Category: Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is on tour, with October’s location being at Savvy Verse & Wit.

Okay, so technically I’m cheating this week. I didn’t have anything arrive in my mailbox, but I did buy three new books at Wal-Mart. **BAD TARA!**

 A hydroelectric dam blows up and the largest off-shore oil field in the hemisphere is destroyed, killing legions of Americans and bringing the country’s largest energy company to its knees. Among the survivors lies a mysterious oil platform worker and America’s best hope for retribution: Dewey Andreas, a former Army Ranger and Delta who is dead-set on following the trail of the terrorists. As intelligence and law enforcement agencies scramble to untangle the Capitana disaster and unearth those responsible, the mysterious figure of Alexander Fortuna – an agent embedded into the highest levels of American society and business – sets into play the next of many long-planned assaults on the U.S. economic infrastructure. Now it’s up to Dewey to put a stop to him … before it’s too late.

 Called on by family friend and government bigwig Earl Parker to chaperone Tillman Davis from Southeast Asia to D.C., Gideon will rely on his peerless tactical skills. But when the hand-off goes awry and Parker is taken hostage, Gideon must evade hostile locals in war-torn Mohan to make his way to a multimillion-dollar oil rig that has been seized by Tillman’s terrorist faction. With the help of rig manager Kate Murphy, Gideon has 48 hours to bring in the man he once called his brother – before a twisted global conspiracy turns deadly.

 Buried within the black ops budgets of the Department of Defense, a newly created spy agency reports only to a secret panel of military insiders. Its job is to target America’s enemies – both foreign and domestic – under a charter of three simple words: Find, Fix, and Finish. When a bombing in Rome kills a group of American college students, the evidence points to a dangerous colleague from Harvath’s past. Tasked with leveraging this relationship to lure the man out of hiding, Harvath must destroy him. But what if it is the wrong man? In Chicago a young woman is struck by a taxi in a hit-and-run, and the family’s attorney uncovers a shocking connection to the Rome bombing. Harvath must link together the disparate violence, and race to prevent one of the most audacious and unthinkable acts of war in the history of mankind.

Mailbox Monday is on tour, with September’s location being at Amused by Books.

Well I’ve been MIA since the 21st. Sorry about that. It’s been kind of hectic here at my place. The hubby’s gallbladder is shot. We have a consultation with a surgeon tomorrow. So I’ve been having to go to the doctor with him, twice last week. And then tomorrow’s appointment. Hopefully they will schedule him soon because he’s miserable. Then over the weekend we went up to St. Louis to see the Cards/Cubs games on Saturday and Sunday. The Cards won both games! Woo! Plus the Braves lost yesterday so now, if I’ve got this right, we’re only 1 out from the Wild Card race. Exciting! And today ….. I would like to wish my husband a very happy 27th birthday! So there’s all my news. Well at least all I can share with everyone right now 🙂 On to the books.

I only got two in the mail this past week. Both came from Paperbackswap, using points, helping me to round out a series I’m working on right now:

 Scot Harvath’s counterterrorism career has just crashed and burned – thanks in part to a ruthless senator with her sights set on the White House. But when the war on terror takes a chilling turn, the president has no choice but to secretly bring Harvath back inside. Deep beneath an Alpine glacier, an ancient weapon designed to decimate the Roman Empire has been unearthed – and a shadowy organization intends to use it for America’s downfall. Racing across Europe, Harvath must secure the ultimate instrument of destruction before it brings the United States and the rest of the world to its knees.

 July 4th weekend, New York City: As thousands of holiday travelers make their way out of Manhattan, a flawlessly executed terrorist attack plunges the city into a maelstrom of panic and death. Amidst the chaos, an elite team of foreign soldiers is systematically searching for one of their own, a man so powerful that the U.S. government refuses to admit he even exists and will do anything to keep him hidden. Now, with the world’s deadliest enemy upon America’s doorstep, counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath must fight his way through the burning city streets to take down an invisible terrorist mastermind with the means to unleash hell on a global scale.

Mailbox Monday is on tour, with September’s location being at Amused by Books.

