The Second Perimeter - Mike Lawson - 2007. Joe DeMarco, special assistant to 
the Speaker of the House, gets drawn into a mystery about some consultants
to the Navy in Bremerton Washington and discovers a spy ring that is going
after highly classified information.  This is a well written book that will 
hold your interest and it is an enjoyable read. 9

Split Second - David Baldacci - 2003.  Secret Service agents Sean King and
Michelle Maxwell are involved in a very convoluted situation that goes back
a number of years.  It takes a while to figure out what the connection is
and the story sort of roams here and there for quite a while.  It was not a
bad read - but not his best work. 7.

Marked Man - William Lashner - 2006.  Victor Carl wakes up one morning with
a terrible hangover and a new tattoo on his chest - in fact - it is his 
only tattoo and he has no memory of where or how it came about.  This is 
a very well written and easy reading mystery that will hold your interest
all the way to the end.  9

With Red Hands - Stephen Woodworth - 2005.  In the future, there will be
people who can act as a conduit for those who have passed on.  In the case
of those who have passed as a result of criminal acts, they can be called 
on to testify against those who are accused of the crime.  So this is a
mystery that involves these people.  You have to like mild science fiction
and murder mysteries.  Fortunately, I do, so I enjoyed this book. 8

Invasion - Eric L. Harry - 2000.  It is the near future and China has been
at war for the last ten years.  They have conquered most of the world as we 
know it and now have their sights set on the United States.  In fact, the
invasion has started.  Millions of armed Chinese military are landing on
our shores and no matter how many we kill, more just keep on coming.  This
is a very scary book but it is a good read - I was not wild about the ending
but except for that, I enjoyed reading it.  8

A Taint In The Blood - Dana Stebenow - 2004.  Kate Shugak is a Private 
Investigator in Alaska.  She gets hired to look into a thirty year old
crime and people start getting themselves killed.  Good book - hard to
read at times but worth the effort. 8

Tough Enough - Michelle Albert - 2007.  Will Tierney is an ex-Seattle 
Police Detective who works for Avalon, a private group of investigators
who try to find stolen art and return it to it's rightful owners.  Mia
Dolan is Will's long ago love who he runs into during an investigation.
This is a romance/mystery novel that is very good "day at the beach"
reading. 9

King Of The Jews - Nick Tosches - 2005.  This book is advertised as a 
biography of Arnold Rothstein who was known as an underworld boss at
the turn of the century in New York City.  In actuality, Tosches uses
the life of Rothstein to document his view of the immigration of 
Eastern Europeans to New York in the 19th century.  This is actually
a very interesting book - maybe not for everyone - but I found it 
so.  Mayber the most important lesson in this book is a quote that
is repeated many times which says, basically, that a lie told often
enough can easily become the truth - or at least what is seen as 
the truth.  Not for everyone. 8

The Lone Wolff - Bobby Wolff - 2007.  Bobby Wolff has been playing 
bridge professionally for almost 50 years.  He was an original member
of the Dallas Ace's, the first professional American bridge team in
the 60's.  This is his auto-biography and it is rich in detail about
the highest levels of bridge.  Every serious bridge player should 
read it. 9

Stranger In Paradise - Robert P. Parker - 2008.  Jessie Stone is
trying to deal with his drinking problem, his ex-wife, and a
stranger in town - Crow, a hit man who will not kill women.  The
problem is, his employer wants a woman killed.  Very good read - 
great for a vacation beside the pool. 9
 
In My Dark Dreams - J. F. Freedman - 2008.  Jessica Thompson is
a public defender in the Los Angeles court system.  She defends
a man who is charged with a crime that seems to be very suspect.
After he is found innocent of those charges she wonders if she
has made a horrible mistake.  Pretty good read. 9

First Evidence - Ken Goddard - 1999. Colin Cellars has been 
reassigned to a new region of the Oregon State Police.  He is
considered to be one of the top CSIs in the state.  His first
case involves the death of a long time friend and the book 
weaves its way through the friendships and relationships that
are affected by his reassignment.  Not a bad read but a little 
more off the wall than I would prefer. 8

The Geographer's Library - Jon Fasman - 2005.  This is another
very off-beat novel that I actually enjoyed.  Every other chapter
relates parallel stories that seem as though they may never
come together but are each, in it's own right, very interesting.
The stories do come together and the reader is rewarded with an
unusual ending that is worthy of the book as a whole. 9

Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton - 1993.  A friend told me
that this author was very good.  She writes a series about a 
character named Anita Blake who is a vampire hunter.  Well, the
books are well written but the vampire genre is just not my
thing.  I tried but not a good idea - at least for me. 6

5th Horseman - James Patterson - 2006.  The Woman's Murder
Club gets back together to solve crimes in San Francisco.
This is a well told mystery that moves well and is a very
good read. 10

Killer Instinct - Joseph Finder - 2006.  Jason Steadman is a 
salesman with an electronics company.  The people he works for
are right out of the book of terrible bosses.  They report to
upper management in Japan.  By chance, Jason meets Kurt Semko
and winds up recommending him for a security position at his 
company.  How Semko assits Jason for the favor is the basis
for an interesting book.  9

Lord John and the Hand of Devils - Diana Gabaldon - 2007.  This 
is a set of three short stories about Lord John Grey, a Major in 
His Majesty's Artillery in the mid 1700's.  Gabaldon does a 
great job of giving the reader a real sense of life in this period
of time.  Well written and a good addition to this writers volume
of work. 9

