Miriam Grace Monfredo is one of the best historical mystery writers today, and her skills are well displayed in this book, the second in the Glynis Tryon series set in the upstate New York town of Seneca Falls in the middle of the 19th century. Glynis is the town librarian, with a strong belief in women's suffrage (along with her friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton). Until this story unfolds, however, she has been less supportive of the abolitionist cause which was strongly supported around Seneca Falls through participation in the Underground Railroad. Through the events linked to this murder mystery, however, Glynis is forced to rethink her position and ends up travelling as far as Richmond to fight against the Fugitive Slave Act.

One of the best things about Monfredo's stories is that she shares with you an entire town, in all its complexity and liveliness. Every character in the book is lovingly and lavishly drawn, and several plots unfold simultaneously which gives the stories a feeling of authenticity that is hard to beat.

You will want to rush out and buy the next story (Blackwater Spirits) immediately, to see how Glynis's friendship with the new Seneca/French constable, Jacques, turns out!

This is the second Glynis Tryon Mystery, and it is even better than the first one, "Seneca Falls Inheritance." It is now 1854, six years after "Inheritance," and the abolitionist debate is going strong. The Republican Party has just been founded in Ripon, Wisconsin.

Glynis strongly believes in obeying the law of the land, but she is unable to obey the Fugitive Slave Act by turning in Kiri, a lovely young girl who has escaped from a plantation in Virginia, and who is the beloved of Glynis' landlady's son, Niles. Glynis helps get Kiri to the home of Frederick Douglass, where she is hidden awaiting the opportunity to escape to Canada, where Niles plans to join her. When Niles is captured and taken to Virginia for trial, Glynis and Jeremiah Merrycoyf go to Virginia to try to save him. There ensues a fine courtroom drama, with Glynis turning up a key piece of evidence. Glynis and Merrycoyf return to Seneca Falls, and the villian, Thomas Farley, is unmasked.

This is but a small sample of the plot twists of this delightful book. It is a great read, and you will learn a bit of American history in the bargain.

I loved this book. Though it is the second in the series, it was the first one for me, and I intend to read the rest of the series now. It rates a close second to City Of Light in the realm of historical fiction based in my part of NY State. I like that it includes real characters along with the most important issues of the time, and murder, mystery, romance and good fictional character development.

The Contrary Blues is such a page-turner that you might not realize until you reach the end how cleverly it is constructed. Humor, colorful West Virginia colloquialisms, and poignant characterization make this book a lot more interesting than the average mystery.

A SEASON TO INVESTIGATE FIRST-TIME NOVELISTS - Boston Globe. A fine beginning, funny, irreverent, written with an ear well-tuned to authentic West Virginia dialogue and an eye for small, accumulating scenes...Billheimer unfolds his wry tale steadily, with just the right mix of humor and menace, and his Department of Transportation investigator-auditor, Owen Allison, is convincing and likable.

John Billheimer's first Mystery novel, Contrary Blues, leaves you feeling satisfied and wanting more. Fans of Rick Boyer, Bill Crider, and Bill Tapply will recognize the sure fire formula that made their writing a success. A fast moving plot taken to sudden and unexpected turns, characters who jump out of the pages into your living room, and an unassuming hero that Mr. Middle America can relate to. Billheimer tells his story in a quick but enjoyable pace, giving the reader a glimpse into everyday life in a region of the country most of us have never stepped foot in, and with the subtle humor and true to life street dialog that show his respect for his characters and his reader alike. This one is sure to be enjoyed.

I was in awe reading about the adventures of Smoke Jensen and Preacher The action was fast and brutal, a real page-turner. You can almost smell the gunsmoke! I'm glad I finally discovered Mr. Johnstone.

The book The Last Mountain Man is about an 18 year old boy named Smoke, who swears to get revenge on the men who killed his father and brother. Smoke lives with a mountain man named Preacher, who teaches Smoke everything he needs to know about the west. I would recommend this book to any one who like westerns and/or action books.

"The Last Mountain Man" is the beginning of the Smoke Jensen story. Smoke is a raw naive kid, who learns fast, and won't take any crap from any outlaw murdering thief. If you like the Western genre you'll LOVE William W. Johnstone's "Mountain Man" series. Smoke Jensen is genuine.

