Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris

Harper Connelly Mystery series

Ever since Harper Connelly survived a zap from a lightning bolt, she's been able to find dead people. Harper travels to the Ozark town of Sarne, Ark., to find a missing teenage girl's body, accompanied by her stepbrother, Tolliver, who acts as her manager and bodyguard. Finding the body takes no time at all, but leaving town afterward isn't so easy. When Harper's life is threatened and Tolliver ends up in jail on trumped-up charges, it quickly becomes apparent that something sinister is going on in Sarne.

I am a big fan of Charlaine Harris' other series so am excited to try this new one out. I enjoyed it so far - Harris writes so well and really does great dialog and ambiance.

Red by Jordan Summers

Dead World series

This ia futuristic paranormal romance set in an ecologically desolate 2160. Gina "Red" Santiago, is the lone woman in the elite international tactical team commanded by the grandfather who raised her. While off-duty she travels to Nuria in the Republic of Arizona to investigate a woman's mysterious, brutal death. Gina is nicknamed Red as whenever she is in conflict there is bloodshed and it's isn't hers.

Gina doesn't believe in the rumors of supersoldiers, vampires and werewolves created by a secret government genetic engineering project, until she learns that almost everyone in Nuria is a werewolf and finds herself powerfully attracted to lycanthrope sheriff Morgan Hunter even as she connects others in his pack to the murder investigation.

Kind of an odd supernatural, futuristic romance. But I did like the association to Little Red Riding Hood.

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is having man trouble. Her vampire boyfriend, Bill, has been distant and inattentive lately. Then he announces that he is going on a business trip, which clearly is more than it seems. After a werewolf tries to abduct Sookie at work, Bill's boss, Eric, tells her that Bill fell under the sway of his--Bill's, that is--ex, a sexy vamp named Lorena, and has been kidnapped. Eric wants Sookie's help in getting Bill back, and despite her hurt over Bill's betrayal, Sookie agrees to go to Jackson, Mississippi, to find her wayward lover. Eric has persuaded Alcide, a dashing werewolf, to get Sookie access to Josephine's, aka Club Dead, the local hangout of Jackson's supernatural element. In between dodging kidnappers, the advances of amorous Eric, and her growing feelings for Alcide, Sookie has to find out who kidnapped Bill and figure out a way to rescue him.

I enjoy this series a lot but found some factors frustrating such as Bill's relationship with Lorena which seems to come from left field and never really dealt with. Plus now Sookie is constantly getting beaten or left for dead and Eric once again has to save her with his blood. Leaving more sexual tension. But most shocking was how Bill treated Sookie both physically and mentally. It was a bit of a disappointing read but I'll read more down the road.

Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver

Features Lincoln Rhyme and Amanda Sachs

When the detective's cousin is arrested for murder, it seems to be an open-and-shut case, as plenty of forensic evidence links him to the crime. But Lincoln's gut tells him that his cousin is innocent and in his investigation he discovers that the real killer is framing others for his killings by manipulating intimate computer information. But how can you track down a killer when you don't know anything about him including what he looks like. So they name him Unsub 522 (after the date they discover him) and try to find details that will help them track down this most deadly of killers. Unsub 522 is an ingenious master of the dreaded crime of the 21st century - identity theft! He steals data, reconstructs people's lives, destroys some information, rearranges the rest and is even capable of planting legitimate evidence framing an unsuspecting victim for his own brutal serial murders.

It was interesting learning more about Lincoln's past and his relationships with his father and uncle. I have read the first book in the series and enjoyed getting to know more about Lincoln and others from other books in the series. While some aspects of the book were a bit contrived most was really thought provoking as I hadn't thought about who has access to my private information and what could be done with it. So I guess it really comes down to convenience versus privacy and what it is worth to me.

Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Lisbeth Salander is enjoying her new life of wealth lazing in a hotel in Granada. No one knows where she is (as usual), while back in Sweden, Blomkvist and Millenium magazine are preparing a an expose of the sex slave business in Sweden.

Publisher Mikael Blomkvist and the police are conducting parallel investigations into three horrifying murders -- and their initial evidence points straight at young computer genius and social misfit Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist hasn't seen Salander in nearly an year, except for one night when he happened to witness a huge man attempting to kidnap her and both she and the attacker eluded him. He's bewildered about why she cut him off cold, but had accepted her decision -- until now. He doesn't believe Salander killed these victims. Well, at least not two of them. He has to contact her, find out how she's become embroiled in this, and help her. Salander, as usual, has her own ideas about who she'll see and when.

I really enjoyed the first book and while this book wasn't quite as strong it was still compelling enough to make we want to read it. As usual it is thought provocing but I did miss some of the personal touches of the first one.

Interesting side note: Stieg Larsson, who lived in Sweden, was the editor in chief of the magazine Expo and a leading expert on antidemocratic right-wing extremist and Nazi organizations. He died in 2004, shortly after delivering the manuscripts for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and the third novel in the series.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

2010 Newbery winner

Sixth-grader Miranda lives in New York City in 1978 with her mother, and her life compasses Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. She has read it so many times she can quote it. Life seems so perfect as she and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner. But then things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen.

And then Miranda finds a mysterious notes scrawled on a tiny slips of paper and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.

Each chapter starts with a theme from the 20,000 pyramid game "things that start with..... or things that ............." which coinside with Miranda's mother who is practicing to be on the show. Plus the theme gives you a clue of what the chapter will be about.

This book is the 2010 Newbery so of course I have to read it. But honestly I wasn't sure what to think at first but then the book hooked me and I really enjoyed it. I loved the tie in with Wrinkle in Time which is one of my favorite books when I was in 6th Grade. I did find it interesting that she only read that one book and not the sequel which by 1978 was out.