• (1/27) Billy Strobe by John Martel.
  
  Billy Strobe always wanted to be a lawyer, like his father. And when his father committed suicide after being framed for murder, that desire in Billy only doubled -- so that he could not only be like his father, but clear his name as well. Unfortunately, after Joe Strobe's death, the Strobe family had trouble making ends meet. Law school is expensive, so to help pay his tuition, Billy let a bunch of frat boys talk him into helping them with a little insider trading scheme. When they get caught, the others get off with a slap on the wrist, but Billy, accused of being the mastermind behind the plan, get sent to prison, just in time for his third year of law school.

  Luckily, he manages to convince a law firm that he's a PR dream -- a criminal who just wants to make good -- and the law firm agrees to pay for his last year of law school via correspondence courses. When he graduates with nearly a 4.0 average, the law firm pulls some strings to get him released early. Billy then takes a job at one of the toughest firms in the city -- and promptly starts trying to find out the truth about not only his father's case, but the case of another man he believes was wrongly convicted -- his prison pal Darryl.

  The only problem is that in the process, he gets closer to finding out who the real killers were. And they aren't too happy about that. Will Billy be able to clear the names of the two people closest to him? Or will he be killed before the truth is revealed?

  Though this novel was about 100 pages too long (due to some dull, unnecessary parts as Billy settles into his job and woos a woman in the firm), it was otherwise a riveting and well-written legal thriller. Recommended!
  [MYSTERY]

  (1/25) Hearse of a Different Color by Tim Cockey.
  

  This is the second in what I hope will be a long series of mysteries featuring accidental-detective (actually an undertaker) Hitchcock Sewell. When the body of a young woman is left on his funeral home's front stoop, Hitch gets wrapped up in the investigation of her death. But the plot isn't really what I loved about this novel -- not that it isn't also great -- what's truly wonderful is the writing and characters. Hitch makes me laugh out loud every ten minutes. He's smart, sexy, and fun, and so is this series! Recommended to all fans of the genre.
  [MYSTERY]

  (1/19) The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen.
  

  Two years ago, Dr. Catherine Cordell was nearly murdered by a serial killer whose M.O. was rape followed by surgical-style mutilations that led to death. Before he could use the scalpel on Catherine, though, she managed to free her hands, grab her gun, and shoot him.

  She moved to Boston, got a job as a trauma surgeon, and tried to put the past behind her. But now, suddenly, women are dying again -- a copycat killer who knows details about the old crimes that were never released to the public has killed three women. And begun to send Catherine photos from the crime scenes.

  Sound like a pretty stock thriller? That's because it is. And, even worse, there were entire chapters that I just skimmed (note: you can skip all the sections in italics -- they're stupid and don't add much to the plot). The storytelling is engrossing and I liked that Gerritsen didn't stop to explain all the medical jargon she uses (I appreciate it when the author assumes I'm intelligent). However, there were a lot of "clues" discovered that ended up being loose ends (I hate that!) and a lot of the dialogue seemed fakey and forced (actually, a lot of the characters seemed faked and forced!). Still, I had a hard time putting this book down once I started it. A good "beach" book for fans of Robin Cook.
  [MYSTERY]

  (1/16) Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris.
  

  The latest in the Lily Bard series, a series I was getting a little bit worried about. The last one I read, "Shakespeare's Trollop," was a real disappointment. The plot was trite and Lily had for some reason suddenly transformed from a tough but caring woman to an arrogant and even downright cruel one. However, while a few things she says in this one also struck me as grossly unfair to her character (for example, when she's making jokes in her head about some rape survivors), by the middle of the story, she seemed more like herself. And the plot this time was much more interesting and original.

  It centers on the leader of a support group for rape survivors named Tamsin Lynd. When Lily sees a flyer for the group, after having yet another fight with her husband Jack caused by her deep-seated rage, she decides it's finally time to get some help. At first, the meetings are doing her some good -- until the third week when she and the other "sisters" show up and find another sister murdered and on gruesome display in Tamsin's office.

  As a witness, Lily is, of course, roped into helping the police with the crime. And after learning a few things on her own (with the help of Jack, who is a PI), she starts wondering about Tamsin. Tamsin claims she's being stalked. She and her husband even moved to Shakespeare in order to try and escape the terrorizing. But the perp has clearly followed her. And is growing more and more violent all the time. Yet a few things Lily sees and hears leads her to suspect there isn't actually a third party involved. In fact, she begins to wonder if Tamsin isn't doing it herself -- for the attention.

  I have to say that I found the ending kind of surprising (and also a bit confusing, but that's probably just my problem). But the good thing about the ending was that, in retrospect, it all made sense. That's a wonderful thing in a mystery -- when you think back and see the clues really WERE there all the time. So, I will eagerly await the next volume in this series. And let's just hope Harris stays on track with Lily. I don't think I could stand another "Trollop."
  [MYSTERY]

  (1/14) The Run to Gitche Gumee by Robert F. Jones.
  

