Keep cool in July with these new books...

With temperatures so blazing hot in June, I kept my cool by staying inside with good books (of course!). Some of my preferred reading included the third amazing Dragonfire novel by Deborah Cooke, KISS OF FATE (Signet Eclipse, 2/09). Following the exceptional KISS OF FIRE and KISS OF FURY, this latest story tells the tale of Pyr leader Erik Sorensson as he is shocked to experience an unbelievable firestorm – his second! – which is unheard of for these dragon shape-shifters. The Pyr are still fighting to save mankind from the evil Slayers as Erik wages a battle between duty and love. I’ve enjoyed this phenomenal and unique paranormal series since the first book, and this one kept me enthralled and anxious for more of the same. The fourth installment, WINTER KISS, is set for publication November 3, 2009.

If you’ve been reading my column regularly, you know I’m a big fan of John Sandford’s suspense novels, especially his Prey series featuring the daring investigator Lucas Davenport. The latest entry, WICKED PREY (Putnam hardcover, 5/09), is just as expertly written, fast-paced and exciting as all the others. This time, the Republicans are in St. Paul for their national convention, bringing with them lots of money and lots of opportunities for crime. It takes all the skill Lucas and his group of experts can come up with to control the myriad of situations that arise – and track down the criminals. Another sure winner for this highly talented author.

Now for a sampling of some of the books to watch for this month:

July 1, 2009:
Harlequin is reissuing Hank Phillippi Ryan’s PRIME TIME (Next, 6/07), followed by FACE TIME (Next, 9/07) in August 2009, as MIRA releases them with new cover art. Then coming in September 2009 is AIR TIME, followed by DRIVE TIME sometime in 2010. This exciting series of mysteries features Charlotte (Charlie) McNally, a smart, sassy, strong-willed TV reporter (not unlike Ms. Ryan herself) who thrives on the excitement of chasing down criminals and sticking it to the bad guys (or gals). I just finished reading PRIME TIME and was thoroughly entertained. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series.

HAPPINESS KEY (Mira) starts a new series by Emilie Richards about four women who think they have nothing in common except the oyster shell road that runs between their tumbledown cottages on a spit of land called Happiness Key. They are brought together and forge a friendship when they look for the family of a local resident who died all alone. Emilie explains that after writing five novels in her Shenandoah Album series, she wanted to return to her childhood roots – Florida’s Gulf Coast – thus the new setting.

July 7, 2009:
JoAnn Ross’ fourth High Risk novel is BREAKPOINT (Signet), which tells the story of Air Force Combat Controller Dallas O’Halloran, a sexy, hell-raising lady-killer, who’s as tough as he is loyal. When Dallas is recruited by a new combat unit, he’s not very pleased to find himself teamed up with Julianne Decatur – the icy blond JAG officer who nearly court-martialed his friends. Assigned to investigate a Navy flyer’s apparent suicide, they discover the trail of a ruthless killer with a secret to hide – and an attraction between them that can’t be denied.

SECONDHAND SPIRITS (Obsidian) is the first book in an enchanting new mystery series by Juliet Blackwell about a witch who owns a vintage clothing shop. Born with unusual abilities, Lily Ivory feels she’s finally found her niche in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury area. She settles into an old Victorian where she lives in an apartment above her new shop, Aunt Cora’s Closet. When she starts outfitting customers with antique clothing that fits them both spiritually and stylistically, she’s a big success. Just when things seem almost normal, a client is murdered and children start disappearing from the Bay Area. Lily has a good idea that some bad phantoms are behind it. Her attempts to stop the phantom put Lily in close contact with a sexy, cynical “mythbuster” who’s sniffing around the crime, as well as its supernatural investigator.

BREAKING MIDNIGHT (Berkley Sensation) by Emma Holly is the second installment in the Fitz Clare Chronicles. This back-to-back series of books started last month with KISSING MIDNIGHT (Berkley Sensation), then SAVING MIDNIGHT (Berkley Sensation) will conclude the trilogy in August. BREAKING MIDNIGHT tells the story of Edmund Fitz Clare, an elder among the upyr, a shape-changing race of immortals. Kidnapped by rivals, he’s now a pawn in a deadly game to control the world. Only the love of the mortal beauty, Estelle, can save him.

Another new mystery series debuts from Karen E. Olson with THE MISSING INK (Obsidian) featuring Las Vegas tattoo artist Brett Kavanaugh. Six-feet tall, red-headed and covered with tattoos, Brett turns heads everywhere she goes. When a girl makes an appointment for a tattoo of the name of her fiancé embedded in a heart, Brett takes the job but the girl never shows. The next thing Brett knows, the police are looking for her client, and the name she wanted on the tattoo wasn’t her fiancé’s...

