September Musings...

The summer months were very upsetting and sad for Allen and me, since we had to deal with the failing health and subsequent death of my mother. After handling all that was involved with my mom, we decided to take some time away together. This month’s column is late due to the fact that we didn’t return until the first week of September. We took our motor home and spent time in the Tetons, Yellowstone and the Black Hills. The weather was warm and dry the entire time (until we got closer to home). We saw some beautiful sights and enjoyed the restful surroundings. I didn’t get as much personal reading done as I had hoped on the trip, but I do have a few books to recommend.

Janet Evanovich’s FEARLESS FOURTEEN (St. Martin’s hardcover, 6/08) proved to be another quick read in her Stephanie Plum bounty hunter series. The premise was just as fun as the preceding 13 books and provided plenty of laughs. This time, Stephanie deals with locating a lost fortune from a bank robbery and all the complications that go along with it, including handling her ever quirkier bunch of friends and acquaintances.

I also got lots of laughs and giggles from the latest Jaine Austen mystery, DEATH BY PANTYHOSE (Kensington hardcover, 6/07) by Laura Levine. This witty series follows the life of freelance writer (and pen-for-hire) Jaine Austen, who’s currently taken on the hapless job of writing jokes for a female comedian. When one of the comic’s male rivals is found strangled with a pair of her pantyhose (used as part of her act), Jaine has to save her client by figuring out who really did the nasty deed. Now, I’m getting set to read KILLING BRIDEZILLA, this summer’s release, to see what Jaine is up to next.

Two books that were anything but laughs were the two most recent Prey books by John Sandford – INVISIBLE PREY (Putnam hardcover, 6/07) and PHANTOM PREY (Putnam hardcover, 5/08). I didn’t realize I’d missed one until I went through my to-be-read bookshelves and found it. Both of these thrillers were suspenseful and riveting as once again Lucas Davenport is faced with the task of bringing to justice some pretty bad (and weird!) people. I’ve never been disappointed in any of Sandford’s Prey books, and these two (#17 and #18) were no exception. INVISIBLE PREY involves the brutal murder of two elderly women in an affluent neighborhood and the unusual motive behind the act, which soon turns into a series of murders and thefts. PHANTOM PREY finds Lucas caught up in a gruesome murder where no body is found. The widow who comes home to the horrific, bloody scene cannot locate her daughter, so she enlists Lucas’ help through her friend Weather (Lucas’ wife). She may live to regret that move, since Lucas is one of the most intelligent, problem-solving detectives ever to investigate crimes.

Readers can return to the futuristic world of Harmony with the recent release of DARK LIGHT (Ghost Hunters #5) by Jayne Castle (aka Jayne Ann Krentz). Harmony is a futuristic world where psychic senses spark out-of- this-world passion. When tabloid reporter Sierra McIntyre interviews powerful and enigmatic Ghost Hunter Guild boss John Fontana about the disappearances of retired, homeless hunters, she gets much more than just a news story. With fears of a conspiracy brewing within the Guild, Fontana proposes a most unusual arrangement with Sierra to uncover the culprits.

Known for her bestselling mystery series featuring Vicky Holden and Father O’Malley and set on the Wind River Indian Reservation, Margaret Coel steps back from her past work to deliver her first stand-alone hardcover, BLOOD MEMORY (Berkley Prime Crime, 9/08). This book, also set in the contemporary world of Native American affairs, features a Denver reporter who finds herself in peril after writing an investigative article on the century-old Sand Creek Massacre. What secret has she uncovered from the past that is now threatening her life?

A historical romance classic originally published in 1996, Iris Johansen’s LION’S BRIDE (Bantam, 9/08) is being reissued this month to usher in its upcoming sequel, THE TREASURE (Bantam hardcover) set for publication December 9, 2008. Iris says she’s been fascinated with the Knights Templar for a long time and captivated by the pageantry of the era. THE TREASURE continues the story of Kadar and Selene, who were introduced in LION’S BRIDE, and revisits characters from the first book.

September 9, 2008, is the release date for Tess Gerritsen’s THE KEEPSAKE (Ballantine hardcover), the seventh thriller to feature Det. Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. When Maura is asked to view an X-ray scan of Madame X, a newly discovered Egyptian mummy, she quickly ascertains that the mummy is actually a very recent murder victim, gruesomely preserved. Jane and her partner are called in to investigate and Jane sets her sights on Dr. Josephine Pulcillo, a young archeologist who seems to have something to hide. More victims soon turn up, including a corpse in Pulcillo’s car. When Pulcillo herself disappears, Jane and Maura are frantic to locate her before she becomes another of the killer’s victims.

The third book in Karen Marie Moning’s fabulous Fever series, FAEFEVER (Delacorte hardcover), goes on sale September 16, 2008, and continues the tale of sidhe- seer MacKayla Lane’s search for her sister Alina’s killer. When Mac receives a torn page from Alina’s journal, she’s shocked by what she reads. And it makes her even more determined to exact revenge, to find answers and to locate Sinsar Dubh, the ancient book of dark magic so evil it corrupts whoever touches it. Forced into a dangerous alliance with V’lane, an evil Fae prince with fatally erotic tastes, and Jericho, a man of primal desires and myriad secrets, Mac finds herself waging a battle for her body, mind and soul.

