The Last Surgeon by Michael Palmer

About the book: Michael Palmer’s latest novel pits a flawed doctor against a ruthless psychopath, who has made murder his art form. Dr. Nick Garrity.....is constantly on the lookout for his war buddy Umberto Vasquez, who was plucked from the streets by the military four years ago for a secret mission and has not been seen since.


Psych nurse Gillian Coates wants to find her sister’s killer. She does not believe that Belle Coates, an ICU nurse, took her own life.

Together, Nick and Gillian determine that one-by-one, each of those in the operating room for a fatally botched case is dying. Their discoveries pit them against genius Franz Koller--the highly-paid master of the “non-kill”—the art of murder that does not look like murder. As Doctor and nurse move closer to finding the terrifying secret behind these killings, Koller has been given a new directive: his mission will not be complete until Gillian Coates and Garrity, the last surgeon, are dead.
 
My thoughts: This is advertised as a medical thriller but it seems more like a political/conspiracy thriller with a little medical thrown in. Even so it kept me reading to see what would happen next. The killer was very creepy, and when I finally understood who hired him to kill regular people...well! The look this book gives into PTSD is interesting. It is a thing I think many of us don't fully understand. Nick, the central charater suffering from PTSD, was a good strong lead. I like that he a non-prophit counselor for the homeless and an advocate for other vets with PTSD working with them them from his specially equiped motor-home.  My favorite supporting character was Junie. Whe was a wonderful person with a good heart. If you like thrillers along this line I think you'll like this one.

Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers (1926)

About the book: Rustic old Riddlesdale Lodge was a Wimsey family retreat filled with country pleasures and the thrill of the hunt -- until the game turned up human and quite dead. He lay among the chrysanthemums, wore slippers and a dinner jacket and was Lord Peter's brother-in-law-to-be. His accused murderer was Wimsey's own brother, and if murder set all in the family wasn't enough to boggle the unflappable Lord Wimsey, perhaps a few twists of fate would be -- a mysterious vanishing midnight letter from Egypt...a grieving fiancee with suitcase in hand...and a bullet destined for one very special Wimsey.

First line: Lord Peter Wimsey stretched himself luxoriously between the sheets provided by the  Hotel Meurice.

My thoughts: This is my second Dorothy L. Sayers book and as it turns out the second in her Lord Peter Wimsey series. I read this one spicifically for the Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge. My favorite character in this had to be the Dowager Duchess even though her part is small. Her sharp comments and observations were amuesing. One interesting point is that Lord Peter suffers from "shell shock" or what we call PTSD now since his service in WWI. His character as well as others are rounding out here. The mystery was a good one with plenty of clues to muddy the waters including one false admission of guilt. I did find it a bit tedious in places due to the rehashing of incidents but over all a satisfying read for this challenge. 

Velva Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven

About the book: In this spellbinding debut, Velva Jean Hart finds true love-and then risks everything to follow her dreams.

Set in Appalachia in the years before World War II, Velva Jean Learns to Drive is a poignant story of a spirited young girl growing up in the gold-mining and moonshining South.

Before she dies, Velva Jean's mother urges her to "live out there in the great wide world". Velva Jean dreams of becoming a big-time singer in Nashville until she falls in love with Harley Bright, a handsome juvenile delinquent turned revival preacher. As their tumultuous love story unfolds, Velva Jean must choose between keeping her hard-won home and pursuing her dream of singing in the Grand Ole Opry.

My thoughts: This story, which takes place in the Appalachians in the 30's & 40's, was a great read. It is a simple story of this young girl's life told in an easy to read fashion that touched my heart.  I enjoyed getting to know Velva Jean and look forward to her next book! The characters were interesting and some were colorful. The one character I wish had a bigger part in the book was the mysterious Wood Cutter, who befriended Velva Jean but mostly kept to himself in his cabin at the top of the mountain. I would recommend this book wholeheartedly!
Rating: A

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (1927)

About the book: M. Poirot, the hero of The Mysterious Affair at Stiles [sic] and other brilliant pieces of detective deduction, comes out of his temporary retirement like a giant refreshed, to undertake the investigation of a peculiarly brutal and mysterious murder. Geniuses like Sherlock Holmes often find a use for faithful mediocrities like Dr. Watson, and by a coincidence it is the local doctor who follows Poirot round, and himself tells the story. Furthermore, as seldom happens in these cases, he is instrumental in giving Poirot one of the most valuable clues to the mystery.

My thoughts: This story is told from the point of view of the village doctor who becomes a sort of Dr. Watson to M. Hercule Pirot. It begins with one death and quickly to another, that of Roger Ackroyd. As you follow the clues with the good Dr. and Pirot suspicions are cast on several of the characters. At the end Pirot calls them all to his house and announces he knows who the murderer is and gives him/her 24 hours to confess. What I didn't expect was the shocker of a twist after this announcement. Wow! 

