In her stunning follow up to the 2006 best seller “Shiver,” Lisa Jackson has proven that there’s room for a little romance amid all the death and depravity. Absolute Fear is part of the Bayou series, which includes, “Hot Blooded, Cold Blooded, and Shiver.” The plot line is in depth and complicated yet developed simultaneously with the characters, in such a way that Absolute Fear stands on its own. This book has it all, child abuse, scandalous behavior within the church, unethical medical practices, sex, murder and mayhem. Having enjoyed this novel on every conceivable level, I have added all three previous titles to my list of must reads.

Absolute Fear opens three months after the ritualistic murder of Roy Kajak and the attempted murder of Eve Renner. Eve, still suffering from amnesia, returns to New Orleans. That very day, Cole Dennis was set free. It seemed like a life time ago that she had met Cole at her fathers farm house. A hot shot attorney that successfully represented Dr. Renner after his patient committed suicide. There was a part of her that had never been convinced that he had tried to kill her. On the night of her return, this belief would be tested, when Cole appears at her door.

They had to find a way to trust each other and work together. The irony of this uneasy alliance is yet another twist leading the reader deeper into the story. Everything that was happening was related to the asylum, where her father had been the head psychiatrist. As an adult she had heard rumors about Our Lady of Virtues and the horrors that occurred there. Now  in order to regain control of her life she would have to go back where it all began. Because somewhere in the midst of that crumbling building were the shattered pieces of her memory. The key to the murders wasn’t the only secret Our Lady held. Oh no, there was more, much more. The subtle innuendos quickly place the reader into a frenzied state of near panic. Frantically reading as quickly as possible in hopes of finding a calm place to slow down and breathe.

Unspeakable madness had once been perpetrated behind the walls of Our Lady of Virtues - and he intended to revive that madness, just for Eve. She would pay for her sins, he would make sure of that. Then he would be deified, his god had said. The “Reviver” is a sick, twisted, ritualistic murderer. The tattooing, cryptic clues and murders are all part of his elaborate revenge. He knew they were all so blinded by sin that they were unable to interpret that which he had written in blood for all to see? He wouldn’t just spell it out for them - and yet that is exactly what he had done. As the true nature of his actions and extent of his manipulations are revealed, the skillfully coded clues scattered throughout become crystal clear.

Absolute Fear is an Absolute Best Seller! Lisa Jackson has continued her series, while creating a novel that stands tall on its own merit. Jackson’s ability to explore the inner workings of this characters depraved mind is an astonishing literary feat, that should not be overlooked. Successfully delivering to the reader a fright filled journey into the dark recesses of a madman’s desires, while maintaining a relationship filled with explosive passion places Lisa Jackson in the company of the best! This book has the perfect mix of secrets, lust and murder to keep readers coming back again and again. And with the door left open at the conclusion, we can hope that there will be another installment.

Happy Reading!RJ xx

The jacket promises a close-up shot of the life of a biker babe, replete with bloody knuckles, drugs, bar brawls, sexual depravity, and murder. Joolz Denby delivers on all of the aforementioned, sans media glam. This is a good thing: what you get is the voice of an honest woman with a tattered past. Using a close first person, memoir-style, Denby describes the rise and fall of a British biker chick, from her early start as a schoolgirl suffering the lavender spray, floral patterns, and emotional manipulation of her waspish mother and sister, through the self-absorption of hippiedom, to the sense of family, albeit crudely, gained through hanging out with biker clubs in late 60's England. Billie Morgan's toughness comes from her straight-forward nature and quick tongue, not to mention the black sheep persona her long-gone father bestowed upon her. She suspects she's a survivor, but she hasn't quite had a chance to prove it. As soon as she dons the leathers, though, Billie gets noticed. The gang leadership likes her savvy ways, but in the testosterone-fueled biker lifestyle, babes are accessories. Billie is urged to stand by her man so he can be fully initiated into the gang. It's apparent to the club membership that Billie's man, though a good enough soldier, doesn't have what it takes to truly weather the storms. So Billie steps up, fueled by love: love for her honey, love for the gang, love for the black sheep inside, as well as a little bit of affection for an occasional snort of this or that snuck off a hand mirror. That's where the trouble starts. There's a lot of good soldiers who hang around the edges of the gang, wanting an in, desperate for tail or drugs or a place to belong and bum tools, smokes, and pints. But what happens when the most brutal chauvinistic speedfreak poser runs up against self-sufficient lady Morgan? Well...let's just say some farmer's going to plow up a very unpleasant-smelling turnip someday...

