The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson ****

I struggled with the first 500 pages of Larsson's original book, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo". This novel, however, was quite different. I was caught from the opening "Prologue" and was captured right until the end. Most of the same key characters as in the original book but an entirely different mess with which to deal. Three murders and Lisbeth Salander (the girl with the dragon tattoo) is the primary suspect. From that point on it is a continuous suspense mystery, entertaining to read.

Cross Country by James Patterson, PF

I don't know how detective Alex Cross survives. He gets savagely beaten up, tortured, imprisoned,and shot more times in one book than would seem to be humanly possible. It is difficult to determine if this book is meant to raise the consciousness of North American readers about the tragedies and crises in Africa (Nigeria, Dufur, Sierra Leone) or whether it is novel about a criminal investigation with the customary overtones of conspiracy theory that includes the CIA. AND the ending was a dud.

The Devil's Punch Bowl by Greg Isles

Customarily I enjoy Iles' books, but this book has too much talk and not enough action for me. Constructed around a gambling boat in Nantchez, Mississippi, the young mayor of the town gets hooked into unravelling a complex web of dog fighting, murder, international money laundering that results the lives of all his family being threatened including his daughter, his parents, and his girl friend.

The Whole Truth by David Baldacci, PF

This is good Baldacci. The story is too extreme to be believable, BUT it is an entertaining read AND, as is consistent with this author, there is an underlying message that is truly disturbing. Without trying to encapsulate the plot the notion of "Perception Management" as a critical component of the potential disasters that can be created by the intentional misconstruction of what is true is worrisome. "Perception Management" refers to a specific level of consultants that through a variety of media techniques influences the thinking of the public to believe that which is being promoted is actually true. Such distortion can be seriously problematic as is portrayed in this action thriller of a novel

Microserf by Douglas Coupland

Having already read J-Pod and The Gum Thief, this book was a little retro having been originally published in 1995. However, it is an interesting excursion into the perception of nerds and geeks in the Microsoft, Apple and silicon valley communities and the lives they live, they way they think, the values they hold, their self perception and their world views. Ultimately it boils down to some traditional themes of "identity", "self worth", and "what brings meaningfulness to life.

A Most Wanted Man by John LeCarre PF

Like other Le Carre novels there is a certain fascination and a fundamental disturbing undercurrent to the plot. This book is of a similar pattern. It combines an exposure of the complexity of building new security forces and the territoriality that results in mismanagement and unprecidented mistakes in interpretation of data, and important decision making. A most wanted man also explores Russian mafia, the torment of Chesnian muslims, traditional British Banking all set in the city of Hamburg and somehow it all works for a good read.

Hour Game, David Baldacci PF

Great beach read...a smorgasbord of characters and plot. From serial killer to life styles of the rich and famous, from family violence to kick boxing, from unsuspected to predictable. All and all, enjoyable.

Amaganset by Mark Mills PF

A good pulp fiction story. A combination of an elicit love story and a murder mystery. The primary character is a Basque immigrant fisherman. The location is a remote location in Long Island that is inhabited by a mixture of the very rich and the hard working men who make a living from the sea. The plot is entertaining and interest is maintained by the periodic interjections exploring the various backgrounds and circumstances of the major individuals.