The Soul Catcher, by Alex Kava

This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Kava and it’s the third in a series featuring Maggie O’Dell, an FBI profiler.  Maggie is childless, about to be divorced, borderline alcoholic, and has a rocky relationship with her mother. The novel begins with one of Maggie’s co-workers killed in a standoff with a cult group in Massachusetts.  Then, a senator’s daughter is murdered in Washington, D.C. after she attended a religious rally.  Maggie is assigned to the D.C. murder investigation and the evidence begins to link the two cases to a religious group led by a charismatic leader named Reverend Joseph Everett.  This same Reverend Everett has helped Maggie’s mother with her depression and drinking problems and she has sold all her possessions and joined his group.  Maggie must go after Reverend Everett and try to save her mother at the same time.  This was an ok read but not great.  I didn’t find Maggie to be a very likable main character.
 

Eleventh Hour, by Catherine Coulter

Ms. Coulter has a nice series going featuring married FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock Savich.  In this latest book they play a supporting role to a third agent, Dane Carver.  Dane’s twin brother, a priest, has been murdered in San Francisco and Dane is sent there informally to assist the local police in the investigation of his death.  An attractive young homeless person, Nicola Jones, comes forward with an eyewitness account of the murder and Dane takes her under his wing.  Nicola is not your typical homeless person and through flashbacks we learn that she is on the run from an ex-fiance she thinks is trying to kill her.  Dane finds out that his brother’s death was one of several that followed the plot lines of a television show.  With multiple murders in several places, the FBI is formally brought in with Dillon and Lacey assigned to assist Dane.  Together, the agents must keep Nicola alive while they search for the killer.  Coulter’s last book took an unfortunate turn into the supernatural but this one’s back on track with two interesting and suspenseful plotlines that make for an enjoyable read.
 

From a Buick 8, by Stephen King

The time is 1979.  Jimmy Carter is president; the Nobel Peace Prize just a gleam in his eye.  A vintage 1954 Buick Roadmaster glides into a gas station in the western Pennsylvania town of Statler.  The driver heads in the direction of the restrooms and promptly disappears.  Troopers Ennis Rafferty and Curtis Wilcox are called in to investigate the missing driver and the abandoned car.  They are unable to figure out what happened to the driver but one thing is clear.  This is no ordinary Buick.  It looks like a Buick, but not quite.  Everything is slightly off. The dashboard is wood and none of the controls work. Nor does the steering wheel—which is also way too big and more like a ship’s wheel.  Clearly, we have entered Stephen King territory.  The troopers have the Buick towed back to the police barracks and stored in Shed B while they continue their investigation.  And, strange, strange things start to happen with the Buick that will continue to vex the troopers of Statler for the next twenty-two years.  This was a good story and I enjoyed it but I have to confess I was just a little disappointed. I like my cars to move and this Buick spends the whole book in the garage.  Maybe I was expecting something more along the lines of the fondly remembered Christine.
 

December 6, by Martin Cruz Smith

Yes, that December 6, the day before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  We’re in Tokyo and it’s a few days before the day that will live in infamy. We’re soon to make the acquaintance of thirty-year-old Harry Niles, the American son of missionary parents.  Harry has grown up in Japan, speaks Japanese fluently, and sometimes feels he is more Japanese than American.  Through wonderful flashbacks to 1921 Japan, when Harry was ten, we learn how he became the man he is.  And, what sort of man is he?  Well, he runs a Tokyo jazz club, he’s a skillful gambler, and he’s been in on some slightly shady business schemes over the years. He’s got a Japanese girlfriend but he’s also having an affair with a British diplomat’s wife.  That’s Harry on the surface but he’s a lot more than that.  You’ll get to know the real Harry as he negotiates the very dangerous and suspenseful events leading up to December 7th.  And, a more interesting character you’re unlikely to meet in fiction this year.  Martin Cruz Smith has been one of my favorite authors and I think this is his best book since Gorky Park.   You’ll be on the edge of your seat right up to the last page—but you’ll also be treated to numerous gems of description and other characters just as well-drawn as Harry.  Terrific book.
 

Blood Orchid, by Stuart Woods

This is the third outing for Orchid Beach Chief of Police Holly Barker.  Not quite a year has passed since Holly lost her fiancé, an innocent bystander in a violent bank robbery, and she is still trying to get over his death.  She has thrown herself into her work and her latest investigation will keep her distracted. Two Miami developers have been murdered and a third Orchid Beach developer has narrowly escaped being killed.  All three were bidding on a large Orchid Beach property being auctioned off by the U.S. government.  The three cases seem related and Holly is soon working with the FBI, which is investigating due to the U.S. government connection.  The FBI can be a pain but on the upside a new love interest for Holly enters the picture.  If you ask yourself one of the most important questions in a police murder investigation—“Who benefits?”—you’ll solve this book’s mystery rather easily.  But, Holly and the rest of the Orchid Beach gang are such enjoyable characters to spend time with I liked the book a lot anyway.
 

 

Back to the Library Home Page

Comments to Bill McCleary