Monica McInerney’s GREETINGS FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE (Ballantine trade) tells the tale of Lainey Byrne, an events manager in Melbourne, who must return to Ireland when her Aunt May dies. To collect her inheritance, Lainey must take over her aunt’s B&B and run it for a year. How hard can that be? She soon finds out when she discovers a rundown house on the Hill of Tara and nary a guest in sight. Lainey is not the domestic type, so the challenge is on to get the B&B up and running in the time frame. Having broken up with her boyfriend before leaving Melbourne, Lainey faces unexpected complications when a gorgeous childhood friend enters her life.

SHADOW OF BETRAYAL (Delacorte hardcover) by Brett Battles is the third outstanding novel to feature “cleaner” Jonathan Quinn. This time, Quinn, along with his protégé, Nate, and colleague/girlfriend, Orlando, gets drawn into an international smuggling ring and a conspiracy more cunning and insidious than anyone can guess. To quote from my own review of this book, “…gives readers a fast-paced and chilling thriller with smart characters in a plotline so riveting and suspenseful, you won’t put it down until the last page is turned.”

Nalini Singh continues her innovative Psy/Changeling series with the sixth entry, BRANDED BY FIRE (Berkley Sensation). Though DarkRiver sentinel Mercy is feeling pressure to mate, she resists when Riley Kincaid, a lieutenant from the SnowDancer pack, tries to possess her. It’s not just that he pushes her buttons; the problem is he’s a wolf and she’s a cat. But when a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped from DarkRiver territory, Mercy and Riley must work together to track the young man – before his shadowy captors decide he’s no longer useful.

THE DEVIL’S COMPANY (Random hardcover) by David Liss takes readers back to 18th-century London in this third thriller to feature pugilist-turned-PI and master of disguise Benjamin Weaver. It’s 1722 and Weaver is reluctantly caught in a deadly game of cat-and- mouse with a wealthy, mysterious schemer named Jerome Cobb, who needs Weaver’s strength and cunning for his treacherous plans. Weaver finds himself blackmailed into taking a job in security at the headquarters of the ruthless British East India Company, where he must steal certain documents for Cobb. Weaver soon finds himself entangled in a maze of hidden agendas, dangerous enemies and unexpected allies.

And Berkley Prime Crime releases some delightful cozy mysteries, including WHERE THERE’S A WITCH, the fifth Bewitching Mystery by Madelyn Alt. Taking a break from her job at Enchantments, Stony Mill’s finest mystical antique shop, Maggie O’Neill visits a carnival where she senses some bad spirits. And when a construction worker is suspected of killing a young woman, it’s up to Maggie and the N.I.G.H.T.S. ghost-hunting team to uncover the dark spiritual energy leaking into their town before it spoils everyone’s fun. A KILLER SUDOKU by Kaye Morgan is the fourth mystery to feature puzzle master Liza Kelly, who’s looking forward to the West Coast Sudoku Summit. But from the onset, contestants are being eliminated one by one, and not in the way that she planned – they’re dropping dead. With more at stake here than just prize money, Liza must figure out the murderer’s pattern, or she’ll be the next one down.

July 14, 2009:
BEST FRIENDS FOREVER (Atria hardcover) is the latest novel from Jennifer Weiner. At 9 years of age, Addie and Valerie swore to be best friends forever when they lived across the street from each other. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy Addie becomes her school's scapegoat. Flash-forward 15 years. Val has found fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie lives alone in her parents' house in their small hometown caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the Internet. She's just returned from Bad Date #6 when she opens her door to find Val standing there with a terrified look on her face, blood on her coat sleeve, exclaiming that something horrible has happened, and Addie is the only one who can help her. This book is touted as a hilarious, edge-of-your-seat adventure, a story about betrayal and loyalty, family history and small-town secrets, finding love where you least expect it, and the ties that keep best friends together.

UNDONE (Delacorte hardcover) by Karin Slaughter brings together the protagonists of two previous books – Dr. Sara Linton, still dealing with the brutal murder of her beloved husband (BEYOND REACH), and Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Will Trent (FRACTURED) – in a bizarre series of events. When a young woman is brought to Sara’s emergency room after being hit by a car, it’s obvious that her horrible wounds are not the result of the crash alone. GBI Special Agent Trent and his partner Faith Mitchell are assigned the case. They, along with Sara, start an investigation that will lead them closer to a sadistic predator more ruthless than they’ve ever encountered before. Slaughter certainly lives up to her name as she gives readers another excellently written provocative thriller that will keep you up late at night – with the lights on.

