false 99 539 326 true 5656229 read 6 true 1120768 currently-reading 203 true 1120767 to-read 4 true 1448091 gave-up 239 false 1403828 male-author 117 false 1403827 female-author 87 false 1266968 police-fiction 86 false 1120832 mystery 62 false 1120828 detective-fiction 43 false 1150194 favorites 27 false 1266966 coroner-medical-examiner-foresic-an 27 false 1266969 legal-mystery 24 false 1150195 general-fiction 17 false 1120847 non-fiction 15 false 1120840 classic-lit 8 false 1404070 book-club 7 false 1120833 children-yq-lit 7 false 1404071 historical-fiction 3 false 1150201 romantic-fiction 2 false 3414082 scientific-thriller 1 false 4214235 sci-fi http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/218353-win-a-macbook-laptop-computer Jen made a comment in the mystery lovers group:

Hi Michelle,

I didn't see in the details about if you're already signed up for the mailing list. Does that automatically get your name entered?

And should we email you the answer to your question? ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72575839 to: Gallows Lane (Paperback) by Brian McGilloway
bookshelves: male-author, mystery, police-fiction
Inspector Benedict "Ben" Devlin has a babysitting assignment in GALLOWS LANE. James Kerr has been released from jail and Devlin's superintendent, Costello, wants Kerr to stay in Northern Ireland. Devlin's job is to convince him to do so. However, Kerr has a mission. He needs to see "a man" to get something "off his chest." Then he'll be gone, he assures Devlin. But shortly thereafter people start dying unnaturally. Kerr is the prime suspect until he is crucified on Gallows Lane. Devlin is determined to stop the carnage, especially when his family is in danger.

GALLOWS LANE is a complex police procedural that has equal parts psychological action and physical action. Devlin battles internally with what is right and what is wrong as his wife challenges his loyalty to their family. She believes he selfishly puts their family in harms way for the glory of his job. While Devlin struggles with this internally, externally he's faced with knowledge of a corrupt colleague vying for promotion as well as his own unlawful act performed in an effort to secure justice.

McGilloway's style is magnetic. His sharp, crisp dialogue flows naturally and often accompanied by dry humor. The development of the characters is superb. Devlin is in many ways the classic crime fiction detective and in other ways uniquely McGilloway's creation.

GALLOWS LANE doesn't move like a thriller novel, instead the reader moves along more like the convicts who once walked the road: slowly, analyzing each step of their lives and how those steps brought them to this point. As readers experience Devlin's psychological struggles, they will likely find it difficult not to question what their own decisions would be and then realize they would struggle no less than Devlin. Beware of GALLOWS LANE, McGilloway may very well get inside your head and start moving around those "truths" you've held locked inside.

GALLOWS LANE is the second book in the Inspector Devlin series. I look forward to more from McGilloway and his troubled inspector.
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57980352 to: Breathing Water: A Bangkok Thriller (Hardcover) by Timothy Hallinan
bookshelves: favorites, male-author
In the third installment of Timothy Hallinan's Bangkok Thriller series, BREATHING WATER finds Poke Rafferty trapped in a peculiar predicament. During a poker game, he won the right to author Khun Pan's biography. People have clamored for this biography because Pan has done what virtually no one else has in Thailand, risen from the ranks of dirt poor to grotesquely wealthy. Despite demand, this biography has not been written, and Poke quickly discerns the probable reason why. Poke has been threatened: if he writes the biography, one side has threatened to kill his family; if he doesn't write the biography, another side has threatened to kill his family. And both sides will be watching him to see that he's doing exactly what they dictate. He's literally stuck in a catch-22. Poke needs to hold off both sides until he can figure out just exactly what it is he WILL do.

BREATHING WATER is the quintessential story of the haves versus the have nots. The most obvious level of this theme is found in the rich versus the poor. But Hallinan takes the theme to multiple levels with Poke's family, his friend Arthit's family, and the illegal baby trade, illustrating to the reader that money is not the only factor creating divisions between the haves and have nots.