Only one book this week, but it’s one that I requested for review. I must add that I have already read this book and LOVED it! The review will go live on the publication date, 9/27 so watch for it 🙂

 Charlotte Kramer, America’s first female president, is beginning her second term and is determined to make her mark on history though events do seem to be conspiring against her. Melanie Kingston, her best friend, just signed on as secretary of defense. Will their relationship survive? Dale Smith is the senior communications advisor to the vice president and knows a secret that could not only ruin her own career, but put the credibility of the White House on the line. Tara Meyers is the most popular vice president in recent history, but does her public image match her private life? When a classified terror threat is made public, all the weaknesses of this presidency are laid bare – and with the country’s safety at stake, someone in the White House isn’t taking any chances.

Mailbox Monday is on tour, with September’s location being at Amused by Books.

Another slim mailbox this week. But I got two really good looking books! I’m excited and they will probably be bumped to the top of the list 🙂

A win from BookTrib.com:

 Eleven-year-olds Nora and Charlotte were best friends. When their teenage babysitter, Rose, disappeared under mysterious circumstances, the girls decided to “investigate.” But their search – aided by paranormal theories and techniques gleaned from old Time-Life books – went nowhere. Years later, Nora, now in her late twenties, is drawn back to her old neighborhood – and to her estranged friend – when Rose’s remains are finally discovered. Upset over their earlier failure to solve the possible murder, Charlotte is adamant that they join forces and try again. But Nora was the last known person to see Rose alive, and she’s not ready to revisit her troubled adolescence and the events surrounding the disappearance – or face the disturbing secrets that are already beginning to reemerge.

From Bookmooch:

 On a night that will haunt him forever, ex-cop Max Freeman killed a twelve-year-old child in self-defense in a Philadelphia shoot-out. Since then he has lived a solitary existence on the edge of the Florida Everglades, where he answers to no one save the demons tormenting his conscience. But when he finds the corpse of a child along a shadowy riverbank, he’s pulled back into the twisted maze of law and order – as a murder suspect. Now Freeman has no choice but to hunt down a killer who has committed the unthinkable – even if it takes him to the darkest places of the soul…

Mailbox Monday is on tour, with August’s location being at Amused by Books.

Another slim mailbox, but a good one. Here’s what I got:

From Bookmooch:

 Now for the first time in one captivating volume, here are the first three mysteries featuring J.A. Jance’s most popular and enduring character, Seattle homicide detective Jonas Piedmont Beaumont. It’s a trio of tales steeped in the atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest that is sure to remind everyone that Jance is a master of modern suspense fiction. In Until Proven Guilty, Beaumont finds himself investigating the murder of a five-year-old girl. But his own obsession and demons could prove dangerous companions in a murky world of blind faith and religious fanaticism as he discovers that he himself is the target of a twisted passion … and a love that can kill. In Injustice for All Beaumont’s well-earned vacation becomes a waking nightmare as he’s forced to comfort a beautiful blonde after she discovers a dead body on a Washington beach. Suddenly a lethal brew of lust, madness, and politics threatens to drag the dedicated Seattle cop into the path of a killer whose dark hunger is rapidly becoming an obsession. And in Trial by Fury a naked, dead body is  found lying in a Dumpster. What’s most shocking is the manner in which the man died – he was lynched. The victim, a high school coach, has left behind a very pregnant wife with a very dangerous secret. And a sixth sense developed over twenty years on the job tells Beaumont that this investigation is going to the lethal extremes of passion, lies, and hatred.

From Paperbackswap:

 A rash of horrifying crimes rips through the city, throwing it into complete chaos and terrorizing everyone living there. Immediately it becomes clear that they are the work not of an amateur but of a calculating, efficient, and deadly mastermind. The city calls on Detective Michael Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside retreat with his ten adopted children, their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine, and his grandfather. Not only does it tear apart their vacation, it leaves the entire family open to attack. Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI agent Emily Parker. As his affection for Emily grows into something stronger, his relationship with Mary Catherine takes an unexpected turn. All too soon, another appalling crime leads Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer’s pattern and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan.

Mailbox Monday is on tour, with August’s location being at Life in the Thumb.

