Oath Of Office Written By Michael Palmer

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I have read most of Michael Palmer's books wondering how he could add more excitement and deeper involvement than in his preceding books. "Oath Of Office" is no exception as I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book wondering while advancing through the book how the author can be so knowledgeable as he delves into so many subjects in various fields and subjects? The story begins as Dr. John Meacham has a huge verbal fight with a patient, certainly not the type of thing he would normally do. As that patient stormed out of his office he started thinking beyond the normal box that all those in the office would give him trouble reporting the incident to the hospital and other boards. He decided he would just stop any of them from hurting his future and started shooting and killing any patients in the office and waiting room, his own staff, and any doctors in the immediate vicinity, followed by shooting himself. Dr. Lou Welcome was a good friend of Dr. John Meacham and couldn't believe that this man could take the actions he had taken with such finality to everyone involved. Dr. Meacham had barely survived the bullet he put in his head and despite all the medical attention he was given, including some from Lou, he didn't make it.

The wife of the President of the United States, Darlene Mallory, was a good friend of the Secretary of Agriculture, Russell Evans, and was hurt that he had been caught with a hooker and had to resign his cabinet job. She needed to find out if the story was true or not. Their meeting was done secretly, planned well with the help of one of the Secret Service agents assigned to cover Mrs. Mallory, Victor. Victor was a very good agent but also was top notch at helping the presidents' wife do almost anything she wished to do, outright or secretly. Lou was beginning to suspect something was going on affecting the minds of some causing them to do some outlandish and not near normal activities that had started with his friend killing so many and Dr. Meacham's wife not acting normal also.

Lou had been taking boxing lessons from a good friend, Cap, and had for some years. This helped Lou stay in good physical shape and he loved the action and boy, did he need some relaxation now after all he had been through the past few days. He and Cap worked out and had a good chance to talk. The town of Kings Ridge was the closest populated area and Lou went there to meet Chief Stone, Chief of the Kings Ridge Police force. Lou told Stone that he was suspicious of some strange things going on in the area with people doing and saying some strange things, some things from their local hospital, the local doctors, and the actions of Dr. Meacham. The chief took note but did not feel there was anything wrong.

Action really picks up even more so involving all of the above, the President of the United States who was involved in a reelection campaign so did not have much time for close friends or his wife, Lou's friends and associates, Secret Service agents, and many more. As I said, Michael Palmer has spun a great tale in this book and to try to tell you any more than I have would ruin your enjoyment while reading the book. The writing is excellent, the plots are great, and the characters are very real. When the book gets into genetically modified goods, we enter a current problem facing our world right now. How dangerous are these GE products?

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by the author

Kate Wilhelm's Death Qualified - Review of a Legal Thriller

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Kate Wilhelm has been writing books since 1962 and is best known for her award-winning science fiction novellas and short stories. In 1987 she launched a mystery series with a married detective duo named Constance and Charlie. Constance is a psychologist and Charlie is an ex-arson investigator. The series ends in 1999 after eight books.

Another series begins in 1991, when attorney Barbara Holloway decides to come back to Eugene, Oregon. Her father Frank convinces her to help him with a case and defend Nell Kendricks, a woman accused of killing her husband. Barbara has to contend with her old boyfriend Tony, the prosecutor and her frustration with the flaws in the justice system. Barbara thinks the whole defense rests on the experimental work that Nell's husband was involved with during his six-year absence. That work has to do with the chaos theory and the fantasy part of the story.

I'm not a fan of fantasy, and I wasn't sure where the book was going at times. The fantasy part seemed incongruous with the legal storytelling. What held things together for me was the romance between Barbara, the main character, and a mathematician, Mike Denesen, whom she consults to help understand the work of Nell's husband. There is a rush at the end to solve the murder, but it left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

I may try another book in the series, since the chaos theory elements of the first book may be what made me uneasy. It was a page-turner, and I did like the psychological complexities of the characters and the detailed sense of place. The investigator that Barbara and Frank use promises to be an interesting character. I just wasn't excited enough to make the second book a priority. Those, who like a little fantasy and appreciate that escaping reality is what reading is all about, may be more attracted to the series.