This is one of the better books of a good series, funny and exciting with an "edge of your seat" narrative. Lora Roberts does an excellent job portraying the edgier side of life in her Liz Sullivan series, where money isn't always available and sometimes the Thrift Shop is a necessity. Yet, she also manages to lighten this with some wonderful and sly humor and engaging friends. Liz's friends (including her dog) bring her much needed support and enrich the stories though they take a backseat in this book (except for a couple of memorable and surprisingly funny scenes at gunpoint). This particular book in the series was mesmerizing. I couldn't put it down till I found out what happened to Liz and her latest "temp job from h-ll." If you haven't read any of the previous books I would recommend you do so to see how Lora has allowed Liz to grow into herself. Yet, this books stands alone as a wonderful and exciting adventure.

This book was really incredibly written. Even though I have never read any books in the series except this one, I'm sure that this book was a good one to start with. Murder Follows Money is funny in it's own way, and also provides an amazing mystery which was also fun to solve. I read this book in one entire day, all during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I just couldn't put it down. It made me sad when I had finally finished the book. It was one of those page-turning mysteries that I absolutely love. I feel that Lora Roberts has created a never-ending series with a very interesting character. Liz Sullivan is the kind of character that you wish that you could get to know in person. Believe me, this is a great book and I recommend it to anybody who loves mystery!

Freelance writer Liz Sullivan takes on a temp job as media escort for food/lifestyle celebrity Hannah Couch, who, it turns out, is quite the opposite of her friendly, grandmotherly image. And her waspish, vindictive personal assistant, Naomi Matthews, is even worse. After someone downs a fatal Pellegrino with lime, and a couple of abductions at gunpoint ensue, Liz, who is a prime suspect, must find out who doctored the drink. Though two of the major characters are exceedingly unpleasant, there are plenty of more appealing ones, not the least of which is Liz herself, a likable, sympathetic amateur detective. On the whole, this whodunit is funny, sometimes outlandish, and very entertaining. This is the first of Lora Roberts' mysteries I've read, and I now plan on reading the first four books of the series.

Peter Decker and his wife Rina are enjoying family life with her sons and their new baby daughter when Rina's old friend Honey Klein asks to come visit. Rina is surprised because they hasn't been in close contact with Honey in recent years, but she agrees to the visit. Meanwhile Peter works with his partner Marge on a case involving an entire family who have suddenly vanished. The husband is a diamond dealer, and there are many motives for a possible murder, most of them having to do with money. Coincidentally, after Honey comes to the Lazarus home, her husband, also a diamond dealer, is mysteriously killed. Peter's quest for the truth in these matters eventually takes him and Rina to Israel where they pursue missing persons from both of these cases. As usual, author Kellerman weaves interesting facts about the orthodox Jewish religion as well as Peter and Rina's evolving family life. The trip to Israel adds an extra dimension to the story, and the total package is very satisfying for a mystery reader.

In my book 'Sanctuary' is one of the best in the Peter Decker/ Rina Lazarus series. The story revolves around the missing husband of Rina's friend. The search takes Rina and Peter to Israel where we are treated to a fascinating tour of the West Bank and the diamond trade in Israel. What makes this entry so important today is the portrayal of the continuing conflict and violence that shapes Israel's future and her people. It is a pleasure to read a book that is both thoughtful and fun to read.

My only other suggestion if you are new to Faye Kellerman is to start at the beginning with 'Ritual Bath' to see the relationship between Rina and Peter unfold. Then read all her books in the order in which they were written. Its a great series.

In my book, this title vies with 'Ritual Bath' and 'Justice' as Kellerman's best. As with 'Ritual Bath' the reader is treated to the all encompassing traditions of Judaism. Although the Honey Klein angle seems to get more emphasis in reviews, I found the diamond merchant subplot more believable and fascinating. Descriptions of Israel and the West Bank were super--I enoyed the travelogue. Faye, give us more!

I read this book because the review claimed that the town of Gabriel is really Ithaca, NY and that Benson College is in reality Cornell University, my alma mater. After reading Bad Seed I'm hooked on the charachter of Alex Bernier. She,s tough and intelligent and just insecure enough to make her lovable. Surrounded by her nutty but loyal friends and coworkers she wise cracks her way through this intriguing and suspenseful mystery about a new strain of rice being developed at the Ag School and the mayhem and murder that ensue. I've already ordered Saulnier's previous three books and look forward to the publication of the next Alex Bernier mystery. This story was a great read whether or not you attended Cornell University or lived in Ithaca, but add a star if you did.

