DEAR STEPHEN KING

Dear Stephen King,

First and foremost, I'd like to say how very much I enjoyed your new book, FINDERS KEEPERS.  In this latest thriller, Bellamy is the perfect creepy fan of  John Rothstein, while Pete Saubers is portrayed as a nicely obsessive one.  Black and white hats and who will win?   Certainly not Rothstein.

What can I say about your books overall that you haven't already heard, except that I've loved almost all of them.  You were the first (and only) author I ever wrote to and that was way back in the early '80s;  just to compliment you and ask you to write faster.  I never heard back from you but I didn't expect to.   I love books and I love reading and your books are always at the top of my list.

Sometimes an author writes something that just zings to my heart and forces me to share the thought with friends.  FINDERS KEEPERS had that special paragraph that felt like it was written just for me.  To wit, "

"For readers, one of life's most electrifying discoveries is that they are readers--not just capable of doing it, but in love with it.  Hopelessly.  Head over heels.  The first book that does that is never forgotten, and each page seems to bring a fresh revelation, one that burns and exalts:  Yes!  That's how it is!  Yes!  I saw that, too!  And, of course, That's what I think!  That's what I FEEL!"  

ZING!  And I immediately knew what the book was that made me fall in love!  GOOFY MRS. GOOSE by Miriam Clark Potter.  It's also the reason I make yearly donations to the Newark Public Library.

My family never had any money, so there weren't going to be any summer camps or outings in our future.  On the first day of summer vacation from school, my brother and I took a friend's little red wagon to the branch library on Bergen Street in Newark, New Jersey.  I was about seven years' old and Bob was probably nine.  The very kind librarian told us we could each take ten books for the summer.  HA!  What did she know??!!  One of the books I borrowed was GOOFY MRS. GOOSE.  That was it!  I was hooked!  These weren't nicely colored Golden Books.  These were black and white with illustrations by the author, with more words than drawings, but Ms. Potter unlocked a whole new life for me!  One that used my imagination!  I raced through all ten books in a week, as did my brother, and off we headed to return our allotment and borrow more.

The librarian was fairly shocked that we returned so quickly, but I just had to get more of Mrs. Goose and her friends.  Three-Ducks, Mrs. Squirrel, Black Cat and Old Lady Owl, just to name a few.  Oh my, I felt like I had just discovered my new family!  A beautiful family who always helped Goofy Mrs. Goose out of her latest quandary with kindness and humor.  I could escape my own family's poverty, arguments and unhappiness and spend my time in Animaltown that summer.  And so, I was hooked on Mrs. Goose, but even more hooked on reading, and I have spent the better part of the last sixty years doing just that!

I'm now the proud owner of ten of the MRS. GOOSE series written by Ms. Potter.  They're in fair to miserable condition being library castoffs for the most part. But to me they are my prized possessions!

So, thank you, Mr. King, for reaching my heart and reminding me why I started this blog in the first place.  It's been my great pleasure to spend time with your books over the years.

Very truly yours, A Constant Reader

ISBN:  978-1501100079  
Pub. Date - June 2, 2015
448 pages
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

IRON HOUSE

by John Hart

Abandoned by their mother, young Michael and Julian spent their childhood in an horrific orphanage and boys' home called Iron House.  Michael is the stronger and more resilient of the two and he becomes his brother's protector.  When Julian is bullied unmercifully and finally snaps and kills one of his attackers, Michael makes it appear that he felled the bully.  Michael runs away from Iron House and begins his new life on the streets while Julian is adopted into a good home.

In his early teens, Michael is taken in by Otto Kaitlin, a NYC crime boss, and he begins his life as an enforcer, rising in the ranks by doing as he's told and killing when needed.  But Michael meets and falls in love with Elena who doesn't know what he does.  Now that Elena is pregnant, he wants a normal life with his new family.

Although Michael has the blessing to start his life over from the ill and aged Kaitlin, others in the organization won't let that happen.  Michael knows that the mob will go after those closest to him in order to keep him in line and he's doing everything he can to protect both Elena and Julian, who he hasn't been in contact with since he left Iron House.

Adopted by a career politician and his wife, Julian has become a famous author despite suffering with a mental illness.  The skeletons in Julian's adoptive family's closets add to the stress Michael is under in trying to keep his loved ones safe and Elena at his side.

Hart has written an epic story of family love couched in a thriller.  IRON HOUSE is an enjoyable read.

