A Little Death in Dixie, Lisa Turner

A first novel, a murder mystery involving the disappearance of a Southern Belle. I liked the ambience, the characters were well-drawn, and the plot was invested with just the right twists and turns.

Deception, Jonathan Kellerman

These are getting a little predictable, but I liked the characters and setting of this one. A woman implicates a trio of people at an exclusive prep school of abusing her, and then she is found dead in a bath tub full of dry ice. Milo Sturgis the homicide detective calls in his old friend Alex Delaware, a psychologist, to help unravel the twists and turns.

The Apprentice; Tess Gerritsen

For shear horror, this author is terrific. I think I probably liked the first one I read better, but I think maybe because I knew what to look for this time, and was not as blindsided. But this is a good story.

The Postcard Killers, James Patterson & Liza Marklund

Another terrific, gory, complicated murder mystery, with plenty of romance. An LAPD detective, whose daughter has been murdered by these killers, shows up in Europe to investigate as the brother and sister team continue to kill, and rob. In the end of course he ends up with the female journalist following the stories. A lot of fun.

Wicked Appetite, Janet Evanovich

Ok, so she found a perfect formula. This one has new characters in it, but it's pretty much the same thing. Funny, but ... this one has supernaturalism, a monkey that flips people off, and baking, but otherwise the same sexual tension, wacky side-kick, and the heroine gets hurts a lot.

I got it on Kindle, cheap, so I didn't feel I wasted my money.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. Harriet Simonson

I really enjoyed this one. Very English. But I read it in August and for some reason never posted any comments.

Freedom, Jonathan Frantzen

The review I read said that the author compares this work to Tolstoy's War and Peace-not that he is saying he compares himself to Tolstoy, but in the sense that it is a widely ranging social-realist family saga. It deals with family relationships, conservation, complex environmental issues, and the Bush years.With a little music star, college life, mental instability, and extra marital affairs.

The review went on to say it was a page turner. I turned some of the pages a lot faster than others, because this book seems almost as long as War and Peace (and I really don't know because I read it on Kindel), and I skimmed some of the save the birds parts, because I got it already. But I liked the depth the author was able to give the characters, and his ability to describe years that were very familiar to me.