The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf.  Publisher: Mira (Harlequin), July 2009

It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn’s shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night.

Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler.

Calli’s mother, Antonia, tried to be the best mother she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Now, though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay in her marriage has cost her more than her daughter’s voice.

Petra Gregory is Calli’s best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual, professorial demeanor.

Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets.

What a great book! The minute I read the first few pages, I could not stop. I had to know what happens next. Callie is selectively mute. Petra is her best friend and one night they both disappear. Voices from the various points of views leads us into this mystery with the biggest one being, will Callie speak and if so, what will she say. This is a heartwrenching story with dysfunctional familes and the love that is held until the girls are found. I highly recommend this story. My rating: 5 stars

*new-to-me author

Trial by Fire by J.A. Jance

Trial by Fire by J.A. Jance is the 5th book in the “Ali Reynolds” suspense series. Publisher: Touchstone (Simon & Schuster), December 2009

In the heat of the Arizona desert, a raging fire pushes temperatures to a deadly degree, and one woman is left to burn. Pulled naked and barely breathing from the fire, the victim has no idea who she is, let alone who would do this to her—or why. In her hospital bed she drifts in and out of consciousness, her only means of communicating a blink of the eye. And then an angel appears. Misguidedly known around town as the “Angel of Death,” Sister Anselm has devoted her life to working as an advocate for unidentified patients. To her burn patient, she is a savior. But to this Jane Doe’s would-be killer, Sister Anselm’s efforts pose a serious threat.

Ali Reynolds is on the scene as the new media relations consultant for the Yavapai County Police Department, keeping reporters at bay and circumventing questions about arson and a link to a domestic terrorist group called Earth Liberation Front. But her job quickly becomes much more. As Ali struggles to help Sister Anselm uncover the helpless woman’s identity, they realize that by locating the missing relatives they may be exposing the victim once more to a remorseless killer determined to finish the job. Faced with the possibility of putting all three of their lives in jeopardy, Ali fearlessly pursues justice—and what she discovers is a secret even darker and more twisted than she ever could have imagined.

With unerring skill, Jance delivers relentless suspense in what is surely her finest novel yet in this riveting and addictive series.

Ali takes on another role in this story as a police media consultant where her first case is to prevent the media from a burn victim. Working with Sister Anselm, they try to piece information so that they can identify her and then discover who this this heinous crime to her. When Sister Anselm life is threatened and Ali’s, when she comes to her aid, nothing will stop Ali from bringing this killer to justice. This was a good suspense that kept my attention from the first page to the end. My rating: 4 stars

Final Approach by Rachel Brady

Final Approach by Rachel Brady is the first book in the new “Emily Locke” mystery series. Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, October 2009

Four years ago Emily Locke’s life was shattered when her infant daughter and husband were lost in an inexplicable accident. She has nearly rebuilt her fragile mental health when Richard Cole, a disgraced former police detective now working as a PI, resurfaces. He wants help he says only she can provide—reconnaissance at a Texas skydiving establishment over a thousand miles away. Emily knows better than to work with him again, but can’t refuse when she learns it’s about a missing boy. She identifies too greatly with the new missing child case.

At Gulf Coast Skydiving, similarities between this new case and Emily’s troubled past make it increasingly difficult for her to stay objective. Soon she’s convinced that she is somehow connected to whoever took little Casey Lyons. Someone at the quiet, rural airstrip knows what happened to the boy . . . and to Emily’s own daughter.

To find Casey before it’s too late, Emily will have to make sense of the menacing parallels between his case and her daughter’s.

In this debut book, Emily continues to deal with her loss and when asked to assist in a kidnapping she agrees and flies to Houston. Snippets of her past is given to the reader and we become involved in sifting through the clues. Once I opened the pages of this book, I couldn’t put it down. And the ending…bought tears to my eyes that she got her one wish. This was a great read and I hope there are more adventures with Emily and especially her BFF Jeannie. My rating: 4.5 stars

*new-to-me author

Three Deuces Down by Keith Donnelly

Three Deuces Down by Keith Donnelly is the first book in the “Donald Youngblood” mystery series. Publisher: Court Street Press, January 2008

Bored Wall Street whiz kid Donald Youngblood returns to his East Tennessee hometown and on a whim gets a Private Investigator license. Joined by his best friend Billy Two Feathers, a full-blooded Cherokee Indian, they open Cherokee Investigations and for a few years work small cases and just hang out.

