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Who’s Trustworthy, Who’s Not…”Bullseye”, by James Patterson

One of the most thought about ideas, probably of all time, is the question…….what would happen if the United States of America and Russia would go to war against each other? It is a daunting thought……one that brings fear to the hearts of even well seasoned members of the military. Author, James Patterson, has once again struck a nerve of reality with his newest book, Bullseye.

There is a husband/wife team of assassins on the streets of New York City. They are stalking their prey like animals ready for the kill. Detective Michael Bennett has received his orders to find a deadly pair of assassin’s before they are able to carry out their mission. Unfortunately, the President of the United States is in their cross hairs. Also unfortunately, he is in New York City for a summit with his Russian counterpart at the United Nations. Such an incident could cause negative reverberations around the world. Michael must find the source of the threat to head off a potential world war.

How can he tell who is trustworthy and who is not? Who is friend, or who is foe? There is no one above suspicion…….only Bennett has a chance to find the killers, before they can get to the President. The safety of the country is at stake.

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Awake in His Brain…A New Set of Powers…”End of Watch”, by Stephen King

Does just mentioning the name of author Stephen King send chills up your spine!!! If so, then his last in the Mercedes Massacre novels, End of Watch, will not disappoint! Retired police detective, Bill Hodges, and his partner in bringing down Brady Hartsfield, Holly Gibney, are called upon once again to figure out why people in the community are being driven to suicide. If they do not discover the reason soon, the whole community, including themselves, is in jeopardy.

The Mercedes Massacre mastermind, Brady Hartsfield is laying in a brain trauma unit of the local hospital, supposedly unable to communicate, and has been that way for five years. But unknown to the outside world, he has been awake inside his brain and has come up with a new set of powers that have proven to be unimaginably dangerous and lethal. He can influence those inside and outside his hospital room without ever leaving the room, or even getting out of his supposed catatonic state. Brady Hartsfield is contriving one last vengeful plan to get revenge against not only Hodges and Gibney, but the entire town.

The final chapter to Stephen King’s Mercedes Massacre series has been reviewed to be one of his most terrifying and unnerving novels yet. A diabolical plan by a psychopath which uses subliminal powers to take advantage of human frailty and vulnerability……. nobody does it better than Stephen King.

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Backroom Deals, Media-Created Scandals & Secret Cover-Ups…”Guilty Minds”, by Joseph Finder

Author, Joseph Finder, has accomplished many things, but being an American author of mystery thrillers seems to be his best niche in life. He has been a history teacher at Harvard, has been recruited by the CIA, and supposedly sang with Ella Fitzgerald, but most remarkably, is a New York Times bestselling author. His latest, Guilty Minds, is a theme that could be taken right out of current political playbooks, where a very powerful person can be brought down by professional character assassinators with carefully structured lies. It is a sad commentary to think that such people exist, but we know they do…….we have recently seen them in action.

Guilty Minds is the third in a series featuring super spy, Nick Heller, who has been called in to find the necessary evidence to defend a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court against the untrue accusations presented against him by a prostitute. Not only is this “escort” trying to defame him, but a sleezy website known for their lying gossip is supporting her with publicizing the lies. Nick is based in Boston, but is hired by many because he has a history of handling discreet and risky situations in his own way. He has just 48 hours to prove the allegation to be false, which seemed like an easy task to accomplish……..then, he found the prostitute murdered. The story – line then takes many twists and turns exposing political backroom “deals”, media – created scandals, and secret cover-ups!!! All proving that the secrets we keep and bury so deep, can never truly stay buried.

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Demeanor Like a Ticking Time Bomb…”The Black Window”, by Daniel Silva

As with author Daniel Silva’s other seventeen spy novels, The Black Widow is another ingenious writing that is a very timely book of intrigue and extreme danger. The subject of ISIS is very compelling and one which many people want to learn more about.

The main character, Gabriel Allon, art restorer, spy, and assassin is again asked to find an Islamist extremist who has claimed responsibility for a huge bomb that was exploded in a part of Paris. He enlists the assistance of a beautiful doctor who will pose as an ISIS recruit. Her demeanor is to be that of a ticking time bomb……..a black widow.

