Kill For Me

Kill for Me by Karen Rose ~~ (ARC)

Five teenage girls have been murdered. One survived, and only she can reveal the secrets of a disturbing ring of people who kidnap and sell teenage girls on the black market. But those responsible for the crimes will do whatever it takes to maintain her silence.Susannah Vartanian and Luke Papadopoulos have both sworn to stop the murderers for their own reasons. Susannah, the sister of the hero in SCREAM FOR ME, suffers from a mysterious past that is connected to the sinister black market. Luke is an investigative agent and a computer expert who refuses to let another child predator get away. Susannah and Luke are instantly attracted to each other, but their troubled pasts prevent them from immediately acting upon their feelings. The case will lead them to the shady realm of Internet chat rooms, where anyone can mask their identity. As Susannah and Luke draw closer to the criminals, they discover a chain of deception so intricate they don't know who to trust. Susannah and Luke find comfort in one another's arms, but the killers are ruthless and determined, and will take extreme measures to insure their anonymity and keep their business intact. (Due out Feb 2009)

Karen Rose is one of the best mystery/thriller writers out there. I could not wait to read this book (due out in Feb 2009) and was beyond excited to get an advanced readers copy. The story of the Vartarian family continues from Scream For Me. Young girls are disappearing and being sold as sex slaves. When the FBI gets to close, the abductors flee, mistakenly leaving a victim alive. The book follows the search by Susanna and Luke to find the heartless people behind the depraved operation. There are so many twists, turns and secrets in this book your heart will race as you try to keep up with them all. If you thought Simon was disturbed in the previous book - meet Bobby. Bobby gives Simon a run for his money. But is there a reason for that?? The shocking revelations will have you dropping your jaw in shock and turning the pages faster and faster to find out how it all comes to an end.

Bones

Bones (Alex Delaware, No. 23) by Jonathan Kellerman ~~

The anonymous caller has an ominous tone and an unnerving message about something “real dead . . . buried in your marsh.” The eco-volunteer on the other end of the phone thinks it’s a prank, but when a young woman’s body turns up in L.A.’s Bird Marsh preserve no one’s laughing. And when the bones of more victims surface, homicide detective Milo Sturgis realizes the city’s under siege to an insidious killer. Milo’s first move: calling in psychologist Alex Delaware.

The murdered women are prostitutes–except the most recent victim; a brilliant young musician from the East Coast, employed by a wealthy family to tutor a musical prodigy, Selena Bass seems out of place in the marsh’s grim tableau.

Conveniently–perhaps ominously–Selena’s blueblood employers are nowhere to be found, and their estate’s jittery caretaker raises hackles. But Milo’s instincts and Alex’s insight are too well-honed to settle for easy answers, even given the dark secrets in this troubled man’s past. Their investigation unearths disturbing layers–about victims, potential victims, and suspects alike–plunging even deeper into the murky marsh’s enigmatic depths.

Bizarre details of the crimes suggest a devilish serial killer prowling L.A.’s gritty streets. But when a new murder deviates from the pattern, derailing a possible profile, Alex and Milo must look beyond the suspicion of madness and consider an even more sinister mind at work. Answers don’t come easy, but the darkest of drives and desires may fuel the most devious of foes.

Bones is classic Kellerman–relentlessly peeling back the skin and psyches of its characters and revealing the shadows and sins of the souls beneath. With jolt after jolt of galvanizing suspense, it drives the reader through its twists and turns toward a climax as satisfying as it is shattering. (From Amazon)

Finally --- the old Alex is back!!! Some of his latest books have been very up and down for me, but that has all changed with this latest book. When several bodies are found on a marsh near the beach, Milo, Alex and a new rookie detective work together to determine what has happened. Especially when one of the victims is the employee on an ecentric billionaire - and the rest are all prostitutes. Alex and Milo struggle to find the connection between the women. The characters are memorable - from the genius child we never meet, to the marsh environmental fanatic. While the ending may have seemed predictable, getting there with these old friends was almost like being there yourself. The quick wit and banter between Alex and Milo is back, better than ever. It was also nice to see Robin and Rick and I hope they make more appearances in future books. Jonathan Kellerman has always been a favorite author of mine and will continue to be! A

Book Giveaway - Fit To Die by J.B. Stanley -- Autographed!

