A Minute to Midnight (Atlee Pine #2)

A Minute to Midnight by David Baldacci is the second book in his mystery thriller series featuring FBI agent Atlee Pine.

After intercepting a kidnapper in the process of stealing a teenage girl, and beating him silly, Atlee has been offered some time off. Since Pine is not much for being idle, she decides to work on her sister's cold case.

Pine and her assistant, Carol Blum, head to Andersonville, Georgia. Atlee has not been there for nearly 30 years. As a child, a man came into her room and kidnapped her twin sister Mercy, while leaving Atlee in the hospital with a massive head injury. There has been no sight of Mercy since that night.

Atlee plans to interview her parents friends and anyone else who is still around and may remember something. But her visit seems to have set someone off - as she practically trips over a dead body in town.

Baldacci writes great mysteries and thrillers. Atlee Pine is a determined, focused FBI agent who will never stop looking for her sister.

Baldacci, David. (2019). A Minute to Midnight. NY: Grand Central Publishing.

Long Road to Mercy (Atlee Pine #1)

Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci is the first book in the Atlee Pine mystery/thriller series. Pine if an FBI agent in the Southwest. She became an agent with the idea that it would help her eventually find out what happened to her twin sister Mercy, who was kidnapped when they were six. Her life has been devoted to getting strong and smart to make up for not being able to save Mercy.

Atlee Pine does not like crowds. In fact, she has gotten herself assigned to a one-agent FBI office at the edge of the Grand Canyon. The only person she works with is her secretary Carol Blum.

When a man disappears from a Canyon mule expedition, Pine is called to investigate. Little does she know that this man is the key to an international conspiracy to usurp the pecking order of global leaders. All she knows at first is someone gut a donkey and the man who is missing is either a sick bastard or was kidnapped.

Baldacci has written a book that crosses many genres: mystery, thriller, suspense and espionage. Atlee Pine is a focused, strong character who is understandably obsessed with finding her sister. His books are always great for a fast, thrilling read.

Baldacci, David. (2019). Long Road to Mercy. New York: Grand Central Publishing.

Before the Fall

After the Fall by Noah Hawley is a great book that tells the tale of a plane crash - and all of the people on the plane.

A small, private plane is flying from Martha's Vineyard to New York. Aboard the plane are two very wealthy couples, the crew, and a painter. Once the plane crashes, with only a two survivors, the story looks at each person and their lives leading up to that day mixed with the current day National Transportation Safety Board investigation, the news stations speculating on why and how, and the altered lives of the two survivors.

Hawley is a great writer. His book is a well crafted story of disaster, mystery and human interest. I cannot recommend it enough. Buy a copy today.

Hawley, Noah. (2016). Before the Fall. New York: Grand Central Publishing.

Reasonable Doubt

Reasonable Doubt by Carson Taite follows an investigation into a potential person of interest after a terrorist attack.

Ellery Durant is a former criminal defense attorney. She left the law a few months ago and now spends her time making furniture. She does not miss the life she had. And her furniture is starting to be noticed in the Dallas art/design scene.

Sarah Flores is changing departments in the FBI. She has had enough of the Behavioral Analysis Unit and the serial killers she helped catch. She is moving to Dallas to work in the fraud department. She will not only have a less gruesome job, but she will have time for a social life.


A few days after meeting by chance in the courthouse, Ellery and Sarah are both at a fund raiser when a bomb goes off in the sports stadium near by. While most people run away from the chaos, both Sarah and Ellery run to see if they can help. It is a sight that reminds Sarah why she changed positions and one that leaves Ellery haunted with nightmares.

After a few frustrating days where most agents in the FBI are looking for suspects in the bombing, someone finds a paper trail that points to a potential lead. Search warrants are issued - one of them to search the former law office of a Ellery Durant. While Sarah is sure there must be a mistake, she finds her job once again interfering with a potential social life.

Taite has written an FBI / legal romance with two great characters. I will be reading all of her other books.

Taite, Carson. (2015). Reasonable Doubt. Valley Falls, NY: Bold Strokes Books.

The Scam (Fox and O'Hare #4)

The Scam by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg is the fourth book in their series featuring Fox and O'Hare - an FBI agent and one of the world's most successful thieves.

