​Genre: Mystery

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As an English teacher myself, The Last Teacher captured my interest. Mackenzie August, a former California homicide detective spent the last year as a youth Pastor. The fit was wrong, and he moved to Virginia with his infant son Kix. His job as an English teacher seemed to be a perfect way to ease into an easier lifestyle, until his colleagues' bodies began showing up dead in front of his classroom.

Working with the local police, Mack uses his experience to track down a killer. Although some of the scenes were hard to accept, for the most part this was a well written mystery with an intelligent and humorous protagonist. His dry wit reminded me of Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter, but Mack is “in your face brave” while Andy is realistically a bit of a coward.

I enjoyed Mack's relationship with his dad and Kix, and found his treatment of women refreshing. I generally stay away from any books with a religious theme, and this one does bring up religion, but author Lee doesn’t seem to foist it upon us, and it is somewhat necessary to the plot. The plot, which meanders along, kept my interest and made me want to read more of Alan Lee’s writing.

- Beverly


Publisher - Sparkle Press; 2 edition
Date of Publication - ​​​April 13, 2015

​​​​Genre: Legal Thriller

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John Dobbyn’s legal thrillers written in his unique literary style are always a treat to read.  His research is evident when attorneys Michael Knight and Lex Devlin tackle a new case, and I find the information shared in High Stakes particularly fascinating. Knight takes center stage in this novel as he searches for an authentic Stradivarius violin with a jaunt through the streets of Romania. This violin is believed to house the code for a secret treasure that was hidden during the fifteenth century by Vlad Dracula.

The descriptions of the streets and little violin shop in Romania made me feel like I was there, and the notes on the tyrannical Dracula felt historically accurate and were a highlight of the story. I even enjoyed reading about the violins themselves and began to have a greater appreciation of their worth.

Dobbyn’s main setting for this series is Boston, and he seems to have a handle on the various gangs that reside there. In High Stakes we are privy to the workings of the Russian, Romanian and Chinese gangs as Knight juggles all three in his quest for the violin...and his desire to remain alive.

With little stops in Bucharest, Istanbul and even the Carpathian Mountains, this book is sure to satisfy your wanderlust as well as your craving for a good thriller. 

- Beverly
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Publisher - Oceanview Publishing
Date of Publication - ​​October 2, 2019

​​​​Genre: Thriller

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?Linwood Barclay shows his mastery of the suspense tale in his newest novel, Elevator Pitch. Each chapter introduces a new tidbit to keep the reader guessing, and the plethora of characters were interesting enough to hold my attention throughout the story.

New York City is always an interesting setting for a novel, but she really takes the lead in this one. Being one of the few truly vertical cities in the United States, it is the perfect setting for a story about runaway elevators. The novel begins with four people plummeting to their death in a Manhattan office building. What seems like a terrible but random accident takes on a new life when more elevator accidents follow. Barclay allows us to get to know the victims before their accidents, which makes their deaths all the more tragic. We also get to know the detectives working on the case, the reporter following the case and the politicians who are involved every step of the way.

The mayor is put in a no win situation. If he takes a wait and see attitude and more elevators fall, how many deaths will be on his hands? On the other hand, if he decides to shut down every elevator in the city, how will the people survive? Commerce will come to a halt, people will be stuck in their apartments or exhaust themselves climbing up and down the stairs.

While none of the characters are major protagonists, Barclay has gotten his readers invested in many different lives as terrorism takes over the city. We even spend some time with the leader of a right wing group known as the Flyovers who is in town with his wife as they celebrate their anniversary. It is obvious that he is a terrorist, but not as clear is his possible involvement with the elevators.

Barclay has always been one of my favorite authors, and this book is a clear example as to why I anxiously await his newest novels each year.

- Beverly


​Publisher - William Morrow
Date of Publication - ​​September 17, 2019

​​​​Genre: Mystery

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Rosenfelt’s twentieth Andy Carpenter book, Dachshund Through the Snow, is filled with his eccentric characters, both human and canine. Andy’s wife, Laurie, believes that Christmas should be a three month holiday, and Andy knows better than to ever disagree with her, so way before the first holiday bell rings in Paterson, New Jersey, Laurie has a holiday mission for Andy.

When the local pet store hangs children’s wishes from their tree, rather than ornaments, Laurie picks a wish and is determined to see it through. The coat for Danny’s mom and the sweater for his dachshund are easy fixes, but when Danny asks for the safe return of his father, Laurie turns to Andy for help. It seems that his dad, Noah Traynor, is being accused of a murder that took place fourteen years ago.

