Recommended Adult Books (Mostly Mysteries)

• J. L. Abramo: Jake Diamond mysteries. # 1 Catching Water in a Net, #2 = Clutching at Straws. These are basically caper novels, set in San Francisco. They are filled with appealing, if wacky, characters. A fun, quick read.
• N/F Joan Aiken: The Way to Write for Children : An Introduction to the Craft of Writing Children's Literature. A small book, and rather dictatorial (you must do this, you mustn't do that), but excellent. She basically says that if you want to write for children, you need to actually focus on what's of interest to them (as opposed to writing about children). She's strong on the need for story, not moralizing, etc. She intersperses the book with quotations on writing and children by other authors.
• *Nancy Atherton (light): Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday, Aunt Dimity: Snowbound. I've actually read this whole series, and though not generally a huge 'cozy' fan, I like these books a lot. They are light, sentimental, and tinged with the supernatural ('Aunt Dimity' is a ghost who communicates by writing in a journal, read by the main character). Aunt Dimity and the Next of Kin. Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea (Aunt Dimity)
• Nancy Atherton: Aunt Dimity Goes West. Viking.
• Rosemary Aubert: Ellis Portal series, #1 Free Reign: A Suspense Novel. #2 The Feast of Stephen : An Ellis Portal Mystery (Ellis Portal Mysteries). #3 The Ferryman Will Be There : An Ellis Portal Mystery. These books are about a homeless man who was once a judge, before falling on very hard times (due in large part to his own temper).
• *John Baker: #1 Poet in the Gutter. This is a UK import, not available in the US.
• David Baldacci: Split Second (hc 10/03). On MP3
• LINWOOD BARCLAY: Bad Move
• Robert Barnard: The Bones in the Attic. The Mistress of Alderley. British author, many standalone mysteries.
• *Richard Barre: The Innocents (Wil Hardesty Novels). Debut in series about Santa Barbara PI Wil Hardesty. Main character is very complex, dealing with alcoholism and marital problems following the death of his young son. Story is a bit dark (starts with the discovery of the skeletons of 7 children in the desert), but interesting. #2 Bearing Secrets (Wil Hardesty Novels). #3 The Ghosts of Morning. #4 Blackheart Highway (Wil Hardesty Novels).
• M. C. Beaton (light): Agatha Raisin series - #1 The Quiche of Death (An Agatha Raisin Mystery). Loved it. Character is real and funny, setting is cozy but not dull. #2 The Vicious Vet (An Agatha Raisin Mystery), #3 Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener, #4 Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley, #5 Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage, #6 Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist (An Agatha Raisin Mystery), # 7 Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death, # 8 Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham, # 9 Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden, # 10 Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam, # 11 Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell, # 12 Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came, # 13 Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate, #14 Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House. Death of a Gossip (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries)
• Carrie Bebris: Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mysteries - #1 Pride and Prescience (Or A Truth Universally Acknowledged) (Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries). #2 Suspense and Sensibility or, First Impressions Revisited : A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery (Mr. & Mrs. Darcy). These books take up where Pride and Prejudice left off, with Elizabeth and Darcy starting their married life, and running into mysteries with a supernatural element. I really enjoyed the first one, I think because it satisfied that "what happens next" thing that I get with a book that I really love (especially if it's not a mystery). The second one was fun, but I didn't like it quite as much, perhaps b/c I'm not as familiar with the details of Sense and Sensibility (the book has young Harry Dashwood, Elinor and Marian's nephew from S&S, becoming involved with the Darcy/Bennett family.) Also Book 3 = North by Northanger, set mostly at Pemberly, but with a visit to Northanger Abbey.
• Ann Benson: The Plague Tales. Like The Eight this book jumps backwards and forwards between a historical (medieval) timeframe and the present. The characters were strong, and the historical time period seemed well portrayed. Not an upbeat book, but interesting. The alternating time frames really kept me turning the pages.
• Ethan Black: All the Dead Were Strangers (fourth Conrad Voort book, haven't read earlier). I found this novel about two independtly wealthy New York police offices, the main one of whom is patriarch of sorts over his extended family, somewhat implausible, though entertaining.
• Meredith Blevins: The Hummingbird Wizard. Set in San Francisco and Sonoma County, among an extended family that includes many gypsies. It took me a while to get into this book (the characters are very quirky) but in the end I liked it.
• Lawrence Block: Hit Man (John Keller Mysteries) and Hit List (John Keller Mysteries).
