to her mother about her baby.

Quinn finally uses the "portal"; a crack in the wall in her basement laundry room to visit the road not taken when she left her self-centered, neurotic lover for Lewis.  On the other side, her mother hasn't chosen suicide and Quinn is still with her ex-boyfriend, living a sophisticated urban life.  Coming back through the portal to her life with Lewis and her son is more difficult each time Quinn goes through the portal to the other side, and Quinn has to finally face which life is more real and important to her.

Who wouldn't want to be able to view the fork in the road of life we didn't take?  But Meister's trite treatment of this subject as well as a selfish protagonist who uses a crack in a cement wall to escape the difficulties she and her husband are facing is more than silly.  Especially since Quinn always seems to get back to reality before her young son's school bus arrives. 

THE OTHER LIFE tries to straddle the line between serious women's fiction and the supernatural and ultimately fails at both.  Save your money and skip this one.

ISBN 978-0-399-15713-4
320 pages

LIVE WIRE - Myron Bolitar Series No. 10

by Harlan Coben - Just released in hardcover and as an eBook

Celebrity agent Myron Bolitar and his friend Windsor Horne Lockwood III (Win) are back in this new mystery from Harlan Coben. 

In this latest installment, Myron is visited by a very pregnant Suzze Tervantino.  One of Myron's first clients, Suzze wants him to help her locate her rock star husband Lex Ryder, as well as find out who left a damaging message on her facebook page.

Bolitar's investigation takes him to a Manhattan nightclub where he catches a glimpse of his estranged sister-in-law Kitty.  Myron hasn't seen Kitty or his brother Brad in sixteen years and is determined to find a way to reconnect.  Suzze and Kitty were budding tennis stars together years ago and Myron is quickly immersed in a deadly investigation that includes both women as well as ties to organized crime.  As usual, blueblood Win has Myron's back and is more than willing to use physical or deadly force to protect his friend. 

Along with his investigation, Myron is dealing with a very ill father and a belligerent teenaged nephew he's never met before.  Seriously involved with the woman he plans to spend his life with, it seems that Coben might have different plans for his characters in the future. 

I've been a longtime fan of Harlan Coben and have read and enjoyed all ten of the Bolitar novels.  His seamless writing and intricate plots make his books a total pleasure to read.

ISBN 978-0-525-95206-0
384 pages

HEADS YOU LOSE

by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward - to be released April 2011

Paul and Lacey Hanson are orphaned siblings in their twenties, living together and supporting themselves by growing and selling marijuana.  They bicker about anything and everything, but one thing they agree on; because of their illegal activities, they can't call the sheriff when a headless corpse shows up on their property.  They move the body to a place they're sure it will be found pretty quickly but won't be connected to them.

When the headless corpse reappears on their front lawn, Lacey and Paul embark on their own investigation, each going off in their own direction.  In typical Lutz style, the humor increases as the bodies pile up.

HEADS YOU LOSE is a fun read even if it were just your average quirky mystery, but it's not.  The format for the collaboration between former lovers Lutz and Hayward gives this one a whole new spin.  Their plan to co-author this book together is for Lutz to write the first and all odd numbered chapters and Hayward to write the even numbered chapters, without the benefit of outlining or discussing the plot.  Neither could undo the other's chapter content.  After each chapter, they've provided their critiques and responses, evidencing an escalating battle of wills to determine the direction the story will take and which characters will be killed off.  Their humorous repartee sent me to Google to see if they've reunited romantically, because they sounded like every married couple on the planet who ever decided to do a lengthy project together, kicking and screaming all the way! 

All in all, it's a fun read with a new spin.  If you're already of fan of the Spellman series, you won't be disappointed with this light-hearted mystery.

STRATEGIC MOVES - Stone Barrington Series No. 19

by Stuart Woods - available in bookstores or as an eBook

Stuart Woods is back with a new Stone Barrington mystery.  As usual, money just seems to fall into attorney Barrington's lap.  He now has an offer for a partnership plus a million dollar bonus from the law firm he's of counsel to for bringing in a major new client, Strategic Services. He's just inherited a small jet from the deceased former CEO of Strategic Services, and all of this on top of the apartment and house he's inherited in past Stuart Woods' novels.  Barrington is joined by his former NYPD partner Dino Bachetti, and Lance Cabot of the CIA for his almost nightly dinner at the very upscale Elaine's Restaurant in NYC.  There's never any mention of a check, so one can only assume that Stone pays for everyone every night.  Has Woods stretched the credibility factor far enough for you yet?   No, you say?  Then just wait until you get to the plot of STRATEGIC MOVES.

Stone finds himself in the middle of what appears to be a Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme as well as flying with members of Strategic and the CIA on a whirlwind trip to Iraq and Europe to covertly extract an arms merchant, which trip ends in the extractee escaping from the CIA by parachuting from the jet at 18,000 feet while sitting inside of a Mercedes sedan!  To top it off, the Mercedes conveniently smashes down into someone's pool, damaging some landscaping.  I would have thought that an object weighing just shy of 5,000 pounds would do a lot more damage than a little displaced water.  Almost forgot, through all of these escapades, the CIA learns the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.  All along the way, Barrington picks up stray clients and stray lovers.

Despite the incredible fantasy life Mr. Woods has invented for Stone Barrington, I thoroughly enjoyed STRATEGIC MOVES.  It was easy-peasy reading and a nice way to spend an afternoon.

