Nobody Walks by Mick Herron

Title: Nobody Walks
Author: Mick Herron
Did I listen or read?: library book
When did I finish?: April 23, 2015
When was the book published: 2015
Main Characters: Tom Bettany, JK Coe, Tom's son, Liam, Marten Saar and Oskar, MI6 lady Dame Ingrid Tearney, Flea Perkins
What happens?  Tom has quit the secret service life and is living rough in France, gets word that his estranged son Liam has died, falling from his balcony.  He gets drawn into a plot to control the muskrat (new strain of weed) trade, and mixed up with the spies who mess with everyone's lives.
How long was this? 296 pages
Did I like this? Excellent new writer, need to find more of his work, great plot, moved along at a fast pace
Overall grade: A-

The Stranger by Harlan Coben

Title: The Stranger
Author: Harlan Coben
Did I listen or read?: Nook
When did I finish?: April 18, 2015
When was the book published: 2015
Main Characters: Adam, wife Corinne, two sons, Tripp, "Gaston"
What happens?  The stranger informs Adam that his wife faked her pregnancy, and it starts a series of events that winds up with Corinne missing, money missing from the lacrosse treasury.  We see some of the other plots of "the stranger."
How long was this? 300 pages
Did I like this? Very good story.  The idea of a small group of young people revealing secrets, sometimes for profit, othertimes for "good" is a bit bizarre, but a good story, great characters, keeps moving.
Overall grade: A-

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Title: Dragonfly in Amber
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Did I listen or read?: Audible
When did I finish?: April 17, 2015
When was the book published:  1990s
Main Characters:  Book two with Claire, Jaime, Bryanna is introduced at the beginning
What happens?  Starts in 1968, Claire with Roger and Bry visit graves at the battle site, then back to the 1700s where Jamie and Claire try to stop the inevitable final battle at Culledon.  In Paris, then Edinburgh. Spoiler alert - Ends back in 1968 when Claire tells them the whole story.
How long was this? 36 hours I think!
Did I like this? Sensational, love the whole experience, the accents, the humor, the gore.
Overall grade: A

Time And Again by Jack Finney

Title: Time and Again
Author: Jack Finney
Did I listen or read?: library book
When did I finish?: April 9, 2015
When was the book published: 1970
Main Characters: Si Morley, time traveler
What happens? Si gets recruited to a government sponsored time travel effort where they combine simulation (a warehouse full of real life sets) and mental manipulation and hypnotism to have people go back in time.  They do extensive debriefs of the travelers because they think that what they do in the past might change the present, that something in the traveler's memory might not exist anymore.  Si goes back to 1882 to observe the mailing of a letter that ends up with the suicide of her grandfather.
How long was this?398 packed pages
Did I like this? pretty good, the ending was great, the middle was slooooooow.
Overall grade: B

The Edge of Eternity

Title:  The Edge of Eternity
Author: Ken Follett
Did I listen or read?:  Library book
When did I finish?: March 29, 2015
When was the book published: 2014 I think
Main Characters: George Jakes, Walli, Plum Nellies, Dimka and Tanya, Jasper Murray, Rebecca, Maria Summers, Vasili
What happens?  A sweeping saga of 4 families in the US, UK, Germany and Russia from the early 60s into the late 80s, through the Kennedys, the civil rights movement, the fall of the Berlin Wall and communism
How long was this?  1098 pages
Did I like this?  Not great, a lot of jumping around between different stories, with personal angles mixed in.  "Jasper hugged Verena to protect her from the shooter who just killed Martin Luther King, and admired her beautiful eyes."
Overall grade: C

Suspicion by Joseph Finder

Title:  Suspicion
Author: Joseph Finder
Did I listen or read?: library book
When did I finish?: March 8, 2015
When was the book published:  2014
Main Characters: Author Danny Goodman, daughter Abby, girlfriend Lucy, rich guy Tom Galvin, wife Celine, daughter Jenna, Dr. Mendoza, Yeager and Slocum - DEA agents
What happens? Danny's ex-wife has passed away, and he is trying to raise Abby, who is about to get thrown out of ritzy private school Lyman because Danny is out of money.  Abby has become friends with Jenna, and Tom gives Danny a 50,000 dollar loan.  Slocum and Yeager appear and force Danny to turn against Tom, spying on him to provide information because he handles the finances of the Sinaloa cartel.
How long was this? 390 pages
Did I like this? Excellent story, simple, great writing, believable characters.  Danny doesn't turn into an action hero, but he does get mixed up in the action.  Why didn't I know about this author sooner?
Overall grade: A

The Vault by Peter Lovesey

Title:  The Vault
Author: Peter Lovesey
Did I listen or read?: library book
When did I finish?: March 1, 2015
When was the book published: 199
Main Characters: Peter Diamond - detective, American professor Joe Dougan, other cops Halliwell and Wigfull, Peg Redbird - antiques dealer, Uncle Evan the puppet show guy
What happens? The find bones in The Vault which is an archaelogical site under the Bath historic church site.  The site used to have a house where Mary Shelley worked on Frankenstein.  The American professor is chasing Shelley artificacts, finds a book of Blake poems that might have been hers, and finds the possible Shelley writing desk that Uncle Evan sold to Redbird years ago.
How long was this? 331 pages
Did I like this? pretty good, would do another "Peter Diamond"
Overall grade: B+