While Justice Sleeps

While Justice Sleeps (#1,002) is the first novel of Stacey Abrams which I've read, but based on this political thriller, it won't be the last.  She's chosen an interesting launching point for the plot of this book - that there is no provision in the Constitution for how to deal with the incapacitation of a Supreme Court Justice, and the opportunities that exist to meddle with the situation for political gain.

Avery Keene is merely Justice Howard Wynn's law clerk when he is taken ill.  Much to everyone's surprise and consternation Justice Wynn has appointed Avery as his legal guardian.  He has entrusted the position to her based on his assessment of her intelligence and devotion to duty, no matter how difficult.  And the Justice knew it would be difficult; he has uncovered evidence that there is a monstrous conspiracy at the highest levels of government, and that everything hinges on a case pending before the Supreme Court.  It is of utmost importance that he remain alive until the end of the current session.  But will Avery be able to follow the trail of crumbs he has left her swiftly enough to avoid disaster?

It makes for an entertaining and thought-provoking read.  It certainly kept me up at night turning the pages!  Highly recommended.  Hmm.  Maybe I'll have to check out some of her romance novels... 

Eternal

A love triangle is at the heart of Lisa Scottoline's historical novel Eternal (#1,001).  Set in Rome during the thirties and forties, it follows the lives and fortunes of Elisabetta, Marco and Sandro; best friends from their youth and destined to be marked by fortunes of war.

Marco is handsome and appealing, the son of a famous Italian cyclist and ardent Fascist.  He, too joins his future to the Fascist Party and becomes a rising star.  His best friend, Sandro, is from a well-to-do Jewish family long established in Rome.  Sandro is a mathematical genius and has been accepted as a high school student into an independent study program under a brilliant professor dubbed the "Einstein of Italy".  His star is seemingly on the rise.  Both Marco and Sandro are in love with Elisabetta, a lively girl from Trastevere with ambitions to become a novelist or journalist.  The trio are inseparable until jealousy and the politics of the time tear them apart through Fascist Race Laws and their alliance with the Nazis.

Elisabetta's mentor asks her what her favorite books are about.  Her answer?  Families and love.  That simple description suits Eternal to a T.  I found it engrossing, this story of unrest and war told through the eyes of ordinary people.  Marco, Sandro and Elisabetta's network of family and friends make for a fascinating cast, adding their narratives as events progress.

Ms. Scottoline sorts out the facts from the fiction at the end of the book and provides guidance for future reading, should you wish to know more.  And please tell me you weren't craving some form of pasta by the time you finished this book!

My one quibble with this book, and it's a small one, is I wish that the editors had decided to italicize all the foreign words (Italian, Latin, German) instead of bolding them.  It would have been far less intrusive, and the dialogue intended to be emphasized would have stood out more.

Tender Is the Bite

For someone who has never owned, nor is ever likely to own a dog, I sure seem to read an awful lot of books about them!  I was so excited to see Spencer Quinn's latest Chet & Bernie mystery arrive in my Hold queue at the library.  Tender Is the Bite (#1,000) has Chet in rare form as he and his human partner Bernie are followed by what turns out to be a potential client.  But before she can tell them why she wants to retain their services, she is spooked and takes off.  

Although the mystery woman has not actually hired them to investigate, Bernie is convinced she's in trouble and follows up on his own.  That puts the Little Detective Agency on someone's radar, but who's behind both the threats and the attempts to buy them off?  In the meantime, Bernie's neighbors are in the midst of a heated political campaign rivalry supporting the Senatorial race's vastly different candidates.  A showdown is inevitable.

Chet is none too pleased to find that a ferret is involved in their case.  His past experiences with them have not been positive.  But what takes the cake for Chet (although if he were taking anything, he'd much rather it be some tasty barbeque bones, or a juicy ribeye steak!) is the appearance of Trixie.  She looks just like him, with an all black coat and one white ear, but what's even worse, she acts like him!  How can this be?  Trixie's owner Weatherly has made an impression on Bernie, too.  I suspect we'll be seeing more of both characters in the future.  Bring it on!

