Catch Me by Lisa Gardner, 466 pages

Catch me is the 6th book in the Detective D.D. Warren series. This is probably one of my favorites that I've read so far, and the twist at the end was so surprising to me. I've really come to love D.D. and she's a character that I'll be sad to let go when the series ends. It's also really fun to read about a female detective that kicks butt.

Love You More by Lisa Gardner, 418 pages

Love You More was the 5th book in the Detective D.D. Warren series. I'm really enjoying this series and it's just the right amount of suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. This book also introduced Tessa who later becomes a frequent character.

The Big Kahuna by Janet Evanovich and Peter Evanovich, 303 pages

"The Big Kahuna" is book #6 in the Fox and O'Hare series by Evanovich.  As far as I am aware this is the first time Peter Evanovich, the son of Janet  Evanovich, has gotten a writing credit.

The story has the same zany, mad cap feeling of the rest of Janet Evanovich's books but the characters have changed from past books.  Kate O'Hare, straight arrow FBI agent, has been the lead on the adventures in the past while ex-con man, turned FBI helper Nicholas Fox has been her sidekick.  Their leading and supporting roles were switched in "The Big Kahuna."

It was still a fun, yet forgettable, crazy ride of a story but I missed have Kate in the lead and the role reversal was a little strange.

Redemption by David Baldacci, 432 pages

Redemption is book #5 in Baldacci's Amos Decker series.  Amos, who has a perfect memory due to a brain injury, is a consultant for the FBI.  In this book, he has returned to his hometown to visit family graves.  While in the cemetery he is confronted by the first murder suspect of his career.  The man asks Decker to look at the case again.  Decker begins digging into the old case and more people start to die.

This was a typical David Baldacci suspense thriller.  And there is not one thing wrong with that.

Shell Game by Sara Paretsky, 304 pages

Shell Game is #19 in Sara Paretsky's  V.I. Warshawski series.  Victoria, VI Warshwaski, is a no nonsense private investigator based in Chicago.

In this story she is back in Chicago and trying to find a missing niece, Reno, she didn't even know was in Chicago, along with trying to keep Felix, the great nephew of a dear friend out of jail.

Sara Paretsky comes through once again with a smart, fast paced, and gritty mystery.  I enjoyed every minute of it.

Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner, 449 pages

Live to Tell was the 4th book in the Detective D.D. Warren series and thankfully, I liked it better than the last one. This book had a really creepy feel to it, which I love. I've really started to like main character D.D. and like the little hints of humor in the writing which breaks up the heavy topics that Gardner seems to include in this series.

Hide by Lisa Gardner, 466 pages

Hide is the second book in the Detective D.D. Warren series by Lisa Gardner. I really enjoyed this book and was very happy that it was more focused on Detective Warren than the first book. I'm really liking this series so far and have already started the third. I recommend this series to anyone who loves a good crime/cop thriller, although they have covered some sad/hard to read topics in the ones I've read so far.

The Fallen by David Baldacci, 432 pages

This is book #4 in Baldacci's Amos Decker series.  In this outing Amos and his friend and co-worker, Alex, are supposed to be on vacation.  They go to Barronville, PA to visit Alex's sister and her family.

Unfortunately, the vacation turns into a working vacation because people keep dying.  This is a typical Baldacci story, and frankly I enjoy a typical Baldacci story.  There is action, suspense, a quick pace and the bad guy typically gets his in the end.

Hardcore Twenty-four by Janet Evanovich, 320 page

I think I've read everything Janet Evanovich has published since the first Stephanie Plum book "One for the Money."

We're now on book 24 in the series and not much has changed in Stephanie's life.  Since about book eight, I typically read and then complain that it wasn't that good.  Guess what?  I liked this one.

The same formula and all the regular zany characters are here but I enjoyed this one more than most.  Thanks Janet.

The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George, 692 pages

Elizabeth George gives us another enigmatic title and fabulous story to go along with it in the 20th installment of her Inspector Lynley series set in England.

Does the title refer to Sergeant Barbara Havers, whose job is on the line?  Could it be her boss, Isabelle Ardery, who continues to struggle with addiction?  Or is it one of the many women in the seemingly quiet little historic town of Ludlow where Havers and Ardery are sent to follow-up on the apparent suicide of a church man while in police custody?

Read or listen to this great mystery and then lets talk.

The Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling, 496 pages

  After finishing this book, I’m officially mad at the author of this series, and I may or may not get beyond my frustration enough to continue to the next book.

  I’m mad because when I start a series, I trust that the author can be a reliable guide who knows where he/she is going and that I will return from the adventure I’ve stepped into. Right now, I have no faith that the author will ever provide sufficient closure.

  The Sword of the Lady is the seventh book in S.M. Stirling’s Emberverse series, all of which I’ve read in addition to a companion set of three books (that stopped with no closure) that share the same starting point but that branch out in a different time dimension than the series that The Sword of The Lady plays out in.

  I’ve clearly enjoyed the books or I wouldn’t have now read ten of them over the last five years. The beginning premise of both series stem from one incident called "The Change," one day in 1998, when unexpectedly, immediately, and simultaneously, the entire world loses power. All electrical and fossil-fuel powered engines cease functioning and gunpowder stops working. Chaos and death ensue, eventually followed by emerging new societies of survivors.

