Reviewed as part of early reviewers program. As a lover of this genre I was very excited to get the opportunity to read the Gryphon Heist. The characters in the book are well developed, fun, and you become invested in them. The author does an excellent job keeping you guessing who are the good guys and who are the bad guys or if there is even a difference. The plot is good but sometimes gets lost in the characters. It is full of twist and turns which makes it a fun read. One warning, if you do not like religious tenets sneaking in this book might be disappointing. It seems a bit forced and preachy at the end. Still a worthwhile read.

Can't stop reading these books.

Love Joe Pike and Elvis Cole

This is the first Maggie O'Dell book that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are well developed - I really appreciated the author taking the time to develop the on-going characters for first time readers of the series. The plot was great and although the mystery was pretty easy to figure out it kept my attention the whole time. It is a fast and fun read. I plan to go back and read the previous books in the series and look forward to the next installment.

Another excellent book by Jaden Terrell. This sequel to Racing the Devil opens with Jared McKean receiving a phone call from his niece informing him that his teenage nephew Josh is being investigated for murder. As Jared tries to help his nephew he is plunged into the intersection of sexual predators, kids who fancy themselves to being vampires, kids questioning their sexual identify and adults who don't know how to deal with any of these issues. The book is quite dark and is disturbing at times, heart wrenching at times, and challenges traditional norms/values but through the process you come to admire Jared and wish more people were like him. Definitely glad I had the opportunity to read this book and I look forward to the next installment of the Jared McKean mysteries.

Thoroughly enjoyable mystery thriller with a legal backdrop. Rich lost both his parents at a young age and was raised by his uncle, a single construction worker. Although he is well cared for they have very little money but get assistance from Max a partner in a prestigious NY law firm. Max gets Rich a job in the Printers area of his law firm where Rich works while attending night school with the hope of getting his degree and then going to law school. Rich has a beautiful girlfriend, Elyse, from a well to do family but he can't get past questioning why she stays with him. Through the Printers, Rich meets and works wtih Vice, Dylan, and Ed and after a rough start they become friends. Then he is contacted by one of the lawyers from the firm that knew him in high school who has a proposition for him to make lots of money fast and easy. All goes well in the beginning but then all heck breaks lose.

Although the book was a bit slow in the beginning it has a great plot, well developed characters, and a great ending with a bit of a surprise. Through the characters Mr. Santora demonstrates that good people do bad things often for what at first seem noble reasons.

While I found the book generally interesting and at times quite exciting. In the end, the religious focus became too much for me. At the times I thought it was heading down the path of the movie Constantine (supernatural horror 2005) but unfortunately it did not turn out that way. While I liked the good vs evil and the battle with the supernatural, I felt too much like I was being preached to and that it is never too late to turn back to the church.

The 500 is a fun read although it was a bit hard to follow at times. Mike Ford beat the odds and is hired by a Washington lobbying firm. The firm has incredible influence in Washington and promises Mike the world yet what are the costs? I agree with other reviewers that the plot is a bit like Grisham's The Firm and while the writing is not as sophisticated I found the point of view and voice quite good. I do not want to give away much more but I found the plot quite interesting, the pace generally fast, and most of the characters well developed. I am very glad I had the opportunity to read The 500.

Interesting story that is short and a very quick read. The story has a psychological element that gives an eerie, creepy feeling that seems amost real. While I enjoyed the book, it became a bit disjointed at times.

Quick ,very interesting but terrifying read. If you liked Jurassic Park try this short read.

This was a really fun read mixing mystery with car racing in Europe. The major characters are well developed although I would have preferred to see some of the other characters developed a bit more. Overall the story was well paced yet at times it got bogged down a bit in the high tech, race car engineering lingo that lost me. Worth the read!

This was an enjoyable read with an interesting storyline. The characters were a bit one dimensional and the ending was a bit too easy to figure out but overall it was still worth the read.

Fun and interesting read.

AMPED is the amazing sequel to Wired which was one of my favorite books of 2011. As soon as I learned that AMPED was out for purchase I immediately went online and bought it for my kindle. Suffice it to say AMPED is at the top of my list for 2012 and I have read some fantastic books this year. Like in Wired, the quality of the writing, the sophistication of the storyline and the depth of the characters in AMPED are second to none. Mr. Richards has earned a place among the masters!

In AMPED, Mr. Richards continues to create a genre of his own that combines mystery/thriller with cutting edge science and science fiction. It is an amazing thrill ride for the reader but it also makes the reader think about how far science can go before it becomes a detriment to society.