  This is the story of two men, Ben and Harry, and two separate canoe trips they took together down the Firesteel River to Lake Superior (AKA Gitche Gumee). The first trip takes place in their youth -- in the 50's, right before Ben ships off to the Korean War and Harry heads to medical school. It's a trip full of flyfishing, girls, and thrills at first. But after a bear eats their supplies, they are forced to stop at a shanty they see in the woods for food -- and there they get tangled up with some infamous bandits who end up stalking them for pretty much the rest of their trip. Ala "Deliverance," except quite a bit kookier.

  They escape alive, of course, and head off successfully in their separate directions. Decades later, both retired, they reunite for Gitche Gumee trip number two. And this time, rather than adventure, what they find on the water is time to reflect and make peace with their lives.

  This is an unusual and wonderful book. I loved the dual journey set-up, though some of the events of the first trip seemed a little too over-the-top. Almost like the writer was trying a bit TOO hard to force us to recognize the daring of youth. Still, the contrast between the two ages was very well defined -- as young boys, these two men had much they needed to prove to themselves. Ben is eager to get to Korea and fight and Harry is eager to take lives into his hands as well, albeit in a different way. As old men, they had no further need for heroics or for that sense of power and strength, having already spent a lifetime being tested and passing. This was a very creative and poignant novel. Recommended!
  [FICTION]

  (1/11) Across the Red Line: Stories from the Surgical Life by Richard C. Karl, M.D.
  

  If you're a regular reader of this site, you know I can't resist medical memoirs. This is another great addition to the genre, this time written by a surgeon. The stories are fascinating and Karl himself is compassionate, humble, and a pretty decent writer to boot. If you like these kinds of books too, add this one to your own reading list. You won't be disappointed!
  [NON-FICTION]

  (1/10) Death in Paradise by Robert B. Parker.
  

  When I started this novel, my first of the Jesse Stone books (and the series' second), I laughed because, as in Parker's Sunny Randall series, once again the protagonist is really just Spenser, disguised as somebody else. This is by no means a bad thing, though. I'm a HUGE fan of the Spenser books and have thus greatly enjoyed all the Spenser-in-a-dress (Sunny Randall!) novels as well.

  Unfortunately, as I progressed through "Death," I realized that while Jesse talks and acts just like Spenser (witty, smart, flirtatious), on the inside, I found little to love. First of all, he's an outrageous chauvinist -- every time he looked at a woman and thought, "Oh yeah, SHE'S sexual. . ." I rolled my eyes. And believe me, it happened often enough that by the time I finally gave up on this novel, my eyes were tired.

  Additionally, he sleeps with just about every woman he stumbles into, including people related to the case he's investigating. All while simultaneously stressing to us, the readers, that he'd actually do ANYTHING to get his ex-wife Jenn back. Add to this the fact that we're supposed to believe all these smart women are so desperate for attention they can't resist his (rather dubious) charms? I'm so sure! Any woman with half a brain and a modicum of self-esteem would kick his ass -- not take off her pants after he's finished explaining that he's still in love with someone else but would really like to have sex now anyway.

  It says a lot that I got so far into this and still quit. I kept hoping the plot would be clever or fun enough to make the rest of it worth it. But by the 2/3rds mark, I could see it was headed in a pretty stock direction. If Spenser had been at the helm, I wouldn't have cared about that -- but Jesse Stone can't carry a weak plot on his own. And none of the supporting characters were strong enough to help him out. Skip this one -- and let's hope Parker gives up on the series like I have. I'd rather he spend that time writing a new Spenser novel for me instead!
  [MYSTERY]

  (1/9) Death from the Snows by Brigette Aubert.
  

  Ever since I read Aubert's novel "Death from the Woods," I've been eagerly awaiting this -- the sequel. Once again, Aubert has given us a highly original thriller starring quite possibly the most unique accidental detectives ever -- deaf-mute paraplegic Elise Andrioli. In this story, Elise, now a minor celebrity in France after publishing a book based on her experiences in "Woods," had decided to go on a little vacation at a ski resort where her uncle has a chalet. When she arrives, she is invited to visit a recreational facility for disabled persons. And shortly thereafter, residents of the facility start droppin' like flies -- and the killer begins a sick game with Elise herself.

  The ending will make your jaw drop -- it took me completely by surprise. And while I have to say it was both a little hard to swallow and a bit too drawn out, major points to Aubert for coming up with what is, hands down, the most bizarre and creative denouement of a mystery I've ever read. Both her "Death" novels are fantastic -- if you're a fan of the genre, you shouldn't miss them. Elise is a really wonderful character, and Aubert is an excellent writer with just an incredible imagination. Highly recommended!
  [MYSTERY]

  (1/6) Dead Reckoning by Michael Baden, M.D.
  

