NIGHT WATCH - Linda Fairstein

First line: "Bones."

Alex Cooper returns in Linda Fairstein's fourteenth legal thriller. Out of her normal neighborhood, Alex is vacationing in France at the home of her significant other, Luc, when a body turns up drowned in a pond. The victim, a young female, has past connections to Luc but before the mystery of her death can be solved, Alex is summoned back to New York. A case sex crimes case with international significance has just broken wide open and the NY DA wants Alex back at work.

As the world begins to bicker over the sex crimes case, Detective Mike Chapman is doing a tour of duty on Night Watch and is called to the scene of a murder in the Gowanus Canal. Half way around the world, this victim, too, ends up with a connection to Luc. In his pocket is a single matchbox. On the matchbox is the name of Luc's future restaurant.

Alex struggles to keep her attention on a case that grows more and more complicated by the minute while her closest friend struggles to find the truth about the man she loves.

As I typed that last sentence in the plot summary, I thought, "oh my, does it sound like I'm summarizing a romance novel?" I'm a tough critic when it comes to romance in my crime novels. I devour a novel that is rich in complex relationships and throw a novel that is heavy with graphic detail. Linda Fairstein's books definitely fall into the category of rich, complex relationships. That's what hooked me on this series many years ago and what consistently brings me back to it.

The pieces that make up those relationships are equally dynamic. The trio of Mike, Mercer and Alex complement each other perfectly. Instead of having a perfect pair, Fairstein has created a perfect trio.  While sparks regularly fly between Alex and Mike, they've yet to ignite. Mercer is the calming presence when the similarities between Mike and Alex conflict instead of complement. Mercer is the strong, silent type, the compassionate and rational Musketeer. Mike provides the extra jolt of testosterone, the humor, the courage. He's a take charge kind of guy. And Alex is a combination of both. She's compassionate yet stern. Her role as a prosecutor demands that she be bold, but she still owns her fears.

When I first began reading this series I had never visited New York City. It was truly a foreign land to me. But it came alive in the tales of ADA Alexandra Cooper. In every novel Fairstein finds a special element of the city to explore and terrorize. For NIGHT WATCH that element is the restaurant scene. The crime solving trio have always had their favorite hang-outs, but in NIGHT WATCH we get an inside peek into some of the poshest dining experience New York has to offer. And I'm reminded just how Mid-western I actually am.

As much as I love these strengths of Fairstein's novels, the area that continues to amaze me is her handling of Alex's job. Of course Fairstein is intimately familiar with prosecuting sex crimes because she herself did that job for twenty-five years. But she's able to present the delicacies and the balancing acts these individuals face in such a way that it's understandable, it's real, AND it's exciting enough to maintain a 400-page crime novel.   The stories aren't weighed down with a lot of jargon and technical details that are essential to the plot are presented in a such a way that the average person can fully grasp their significance.

This series continues to hold a special place in my heart as it's one of the reasons I started reading crime fiction. I'm thankful that Linda Fairstein continues to write thrilling stories full of fascinating characters. I continue to learn about the city she loves as well as trivia tidbits from the signature Final Jeopardy wagers. And in NIGHT WATCH Linda even leaves readers with a couple "things that make you go hmmmm." They aren't so much loose ends as they are ideas that make you think. I rather like that in my crime novels.

NIGHT WATCH releases in hardcover (ISBN: 9780525952633) from Dutton on July 10th. There is also an audiobook version from Penguin Audio (ISBN: 9781611760415) narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.

My review is part of the TLC Book Blog Tour for Night Watch. You can check out additional reviews by visiting their site. You can learn more about Linda Fairstein and the Alexandra Cooper series at her website or her Facebook page. And if you're interested and didn't read it last year, here's a blog post I wrote after getting to meet Linda in person for the first time last year. There's always this tiny fear of meeting someone you idolize...what if they're mean or disappointing or something other than wonderful? Well, Linda is charming and kind and funny and smart. And meeting her was a great thrill and a great honor.

Finally, I get to give away a copy of NIGHT WATCH. If you've never read any of Linda's books, don't fret. You can easily pick up NIGHT WATCH and not feel lost at all. I actually think you'll be hooked and want to go back and read all thirteen previous books. So, to be in the running for this giveaway and to keep with the restaurant theme...tell me in the comments the swankiest restaurant you've ever eaten at...and were you impressed or disappointed?

The contest is open to residents of the US or Canada only please. And I'll take all entries through Sunday. And speaking of contests. We must send out a big congrats to Patrick Murphy who won the copy of PLAYING DEAD by Julia Heaberlin from last week's contest.

Linda Fairstein - Crime Readers Caught Reading Crime...