It's time for my newest giveaway. This week it's an autographed copy of Fit to Die: A Supper Club Mystery by J.B. Stanley

Welcome back to Quincy's Gap, Virginia, where James Henry and his dieting group contend with dangerous secrets, dark intrigue, and delicious praline sundaes. Six months after starting their low-carb diet, the Flab Five are feeling motivationally- challenged. A new ice cream shop has come to town, but so has the Witness to Fitness weight loss center, run by the fanatical Veronica Levitt. Maybe Veronica's "take-no-prisoners" approach is just what the group needs.Between dieting, caring for his cranky father, and struggling with his growing affection for Lucy, James has his plate full. But when he and his fellow dieters poke around in an arson case that turns into a murder investigation, the Flab Five discover that they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

Now on to the RULES ~~~

1. Open to residents of the US only


2. Post a comment here. You MUST LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS OR ACTIVE BLOG ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT. Any comment that DOES NOT INCLUDE this information WILL BE DELETED. I have to have a way to contact you if you win!!!!


3. If you blog this contest and leave a link in your comment so I can check it out, you will receive an extra entry to the contest.

Sign ups open through November 3rd. Winner will be announced on Nov 4th.

Winner - Angel's Tip

Congratulations

Becky

My friendly Randomizer picked Becky as the lucky winner of an my ARC of Angel's Tip by Alafair Burke. I hope you love this as much as I did :) I've sent an email to Becky requesting her address so that I can get the book out to her. (If I don't hear from Becky by Wednesday I will pick another winner.)

Thanks to everyone who signed up! Don't forget to sign up for my next giveaway -it's a fun, autographed, book!!

Dead Ringer

Dead Ringer by Mary Burton ~~

Beside each body, he leaves a simple charm bearing a woman's name. Ruth, Martha, Judith. The victims were strangers to each other, but they have been chosen with the utmost care. Each bears a striking resemblance to Kendall Shaw, a local anchorwoman...each brutally strangled by a madman whose obsession will never end...In front of the cameras, Kendall is the picture of stylish confidence. But at night she's haunted by nightmares in which she is young, alone, and filled with fear. Are these memories - or omens? Despite warnings from Richard Detective Jacob Warwick, Kendall can't stop investigating the recent string of murders. She knows she holds the key to catching an obsessed psychopath - if he doesn't get to her first...The deeper Kendall and Jacob dig into the victims' backgrounds, the more terrifying the discoveries. For from the shadows of the past, a legacy of evil has resurfaced. Every murder, every moment has been leading to Kendall. And this time, nothing will stop the killer making her his final victim...

Mary Burton brings back Kendall Shaw from her last book, I've Been Watching You. When woman who look like Kendall Shaw start showing up dead she makes it her business, as a reporter, to find out the truth. Not only does she butt heads with the lead detective, she's also experiencing nightmares. Glimpse of her past that she can't explain. As Kendall and the detective start to work together to unravel the mystery (and for him to keep Kendall safe) they start working together - only to be horrified at the reasoning behind the murders. With a secret that will rock Kendall to her core. There are several subplots along the way. One of which deals with her boss Brett, that leaves the reader wondering "what's the point". But the in tenseness of the murder scenes and the secrets that Kendall will uncover more than make up for this minor subplot. And as will any romantic suspense book - the quick, but fervent love story will have you wanting more from these characters. A

Knit Two

Knit Two by Kate Jacobs ~~ (ARC)

This sequel to the best-selling The Friday Night Knitting Club returns to the Manhattan knitting store Walker & Daughter five years after the death of the store’s owner, Georgia Walker. Georgia’s daughter, Dakota, is now an eighteen-year-old freshman at New York University, running the knitting store part-time with the help of the members of the Friday Night Knitting Club. Drawn together by their love for Dakota and the sense of family that the club provides, each knitter is struggling with new challenges. For Catherine, it’s finding love after divorce; for Darwin, newborn twins; for Lucie, being both a single mom and a caregiver for her elderly mother; and for seventy-something Anita, marriage to her sweetheart, Marty, over the objections of her grown children.

