Sunday, August 27, 2006

Lifeguard, Patterson & Gross

In the book Lifeguard, Ned Kelly was the main chacter. He was a part time lifeguard and caretaker of a wealthy man's estate, Sole Roth. While lifeguarding on the beach at Palm Beach, Florida, Ned meets a beautiful Aussie, Tess. After several dates, he ends up in bed with her and felt love knocking at his heart. Ned had an illegal opportunity to earn some money, all he had to do was set off some alarms around town to create confusion so his buddies could steal some art at an estate. All hell broke loose, his buddies were all killed and Tess was dead also. Ned was the suspect so he left Florida and headed to his folks place near Boston.

Ellie, a special agent for the FBI, held a degree in fine art and went to the estate where the art was stolen to talk to the owner, Dennis Stratton. Ellie was in charge of the case, but she did not feel right about the whole thing.

The authorities traced Ned to Brockton. Ellie flew up there to make the arrest, finding Ned at his mom's place. They tried to apprehend him but he got the upper hand and escaped with Ellie as a hostage. Ned let Ellie go after telling her what he did, only set off a few alarms. Ellie knew something was wrong with the investigation, something was not right

Ned makes his way back to Palm Beach and seeks help from a friend, Geoff. Geoff was an Australian motorcycle champ with a small shop at the beach. Geoff says "you are wanted for murder and grand theft" but he was there to help out a good friend. Geoffs motorcycle skill came in real handy when Ellie and Ned apprehended Statton's wife to find out more of the boggled robbery. They were leaving the area when Stattons men came after Ned and Geoff. They were on a Ducati and Strattons men were in a hummer. A wild chase takes place with the cycle in front, they get away. Ellie was sure Stratton was guilty and all she had to do was get some evidence to put him away. This leads to an exciting confrontation with Stratton and the FBI. Only Patterson can write a good ending that brings tears to your eyes and joy to the heart.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Long Time Gone, J.A. Jance

Jance has written a good book with two murder mysteries in one story, "Long Time Gone". J. P. Beaumont was a detective with the Seattle PD. He quit and became an investigator for Special Homicide Investigating Team, SHIT. This was under the Washington State Attorney General's office of Ross Connors. Beau was assigned to cases only by the Attorney General, no Seattle PD to bother with. Beau was assigned to a cold case murder that happened 50 years ago.

He was interviewing sister Mary Katherine of the St. Benedict convent on Whidbey Island. She would wake up screaming from a nightmare so she went to see a Hypnotherapist. The therapist discovered that the dreams were caused by a brutal murder that sister Katherine had seen when she was five years old. Beau did some research and found the case, still unsolved.

Beau gets a visit from his good friend Ron Peters, who was confined to a wheelchair from a PD accident, but was able to get a job inside the PD behind a desk. Ron tells Beau that his "x" was murdered and he is a suspect. Because of the friendship, Beau could not work on the case so it was given to Melisa Soames who also worked for the SHIT squad. Beau and Mel did a lot of research on both cases and found out much. They came up with the truth of the cold case murder and concentrated on the murder of Ron's "x".

The evidence pointed to Heather, Ron's 15 year old daughter. She left the area with her boyfriend, heading to Canada, when he hit her across the face. Heather knew she was in the wrong place and was able to escape, heading for Beau's. The ending is very well planned out and very exciting. Jance has done a very good job with this book!





Long Time Gone (Unabridged)

Sunday, August 13, 2006

4TH of July, James Patterson

Lindsay Boxer is the main character in "4th of July". She is a lieutenant in the San Francisco police department. She was called to a homicide in a poor part of town. A teen was found dead in a bath with a toaster in the water, electrocuted. On the door were two words,"NOBODY CARES". A black late model Mercedes was seen leaving the scene, their only clue.

A week later Lindsay was off duty, meeting her friends for a drink and dinner at their favorite hang out. She gets a call from her partner, Jacobi that the Mercedes was spotted. They went out looking for the car and spotted it and started to pull it over when the Mercedes sped off at speeds over 70. The Mercedes crashed and Boxer and Jacobi approached the car with their guns drawn. The driver was about 15 and the passenger was 13. When the air bags went off, it pinned them in the car, they were bloody so Lindsay and Jacobi holstered their weapons to render aid. With the kids safely out of the car, the driver pulls a gun out and shoots Lindsay and the passenger shoots Jacobi. Lindsay fires back killing the girl and putting the other on the ground. This starts a civil suit of 50 million dollars for wrongful death that will ruin Lindsay's life.

While on leave from the department she goes south to Half Moon Bay to stay in her sisters house while her sister was away. With the trial heavy on her mind, she is confronted with several murders. To keep her mind off the trial, she starts to investigate the murders. The murderers scope out Lindsay, she was next. Patterson and Paetro write a very good story with surprises at the end that will baffle you. Great book!!!


Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Broken Prey, John Sandford

The main chacter is Lucas Davenport in "Broken Prey. He worked for the BCA, Bureau Criminal Apprehension for the state of Minnesota. Lucas received an I-Pod from his wife while she was away in England on a study program. Lucas was figuring the best 100 rock songs to put on it when he gets a call from Sloan, his long time friend. The call was about a lady who was scourged and raped with her throat slit, placed in a very sexual way in a public park. Another death of a man who was also scourged and raped and had his penis cut off, apparently by the same person, was found. There was a serial killer on the lose.

Charley Pope was a sexual offender who was let out of a state medical institution for rape. He had a bracelet on his ankle for keeping track of him . He ends up missing with his bracelet cut off and his parole officer contacted Lucas because of the sexual murder of the woman. Under the nails of the second murder victim was found some blood and skin and DNA said it was Charley Pope. They thought they had a suspect, but they had to find him first. Some fishermen at a river, snagged a hand and turned it over to the authorities. DNA proved that the hand belonged to Pope.

Lucas was beside himself, but by looking at the clues he determined that the killer had ties to the medical institute. With constant studying of files of employees, doctors and medical staff, Lucas comes up with a theory of his own. A fire storm ending with Lucas and other police authorities, is something only Sandford can write. The ending of this story keeps you on the edge of your chair. Very good book! At the end a list of 100 songs is found, very interesting..

Friday, August 04, 2006

Split Second, David Baldacci

In the book "Split Second" Sean King was a Secret Service agent to protect presidents and other political elected officials from harm. He was protecting a candidate for president, Cylde Ritter at the Fairmount Hotel, when for a split second he looked the other way and Ritter was killed. This was Seans down fall from the Secret Service.

Eight years later, Michelle Maxwell was an agent for the Service when her protectee was kidnapped in a funeral home right under her nose. There was a murder at Kings law office, making national attention. Michelle saw the newscast and wanted to know this man who was tainted, as she was, and compare facts. Sean did not know Michelle, but because of the similarities in their downfall, they became friends.

Another murder of one of Sean's clients makes Sean a suspect, so Michelle and Sean start piecing the facts together and find a common thread to the two incidents of the kidnapping and the assassination of Ritter.

Seans old lover, Joan Dillinger has a very successful investigating firm. She also worked for the Service, but went out on her own. She hired Sean to help with the kidnapping case of Bruno. The plot thickens and the ending is very dramatic. Baldacci makes a good story but it is kind of week in action