“SCENT OF MURDER”     by   Virginia Smith

Book Review #31

This book is a romantic suspense novel.


Main Characters:
Caitlin Saylor, flute teacher and part of a musical trio
Chase Hollister, candle factory owner

Jazzy and Liz are getting married, the musical trio is breaking up and moving away from each other, and...Caitlin’s boyfriend has left her. Everything is changing and Caitlin doesn’t like it one bit! The group’s last gig is another wedding in Nashville, Indiana. Caitlin decides to take a little vacation and heads for Nashville alone several days before Jazzy and Liz can get there.

On her way into Nashville, she sees a sign for a tour at a candle factory. Thinking this might lift her spirits, she turns in. Here she meets Chase Hollister, the handsome and charming candle factory owner. Although Caitlin has sworn to not date for 365 days (so that anyone she finds attractive will not become a rebound romance), she is immediately drawn to Chase. He has the same reaction to her.

After the tour, Chase gives Caitlin the gift of a very special candle. But there's something more to the candle than Caitlin or Chase suspect...something that puts Caitlin in danger. In order to save Caitlin, Chase must face a haunting crime from his past--and a deadly killer in the present.

This is an very interesting book with a very different plot. Even though I did figure out the killer before the end, I had to work at it! You’ll like this one.

Book Review #30 “J” is for JUDGMENT” by Sue Grafton

Main Character: PI Kinsey Millhone

Financier Wendell Jaffe has recently been declared dead, five years after his Real Estate Ponce scheme collapsed and he disappeared from his beloved 35-foot ketch off the coast, an apparent suicide. California Fidelity has just paid his widow $500,000. But then Jaffe is spotted in Mexico with another woman. Kinsey's investigation lands her in some tough spots--such as a drunken stranger's hotel room where she pretends to be a hooker. It gets her shot at and, finally, leads to a dramatic resolution at sea.

It also introduces her to a genealogist who requires Kinsey to revise her belief that she is an orphan and alone in the world. You will still see familiar characters such as, Kinsey's octogenarian landlord Henry, his older brother, William, and Rose, the neighborhood bar owner, but, not as much as usual. The spotlight remains on Kinsey who, without a love interest to distract her, sticks to the case at hand and tries, with limited success, to assimilate the existence of a not to distant family she didn’t even know existed before this.

A Library reviewer thinks “many readers are likely to feel as if all the bits and pieces of the confusing, meandering plot never quite come together”.
I agree. It’s not one of Grafton’s best books with Kinsey Millhone. Fans will read it anyway! I did!

"A TASTE OF MURDER"   by  Virginia Smith

Review #29

Main Characters: Jasmine Delaney and Derrick Rogers
Romantic suspense novel

Jasmine Delaney and her two friends come to Waynesboro, Kentucky to provide the string ensemble for a wedding…right in the middle of the Kentucky Bar-B-Q Festival!
When they check into the hotel, Jazzy finds a body, covered with Bar-B-Q sauce, in the bathtub. The body belongs to DJ Josh Kirkland who was scheduled to be one of the judges in a beauty pageant at the Festival.

In rapid succession, Jazzy meets the bride’s handsome brother, Derrick Rogers, she and her friends are drafted to participate in the judging of several Festival events, and she becomes a potential target of a murderer. Derrick fears Jazzy is the killer's next victim and promises to keep a close eye on her…too close sometimes for this very independent soul! There is an electrical attraction between Jazzy and Derrick that she keeps denying because she believes he is ‘not her type’.

All’s well that ends well and this one does, with a surprise ending!

Another good book by Ginny!

KISSER      by Stuart Woods



Review #28
Main Character: Stone Barrington, ex-cop, software creator, attorney and private investigator.

Stone Barrington has never wanted for female company, but it appears that he suddenly has more than usual: #1 aspiring actress, Carrie Cox, who recently moved from Georgia to New York City and is being pursued by her ex-husband who is mad about the enormous divorce settlement she got from him, #2 art gallery assistant Rita Gammage, #3 U.S. attorney Tiffany Baldwin, and #4 mentally unstable Dolce Bianci, to whom he was once, briefly, married.

A wealthy gallery owner, Philip Parsons, wants Stone to find a way to separate his daughter from her disreputable artist boyfriend, Derek. When Stone learns that Derek is not only a swindler but also a drug dealer, he is drawn into an elaborate police sting operation, and into bed with #5 undercover officer, Mitzi Reynolds.

In spite of all the female attentions, Barrington manages to shield Carrie from her ex-husband, protect young heiress, Hilly Parsons, from a con artist/drug dealer, and plot to take down Pansy scammer, Sag Larsen.

Barrington does not sail unscathed through encounters with women or criminals. There are plenty of snarls to provoke laughs and keep the action interesting in a series that excels at playing out male fantasies

There is language you might find objectionable and Barrington’s bedroom antics are a little over the top this time around but, readers looking for a fun, breezy page-turner will not be disappointed, and longtime fans of the series will have their curiosity piqued by Dolce's return.

