Readers will be torn between wanting to protect Baby Shark, aka Kristen Van Dijk, and wanting her to protect them in Robert Fate’s debut novel, Baby Shark.  The book is populated with a cast of characters that intrigue, frighten, and inspire all at once.  As the various characters help Kristen to identify and enhance her strengths and recognize her weaknesses, readers will be forced to look at themselves a little bit closer while longing for this type of support system in their own lives.  Anyone who has ever felt vulnerable will recognize the actions taken to achieve justice from their fantasies.  Fate manages to give a sense of realism to the fantasies that live in the minds of the victimized.  Baby Shark is a well written, fast paced read that will leave the reader cheering for Kristen and feeling her pain, determination, and strength.  Kristen is a character readers will long to know better.

Beth Groundwater introduces Claire Hanover, restless and underappreciated housewife, gift basket maker, and reluctant sleuth, in A Real Basket Case.  Hanover’s gullibility drives her to make decisions that put her in danger and sometimes manages to save her.  Her devotion to her husband and her motivation of saving her marriage are entirely believable and engaging in Groundwater’s capable hands.  Groundwater writes all her characters with dimensions that show frailty, generosity, and the basic “humanness” shared by humankind.  Readers will cheer for Hanover to succeed and commiserate with her failures.  A Real Basket Case is the first in a series that promises to entertain readers who enjoy a lighthearted, engaging mystery for years to come.

To Hell in a Handbasket, the second book in the Claire Hanover series, takes the reader along on a family ski trip to Breckinridge, Colorado.  Beth Groundwater’s examination of family dynamics set around a murder mystery is sure to have readers alternately biting their nails and laughing aloud.  Dangers, both real and imagined, keep Claire on edge to protect the most important thing in her life, her family.  Claire struggles to let her daughter become the adult she is while trying to protect her from physical danger.  Populated with characters ranging from a wealthy accountant, Russian mobsters, helpful drug dealers, career snowboarders, and a thoughtful detective, To Hell in a Handbasket is a fast, fun, and entertaining read.

Beginning with the stiletto boots and whip on the cover, Where Angels Fear pulls the reader into a labyrinth of death, domination, and fear with just the right number of humorous turns.  As Christy Bristol and her best friend, Lennie, uncover things Christy would rather not know existed and Lennie seems all too eager to explore, the reader feels both characters reactions intensely.  The reader often feels torn between wanting to see more and yet to not really know just like Christy without her glasses in a room full of sexually charged strangers.  Christy’s use of astrology is compelling and detailed perfectly leaving the reader both satisfied and wanting more.  Sunny Frazier manages to immerse the reader into an underground sex world, the internal workings of Christy Bristol, and a murder investigation so completely, the reader feels Christy’s conflicting response to the investigation, her pain when she fears she’ll lose her boyfriend, her embarrassment when her ex-boyfriend places her in his squad car, and her bewilderment at learning her neighbors may be less inhibited than she’d imagined.  Frazier has created a character in Christy Bristol that readers will gladly welcome into their living rooms in book after book to see how she grows and to learn more about how she uses her gift for astrology.  Where Angels Fear is a delightful, fun read that proves Frazier has no fear as a writer.

Sunny Frazier introduces Christy Bristol, a witty, smart astrologer, in Fools Rush In.  Serious crimes, complicated relationships, and personal realizations are interwoven with beautiful scenery and a humorous touch that keeps the reader intrigued and entertained.  The setting in Fools Rush In is so alive and vivid it almost becomes a character of its own as the reader is transported from the comfort of Christy’s apartment to the dirty, rundown, large home of the drug dealer holding Christy captive for her astrological abilities to the rural setting where Christy realizes the gravity of the danger she faces.  Although I’ve never really taken to the idea of astrology, Frazier’s description of Christy writing the natal horoscopes made me want to have mine done.  Frazier manages to humanize not only the law enforcement but also the criminals in her book creating a dimension to her characters sometimes lacking in mysteries.

Robert Crais's Elvis Cole/Joe Pike Series

As a series, the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series starts out good and gets better.  Most of the books feature Elvis Cole as the main character and Joe Pike as his quiet, essential friend and lifesaver; however, a few of the books revolve around Joe Pike.

The Monkey's Raincoat is filled with characters who will grip your attention and keep you wondering.

Stalking the Angel brings Elvis Cole and Joe Pick up against the Japanese mafia in this entertaining book.

Lullaby Town is an intriguing book that takes Elvis Cole from Los Angeles to the East Coast in search of a missing woman and child, but do they want to be found?

Free Fall - Elvis Cole, Joe Pick, South Central Los Angeles gangs, and corrupt cops fill this action packed book.  What more could you want?

Voodoo River - Crais takes the reader to Louisiana in this engaging read where Elvis Cole searches for the biological parents of a TV star and in the process finds love.

Sunset Express finds Elvis Cole investing the cops but suspicion soon turns to whose who hired him to investigate in an intriguing book.

Indigo Slam - Two children hire Cole to find their father landing him in the middle of a U.S. Marshall investigation into the Russian Mafia in this fun read.

L. A. Requiem - Crais's writing shines in this book where we learn a little about Joe Pike's childhood.  This haunting, touching insight into Joe Pike leaves the reader breathless and more than a little affected, dare I say, even changed.  This book transcends genre!

The Last Detective - Crais takes us deeper into the wisecracking Elvis Cole's psyche as Cole searches for his girlfriend's missing son - lost on his watch.  In this emotionally charged story, Cole confronts memories from both childhood and his service in Vietnam - both things he'd rather not think about... ever.

The Forgotten Man - Crais delves deeper into the psyche of Elvis Cole when Elvis's father - or is he? - is found dead.  The investigation Cole and Joe Pike embark on to find the man's identity forces Cole to wade deeper into the past he'd rather forget.  Friendship, the kind we all long for in our lives and that Elvis has with Joe, is at the core of this suspense ride as it is in so many of Crais's novels.

The Watchman - As Joe Pike struggles to protect a young woman with killers on her trail, she challenges his characteristic emotional control.

Chasing Darkness - Crais has Elvis Cole and Joe Pike scrambling to prove Cole didn't help a guilty man escape conviction as much for Cole's sanity as reputation in this novel filled with twists and turns.

To buy any of these books or other books by Robert Crais, to to Robert Crais Author Store.