Suspicion By: Joseph Finder

What I love about this particular Finder book is that more of the action is cerebral.  There isn't a lot of running around, not a lot of car chases, just a lot of internal thoughts that can get the heart rate thumping just as madly the car chases, etc... When Dan accepts financial help from the father of his daughter's best friend it send him off on the worst adventure of his life.  This is fast paced, gripping and leaves the reader with an icky feeling about who can be trusted and who can't!

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. By: Katarina Bivald

A delightful read!  Think Chocolat meets Fannie Flagg.  A charming treat for book lovers.

The Boys in the Band. By: Mart Crowley

Basically, this is the gay dinner party from hell.  Still as powerful today as it was when it was written and performed 50 years ago!

The Glass Cell. By: Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith's work is always so jarring in its sparseness.  She manages to use very simply language to heighten the tenseness of the characters or the scene.  The Glass Cell is a perfect example of her technique.  Gripping, moving, tense, suspenseful...it's all there.  My only issue with this one was that I had a hard time believing that Carter wouldn't haven't divorced Hazel, and/or wouldn't have told Sullivan to F*** Off, and/or wouldn't have stopping seeing and speaking to Gawill. 

The Year of Living Biblically. By: A.J. Jacobs

I wanted to read this because I had seen the tv show that was based on this book.  But because I'd seen the tv show first, I was expecting the book to be uproariously funny-it wasn't.  There are moments of wry observational humor, which did make me chuckle, but otherwise this is a thoughtful, and detailed examination of the author's year of living by the biblical laws.  It's quite educational, and Mr. Jacobs rights with great ease.  An interesting, fun read.

The Invisible Hand. By: Ayad Akhtar

A fast paced, pulse pounding read!  Akhtar has an amazing ability to whittle down difficult topics to easily understandable pieces, and he does it in the most unsuspecting ways.

Lobby Hero. By: Kenneth Lonergan

An intense look at life, loyalty, work ethic, and relationships, with a touch of humor.

Travesties. By: Tom Stoppard

An intriguing and ingenious look at the intersection of James Joyce, Lenin and Tzara in Switzerland at the time of the Russian Revolution/World War.  The theatrical conceits in this script are quite something!

Twenty-One Days by: Anne Perry

I do love the way Anne Perry writes.  Twenty-One Days begins a new series by one of the masters-and what a beginning!  A disfigured corpse, an explosive manuscript, and 21 days to prove a guilty man innocent, our hero, Daniel Pitt, has a lot on his plate!  It's a meal meant to be devoured by Daniel and the reader.  Written with Ms. Perry's usual taut action and heightened emotional need and the requisite historical context.  Another great addition to the Perry canon!

Bear Town By: Fredrik Backman

This was an upsetting, anger inducing, gut & heart wrenching story, and yet ended with a touch of hope.  A story breathtaking in it's care, written with such detail, and yet sparingly.  Mr. Backman's ability to set a tone, set place and create human characters is astounding.  Be forewarned-if you like his other works, this one will jar you.  It isn't as quirky as his others, and yet, it is still similar.  Beartown ask some very tough questions of it's characters and therefore it's readers.  It will be uncomfortable to get through parts of it, but I feel that it's important to sit with that discomfort.  Due to the subject matter, it's hard to say "I enjoyed" this book, BUT, Backman's gift is to convey the human spirit (the good, the bad and the ugly), and he does it so well, that you can't help but to enjoy the work of an author who knows his craft so well.

The King's Deception & The Tudor Plot by: Steve Berry

How could I not love this one?  It's centered around a myth regarding Queen Elizabeth I-one of my passions!  Add in a the usual historical tid-bits, Cotton and a new gang of supporting characters (got to Love the twins!) and you've got a classic Berry thriller!

A Cotton quickie-regarding the legend of Arthur and the current fictionalized successor to the throne. This one offers a glimpse into the past as it takes place 7 years prior to Cotton's adventures as we know them. A quick, delicious read of royal intrigue!