Harry Bosch agrees to investigate the death of Terry McCaleb (Blood Work) for his widow, Graciela McCaleb. He is soon reconnected with Rachel Walling and on the hunt for Richard Backus (The Poet). I read both of these previous novels (and saw the movie Blood Work) and although I would recommend reading these books because they are so good, I think this story can stand alone. Connelly gives enough background to set the stage for this story. And I really appreciate that he gets the reader up to speed without a lot of tedious details. Connelly cuts to the chase and what a chase it is! Suspense and action fill the pages from beginning to end. Michael Connelly finds just the right mix of beautiful prose and gritty reality. Harry Bosch is a complicated and interesting character. I've read all of the books in the Bosch series and Harry is still a mystery to me....as it should be. An excellent addition to the series and I look forward to the next glimpse into the fascinating world of Harry B.

Grace Lawson, suburban wife, artist and mother of two young children, finds an old photo in a pack of new pictures she picks up at the Photomat. One of the people in the picture looks like it might be her husband. Shortly after she shows the picture to her husband, he goes missing. In Coben's past novels his main characters have been men who have to do battle with evildoers. I was curious to see how he handled a woman as the hero. In past outings, Coben's male heroes bumble around, get lucky and save the day. Grace Lawson is considerably stronger and smarter. This makes for a more believable tale. Toward the end of the story, I thought the conclusion was going to be disappointing....too simple. But there were several surprising twists that made for a very satisfying ending. This was a fast paced and very entertaining read.

Vicky Lucci is the risk manager at Montmorency hospital in Denver Colorado. One day, Jena McClaren shows up in her office with a problem. The hospital has declared Miss McClaren to be dead. Vicky must sort out this problem and finds this mix up is just the tip of the iceberg. What follows are mysteries and intrigue involving drug experiments and murder. The pace of this story drags quite a bit in places. A little more action and less of Vicky Lucci's thought processes would have been nice. The characters were interesting and the dialog was good, but the story itself was just mediocre.

Lucas Davenport and his partner, Del Capslock, go to northern Minnesota to investigate the hanging death of a black man and a white woman. In the small rural town they find themselves in, they discover not only murder, but kidnapping and a car theft ring. The plot seems a little scattered at first, but comes together by the end of the book. Sandford's writing style and sparkling dialog carries the story when the plot seems to loose direction. The second half of the book was worth waiting for. Lots of action and surprising twists. Overall, a very good read.

In this, the second installment in the Liam Campbell series, Alaska State Trooper Campbell is investigating the deaths of a family on their fishing boat and the death of an assistant to an archeologist. It's been quite some time since I read the first Liam Campbell novel, but I had no trouble picking up the story. The first one third of this book was very good, but then the pace became a little uneven. Although the relationship between Liam and his girlfriend, Wy was enjoyable early on, towards the end it became tedious...interrupting the hoped for conclusion to the mysteries. The humor with which Liam faces life and the good plot twists toward the end saved this one from being a total wash. Maybe I have come to expect too much from Stabenow because her previous books have been so good.

It's been several years since I've read an Ann Rule book, but I remember liking her writing style. So, when this story didn't get off to a running start, I trusted Rule to have chosen an interesting story to tell and knew it would soon turn into a riveting tale. I was not disappointed. The cliché, "you can not make this stuff up", applies here. This is not a feel good story, but it's a very interesting read.

A murder takes place in Wyoming. A boy is on the run. Jessie Arnold has agreed to drive a motor home from Idaho to Alaska for the contractor who is building her new cabin. These two worlds collide on the highway and Jessie finds herself smack dab in the middle of trouble. There is less story involving her dogs in this one, although she does have her lead dog, Tank, with her. This story is more about the characters she meets on the road and they are an interesting bunch. There is a lot of scenic description, which Henry always does very well. This is a good story for readers interested in travel. Some of the chase scenes were riveting, but the mystery, itself, fell a little short.

Jessie Arnold, musher extraordinaire, is happily training her young Husky pups as spring approaches. She then hears from a neighbor of hers from ten years ago who is coming back to Alaska and needs her help. Then an arsonist strikes a local hangout. Jessie's cabin is the next target. Connections to her neighbor's past are revealed and Jessie is soon in fear for her life without knowing who she can trust to help her. Jessie Arnold is one of my favorite characters. She is strong, smart and capable. This is a well written, fast paced mystery with a good plot and interesting characters. My favorite parts of a Henry novel always involve Jessie's interaction with her dogs and there was plenty of that in this story...it's almost like being there in the middle of the pack! A very good read.

An intern to a California State senator goes missing. It turns out the senator was having an affair with her. Sound familiar? This story seems to be loosely based on the Gary Condit and Chandra Levy story. The narration jumps around from one character to another, but once I got used to this style of writing, the story was easier to follow. I'm not normally a big fan of political thrillers, but Hill made this one interesting. The characters are complex and the dialog is especially well done. The story moves along at a good clip and there were frequent hooks to past secrets that kept me turning pages. There was a bit of graphic sex toward the end, which might not be for everyone. Even if the reader is not familiar with the Condit/Levy story, I think they will find this an interesting read.

An ingenious killer is on the move again. It's been three years since he's struck. He waits for a heat wave to hit, then kidnaps two girls. He kills one and leaves her body to be found with clues on it leading to the other girl who is still alive. The first half of this book has a few slow paced sections, but the well-drawn and appealing characters hold it together. The second half is a race to a conclusion that is a stunner. Even the acknowledgements at the beginning of the book are entertaining. This is the first book by this author that I have read and it has sparked my interest in her other novels. A very good read.