Being swept away by a well-told story, one crafted by a skillful author, has become to me much like a drug. I am thoroughly addicted. Sadly, like any drug fiend will tell you, the problem with being an addict is the torturous, unending, all-consuming search for the next high. Even sadder however, is how almost impossible to recapture that first high is. I spend most of my time searching for that perfect book, one that will completely ensnare me, mesmerize me, transport me. Once in a while I find one.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is by no means a perfect novel. It has its many flaws. What it is though, is a deeply engrossing character study. The novel is well plotted, suspenseful, and effortlessly blends the elements of a thriller with those of a mystery. For all these reasons this novel is a great read. But it’s the protagonist Dexter that takes your breath away. He is brilliant, charming, charismatic and a remorseless serial killer. In Dexter, Jeff Lindsay has created an unforgettable character. We see the world through his eyes and we so completely fall in love with him that we begin to look forward to his next kill.

This is an excellent couldn’t put it down page-turner that I devoured cover to cover in one sitting. I loved every twist and turn in this book and I think you will too. This book inspired the hit Showtime Series Dexter, which surprisingly enough is much better than the novel. Get this book, read it, then go out and get the TV series. You’ll thank me later.

Rose is, in my opinion, Martin Cruz Smith best novel. It’s a historical mystery that seems to break all the rules. It is vivid, engrossing, and brilliant. It is beautifully written, and its unusual plot and location only serve to deepen one’s interest. This is the sort of novel that captures and transports us to a different world, and involves us so thoroughly in the action that we never want to leave. Is it historically accurate? I don’t know, but nor do I care. It feels real, and that’s good enough for me.

By the time Martin Cruz Smith wrote this novel, he had already proven himself a master storyteller. He is the author of such winners as Gorky Park, Polar Star, and Red Square. But if you’re looking for Arkady Renko or a Russia setting, I have to warn you, they aren’t present here.

This is an ambitious and riveting mystery that clearly shows Mr. Smith’s versatility and mastery of his craft. I read the entire thing in one sitting, and now I wish I had read slower. I highly recommend this unusual page turner. If you don’t like it, I suggest you grab your wrist and check for a pulse. Get it now.

And Then There Were None, also published as Ten Little Indians, is one of the most intriguing, bewildering, and ingenious mystery/thriller novels of all time. It belongs at the very top of must reads, not only for mystery lovers, but for fiction fans across all genres.

Agatha Christie leaves no argument, with this novel, that she will forever be the queen of the close room mystery. I have read virtually all of her work, and I can say that this novel shows her at the top of her game.

This is an intricate page turner that slowly builds up to one shocker of an ending. This novel is at times dark, and in very subtle ways, complex. It is nothing like Agatha’s previous work up to this point.

In short, this novel is a spectacular couldn’t put it down good read. If you have seen the stage or movie adaptations, you may not be aware that Agatha Christie rewrote the ending of the book for these. Read the book. It’s way better.

Here I go again. Just can’t get enough of Arkady Renko. I knew Havana Bay was going to be a couldn’t put it down winner, when in the opening pages a character tells Renko, “A dead Russian, a live Russian. What’s the difference?” Talk about cynicism.

Havana Bay is the fourth book in the Arkady Renko novel series. Although some of Renko’s fans will be disappointed and upset at the turn of events that led their favorite investigator to Havana, Cuba, this novel is a riveting page turner that delivers.

Renko arrives in Havana Cuba with nothing to lose and delves into communism, a state he knows too well, in search of an old friend. Place a Russian in Cuba who speaks no Spanish, knows nothing about the island and its history, and can’t contain his need to ask questions, and you can’t help but get a heart-stopping thriller.

If you don’t’ already own it be sure to pick it up. For maximum satisfaction, it is strongly recommended that these novels be read in the order they were written.

Having read Gorky Park and Polar Star back to back, I didn’t know if I had the mental stamina to embark on another rollercoaster ride with Arkady Renko. The thought of another unrelenting page turner was exciting, yet exhausting.

