THE LAST TEMPTATION by Val McDermid

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

"Mapping the minds of murderers is what Dr Tony Hill does better than anyone. So when a twisted killer starts targeting psychologists across northern Europe, he's the obvious choice to track the executioner's mental and physical journey." "Except that Tony doesn't want to do this any more." "But the case is about to come uncomfortably close to home. The next victim is a friend of his. And his former partner, DCI Carol Jordan, is herself in Germany, working undercover in a world where human life is cheaper than a drugs deal. She needs his help as much as the serial-killer hunters do." Confronting the worst of contemporary crime and struggling to unravel roots that lie deep in the tormented past of Nazi atrocities and Stasi abuses, Tony and Carol are forced to battle for survival against overwhelming odds. In this morass of double-cross and double-dealing, they have no one to trust but each other.

RATING:

Third in McDermid's Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series, it's an exceptionally well-written multi-faceted story that is filled with many plot twists, surprises and revelations. One of her best!

DENIAL by Keith Ablow

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Frank Clevenger is a forensic psychiatrist who hates authority, fears intimacy, uses sex as an anesthetic, is tortured by his professional mistakes, and can't free himself from the shadows of a brutal, alcoholic father and an absent, unfeeling mother. But it is precisely this injured psyche that allows him to understand the deranged behavior of the mental and emotional outcasts who cross his professional path. As Denial opens, all of Clevenger's understanding and expertise are put to the test: He has been asked to rubber-stamp the mental competence of a homeless schizophrenic who has confessed to a particularly grisly murder. But as evidence of a shocking series of murders begins to mount over the next seventy-two hours, Clevenger will be forced to confront his own most terrifying and powerful demons.

RATING:

This is Ablow's debut novel featuring Dr. Frank Clevenger and is highly recommended. Clevenger is anything but your typical "hero" as he deals with his inner demons such as cocaine addiction and twisted sexual desires. The story is tightly written and moves briskly. NOTE: Unfortunately, I had read PROJECTION (second of the series) first before finding DENIAL -- read DENIAL first as the identity of the killer and the aftermath continues in PROJECTION.

THE BLACK BOOK by Ian Rankin

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Five years ago, a mysterious fire burned Edinburgh seedy Central Hotel to ashes. Long-forgotten and unsolved, the case reappears when a charred body with a bullet in its head is found amongst the ruins. Inspector John Rebus knows that his superiors would rather he let sleeping dogs lie. He knows that part of the answer lies somewhere within a cryptic black notebook. And he knows that to solve the case, he'll have to peel back layer upon layer of unspeakable secrets to arrive at the truth...

RATING:

Fifth in the John Rebus series, Rankin always gives his readers a well-written tale with vivid characterizations and storytelling of life in Edinburgh. Recommended!

THE EMPTY CHAIR by Jeffery Deaver

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

From the bestselling author of THE BONE COLLECTOR and THE DEVIL'S TEARDROP comes this spine-chilling new thriller that pits renowned criminalist Lincoln Rhyme against the ultimate opponent -- Amelia Sachs, his own brilliant protégée.
A quadriplegic since a beam crushed his spinal cord years ago, Rhyme is desperate to improve his condition and goes to the University of North Carolina Medical Center for high-risk experimental surgery. But he and Sachs have hardly settled in when the local authorities come calling. In a twenty-four-hour period, the sleepy Southern outpost of Tanner's Corner has seen a local teen murdered and two young women abducted. And Rhyme and Sachs are the best chance to find the girls alive.
The prime suspect is a strange teenaged truant known as the Insect Boy, so nicknamed for his disturbing obsession with bugs. Rhyme agrees to find the boy while awaiting his operation. Rhyme's unsurpassed analytical skills and stellar forensic experience, combined with Sachs's exceptional detective legwork, soon snare the perp. But even Rhyme can't anticipate that Sachs will disagree with his crime analysis and that her vehemence will put her in the swampland, harboring the very suspect whom Rhyme considers a ruthless killer. So ensues Rhyme's greatest challenge -- facing the criminalist whom he has taught everything he knows in a battle of wits, forensics, and intuition. And in this adversary, Rhyme also faces his best friend and soul mate.
With the intricate forensic detail, breathtaking speed, and masterful plot twists that are signature Deaver, THE EMPTY CHAIR is page-turning suspense of the highest order, destined to continue Jeffery Deaver's bestselling track record and thrill his legions of fans worldwide.