Readers are in for more tantalizingly erotic tales set in the Chateau de La Grotte Cachee with the fourth Hidden Grotto book by Louisa Burton, IN THE GARDEN OF SIN (Bantam trade). Two intriguing and compelling novellas with delightful twists are featured in this volume: The English Courtesan and Hunger.

Defense attorney Paul Madriani gets caught in a web of deceit and murder involving Cold War secrets, a rare coin dealer who once worked for the CIA and a furious assassin in GUARDIAN OF LIES (Wm. Morrow hardcover), the 10th in this thrilling series by Steve Martini. Together with his partner, Harry Hinds, Madriani must piece together the threads of a decades-old conspiracy involving priceless gold coins, an aging American spy, a disaffected Russian soldier and a forgotten weapon from the days of JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

July 21, 2009:
In STORM CYCLE (St. Martin’s hardcover), Iris Johansen again teams with her son, Roy Johansen, to bring readers their second fast-paced romantic thriller, following the dynamic SILENT THUNDER (St. Martin’s hardcover, 7/08). Rachel Kirby is a computer genius whose personal life is hell. While she climbs the corporate ladder, her beloved twin sister is plagued by a chronic illness that will eventually kill her, leaving Rachel all alone. Then a mysterious e-mail comes to Rachel. Thousands of miles away, archeologist John Tanek is trapped inside a collapsed Egyptian tomb with a functioning laptop. He knows Rachel is the only person who can help him, but time is running out. The collapse was no accident. It seems John has discovered something very valuable in the tomb, something humankind has been searching for throughout history, something that could be a cure for Rachel’s sister. While Rachel coordinates John’s rescue, she finds herself trapped in a dangerous web of deceit and murder. Can she trust John? Will they both live long enough to unravel the ancient mystery they’ve found inside the tomb?

Karen Hawkins’ SLEEPLESS IN SCOTLAND (Pocket) is the fourth novel in her delightful MacLean Curse series set in Regency Scotland. When sensible Catriona Hurst sets off in pursuit of her wild twin sister, Caitlyn (whose plan to trap the handsome laird of Clan MacLean into marriage will lead her to sure disaster), she never expects the journey to end with her own wedding. Triona ends up being caught by the laird’s younger brother, Hugh MacLean, who had set a trap for the one sister and refuses to believe that he's caught the other. Enchanted by Triona's response to his kiss, he soon realizes she’s not who he thought and honor demands he wed her immediately. Rest assured that the wild sister, Caitlyn, will get her man, Alexander MacLean, when THE LAIRD WHO LOVED ME (Pocket), the fifth and final book in the series, is released August 25, 2009.

FIRE AND ICE (Wm. Morrow hardcover) by J. A. Jance is the latest Beaumont and Brady thriller. Seattle investigator J. P. Beaumont is working a series of murders in which six young women have been wrapped in tarps, doused with gasoline, set on fire and their charred remains scattered around various dump sites. At the same time in the Arizona desert, Cochise County sheriff Joanna Brady is working the homicide of an elderly caretaker of an ATV park. A breakthrough in Beaumont's case leads him to the Southwest and into Brady's jurisdiction. When the two met on a joint investigation years earlier, sparks flew. As the threads of their two seemingly separate cases wind together, Beaumont and Brady must put aside echoes of their shared past as they are once again drawn into an orbit of deception. Except this time it's not just their own lives that are in danger but those of the people closest to them as well.

July 23, 2009:
Jeff Abbott brings a 21st century security threat to life in his latest book, TRUST ME (Dutton hardcover). The Internet is a valuable tool used daily for business, communication, education and networking. But it has also become an important tool for terrorists, the breeding ground for new recruits and a simple, anonymous way to connect with like-minded individuals and plan their attacks. Through the eyes of graduate student Luke Dantry, Abbott reveals the evils lurking behind our computer screens with a tale of danger, deadly lies and betrayal – interwoven with a terrorist cell’s plan for worldwide destruction.

July 28, 2009:
Tara Janzen’s 10th Steele Street book, BREAKING LOOSE (Dell), finds gorgeous art dealer Suzi Toussi on a mission to locate the Memphis Sphinx, an ancient artifact rumored to possess otherworldly powers. Also seeking the coveted relic is sexy special ops agent Dax Killian, who’s tracked it to Paraguay. Suddenly, the game is on – and only one of them will walk away with the prize. With the Sphinx surfacing and passion taking Suzi and Dax under, they’re headed for a showdown that could reveal the secrets of the ages…or expose them to the hottest danger of all.