• Rhys Bowen (light, historical): Murphy's Law (A Molly Murphy Mystery), Death of Riley : A Molly Murphy Mystery, For the Love of Mike (A Molly Murphy Mystery) (I like this series, set in NY, but the earlier "Evan" series is a little too light for me). In Like Flynn : A Molly Murphy Series (Molly Murphy) (finished this 10/2/05). Oh Danny Boy (Molly Murphy Mysteries)
• Gerry Boyle: #1 Deadline: A Jack McMorrow Mystery, #2 Bloodline (A Jack Mcmorrow Mystery), #3 Lifeline (Jack McMorrow Mystery), #4 Potshot (Jack McMorrow Mystery). I started these books because a friend knows the author (the author lives in Maine, near where the books are set). I didn't much like the first one because the setting was in a bleak and depressing mill town, but the other books moved to a better setting, and I've become ever more interested. # 7 Pretty Dead (Jack McMorrow Mystery). #6 Covery Story.
• Gary Braver: Flashback
• *Dan Brown: Deception Point (thriller about a senator trying to president, and a plot to convince people of life on other planets/meteor). Also Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, Digital Fortress : A Thriller
• Elizabeth Brundage: The Doctor's Wife. Intriguing psychological thriller about two couples that intersect due to an affair, and the tragic consequences.
• Edna Buchanan: Cold Case Squad
• *Robin Burcell: Kate Gillespie mysteries, #1 Every Move She Makes, #2 Fatal Truth, #3 Deadly Legacy, #4 Cold Case (original pb release, 2/04)
• Jan Burke: Goodnight, Irene (first Irene Kelly), Sweet Dreams, Irene : An Irene Kelly Novel; Dear Irene : An Irene kelly Novel, Remember Me, Irene : An Irene Kelly Novel, Hocus (5), Liar: An Irene Kelly Mystery (6), BONES : AN IRENE KELLY MYSTERY (7) - didn't like that one because too much serial killer viewpoint, Flight (8)
• Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason: The Rule of Four. A thinking person's thriller, four people at Princeton solving mystery to do with old manuscript.
• Andrea Camilleri: # 1 The Shape of Water, # 2 The Terra-Cotta Dog: An Inspector Montalbano Mystery, # 3 The Snack Thief (Inspector Montalbano Mysteries), # 4 Voice of the Violin (Inspector Montalbano Mysteries). #5 The Smell of the Night, #6 Rounding the Mark, #7 a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143112031/?tag=jensbookrevie-20">The Patience of the Spider.
• Orson Scott Card: Shadow of the Giant (Ender, Book 8) (Ender's Shadow) (on MP3). Conclusion, apparently, to the earth-based Ender series (though there is one loose thread). Satisfying, though a bit battle/politics focused for my personal preference.
• John Case: The Eighth Day (fast-paced thriller)
• Leonard Chang: Over the Shoulder: A Novel of Intrigue, Underkill: An Allen Choice Novel
• **Lee Child: All books in the Jack Reacher series, including newest = Persuader, Enemy, One Shot, and The Hard Way.
• Lincoln Child: Death Match (hc late 04) (on MP3). About a very advanced dating service that makes perfect matches, and what happens when some of them start committing double suicide.
• Barbara Cleverly: The Last Kashmiri Rose. First in the Joe Sandilands historical series.
• **Harlen Coben: Gone For Good (April 02 hc) - excellent!!! I love the Myron Bolitar series. Last 3 books have been standalone thrillers, also excellent. No Second Chance. Just One Look. The Innocent (on MP3). Another standalone novel about a basically decent person who ends up in a confusing and terrible situation. I liked it because it kept me thinking, trying to put together the clues (which I did pretty successfully, but I can't necessarily hold that against Coben, I read a lot of books). Promise Me. This one is a new Myron Bolitar, after several years, and it was great. I didn't see the end coming at all.
• Reed Farrel Coleman: Moe Prager series. #1 Walking the Perfect Square. Set mostly back in the late 70's, with a little bit in the present.
• **Michael Connelly: Chasing the Dime (standalone). A Darkness More than Night, Lost Light, The Narrows. The Closers (on MP3).  Lincoln Lawyer (on MP3) = first of new series about a slightly sleazy defense lawyer. Echo Park
• **Robert Crais: The Last Detective. Elvis Cole series (I love this whole series). Forgotten Man (hc 2/05). Forgotten Man was a bit of a quick read, and I would have liked more of Joe Pike, but still excellent. The consistencies in LAPD details between these and the Connelly books are striking. The Two Minute Rule (standalone). The Watchman = first book featuring Joe Pike.
• **Jodi Compton: The 37th Hour. About a female cop from Michigan who doesn't find out right away (because of a trip) that her husband has disappeared. I read this book in about a day and half, not because it wasn't dense, but because I couldn't put it down. And it was one of those relatively rare books that, when I finished it, I sat there holding onto the just-closed back cover, thinking over the issues that were raised near the end of the book. Sequel = Sympathy Between Humans. Minneapolis female detective makes morally ambiguous choices, to try to do what's right.
