Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein

This book didn't quite catch me, which is a shame, as it really was a decent book with a unique plot line and good characters. Alexandra Cooper is an ADA in New York, and is initially called to an assault in Manhattan. After that woman refuses help and disappears, another woman is killed in the same apartment while holding a valuable book. Thus begins the search for a killer, and at the same time, a search for the object behind the murders, the first world map using the name "America." Why didn't it catch me? I don't know - I just didn't connect - but I will be picking up another book by this author soon!

Angels & Demons - Dan Brown

This was my first Dan Brown novel (I must be one of the few people that haven't read the DaVinci Code yet). I enjoyed this, yet it was nothing real special. It had all the familiar pieces to this type of novel. Ancient secret society trying to take down the Catholic church. This did end with a twist that I partially had figured out early on. No major surprises here but we have some decent action to keep it quick paced and enough interesting historical pieces to make it interesting. Worth a read if you're searching for something to take a few days.

Deal Breaker - Harlan Coben

I love finding a new favorite author with an established backlist - last year it was Lee Child, and I think 2009 has brought me Coben! Myron Bolitar is a sports agent that gets involved with investigating the disappearance of his client's girlfriend, who is also the sister of Myron's ex. The plot and resolution were excellent, and although I guessed the ending correctly, it was indeed a guess on my part - I always like it when an author outsmarts me. I look forward to seeing Myron and his semi-psychotic friend Win soon!

An added note - I make a habit of emailing authors after a particularly enjoyable book. In this case, the author emailed back - "Oh Todd, you've only just begun! Get cracking, dude. You have eight books to go...." Gotta love it!

Elantris - Brandon Sanderson

Since Sanderson is the author tasked with the job of finishing the Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan's death, I wanted to read some of his other works to get a feel for him.  I picked up Elantris since it was a standalone novel, something that seems to be a bit of a rarity these days in the fantasy world.  This started out strong as we're introduced to the characters and setting.    The book is broken up into a triad of chapters.  There are three viewpoint characters and we rotate through them every three chapters.  Only one of them held my interest for the first half of the book.  This is mostly a political themed book and there is little action in the first 200-300 pages.  Plenty of important setup though and considering the story and where we are headed, it was needed to tell the story.  While I typically enjoy a bit more action in my fantasy novels, I appreciate that Sanderson didn't sprinkle in some just to satisfy they "we must have massive battles every few pages, just to fill in the gaps between the story" trap that a lot of fantasy novels fall in to.  

However, the second half of the book was worth the wait.  There is a bit more action, still not a ton, but the pacing picks up and wow the twists.  Branderson has a way of leading you in seemingly one direction only to throw a twist at you that at least I didn't expect.  Everytime I thought I had the story figured out, I was wrong.  That style of writing I enjoy.  Well done.  This is one I would definitly recommend to anyone and I will be picking up the remainder of Sanderson's books and anticipating his finale of Jordan's mammoth series.

Life Without Lawyers - Philip Howard

I've enjoyed this author's previous books, and this one walks a similar theme. Our society has shifted on its perspective of lawyers - once a venerable profession, attorneys are now believed by many to be dishonest, manipulative, or worse (at least until they need one themselves!). Like any profession, there are certainly a few bad eggs, but as a lawyer myself, I believe that most attorneys are keeping their clients at the highest priority. The author actually pins much of the fault on society itself, and I agree to a large degree. Many folks believe that their individual rights trump the greater good - a teacher looks at a kid wrong, a workplace has to document every employee issue, etc - and there is a crippling effect as people worry more about being sued than about doing the "right thing." Mr. Howard proposes a logical, though difficult, strategy to change the tide, but as doing so requires lawmakers to speak against the current mindset, I don't know how plausible the approach actually is.

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

Yes, it is a kid's book, but I really enjoyed it! It is rather dark (and given the author, no surprise), but I was shocked when the first chapter detailed the murder of a family, less the baby that crawls away. Nobody Owens is adopted by the people of the graveyard, taught their ways, and warned of the outside world. The end was as expected, but nevertheless it was a great story!

The Fool - Christopher Moore

So, this is a retelling of the Bard's King Lear, accented with bits of Macbeth and twisted histories. When the king decides to split his kingdom between his three daughters, only Cordelia, his youngest, speaks the truth that her love for him will be divided between Lear and her future husband. For her truth, she is cast out with nothing. The Black Fool, the narrator of this tale, decides to bring war to the kingdom, and begins to manipulate the chessboard with help from a few witches, a de-knighted knight, and his cohort, the Natural. This is a fun read, very entertaining.