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Katz, Jamie
A Summer for Dying
Dan Kardon, Boston attorney, who was left feeling somewhat rejuvenated in both his professional and personal life at the end of the previous book, "Dead Low Tide", is brought back for another round. I remembered enjoying the previous book based on this character. Despite being a lawyer, he's likeable. The author makes him real and consistent by use of a lot of internal dialogue, and the action is deftly woven in to make for a spellbinding story. Despite the fact that I received it in a pre-publication binding which can be kind of difficult to handle in the places I usually do my reading, before I knew it, I was halfway through it, and I finished it the evening after I started it. Dan's new law partner and amour, Jenny, who started with him as a secretary, takes on a case from a college friend who finds himself faced with some unexpected opposition in a small Massachusetts town where he plans to run a camp for inner-city children. When Jenny's parents become ill and need her help, Dan ends up on point in the case. Jenny's friend and client, Jerome, is a black man, and it seems at first that perhaps the objections are due to racism. Townspeople state fears that inner city kids will bring crime and destruction to the town, and some say that the open space will be removed from public use. Residents have already blocked the opening of the golf course planned for another part of the property by notifying the Fish & Game authorities that members of an endangered species made their home in what was to be used as a water trap. After Dan and Jenny take the case, Jerome's previous attorney is murdered, perhaps in the course of a robbery. Soon afterwards, Dan finds Jerome fatally shot in the clubhouse where they were supposed to meet. It seems to Dan that something more is going on here. He starts to look deeper into the lives of the residents of Meadowbrook. Like a dog that won't give up it's favorite toy, once Dan gets his teeth into the investigation, he doesn't let go, despite the fact of threats and physical intimidation by his opponents. (If I were Dan, I'd stay away from these small towns--in both this and the last book, people in them seem to want to beat him up!) Meanwhile, he's representing Jerome's cousin, an NBA star who at first just wanted to sell off the property and get out from under the hassles. This brings some other unique twists to the story. Katz tells a good story, without question, and the theme of this one is particularly well done as well as topical. It's an interesting look at how a little misdirection on the part of a criminal can enlist the prejudices of a large group of people in order to support a nefarious plan.
Great first book featuring Boston attorney Dan Kardon. I hope to see another book featuring this character in the future. Dan turns private investigator when his friends' son is found dead under suspicious circumstances. The police seem happy to call it a drive-by shooting related to a drug transaction but Dan knows--or thinks he does--that Aaron would never have been involved in drugs. Anxious to clear Aaron's name at the same time he seeks to exorcise some personal demons, Dan looks deeper, and pits himself against citizens of the small town of Wettamesett who would prefer he mind his own business. When evidence he turns up strikes some folks' nerves, he ends up beat up, leading him to believe he's on the right track. Very well written with a good story, this book deserves a place on your "To Read" list. For the first chapter and more information about the author, visit his website at http://www.jamiekatz.com/. Kellerman, Faye Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mysteries.
StalkerBuy from Amazon.com U.S.
Great addition to the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series, with a fresh twist: the focus of the story is on Decker's daughter by his first marriage, Cindy, as she negotiates the difficulties of being a young police officer in the same department as her legendary father. The writing is fantastic, and will make you cringe in sympathy as Cindy makes mistakes and the family and department negotiate the consequences.
Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus are back in this well written exploration of the world of cults, a hot topic in the wake of Heaven's Gate. Emil Ganz was once a noted scientist; then, after a mysterious 10 year disappearance, he reappeared as as Jupiter, leader of the Order of the Rings of God, where followers submitted themselves to a way of life dictated by Ganz and his minions. A death occurs inside the compound and Ganz's estranged daughter, Europa, herself a successful scientist, receives a mysterious phone call alerting her to the death, which cult members are hesitating to report to authorities and want to attribute to suicide. The investigation leads to an upheaval within the compound when two members disappear during the confusion of the police visit. Members are "free to leave" according to cult officials; their suspicions are vehemently directed at a "deprogrammer" who has supposedly forcibly removed other devoted members from the compound. Appearance of another corpse adds urgency to the investigation, which culminates in a spectacular rescue attempt. Throughout the book, convert Decker's struggles with his Orthodox Jewish family continue as his sons navigate some of the rocky terrain of their late teens. Kellerman's strength has been development of her characters, a current which continues strong and deep in this book. Great plotting and pace also make this a good read. (Reviewed 2/16/00.)
Jewish Bulletin Online interview with Faye Kellerman (1995).
Kellerman, JonathanDr. Alex Delaware, psychologist, and his friend Milo Sturgis, Homicide Detective, investigate. Well-developed characters and engaging stories throughout the series.
Dr. DeathPublished 2000Random House Hardcover Buy from Amazon.com Little, Brown & Co. Hardcover
The title of this book makes you think of Dr. Kevorkian, doesn't it? Kellerman's Dr. Death is a fictional take-off on that very subject. The character Dr. Eldon Mate is champion of euthanasia for the terminally ill and those whose quality of life hovers around the zero point. When he turns up dead and mutilated, hooked up to his own killing machine, Milo gets the case. Alex Delaware wavers on his involvement because one of his patients, Stacy Doss, was related to one of Mate's clients, Stacy's mother. Soon it becomes clear that Stacy's father doesn't consider Alex's involvement in the police case to be a conflict of interest; this, however, is about all that is clear as the suspect list grows, and some assumptions need to be dropped. Kellerman spins a very suspenseful tale, serving up his specialty, the psychopathology of families, for one of his best books ever.
