Sick, Twisted, and Brilliant

Scott Sigler is utterly fantastic. I say this because he absolutely grosses me out and makes my skin crawl and keeps me coming back for more! Sigler hit it big after giving away his books online. Yep, he gave them away to readers for free. He had so many freaking hits that the publishing company took notice and signed the man. Whoo-hoo! Great for Scott and great for the rest of us who hadn't yet discovered him. 

When Infected, the first book in his current series hit shelves in April, I was totally stoked. I had an arc and reviewed it here as well as at Bookbitch.com, urging you all to go out and read it. Well now it's time  (past time actually but I was on vacation) to head out to your local bookstore and buy the next book in the series, and get all grossed out again!

Contagious is the next step in the alien invasion. After Perry Dawsey (spoilers) survives his horrific ordeal in Infected, he's left with the ability to hear the triangles and their plans. He works with the government to help discover new gate locations and in turn "helps" the latest victims by killing them and ending their misery. Too bad, the government had hoped they could get an infected person alive so that they could study the creatures, I mean so they could cure the infected. Too bad Perry knows what these people have to go through in order for that to happen. Course his bad attitude and his problems with authority are quickly getting under his superiors' skins. Then something changes. The virus mutates and these new infected bring about something altogether different. Will Perry be enough to stop it? And just what is trying to come through the gate? 

Bloody, gruesome, gory and still a fantastic blend of horror, medical thriller, and sci-fi thriller, Contagious is great for anyone (with a strong stomach) looking for a standout novel this winter. 

Readers who enjoyed Tess Gerritsen's Gravity and Richard Preston's Hot Zone will love Sigler. 

Jenn Awarded me With a Butterfly!

Jenn over at Jenn's Bookshelf nominated me for the Butterfly Award. It's a meme so the rules are that I now have to pick up to 10 other blogs to award and post the links below. I read a ton of blogs and know there are many, many out there that deserve recognition. 

I'll give mine to:

Cheryl over at Cheryl's Book Nook

Tez over at Tez Says 

Lori at Lori's Reading Corner

Vickie over at Vixen's Daily Reads

Thanks to all you guys for helping to keep this book junkie in a constant flow of new books through your fab recommendations. And thanks again to Jenn who should be added to that list as well except that she was already nominated. 

To anyone I missed, as I said, there are so many great book blogs out there and they really all deserve recognition. Thank you all for your recommendations and for doing your part to help promote great new books to everyone out there looking for them!

Another Twist on the Forensic Mysery

The term forensic refers to (as Wikipedia says it) a broad range of subspecialties which use techniques adapted from the natural sciences to obtain criminal or other legal evidence. This is why there are so many different things out there that are now popping up as "forensic." Really it's a group of people who specialize in all these different aspects that can be used in a court of law to help in cases. 

One of the most interesting ones out there that I have come across is forensic handwriting analysis. The idea that you can tell so much about a person by their handwriting is intriguing. Imagine filling out an application for a job only to be turned out because your handwriting revealed things about your personality that don't fit the job. Kind of scary if you think about it, but also really intriguing. 

This past summer, Signet picked up Sheila Lowe and her Claudia Rose series. Lowe's debut, Poison Pen, was originally published by a mystery publisher called Capital Crime Press. This, by the way, is a huge, huge deal for any author and small publisher out there. I actually purchased an old copy of Poison Pen and was really excited to hear Lowe's good news. Now, I have to say that at first, I was under the mistaken impression that the Claudia Rose books would be cozies. As I said, mistaken. This book was great (not that cozies aren't just that I want any cozy readers to be prepared, this may not be your cup of tea) and it was really fascinating. Here is my review as posted on Bookbitch.com:

Claudia Rose is one of the foremost experts in the field of graphology, or handwriting analysis. When a college “friend,” PR guru and overall nasty person, Lindsey Alexander, commits suicide, Lindsey’s business partner asks that Claudia analyze the suicide note. Claudia agrees with some reluctance as the man’s reasoning that Lindsey couldn’t have committed suicide hinge directly on the fact that the note was printed and she only wrote in script, and that the ink used was black rather than her signature green. Of course, he also reveals that if the death is ruled a suicide, the insurance won’t pay out and he can’t keep the business afloat without it. In searching for usable comparison handwriting, Claudia comes across one of Lindsey’s darkest secrets about her past. Then, Lindsey’s partner is murdered just moments before Claudia arrives to meet with him and Claudia has to admit that the evidence strongly suggests that Lindsey’s death was something much more sinister than the suspected suicide by overdose. Sheila Lowe herself is an expert in the field of handwriting analysis and the use of this rather interesting field as a background for the series is quite refreshing. Lowe develops her tale with an ease that is quite uncommon in many debuts. Poison Pen is a must-read for forensic mystery fans looking for something a little different.

