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

CHILDREN AND FIRE

by Ursula Hegi

Thekla Janson is a young school teacher in Burgdorf, Germany during the early days of Hitler's rise to power.  A caring and gifted teacher, she has a sweet disposition and finds something lovable in even the most annoying of her ten-year-old students.  They, in turn, love her dearly.

Janson has taken over the class from Ilse Abramowitz, a Jew.  Janson revered her old teacher and thinks about her often, but doesn't visit, fearful of repercussions.  She has no real affinity for the wave of patriotism permeating her country, yet encourages her students to become members of the "Hiltler Jugend" or Hitler Youth for the camaraderie and friendship.  Thekla is aware of the dramatic changes in Germany, but adopts a "go along to get along" attitude and is able to hide her head in the sand and continue with life as she wants it to be, both for herself and her students.

But there's so much more to this latest book from Hegi.  Janson is just a symbol of how fear and propaganda, fomented by Hitler, eroded the moral fabric of Germany, one person or one child at a time.  It's only when Janson discovers a secret in her own family that she begins to open her eyes and see the horrors for herself.

A number of years ago I read STONES FROM THE RIVER by the same author.  That book, like this one, stayed with me.  Hegi has a quiet, intelligent and understated writing style, yet still manages to vividly convey the chilling reality of her characters' lives and the insidious erosion of family, freedom and humanity in the landscape of Nazi Germany.  CHILDREN AND FIRE is another unforgettable book from Ursula Hegi, not to be missed.

ISBN 978-1-451-60829-8
Pub. Date:  May 2011
288 pages
Hardcover and eBook

PRECIOUS OBJECTS: A Story of Diamonds, Family, and a Way of Life

by Alicia Oltuski - just released

Precious Objects is an inside look at the diamond industry. Ms. Oltuski's family has long been involved in the diamond trade, both in NYC and Europe.

From the mines in South Africa to Nazi Germany to the streets of New York, the author takes the reader on a decades-long and fascinating journey.

Focused mainly on the 47th Street diamond district, the author details transactions ranging from original handshake deals right up to the age of the internet and its impact on the diamond trade.  We learn of the birth of the Rapaport Diamond Report and are introduced to a fascinating cast of characters, as well as the dangers of their chosen occupation.

Nonfiction, Precious Objects reads like a novel and is a delight to read.  Ms. Oltuski deftly weaves her rich family history into the fabric of the diamond trade.

 ISBN 978-141-654512-5           
Pub. Date: July 2011
368 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

DECEPTIONS

by Rebecca Frayn - May 3, 2011 release date

Julian has moved in with single mother Annie and her two children, Dan and Rachel.  Used to living on his own, Julian is trying to blend into the chaos of Annie's world as well as win over twelve year old Dan.  Before their bonding can even begin, Dan fails to return home from school one day and no one knows where he is.

DECEPTIONS deals with the terrible struggle of a mother trying to cope with the loss of a child and her desperate hope that he will be found.  As Julian tries to help Annie accept Dan's disappearance, she sinks deeper into herself, creating cracks in an already fragile relationship.

When Annie receives a call three years later that her son has been found, she finally begins to put her life back together.  Julian is less sure that the young man is really Dan and he walks a fine line trying to find out the truth and not lose Annie in the process. 

Based on a true story, DECEPTIONS is a glimpse at the horror of having a child go missing.   Unfortunately for the reader, Frayn's writing and characters are not strong enough to carry this very serious subject. 

ISBN 978-1-4391-9369-7
288 pages

FULL DARK, NO STARS

by Stephen King - available in bookstores and eBook

I've been a Stephen King fan since he wrote his first book many, many years ago.  He lost me for a while when he wrote THE DARK TOWER series, but I couldn't leave him for long and returned when that series was over. 

FULL DARK, NO STARS is a wonderful quartet of stories with just a tiny touch of the supernatural as only King can do.

First up is 1922, the story of a farmer who enlists his son's help to murder his wife to keep her land.  This was my least favorite of the four stories, but was still excellent.

My favorite, BIG DRIVER is the story of Tess, a middle aged novelist, who is raped and left for dead on her way home from a book signing.  Her quest for revenge is pure Stephen King!

In A GOOD MARRIAGE, King explores the reactions of an ordinary woman who discovers that her husband of many years is a monster who has committed unspeakable crimes. What should she do, and while reading this chilling story, the better question is, what would you do if you made this discovery?

FAIR EXTENSION is a frightening tale of a desperately ill and unhappy man who makes a deal with the devil to have the life and success he wants, but only if he is willing to inflict pain and suffering on someone he hates.

King finds the darkest place in all of us and magnifies our worst fantasies; spinning them into chilling and unforgettable tales.

