THE PENDRAGON BANNER (Historical-England-1100s) – VG

Sylvian Hamilton – 2nd in series

Orion, 2001 – U.K. Hardcover

Former crusader Richard Straccan is now a merchant of holy relics, and has been ordered by King John to find and bring him the banner carried by King Arthur containing a piece of cloth which bears the blood of

Christ. On his search he becomes

responsible for a man accused of theft and murder but has lost his…

SKULL SESSION (Neurological Thriller-NY-Cont) – VG

Daniel Hecht – 1st book

Viking, 1998 - Hardcover

Paul Skoglund, unable to keep a job due to having Tourette’s, agrees to clean up and start repairs on the vandalized house owned by his estranged aunt. But when he sees

the extent of destruction and learns from a local policeman that a number of

young people have gone missing or died in that area, it’s clear there is…

THE VILLA OF MYSTERIES (Police Procedural-Rome-Cont) – G

David Hewson – 2nd in series

Macmillan, 2004 – U.K. Hardcover

Detective Nic Costa is investigating the apparent kidnapping of a young woman who bears a striking resemblance to a body found in a peat bog. Because of the dress and items

found with the body, the pathologist first thinks the corpse is 2000 years old,

but Nic proves the murder to have been much more current…

FIRST, DO NO HARM (Mystery-New Jersey-1943/Cont) - Ex

Larry Karp – Standalone

Poisoned Pen Press, 2004 – Hardcover

When Martin Firestone tells his father, Leo, he’s going to be a doctor, he is stunned by the negative reaction he receives. But when Leo insists on meeting Martin and proceeds to tell him of Martin’s grandfather, who was a doctor, Martin knows

there are still answers to be uncovered.…

THE SURROGATE THIEF (Police Procedural- Vermont/Massachusetts)- VG

Archer Mayor – 15th in series

Mysterious Press, 2004 – Hardcover

As a young detective, Joe Gunther investigated the murder of a local shop owner while dealing his wife’s losing battle with cancer. Now, 30 years later, the gun used in that murder has resurfaced giving Joe the opportunity of solving the case, and

looking at his relationship with his long-term…

DEAD I WELL MAY BE (Suspense-NY/Mexico-Cont) – G+

Adrian McKinty – 2nd book

Pocket Books, 2004 – Paperback

Michael Forsythe, a 19-year old illegal immigrant from Dublin, is an enforcer for a New York Crime boss. After being betrayed by his employer, which lands him in a Mexican prison, he returns to New York determined for

revenge.

This is a tough book for me to evaluate. It saddened me as the…

MELANCHOLY BABY (Private Investigator-Boston/NY-Cont) – VG

Robert B. Parker – 4th in series

Putnam, 2004 – Hardcover

Private Investigator Sunny Randall is hired by troubled college student Sarah Markham to prove that she’s adopted in spite of her parents saying she’s not. At the same

time, Sunny is trying to figure out why she is unable to live with anyone.

I love Parker. He creates strong, ethical…

NORTHERN LIGHTS (Romance Suspense-Alaska-Cont) – G+

Nora Roberts – Standalone

Putnam, 2004 – Hardcover

Nate Burke, escaping his guilt and depression after his divorce and death of his partner, has become the Chief of Police in the tiny town of Lunacy, Alaska.

There he finds and collection of interesting and quirky characters, an

independent and sexy bush pilot named Meg, and the 16-year-old murder of…

ABSENT FRIENDS (Novel-NY-Cont) – G+

S.J. Rozen – Standalone

Delacorte Press, 2004 – Hardcover

James McCaffery, a NYFD captain, is one of the fallen heroes of 9/11. But reporter Harry Randell seems to believe James may not have always been so heroic and was involved with

a known mobster. When Harry dies of an

apparent suicide, a fellow reporter picks up Harry’s leads.

Not as much a mystery as a…

BLOOD RITES (Wizard/Detective-Chicago-Cont.) – G+

Jim Butcher – 6th in series

ROC Fantasy, 2004 – Paperback

Chicago Wizard Harry Dresden has been hired to protect an adult movie set from an entropy curse causing women to die. He accepted the job as a favor to vampire Thomas, who turns out to be much more than an acquaintance.