Lowe's follow up, Written In Blood, is also now available and Rose will be returning in August in Dead Write. So, if you're looking for something a little bit different that will really get your blood pumping, I suggest you run out and pick up Poison Pen. 

Readers who enjoy feisty females like Jan Burke's Irene Kelly are sure to enjoy Sheila Lowe's Claudia Rose series.   

New Releases 01/06/09

First new release post of the year! Thank God there are more releases coming out than in the past couple of weeks. 

Some of the titles hitting shelves this week include:

Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron - a crazy intense thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell - a thriller debut that reads like Snatch and Fight Club

Fidali's Way by George Mastras - another thriller debut, this one from one of writers of AMC's Breaking Bad

Nemesis by Jo Nesbo - following Nesbo's popular debut, The Redbreast

Daemon by Daniel Suarez - a techno-thriller debut that has been getting a great amount of buzz

New on DVD:

Pineapple Express

Righteous Kill

Bangkok Dangerous

Babylon AD

A Thrilling Series You Can't Miss

In 2007, Mira (an imprint of Harlequin) started their brilliant Summer of the Deadly 7 campaign. I was lucky enough to get to review each of the seven titles and loved them all. One of those authors was JT Ellison whose debut, All the Pretty Girls, truly blew me away. I posted a review on that first title back in August '08 around the time book 2, 14, was being released. Well, it's time again for Mrs. Ellison's latest in the series to hit shelves (came out Dec 30) and I just finished up reading it yesterday. (Reviews for both All the Pretty Girls and 14 can be found in the Bookbitch.com archives). 

In this third installment, Ellison really cuts her heroine no slack at all. In fact, parts of the book were downright frustrating as a bystander! Taylor and her team must face what could be the toughest times ever. 

It begins with Taylor and Baldwin returning from their non-honeymoon in Italy after the events of 14. The Pretender is still on the loose and Baldwin has been called back to the FBI to help out while his boss is on medical leave, or so he says. Turns out there's a professional hit man on the loose who has it out for Baldwin and his superiors aren't too keen on Taylor knowing about it just yet. Meanwhile, back in Nashville, Taylor and team are called in on a homicide that seems pretty clear cut. Corrine Wolff, an upper-class housewife, was found bludgeoned to death while her husband was away for the weekend. Course hubby's return trip is much shorter than expected and Taylor thinks the guy is dead guilty. Then they make some shocking discoveries about the Wolffs' personal lives and all of the sudden the case has shifted directions. Taylor also makes a disturbing discovery of her own after a run-in with a stranger. All of this and more cause trouble for Taylor with her superiors and the media. Judas Kiss will be followed by Edge of Black, due out later this year.

JT Ellison just keeps getting better and better! Taylor Jackson is definitely one of the best new heroines and I love reading about her. The teaser chaps at the end of these books just kill me, though. I'm on edge the entire book and then I get a sneak peek at one that I can't read yet. Ah well, just keeps me itching for more. Anyway, it's still early in the game and you can easily read through the series in a weekend. I highly suggest you do, if you haven't checked her out already, that is!

Readers who enjoy Lisa Jackson, John Sandford (one of Ellison's inspirations), and Brian Freeman will like this series. 

A Great Start

I just love it when I get to read a fantastic book. Sure, I actually love most of the books that I read, but I've kind of been in a slump lately for various reasons. Finding the perfect book to pull you out can sometimes be a chore, though. Authors you love and books you've been waiting for aren't always what the doctor ordered if you know what I mean. 

As I write this, the first day of the new year is coming to an end. I woke this morning and did some work (work always beckons). When I finally came to a stopping point, I picked up a book that I had brought with me last week in hopes of reading while I was in Louisiana. I was kind of freaking out because I didn't get to start it and I had stuck it in my duffel bag for easy reach in the car. I still didn't get to start it and I very specifically remembered unpacking it so that it would be the next book that I read. Lo and behold, last night it went mia. I was so mad! I couldn't imagine what I could have possibly done with the thing over the course of one evening!