Copyright 2011 by Linda K. Murdock. Linda wrote Mystery Lover's Puzzle Book, Crosswords with Clues from Your Favorite Mystery Series. In it she reviews 29 mystery writers, has a check-off list of book titles and a puzzle for each series. Download a FREE sample crossword on Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series or sign up for more mystery book reviews under Author Bio at http://bellwetherbooks.com/

The Last Justice Is a First-Class Thriller

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It's Black Wednesday, and an assassin has just murdered five of the nine Supreme Court justices while they are hearing a case. A sixth, Chief Justice Thomas W. Kincaid, brandishing a pistol, is mistakenly shot by the police, who think he might be the killer, though it's later discovered "he had surprised the assassin by returning fire," and that "The Supreme Court police officers who mistakenly shot Kincaid had killed the only witness to see the shooter's face." The main suspect of the police and FBI? Security cameras identify the initials "C.B." branded onto someone's neck, but don't catch the person's face clearly. The person whom the cops start to believe has the best motive is, you'd initially think, the one who would be the least likely to commit such a heinous crime - the Solicitor General (SG), Jefferson McKenna. The belief is strengthened when McKenna flees, leaving dead bodies in his wake. But, did he murder the Supreme Court justices, or is someone trying to set him up?

This is the scenario that talented author Anthony J. Franze (a successful lawyer himself) presents in his suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat debut thriller, The Last Justice. McKenna has to prove his innocence and uncover who is really behind the murders while on the run from the police, the FBI, and the people who are trying to frame him and possibly kill him. Also, conservative President Winter, wanting to fill the vacancies on the Supreme Court as expediently as possible, tries to cut a deal with the Congress, "the three-three deal." It's meant, supposedly, to be fair to everyone involved, a way around bipartisan bickering. As Judge Ivan Petrov, a potential nominee for one of the openings caused by the murders, puts how the deal would work:

"It's pretty simple. The administration and the Democratic leadership each would come up with a list of three nominees, and each side agreed not to challenge the nominees on the other's list: hence, the name, 'the three-three deal.'"

The person to come up with the idea? Jefferson McKenna. McKenna, before he becomes a suspect himself, assists with the investigation, going through the cases that the Supreme Court was scheduled to rule on previous to the shooting deaths of the justices. He comes up with two cases that seem to have the most potential to give someone a motive to want the decisions delayed.
What's more, Parker Sinclair, a law clerk that winds up dead with his blood on McKenna's running suit and in his motel room, had accused McKenna of taking a bribe from Nash. When Nash is later stabbed to death, that seems to confirm to the police that McKennna is the one who has the most to gain by it.

The Last Justice is an adrenaline-inducing roller coaster ride, full of enough action and chase scenes to please the most discriminating junkies of thrillers and suspense novels. How McKenna manages to evade capture and gather evidence, with the aid of his love interest, Kate, her brother, Aiden, and Aiden's computer-hacking friend makes for a very entertaining read. I hope to read more excellent, action-packed novels of suspense from Anthony J. Franze in the future. If you enjoy page-turning, exciting, pulse-racing mystery thrillers, I recommend checking out The Last Justice today!

Reviewed by Douglas R. Cobb for http://www.bestsellersworld.com/

Review - Diary: Alone on Earth

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Diary: Alone on Earth, JD Weldy, 2011, B005W3NACK (Kindle e-book)

It's normal to wonder what it would be like to be the last person on earth. That is, until it actually happens.

David is a senior citizen who has reasons for wanting to cut himself off from the rest of the world. He finds an isolated house outside of a small town in Alabama, where he plans to spend the rest of his days with his faithful dog, Ralph. One day, the whole world is menaced a strange humming sound. The media is full of speculation as to the cause. Several hundred people are driven to suicide, including one of David's neighbors. Countries are ready for war, convinced that their "enemy" is about to attack. David goes to bed.

The next morning David wakes up to no electricity, and no battery power, either. Even new, freshly charged batteries are dead. David travels to the houses of his neighbors, to find them deserted. He visits the small town, a place called Axis, to find it also deserted. He finds a motorcycle that he can push start, and visits Mobile, Alabama. He finds hundreds and hundreds of abandoned, burning cars, like people were in a panic. But there are no people, not even dead bodies. He finds the same thing in Atlanta, along with signs that people tried very hard keep something out, or in.

