It is appropriate that the latest James Patterson book is being released during Halloween week, because this package is overflowing with treats. Patterson and co-author Shan Serafin gift readers with THREE WOMEN DISAPPEAR, a full-length murder mystery, as well as COME AND GET IT, a short novel. Either title published on its own would be worth the price of admission. So the presence of both under one cover is almost as good as double-dipping on the giant Hershey bars at that neighborhood house that always passes out the best candy.

Patterson and Serafin waste no time in getting THREE WOMEN DISAPPEAR rolling. The premise is terrific in its simplicity. A gentleman named Anthony Costello has been killed in his own kitchen. He was a Tampa mob accountant and, in what is surely not a coincidence, the nephew of mob boss Vincent Costello. The murder, which occurred a couple of weeks before the novel opens, is investigated by Heidi Haagen with Sean Walsh hovering in the background. These detectives were once partners, but Heidi is now his boss. Sarah Roberts-Walsh, Sean’s wife, is one of the prime suspects. She was employed by Costello and his wife, Anna, as their personal chef and disappeared almost immediately after the murder. She is located quickly enough but denies any involvement in the crime.

"THREE WOMEN DISAPPEAR and COME AND GET US are high entertainment, with plenty of sequential action to keep readers’ minds churning and the pages turning."

There are two other suspects: Anna, the not-really-grieving widow, and Serena Flores, the family housekeeper. Given his mob connections, it isn’t hard to guess that there are a number of individuals who would have a motive to kill him. The narrative is traded off among Sean, Sarah, Anna and Serena, all of whom have reason to lie to Heidi, not to mention the reader. The truth eventually comes out, and while it is not entirely surprising, the journey to get there is full of unexpected twists and turns.

As riveting as THREE WOMEN DISAPPEAR is, it was COME AND GET US that had me reading past my bedtime with eyelids propped open. The premise is quite simple. The Coopers --- Miranda, Aaron and their four-year-old daughter, Sierra --- are riding in a minivan somewhere near the border between Utah and Arizona. Aaron, an attorney for a large oil-producing firm, wants his family to meet Jed, his new work BFF. They are traversing a high mountain road when an SUV approaches them from behind and runs them down a cliff. Aaron is badly injured as a result. Miranda is forced to leave Sierra with him while she hikes back toward some semblance of civilization to get help. Aaron, who is all but unconscious, cryptically tells Miranda just before she leaves to be careful who she trusts.

This is good advice as the SUV driver is waiting for her with murderous intent --- and he is not alone. However, it should be noted that Miranda is not exactly a shrinking violet. Why do these folks seem to be after the Coopers? That question is resolved by the close of the proceedings; even if the explanation doesn’t quite hold together, you will barely notice, given the series of jeopardies into which Miranda is cast and her extremely effective methods of getting out of them. The story is a thriller in every sense of the word.

THREE WOMEN DISAPPEAR and COME AND GET US are high entertainment, with plenty of sequential action to keep readers’ minds churning and the pages turning.