Agent in Old Lace by Tristi Pinkston

Agent in Old Lace by Tristi Pinkston
Cedar Fort, 2009

Reviewed by Heather Moore

Fans of Tristi Pinkston will be delighted with her new venture in fiction: a cozy mystery. Agent in Old Lace is a far cry from Pinkston’s award-winning historical fiction books, but there’s not a disappointed reader here.

In fact, I can picture the author sitting with her hands poised over the keyboard, chuckling at the banter between her two main characters—Shannon and Rick, aka Aunt Anita. They are truly funny when together.

I must confess, I read the first couple of chapters with a bit of a sigh. I didn’t want this book to be a carbon-type mystery where the girl is kidnapped, escapes, then has to go undercover, etc. etc. But from the moment FBI agent Rick Holden entered the scene dressed as a woman, I was hooked.

Agent in Old Lace is full of humor, intrigue, and a down-right good mystery. Although I was sort-of able to predict a few things, most of it was unforeseen. For a quick, entertaining summer read, you’ll enjoy this novel.

Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack

Review by Heather Moore

Lemon Tart

by Josi S. Kilpack

Deseret Book, January 2009

A recipe for murder!

5 families living on Peregrine Circle
1 flowered curtain tieback
1 missing child
1 body in the field

Mix with a long list of suspects and top with two very different detectives. Increase heat until only the truth remains.

This cozy mystery is just that--Cozy! Main character and amateur sleuth/busy-body neighbor Sadi Hoffmiller is a delight. At 50-something, Sadie is a single widowed mother who is in a steady relationship once again. She is the rock of her neighborhood and every neighbor has trusted her with keys to their homes. When a tragic murder takes place, Sadie is the first to discover the circumstances. Trouble is, she knows more about each neighbor than the police could possibly discover on their own. Sadie is funny, quirky, and just the person to get her neighborhood back to normal. With a little romance and a lot of yummy baking, you'll have fun trying to guess "who-done-it" until the last couple of chapters. After reading this I baked some peanut butter bars--nothing as fancy as lemon tart or cinnamon-ginger cookies--but now I have a few new recipes to try . . .

Josi Kilpack's Website Here

Her Good Name by Josi S. Kilpack

Her Good Name
by Josi S. Kilpack
Reviewed by Heather Moore

I’m a longtime fan of Josi Kilpack and her books rank among some of my favorite LDS fiction. Her recent suspense novels are just as good as anything written in the national market. Her last book, Sheep’s Clothing won the 2007 Whitney Award for Best Suspense by an LDS writer, and it was well deserved.

So you can imagine the anticipation that I had to read Her Good Name. I was caught up in the story right from the first chapter. Chrissy, a thirty-five year old member of the Church, risks another blind date (in a long line of disastrous relationships). The date with Micah is interesting, but she gets a phone call and has to leave early. Unbeknownst to her, the cashier makes a copy of her debit card and i.d.

Chrissy’s identity is stolen and sold to a professional organization that promptly takes over her credit and bank accounts. Chrissy is faced with the challenge of proving her identity and getting her credit restored.

The book is full of twists and turns that I didn’t expect, and the characters are colorful and lively. I found myself laughing out loud at the interactions between Chrissy and Micah—as Micah tries to help her restore her credit, and works his way into her heart.

At the end of the book are the author’s notes on how to prevent yourself from becoming an identity theft victim.

The Protector, The Healer and The Rescuer by Dee Henderson

These are the last three of Dee Henderson's O'Malley series. All are wonderful crime novels with no garbage to get in the way of the story. This is the second time I have read the series and just loved it.

THE PROTECTOR (O'Malley #4) Jack O'Malley is a fireman who is fearless when it comes to facing an inferno. But when an arsonist begins targeting his district, his shift, his friends, Jack faces the ultimate challenge: protecting the lady who saw the arsonist before she pays an even higher price…

THE HEALER (O'Malley #5) Rachel O'Malley works disasters for a living, her specialty helping children through trauma. When a school shooting rips through her community, she finds herself dealing with more than just grief among the children she is trying to help. There's a secret. One of them was there. One of them saw the shooting. And the gun is still missing...

