Brother Odd by Dean Koontz

Genre - Mystery/Paranormal
Year Published - 2006
ISBN - 978-0-533-59131-6
Number of Pages -430
Rating - 2.0/5

In this third installment of the Odd Thomas series we find Odd trying to escape the horrors of past events that happened in his small desert home town of Pico Mondo by living a life of seclusion in a peaceful monastery of St. Bartholomew which is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains. But trouble seems to follow him around wherever he goes and he becomes aware that the quietness of the monastery is soon to be disrupted by the forces of evil.
This is the weakest novel yet. There are some good touches -I liked the description of the snowbound monastery and I found the monstrous apparitions intriguing but on the whole the plot was weak with an unsatisfactory resolution and Koontz's heavy handed moralizing gets in the way. I do have the fourth book in the series on my shelf but it may be quite a while before I get to it.

Death of a Dying Man by J.M. Redmann

Genre - Mystery
Year Published- 2009
ISBN - 1-60282-075-1
Number of Pages - 281
Rating - 4.0 out of 5

After a ten year wait we have the fifth entry in the Micky Knight mystery series.
New Orleans has always been a central character in the series and the devastation that it experienced by hurricane Katrina is pervasive in the story. Hired by a man who is dying of
Hep C/HIV to find a daughter he never knew or wanted before now provides the core mystery that sets the tone. Micky continues to develop as a person and in relationship to others. Thrown into the midst of this is the turmoil that was Katrina. J.M.'s descriptions and dialogues painted pictures in my mind of scenes that at times are enjoyable and at times haunting. The changed landscape of her beloved city is mirrored in Micky's interior landscape. Redmann does her usual good job in the crafting of her plot. I certainly hope that we do not have to wait for another ten years for the next instalment.

Bone by Bone By Carol O'Connell

Genre - Mystery
Published - 2008
ISBN - 978-0-399-15514-7
Number of Pages - 337
Rating 4.50 out of 5

In Bone by Bone, Carol O'Connell blends the eccentricities of a small town with a murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. Oren, who returns to his home town to find a terrible scenario is playing out at his father's house. someone is leaving the bones of his younger brother Josh who had disappeared twenty years ago on the front porch one bone at a time.

Carol O'Connell is at her finest as she skillfully weaves the intertwining lives of a small community. This taut character driven novel will keep your reading and you will find it hard to put down. This is a beautifully written mystery that will keep you guessing till the end. The only character that I would have liked to had more information on is Oren himself.

The Halo Effect by M.J. Rose

Genre - Mystery
ISBN - 0-7783-2197-5
Date Published - 2005
Number of Pages - 379
Rating -3.25 out of 5

Detective Noah Jordain is trying to keep one step ahead of a serial killer who has been targeting prostitutes, killing them with ritualistic precision. When Cleo Thane, a high priced prostitute and client of sex therapist Dr. Morgan Snow disappears after giving Morgan an unpublished book about her exclusive clientele, Morgan knows that what she has in her hands could be explosive. As she begins her own investigation into Cleo's disappearance Morgan begins to realize that navigating Cleo's mind could prove deadly.

Rose has written and explosive erotic thriller that will keep you turning the pages till the end. The character of Dr. Morgan Snow is well developed and the plot has enough twists and turns that will keep you guessing as to who the killer is. I didn't rate it higher because I personally found it hard to believe that a therapist would go and try to find a killer. That aside I did enjoy the book.

Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child

Genre - Thriller
ISBN - 978-0-385-51551-1
Number of Pages - 320
Date Published - 2009
Rating 4 out of 5

200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, paleoecologist Evan Marshall and a small band of fellow scientists have the opportunity to study first hand the effects of global warming. However everything changes when they have an unprecedented find. During a routine exploration of a glacial ice cave the group discovers an enormous ancient animal. Despite warnings from the local First Nations people, the media conglomerate that sponsored the expedition plan to thaw out the creature on live television.

Once again Lincoln Child has provided the reader with a riveting thriller. He weaves together a stunning Arctic landscape, a terrifying mythic creature, an enveloping aura of chaos with a good dose of fear. The plot moves quickly and the characters are well developed with a terrifying collision between modern science and a First Nations legend. I found myself reading well into the night, not wanting to put the book down. A must read for thriller fans.