The police seem to have caught a break, and after fourteen years they were able to match DNA found at the scene to Noah. Noah swears he is innocent, and Andy begins to believe him, so the team is assembled and they begin to follow the leads to find the actual killer.

Andy’s team has been unstoppable in this series, and this book is no exception. Andy’s relationship with each and every one of them is my favorite part of the series, and reading Rosenfelt's books is as comfortable as slippers and hot chocolate. I believe that Rosenfelt is introducing the beginnings of a new series in this book, as Laurie, investigator/bodyguard Marcus and retired policeman Corey (and his police dog Simon) tell Andy that they are starting their own investigative group called The K Team. Hopefully Andy will be an active part of any K Team book in the future.

For those dog lovers out there, have no fear, there are several new dogs introduced in Dachshund Through the Snow, and Andy makes sure that they are treated well throughout.

- Beverly

Publisher - Minotaur Books
Date of Publication - ​​​October 1, 2019

​​​​​Genre: Thriller

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Mara Garrett, an archaeologist who travels the world finding the remains of American soldiers, has spent months in a North Korean prison and is about to be executed after being found guilty of spying. She is rescued at the last minute by Curt Dominick, the U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting her uncle, a former Vice President, for obstructing justice. If the scenario sounds implausible, it is, but as in much of fiction, the reader needs to read without expectations of realism in order to enjoy Grant’s latest novel.

In Body of Evidence (Evidence Series Book 2) the protagonists are strong, intelligent and too beautiful, the action is too over the top in places and the sex scenes feel too contrived, but somehow everything comes together and keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat for much of the book.

Dominick is known to be a “shark” with no personal life, and Mara Garrett is the niece of Andrew Stevens, the man Dominick believes is complicit in acts against our government. Dominick watches Mara bravely face a firing squad, and he seems lost in a pool of unfamiliar emotions. Her strength is obvious in most ways, but when it comes to Dominick, Mara acts like a silly teenager. 

Grant does a good job with her “bad guys,” making Mara’s former fiancé, Evan Beck, as despicable as he needs to be and has the reader wondering how Mara ever agreed to marry him. Her loyalty to the men in her life is evident, especially when it comes to her uncle Andrew, but showing loyalty in the face of Evan’s abusive and domineering treatment of her was difficult to swallow.

The storyline of Body of Evidence  was an exciting one with very few boring moments as I turned the pages, so if one can suspend reality and just buy into the relationship if the protagonists, this is a fun book to get lost in on a cold winter day.

- Beverly


Publisher - Janus Publishing
Date of Publication - ​​​​August 2, 2013

​​​​Genre: Legal Thriller

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I am a fan of Gimenez and his protagonist, Scott Fenney, so I was excited to find a book I hadn’t read featuring Fenney. In Accused, Attorney Fenney is contacted by his ex-wife Rebecca, who is being accused of murdering her current boyfriend. Since he was the one she left Scott for, taking her case is not a simple decision.

Trey Rawlins, a rising star on the pro golf tour, lived with Rebecca in a ultimate-million dollar home on the beach in Galveston, Texas. When Rebecca called the police to their home in the middle of the night, she was covered in Trey’s blood and her fingerprints were on the knife that killed him. She swears she is in innocent, and Scott agrees to bring his crew to Galveston to defend her.

The story is well written, but I found his description of all of the women in the novel disturbing. Aside from his daughters, the housekeeper and his law partner, there were few redeeming qualities in any of the female characters. They were all unfaithful, interested in money and fame above everything else and lied continually to get what they wanted.

He also made the pro golf tour seem populated with over-sexed men with questionable morals and more vices than the NFL and NBA put together. I had trouble empathizing with any of the characters other than Scott’s immediate family and co-workers and the D.A. who seemed almost too good to be true.

Scott never gave up in his defense of his ex-wife, and the reader gets to experience the seedier side of Galveston as more “bad guys” enter the scene. It was difficult to figure out who “done it” although I had my suspicions throughout. If you can get past the women bashing, this is a fun book to read.

- Beverly


Publisher - Navarchus Press
Date of Publication - ​​​October 1, 2011

​​​Genre: Mystery

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Hank Phillippi Ryan’s ability to make the reader question every character at one time or another is what makes The Murder List so interesting. It is difficult to pick a character to root for, because all of them are somewhat unappealing, yet I found myself searching for a “happily ever after” as the book progresses.

