Hold Tight, by Harlan Coben

 Mike Baye, a doctor, and his wife, Tia, a lawyer, are living the good life in suburban New Jersey.  Or, are they?  They have two kids—Jill, a pre-teen and Adam, 16.  Jill’s fine but lately Adam has been acting strange and moody.  He loved playing hockey but suddenly he’s given it up. And, he’s acting very secretive.  One of Adam’s friends, Spencer, recently committed suicide and Mike and Tia wonder if that’s at the bottom of Adam’s problems.  Thinking that they need to know their son better, they decide to have spy software secretly installed on Adam’s computer that will give them reports on everything he does on his computer, including emails.  As Mike and Tia read the first reports, it’s soon apparent that Adam is involved in something suspicious—and Spencer’s death may be a part of it.  This was pretty entertaining and it raised some interesting issues on privacy and parenting. 

The Appeal, by John Grisham

 Husband and wife lawyers Wes and Mary Grace Payton have been pursuing justice for Jeannette Baker for several years. Jeannette, who lives in a small town in Mississippi, has lost both her son and her husband to a type of cancer caused by the illegal dumping of toxic waste materials by Krane Chemical.  The Paytons, in order to finance the lawsuit, have mortgaged everything they own and have gone deeply into debt—but they hope to win a large settlement that will make it all worth while.  After one of the longest trials in Mississippi history, the jury awards Jeannette forty-one million dollars.  For the Paytons and Jeannette, it would be nice if that would be that and off into the sunset they ride.  Unfortunately for them, there is the appeal.  Carl Trudeau, the truly despicable CEO of Krane, is determined not to pay a penny in damages—and he has a plan.   Usually I love Grisham novels but this one was just ok.  For me, it lacked a satisfying climax.  But, on the plus side, it made me aware of the potential for abuse in the election of judges.

The Whole Truth, by David Baldacci

 Nicolas Creel—think cruel—is the ruthless head of Ares Corporation, a huge defense contractor.  Business is good--it’s always good when weapons are involved--but good isn’t good enough for Nick.  Nick always wants more, more, more—and he has an ingenious scheme that, if successful, will result in billions of dollars more in weapons contracts for his company.  Nick’s scheme starts to unfold and is well on its way to success when an academic researcher in London, Anna Fischer, starts to question things.  Nick thinks he has taken care of Anna as a problem but he hasn’t reckoned with her fiancé, Shaw.  Just Shaw, no first name.  Shaw is a multi-talented super secret agent working for a clandestine intelligence organization and if you are a bad guy you do not want Shaw on your trail—and especially an angry Shaw.  I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving away the terrific plot but this is an exciting international thriller—loved it!

Death Walked In, by Carolyn Hart

 This is the first novel that I’ve read by Ms. Hart.  Max Darling and his wife, Annie, live on the island of Broward’s Rock, off the coast of South Carolina.  Annie runs a bookstore and Max is sort of a private eye—although he thinks of himself as assisting people.  Together they are restoring an old house on the island called the Franklin House.  It’s February and the tourist island is quiet but the Grant family has assembled to celebrate the birthday of Geoffrey Grant, the family patriarch.  Geoffrey owns a rare collection of gold coins and they are stolen soon after the family arrives.  The next day, the Grant family maid is found murdered at Franklin House—is her death related to the coin theft?  Annie, having found the dying maid, feels responsible for finding her killer—with Max’s help.  This was a pleasant read; I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read the earlier books in the series.

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