Blunt Impact by Lisa Black

Blunt Impact by Lisa Black is the 5th book in the “Theresa MacLean” mystery series. Publisher: Severn House, April 2013

When a body at a downtown building site is identified as that of one of the few women working on a construction crew, forensic detective Theresa MacLean realizes that what looks like an accident is really murder. Why is the dead woman so dressed up? And what was she doing at the top of unfinished building in the middle of the night?

It turns out there was a witness to the death; a young girl nicknamed Ghost, due to her habit of slipping silently and watchfully around the neighborhood. Ghost says the woman didn’t fall — she was pushed by someone Ghost can only identify as the Shadow Man.

Soon Theresa will face the killer in a desperate battle for the little girl’s life.

Theresa is back and on the case in this suspenseful drama. From the first page until the conclusion, the action never stops as one by one we get closer to the identity of the killer. The author did a good job in keeping me busy with each scene as the story intensified. I like the strength in Theresa as she does her job in search of answers. This was a good read and I hope there’s more cases with Theresa and the gang.

Bad Blood by Dana Stabenow

Bad Blood by Dana Stabenow is the 20th book in the “Kate Shugak” suspense series. Publisher: Minotaur Books, February 2013

One hundred years of bad blood between the villages of Kushtaka and Kuskulana come to a boil when the body of a young Kushtaka ne’er-do-well is found wedged in a fish wheel. Sergeant Jim Chopin’s prime suspect is a Kuskulana man who is already in trouble in both villages for falling in love across the river. But when the suspect disappears, members of both tribes refuse to speak to Jim. When a second murder that looks suspiciously like payback occurs, Jim has no choice but to call in Kate Shugak for help. This time, though, her Park relationships may not be enough to sort out the truth hidden in the tales of tragedy and revenge.

This was a good read with several twists to the outcome of this drama, but the ending left me with some concerns and I’m hoping it is not so.

Secretive by Sara Rosett

Secretive by Sara Rosett is the second book in the “On The Run” suspense series. February 2013

Zoe Hunter thought all the questions surrounding her ex’s mysterious past had been answered. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

Free-spirited Zoe lives an unconventional life. She tried the nine-to-five office routine, but it was like the death of a thousand cuts—paper cuts, that is. But still, she couldn’t take it and vowed to make a living outside a cubicle. Now she’s a “Jill of All Trades,” taking on freelance copy-editing, property management, and even dog walking gigs. Sure, it’s a little insecure, but Zoe isn’t exactly what you’d call cautious.

Normally, she loves surprises and the unknown, except when it comes in the form of a mysterious package, visits from the FBI, and thugs showing up on her jogging route. Zoe isn’t sure who she’s more afraid of, the FBI or the thugs, so she makes a snap decision and skips town to follow the clues in the package, which takes her to London, where she suspects she’ll find her ex, Jack.

The authorities think he’s dead, but Zoe doesn’t agree. Can she find her elusive ex? And what about her new tenet with the shy smile and sexy stubble? Why does he keep popping up in her life? Zoe will have to use her rather eccentric skill set to answer those questions, all the while dodging someone who wants to make this trip abroad her last.

Zoe is on the run again as a package is delivered to her with a familiar object. In this second book, we are taken on another action-filled journey of international intrigue that included a few heart-pounding moments to a finale that left me eager for more in this fast-paced series. A great read supported by a determined heroine, this is one transatlantic flight I can’t wait to board again.

Skeleton in the Closet by Marcia Muller

Skeleton in the Closet by Marcia Muller, Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, October 2012

Sharon McCone is excited–and relieved–to move her detective agency into the perfect new office space. Unfortunately, real estate woes aren’t the only headache that the new building brings into Sharon’s life. Possible nineteenth century ghosts and a shady “intra-reality organization” ensure that Sharon’s new office will bring as much excitement as any of her clients.

This was an interesting short story that left me with questions which sets up the next book in this long-running series.

Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb

Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb is the 35th book in the “In Death” mystery series. Publisher: Putnam, September 2012

It was just another after-work happy-hour bar downtown, where business professionals unwound with a few drinks . . .until something went terribly wrong. And after twelve minutes of chaos and violence, eighty people lay dead.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is trying to sort out the inexplicable events. Surviving witnesses talk about seeing things—monsters and swarms of bees. They describe sudden, overwhelming feelings of fear and rage and paranoia. When forensics gives its report, the mass delusions make more sense: It appears the bar patrons were exposed to a cocktail of chemicals and illegal drugs that could drive anyone to temporary insanity—if not kill them outright.

But that doesn’t explain who would unleash such horror—or why. And if Eve can’t figure it out fast, it could happen again, anytime, anywhere. Because it’s airborne. . .

Someone is spreading an airborne poison and it’ll be up to Eve and her team to nip this in the bud and what a job they do in narrowing down the suspect. Eve and her team are on the hunt and the best part is watching Eve commit the killer to confessing in a fast paced mode to thwart another incidence. As always the suspense kept me turning the pages and it was fun seeing the gang, especially Peabody, do what they do best with assistance from our favorite civilian consultant, Roarke. Nadine, Mavis and even Belle make a wonderful appearance. I love this series and I can’t wait for the next thrilling adventures with Lieutenant Eve Dallas.

The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan

The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan is the first book in the new “Jake Brogan and Jane Ryland” suspense series. Publisher: Forge, September 2012

Jane Ryland was a rising star in television news…until she refused to reveal a source and lost everything. Now a disgraced newspaper reporter, Jane isn’t content to work on her assigned puff pieces, and finds herself tracking down a candidate’s secret mistress just days before a pivotal Senate election.

Detective Jake Brogan is investigating a possible serial killer. Twice, bodies of unidentified women have been found by a bridge, and Jake is plagued by a media swarm beginning to buzz about a “bridge killer” hunting the young women of Boston.

As the body count rises and election day looms closer, it becomes clear to Jane and Jake that their investigation are connected…and that they may be facing a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to silence a scandal.

With its dirty politics, dirty tricks, and a barrage of final twists, The Other Woman is the first in an explosive new series by Hank Phillippi Ryan. Seduction, betrayal, and murder—it’ll take a lot more than votes to win this election.

Wow! In this fast-paced and action-filled narrative, newspaper reporter Jane Ryland’s assignment and homicide detective Jake Brogan’s murder investigation turn into a kaleidoscope of duplicity and when it was all over, only the strong survived.

This was an awesome read that quickly became a page-turner that I could not put down. I was immediately drawn into this suspenseful drama where the action never stops from the first page to the explosive finale. I had no choice but to take this nail-biting journey wondering what happens next when both Jane and Jake separately connect the dots on this roller coaster ride of intrigue. This is a terrific start in this debut series and I look forward to more thrilling exploits with Jake and Jane, wherever it takes them.

Valley of Ashes by Cornelia Read

Valley of Ashes by Cornelia Read is the fourth “Madeline Dare” suspense series. Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, August 2012

When her husband Dean lands a promising job, Madeline Dare trades New York’s gritty streets for the tree-lined avenues of Boulder, Colorado. Now a full-time homemaker and mother to beautiful toddler twin girls, Madeline has achieved everything she thought she always wanted. But with her husband constantly on the road, she’s fighting a losing battle against the Betty Friedan riptide of suburban/maternal exhaustion, angst, and sheer loneliness.

A new freelance newspaper gig helps her get her mojo back, but Boulder isn’t nearly as tranquil as it seems: there’s a serial arsonist at large in the city. As Madeline closes in on the culprit, the fires turn deadly…and the stakes tragically personal. She’ll need every ounce of strength and courage she has to keep the flames from reaching her own doorstep–threatening all she holds most dear.

It’s been two years since we last saw Madeline who is now mother to twin girls and living in Colorado. A part-time job at a local newspaper puts Madeline on the trail of an arsonist and when it hits a little too close to home, all hell breaks loose and Madeline’s life is never the same in a mystery that kept me in suspense as this drama unfolded in a reveal that I didn’t see coming. Cornelia Read is a genius with the gifted word. Every scene, every word, every action, I was there with Madeline as the circumstance that intruded on her life made her a strong woman that at the conclusion of this gritty and frank novel, I admired.