The Accident Man
Stephen B. Armstrong

A little over ten years ago, Princess Diana died in a Paris car wreck. Though police investigators concluded that the crash was an accident, conspiracy theorists have since been inclined to argue otherwise, insisting that someone--or some group--murdered the Princess. Tom Cain dramatizes this point of view in his sensationalistic The Accident Man.

A journalist by training, Cain seamlessly weaves fiction and fact together in his first novel. The princess's death, we learn, has been arranged by a secretive cadre of international politicians and arms dealers called the Consortium. For the job, the members of this sinister group hire Samuel Carver, a British assassin who specializes in making "very bad accidents happen" to bad people.

Carver is a patriot, however, and when he discovers that the person he's killed is Princess Diana, he experiences tremendous remorse, turns against his employers, and sets out to exact revenge, triggering a bloodbath. The frequent appearance of high-tech gadgets, knockdown fights, high-speed chases, and Russian agents, brings to mind Ian Fleming's Bond.

A fast-moving comic book of a novel, The Accident Man is for anyone who loves over-the-top action stories.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

A little over ten years ago, Princess Diana died in a Paris car wreck. Though police investigators concluded that the crash was an accident, conspiracy theorists have since been inclined to argue otherwise, insisting that someone--or some group--murdered the Princess. Tom Cain dramatizes this point of view in his sensationalistic The Accident Man.

A journalist by training, Cain seamlessly weaves fiction and fact together in his first novel. The princess's death, we learn, has been arranged by a secretive cadre of international politicians and arms dealers called the Consortium. For the job, the members of this sinister group hire Samuel Carver, a British assassin who specializes in making "very bad accidents happen" to bad people.

Carver is a patriot, however, and when he discovers that the person he's killed is Princess Diana, he experiences tremendous remorse, turns against his employers, and sets out to exact revenge, triggering a bloodbath. The frequent appearance of high-tech gadgets, knockdown fights, high-speed chases, and Russian agents, brings to mind Ian Fleming's Bond.

A fast-moving comic book of a novel, The Accident Man is for anyone who loves over-the-top action stories.

The Automatic Detective
Hank Wagner

The Automatic Detective features a reluctant amateur sleuth who goes by the unlikely name of Mack Megaton and who gets pulled into a far reaching conspiracy when he starts poking around into the kidnapping of his neighbors, the Bleakers. His quest to find the missing family of four leads him to the deepest, darkest, dankest recesses of Empire City's underworld, where the robot--no, that's not a typo, I said robot--encounters myriad perils and an assortment of shady characters, risking life and limb to save his imperiled friends.

So, by now you're probably sensing that this isn't a run of the mill detective novel--that's true, but, in many ways, that's exactly what this book is. Martinez recreates many of the standard set pieces we've all come to expect from hardboiled detective fiction, with the 760 pound warrior robot encountering sarcastic cops, dangerous dames, menacing thugs, inscrutable crime bosses, and the like--heck, Megaton even gets knocked out ("off-line") a couple of times.

The brilliance of this concept is that, by setting the tale in a futuristic, dystopian landscape, and by populating his tale with a colorful supporting cast of robots, aliens, mutants and sentient beasts (Megaton's sidekick is a talking gorilla named Jung), Martinez manages to make it all seem fresh. That he does so with such abundant good humor and flair is an added bonus.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

The Automatic Detective features a reluctant amateur sleuth who goes by the unlikely name of Mack Megaton and who gets pulled into a far reaching conspiracy when he starts poking around into the kidnapping of his neighbors, the Bleakers. His quest to find the missing family of four leads him to the deepest, darkest, dankest recesses of Empire City's underworld, where the robot--no, that's not a typo, I said robot--encounters myriad perils and an assortment of shady characters, risking life and limb to save his imperiled friends.

So, by now you're probably sensing that this isn't a run of the mill detective novel--that's true, but, in many ways, that's exactly what this book is. Martinez recreates many of the standard set pieces we've all come to expect from hardboiled detective fiction, with the 760 pound warrior robot encountering sarcastic cops, dangerous dames, menacing thugs, inscrutable crime bosses, and the like--heck, Megaton even gets knocked out ("off-line") a couple of times.

The brilliance of this concept is that, by setting the tale in a futuristic, dystopian landscape, and by populating his tale with a colorful supporting cast of robots, aliens, mutants and sentient beasts (Megaton's sidekick is a talking gorilla named Jung), Martinez manages to make it all seem fresh. That he does so with such abundant good humor and flair is an added bonus.

The Black Dove
Dawn Goldsmith

Sherlock Holmes influenced generations of would-be detectives, but none more than the Amlingmeyer brothers, Old Red and Big Red. These down-on-their-luck cowboys follow the Holmesian theory of "detectifying" in this droll, laugh-out-loud historical mystery set in an 1890s San Francisco Chinatown. The story unfolds at a trot as the brothers set out in search of a detective job and run into an old acquaintance who shoots a hole through Big Red's new bowler, then invites them to a Chinese feast. Soon a dead body appears, clues are discovered in fortune cookies, and this little reunion begins a convoluted hunt for the someone called the Black Dove and their friend's murderer.

Unexpectedly Big Red's fantasy female detective, Diana Corvus, materializes and transforms the madcap duo into a titillating threesome. Old Red comes up with some Holmes-worthy deductions that take reader and characters on a merry chase through an era ripe with racism, sexism, gang violence and cops on the take.

The book is third in the Edgar and Shamus-nominated series that also includes Holmes on the Range and On the Wrong Track. Like its predecessors it is a winner on many levels, and worth a look just to read such passages as: "Chan was so gobsmacked I could've stuffed a string of firecrackers down his pants." Narrated by the loveable, loyal Big Red, this is an adventure that tickles the funny bone while emphasizing honor and moral choices.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

Sherlock Holmes influenced generations of would-be detectives, but none more than the Amlingmeyer brothers, Old Red and Big Red. These down-on-their-luck cowboys follow the Holmesian theory of "detectifying" in this droll, laugh-out-loud historical mystery set in an 1890s San Francisco Chinatown. The story unfolds at a trot as the brothers set out in search of a detective job and run into an old acquaintance who shoots a hole through Big Red's new bowler, then invites them to a Chinese feast. Soon a dead body appears, clues are discovered in fortune cookies, and this little reunion begins a convoluted hunt for the someone called the Black Dove and their friend's murderer.

Unexpectedly Big Red's fantasy female detective, Diana Corvus, materializes and transforms the madcap duo into a titillating threesome. Old Red comes up with some Holmes-worthy deductions that take reader and characters on a merry chase through an era ripe with racism, sexism, gang violence and cops on the take.

