Welcome to Dick's Book Picks Archive!

In case you missed all of Dick's past Book Reviews, you can find them here.

Dick's Featured Book Review -- October 2007:

  His wife has terminal cancer, and he has TEN adopted
 kids who need his attention. Does Detective Michael
 Bennett of the NYPD really need more on his plate at
 this time? Well, he's got it, in the form of the biggest
 case he's ever been involved in!

 Dozens of America's wealthiest and most influential
 people have been taken hostage in St. Patrick's Cathedral...and we find out quickly that the hostage-takers don't hesitate at murder to get what they want.

After days of negotiation without results, an agreement is finally reached and ransoms are paid. Despite armies of police and FBI, and with helicopters flying around overhead, the hostage-takers get away!

But this ending is just another beginning...

A sudden, rather unsatisfying wrap-up of the whole story does detract somewhat from the appreciation of this novel, but overall I recommend it as an exciting read.

James Patterson, in collaboration with Michael Ledwidge, author of "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead," has created a detective in the person of Michael Bennett that I will be happy to see again!




Dick's Featured Book Review -- November 2007:

Even after more than a dozen novels, featuring Attorney Ben Kincaid, William Bernhardt has still presented us with a fresh new look at this Oklahoma attorney turned U.S. Senator.  Ben has been made interim U.S. Senator when the elected senator from Oklahoma went home in disgrace.  Now, despite being the newest "boy on the block," Ben has been asked to advise the next Supreme Court nominee during his confirmation hearings.  Only one problem; at the announcement of nomination, the judge "outed" himself on national TV...and if that's not enough, at the nominee's first photo op, a murdered woman is found in the judge's back yard.  Ben has his work cut out for him! Ben's investigator, Loving, has his own problems investigating the woman's death.  Beaten from pillar to post, stabbed & choked into unconsciousness, he nevertheless does his usual sterling job.  Murder, prejudice, and dirty politics keep this novel moving at a fast pace.  As usual, plot twists are a big part of a "whiz-bang" wrap-up of this political thriller. William Bernhardt was himself a trial attorney.  He is the author of many novels including "Blind Justice," "Cruel Justice," and "Capitol Murder."  He has twice won the Oklahoma Book Award for Best Fiction.

Dick's Featured Book Review -- December 2007

Alex Cross is back in James Patterson's novel 
 "Cross."  At the urging of his family, psychologist Alex
 has left the FBI and started a private practice. 

 He does have the best of intentions, but for the
 activities of a paid assassin who spends his free time
 as a vicious serial rapist.  Alex's friend and former
 police partner asks for his help to use his psychology/profiling expertise to get victims to reveal what they have been threatened to keep secret.  He agrees to assist and that brings Alex face-to-face with a connection to the unsolved murder of his wife years earlier. 

This novel is not for the faint of heart because the rapist/murderer, known as "The Butcher" is not a nice guy.  Vicious, heartless, and completely without pity, this killer uses a meat saw and scalpel to satisfy his bloodlust.  So be warned! 

Once again, Patterson proves he's one of the best at the detective genre.  A great plot and "can't lay it down" progression make this a killer of a book.  It's a quick read with Patterson's usual 3 page chapters and compact writing style.  In my opinion, it's a MUST READ!




Dick's Featured Book Review -- January 2008

A St. Paul resident for the past 20 years, William  Kent Krueger has written yet another stunning story  featuring one of my favorite characters, Cork  O'Connor.  This is number 7 in this fascinating  series of action packed mysteries.  In this one, Cork has left his job as Sheriff in his hometown in Northern Minnesota and has set up business as a private investigator.  His first job involves his old friend and mentor, Henry Meloux, the Ojibwe Medicine Man.  In his 90s now, a vision has brought Henry to the belief that he has a son, fathered decades ago who needs his help.  Cork pledges himself to finding the son and thus begins this tale of lost love, resentment, revenge, and murder. Cork's investigation points to a wealthy industrialist living in Thunder Bay, Ontario.  But getting to see the great man leads to a murder attempt on Henry.  The story behind Henry's long-ago lost love is one of greed and gold.  Cork must hurry to find who and what are behind the efforts to stop further investigation, because not only is Henry in danger, but his own life is also on the line. Side stories of friends and family round out a really good story!  Krueger has a real talent for weaving family and friends into an otherwise straightforward mystery.  His first book, "Iron Lake" won the 1998 Anthony Award for Best First Novel.  He was also the winner of the 2004 Anthony Award for Best Novel for "Blood Hollow" and also the same award for his 2005 book, "Mercy Falls."