The book turns into something of a psychological battle between David and a being that he calls The Blackness. David feels that it wants him dead, but it can't kill him, so it torments him constantly. David hears Ralph barking, but no matter how much he calls out to Ralph, he doesn't come. David also hears voices that he should recognize. David and The Blackness meet late in the book (think "demon from hell"). David decides to travel west to keep looking for any other people. For some reason, he feels that answers will be found at the end of Interstate 90, in the town of Van Horn, Texas. As he travels, with The Blackness making it as hard as possible, David has to maneuver around thousands and thousands of smashed and burning cars, but still no people. Does David reach the end of his journey? Does he discover what happened to mankind?

Told all in diary form, this is a really interesting suspense story. It does a very good job of showing the despair that will set in after the "novelty" wears off, including the wondering if God would really let such a thing happen to His people. It is very much worth reading.

Paul Lappen is a freelance book reviewer whose blog, http://www.deadtreesreview.blogspot.com/, emphasizes small press and self-published books.

One of My Favorite Mysteries Is Hour Glass by David Baldacci

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When I'm not reading historical fiction, I enjoy a good mystery. "Hour Glass" was an excellent choice. I usually look to James Patterson or Michael Connelly for a great novel. Well, David Baldacci was equally as superb at writing when it came to producing this book. I had a hard time putting it down. It had me from the very beginning. I'll be looking for this author for future reading enjoyment.

One thing I really enjoyed about his writing was the colorful descriptive style of content that I encountered. In this book mystery, the investigators named King and Maxwell are a highly entertaining team of detectives. It was non stop vibrant action while the smart serial killer always seemed to be one step ahead, in his twisted exploits. He seemed to always be clever and able to create complexities in his actions just enough to throw off the trailing duo as they sought him out and tried to solve the mystery.

The story setting is in a small community called Wrightsburg which was home to several well to do families. The Battle family was one of the richest residents there and was also at the center of the mystery. Despite their wealth, they were quite a dysfunctional clan.

Michelle Maxwell and Sean King were the heroes of the story. Eventually, they outsmarted him. They were very entertaining and likeable detectives. The local doctor, Sylvia Diaz, seemed very likeable too, until you discover that she has an evil role in the story. The real villain appears somewhat likeable at first but later you discover the truth. He is clever, intelligent and an accomplished painting artist. He is also involved with civil war reenactments as a hobby.

His sister, Savannah Battle is a genuine nice person whiles his mother, Remmy, is a stern woman whose bark is worse than her bite. The father, Bobby Battle, the kingpin, had made the family fortune and also created the dysfunction. Once he died, the family unraveled even further. Bobbie's past misdeeds would come back to haunt the family as well as the community.

Eddie Battle when he was discovered and caught, then, becomes an escape artist. There is never a dull moment in this story. I highly recommend the book as well as the author and his talent. You too may find it a novel hard to put down if you enjoy the book as much as I did.

John Sprague is an American currently working in the mideast. He enjoys writing and working on his websites in his free time. He has a new site at http://johnsprague.ws/ His website has photos of the mideast and marketing articles that you may be interested in viewing. There are also website analysis tools and articles on genealogy and dna.

Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke - Mystery-Thriller Book Review - Music, and Murder in Minnesota

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Cinnamon Roll Murder continues author Joann Fluke's trademark talents of combining fictional murder mystery with morsels of food. Fluke's narrative centers around amateur sleuth, Hannah Swensen. As owner of The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden, Minnesota's coffee and bakery shop, Swensen's never far from comestibles and crime.

The Cinnamon Roll Six jazz band is en route to perform at the first-ever weekend jazz festival at the Lake Eden Inn. It's early April, on an ice-filled evening, when the musicians' bus crashes and overturns near town.

Hannah and her sister, Andrea, are traveling in the company van to deliver a large cinnamon roll order to the Lake Eden Inn. Witnessing the accident, they stop to offer help. Driver, Clayton Wallace is dead at the scene. Fortunately the band's entourage suffers only minor injuries yet need to be examined at Lake Eden Memorial Hospital.

While there, Delores Swensen, Hannah's mother and leader of the hospital's Rainbow Ladies Auxiliary group, discovers keyboardist, Buddy Neiman dead in an examining room; stabbed with surgical scissors buried in his chest.

Who'd have motive to kill Buddy Neiman?