Phantom Prey - John Sanford - 2008.  Frances Austin is dead and 
nobody has a clue.  Weather wants Lucas to look into it - she is
a friend of Frances's mother.  Meanwhile, Lucas and the BCA are
keeping tabs on an apartment waiting for a fugitive to return.
This is a fast read - almost too fast - it is so good that you
wish there was more to it. 10

A Short Forever - Stuart Woods - 2003.  A very well done Stone
Barrington mystery.  Stone has a chance to reconnect with just
about every woman that he has ever made love to - and some new 
ones as well.  This is an excellent vacation read - takes about 
six hours and you will get swept up in it. 10

The Firefly - P.T. Deuterman.  Swamp Morgan, retired from the 
Secret Service, is called back to active service to help with 
Homeland Security.  This novel is riveting because it is all so
very possible.  Very good book. 10

Drop Shot - Harlen Coban.  Myron Bolitar is involved in solving
the murder of a young tennis star.  These mysterys are very well
written and very easy to read. 10

Second Chance - James Patterson.  The Women's Murder Club gets
together again to solve the case of a serial killer who is
targeting members of the San Francisco Police and some of 
their family.  I was able to read the entire novel (almost)
on a plane ride from Rome to Toronto - so it is about a ten
hour book. 9

Hold Tight - Harlan Coben - 2008.  Mike and Tia Baye have a
teen-age son who is going through the same thing that all
boys his age go through.  They decide to install spyware on
his computer to try to keep track of his activity.  What it
winds up doing is nearly getting them all killed.  Although
I like Coben as an author, I was not crazy about this book.
I don't know why - it was just not an easy read. 7

Nothing to Lose - Lee Child - 2008.  I was lucky enough to find
the Jake Reacher series when it first came out.  This is the 
12th book in the series and each book has been excellent.  Child
has created a super-hero who is not a comic book character - he
is a real person with real flaws and real integrity.  The man
we would all like to be.  Excellent read. 10

The Edenville Owls - Robert B. Parker - 2007.  Parker is the 
award winning author of so many spencer books, Jessie Stone
books, and Sunny Randall books that it is hard to fit them all
on one page.  This is his first book written for young adults.
I read it because 1) I like Parker's books and 2) I would not
give it to my grandchildren until I have read it.  It is a very
good book, but not for a young child.  I am guessing a bright
fourteen year old might be about right.  And even then, I think
the child's parents should read it first as there are sure to
be questions.  I think everyone will like it. 10

Dreamers of the Day - Mary Doria Russell - 2008. Some books are 
read for the escape and some are read for the information.  This 
book should be read just because it is a great work of art.  A
simple 5th grade teacher from Cleveland, Ohio tells of her life
in the "Roaring 20's" and gives us a look at the world between 
the two great wars of the 20th century.  Just excellent.  11

In A True Light - John Harvey - 2001.  Sloane has just been released
from prison and gets caught up in a mystery that takes him back and
forth between London and New York.  Very easy to read - very 
enjoyable. 10

Sante Fe Dead - Stuart Woods - 2008.  Attorney Ed Eagle is still having
trouble with his ex-wife, Barbara.  This book is a continuation of the
story that started in the novel, Short Straw, so you might want to read
that one first.  Good book - goes very quickly. 10

The Boxer and the Spy - Robert B. Parker - 2008.  Another young adult
book by Parker. Terry and Abby are fifteen year old high school students
who get caught up in a mystery that they really didn't want to be in.
This is a high school spencer novel and it is very good.  Classic
Parker.  10
 
Cool Light - John Harvey - 1994. A Detective Charlie Resnick mystery.  
Set in London, Resnick and his detectives try to solve an abduction and
eventual murder of a woman who works for social services.  I find it 
difficult to get used to the "jargon" that is used and is unfamiliar to
non-UK readers, but other than that it is a well done mystery. 9

Living Proof - John Harvey - 1995.  Charlie Resnick is hard at work
trying to solve a number of murders while watching out for an author
who has had some unsettling threats made against her.  This was a 
little harder to get into that I usually like, but it turned out to
be a decent read. 8

Saul and Patsy - Charles Baxter - 2003.  Saul and Patsy Bernstein
are a young married couple living in Five Oaks, Michigan where Saul
has gotten a job as an English Teacher.  This book is the story of
the deconstruction of their life and love.  It started out with a 
promise of great things to come and wound down to a very dis-
enchanted, unlikeable book.  I would not recommend it. 5

Burn Zone - James O. Born - 2008.  ATF agent Alex Duarte is caught up
in a case that no one really understands.  The DEA and the FBI along 
with some local police are involved, but Duarte is the only one who
really believes that the problem is deeper than it appears.  Very fast
read - real page turner - 9.
 
Iron Orchid - Stuart Woods - 2005. A Holly Barker mystery.  Barker is
recruited by the CIA and gets involved in a manhunt for a rogue agent
who is killing people who he thinks is a threat to the country.  A
very good and very fast read. 10

The Broker - John Grisham - 2005.  Joel Backman is known as The Broker.
He has lived as a power broker in Washington DC for many years.  Then,
a deal went wrong and Backman wound up in solitary confinement for six
long years.  The story of his release and what follows make for an
incredible read.  It's all fiction but it is so easy to believe, which
is what makes it such a good story. 10

King Of The Holly Hop - Les Roberts - 2008.  Milan Jacovich attends his
40th high school reunion and one of his classmates gets killed in the
parking lot.  He is retained to disprove the obvious candidate who the 
police have in their sights.  Very well done - a very nice read. 10