The Husband

The Husband, by Dean Koontz; Bantam Publishing, 2007

Reviewed by Joi Reed

Be sure to tighten your seatbelts with this one! Don't miss Dean Koontz's The Husband, a hard driving thriller about an ordinary gardener who evolves into a ruthless avenger as he tries to save his kidnapped and ransomed wife. Mitch Rafferty leads a mundane life, caring for rich people's gardens. This existence radically changes when deadly serious kidnappers demand $2 million for the return of his wife. But how can a gardener come up with that amount of cash? If your literary taste includes British whodunits, try And Justice, There Is None, by Deborah Crombie. This is excellent Brit mystery writing, with a superb narrator. Loved it! For a very different change of pace, consider Brokeback Mountain, by acclaimed author Annie Proulx. This story revolves around the tumultuous lives of two young men who fell in sex/love one summer in the wild backcountry of Montana. Read the book...see the movie.

The Beach House

The Beach House, by Jane Green; Plume Publishing, 2009

Reviewed by Christie Johnson

Set in Nantucket, The Beach House is the story of a financially-strapped widow and the home she turns into a bed-and-breakfast. Her paying summer guests are a wide spectrum of flawed, fragile personalities weathering love's turmoils, all hoping to capture a relaxing, renewing experience at the seashore. Keeping with the "sea" theme, I took a literary voyage with Robert Parker's Sea Change is this author's typical style of murder mystery, set in New England and Florida, featuring flashy seacraft and high society. If you're looking for a 'candy bar' of a book, try Full House, by Janet Evanovich. This is true summer reading, written in her 'Stephanie Plum' style, but it features a different cast of loopy characters.

The Outsider

The Outsider, by Penelope Williamson; Simon and Schuster, 1996

Reviewed by Kathleen Hawn

This cover art made Penelope Williamson's book look like a schmaltzy romance on the outside, but inside was one the best books I've read in a very long time. Set in 1887 Montana, The Outsider is a compelling novel of intolerance, mayhem, faith, and self-determination, seasoned with a good splash of passion. Mix rigid, sheep-raising Amish with amoral gunslingers (or "shootists"), conniving cattle ranchers and their minions, and you'll have a tasty stew of complex characters. Read the book, then see the movie. I also recommend The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman, by Nancy Marie Brown. I've always been intrigued by the Vikings, but this well-documented tale--with recent evidence (in 2005) of Gudrid's existence and influence, gave me a much better understanding of this brazen Norse culture. For a real change of pace, try World Made By Hand, by James Howard Kunstler. Set in America's near future, in a world of post-Peak Oil, post-pandemics and technology's collapse, this novel is filled with intriguing, earthy characters who are determined to survive and rebuild a sense of hope and community, even in the midst of societal chaos and despair. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel to this book, which will be available in September 2010.

Nineteen Minutes

Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult; Washington Square Press Publishing, 2008

Reviewed by Sally Lovell

I recommend Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult's riveting tale about a long-bullied teenager who eventually snaps, and takes out his revenge by killing ten people in his high school. Flashbacks reveal how years of persistent bullying eventually leads the teen into a world of violent computer games and dark emotions, which manifest in tragedy. Sharyn McCrumb's mystery If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him is a good pageturner with lots of clever, funny dialogue. This story offers a medley of marriage-and-divorce scenarios, and amusing commentary on romantic relationships. If you're looking for true-life stories of contemporary senior citizens (age 70 and older) in America, take a look at Coming of Age, by Studs Terkel. This book is created from interviews, but the interviewer's questions are omitted. This technique produced choppy storytelling, but offered very interesting "nuggets" here and there.

My Abandonment

My Abandonment, by Peter Rock; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, 2009

Reviewed by Jennifer Nielsen

I highly recommend My Abandonment--Peter Rock's insightful and engaging novel. This is the first book I've read in which the main characters are a homeless father and daughter. The two have created an elaborate, functioning shelter in a cave, and make occasional, wary ventures into the 'civilized' world. But one small mistake turns their makeshift existence upside down. I also enjoyed J.R. Moehringer's Tender Bar, an interesting memoir about a boy growing up with an eccentric (but loveable) family and group of friends in Manhasset, New York, near where my husband grew up in Port Washington on Long Island. If you are looking for another engaging, interesting (however depressing) read, try The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. This novel of World War II Germany is focused on a foster child, Liesel, from the point-of-view of "Death".

