Mask Market by Andrew Vachss
“Mask Market’ is the (Andrew) Vachss’ 16th book starring Burke, “a two-time felony loser” and abuse survivor who works this other side of the city for those that need to rent his code of ethics, allowing themselves the illusion of not soiling themselves. The novel opens with Burke having recently recovered from being shot in [...]
The Art Thief by Noah Charney
“In the absence of something genuinely profound,’ says a character in “The Art Thief,” “always say something quotable.” There’s a whole lot of quoting going on in Noah Charney’s debut novel, a pleasant if diluted stew of police procedural, art history and mystery writing.’ Read the review at the Charleston Post and Courier.
Flawed by Jo Bannister
“Here’s a very human story with the plot nearly buried among the twists and turns of the characters’ lives. A heavy hitter from the Serious Organized Crimes Agency arrives in a seaside village armed with new evidence she thinks will finally nail a slippery crook. Entwined are subplots about child abuse, pregnancy, career sacrifice, unrequited [...]
City of Fire by Robert Ellis
“The title of this book, “City of Fire,” promises a great deal of suspense, tension and do-or-die action especially when factoring in the story setting of Los Angeles, a loony-tunes city full of bizarre and exotic plot possibilities. Unfortunately, despite being competently written by Robert Ellis, the murder mystery does not deliver. Making the situation [...]
The Tin Roof Blowdown: A Dave Robicheaux Novel, by James Lee Burke
“Because he’s a damn good writer James Lee Burke knows how to keep a plot going from start to finish with no loose ends or out-of-the-blue surprises that amateurishly attempt to explain and finish off a narrative. He easily weaves several ancillary situations into the story line of “The Tin Roof Blowdown.” These are of [...]
Rogue Male, by Geoffrey Household
“Geoffrey Household’s spy classic, “Rogue Male,” was published in 1939 by Little, Brown. A new copy sold for $2. The New York Times book critic wrote: “We haven’t read as exciting a man-hunt as this one in years. There are scenes here - mostly underground, literally as well as figuratively - you won’t soon forget.” [...]
The Draining Lake, by Arnaldur Indridason and translated by Bernard Scudder
“In ‘The Draining Lake,’ the new and most accomplished (Inspector) Erlendur novel, his private life seems on the brink of an upbeat nudge. Valgerdur, a good-looking biotechnician he met on an earlier case, is interested in pursuing a relationship with Erlendur. Naturally there are obstacles to the romance. Erlendur can’t imagine what she sees in [...]
The Crystal Skull, by Manda Scott
“Tiny in person, Manda Scott deserves some sort of authorial heavyweight-championship belt. Scarcely a year after the final volume of her massive Boudica quartet of historical novels, she bounces back into the ring with her challenge for the Cryptic Treasure Cup of 2008. Will she successfully slug it out with the numerous contenders who have [...]
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
“There’s been a symbiotic relationship between Scandinavian and British crime fiction for almost 50 years. Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo’s 1960s/70s crime series featuring the introspective, troubled Inspector Martin Beck inspired a generation of British crime-writers who then gave it right back. Beck partly begat John Harvey’s Resnick, who helped beget Mankell’s Wallender. Swedish author [...]
Detective Story, by Imre Kertesz, translated by Tim Wilkinson
“Hungarian Nobel laureate Imre Kertesz survived the Nazi death camps only to languish for four decades under communist rule . . . Kertesz’s autobiographical novel Fateless closed with its narrator proclaiming the “happiness” of the concentration camps and opposing efforts to sentimentalise his experiences. His tight-knit mystery Liquidation finds a survivor’s marriage dissolving upon his [...]
The Appeal, by John Grisham
“Money can’t buy love, but it can buy everything else, including a victory at the polls. That’s the compelling, if hardly unique, backdrop for The Appeal, John Grisham’s rant-against-dirty-politics legal thriller, on sale Tuesday.Grisham’s last legal thriller, The Last Juror, arrived in 2004, and since then he has published two other novels and the non-fiction [...]
Sheppard Lee, Written by Himself, by Robert Montgomery Bird
“So, you’ve been looking for an early 19th-century novel about metempsychosis? Look no further. Robert Montgomery Bird’s Sheppard Lee, Written by Himself is back in print. What? You are not an ardent follower of tales of the metempsychotic? Let me explain. Metempsychosis is the transference of the soul or spirit from one body to another [...]
A Person of Interest, by Susan Choi
“Susan Choi looks for essential American characters in the most peculiar places. Five years ago, she wrote a novel about Patty Hearst called American Woman that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and now she’s back with A Person of Interest, a piercing story about the Unabomber that’s one of the most remarkable novels [...]