Sacred Sins (D.C. Detectives Series #1) by Nora Roberts

Synopsis :

In the unbearable heat of another sultry Washington, D.C., summer, a serial killer is on the loose. Dr. Tess Court, one of the capital's most successful psychiatrists, wants nothing to do with the case--until the police convince her to lend a hand to the lead investigator, legendary ladies' man Detective Ben Paris.

Scarred by his family's history, Ben has even less use for shrinks than Tess has for him--but the forces of animal magnetism and a shared desire to catch the demented criminal known as "The Priest" inexorably erode the walls they've built. They're opposites in so many ways, yet that seems only to fan the flames of attraction for which danger has supplied the spark. To stop a killer who thinks he can absolve sins through murder, Ben will need every ounce of psychological insight Tess can offer him. And she'll need the help of a lawman willing to stare fear in the face if she's going to avoid becoming the madman's next victim.

This is what I say :

It's been a while since I read anything Nora Roberts. 

I do like some of her older titles but I must admit that there's some titles that I don't quite like.  She's basically a romance writer but camouflage her romance stories with fantasy (like The Circle Trilogy and Signs of The Seven Trilogy), thriller (like Angels Fall) and investigation (like in this case).

Sometimes I feel like she's a bit all over the place with what she wrote but having said that, she does have her fair share of fans and I do have a few friends who just love what she wrote.

Sacred Sins was read as an e-book.  It is the first title of the D.C. Detectives Series which currently has only two titles, Sacred Sins and the second book Brazen Virture.  Perhaps the response to the series are not exciting enough for Nora to write a third book since she is pretty keen in having trilogies  in what she wrote.

The thrill of reading such investigative thriller is to 'investigate' along with the characters but in this story, there's no clue whatsoever and I guess it's not meant to be read in that manner so no, I wasn't successful and there was no way anyone would be able to guess who the serial killer was.

Anyway, Scared Sins is not too bad if you just want to chill and relax after a hard days work. In that sense, it delivers.

Some Like It Hot : Cat DeLuca Mystery #3 by K.J. Larsen

Synopsis :

When an old friend buys a trenchcoat and opens his own detective agency, PI Cat DeLuca sees a train wreck. Everything Billy Bonham knows about being a private dick he learned from Humphrey Bogart. And that's just enough to make him dangerous.

The bungling detective is in way over his head on a case involving murder and a stolen pair of Marilyn Monroe's dazzling diamond earrings. His outrageous client, Cristina McTigue, is pursued by men who want her dead. Five minutes after meeting the woman, Cat would cheerfully kill her too.

When Billy is gunned down on the street, it's up to Cat to save his crazy client and nail a murderer. She soon finds herself dodging bullets, knee-deep in trouble, and chasing diamonds. Before it's over, she'll be helped by her sexy FBI boyfriend, a hunky ex-spy, her outrageous Italian family of Chicago cops, and her interfering Mama.

With a cast of zany characters and a pace that's unrelenting, this laugh-out-loud mystery is best served hot.

This is what I say :

Some Like It Hot is the third book in the Cat DeLuca Mystery Installment whereas it's the second book that I read.  The first book that I read was Stick and Stone which is the second book in the series which I read in 2012 (7 years ago).

It was then that I noted the similarity between Cat and Stephanie (the character by Janet Evanovich) and surprisingly I like both characters and do not wish for them to be compared and compete so we shall not go there.

Written by three sisters under the pen name of K. J. Larsen, Cat is sassy, goofy and fun and pretty too and she has practically the whole police force behind her as her dad, brother, cousins, uncles and who not are all policemen.  She also have the FBI behind her as her live interest is one and she might even have the CIA behind her too cos Max and Toni who run the butcher or was it the sausage shop were hinted to be spies.  Cat is well loved and probably kept their lives interesting.  She sounds perfect? Other than her mum who seems to be keen to marry her off, she seems to be isn't she.  But then she's a PI and perfect she is not but interesting she is so.