The Likeness

The Likeness, by Tana French; Penguin Publishing, 2009

Reviewed by Allison Danner

A detective goes undercover with a very unique identity--as a murder victim. Cassie, the detective, is a virtual twin to the body of a young woman found in the ruins of an old stone cottage near Dublin. Posing as the injured (but alive) college student, Cassie is able to solve the mystery of the woman's death. The Likeness is one of the best books I have read recently. Kathy Reich's Death du Jour is an interesting story with a main character who solves murder mysteries in Quebec and South Carolina. Interesting information about a nun and a cult is revealed. A man is convicted for a murder he didn't commit in Jeffrey Archer's novel A Prisoner of Birth. The wrongly accused man works to prove that he is innocent, and also seeks revenge in the process.

City of Thieves

City of Thieves, by David Benioff; Viking Publishing, 2009

Reviewed by Heidi Kane

Two unlikely companions join forces toward two common goals--survival during the siege of Leningrad during World War II, and the search for eggs among the starving populace. City of Thieves is a compelling (and sometimes humorous) novel centering on a naive 17-year-old who was caught looting a German paratrooper's corpse. Lev, and his acquaintance Kolya, are spared from execution on the condition that they acquire a dozen eggs for the colonel's daughter's wedding cake. Bestselling author James Patterson's novel Sail centers on a mother's last-ditch effort to bring her dysfunctional family back together. However, her well- meaning interactions go terribly wrong. Everything that can happen, does. On the lighter side, you might take a look at Julie Kenner's book Aphrodite's Kiss, who's central character gains the chance to become a superhero, with the ability to fly and have x-ray vision. These new skills might come in handy, but would they become a blessing, or a curse? If given the choice between having super powers, or giving them up for true love, what would you choose?

Terminal Freeze

Terminal Freeze, by Lincoln Child; Doubleday Publishing, 2009.

Reviewed by Chris Little

Quite frankly, Terminal Freeze was outside of my normal reading comfort zone, with it's terrifying creature/monster, an isolated Arctic location, and a mostly clueless cast of characters. However, author Lincoln Child has created a riveting thriller with a pervasive mood of chaos and fear, that made for a great escape book to begin the summer. James Grippando's Intent to Kill is another great summer vacation book. It is well-written, with no heavy thinking required. It's a fairly lightweight read, with an entertaining and plausible storyline. For a dramatic change of mood, try Ten Degrees of Reckoning, by Hester Rumberg, a heartwrenching story of loss, courage, and survival on the sea. In 1993, a freighter altered its course slightly and tragically ended the young Sleavin family's three year round-the-world sailing trip. Keep the Kleenexes close by...

The Great Gamble

The Great Gamble, by Gregory Feifer; HarperCollins Publishing, 2009.

Reviewed by Jeff Youde

Former Moscow NPR correspondant Gregory Feifer offers this very interesting, retrospective critique on the Soviet Union's invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, based on first hand accounts. In The Great Gamble, Feifer points out the parallels between the ill-fated 1980's Soviet intrusion into that country, and the present American involvement, which (he feels) is undermined by our entanglement in the second front--Iraq. I also enjoyed In A Sunburned Country by travel writer Bill Bryson, offering a humorous, sometimes whimsical take on one man's travels across the vast Australian continent. For something closer to home, the Cascade Alpine Guide: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass, by iconoclastic climber Fred Beckey, will offer our region's wanderers lots of details about various high country routes. This book is a Northwest classic.

The Chase

The Chase, by Clive Cussler. Berkley Publishing, 2008

Reviewed by Kathi Johnson

For this adventure, author Clive Cussler sets his usual characters and storylines (NUMA, Dirk Pitt, etc.) aside, introducing detective Isaac Bell to solve the mystery. The Chase involves the 1950 reappearance (literally) of a submerged, circa 1906 steam locomotive, prompting the reinvestigation of a ruthless bank robber who left a trail of murdered witnesses during his two-year crime spree. In a different direction, I found Mercedes Lackey's book Fairy Godmother to be an interesting perspective on the 'occupation' of--yes--fairy godmother. The main character must do her utmost to preserve Tradition, but chooses to bend the rules a bit to explore romance--a choice that isn't allowed in the job description. I also read 3:16, by Max Lucado. This is an in-depth look at each word and phrase in this famous Biblical verse from John. It makes you think again about what it says and means, no matter how well you think you know it.