• **Deborah Crombie: Gemma James series. A Share in Death = 1st, # 2 All Shall Be Well, # 3 Leave the Grave Green, # 4 Mourn Not Your Dead, # 5 Dreaming of the Bones, # 6 Kissed a Sad Goodbye, # 7 A Finer End, # 8 And Justice There Is None. # 9 Now May You Weep. #10 In a Dark House. I love all of these. This is one of my very favorite series.
• Deborah Crombie: Water Like A Stone. William Morrow.
• Barbara D'Amato: Hard Road: a Cat Marsala mystery (first one). Liked that ok, but not enough to read others. Standalone: Killer.App (liked this one a lot). Death of A Thousand Cuts (standalone)
• Jeanne Dams (light): Victim in Victoria Station (5), Killing Cassidy (6), To Perish in Penzance (7), Sins out of School (8)
• *John Darnton: standalone books, including Neanderthal, The Experiment and Mind Catcher, pseudo-science thriller type.
• Lindsey Davis: Marcus Didius Falco Mystery Novels. # 1 The Silver Pigs, # 2 Shadows in Bronze, #3 Venus in Copper, #4 The Iron Hand of Mars, #5 Poseidon's Gold, #6 Last Act in Palmyra, #7 Time to Depart, #8 A Dying Light in Corduba
• *Jeffrey Deaver: Lincoln Rhyme series, including The Stone Monkey and The Vanished Man. The Twelfth Card. The latter is by far and away the best Rhyme/Sachs novel so far! I was compelled to keep walking so that I could find out what happened next. I thought I knew who the bad guy was, but I was wrong. Always a good sign. Cold Moon is decent, too, but not quite as good. Cold Moon introduces Kathryn Dance, who is featured in The Sleeping Doll.
• Diecy Deere (light): Irish Cottage Murder, Irish Manor House Murder, Irish Cairn Murder
• **Jo Dereske (light): Miss Zukas and the Library Murders, Miss Zukas and the Island Murders, Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death, Miss Zukas and the Raven's Dance, Out of Circulation, Final Notice, Miss Zukas in Death's Shadow, Miss Zukas Shelves the Evidence, and Catalogue of Death: A Miss Zukas Mystery. My review. Liked the character and background a lot. Savage Cut, Cut and Dry, Short Cut (Ruby Crane, enjoyable but not as good)
• Michael Dibdin: Ratking (first Aurelio Zen)
• *John Dunning: The Bookman's Promise. Sign of the Book. Who can resist a mystery series about a former cop who becomes an antiquarian bookseller?
• Barry Eisler: Rain Fall. Japan, tough hero. He's actually a hit man, who falls in love with the daughter of a victim, and then has to save her from a hit. Rain Storm. And others, but I haven't read them.
• Earl Emerson: The Smoke Room. Firefighter tells lies and ends up in complex situation with murder. I don't usually like these hapless guy caught up in circumstances beyond his control books, but this one was pretty entertaining.
• *Janet Evanovich: One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to Get Deadly, Four to Score, High Five, Hot Six, Seven Up, Hard Eight, To the Nines, Ten Big Ones (fun, main character is very NJ, clumsy, good chemistry with Joe Morelli and Ranger). Ten Big Ones made me laugh out loud repeatedly - a very quick read. Eleven on Top was also a quick read. Twelve Sharp. Lean Mean Thirteen.
• *Linda Fairstein: Alex Cooper mysteries (woman ADA in NY) - #1 Final Jeopardy, #2 Likely to Die, # 3 Cold Hit, # 4 The Deadhouse, # 5 The Bone Vault (set in the Met). They improved a lot over the series. #6 The Kills. #7 Entombed. #8 Death Dance. #9 Bad Blood.
• n/f Keith Ferrazzi: Never Eat Alone (on MP3). This just might be one of those rare books that ends up changing my life. I find myself wondering, as I decide about something, "what would Keith do?" I've also been recommending it to people right and left.
• Jasper Fforde: # 1 The Eyre Affair, # 2 Lost in a Good Book, # 3 The Well of Lost Plots, #4 Something Rotten, #5 Thursday Next: First Among Sequels. The Thursday Next series, set in a parallel version of England where books reign supreme, and a few people like Thursday can actually enter into them and change things. These are entertaining, and I love to support the concept of a world where books are so important. The Big Over Easy (new series wit Jack Spratt as inspector) and The Fourth Bear.
• Ken Follett: Whiteout (very suspenseful, keep me turning the pages). One of my favorite books of all time is The Pillars of the Earth. A sequel, World Without End, is due out in October 2007. I also liked Night over Water and A Dangerous Fortune.
