Skip to main content

Reviews

Reviews

by Greg Iles - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

In this concluding volume to Greg Iles’ Natchez Burning trilogy, Penn Cage sees his family and his world collapsing around him. The woman he loves is gone, his principles have been irrevocably compromised, and his father, once a paragon of the community that Penn leads as mayor, is about to be tried for the murder of a former lover. Despite Penn's experience as a prosecutor in major murder trials, his father has frozen him out of the trial preparations --- preferring to risk dying in prison to revealing the truth of the crime to his son. The trial sets a terrible clock in motion, and unless Penn can pierce the veil of the past and exonerate his father, his family will be destroyed.

by Lyndsay Faye - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Mystery, Short Stories

Lyndsay Faye was introduced to the Sherlock Holmes mysteries when she was 10 years old and her dad suggested she read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story “The Adventure of the Speckled Band.” She immediately became enamored with tales of Holmes and his esteemed biographer, Dr. John Watson. Later, she began spinning these quintessential characters into her own works of fiction. Faye’s best Holmes tales, including two new works, are brought together in THE WHOLE ART OF DETECTION, which spans Holmes’ career --- from self-taught young upstart to publicly lauded detective --- both before and after his faked death over a Swiss waterfall in 1894.

by Patricia Cornwell - Nonfiction, True Crime

Vain and charismatic Walter Sickert made a name for himself as a painter in Victorian London. But the ghoulish nature of his art --- as well as extensive evidence --- points to another name: Jack the Ripper. Patricia Cornwell has collected never-before-seen archival material --- including a rare mortuary photo, personal correspondence and a will with a mysterious autopsy clause --- and applied cutting-edge forensic science to open an old crime to new scrutiny. Incorporating material from PORTRAIT OF A KILLER, this new edition has been revised and expanded to include eight new chapters, detailed maps and hundreds of images that bring the sinister case to life.

by James Grippando - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

In MOST DANGEROUS PLACE, Jack Swyteck takes on a new client tied to his past. It begins at the airport, where Jack is waiting to meet his old high school buddy, Keith Ingraham, a high-powered banker based in Hong Kong, coming to Miami for his young daughter’s surgery. But their long-awaited reunion is abruptly derailed when the police arrest Keith’s wife, Isabelle, in the terminal, accusing her of conspiring to kill the man who raped her in college. Jack quickly agrees to represent Isa, but soon discovers that to see justice done, he must separate truth from lies --- an undertaking that proves more complicated than the seasoned attorney expects.

by Charles Todd - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Mystery

During a heavy rainstorm in England, a driver loses control on a twisting road and is killed in the crash. Was it an accident due to the hazardous conditions? Or premeditated murder? Investigating this perplexing case, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge discovers that the truth is elusive --- and that the villages on the South Downs, where the accident happened, are adept at keeping secrets, frustrating his search. Determined to remain in the shadows, this faceless killer is willing to strike again to stop Rutledge from finding him. This time, the victim he chooses is a child, and it will take all of Rutledge’s skill to stop him before an innocent young life is sacrificed.

by Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Suspense

Eleven-year-old actress Delia Cross is beautiful, talented and charismatic. A true star in the making, her days are a blur of hard work on set, auditions and tutors. Her family --- driven, pill-popping stage mother Pat, wastrel dad Bart, and introverted twin brother Robbie --- depends on her for their upscale lifestyle. Delia, in turn, depends on Caity, her beloved ginger Queensland Heeler --- and loyal friend --- for the calming private space they share. Delia is on the verge of a professional breakthrough. But just as the contracts are about to be signed, there is a freak accident that puts Delia in the danger zone with only Caity to protect her.

written by Alexandre Dumas, translated by Lawrence Ellsworth - Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction

In 1844, Alexandre Dumas published THE THREE MUSKETEERS, a novel so famous and still so popular today that it scarcely needs introduction. Shortly thereafter he wrote a sequel, TWENTY YEARS AFTER, that resumed the adventures of his swashbuckling heroes. Later, toward the end of his career, Dumas wrote THE RED SPHINX, another direct sequel to THE THREE MUSKETEERS that begins, not 20 years later, but a mere 20 days afterward. THE RED SPHINX picks up right where THE THREE MUSKETEERS left off, continuing the stories of Cardinal Richelieu, Queen Anne and King Louis XIII --- and introducing a charming new hero, the Comte de Moret, a real historical figure from the period.

by JP Delaney - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control. The space is intended to transform its occupant --- and it does. After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street, she is instantly drawn to the space --- and to its aloof but seductive creator. Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to her in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror as the girl before.

by Val McDermid - Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

When a teenage joyrider crashes a stolen car and ends up in a coma, a routine DNA test reveals a connection to an unsolved murder from 22 years before. It’s a cold case that should be straightforward. But it’s as twisted as the DNA helix itself. Meanwhile, Karen, mired in grief after the death of her partner, finds herself irresistibly drawn to a mystery that has its roots in a terrorist bombing two decades ago. Karen’s intuition is telling her something doesn’t add up. But is she on to something? Or has she, as her boss has been waiting for, gone too far this time?

by Nick Cutter - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller, Horror, Supernatural Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

A trio of mismatched mercenaries is hired by a young woman for a deceptively simple task: check in on her nephew, who may have been taken against his will to a remote New Mexico backwoods settlement called Little Heaven. Shortly after they arrive, things begin to turn ominous. Stirrings in the woods and over the treetops --- the brooding shape of a monolith known as the Black Rock casts its terrible pall. Paranoia and distrust grip the settlement. The escape routes are gradually cut off as events spiral towards madness. The remaining occupants are forced to take a stand and fight back, but whatever has cast its dark eye on Little Heaven is now marshaling its powers...and it wants them all.