BAD TO THE BONE

MIKE FARICY

Bad to the Bone is the 29th in author Mike Faricy's reliable and consistently entertaining Dev Haskell Private Investigator series. Bad to the Bone features all familiar characters that we have grown to like, if not love. The story plays out against a seemingly straightforward homicide that Dev is investigating on behalf of the accused's mother. Dev also investigates a suspicious recycling company with no equipment or employees. Amusing dialog with Louie, his office mate, various women, and Dev's loyal dog and companion Morton complete a fun filled P.I. novel that will leave fans new and old chomping for more.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

MIKE FARICY

Surprise, Surprise! by talented and entertaining author Mike Faricy again delivers the goods in spades. His loveable and less-than-perfect characters abound as the story unfolds as only Faricy can compose. Dev Haskell, our favorite private investigator, is summoned by his non-paying, dangerous client and criminal Tubby Gustafson to escort Tubby's daughter around town. Meanwhile, Dev picks up an attractive yet unpredictable female who claims her husband is cheating on her. Dev gladly takes on this seductive client but finds no wrongdoing. Matters heat up in both cases while Dev consults with Louie, his long-time office partner, and Mort, his ever-present pork rind eating Labrador retriever.

Surprise, Surprise! is Number 31 in this long-running, entertaining, and well-put-together series. Read every one of them. There is no better way to spend your time.

THE PLOT

JEAN HANFF KORELITZ

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a strikingly excellent novel that combines the best of literary fiction and commercial readability. With the publication of The Plot, Jean Hanff Korelitz has captured a willing audience that is always on the lookout for a fantastic story told in a gripping and unpredictable manner. The Plot centers on a failed writer who happens to come across a manuscript shown to him by a student. The undeveloped story has potential but remains stillborn until the failed writer decides to resurrect his career. What happens next is the stuff of one of the best novels of this or any other year. Fiction is a window to our souls. And the Plot rips open our skin and delivers a red-hot flame that burns until the reader is left gasping for air.

MATTERS OF DOUBT

WARREN C. EASLEY

Matters of Doubt by Warren C. Easley is the first of an eight-book series. It features a straight-ahead, honest, and determined attorney, Cal Claxton living in rural Oregon. Cal's client is a young man whose mother has been murdered. This egregious offense motivated Cal to do what he can to bring the killer to answer for his crime. Taking up the cause of his client offends Cal’s friends and some of his associates. But no matter what, Cal is obligated to collect the evidence and solve the murder. And along the way, we become familiar with Cal's personality and work habits. We also gain a picture of Portland, Oregon, and its problems typical of a large city in the United States. Matters of Doubt is a stand-alone winner and serves as an outstanding springboard for the author's future work.

THE BURNING

JONATHAN AND JESSE KELLERMAN

The Burning by John and his son Jesse Kellerman is another entertaining and thoughtful mystery involving more than just a who done it? The novel begins when Clay Edison, a deputy coroner for Berkeley, California, is called to a homicide of a wealthy victim. All is on the up and up until Clay finds his brother's old car in the victim's garage. Very strange because why would Clay's brother Luke, an ex-con, have a connection to the victim? Nobody hears from Luke, and Clay launches his search, hoping to reestablish his relationship. Clay discovers that somebody may have been following Luke, making Clay more determined to solve this mystery.

The Burning is mystery and suspense at its best.

WHERE THEY WAIT

SCOTT CARSON

Scott Carson, A.K.A. Michael Koryta, is a multi-talented author who knows how to scare the h**l out of you. With the ubiquity of apps, why not have one that will improve your mental state and outlook? That is what happens in Where They Wait. Nick Bishop decides to test an app that promises big rewards, increased sleep, and a perfect perspective. What he encounters is far more than what he bargained. Truths about his life and past emerge in ways unbeknownst and frightening. Where They Wait offers a fresh take on what disturbs us the most—our lives and regrets.

CHARLESTON NOIR

TOM TURNER

Charleston Noir by Tom Turner is an outstanding and entertaining mystery/procedural. The pages turn rapidly, leaving the reader wanting more adventures with Homicide cops Nick Janzek and Delvin Rhett.

