Stolen Prey by John Sandford

Stolen Prey by John Sandford is the 22nd book in the “Prey” thriller series. Publisher: Putnam, May 2012

Lucas Davenport has seen many terrible murder scenes. This is one of the worst. In the small Minnesota town of Wayzata, an entire family has been killed—husband, wife, two kids, two dogs. On the wall in blood: “Were coming.” No apostrophe.

There’s something about the scene that tugs at Lucas’s cop instincts—it looks an awful lot like the kind of scorched-earth retribution he’s seen from Mexican drug gangs. But this is a seriously upscale town, the husband ran a modest software company, the wife dabbed in local politics. None of it seems to fit.

Until it does. And that’s when everybody starts coming to town: the DEA, the Mexican Federales, and some independent operators who are decidedly less welcome.

Where it all leads…will take Lucas into the darkest nightmare of his life.

Lucas is not having a good day…first he’s robbed and then he’s at a scene of a brutal murder that spreads from one nation to another. This drama is jammed packed with fast moving and non-stop action and took me on a tension-filled and suspenseful journey as Lucas and his team tracked killers that led to a showdown in an unexpected place by an unlikely person. This was another good read in the Prey series.

Force of Nature by C. J. Box

Force of Nature by C. J. Box is the 12th book in the “Joe Pickett” thriller series. Publisher: Putnam, March 2012

He never wanted to tell Pickett about it, but Nate always knew trouble was coming out of his past. Now it’s here, and it may not only be the battle of his life—but of Joe’s.

In 1999, Nate was in a secret Special Forces unit in Central Asia, when a colleague did something terrible. Now the man has incentive to eliminate anyone who knows about it, and Nate knows exactly how he’ll do it when it comes to his case—by striking at Nate’s friends to draw him out.

The entire Pickett family will be a target, and the only way to fight back is outside the law. Nate knows he can do it, but he doesn’t know about his straight-arrow friend.

And all their lives could depend on it.

Someone from Nate’s past is killing member from their old team and luckily, Nate escaped their first attempt. Knowing they will go after the Pickett family, Nate is working underground while Joe does his own search for this elusive killer before he strikes a little too close to home. Oh man, what a ride. This non-stop, fast-paced drama was so intense that I could not put this book down. Every chapter was a nail-biter, as I didn’t know what the outcome would be. With hurried action, the race to find a killer kept me turning the page towards the gripping conclusion. This was a great read and I can’t wait for the next book in this riveting and suspenseful series.

Spitting Devil by Brian Freeman

Spitting Devil by Brian Freeman is the first short story in the “Jonathan Stride” thriller series. Publisher: SilverOak, March 2012

This Jonathan Stride short story follows on the heels of Brian’s fifth book, THE BURYING PLACE. Don’t miss this very special bonus addition to the Stride series!

The plot, about a woman’s terror over the growing evidence that her husband is a serial killer, will glue you to your seat—and keep your skin crawling until the early hours of the morning.

A woman suspects her husband is a killer when her personal belongings are found on murdered women. Jonathan and Mags are on the case to uncover the truth. This was a very enjoyable read in this suspenseful and riveting short story that sets us up for the next book in this gripping series.

Fatal Twist by Alan Jacobson

Fatal Twist by Alan Jacobson is the first short story in the “Karen Vail” thriller series. Publisher: Premier Digital Publishing, December 2011

The Park Rapist has murdered his first victim—and FBI profiler Karen Vail is on the case. As Vail races through the streets of Washington, D.C. to chase down a promising lead that may help her catch the killer, a military-trained sniper takes aim at his target, a wealthy businessman’s son. But what brings these two unrelated offenders together is something the nation’s capital has never before experienced.

Karen is on the trail of a rapist while the DC cops search for a sniper. The two cases collide with a twist I didn’t’ see coming. This short story was a great interlude and I can’t wait for the next Karen Vail book.

The Fifth Victim by Zoe Sharp

The Fifth Victim by Zoe Sharp is the ninth book in the “Charlie Fox” thriller series. Publisher: Pegasus, January 2012

The only thing more terrifying than fighting for your life is fighting for someone else’s.

