David Baldacci -- The Collectors

Oliver Stones suspects there is a link between the assassination of the U.S Speaker of the House and the director of the Library of Congress rare books room. The Camel Club is joined by Annabelle Conroy, a con-artist who should be running for her life, but is instead aiding the group to solve this mystery.

All the members of the Camel Club lives are threaten by a ruthless enemy that once worked for the same ultra secret organization as Oliver Stone.

David Baldacci has the amazing ability to thrill and surprise in his novels and never disappoints with his Camel Club series.

Michelle Gagnon's Bone Yard

Somewhere along the Appalachian Trail hikers discover human remains dug up by animals. This leads to a massive search for more bodies through several states. FBI Special Agent Kelly Jones, who was on her way on a much needed vacation, was asked to delay her plans and to coordinate a special task force consisting of law enforcement officers from Vermont and Massachusetts. During the investigation it becomes clear that there are two serial killers, one whose murderous skills are fine-tuned, while the other is an inexperienced copycat.

All the victims are young men and drifters—people that would not be missed. As the investigation continues, Jones finds that these killings have been going on far longer than anyone ever expected. Jones is teamed with Massachusetts State Trooper Bill Doyle who has little admiration for her and even less regards to the necessity of the task force, making Jones’ work that much more complicated. Jones has an ally in Vermont’s homicide investigator Monica Lauer, though this too becomes problematic as Lauer’s rapport with Doyle has the two constantly at each other’s throats.

Bone Yard was an excellent read--I had a hard time putting the book down. The action is high pace, the suspense gripping and there are plenty of twists-and-turns. Bone Yard is author Michelle Gagnon’s second novel featuring Special Agent Kelly Jones, the first being The Tunnel. I guarantee that after you read Bone Yard you’ll immediately go in search of Gagnon’s previous novel. I highly recommend this book.

John Connolly's The Unquiet

The Unquiet

Charlie Parker a former police detective, now private investigator is hired by Rebecca Clay to make sure a recently freed convict named, Merrick, stops harassing her. Merrick’s daughter (the only person in the world he ever truly loved) disappeared as he served time in prison. Before Merrick’s release, Rebecca had declared her missing father, a disgraced child psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Clay, dead. Merrick is convinced Dr. Clay knows something about his daughter whereabouts and that Parker’s client is lying about her father’s demise. He believes Rebecca knows where Dr. Clay is hiding.

After meeting Merrick face-to-face, Parker is reminded of his own past and empathizes with the man. Parker’s engrosses himself in the case believing if he can find information that can assist Merrick find his daughter; he would stop terrorizing his client. Parker soon uncovers a history of sexual violence and maltreatment to children. The thin line between normalcy and the paranormal merges as Parker crosses paths with an old adversary he had hoped never to meet again.

John Connolly takes readers on a psychological thrill ride that blends a perfect mix of mystery and the bizarre. I highly recommend The Unquiet to anyone who enjoys a good hard-boiled detective novels and the supernatural.

New England White by Stephen L. Carter

The story begins with a African-American couple (Julia and Lemaster Carlyle) having a car accident, then discovering the body of a man (Kellen Zant) who was left off the side of the road. The couple know the man. Julia once had a relationship with Zant. As the story progresses Julia becomes involved in solving the mystery of Zant's death. Before his death, Zant provided clues for Julia to solve a conspiracy lasting more than 30 years.

I enjoyed the book though not as much as I had The Emperor of Ocean Park. This was not a direct sequel to Emperor but does have a familiar name or two within its pages. One of the problems with the story in my opinion is that the author included characters and settings that really weren't relevent to the overall mystery and did not move the plot forward. It slowed the pacing of the story and at times became a distraction. Dispite the distractions, Stephen L. Carter put together an excellent mystery, gave rich descriptions and strong characters.

The Judas Strain by James Rollins

James Rollins had me hanging on every word with the Judas Strain. There were three very different, very exciting stories that tied into one by the end of the book. All the characters were likable and smart. It's filled with movie blockbuster action and pacing but none of it distracts you from the story. I highly recommend you give The Judas Strain a try.

The Last Patriot by Brad Thor

This was my first Brad Thor novel and it turns out, it won't be my last. Thor is a master of suspense. The Last Patriot had my attention from the very beginning with great characters, a strong plot and plenty of history. Thor's writing was like melding a David Daldacci and Vince Flynn novel together.

The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson

The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson is the first in the Repairman Jack series. Although he’s referred to as a repairman, Jack fixes dangerous situations not plumbing. In The Tomb, he is approached by Kasum Bahkti, an arrogant, one-armed Indian, who is an United Nations diplomat. Kasum wants to hire Jack to find the thief who has beaten and robbed the diplomat’s mother of a necklace, a sentimental family heirloom. The catch, he has to find the necklace before the diplomat’s mother dies from her injuries, which gives Jack very little time. At the same time, Jacks ex-girlfriend Gia, grudgingly contacts him and asks Jack to look into finding her elderly aunt who has been missing, she supposedly disappeared without a trace from her home. Jack sees this situation as a way weave his way back into Gia’s and her daughters, Vicky lives. He slowly discovers that the two seemingly unrelated cases do have a common history, one that dates back more than 100 years and involves demonic creatures known as Rakoshi.

What I like most about The Tomb was the fact that Jack did not have all the answers. Some conclusions came to him slowly, if at all. The pacing, characters development, and the action were dead-on. F. Paul Wilson writing made it easy to visualize everything that was happening and at times it was hard for me to put the book down. I am definitely a fan of Repairman Jack and of the author.