Nature Girl - Carl Hiaasen - 2006.  Honey Santana is very confused.  
The songs in her head make it difficult to do the things that she 
knows she should do.  Into all of this comes Boyd Shreave, a 
telemarketing salesman who is trying to sell swampland during the 
dinner hour.  From this the adventure begins.  We meet a boatload 
of people who each have their own craziness.  More comedy than 
mystery, this book is an easy read for a vacation - nothing serious 
- just fun. 7

Echo Park - Michael Connelly - 2006.  Harry Bosch gets caught up in 
a 13 year old unsolved murder and winds up chasing a serial killer.
It seems that Connelly just gets better and better.  This was a full
blown ride down the murder mystery roller coaster.  10

Short Straw - Stuart Woods - 2006.  Ed Eagle is a very wealthy lawyer 
in Sante Fe.  His wife has caused some problems.  The reader finds out 
about this very quickly and the story, while not too deep, makes for a
very fast read.  Good book for an airplane or the beach. 8

High Profile - Robert B. Parker - 2007.  Jesse Stone is still the Chief
of Police in Paradise, MA and when a body is found hanging from a tree
in the park, he is the man in charge of the investigation.  He gets 
some help from Sunny Randall and all in all this is a very fast and 
enjoyable read - again, perfect for an airplane ride or the beach. 8

When Darkness Falls - James Grippando - 2007.  A Jack Swytek novel
about a homeless man who has a very dark past.  This book also does
a good job of teaching us something about the history of Argentina 
and how some of that history has migrated to America.  9

Ghost Dancer - John Case - 2007.  Jack Wilson is on a mission.  The
start of this book is a little difficult to get through - the author 
takes some time to introduce you to all of the players in the game.
Once you get past that, you learn that Wilson has been wronged by
the government and is on a quest to gain his revenge.  You will learn
about Tesla and Wounded Knee - and you will learn more about physics 
than you could possibly have learned in high school.  Just an 
excellent book. 9

Tongue In Chic - Christina Dodd - 2007.  This is a mystery/romance
novel that starts out slow but gets better in the second half of the 
book.  It is the story of a young lady who is trying to recover a
very old piece of artwork so that she may pay for her mothers
treatments.  In the process she meets a man who she falls for
in spite of herself.  Easy reading - 7.5

The Two Minute Rule - Robert Crais - 2006.  Max Holman was being
released from jail after ten years for bank robbery.  The day before
his release, his son, an LAPD cop, is shot dead with three other
officers.  Holman's journey to find out what happened and then to
avenge his son makes for a very good read. 8

The Hard Way - Lee Child - 2006.  Jack Reacher gets caught up in the
kidnapping of a wealthy woman and her child.  This is an excellent
mystery/thriller but there are portions of it that are very graphic
and could be considered disturbing.  That being said, it is a very 
good read. 10

Dark Harbor - Stuart Woods - 2006.  Stone Barrington has to travel to
Dark Harbor, Maine when his first cousin, Dick Stone, is discovered
shot to death in his home along with his wife and daughter.  This is
an easy to read mystery with just enough of a twist to keep the reader
interested right up to the end. 9

The Watchman - Robert Crais - 2007.  Joe Pike has been a buddy of Elvis
Cole, one of Crais's characters.  This novel features Pike and Cole plays
a back up role in a very tight, well written mystery.  There is no down
side to this book - easily a 10.

The Woods - Harlan Coben - 2007.  Paul Copeland is a Prosecuting Attorney
in New Jersey.  He is in the middle of a rape case and the father of one
of the accused is a very wealthy, powerful man.  In his attempts to get
the government to go easy on his son he unearths some very nasty business
from many years ago.  The mystery is told by a master storyteller and the 
book delivers right up to the end. 10

Dirty Blonde - Lisa Scottoline - 2006.  Judge Catherine (Cate) Fante has 
just been appointed to the position of Federal District Judge of Eastern
Pennsylvania.  The attractive attorney as a dirty secret, however, which
comes back to haunt her after a nasty trial is completed.  I suppose that
this could have been a good book, but I found it lacking in many aspects.
Not among my favorites. 6