The book is third in the Edgar and Shamus-nominated series that also includes Holmes on the Range and On the Wrong Track. Like its predecessors it is a winner on many levels, and worth a look just to read such passages as: "Chan was so gobsmacked I could've stuffed a string of firecrackers down his pants." Narrated by the loveable, loyal Big Red, this is an adventure that tickles the funny bone while emphasizing honor and moral choices.

The Chameleon's Shadow
Betty Webb

This is a searing character study of Lieutenant Charles Acland, a British army officer badly disfigured by a car bomb blast in Iraq, who can't adjust to life at home. To his doctors and the police, the taciturn Acland is both enraging and enraged, a physically violent man who just may be the serial killer preying on elderly bi-sexual men. Blind in one eye and with a scarred face guaranteed to scare young children, Acland "sleeps rough" on the streets of London alongside teenage prostitutes, pimps, and drug-pushers.

Particularly outstanding portraits in this complex, riveting book are those of Jen Morley, Acland's ex-fiancee, an Uma Thurman look-alike who might be the basis for his hatred of women; Daisy and Jackson, the two lesbian bar owners who attempt to heal him; and Acland's strangely manipulative mother and submissive father. The further we delve into Acland's mind--and those of the struggling souls surrounding him--the more we suspect that this oddly likeable man truly is capable of murder.

In The Chameleon's Shadow, Walters, always an astute psychologist, expertly chronicles an England tourists seldom see as her characters teeter on its edge, both physically and emotionally. A scalding, gripping read not for the squeamish.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

This is a searing character study of Lieutenant Charles Acland, a British army officer badly disfigured by a car bomb blast in Iraq, who can't adjust to life at home. To his doctors and the police, the taciturn Acland is both enraging and enraged, a physically violent man who just may be the serial killer preying on elderly bi-sexual men. Blind in one eye and with a scarred face guaranteed to scare young children, Acland "sleeps rough" on the streets of London alongside teenage prostitutes, pimps, and drug-pushers.

Particularly outstanding portraits in this complex, riveting book are those of Jen Morley, Acland's ex-fiancee, an Uma Thurman look-alike who might be the basis for his hatred of women; Daisy and Jackson, the two lesbian bar owners who attempt to heal him; and Acland's strangely manipulative mother and submissive father. The further we delve into Acland's mind--and those of the struggling souls surrounding him--the more we suspect that this oddly likeable man truly is capable of murder.

In The Chameleon's Shadow, Walters, always an astute psychologist, expertly chronicles an England tourists seldom see as her characters teeter on its edge, both physically and emotionally. A scalding, gripping read not for the squeamish.

The Crazy School
Mary Welk

Madeline Dare is a product of the '70s living in Massachusetts' Berkshire Mountains where she teaches history at Santangelo Academy. The school for disturbed teens is run by David Santangelo, a cape-wearing crusader who requires both teachers and students to submit to a rigorous, and often foolish, regimen that includes mandatory counseling. Madeline has little respect for either Santangelo or his dean of students, Dhumavati. Known as Gloria before being renamed by a guru, Dhumavati disciplines students by sending them to The Farm, an outbuilding on school grounds where teens are encouraged to "re-evaluate" their behavior.

Stricken with food poisoning, Madeline is too sick to cope with the police when she's accused of murdering two students at The Farm. She suspects someone at the school has framed her and she sets out to clear her name, trusting no one but her husband and a young Southern attorney.

Set in 1989, this second novel featuring the brash Madeline Dare and her pot-smoking husband Dean has a distinctly noir feel, with the lonely mountain setting reflecting the mood of the story. The darkness of winter serves as a suitable backdrop for a cast of eccentric and/or troubled characters held hostage by an educational charlatan. Read's skillful portrayal of these lost souls offers several plausible suspects and guessing whodunit is difficult. The Crazy School is a though-provoking, cleverly constructed story by a writer to watch.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

Madeline Dare is a product of the '70s living in Massachusetts' Berkshire Mountains where she teaches history at Santangelo Academy. The school for disturbed teens is run by David Santangelo, a cape-wearing crusader who requires both teachers and students to submit to a rigorous, and often foolish, regimen that includes mandatory counseling. Madeline has little respect for either Santangelo or his dean of students, Dhumavati. Known as Gloria before being renamed by a guru, Dhumavati disciplines students by sending them to The Farm, an outbuilding on school grounds where teens are encouraged to "re-evaluate" their behavior.

Stricken with food poisoning, Madeline is too sick to cope with the police when she's accused of murdering two students at The Farm. She suspects someone at the school has framed her and she sets out to clear her name, trusting no one but her husband and a young Southern attorney.

Set in 1989, this second novel featuring the brash Madeline Dare and her pot-smoking husband Dean has a distinctly noir feel, with the lonely mountain setting reflecting the mood of the story. The darkness of winter serves as a suitable backdrop for a cast of eccentric and/or troubled characters held hostage by an educational charlatan. Read's skillful portrayal of these lost souls offers several plausible suspects and guessing whodunit is difficult. The Crazy School is a though-provoking, cleverly constructed story by a writer to watch.

The Devil's Footprints
Dianne Day

There is a legend in the Scottish seaside town of Coldhaven that the Devil himself came from the sea one winter's day and walked the town, not only in the streets but also up walls and over rooftops, leaving his footprints in the snow.

Michael Gardiner lives on a point of land just outside Coldhaven, in an isolated house, once his father's. The town's name suits the nature of its inhabitants, who are unwelcoming to outsiders like the Gardiners and hard on their own as well, having a reputation for burning witches in the not too distant past.

Michael narrates this beautiful book by UK poet John Burnside, telling a tale in both the present and the past, moving back and forth in time with ease. It is a story concerning how his parents came to Coldhaven, what happened to him as a bullied boy, and how his one adult attempt to connect with local people fails. But the plot is not the point. Rather, this book is a masterful, spellbinding exploration, in tone, image and character, of the nature of fear. And above all, of what happens to an individual, and to a group of people, when fear is allowed to conquer love.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

There is a legend in the Scottish seaside town of Coldhaven that the Devil himself came from the sea one winter's day and walked the town, not only in the streets but also up walls and over rooftops, leaving his footprints in the snow.

Michael Gardiner lives on a point of land just outside Coldhaven, in an isolated house, once his father's. The town's name suits the nature of its inhabitants, who are unwelcoming to outsiders like the Gardiners and hard on their own as well, having a reputation for burning witches in the not too distant past.

Michael narrates this beautiful book by UK poet John Burnside, telling a tale in both the present and the past, moving back and forth in time with ease. It is a story concerning how his parents came to Coldhaven, what happened to him as a bullied boy, and how his one adult attempt to connect with local people fails. But the plot is not the point. Rather, this book is a masterful, spellbinding exploration, in tone, image and character, of the nature of fear. And above all, of what happens to an individual, and to a group of people, when fear is allowed to conquer love.