Cat of many Tails by Ellery Queen

About the book: A strangler is killing Manhattanites, seemingly at random. The only common thread is the unusual silk cords that are used for the killings; blue for men and pink for women. Other than that, the victims come from all social classes and backgrounds, ethnicities, races, neighbourhoods, etc. The city is in a panic. Ellery Queen forms together a small group of people related to some of the victims, and some consultants, and works to determine the killer's reason for selecting these particular victims. When he finally realizes the thread that connects the victims, the murderer is revealed and peace returns to the city.

First line: The strangling of Archibald dudley Abernethy was the first scene in a nine-act tragedy whose locale was the City of New York.


My thoughts: This Ellery Queen novel, first   published in 1949, is the first I've read by this author. I enjoyed reading this vintage mystery. It was a puzzler that kept me guessing till the end then....there was the twist! At 241 pages it was over a little two quickly for me. The characters, victims and main, were well developed and sympathetic. I found the spoken language of the era entertaining and the layout of the story was engaging.

Note: While reading about Ellery Queen in Wikipedia I found that Ellery Queen is both a fictional character and a pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel Nathan, alias Frederic Dannay (October 20, 1905 – September 3, 1982[1]) and Manford (Emanuel) Lepofsky, alias Manfred Bennington Lee (January 11, 1905 – April 3, 1971[2]), to write, edit, and anthologize detective fiction.[3] The fictional Ellery Queen created by Dannay and Lee is a mystery writer and amateur detective who helps his father, a police inspector in New York City, solve baffling murders.

Desperation by Stephen King

Firestarter by Stephen King

The Closers by Michael Connelly

Death's Excellent Vacation ed. by Harris and Kelner

About the book: The editors of Wolfsbane and Mistletoe and Many Bloody Returns deliver a new collection-including a never-before-published Sookie Stackhouse story.
New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Katie MacAlister, Jeaniene Frost-plus Lilith Saintcrow, Jeff Abbott, and more-send postcards from the edge of the paranormal world to fans who devoured Wolfsbane and Mistletoe and Many Bloody Returns.

With an all-new Sookie Stackhouse story and twelve other original tales, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner bring together a stellar collection of tour guides who offer vacations that are frightening, funny, and touching for the fanged, the furry, the demonic, and the grotesque. Learn why it really can be an endless summer-for immortals.

My Thoughts:

Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy

About the book: People are dying for the new computer game by the software company Monkeewrench. Literally. With Serial Killer Detective out in limited release, the real-life murders of a jogger and a young woman have already mimicked the first two scenarios in the game.

But Grace McBride and her eccentric Monkeewrench partners are caught in a vise. If they tell the Minneapolis police of the link between their game and the murders, they'll shine a spotlight on the past they thought they had erased-and the horror they thought they'd left behind. If they don't, eighteen more people will die...

Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Signet (April 6, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 045121157X
ISBN-13: 978-0451211576

First line: The brandy had been absolutly essential.

My Thoughts: I read a couple of negative reviews of this book but decided to go ahead and read it. Boy am I glad I did. This has to be my new favorite thriller and I intend to get on with this series as soon as possible. It kept me engaged, pulling me along with a couple of subplots and several twists. I enjoyed the nuggets of humor that shined in the twist of a phrase or the observation of an incident. The characters were colorful and likable. The dog, Charlie, went straight to my heart. I'm hoping that Jackson, a boy who had a bit part, will be more fully reaalized in the next book. Get it, you'll like it.

Rating: A

Gateways by F. Paul Wilson

About the book: In Gateways, Jack learns that his father is in a coma after a car accident in Florida. They've been on the outs, but this is his dad, so he heads south. In the hospital he meets Anya, one of his father's neighbors. She's a weird old duck who seems to know an awful lot about his father, and even a lot about Jack.


Jack's arrival does not go unnoticed. A young woman named Semelee, who has strange talents and lives in an isolated area of the Everglades with a group of misshapen men, feels his presence. She senses that he's "special," like her.

Anya takes Jack back to Dad's senior community, Gateways South, which borders on the Everglades. Florida is going through an unusual drought. There's a ban on watering; everything is brown and wilting, but Anya's lawn is a deep green.

Who is Anya? Who is Semelee, and what is her connection to the recent strange deaths of Gateways residents-killed by birds, spiders, and snakes-during the past year? And what are the "lights" Jack keeps hearing about-? Lights that emanate twice a year from a sinkhole deep in the Everglades . . . lights from another place, another reality.

If he is to protect his father from becoming the next fatality at Gateways, there are questions Jack must answer, secrets he must uncover. Secrets . . . Jack has plenty of his own, and along the way he learns that even his father has secrets.

My thoughts: This is the first book I've read by this author and my only complaint is that I started with book 7 in the Repairman Jack series. Now I'll have to go back and start at the beginning as I really enjoyed this one. I liked getting to know Jack and seeing him and his father reunite. The creatures were, though horrible,  interesting and creative, especially the "chew wasps." This is a sort of Hard Boiled Detective meets the Supernatural.

Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

About the book: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

About the book: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins' groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.
 
My thoughts: I Read these two one after the other so it felt like one book. I wanted to see how this all turned out since I read the first one. The middle was exciting and imaginative. The end seemed sort of .....empty.  I don't understand Katniss as the heroin. She is a weak, unstable character and her appeal was lost on me.