Kate O'Hare spent much of her career in the FBI chasing Nick Fox. But when she finally caught him, her boss made a secret deal. They now work together, slightly outside of the law, to get the bad guys who cannot be caught in the usual way. Fox is a mastermind at planning a con. O'Hare is ex-special forces and a great investigator.

After their previous success, Kate and Nick are being sent after a money launderer. Evan Trace owns a casino in Las Vegas and one in Macau. He is thought to lander money for everyone from the mob to terrorists. Nick and Kate are to come up with a plan to take him down.

Evanovich and Goldberg have created a fun series filled with both humor and brilliant scams. Fans of heist books will love this series.

Evanovich, Janet and Lee Goldberg. (2015). The Scam. New York: Bantam Books. 

Tumbledown (Sequel to Desolation Point)

Tumbledown by Cari Hunter, a sequel to Desolation Point, is a thriller that will have readers biting their nails until the end.

Alex Pascal and Sarah Kent survived a terrible chase through the wilderness in Washington state two years ago. After their ordeal and escape, the FBI told them to lay low. They were not put into witness protection, but there was a chance that the white supremacist group would try to find them to exact revenge for spoiling their plans.

Now Sarah and Alex, using a new last name, are living in a small town in Maine. Alex is on the local police force and Sarah is a first responder studying to become an EMT. Their lives are good. They still keep a watch around their cabin and have a good lock on the gate, but life is what they want it to be.

When Sarah gets called to assist with a birth (because the only ambulance near by has already pick up a heart attack case) she gets her picture in the local paper. When Sarah and Alex find the picture, they are worried that it will be seen. But it is such a small town...

Caleb Deakin has not stopped looking for the two women he blames for his father's death. He has paid a lot of money for a computer that will scan for their names and images each day. When he gets a hit he immediately packs for a trip to Maine.

Hunter has created another book that will keep readers up late for the thrill ride.

Hunter, Cari. (2014). Tumbledown. Valley Falls, NY: Bold Strokes Books.

Flight Risk

Flight Risk by Kim Baldwin is the story of one woman on the run from the mob after she witnesses an execution.

Blayne Keller works with her best friend at a travel agency in Chicago. During the winter they take turns going out in the cold to get lunch, so when Claudia forgets drinks Blayne volunteers to sneak next door to the soda distribution warehouse to grab some of the extra cans that are always laying around. Luck is not on her side when her visit overlaps with a mob boss exacting payment for an underling who has been skimming profits.

The FBI gets inside in time to save Blayne from the mob boss, but she will have to stay in protective custody until the trial. Unfortunately, there seems to be a leak because the mob keeps finding her.

In an out of the box move, a supervisor at Witness Protection calls in a former agent who can work off of the radar and keep Blayne safe. Alexi Nikolos was a great agent until someone under her protection was killed. She will not let it happen again with Blayne - especially after she begins to develop feelings toward her.

Baldwin has written a series of events that keep her main characters on the run from the US to Canada to Europe while trying to escape the hitmen on their trail in this romantic suspense novel. Flight Risk is a fun read for those who want some action with their romance.

Baldwin, Kim. (2007). Flight Risk. New York: Bold Strokes Books.

The Job (Fox and O'Hare #3)

The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg is the third book in their Fox and O'Hare series. Nick Fox is an thief who is known for the elaborate cons he uses to steal. Kate O'Hare is an FBI agent who chased Fox for years before catching him. Now they are secretly working together to take down international bad guys.

Fox and O'Hare are getting the team back together to go after a ruthless criminal who disappeared years ago. Rumor has it that when he disappeared, he had plastic surgery but Fox has an idea to lure him out.

Evanovich and Goldberg have created a series that is a cross between the TV shows White Collar and Leverage - the bait set to catch the bad guys is creative and fun, a giant con that only works because of the greed of the mark.

This is a great series. Read it from the beginning!

Evanovich, Janet and Lee Goldberg. (2014). The Job. New York: Bantam Books.

Transhuman

Transhuman by Ben Bova is a medical science fiction novel that follows a man on his quest to cure his granddaughter of cancer.

