Pattern of Wounds by J. Mark Bertrand

There are books about travel and then there are books that travel. "Pattern of Wounds" is a book that traveled. It traveled from my spot at the table to my husbands spot in the living room. And then from there to my bedside. From my bedside it might go to my husbands comfy couch downstairs. Yes, it was the battle of the book for a few weeks until we both managed to finish it (he won by finishing first, but didn't let on what the ending was). This murder mystery did have me perplexed at times keeping characters straight. But it was interesting from beginning to end. The main character is Roland Marsh who is a hardened cop with relationship issues that many can relate to. Keeping your work life out of your marriage can be hard, especially with a high-stress job like a policeman. Watching Marsh deal with the tensions added some depth to the story-line.

This book came to me free in exchange for reviewing from Bethany House.

The Canary List

My daughter warned me not to read this book. She said it was creepy. I didn't listen and went ahead anyways. For the first number of chapters she was right, but I kept on. "The Canary List" is a classic tale of good versus evil, conspiracy theories and doing the right thing even when it's hard. Creepy - yes. A good story - yes. Hard to put down - yes. Interesting to the last drop. You won't be disappointed if you like suspense thrillers with a twist.

Bedtime Story by Robert J. Wiersema

If you are a voracious reader like me, one of the things that captivates you is the ability of a book to draw you in and take you to another world. Have you ever gotten so involved in a book that you felt a sense of the surreal? In two worlds at once? When reading a good book I hate to leave that "other world", it has become so real to me. What would happen if you really did enter the world of the book? How would you - or could you - get out? How did you actually get in there in the first place? This is what is explored in Wiersema's fantasy book "Bedtime Story". Weirsema follows a father and son as a book is read out loud at bedtime, gradually leading to tragic consequences. The father races against time to figure out what is happening to his son and how he can rescue him. This is not a child's book. But it will appeal to the child in you as well as satisfy the adult. Great read. I will definitely search out his other books.

The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer

I listened to this book over a period of several weeks while at the beach. The remarkable thing about it was that everytime I thought it was winding up, a new twist would occur and the story would go on. The book has a very complex story line involving conspiracy within the government of the United States. Through an unfortunate mishap an innocent archivist finds himself plunged into intrigue, conspiracy, lies and deception. All too soon he doesn't know who he can trust and what the truth is. Meltzer is a master of this genre and this novel will satisfy those who enjoy suspenseful thrillers.

The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen

This was a perfect diversion read. Not too heavy or complex - just your traditional murder mystery. A well preserved mummy shows up in the basement of a museum, but turns out to not be thousands of years old as first thought. The police are brought in and the plot continues to thicken, twist and turn enough to keep you on your toes not knowing exactly how it's going to play out. I stayed up late several nights reading this novel, and fortunately it didn't give me the creeps even though there are a number of no-so-nice images described in the book.

The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer

(audio book) Suspense. Conspiracies. Murder. Chases. This book has it all. There's even some biblical history as a running theme, although it has been much elaborated on and is very speculative. Just what was the weapon that Cain used to kill Abel? Does it matter and is it worth getting killed over? Some people seem to think so. Alongside the standard thriller theme is a subplot of a father/son relationship. Just enough to make you want to go and hug your dad and tell him you love him.

I was kept on the edge of my seat with this one. A few rough words and descriptive violence scenes keep it in the adult category.