The Killing Game - Iris Johansen

I haven't read Johansen in ages (at least 10 years) - she's one of the author's Grandma reads. I think reading a book by her every once in a while is ok, but I tend to find them repetitive and easy to figure out. This one was an exception - more than likely she has increased her skill or decreased her output over the years. It was fun and while I had an inkling that one of two options was the killer, it was interesting to see how they got there.

A fun book, but nothing spectacular, and I'll probably offer it to anyone who wants it and then send it back to the used book store it came from.

The 5th Horseman - James Patterson

I received this one as a birthday gift a few weeks ago. After the massive (almost 4,000 page) Otherland quartet, I needed some light reading. This one fit the bill. It was a nice combination of mysteries - several all wrapped up into one, which really gave it good pacing and kept it moving. With different parts of the story ending while others ramped up, it kept you from guessing the culprits because who knew it would wrap up so early in the book?

A fun addition to the Women's Murder Club, it'll stay on my shelves with the others.

Ice Man - Wynn Morgan

I wanted some light reading for the trip to Vegas - nothing taxing, something for sitting next to the pool or in the whirlpool tub. Looking at the bookshelf of things to read, I saw Ice Man - thin, cheesy 70s art - perfect! And it fit the bill even after I had finished it. A story about a NY cop who is tracking the killer of the Mafia hit men - taking out the best in the business without any errors. It was fast paced and I was even surprised by who the killer was. If you see this on the used book store racks or at a garage sale, it is well worth the $1.

I would probably have added it to the bookshelf, except I think it is still in the hotel.

On another note, the amazon.com description of this book is incorrectly linked to a non-fiction book with the same title by Anthony Bruno.

Therapy - Jonathan Kellerman

After a few stumbles in recent attempts, Therapy got the Alex Delaware series back up to par. With his new girlfriend, Dr. Delaware is out psychoanalyzing his way through Sturgis's investigation. Nothing exciting happening on the character stories - just a nice simple multiple homicide, that of course ties into a few other homicides. In mystery series it seems that only serial killers and homicidal maniacs are killing. The crime, the victims, and the families are the focus - as it should be - and they definitely provide a variety of personalities. Unlike The Art of Detection, the story moves along quickly, with only a few slower spots. The complex relationships between the characters provide the twists and turns. This was the perfect end to my mystery novel reading spree. I'll pick something more substantial next time.

It's on the shelf, prepared to fit in with the rest of the series. If it hadn't been good, the rest of the series would have joined it in the box for the used book store.