• **Jim Fusilli: #1 Closing Time, #2 A Well-Known Secret, #3 Tribeca Blues, #4 Hard, Hard City. Fourth in the Terry Orr series, about a NY writer who becomes a PI after his wife and baby son are killed. The characters and the setting are unbelievably well-drawn, both convincing and complex. The post 9/11 material in the second book was especially compelling.
• Chris Grabenstein: Tilt-a-Whirl. Completed 8/21/06. My review.
• **Elizabeth George: Lynley/Havers series: #1 A Great Deliverance, #2 Payment in Blood, #3 Well-Schooled in Murder, #4 A Suitable Vengeance, #5 For the Sake of Elena, #6 Missing Joseph, #7 Playing for the Ashes, #8 In the Presence of the Enemy, #9 Deception on his Mind, #10 In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner, #11 A Traitor to Memory, #12 A Place of Hiding, #13 With No One as Witness (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels), #14 What Came Before He Shot Her (2007).
• N/F Steven Gilbar: The Open Door: When Writers First Learned to Read. I loved this book. It's a very quick read, a series of short chapters about famous (and not so famous, in some cases) writers. Each opens with a background paragraph, then goes into the author's own words about learning to read and/or learning to love books, and how books changed him or him. Several of the authors had difficult childhoods, and used books to escape. In several cases some outside adult (not a parent) saw the hunger for books in the child, and helped him to gain access to books. I was also struck by the fact that several of the authors mentioned Pickwick Papers, in glowing terms. I think that one reason why I really liked this book was that it made me feel less alone - the kid sitting up in a tree reading books. Loving books is where all of these authors started.
• Dorothy Gilman (light): Caravan (standalone). I like her standalone stuff, but don't care that much for the Mrs. Pollifax series (though I liked it when I was first reading mysteries). Also Thale's Folly, the Clairvoyant Countess, Kaleidoscope, The Nun in the Closet.
• Robert Goddard: Caught in the Light. Standalone about a photographer who falls for a woman who disappears. Dying to Tell. Lazy guy is called upon to search for an old friend who has disappeared, and turned out to have many secrets. These are standalone novels, somewhat similar to the Harlan Coben standalones, but with a British slant, a bit more atmosphere, and a bit less graphic violence. Many plot twists, and the author is not afraid to do the difficult thing (killing of characters, etc.). Painting the Darkness. Historical mystery set in England in late 1800s. Man claims to be missing heir, but his family says that he's an imposter. Investigation reveals many family secrets and skeletons. This one I found a bit slow going, though there were plenty of surprises, including one that I didn't anticipate.
• Joe Gores: #4 32 Cadillacs (first one that's available)
• Martha Grimes: Richard Jury novels: #1 The Man With a Load of Mischief, #2 The Old Fox Deceiv'd, # 3 The Anodyne Necklace, # 4 The Dirty Duck, # 5 Jerusalem Inn, # 6 Help the Poor Struggler, # 7 The Deer Leap, # 8 I Am the Only Running Footman, # 9 The Five Bells & Bladebone. This is as far as I got in reading, though there are about a dozen others in the series. Hotel Paradise = young person named Emma solves old mystery. I found it a bit slow-paced, but a little too good to stop reading.
• Parnell Hall (light): A Clue for the Puzzle Lady, Last Puzzle and Testament, Puzzled to Death, A Puzzle in a Pear Tree, With this Puzzle, I Thee Kill, Stalking the Puzzle Lady, You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled
• Denis Hamill: Bobby Emmett PI books. #1 = 3 Quarters, about a NY cop who was framed for murder, and spent 2 years in prison before getting out on appeal, must figure out the large conspiracy that put him in jail. Good characters, reminded me of the Elvis Cole novels.
• Denise Hamilton: Eve Diamond novels The Jasmine Trade. Interesting, sad ending, character realistically flawed. The Last Lullaby. Sugar Skull. Savage Garden (Eve Diamond Novels). Prisoner of Memory.
• Lyn Hamilton: Lara McClintock series. # 1 The Xibalba Murders, # 2 The Maltese Goddess, # 3 The Moche Warrior, # 4 The Celtic Riddle, # 5 The African Quest, # 6 The Etruscan Chimera, # 7 The Thai Amulet, #8 The Magyar Venus. I haven't read these last three: #9 The Moai Murders, #10 The Orkney Scroll, #11 The Chinese Alchemist
• Steve Hamilton: #1 A Cold Day in Paradise, #2 Winter of the Wolf Moon, #3 The Hunting Wind, #4 North of Nowhere, #5 Blood Is the Sky, #6 Ice Run, #7 A Stolen Season. I haven't read #8 Night Work.
