The Red Breasted by Jo Nesbo

 Norwegian author Jo Nesbo offers up a smart police story that deals with a modern crime that stems from incidents that originated in 1943 in Leningrad during the German offensive. When a mistake causes an international incident during a US Presidential visit to Norway, Detective Harry Hole is placed out of sight in the Federal Police Department, until matters settle. Unable to sit still and coast, Harry investigates Neo-Nazis and comes across the someone who has been target practicing with an exotic rifle that would only be used to assassinate someone.

This story is a puzzle with a bunch of missing pieces until the last pages and you cannot tell if Harry will stop the killer or not from fulfilling his ultimate plan.

Jo Nesbo has an entire series, and I will definitely watch for more.

The President's Daughter by James Patterson and Bill Clinton

 After a devastating attack by American Special Forces on a terrorist hideout, the terrorist’s wife and daughters are left dead. The American President Matt Keating takes responsibility for the women’s death, which paints a target on him and his family by a vengeful father.

Two years later, no longer in the White House, Matt’s daughter, Melanie, is kidnapped by the terrorist and hampered by a hostile government, Matt must look to his own to try to find and rescue his own daughter.

This story is so exciting and the insight that the former president brings to story creates a realistic tale that could happen. The twists and surprises continue to the very last page.

The Bone Valley by Candace Robinson

 Anton sells himself to help his family, while Nahli steals to find her way home. The two have butted heads the few times they met. When Anton spurns the advances of one of his regular clients, she poisons him and he finds that she is actually the ruler of the afterworld, Torlarah. When he still refuses her advancements, she banishes him to the Valley of the Bones, where he is to live out his days, alone as a skeleton king.

Nahli finds herself murdered and wakes up in the Valley of the Bones. She and Anton must learn about their new environment and a way to escape the horrible curse. Left to themselves, they must learn of the other and face their own weaknesses.

Having read other works by the author, I think this story is her most ambitious yet. The world building is exquisite and is totally new and refreshing. Suspense, friendship, forgiveness, and romance are key building blocks in the story. It is an adventure for all who have risked everything for a chance at happiness.

No Bones About It!

Fatal Intent by Tammy Euliano

 Authenticity enhances the horrifying reality of this exciting story.

Meet D. Kate Downey,  an anesthesiologist who explores several unexplained deaths of patients she has recently worked with through the minor surgical center of her educational hospital. While juggling her students, an arrogant surgeon, a hostile Chief-of-staff, and a husband who is in a comatose state, Kate must find the common denominator in these strange deaths. As the clues pile up, she determines that there is something wrong happening within her surgical department and the body count grows.

Kathleen Godwin read the book, and she brought so much tension to the story with her delivery.

Euliano knows her stuff. This high-speed medical thriller will get fans of Robin Cook and Arthur Hailey very excited.

The Black Echo by Michael Connelly

 Well, I’m loving the Harry Bosch series, both novels as well as the television series, so decided to start at the beginning. And am I glad I did. Harry is a little younger and a little rawer in this series debut, but he’s still that no-nonsense cop who gets it done and to help with politics.

In this story, a body is found in a sewer pipe and when Harry discovers the victim’s identification, he realizes that he knows the dead man. They had served as tunnel rats in Vietnam 20 years earlier. The man, who most wants to write off as a junkie who OD’d, was part of Harry’s past and he will not let his death be ignored. He soon finds clues that the man was murdered and that he was part of something much more notorious. Harry ain’t backing down.

Fans of a good cop story will love the Bosch series. A hard-core cop that deals with society’s scum, both the criminals and the powerful, but has a soft side for those who are defenseless.