Tales of a Book Addict

Mailbox Monday

Monday, July 20
A Taint in the Blood by Dana Stabenow

Thirty-one years ago in Anchorage, Alaska, Victoria Pilz Bannister Muravieff was convicted of murdering her seventeen-year-old son, William. The prosecution convinced the jury that she set fire to her home while both of her sons were trapped inside. William died and the other, Oliver, narrowly escaped. Victoria was sentenced to life in prison, and though she pled not guilty at the trial, she never again denied her guilt. Now Victoria has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and her daughter, Charlotte, who’s always believed in her mother’s innocence, wants her free. Kate Shugak is the only PI Charlotte can find who’s willing to take such a long-shot case. Kate figures it can’t be bad to do a favor for the Bannister family, one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in Alaska’s short history. As she begins her investigation, Victoria refuses to cooperate. But it seems she isn’t the only one who wants to leave the past in the past, as Kate finds herself caught in a web of deception, secrets, and danger….

I received this one from another MBS buddy as a birthday book. I’m looking forward to this one, it sounds interesting!

Tuesday, July 21
The Double Eagle by James Twining

Somehow, impossible, someone has invaded Fort Knox and stolen five of the world’s last remaining Double Eagles – the $20 gold coin ordered destroyed by President Roosevelt during the Great Depression. Now, one has resurfaced during an autopsy in France – in the stomach of a murdered priest. Disgraced FBI agent Jennifer Browne needs to recover the priceless coins to resuscitate her stalled career – and her investigation is pointing her toward Tom Kirk, a brilliant international art thief who wants to get out of the game. But Kirk’s only chance for freedom – and survival – is to find the missing coins, joining Browne, an unlikely ally, on a breakneck race across the globe and into the lethal heart of a shocking conspiracy of greed and power .. and death.

I’ve had my eye on this for a while now. Actually for at least 2 years when a co-worker’s wife told me about her reading it at the company Christmas party. But lately I’ve been lucky enough to build up some credits over at PBS and I finally used one to order this book (I hope it’s good!) So I’m looking forward to reading this one finally!!

Wednesday, July 22
Time Bomb by Jonathan Kellerman

By the time psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware reached the school the damage was done: A sniper had opened fire on a playground, but was gunned down before any children were hurt. While the TV news crews feasted on the scene and Alex began his therapy sessions with the traumatized children, he couldn’t escape the image of a slight teenager clutching an oversized rifle. What was the identity behind the name and face: a would-be assassin, or just another victim beneath an indifferent California sky? Intrigued by a request from the sniper’s father to conduct a “psychological autopsy” of his child, Alex begins to uncover a strange pattern of innocence, neglect, and loss. Then suddenly it is more than a pattern – it is a trail of blood. In the dead sniper’s past wsa a dark and vicious plot. And in Alex Delaware’s future is the stuff of grown-up nightmares: the face of real human evil.

I got this one from another BOB swap off PBS, I’m just trying to get as many of the early Delaware books as I can so I can start the series.

New York Dead by Stuart Woods

Everyone is always telling Stone Barrington that he’s too smart to be a cop, but it’s pure luck that places him on the streets in the dead of night, just in time to witness the horrifying incident that turns his life inside out. Suddenly he is on the front page of every New York newspaper, and his life is hopelessly entwined in the increasingly shocking life (and perhaps death) of Sasha Nijinsky, the country’s hottest and most beautiful television anchorwoman. No matter where he turns, the case is waiting for him, haunting his nights and turning his days into a living hell. Stone finds himself caught in a perilous web of unspeakable crimes, dangerous friends, and sexual depravity that ahs throughout it one comnon thread: Sasha.

I got this one as the second in the BOB swap. I’ve been wanting to start this series from the beginning so I was pleased to see this one available.

Thursday, July 23
The Aztec Heresy by Paul Christopher

In search of a Spanish galleon in the Caribbean, Finn Ryan and her partner, Lord Billy Pilgrim, find evidence of a lost Aztec Codex. The invaluable book, created by fifteenth-century explorer and accused heretic Hernan Coretz, is said to reveal the secret location of the lost City of Gold. Finn and Billy soon realize they are not alone in their quest. Also on the trail is the head of a menacing religious cadre, who would kill to get teh Codex first, as well as a sociopathic billionaire, with his own sinister reasons for wanting to possess it. But while trying to find the Codex – and stay alive – Finn and Billy come upon an even greater and more explosive secret. This mystery will take them from the jungles of the Yucatan to the Sonoran Desert, where the stakes are life and death – and the game is just beginning.

I ordered this off of Frugal Reader. I bought Rembrandt’s Ghost at the used bookstore and wanted to get the rest in the series before I started. This is the 4th in the series.