THE RESCUER (O'Malley #6) Stephen O'Malley is a paramedic who has been rescuing people all his life. His friend Meghan is in trouble: Stolen jewels are turning up in interesting places and she's in the middle of it. Stephen's about to run into a night he will never forget: a kidnapping, a tornado, and a race to rescue the woman he loves.

The Truth Seeker by Dee Henderson

Number three in the O'Malley series and just as gripping as the rest have been.

DESCRIPTION:

Women are turning up dead, and Lisa O'Malley has a habit of walking into crime scenes, curious. She's a forensic pathologist, and mysteries are her domain. U.S. marshall Quinn Diamond has found loving her is easier than keeping her safe. Lisa's found the killer, and now shes missing too.

The Guardian by Dee Henderson

Another great Dee Henderson book. This is #2 in the O'Malley series.

DESCRIPTION:
A federal judge has been murdered. There is only one witness, and an assassin wants her dead. U.S. Marshall Marcus O'Malley thought he knew the risks of the assignment . . . but he was wrong.

The Negotiator by Dee Henderson

Another great read by Dee Henderson. This is the 1st book in the O'Malley series and kept me hooked from start to finish (for the second time).

DESCRIPTION:
FBI agent Dave Richman from Danger in the Shadows is back. He's about to meet Kate O'Malley, and his life will never be the same. She's a hostage negotiator. He protects people. He's about to find out that falling in love with a hostage negotiator is one thing, but keeping her safe is another.

Introducing the O'Malleys, an inspirational group of seven, all abandoned or orphaned as teens, who have made the choice to become a loyal and committed family. They have chosen their own surname, O'Malley, and have stood by each other through moments of joy and heartache. Their stories are told in CBA best-selling, inspirational romantic suspense novels that rock your heart and restore strength and hope to your spirit.

Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson

This is the 2nd time I have read this book and it kept me just a hooked as the first time, I finished it in less than a day. "Danger in the Shadows" is a crime novel with no foul language or graphic scenes. It is an intense story that captures you from page one. This is the prequel to the O'Malley Series.

DESCRIPTION:

Sara's terrified. She's doing the one thing she cannot afford to do: fall in love with former pro-football player Adam Black, a man everyone knows. Sara's been hidden away in the witness protection program, her safety dependent on staying invisible - and loving Adam could get her killed.

Cape Refuge by Terri Blackstock

I greatly enjoyed this book. It did get a little preachy but as a Christian novel that is to be expected. Towards the end I couldn't put the book down and had to find out what happened.

DESCRIPTION:

Two bodies, one spear gun, and a murder suspect. But did Morgan Cleary's husband really kill her parents?

A brutal double-murder has struck fear into the heart of the peaceful Cape Refuge community. The crime weapon belongs to the victims' son-in-law, but Police Chief Cade remains unconvinced that his best friend took the lives of Thelma and Wade Owens. The Owens' ministry, a halfway house, shelters individuals far more questionable than Jonathan Cleary. Now people are concerned that it may house a murderer who could strike again.

Shattered by her parents' deaths, Morgan Cleary struggles to keep Hanover House running while her husband sits in jail. Her sister, Blair, is no help. Blair wants no part of her dead parents' ministry or their Christian faith. She wants to sell the house -- until her determined search to find the true killer uncovers some startling findings. A lethal race against time ensues for Morgan, Blair, and Cade, with far more than Hanover House at stake.

Before I Wake by Dee Henderson

Great book. Intense crime thriller that you can't put down and no garbage to distract from the action.

