Great Escapes #4 These books are available from the Popular Reading Collection located next to the library circulation desk. Any titles currently checked out can be placed on hold. See a staff member at the circulation desk for assistance.
by Bill McCleary
The Loop, by Nicholas Evans
Nicholas Evans is shaping up to be the Andrew Lloyd Webber of novelists. Critics seem to hate him with the same vengeance they reserve for Lloyd Webber. I love his writing but, then again, I like Lloyd Webber, too. The first book by Evans was The Horse Whisperer--good book, good movie. This second book is set in the ranching town of Hope, Montana. Wolves have been reintroduced into the area and now some cattle have been killed. Buck Calder, the leader of the ranchers, thinks the wolves are to blame and he wants them destroyed. Helen Ross, a twenty-nine-year-old wolf biologist, is sent to investigate and protect the wolves--which are endangered and covered by the law. The two are soon enemies--a situation that becomes much more complicated when Helen and Buck's teenage son Luke fall in love. This is both an interesting nature story and a warm love story with great characters--especially Helen, who is just a delight and easy to fall in love with.
Ashes to Ashes, by Tami Hoag
If I remember correctly, I think I tried one of Tami Hoag's novels a few years ago and I couldn't get into it. Maybe I didn't stick with it long enough because I really enjoyed Ashes to Ashes. The setting is Minneapolis--which is being terrorized by a serial killer who burns his victims. Nicknamed the Cremator by the press, he is spotted by a teenage runaway named Angie. She is picked up by the police but refuses to cooperate. Kate Conlan, a former FBI agent working with crime victims, is assigned to Angie. Also working the Cremator case is John Quinn, the FBI's premier profiler and a former lover of Kate's. Together the two of them get caught up in finding the killer while trying to protect Angie's life. And, Kate's--because the killer wants her next. This is a nicely done police thriller with interesting and nuanced characters.
When the Wind Blows, by James Patterson
We've got two best-selling Pattersons writing--James and Richard North. They're both good but James is my favorite and When the Wind Blows is one of his best books. Frannie O' Neill, a young veterinarian, is living in Colorado and trying to get over the murder of her husband. One night as she is driving home she sees a phenomenon so amazing she can't believe her eyes. You'll find it amazing, too. What she has seen leads her to become involved with Kit Harrison, a rogue FBI agent who is in Colorado investigating some suspicious events that the FBI has been ignoring. Together they meet Max, a wonderful, plucky eleven-year-old girl who possesses a talent that should be impossible. Max has escaped from a sinister secret research complex and she is on the run from scientists who would rather kill her than have her talent exposed. Max enlists Frannie and Kit to help her bring to light the evil doings at the complex and rescue Max's brother, who is still locked up there. This is a great book with really likable characters and an unusual suspense story you won't soon forget.
Cuba, by Stephen Coonts
Cuba is suddenly a popular locale for novels. First we had Havana Bay, by Martin Cruz Smith and now we have this latest from Coonts. Admiral Jake Grafton is in charge of an aircraft carrier battle group that has been posted to Guantanamo--the American base on the coast of Cuba. His carrier group is overseeing the removal of biological and chemical weapons that have been secretly stored at Guantanamo. Meanwhile, Fidel Castro is dying of cancer and three men are jockeying to take his place. Things get exciting when Castro dies and one of the ships carrying the removed weapons is hijacked. America discovers that Cuba has targeted six American cities to be bombed with biological weapons. Jake is ordered to recover the hijacked ship and eliminate the bomb threat by destroying the rocket launch sites and the chemical/biological weapons plant in Havana. Piece of cake for Jake! This is a good military suspense novel but it lacks the complexity and intricate plot weaving that Tom Clancy brings to this genre. Call it Clancy Lite.
THIS ISSUE'S OLDIE BUT GOODIE
The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
Ken Follett had written a half dozen suspense best sellers when he came out with this book in 1989. I was expecting more of the same so I was shocked when I started reading Pillars. Here was a complete and total departure. I could not have been more surprised if Danielle Steel had decided to write scientific textbooks. Instead of a modern story, Pillars was set in the Middle Ages. Ugh! And, as I read on the book jacket, it was about cathedral building. What the heck??? Well, I have an interest in architecture and I loved all of Follett's other books so I decided to give it a try. From the very first page I was transported back in time to twelfth century England and in no time I was caught up in the lives of the characters who were involved in the building of a grand cathedral. Follett did a truly masterful job of depicting this period through a wonderful and engrossing story. This is one of the best books I've ever read and certainly Follett's finest.
RECENT ARRIVALS
Atlantis Found, by Clive Cussler
Monster, by Jonathan Kellerman
Irresistible Forces, by Danielle Steel
Pop Goes the Weasel, by James Patterson
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J. K. Rowling
Saving Faith, by David Baldacci
Revised Aug. 9, 2000
Comments to Bill McCleary