Two books this week, both from Bookmooch. I’m not sure when I will ever read all these books I keep bringing into the house… I did a little bit of math work and based on the number of to-read books that I have and the average number of books I read in a year, I figured that I could go 4-5 years without bringing another book into this house and still have something to read. That’s a little bit scary! Anyways, here’s what came this week:

 The year is 1799. As Bonaparte’s army descends upon Israel, intent upon conquest, Ethan Gage finds himself embroiled in an ancient mystery in the Holy Land, searching for a legendary Egyptian scroll imbued with awesome powers. The courageous and resourceful Gage must keep the mysterious document from his enemy, Napolen – or, failing that, wrest it from him, even if it means pursuing his vengeful adversary back to France. And the wisdom of his great mentor, Benjamin Franklin, will offer Gage no solace should Bonaparte succeed in unlocking the terrible secrets of the Book of Thoth – for whoever masters its magic will rule the world.

 No longer willing to wait for the international community to stop its neighboring enemy, Israel brings down Iran’s billion-dollar nuclear program in an ingeniously conceived operation. The attack leaves a radioactive tomb and environmental disaster in its wake, and has Iranian president Amatullah calling for blood – American blood. Seeing opportunity where others fear reprisals, Mitch Rapp devises a brilliant plan to humiliate Iran’s government and push the nation to the brink of revolution. But when a back-channel meeting between CIA director Irene Kennedy and her Iranian counterpart goes disastrously wrong, Rapp is locked in a showdown with a Hezbollah mastermind in league with Amatullah – and he is given twenty-four hours to do whatever it takes sto stop unthinkable catastrophe.

Mailbox Monday is on tour, with August’s location being at Life in the Thumb.

Only one book in my mailbox this week. It’s a review book that immediately intrigued me. I can’t believe that it’s been 10 years since 9/11. I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard the news – it was during first period Algebra II during my junior year in high school. Someone was going around to all the classrooms telling the teachers to turn the news on and we all sat and watched in shock as the towers fell.

 We’re Not Leaving is a compilation of powerful first-person narratives told from the vantage point of World Trade Center disaster workers – police officers, firefighters, construction workers, and other volunteers at the site. While the effects of 9/11 on these everyday heroes and heroines are indelible, and in some cases have been devastating, at the heart of their deeply personal stories – their harrowing escapes from the falling Towers, the egregious environment they worked in for months, the alarming health effects they continue to deal with – is their witness to their personal strength and renewal in the ten years since. These stories, shared by ordinary people who responded to disaster and devastation in extraordinary ways, remind us of America’s strength and inspire us to recognize and ultimately believe in our shared values of courage, duty, patriotism, self-sacrifice, and devotion, which guide us in dark times.

Mailbox Monday is on tour, with August’s location being at Life in the Thumb.

Okay, so honestly. This is starting to be the weekly post where I hang my head in shame and admit my addiction. HOWEVER! I do have an excuse for the large amount of books that came into my house this past week! I received 12 books in all this week, 10 of which were part of a big book box trade that I had going with a friend in the Yahoo group MysteryBookSwap. So without further ado, here’s my goodies:

Part of the Big Box Trade:

 Twelve bodies, twelve states. What no one knows is that the “Highway Killer” is also a gifted psychiatrist who lures his victims into a false sense of security with his miraculous ability to understand their darkest emotional secrets. He is their confessor, but he is also their executioner. When the killer writes to The New York Times, challenging famed forensic psychiatrist Frank Clevenger to heal him through an exchange of open letters on the front page, he opens his diabolical mind to the one man with the courage to cure him – or die trying…

 the last sounds Dean Wilson hears are a clock striking twelve and a killer’s taunting words. And his death is just the first. One by one, victims are stalked and shot at close range. Only the killer knows their sins, and who will be the next to die at midnight. In the ten years since her Hollywood career imploded, Lorie Hammonds has built a good life in her Alabama hometown. When the first death threat arrives, she assumes it’s a joke. Then she gets a second note. Sheriff Mike Birkett, her high-school sweetheart, has avoided Lorie since she returned to Dunmore, but when investigators uncover her connection to a string of recent murders, he’s drawn into a case that’s terrifyingly persona. With every murder, the killer edges closer. Soon Lorie’s will be the last name left on his list. Her only hope is to unearth a deadly secret – before the clock runs out for good.

 Once Irene Kelly gave up journalism for public relations. Now the sudden, brutal death of her mentor is pulling her back to the news desk. But the search for O’Connor’s killer may prove fatal for the intrepid reborn reporter. Because a savagely mutilated “Jane Doe” corpse from thirty years ago is pointing the way into a lethal maze of blood and politics. And in the blink of an eye it could be “Goodnight, Irene” … forever.

