The Printed Page

Title: Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder Mysteries)
Author/website: Linda Castillo
321 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication date: May ’09
Genre: Police procedural
Would I recommend it: Definitely!
Loved it! I’m already looking forward to reading the next Kate Burkholder mystery. Without giving anything away suspect the person you least expect. Not only did I enjoy the thrill of the chase but Kate’s moral and ethical dilemmas added a punch to the story line. She treads a fine between doing her job and respecting the Amish community. And the dark secret she carries drives her to skirt, and cross, ethical lines. Fans of suspenseful police procedurals will want to add Sworn to Silence to their must read list.

When a serial killer strikes bucolic Painters Mill, Ohio, the killer’s signature—Roman numerals ritualistically carved into each victim’s abdomen—matches the MO of four unsolved murders from 16 years earlier. Police chief Kate Burkholder, who’s reluctant to dredge up the past, must keep secret that she knows why the old murders stopped. Not satisfied with the case’s progress, local politicos set up a multijurisdictional task force to assist, including a law-enforcement agent battling his own demons. The added scrutiny and the rising body count threaten to push the chief over the edge.

Title: Vanished
Author/website: Joseph Finder
384 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: August ’09
Genre: Suspense/thriller
Would I recommend it: Yes and not just because I’m a fan of this author’s work having read his previous novels.
I know I’m in for a good story when I pick up a novel by Mr. Finder. He never fails to entertain me. His story lines keep me guessing as I take a ride around false corners and into dead ends. Things are never quite as black and white as they appear – is Roger only a blackmailer or is he up to a more sinister game? And what does Lauren know about the high stakes gamble Roger’s taking that she’s not telling Nick. Will she confess her dirty laundry before time runs out? As with any good suspense story there are plenty of the secrets to unravel with numerous red herrings to work your way through. I loved the time I spent with Nick as he races to save his brother.

Nick Heller is tough, smart, and stubborn. And in his line of work, it’s essential. Trained in the Special Forces, Nick is a high-powered intelligence investigator–exposing secrets that powerful people would rather keep hidden. He’s a guy you don’t want to mess with. He’s also the man you call when you need a problem fixed.
Desperate, with nowhere else to run, Nick’s nephew, Gabe makes that call one night. After being attacked in Georgetown, his mother, Lauren, lies in a coma, and his step-dad, Roger, Nick’s brother, has vanished without a trace.

Nick and Roger have been on the outs since the arrest, trial, and conviction of their father, the notorious “fugitive financier,” Victor Heller. Where Nick strayed from the path, Roger followed their father’s footsteps into the corporate world. Now, as Nick searches for his brother, he’s on a collision course with one of the most powerful corporations in the world–and they will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.

Title: Wait Until Twilight
Author/website: Sang Pak
240 pages (DNF @ page 70)
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Publication date: August ’09
Genre: YA Fiction
Would I recommend it: N/A as this book was another victim of my August reading slump; it’s gotten a 4 start rating with 3 reviews so far at Amazon.

Samuel, 16 and motherless, is somewhat of a misfit at school, even though he is driven by a single-minded determination to clear every academic bar placed before him, with room to spare. As he navigates the miniature and large-scale dramas of adolescent life, which intersect, diverge, and explode at a moment’s notice, Samuel could be any teen ripe for a good coming-of-age. Which is what happens, in a way, when he gets involved with a set of malformed infant triplets and their psychotic older brother, who gets his hooks into Samuel, scarring the boy with the realization of his own capacity for horrific violence.