Pub. Date - July 11, 2011
ISBN 978-0-312-38034-2
432 pages
Available in hardcover, audio and eBook

THE FUND

by H.T. Narea - to be released May 2011

In this near-future thriller, Narea takes us on a journey of Islamic terrorists plotting numerous assaults on the United States and the West with the use of dirty bombs in an attempt to change global economics forever. Frighteningly realistic, THE FUND follows the money trail of funding for these assaults. 

Kate Molares, a U.S. Defense intelligence operative, is assigned to follow the money.  Kate is working with all of her government contacts to piece together what the large money exchanges represent, trying to discover how the money is being used. Using her resources, she stumbles upon a serum being tested in Cuba that's designed to create super warriors willing to die for their causes. 

Molares is reunited with her college lover, Nebibi Hasehm, neither realizing just how much on opposite sides they are.  Hasehm is on a quest to create an Islamic money fund that will provide the necessary funding for the terrorists' plans.  The countries backing these terrorist acts include Cuba and Venezuela, as well as Muslim extremists. 

In this race against time, Narea's sweeping novel keeps the reader on the edge of the seat wondering if all of the pieces of this puzzle will fit together before the world is changed forever.  Intricate and exciting, THE FUND is going to be the beach read of 2011!

ISBN 978-0-7653-2890-8 464 pages

THE ATHENA PROJECT

by Brad Thor - available in hardcover and as an eBook

Delta Force created THE ATHENA PROJECT, the code name for their all female, top-secret operatives.  Selected for their intelligence and athletic abilities, not to mention their incredible beauty and impressive measurements, these four women can apparently overpower even the most trained terrorists while wearing evening gowns. 

Following a deadly terrorist attack in Rome, the four are dispatched to find and capture the arms dealer who supplied the weapons.  They eventually follow the trail of a transporter device invented by the Nazis that can supposedly transport bombs through a portal (think time travel).  Unknown to the Delta quartet, the US government wants to install this transporter in the secret underground facility they've built below the Denver Airport.  Along the way, the gals are able to covertly enter any country they choose, chasing after and annihilating international bad guys without so much as chipping their nail polish. 

It was surprising that one of the fabulous four had the same name and nickname as the main character from another well known mystery writer's books.

Friends have told me for quite a while that I should try one of Thor's books, but I guess I picked the wrong one to start with.  Reminiscent of CHARLIE'S ANGELS, this is a silly, silly book with a terrible plot.

ISBN 978-1-4391-9295-5
322 pages - Published November 2010

HOUSE DIVIDED, A Joe DeMarco Thriller

by Mike Lawson - to be released July 2011

Although the National Security Agency was caught wiretapping U.S. citizens without warrants and the government called a halt to this practice, it doesn't mean it's not still happening.  If anything, it's now handled more clandestinely.

NSA, still operating illegally, records what seems to be a rogue military group murdering two Americans.  Since they're not supposed to be working without warrants, they can't do anything with the information they've uncovered without  finding another way to disclose what happened. 

Enter Joe DiMarco, a fixer for the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  When Paul Russo is the victim of what appears to be a random murder, the FBI quickly takes the case away from the police.  Joe DiMarco is pulled into Russo's murder because he's a distant cousin. 

The more DiMarco delves into Russo's life and tries to settle Russo's affairs, the more convinced he is that everything is wrong with the picture the FBI is painting of Russo.  When he learns that Russo stumbled upon some very damaging information about high level military personnel and with the Speaker out of commission, DiMarco follows the trail all the way to the top as the bodies pile up.  As DiMarco tracks the people involved, members of the NSA are tracking him, leading to an explosive ending.

HOUSE DIVIDED is a good political thriller.

DELIRIOUS

by Daniel Palmer - available in bookstores and eBook

Charlie Giles and his partner created software for an automobile entertainment system.  Following his partner's suicide, Charlie's company was purchased by SoluCent and he continues to work on his software in his new capacity with them.  SoluCent is on the cusp of selling InVision to GM which will make Charlie wealthy beyond his dreams.

Approached by Anne Pedersen, a SoluCent employee, he learns that his boss is going to veto the GM sale.  When he confronts Jerry Schmidt in a high level meeting, everything begins to go awry.  He's suddenly out of a job, his mother has suffered a stroke and he's forced to move in with his schizophrenic brother.  When  Charlie begins to evidence symptoms of the same disease, is he just paranoid or is someone really out to get him?

DELIRIOUS is muddled, drawn out and has a seriously disappointing ending despite Mr. Palmer's intriguing storyline in this debut novel.

