LJ's Top and Bottom Reads of 2006

Top Reads:

Box, C.J. - In Plain Sight

Bruen, Ken - Priest

Coben, Harlan - Promise Me

Fforde, Jasper - The Big Over Easy

Francis, Dick - Under Orders

Freeman, Brian - Immoral

Kerley, Jack - The Death Collectors

Klavan, Andrew - Damnation Street

O'Brian, Martin - Jacquot and the Angel

Parker, Ann - Silver Lies

Penny, Louise - Still Life

Penny, Louise - Dead Cold

Perry, Anne - Long Spoon…

THE SWEET AND THE DEAD (Suspense-Mississippi/Texas-1970) – VG

Burton, Milton T – 2^nd book –Standalone

Thomas Dunne Books, 2006- Amer Hardcover

Retired Dallas County deputy sheriff…

CANDY FROM $TRANGERS (Private Invest-San Francisco-Cont) – Poor

Coggins, Mark – 2^nd in series

Bleak House Books, 2006-Amer Hardcover

San Francisco PI and part-time bass player August Riordan and his cross-dressing friend, lead singer and computer hacker Chris Duckwork…

THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS (Dark Fantasy/England/WWII) – Okay

Connolly, John – Standalone

Hodder & Stoughton, 2006- UK

Hardcover

12-year-old David loves to read and, upon the death of his mother, hears books talking. Still mourning the loss of his mother, his father tells him…

AIR DANCE IGUANA (Amateur Sleuth-Florida Keys-Cont) – Ok

Corcoran, Tom – 5^th in series

St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2005- Paperback…

BABY SHARK (Suspense-Texas-1950s) – G+

Fate, Robert – 1^st book

Capital Crime Press, 2006- Trade Paperback

Kristin Van Dijk is a young woman who travels with her father, a pool hustler. He hustles the…

STRIPPED (Police Proc-Las Vegas-Cont) – G+

Freeman, Brian – 2^nd in series

St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2006- Amer Hardcover

Detective Jonathan Stride has relocated from Minneapolis to Las Vegas and is living with new love Detective Serena Dial who is…

A SAFE PLACE FOR DYING (Unlicensed Invest-Chicago-Cont) – G+

Frederickson, Jack – 1^st book

Thomas Donne Books, 2006- Amer Hardcover

Chicago investigator Vlodek "Dek" Elstrom lost his marriage and his business even though his name was cleared. Now…

TILT A WHIRL (Police Prod-New Jersey-Cont) - G+

Grabenstein, Chris - 1st book

Carroll & Graf, 2005- Trade Paperback

Danny Boyle is a 24-year-old, part-time summer cop--he gets the baseball cap, but no gun--in Sea Haven, New Jersey. He is partnered with John Ceepak, a former MP back…

PRIOR BAD ACTS (Police Proc-Minneapolis, MN-Cont) – VG

Hoag, Tami – 3^rd in series

Bantam, 2006- Amer Hardcover

When Judge Carey Moore refuses to allow the prior bad acts of Karl Dahl, accused of committing the brutal murder of a mother and two young children, she is vilified…

DEATH AND JUDGMENT (aka A Venetian Reckoning) (Police Proc-Venice-Cont) – VG

Leon, Donna – 4^th in series

Penguin, 1995 – Paperback

Commissario Guido Brunetti’s newest case is the murder of a prominent international lawyer. As he investigates, a link is found between this…

A CHRISTMAS SECRET (Historical-England-1800s) – VG

Perry, Anne – 4^th Christmas standalone

Headline, 2006- Amer Hardcover

Dominic Corde, brother-in-law to Charlotte Pitt, has left banking, is married to Clarice and is a cleric in a church in London. However, Dominic and…

JACKPOT (PI-California-1990) – VG

Pronzini, Bill - 17th in series

Dell, 1990- Paperback

In his first case after Shackles, "Nameless" is hired to find out why a young man who won $200,000 at a Reno slot machine would commit suicide.…

SILENT IN THE GRAVE (Historical-England-1800s) – VG

Raybourn, Deanna – 1^st book

Mira, 2006 – Amer. Hardcover

While entertaining family and friends, the husband of Lady Julia Gray collapses and later dies. It is not completely unexpected as he and his family has a history of weak hearts. It

is only after the year-long period of mourning has…

BORN IN DEATH (Police Proc-NYC-Future) – VG

Robb, J.D. (aka Nora Roberts) – 25^th in series

Putnam, 2006- Amer Hardcover

Eve Dallas is investigating the murder of a young professional woman. One murder quickly turns into two as her fiancée is found murdered in his apartment; two

murders, one killer. To Eve, the motive

clearly ties back to…

A BROKEN SHORE (Police Procedural-Australia-Cont) – Poor

Temple, Peter – Standalone…

THE DARKNESS AND THE DEEP (Police Procedural-Scotland-Cont) – VG+

Templeton, Aline – 2^nd in series

Hodder & Stoughton, 2006- UK

Hardcover

Marjory Fleming is a farmer’s wife, mother of two and the DI in a small coastal town in…

THE SHADOW WALKER (Police Proc-Mongolia-Cont) – G+

Walker, Michael – 1^st book

Quercus, 2006- UK Hardcover

Although there is crime in Ulan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia, finding a corpse missing it’s head and hands is far from normal. Negrui, ex-head of the Serious Crime Squad is

ordered back to his former role with instructions to clear the…

UNDER A RAGING MOON (Police Proc-River City, Wash-Cont)

- VG

Zafiro, Frank - 1st book

Wolfmont, 2006- Trade paperback

The police officers of River City are determined to stop a gunman who has been holding up convenience stores,…