The novel is a journey into a new world of darkness that promises to haunt those who read it. “The Black Widow reveals itself as Silva’s most timely and powerful novel yet.”

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She Could Be So Charming One Minute and Brutally Ruthless in the Next…”The Girls”, by Emma Cline

If the reader is looking for a light-hearted novel to read and relax, Emma Cline’s debut novel, The Girls, might not be a good one to choose. But for most readers it will be a very interesting comparison to the other novels that have been written about the subject. The Girls is a sort of explanation from the woman’s point of view as to why the women, or girls as they were very young, chose to have any part of Charles Manson and the cult they became, to go on a horrendous, murderous crime spree. Most previous works have focused on how Charles Manson got these seemingly ordinary girls to do the awful acts that they committed at his request. Cline delves into who they were before the murders and who some are as they are older.

As one character Evie, exemplifies, she was 14 when she came into contact with Russell’s cult. She is going through puberty, easily influenced by the other girls who seem to be so sure of themselves. She finds an immediate attraction to the group. Another, Suzanne, who is an extension of real-life Susan Atkins, is a different story. The character Suzanne is like Susan who was both troubled and attractive, so she used her ability to read people’s desires to her advantage. She could be so charming one minute and brutally ruthless in the next. She chose power and belonging over having any control over any part of her life, including her body. Cline chooses to show the many facets of Suzanne’s (Susan’s) personality, rather than just simply make her the “bad girl” as other works have done. Many agree that Cline’s portrayal of Susan through Suzanne is probably more like what the true person was.

The one thing the reader may notice is that Russell (Manson) is not charismatic or even interesting as a person on his own. He preyed on girls who had issues and flaws, who were wanting attention, or who needed to belong to something…..anything! Other sociopaths do not get the continuing notoriety of Charles Manson, and Emma Cline honed in on an explanation for that…….. the others did not have a group of seemingly “normal” young women following them around doing their bidding. It seems there is very little left to say about Manson, but still plenty of information to be told about The Girls.

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Unspeakable Sins….”The Obsession”, by Nora Roberts

The New York Times bestselling author, Nora Roberts, has written another excellent novel that promises to give her fans the reading satisfaction that they have come to expect. She uses ordinary, relatable characters to draw in the reader, then gives a twist and turn to the story that is totally unexpected. She is best known for “painting a picture with her words”.

Naomi Bowers, as a young girl on the verge of turning twelve, discovers a hideous secret life that has been lived by her father, not far from the home she thought was safe and secure. Nothing could have been further from the truth. She saved a life on that stormy night, but lost her own identity as she had known it. In later life, no matter how close she got to happiness, she could not escape the sins of her father……… unspeakable sins.

Naomi became a very successful photographer, and changed her name to Naomi Carson. She has a very rewarding career and lives in a rambling, old house with beautiful views. Yet, that one, stormy night when she innocently, playfully followed her father into the woods, will forever be obsessively only a nightmare away for her. The Obsession is so compelling as a story of the terrifying evil that humans are capable of. Author Roberts mixes light and shadow like no other. After walking through all the darkness, The Obsession shows the human spirit as being capable of incredible strength and courage to thrive and survive.

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The Man Who Can Forget Nothing…”The Last Mile”, by David Baldacci

Author David Baldacci has written a new book, The Last Mile, that is a second book with main character, Detective Amos Decker……..the man who can forget nothing”. Decker gets involved in a case where a convicted criminal is within hours of execution, when another person confesses to the killing of his parents twenty some years ago. Decker identifies with the death row criminal, but it will demand all of his unusual brain power to help one of the two men to be set free of murder charges.

Amos Decker was a professional football player who had a career ending injury that left him with an almost perfect memory. Some reviewers felt that Decker was a more interesting character in the Memory Man, but that die-hard Baldacci fans will appreciate the different form of Decker using his Quantico unit to help solve the latest case in usual investigative style.