Angela is only eight years old, but she is months away from dying from an inoperable brain tumor. Her grandfather, Luke Abramson, is a brilliant cellular biologist who cannot sit by and watch her die. When the hospital board will not approve the use of his untested cure, Luke signs Angela out of the hospital. He has outfitted an SUV as an ambulance and he plans to make his way across the country to a former student's lab where he is sure he can help Angela.


Being chased by the FBI, Dr. Abramson will get Angela help. Of course, being a 75 year old man, he is not in the best shape of his life. He plans to inject himself with a serum that has shown to reverse aging - in mice.

Bova has written a chase across the country within a race for a cure. Many people have a stake in the outcome of the race - either personally or politically - and Dr. Abramson will be changing lives, one way or another.

Bova, Ben. (2014). Transhuman. New York: Tor.

The Chase (Fox and O'Hare #2)

The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg is the second book in their Fox and O"Hare series about a an FBI agent working with a world class thief to recover stolen art.

After chasing him for years, Kate O'Hare is now forced to work with Nick Fox, but to everyone other than her boss and the head of the FBI it still looks like she is chasing him.

Their latest assignment is to break into the Smithsonian and replace a fake Chinese rooster with the real one - after they steal the real one from the ex-White House chief of staff, now the owner of one of the world's most ruthless private security forces. Of course, once he knows it is stolen, the entire BlackRhino army will be after Fox and O'Hare.

Evanovich and Goldberg have created two wonderful characters who fans will follow through any future capers. This is a fun heist series.

Evanovich, Janet and Lee Goldberg. (2014). The Chase. New York: Bantam Books.

Crash into Me

Crash into Me by Jill Sorenson is the story of an FBI investigation into a serial killer in La Jolla, California.

Special Agent Sonora Vasquez is being sent undercover to catch a serial killer. The killings are taking place in and around La Jolla, a beautiful beach community in Southern California. Sonny is from the area originally. Trace evidence from the slain women leads investigators to believe the unsub is a surfer. Sonny will be following retired pro-surfer Ben Fortune.

Ben lives on the beach with his daughter, sixteen year old Carly. His wife was killed a few years ago. A homeless vet confessed to the murder, but recanted his confession in his suicide note. Now there are other women being killed in a similar fashion.

Soon after arriving in La Jolla, Sonny rescues Carly from drowning in a riptide, giving her a way into Ben's house. While she cannot imagine Ben as a killer, she must continue to investigate him. This gets more difficult as she finds herself attracted to him.

Sorenson has written a steamy romantic suspense novel. Fans of both romance and suspense will enjoy this novel.

Sorenson, Jill. (2009). Crash into Me. New York: Bantam.

Stealing from the Dead

Stealing from the Dead by A.J. Zerries is a mystery that combines history, terrorism, murder, a great NYPD detective and a retired CIA agent to lead readers through an intricate, thrilling story of a scam to cheat Holocaust survivors of their right to reclaim funds hidden from them by Swiss banks.

Detective Greta Strasser is in her nineteenth year in the NYPD. Her boss is counting down the days and making sure to make each one as bad as he can. So when Strasser finds inconsistencies with a heart attack in an older Jewish woman, she is told to stop seeing what is not there. But Greta does not give up that easily - it is why she is a good cop.

Then, one late night when she gets back to her Brooklyn apartment, she is approached by an older man. At first she is suspicious - she has had a rough week. But soon he convinces her to trust him. He is an ex-CIA agent (though strictly desk work) who has been following a pattern of supposed heart attacks in older Jewish people whose names appear on a list. The list is of people whose parents or grandparents opened a bank account to try to keep their money safe during World War II. At the end of the war, anyone who attempted to reclaim one of these numbered accounts was told it did not exist. But after years of battle, the Swiss banks have to make the funds available to any living relatives of the men who opened them.

It seems that someone is killing the people who appear on the list. Some person or group is filing out the paperwork and then killing the relative so he/they can claim the funds. And the funds have been traced to an account the funds terrorism against Israel.

Zerries has written a fascinating tale that will capture readers of many genres with this great read. Check it out today. Then join me in hoping Greta Strasser has more books in the future.

Zerries, AJ. (2012). Stealing from the Dead. New York: Forge.

The Heist (Fox and O'Hare #1)

The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg is the first book in their series featuring Nick Fox and Kate O'Hare. Fox is one of the world's best and most creative thieves. O'Hare is the FBI special agent who spent years chasing him.

