Sunday, February 28, 2010

The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg


A young boy out exploring discovers the body of a woman. When the police arrive to remove the remains, they discover bones underneath that look like they come from two people. Patrik Hedstrom of the Tanumshede police station is the lead detective on the case and is able to pinpoint that the skeletons are of two women, Siv Lantin and Mona Thernblad, who disappeared in 1979. At the time Siv disappeared, a man named Gabriel Hult reported to the police that he saw his brother, Stefannes, with her the night she vanished. Stefannes commited suicide years ago and so cannot be responsible for all three murders. Still, having Patrik and his colleagues take a very close look at all the members of the Hult family seems to be the best way at solving the cases. When a teenage girl goes missing, it becomes even more imperative. The Preacher is the second book in the Erica Falck and Patrik Hedstrom series. The first book in the series The Ice Princess focused more on Erica. This book is a police procedural that reminds me of the Alan Banks series by Peter Robinson.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay


Reporter David Harwood plans on spending the day at a local amusement park with his wife, Jan, and their four-year-old son, Ethan. But soon after they enter the park, Ethan goes missing. Luckily, David locates him, but finds that Jan has disappeared. The police agree to investigate what might have happened to her, but soon consider David the prime suspect. David has no idea where Jan is, but realizes that he is the only one who can uncover the truth. Barclay writes another solid thriller that is very similar to the novels of Harlan Coben. It will be published next month.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Hypothermia by Arnaldur Indridason


Even after the police close the case and label her friend Maria's death a suicide, Karen isn't convinced. She discusses her feelings with police detective Erlendur and he decides to conduct his own "unofficial" investigation. Yes, Maria was depressed after her mother's recent death and the trauma of her father's drowning when she was young, but Erlendur wonders if she was pushed to kill herself. Erlendur is also troubled by a trio of missing persons cases from over thirty years ago. In three separate incidents, three young people disappeared and were never seen again. After the father of one of the missing men comes and sees him, he spends some time trying to close those cases, too. Since all of Erlendur's inquires are conducted in secret, the story focuses on him, only occasionally mentioning his co-workers Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg, who have been featured in previous books in the series. Despite this fact, I really enjoyed the latest book in this Icelandic mystery series. It will be published in the United States this fall.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Shadow Woman by Thomas Perry


Pete Hatcher is Jane Whitefield's last client. She has decided to give up helping people disappear and focus on being Carey McKinnon's wife. Pete is being followed because of information he has about a Las Vegas casino-- and the owners have authorized someone to take Pete out. Earl Bliss and Linda Thompson are the hired killers, and they enjoy the thrill of the hunt. A couple of months after he disappears, Pete calls Jane begging for her help again, after Earl and Linda find him. Jane agrees to help Pete, despite missing Carey. Will Jane be successful this time in making Pete disappear into his new identity? Shadow Woman is the third book in the Jane Whitefield series.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Lullaby by Claire Seeber

Jess, her husband, Mickey, and their eight-month-old son, Louis, spend a long-overdue day together at the Tate Museum in London. After lunch, Jess gets separated from them and is overwrought to discover that they've disappeared. Mickey is soon found, badly beaten, but Louis is still missing. Who would have taken him? Is it someone who knew the Finnegans or a stranger who saw an opportunity? From Jess' unsavory brother to the family's French nanny, there's no shortage of who could be responsible. Lullaby explores Jess' search (with the police's help) to find her son, along with the backstory of Jess and Mickey's far from perfect relationship.