The Fault Tree
Nicole K. Sia

Author Louise Ure, who won the Shamus Award for her last novel Forcing Amaryllis, reminds readers in her dedication to The Fault Tree that this story is meant to be a meditation on how everything that can go wrong, will.

Cadence Moran was blinded in a car accident that also killed her young niece, and she is unable to forgive herself for it. (As a child, Cadence learned to assume guilt by paying penance to the "graceful, old eucalyptus" in her backyard, the one her mother called the Fault Tree.) So when she is unwittingly present during a murder, and later learns that she is the cop's closest thing to a witness, she grapples with the idea of coming forward--wouldn't she do more harm than good? But no one is without blame for the blunders that occur in the ensuing murder investigation, in which two rookie cops are literally led by the blind.

Because this is a novel of missteps, the progression of the story drags in parts. Dead-end subplots and red-herring suspects confound the investigation and sometimes the pace. No one operating in the story is a seasoned professional, not even the killers, but with reflections on guilt and responsibility, and an unexpected showdown, it is an interesting ride on the whole.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

Author Louise Ure, who won the Shamus Award for her last novel Forcing Amaryllis, reminds readers in her dedication to The Fault Tree that this story is meant to be a meditation on how everything that can go wrong, will.

Cadence Moran was blinded in a car accident that also killed her young niece, and she is unable to forgive herself for it. (As a child, Cadence learned to assume guilt by paying penance to the "graceful, old eucalyptus" in her backyard, the one her mother called the Fault Tree.) So when she is unwittingly present during a murder, and later learns that she is the cop's closest thing to a witness, she grapples with the idea of coming forward--wouldn't she do more harm than good? But no one is without blame for the blunders that occur in the ensuing murder investigation, in which two rookie cops are literally led by the blind.

Because this is a novel of missteps, the progression of the story drags in parts. Dead-end subplots and red-herring suspects confound the investigation and sometimes the pace. No one operating in the story is a seasoned professional, not even the killers, but with reflections on guilt and responsibility, and an unexpected showdown, it is an interesting ride on the whole.

The Killer's Wife
Ellen Rosner Feig

In Bill Floyd's debut thriller, The Killer's Wife, Leigh Wren is a woman running from the truth that Hayden, her ex-husband and the father of her son, is a serial killer now awaiting execution. After changing her name and moving across the country to a small North Carolina town, Leigh has lived in near obscurity for six years. But when the father of one of her ex-husband's victims outs her, a copycat killer, trained by her ex himself, is soon on her trail.

By telling the story entirely through Leigh's first person viewpoint, Floyd mines the psyche of a woman who is both a fierce survivor and devoted mother. The Killer's Wife is a thriller with a keen sense of timing that wastes neither words nor plot points.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

In Bill Floyd's debut thriller, The Killer's Wife, Leigh Wren is a woman running from the truth that Hayden, her ex-husband and the father of her son, is a serial killer now awaiting execution. After changing her name and moving across the country to a small North Carolina town, Leigh has lived in near obscurity for six years. But when the father of one of her ex-husband's victims outs her, a copycat killer, trained by her ex himself, is soon on her trail.

By telling the story entirely through Leigh's first person viewpoint, Floyd mines the psyche of a woman who is both a fierce survivor and devoted mother. The Killer's Wife is a thriller with a keen sense of timing that wastes neither words nor plot points.

The Killing Ground
Stephen B. Armstrong

Jack Higgins has been writing bestsellers for more than 30 years, winning readers with tense adventure novels about espionage, war and political intrigue. His latest effort, The Killing Ground, takes on global terrorism.

Set in present-day Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, this fictional narrative focuses on a secret team of British operatives (nicknamed "the Prime Minister's private army") and their attempts to destroy the Army of God, an Islamist group that enjoys the support of real life terror organizations like al Qaeda, the IRA, and, rather surprisingly, Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Higgins fills this meaty narrative with compelling action sequences and tough guy characters, the most interesting being an Irish assassin named Sean Dillon. Dillon, we learn, was at one time "the most feared enforcer the...IRA ever had," but his contempt for religious fanaticism trumps his distaste for the British crown, and he enjoys himself considerably as he leads the charge against the Army of God.

An interesting sub-plot about a kidnapped girl and the trauma her family experiences lends the story a great deal of pathos, as well, raising The Killing Ground above the level of pulp. Fans of international potboilers, and Higgins devotees in particular, won't be disappointed.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

Jack Higgins has been writing bestsellers for more than 30 years, winning readers with tense adventure novels about espionage, war and political intrigue. His latest effort, The Killing Ground, takes on global terrorism.

Set in present-day Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, this fictional narrative focuses on a secret team of British operatives (nicknamed "the Prime Minister's private army") and their attempts to destroy the Army of God, an Islamist group that enjoys the support of real life terror organizations like al Qaeda, the IRA, and, rather surprisingly, Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Higgins fills this meaty narrative with compelling action sequences and tough guy characters, the most interesting being an Irish assassin named Sean Dillon. Dillon, we learn, was at one time "the most feared enforcer the...IRA ever had," but his contempt for religious fanaticism trumps his distaste for the British crown, and he enjoys himself considerably as he leads the charge against the Army of God.

An interesting sub-plot about a kidnapped girl and the trauma her family experiences lends the story a great deal of pathos, as well, raising The Killing Ground above the level of pulp. Fans of international potboilers, and Higgins devotees in particular, won't be disappointed.

The Killing Room
Beverly J. DeWeese

Beijing Deputy Inspector Li Yan feels uneasy when he is assigned a case in Shanghai involving 18 murdered, mutilated women, especially when the local Shanghai police don't want this "Beijing interloper's" help. When Li also invites a noted American pathologist--and his sometimes lover--Margaret Campbell, to help out, the tensions really escalate.

Interdepartmental politics and Party member interference add realism and complexity to the intricate plot. But just as riveting is the triangle between Inspector Li, the rather abrasive Margaret, and sexy Shanghai cop Mei-Ling. Li and Margaret are in love, but the cultural clashes and misunderstandings between an American woman and a Chinese man are significant. Conversely, Mei-Ling and Li truly understand one another, though Mei-Ling has some troublesome secrets. Other characters, such as a supposed journalist and a creepy medical student are equally well drawn, as is Li's charming niece, Xinxin.

May's modern China, with its cosmopolitan influences, is a colorful setting. Shanghai is a mixture of sex shops, expensive clinics and wealthy Chinese-American corporations intermingled with substandard abortion clinics, Communist politics, street crime, and extreme poverty, all vividly described. The Killing Room is a brisk, solidly plotted police procedural, with lots of gritty forensic details.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

Beijing Deputy Inspector Li Yan feels uneasy when he is assigned a case in Shanghai involving 18 murdered, mutilated women, especially when the local Shanghai police don't want this "Beijing interloper's" help. When Li also invites a noted American pathologist--and his sometimes lover--Margaret Campbell, to help out, the tensions really escalate.