Then Don is summoned by the rich and powerful Joseph Fleet to find his missing daughter and son-in-law. As Don and Billy go through the motions of investigating the disappearance, a sinister plot unfolds complicated by a restless girlfriend, a beautiful blond police officer, a New York mob boss, and a killer on the loose with Don in his sights.

From the backwoods of Tennessee to the coast of Florida to the streets of New York and halfway around the world, Donald Youngblood, with the help of some well-connected friends and a nose for trouble, chases an elusive and deadly foe to extract the ultimate revenge and realizes the chase will change his life forever.

This was a great mystery that when I read the first sentence, I keep reading because I just had to know what happens next.  I really like the tone and voice of the characters.  If you like a good mystery, some laughs and just plain fun in your reading, this is a book you’ll want to read.  My rating: 4.5 stars

Missing in Death by J.D. Robb

Missing in Death by J.D. Robb is part of “The Lost” anthology, the 6th in the series*. Publisher: Jove Romance, November 2009

While investigating a woman’s disappearance on a New York City ferry, Detective Eve Dallas wonders…if she didn’t jump, and she’s not on board, then where in the world is she?

Can someone be murdered on a boat carrying thousands of people and none see the killer with the body get off the boat? It’s up to Eve and the gang to solve this murder mystery which they do with surprising twists. My rating: 4 stars

*36 in the entire “In Death” series

Three Days Dead by Keith Donnelly

Three Days Dead by Keith Donnelly is the second book in the “Donald Youngblood” mystery series. Publisher: Hummingbird Books, August 2009

When Tennessee private investigator Donald Youngblood solved the Fairchild case in Three Deuces Down, he vowed never again to go hunting for a missing person. With live-in-love and Mountain Center cop, Mary Sanders, and his faithful black Standard Poodle, Don’s life has settled back into its old routine.

All of that is about to change. An attractive, precocious teenage girl shows up in his office one morning needing help finding her missing mother.

Now, Don must track down a mother gone wrong while trying to find her abandoned daughter a proper home before child welfare gets the scent. To complicate matters, an old flame is being harassed by a former boyfriend, who is not what he appears to be, and she is begging Don to do something about it.

Tracking down the missing mother with the help of his best friend and partner and Don’s ever-dangerous new friend, the trail of clues leads to a Las Vegas confrontation where Don comes face to face with henchmen of a Vegas bad boy, and nearly pays the ultimate price.

I love this book. A young teenager seeks help in finding her troubled mother and when the trail leads to Las Vegas, Don and his associates go in search of her. Meanwhile Lacy is happily settled in the Youngblood home and her mother is found and disappears again only to succumb to the dark side. I love the plot of this story and the voice of the characters. I plan to read the first book in the series and any books after. My rating: 5 stars

*new-to-me author

Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb

Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb is the 29th book in the “In Death” mystery series. Publisher: Putnam Adult, November 2009

In 2060, Lieutenant Eve Dallas searches the nooks of New York City for a dastardly and despicable criminal, in the newest novel by #1 New York Times-bestselling author J.D. Robb.

When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter, who stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could prepare them for the crime scene that awaits them instead. Deena has been brutally murdered in her bedroom, and her body shows signs of trauma that horrify even the toughest of cops, including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who is specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities.

Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to serve justice.

How does J.D. Robb continue to create excellent stories? I could not put this book down. A violent crime occurs. Eve is requested for this case. Eve gathers her team around her and piece by piece they put it together to identify the killer, pursue and then capture. This is a bit more grittier than her other books, but again, J.D. Robb makes it work. There are still bits of humor in this story as Charles and Louise prepare for their wedding. Awesome and great read. My rating: 5 stars

*35 in the entire “In Death” series

Locked In by Marcia Muller

Locked In by Marcia Muller is the 28th book in the “Sharon McCone” mystery series. Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, October 2009

My fingertips touched the switch but before I could flip it, a dark figure appeared only a few feet away and then barreled into me, knocked me against the wall. As I tried to scramble away, one of my groping hands touched and then caught hold of some kind of material—
           Sudden flash, loud pop
          Rush of pain
          Oh my God, I’ve been shot—
          Nothing.