A divergence from the author's series involving psychologist Alex Delaware. Twelve year old Billy realizes his life is seriously limited by his mother's choice in male companionship, among other things. He sets out on his own, and finds himself backed into a corner by the difficulties of living in the streets by himself, especially when he finds someone wants to get rid of him after he witnesses a murder. Much of the story is told through the eyes of LAPD homicide detective, Petra Connor, who "caught" the homicide case. Also:
Read about Jonathan Kellerman at http://www.randomhouse.com/atrandom/kellerman/author.html Kenney, Charles
Kephart, Carolyn
Dad blast it! Author Carolyn Kephart has dealt me a savage blow. With her book "Wysard", she has drawn me into another world, into the lives of her characters, and left me hanging. She gave me a character, Ryel, who starts out by mourning and reminiscing about Edris, who pulled him from his family when he was 12 to help him develop his sleeping inner inclination toward "The Art," the ability to influence The World by intervention in an otherworldly plane. Edris trains him in a remote location, protected from the dangers of The World, and leaves him to manage on his own when the prophecy of the Foretold calls him from his comfy den. This "child", despite his rough upbringing and rigorous training under Edris, is at first somewhat unappealing. He seems spoiled as he ponders his life from the shelter of the remote town in which he "grew up". It seems that another entity seeks to use Ryel to do its dirty work. As Ryel faces reality and goes out into "The World", we see him grow and learn from his experiences. The author's words slowly and carefully reveal him and the characters he meets and deals with, some of whom will ally themselves with him as he prepares to battle the entity which threatens to change the future of all men. This is not my usual choice of reading genre. I was, however, taken by the ability of this writer to make me care about her characters and their stories. As I neared the end of the book, I feared that she would switch tacks and throw at me some pat ending. What she has done instead is make me drool for the next installment. A very satisfying reading experience overall. You may not think you can be charmed by wizards and sorcerers. If you care to challenge your resistance in this regard, I dare you to read this book! Kijewski, Karen Kat Kolorado mysteries.
P.I. Kat Kolorado's fiance, a police officer, has just been killed and Kat feels unable to take care of herself. She only very reluctantly takes on the case of Sara Bernard when an attorney refers her to Kat for help regarding an allegedly abusive husband. When it becomes evident that Sara has a few of her own secrets, Kat becomes suspicious and goes undercover to find the truth. Miss Marple's Mystery Magazine Interview with the author
Kimball, Michael
King, Laurie R.
This first novel rates five stars out of five for its main characters and complex, tightly woven narrative. The author dives right into the story with descriptions of the discoveries of three six-year-old female murder victims. When these generate San Francisco Police Department Homicide Bureau cases assigned to veteran detective Al Hawkin, a novice detective, Kate Martinelli, is assigned to assist him when none of the other female detectives are available. Two of the bodies, and other evidence, lead the investigation to a strange community outside of San Francisco where a rich man allows people who choose to live their lives simply, and somewhat invisibly, to set up house. There, the detetives find their prime suspect--an artist who had completed a prison term for killing a young girl similar to the new victims. As the investigation proceeds, Kate's relationship with her work partner, Hawkin, grows less tense. For the first time in her career as a police officer, the job invades the private life she has tried so hard to keep separate. She lives with her lover, another woman. Lee provides support for some pivotal events in the story but the relationship comes across as stilted; subsidiary characters such as Lee, however, are often better developed in later books. This is a suspenseful and well-written book, well worth your attention. There are at least two more in this series:
Other books not in this series include The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994 - Hardcover), and A Darker Place (1999 - Hardcover). King, Stephen This is one of my favorite Stephen King books. I remember having gotten it in the mail and staying up much too late reading it, even though I had to get up to go to work in the morning. A novelist finishes his most recent work in a remote cabin. When leaving, he crashes his vehicle and wakes up to find himself under the care of his "number one fan," who will not let him leave her house. Also a movie staring Kathy Bates. I have also read the following by Stephen King:
See also a Stephen King Fan Site with bio and other King info. http://www.veinotte.com/king/index.htm See also a comprehensive Stephen King site including information about books, movies made from his books, and more. http://www.stephenkingnews.com/ Koontz, Dean Dean Koontz has produced a great number of prime escape-reading books. Pick one up and you are lost in it. Here are some of them:
See also this Dean Koontz Fan Site, a very good site, with a biography, discussion forum, and a list of movies made from his books. There is also a publisher site. Korelitz, Jean Hanff
Sybylla Muldoon, a public defender, takes a case of a homeless man accused of stabbing a child. Although there are plentiful witnesses against him, he does not remember anything, nor has he been himself since he was seen being taken off the street in a white van which may have belonged to a charitable organization assisting street people. A main character who does not follow up on some important evidence that her client has been drugged mars this potentially great story. Improbably, she seems to forget about it entirely, even though the friend she has given the evidence to for testing is killed in her lab shortly after accepting the assignment. While this book has an intriguing premise, I think the execution could have been better. I, jury of one, say that this is one of those books in which the author undercuts her own female protagonist by making her seem like the proverbial dumb blond. Another author who does this is Barbara Parker. I'm sure there are others whose names I cannot recall right now. There are a lot of great books out there featuring female characters who perform effectively in tough jobs who are able to be both feminine and human without being ditzy, and there are plenty women like this in real life. Simply slapping a label such as "attorney" or "investigator" on a character does not necessarily make her (or him, for that matter) believable in that role. Another book by this author, The Sabbathday River, was recommended by a site visitor, Nancy Webb, who said about it: "Excellent plot, great characterizations, extremely well written. An outstanding courtroom drama!"
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