Baldacci lives in Virginia with his family where he and his wife work with their foundation, Wish You Well, in supporting literacy efforts across the country.

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Tall, Blonde, Blue Eyes, Medical Student…Perfect…So, They Thought…”Most Wanted”, by Lisa Scottoline

In keeping with author Lisa Scottoline’s ability to write the most searing and powerful thrillers, Most Wanted, will not disappoint her many fans. One reviewer put it this way…….”it drew me in, in a single breath”.

Just think about the premise of the novel……..Christine and Marcus Nilsson are a happily married couple who have a great life, except that they cannot conceive a child. As time passes by, they decide to take further steps by participating in artificial insemination with a donor male. His bio sounded like the perfect person to provide what they needed to make their family complete. Three months after insemination, Christine was indeed pregnant. They were, of course, ecstatic. The bio had read……..Donor 3319 Profile: Tall, Blonde, Blue eyes, Medical student……..perfect…….or so they thought!

One day Christine is watching the news and notices that authorities are looking for a suspect who has committed a series of murders. The artist’s sketch looks alarmingly like the sperm donor of the baby she is carrying. With the usual depth of emotions that Scottoline’s fans have come to expect, the ethical and moral dilemma presents itself. WHAT IF ……… the biological father of your unborn baby is a serial killer? Most Wanted could easily be Lisa Scottoline’s best selling novel yet!

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In an Attempt to Catch the Most Wanted Elusive Felons…”The Job”, by Janet Evanovich

This is the third in the Fox and O’Hare series by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum series, Alexandra Barnaby series and the Lizzie and Diesel series) and Lee Goldberg (author of the bestselling Monk mysteries). In an attempt to catch the most wanted and most elusive felons in the world, the FBI teams up Special Agent Kate O’Hare with ex con artist Nicholas Fox. To the rest of the world, Nick is still wanted by the FBI and Kate is the agent in charge of capturing him. The reality is that they are working together formulating a con to catch a violent drug lord at the request of Kate’s boss and the Deputy Director of the FBI. They are given unlimited funds and unofficial permission to do what it takes to capture their mark without being caught. In this adventure Kate and Nick formulate an elaborate con to bring down the leader of a drug smuggling empire. Traveling around the world with their enlisted band of misfit accomplices, Nick and Kate work to execute their plan. Challenges include a psychotic bodyguard and a Portuguese enforcer among others. Kate’s father Jake, who is retired Special Forces and shares Kate’s deep love of impressive firearms is back again to help out a good cause. An ongoing flirtation between Kate and Nick, as well as the antics of their team keeps the book light and funny, while still delivering an impressive and well thought out plot. Be sure to read the first two novels to get the most enjoyment out of ‘The Job’. (The Heist – book one, and The Chase – book two.)

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There Is a Sinister Murderer on The Run…”The Steel Kiss”, by Jeffery Deaver

The Steel Kiss (Lincoln Rhyme #12) is the New York Times bestselling author, Jeffery Deaver’s latest offering. The new novel combines the talents of Amelia Sachs, not only the professional partner, but also the love partner of quadriplegic, forensic detective Lincoln Rhyme. There is a sinister murderer on the run, and it is up to them to stop him.

With the intricate mind of the latest serial killer, the pair are up against their most formidable opponent ever. Sachs and Rhyme find themselves racing against the clock and growing body counts to secure the identity of this maniac. He is known to turn common products used by his “Shoppers” victims, into murder weapons against them.
In reviews of The Steel Kiss, most reviewers applaud the new faces and complexities that Deaver included in this twelfth novel. When there are so many books about the same characters, sometimes the subject matter becomes monotonous, but according to several early readers, this book is not in any way monotonous. One reader described about four stories taking place in the one book.

There were some statements from those early readers worth quoting……..”What a creepy and suspenseful book I have just finished”; “I will never look at a remote in the same way again”; “Cars, elevators, escalators, buses, trains, planes, the equipment I use at work……computers, microwaves, heating……..technology that surround those targeted by the killer”; DO NOT READ OR LISTEN TO THIS BOOK AT OR NEAR BEDTIME!”

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