A complex and involving plot line; an engaging protagonist; and an atmospheric setting. The fourth book in the Alex Bernier series, and the first in hardcover, brings the sharp and irrevent reporter into harm's way as she tries to solve two bombings and a brutal death on the local college campus. She pits her investigative skills, and those of her newpaper cohorts, against a group of shadowy bioterrorists. Filled with great characters, snappy writing, and a compelling story. Couldn't put it down. A great sequel to "Reliable Sources," "Distemper," and "The Fourth Wall," although it can stand alone. A new, young writer to watch.

I loved it! I have now flown through all four of Saulnier's books found each of them smart, funny and a terrific read. In Bad Seed, poor Alex Bernier, who seems to have an excess of death in her life, is caught up in a finely woven web of science, zealotry and current events. Through basic, hard nosed reporting she stumbles to the bottom of a global plot nestled in the little town of Ithaca. Talk about think global, act local- this one could literally be "ripped from the headlines." I pre-ordered it after reading the first three in the series and am now hoping she keeps this series going. Definitely worth picking this one up.

By the way, I was really disheartened by the Publishers Weekly review but decided to read the book anyway. Did they ever get it wrong! This book is fun and good.

"Bright Orange for the Shroud" is the first novel by John D. MacDonald I've read. It certainly will not be the last. This is a thoroughly enjoyable story. Written almost forty years ago, MacDonald was ahead of his time concerning the observations he made about booming Florida and America. If you are looking for a good thriller that is probably better than 90% of what's being written today, don't hesitate to pick this one up. I'll be getting the first novel in the Travis McGee series shortly. BTW, this book has one of the hottest sex scenes I've ever read, written before the days of sexually explicit language. Believe it.

Travis McGee promised himself a trouble-free summer. But when the local nice guy turned up after having been nearly destroyed by a professional black widow, McGee reluctantly agrees to help. A tennis-playing brunette with a slightly shifty husband turns out to be more bait than anyone expected, and McGee goes hunting for True Evil in the form of this book's villain.

One of MacDonald's best McGee books, filled with the Florida detail and cynicism that are the series' trademarks. What makes it special is the almost unwilling belief in good that the main character nurtures in the face of so much human failing. One of those stories where nearly everything clicks.

All the ingredients of a great McGee tale are present here, including the essential South Florida locale. It's hard to believe these stories were penned almost thirty years ago, and the rare "tells" that crop up are pretty funny. The typical is a wardrobe description replete with dacron sailcloth slacks, white denim jackets with wooden buttons, and the omnipresent pale yellow ascot. Of course, money matters are a giveaway. Like a wealthy murder victims toney "$30,000 home".

That said, few authors nail a modern detective yarn quite like John D. Read this book, or any other in the series, and you'll see what I mean.