The Lucifer Gospel by Paul Christopher

Young archaeologist Finn Ryan and charismatic pilot and photographer Virgil Hilts are scouring the Sahara for the long-lost tomb of an apostle. But they find somethign they weren’t looking for: signs of a decades-old murder, along with an ancient Roman medallion bearing the infamous name of a fallen archangel. It doesn’t take long for them to realize that they’ve found a piece of a much bigger puzzle – and a trail of clues that could get them killed. Forced to flee from a relentless enemy, Finn and Virgil are pursued across the globe. From the sinister ruins of an ancient monastery to a sunken ship in the Caribbean, the two desperately search for a truth that can save their lives, but might shake the foundations of history…

This is the second in this series. I now have 2-4 … I still need to find 1 before I can start (I was hoping it would pop up on a Boxer’s account at PBS or on FrugalReader because I really didn’t want to waste a PBS point on it…. I guess we’ll see)

Mailbox Monday

Monday, July 13
The Madness of Mary Lincoln by Jason Emerson

The Madness of Mary Lincoln is the first examination of Mary Lincoln’s mental illness based on the lost letters, and the first new interpretation of the insanity case in twenty years. This compelling story of the purported insanity of one of America’s most tragic first ladies provides new and previously unpublished materials, including the psychiatric diagnosis of Mary’s mental illness and her lost will. This book reveals Abraham Lincoln’s understanding of his wife’s mental illness and the degree to which he helped keep her stable. It also traces Mary’s life after her husband’s assassination, including her severe depression and physical ailments, the harsh public criticism she endured, the Old Clothes Scandal, and the death of her son Tad.

I received this one from my wish list on PBS. I was really pleased when this one came up for my turn and I’m definitely looking forward to it!! I studied the Lincoln marriage in depth in college for a paper I wrote and I am interested in seeing what Emerson has to say about Mary Lincoln.

Wednesday, July 15
The Codex by Douglas Preston

“Greetings from the dead,” declares Maxwell Broadbent on the videotape he left behind after his mysterious disappearance. A notorious treasure hunter and tomb robber, Broadbent accumulated over a half a billion dollars’ worth of priceless art, gems, and artifacts before vanishing – along with his entire collection – from his mansion in New Mexico. As a final challenge to his three sons, Broadbent has buried himself and his treasure somewhere in the world, hidden away like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. If the sons wish to claim their inheritance, they must find their father’s carefully concealed tomb. The race is on, but among Broadbent’s treasures is an ancient Mayan codex that may hold a secret far more important than the wealth of riches among it, and Broadbent’s sons aren’t the only ones after it.

I received this one today from one of my MBS buddies, Diane, as a birthday book. I had had my eye on it over at PBS by having it on my WL, but didn’t really want to spend a credit on it and couldn’t find a boxer who would swap for it. So I was pleased to see that she had this book available and I’m anxious to reading it!

Don’t Tell by Karen Rose

It was a desperate plan. But Mary Grace Winters knew the only way to save herself and her child from her abusive cop husband was to stage their own death. Now all that remains of their former life is at the bottom of a lake. … Armed with a new identity in a new town, she and her son have found refuge hundreds of miles away. As Caroline Stewart, she has almost forgotten the nightmare she left behind nine years ago. She is even taking a chance on love with Max Hunter, a man with wounds of his own. But her past is about to collide with the present when her husband uncovers her trail and threatens her hard-won peace. Step by step, he’s closing in on her – and everything and everyone she loves.

This one came to me from another MBS buddy, Haji. She was a sweetheart and sent me three Karen Rose books from her shelf for my birthday.

Have You Seen Her? by Karen Rose

One by one, the girls disappear from their beds at night. Each one is pretty, with long dark hair. And each one is found brutally murdered. Special Agent Steven Thatcher has sworn to find the serial killer preying on this small town. As the investigation pulls him one way, his family pulls him in another. A widower haunted by loss, he now worries about his son Brad slipping away. But there’s a bright light in his life: his son’s teacher, Jenna Marshall, has reached out to help. She’s beautiful, kind, and considerate – and slowly, tentatively, she and Steven are starting to fall in love. But both have been hurt before – badly. And as the two try to find the courage to bare their souls, a murderer who has slain many looks for the real treasure he craves. He sets his trap. And waits. For Jenna….

This was the second of three books from Haji as explained above.

I’m Watching You by Karen Rose

Star prosecutor Kristen Mayhew has a dangerous secret admirer. He seems to know her every thought, her every move. He sends her letters. And he kills the criminals she herself is powerless to stop. This avenger even knows Kristen’s deepest secret – the one that has kept her from surrendering her heart to Abe Reagan, the police detective sworn to protect her. Like Kristen, Reagan is haunted by the loss of something precious that can never be regained. But in the shadow of a calculating serial killer, the two turn to each other and dare to rediscover passion … even as the messages and vicious murders continue. Even as the killer’s thirst for retribution makes Kristen a target for murder.

This was the third book from Haji. I’m really looking forward to trying out Karen Rose for the first time! All her books sound so good!!

The Mark of the Assassin by Daniel Silva

When a terrorist bomb blows Flight 002 out of the sky off the east coast, there is only one chilling clue. A body found near the crash site bears the deadly calling card of an elusive, lethal assassin – three bullets to the face. Michael Osbourne of the CIA knows the markings. Personally. Propelled by an obsession that threatens to consume his career, his family, his life, Osbourne is not how on the assassin’s trail. But in a world of shadows and lies, intrigue and cover-up, the man with a mission puts himself and his loved ones in the sights of the most ruthless, diabolical assassins on earth….