Interdepartmental politics and Party member interference add realism and complexity to the intricate plot. But just as riveting is the triangle between Inspector Li, the rather abrasive Margaret, and sexy Shanghai cop Mei-Ling. Li and Margaret are in love, but the cultural clashes and misunderstandings between an American woman and a Chinese man are significant. Conversely, Mei-Ling and Li truly understand one another, though Mei-Ling has some troublesome secrets. Other characters, such as a supposed journalist and a creepy medical student are equally well drawn, as is Li's charming niece, Xinxin.

May's modern China, with its cosmopolitan influences, is a colorful setting. Shanghai is a mixture of sex shops, expensive clinics and wealthy Chinese-American corporations intermingled with substandard abortion clinics, Communist politics, street crime, and extreme poverty, all vividly described. The Killing Room is a brisk, solidly plotted police procedural, with lots of gritty forensic details.

The Kingdom Where Nobody Dies
Barbara Fister

The Kingdom Where Nobody Dies is set in the Upper Peninsula town of St. Adele, Michigan in the 1950s. It finds the newly arrived Hofer family eking out a hardscrabble existence and keeping to themselves--until father Hofer is felled in a field by a gunshot, leaving his four children and invalid wife to fend for themselves.

Constable John McIntire finds it hard to believe the shooting was an accident, though he wonders who in town could have a grudge against the new neighbors. However McIntire soon learns that Reuben Hofer had plenty of enemies, both at home where he was a cruel taskmaster, and from his recent past as a political objector imprisoned at a nearby civilian work camp during WWII.

As the investigation progresses, McIntire finds an unexpected opponent in 11-year-old Claire Hofer, who manages to waylay his investigation with admirable gumption as she shields the ones she loves.

The author has a strong and interesting narrative voice, but the pacing suffers from frequent and abruptly changing viewpoints. It is a complex story involving an unsympathetic victim and a large cast of offbeat characters, some of whom may be known to readers from Hill's previous three books. But for those not already familiar with the John McIntire series, St. Adele and its curious inhabitants may present more of a mystery than the author intended.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

The Kingdom Where Nobody Dies is set in the Upper Peninsula town of St. Adele, Michigan in the 1950s. It finds the newly arrived Hofer family eking out a hardscrabble existence and keeping to themselves--until father Hofer is felled in a field by a gunshot, leaving his four children and invalid wife to fend for themselves.

Constable John McIntire finds it hard to believe the shooting was an accident, though he wonders who in town could have a grudge against the new neighbors. However McIntire soon learns that Reuben Hofer had plenty of enemies, both at home where he was a cruel taskmaster, and from his recent past as a political objector imprisoned at a nearby civilian work camp during WWII.

As the investigation progresses, McIntire finds an unexpected opponent in 11-year-old Claire Hofer, who manages to waylay his investigation with admirable gumption as she shields the ones she loves.

The author has a strong and interesting narrative voice, but the pacing suffers from frequent and abruptly changing viewpoints. It is a complex story involving an unsympathetic victim and a large cast of offbeat characters, some of whom may be known to readers from Hill's previous three books. But for those not already familiar with the John McIntire series, St. Adele and its curious inhabitants may present more of a mystery than the author intended.

The Painter of Battles
Barbara Fister

In a remote and crumbling tower near the sea, a war photographer has retreated to paint a mural on its circular walls. Andr?s Faulques does not consider himself a great artist, and the painting is a pastiche of his photographs, battle scenes from works of art, and his own memories organized with "the geometry of chaos." Yet it's his masterwork, summing-up of everything he's seen and learned in life.

His solitude is interrupted when a man from his past makes an unexpected appearance. Ivo Markovic announces calmly that he has come to kill the artist, but not until they've had a chance to talk things over. Over the next few days, we learn why the ex-soldier wants revenge, and what happened to the photographer who inspired Faulques' art, a woman who "wanted to place her fingers on the terrible pulse of life, even if she drew them away stained with blood."

Here translated from Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden, The Painter of Battles is a book that must be read at its own pace. It's dense, intense and rich with images and ideas. It's central mysteries are not who did it, or even what was done, but what we human beings do to one another and whether an artist's eye can capture our worst moments with truth and meaning. It's a meditation on art and violence, and as such, should interest anyone who appreciates what Chandler called "the simple art of murder."

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

In a remote and crumbling tower near the sea, a war photographer has retreated to paint a mural on its circular walls. Andr?s Faulques does not consider himself a great artist, and the painting is a pastiche of his photographs, battle scenes from works of art, and his own memories organized with "the geometry of chaos." Yet it's his masterwork, summing-up of everything he's seen and learned in life.

His solitude is interrupted when a man from his past makes an unexpected appearance. Ivo Markovic announces calmly that he has come to kill the artist, but not until they've had a chance to talk things over. Over the next few days, we learn why the ex-soldier wants revenge, and what happened to the photographer who inspired Faulques' art, a woman who "wanted to place her fingers on the terrible pulse of life, even if she drew them away stained with blood."

Here translated from Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden, The Painter of Battles is a book that must be read at its own pace. It's dense, intense and rich with images and ideas. It's central mysteries are not who did it, or even what was done, but what we human beings do to one another and whether an artist's eye can capture our worst moments with truth and meaning. It's a meditation on art and violence, and as such, should interest anyone who appreciates what Chandler called "the simple art of murder."

The Prince of Bagram Prison
Barbara Fister

When Kat was in intelligence school, she took a course on games, the most challenging of which was putting together a three-dimensional wooden puzzle. Every piece had its place, but there was only one solution that used them all. That, in a nutshell, is how this book works. It offers a wealth of fully-realized characters, locales, and events that all click together in the end, in a story that is bold, timely, and breathtakingly well told.

The prince of the title is an orphaned Moroccan boy who is apprehended in the company of two shady Iranians and detained in an Afghan prison, where Kat, an Arabic-speaking intelligence officer, tries to figure out what to do with the child. He's eventually dispatched to Spain to mingle with the North African ?migr? community and provide information to his CIA handler. When he bolts, Kat is brought in to find him. But clearly something is amiss, and she soon realizes that finding the boy will endanger his life.

The Prince of Bagram Prison is a masterpiece of narration. It moves through time and across a global stage, with each piece beautifully crafted. The author assembles them, bit by bit, with precision and skill. With a large cast, but not a wasted word, she brings times and places to life, from a desolate Moroccan prison, to the last days of South Vietnam, to the weirdly alternate universe of US interrogators in post 9/11 Afghanistan. Everything culminates in a climax that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Every bit as good as the finest John le Carr?; this novel is a beautifully written tour de force.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

When Kat was in intelligence school, she took a course on games, the most challenging of which was putting together a three-dimensional wooden puzzle. Every piece had its place, but there was only one solution that used them all. That, in a nutshell, is how this book works. It offers a wealth of fully-realized characters, locales, and events that all click together in the end, in a story that is bold, timely, and breathtakingly well told.

