Into the Fire
by Suzanne Brockmann
Published 2008 by Ballantine Books

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 06/23/2008

The 13th exciting, if long-winded, entry in bestseller Brockmann's Troubleshooters series answers a question posed in 2004's Hot Target--what happened to former Troubleshooter op Vinh Murphy? Seven years earlier, the half-Vietnamese, half-African-American agent went MIA after his wife, Angelina, was killed during a conflict with the neo-Nazi Freedom Network. Now back in California, Vinh has been suffering alcoholic blackouts in between e-mailing death threats to FN's leader, Tim Ebersole. After Ebersole's murdered and Vinh becomes the chief suspect, a sober Vinh turns to an old friend of Angelina's, a deaf former cop, for help in remembering if he did kill Ebersole. A jaw-dropping "conclusion" suggests more fireworks ahead. 

The Enchantress of Florence
by Salman Rushdie
Published 2008 by Random House

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780375504334

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 03/24/2008

Renaissance Florence's artistic zenith and Mughal India's cultural summit--reached the following century, at Emperor Akbar's court in Sikri--are the twin beacons of Rushdie's ingenious latest, a dense but sparkling return to form. The connecting link between the two cities and epochs is the magically beautiful "hidden princess," Qara Köz, so gorgeous that her uncovered face makes battle-hardened warriors drop to their knees. Her story underlies the book's circuitous journey. A mysterious yellow-haired man in a multicolored coat steps off a rented bullock cart and walks into 16th-century Sikri: he speaks excellent Persian, has a stock of conjurer's tricks and claims to be Akbar's uncle. He carries with him a letter from Queen Elizabeth I, which he translates for Akbar with vast incorrectness. But it is the story of Akbar's great-aunt, Qara Köz, that the man (her putative son) has come to the court to tell. The tale dates to the time of Akbar's grandfather, Babar (Qara Köz's brother), and it involves her relationship with the Persian Shah. In the Shah's employ is Janissary general Nino Argalia, an Italian convert to Islam, whose own story takes the narrative to Renaissance Florence. Rushdie eventually presents an extended portrait of Florence through the eyes of Niccolò Machiavelli and Ago Vespucci, cousin of the more famous Amerigo. Rushdie's portrayal of Florence pales in comparison with his depiction of Mughal court society, but it brings Rushdie to his real fascination here: the multitudinous, capillary connections between East and West, a secret history of interchanges that's disguised by standard histories in which West "discovers" East.

Rules of Deception
by Christopher Reich
Published 2008 by Doubleday Books

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 05/05/2008

The un-put-downable sixth spy novel from bestseller Reich (The Patriots' Club, which won an International Thrillers Award in 2006) shows he's the equal of such masters of suspense as Ken Follett and Frederick Forsyth. The twisting story line revolves around Jonathan Ransom, a 37-year-old surgeon for Doctors Without Borders, whose wife is killed while mountain climbing in the Swiss Alps. As Ransom struggles to come to grips with this tragedy, he receives two mysterious baggage claim tickets addressed in her name. Ransom tracks the luggage to a remote train station, where two Swiss police officers attack him shortly after he picks up the baggage. Once safely away, he examines the contents only to realize that his wife was an undercover agent involved in "the blackest of black ops"--a plot that includes unmanned airborne vehicles, secret uranium enrichment facilities in Iran and the destruction of Israel. This first-class adrenaline fest will leave readers guessing until the last page.

Say Goodbye
by Lisa Gardner
Published 2008 by Bantam

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 05/05/2008

In bestseller Gardner's engaging if highly disturbing 10th thriller, Delilah Rose is a Georgia prostitute familiar with pregnant FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy ("beautiful, brainy, and pedigreed") through Kimberly's well-publicized nabbing of the Eco-Killer in The Killing Hour (2003). Delilah asks the detective to investigate her friend Ginny Jones's possible abduction by a creepy-crawly john who calls himself Dinchara, an anagram of "arachnid." Delilah, however, turns out not to be who she claims she is, and her ties to the spider-obsessed killer are more complicated than she'll admit. As the missing persons count rises, some readers may have trouble keeping track of the time sequence amid the shifting points-of-view. Still, Gardner delivers a satisfying resolution in line with what her fans have come to expect: a suspenseful freak show wrapped up with a neatly tied bow.

The Last Patriot
by Brad Thor
Published 2008 by Atria Books

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 05/19/2008

In bestseller's Thor's intriguing seventh Scot Horvath novel, Scot, a former navy SEAL who's recently quit working for Homeland Security, pursues a mystery involving a recently discovered ancient Koran. Differing from the original, this Koran suggests a secret exists that, if revealed, will change the entire nature of the warlike extremist versions of Islam. Furthermore, it has links to Thomas Jefferson and his war on Muslim pirates (think: "to the shores of Tripoli" in the Marine Corps hymn), handwritten notes in Jefferson's first-edition copy of Don Quixote and other clues hidden in Jefferson's Monticello home. First, Scot has to make up with his boss, President Jack Rutledge, who used him badly in his previous outing, The First Commandment, but once that's done, Scot finds himself in the thick of a furious battle.

TailSpin
by Catherine Coulter
Published 2008 by G. P. Putnam's Sons

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 05/12/2008

Dark secrets that can destroy lives propel bestseller Coulter's solid 12th FBI thriller (after Double Take). When a small plane carrying FBI Special Agent Jackson "Jack" Crowne makes a crash landing in mountainous Parlow, Ky., his friends FBI Special Agents Dillon Savitch and Lacey Sherlock fly by helicopter from Washington, D.C., to the scene. Jack survives the crash, aided by Rachael Abbott, a young woman who's returning to Parlow, her childhood home, after escaping an attempt to drown her in a Maryland lake. After Rachael reveals that she's the illegitimate daughter of the late Maryland senator John James Abbott, whose siblings she suspects are trying to kill her, the FBI agents agree to help. As further attempts on Rachael's life occur, the attraction grows between her and Jack. Despite a somewhat predictable plot, master of romantic suspense Coulter exposes the cost of obsessive regard for family honor and family shame with her usual flair.

Fearless Fourteen
by Janet Evanovich
Published 2008 by St. Martin's Press

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 05/19/2008

New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum finds herself saddled with the teenage son of Loretta Rizzi, her latest skip, at the start of one of the less cohesive entries in Evanovich's bestselling series (Lean Mean Thirteen, etc.). When Mario "Zook" Rizzi and his obsession with the online role-playing game "Minionfire" become too much for Stephanie to handle, the pair camp out at Trenton cop Joe Morelli's house. Stephanie also takes a job with the mysterious Ranger, helping him "babysit" Brenda, a fading music star in town for a concert. After Loretta is kidnapped, Stephanie and Morelli discover that to ensure Loretta's safety, they'll have to find the $9 million that disappeared after a bank robbery committed by Loretta's recently paroled brother, Dom. A mild-mannered stalker and the upcoming nuptials of Stephanie's colleague Lula to Ranger's right-hand man, Tank, add to the crazy fun. Despite a number of unresolved subplots, this Plum adventure won't disappoint those looking for the perfect summer beach read.