I received this one from another fellow MBS buddy, Jud, for a birthday book. I enjoy spy type novels (even if they sometimes do take me a little longer to read) and am really looking forward to reading this one!!

Thursday, July 16
The Jury Master by Robert Dugoni

In a courtroom, defense attorney David Sloane is a master manipulator who can grab a jury and make it dance. He enjoys a wildly successful career limited only by his conscience – until he gets a phone call from a total stranger, Joe Branick, special assistant to the president of the United States. Just hours later Branick kills himself. And his death propels Sloane into a murderous whirlwind that will shatter lives from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. Yet Sloane needs to know more. About Branick. About others who are in as much danger as he is. And about the president and his men. But in the face of a secret that spans decades and governments, and puts billions of dollars at risk, there’s one thing David Sloane can’t possibly envision. This runaway conspiracy is all about him – and only he can stop it.

I received this one as part of a three book swap from PBS. I chose it because it sounds like something I would really enjoy! I hope it’s as good as I think it will be!

The Testament by Eric Van Lustbder

BRAVERMAN “BRAVO” SHAW always knew his father had secrets. But not until Dexter Shaw dies mysteriously does Bravo discover the enormity of his father’s hidden life as a high-ranking member of the Order of Gnostic Observatines. For more than eight hundred years, the Order has preserved an ancient cache of documents that could shake Christianity to its foundations. Another secret society, the Knights of St. Clement, will stop at nothing to obtain the treasure, and now Bravo must follow his father’s esoteric clues to find the hidden documents before the Knights. Bravo is now a target and a pawn in an ongoing war far larger and more deadly than any he could have imagined. His companion in this quest is Jenny Logan, a Guardian assigned to Bravo by the Order. But Bravo soon learns that he can trust no one where the Testament is concerned, perhaps not even Jenny …

This was the second in a three book swap from PBS. I’ve been really into reading and/or thinking about reading books about secret societies and Christianity. I honestly don’t know why. I guess it’s the adventure in them, but I hope that this one is a good one!!

The Straw Men by Michael Marshall

In Palmerston, Pennsylvania, two men in long coats walk calmly into a crowded fast-food restaurant – then, slowly and methodically, gun down sixty-eight people. They take time to reload. On the Promenade of Santa Monica, California, a teenage girl gives sightseeing tips to a distinguished English tourist. She won’t be going home tonight. In Dyersburg, Montana, a grief-stricken son tries to make sense of the accident that killed his parents – then finds a note stuffed in his father’s favorite chair. It reads, “We’re not dead.” Three seemingly unrelated events, these are the first signs of an unimaginable network of fear that will lead one unlikely hero to a chilling confrontation with The Straw Men. No one knows who they are – or why they kill. But they must be stopped.

I first saw this one on a MBS buddies available shelf; it turned out that she had mailed it out and forgotten to remove it. But I was so intrigued by this one that I had to find it! So this one is the last in the three book swap from PBS (and it’s the one I really wanted!) I hope that this one is as good as it sure sounds to me! I’m looking forward to getting to this one as quickly as I can

Friday, July 17
Paranoia by Joseph Finder

It was only a prank: diverting cash from Wyatt Telecom’s executive slush fund to throw a retirement bash for a member of the loading dock crew. But when corporate security catches up with Adam Cassidy, a low ambition junior staffer at the high-tech behemoth, they call it something else: embezzlement. Ruthless CEO Nick Wyatt is impressed by Adam’s scheming, and offers him one way out – take on the role of a rising corporate hotshot and infiltrate Wyatt’s rival, Trion Systems. His mission is to get close to Trion’s legendary founder Jock Goddard, and his ultra-secret “Project Aurora,” and report back to Wyatt. With Wyatt pulling the strings and a dramatically improved identity, Adam is set up as Trion’s new boy genius. Suddenly, he’s got a sweet new Porsche, a closet full of $1,500 suits, and even a sexy woman in his life. But it’s all just a mirage because Adam is about to learn that nothing is what it seems and that it isn’t paranoia … everyone is out to get him…

This one part of a two book swap from PBS. I’ve never read Joseph Finder before, but I have another one of his books on my shelf. This one however, sounds really interesting!

Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn

On a busy Washington morning, the stately calm of the White House is shattered by a hail of gunfire. A group of terrorists has descended on the executive mansion and gained access by means of a violent slaughter of dozens of people. Through the quick actions of the Secret Service, the president is evacuated to his underground bunker, but not before nearly one hundred hostages are taken. While politicians and military leaders argue over how to negotiate with the terrorists, one man is sent in to take control of the crisis. Mitch Rapp, the CIA’s top counterterrorism operative, determines that the president is not as safe as Washington’s power elite had thought. Moving stealthily among the corridors and secret passageways of the White House, Rapp makes a chilling discovery that could rock Washington to its core: someone within his own government is maneuvering to make his rescue attempt fail.

Okay, so I’ve wanted to start this series for quite some time, I think I have the 6th and 7th book in the series on my shelf, acquiring them before realizing they were part of a series. So I’m really looking forward to starting with the first book (something I’m anal about) and this one sounds really good too!!