The prince of the title is an orphaned Moroccan boy who is apprehended in the company of two shady Iranians and detained in an Afghan prison, where Kat, an Arabic-speaking intelligence officer, tries to figure out what to do with the child. He's eventually dispatched to Spain to mingle with the North African ?migr? community and provide information to his CIA handler. When he bolts, Kat is brought in to find him. But clearly something is amiss, and she soon realizes that finding the boy will endanger his life.

The Prince of Bagram Prison is a masterpiece of narration. It moves through time and across a global stage, with each piece beautifully crafted. The author assembles them, bit by bit, with precision and skill. With a large cast, but not a wasted word, she brings times and places to life, from a desolate Moroccan prison, to the last days of South Vietnam, to the weirdly alternate universe of US interrogators in post 9/11 Afghanistan. Everything culminates in a climax that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Every bit as good as the finest John le Carr?; this novel is a beautifully written tour de force.

The Queen's Gambit
Helen Francini

In 1483, the future Duke of Sforza's cousin, the conte di Ferarra, is knifed with a blade that belongs to Sforza himself. Trusting none of the endlessly scheming nobles in his court, Ludivico Sforza turns to Leonardo da Vinci, his court engineer and artist, to investigate. Leonardo in turn, calls upon his young assistant (and the narrator of the tale) Dino for help, as he "will be ignored in a manner that I, as Leonardo, would not be." But Dino harbors a secret that could get the young apprentice thrown both off the investigation and out of Sforza's court.

In the book's opening sequence, the Duke's "living" chess game in which court members play chess pieces begins a theme of chess as an analogy for the cunning strategies and hidden perils of life in the Renaissance court. Stuckart creates a humorous, engaging mystery filled with treacherous secondary characters and skillful sleuthing. Dino in particular is a complex, sensitive and appealing narrator.

Readers can expect plenty of intrigue and danger, including multiple excursions into the Sforza family crypt) in this refreshing new series.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

In 1483, the future Duke of Sforza's cousin, the conte di Ferarra, is knifed with a blade that belongs to Sforza himself. Trusting none of the endlessly scheming nobles in his court, Ludivico Sforza turns to Leonardo da Vinci, his court engineer and artist, to investigate. Leonardo in turn, calls upon his young assistant (and the narrator of the tale) Dino for help, as he "will be ignored in a manner that I, as Leonardo, would not be." But Dino harbors a secret that could get the young apprentice thrown both off the investigation and out of Sforza's court.

In the book's opening sequence, the Duke's "living" chess game in which court members play chess pieces begins a theme of chess as an analogy for the cunning strategies and hidden perils of life in the Renaissance court. Stuckart creates a humorous, engaging mystery filled with treacherous secondary characters and skillful sleuthing. Dino in particular is a complex, sensitive and appealing narrator.

Readers can expect plenty of intrigue and danger, including multiple excursions into the Sforza family crypt) in this refreshing new series.

The Shanghai Tunnel
Mary Helen Becker

The Shanghai Tunnel is the first in a new series by Sharan Newman, author of the splendid medieval French tales of Catherine LeVendeur. This time, writing about a time and place a little closer to home, Newman uses local history and newspaper accounts of people and events in 1868 Portland, Oregon as the setting for her intriguing new crime novel.

Heroine Emily Stratton is a young widow who arrives in Portland from overseas to take over the business affairs of her late husband, sea captain and financier Horace Stratton. Stratton had been a monster of a husband, brutalizing his wife and maidservants, and Emily is not surprised to learn of his involvement in numerous crooked business dealings. She is distressed, however, to discover that he imported opium and bought and sold young Chinese men and women.

When her new household is threatened by burglars, and her Chinese cook and an associate of her husband's are found dead in her kitchen, Emily must discover who would wish her or her son harm. Far from home though, she doesn't know whom she can trust.

Newman is an excellent researcher and a fine writer. Whether using the European Middle Ages or the American Frontier as a setting, her stories are a pleasure.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

The Shanghai Tunnel is the first in a new series by Sharan Newman, author of the splendid medieval French tales of Catherine LeVendeur. This time, writing about a time and place a little closer to home, Newman uses local history and newspaper accounts of people and events in 1868 Portland, Oregon as the setting for her intriguing new crime novel.

Heroine Emily Stratton is a young widow who arrives in Portland from overseas to take over the business affairs of her late husband, sea captain and financier Horace Stratton. Stratton had been a monster of a husband, brutalizing his wife and maidservants, and Emily is not surprised to learn of his involvement in numerous crooked business dealings. She is distressed, however, to discover that he imported opium and bought and sold young Chinese men and women.

When her new household is threatened by burglars, and her Chinese cook and an associate of her husband's are found dead in her kitchen, Emily must discover who would wish her or her son harm. Far from home though, she doesn't know whom she can trust.

Newman is an excellent researcher and a fine writer. Whether using the European Middle Ages or the American Frontier as a setting, her stories are a pleasure.

The Sinner
Dianne Day

On a weekend outing with her husband and little son, Cora Bender stabs to death a man on a neighboring picnic blanket with a fruit knife still in her hand from peeling an apple. She then sits quietly waiting for the police to take her away. Cora is clearly guilty and confesses readily, but why would this young housewife do such a thing?

Inside of Cora there is a horrendous tale to tell, and Chief Inspector Rudolf Govian assigns himself the task of singling out the truth from the various stories that spill from her broken psyche. Obsessed, the inspector presses Cora so hard her mind begins to unravel even further.

Though Hammesfahr is a prolific bestseller in Germany with over 20 crime and suspense novels to her name, this is the first English translation of one of her books. It is a dark, fascinating read, and it sold more than 700,000 copies in Germany when first published. The Sinner invites comparison to Ruth Rendell's darker psychological suspense and English readers should appreciate this overdue introduction to a talented novelist.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

On a weekend outing with her husband and little son, Cora Bender stabs to death a man on a neighboring picnic blanket with a fruit knife still in her hand from peeling an apple. She then sits quietly waiting for the police to take her away. Cora is clearly guilty and confesses readily, but why would this young housewife do such a thing?

Inside of Cora there is a horrendous tale to tell, and Chief Inspector Rudolf Govian assigns himself the task of singling out the truth from the various stories that spill from her broken psyche. Obsessed, the inspector presses Cora so hard her mind begins to unravel even further.

