Losing Faith
By Adam Mitzner
Gallery Books. $26
If you enjoy legal thrillers with plenty of plot twists, you’ll find “Losing Faith” a riveting read. Aaron Littman wants nothing to do with defending Nicolai Garkov, a man who has been arrested for laundering money for the Russian Mafia and financing terrorist activities.
Garkov admits he’s guilty but has a plan for beating the rap. When the two men meet, Littman discovers he is part of the plan. The Russian has irrefutable proof that the lawyer and the Honorable Faith Nichols, the trial judge, have had an affair. If he blows the whistle both the lawyer’s and judge’s careers will be severely damaged.
How Aaron and Faith react to this blackmail situation and deal with an adversary who seems to be holding all the cards makes for fast-paced thriller that offers some startling surprises.
Already compared to John Grisham and Scott Turow, New York lawyer and author Adam Mitzner has created an authentic setting and brings an authoritative dialogue to his novels. His characters are credible and storylines are well thought out. The result is solid courtroom drama and a very entertaining read!
Someone Is Watching
By Joy Fielding
Ballantine. $27
Those who saw the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock classic movie “Rear Window” will see some similarities between that iconic film and this new thriller by Joy Fielding.
On a hot Miami night Special Investigator Bailey Carpenter is on a stake- out spying on a deadbeat dad when she is brutally attacked by an unknown assailant.
Deeply shaken by the event, Bailey is unable to face her friends or continue working. She holes herself up in her apartment. Her only solace is using her binoculars to observe the neighboring apartments and their inhabitants.
Imagine Bailey’s surprise when she realizes that she is the subject of another person’s clandestine scrutiny. How long has this man been watching her and, more to the point, is this the individual who attacked her?
All but incapacitated by her nightmares and fear, Bailey is going to have to pull herself together and deal with this situation.
An edge-of-your-seat thriller, this latest Joy Fielding novel replicates many of the suspenseful elements that made the Hitchcock movie so successful. You’ll find Bailey Carpenter a very likeable character and the psychological elements of this novel fascinating.
Where They Found Her
By Kimberly McCreight
Harper. $26.99
When the body of a newborn is discovered in the woods fringing the campus of a local university, the residents of Ridgedale, New Jersey, are shocked but have plenty of opinions on how such a terrible event could happen.
Although she has some serious misgivings about taking the assignment, freelance journalist Molly Sanderson agrees to cover the story for the local newspaper. Molly recently has lost a child herself and her investigation is going to resurrect some painful memories.
As she begins questioning the authorities and local inhabitants of Ridgedale, Molly quickly discovers there are plenty of secrets behind the white picket fences of this idyllic community.
Told from the perspectives of three very different women, the reader, along with Molly, will untangle the sad story of the infant’s death. Kimberley McCreight’s debut, “Reconstructing Amelia,” received a lot of critical acclaim and was nominated for some prestigious literary awards. “Where They Found Her” is another powerful psychological suspense story that will take the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride.
The Breaking Point: A Body Farm Novel
By Jefferson Bass
William Morrow. $26.99
The ninth title in this wildly popular series featuring forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton, “The Breaking Point” may well be the best novel author Jefferson Bass has written to date.
Called in to identify the victim who dies in a fiery plane crash outside of San Diego, Brockton identifies the pilot as Richard Janus, a maverick millionaire and humanitarian whose mercy flights to international disaster sites have made him a celebrity.
It appears to be a fairly simple investigation until a headline seeking journalist calls Brockton’s findings into question. Suddenly the forensic anthropologist is embroiled in a situation involving
government agents, a drug kingpin and a celebrity whose life had more than its fair share of dark secrets.
If that’s not enough of a distraction, with his reputation in question and everything he’s worked to create at his research facility in jeopardy, Brockton and his family have to also deal with the return of a serial killer who once posed a serious threat to his loved ones.
No person should have to deal with this much stress. He’s been tested before, but as these challenges to his personal and professional lives unfold, will Dr. Bill Brockton be able to survive? Everyone has a breaking point!
The Body in the Birches: A Faith Fairchild Mystery
By Katherine Hall Page
William Morrow. $24.99
There are more fireworks than anyone expected on Sanpere Island, just off Maine’s coast, when the annual Fourth of July display is topped off by the discovery of the body of the housekeeper of “The Birches’”. The woman apparently died of a heart attack. Or did she?
The historic house has been the setting for a family gathering to decide who will inherit the valuable property. As these things often go, it appears that this is not going to be a peaceful transfer of property and there’s already been a certain amount of nastiness. And obviously, there’s a lot more to come!
Of course the series’ protagonist, minister’s wife and caterer Faith Fairchild, doesn’t want to get involved but that is going to happen. The owner’s of “The Birches,” the Proctors, have been family friends for years. After another corpse is found, and this time it is definitely murder, Faith can’t help but put her considerable amateur sleuthing skills to use.
There have been over twenty mysteries in this long-running series to date and they have garnered a wide following of readers who return year after year. This is vintage “Faith Fairchild”, so these folks won’t be disappointed.
And, as usual, there are a handful of recipes included at the end of the book for those who wish to emulate Faith’s culinary legerdemain!