So there's a taste of the backstory. The real pull of this sad tale, though, comes from Billie's consideration of past mistakes in relation to her current troubles. She's a business owner and a worried godmother, a guardian angel for an old friend with a similarly tattered past as well as a severe heroin addiction: a bit of the old life still clinging to the boot soles. She lives alone. She works with a bubbly friend who regularly gets manicures. And then an upstart journalist comes knocking, asking for an interview regarding a missing acquaintance of Billie's, someone from way back when Billie's desire for speed was enough to slog her and her honey through the countryside to seek out a supplier, a supplier who was never seen again.

Billie, usually cool as a cucumber, is shaken.

Joolz Denby's gift for characterization shows in this novel about a woman digging through the skeletons in the closet. The effects of pop culture phenomena emerge in the language of the people: Billie's biker pals, her hip-hopified godson, her drug-fueled friend Jasmine, and her sassy business partner Lexie. The voices and emotions of lives pushed too close to the edge are what this story is about. Denby uses Billie Morgan to explore the dark side of courage, the truth of human weakness, selfishness, and suffering, and out of that, maybe shows us a little something about letting go of the past, letting go before it drags us deep down into the grave.

I've read many books by Nora Roberts (Sanctuary, Genuine Lies, Honest Illusions, to name a few), and I've always been able to count on her novels to hit the spot when I want to read something interesting and romantic.

Blue Smoke didn't fail to satisfy...until the last 60 to 70 pages. There is a very violent and graphic rape scene which really got to me. I just didn't expect that from a Nora book. Usually, things like that don't bother me that bad, but it was a bit too much. She could have left that part out and the book would have been a typical 9 or 10 of 10 by my rating system.

The book's saving grace was the main character, who is spunky and strong. I enjoyed reading about her close-knit family and the ins and outs of their lives. And the guy she finally ends up with was a fun character, too.

Also, I found it difficult to comprehend how the main character could be so dense as to not catch on to who the bad guy was. It was so obvious. If you're looking to give Nora a try, I don't recommend this particular pick. Go with one of her other novels or trilogies such as her In the Garden Series (Blue Dahlia, Black Rose, and Red Lily).

Cross picks up after the end of Priest, Bruen's Edgar nominated previous novel.

In Priest, we were introduced to Cody, Jack Taylor's enthusiastic new assistant. Jack was beginning to think of him as a son. We last saw Cody gunned down in an open square, from a distance. As Cross opens, Cody is in a coma and Jack is visiting him in hospital every day. Jack has two cases in Cross. First, he is asked to find out why dogs are disappearing in Newcastle. It is a paying job and Jack takes it. The second comes by way of his friend Ridge, a female member of the Guards. A young man is found dead, crucified. The Guards have reached a dead end. Ridge appeals to Jack. Making the case could help her advance her career which also looks to be at a dead end. Jack agrees to take a look. Jack is approached by someone wanting to become a finder like Jack. Eoin Heaton is an alcoholic former guard like Jack. Jack gives him the dog case as a test.

Reading this latest Jack Taylor story, you have to ask yourself, what does Bruen have against his character. Bruen is to Taylor as God is to Job is the closest analogy I can come up with. Taylor certainly has his crosses to bear - the ever present temptation to drink, the death of the daughter of former friends, the shooting of Cody to mention but three. His only friend is Ridge, a lesbian police officer and anyone observing them together would assume she is his mortal enemy. Yet they depend on each other. Cody was likely shot one of two women whose lives Jack ruined in previous stories. The knocks Jack receives are unrelenting, appearing anytime, but especially when there is the least likelihood that Jack might find a moment of peace. The rain seems to be a metaphor for Jack's life. Like the rain, misfortune pours onto Jack's life.

The writing in Cross is lean and finely honed. His observations on the Irish and the Church are trenchant and often wryly amusing as always.

I recommend everything Ken Bruen writes. However, I have to caution you, if you like crimes solved neatly and happy endings, the Jack Taylor stories might not be for you. If you do have a tolerance for despair and seeing a man about a step away from the abyss and like a finely crafted story then you can't get better than these.

Dead On is a thrilling, intellectually fearless novel that seamlessly blends horror, mystery, and the paranormal, to deliver a fast paced, provocative and highly entertaining read.