When Harry Met Minnie

Someone in one of my book clubs mentioned When Harry Met Minnie (#999) as a worthwhile memoir to read if you love dogs (or even if you don't!).  Martha Teichner is a familiar face to those who watch CBS Sunday Morning, but I hadn't heard of her.  After reading her story of re-homing a bull terrier, (think the Target dog) I'm sure I'd be a fan if I were home to watch her.

Minnie is Martha's bull terrier companion who was missing Goose, another Teichner bull terrier.  After his death, she continued to mope in a way that Ms. Teichner assures us only a bull terrier can do.  In a chance encounter at NYC's Union Square Farmer's Market, she runs into an acquaintance who knows of another bull terrier who will soon be in need of a new home, due to the terminal illness of his owner.  Enter Harry Fertig, and his human Carol Fertig.

Not at all sure she's up to the task of taking on an older bull terrier with many medical issues, Ms. Teichner and Carol Fertig embark on a chaperoned courtship for Minnie and Harry.  Their stories are charming, poignant, exasperating and inspiring in turn.  Be sure to have a tissue ready as you read this touching human and canine love story.

Stargazer

 Stargazer (#998) is the latest entry in Anne Hillerman's Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito mystery series.  Things are stretched thin in Navajo law enforcement across the Four Corners, so Sargeant Jim Chee is filling in for Captain Largo, away at a conference.  That makes him temporarily Bernadette Manuelito's boss, and uncomfortable fit all the way around.  She runs into a badly beaten woman, a dead infant, and a herd of stray cattle all while trying to serve a warrant.  She finds the wanted man, but she fails to bring him in.  Things are not going well with the tension in the office.

So Bernie's glad to be called in to aid in a suicide investigation in another short-handed jurisdiction.  Steve Jones, a well-known astronomer working at the Very Large Array of radio telescopes near Alamo, New Mexico, was found by a young boy out hunting rabbits. His fancy Jaguar is pulled off the road with his body inside, a bullet wound to his head.  The gun is there, and there are no signs of a struggle, so it seems case closed.  Until Maya Kelsey walks into the local police station and confesses to murdering him.

The fact that Maya was Bernie's former roommate complicates matters.  She is convinced that Maya would not have done it, but Maya is adamant.  But if the murderer is not Maya, who else has motive and opportunity?  Their investigation leads them into some out of the way places and explores Navajo star mythology in this intriguing outing.  Is it time for Bernie to take on new challenges?  Stay tuned!

Animal Instinct

 Animal Instinct (#997) is David Rosenfelt's second book in his  K Team spinoff series based on his popular Andy Carpenter mysteries.  Most of the characters are crossovers from that series, but the focus here is on former policeman Corey Douglas and his retired K9 partner Simon Garfunkle.  He's formed a PI partnership with Laurie Collins, an ex-cop who also happens to be Andy Carpenter's wife, and the scary but effective Marcus Clark.  Same snappy dialogue and intricate plotting we've come to expect, but Simon plays a more active role in the business than Andy's beloved golden retriever, Tara, does.  Not casting any aspersions here; it's more a practical matter of Simon's training.

One of Corey's old cases comes back to haunt him here.  When he responded to a domestic abuse call at the home of Lisa Yates, he could never prove that her boyfriend Gerald Kline was responsible.  Now she's been murdered in what the police are calling a "drive by shooting", but Corey can't help but wonder if Kline has finally crossed the line.  When Corey goes to confront him, he finds Kline dead, and himself charged with his murder.  With Andy defending him, and the rest of his team behind him, they are in a race to prove that there's a much larger and lucrative conspiracy going on to frame Corey Douglas and erase any other loose ends before the perpetrators disappear.

Cyber crime has been in the headlines, and it rears its ugly head here in Animal Instincts.  With Corey Douglas' freedom on the line, this is a nail biter and an absorbing read, leavened with typical Rosenfelt humor.  Recommended.