Bodyguard and ex-Special Forces soldier Charlie Fox would do anything to take her mind off her partner; shot, left for dead and now lying in a coma. So concentrating on a new assignment seems like the perfect way to escape the pain, and her own empty apartment. The job: to protect the naive daughter of an investment banker from a gang of kidnappers who prey on the children of the wealthy Long Island set.

Kidnap is a lucrative crime for those with the nerve to pull it off. Usually those who disappear are returned unharmed–except this syndicate likes to take a piece of the victim as part of the pay-off. Still, it all looks simple at first. A round of exclusive boutiques, charity auctions, luxurious parties aboard million-dollar yachts–and few risks for an experienced operative. But Charlie soon finds out that defending a girl determined to put herself in danger is far from easy. And when her instincts lead her to suspect an inside job, she discovers that not everyone who mingles with the jet-set is what they seem–and the idle rich can be as ruthless as any criminal.

Fast-paced and authentic, Fifth Victim is an electrifying tale of cross and double-cross. An intoxicating thrill-ride that will keep you firmly on the edge of your seat.

I love this series that always take me on a roller-coaster ride. This fast-moving, adrenaline-pumping drama kept me engrossed in the action as Charlie goes from one spectrum to the next in protecting her ward and going after an enemy. From the first page to the riveting conclusion with a twist I didn’t see coming, this was a great page-turning thriller and I can’t wait for the next book in this grippingly suspenseful series.

Vigilante by Stephen J. Cannell

Vigilante by Stephen J. Cannell is the 11th and final book in the “Shane Scully” thriller series. Pubisher: St. Martin’s Press, December 2011

In the last novel by acclaimed producer and New York Times bestselling author Stephen J. Cannell, LAPD detective Shane Scully and his partner Sumner Hitchens investigate a crime with ties to the sometimes violent world of reality tv.

Lita Mendez was a thorn in the LAPD’s side. An aggressive police critic and gang activist, she’d filed countless complaints against the department. So when she’s found dead in her home, Detective Scully and his partner Hitchens fear the worst: that there’s a killer in their ranks.

Outside the crime scene, Nixon Nash and his television crew have set up shop. Nash is the charismatic host of a hit reality show called “Vigilante TV,” dedicated to beating the cops at their own game: solving murders before they can. Now he has the murder of Lita Mendez in his sights. He presents the detectives with a choice: either join his team, or prepare for a public takedown.

But Scully knows that Nash isn’t the folk-hero he seems. He will do anything in the name of self-promotion. If a detective got in his way, would he be prepared to kill? In this new novel, Scully will have to risk everything to save himself and the job he loves.

The murder of an outspoken advocate against the police brings a reality-TV star to the scene who proclaims that he’ll solve this case, alluding to police corruption. Shane suspects something else is going on and will have to derail the star’s rise to the stop. What a rollercoaster ride! From the first page to the exciting conclusion, I knew I would not be able to put this book down. I was pulled right into the non-stop, fast-fury action of Shane and his team as they investigated a murder mystery with plenty of viable suspects. The villain is clever, but so is our hero who is determined to put an end to his shenanigans once and for all, even if it means sidestepping legality. This is another great book in this engaging and thrilling series and I’ll forever miss seeing Shane Scully and the team again.

Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson

Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson is the 18th book in the “Alex Cross” thriller series. Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, November 2011

The Only Way
Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene of the biggest case he’s ever been part of. The president’s son and daughter have been abducted from their school—an impossible crime, but somehow the kidnapper has done it. Alex does everything he can but is shunted to the fringes of the investigation. Someone powerful doesn’t want him too close.

To Stop Alex Cross
A deadly contagion in the DC water supply endangers the capital, and Alex sees the looming threat of the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced. He is already working flat out on the abduction, and this massive assault pushes him completely over the edge.

Is To Kill Him
With each hour that passes, the changes of finding the children alive diminish. In an emotional private meeting, the First Lady asks Alex to please save her kids. Even the highest security clearance doesn’t get him any closer to the kidnapper—and Alex makes a desperate decisions that goes again everything he believes. A full-throttle thriller with unstoppable action, unrestrained emotion, and relentless suspense, Kill Alex Cross is the most gripping Alex Cross novel James Patterson has ever written.