• Jeremiah Healy: #1 The Staked Goat, #2 So Like Sleep, #3 Swan Dive, #4 Yesterday’s News, Right to Die (5). A series that I like more and more as I read more books. Older series, set in Boston area, about a private detective named John Cuddy. Shallow Graves (6). Foursome (7) . Act of God (8), Rescue (9), Invasion of Privacy (10), The Only Good Lawyer (11), Spiral (12)
• Daniel Hecht: City of Masks (MP3), Land of Echoes (MP3). Puppets (on MP3), prequel to Skull Session. Puppets was very dark, but compelling - I kept thinking about it when I wasn't directly listening to it. 
• *Georgette Heyer (light): These Old Shades (sequel is Devils' Cub). Venetia, Lady of Quality, Frederica, The Convenient Marriage, The Talisman Ring, The Unknown Ajax, Sprig Muslin, The Nonesuch, etc.
• Elizabeth Ironside: Death in the Garden. Cozy set between the wars in England, written by the wife of the British ambassador to the US. Great review by Maureen Corrigan in the Washington Post .
• Jonnie Jacobs: Kali O'Brien Series. #1 Shadow of Doubt, #2 Evidence of Guilt, #3 Motion to Dismiss, #4 Witness for the Defense, #5 Cold Justice, #6 Intent to Harm (Kali). New standalone The Only Suspect.
• Quintin Jardine: Blackstone's Pursuits (1st in Oz Blackstone series, PI in Scotland)
• Maureen Jennings (light, historical): William Murdoch mysteries. Under the Dragon's Tail (1), Except the Dying (2), Poor Tom is Cold (3). Let Loose the Dogs (4).  Night's Child : A Detective Murdoch Mystery. Fifth in series about Canadian detective Murdoch, set in Victorian era.
• Craig Johnson: The Cold Dish. First in a new series about a small-town Wyoming sheriff, investigating the shooting of a high-school student convicted earlier in the rape of a Cheyenne girl. Reviewers liked voice, banter, knowledge of area. I haven't read sequels Death Without Company and Kindness Goes Unpunished
• Morag Joss: Funeral Music (Sara Selkirk Mysteries). There are others in the series, very highly regarded, but I haven't read them.
• Jonathan Kellerman: Alex Delaware series. The most recent ones I've read are: Flesh and Blood. The Murder Book (on MP3). A Cold Heart (on MP3). Therapy (on MP3). The last three all kept me listening with interest, walking more than I might have. Next one is Rage.
• Bill Kent: Street Money (new series, newspaper obit writer as PI)
• Karen Kijewski: Kat Colorado series - #1 Katwalk, #2 Katapult, #3 Copy Kat, #4 Kat's Cradle, #5 Wild Kat; #6 Alley Kat Blues, #7 Honky Tonk Kat, #8 Kat Scratch Fever, #9 Stray Kat Waltz
• *Laurie King: I love her series about Holmes and Russell, starting with #1 The Beekeeper's Apprentice. # 2 A Monstrous Regiment of Women, # 3 A Letter of Mary, # 4 The Moor, # 5 O Jerusalem, # 6 Justice Hall, # 7 The Game, # 8 Locked Rooms. Also the standalone Keeping Watch. Liked this one (about a Vietnam Vet who becomes a rescuer of children with abusive parents, but found the Vietnam stuff disturbing).
• Laurie R. King: I also enjoy her Kate Martinelli series, about a San Francisco woman police office. #1 A Grave Talent, #2 To Play the Fool, #3 With Child, #4 Night Work, #5 The Art of Detection
• N/F Stephen King: On Writing. I had read this book before, but liked it a lot, and wanted to read it again now (May 05, read this on trip to Newcastle). It's a combination of autobiography and writing book.
• N/F Anne Lamott: Bird by Bird. Non-fiction book about writing. Liz gave it to me a long time ago, and I started it, but I found myself more ready to read it now (May 4, 2005). She seems a bit focused on her own problems but still has a lot of useful things to say about writing. Some highlights: accept bad first drafts (just keep writing), give yourself short assignments (finish something), and look around yourself all the time for material.
• **Dennis Lehane: Kenzie / Gennaro series I really liked. # 1 A Drink Before the War, # 2 Darkness, Take My Hand, # 3 Sacred, # 4 Gone, Baby, Gone, # 5 Prayers for Rain. Didn't like the standalone Mystic River as much. Standalone Shutter Island.
• *Donna Leon: Guido Brunetti series. #1 Death at La Fenice, #2 Death in a Strange Country, #3 Death and Judgment (AKA A venetian Reckoning ), #4 Dressed for Death (AKA The Anonymous Venetian), #5 Acqua Alta (AKA: Death In High Water ), #6 Death Of Faith (AKA: Quietly in Their Sleep), #7 A Noble Radiance, #8 Fatal Remedies (finished 04/06/05). #9 Friends in High Places (I haven't read yet), #10 A Sea of Troubles, #11 Wilfull Behavior, #12 Uniform Justice, #13 Doctored Evidence
• Steve Leveen: The Little Guide to your Well-Read Life.