RATING:

Third in Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, not as good as the first two or subsequent entries -- it still has Deaver's trademark of twists and turns in story and is a basically good read but some of the guest characters in this one are stereotypical caricatures of the South and lessen the quality of story.

FUNERAL MUSIC by Morag Joss

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

To the ancient Romans, the healing waters of Bath belonged to the goddess Minerva. Today they belong to the gods of commerce, as tourists teem, shops prosper, and the incense of gourmet food rises to the English skies. Among the throng is Sara Selkirk, a world-class cellist who came undone in a Paris performance. For Sara, taking a break from performing has given her a chance to look at what's missing from her life- and even at a case of murder. . . . The killing occurred in the famous Roman Baths, and the victim was the museum's director. Knowing several people close to the investigation-from a potential suspect to a detective who cajoled her into giving him cello lessons-Sara discovers a talent for making sense of things. But like a Bach fugue, the pattern she grasps is more complex than it seems. And as she moves down a trail strewn with secrets and damaged lives, a chilling story begins to emerge: of greed, envy-and a killer performance that may not be quite finished yet.

RATING:

Joss' debut novel featuring Sara Sellkirk -- an okay read but in my opinion not quite up to some of the hype it received -- would read another in the series (one of which won Joss a CWA Silver Dagger Award).

TEN BIG ONES by Janet Evanovich

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

"She's accidentally destroyed a dozen cars. She's a target for every psycho and miscreant this side of the Jersey Turnpike. Her mother's convinced she'll end up dead . . . or worse, without a man. She's Stephanie Plum, and she kicks butt for a living (well, she thinks it sounds good to put it that way. . . .)." It begins as an innocent trip to the deli-mart, on a quest for nachos. But Stephanie Plum and her partner, Lula, are clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time. A robbery leads to an explosion, which leads to the destruction of yet another car. It would be just another day in the life of Stephanie Plum, except that she becomes the target of a gang - and of an even scarier, more dangerous force that comes to Trenton. With super bounty hunter Ranger acting more mysteriously than ever (and the tension with vice cop Joe Morelli getting hotter), she finds herself with a decision to make: how to protect herself and where to hide while on the hunt for a killer known as the Junkman. There's only one safe place, and it has Ranger's name all over it - if she can find it. And if the Junkman doesn't find her first. With Lula riding shotgun and Grandma Mazur on the loose, Stephanie Plum is racing against the clock.

RATING:

While in some respects you would say that after ten novels, Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series has become a bit predictable, the hilarious shenanigans of Steph & Co. are anything but with stylish wit and sharp one-liners still as crisp and fluent as the first. This particular entry does divulge a bit more into the life of supporting character Ranger -- a quick, easy read and as always thoroughly entertaining.

DANCING WITH THE VIRGINS by Stephen Booth

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

In a remote part of Northern England's Peak District stand the Nine Virgins -- ancient stone monoliths that harbor dark legends. Now, another figure has joined the circle: a young cyclist, her lifeless limbs arranged in a mocking dance. The killing eerily resembles an earlier attack that left a woman savagely disfigured. For Detectives Cooper and Fry, there are too many questions with no answers. Was there a prior connection between the two victims? What was the precious object that one of them carried? And who are the two mysterious drifters who practice strange rituals? All that Cooper and Fry know for certain is that innocent blood has been spilled on the barren moors -- and that the killing has only begun in the shadow of the Virgins....

RATING:

Second in the Cooper & Fry series, a great read with wonderfully detailed narratives and multi-faceted characters. Booth continues to excel.