Ann Yang hoped to escape the ugliness of her divorce and start over in the quiet Pennsylvania suburb of Doylestown. Settling into her job as Medical Examiner, with renovations to her house underway, she was putting the past where it belonged... in the past. However, that notion is short lived as a ruthless killer begins to hone his sinister craft in Ann's backyard. When bodies are discovered, obviously staged, the killer's one-of-a-kind signature placed beneath the tongue, taunting police, Ann finds herself in the middle of a madman's reality. With her colleagues unaccustomed to high profile crimes and mystified by the murders, Ann calls on close friend and retired FBI profiler, Tony Cole for assistance. Together they follow the clues from Pennsylvania to New Orleans, only to find themselves wrapped in an unending enigma of impossible to answer questions.Adding yet another dimension to this multi-layered story is the discovery of an old diary that immediately captures Ann's attention and captivates her unusual abilities of perception. Dating back over a hundred years, the time worn pages reveal intimate details surrounding the disappearance of a young girl, which remained unsolved. Could this be related? Are the hypnosis induced visions of being murdered in past lives clouding or possibly shaping reality? The one thing that is abundantly clear this psychopath has Ann squarely in his sights and she has unwittingly become the ultimate pawn in a high stakes game of cat and mouse.

The characters while sharply drawn are as fluid as the ink of this phenomenal author's pen. The expert use of dialogue brings the characters to life and delivers a disturbingly delicious reading experience. Although a quick read, Kelly spares no punches when it comes to complexity, depth and suspense. Palpable tension builds as the story speeds, almost recklessly toward the shocking but satisfying conclusion.

Ann Kelly's tantalizing debut novel is well researched, intelligently portrayed and delivered with unbridled passion. The subtle clues embedded throughout keep the reader involved and guessing, without preemptive spoilers. The mystery within a mystery allows Kelly to simultaneously develop multiple angles, cleverly weaving an intricate web of murder and mayhem, past life regression and brilliant detection. Dead On is an absolute knock out! Happy Reading!RJ McGill

Editor's Choice Award Winner!DIY Los Angeles Book Festival Runner-upNominated for Agatha Award for Best First Mystery NovelFilm rights optioned by Gold Circle Films

Some crime books are all about the psychological insights into both evil and good minds (and all the grey areas in between); some address current issues in society (Ian Rankin springs to mind); some are just romances dressed up as crime novels - most of the tension in the will-they-won't-they scenarios. Then there are the Whodunnits.

I don't read Whodunnits very often - they're out of fashion, and possibly something you grow out of. But reading Dead Water by Ngaio Marsh, I felt like I was back to being a 13-year-old discovering Agatha Christie - consequently a comforting read. I'd forgotten what it was like to have a fixed number of suspects, and to be playing a guessing game: chapter 6 - it was definitely the Major who done it. Chapter 8 - why does no-one suspect Patrick? Is the author throwing us off the scent? Chapter 9 - got it! Mrs Barrimore! Chapter 10 - oh I don't know...

An old-fashioned read, with a lot of the mechanisms of the plot showing through, but nevertheless I found it a good antidote to all the technology, relentless realism and psychological profiling of modern crime novels (to say nothing of the gore and violence, also spared us here). There's some good characterisation - Emily Pride and Miss Cost in particular - and even, to my delight, the obligatory Poirot-style ending where all prime suspects are gathered in a room and forced to listen to the smug detective spin them a tale, before revealing he knows exactly Whodunnit.

And best of all, not a gimmick in sight (hence the title of this review, in case you were wondering).

I find Dexter to be a really likable guy, despite his serial killer nature. I'm interested to see where the TV show has gone in its second chapter, as it didn't stick with the books. After reading the story, I can see how it might be extremely traumatic if translated to television, though with the amount of violence people watch today, I'm not sure it really would have mattered.

This installment centers around relationships, and a mystery killer who enjoys mutilating and dicing his victims, leaving them alive but witless with terror. For those who are squeamish, this might not be the best read, since there is a fair amount of detail to the distressing murders throughout.

On the flip side is the fun of seeing Deb in a relationship, and not only as a macho cop, and Dexter getting himself unwittingly engaged. Really.

I'm not sure I liked this as much as the first, but I did like it better than the most recent installment to the series.

Anyone who likes a great mystery, or the irony of a good serial killer, or a loveable bad guy, will enjoy Dearly Devoted Dexter for sure.

Maritime history is full of great stories, and the most famous of them have been told and retold many times. There are hundreds of books on the sinking of the "Titanic," a score (at least) on Captain James Cook, a dozen each on the "Bounty" mutiny or the Battle of Midway, and a half-dozen on Ernest Shackelton and the "Endurance." Every so often, though, a writer uncovers a new (or forgotten) story from maritime history and turns it into a book. Sebastian Junger did it in "The Perfect Storm." Nathaniel Philbrick did it in "In The Heart of the Sea" and again in "Sea of Glory." Now, happily for all of us who're fascinated by maritime history, Gregory Gibson has done it with the "Globe" mutiny.