• n/f Steven Levitt: Freakonomics. Read this in one sitting, it was a lot of fun.
• *Laura Lippman: The Tess Monaghan Series. # 1 Baltimore Blues, # 2 Charm City, # 3 Butcher's Hill, # 4 In Big Trouble, # 5 The Sugar House, # 6 In A Strange City, # 7 The Last Place, #8 By a Spider's Thread, # 9 No Good Deeds
• *Laura Lippman: Standalone titles Every Secret Thing. To the Power of Three (standalone). I didn't like To the Power of Three quite as much as some of the others (which I have loved). Though well-written, it seemed to take a long time to get to the real meat of the story. A lot of flashbacks of the girls' childhood, which helped in understanding their characters, but which I found a little slow. What the Dead Know
• Penelope Lively: The Photograph (from Liz). Not really a mystery. A man finds a photograph that indicates that his dead wife had an affair with her sister's husband, and becomes obsessed with investigating further. Some mystery as to what the dead woman was about, how she died, etc., but the real story is the remarkable characterization.
• *Henning Mankell: The Return of the Dancing Master (standalone), #1 Faceless Killers (Kurt Wallender).  #2 The Dogs of Riga (from Santa Clara library, in paperback). Sidetracked (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard). The fourth Kurt Wallander book. #5: The Fifth Woman (A Kurt Wallander Mystery).  #6 One Step Behind. Firewall (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard). Linda Wallander Series (Also features Stefan Lindman): #1 Before the Frost: A Linda Wallander Mystery
• N/F Robert Masello: Robert's Rules of Writing (n/f about writing)
• Francine Mathews: The Secret Agent, The Cutout
• **Barry Maitland: (Brock and Kathy) # 1 The Marx Sisters, # 2 The Malcontenta, # 3 All My Enemies, # 4 The Chalon Heads, #5 Silvermeadow, #6 Babel, #7 The Verge Practice, #8 No Trace. #9 (October 2007) Spider Trap. I love this series!
• Jill McGown: Inspector Lloyd and Judy Hill series: #1 A Perfect Match, # 2 Murder at the Old Vicarage, #3 Gone to her Death, # 4 The Murders Of Mrs. Austin and Mrs. Beale, # 5 The Other Woman, # 6 Murder… Now and Then, #7 Shred of Evidence, # 8 Verdict Unsafe, #9 Picture of Innocence, # 10 Plots and Errors, #11 Scene of the Crime, #12 Death in the Family, #13 Unlucky for Some. I liked this series, but my interest waned before I got to the last few.
• Chris Mooney: Remembering Sarah. About a father whose child disappears while sledding. Picked this up at DFW in case of running out of books on one trip, read it on the trip to Germany. Excellent page-turner.
• David Morrell: The Protector (on MP3).
• Marchia Muller: #1 Edwin of the Iron Shoes. # 2 Ask the Cards a Question
• Kris Neri: Tracy Eaton series. #1 Revenge of the Gypsy Queen. Entertaining lighter mystery about a female mystery writer whose sister-in-law is kidnapped right before the sister-in-law's wedding. A bit braggy about how famous the writer is, and how famous her parents are, and how rich her in-laws are, etc., but still entertaining. # Dem Bones' Revenge
• **Carol O'Connell: Mallory Series. Currently my absolute favorite mystery authors, because of the depth of the characters. #1 Mallory's Oracle, #2 The Man Who Cast Two Shadows, #3 Killing Critics, #4 Stone Angel, #5 Shell Game, #6 Crime School, #7 Dead Famous, #8 Winter House, #9 Find Me. Standalone = Judas Child
• n/f Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King: Faithful (fan diary about 2004 Red Sox)
• *Robert Parker: Jesse Stone series: #1 Night Passage (first Jesse Stone book), #2 Trouble in Paradise, #3 Death in Paradise, #4 Stone Cold, #5 Sea Change, #6 High Profile
• Robert Parker: Sunny Randall series: #1 Family Honor, #2 Perish Twice, #3 Shrink Rap, #4 Melancholy Baby, #5 Blue Screen, #6 Spare Change
• *Robert Parker: Spenser series: 31 The Godwulf Manuscript, #2 God Save the Child, #3 Mortal Stakes, #4 Promised Land, #5 The Judas Goat, #6 Looking for Rachel Wallace, #7 Early Autumn, #8 A Savage Place, #9 Ceremony, #10 The Widening Gyre, #11 Valediction, #12 A Catskill Eagle, #13 Taming a Seahorse, #14 Pale Kings and Princes, #15 Crimson Joy, #16 Playmates, #17 Stardust, #18 Pastime, #19 Double Deuce (This one has Parker's trademark wittiness, but also tackles issues of teen gangs and racism in Boston). #20 Paper Doll (I think I'm here, didn't read this one), #21 Walking Shadow, #22 Thin Air, #23 Chance, #24 Small Vices, #25 Sudden Mischief, #26 Hush Money, #27 Hugger Mugger, #28 Potshot, #29 Widow's Walk, #30 Back Story, #31 Bad Business, #32 Cold Service, #33 School Days, #34 Hundred Dollar Baby. Standalones: Wilderness (didn't finish that one), All Our Yesterdays (so-so). Appaloosa = standalone western about Marshalls taking down bad guys. Very quick read, lots of fighting, interesting characters.