Enter the secret world of the Talions – fierce, passionate warriors fighting for their very existence – in Alexis Morgan’s second book in this sizzling paranormal series, DARK WARRIOR UNBROKEN (Pocket Star). Sandor is the Talion Enforcer tasked with policing his people, the Kyth. His latest assignment is the new killer stalking the streets of Seattle. But while Sandor is hunting the Kyth renegade, someone else is hunting him. When Lena Wilson's mentor died investigating an arson case and the police ran out of leads, she vowed to find justice herself. Lena – who doesn't know she’s part Kyth – has the ability to see fragmented flashbacks of the crimes she's investigating through her sense of touch. And when she meets Sandor, she feels suspicion – and desire – like she's never known.

LEADER OF THE PACK (Ballantine) by Karen MacInerney is the third installment in Tales of an Urban Werewolf series. Sophie Garou’s life is great. She has beauty, brains and a big-time position in a respected Austin accounting firm, not to mention a very sexy, very successful new boyfriend. But there’s one thing Sophie wants to keep hidden: she’s a werewolf. Then her long-estranged father, Luc, arrives to attend the werewolves’ annual Howl and reconnect with his daughter. His plans fall apart, however, after he’s accused of murder and arrested by his archrival, Wolfgang, leader of the Houston pack. Determined to prove his innocence, Sophie and her friends set out to find the real killer.

Melody Thomas kicks off her new Mystical Bliss series with BEAUTY AND THE DUKE (Avon). Ten years ago, Christine and Erik were young lovers, but he was bound by his promise to wed another. Since that fateful time, Christine has grown into a headstrong and daring beauty, but for all her achievements, she’s has never found anyone who makes her heart race the way Erik once did. As the Duke of Sedgwick, Erik has become something of a beast, at least according to the gossips. They say he's cursed and any woman who shares his bed will meet an untimely end. When he comes to Christine, desperate for her help to preserve his family and his title, she does not fear the “devil duke.” Enthralled by his ravenous desire, she will do anything he asks.

The second entry in Rita Herron’s paranormal/romantic suspense Demonborn trilogy is DARK HUNGER (Forever). Reporter Annabelle Armstrong will go to any lengths to deliver a story, even track down Quinton Valtrez, a man she believes is a coldhearted assassin. Yet the truth about the darkly sensual Quinton is even more shocking...and the overwhelming desire he ignites is one she vows to resist. Quinton has fought his demonic powers since he was a child. Now using his gifts for the good of national security, he can't let himself be distracted by the beautiful, determined Annabelle. But his need for her is fierce – and just might cost Annabelle her life.

SINCE THE SURRENDER (Avon), the third book in Julie Anne Long’s Pennyroyal Green series, tells the tale of English war hero Captain Chase Eversea, whose destiny seems to be trouble. And that trouble arrives in the form of a mysterious message summoning him to a London rendezvous…where he encounters the memory of his most wicked indiscretion in the flesh: Rosalind March – the only woman he can never forget.

Jenna Black continues her Exorcist series with SPEAK OF THE DEVIL (Dell). This fourth book to feature Morgan Kingsley, America’s most successful exorcist, finds her paying the price for an exorcism gone wrong. The victim’s family is suing her, the Exorcism Board has suspended her, and now she’s living on a diet of Ramen noodles and bad coffee. But Morgan has a few good men at her side. One is current boyfriend, nice-guy legal-eagle Brian, who’s suddenly starting to reveal his inner bad boy. The other is Philly cop Adam White, who’s trying to help Morgan find out who sent her a little present – a severed human hand – and why someone seems determined to destroy her.

The publishing world lost two dynamic writers in June. Veteran historical romance author Edith Layton lost her battle with ovarian cancer June 1, 2009. Her dynamic collection of work included close to 40 single-title novels and scores of novellas. Western writer Don Coldsmith suffered a stroke June 20, 2009, after attending the Western Writers of America conference in Oklahoma City, and died June 25, 2009. In the 1980s, Don started writing his 29-volume The Spanish Bit Saga, which told about how the lives of the Plains Indians were changed when Spanish explorers brought the horse to America. Both of these multi-talented authors will be greatly missed, but the world is a better place for having their many books to read forever.

There’s more to come next month, so stay tuned…