The Lost Symbol

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Did you know that one of Washington D. C.’s most pious and sacrosanct buildings includes on its facade a frightening carving of Darth Vader?
Dan Brown’s newest novel The Lost Symbol is filled with such fascinating facts. This book has appeal for many who are interested in art, history, symbols and secret societies. I found the story very fast paced and loved the setting of our nation’s capital. Once again the protagonist Robert Langdon is involved in solving a mystery that involves secret rites and symbols. He spends one day chasing clues all over the city to solve this quest.
Check out the Dan Brown web site http://www.danbrown.com/
for more fun, including Bizarre Facts and a symbol game.

Angels and Demons

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Popular author Dan Brown is a master at fiction that involves puzzles, mysteries and conspiracies and Angels and Demons is no exception. His character, symbologist Robert Langdon from the book The Da Vinci Code, becomes involved in a hunt that involves antimatter, the long-lost secret group the Illuminati as well as secrets of the Vatican. His chase to save the St. Peter’s and the Vatican from destruction sends him racing across Rome for clues to prevent the murder of 4 Cardinals and the explosion of antimatter. Brown’s story is exciting if improbable and his writing is not the most literary, but he tells a story filled with action and excitement, along with some interesting information about how things work in the Vatican.

Black Hills

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Nora Roberts comes through for her fans with this romantic suspense novel set in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Black Hills follows the lives of Lillian and Cooper, childhood friends and sweethearts who part ways then come together again as adults. Lillian becomes a wildlife researcher and Cooper, an ex-detective, returns home to help his beloved grandparents on their horse ranch. When strange things begin happening at Lillian’s wildlife refuge and it is discovered that a murderer lurks somewhere in the surrounding hills, Cooper becomes concerned that the next target may be Lillian. The romance and suspense are present, if predictable, and Roberts fills in the plot with lots of description of the beauty of the area as well as information about the wild animals that are cared for at the refuge and play a vital part in the story.

A Painted House

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A Painted House by John Grisham takes us back to life on an Arkansas cotton farm in the early 1950′s. Up to now, young Lucas’s life has been all about baseball, Saturdays in town, and waiting for his brother to come home from the war. He loves living on the farm with his parents and grandparents, even if they are too poor to even paint the house. Then one summer the migrant workers come in to help pick the cotton and change Lucas’s life forever.
This story of a boy growing up too fast is a change from Grisham’s normal fare, but the great writing and the suspense are still present.

Knockout by Catherine Coulter

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If you like plenty of action combined with the paranormal—you’ll like Knockout! “Coulter’s riveting 13th FBI thriller (after TailSpin) opens with a bang as psychic FBI agent Dillon Savich thwarts a gang of gun-totting robbers attempting to hold up the First Union Bank of Washington, D.C. Three days later, seven-year-old Autumn Backman, who sees Dillon on TV, sends him a telepathic message that she’s in danger. Though eager to help Autumn, Dillon is busy tracking a bank robber who escaped, a teenage girl now leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. Meanwhile, in Titusville, Va., Autumn’s mother reports her daughter missing to Sheriff Ethan Merriweather. After finding Autumn, Ethan discovers her sinister uncle, Blessed, has evil designs on his psychic niece. Before Dillon and his fellow FBI agent and wife, Lacey Sherlock, can get to Titusville, Autumn and her mother flee.” Publisher’s Weekly

The Cove by Catherine Coulter

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I’m going to scare you; treat you to mysteries that will, hopefully, confound you—Grab hold tight and come into a world where illusion becomes reality and truth is a disguise.” Catherine Coulter

The Cove is a quaint little postcard town made up only of old folk who sell the World’s Greatest Ice Cream, a secret recipe that brings lots of tourists into town. Into the Cove comes Sally Brainerd, daughter of murdered Amory St. John of Washington, D.C., seeking sanctuary and also Special Agent James Quinlan who’s undercover and after her. He’s got a murder to solve and he believe’s she’s the key. But is she really?” Catherine Coulter

The Cove is the first book in a thirteen book series titled “The FBI Series.” The latest book is Knockout. The story begins when Ethan Merriweather, a small Virginia town sheriff, goes looking for a missing girl. When he finds her, he realizes that Autumn has brought him a huge problem–a relentless madman who can control others simply by looking at them—a madman who is after her and her mom.

Cross Country by James Patterson

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Hold Tight by Harlan Coben

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Harlan Coben’s suspense fiction usually involves rapid action and dialogue revolving around ordinary people who find their lives changed by extraordinary events, and Hold Tight is no exception. Tina and Mike Baye are parents of sixteen year-old Adam, worried because Adam’s friend has recently committed suicide and Adam has become distant and secretive, then disappears. They debate the issue of their son’s privacy and install a spy program on Adam’s computer, resulting in their finding a disturbing message on the computer. The story also involves a sadistic killer and neighbors with their own problems. The various plot lines converge and the suspense continues until the last page. Coben raises many issues for parents today–how much freedom and privacy to allow our children? What lengths will we go to in order to protect them? How much information do we share with children and at what age? How much privacy are children entitled to? I found the book hard to put down and, if you have children, the questions raised by the story are ones to think about for a long time.

"Fractured"–a Thriller!

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I picked up a copy of Karin Slaughter’s new book Fractured and found it hard to put down! This bestselling suspense novel is set in Atlanta, GA. A murder and kidnapping start off the book and the pace never slows. Believable, complex and interesting characters combined with an intense story line creates a suspensful page-turner. Plan on some late nights to finish this once you start!

Fun with the French Revolution

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Lauren Willig has created an enjoyable series, filled with suspense, romance, and humor, starting with The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. Spinning off the classic The Scarlet Pimpernel, Willig introduces us to England and France during the French Revolution. Amy Balcourt is half French and half English. When her brother invites her to stay in Paris, she looks forward to helping out the cause of thwarting the French government, but things never turn out as originally planned. This series is just plain fun.