BULL MOUNTAIN
By Brian Panowich. Head of Zeus. $24.99
This is an astoundingly good debut crime novel. Set in rural Georgia, Panowich's story ranges back and forth between the present day and different times over the past 50 years. Described as "hillbilly noir", it tracks the progression of the Burroughs clan from being moonshiners to marijuana growers to one of the biggest suppliers of methamphetamine in southern America. The clan seems untouchable until an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms joins reluctant forces with Clayton Burroughs, the local sheriff and estranged brother of the current head of the clan, to shut the business down. Strong characters, brisk pacing and evocative settings, this one will stick in your mind long after it is finished.
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THE ENGLISH SPY
By Daniel Silva. Harper Collins. $29.99
Daniel Silva is one of the leading practitioners of the modern spy story. His books about Gabriel Allon, art restorer and Mossad agent, have been entertaining readers for more than 15 years and his latest one is another top-notch effort. The murder of an iconic member of the British royal family, with a striking resemblance to Princess Diana, sets Allon off on his latest adventure to track down the killer, a notorious bomb maker, for British Intelligence and the people who hired him. The story moves quickly from Moscow to Vienna and eventually Belfast, with several other stops in between, as Silva unfolds a tantalising complex plot of betrayal, murder and revenge. Recommended.
WICKED CHARMS
By Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton. Headline. $29.99
Evanovich, author of the bestselling Stephanie Plum series, has become so popular that she now has to co-write books in order to keep up with the demand from her readers. Wicked Charms, co-written with screenwriter Phoef Sutton, is the third book in her mildly supernatural "Charms" series about baker Lizzy Tucker and the mysterious Diesel. This time the pair are trying to find a lost pirate's treasure that, in addition to gold and jewels, contains a magical stone with dangerous powers. The style and feel of the "Charms" books is not too different from the Plum novels and this one offers plenty of laughs, romance and amusing one-liners. Evanovich's many fans will not be disappointed.
