3 1/2 *** review.
A seven year old girl, Autumn Backman contacts FBI Special Agent Dillon Savich after seeing a show on TV about how he stopped a bank robbery. She is able to communicate with him telepathically.

In Titusville, VA. Autumn runs away and hides in the home of Sheriff Ethan Merriweather. She tells him that a man named Blessed is after her and her mother, Joanna and warns Ethan not to look into the face of Blessed because he is able to control a person's thoughts once they look him in the eye.

Savich had killed one of the bank robbers as they were preparing to kill the bank guard. He was attempting to find the last survivor from the bank holdup and the driver of the get away car when Autumn contacts him again, asking for help.

We learn that Blessed is Autumn's uncle who, with his mind control ability, wants to take Autumn to his family home so they can benefit from her powers.

When Savich is attempting to help her, the bank robber and the driver, go to Savich's home to attempt revenge on his family. The FBI is protecting his home and the two barely escape.

"Knock Out: An FBI Thriller" is a fun read. The action is non stop and the reader is caught up in the excitement. The author states that she is influenced by Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly among others; but in this tale, it seems that Stephen King is also an influence, particularly from his novel, "Firestarter."

Hop aboard for a fun ride, you'll enjoy it. ( )

For experienced FBI Special Agent Dillon Savich to find himself on the floor of a bank during a bank robbery was a bit of luck, good and bad. He was able to alert his partner and wife Special Agent Lacey Sherlock of the robbery in progress as well as be there to help take down the bad guys and girls. While the sole survivor of the gang was in the hospital, she was able to escape with the help of the get-a-way driver. While trying to figure out their next move, Dillon received a message from a seven year old girl named Autumn. This little girl seemed to be in his head, able to talk to him from far away. The whole town of Titusville, Virginia was out looking for the missing girl all day, when Sherriff Ethan Merriweather came home and found she had been playing with his animals, he had no idea the trouble that would follow. Running away from her relatives who knew she had the special gift of telepathy, the whole family seemed to be able to do extraordinary thing like control other with one look, her and her mother (Joanna Backman) just wanted to find help from someone they could trust. With information coming from Savich and Sherlock, Ethan and Joanna were able to figure out a way to avoid her husbands family, for a while.

Book 13.…. Another adventure of Savich and Sherlock, this one had so much action in it, it was non stop from the first words, taking on two ’situations’ at one time. There was very, very little romance in this one at all, it was all adventure and suspense (that is good sometimes). I really enjoyed it. I would have liked a little more of Autumn, Joanna and Ethan, so much togetherness in a short amount of time causes for an interesting set of conditions for getting to know each other. This book is part of the series, as usual with Catherine Coulter’s FBI Thrillers, the character creation and the continuing story of previously met characters are great. There is a mention of another ‘psychic’ event from Dillon’s past, while this type of thing has happened a couple of times before, it was fun to see it again. I would say that if you don’t mind the references to other stories, this could be read as a stand alone, but to really get the whole feel of who Savich and Sherlock are, I find reading a series in order is the best, this one included - even though it is 13 books now. ( )