Though Hammesfahr is a prolific bestseller in Germany with over 20 crime and suspense novels to her name, this is the first English translation of one of her books. It is a dark, fascinating read, and it sold more than 700,000 copies in Germany when first published. The Sinner invites comparison to Ruth Rendell's darker psychological suspense and English readers should appreciate this overdue introduction to a talented novelist.

The Six Sacred Stones
Nicole K. Sia

Reilly's latest continues the journey begun in 7 Deadly Wonders, though this time the plot crescendos from a global crisis to a galaxy-wide event. Jack West and his crack team of tactical tomb raiders decipher an ancient puzzle that predicts the end of the world by way of a second, black, sun at the edge of our solar system.

Dodging interference from rogue nations, West must set in place six ancient pillars in six vertices that span the globe in order to trigger a mysterious "machine" that will counter the impending apocalypse.

Reilly writes emphatically, and with cinematic purpose, devoting long passages to action only, replete with sound effects, inventive weaponry, and plenty of hold-your-breath, near-miss moments. This may be the literary equivalent of a Michael Bay film, but however outrageous, the novel delivers on entertainment.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

Reilly's latest continues the journey begun in 7 Deadly Wonders, though this time the plot crescendos from a global crisis to a galaxy-wide event. Jack West and his crack team of tactical tomb raiders decipher an ancient puzzle that predicts the end of the world by way of a second, black, sun at the edge of our solar system.

Dodging interference from rogue nations, West must set in place six ancient pillars in six vertices that span the globe in order to trigger a mysterious "machine" that will counter the impending apocalypse.

Reilly writes emphatically, and with cinematic purpose, devoting long passages to action only, replete with sound effects, inventive weaponry, and plenty of hold-your-breath, near-miss moments. This may be the literary equivalent of a Michael Bay film, but however outrageous, the novel delivers on entertainment.

The Timer Game
Betty Webb

A mystery within a mystery opens this chilling tale about a talented doctor who walks away from the world of high-profile heart surgery to become a drunk, only later to recover and reinvent herself as a San Diego crime scene investigator. There is little time to ponder Dr. Grace Descanso's change of vocation, because within the first few pages, she is nearly killed by a madman lurking at a crime scene.

The already breathless plot intensifies even further when Katie, Grace's young daughter, is kidnapped by someone called The Spikeman. The only clues to the child's disappearance are a series of notes from the kidnapper that refer to the Timer Game, Katie's favorite scavenger hunt. Now the once-benign game clock is ticking down towards Katie's death as horrific images from Grace's past emerge in the deadly present.

Despite all the breathless action, author Smith still manages to explore Grace's lost faith--in love, in heroes, in medicine, and not least, in herself. In The Timer Game, Smith creates a host of sympathetic characters, wringing pathos from a dying madman and gallantry from mere walk-ons.

Are the most appalling of urban myths sometimes reality? The question Smith poses will haunt readers long after they've closed this book about a wounded woman who has only one thing left to lose--her beloved child.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

A mystery within a mystery opens this chilling tale about a talented doctor who walks away from the world of high-profile heart surgery to become a drunk, only later to recover and reinvent herself as a San Diego crime scene investigator. There is little time to ponder Dr. Grace Descanso's change of vocation, because within the first few pages, she is nearly killed by a madman lurking at a crime scene.

The already breathless plot intensifies even further when Katie, Grace's young daughter, is kidnapped by someone called The Spikeman. The only clues to the child's disappearance are a series of notes from the kidnapper that refer to the Timer Game, Katie's favorite scavenger hunt. Now the once-benign game clock is ticking down towards Katie's death as horrific images from Grace's past emerge in the deadly present.

Despite all the breathless action, author Smith still manages to explore Grace's lost faith--in love, in heroes, in medicine, and not least, in herself. In The Timer Game, Smith creates a host of sympathetic characters, wringing pathos from a dying madman and gallantry from mere walk-ons.

Are the most appalling of urban myths sometimes reality? The question Smith poses will haunt readers long after they've closed this book about a wounded woman who has only one thing left to lose--her beloved child.

Unknown Means
Jackie Houchin

Evelyn James, a forensic specialist in the Cleveland Medical Examiner's office, has her hands full, juggling her job, a teenaged daughter, and a homicide detective boyfriend who wants to move in. But when a call comes to investigate the murder of a wealthy woman in the penthouse of a high-security building, her life becomes even more complicated. With no forced entry, nothing on the surveillance cameras, and a husband who has an airtight alibi, the investigative team is stymied.

Long hours spent collecting and examining microscopic evidence and interviewing anyone with a possible connection to the victim leads Evelyn nowhere. Then her best friend is attacked and left for dead, and another victim is discovered with the identical MO. Finally Evelyn comes across a seemingly insignificant bit of evidence that seems out of place and begins to connect the dots. She almost has the killer identified when he strikes again. And then he comes after her.

Elizabeth Becka is a forensic specialist, formerly with the Cleveland Coroner's Office, and her book supports the adage "write what you know." Unknown Means is a chilling locked-room mystery, chock full of fascinating forensic discovery techniques, but without a lot of gore. The author knows how to drop clues that are intriguing but that don't give away the mystery. It's a "who-dunit" and a "how-dunit" that will keep readers guessing until the final terrifying, satisfying chapter.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

Evelyn James, a forensic specialist in the Cleveland Medical Examiner's office, has her hands full, juggling her job, a teenaged daughter, and a homicide detective boyfriend who wants to move in. But when a call comes to investigate the murder of a wealthy woman in the penthouse of a high-security building, her life becomes even more complicated. With no forced entry, nothing on the surveillance cameras, and a husband who has an airtight alibi, the investigative team is stymied.

Long hours spent collecting and examining microscopic evidence and interviewing anyone with a possible connection to the victim leads Evelyn nowhere. Then her best friend is attacked and left for dead, and another victim is discovered with the identical MO. Finally Evelyn comes across a seemingly insignificant bit of evidence that seems out of place and begins to connect the dots. She almost has the killer identified when he strikes again. And then he comes after her.

Elizabeth Becka is a forensic specialist, formerly with the Cleveland Coroner's Office, and her book supports the adage "write what you know." Unknown Means is a chilling locked-room mystery, chock full of fascinating forensic discovery techniques, but without a lot of gore. The author knows how to drop clues that are intriguing but that don't give away the mystery. It's a "who-dunit" and a "how-dunit" that will keep readers guessing until the final terrifying, satisfying chapter.

Vienna Blood
Rob Kresge

Frank Tallis' Vienna Blood takes readers to 1902 Vienna where the young clinical psychologist Max Liebermann is drawn into the police investigation of a bizarre quadruple murder.

Soon more murders occur and Max and his police detective friend, Oskar Rheinmann, must unravel the snarl of clues and find the killer. Readers who look for the appearance of real historical figures in their fiction will enjoy the brief appearance of Sigmund Freud, whose insight helps set the investigators on the right path.