• *Ridley Pearson: Boldt/Matthews series. #1 Undercurrents, #2 The Angel Maker, #3 No Witnesses, #4 Beyond Recognition, #5 The Pied Piper, #6 The First Victim, #7 Middle of Nowhere, #8 Art of Deception. Good read, nice development of Daphne and LaMoia. #9 The Body of David Hayes. Two recent standalones Cut and Run and Killer weekend. I've read all of the Boldt/Matthews books, but not these two standalones.
• Louise Penny: Still Life (A Three Pines Mystery). St. Martin's Minotaur. My review.
• Louise Penny. A Fatal Grace. St. Martins Minotaur.
• *Anne Perry: I love the Monk series, and like the Pitt series enough to have read them all. I think that her new World War I series is her best work. William Monk and Hester Latterly series: 15+ titles, starting with #1 The Face of a Stranger. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series: 24+ titles, starting with The Cater Street Hangman. World War I series: #1 No Graves as Yet, #2 Shoulder the Sky, #3 Angels in the Gloom, #4 At Some Disputed Barricade, #5 We Shall Not Sleep
• *Thomas Perry: I really enjoyed the Jane series (though there haven't been any new ones in a while). Haven't been as taken with standalone titles. Jane Whitefield series: #1 Vanishing Act, #2 Dance for the Dead, #3 Shadow Woman, #4 The Face Changers, #5 Blood Money.
• Nancy Pickard: The Virgin of Small Plains. Ballantine Books, more a literary novel than a mystery, winner of the Agatha Award.
• Jodi Picoult: My Sister's Keeper. Vanishing Acts. Listened to this one on MP3. About a woman with fragmented memory. The multi-voice thing that Picoult likes to do works well on MP3, and the story was interesting, if occasionally slow-paced. The Tenth Circle : A Novel. Nineteen Minutes (my review).
• Douglas Preston: The Codex. Tyrannosaur Canyon. Both about Tom Broadbent. Mostly plot driven, but still a lot of fun.
• *Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: pseudo-science thrillers, a lot of fun. Start with Riptide
• Marcia Preston: #1 Perhaps She'll Die. A bit on the light, quick read side, but entertaining, and with good characterization.
• Shelly Reuben: Tabula Rasa. Fire investigator finds a baby whose mother tried to kill her, and takes her to raise with his wife. (hc 8/05). Finished 11/6/05. I read this pretty much in one sitting, found it a fast, compelling story, despite the writing needing some tighening (run-on sentences, random details not tied to the plot).
• Ruth Rendell: I like her dark, moody standalone stuff like Keys to the Street, but I personally never got into her better-known Wexford series.
• Gene Riehl: Quantico Rules. Completed 2/27/06, on visit to Philadelphia.
• *Rick Riordan: Tres Navarre series (set in San Antonio). Most recent = Southtown (read in pb 5/05). Standalone Cold Springs.
• J. D. Robb (light, trashy): Portrait in Death. NY cop set in the future. Trashy, but the characters are really good. Imitation in Death.
• Gillian Roberts (light): Caught Dead in Philadelphia, Philly Stakes, I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia. I read the first three, but got bored and didn't read any others.
• *James Rollins: pseudo-science thrillers, including Neanderthal, Subterranean, Amazonia. Ice Hunt, Sandstorm. Map of Bones.
• *S. J. Rozan: #1 China Trade, #2 Concourse, # 3 Mandarin Plaid, # 4 No Colder Place, # 5 A Bitter Feast, # 6 Stone Quarry, # 7 Reflecting the Sky, Absent Friends (standalone). #8 Winter and Night (pb). #8 was especially good, about a town that's taken over by high school football fanaticism, and the consequences.
• Greg Rucke: A Fistful of Rain (standalone thriller)
• John Sanford: Prey series (most recently read Mortal Prey, and did like that one, though sometimes they are too dark for me). Naked Prey
• Diane Setterfield: The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel.
• Anne Rivers Siddons: Islands (liked it, cared what happened to the characters, although I thought that the climax/culprit was predictable).
