The Affair by Lee Child

Reading a Jack Reacher novel is about exciting as one can get. In this latest entry by Child, Jack moves back in time to the year 1997. He is still in the army and he's a mean son of a gun.

He's been asked to go undercover to try to determine what is happening at an army base in Mississippi. He is bent on finding out everything he can but when he arrives he realizes there is much more happening than meets the eye.

The local sherriff is very involved in everything that's going on and she and Jack begin working together to unlock the mystery. In the end it's about a conspiracy at the highest level.

Child keeps the reader guessing as to who is the mastermind. When all is said and done, we may not be so surprised after all.

For readers of the Jack Reacher novels--this is a must!

Ladybookbug!

Lethal by Sandra Brown

As fast-paced as the tv series "24", Ms. Browns new novel is comparable. Honor Gillete, widow of a local police officer is taken aback when a man is discovered by her four year old daughter lying face down in her front yard.

Lee Coburn is a force to be reckoned with. He is the subject of a state-wide man hunt, having allegedly murdered seven people he is on the run and decides to take Honor and her daughter hostage, but not before ramsacking the entire house in search for something that her late husband had.

And so begins a consumate thriller with Coburn and Honor tracking across the countryside, one step ahead of the people that are searching for them. The local police and the FBI are also involved in the manhunt.

This entry will keep you reading on, just coming up for a breath of fresh air now and again. The makings of a great movie.

Ladybookbug!

In The Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Erik Larson is one of those authors who can take a historic happening and create an interesting story. His other titles include Devil in the White City and Isaacs Storm, both of which are wonderfully written. This latest entry is no different.

We are taken back to the year 1933 when Hitler was rising to power in Germany. The story takes place primarily in Berlin. William Dodd has been appointed as United States Ambassador and moves with his family to the city. Many of us are well-read on the subject but Mr. Larson takes us there from a different perspective. Readers will become immersed in the day to day activities of an ambassador, his family, and the rise of the Third Reich.

I believe all of Mr. Larson's work should be required reading for high school students. His work would go a long way toward inspiring students to read more about the historic subjects he has chosen.

Whether or not you are a history buff--you will learn something from In the Garden of Beasts

Ladybookbug!

The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams

This is the first work I have read by this author. More than likely I will try her again. My complaint with it was that it was a bit too graphic for me.

I did like the heroine, Keye Street, a former FBI profiler who has been enlisted by the Atlanta Police Department to help in solving a series of murders that have all the earmarks of a serial killer.

As Keye becomes more embroiled with the murders, she begins to realize that the killer is closer than she thought and she must be ever vigilant for the next strike.

A well written foray into the mind and actions of a serial killer. If you are into thrillers that keep you guessing until the end--this one's for you!

Ladybookbug!

I’ll Walk Alone by Mary Higgins Clark

I have read EVERY book this author has written. Some have been great and others just lukewarm. This is one falls in between.

Zan, short for Alexandra Moreland is a successful interior decorator. She discovers that someone is getting into her credit card accounts and bank accounts and doing a considerable amount of damage in the process.

Zan is also the mother of Matthew who was abducted from his stroller while being babysat in a park. She is tormented by his memory and believes he is still alive although she has no evidence to the contrary.

Though not exactly thriller quality, it is an okay read. If you’re happy with a light foray into identity theft and kidnapping, you’ll not want to miss this one. I did not figure out who the culprit was until late in the book.

Ladybookbug!