In AMPED, we are once again reunited with Kira, David and Matt as they create a network of scientists working to take their discovery to the next level. Yet someone seems to be a step ahead of them at every turn. Once again the reader must try to decipher who is telling the truth and who are the good and bad guys. Be sure you have time to read the whole book when you sit down because you will not be able to put it down (also remember to breathe).

The combination of amazing research, an amazing writing style, an impeccable sense of timing and one the most creative minds in the industry makes AMPED a book you must not miss. To create such an amazing book, Mr. Richards was surely WIRED and AMPED.

Science and technology,corporate greed, murder, government cover-up, a cross country chase, and even a bit of romance - what else could you ask for. Mr. Lowe is a wonderful storyteller who weaves a very tight story with wonderful characters within an all too real plot. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it a very quick read.

Generally a well written book with an interesting twist (although not entirely new). The story is told through the eyes of a murderer (the Do Good Killer) and the detective trying to bring him to justice. It is fast paced with quite interesting characters. The only criticism I have is that it appears that the author wants to keep the identity of the killer a secret and then changes his mind mid-way through the book and reveals his identity. It makes things a bit disjointed but still this book is definitely worth the read. To describe the book in any greater detail would ruin the story for future readers.

Collection of ten short stories - all violent. While I enjoyed Mr. Ashe's book We Need the Blood, this collection was just not my cup of tea. While I found a few of the stories interesting most just did not seem finished. With that said, I do encourage readers of this to take a look at Mr. Ashe's book, We Need the Blood.

I found this book quite enjoyable - a fun and easy read. Rick Jennings is a radio talk show host. The show he hosts is being considered for satelite radio and the potential of big money. One day he receives a call from a listener who says he has killed someone (he is given the name First Time Killer). Ratings skyrocket as the killer continues to call in and Rick tries to find the killer. I found the characters well developed, the setting really interesting, and the pace quick. When I thought I had the killer identified I found out I was wrong (and this happened not once but twice). Definitely worth the read!

Solid sequel to Death of an Escort. Like the first book, this installment is fast paced and full of action. City of Chaos picks up right where Death of an Escort ends. Ray is on his way to pick up his wife when he stops for food and gas in a small town and finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. While a fun and worthwhile read, the ending was not a great surprise. Furthermore, if you like your mysteries to be somewhat believable, this one is probably not for you. My only other suggestion is to read Death of an Escort first.

Suspense, intrigue, domestic terrorism what more can you ask for when the story has great characters and moves at a pace that leaves you breathless. This was a book that I stayed up all night reading because I just could not put it down. The scary part is that it was way too real. The author uses an understanding of the Posse Comitatus and the historical underpinnings of the Oklahoma City bombing to create a novel of home grown, grass roots terrorism brought to a national stage. Nick James is a governement contract worker specializing in domestic terrorism, with a special understanding and appreciation for local militia groups upset with the government. One day he is fired because the contract he is working on is not renewed. The same day a Supreme Court Justice is kidnapped and a small town sheriff looking for Nick is found dead outside Nick's Washington, DC apartment. How is it all related, Nick must find out before he winds up in jail or even worse - dead. This is simply a must read for those who read mysteries with FBI and police elements.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an incredible fast read with a great story and intriguing characters. I particularly liked the writing style used by Mr. Sturak. It is the story of a murderer trying to lead an ordinary life and a police detective trying to find the murderer but facing his own demons. The ending is amazing. The only thing that I found a bit troublesome was the author was a bit loose with the legal aspects of the investigation but this was very minor and in the end you could probably even explain it away. I will definitely look for more of his work!

This was a quick, fun and enjoyable read. The book is very short but it packs a pretty good mystery with several twists and turns. The main character, a female junior detective from the capital city, is sent to a remote city to solve a murder. She arrives at the beginning of winter and will not be able to leave until spring. The towns people are neither friendly or helpful - the question becomes not whether she will solve the mystery but rather whether she will live to see spring. My only issue with the book is that I really could not figure out the time period in which it was taking place but that probably did not even matter. Glad I took the time to read this book and even more glad I do not live in the time and city depicted in the book.

I was a bit concerned when I saw a description of this book classifying it as chic lit. I am glad I did not listen. The main character, Amber Fox, is a female investigator for an insurance group. She is asked to find the daughter of a voodoo priestess (who Amber has helped before). In the search she uncovers a trail of deceit and murder. Although it does have a bit of romance and some pretty decent humor, it is first and foremost a mystery and a pretty good one at that. It is well written with excellent characters (especially a strong female lead). Although it is not as hard core a mystery as I usually read, I will likely read another Amber Fox mystery when I need something a bit different.