Five years later the Friday Night Knitting Club is still going strong. Although they now only meet once a month, the friendships are as strong as ever. But they all are facing new challenges in their lives. Dakota struggles with honoring her mothers dream while wanting to find her own. Peri struggles with being tied down to the store at the expense of herself, and Anita struggles with marrying the man of her dreams against the wishes of her children while at the same time trying to find something she "lost" 40 years before. This continues to be a warm story of frienships, sacrifices and what we'll do for the ones we love. While they are not related in any way by blood they consider each other family. And as they struggle to find the inner peace they are looking for, they continue to be there for one another, to help each other and to love each other.

Final Breath

Final Breath by Kevin O'Brien ~~ (ARC)

Once A Killer's Chosen You.

At first, the deaths seem random. A young Portland couple brutally murdered in a game gone awry … a Chicago woman who plummeted to her death from an office building … an aspiring screenwriter asphyxiated in his New York apartment. But the macabre souvenirs television reporter Sydney Jordan receives hint at a connection that is both personal and terrifying.

The Only Thing You Have To Do.

After events in her own life went wrong, Sydney fled to Seattle with her teenage son. But instead of getting a fresh start, Sydney is plagued by strange occurrences. Someone is watching, someone who knows her intimately … someone who's just waiting to play the next move in a twisted game.

Is Die.

She is his chosen one. Every murder is a sign, and soon, Sydney will understand why each victim had to suffer-and why she's the next in line.

Sydney Jordan produces special personal interest segments for the news. After some personal problems with her husband, Sydney picks up and moves to Seattle with her son. But weird things start happening. The subjects of her news pieces start dying and Sydney and her son are being stalked. When the truth comes out about the killer, no one is more shocked than Sydney herself. Is the killer the one person that Sydney trusted most in the world? Or the one she least expected to be after her? And is everything exactly what it seems??? An intense thriller that will keep you turning the pages long into the night.

The Broken Window

The Broken Window: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel (Lincoln Rhyme) by Jeffery Deaver ~~

In bestseller Deaver's entertaining eighth Lincoln Rhyme novel (after The Cold Moon), Rhyme, a forensic consultant for the NYPD, and his detective partner, Amelia Sachs, take on a psychotic mastermind who uses data mining—the business of the twenty-first century—not only to select and hunt down his victims but also to frame the crimes on complete innocents. Rhyme is reluctantly drawn into a case involving his estranged cousin, Arthur, who's been charged with first-degree murder. But when Rhyme and his crew look into the strange set of circumstances surrounding his cousin's alleged crime, they discover tangential connections to a company that specializes in collecting and analyzing consumer data. Further investigation leads them to some startlingly Orwellian revelations: Big Brother is watching your every move and could be a homicidal maniac. The topical subject matter makes the story line particularly compelling, while longtime fans will relish Deaver's intimate exploration of a tragedy from Rhyme's adolescence.

If you never want to know how easy it is for someone to steal your identity and take over your life - don't read this book. The author did an incredible amount of research on this topic and it shows in the storytelling. However, the whole concept of identity theft, and how simple it is for someone to do, completely freaked me out! It's scary what someone can find out about you and how they can use that information. I thought this was a great addition to the Rhymes/Sachs story. It also finally gives us a glimpse into Lincoln's childhood and some of the things that made him the man he is today.

The 7th Victim

The 7th Victim by Alan Jacobson ~~

The Dead Eyes Killer lurks in the backyard of the famed FBI Profiling Unit. His brutal murders confound the local task force, despite the gifted profiling skills of Special Agent Karen Vail. But along with Vail’s insight and expertise comes considerable personal and professional baggage.

On leave pending a review of her assault on her abusive ex-husband, Vail must battle forces determined to bring her down, as she fights to find Dead Eyes before he murders more young women. But the seventh victim is the key to all that stirs this killer...the key that will unlock secrets perhaps too painful for Vail to bear. These are secrets that threaten to destroy her, secrets that will bring down her storied career. For Karen Vail, the truth rests at the heart of a lie. And uncovering it could get her killed...