With a blend of gore, humor and pathos we learn more of Harry background while…

SKINNER’S RULES (Police Procedural-Scotland-Cont.) – G+

Quintin Jardine – 1st in series

St. Martin’s Press, 1994 – Hardcover

Scottish Det. Chief Superintendent Robert Skinner leads the investigation into, what appears to be, a series of gruesome murders by a serial killer. But as the investigation

proceeds, he finds the local murders are linked to international, political

power and intrigue.…

THE LAST TEMPLAR (Historical Mystery-14th Cent. England) – G+

Michael Jecks – 1st in series

Headline, 1995 – Paperback

Simon Puttock, newly appointed bailiff of Lydford Castle, is called to investigate a fire and death thought to be accidental. However, his new friend, Sir Baldwin Furnshill, convinces him it was murder.

When another, much more brutal, death by fire occurs, Simon has to find

out whether…

DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER (Psychological Thriller-Miami-Cont) – G+

Jeff Lindsay – 1st book

Doubleday, 2004 – Hardcover

Miami PD blood splatter expert is also a sociopathic serial killer. When his policewoman foster sister, Deb, asks him to come to a crime scene, he’s more than interested as

body has been surgically cut into pieces and there is no blood; very much the

style of Dexter’s own.…

THE DANGEROUS HOUR (Private Investigator-San Francisco-Cont.) – VG

Marcia Muller – 23rd in series

Mysterious Press, 2004 – Hardcover

Sharon McCone has come a long way in her career and her agency is growing. Now it’s all at risk with the arrest of her new street-wise employee Julia Rafael for credit-card

fraud from Supervisor Alex Aguilar. When

it becomes clear that Aguilar is not all he seems and the threat…

THE SHIFTING TIDE (Private Investigator-Victorian England) – Ex

Anne Perry – 14th in Monk series

Headline, 2004 – Hardcover (U.K. release)

Thomas Monk is hired by ship owner Clement Louvain to locate and recover stolen ivory tusks. Monk is also committed to find who killed one of the ship’s crewmembers. Unknown to Monk, Louvain brings a very ill woman to Hester’s

clinic for abused and ill prostitutes.…

CRIMINAL INTENT (Legal Mystery-San Francisco-Cont.) – G+

Sheldon Siegel – 3rd in series

Putnam, 2002 – Hardcover

San Francisco attorneys Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez are partners in a law firm and ex-partners in marriage. When they take

on the case of Rosie’s niece, actress Angel, who is accused of murdering her

movie director husband, they discover there’s more involved than the silver

screen.…

A TAINT IN THE BLOOD (Private Investigator-Alaska-Cont) – VG

Dana Stabenow – 14th in series

St. Martin’s Minatour, 2004 – Hardcover

Kate Shugak is hired by wealthy Charlotte Muravieff to prove her mother, Victoria, innocent of the crime for which she has served 30 years in prison, the arson death of her son.

But Victoria

isn’t making it easy when she tried to fire Kate and no one else in…

FINAL WITNESS (Legal Thriller-England-Cont) – G+

Simon Tolkien – 1st book

Random House, 2002 – Hardcover

Young Thomas Robinson is alone with his mother in her family’s 16th century home. Two men break in and murder her after she manages to hide Thomas in a priest’s

cupboard, through which he sees one of the killers. Thomas suspects his father’s assistant,

Greta, is involved, particularly when the men come back some time later…

THE DISAPPEARANCE (Police Procedural-San Francisco-Cont.) – G

Colin Wilcox – 3rd in series

Random House, 1970 – Hardcover

Lieutenant Frank Hastings is investigating the disappearance of prominent San Franciscan Carol Connoly.

Even though it’s lacking today’s computers and cell phones, this is a solid police procedural with great characters, dialogue, suspense and sense of place. My greatest

regret is…

POET IN THE GUTTER (Private Investigator) – G+

John Baker – 1^st in series

Indigo, 1995 – Paperback (U.K. Release)

Recovering alcoholic Sam Turner keeps telling people he’s a private investigator. But when a friend asks Sam to find out if his wife is being unfaithful and then ends up murdered,

Sam, with the help of a retired schoolteacher, a homeless youth and his

pool-hall friend, becomes an investigator for…