 Now Rain has a new employer, the Mossad, which wants him to fix a “problem” in Manila with the aid of his new partner, Dox, whose good-ol’-boy persona masks a sniper as deadly as Rain himself. He also has a new hope: By using his talents in the service of something good, he might atone for all the lives he has taken. But when Rain’s conscience causes him to botch an assignment, he finds that he’s the Mossad’s next target…

 Life in a small town can take some interesting twists – especially for E.R. physician Dr. Rhea Lynch. When the chief coroner is shot in a hail of gunfire that leaves a man dead and a teenage boy searching for clues to his missing sister, Rhea is deputized as an assistant coroner. Then a mass grave is discovered – along with a killer’s baffling clue. Although she is a doctor dedicated to saving the living, Rhea is suddenly forced to find answers from the dead. Soon her skill and courage put her back on the front lines of the battle she fights best: a race between life and death.

 When Lisa Cornell, and her five-year-old daughter are killed, Wes Harding, a former classmate of Kali’s with a reputation as a troublemaker, becomes the prime suspect. Kali agrees to assist her long-time legal mentor on the case but is stunned when Harding refuses to help his own defense and won’t explain why. Kali soon discovers that Lisa Cornell harbored secrets of her own – including a mysterious link to a long-ago tragedy. Racing against time, Kali uses her wit and legal savvy to untangle one of the most complex cases of her career. But even she doesn’t suspect how close to danger she is – or how much she’ll have to risk to bring the cunning killer to justice…

 Someone has infiltrated the inside ring of the Secret Service – and already made an attempt on the President’s life. Joe DeMarco, a lawyer and fixer for the Speaker of the House, is asked to investigate. As witnesses and suspects around him are murdered, DeMarco embarks on a trail that twists through the Secret Service, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security – and snakes back to one of the most enduring mysteries of the 20th century.

 A killer dubbed “The Night Prowler” has turned the city that doesn’t sleep into a town kept wake by terror. Unseen, he enters couples’ homes. Unsuspected, he lingers until the perfect moment arrives. He leaves “gifts” for his victims – before taking their lives. Enter ex-homicide cop Frank Quinn, still reeling in the wake of an elaborate setup that ended his career. For Quinn, this isn’t just any job – it’s a last change to salvage his reputation. As the investigation proceeds, the murderer loses no time stalking new prey: a loan officer and her high-earning husband; a couple who make a killing in the stock market; a pretty actress and her prosperous lover. With the body count rising, it’s up to Quinn to unlock the mystery of a madman’s past and end his bloody reign. Quinn’s got his work cut out – because in a city the size of New York, any one of 8 million faces could be that of a killer – or his next target.

 Terror has forever changed the life of psychiatrist Tess Ciccotelli. Someone is tormenting her patients, pushing them to commit suicide, and setting her up to take the blame. But Tess can’t break her oath to protect her patients’ privacy at all costs. Even when detective Aidan Reagan demands a list of everyone she’s treating. Even when the mounting danger threatens Tess herself. Aidan doesn’t like anyone who stalls his cases. Still, he can’t help but admire Tess’s fierce loyalty to her patients, especially when it becomes clear that a nameless, faceless enemy is set on destroying her career, her family, and finally, Tess herself. As Aidan’s heart softens, the killer’s will hardens, and one thing becomes clear – the noose is tightening around Tess’s neck.

 If Ridley Jones had slept ten minutes later, she would still be living the beautiful lie she used to call her life. Instead, a series of seemingly inconsequential decisions unleashed a chain of events that brought a mysterious package to her door. A package that informed her that her entire world was a lie. suddenly forced to question everything she knows about herself and her family, Ridley feels as if everyone in her life is a stranger. She has no idea who’s on her side and who has something to hide – even her new lover Jake seems to have secrets of his own.

Two from another member of MysteryBookSwap:

 Small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural – but now it’s really hitting close to home. When Sookie sees her brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a werepanther for the first time – a transformation he embraces more readily than most shape-shifters she knows. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population, and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now Sookie has until the next fool moon to find out who’s behind the attacks – unless the killer decides to find her first…

 It’s not every day that you come across a naked man on the side of the road. That’s why cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse doesn’t just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn’t a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It’s Eric the vampire – but now he’s a kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now wants his life. Sookie’s investigation into who and why leads straight into a dangerous battle among witches, vampires, and werewolves. But a greater danger could be to Sookie’s heart – because this version of Eric is very difficult to resist…

Mailbox Monday is on tour, with August’s location being at Life in the Thumb.