Hallinan never fails to ignite his plots with plenty of twists and turns; BREATHING WATER is no exception. One of his strongest plot building devices is unquestionably character development. He builds strong, rich characters whose depth and interactions with each other work to intensify the plot.

Hallinan makes use of every word, every sentence, every paragraph. BREATHING WATER is definitely a tight, fluff-less plot that rewards its readers with an adventurous ride through the darkness of Bangkok.
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72575635 to: A Bad Day for Sorry: A Crime Novel (Hardcover) by Sophie Littlefield
bookshelves: female-author, mystery
When Stella Hardesty couldn't take the physical abuse her husband doled out anymore, she fought back. That left her with an inherited sewing shop and a reputation. She took on her second job to help other woman in abusive situations. Since her moonlighting job isn't official, she's able to work outside the letter of the law if a situation demands it. Stella has to do just that when Chrissy Shaw believes her husband Roy Dean ran off with her son. And in this particular case, playing outside the law results in a little more than Stella bargained for. If Stella can finagle herself and Chrissy out alive, she may encounter some potential waves, however, with the handsome sheriff, Goat Jones.

There's a new spitfire in town; her name is Stella Hardesty. And there's a new crime fiction star in town; HER name is Sophie Littlefield. A BAD DAY FOR SORRY is an amazing debut novel. Littlefield blends creative humor, fast-paced action and stellar characters together, adds just a pinch of romantic spark, and the result is explosive!

As Stella so eloquently enlightens the no-good Roy Dean, "...badass comes in all ages." Stella is in her 50s, spunky, funny and done taking crap from anyone. While she covets that "badass" reputation, she also harbors an amazing capacity for compassion. Littlefield illustrates Stella's extremes through independence, too. As a reader I appreciate a strong, smart, independent female protagonist. But even the strongest of any gender needs a little help every once in awhile. Stella doesn't need a "white knight" but she can definitely benefit from a "helping hand" once and again. Stella is a character who is going to surprise readers for years to come.

Littlefield definitely has a knack with humor: finding the funny in everyday situations and everyday people. That's a big part of what makes this book come alive. From the crew at BJ's Bar to her teenage neighbor, Todd, to the crotchety old quilters; they are all dynamic and flawed and real; it's the richness of those characters that winds its way into the plot to meld everything together. Littlefield created a symbiotic relationship between the characters, the setting and the plot; the elements of this novel simply don't exist separately.

A BAD DAY FOR SORRY is a masterpiece, and only the beginning for both new gals in town.
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71089698 to: Double Exposure (Paperback) by Michael Lister
bookshelves: male-author
Remington James is a successful but unhappy advertising executive when his father dies. He returns to his hometown to run his father's store and care for his mother who is dying of MS. While he is home, he decides to pick up the hobby, the passion, he gave up years ago, wildlife photography. He has set trap cameras in the woods of the Apalachicola River Basin in hopes of maybe catching the elusive Florida panther. As he is out taking pictures and checking his traps one evening, he discovers that he has caught not the panther on his camera, but a murder. And now the murderers are hunting Remington through the pitch black of the Florida woods.

If readers want to read DOUBLE EXPOSURE surfacely and minimally, they are in for a heart-pounding thriller. Lister's written a tight plot that doesn't allow one to slow down for even a second, just like his protagonist.

Lister created a powerful effect by being a minimalist in this novel. His protagonist is a photographer out taking pictures in the woods. Lister's prose mimics that process so you can hear the camera shutter click as you read:

Evening. Glow.
Dark figures.
Shot.
Explosion.
Bloom of blood.
Body dropping to the cold ground.
Death. Digging.
Fire.

And Lister's setting development carries you smack into the middle of Remington's Eden that is horrifically transformed into his Hell all in the course of one night. Remington reminds himself to "Use your senses. All of them." And Lister helps the readers to use their senses, all of them. Whether they are seeing the beauty of the landscape or the nightmare of a murder. Whether they are hearing life, or feeling fear. Readers will definitely be in the woods with Remington James on the most terrifying night of his life. But they'll have to listen carefully to hear nature's sounds over the thumping of their own hearts.