The "Globe" was a whaling ship based on the island of Nantucket and built for years-long voyages to the Pacific in search of sperm whales. Like all whaling ships of her era (the 1820s), she was a seagoing factory. The pursuit and killing of the whales was done from small, light six-man rowboats but the hard, dirty work of cutting up the whale and processing it into usable commodities (oil for lamps, spermacetti for candles, baleen for corset stays) was done aboard or alongside the ship. Whaling was big business, and the ships owners took it very seriously. The captains and officers--whose pay and chances of future employment depended on their productivity--took it seriously as well. The crews (mostly men in their teens and twenties) took enormous risks for a modest share of the profit and a chance to move up the ladder of command (to harpooner, mate, or even captain) on a subsequent voyage.

What happened to the "Globe" is one of those stories that would be utterly unbelievable . . . except that it's true. Led by harpooner Samuel Comstock, a group of discontented crewmen rose up, murdered the captain and mates, and commandeered the ship. They took the rest of the crew prisoner and sailed to a tropical island, only to have six of their would-be captives steal the ship back and sail it thousands of miles to Chile. The mutineers, meanwhile, found themselves stranded in a "paradise" whose native population was increasingly disenchanted with their presence . . . and hunted (though they did not know it) by a U. S. Navy ship dispatched to find them and bring them to justice.

Gibson, working from eyewitness accounts and other primary sources, painstakingly recreates the mutiny. Like Junger and Philbrick, he's occasionally faced with events for which there is no clear record, and like them he uses logic and inference to fill in the blanks. Readers just looking for "a good story" may not relish his explanations of how he did it, but I found them fascinating. He also provides, woven through the story, a great deal of background on the whaling industry and life aboard a whaling ship. It's familiar ground to readers familiar with the nineteenth-century whaling, but essential for those who aren't (and well-done in either case). He's particularly good at conveying the extent to which whaling was a highly technical, highly sophisticated *industry* . . . with all that implies.

The book's only serious defect is Gibson's attempt to make psychological sense of Samuel Comstock. It feels flat and unsatisfying, in part because contemporary accounts of the mutiny (including on by Comstock's brother) give him too little to work with. In the end, the demons that drove Comstock to commit murder on the high seas are as much a mystery as they were at the start. It's a tribute to Gibson's narrative skill that I didn't really mind.

In the latest installment of the Dexter series, we start pondering the bigger questions. Always comfortable with the idea that he was what he was, Dexter never had reason to question where his Dark Passenger had come from, and what, it anything, that might mean. But when a new case leaves him feeling cold, off, and worst of all, alone, suddenly questions are all Dexter has.

Nothing about the burnt corpses with their ceramic bull heads is really all that much worse than any other case. In fact it all seems pretty much run-of-the-mill, except for the feeling that something about it is all wrong. And since Dexter doesn't feel...well, you can see how he'd be a little upset.

Lost without his inner companion, Dexter divides his time between searching in vain for answers, attempting to go along with plans for his wedding, and mentoring Cody and Astor, whose impatience nearly lands them in a world of trouble.

Some fans may find this installment irritating. Dexter, without half of himself, is not himself. I know of one reader who found him annoying and just wanted it to be over with. Myself, while he certainly is a changed Dexter, I found his questioning and insecurity to be perfectly understandable, and his search for answers is fairly compelling. And the Astor and Cody story line certainly keeps things interesting.

Not necessarily my favorite of the three, but definitely a good read. I'm very interested to see where this will go next.

Infected is a complex and enjoyable novel. A devastating disease has infected only a few people so far. The infected become psychotic and paranoid, causing them to mutilate themselves and murder indiscriminately. The narrative follows Margaret Montoya and her team of doctors and CIA agents as they scramble to find living infected subjects to learn more about the disease and eventually cure it. The novel also follows Perry Dawsey from the initial infection to his descent into madness. The duality of the healer and the infected, the insane and the sane, really showcases Scott Sigler's ability to write unique and interesting characters.

This book will make you laugh and it will make you cringe with disgust. This book made me forget that I needed to eat or sleep until it was finished. The explanations and scientific observations of the disease from the spore stage to the mature stage are astonishingly detailed and believable. When reading this novel, I couldn't help but think of World War Z, with the unique character voices, or the film The Signal, with its unique look at insanity. I'm curious to see how widespread the disease will get in the next novel in the series (Contagious) and how society will handle it.