mystery/thrillers

The Perfect Family by Carla Cassidy - Marissa's husband has been dead a year and she and her children are trying to move on. But the man who killed him in a hit-and-run has also decided that it's now time for them to become his perfect family. Good, fluff thrills.

Pursuit by Karen Robards - Jessica Ford, a new young and ambitious lawyer, is the only survivor of a car crash that kills the First Lady - and she knows it was no accident. Then there's an attempt on her life in the hospital and she's forced to lean on Secret Service agent Mark Ryan for help. Problem is that she's sure some of the agents were in on the killing - but was Mark one of them? Solid entry by dependable author - very readable.

Intent To Kill by James Grippando - Ryan James, a minor league baseball player with a chance at the majors, loses almost everything when his wife is killed in a car wreck, though his young daughter survived. Now, three years later, out of the game and cohosting a sports radio show, he's trying to raise his daughter and not fall into an alcoholic spiral, when he gets a message that the accident wasn't an accident. And the tipster claims to know who killed her. Ryan's investigation puts him and others in danger. Enjoyed it, but it didn't thrill me.

Bad Penny by Sharon Sala - Cat and Wilson are settling down and healing up on his family's farm outside of Austin, TX, but trouble is heading their way. A Mexican investigator is looking into a murder with a trail leading straight to Cat and a junkie with a grudge against Wilson is looking to complete his failed murder attempt. Fun, fast.

Loitering With Intent by Stuart Woods - Stone and Dino go to Key West. Stone gets involved in murder, gets laid, and solves the case. Dino provides backup and witty banter. Quality of the series has declined a bit, but still fun. Glad it was a library book.

books with a paranormal bent

The Archangel Project by C.S. Graham - more of a thriller with a psychic bent, than paranormal, but, hey, I put them where I want them :) Tobie Guiness is a remote viewer - she can see rooms and objects from miles away. It's not exact though, but still manages to land her in deep trouble. One of her latest viewings uncovers a government conspiracy and secret agents are sent out to dispose of anyone connected with her viewing session. Which comes to include Jax Alexander, from a different government agency, who was sent to New Orleans to investigate the death of the professor running Tobie's sessions. Was okay, fast-paced, but a bit talky. Don't feel any real need to hunt down the rest of the series.

The Warrior by Sharon Sala - Immortal warrior John Nightwalker has finally found the way to the enemy he's been hunting for hundreds of years - Alicia Ponte, on the run from her father Richard, an arms dealer and traitor, who houses the soul of the evil man who destroyed Nightwalker's life. But things get complicated when he has to explain his history to a woman coming to grips with the fact that her father is trying to murder her, much less deal with an overwhelming desire for a man she thinks is crazy. Not really my thing - I like Sala's usual thrillers and didn't really realize this was paranormal until I started reading. It was readable, but... not my thing.

Dogs and Goddesses by Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, and Lani Diane Rich - Three women and their dogs attend an odd dog obedience session - and, after drinking some of the trainer's "tonic", start being able to communicate verbally with their pets. They discover the trainer is actually a Mesopotamian goddess, who wants to regain her rule over the world and they are the descendants/embodiments of her top three priestesses, with unique powers. But they aren't sure they want to support her and decided to team up to stop her. Dogs, hot guys, magic. Again, not really my thing. Lots of humor helped - and I usually love Crusie, so I really wanted to like it, but... for me, just okay.

SF, horror & fantasy

Storm From the Shadows by David Weber - newest entry in the Honorverse. Main character is Mike (Michelle) Henke, Honor's old friend, who starts off the book by becoming a prisoner of Haven and, after offering her parole to be a messenger to Manticore's queen, gets sent off to a different front to protect Manticore's newly expanded empire. Some action on the homefront with Honor and the queen, but mostly in the newly annexed areas. Lots of military action, lots of sneaky villains. Bit slower than usual - and all the military tech goes straight over my head - but good characters.

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan - got this from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program. Here's the review from there: Brutal and inventive. A horror thriller invoking the threat of biological terror and giving the vampire story a new twist. Gory, but not too much. Good characters. Nice melding of del Toro's vision and Hogan's writing. Want parts 2 & 3 NOW!

The Warded Man by Peter Brett - Stealing from above - brutal and inventive. Three different storylines converge near the end in a world beset by demons, where humans have lost many of the wards of magic that kept the demons at bay. Arlen, who loses his mother due to another's cowardice, becomes a messenger and a seeker of ruins to find old wards, and almost loses himself in his hatred and determination to destroy demons. Leesha, scorned by her village after her bethrothed claims he deflowered her, becomes an herb gatherer/medical worker and leaves her small town for a much larger city. Rojer, the son of innkeepers, loses his parents and becomes the apprentice of a jongleur/traveling entertainer, and discovers his music has more power than he believes. Excellent.

Queen's Own by Mercedes Lackey - Okay, how the hell have I gone so long without knowing about the Valemar books? This is an omnibus: Arrows of the Queen, Arrow's Flight, Arrow's Fall. Read her newest one - Foundation - and really liked it. Finally got me to read this. Want more! (A to Z title)

Minerva Wakes by Holly Lisle - wasn't much impressed. Which depressed me as I usually like Lisle's books.