On My Nightstand

Dark Harbor

Over the snowy weekend (1/20) I read "Dark Harbor" by David Hosp.  This is his first book, but its extremely well-written.  Its another mystery which pairs a lawyer and a police detective to search for the killer of another attorney.  Halfway through the book, I thought I knew for sure who the killer was (almost to the point of not finishing the book), but I was surprised.  It was a captivating story!

The Hunt Club

Later in the 3rd week of January, I read "The Hunt Club" by John Lescroart.  I am a huge fan of his series which features the characters Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky.  This book expands upon Dismas Hardy's circle of friends, with the main character being private investigator Wyatt Hunt.  This story is about the murder of a judge and his young girlfriend, along with the disappearance of an attorney who has been hired to give TV commentary during a sensational trial.  This is a highly readable story; one of those "hard to put the book down" tales.  I expected excitement and I wasn't disappointed! 

The 37th Hour

During the 3rd week of January, I read "The 37th Hour" by Jodi Compton.  This book is mystery fiction.  The main characters are a detective who works for a sheriff's department in Minnesota and her policeman husband, who goes missing when he is supposed to be traveling to Virginia for FBI training.  Its an interesting story line, but a bit unbelieveable that she would be the only person interested in investigating his disappearance (which is qualified by the department being short-staffed).  There are a few twists in the plot, and it kept me interested in the story to the very end.

Nature Girl

The 2nd week of January, I read Carl Hiassen's newest novel, "Nature Girl".  Hiassen is a hilariously funny author and columnist, yet I didn't get a kick out of this book.  I don't usually expect his writing to be believable, including this one, yet I was disappointed in the silliness of this book.  It is like a lot of his other work - crazy people doing things in South Florida, with regrettable consequences.  Maybe that is the problem for me, that its just another ho-hum escapade.  I finished the book, even though I didn't feel like I had to get to the last page to see how it turned out. 

Limbo: A Memoir

The first week of January I read an excellent memoir by A. Manette Ansay.  In it, she describes her childhood and the crippling affliction she lives with.  I had read her novel "Vinegar Hill" and thought it was so dark, but now I understand where she is coming from.  I've also read "Blue Water" which was heart-wrenching in sadness but an extremely readable book.. She writes in a painfully illustrative style, which I savored while reading.  Its the kind of book I find hard to put down.  I would like to read some of her other work, which includes "Sister", "River Angel", and "Midnight Champagne".