The Melodoy Lingers On - Mary Higgins Clark

This is the latest book from the Queen of Suspense and doesn’t disappoint. It’s a tale all too familiar in this world of big money and even bigger criminals. Average, middle-class, Americans are being robbed of their life saving by an unscrupulous, but charming, investment broker. When the pot reaches five billion the broker, Parker Bennett, mysteriously disappears from his sailboat – so does the money. He leaves behind a grieving wife who believes his innocence, a distraught son who has inherited his father’s charisma, and a devious mistress. Lane Harmon works for an upscale interior decorator that is currently redoing the mistress’s apartment for a cool five million. Her boss is also redoing an apartment for the supposed widow of Parker Bennett, who has lost the multi-million dollar mansion shared by her husband and son. Lane meets the charming Eric Bennett and immediately believes he is innocent of his father’s crime. Lane has a four year old daughter who is also enchanted by this man who claims to like her cookies. Is a trail of deception leading Lane and her daughter into irreparable danger? Or is she right in thinking Eric is only trying to clear his name? Who’s the guy renting the apartment next to Mrs. Bennett and listening in on conversations? Who’s driving the old, beat-up, black car that keeps following Lane around – will the golf partner of an alleged British engineer, living in the islands, finally figure out what he knew all along? It’s a tangled trail of suspenseful coincidences, of hurtful actions, and in the end true love.

Plum Spooky - Janet Evanovich

If you’ve never read a Stephanie Plum novel you’ve missed some pretty wild plots. Even if you have read one there are still plenty of bolts from the blue in the next one. Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter and wherever she goes, who ever she is with, you can be sure that something is going to blow up, catch fire or just plain wind up in pandemonium. Plum Spooky is no exception. Some of the regular, or irregular, characters, show up in this book; Stephanie’s three men, Diesel, the one that shows up without warning, Ranger, the protector and her one love, Morelli. The story is centered in a place called The Pine Barrens where the Jersey Devil, among other weird and shocking living things reside; like a old man who thinks he’s the Easter Bunny, a family of Sasquatch, and the infamous Elmer, The Fire Farter. Yeah-that’s right, a fire farter. You can guess how that turns out! The opening paragraph of the book reads; “Sometimes you get up in the morning and you know it’s going to be one of those days. No toothpaste left in the tube, no toilet paper on the cardboard roll, hot water cuts out halfway through your shower and someone’s left a monkey on your doorstep.” Carl, the monkey, turns out to be an interesting addition with his one finger salute and an addiction to Mario Brother’s video game. Stephanie Plum isn’t for everyone – you have to have a perverse sense of humor and the ability to enjoy a story that at times flies into unknown, and mostly unbelievable, twists of plots. I don’t exactly give this book a thumbs up – it’s an acquired taste – but if you’re looking for something different, give it a try. The book is available at Novel World of Used Fiction. We ship free in the USA.