Promising, young musician, Devon Murphy (replacement keyboardist for Neiman), is one suspect. Another is the mysterious woman seen arguing with the victim outside Club Nineteen, the band's previous gig.

Dentist, Norman, is Hannah's true love interest, yet engaged to Dr. Bev, a fellow professional. Her reputation in Lake Eden is tainted, known as a conniving, self-centered woman, intent on marrying Norman with ulterior motives. Dr. Bev claims Norman is the father of her five-year-old daughter, Diana, but the Swensen clan is skeptical.

Hannah and her sister Andrea go undercover as realtor/client to gain access to DNA samples from Diana, who lives with Dr. Bev's mother, Judy Thorndike, in the Twin Cities.

Claire's dress shop, Granny's Attic (the area's gossip hub), and Helping Hands (the town's sole thrift store), contribute to Lake Eden's quaint commercialism.

Mentions of modern day, major issues, including facial implants and domestic abuse, offset the isolated, small-town charm of Lake Eden.

Piggy Chicken, Stuffin' Muffins and Pucker Up Lemon Cake, are recipes included in the narrative, along with the expectant, mouthwatering, Special Cinnamon Rolls. All twenty-two recipes are handily indexed at book's end along with a Baking Conversion Chart.

The challenge with some of Fluke's recipes is the amount of labor they require to produce. In today's time-constrained world, chicken tenders need to be pounded and dough needs to rise for several hours, as an example.

Cinnamon Roll Murder is a well-crafted mystery; designed to simultaneously tease your brain and taste buds. Indulge.

The 2012 Bouchercon World Mystery Convention is being held in Cleveland, Ohio, October 4-7. To learn more about this gathering of some of the world's best crime fiction writers, visit: http://bouchercon2012.com.

Timothy Zaun is a blogger, speaker and freelance writer. Visit him online at http://timzaun.com/.

The Detachment by Barry Eisler

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"The Detachment" by Barry Eisler brings back assassin John Rain and the former Marine sniper, Dox, from Eisler's first six popular novels and pairs them with the covert operator and hero of Eisler's last two books, Ben Treven, and the deadly Larison from Eisler's most recent "Inside Out." These four, all expert and experienced operators and killers, are thrust together to form a detachment to stop a coup that's being launched on American soil. Black Ops veteran Colonel Scott "Hort" Horton from previous novels brings the four together for the mission, but it's up to the four to figure out just what the mission is, if they can, before being killed, or killing each other. The premise makes for an exciting fast paced yarn that is fun to read and keeps you wondering what is what and who is who throughout.

I'm a friend of Eisler's, and was looking forward to him writing about Rain and Dox again. As a former Army sniper, I have a kindred spirit for the former Marine. I really liked his part in this story, and it was great to see him back in action, as well as providing some of the comical relief when things get tough. Who says a tough guy can't have a sense of humor? The way the four men interacted with each other moved the talk along well, and the trust, or lack of it, element of the story kept it interesting. Sometimes these interactions were as full of "action" as the actual action scenes, just a different type. The way the characters have developed over the series, and the camaraderie between them, and a look into their psyche, enables the reader to better understand these men, their lives, their pains, their insecurities, as well as their strengths.

As a writer, Eisler did another thing I found interesting. When focused on Rain, the narration is in first person, but when writing about Dox, Treven, and Larison, it is in third person. I found this interesting, and it really makes the story a John Rain thriller as the title suggests, rather than a Ben Treven book. And Rain is the primary character, even though the others all play important roles. Eisler, as always, is in top form when writing about covert ops and keeps his locations accurate and realistic. His experience and research pays off.

"The Detachment" is a terrific thriller with John Rain and Dox back in action. The addition of Treven and Larison added to the excitement and I'm looking forward to seeing where this detachment of special op professionals goes next.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a writer, speaker, and mediator. He has authored several books (including Lost Conscience and the Tough Guy Wisdom series) and a number of instructional DVDs (including Hapkido Cane and the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series). He has also reviewed hundreds of books, DVDs, and products. His Warrior's Edge programs focus on safety, martial arts, self-defense, and living with The Warrior's Edge. His Black Belt Communicator programs focus on effective communication for conflict resolution, negotiation, leadership, and mediation. You can find out about Alain, read articles and reviews, see video clips of his DVDs, and more at http://www.burrese.com/blog.