Each of Nick Fox's heists is more elaborate than the last. He is creative and patient and usually steals via a con instead of straight safe-cracking. And he has been teasing Kate O'Hare most of the time she has been after him, including posting her picture on the wall of his latest con.

Kate O'Hare is an ex-Navy SEAL turned FBI agent intent on capturing Fox - both for his crimes and the humiliation of knowing he was hiding in her own hotel room while she and other agents combed the city looking for him.

But after finally capturing Fox, the FBI has made a secret deal with him. Now O'Hare must work with the man who has been driving her crazy while pretending to still hunt for him. Together they will use Nick's methods to go after the really bad guys - people like the investment banker who stole money from thousands of investors and then disappeared before he could be apprehended.

Evanovich and Goldberg have teamed up to bring readers a fun new series filled with outrageous plots and great characters. Evanovich is best known for her Stephanie Plum series and Goldberg for his Monk series. Together they are over-the-top good.

Evanovich, Janet and Lee Goldberg. (2013). The Heist. New York: Bantam.

Merciless (Mercy Gunderson #3)

Merciless by Lori Armstrong is the third book in her Mercy Gunderson series - an ex-sniper who has moved back to South Dakota and is readjusting to civilian life while solving crimes in and around the local reservation.

Mercy is now FBI Special Agent Gunderson. She is newly minted and assigned to Rapid City. Her first case begins when a young woman is murdered on the Eagle River reservation and tribal police ask for FBI help. A clue leads Mercy to research previous cases and finds that there is a large number of unsolved cases involving murdered women, in sets of three, in the fall/winter for the last few years. Each case was written off as some other cause. But this years murder could be nothing else - the young woman was tied to the ground and staked with a wooden spike.

With three different police forces potentially working together, things will either run smoothly or protocols and rivalries will keep the case from being solved. Mercy works on the case while dealing with changes in her private life and life around the reservation.

Armstrong has created a great but flawed character who readers will follow for many more books. Mercy is strong but fragile at the beginning of the series, but her progression back into civilian and family life after twenty years in the military is as fascinating to watch as a train wreck. Great mystery series that will appeal to a wide swath of readers.

Armstrong, Lori. (2013). Merciless. New York: Touchstone.

Total Control

Total Control by David Baldacci is a thrill ride from the get go.

Jason Archer is an executive at Triton Global, the world's leading technology company. He is also copying documents in the warehouse and delivering them to someone. For the final transfer his contact changes things. He is to buy a plane ticket to L.A., but at the last minute trade tickets with someone else who will be dressed and made up to look just like him. When he gets to Seattle to make the document exchange, he is shocked to see that the plane to L.A. has crashed.

Sydney Archer, Jason's wife, is a high powered attorney working for a firm that represents Triton Global in their bid to buy a small company that will change the way information is exchanged on the Internet. She thinks Jason is on his way to a job interview with a different tech company while she away in New York to work on the CyberCom deal. She is interrupted during the meeting by the airline calling to inform her of husband's plane crash.

FBI Special Agent Lee Sawyer quickly takes over the plane crash investigation from the NTSB when sabotage is discovered. He will have to find the motivation behind the crash to follow the vague trail of clues to find out who caused it. The only passenger who looks like he could be the target is the chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank.

Baldacci has written a great thriller with elements to technology (circa 1997), finance, mystery and more. Total Control is a fun, tense ride from beginning to end. Great read on the beach or when you are hiding from the winter.

Baldacci, David. (1997). Total Control. New York: Warner Books.

The Gilded Seal (Tom Kirk #3)

The Glided Seal by James Twining is the third book in his Tom Kirk series - and the best one yet. Kirk is a retired art thief who now helps people recover stolen art.

When Tom Kirk is called to Scotland to the theft of a Da Vinci painting, he is shocked to see the calling card of his nemesis - a man who is supposed to be in prison for another six years. At the same time, Kirk's longtime friend and master forger is murdered. Before he died he left something for Tom.

In New York, FBI agent Jennifer Browne is asked to look into an art forgery. A painting by Gauguin is both on the wall of a Soho gallery and listed as being for auction by a Japanese man. Representatives from both Christie's and Sotheby's would like an answer clearing their client.