Born In Death - Nora Roberts writing as J. D. Robb - 2006.  The year is 
2060 and Eve Dallas is a New York Police Detective working on a very 
strange double murder.  There is not a lot of difference with crime in 
the future - but the tools are a little more refined.  Decent mystery 
but nothing special. 7

Invisible Prey - John Sanford - 2007.  This is another book about Lucas 
Davenport and serial killers in Minnesota.  In this book, the reader, 
once again, knows exactly who has done it - but has to watch as Davenport 
works it out.  Not as good as some of the other Prey books - but well 
worth the time.  9

The Yiddish Policeman's Union - Michael Chabon - 2007.  It is hard to 
believe that the author has written this mystery for the general public.  
It seems that if you don't have a feeling for Yiddish you will be lost 
in the idioms in the book.  The best resource I know of is 
www.yiddishdictionaryonline.com  The book takes place in Alaska.  The 
premise is that when the Jewish people, without a homeland, were not 
able to migrate to what we know as Israel, the U.S. Government made a 
portion of it's territory in Alaska to be a temporary homeland for the 
Jews in 1948.  The problem (there is always a problem) is that the land 
is only made available for sixty years - until 2008 - which is almost 
upon us.  A murder in a cheap hotel becomes the start of an investigation 
that has world-wide implications. An excellent book - but you may have 
a problem understanding everything. 9

Bad Luck and Trouble - Lee Child - 2007.  Jack Reacher is reunited with 
some of his old Army comrades and they find that national security is at 
risk.  A very fast read - you won't want to put it down. 10

The Blue Zone - Andrew Gross - 2007.  Kate Raab is working at a lab as 
a part of her doctoral studies.  Her father finds himself in trouble with 
the federal agents and agrees to testify against some other people.  This 
creates a situation where it is necessary for his family to be placed in 
Witness Protection.  Any more than that and I would ruin the book for 
you - it's a good read - 8

Double Tap - Steve Martini - 2005.  Paul Madriani, the lead attorney in 
Martini's  novels, defends a retired army NCO who has been charged with 
the murder of the woman he was hired to protect.  The book starts out 
slowly and is difficult to get into - but after about 50 pages it really 
picks up.  Good story - 9

The Final Solution - Michael Chabon.  This is a short book which I found
difficult to read.  Chabon attempts to write a "Sherlock Holmes" type of
mystery about a young boy and his pet parrot.  It is set in 1944 and has
some obscure references to the war, but I guess I just didn't get it. 6

The Templar Legacy - Steve Berry.  A well written novel about the history
of the Knights Templer and the Catholic Church.  The author has done a lot
of research and there is much to think about.  In many ways it is like The
Davinci Code in that much is done with clues and puzzles. 9

The Camel Club - David Balducci - 2005.  A small group of older men who 
are concerned about the course that the federal government has taken form 
a group called "The Camel Club".  They attempt, in there own insignificant 
way, to monitor some of the DC politicos and their actions.  During one of
their clandestine meetings, they happen to see an execution staged to appear
to be a suicide.  This leads to the unraveling of an encredible mystery
involving the president and world peace.  Very well written and easy to read.
Very close to the cutting edge of world affairs as they stand today. 9

Simple Genius - DaVID Balducci.  A death at a Virginia "think tank" that 
is across a river from the main CIA training facility causes an 
investigation that uncovers much more than the murder.  
Very fast read - 9.

Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen - 2006.  Jacob is 90, or is that 93?  He 
lives in a home for old people and he is not happy.  As he waits for the 
day when the circus is coming to town, he remembers his life with a touring 
circus in the early part of the 20th century.  This book is beautifully 
written and a wonderful read. The author has done a ton or research and has 
come up with a book that everyone could, and should, enjoy. 10

American Pastoral - Phillip Roth.  This is a very difficult book to read.  
It is the story of Seymour 'Swede' Levov.  Swede is the Jewish boy who 
excelled at any athletic activity that he attempted.  After high school he 
joined the Marines and after that he went into the family business.  He 
married Miss New Jersey and everything started to go downhill.  The story 
of his life is depressing.  Roth uses this novel to tell the story of being 
Jewish in America - it is not a pretty story.  I finished it - but I
did not like it. 5

Spare Change - Robert B. Parker - 2007.  Sunny Randall teams up with her 
father to chase after the "Spare Change Killer".  This is classic Parker - 
you can read it in about five hours and they are very enjoyable hours 
at that. 10

The Polish Women - Eva Mekler - 2007.  A young Polish woman comes to America 
to study art and takes a job as a nanny to make ends meet.  She sees a picture 
of a person who has passed away and it triggers many memories that she can't 
reconcile.  The possibility exists that she was hidden as a child with a Polish 
family to avoid deportation by the Nazi's.  The book is very well written and 
even though the subject is hard - the book is easy to read - I recommend it. 10

Bannerman's Ghosts - John R. Maxim - 2003.  This is the latest in a group of 
thrillers involving Paul Bannerman.  It is well written and fast paced.  I might 
be better to read the books in the order that they were written because the 
characters have a history but it can also be read on it's own.  If you have never 
thought about bio-terror, this may be a bit intense - but you won't put it down. 9

One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson - 2006.  This book is much like the movie Crash 
in that it starts with a single incident that affects, in turn, a dozen 
different people.  I  suppose that if could be made into a decent movie, but 
as a book, it jumps from story to story, from character to character and while 
I read it, it made me nuts at times. I worked out all right - but it wasn't much 
fun getting there. 6

Rain Fall - Barry Eisler - 2003.  John Rain is half Japanese and half American.  
He fought for the US during the Vietnam war and had a difficult time finding his 
place in the world afterwards.  In this book he is involved with a struggle to 
save a young lady from elimination for political gain.  I find some of the 
Japanese names to be difficult but the book is very good. 9

The Last Templar - Raymond Khoury - 2005.  A book much like the DiVinci Code but 
filled with interesting detail about the early church and the Knights Templar.  
It starts slow but picks up and while the ending is not the best it was a very 
good read. 9

The Collecter - David Balducci - 2006.  The Camel Club gets involved with a 
murder and a con artist.  The book has two separate plot lines at the beginning 
and it takes a while before they come together but the story does join and the 
book is a good read. 9

Now and Then - 2007 - Robert B. Parker.  Spenser is back in action with Hawk and 
a  few other favorite characters.  He is hired to follow a wife to find out if 
she is cheating on her husband and things all go down hill from there. 10

Debt of Honor - Tom Clancy.  Jack Ryan is back in action as the National Security
Advisor.  Japan has once again attempted a sneak attack on America - this time 
going after our economy as well as out military assets.  The book starts slowly
and it is quite long - over 600 pages, but once you get past the first 200 pages
it really becomes  gripping.  If you stick with it, you will like it. 9

Dark Of The Moon - John Sanford - 2007.  Virgil Flowers, one of Lucas Davenports
BCA investigators, gets called into a small town murder investigation and has to
figure out what happened thirty-some years ago to set off the string of murders.
This is an excellent mystery written in the same style as the Prey series and well
worth the time to read it - ought to make a great movie. 10

Playing for Pizza - John Grisham - 2007.  This is a very enjoyable vacation book.
It is easy to read and goes quickly.  Rick Doherty, a third string NFL Quarterback,
has pretty much ended his NFL career by losing an important playoff game with the
Cleveland Browns (why, of why did Grisham have to pick the Browns??).  He is
offered a deal to play in Italy and decides to take it.  9

Hard Rain - Barry Eisler.  Another John Rain action/mystery sees our hero trying 
to retire from his life as a hired assissin but being dragged back into a life he
doesn't want by people he wants to leave - well done and hard to put down, but the
Japanese cities and streets are very hard to read or pronounce. 9