Category Archives: Book Reviews

“Tail Gait” is the latest in a long series of books by Rita Mae Brown (and apparently, Sneaky Pie Brown, too.) It is, however, the first book I have read by Ms. Brown. I often read a book out of order in a series to see how readable it is as a stand-alone book but it is rare that I will choose to read a book as far into as series as this one is (number 24.) Interestingly enough, I had no problem picking up the story, the characters, or the plot. As a stand-alone book, it is very readable. I’m sure that I am missing much in the terms of history of the characters but enough is provided by the author to make it still an enjoyable read.

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“Trident Code” is the follow up to last year’s mile a minute cyber attack thriller, “Lethal Code”. As with the previous book, “Trident Code” was pretty intense and required the reader to suspend reality and to accept some rather unlikely scenarios.

While the previous book involved multiple cyperattacks, in this book there is really just one, but it involves a nuclear submarine. Yet again, the US is portrayed as woefully unprepared and once again it is only a handful of heroes who can save the day. To say that this doesn’t seem credible is putting it mildly. However, if you are willing suspend reality and accept the worst case scenarios presented by the author as you read the book, then it becomes a fun race-to-the-end story.

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This is a fast-paced police procedural that spans a two day period. DS Allie Shenton is at a cross roads in her life. Her beloved sister, who was horribly brain-damaged in an attack seventeen years before, has taken a turn for the worse and may not have much more time.

Even though her personal life is at a breaking point, Allie is called in to help solve a puzzling murder. The story takes us through the almost hourly process of finding clues, processing information, and interviewing suspects. We get to see how the picture of the crime is reconstructed from the bits and pieces and how each bit of information reveals the next step in solving the crime.

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I did not realize that “Independence Day” was part of a series when I decided to read the book. I was about a chapter in when there were enough references that I decided to check and I saw that it is a few books in on the Dewey Andreas series. I often will choose to read a book out of order in a series to see if it can be read as a stand-alone book. “Independence Day” certainly is a book that I enjoyed immensely regardless of not having read the prior books. I enjoyed it so much, I plan to read the early books in the series. While it is a great action thriller, I realized that by going out of order, some of the earlier plots may have a bit of a spoiler for me.

The story involves Russian computer hackers, mobsters, CIA agents, and even a ballerina. There is an attack brewing against the United States and it looks like it will dwarf 9/11 and cause mass casualties. It is up to the front line of our service men and women to try to discover the plot, uncover its details, and try to stop it before it happens.

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“Little Black Lies: A Novel” is the first book by Sharon Bolton that I have read. I enjoyed it considerably and will certainly be looking for her future books as well as reading through her back list of novels.

The book is written in three primary parts; one each for each of the three characters that are most like the killer who is being hunted.

Catrina’s two young sons were killed in an accident because her best friend, Rachel, was negligent while watching them. Since then, Catrina has been just barely living life. She has lost everything that was most important to her and those loses have made the rest of life a pale shadow of what it once was.

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When I picked up “Paris Ransom”, I didn’t realize it was the third book in a series. I often do read books out of order in series to see if there is any problem in reading a particular book as a stand-alone versus reading it in order. While I did read and enjoy the book, I thought perhaps reading the older books would help me understand the characters better.

The book is told from three points of view: Robert Tarza, who is a retired lawyer who was extremely successful, Jenna James, his protege at his old law firm who has stopped practicing law to be a professor at UCLA, and finally, Judge Roland de Fournis, a powerful and inquisitive French judge.

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“Woman Without Fear” is the first of a series of books about Trinity Silverman and her unusual pet, Speedy.

She is an expert in her field of currency trading but is hamstrung by her overwhelming fears. She is a speaker at a conference in Las Vegas and meets a man at a bar who promises her that some pills that he can supply will overcome her debilitating fears. The price for the pills is that she must meet this man in his hotel room and agree to what he demands of her.

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