UNDONE

Title: Undone
Author: Karin Slaughter
Rating: 9

Karin Slaughter is an excellent author and I have enjoyed all her books but I have to say, she writes the goriest books of all the mystery writers that I read. So, if you don't have a strong stomach, you might not want to read this one. There is a crazy person who is kidnapping women and torturing them. I especially enjoyed the roles of the male and female detectives who are trying to find this crazy person. Sara Linton is the doctor at the hospital and has been a widow for 3 years. She has been in previous books and was married to Jeff, a policeman. Now that Jeff is gone, that opens up the field for Sara to find romance in future books, so I'll look forward to the next one.

MERCY STREET

Title: Mercy Street
Author: Mariah Stewart
Rating: 8

This was a good mystery/romance book. It is about 4 teenagers (nice kids) who go into a park in Pennsylvania late at night and never come out. Two are found in the park shot in the head. The other two are missing. The police immediately think the two missing kids killed the other two and took off. The missing boy's Grandmother knows he is innocent, talks to her priest, who hires Mallory Russo to find the missing kids. Mallory used to be a very good detective with the local police department but something happened and most of the department turned against her. Charlie Wanamaker was hired to replace Mallory and ends up working with her to try to find the kids. Don't want to give away any more of the plot, but it was a good book and I think you'll like it too.

PURSUIT

Title: Pursuit
Author: Karen Robards
Jan's Rating: 9

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt like I was running from the bad guys and every time I put the books down, I would tell my husband "I'm exhausted from trying to escape the bad guys". That's how caught up I was into this book. It is about the President's wife who is trying to get away from the Secret Service and no one really understands why. I don't want to say too much for fear of ruining the story for you but read this book and you will eventually find out why the President's wife was so afraid and what actually happened to cause the big accident, and what transpired afterwards was a chase you won't soon forget.

KNOCKOUT

Title: Knockout
Author: Catherine Coulter
Jan's Rating: 9

"Knockout" is another FBI thriller starring Dillon Savich and his wife Sherlock, both Special Agents with the FBI. A little girl (Autumn) is being hunted by her Uncle Blessed. He knows that she has a special "gift", being able to talk to people who aren't around her, which he also possesses. While working on this case with Sheriff Ethan Merriweather of Titusville, VA, Dillon and Sherlock are also trying to track down a couple of bank robbers who think nothing of killing anyone who gets in their way. I found the book exciting and really enjoyed it.

BLACK HILLS

Title: Black Hills
Author: Nora Roberts
Jan's Rating: 9

Nora Roberts never disappoints me and is a first-class author. In Black Hills, the main character is Lil Chance, who lives in the black hills of South Dakota. Lil's parents own a lot of property there so when Lil graduates from college with a PhD, her parents give her some of their land so she can build a wild animal refuge where she takes in exotic animals that people bought for pets, and animals that are injured, or have been mistreated. Of course you can't read a Nora Roberts' book without some romance and there is plenty of that with Lil's neighbor, Cooper Sullivan, who she has known since childhood. Now, this all sounds like an ideal life, right? Well it's not because there is someone who is out to kill Lil and release all her animals into the wild. I won't tell you anymore of the story but take it from me, it is worth the read (471 pages).

JUST TAKE MY HEART

Book: Just Take My Heart
Author: Mary Higgins Clark
Jan's Rating: 10

Jan's Opinion: I always enjoy Mary Higgins Clark's books and this was no exception. It kept me interested from beginning to end. Natalie Raines, a Broadway actress, accidentally discovers who killed her college roommate many years ago. When Natalie is found dead in her apartment, police assume her estranged husband killed her. Emily Wallace is the prosecutor who finally finds the truth but almost loses her life in the process.

FINGER LICKIN' FIFTEEN

Title: Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Author: Janet Evanovich
Jan's Rating: 10

This has to be Evanovich's best Stephanie Plum book yet. The last two were kind of slow but this one kept you reading and laughing all the way through. Celebrity Chef Stanley Chipotle comes to town for a BBQ cookoff and is murdered. Lula witnesses the murder so the killers are after her all through the book, which is funny in itself. Lula and Grandma Mazur decide to learn how to make BBQ sauce and join the cookoff, hoping to help catch the killers. Stephanie spends half her time helping Lula and Grandma (which is one disaster after another) and helping Ranger find out who is breaking into homes that have his security system. My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed this one!

SWIM SUIT

Title: Swim Suit
Jan's Rating: 9
Author: James Patterson

If you are the "faint of heart" type of person, then this book is not for you. It kept me on the edge of my seat all through the book. It usually takes me 2 weeks to read a book but I finished this one in one week. Beautiful model Kim McDaniels is on a shoot in Hawaii when her parents receive a phone call saying that a bad man had taken their daughter. They leave their home in Michigan and fly to Hawaii as soon as they can book seats on the next flight. The book takes you from one scarey moment to the next while you chew your nails away. I am definitely ready for a Janet Evanovich book now!