History is a good teacher, and the perp in Charleston Noir is an exemplary student. Bodies abound from the get-go, and the determined investigators have difficulty making sense of the crimes, not to mention shedding light on possible motives. The story unfolds logically, inviting the reader to observe the detectives at their best and worst. Charleston Noir is a great read and part of Turner's ever-expanding list of titles.

SAVANNAH ROADKILL

TOM TURNER

Tom Turner’s Savannah Roadkill exceeds the high standards set with his first Savannah mystery, The Savannah Madam, based in and around Savannah, Georgia. The intrigue commences quickly as the father of a murdered professional tennis player hires Jackie and Ryder Farrell, private investigators, to find the perpetrators. The story develops rapidly and promptly becomes more intriguing than a straightforward homicide. Drug dealing, revenge, jealousy, and ambition are on stage as the plot comes into and out of focus. Turner keeps the pages turning as the reader attempts to solve the case before the action comes to a stop.

Turner is a pleasure to read. Fans will be thrilled to discover his lengthy backlist featuring Detective Charlie Crawford in the long-running Palm Beach series and a telling and contemporary stand-alone soon to come.

PALM BEACH PIRANHA

TOM TURNER

Palm Beach Piranha the prolific and talented Tom Turner, is another captivating, amusing, and eminently enjoyable procedural staring former N.Y.P.D. Detective Charlie Crawford and his partner, Mort Ott. And, of course, the supporting cast of various girlfriends and bosses in the Palm Beach Police department. The story unfolds as Charlie's ex-wife is found D.O.A. Recently marital problems point to the husband, but this guy is one intelligent and slimy perp. Making matters worse is that he is a doctor with money and excuses that make it difficult for Charlie to make a solid case. Ott and Charlie pursue the ex-husband to New York and back to Florida but come up with nothing.

Meanwhile, an older wealthy billionaire is being held ransom until he transfers 20 million dollars to a pair of stupid but entertaining low-lives. Charlie and Ott track them down to Puerto Rico and other islands before making their bust.

Palm Beach Piranha is another successful example of escapism at its best. Turner is a master and deserves the large readership that makes him an author to watch and follow.

THE FIELDS

ERIN YOUNG

The Fields by newcomer Erin Young is outstanding from the first page until last. The action is detailed and sometimes graphic, encouraging readers to remember Thomas Harris and The Silence of the Lambs.

The Fields takes place in the American Midwest, evoking images of millions of acres of farmland populated by never-ending corn stalks. It is here where newly promoted investigator Sgt. Riley Fisher of the Black Hawk County Sheriff's office starts her day. Farmers discover a body while using a drown. When Sgt. Fisher inspects the scene she finds that the victim was a friend many years ago. Bodies pile up as quickly as clues as Fisher attempts to untangle a frightening and logic-defying series of homicides.

The author plans on a series with Sgt. Fisher as the star attraction. Readers will hope that the author can write as quickly as they can read.

THE ISLAND

ADRIAN MCKINTY

A colleague asked me to review The Island by Adrian McKinty (May 17th.) The problem was that the book was on sale this Tuesday, which gave me three days to read and compose my coverage. Initially, I was reticent because three days is usually an insufficient time to read, absorb, and formulate an impactful review. In this instance, such was not the case. The Island is a beautifully written, horrifying, unpredictable, and terrorizing story of good versus evil.
A family on vacation stops at an Australian island to view rare and indigenous wildlife only found on this isolated strip of land. Unbeknownst, the animals are human and more dangerous than the imagination allows. What happens next is what makes The Island one of the great reads of this or any other year.

McKinty has a superior flare for the unpredictable and the rare ability to convey it in a way that will make all readers fans of this and his voluminous backlist. McKinty is a talent to watch.

MY SUMMER DARLINGS

MAY COBB

My Summer Darlings by May Cobb is not only a perfect beach book but also excellent at any time of year. The story is so familiar that you feel like a participant in this fun and somewhat salacious novel. Three best friends hang out and dish about their lives and others. Then handsome and virile Will moves in. And boy does he. All of the women want him, and the same goes for him. Details are revealed, keeping the reader on edge. Who is going to get lucky? And does luck have a downside? All looks good until the last moment when a new player steps onto the stage.

What happens to whom and the results make My Summer Darlings a book that you cannot afford to miss, even if you are in the middle of a snowstorm or rain like I am.