      


Dick's Featured Book Review:  March 2008

Looking for an escape from a dying romance, Lindsay Snyder travels to North Dakota for a visit to a dying town.  Buffalo Valley, North Dakota is indeed on the verge of extinction.  Boarded-up stores and run-down houses are evidence of the degree of dissolution that has taken place in this farming community.

Long-ago memories of childhood visits to her grandparents home in this small town convince Lindsay to accept the vacant position of high school teacher (graduating class of 4.)  New to the town, and new to teaching, she is nevertheless the cohesive force this small town needs to live again.  Pulling her life together goes hand in hand with pulling the people of this small
town together in a defiant effort to bring this town back from the verge.

New love enters Lindsay's life in the person of Gage Sinclair, a strong-willed, hard working farmer.  From their very first meeting, both feel the strong, passionate connection that leads to wonderment and confusion.  Gage's passionate feeling for Lindsay are at odds with his feeling that she, as a "big city girl," is an outsider who could never accept his way of life.  His reaction to every meeting with her is a hilarious combination of deep need and love, and fear and indecision. 

This is a wonderful story of relationships and discovery, and the day-to-day struggles of a small town to survive.  Fortunately this is only the first of three books given over to the tale of this small town, and the human spirit that keeps it alive.

Debbie Macomber is a multiple award winner, one of which was the 2005 Quill Award for the Best Romance.  There are over 60 million copies of her books in print.




 

Dick's Featured Book Review -- April 2008: Powerful, terrifying stories are Stephen King's business, and "Duma Key" is no exception.  This tale of one man's struggle is King at his best.  A story that begins with loss, then discovery and hope eventually turns into something more.  Something more mysterious.  Something more bizarre.  Something more terrifying. Edgar Fremantle loses his right arm in a terrible construction accident.  Then he loses his wife, and almost his sanity.  At his doctor's suggestion he moves to a beautiful key off the coast of Florida, and discovers his "gift."  He can paint!  And what paintings he creates!  Guided by his phantom right arm, his paintings have an uncontrolled power of their own, and that power affects everything and everyone around Edgar.  His struggle to control this power and discover its source leads us from a sick old woman with a tragic past of her own, to the ghosts and goblins that haunt that past...and that now haunt the present. Stephen King has written 40 novels and 200 short stories, many of which have been made into movies.  He lives in Bangor, Maine with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Dick's Featured Book Review -- May 2008:

The Women's Murder Club is back on the case, rather two cases, in James Patterson's 7th Heaven, written in collaboration with Maxine Paetro. 

The case of California's very own "Bubble Boy" is reopened when an anonymous "witness" gives the police additional information.  Michael Campion, born with an incurable heart condition had grown up in the public eye, as son of a former California governor, and had suddenly disappeared without a trace some months previously.  Detective Lindsey Boxer must now pick up the threads of the case and hopefully discover what happened to Michael.

As usual, the Women's Murder Club works in sync to bring their varied expertise to bear on the case.  And, a rash of murderous home fires adds additional pressure on Lindsey and the Club.  While resolution of both cases calls for a good deal of insight and luck, one of the major questions about the Campion case is wrapped up in a sudden, rather absurd twist at the end.

James Patterson has been writing for over 30 years and has more than 140 million copies of his books in print.  This is the fifth Women's Murder Club book co-authored by Maxine Paetro, a novelist and journalist.

I have no strong negative feelings about this novel, and I am sure it will be a commercial success.  However, putting out a new novel every other month has got to affect quality, and I believe Patterson's first books are much better than recent efforts.       




 

Dick's Featured Book Review -- June 2008: In the game of golf, a Mulligan is a "do-over" for a poor first shot.  In the game of life, a Mulligan can be a second chance to find the happiness and fulfillment that was missed the first time around. In Nathan Jorgenson's "The Mulligan," Joe Mix has lost all hope of finding happiness in his marriage or in his successful business.  Loading up his old pickup truck with very little of his old life, Joe starts his journey of discovery and hope.  And a wonderful journey it is!  It's full of great characters and wonderful, imaginative personalities.  After finding his traveling companion, Jake, a Labrador pup, he joins a group of Montana cowboys to spend a rejuvenating period of hard work and camaraderie that begins to help him find that which had eluded him in his "first shot."  Leaving his new found friends to continue his journey, Joe meets Molly, a lovely young woman who works for Marsh, an eccentric old fellow who becomes a friend and confidante.  Slowly the self-doubts disappear and something resembling happiness takes their place, and a great story continues. This is the second book by Jorgenson, who graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.  He also wrote the highly acclaimed novel, "Waiting For The White Horses."