KILLER INSTINCT - Charlie Fox Series No. 1

by Zoe Sharp - available in bookstores

Charlie Fox teaches self defense to women in a small city in England.  When her friend drags her along to a new club for karaoke, Charlie finds herself using her skills to fend off another patron in the club, which doesn't go unnoticed by the club's owner, Marc Quinn.  He quickly offers her a security job at his club.

The same patron is found brutally murdered and Charlie is drawn into the investigation as more women she's been in contact with turn up dead.  Even as her relationship with Marc is heating up, she's convinced that the murderer is someone connected with his club but can't seem to communicate with the police because of her own background.

KILLER INSTINCT was only okay.  It's one of those stories where the main character keeps putting herself at risk; going to places alone that she shouldn't and confronting people who are dangerous without any backup.  The author has given Charlie Fox supernatural self-defense skills and a very stunted personality with too much anger that makes her more annoying than engaging.

You might want to skip this one.

KILLER

by Dave Zeltserman - available in bookstores

This noir mystery is the third of Zeltserman's "felon out of prison" trilogy. Originally published in the UK, it was released in paperback here this year.

Despite public outrage, mob hitman, Leonard March, is released from prison after servicing fourteen years, having cut a deal and ratting out mafia boss Salvatore Lombard.  While in prison, his wife passed away and his three children want nothing to do with him. 

Convinced that he'll be targeted by Lombard's crew, March returns to Waltham, Massachusetts, to face whatever is coming.  Working as a janitor while being hounded by the media, he's befriended by Sophie Duval, a young woman interested in his story and everything begins to heat up.

KILLER is written with two concurrent story lines; March's past and present.  Since it was already clear that he was a hitman and had murdered 28 people, you could almost skip over the "past" sections unless you want the gory details.  The chapters of the past just felt like filler the author used to turn what actually is a great short story into a very pricey and slim paperback.

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.

CURE

by Robin Cook - available in bookstores

Part medical mystery, part police mystery and part lecture on America's health care industry, CURE may be the last Robin Cook book that I purchase.

The main character is NYC Medical Examiner Laurie Montgomery, just returning to work from maternity leave. Determined that her first case back is not going to be a "natural" death, she twists herself into a pretzel trying to find another cause. Her reactions and responses are silly and over the top; mostly she's just annoying.

CURE has weak characters, a far fetched winding plot about Japanese gangs, the most bungling Mafia I've ever seen in print and the biomedical industry.

The "cure" for this one is to save your money and buy something better to read.

GONE

by Mo Hayder - to be released in February 2011

Det. Jack Caffery is called out for a carjacking case when he discovers there was an eleven year old girl in the car at the time. With very few leads, he and his team are doing everything possible to find young Martha when there's another carjacking and this one also includes a young girl.

Police diver Flea Marley has had some serious problems which led to an estrangement from Jack. Because of her lack of leadership Flea's group has become disorganized and disjointed. Pulling herself and her team together, they start their own investigation into the carjackings hoping to not only find the missing girls but to also prove their dedication and improve her team's reputation.

When the "jacker" starts sending notes to the families of the missing girls the police realize this is a much different crime. As they find themselves racing to try to rescue the girls as well as prevent more kidnappings, they realize that the kidnapper knows exactly what they're doing and what their next moves will be. Caffery finds himself even more emotionally involved with the families because of the disappearance of his brother many years ago.

Since I had never read anything by Ms. Hayder before, it felt like this was a sequel to another of her books and that the background between Jack and Flea was missing. It took quite a while for all of the bits and pieces of the cause of the tension between them to surface, which made the story drag a little.

I liked this book and I enjoyed reading it but I'd recommend that you start with the previous Mo Hayder book so that you'd have the proper background for the protagonists' relationships.

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.

INSIDE OUT

by Barry Eisler - available in bookstores

Ninety-two classified CIA torture tapes are missing, stolen by Daniel Larison, a former black ops operator who is blackmailing the government. Meanwhile, black ops soldier Ben Treven is in a Manila jail after a deadly bar fight. He's visited by his former commander, Col. Scott Horton, who can get him released if he's willing to find and kill Daniel Larison and recover the tapes. The biggest concern is keeping even the knowledge of the tapes from the media and the public.

Ben's not the only one on a quest for the missing tapes, pitting him against the CIA, mercenaries and even the White House. He's matched step by step in his search by Paula Lanier, an FBI agent. Who will get to them first and who in the government is trying to keep this all quiet for their own reasons?