I’ve got three books for your summer reading pleasure. They are made for either lying on the hammock in the back yard or on a towel at the beach. The first one is Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen. It is the amusing story of Lady Georgiana (Georgie), thirty-fourth in line for the throne of England. It is set in the early 19th century when Mrs. Simpson and the Prince of Wales were scandalizing society with their affair. Being thirty-fourth in line to the throne and the sister of a land-poor Earl and his penny-pinching wife who tells her that they can’t afford to continue supporting her, Georgie finds herself in London, living alone (unheard of for a young lady of society) in the family home. Quickly tiring of fending for herself and existing on tea and biscuits, she goes in search of a job. There isn’t much opportunity for a lady trained only in the social skills, so she decides to make a niche for herself using those very talents. She has an opportunity to observe that there were many visiting businessmen alone in London and was sure that she could earn a living by offering her services as an intelligent, educated escort. Was it her fault that people misinterpreted her ad? Scotland Yard uses this as an excuse to get her involved in the investigation of a possible plot to kill the heirs to the throne. Her job is to go to Scotland with the Prince’s court and ascertain whether or not this could be an insider plot. Could her on-again, off-again male friend Darcy be involved? Who could possibly benefit from eliminating all of the heirs? It’s a conundrum that Georgie must solve before anyone is killed.
The second book is Knock Out by Catherine Coulter. This is a continuation of her FBI series with husband and wife team Savich and Sherlock. If your description of a really good book includes words like “eerie” or “weird” or “spooky,” and you are really interested in the supernatural, then this book is for you. Savich gets a call in the middle of night--not a “phone” call, but a “psychic” call. A young girl comes to him in his mind and they carry on a conversation. Yep, they have a psychic conversation. The girl is afraid and needs his help, but the connection fades as she tires, and he doesn’t get enough information to help her. While Savich is waiting to hear from her again, he and Sherlock are working on another case involving a crazed, serial-killing sixteen year old girl and her accomplice. Catherine Coulter has created another great novel with two plot lines, each with its exciting climax.
The third book, Honestly Dearest, You’re Dead by Jack Fredrickson is for those who enjoy reading about familiar places. It takes place in southwest lower Michigan, Chicago, and Iowa. Fredrickson vividly describes the area of West Haven (hmm, wonder where that might be), the drive to Iowa on I-80, and gives mention to Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Dek Elstrom, disgraced private detective, receives a call from a lawyer in West Haven informing him that a murdered woman has named him as the executor of her will. Dek has no idea who this woman is or why she chose him for the job, but he soon gets involved in finding out what happened to her. Finding out who killed her is fun, but seeing how he resolves it is even more fun.
These are three possibilities for the mystery lover. The best part is you don’t have to choose. You can get all of them for free right here at the library. Good reading! Reviewed by Sherry, Three Rivers Public Library.

Yes indeedy, I do like Catherine Coulter's 'FBI' series starring agents with grit, smarts, a kicka$$ computer, humor, and the occasional 'gifts'. "Knock Out" is her latest novel set in the world of Savich and Sherlock and it is...a knock out.

This time Savich and Sherlock are working two cases at the same time. The first involves a gang of vicious bank robbers who kill security guards for no reason other than 'fun'. The second involves a special girl named Autumn, who first speaks to Savich in his sleep. Autumn is being hunted for her 'talents' by a paranormal cult group who have named themselves after a devil-worshiping 1500s cult. So which case will be important? When it comes down to it, do you rescue one small girl on the run or hunt down two indiscrimite killers?

I'm not sure which group of 'bad guys' were creepier. Both could be classified as 'nutjobs' (that's the clinical term doncha you know), but both treated the lives of others as 'cheap change'. I'm wondering if we'll see more of Autumn in a later novel (which I would LOVE to read); or quite possibly one of the characters from the cult who may have gotten away.

"Knock Out" grabbed me from page one and the action never slowed. There's no real romance or sex in Coulter's recent FBI novels, but that doesn't affect my enjoyment one bit. She almost always manages to throw me a few curveballs that I never saw coming and yet when I'm finished, I can only wonder how I didn't catch on before! Her characters are real to me and their dilemmas and reactions make me think. Smart, sexy, action mysteries. Is that a genre? If it's not, it should be and Catherine Coulter is an author that needs to be at the top of the author list for it. If you enjoy hold-your-breath action, well-plotted mystery, and a little 'woo woo'; and you have a few hours to read...grab "Knock Out" and tune out the world. ( )

13th book in the FBI series that is more suspense than romance.

Savich gets a telepathic message from a 7 year-old girl just as he’s falling asleep. She’d seen him on TV and knows he’s a hero and she needs help, so tried to reach him. Her father’s relatives have just recently learned of her existence and all are gifted with various powers to mess with someone else’s mind. And they want her in their fold and will stop at nothing to grab her, even though she’s surrounded by deputies and the sheriff.

As with most of the books, there is a 2nd issue taking place. Savich was a customer in a bank that was getting robbed and stops the robbery. One of the robbers is a 16 year-old girl who wants to kill Savich and the bank’s security guard because her mother, another of the bank robbers, was killed in a shootout before they could escape with the loot. With her cousin’s help, she’s able to escape from a hospital and the hunt is on.

The romance? Between 7 year-old Autumn’s mother and Sheriff Ethan Merriweather who come together to keep Autumn safe from her very scary uncle.

The book takes place a couple of months after Tailspin, so the homelife of Sherlock and Savich goes forward with Sherlock recovering from losing her spleen in the last book. The characters are interesting, the story moves fast, the suspense is good, and as always, the book contains a lot of humor. ( )