On September 23, 2008, Bantam will release in small hardcover format THE LETTERS written by Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger. These two writers combine their talents to create a unique novel in letters. The publisher’s cover letter describes it as: the powerfully moving story of an estranged husband and wife struggling to make sense of an unthinkable tragedy and assess what their future may hold. In this searching, candid correspondence, they trace the history of a love affair and of a family before, and after, the moment that changed the course of two people’s lives forever. This is the first collaboration for both authors.

Cindy Gerard has recently signed a deal with Pocket for a new romantic suspense series. Here’s what Cindy told me about it, Black Ops, Inc. (B.O.I.) picks up where the Bodyguards left off. Where E.D.E.N. Securities showcased the all-American Garretts and their extended family, B.O.I., a private contracting firm specializing in jobs even the military and the CIA won’t touch, features an equally heroic but different breed of men and women fighting a covert war pitting good against evil – along with some personal battles of their own. The B.O.I. operatives are shadow warriors – former SEAL, DELTA, Special Forces, Force Recon and CIA types who valiantly served their country and now fearlessly serve their employer. They are individuals so committed to their cause they’ve lost touch with the concept of baseball, mom and apple pie. Their world, instead, is comprised of bullets and bad guys and a daily fight to save not only the free world but their very lives. She’s so excited about this new series. The first three books are scheduled to be released close together starting with SHOW NO MERCY (September 23, 2008), TAKE NO PRISONERS (October 21, 2008) and WHISPER NO LIES (December 30, 2008). The first hero featured is Gabe (Arch-Angel) Jones, who appeared as a BOI in INTO THE DARK (St. Martin’s, 5/07).

WARRIOR’S LADY (Leisure) by Gerri Russell is the third and final book in her Medieval-set Stones of Destiny series involving a rare and vital Scottish stone. Set to go on sale September 30, 2008, this book features a Scottish lord who’s hired mercenaries to kill all the members of a rival clan. When he falls in love with a woman from this doomed clan, will he be able to prevent her imminent murder?

Also set for release on September 30, 2008, is the third and final installment in Allison Brennan’s suspenseful Prison Break trilogy, PLAYING DEAD (Ballantine). After spending 15 years in prison and sentenced to die for crimes he did not commit, ex-cop Tom O’Brien has escaped. He’s determined to prove his innocence, but as a hunted fugitive, it’s going to be hard. His first task is to convince his daughter, whose testimony assisted in putting him away, that he has evidence of a plot to frame him. Next up for Allison is a new FBI trilogy that’s slated for release every other month in the spring and summer of 2009. Watch for SUDDEN DEATH in April, FATAL SECRETS in June and CUTTING EDGE in August.

Laura Griffin has a new romantic suspense novel, THREAD OF FEAR (Pocket Star), due to go on sale September 30, 2008. This is the first book in her Glass Sister series. First up is forensic artist Fiona Glass whose skill at probing victims’ memories to recreate the faces of sadistic criminals has left her drained and ready to retire. But handsome police chief Jack Bowman is hunting a serial killer and he needs Fiona’s help. What at first seems like a simple assignment soon turns into anything but, and her heated attraction to Jack complicates the job even further. The second book, WHISPER OF WARNING, featuring Courtney Glass, is set for publication March 31, 2009.

Take a deep breath and get ready for J. D. Warren’s CRATE & PERIL (Love Spell), which will go on sale September 30, 2008. This sassy, sexy sequel to BEDLAM, BATH & BEYOND (Love Spell, 1/08) continues the story of Samantha Dorringer and Cor, the unearthly shape-shifting leader of a mysterious race known as the Kin. When Sam and Cor learn that a Hollywood agent is trying to smuggle his clients into the Kin’s lands to keep them forever young, the pair rush to investigate. Sam is soon confronting an old high-school nemesis, as well as film stars desperate to hang on to their youth and old enemies from the past.

Linda Lael Miller shares this info with readers: I’m working hard on the third book in the Creed Cowboy/McKettrick Kin trilogy, and I'm loving it. The next book to hit the stands will be THE RUSTLER (October 1, 2008, HQN), starring Wyatt Yarbro, Marshal Rowdy's elder brother, an outlaw trying hard to go straight. That's a challenge, when you've grown up in a famous family of train robbers and cattle thieves. With some help from his lady, Sarah Tamlin, spirited banker's daughter and secret- keeper, I think he just might make it. THE RUSTLER is the third story in the Stone Creek series, following THE MAN FROM STONE CREEK and A WANTED MAN. Next year, you'll be able to read about Gideon, the kid brother, in THE BRIDEGROOM.

Remember to check out the current month’s reviews on Fresh Fiction to keep up with the latest releases by your favorite authors.

’Til next month…Tanzey