DETECTIVE  by   Arthur Hailey


Review #27
Main Character: Detective Malcolm Ainslie

Miami Police Department Detective Malcolm Ainslie is almost out the bureau door when he takes one last call. It's the chaplain at Raiford Prison. Elroy Doil, a convicted serial killer awaiting execution, wants Ainslie, a former Catholic priest, to hear his final confession. Doil admits to another 10 murders, but he insists he didn't kill City Commissioner Gustav Ernst and his wife. In spite of Doil's obvious madness, Ainslie believes him and sets about to answer the obvious question: If not Doil, who? The investigation has to start with surviving daughter, Cynthia Ernst, Ainslie's former lover and now a Commissioner herself.

This thriller sweeps readers into a series of gory murders of older married couples in south Florida, the twisted mind of the killer, the intramural politics of the Miami PD and the truly horrible childhood abuse of a major character. Along the way, Hailey finds time for ample musing on the death penalty, Catholicism and the grand jury system

It has been many years since I read an Arthur Hailey novel. I thought I had read them all…The Evening News, Airport, Hotel, Final Diagnosis, Wheels, The Moneychanger, etc. However, while trolling through the library web site, I found a couple I had not read. This is one of them. Hailey is as wonderful a writer as he ever was. You will enjoy this book!

THE GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD
 Review #26

THE HISTORY CHANNEL asked Rick Beyer to create a series of “history minutes” marking the millennium. The stories in this book are out shoots of that request. Some originally appeared on THE HISTORY CHANNEL, some did not.

I have been reading this book for the past 6 months…over and over and over. My memory is such that I tend to forget things…so I had to go back and read them again and again! I love this book!

The Greatest Stories Never Told consists of 100-2 page tales about little known facts in history!

I am at a lose for words so…I am including the first paragraph of the book here.

“History is filled with unpredictable people and unbelievable stories. Consider: The Pilgrims landed in Plymouth because they ran out of beer. Annie Oakley almost shot Kaiser Wilhelm before World War I. Three cigars changed the course of the Civil War. The stethoscope was invented by a modest French doctor reluctant to put his ear to a female patient’s bosom. An Italian priest perfected the first practical fax machine in 1863. Teddy Roosevelt is the father of football’s forward pass. And, believe it or not, actress Hedy Lamarr not only appeared in the movies’ first nude scene, but also, later, patented an idea that formed the basis for cell phone encryption.”

If that doesn’t make you want to read this book….nothing ever will!

I was unable to find this book in the library but, amazon.com has them priced from $14.00 to used books for $4.00.

Rick Beyer also wrote:

The Greatest War Stories Never Told

The Greatest Presidential Stories Never Told

The Greatest Science Stories Never Told

DIRT  by Stuart Woods


Review #25
Main Character: Stone Barrington, ex-cop, attorney, seeker of bad guys.

Stone Barrington, the suave ex-cop-attorney-hero gets involved in a blackmail scheme involving Amanda Dart, a much-feared, nationally syndicated gossip columnist. After Amanda is photographed in bed in a Manhattan hotel with a married real-estate magnate, a fax headlined "DIRT" and presenting both the photo and details of Amanda's tryst is sent to a weighty list of prominent people and major media outlets.

The DIRT fax-web quickly expands to snare the gay but closeted editor of a sleazy L.A. tabloid. When Stone is hired by Amanda to sniff out who's spilling the beans about these jealously guarded privacies, one of his operatives, a retired N.Y.C. cop, is murdered. The intrigue deepens when one of the suspects is identified as closely resembling a male model in a Vanity Fair cologne ad.

This is the usual good mystery for which Stuart Woods is known. However, I found more sex scenes and bad language than is usual in his books. It’s still a good twisty mystery and you can always skip over any objectionable contents you don't want to read.

"THE BROKEN WINDOW"    by Jeffery Deaver

Review #24

Main Characters: Quadriplegic, Forensic Consultant, Lincoln Rhymn, Detective Amelia Sachs and their team.

Lincoln Rhyme's cousin has been arrested for murder. The case seems airtight, but when he looks into it, Rhyme begins to suspect that he has stumbled onto an especially devious serial killer, a psychotic mastermind who uses cutting-edge data-mining techniques, not only to select and hunt down his victims but, to frame complete innocents for the crimes.

Rhyme, a forensic consultant for the NYPD, and his detective partner, Amelia Sachs, eventually discover connections to a company that specializes in collecting and analyzing consumer data. Further investigation leads them to some startling revelations: Big Brother is watching your every move and could be a homicidal maniac.

As the killer feels the police closing in on him, he targets his pursuers by messing with their records and changing information to complicate their lives…Amelia’s car is towed, Officer Ron Pulaski’s wife and child are taken into custody as illegal aliens, the electricity is cut off at Rhymn’s office and living quarters for late payment, etc.

The topical subject matter in Deaver’s eighth bestseller makes the story line particularly compelling, while longtime fans will relish his intimate exploration of a tragedy from Rhyme's adolescence.

If you are fan of mystery and intrigue, you will love this book!