With material meticulously researched during seven years of study with the Bureau’s vaunted profiling unit, Alan Jacobson brings refreshing realism and unprecedented accuracy to his pages.

The 7th Victim is a page-turner as only Alan Jacobson can write, with a stunning twist of an ending that will satisfy even the most discerning thriller reader.

What an amazing thriller. Karen Vail is a profiler for the FBI on the hunt of a serial killer. Not only is she working this case, but she's also dealing with a violent ex-husband, a son in a coma and a mother who needs to be in assisted living. Along the way she will encounter more twists and turns than a roller coaster. She'll learn secrets about her past that will astound her. Do the secrets in her past relate to the case she's working on? Will they change her forever? Alan Jacobson does a masterful job of bringing the reader into the world of the BAU and the ways in which the profilers there do their job. The ending of the book is such a shocker - it will knock your socks off!!

Book Giveaway - Angels' Tip by Alafair Burke (ARC)

It's time for my newest giveaway. This week it's an ARC of Angel's Tip by Alafair Burke

Near the start of Burke's gripping second procedural to feature NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher (after Dead Connection), Ellie happens on the mutilated body of college student Chelsea Hart in East River Park while on her morning jog. Friends of the victim point the cops toward posh nightclub Pulse, located in the trendy Meatpacking district, where Ellie and partner J.J. Rogan are able to match a VIP's credit card receipt to young and arrogant investment banker Jake Meyers, with whom Chelsea was last reported seen. But pinning the case on him doesn't feel right when Ellie discovers similarities between Chelsea's murder and two others from years past. Meanwhile, local media keep getting hold of unreleased facts of the case, making Ellie's superiors suspicious of her romantic relationship with Daily Post crime reporter Peter Morse. Knowing the cops aren't on the right track lends a sense of dread to the plot. Burke leaves her principle characters little time to sleep; readers will relate.

Now on to the RULES ~~~

1. Open to residents of the US only


2. Post a comment here. You MUST LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS OR ACTIVE BLOG ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT. Any comment that DOES NOT INCLUDE this information WILL BE DELETED. I have to have a way to contact you if you win!!!!


3. If you blog this contest and leave a link in your comment so I can check it out, you will receive an extra entry to the contest.

Signs ups open until October 24th. The winner will be announced on Oct. 25th.

Book Giveaway - Cross Country - WINNER

Congratulations

Kasey

My friendly Randomizer picked Kasey as the lucky winner of an my ARC of Cross Country by James Patterson. I hope you love this as much as I did :) I've sent an email to Kasey requesting her address so that I can get the book out to her. (If I don't hear from Kasey by Monday I will pick another winner.)

Thanks to everyone who signed up! Don't forget to sign up for my next giveaway - it's a great book!

We All Fall Down

We All Fall Down (Leisure Fiction) by Simon Wood ~~

Design engineering contractor Hayden Duke is pleased to have been hired by Marin Design Engineering for a short term project. He hopes that his work will impress the firm's bosses so they would hire him for a full time position. Before he was selected, another contractor walked into the ocean and drowned. The witnesses who called 911 heard the man mumble he did a horrible thing and must pay the price.

The person who hired Hayden is his friend Shane Fallon who is glad to have his pal on board. A couple of days after Hayden starts working Shane sends him an email with an attachment that he cannot open. Hayden calls Shane, who warns him to delete it. Hayden goes to Shane's house only to find a hallucinating man who is locked inside his apartment seeking electronic bugs. He kills himself and the autopsy reveals a bruise on his hand like the man who committed suicide in the ocean. Shane's sister Rebecca and Hayden believe there is more to his apparent suicide and it is linked in some manner to the project. When the project is completed, everyone associated with it except Hayden and Rebecca die in an arson fire. Trying to stay alive and elude police and fire officials' suspicions, the pair seek the truth, which may prove deadly for them.