Only a generation before the horrors of the Nazi party, Tallis' Vienna teems with misguided intellectual and scientific theories and incipient German nationalism, revealing how the seeds of anti-Semitism were sown among the intelligentsia. In the midst of secrets and murder, Liebermann must work through his own personal crisis (should he call off his engagement?) and psychoanalyze his way into the mind of the killer.

Vienna Blood is a worthy sequel to Tallis' A Death in Vienna. As with the first book, Tallis takes a bit of a thriller tack, narrating viewpoints of suspects and other conspirators, allowing readers to learn of some plans before his sleuths do. The result is a historical mystery with true psychological suspense elements that delivers on all counts.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

Frank Tallis' Vienna Blood takes readers to 1902 Vienna where the young clinical psychologist Max Liebermann is drawn into the police investigation of a bizarre quadruple murder.

Soon more murders occur and Max and his police detective friend, Oskar Rheinmann, must unravel the snarl of clues and find the killer. Readers who look for the appearance of real historical figures in their fiction will enjoy the brief appearance of Sigmund Freud, whose insight helps set the investigators on the right path.

Only a generation before the horrors of the Nazi party, Tallis' Vienna teems with misguided intellectual and scientific theories and incipient German nationalism, revealing how the seeds of anti-Semitism were sown among the intelligentsia. In the midst of secrets and murder, Liebermann must work through his own personal crisis (should he call off his engagement?) and psychoanalyze his way into the mind of the killer.

Vienna Blood is a worthy sequel to Tallis' A Death in Vienna. As with the first book, Tallis takes a bit of a thriller tack, narrating viewpoints of suspects and other conspirators, allowing readers to learn of some plans before his sleuths do. The result is a historical mystery with true psychological suspense elements that delivers on all counts.

What Never Happens
Verna Suit

When the hostess of a popular Norwegian TV show is murdered in a bizarre way, followed by the equally gruesome deaths of two other Oslo celebrities, Detective Adam Stubo is called back from family leave to investigate. His wife Johanne Vik remains at home with their newborn daughter but provides assistance through her profiling expertise. But these distinctly "un-Norwegian" murders defy analysis. No motive is apparent and the victims have no connection other than their celebrity. Moreover, each body is found in a uniquely staged murder scene that suggests intimate knowledge on the part of the killer. To their peril, both victims and police discount the possibility of "what never happens."

This absorbing suspense novel is the second in the Stubo/Vik series by Holt, a talented Norwegian author whose former careers include TV journalist, lawyer, and Minister of Justice. She offers a nuanced portrait of Stubo and Vik as they cope with the needs of their recently blended family and try to balance the demands of their professional lives.

Through multiple viewpoints, the author gives glimpses into the lives of other key characters, including the killer. These story fragments connect through recurring motifs and subtle details as the suspense intensifies and the killer insinuates himself into Stubo and Vik's personal lives. The alarming conclusion will give even veteran mystery readers chills.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

When the hostess of a popular Norwegian TV show is murdered in a bizarre way, followed by the equally gruesome deaths of two other Oslo celebrities, Detective Adam Stubo is called back from family leave to investigate. His wife Johanne Vik remains at home with their newborn daughter but provides assistance through her profiling expertise. But these distinctly "un-Norwegian" murders defy analysis. No motive is apparent and the victims have no connection other than their celebrity. Moreover, each body is found in a uniquely staged murder scene that suggests intimate knowledge on the part of the killer. To their peril, both victims and police discount the possibility of "what never happens."

This absorbing suspense novel is the second in the Stubo/Vik series by Holt, a talented Norwegian author whose former careers include TV journalist, lawyer, and Minister of Justice. She offers a nuanced portrait of Stubo and Vik as they cope with the needs of their recently blended family and try to balance the demands of their professional lives.

Through multiple viewpoints, the author gives glimpses into the lives of other key characters, including the killer. These story fragments connect through recurring motifs and subtle details as the suspense intensifies and the killer insinuates himself into Stubo and Vik's personal lives. The alarming conclusion will give even veteran mystery readers chills.

Winter in Madrid
Helen Francini

While Franco cozies up to Hitler and Europe's future hangs by a thread, the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War ensnares three Englishmen in Madrid during the icy winter of 1940 in a beautifully atmospheric, complicated, le Carr?-esque spy thriller that captures the soul of both the Spanish Civil War and World War II in Europe.

Harry, Sandy and Bernie attended an upper-crust public school in Cambridge together before the war. Bittersweet flashbacks detail their schoolboy friendships and rivalries, which set the stage for the main story. Now, years later, Harry is a traumatized soldier, Sandy a shady Madrid businessman, and Bernie an idealistic communist who has been missing since a Civil War battle three years earlier.

When Sandy's dealings attract the attention of England's intelligence force, a reluctant Harry is recruited to spy on his old friend. Meanwhile Bernie's ex-girlfriend Barbara, a nurse who now lives with the abusive Sandy, is trying to trace what happened to her lover. When Barbara discovers that Bernie is alive, the rescue plan she devises profoundly affects all of their lives.

The first section is intentionally slow, but the story builds suspense as it speeds up to a pulse-pounding climax. With a remarkable sensitivity to detail, Sansom crafts a cohesive whole from disparate historical elements such as the vilification of the Spanish church, the frigid European temperatures of late 1940, an unexpected audience with Franco himself, and a throwaway line about a famous real-life double agent. In contrast to the clear political divisions of World War II, the author skillfully blurs the lines between "us vs. them" throughout: Harry is, after all, spying on an old friend. Through it all, the bleak Spanish winter echoes the destruction and desolation of war and its heavy costs to both individuals and civilization.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

While Franco cozies up to Hitler and Europe's future hangs by a thread, the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War ensnares three Englishmen in Madrid during the icy winter of 1940 in a beautifully atmospheric, complicated, le Carr?-esque spy thriller that captures the soul of both the Spanish Civil War and World War II in Europe.

Harry, Sandy and Bernie attended an upper-crust public school in Cambridge together before the war. Bittersweet flashbacks detail their schoolboy friendships and rivalries, which set the stage for the main story. Now, years later, Harry is a traumatized soldier, Sandy a shady Madrid businessman, and Bernie an idealistic communist who has been missing since a Civil War battle three years earlier.

When Sandy's dealings attract the attention of England's intelligence force, a reluctant Harry is recruited to spy on his old friend. Meanwhile Bernie's ex-girlfriend Barbara, a nurse who now lives with the abusive Sandy, is trying to trace what happened to her lover. When Barbara discovers that Bernie is alive, the rescue plan she devises profoundly affects all of their lives.