If you want to delve deeper, you will find a complex interweaving of theme, plot, character and setting that results in a magical reading experience. Remington is almost a unique character in crime fiction in that he comes from a functional family. His parents loved him and he loved his parents; while Remington doesn't seem conscious of it, the reader quickly learns that both parents taught him skills that made him a great man.

And of course, nature is a prominent theme as well as a symbol in DOUBLE EXPOSURE. The dark of night is essential to build up the suspense, but it plays a role also in the idea that man is destroying nature. So Remington's manic race is not just a race for his life, but a race for nature. Can they both make it out alive?

Brilliant.
Beautiful.
Must-read! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70904702 to: Out Cold (Paperback) by Tom Schreck
bookshelves: male-author, mystery
Duffy Dombrowski is back for Round Three in OUT COLD by Tom Schreck. This time Duffy's taken a hard hit in sparring that knocked him unconscious. Instead of listening to his trusted trainer, Smitty, he sneaks off to another gym and takes a second lights-out blow. Maybe these blows are why Karl, Duffy's schizophrenic client, doesn't sound so crazy to Duffy when he starts running on about a government conspiracy to keep Americans afraid. Despite everyone's advice to the contrary, Duffy teams up with a "guy who...wore a Redskins helmet and meditated in the nude." They are off to fight domestic terrorism. And of course, Al the basset hound tags along for the ride.

If you can read this book without laughing until your sides hurt, I do believe you were born without a funny bone. Schreck is an absolute genius: he reels the reader in with irresistible humor and endearing characters then slips in a plot comprised of multiple social issues the reader can't help but latch on to. If mixed together incorrectly, this combination has the potential to be a lethal concoction, but Schreck's recipe stirs in just the right amount of each ingredient for a delicious read.

In college I remember a classmate asking the question during an English class discussion, "if a schizophrenic is alone on an island, is he still a schizophrenic?" I couldn't help but recall that question as I read OUT COLD. In each of Schreck's novels he challenges society's belief about an "outcast" group; in OUT COLD, Schreck is challenging the reader to closely examine his/her beliefs about people deemed to be "crazy." In addition, he's calling attention to the government's tactics to gain support through fear. Schreck never lays out clear cut answers to these issues, rather he reminds the reader that these issues aren't simply "black" or "white" like so many people would prefer them to be.

I simply cannot deem a book "great" if it doesn't have amazing characters. The Fearsome Foursome are hysterically funny and a reminder not to sweat the small stuff. I find myself looking for them in the corner bar. I'm also convinced that one day I'm going to run into Duffy Dombrowski and learn that Schreck is writing non-fiction, not fiction novels. Schreck has created an entire cast of characters that the reader could probably identify in his or her own life.

And the real star, Al the basset hound, is crafted from Schreck's own experiences with the breed. Al's mannerisms and personality are all basset, true to the bone. Al contributes to the humor as well as to the development of other characters. He is a priceless element of this series.

The Duffy Dombrowski series is a rare combination of entertainment and challenge. Go ahead; jump in the ring with Duffy because OUT COLD is another knock out for Tom Schreck. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/65545-what-are-you-reading-do-you-recommend-it Jen made a comment in the mystery lovers group:

Kate wrote: "I'm on a Scandinavian mystery kick. Recently read Borkmann's Point by Hakan Nesser, which is set in Sweden and was beautifully plotted, though the characters are kept at arm's length. Just finished..."

Kate, I just finished Karin Fossum's upcoming THE WATER'S EDGE, which I thought was outstanding. I'm also a fan of Jo Nesbo. Have you read any of his work? ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/198559-looking-for-hard-boiled-detective-fiction Jen made a comment in the mystery lovers group:

I'm a big fan of Robert Crais, especially his later work. Of course he was highly influenced by the likes of Chandler and Hammett. Dennis Lehane is another one who has a very dark element to his writing. George Pelecanos. Michael Koryta. Sean Chercover. And Dave Robicheaux isn't a PI, but James Lee Burke exhibits the qualities of noir. ]]>