Shot in the head by an unknown assailant, San Francisco private eye Sharon McCone finds herself trapped by locked-in syndrome: almost total paralysis but an alert, conscious mind. Since the late-night attack occurred at her agency’s offices, the natural conclusion was that it was connected to one of the firm’s cases. As Sharon lies in her hospital bed, furiously trying to break out of her body’s prison and discover her attacker’s identity, all the members of her agency fan out to find the reason why she was assaulted. Meanwhile, Sharon becomes a locked-in detective, evaluating the clues from her staff’s separate investigations and discovering unsettling truths that could put her life in jeopardy again. As the case draws to a surprising and even shocking conclusion, Sharon’s husband, Hy, must decide whether or not to surrender to his own violent past and exact fatal vengeance when the person responsible is identified.

Sharon is shot in the head and left in a comatose state. She can hear, see and talk but no one can hear her. It’s locked in. Her husband and team gather to find the reason why she’s in this state. Collectively, it took me a little under three hours to read this book. This was a thrilling ride with each page turned and I couldn’t stop until I knew what happened and what the outcome would be. Excellent read! My rating: 5 stars

Hothouse Orchid by Stuart Woods

Hothouse Orchid by Stuart Woods is the fifth book in the “Holly Barker” mystery series. Publisher: Putnam, September 2009

After five years on the trail of an internationally wanted terrorist, the CIA thinks Special Agent Holly Barker might need a long vacation. So Holly returns to her hometown of Orchid Beach, Florida, where she had been police chief for many years. With its sun-drenched beaches, crowded marinas and luxurious oceanfront homes, it seems like the ideal coastal retreat. But a very unpleasant surprise awaits Holly. Many years earlier, Holly and another female army officer had brought charges against their commanding officer for sexual harassment, attempted rape, and rape. Holly had managed to fight him off, but the other woman, a young lieutenant, had not. The officer in question was acquitted of all charges, and has also left the army-for a job as Orchid Beach’s new police chief. The police department now is entirely different from the one she commanded. An old danger Holly knows only too well has re-surfaced and her beloved hometown might not be the sanctuary she’d thought.

Told to go on vacation by her superiors, Holly heads home to Orchid Beach where she is  told the man who tried to rape her is now the chief of police.  Holly gets out the word to the women on the force and when she is nearly attacked again, Holly pulls out all stops to get the rapist.  Holly also has to contend with Teddy, her elusive fugitive.  My rating: 4.5 stars

Dying for Mercy by Mary Jane Clark

Dying for Mercy by Mary Jane Clark is the third book in the “Sunrise Suspense Society” mystery series.  Publisher: William Morrow, July 2009

When death shatters the serenity of the exclusive moneyed enclave of Tuxedo Park, New York, Eliza Blake, co-host of the country’s premier morning television show KEY to America, is on the scene. While attending a lavish gala at her friends’ newly renovated estate, Pentimento, Eliza’s host is found dead—a grotesque suicide that is the first act in a macabre and intricately conceived plan to expose the sins of the past involving some of the town’s most revered citizens.

Determined to find out the truth, Eliza and her KEY News colleagues—producer Annabelle Murphy, cameraman B.J. D’Elia, and psychiatrist Margo Gonzalez—discover that Pentimento holds the key. Nestled in the park’s sprawling architectural masterpieces, picturesque gardeners’ cottages, and lush, rolling landscape, the glorious mansion is actually a giant “puzzle house,” filled with ingenious clues hidden in its fireplaces, fountains, and frescoes that lead them from one suspicious locale to another—and, one by one, to the victims of a fiendish killer.

As Pentimento gives up its secrets, it becomes clear that no amount of wealth or privilege will keep the residents of Tuxedo Park safe. But just when Eliza unearths one final surprise, she comes face-to-face with a murderer who believes that some puzzles should never be solved.

If you like solving puzzles, then this book is for you.  Every time I thought I knew where the pieces go, it didn’t fit but as the clues kept coming, the pieces started to fit together.  The twists and turns and the realization of who was doing the murder kept me reading because I needed to know why.  My rating: 4 stars