My Last 5

1. Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas. Another mystery, but well written in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I might venture to say better written than Sir Arthur, but there are a lot of folks who would be terribly upset by that. This is an first novel, introducing the Enquiry Agent, Cyrus Barker, and his assistant, Thomas Llewelyn. The author does a wonderful job developing the characters in the context of the story. It it tightly paced and suspenseful, as well as introducing an aspect of London's history I was completely unfamiliar with. If you like Sherlock Holmesian mysteries, be sure and get to your library and get a copy of Some Danger Involved.


2. Maximum Security by Rose Connors. Although I'm not sure what the title had to do with the actual book, this is an interesting novel written by a lawyer. John Grisham she is not, but law is always interesting to me. This particular novel involves a beautiful (aren't they always) heiress who is accused of the murder of her deceased husband. While rather short, a lot of action is covered in the span of the 150 or so pages. If you like Mr. Grisham, Mrs. Connors would be a good addition to your list of authors.

3. Blood is the Sky by Steve Hamilton. I don't believe I've had the privilege of reading Mr. Hamilton's work before, but if this 300+ page novel is typical of his work, I have a new mystery/detective favorite. This story takes place in Northern Michigan and Ontario and involves a setting I am personally familiar with, hunting camps. The pace is fast, the characters are flawed, and thus entirely believable. The mistakes they make, and the motivations for doing so provide as much interest as the actual action itself. Another book that I would recommend.

4. Nighttime is my Time by Mary Higgins Clark. Mrs. Clark has never been one of my favorite authors. Reading this book reminded me why. I found the plot tedious, often bogged down in introspective musings of the characters. They flow was disjointed, the characters poorly developed, seeming like character cut-outs. If you like Mrs. Clark's work, more power to you. We are all entitled to our opinions, and mine is that her writing is sub-par and insipid.

5. The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. I have become a huge fan of Monsieur Sparks efforts. He writes very believable stories, based on entirely human characters and the struggles, conflicts and motivations of folks from all walks of life. This novel was written from the perspective of a gentleman who is succesful as a businessman, but a failure at his marriage. I could easily identify with his workaholic attitude, and hopefully learned some lessons from his efforts to save his marriage. I almost hope Mrs. Penguin doesn't read this, as some of his efforts are inspiring and a touch awe-inspiring. If you liked the movie FIREPROOF, you'll probably enjoy this book.