HIDE

Title: Hide
Author: Lisa Gardner
Jan's Rating: 7

I enjoyed this one. Annabelle Granger's family moved every few months all of her life. She never knew until she was an adult that her parents kept moving to escape a crazed killer who wanted to take Annabelle from them. Places in this book will have you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. I love suspense - hope you do too!

RED

Title: Red
Author: Erica Spindler
Jan's Rating: 8

Jan's Opinion: I have read most of Erica Spindler's books and have enjoyed all of them. They aren't "10's" but they usually rate an "8" with me. In "Red", Becky Lynn Lee grows up on the wrong side of the tracks in Bend, Mississippi. She works in a beauty shop doing shampoos. Her father is an alcoholic who beats his family and takes part of Becky Lynn's salary. Her Mother is so afraid of her husband that she never opens her mouth, even to defend her children. Becky Lynn is tormented by her brother's friends until one day they go too far. Becky Lynn leaves Bend with what little money she has and heads for California. It turns out to be a good move for her but she suffers heartache there too. The book did have a good ending so I recommend reading it.

CROSS COUNTRY

Title: Cross Country
Author: James Patterson
Jan's Rating: 9

If you like James Patterson's "Alex Cross" novels, this is a good one. However, it is probably one of the goriest so be prepared! After reading this book, I have no desire to ever go to Africa!

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

Title: Run for your Life
Author: James Patterson
Jan's Rating: 8

James Patterson is one of my favorite authors and most of his books are about a main character named Alex Cross. However, James Patterson is now writing about a new character named Michael Bennett. This is his second book starring Michael Bennett as an NYPD high-profile detective who specializes in negotiating with the "bad guy". Michael was once married to Maeve and they adopted 10 children. Unfortunately, Maeve got cancer and died so Michael is left to raise these children with only the help of a Nanny and Michael's Father, who is also a priest, which isn't easy because Michael works long hours on difficult cases. The one he is working on in this book is trying to catch a man who calls himself "The Teacher", and he ends up in Michael's home threatening his family. Very good and exciting story!

ROUGH WEATHER

Title: Rough Weather
Author: Robert B. Parker
Jan's Rating: 7

My husband has read all of Robert B. Parker's books and loves them, especially the "Spenser" novels. These are taken after the Spenser series on TV years ago starring Robert Urich. So, I decided to try one and did enjoy it. "Rough Weather" finds Spenser being hired by Heidi Bradshaw as her personal body guard/escort to attend her daughter's wedding. Of course you know the wedding is not going to go well, which it doesn't, and 6 people end up getting killed. You will have to read the book to find out why.

HOT MAHOGANY

Title: Hot Mahogany
Author: Stuart Woods
Jan's Rating: 8

I really enjoy Stuart Woods' books, especially the "Stone Barrington Novels". In this book, "Hot Magogany" refers to stolen antique mahogany furniture. Stone finds himself in New England with wealthy bluebloods who own VERY expensive antique furniture. A "Secretary" is missing and Stone is hired to find it. Of course he ends up in bed with a beautiful woman on more than one occasion, but I have found that Stone just can't say no. Good story, fast reading.

LAST KNOWN VICTIM

Title: Last Known Victim
Author: Erica Spindler
Jan's Rating: 8

NOPD Captain Patti O'Shay lost her husband around the time of Hurricane Katrina. It has been two years and his murder still hasn't been solved. Meanwhile, she is working on finding a killer known as The Handyman. When a young woman's body is found in a shallow grave, Patti's husband's badge is found in the grave with the body. Now Patti knows that the Handyman had something to do with her husband's murder and she won't stop until she finds him. Good book, kept my interest.

PLUM SPOOKY

Title: Plum Spooky
Author: Janet Evanovich
Jan's Rating: 6

I am a big fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series of books and #14 was her best so far, so I was disappointed when I read Plum Spooky and it was kind of Hoakie. Usually her stories are believeable but this one was not and frankly I was sorry I had paid full price for the hard back and glad when I had finished it. Come on, Janet, you are a better writer than this.

TRIBUTE

Title: Tribute
Author: Nora Roberts
Jan's Rating: 8

Nora Roberts is an awesome writer who never disappoints me. In "Tribute", Cilla McGowan grew up as a child Hollywood star, following in her Mother and Grandmother's footsteps, but Cilla is not happy with that life so she purchases the old family home in Virginia from her Mother, then moves there and starts rehabbing a house that has been left in disrepair for many years. It's not long before she realizes that there is someone in the town who does not want her there, leaving threats which scare her but she refuses to leave. Meantime, she has become friends with the good-looking guy who lives across the street (you knew this had to happen), and together they set out to find out who it is who doesn't want Cilla there, and why.

SALVATION IN DEATH

Book: Salvation in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Jan's Rating: 6

I have LOVED all of J. D. Robb's "In Death" series of stores about Lt. Eve Dallas with the NYPD, but I had trouble getting into this one. I'm not sure if it was because I was busy with the holidays and just couldn't concentrate, or if it was the subject matter. I just kept thinking, "who cares why Lino left New York years ago?". However, I did finish the book and always admire Eve Dallas was of kicking butt with the bad guys and her relationship with her husband.