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Crime Fiction for Beginners (2008). The story revolves around the investigation by attractive, blonde Detective Inspector Harriet Ware of the Met into the murder of Larry Barlow, a publisher found strangled in a Whitechapel alleyway but as the investigation proceeds the plot opens out to include the would-be authors whose work he arrogantly refused to publish and the books they are currently writing. The would be authors include Maud Jackson, who is writing romantic Regency fiction about how the aristocratic Lady Cynthia Cavendish-Harcourt foils the matrimonial intrigues of Jocelyne Bracegirdle, a nouveau riche rival, Hector Treadgold who is writing a science fiction epic in which the last survivors from Earth are making their way through space to the planet they mean to colonise, fighting off reptilian robots from the Ozkon empire en route and Juliet Transom who writes about her heroine Lohana's adventures and mystical experiences in former and future lives. A fourth author, Gregory Scofield, is rewriting a cold war thriller he wrote in the 80s. As the murder investigation proceeds, Harriet interviews Larry's partners, wife, lawyer, mistress and wife's uncle and tries to guess what crucial information they are hiding. She reviews the autopsy and scene of the crime reports but they provide few clues. Then there is Larry's file of threats and hate letters. Were some of them written by disgruntled would-be authors or by someone else? Meanwhile, her assistant Jim Rose searches for the Chinese restaurant where Larry had dinner shortly before he was murdered. But, in this world of would-be writers, all is very far from being what it seems … What the critics say about Crime Fiction for Beginners I could not put the book down. I had to know who-dun-it and how the detective figured it out. I was surprised when the murderer was revealed--and then with the other twist at the end...but I cannot say more. I do not want to ruin the mystery for you! I love when I read a book where the murder victim is a jerk and everyone is happy they are dead. It makes for very entertaining reading and throws a bit of dark humor in there as well. This book was one of those entertaining reads … I could see this being the beginning of a great series.
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Prince Korasoff´s Road Map (2009). Edward Hayes is a lonely widower. Albertine Sinclair, who is single and 38, is writing a doctoral thesis on Stendhal. They get to know each other by sight at the library where they work and start to feel an attraction for each other but both are too shy to make a first move. Albertine's friend Tabitha thinks up an original way to bring them together and when she has set it in motion she lets Albertine into the secret. Tabitha leads Edward through a series of three meetings with Albertine on each of which he sends a report back to Tabitha who, unknown to Edward, sends it on to Albertine. Little by little, Edward and Albertine feel more at ease with each other, discover mutual interests and sympathies to the point where, independently, they both feel sufficiently self confident to carry on without Tabitha´s help.Their romance begins to blossom but neither of them can foresee a crisis that is waiting to happen and threatens to destroy their relationship completely.
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A Feeling in my Bones (2010). Jake Forrester is recruited by Harvey Baum, a Miami based business associate, to carry out an assignment for Cyrus Kroger, a reclusive billionaire, at his heavily guarded property in the Catskills. In a series of emails to his wife Sally, Jake describes his increasingly close friendship with the septuagenarian Kroger but Jake suddenly disappears and Baum says he is out of contact, visiting Kroger´s operations in Central Africa. Shortly after Jake´s disappearance Baum phones Sally to say Kroger has fallen ill and died and then, a month later, he phones again, this time to say Jake is back in Miami but in a clinic suffering from a nervous breakdown. Sally flies to Miami and brings Jake home. She notices there are no visas or stamps in his passport indicating a visit to Central Africa. Jake gradually returns to normal but his relationship with Sally does not regain its old warmth. Whatever happened in the month Jake disappeared brings him vast wealth but Sally is worried because she finds he is growing increasingly nervous and suspicious. Sally and Jake start getting used to being extremely rich. She finds she is leaving her old life and friends behind. They move into a Park Lane penthouse and there Sally makes a discovery that brings her whole world crashing down. She starts investigating and what she discovers makes her afraid for her life. What the critics say about A Feeling in my Bones A totally gripping, on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller with an outcome that I never suspected until the lead character, Sally, did. … Buy this book! You won't be disappointed. Not only did A Feeling in My Bones have a great hook, but the author is quite the wordsmith as well. He really has a knack for creating a setting that the reader can get lost in and leaves just enough detail to the imagination. I was continually kept guessing on what was going to happen and I admire the author for managing to not only captivate me, but also keep me guessing right up to the last page. A Feeling In My Bones is a good read for people who like mystery and suspense. There are twists and turns throughout to keep you guessing until the end. This is a fast-pace read that will be hard to put down once you begin. I absolutely loved this book….. The story is very well written and thought out from beginning to end. From the beginning I thought I had the plot figured out but I was wrong because the end totally surprised me. The author sure has a knack with the words and described every situation as if you were there for real. I could have sworn I lived the story myself. This book is hard to put down from beginning and you'll want to read as much as you can before putting it down. The characters are truly believable and Sally's character is very plausible. I fell in love with her from the start. If you like fast action mystery, thrillers, then this book is for you.
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