Rachel North is a law student married to Jack Kirkland, a top Boston defense attorney, and her goal is to become his partner. She accepts an internship with Jack’s sworn enemy, ADA Martha Gardiner, hoping to get a little insight as to how the other side thinks. There is no doubt that Martha and Jack would do anything to see the other fail, and Jack believes Martha requested Rachel as her intern so the ADA will have inside access to his handling of cases.

Author Ryan uses the flashback technique quite effectively to show us how all of the players came together. Rachel worked for Senate President Thomas Rafferty six years previously, and events that occurred then come back to haunt everyone. We see how Rachel and Jack met and why Martha’s animosity towards Jack has no bounds.

As each character shows the reader his/her best and worst character traits, it is difficult to pick the true “bad guy,” but there is enough murder and mayhem to keep us guessing until the last few pages. Thank you Ms Ryan, for a few fun days of reading.

- Beverly


Publisher - Forge Books
Date of Publication - ​​August 20, 2019

​​​​​Genre: ​Legal Thriller 

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Every now and again I read a James Patterson novel that is recommended to me, although I miss his early days when Alex Cross kept me on the edge of my seat. The Family Lawyer wasn’t a typical Patterson thriller, but it did pull me in with its relevant theme. Attorney Matthew Hovanes is shocked to find his high school aged daughter, Hailey, has been arrested for bullying a classmate who eventually takes her own life. Matt and his law partner, Debra, are faced with a prosecutor who has a pretty airtight case.

The supporting characters were a bit weak, and I never quite understood why Hailey’s friends turned on her. In fact, Matt and Debra were the only characters that I found particularly redeemable, and so I never got fully invested in the book. It did capture me in the beginning though, because bullying is so prevalent in our society today. I was hoping this was a novel that would have a strong message, because Patterson is an author with a large audience.

While the first half of the book moved quickly, like many of Patterson’s books, this one seemed to taper off through the last quarter. The ending was somewhat predictable, and I felt like it might be a set-up for another series. I wouldn’t mind a series featuring Attorney Hovanes since he was somewhat engaging, but Patterson, whose real strength is in writing thrillers, needs to surround him with a more appealing cast.

- Beverly

Publisher - Grand Central Publishing
Date of Publication - ​​​September 5, 2017

​​​​Genre: Thriller

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Unlike me, I jumped right in to the third book in a series right after reading the second. It is a continuation of characters that threads through the series, but new plot lines keep the readers on the edge of their seat. As in past books in the series, we follow the story of two protagonists. Jade Harrington is Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge in this latest book, The Divide, and she is trying to track down the “Shakespeare Killer.”

Brown keeps her audience guessing as she paints to almost every acquaintance of Jade’s, friend or foe, as a possible suspect in several different cases she is pursuing. She begins to realize that she doesn’t know who to trust, including the President of the United States, Whitney Fairchild.

President Fairchild surrounds herself with strong women in the highest of positions and, in fact, offered Jade a position that the agent declined. They both respect each other though, and the President often calls on Jade when she needs a knowledgeable source in the FBI. it is difficult being President in any situation, and Fairchild has some personal issues that often get in the way of a smooth running government.

Brown does a good job of intertwining both women’s storyline as she alternates chapters featuring one or the other. As in her past books, The Divide gives the reader a satisfying conclusion to some of the storyline but keeps us wondering about several others. I generally dislike books that force me to read the next in the series for answers, but for some reason it seems to work in this instance. I will anxiously await Book 4 in this series.

- Beverly


Publisher - JAB Press
Date of Publication - ​​​May 9, 2019

​​​​Genre: Thriller

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Unfortunately, I picked up the second in the Jade Harrington series, Rule of Law, and quickly got involved in it. There were a great deal of references to the first in her series, so I  know how it ended before ever picking it up. That is too bad, because I really enjoyed this book and would have loved to begin at the beginning.

Jade is an FBI special agent who gets involved in a bullying case. A high school baseball team seems to be plagued with a serial killer, yet there is a seemingly obvious connection with bullying among team members. Jade is a strong character who is fun to follow.

We find that she has a connection with President Whitney Fairchild who enlists her help in keeping her agenda going forward. The President is also a strong female character, and I enjoyed the author’s style of alternating chapters featuring alternating women. Brown does give us a peek into the personal lives of both protagonists, but I would have liked to have gotten a bit more of their back stories. Maybe if I read the first book, Don’t Speak, I will catch up to their histories.

Meanwhile, book 3 is sitting in my Kindle, and I will probably read it over the following week.

- Beverly


Publisher - JAB Press
Date of Publication - ​​​​March 11, 2017