A young woman, Jennifer Lawson has been found brutally murdered. She has been strangled and then sexually assaulted. Her body has been dumped in Kelvingrove Park in the western part of Glasgow. The author also tells the reader who the killer is and hints at a motive for the killing. It remains for Detective Inspector to find the killer from a confusing set of clues he gleams from the victim's family and relatives and their friends. Laidlaw is not a conventional cop of the Glasgow police force. Indeed, he draws clear parallels between himself and his associates. Of one named Milligan, Laidlaw makes the following observation. "I think false certainties are what destroy us. And Milligan's full of them. He's a walking absolute. What's murder but a willed absolute, an invented certainty? An existential failure of nerve. What we shouldn't do is compound the felony in our reaction to it. And that's what people keep doing. Faced with the enormity, they lose their nerve, and where they should see a man, they make a monster. It's a social industry. And Milligan's one of its entrepreneurs." What keeps emerging from this book is the intricate understanding the author McIlvanney imparts about the characters that populate this book. In this next passage, Laidlaw and his assistant Detective Constable Harkness are questioning Mr. and Mrs. Stanley, friends of the murder victim and her family. Laidlaw discerned the tension between husband and wife, the former reluctant to come forward with information, the latter determined to do so. The Stanley's stared across at each other. "Laidlaw and Harkness sat silent. It wasn't the kind of look to interfere in. That stare was about twenty years of marriage and it was carrying more complicated traffic between them than the M1 (motorway). It was no longer about a dead girl or policemen's questions. It was about other kinds of death. It was about how much a woman had never got out of a relationship and the decency she had maintained in spite of it. It was about how much a man had hidden from promises he perhaps didn't even know he had made. It was about pride kept and pride lost." This book is also about Glasgow, the other city in Scotland that has always lived in the shadow of its far more cosmopolitan sister Edinburgh (pronounced "Ed-in-borough"). Glasgow was the unruly, snotty-nosed sibling that was always dirty, while its sister always managed to appear spotless and polite. Laidlaw and Harkness are at the Glasgow Cross, where a number of roads converge: Gallowgate, Trongate, High Street, and the London Road. They are "on the site of the old Tolbooth-a kind of midget tower with a Balustrade at the top and above that the figure of a unicorn." "Harkness read the words carved on the stone: 'Nemo me impune lacessit...' "No one assails me with impunity," Laidlaw said. "wha daur meddle wi me?...I like the civic honesty of that," Laidlaw was smiling. "That's the wee message carved on the heart of Glasgow. Visitors are advised not to be cheeky." The book is also filled with the Glasgow the "patter." Laidlaw and Harkness are waiting in the canteen of a print shop to interview a witness when a worker comes in to have a cigarette. After some banter with Laidlaw and Harkness, he tells them a story about the walk-in cupboard near where they are all standing. "This is gospel. No' last week, but the week before. Big Aly Simpson. Bloke in the work. He's fond o' his nookie an' that, ye know? Me. Ah'd rather hiv a fish-supper. Anyway, there's nane o' us perfect. Dinner-time (lunch time). The horn goes. Back tae the galleys. Except Big Aly an Jinty. Jinty's a big lassie that works wan o' the machines. Well, she's no' that big, but everybody's big tae me. Ah yince broke ma leg fa'lling aff the kerb. But she's gemme. So the two o' them wait in the canteen here an' lock the door. Jist gettin'doon tae it. When they hear somebody tryin' the door. Then there's the voices talkin' about gettin' the key. Panic stations. Big Aly's a mairrit man. Likes tae think that everybody else's heid buttons up the back. So he hides in the press there. Jinty sorts herself an' sterts yawnin' an' that. Goes tae the door an' opens it. 'Ah must've fell asleep,' she says, blinkin' like Snow White. Well, Wullie Anderson comes in. Whaur dae ye think is the first place he makes fur? The press there. Tae get a new brush-heid. Opens the dorr. There's Big Aly. Standin; like Count Dracula. Ye widny credit it. Know whit Big Aly says? Cool as ye like. "Is this where ye get the bus for Maryhill.' An' that's the truth." If you're fond of book about detectives who are complex and analytical, and caught up in the underworld they confront everyday, Laidlaw if meant for you. The main character Laidlaw is at odds with the police force he serves and is torn between a family and his work and too often the murderers and their victims take priority over wife and children. William McIlvanney is one of Scotland's best known writers. He is winner of the Whitbread Award for Fiction. The award is chosen by the Booksellers Association of Great Britain and Ireland, with funds provided by Whitbread Breweries.

Detective inspector Jack Laidlaw walks the mean streets of Glasgow in the 70's; he also rides the bus and subway; he's a traveller, not a tourist, he explains to his partner harkness, through whose eyes we get to know Laidlaw. Jack Laidlaw is an unconventional cop, tough yes, but he is a philosopher, a political liberal, and a champion of the underdog; he is, like his creator McIlvanney, a humanist - everybody, no matter who or what they are, deserves respect as a human being. Another major character in this novel is the city of Glasgow itself, indeed in one passage a drunk man talks to the city. Anyone looking for a cop with a tough edge, but with human faults and failings need look no further than Laidlaw.

I have recently read 'Laidlaw' as part of my higher English course and have found it a very enjoyable read if a little hard to write about. I find Laidlaw's character intriguing and I am planning to read the other novels by McIlvanney about D.I. Laidlaw. 'Laidlaw' is an excellant example of a detective novel and this is clear through the themes displayed throughout the novel. The themes are put across excellantly by the characters. I can relate to the setting very well because I live very close to Glasgow and know my way about very well.