The Tutu Ballet

The Tutu Ballet by Sally Lee ~~

In THE TUTU BALLET Lee once again takes us into the forest where the characters are children of animals - bears, foxes, rabbits, and mice - all gathered for the ballet school by prim ex-prima ballerina Ms. Berry. The students all love the class but excel in one particular aspect of the spectrum of ballet: Belinda the bear is capable of the high kicks in the air, Harriet the hare is particularly gifted at spinning, Fillippo the fox is especially good at jumping, and Mirabel the mouse concentrates her talent in perfecting the plié. Ms. Berry thoughtfully analyzes these individual special talents and brings the four students and their specialties into a grand ballet that takes advantage of the gifts of each student.

My three year old niece loved this book (I had to read it to her three times in a row). The pictures a vivid, the story simple. The only thing she didn't know was that a 'hare' was also a rabbit :) Ms. Lee does a wonderful job of weaving a lesson about individuality with compromise on a level that is easy enough for even a three year old to understand.

Sleepwalking in Daylight

Sleepwalking In Daylight by Elizabeth Flock (ARC) ~~

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Flock has built a reputation for writing fiction that conveys the resiliency of the human spirit. In her novels, But Inside I’m Screaming, Me & Emma, and Everything Must Go, Flock poses tough questions about the complexities of life with characters that face difficult decisions. Now in her fourth novel, SLEEPWALKING IN DAYLIGHT, she returns with yet another strong characterization, adroitly entering the psyche of a mother and a daughter, both stuck at a crossroads in their lives and trying to cope with life’s disappointments.

Sam is a stay at home mom who seems to have it all: a beautiful home, successful husband, and three wonderful children, but beneath the surface lies a darker reality—she feels stuck at this stage in life and constantly wonders if this is all that life has to offer her. Cammy is Sam’s teenage daughter, battling depression and isolation. As Cammy spins out of control, exhibiting risky and dangerous behaviors, Sam misses her silent cries for help and in the end, SLEEPWALKING IN DAYLIGHT is the story of how a contemporary family deals with change and, ultimately, tragedy.

The story is told from the points of view of a mother and daughter - each alternating a chapter. The mother is at a crossroads in her marriage and her life, so wrapped up in her own problems that she misses the signs her daughter is in trouble. The daughter is struggling with finding herself after learning at a young age that she's adopted. She struggles with promiscuity and drugs, but how far will she take it? This is a beautiful story of a mother and daughter each trying to find their way - with an ending that left me in tears! Highly recommended!

A Killer Workout

A Killer Workout: A Fat City Mystery by Kathryn Lilley ~~

Plus-sized reporter Kate Gallagher decides to report for duty at Body Blast, a boot camp-style fitness program. But then her roomie is discovered with a broken neck at the foot of the climbing wall. It’s not the first suspicious accident at the camp—another woman recently fell to her death during a Wilderness Challenge.

Kate knows that losing weight is hard, but now it looks like it’s turning into mortal combat.

The Night Stalker

The Night Stalker: A Novel of Suspense by James Swain ~~

Hard-edged, evocative, brilliantly paced, James Swain’s novels of crime and punishment in South Florida delve into a shadowy realm where criminals, victims, and cops share the same truths, the same lies, and sometimes even the same nightmares.

Abb Grimes is famous. Just ask the ghoulish tourists who flock to his former home to take photographs. Years ago, Grimes killed eighteen women, some never found. As the head of the Broward County Missing Persons Unit, Jack Carpenter was intimately involved in the Grimes case. Now, days away from execution, the notorious serial killer reaches out to ex-cop Carpenter with a surprising request.

Abb Grimes’ grandson was lured from his home. The cops are convinced the boy’s father–Abb’s troubled son, Jed–is behind the boy’s disappearance, but Jack’s not so sure. With a personal connection to the kidnapped child, Carpenter takes the case, and that’s when the situation goes from terrifying to fatal. There’s another gruesome murder, and once again the evidence points straight to Jed. Have the unspeakable sins of his father taken root within this troubled young man?

Carpenter races against time and a police department that wants his help but rejects his aggressive style as he searches through an underworld of predators, assembling the jagged pieces of a depraved puzzle, desperate to put an end to a murderous stalker’s blood-soaked rampage.

