Cornwell, Patricia. Hornet’s Nest (1996) G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 377 pages, $25.95 hardcover ISBN 0 399 14228 2 I hoped that a break from Dr. Scarpetta might rejuvenate Patricia Cornwell’s writing. It didn’t. This is among the worst novels I’ve ever read. Most books this poorly written would end up in some editor’s wastebasket. …
Rule, Ann. Dead by Sunset Simon & Schuster, 1995Hardcover, 429 pagesISBN 0-684-80205-8 In this true-crime book Ann Rule tells the story of Cheryl Keeton, who was bludgeoned to death and left in her Toyota van on the highway so that an accident would cover her murder, in September, 1986, in Portland, Oregon. Approach the lawyers from …
Woods, Stuart. Under the Lake (1987) Avon, $6.50 paperback ISBN 0 30 70519 2 In this excellent supernatural thriller, John Howell, former newspaper reporter and recipient of the Nobel Prize, is approaching 40. Having burned out on newspaper work, he is now supposedly working on The Great American Novel; actually, he spends his days …
Cornwell, Patricia. Cause of Death (1996) G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 340 pages, $25.95 hardcover ISBN 0 399 14146 4 This book opens with a powerful image: “On the last morning of Virginia’s bloodiest year since the Civil War, I built a fire and sat facing a window of darkness where at sunrise I knew …
Cornwell, Patricia. From Potter’s Field (1995) Scribner, 412 pages, $24.00 hardcover ISBN 0-684-19598-4 In the few days surrounding Christmas, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Pete Marino (now a police captain), and FBI agent Benton Wesley pursue Temple Gault, a serial killer who has appeared in earlier Scarpetta novels. Scarpetta’s niece, computer whiz Lucy, now age …
Listed alphabetically by author Burke, James Lee. Black Cherry Blues Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany Margolin, Phillip. The Last Innocent Man O’Brien, Tim. In the Lake of the Woods O’Connell, Carol. Mallory’s Oracle Sandford, John. “Prey” series (I admit this is cheating since it’s more than one book) Shields, Carol. The Stone Diaries …
Hawthorn, Jeremy. Studying the Novel: An IntroductionEdward Arnold, 2nd edition (1992, reprinted 1996)Paperback, 146 pages ISBN 0-340-56403-2 This slim volume is a good choice for book-discussion group members who appreciate good books but want to sharpen their reading and discussion skills. The premise of Hawthorn’s book is that “in the course of studying novels we must …
Fishman, Steve. A Bomb in the Brain: A Heroic Tale of Science, Surgery, and Survival Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1988Hardcover, 318 pages ISBN 0-684-18706-X Recommended Journalist Steve Fishman was stalking a story in Central America when a bomb in his brain exploded. His book leads the reader through that experience and through the brain surgery necessary to prevent …