TRIAL BY FIRE    By  J.A. Jance


Review #23
Main character: Ali Reynolds
This is the 5th book in the Ali Reynolds Mystery Series


After the previous media officer is sent on administrative leave for misconduct, former LA television journalist, Ali Reynolds, takes over the media-relations job at the Yavapai County Police Department in her hometown of Sedona, Ariz. Soon after being fitted for the mandatory Kevlar vest, Ali goes to the site of a fire in an unfinished housing subdivision that has left an unidentified, elderly, naked woman in critical condition. All signs point to arson, but the fire's amnesia-ridden survivor is the only one who knows the truth.

The Feds take over the investigation from the county, but Ali is asked to help out by the victim's hospital-appointed patient advocate, Sister Anselm. Ali, mostly undercover in a red wig in the hospital's burn unit waiting room, slowly pieces together the victim's identity and her relationship to the fire.

When Sister Anselm disappears, a worried Ali goes to find her and discovers she has been kidnapped. A desert shoot-out tacked on toward the end adds heart-stopping excitement.

Surprising plot twists and a strong, principled heroine make for a satisfying read.
There’s some funny dialog there too.

I have never read a bad J.A. Jance novel….and I’ve read most of them!

Two of her other Mystery Series heroes are: J.P. Beaumont and Sheriff Joanna Brady.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE   By  Virginia Smith
                                    
Review #22
Main Characters: Joan Sanderson, sisters, Allie and Tori, Dr. Ken Fletcher
This is Book 1 of the 3-book “Sister-to-Sister” series written by Smith.

As the title suggests, Joan is the middle daughter and feels dwarfed by her older sister's happy family and her younger sister's beauty and success while she manages a furniture store and lives at home with her mother and grandmother.

She struggles with feeling abandoned by her father and angry that her mother forced him to leave when she was young. She tries hard to keep peace with her mother and to take care of her elderly grandmother to prevent her from being sent to an
assisted living home...by her mother!

AND…Joan has been dumped by her long-time boyfriend (now known as Roger the Rat) and can't quite figure out what to do with her life. Then a single doctor, who is terribly good-looking and very serious about his faith, moves in next door. Dr. Ken Fletcher sparks her interest and the feeling seems to be mutual until younger sister, Tori, begins her relentless flirting routine.
*******************************
I haven’t been a fan of romance novels for 25 years now, but I found this one very well written, funny in places, with an interesting story line… a “couldn’t put it down” sort of book. It is a fun story of romance, family, and faith, with a picture of sibling rivalry that will keep you engaged and smiling.

Age Before Beauty is Book 2 of the “Sister-to-Sister” series.

Third Time's a Charm, the third book in this series was just recently released. I found it on Amazon.com and in the Public Library!

NOTE: Virginia Smith also writes inspirational, suspense, romance novels.
I like these too! Check them out.

STORM CYCLE    By  Iris and Roy Johansen


Review #21
Main Characters: Rachel Kirby, Allie Kirby, John Tavak, Hal Demanski

A sinuous thriller that pits a supercomputer, Jonesy, against hieroglyphics in an ancient Egyptian burial chamber.


Rachel Kirby, a computer whiz and head of a prominent university technology center in Houston, Tex., has invented a way of harnessing the unused operating capacity of the world's PCs and game consoles to create a super computer network with limitless power. This power is coveted by corporations, individuals, and the government, few with motives as altruistic as hers. She is working hard to spur medical research on Krabbe's disease, a rare nervous-system disorder afflicting her sister, Allie.

When Rachel receives a cryptic and urgent e-mail from John Tavak, a genius and a soldier of fortune trapped in a remote Egyptian tomb, she gets caught up in an ominous international chase that brings her tantalizingly close to unlocking the secrets of her sister's disease while putting her in the path of ruthless mercenaries trying to solve the mystery before she can.

Rachel finds herself attracted to the enigmatic Tavak, while Allie starts falling for Hal Demanski, a spoiled billionaire who ends up aiding their efforts to get the ancient physician, Peseshet's, secrets before an evil pharmaceutical company does

This is a fast paced labyrinthine action with the exotic allure of ancient history to deliver an adventure intricate enough to satisfy hard-core adrenaline junkies.

If you are a fan of National Treasure, you will love this book!

THE TWELFTH CARD  By  Jeffery Deaver

Review #20

Main Characters: Lincoln Rhyme, Amelia Sachs

Quadriplegic detective, Lincoln Rhyme and Det. Amelia Sachs try to outguess Thompson Boyd, a man whose past has turned him into a killing machine as unfeeling and cunning as a wolf. Boyd is after Geneva Settle, a high school girl from Harlem, and it's up to Lincoln and Amelia to figure out why and stop him.

It might have something to do with Geneva's research and the death of her ancestor, Charles Singleton, a former slave, nearly 140 years ago. Did Charles have a secret that someone doesn't want known today? Does Geneva know what it is?

A Lincoln Rhyme novel is cause for excitement among fans of twisty-turny thrillers.
This one is typical of Jeffery Deaver, well-written and suspenseful.

Note: Denzel Washington played Lincoln Rhymn in the movie based on Deaver's "The Bone Collector".

You will like this one!