I do enjoy this title. It's very easy and quick and fun read.  I read it in three days.

Incidentally, there's book #4 entitled Bye, Bye Love and Book #5 There was a Crooked Man.  Me think tt would be fun to read these too.  

Killer Instinct by Joseph Finder

Synopsis :

A man finds his life controlled by a dangerous stranger...

A man befriends a stranger in a bar. But when terrible things start to happen to his business rivals, he discovers that this new friend – a former Special Forces operative – is responsible.

And when he tries to put a stop to it, he finds that his new friend has become the most dangerous enemy imaginable. And now it's far more than just his career that lies in the balance...

This is what I say :

I seems to alternate between Camilla Lackberg and Joseph Finder nowadays.  Feels kinda boring right? :)  Let me assure you that this will not be the case for long.

Having said that I must admit that I really enjoy reading Killer Instinct.  For once, it wasn't a espionage which were what I read from Joseph Finder couple of books ago.  This is set in a corporate environment, like Paranoia but different in both the plot and the 'feel' of the book.

Killer Instinct is certainly entertaining and a page turner.  I quite like Jason, the protagonist and I like the plot too.

It would be nice for Killer Instinct to be made into a movie as I can visualize how the movie would be like even as I read the book.  I wonder if Joseph Finder actually wrote it in such a way that it would be easy for the book to be scripted.

Will my next book be another title by Joseph Finder?  I can't be sure as yet.

The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg

Synopsis :

The remote resort of Fjällbacka has seen its share of tragedy, though perhaps none worse than that of the little girl found in a fisherman's net. But this was no accidental drowning ...

Local detective Patrik Hedström has just become a father. It is his grim task to discover who could be behind the murder of a child both he and his partner Erica knew well.

What he does not know is how the case will reach into the dark heart of Fjällbacka and tear aside its idyllic façade, perhaps forever. 


This is what I say :

Here I am, once again with another title of the Fjalbacka Series by Camilla Lackberg.  I guess I can't stay away for long right after The Lost Boy, The Ice Princess and The Preacher.  This time round and which happens to be book number three in the series, is entitled The Stonecutter.

The Stonecutter took place a few months after The Preacher as Patrik and Erica are now a family with a little baby.  A little girl died and it was discovered that it wasn't an accidental drowning but a murder.

Again there's two stories in this title that intertwined...one from 1920s and the current story above.  I must admit that I was more interested in the story from the 20s and actually skip ahead just to read this story and in the end I read on the connection between that story and the current one.

Among the titles from Camillia that I read so far, this is one of my least favourite but it's still nice and I still enjoyed it.

However, I think I will give this author a break even though I still have three titles in my shelf waiting for my attention.  

The Zero Hour by Joseph Finder

Synopsis :

A thriller of gigantic proportions, The Zero Hour focuses on villain Henrik Baumann, a suave, cold-blooded mastermind who seeks to demolish the Wall Street computer network system that is central to the world's financial markets. 

A renegade U.S. billionaire has enlisted the services of a terrorist called the "Prince of darkness" in order to punish America. The most resourceful killer alive has been granted the knowledge and the power he needs to destroy the foundations of global finance in one explosive instant.

FBI Special Agent Sarah Cahill is leading the manhunt, matching wits with the most formidable opponent of her career. But she is unaware of the scope of the terror she is up against. And it may already be too late--for Sarah, for her young son. . .for their world.


The Zero Hour is approaching.


The future is ticking away.

This is what I say :

I have been a fan of thriller by Joseph Finder since reading the first title a few years ago.The Zero Hour would be the fifth book I read and the theme of the thriller is along the line of terrorism.  It got quite technical at some points and although it was a well written book, I didn't quite appreciate it.  

I practically read it as an e-book while killing time over some unnecessary commitment and task and waiting time forced on me.  However, I did enjoy the last one third of the book when things picked up.  

I will continue to read the other titles by this author that I have in my ebook collection.