I finally found it, though, and started it today only to end up completely glued to my seat (or in this case in the hot bath) until I finished it. It was that good! See, perfect for getting out of a slump. And drum roll, the fab read was... well it's no surprise really because the cover is above. Anyway, Hallie Ephron's amazing can't-put-it-down debut, Never Tell a Lie is the perfect thriller! It's got twists and turns and plenty of suspense. 

Ivy and David Rose are finally expecting their first child. In preparation of their expanding family, they decide it is time to clear out some of the clutter in their new house. They hold a yard sale and end up bumping into a woman they both went to high school with. After promising to show the woman around the house, however, she disappears. She was seen entering the home with David but no one saw her leave. Later, her bloody clothes are discovered in a trunk left out for the trash. Of course the police suspect the Roses had something to do with it and an eight month pregnant Ivy is determined to uncover the truth.

The book is the definition of a page turner! Ephron's debut is already earning well deserved buzz from her fellow authors. I can tell you that it's definitely going on my best of 2009 list! Get out those gift cards and look for Never Tell a Lie, on shelves Jan 6!

Happy New Year!

The first day of a new year. Agh! Where in the world does the time go. I feel like I am stuck in an endless circle of mostly wasted time. True. I waste a lot of time. As the year passes, I think back on all of the things that I should have done and the things that I wanted to do but never got around to doing. 

I'm not big on new year's resolutions. I tend to break them just a few hours in : ) This year, though, I feel I need to at least try to make better use of my time, in hopes that it will help me to feel like I am actually becoming somewhat productive. I've also got to resolve to eat better. I'm not very nice to myself in that regard. Hopefully all of the great cookbooks I brought home from Christmas will come in handy in this regard. 

I'm a rampant cookbook collector. I know I always talk about fiction here, with the exception of my post about the Top Chef cookbook (can't wait until the show returns now that the holidays are over) and my massive John Folse book, but I actually have a ton more, in addition to subscriptions to Saveur, Bon Apetit, and Gourmet. What can I say, I like food and I like to cook food. 

My latest food love (see we're getting to a real post here) is Sam Zien, aka Sam the Cooking Guy. I found his show one afternoon when I was lunching earlier than normal. He's on Discovery Health and the Fit channel (Just Cook This!), not networks I normally watch, and he was fantastic. He's kind of goofy and reminds me a bit of Alton Brown. The episode I saw had him visiting the local produce section of his market, trying new ingredients. When he went home he made this fabulous (yep, I made it two days later) Warm Cabbage Salad (it will be part of my pork, cabbage, and black-eyed-pea New Year's dinner today). 

Excited that I had found a new food guru, I looked him up online and found out that he has a cookbook, new out this year. I added it to the Christmas list and scrolled through his massive online collection of available recipes. Check him out. 

Truth be told, you have to watch him or get his book to get the full effect of this guy. He's funny. Really funny. Instructions include sarcastic and silly anecdotes about where some of the more colorful recipe titles come from, advice on kitchen necessities, and time saving tips that everyone can always use. 

After buying the book for me, my mom took one look at it and commented that she needed a copy for herself. The recipes are super easy and feature "normal" ingredients, things you can readily find back home where the grocery selections are severely lacking. So, I bought her a copy for her upcoming b-day! Yep, I like this guy that much! I also made his Motor-Home Meatballs and Sausage Rolls last night as part of my New Year's Eve munching selection. 

Sam's book is packed with tasty simple recipes for the home cook, not the home chef. It's not rocket science to replicate Sam's dishes and you won't spend hours agonizing over whether you're doing it right. Trust me, this is exactly what my mom looks for in a cookbook and she was impressed with the guy. On her list to try is the Banana Bread French Toast (we're big on banana bread in our house!).  

One suggestion if you make the Sausage Rolls and live in an area where you can get international products, pick up a bottle of HP Sauce (UK's the brown sauce) for the steak sauce part of the dip. It's perfect! Also, same recipe, since strangely enough, puff pastry seems to be a no-no where I live (what's up with that, there are puff pastry cups and phyllo dough but no puff pastry sheets), I plan on using plain old crescent roll dough for this recipe next time I make it.

Happy eating!