• Bob Sloan: #1 Bliss. First in series about NY detective with wealthier wife who is a stand-up comic with a routine about being married to a cop. Quick read, lots of black humor. #2 Bliss Jumps the Gun.
• Alexander Mccall Smith: No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
• Julie Smith: Mean Woman Blues
• Troy Soos: Island of Tears (first historical about Marshall Webb = writer in old NY)
• **Julia Spencer-Fleming: # 1 In the Bleak Midwinter, # 2 A Fountain Filled with Blood (Clare Ferguson series). #3 Out of the Deep, #4 To Darkness and to Death. Not really any mystery to what happened, more of a suspense thing, but good atmosphere. I love the characters in these books.
• Julia Spencer-Fleming: I Shall Not Want. St. Martins Minotaur.
• *Jonathan Stone: The Cold Truth = 1 Julian Parker, 2 = the heat of lies, #3 = Breakthrough
• Mark T. Sullivan: Labyrinth. Read this in one sitting, an adventure story set in caves.
• N/F Zena Sutherland: Children and Books: 10th Edition. This is a reference book, tracing the entire history of children's literature. I didn't so much read it as skim it, but it's a gorgeous book with lots of pictures, and discussion of many great books and authors. I'd like to own a copy someday. It contains extensive bibliographies, both of reference books about literature, and children's books themselves.
• James Swain: Grift Sense. A fun read, interesting new character, excellent use of details about casinos, scams, etc. also Funny Money. Both good. Sucker Bet (Tony Valentine #3).
• Shirley Tallman: Murder on Nob Hill. Historical, woman lawyer in 1880 SF. Read this one in one sitting practically. A little melodramatic, but a lot of fun.
• Shirley Tallman: The Cliff House Strangler. St. Martin's Minotaur.
• Andrew Taylor: An Air that Kills (first book in Lydmouth series, set in a UK town near Wales in the 1950s - lots of post-war background). The Mortal Sickness (second in "Lydmouth" series of Village mysteries). An Unpardonable Crime (standalone). This is a historical mystery novel set in England in 1819, and including the character of the young American boy Edgar Allen Poe. Told from the perspective of a slightly down-at-the-heels schoolteacher, who becomes attached through circumstances to a wealthy but highly dysfunctional family, around the fringes of which exists young Edgar Allen. This book is highly atmospheric, and filled with details of the period. I found it a bit gloomy, however (one of those books where, regardless of the actual scene depicted, it seems as if it's always rainy and gray). The characters were highly complex, but most not very likable. I would recommend it to someone who likes historical mysteries, and the real-life tie-ins with Poe's boyhood are fascinating.
• Lou Jane Temple: The Spice Box. First of new historical set in 1860's New York, protagonist is cook's assistant in home of weathly Jewish dept. store owner, who helps her boss solve crime. Lots of historical details. HC 7/05. I liked this, and will look forward to others in the series, but thought that the dialog was questionable (use of words that seemed modern, inconsistent 'uneducated' speech by the main character. But the characters and setting were likable, and it was a quick read.
• *Victoria Thompson (light, historical): Murder on Mulberry Bend (good, this series is improving), Murder on Marble Row
• Allan Topol: Dark Ambition
• *P. J. Tracy: Monkeewrench, Live Bait, Dead Run.
• John Twelve Hawkes: The Traveler. (hc 05). SF/thriller about people living "off the grid" and traveling between worlds, by an author who supposedly lives of the grid himself. (MP3) I thought that this book was fascinating. It's mostly not a science fiction book, despite the premise. It's more of an action story about a modern female warrior, fighting against a powerful organization, to save someone. The ideas posited in the book, about the grid, the prevalence of electronic surveillance to track people, personal freedom, etc. were thought provoking.
• Minette Walters: Fox Evil. Village cozy but twisted in Walters fashion.
• Stephen White: The Program, Cold Case (8), Warning Signs (9), The Best Revenge (10), Blinded (12). Missing Persons (Alan Gregory novel #13 , hc 05)
• F. Paul Wilson: The Haunted Air (Repairman Jack). The Repairman Jack series is interesting (he's a little like Jack Reacher), but includes odd supernatural elements. Sims (technology gone amok). Gateways (RJ). Crisscross (6/6/05). A Repairman Jack novel, in which he infiltrates a cult/church. These books get better and better. The grand theme is pretty strange, but fascinating, too. And Jack is quite a character. Infernal.
• Don Winslow: California Fire and Life. Neal Carey books: #1 Underground, #2 The Trail to Buddha's Mirror, #3 Way Down on the High Lonely
• *Jacqueline Winspear: Maisie Dobbs, Birds of a Feather (second in Maisie Dobbs series). #3 Pardonable Lies : A Maisie Dobbs Novel. Completed 2/18/06.