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JANUARY 2011
 Brad Meltzer, THE INNER CIRCLE
Grand Central Publishing, $26.99 (signed first edition)
Beecher White works at the National Archives. When his childhood crush shows up unexpectedly, he tries to impress her by showing the secret vault where the President reviews classified documents. In the always–empty vault, they find a priceless dictionary that belonged to George Washington. A colleague at the archives suddenly dies. His high school crush isn't quite who he thought she was. And now there's an inner circle of men who want Beecher White dead. This is a well–crafted thriller with many unexpected twists and turns that brings you into the interesting world of the National Archives.
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STEPHEN'S TOP TEN OF 2010
1. Steve Hamilton, THE LOCK ARTIST. Minotaur, $24.99. It was like no other book I read this year.
2. Louise Penny, BURY YOUR DEAD. Minotaur, $24.99. She juggled three storylines flawlessly, and continues with one of the finest series.
3. Roger Smith, WAKE UP DEAD. One of the best opening lines I've read and it continued with a terrific story.
4. Thomas Perry, STRIP. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26.00. I love his blend of crime & humor.
5. Gayle Lynds, THE BOOK OF SPIES. St. Martins, $25.99. I think Gayle is one of the best thriller writers around, bar none.
6. Michelle Gagnon, KIDNAP AND RANSOM. Mira, $7.99. This book took chances and they paid off.
7. Victor Gischler, THE DEPUTY. Tyrus Books hardcover, $24.95; simultaneous trade paperback, $14.95. Gischler's dry sense of humor, mixed with a crime drama that grew and grew.
8. Val McDermid, FEVER OF THE BONE. Harper trade paperback, $14.99. I like serial killer novels, and McDermid is one of the best.
9. Brett Battles, SHADOW OF BETRAYAL. Delacorte, $25.00 (published last year, but read this year). I think Battles gets better with every book.
10. Nora McFarland, A BAD DAY'S WORK. Touchstone trade paperback, $14.99. A fun surprise from a first–time author.
NOVEMBER 2010
 Dennis Lehane, MOONLIGHT MILE
William Morrow, $26.99 (signed first edition)
Lehane once again tackles complex ethics and decisions using his detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. Back in GONE BABY GONE, Patrick found and returned Amanda, a four–year–old. Twelve years later, sixteen–year–old Amanda has gone missing again. Once again, Patrick vows to find her no matter the consequences. To do so, he weaves through a world of Russian gangsters, identity thieves and meth dealers. Patrick must make some hard decisions between right and wrong and his own moral code. Stephen says, "I had been waiting for a new Patrick and Angela novel from Lehane for years, and I was not disappointed. He still knows how to mix up a brew of complex questions and entertain at the same time."
OCTOBER 2010
 Louise Penny, BURY YOUR DEAD
Minotaur, $24.99 (signed first edition)
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache needs to recover from a situation that went horribly wrong. He goes to Quebec City to stay with his old boss and walks right into the English – French tension. An obsessive historian who had been hunting for the remains of the founder of the city, Samuel de Champlain, is found dead in the basement of Gamache–s refuge, the Literary and Historical Society. Gamache reluctantly becomes involved and what he discovers could split the English and French even further. Meanwhile he has dispatched his second in command to Three Pines, where they previously found and convicted a murderer. Now Gamache isn–t sure so sure he was so correct. All this happens as Gamache, piece by piece, relives that case that went horribly wrong and led him to seek refuge in the first place. This is Louise Penny–s sixth book in the series and I think she gets better and better. She is able to make you care about her characters through plenty of twists and turns.
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SEPTEMBER 2010
 Val McDermid, FEVER OF THE BONE
Harper Paperbacks, $14.99 (unsigned trade paperback edition)
Tony Hill, the brilliant criminal profiler, is forced out of Det. Chief Insp. Carol Jordan's tight knit team as Carol's new boss' claims that they can't afford him anymore. Hill reluctantly takes a grisly case in a neighboring town, Worcester, where he studies a brutal murder and the sexual mutilation of a teenager. Soon Carol Jordan finds a similar case in her own town, Bradfield. Then more savage killings – at an alarming rate. Using evidence from both towns' murders, Hill forms a chilling profile: a killer lures teenagers to meet up with the psychopath by using a web–based social network. The facts paint a chilling portrait as to what kind of a disturbed person could commit these gruesome crimes, and the killer's personal relationships with the victims. While all is this going on, Tony Hill finds his own life changing circumstances with the father he never knew, plus his interesting relationship with Carol Jordan reaches new levels. This is a complex story, with plenty of plot twists, revelations and true, affecting relationships.
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 DAVID ROSENFELT drops in to sign DOG TAGS
Grand Central Publishing, $24.99
STEPHEN'S FAVORITE and PAM W'S FAVORITE
Lawyer and dog lover Andy Carpenter does his friend a favor and represents Milo, a German Shepherd that was an accomplice during a robbery and murder. As Andy proceeds to get the dog out from protected custody, he finds that the dog's owner, an ex–cop and Iraq war vet, is mixed up in a bigger game of chess than anyone imagined. As Andy unravels layer and layer of cover–ups from New Jersey to Iraq, he protects Milo from would–be assassins and finds that if he's to uncover the whole truth, he has to bond with the dog. Rosenfelt weaves a nice complex story, with humor sprinkled throughout.
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 Bill Pronzini, BETRAYERS
Forge Books, $24.99 (signed first edition)
Bill Pronzini's 35th entry in the Nameless Detective series delves into the nasty business of betrayal. Three cases happen simultaneously. Nameless, the still unnamed Private Eye, is hired to find out why a woman is being harassed seemingly by one of her own family members. On top of that, Nameless discovers a secret about his adopted daughter, Emily, that could rip his family apart. Tamara, one of Nameless's PI partners, tries to track down a former one–night–stand, at first to give him a piece of her mind, but then because it looks like he's involved in a huge charity scam. Jake Runyon, Nameless's other partner, is given a job of tracking down a bail jumper. Bill Pronzini still has the ability to write a tight novel, exploring the human condition, wrapped up in a mystery story. It was good to hang out with Nameless again.
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 Peter Steiner, THE TERRORIST
Minotaur, $23.99 (unsigned first edition)
Retired 72-year-old ex–CIA agent Louis Morgan now lives in the South of France and just wants to enjoy his tranquil life. But the agency has other plans for him. They want him to work on an old contact of his from the Middle East. When Morgan turns them down they keep applying pressure, ending with the arrest of his friend's 16–year old son, who is studying in the U.S., on charges of terrorism. Morgan complies with the CIA but conducts the mission his way, baffling the agency. Peter Steiner has written another spy thriller that is tight, twisty, and fun to read.
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 THOMAS PERRY discusses and signs STRIP
Harcourt, $26.00
STEPHEN'S FAVORITE
Claudio "Manco" Kapak owns several strip clubs and is not a nice man, and becomes very upset when he's robbed by a masked gunman. Manco sends his men out to find out who in L.A. would rob him, Manco the gangster. Manco's men think the robber is Joe Carver, but they are wrong. Joe Carver and his shadowy past don't like to be messed with, so he retaliates, successfully, several times making Manco's life hell. Meanwhile the real masked gunman, Jefferson Davis Falkins, picks up a psycho girlfriend and continues to rob Manco – repeatedly. Trying to cull this brewing crime war is Lt. Nick Slosser, a cop with two wives and several kids ready to start college. He needs money too. In this fast–moving and entertaining crime novel, Thomas Perry intricately weaves together all the storylines, making STRIP a great read.
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