The Stone Monkey, by Jeffery Deaver

Wow wow wow.  The year’s only about half over but this latest in the Lincoln Rhyme series might take honors as my favorite thriller of 2002.  Lincoln, you’ll recall, is the retired quadriplegic NYPD police captain who solves crimes using his wizardry with forensic evidence.  And, with the help of one of my favorite characters, policewoman Amelia Sachs, who also happens to be in love with him.  The story opens with Lincoln and Amelia assisting the Coast Guard and the INS in the apprehension of a cargo ship of Chinese aliens trying to enter the US illegally.  A man on board the ship in charge of the smuggling operation intentionally sinks the ship a short distance off the coast of New York, hoping to kill everyone on board.  Known as “the Ghost”, he escapes in a life raft but several Chinese individuals and families also manage to get off the ship and reach shore.   They elude the Ghost and go into hiding in New York City but he sets out to find and kill them.  The Ghost is ruthless, vicious, and clever; Lincoln and Amelia will be sorely tested in trying to capture him and save the immigrants.  Luckily, a truly remarkable and unexpected character comes to their aid—and changes Lincoln’s life.  Don’t miss this spectacular read.
 

Tishomingo Blues, by Elmore Leonard

Tishomingo is a gambling lodge in the small town of Tunica, Mississippi.  Dennis Lenahan, a high diver, has arrived in town with his daredevil diving act to perform at the casino for the summer.  Dennis dives from an eighty-foot platform into a small tank of water nine feet deep and tells everyone that from the top the tank looks like a fifty-cent piece.  Dennis is expecting a carefree summer of admiring girls—until he witnesses a murder take place by the diving tank while he is up at the top of the platform.  Dennis escapes being seen and killed but from then on he is involved—whether he likes it or not—in a deadly skirmish between two groups of criminals fighting for dominance in Tishomingo’s drug trade.  Can’t say too much more without spoiling the plot but the usual Elmore lowlifes—and the women you find with them—are in wonderful, entertaining abundance.
 

Sea Glass, by Anita Shreve

We’re in the New England seaside town of Fortune’s Rocks once again, the town of Shreve’s previous novel of the same name set at the turn of the last century.  In fact, we’re in the same big beach house that used to be a convent but the time has jumped to 1929 and the old house is now vacant.  But, not for long because young newlyweds Honora and Sexton have just moved in as caretakers.  He is a traveling typewriter salesman and they met at the bank where she used to work.  Also at the beach is Vivian, late twenties, single, rich, and bored.  Fortune’s Rocks is near the manufacturing town of Ely Falls and here we meet McDermott, 20, one of the textile mill workers, and Alphonse, an eleven-year-old boy forced to work instead of going to school.  The story, always interesting, unfolds through the eyes of these five characters in alternating chapters as they come together in the turmoil following the stock market crash.  These are terrific characters to get to know.  I can always tell I’m really enjoying a book when I anxiously look to see how many pages are left—not the number of pages but the thickness.  With this book, I kept checking and way too soon there was only about a quarter inch left and I kept thinking to myself that the story couldn’t possibly be over yet.  I wanted to spend much more time with these people.  You will, too.
 

The Short Forever, by Stuart Woods

Stone Barrington, the former New York cop turned lawyer, is back for more fun and games in this latest from Woods.  Known for doing the odd job or two, Barrington is hired by a client to go to London and bring back his niece, who has taken up with an unsuitable boyfriend rumored to be in the drug trade.  Stone is able to locate the niece but soon learns that she is not his client’s niece.  So, what’s going on?  A seemingly simple assignment has turned mysterious—and soon will also be deadly.  Luckily, Stone has the help of his former cop partner Dino Bacchetti, who has flown to London to help.  And, an old flame and a new love interest are also on hand to comfort and assist.  This isn’t the best Woods novel I’ve read—a little too much London travelogue and not quite enough mystery or suspense—but it's not a bad summer beach read.
 

City of Bones, by Michael Connelly

The city of bones is Los Angeles, where ancient human bones occasionally bubble up from the La Brea tar pits.  When the bones of a young boy are found on a remote LA hillside, another ‘city’ of bones is mapped out to plot the location of each bone found.  Detective Harry Bosch is in charge of discovering the boy’s identity and it becomes a murder investigation when the coroner rules the death a homicide.  He also tells Harry that the bones show the boy was severely abused his whole life and the death occurred sometime between the late 70s and the early 80s.  Quite a challenge for Harry but this particular case resonates for him and he is determined to find the killer.  Our Harry is a loner but working this intriguing case will change both his personal and professional life.  This is a terrific addition to the Harry Bosch mystery series.
 
 

 

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