"Out on the Cutting Edge" follows the two best novels in the Matthew Scudder series, "8 Million Ways to Die" and "When the Sacred Ginmill Closes." It is also the first novel in which Scudder conducts a case (in this instance two cases) while not in an alcoholic stupor. We catch up with Scudder a few years after he joined AA. He has a sponser and has managed to recover control of his life. His day to day existence, meanwhile, hasn't changed much. He still lives in a residential hotel and still conducts cases off the books as "favors" for friends.

The two cases are interesting. One is for pay; a family wants to know the whereabouts of their missing daughter. One is personal; an AA companion apparently commits suicide just before he is ready to confess his sins to Scudder. Both take Scuder in some unlikely directions and the payoff is typically messy. Meanwhile, author Lawrence Block introduces one his most interesting side characters to the series, the Irish gangster Mickey Ballou. Overall, this is a solid Scudder novel that is not quite on par with the best of the series. But any Scudder novel makes for excellent reading.

Once again Lawrence Block has managed to blow me away with another fantastic Matt Scudder book. This one is about a guy who is looking for his daughter, who went off to New York to try and find fame. He hires Scudder to find his missing daughter, but the only problem is, there arent many leads. He searches and goes through all the motions and has stumbling blocks in his way, but manages to get around them. I wont tell you the rest, because I dont want to ruin the book for you, but I will just say this. THE ENDING WILL SHOCK YOU!!!!!

Matt Scudder is dealing with the day-in, day-out struggle to stay sober in the Big Apple. He has a case he doesn't have much hope of solving and he's got an AA acquaintance who wants Matt to sponsor him. Eddie Dunphy is a small-time crook, sober for a little over half a year. He has something he really wants to tell Matt, but before he gets a chance, he's found dead in his apartment--an apparent suicide.

It's an open and shut case, but Matt is obsessed with finding out whether or not Eddie died sober. Dead is dead, but if he stayed sober he won the war. Of course, he finds out Eddie was murdered and he also gets a lead on his original case just when he was ready to give up on it.

This book introduces a recurring character in the series: Mickey Ballou, known as the Butcher Boy. Mickey has a reputation. Folks believe he killed a man and carried the guy's head around in a bowling bag for a week, showing it off so people would know not to cross him.

The characters all grow and change over the course of the book. This is a terrific novel and a nice addition to the Scudder series.

I really enjoyed this book on several levels -- the ending was a real surprise, the story is well-told and superbly plotted, most of the characters are believable and, in many cases, interesting and likable. I grew up northwestern New Mexico and found his descriptions of that area of the country very accurate. I especially liked the shaman, Daisy Perika, and her dreams and visions. The things I didn't like about the book are minor and deal mainly with the author's descriptions of the people at the college -- when is the last time you saw a female graduate student doing physics research in high heels and clip earrings? Or professors that were actively hostile to the police just on general principle? It also seemed to me that Doss plays to stereotypes unnecessarily -- the racist banter between the police and their prime suspect being the worst example. Doss leaves a few loose ends, I don't want to give anything away, but I finished the book wondering what exactly happened to two minor characters as well as what was the significance of Daisy's visions (not the dream, which was beautifully woven into the story, but the visions of the brujas y brujos at Chimney Rock). Oh, and I loved the joke about Sitting Bull and the Hunkpapa Sioux.

I picked up this book, Doss' first in this mystery series, at a book swap and I'm going on book series number three. I was instantly captivated by this author's writing style. His vivid descriptions of the first crime scene at the beginning of this book had me up at night losing sleep (a compliment). I could not wait to dive into the next book. As a native of New Mexico, I traveled extensively to Colorado so I can say from firsthand knowledge that Doss' depictions of the scenery and setting as well as characters were so vivid and real. Best reading I've done in a looooong time!!

This is a great book for people that like some humor with their mysteries. Although the titles of this series sound like the shaman is going to be the main protagonist, it doesn't work that way. There is a very humorous interaction between Charlie Moon, of the Tribal Police, who doesn't believe in magic, and his Grandmother who pretends she doesn't when around the priest but who sneaks out to confer with the local landspirit, a type of dwarf. The mystery is well thought out and kept interesting by the complex (but not TOO complex) characters. Of great importantce to me is that the characters also act within their characterization and motivations. This is a particular joy in this book where Charlie and his Grandmother are often working at cross purposes motive wize and a delightful weave of information back and forth as you move towards the ending. The grandmother in particular is sort of a ute 'maxine' with never a good word to say and a hillarious lineup of grumbles and mumbled complaints.