  Baden, former Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, has worked some of the biggest cases of our time - O. J. Simpson being probably the most famous one. This book is a sort of memoir of his experiences. It's broken down into sections, each exploring one element of his job - "Blood," for example, is a chapter about the study of blood spatters. "Inside" takes a look at autopsies. And "Witness" is all about what it's like to testify as an expert at a trial. While I found this book interesting, it wasn't quite what I was hoping for. I was looking for a book that talked more about the science of pathology and forensics - I'm really fascinated by both those subjects. This was more a collection of anecdotes that Baden seemed to be using to impress the reader with his brains and fame. I would have probably enjoyed it more had it not been written BY Baden - a biography about his experiences would have seemed less arrogant had it been written by someone else. Instead, I found myself getting a little tired of the name-dropping and wishing Baden trusted me to be smart enough to understand more about what it was he REALLY did for a living. I would've had more fun watching episodes of "C.S.I." and I probably would've learned more about forensics that way as well.
  [NON-FICTION]

  (1/4) Coldwater by Mardi McConnochie.
  

  Charlotte, Emily and Anne Wolf live together with their father, Captain Wolf, on a penal colony on the small Australian island of Coldwater. The Captain, famous for running one of the tightest prisons in the world, isn't, of course, well-liked by the inmates. When one of them wrangles a gun from a guard and shoots the Captain in the chest, his daughters begin to realize that they've made no provisions for what would happen to them should something happen to their father. The Captain survives his wound, returning to his prison duties quickly, but the daughters decide it's time for them to start working on a way to make a living themselves - they begin working on a novel apiece, hoping that at least one of them will one day make it as a professional author.

  Their imaginations, thus formally released, start to free them from the harsh desolation of Coldwater. When a new prisoner, a handsome Irish man named O'Connell, is taken under the Captain's wing, Emily begins to project the romance of her stories onto her relationship with him. Her transgressions, however, quickly get back to the Captain, sending him on a downward spiral of emotion. He soon becomes overcome by passion himself - a passion of paranoid madness - forcing his daughters to use their stubbornness and creativity to escape the tyranny of their father and the isolation of Coldwater.

  This was a strange book - I had read that the daughters were all semi-based on the Brontes and was expecting something semi-biographical, I think. An Australian penal colony, however, made for a far more interesting setting than I expected and the exploration of the relationship between the daughters and their father, who they soon realize they hardly really know, was engrossing. The overriding theme of this novel is that knowledge is power and power, in the wrong hands, is a very dangerous thing. A mesmerizing look at what isolation, desolation, and absolute power can do. Recommended!
  [FICTION]

  (1/3) The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzweil.
  

  Delightful, intricate novel about a New York librarian, Alexander Short, who is hired by a "reader" (library patron) named Henry James Jesson to do some independent research on an antique box of curiosities. After a brief search, Short quickly finds out what might be the most interesting thing about the box - it's missing something: a clever watch he's led to believe was originally made for Marie Antoinette. It's nickname? "The Grand Complication" (because of all its bells and whistles, so to speak). Excited by this discovery, Short plunges himself into a quest for the lost watch - eventually using his research as a way to hide from life's more mundane complications: love, sex, and commitment, to name a few. Yet as his search expands, he begins to learn the truth about Jesson's motivations, which, in turn, leads him to make a few realizations about himself as well.

  This is a really terrific novel, full of great characters and fun insider librarian-speak (my personal favorite is the reference to "presorting the reshelves"). The writing is wonderful and the combination of these features (great characters, great plot, great writing) made this a book I absolutely could not put down. Definitely one of the best novels of 2001. Highly, HIGHLY recommended!
  [FICTION]

  (1/1) Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris.
  

  Well, I don't know how THIS happened - I'm usually much more vigilant when it comes to my favorite series of mysteries. But somehow I blinked and two installments in Harris "Lily Bard" series came out before I noticed! This is the first of the two and, while I enjoyed it, I have to admit it seemed kind of weak. I remember really loving Lily in the other books - she's a smart, savvy, tough woman who works as a housecleaner by day and takes karate classes by night. And, every now and then, she finds herself in the middle of a mystery - one she usually solves before the local cops even know what hit them. This time, though, Lily seemed kind of mean to me. Her toughness is her key trait, but I don't remember her being quite so judgmental and unforgiving before. Additionally, she seemed a lot more self-pitying this time. And, much as I hate to say it, the plot wasn't very original (it's about the murder of the town's promiscuous woman) and the dialogue was sort of fakey in places. Have I just forgotten what Harris is like as an author? Or is she losing her touch? Or have my standards improved? Who knows. Guess I'll read the next one and see how it goes!
  [MYSTERY]

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