Publisher: Penguin Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/06/2013
ISBN-13: 9780670785858
ISBN-10: 0670785857

Psychological Suspense. In this 7th novel to feature Sergeant Charlotte "Charlie" Zailer and Detective Simon Waterhouse, Charlie's trying to quit smoking with the help of a hypnotherapist. While waiting for her appointment, she speaks with a fellow client who repeats a phrase ("kind, cruel, kind of cruel") that had been found at the scene of a brutal crime. When the woman is brought in for questioning, her complex and unusual (perhaps even suspicious) background complicates the investigation. Because this complex series builds relationships from book to book and incorporates a lot of characters, newcomers should start at the beginning, with Little Face.

Publisher: Mulholland Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/09/2013
ISBN-13: 9780316133722
ISBN-10: 0316133728

Cyber-Thriller. Skinner is a former CIA agent whose bizarre upbringing (the details come out over the course of the book) means he struggles for normal interactions, though it also made him particularly suited to his current gig -- protecting an "asset," which in this case is a genius roboticist/data analyst named Jae. She's trying to find whoever is behind an attack on the U.S. power grid (when she's not high on amphetamines or peyote, that is). Cyberterrorism is the name of the game in this chilling, timely tale, and even Skinner and Jae aren't exactly sure what they're working towards. "Mind-bendingly original," says Booklist.

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/16/2013
ISBN-13: 9781611099690
ISBN-10: 1611099692

Thriller. If you like The X-Men, you'll be intrigued by the scenario presented in Brilliance. Starting in 1980, about 1% of all children born in the U.S. were gifted with unusual abilities. Thirty-three years later, these "brilliants" (also called "abnormals" or "abs") are leaders in various fields -- including terrorism. Nick Cooper's one of them, though he works for a government agency charged with stopping ab terrorists. His efforts to stop a particularly horrific one demolish most of what he'd believed about the world he lives in and may have readers nervous about a "near future too close for comfort" (Publishers Weekly).

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books/Viking
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/16/2013
ISBN-13: 9780670026517
ISBN-10: 0670026514

Psychological Suspense. Sarah Farber and her best friend Jennifer had always tried to stay safe, even composing lists of things never to do (never park farther than six spots from your destination, never help a stranger with a flat tire), but that didn't stop them from being abducted and held captive in a cellar for three years by a man who tortured and raped them and two other women. A decade later, Sarah has changed her name, but she's still terrified, agoraphobic, and isolated. Jennifer didn't survive. Squeamish readers will be put off by the descriptions of what happened in the basement, but Sarah's search for the truth behind Jennifer's disappearance is a gripping, intense experience that fans of Minette Walters' The Devil's Feather will enjoy. 

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Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2011
ISBN-13: 9780061766343
ISBN-10: 0061766348

Crime Caper. You'd think getting out of prison would be a good thing, but for newly released ex-con Charles "Shake" Bouchon, it just brings more trouble. It starts when he agrees to do a favor -- take a package to Vegas and return with another one -- for an ex-girlfriend. But she just happens to be the head of L.A.'s Armenian mob, the "package" turns out to be a woman named Gina, and the "destination" a sleazy strip-club owner. Before you know it, Shake has seriously pissed off all three and is in danger of losing his life to some truly scary people. If you're a fan of Elmore Leonard or Carl Hiaasen, you can follow this technicolor debut novel with its sequel, Whiplash River.

Publisher: The Overlook Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/02/2013
ISBN-13: 9781468301700
ISBN-10: 1468301705

Crime Caper. In this violent, funny follow-up to series debut Plugged, fatalistic bouncer/casino owner Dan McEvoy tries not to sleep with a psychotic semi-girlfriend, "rescues" a kidnapped buddy, and deals with some cops determined to arrest him (or, alternatively, kill him), all while delivering a package for a small-time gangster who hopes the mission gets McEvoy killed. Plenty of profanity (inventively deployed) and a diabolically twisted plot makes for "lots of bloody fun" (The New York Times) for the reader, if not for poor Dan.

Publisher: William Morrow
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/22/2013
ISBN-13: 9780062092786
ISBN-10: 0062092782

Thriller. In this 16th Serge Storms novel, we meet Wisconsinites Patrick and Barbara McDougal, special ed teachers treating themselves to a modest vacation in sunny Florida. Unfortunately, they are not in for a relaxing time, as they get caught up in Serge's filming of a mostly faked "reality show" and the very real turf war between a drug runner (he hides them in horse blankets) and the guy who runs the pain clinics that dispense the pills. Plenty of bullets fly in this "mix of mayhem and mirth" (Publishers Weekly), which is the most recent in the series. If you've already read all the many Florida-set capers, try the Nick Reid novels by Rick Gavin -- it's an equally colorful series set in the Mississippi Delta.

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/27/2010
ISBN-13: 9780307272584
ISBN-10: 0307272583

Suspense Fiction. In this classic Carl Hiaasen novel ("demented, hilarious, and utterly over the top" (Booklist)), Ann DeLusia, the body double for frequently drug-addled pop star Cherry Pye, has been kidnapped by an obsessed (and, obviously, convinced) paparazzo. Now, Cherry's entourage (a mixed bag, to be sure) has to rescue Ann while keeping her existence a secret not only from Cherry's adoring public, but also from Cherry herself. There's not much to like about any of the characters in Star Island, but the creatively wacky plot is sure to entertain readers who enjoy poking fun at celebrity stardom.

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Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/30/2007
ISBN-13: 9780812974546
ISBN-10: 0812974549

Eco-Thriller. Working as a door-to-door salesman in a South Florida trailer park, teenager Lem Altick becomes an eyewitness to the murders of two of his would-be customers by a vegan/animal rights activist/assassin. Lem agrees to an uneasy alliance with the ethical assassin (who's quite charming when he's not killing people) but trouble isn't far away. It's ecologically centered wackiness in Florida, so Carl Hiaasen fans will surely want to check this one out. (Author David Liss is better known for his historical mysteries. This is not one of them.)

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Publisher: Mariner Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/05/2011
ISBN-13: 9780156035590
ISBN-10: 0156035596

Crime Caper. Someone has robbed aging strip-club owner and low-level gangster Manco Kapak. His thugs think the culprit is L.A. newcomer Joe Carver (it's not) and attempt to get rid of him. But Carver's not defenseless, and when his innocence continues to be disputed, he counterattacks with a vengeance, putting Kapak in hot water with higher-ups in the drug world, while the actual thief and his sociopathic new love step up their crime spree. Meanwhile, the detective in charge of solving the crimes is distracted by the financial pressures of his two secret families. There's a lot going on here, but author Thomas Perry handles the multiple plot strands and one-of-a-kind characters with ease, making Strip "pure, unadulterated fun" (Library Journal).

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