Books Read in December

[arenee1999]

As always look under the cut......


 Christmas in the South---Various (C)

Christmas in the South reminds us of the multitude of emotions that arise as December approaches and the shopping days decrease, as anticipations and hopes rise about reunions, renewed vows, charity, and the perfect present. This year's anthology includes some of the South's finest contemporary fiction writers: Doris Betts, Larry Brown, Ellen Douglas, Michael Knight, Clyde Edgerton, Gail Godwin, Jill McCorkle, Carolyn Haines, Silas House, and Donald Harington. Accompanied by Wyatt Waters's vibrant watercolors commissioned specifically for this collection, this beautiful volume, like its predecessor, promises to be a treasured keepsake.

 

Born in Death---J.D. Robb (A+)

Eve Dallas has a grisly double homicide to solve when two young lovers - both employees of the same prestigious accounting firm - are brutally killed on the same night. It doesn't leave Eve a lot of leftover time to put together a baby shower for her buddy Mavis, but that's supposedly what friends are for.

Now Mavis needs another favor. Tandy Willowby, one of the moms-to-be in Mavis's birthing class, didn't show up for the shower. A recent emigrant from London, Tandy has few friends in New York, and no family - and she was really looking forward to the party. And when Eve enters Tandy's apartment and finds a gift for Mavis's shower wrapped and ready on the table - and a packed bag for the hospital still on the floor next to it - tingling runs up and down her spine.

Normally, such a case would be turned over to Missing Persons. But Mavis wants no one else on the job but Eve - and Eve can't say no. She'll have to track Tandy down while simultaneously unearthing the deals and double-crosses hidden in the files of some of the city's richest and most secretive citizens, in a race against this particularly vicious killer. Luckily, her multi-millionaire husband Roarke's expertise comes in handy with the number crunching. But as he mines the crucial data that will break the case wide open, Eve faces an all too real danger in the world of flesh and blood.

 

Strange Candy---Laurell K. Hamilton (A)

Known for her darkly violent, stunningly erotic Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels, New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton reveals new dimensions of her talent in these fantastical fairy tales and lush parables as she welcomes listeners to the far corners of her fertile imagination.

From a woman who marries into a family of volatile wizards to a couple fleeing a gang of love-hungry cupids, from a girl who seeks sanctuary in the form of a graceful goose to the disgruntled superhero Captain Housework, listeners will revel in the many twists and turns of fortune in these unique, sometimes surreal visions. Hardened vampire hunter and zombie animator Anita Blake gets blindsided by the disturbing motives of her clients in the never-before-published "Those Who Seek Forgiveness" and in "The Girl Who Was Infatuated with Death."

 

Silver's Lure---Anne Kelleher (B+)

Through the Shadowlands: where the touch of silver was protection and peril

Through battle, blood and sacrifice --
only thus could the world be saved . . .

Or so the bards sing. But at the dawning of the world, Catrione, a gifted Druid, knew only that the realms of Shadowland and Sidhe faced the gravest of danger from the goblin hordes and treacherous mortals.

Now wary allies come together to wreak a spell to avert evil magicks, but the cost will be high. For much is needed to make the Silver Caul, and the songs don't speak of the price demanded. There will be duplicity and deceit, battle and blood and sacrifices -- willing and unwilling.

Only through death will the balance of life be preserved. For now . . .

Mistral's Kiss---Laurell K. Hamilton (A)

The time has come for Meredith Gentry to put aside her detective work and fulfill her ultimate obligation to the world of Faerie - where her efforts to conceive an heir to the throne of the Unseelie Court are crucial to restoring magic, and life itself, to the fey kingdom. And though her quest may be rife with pleasures, the shadows of intrigue continue to suffuse the royal court...and sabotage may lurk at any turn.

While the Unseelie Mound reawakens in the dead gardens, powerful curses are at work. Merry's uncle, the King of Light and Illusion, schemes to accuse her immortal guardsmen of heinous crimes. And Merry's own command of magic has turned wildly and dangerously unpredictable. As plots and counterplots are hatched, and strategies and subterfuges played out, the destiny of an entire world turns upon the fortunes of Merry Gentry: object of obsession, target of treachery, pawn of uncertain fate.

 

Cursor's Fury---Jim Butcher (A+)

The power-hungry High Lord of Kalare has launched a rebellion against the aging First Lord, Gaius Sextus, who with the loyal forces of Alera must fight beside the unlikeliest of allies-the equally contentious High Lord of Aquitaine.

Meanwhile, young Tavi of Calderon joins a newly formed legion under an assumed name even as the ruthless Kalare unites with the Canim, bestial enemies of the realm whose vast numbers spell certain doom for Alera. When treachery from within destroys the army's command structure, Tavi finds himself leading an inexperienced, poorly equipped legion-the only force standing between the Canim horde and the war-torn realm.

The Second Perimeter---Mike Lawson (A)

The dazzling sequel to The Inside Ring finds Joe DeMarco, the Speaker of the House's all-purpose "fixer" in a battle of wits against a lethal female spy. When the Secretary of the Navy's nephew says he believes that two colleagues at a U.S. naval base may be committing fraud, his uncle is skeptical. Reluctant to launch an official investigation based on a relative's vague suspicions, the secretary asks House Speaker, John Mahoney, to send his troubleshooter, DeMarco, to check out the story. As DeMarco and his friend Emma, a retired DIA agent, began to investigate what they thought was a low-stakes government swindle, they come to the terrifying realization that an espionage ring has infiltrated the naval base. The leader of the espionage cell is a woman with whom Emma has a history that goes back to the cold war. Their encounter destroyed the woman's once promising career and turned her into a ruthless operative who cares about only one thing: destroying Emma, the person responsible for her shame, dishonor, and shattered life. DeMarco has never been near a spy in his life-at least not that he knew of-and now he's dealing with a foreign agent who is more deadly than anyone he's ever encountered.