Description:

Female visitors to Justice, Illinois, are being quietly murdered in their sleep---tourists in nice hotels, their money and jewelry left behind. And the sheriff isn't pleased to find a private detective named Rae Gabriella working the case. Rae's staying in the same hotel as one of the victims---could she be targeted next?

Hearts in Hiding by Betsy Brannon Green

Great book. Kept me intrigued from the beginning. This is book one in the "Haggerty" series. It was fun to learn about southern hospitality along with the romance and intrigue.

Description: Devastation, betrayal, self-pity, anger- none of these words do any justice to the tangle of emotions Kate Singleton is experiencing. Married just over a year, with a baby on the way, Kate learns that her husband, and FBI agent, is dead. To top it off, the same people who murdered her husband have a contract on her head.

With the help of the FBI, Kate flees with little more that the clothes on her back. And in no time at all, they provide her with new clothes, a new home, a new name, and. . . a new husband.

But this is only the beginning of Kate's adventure. Before it's through, there will be a kidnapping, true love, and enough suspense to keep any reader turning pages long after bedtime. Hearts in Hiding is an action-packed, romantic first novel by gifted author Betsy Brannon Green.

Cutting Edge by Jeffrey S. Savage

Great book, fun to read and kept me up seeing what would happen next. I am looking forward to reading more of Jeffrey Savage's books.

Book jacket:

It Seemed Like the Perfect Move to Make. Perhaps too Perfect.

Cutting Edge follows Travis Edwards, a bright, young LDS programmer, and his wife, Lisa, as they move to Silicon Valley--an area where brainpower and computer power combine in fierce competition.

It's the perfect job. A hot new company is in desperate need of his expertise--and they're willing to make it worth his while. But everything changes when Travis discovers that someone has been stealing sensitive files off of his computer, and the person he confides in mysteriously disappears. Before long, Travis realizes that he can't trust anyone; not his coworkers, his boss, not even members of his ward.

Travis must use all of the means at his disposal to prove his innocence and keep his family alive. Because in Silicon Valley, while some ideas are worth billions, other ideas can get you killed.

The Witness by Dee Henderson

Great psychological thriller with no language, no sex, some violence but nothing graphic.

Decription:

Police Chief Luke Granger's witness to a murder, Amy Griffin, has been on the run for years. Her two sisters think she was murdered eight years ago. But Amy chose to accept a life in the shadows to protect her sisters' lives. Now unveiled secrets about their father have thrust the sisters into the public spotlight. The man who wants Amy dead now sees her sisters as the way to locate her. Luke and two of his homicide detectives are determined to stand in the way. They are each falling in love with a different sister, and it's become a personal mission to keep them safe. But chances are that at least one of them will fail....And facing the future will take a faith deeper than any of them currently knows.

Dee Henderson, Author

I just loved reading Dee Henderson's books. She has two series that I have read and both of them I couldn't put down. They are adventure / romances centering around the main characters career. You can read the first chapter of each book on her web site but I warn you make sure it is available at the library because once you get started you won't want to stop.

The first series I read is the Uncommon Hereos. The heroes are a Navy Seal, Navy Pilot, CIA agent and FBI agent. These books can be read individually but are better read in order:

• True Devotion
• True Valor
• True Honor
• True Courage

The next series is the "O'Malley Family Series" These books follow the lives of seven adults who became their own family after growing up together in an "orphanage". I waited until all seven books were available at the libary then checked them all out at once. I took me about ten days to read them. These books are best read in order.

1. Danger in the Shadows (prequel)
2. The Negotiator (O'Malley #1)
3. The Guardian (O'Malley #2)
4. The Truth Seeker (O'Malley #3)
5. The Protector (O'Malley #4)
6. The Healer (O'Malley #5)
7. The Rescuer (O'Malley #6)

There is nothing offensive in these books. Dee Henderson is a Christian writer so there is some conversion stuff in the books but nothing that would be offensive to LDS readers. Her web site is: http://www.deehenderson.com/