A former member of the CIA, Eisler has written a fast paced, and believable scenario reminiscent of the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up. You'll enjoy this one!

THE LION

by Nelson DeMille - available in hardcover

John Corey is back along with his partner, FBI Agent Kate Mayfield. But so is Asad Kahlil, a Libyan terrorist aka The Lion. Kahlil is on a personal mission to destroy those who killed his family or anyone he has a personal vendetta against, including Corey and Mayfield.

Kahlil is also working with a larger group to commit a large-scale terrorist attack. John and Kate must stop him to save innocent lives as well as themselves.

I like DeMille, but this book was only okay. John Corey's wisecracking mental dialogue becomes very tiresome very quickly. The bodies kept piling up while Asad manages to elude capture way longer than would be realistic. This wasn't DeMille's best work.

THE RULE OF NINE

by Steve Martini - available in hardcover

Paul Madriani and his associates have been threatened by the FEDS to not discuss anything about a nuclear explosion at the Coronado naval base. He's also being pursed by Liquida, a hit man, who's been hired to kill Paul so that a group of terrorists can reach their main target in Washington.

So far fetched as to be ridiculous, the bodies are stacking up as the threat tightens around Paul. He teams up with Joselyn Cole, a weapons control expert, to flesh out the details of the threat to himself, his associates and the real reason behind the attack on the Capital.

It's so disappointing when one of your favorite authors "goes off the rails". I don't know if it's me or if I've just been jaded by reading some really good mysteries in the past few months, but I thought this book was pretty bad.

CAUGHT

by Harlan Coben - available in hardcover

I'm a big fan of Harlan Coben's books, in part because he's a really good writer and in part because they're all set locally in NJ. I've read everything he's written and looked forward to this latest one.

I wish I could say CAUGHT was wonderful, but it wasn't.

His characterizations are still terrific, but there were so many twists and turns in this novel that it just seemed muddy. While Win (from Coben's Myron Bolitar series) plays a minor role, Coben introduces us to Wendy Tynes, a reporter for a tabloid news program, similar to the television show DATELINE. Based on an anonymous tip, Wendy has set up a fake persona in an online teen chat room to attract Dan Mercer, a suspected pedophile. But that's just the tip of the iceberg in this novel.

CAUGHT has an interesting theme that points out how easy it is to destroy someones reputation in the computer age. Unfortunately it was diluted by the inclusion of too many characters and too many plot lines, all leading up to an unsatisfying and unrealistic conclusion.

61 HOURS - Jack Reacher Series No. 14

by Lee Child - to be released in hardcover in May 2010

I've read every one of the novels in the Jack Reacher series and have never been disappointed. Surprising because Reacher's character is a total anomaly. He travels with no baggage, has no home or family, no friends and winds up wherever he winds up. He doesn't talk much and doesn't try to have relationships, but women always seem to fall right into his lap. He has his own code of honor and decency which makes him so likable.

In this latest Lee Child novel, Reacher is on a tour bus full of senior citizens in South Dakota in the middle of a raging winter snowstorm. The bus crashes and he finds himself totally immersed in trying to protect a local woman, Jane Salter, so that she can testify against the town's biker gang. The bikers are living just outside of town in a forgotten military installation and have ties to a Mexican drug cartel which ramps up the action. As the title states, the storyline takes 61 hours to reach its explosive conclusion. Don't want to give anything away, but the ending is a real cliffhanger!

I recently read that all of the Reacher novels have been optioned for movies. I can't read a Lincoln Ryhme novel (Jeffery Deaver) without hearing Denzel Washington's voice in my head so I hope they never bring these books to the big screen. It's wonderful to read them without having to put a face to the name.

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

by David Baldacci - to be released April 20, 2010

Two different groups are chasing Evan Waller; one to kill him for the horrors he committed in the Ukraine as a high ranking KGB officer and the other to bring him to justice because of atrocities he intends to commit. Both groups are planning to take him down in Provence, France and neither group knows about the other. Regina Campion is part of the European group chasing the former KGB officer and Shaw is the operative for the other mysterious group that seems to be based in America. When they discover each other and their plans fail, they combine forces to pursue Waller together.

I've always liked and purchased Baldacci's novels. DELIVER US FROM EVIL is very engaging and reads like a cold war era novel. However, as the story progresses, it reaches an unbelievable deadly game of cat and mouse. It just seems like Baldacci couldn't figure out how to end this book and the ending he gives us is disappointing and over the top.

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!