Turmoil in the nation’s capital when the president’s children are kidnapped and someone is messing with their water supply, but never fear, Alex Cross is on the case in this fast-paced, non-stop action thriller that had me quickly turning the pages as fast as I could read. Giving up a night’s sleep is the course when reading a book filled with suspense that I had to know what happens next and NOW. This was a great read and I look forward to more stories featuring Alex Cross.

Across The Broken Line by Zoe Sharp

Across The Broken Line by Zoe Sharp. Publisher: Murderati Ink, November 2011

Across The Broken Line is a short story by the highly acclaimed crime thriller writer, Zoë Sharp. Never before published, it features her ex-Special Forces soldier turned self-defense expert and bodyguard, Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Fox.

In Across The Broken Line, we follow Charlie through a fragmented timescale of cross and double-cross as she fights to keep her principal alive–whoever that might be.

In this case, Charlie has to decipher which of her clients wants the other one dead. A short and fast read, this tense drama kept me on edge as the story unfolded. This was another great and thrilling tale featuring Charlie Fox and her exploits.

Bonnie by Iris Johansen

Bonnie by Iris Johansen is the 14th book in the “Eve Duncan” forensics thriller series. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, October 2011

The truth has eluded her for years. . . . Now is she ready to face it?

When Eve Duncan gave birth to her daughter, she experienced a love she never knew existed. Nothing would stand in the way of giving Bonnie a wonderful life—until the unthinkable happened and the seven-year-old vanished into thin air. Eve found herself in the throes of a nightmare from which there was no escape. But a new Eve emerged: a woman who would use her remarkable talent as a forensic sculptor to help others find closure in the face of tragedy. Now with the help of her beloved Joe Quinn and CIA agent Catherine Ling, Eve has come closer than ever to the truth. But the deeper she digs, the more she realizes that Bonnie’s father is a key player in solving this monstrous puzzle. And that Bonnie’s disappearance was not as random as everyone had always believed.

oh man, what a ride. I went through this book so fast because I just had to see how this one ends. And boy did I like how it ended. I don’t know what I expected, but the anticipation was well worth the wait. This fast-paced, non-stop action and thrilling ride kept me glued to the pages as we got closer to answers that Eve’s been searching for. The conclusion was very satisfying to me and I can’t wait to read the next installment in the Eve Duncan saga.

Defensive Wounds by Lisa Black

Defensive Wounds by Lisa Black is the fourth book in the “Theresa MacLean” thriller series. Publisher: William Morrow, September 2011

In this fourth novel in Lisa Black’s captivating suspense series, forensic investigator Theresa MacLean finds herself embroiled in a case in which everyone has a motive and everyone is a suspect—especially when high-powered defense attorneys start turning up dead.

When Marie Corrigan, a Cleveland defense attorney with a history of falsifying evidence and no shortage of enemies, is found dead in the presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton, most people would agree that she had it coming. Forensic investigator Theresa MacLean is summoned to the crime scene by her daughter, Rachel, who is working the front desk. But even before Theresa enters the room, she knows that she’s walking into a forensic nightmare—for crime scenes at hotels, even the most luxurious, are teeming with trace evidence that has been left behind by innumerable guests and may or may not be related to the murder. But what Theresa finds is even worse than she imagined.

Given the positioning of Marie’s body, everyone assumes the same thing—that it’s a lovers’ tryst turned lethal. But large questions remain: How did the killer gain access to the room without anyone’s knowledge? And has the scene been staged for their benefit? The little evidence Theresa has is conflicting at best. What’s more, a legal convention at the hotel provides an endless list of suspects—and potential victims.

When two more bodies show up in quick succession, each in a similar state, Theresa’s investigation takes on a whole new urgency as she fears they may have a serial killer on their hands—a serial killer with a vendetta. But as she searches for the threads that tie the cases together, Theresa begins to suspect that she and her daughter are closer to danger than they realize. And a mother will stop at nothing to protect the life of her child.

What a ride! When Theresa gets a call from her daughter alerting her to a brutal murder, Theresa will protect her daughter at all costs. Investigating the case brings Theresa and her daughter into the cross-hair of a murderer and Theresa must use her skills to prevent another death, most likely theirs. This was an action-packed, non-stop drama that kept me riveted to the pages. The suspenseful plot had me guessing and I was surprised at the outcome when all was revealed. Theresa is a strong woman and it shows in her dedication to her work and to her family. I look forward to reading the next book in this gripping and thrilling series.