SECRETS TO THE GRAVE

by Tami Hoag - available in bookstores and eBook

"My daddy hurt my mommy", a very young girl told the 911 operator.  When the police arrived at the home, they found artist Marissa Fordham brutally murdered and her daughter Haley lying on her mother's body, badly injured but still alive.  It looks like an open and shut case if they can locate Haley's father, but no one knows who Haley's father is and the police can't find a birth certificate.

SECRETS TO THE GRAVE is a sequel to DEEPER THAN THE DEAD by the same author.  Child Advocate Ann Leone, who was the victim of a killer in Hoag's previous book, and her husband, former FBI Agent Vince Leone, take custody of Haley while the police search for the child's relatives. 

Unfortunately for lead Det. Tony Mendez, Marissa was a single mother and Haley called every man in her mother's life daddy which creates an ever increasing suspect list. The investigation reaches a roadblock when no one can find anything about Marissa before her move to this small California town; it's as if she never existed.  The hope is that Marissa's best friend can provide some background, but she quickly goes missing.

I figured out fairly early on who "daddy" was but Ms. Hoag throws so many protagonists into the mix (including a very troubled adolescent who was a student of Mrs. Leone's when she was a teacher) that it's almost exhausting to read SECRETS TO THE GRAVE all the way through.  If you're already a fan of Ms. Hoag's books, you'll probably enjoy this one.  If, like me, you haven't read anything by her before, this isn't the book to start with.  I felt like I had arrived at the dance just as the band was packing up to leave.

BREACH OF TRUST

by David Ellis - to be released February 2011

BREACH OF TRUST is a continuation of the story begun in THE HIDDEN MAN.  Jason Kolarich is remarried with a new family having recovered the the deaths of his first wife and daughter in a tragic accident.  Previously a prosecutor, Jason finds himself embroiled in the affairs of the same Chicago politicos, but this time as a defense attorney.

One of his contacts in THE HIDDEN MAN was murdered and Jason feels responsible.  While doing his own investigation, he is quickly coerced by U.S. Attorney Chris Moody and the FBI to work undercover to expose local government corruption.   Kolarich finally agrees, but only on his own terms and is soon running from the same people he's trying to ensnare.

BREACH OF TRUST is a stand-alone book; you don't need to have read THE HIDDEN MAN first but you might like to.  David Ellis has written another good, solid legal thriller.

A STRANGER LIKE YOU

by Elizabeth Brundage - available in bookstores

Hugh Waters is a mess. Unhappily married and working at a dead end job as an insurance underwriter in New Jersey, Hugh Waters suddenly had a bright future; Gladiator Films bought his screenplay for enough money to fuel his fantasies of a better life. But just as quickly, everything changed for the worse for Hugh when the executive producer passed away and was replaced by Hedda Chase. Chase has decided she's finished with violent and sexist movie scripts and axes Hugh's script, sending him a vitriolic letter that sends him into a tailspin.

After Waters receives Chase's missive, he travels from New Jersey to LA to confront her and prove her wrong. Not getting the response he wants, he acts out his screenplay by kidnapping Hedda, locking her in the trunk of her car and leaving her at LAX long term parking with the keys in the ignition and walks away leaving her to chance.

Reminiscent of the movie "CRASH", Brundage weaves narratives by Waters, Chase, a teenage runaway and a troubled young soldier just home from Iraq and working as a parking lot attendant at LAX. While you hold your breath waiting to find out Hedda's fate, Hugh insinuates himself into her life and social circle.

The novel explodes when the characters intersect in this terrific and quirky thriller. I'll definitely be reading Brundage's previous books.

THE HELP

by Kathryn Stockett - available in harcover

I loved this book by first time author, Kathryn Stockett. Her characterizations of wealthy white families and their black nannies and house cleaners are wonderful.

Having just graduated from college, Skeeter returns home to Mississippi and finds herself awakening to the disparity between the races. Her growing discomfort with the status quo and her tentative friendships with some of the black homeworkers, specifically Minnie, lead her down a very unexpected path.

Stockett brings us a splendid story of the struggles of the women of both races as they begin to deal with the moral issues of the era as well as wealth versus poverty.

The beauty of this novel is the strength these women find in themselves and each other.

SYLVAN STREET

by Deborah Schupack - to be released May 25, 2010

I liked the premise of this book. Five families, comprised of nine people, stumble upon a briefcase full of cash (over a million dollars) at their annual pool party on Sylvan Street. Schupack's novel chronicles their reactions to their windfall as well as how it affects their immediate futures.

The only problem is that the author presents the reader with character vignettes that are left hanging and never revisited which makes the story feel incomplete. She also introduced a subplot which doesn't add anything to the story and just seems like filler. Cute idea but not a great read.

HELL GATE (Alexandra Cooper Series #12)

by Linda Fairstein - available in hardcover

Head of the Sex Crimes Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Alexandra Cooper, is back with her team and this time they're investigating human trafficking. Working together with Det. Mike Chapman and Det. Mercer Wallace, they discover that the recent shipwreck filled with illegals has ties to the sex scandal of one of their congressmen and leads directly to City Hall.

Interwoven with the storyline, Linda Fairstein once again gives us a glimpse of New York City's history. This newest adventure takes the reader through the historic mansions of the city, including Gracie Mansion, the governor's residence, and the history of Hell Gate. Who knew that the East River is actually a strait?

The author obviously loves New York and shares her curiosity about the city with us. As a bonus, she never forgets to include the friendly wagers that Coop, Mike and Mercer bet each other on the final Jeopardy question whenever they're near a television.

Ms. Fairstein has written another intelligent multi-layered mystery that's fun to read. Loved it!