Well this week I got some older books in the mail as part of a Paperbackswap Box-of-Books trade.

 Iran has been invaded by Russia. America responds with a lightning-fast counterattack by air, by sea – and a lethal new technology that is about to redefine war both on the ground and in space. Its code name is Silver Tower – the most sophisticated and unstoppable laser defense system ever created. And it will change the balance of world power forever…

 When the National Security Agency’s invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls in its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant, beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers send shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage – not by guns or bombs, but by a code so complex that if released would cripple U.S. intelligence. Caught in an accelerating tempest of secrecy and lies, Fletcher battles to save the agency she believes in. Betrayed on all sides, she finds herself fighting not only for her country but for her life, and in the end, for the life of the man she loves.

 Five prominent biophysicists give the United States government an urgent warning: sterilization procedures for returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere. Two years later, Project Scoop sends seventeen satellites into the fringes of space in order to “collect organisms and dust for study.” Then a probe satellite falls to the earth, landing in a desolate area of northeastern Arizona. In the nearby town of Piedmont, bodies lie heaped and flung across the ground, faces locked in frozen surprise. the terror has begun…

 Meet Archy McNally, a freewheeling playboy who specializes in “Discreet Inquiries” for the rich and not-so-discreet. Beneath the glaring sun of Palm Beach – and behind the lowest crimes of high society – McNally is paid to keep family skeletons in the closet. But when it comes to sex and scandal, McNally has a few secrets of his own…

Plus I received one e-book courtesy of Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program:

 The last thing Delilah Preston wanted to do was be a hero, but when she finds herself in a position to prevent an assassination, her conscience wouldn’t let her walk away. As a result, she gets caught up in an FBI investigation and the media spotlight. The problem? Delilah Preston is not who she claims to be. Seven years ago she fled from a cruel and sadistic husband, a powerful underworld figure who wants her back, dead or alive. Enter Special Agent Dominic Santiago who discovers Delilah’s true identity and realizes that after many years of dead-ends, she’s his ticket to taking down notorious crime boss Cap Grimaldi. But Cap isn’t about to let anyone threaten his family’s empire, and quickly devises a plan to not only discredit the Federal Monkey on his back, but also recover his errant wife and the fortune she took from him when she fled.

Mailbox Monday is on tour, with August’s location being at Life in the Thumb.

Both books this week are from Bookmooch:

 Former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone wakes to find an intruder in his Copenhagen bookshop: an American Secret Service agent with assassins on his heels. Narrowly surviving a ferocious firefight, the two journey to the secluded estate of Malone’s friend Henrik Thorvaldsen. The wily Danish tycoon has uncovered the insidious plans of the Paris Club, a cabal of multimillionaires bent on manipulating the global economy. But Thorvaldsen also harbors a hidden agenda – a vendetta – that will force Malone to choose between friend and country, past and present. Starting in Denmark, moving to England, and ending up in the storied streets and cathedrals of Paris, Malone is forced to match wits with a terrorist for hire and to plunge into a desperate hunt for Napoleon’s legendary treasure, lost for two hundred years. It’s a breathless game of duplicity and death, all to claim a prize of untold value. But at what cost?

 For caterer Goldy Schulz, who’s been worrying about her cash flow, the chance to work for a high-powered company like Prospect Financial Partners seems like a dream come true. But it turns out to be murder … in every sense of the word. When Goldy is hired to cater a party to kick off Prospect’s latest venture – the reopening of the Eurydice Gold Mine – she prepares a feast fit for a king. Yet the Tomato-Brie Pie has barely been served, when all hell breaks loose – and the main culprit is Goldy’s best friend, Marla. Marla is sure the mine venture is a scam. And when one of the partners ends up missing, it looks as if she was right. Why, then, are the police treating Goldy’s friend as if she committed a crime? As Goldy works furiously to restore her business by whipping up shrimp-studded Plantation Pilaf and Sour Cream Cherry Coffee Cake, she finds herself drawn into a case of stolen millions and multiple homicides. And only when she can discover which of the victims is the main corpse will Goldy be able to unravel the mystery that threatens to cancel out her friend’s dearest asset – her life.