  The Sword of the Lady takes place in 2022, twenty-four years after the change, focusing on a specific group of first generation young adults who have existed only in their post-apocalyptic areas of what used to be the United States.

  It appears that at least another seven books have already been written to follow this book, and another is due to be released in the fall of 2018. I don’t know . . . I like the story . . . I like the characters . . . But at the moment, I’ve completely lost patience because I have no intention of being lost in one fictional series for the remainder of my life. I think I’ll stop reading, hope the books eventually reach a satisfactory conclusion and are turned into a TV series that I can binge watch some year on Netflix to better use the real life I’ve been granted.

Wool by Hugh Howey, 509 pages

   I found Wool to be a quick and absorbing read. It is a post-apocalyptic, coming-of-age, science fiction novel. 

   Juliette, Lukas, and their entire society live underground after the earth’s surface has been made uninhabitable. Their system of living, the life each had experienced prior to the story at hand, and the situation they must try to survive kept my interest. You’ll find action, mystery, and suspense in this one, the first book of a trilogy with several additional volumes stemming from it. 

   I look forward to stepping back into the world created by Hugh Howey in books that follow someday, perhaps when I’m holed up inside to stay out of winter weather.

Dangerous Minds by Janet Evanovich, 319 pages

This is book #2 in Evanovich's new Knight & Moon series.  The series name refers to the two main characters, eccentric gazillionaire Emerson Knight and his Girl Friday, Riley Moon.

In this outing they are trying to find an island stolen from Knights' friend, Wayan Bagus, a Buddhist monk.  It turns out the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, in particular, might have something to do with the island's theft and later disappearance.

The book never really caught my attention, but I slugged through.  I think Evanovich might have phoned this one in from her own tropical island escape.

The Fix by David Baldacci, 432 pages

"The Fix" is book #3 in Baldacci's Amos Decker series.  Amos and his FBI crew are back.  This time, instead of working on a cold case, they work to solve a murder that happened right in front of Amos.  The team ends up in an uneasy alliance with an agent from the Defense Intelligence Agency as they all work together to solve the crime, or do they?

I enjoyed listening to this book.  It was a thriller that kept me entertained throughout.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, 784 pages

My semi-regular foray into Harry Potter is finished.  The seventh and final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" does not disappoint.

Harry, his friends and supporters face down Lord Voldemort and his supporters in this great ending to a fantabulous series.

I re-read all the books this time, as opposed to listening to them.  Not sure which I like better . . . listening . . . reading.  Hmm, I guess I'll have to read or listen to the Harry Potter series again in a year or so to see if I can finally decide. 

No Man's Land by David Baldacci, 420 pages

No Man's Land is #4 in Baldacci's John Puller series.  Chief John Puller, Jr. works for the US Army Criminal Investigation Command.  In this outing, retired General John Puller, Sr. (our John's father) is accused of murdering his wife over thirty years ago.

John Puller, Jr. begins an investigation to find out what really happened to his mother when she disappeared when he was just 8 years old.  Government conspiracies and lots of bad people get in the way of finding out what happened.  Veronica Knox and Robert Puller step in to help. 

Verdict:  not too deep but enjoyable.

Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich, 288 pages

Evanovich makes it easy to keep track of this series.  We are at volume #23 in the Stephanie Plum series. 

Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter in New Jersey.  She has her parents, her wacky grandmother, her sidekick Lula, her boyfriend Joe and her other boyfriend Ranger.

All the usual suspects are here, but instead of the often present strange animal we have an angry clown.  Stephanie catches some bad buys, buys the obligatory new old car and waffles between Joe and Ranger.  A nice little read or listen if you don't want to think to hard. 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, 652 pages

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is book six in the seven book series by J. K. Rowling.

Harry is sixteen and Professor Dumbledore is working with him this year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to help prepare Harry for the showdown he is destined to have with the greatest dark wizard of all times, Lord Voldemort.

The only problem with finishing this great book is in knowing that there is only one book left in the original 7-book series and when I'm done with that one I will have to put the magic of Harry Potter away for awhile.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, 870 pages

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is book 5 in the wildly popular seven book series by J.K. Rowling.

In this volume Harry is a full-blown 15 year old teenager with an attitude.  The Ministry of Magic is trying to discredit him because they don't want to face that Lord Voldemort is back.  It seems to Harry that Professor Dumbledore cannot be bothered to talk to him, let alone look at him this year.  And to top it all off the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, is a Ministry plant who is determined to keep the Hogwarts students from learning any defensive magic.

Not a happy time for our hero, Harry.  However, it is a rollicking good time for those of us lucky enough to read or listen to the story.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, 734 pages

Things are heating up for Harry Potter.  He's in his 4th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and though he is only 14, is mysteriously entered and chosen to be a participant in the Triwizard Tournament.  Who could have entered his name?  Who indeed?

Another rousing adventure brought to us by J.K. Rowling.  These books never get old.  Come fall, I feel the urge to pull them out again.  Maybe one of these years I will outgrow them, but not yet!