FULL DARK, NO STARS is Stephen King at his absolute best!

STILL ALICE

by Lisa Genova - available in bookstores and eBook

LEFT NEGLECTED, Ms. Genova's new novel, had such an impact on me that I went back to read STILL ALICE, her first novel.

Alice Howland is a professor at Harvard with a hectic, vibrant life when she begins to experience memory problems.  When she becomes disoriented in her own town, she consults her doctor, fearing a brain tumor.  To her shock, she is diagnosed with early Alzheimer's. 

Written from the patient's point of view, STILL ALICE is a look into the frightening changes Alice experiences and how the disease begins to define her life as well as the lives of her husband and children.  It's a strong reminder that beneath the increasing memory loss episodes, she is still Alice, a wife, a mother and a warm, intelligent woman.

If you're looking for something to read that's outside of your usual comfort zone, I highly recommend Ms. Genova's books.  While Ms. Genova's writing is not as finely tuned in this, her first novel, like LEFT NEGLECTED, it is an amazing story.

NOTE:  Visit my December 5, 2010 blog entry to see my review of LEFT NEGLECTED.

GRAVITY - First book I read on my new eReader

by Tess Gerritsen - available in bookstores

GRAVITY is the first book I downloaded to my new ereader.  First, because I like Gerritsen's books and second, because I find it really easy to become engrossed in her tales.  I thought this would be a good test for me to see if I could adjust to this format for reading.

Well, I'm happy to say that I adjusted very quickly as I became engrossed in Gerritsen's story and soon forgot that I was holding a small electronic device rather than a printed book, at least until the battery needed recharging.

There's one thing I have to add before actually reviewing GRAVITY.  I read everywhere, no matter what I'm doing, even if I'm cooking.  The serious advantage of my new Pandigital is that I don't have to feel terrible if a spot of maple syrup or tomato sauce finds its way to the page, unlike printed books.  I can now prop my ereader up right next to the stove while I wait for the spaghetti water to boil, just not too close.  Now on to GRAVITY....

Dr. Emma Watson is an astronaut as well as a medical doctor.  She's scheduled to go up with the next team for a lengthy stay on the space station, acting as a researcher as well as the team's physician.  But there has been a cross-contamination on the space station and the crew has been exposed. 

Emma quickly finds herself on the next shuttle and faces the fight of her life to not only save the crew, but to 
also keep herself from being exposed to this deadly contagion. NASA faces the additional problem of choosing between astronaut safety and not allowing this deadly new mutation to infect the earth.

When Emma is exposed and becomes sick, her husband, Jack McCallum, who is also part of the space program, works hard to find a way to save her and bring her home.
 
Ms. Gerritsen's books are fun and quick to read and GRAVITY doesn't fail.

EDGE

by Jeffery Deaver - to be released November 2010

Corte, a federal protection officer known as a shepherd, is assigned to protect DC Detective Ryan Kessler.  The government has information that Kessler has been targeted by Henry Loving, someone Corte has crossed paths with before on another case and believed was dead.  Loving is a "lifter", hired by someone else to get information or to keep someone from testifying.  Corte's assignment is to keep Kessler and his family out of harm's way, no matter what it takes.

I like Jeffery Deaver's books.  He writes intricate and intelligent thrillers, but this one felt more than a little tired. The characters in EDGE play the same game of cat and mouse we've come to recognize in his Lincoln Rhyme series.  His villian, Henry Loving, is so wily and cunning, it's impossible to believe he doesn't have supernatural powers.  Corte is a board game afficiondo with a knack for solving problems and uses these skills to stay one step ahead of Loving, barely.  But as bright and insightful as Corte appears to be, it takes him until almost the end of the book to figure out just which of the Kesslers Henry Loving is targeting and why.

HEALER

by Carol Cassella - available in bookstores now

Claire and Addison Boehning meet and marry just as their careers are beginning. Claire is quickly sidelined by a complicated pregnancy before she can complete her medical residency, but Addison's star is rapidly rising with his invention of a test for ovarian cancer. Soon wealthy beyond their wildest dreams, it seems that life is perfect for the Boehnings and Claire adjusts to being a stay-at-home Mom.

When Addison risks everything trying to produce a cancer drug that is terribly flawed with dubious test results, their lives and fortunes very quickly change. Claire moves with their fourteen year old daughter to the run-down summer home they intended to fix up and with her limited certification, begins work at a nonprofit clinic dealing with indigent and immigrant farm workers. She soon makes a terrible discovery that threatens the livelihood of the clinic as well as her family's future.

While this book is pleasant enough to read, Ms. Cassella's portrayal of Addision as a self-deluded dreamer and Claire as the hard working and diligent cornerstone of her family, makes HEALER not only formulaic but also predictable.