Received this book through member giveaway and really enjoyed it. Ray Crusafi is an old school private investigator (a bit of a cross between Sam Spade and Mike Hammer) with a tendancy toward physical violence. Ray us a bit down on his luck and takes a case where the client is the daughter of a prostitute who dies of an apparent suicide. The daughter is convinced it is murder and hires Ray to prove it and find the killer. It was a fast read with a strong ending. The real interesting part of this novel is that you don't know whether to like or hate the main character. He has a questionable past that appears to involve the mob but you really don't get the whole story. Definitely worth the read.

I don't think anybody goes to college thinking I am going to become a professional kidnapper but that is exactly what happens in this book. Four friends graduate from college and are unable to find suitable employment so they team up and become professional kidnappers. Mouse is the computer whiz of the operation. He finds marks and sets the ransom based on financial and employment information on the internet. Pender is the brains of the operation and with the help of his girlfriend Marie he plans the kidnappings being very careful to move around the country so that the kidnappings are not linked to one another. Finally, Sawyer is the muscle of the group. These four friends operate a successful kidnapping scheme for two years staying under the legal radar by selecting marks who will pay the ransom without much question (they keep the ransom demands relatively low) and not report the incident to the police. Then fate intercedes-first one of the marks reports the kidnapping to the police (enter Kirk Stephens an investigator with a division of the Minnesota State Police). Then one there planned marks leaves town so they have to select a new mark without doing the proper research and end up kidnapping a person with mob connections and all heck breaks lose (enter mob assassins and FBI agen Carla Windermere).

I found the book to be a quick, easy, and action packed read. The characters are well developed and as the reader I became conflicted because at times I liked the show more kidnappers better than the police. The plot is well developed and exciting although it is often not very believable. This is an excellent debut novel and well worth the read. show less

If you love books full of adventure, action, suspense this book is for you. The numerous plot twists will knock your socks off. Mr. Lindberg does such a masterful job with character and plot development that you will not want to put this one down. The story revolves around a journalist, her son, her father, and an ancient religious order as the journalist seeks to find a religious relic that will help save the her mother. Throw in the CIA, Mossad, the Vatican and the other world intellegence agencies and you have an amazing story. Beware, everything is not as it seems. I certainly didn't expect this ending.

Politics, sex, and black magic within the context of the political wrangling during the Clinton sex scandal and impeachment proceedings make this an extremely interesting book. The combination of the real political and other players of this dark time in our history (Clinton, Gingrich, Livingston, Hastert, and Larry Flynt) and the fictional characters often make it very hard to tell where history ends and fiction begins. Within the historical context, the author infuses the interaction of these fictional characters, and the use of fortune telling, tarot cards, and voodoo to make for a great story. All these elements combined with an excellent style ad great character development make for a great read.

A combination of murder, drugs, politics, and spies (especially within the historical/political context of the Panama Canal) created a story that I found quite enjoyable. In this novel, Nicholas Lowe is a CIA field agent turned desk jockey. When his friend (also a CIA agent) is killed when on a field assignment in Panama, Nicholas is asked to return to the field to finish the job of stopping a drug smuggling ring. He is promised that if he is successful he will have his name restored and be granted membership in "The Order" which appears to be a elite society but not really described. Unfortunately, while the story is great I was a bit disappointed in the character development. At times I found myself having to re-read sections to make sure I understood what was happening and who was involved. Despite this flaw, I found the book well worth the read.

This is an excellent historical fiction novel. It takes place in England in the late 1800s and is told from the perspective of Maggie, a teenage girl who is left to care for her brother Thomas on the streets of London. Their father is a leader in the movement to improve conditions for the working class and is imprisoned on charges of creating a riot and other charges against the crown. This sends the family into poverty and they have to become scavengers just to stay alive. Soon the mother dies, leaving just the children. The children try to find a friend of their father who they then seen murdered and whoever did it wants them dead. They then meet a wonderful rich woman who wants to help them or does she? The story is extremely well written and you begin to feel as if you are along for the journey. There is lots of action and interesting twists and turns. I would highly recommend this book.

This is a short novel about a serial killer who likes to "autopsy" his victims alive and then eat their organs. It is told from the perspective of one of his victims as the event is happening and a potential victim/suspect found locked away at the scene as she is being interviewed by the police. It is a quick easy read that is quite descriptive and gruesome. Would have liked a bit more mystery or intrigue but overall it is well written and definitely worth the read.