With unremitting action and skillfully polished prose, bestselling author James Swain has written his most riveting thriller yet, delving even deeper into the fascinating psyche of misbehaving crusader Jack Carpenter. A hero immersed in the evil that is his prey, Carpenter battles a stunning betrayal–and a horrendous danger no one saw coming.

I absolutely loved this book (as well as Midnight Rambler). Jack Carpenter is back and better than ever! An expert in the recovery of missing people, he will stop at nothing to bring home them home. When Jack is hired by Abb Grimes (who just happens to be on death row and 4 days from execution) to hire his kidnapped grandson, Jack doesn't hesitate to find out what really happened. Along the way he uncovers several secrets that will have a profound affect on everyone involved. This action packed page turner will have you up and reading late into the night.

Book Giveaway - Cross Country (ARC)

It's time for my next giveaway. This time it will be an ARC of Cross Country by James Patterson.

When the home of Alex Cross's oldest friend, Ellie Cox, is turned into the worst murder scene Alex has ever seen, the destruction leads him to believe that he's chasing a horrible new breed of killer. As Alex and his girlfriend, Brianna Stone, become entangled in the deadly Nigerian underworld of Washington D.C., what they discover is shocking: a stunningly organized gang of lethal teenagers headed by a powerful, diabolical man--the African warlord known as the Tiger. Just when the detectives think they're closing in on the elusive murderer, the Tiger disappears into thin air. Tracking him to Africa, Alex knows that he must follow. Alone.

Now on to the RULES ~~~

1. Open to residents of the US only


2. Post a comment here. You MUST LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS OR ACTIVE BLOG ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT. Any comment that DOES NOT INCLUDE this information WILL BE DELETED. I have to have a way to contact you if you win!!!!


3. If you blog this contest and leave a link in your comment so I can check it out, you will receive an extra entry to the contest.
   

Signs ups open until October 16th. The winner will be announced on Oct. 17th.

Playing Dead

Playing Dead (Prison Break, Book 3) by Allison Brennan ~~

Sentenced to death for crimes he didn’t commit, ex-cop Tom O’Brien is now a hunted fugitive. After fifteen years in prison, he’s determined to prove his innocence–but first he must convince his daughter, whose testimony helped put him behind bars, that he has damning evidence of a plot to frame him.

Claire is no longer the naïve teenager who arrived home to find her mother and her mother’s lover shot dead and her father holding the murder weapon. She’s a successful fraud investigator who assumes everyone lies. Though Claire is convinced of her father’s guilt, curiosity propels her to look into the disappearance of a law student who claimed to have proof of Tom’s innocence. But seeking answers only leads to more questions, reinforcing Claire’s belief that there’s no one left to trust.

Obsessed with the O’Brien case, FBI agent Mitch Bianchi befriends Claire under false pretenses, certain that Tom is not only innocent but in grave danger–and not just from the cops. As the three race toward the truth, a murderous conspiracy tightens its noose–and Claire becomes the target of an ice-cold psychopath who will kill to protect his secrets.

Espresso Shot

Espresso Shot (Coffeehouse Mysteries, No. 7) by Cleo Coyle ~~

Bridal jitters are the least of the problems for an amateur sleuth trying to smooth a path for her ex-husband's second wedding. Clare Cosi, manager of the Village Blend coffee shop...visits underground restaurants, temples to high fashion and the hotel room of a seductive Italian sculptor in her attempts to keep the wedding plans on track and the bride alive. A realistic depiction of New York City high and low life. The smattering of recipes, romance and caffeine-fueled detection add up to a lively tale.

September Books Read

• Asking For Murder by Roberta Isleib
• Conspiracy of Silence by Martha Powers
• Cross Country by James Patterson
• Death Perception by Victorial Laurie
• Forgotten by Mariah Stewart
• Goody Goody Gunshots by Sammi Carter
• Stamped Out by Terri Thayer
• The Dead Place by Rebecca Drake
• The Tenth Case by Joseph Teller
• Thread of Fear by Laura Griffin
• Written in Blood by Sheila Lowe