As Tom and Jennifer separately investigate the possibility of a forgery ring, evidence that Tom's nemesis Milo is up to something big. Possibly trying to break into the Louvre Museum to steal the most famous painting of all time - the Mona Lisa.

Twining combines action, art, and history to take readers through a maze of plot and history. Kirk both investigates a theft, tries to stop Milo and plans a heist. The Gilded Seal is a great book that will appeal to a wide range of readers.

Twining, James. (2007). The Gilded Seal. New York: HarperCollins.

The Double Eagle (Tom Kirk #1)

The Double Eagle by James Twining is the first book in his series featuring master thief Tom Kirk.

After a long career as a thief Tom is ready to retire. He plans on moving his father's shop to London and living a life within the law. His last job was to be two parts but he has no desire to complete it.

FBI Agent Jennifer Browne has been doing very little on the job since a shooting she was cleared of two years ago. Now is her chance to prove she is a good agent... A 1933 Double Eagle coin was found in Europe. The Double Eagle was last issued in 1933 and then recalled by FDR. It was thought that there were only three left in existence. Now one is tied to the murder of a priest.

Twining's plot, characters and amazing historical facts will have readers' attention until the last page. This is a great read for fans of history, espionage, heist stories, and thrillers. Read it!

Twining, James. (2005). The Double Eagle. New York: Harper Torch.

Running Blind (Jack Reacher #4)

Running Blind (published as The Visitor in the UK) by Lee Child is the fourth book in the Jack Reacher series. Reacher is an ex-Army homicide detective who is just trying to live his life.

Reacher is minding his own business - living in the house he inherited, seeing Jodie Garber and just hanging out in New York. But one night in his new favorite Italian restaurant two men come in to scare a weekly payoff from the manager.

Reacher has never been good at sitting on the sidelines while others are being harassed. So he beats up the to toughs to send a message to their boss that the restaurant already has protection. What he doesn't realize is that the FBI is watching him beat them up.

An hour later he is arrested on charges of racketeering and as a suspect in a serial murder case. Someone is killing ex-Army women - women who were sexually harassed while they were in the service.

Reacher will need all of his skills as a detective to deal with the case, while trying to keep the FBI from threatening Jodie for his continued assistance.

Child's series featuring Jack Reacher contains books filled with suspense, mystery, great characters, and an almost bullet-proof protagonists. They are must-reads for any reading fans.

Child, Lee. (2000). Running Blind. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Mercy Kill (Mercy Gunderson #2)

Mercy Kill by Lori Armstrong is the second book in her Mercy Gunderson series. Mercy is a retired Sergeant Major in the Army - retired due to an eye injury that ended her sniper career.

After a bout with too much whiskey, Mercy has left the day-to-day running of the ranch she and her sister inherited to her foreman and has taken a job as bartender at Clementine's, a bar owned by her friend and frequented by the rougher crowd of Southwest South Dakota.

When an old army buddy show up working for the oil company that wants to put a pipeline through the center of the county, he is not the most popular visitor. When he is killed outside of the bar the sheriff, Dawson, doesn't seem to be trying to find the murderer.

Mercy vows to find the killer, even if she has to agree to run for sheriff herself. She soon finds out that the case is much more complicated that she first thought, and that sometime the sheriff has his hands tied.

Armstrong's characters are flawed and endearing. Her snapshot of life in South Dakota makes readers to explore the middle of our country. And her mysteries will keep readers up late to find out who done it.

Armstrong, Lori. (2010). Mercy Kill. New York: Touchstone Books.

Crashers (Crashers #1)

Crashers by Dana Haynes is the most exciting airplane related thriller since the last John J. Nance novel.

When a plane goes down just south of Portland, Oregon the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) sends a team to investigate. Dr. Tommy Tomzak is the first on the scene since he was in Portland for a conference at the time of the crash.

Other team members and rescue personnel join him at the crash site as they try to piece together the cause. The new version of the black box will give the team a full breakdown of all electrical and computer-related functions at the time of the crash.

With many branches of the story coming flawlessly together, Haynes weaves a seamless thriller that will have readers gripping the edge of their seats. I highly recommend this novel!

Haynes, Dana. (2010). Crashers. New York: Minotaur Books.