The first section is intentionally slow, but the story builds suspense as it speeds up to a pulse-pounding climax. With a remarkable sensitivity to detail, Sansom crafts a cohesive whole from disparate historical elements such as the vilification of the Spanish church, the frigid European temperatures of late 1940, an unexpected audience with Franco himself, and a throwaway line about a famous real-life double agent. In contrast to the clear political divisions of World War II, the author skillfully blurs the lines between "us vs. them" throughout: Harry is, after all, spying on an old friend. Through it all, the bleak Spanish winter echoes the destruction and desolation of war and its heavy costs to both individuals and civilization.

1787
Nicole K. Sia

Sean Michael Bailey, the pseudonym for a bestselling author of nonfiction, re-imagines an old scenario with a few new twists in this Poseidon Adventure translated for post-9/11 air travel.

A group of Moslem extremists--though not the kind you're thinking--steal a nuke and hijack a commercial jet packed with Americans headed for Mexico. The inventive way the villains engineer their attack must have alarmed someone during the publishing process; the reader is assured that the manuscript was vetted for classified information that "might adversely impact national security."

Inspired by September 11th's United 93, the passengers rally against the hijackers and manage to regain control of their flight. But the casting is a bit too convenient, with an art-of-war professor aboard to lead the counterattack, and a tech-savvy super hacker to override the terrorists jamming signal and broadcast the events live to the major cable news networks.

Bailey does his best to avoid all the trappings of contemporary terrorist fiction, managing to extend to novel length an event that most authors restrict to prologue. While there aren't any revelatory moments here, Bailey's thinly-veiled allusions to the cowboy commander-in-chief and his czarist number-two can be hilarious if you're game for that sort of thing.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

Sean Michael Bailey, the pseudonym for a bestselling author of nonfiction, re-imagines an old scenario with a few new twists in this Poseidon Adventure translated for post-9/11 air travel.

A group of Moslem extremists--though not the kind you're thinking--steal a nuke and hijack a commercial jet packed with Americans headed for Mexico. The inventive way the villains engineer their attack must have alarmed someone during the publishing process; the reader is assured that the manuscript was vetted for classified information that "might adversely impact national security."

Inspired by September 11th's United 93, the passengers rally against the hijackers and manage to regain control of their flight. But the casting is a bit too convenient, with an art-of-war professor aboard to lead the counterattack, and a tech-savvy super hacker to override the terrorists jamming signal and broadcast the events live to the major cable news networks.

Bailey does his best to avoid all the trappings of contemporary terrorist fiction, managing to extend to novel length an event that most authors restrict to prologue. While there aren't any revelatory moments here, Bailey's thinly-veiled allusions to the cowboy commander-in-chief and his czarist number-two can be hilarious if you're game for that sort of thing.

6 Sick Hipsters
Nicole K. Sia

A group of pop culture-obsessed 20- to 30-somethings hailing from the hipster haven of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, band together to assassinate a serial killer named Doctor Jeep, who's been dispatching influential members of the trendy set. But of course their plans go horribly awry, and this expose of the secret life of Gen Y becomes a frenzied cat-and-mouse game peppered with dystopian commentary on capitalism and the selling of cool. That's right: there's social commentary in them thar pages!

Author Casablanca satirizes his characters and their edgy lifestyles, filled with obscure art and music references, many of which may alienate casual readers outside of the indie bubble. The conversations here are often so far out, (and at times mind-numbingly idle), it's easy to read around the chatter and instead home in on the gory and often elaborate methods of murder taking out musicians, filmmakers, and artists. But if anything, 6 Sick Hipsters will stand as a testament to this pop culture moment, a period piece commemorating the golden age of subgenre-subscribing, faux-bohemian hipsterdom.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

A group of pop culture-obsessed 20- to 30-somethings hailing from the hipster haven of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, band together to assassinate a serial killer named Doctor Jeep, who's been dispatching influential members of the trendy set. But of course their plans go horribly awry, and this expose of the secret life of Gen Y becomes a frenzied cat-and-mouse game peppered with dystopian commentary on capitalism and the selling of cool. That's right: there's social commentary in them thar pages!

Author Casablanca satirizes his characters and their edgy lifestyles, filled with obscure art and music references, many of which may alienate casual readers outside of the indie bubble. The conversations here are often so far out, (and at times mind-numbingly idle), it's easy to read around the chatter and instead home in on the gory and often elaborate methods of murder taking out musicians, filmmakers, and artists. But if anything, 6 Sick Hipsters will stand as a testament to this pop culture moment, a period piece commemorating the golden age of subgenre-subscribing, faux-bohemian hipsterdom.

A Case of Exploding Mangoes
Charles L.P. Silet

Ali Shigri is a junior officer at the Pakistan Air Force Academy when Cadet Obaid, who bunks next to him in the barracks, suddenly goes AWOL at the same time a plane mysteriously vanishes from the base. Obaid's disappearance focuses suspicion on Ali, plunging him into an unhinged world, where all of the old verities seem to evaporate.

Ali is an engaging figure both because he is rather a naif in a dangerously political world, and also because his slanted worldview gives much of the novel its dark humor. As events unfold, Ali discovers that the suicide of his military hero father may have instead been a political execution. Although the tale is crazily episodic (somewhat in the manner of Catch-22), readers are swept along wondering what will happen next to Ali and into what sort of a mess he will stumble.

The plot takes as its starting point several events in modern Pakistan--most strikingly, the mysterious plane crash that killed the country's military ruler, General Zia, in 1988. (Zia was the man who overthrew Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the father of the recently assassinated politician Bhenzazir Bhutto.).

The author Mohammed Hanif, a BBC Urdu service journalist and ex-Pakistani Air Force cadet, has written a first book that is timely, zany, unpredictable, and at times hilariously funny in the blackest sort of way.

Super User
2010-04-25 15:58:34

Ali Shigri is a junior officer at the Pakistan Air Force Academy when Cadet Obaid, who bunks next to him in the barracks, suddenly goes AWOL at the same time a plane mysteriously vanishes from the base. Obaid's disappearance focuses suspicion on Ali, plunging him into an unhinged world, where all of the old verities seem to evaporate.

Ali is an engaging figure both because he is rather a naif in a dangerously political world, and also because his slanted worldview gives much of the novel its dark humor. As events unfold, Ali discovers that the suicide of his military hero father may have instead been a political execution. Although the tale is crazily episodic (somewhat in the manner of Catch-22), readers are swept along wondering what will happen next to Ali and into what sort of a mess he will stumble.

The plot takes as its starting point several events in modern Pakistan--most strikingly, the mysterious plane crash that killed the country's military ruler, General Zia, in 1988. (Zia was the man who overthrew Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the father of the recently assassinated politician Bhenzazir Bhutto.).

The author Mohammed Hanif, a BBC Urdu service journalist and ex-Pakistani Air Force cadet, has written a first book that is timely, zany, unpredictable, and at times hilariously funny in the blackest sort of way.