However, the day after finishing Polar Star found me right back at the bookstore. But could I endure another string of sleepless nights completely absorbed in another couldn’t put it down page turner? I figured I just read a couple of chapters and then get some sleep. Of course I didn’t count on how quickly, in the hands of a master storyteller, one can be hopelessly ensnared. Like a junkie, I was hooked and couldn’t stop reading until my alarm clock, quite rudely, let me know it was time to go to work.

What I’ve enjoyed most about the Arkady Renko novels, is the author’s ability to make the protagonist seem so real that after I’ve finished one, I find Arkady Renko constantly cruising through my thoughts. This installment wasn’t much different.

In Red Square, Arkady Renko goes after the ghost of his past only to find that the future he had concocted in his mind all these years, in no way mirrored his current reality. I strongly recommend these novels are read in the order in which they were written. Pick up the first one now, if you haven’t yet done so, and get ready to be swept away.

Hollywood station is a super funny Police procedural that is at once a satire and a pseudo thriller. Mr. Wambaugh hates what has happened to the once proud LAPD in the years after Rodney King and he’s not shy about letting his views show. In fact, his in your face criticisms of the current management of the LAPD is so ludicrous and unbelievable, that at times those who have never served in any police capacity in our politically correct atmosphere is forced to dismiss them as mere rantings and wild exaggerations from a disgruntled ex-cop. Not so.

This couldn’t put it down winner is littered with stereotypes so outrageously silly that in the hands of a lesser author they could easily be confused with the fumbling of an unimaginative hack. But in this highly entertaining read the use of clichéd characters and situations is used to great effect and it gives this novel, if seen for the satire is supposed to be, a feel of greatness.

Some of Mr. Wambaugh’s fans may be confused and disappointed. This is to be expected. This book has none of the serious feel and forceful character of some of his earlier works, for which he has won so much acclaim. It almost feels as if it had been written by a totally different person (uhm). But in my humble opinion, this is his best work yet. Get it now, but before you start it take a deep breath. You’ll find it hard to come up for air until the very last page.

Modern thriller writers like to inject exotic locales into their plots. Most of the time this is nothing more than window dressing, a way to give a little depth to otherwise faulty, lackluster stories. In John Burdett’s Bangkok 8, the locale is as important to the central theme of this rollercoaster, page turner of a story, as his Buddha obsessed Thai detective.

This intriguing, suspenseful, and at times deeply fascinating novel follows the adventures of Thailand’s only honest policeman as he tries to solve the murder of an American Marine. I particularly enjoyed the occasional heavy doses of Asian insights that serve to deepen the story considerably. I highly recommend this ambitious and very enjoyable couldn’t be put down book. Don’t be surprised if after finishing it, you get an overwhelming urge to jump on a plane to Bangkok.

This well plotted, character driven first novel is no Silence of the Lambs, but it is a can’t be put down page turner that is loads of fun to read.

The author was not shy about setting the stage for a series featuring the femme fatale Gretchen. I can’t wait to see what other adventures Chelsea Cain has in store for us. Pick up Heartsick today and enjoy.

This book has it all. From pedophilia to police misconduct to racial tension and all around mayhem this is a non stop thrill ride you won’t soon forget.

If this is your first dance with Michael Connelly and Harry Bosch, his tortured lead character detective, consider yourself fortunate there are many sleepless nights soon in your future as you compulsively make your way through the whole series.

Set in Sweden, we get an inside look at Swedish culture and the quirks of Swedish law. The best way to describe this thoroughly enjoyable read, is as an Agatha Christie mystery on steroids. Once I picked it up it was virtually impossible to put down. The book does have its flaws, but it is such fun reading that they are easily forgivable.

Sadly the author of this excellent book passed away shortly after handing in this and two other manuscripts. He will be sorely missed. Hopefully the other two books are as good as this one.