Fiction Pick of the Week: Private Games

Private Games by James Patterson (with Mark Sullivan)

A fast-paced spin-off of the Private series, Private Games takes readers to England, just prior to the 30^th Olympiad.  With the opening ceremony just hours away, Private Investigator Nigel Steele is called to a murder scene.  The head of the Games’ organizing committee, also the fiancé of Steele’s mother, has been executed.  When Cronus claims responsibility for the murder, London is in a state of panic. 

Cronus’ executions are gruesome and public, and in his mind, the means to the end of restoring the Games to their ancient glory.  When Karen Pope, a newspaper reporter, begins to receive notes from Cronus detailing future murders, she partners with Steele to identify Cronus and, more importantly, to stop him.  With the medal and body count increasing, this action-packed novel may leave some readers wondering, “Could this really happen?”

Fiction Pick of the Week: Saving Max

Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten 2010

Attorney Danielle Parkman knows that her teenage son Max is having mental health issues that seem to be getting worse. She places him in the Maitland Institute which is a renowned psychiatric facility in Des Moines. Once Max is admitted to Maitland, his behaviour becomes very violent and he is accused of murdering a fellow patient, Jonas.

Appeal factors of this book are a fast-paced plot with lots of twists and turns. There are many subplots going on in the story that keep up the interest of the reader. The courtroom setting and writing style are similar to John Grisham. A very good thriller for this debut author.

For your consideration: Graphic descriptions of child abuse and the mindset of a serial killer.

Fiction Pick of the Week: The Hanging Shed

The Hanging Shed by Gordon Ferris 2011

Douglas Brodie, a former officer in the British 51^st Highland Division, is contacted by an old school friend, Hugh Donovan, to save him from the gallows. Donovan has been convicted for the rape and murder of a young boy. Donovan claims he is innocent but the mountain of evidence against him makes his claim questionable. Brodie only has 14 days to clear his friend before he is hung for the crime.

A fast-paced plot, a bunch of tough IRA gangsters, and a pretty blond Scottish advocate make for a thrilling read. Fans of Ian Rankin won’t be disappointed in this action-packed tale.

For your consideration: sexual content and many violent scenes

Fiction Pick of the Week: Sweet Mary

Sweet Mary by Liz Balmaseda 2009

Mistaken for a notorious cocaine queen, single mom and successful real estate agent Mary Guevara is desperate to clear her name and regain custody of her son. Even though the charges against her are eventually dropped, suspicion remains. So, feisty Mary learns how to fire a Glock, infiltrates the drug world and enlists the aid of an old lover to hunt the drug queen down. With fast paced action, smart dialogue and strong female characters, this debut novel would appeal to those who like Janet Evanovich’s heroine, Stephanie Plum.

Monday's Pick!

Hunting Season by P. T. Deutermann is a part action/part spy thriller that I could hardly put down.
Edwin Kreiss is a retired FBI "sweeper" - someone who specializes in the cleanup of rogue agents or other enemies of the state. After his college student daughter disappears while camping, he launches his own investigation after the FBI have stopped looking for her. Kreiss's search is impeded by rookie agent Janet Carter, who's been ordered to keep tabs on him. Kreiss soon realizes that not only is his daughter in serious danger but also that he's being hunted by another "sweeper" - and that it's up to him and Carter to prevent a Washington DC bomb attack. This was a real page turner and I have since read 3 other books by Deutermann - all of which I enjoyed!

Wednesday's Pick!

Jeff Abbott's lastest novel, Collision, is a terrific thriller that keeps you at the edge of your seat and takes you for a non-stop ride. Picture this, a hitman doesn't fully complete an assignment even though there is a body count and mild mannered Ben Forsberg, a corporate consultant, is under suspicion for these deaths by Homeland Security. While being questioned , Ben meets up with "Pilgrim" a former CIA agent now working for a secret agency. It seems like Ben was set up and Pilgrim attempts to save Ben. Both men have trouble trusting one another in the beginning but soon learn that they have to depend on each other in order to figure out what is going on. Great characters, lots of secrets and action that just doesn't stop!

Also available through our downloadable audiobooks database Overdrive!

Monday's Pick!

Jack Reacher has been called back into action when he goes to use an ATM and receives a coded message. The coded message is from a colleague in his old special investigators unit. Several of the members have been killed and their bodies dumped in the California desert by a helicopter. The remaining team members gather in L.A. to track down the killer who is targeting the old team. Reacher lives by the motto "no fear" and the new novel Bad Luck and Trouble, by Lee Child, is filled with intense action and violence.

My Pick of the Week!

Contract killer, John Rain, is back in The Last Assassin by Barry Eisler. Rain discovers that he has a child after a brief affair with Midori, the daughter of a man Rain killed. He wants to get out of the "business" but his enemies are using Midori and his son as leverage to get to Rain. Rain teams up with a sniper and a Mossad agent to deal with the Yakuza and Triads. The non stop action is mainly set in Japan but Rain does go to New York City and Barcelona. This is Rain's fifth action packed outing and one not to be missed. For fans of crime novels with well drawn characters, realistic fight scenes, and exotic locales.

My Pick of the Week!

In this book, that could be considered a Da Vinci Code read-alike, Nicholas Marten, the ex-LAPD detective from the author's previous novel, The Exile (2004), pursues an international conspiracy in this action-filled page-turner. When an old love of Marten's dies of a mysterious infection shortly after her congressman husband and son perish in a plane accident, her dying words set Marten on the trail of a South African bioterrorist. The former cop soon finds himself allied with the U.S. president, Henry Harris, in trying to foil a team of terrorists bent on creating a new world order. Harris flees his Secret Service protection after rejecting the plan of virtually his whole cabinet to assassinate the leaders of France and Germany and replace them with people willing to launch biological warfare on most of the Middle East. While somewhat short on plausibility, there was lots of action and excitement in The Machiavelli Covenant by Alan Folsom!

Let me know if you enjoyed reading this book!