Mysteries
I'm not a huge mystery fan, which is too bad, since that is the most represented genre on the laundry room bookshelf. Here are some mysteries I've read:
Saving Faith by David Baldacci - Baldacci is a popular author and I have 6 of his books (thanks to the laundry room), but this is the first one I've read. Faith is a government whistle-blower who finds herself on the run with an enigmatic private investigator after an FBI rendezvous goes wrong. They are not sure who they can trust (even each other), and the sense of danger and thrill of the chase keep things moving. How do you stay under the radar in this electronic age (or 1999, when the book was published)? Not bad.
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child - Any book that takes place in New York gets extra points, and this one had a definite sense of place. Jack Reacher witnessed a late night incident on the subway, and the story progressed from there. Cops, foreign operatives, good guys, bad guys, violence... just an ordinary few days in Reacher's life.
Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah Coonts - Las Vegas is the star of this book, with female impersonators, adult film industry functions, and general debauchery overshadowing the mystery. A woman jumps to her death from a sightseeing helicopter... or is it murder? Lucky, who works for a casino, is on the case.
The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver - Lincoln Rhyme (played by Denzel Washington on the movie, which I didn't see) is a disabled criminologist who solves murders from his home, with the help of police detective Amelia Sachs (Angelina Jolie). The forensics and police procedure seemed authentic, but things got grisly and I didn't always want to be there.
Dying to Get Published by Judy Fitzwater - Jennifer is having trouble getting her book published, and blames it on evil literary agent Penney, so what could be more logical than murdering Penney and using that as the plot for a book. WHAT? This premise seemed distasteful, though it was done tongue in cheek. As Jennifer solicits opinions from her writing group on the best way to carry out the hypothetical crime, things happen which I won't spoil. I dunno, it didn't sit right with me.
The Appeal by John Grisham - Nasty corporate polluters, struggling lawyers, corrupt judges in the Deep South. Yup, typical Grisham. I liked this one less than usual.
Hollywood Confessions by Gemma Halliday - Allie is an LA tabloid reporter yearning to work for a more legitimate outlet. She rubs elbows with dubious reality show characters, sleazy Hollywood types, and quirky coworkers investigating the murder of a producer. One hysterical scene had her sneaking into a salon, pretending to work there, and doing a bikini wax on an unsuspecting source. This is part of a series, and I'll have to check out some more.
Compliments of a Friend by Susan Isaacs - "That's it?" I thought when I finished this. Granted, it was a short story (given to me by NetGalley), but it seemed unsatisfying. The fashionable Vanessa kills herself, or is it murder? Judith Singer (from Compromising Positions) plays detective. The Afterword explained that this story was written for a writer's group and was the basis for the novel Long Time No See (which I own, but haven't read). So I'll hope that the return of Judith is more substantial in the full book.
The Strip by E. Duke Vincent - Vegas is again the setting, specifically heavily Mob-influenced Vegas. A TV producer with a shady background of his own back in the Midwest deals with mobsters, blackmail, fast women, and snoopy reporters. Of course this is totally fiction, and there are no real people anything like this.
Saving Faith by David Baldacci - Baldacci is a popular author and I have 6 of his books (thanks to the laundry room), but this is the first one I've read. Faith is a government whistle-blower who finds herself on the run with an enigmatic private investigator after an FBI rendezvous goes wrong. They are not sure who they can trust (even each other), and the sense of danger and thrill of the chase keep things moving. How do you stay under the radar in this electronic age (or 1999, when the book was published)? Not bad.
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child - Any book that takes place in New York gets extra points, and this one had a definite sense of place. Jack Reacher witnessed a late night incident on the subway, and the story progressed from there. Cops, foreign operatives, good guys, bad guys, violence... just an ordinary few days in Reacher's life.
Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah Coonts - Las Vegas is the star of this book, with female impersonators, adult film industry functions, and general debauchery overshadowing the mystery. A woman jumps to her death from a sightseeing helicopter... or is it murder? Lucky, who works for a casino, is on the case.
The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver - Lincoln Rhyme (played by Denzel Washington on the movie, which I didn't see) is a disabled criminologist who solves murders from his home, with the help of police detective Amelia Sachs (Angelina Jolie). The forensics and police procedure seemed authentic, but things got grisly and I didn't always want to be there.
Dying to Get Published by Judy Fitzwater - Jennifer is having trouble getting her book published, and blames it on evil literary agent Penney, so what could be more logical than murdering Penney and using that as the plot for a book. WHAT? This premise seemed distasteful, though it was done tongue in cheek. As Jennifer solicits opinions from her writing group on the best way to carry out the hypothetical crime, things happen which I won't spoil. I dunno, it didn't sit right with me.
The Appeal by John Grisham - Nasty corporate polluters, struggling lawyers, corrupt judges in the Deep South. Yup, typical Grisham. I liked this one less than usual.
Hollywood Confessions by Gemma Halliday - Allie is an LA tabloid reporter yearning to work for a more legitimate outlet. She rubs elbows with dubious reality show characters, sleazy Hollywood types, and quirky coworkers investigating the murder of a producer. One hysterical scene had her sneaking into a salon, pretending to work there, and doing a bikini wax on an unsuspecting source. This is part of a series, and I'll have to check out some more.
Compliments of a Friend by Susan Isaacs - "That's it?" I thought when I finished this. Granted, it was a short story (given to me by NetGalley), but it seemed unsatisfying. The fashionable Vanessa kills herself, or is it murder? Judith Singer (from Compromising Positions) plays detective. The Afterword explained that this story was written for a writer's group and was the basis for the novel Long Time No See (which I own, but haven't read). So I'll hope that the return of Judith is more substantial in the full book.
The Strip by E. Duke Vincent - Vegas is again the setting, specifically heavily Mob-influenced Vegas. A TV producer with a shady background of his own back in the Midwest deals with mobsters, blackmail, fast women, and snoopy reporters. Of course this is totally fiction, and there are no real people anything like this.