...in an indie bookstore.

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I have a lot to share from my week at BEA and I'm organizing that all up for you, but first I have a few crime readers left to share with you. And while we're going to run into June, I think these are readers well worth sharing. So let's not waste any time.

Many of you who read here often know that I credit Linda Fairstein as one of the authors who hooked me on crime fiction. I thought of Linda regularly as I walked through New York City last week. Her books just bring the city alive for those of us who don't live there. Her most recent novel is SILENT MERCY.  This year I was finally able to meet her in person, and I know that Hilary Davidson is an author Linda is highly recommending to everyone, so I find it especially fitting that she is caught reading Hilary's debut, THE DAMAGE DONE at BookHampton.

Linda and Hilary are truly two of the most charming women I know. I'm very pleased to have them be a part of this feature. What have YOU been caught reading lately?

Linda Fairstein at Mystery Lovers Bookshop

SILENT MERCY M&Ms

As most of you know - because I've been able to talk about nothing else for the last week - I went last night to Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont to see Linda Fairstein. I've read Linda's books for years and years; she and Robert Crais were the ones who hooked me on crime fiction to begin with. But this was my first opportunity to meet Linda in person.

To say that I was elated is no exaggeration. And the best part, she was even more wonderful than I imagined. She's smart and funny and very interested in her readers. She has fascinating stories and tells them so well.

Mary Alice, one of the owners of Mystery Lovers, provided Linda with a beautiful introduction. For those of you who don't know, Linda was very instrumental in developing the special victims department of the New York Prosecutor's Office. Her work was instrumental in getting sex crime procedures to the point they are today. She brings that experience and authenticity to her books. Anyway, I'm not reviewing here, I'm sharing the event.

SILENT MERCY is the book Linda has just released, and it is the 13th in her Alexandra Cooper series. Alex has Linda's job as an assistant prosecutor, but Linda describes Alex as younger, thinner and blonder than her - and she will stay that way for a long time. Linda laughs at the fact that Alex so closely mirrors her professional life, but she gave Alex the personal life she never has. Yet some of her good friends from school and whatnot will come up to her and say, "I never knew your father invented...and you have a trust fund...and you had a fiance in law school..." Linda says, "get a grip. I made it up."

Through her series, Linda has developed New York City as a character in the books. She spoke about how she loves to take an aspect of NYC and explore it. She has found that many of the places we revere actually have a dark side to them. Linda seeks that out for her characters. It also provides the depth that she wants to have for her books. Linda doesn't favor books that are all fight scenes and car chases. She wants her readers to come way feeling they learned something from the book.

When she asked her friend, who is the president of the Museum of Natural History, if she could do research in the museum, her friend said, "Are you crazy? I don't want you killing anyone in my museum in your book." So Linda actually had to gain access to the museum deceptively to get her research for THE BONE VAULT.

Linda keeps clippings notebooks that are themed to help her research and develop the ideas for her books.

Linda explained that Manhattan has known as and called the Island of Churches. This is one of her fascinations about New York. There are churches that were places of worship for George Washington. Whether they're large cathedrals or small, out of the way churches, they inspire Linda. It was on a trip to a Baptist Church in Harlem, a trip unrelated to any book research, that she discovered Harlem had been a Jewish community before 1920. And there were twelve synagogues built in the early 1900s have since been repurposed and rededicated as other churches. However, there is a great deal of iconography of the synagogues still there.

Likewise, St. Patrick's is not the original cathedral. The original was actually located in Lower Manhattan near Little Italy and was recently dedicated by the Pope as a basilica. Linda explained that she learned about the stained glass windows for Old St. Patrick's Cathedral from Hilary Davidson. The original windows, created in France as a gift to the Americans didn't fit when they arrived in the United States and were therefore given to a small country church.

Linda meant for religion to be a backdrop for these institutions she found so fascinating. However, the book ended up much deeper than Linda initially intended because the topic is so vibrant today. Her research therefore took her in a direction she didn't intend to go.

Linda shared that she included Jeopardy as a part of the books because she hates when the law enforcement organizations are portrayed as dumb or uneducated. She said the people she worked with were very smart and she wanted to show that in her characters.

Linda finished up the event taking various questions and comments from the audience. We learned that she always wanted to write, but her father told her she didn't have anything to write ABOUT, so she needed to get a job. Her first four crime novels were written while she was still a prosecutor. Luckily when she left the DA's office in 2002 she didn't leave her love of writing and she continues to write the Alex Cooper series.

It was such a wonderful event and I am so glad I made the trip to see her. Linda Fairstein is simply a wonderful person and most assuredly one of my great idols.

One of my favorite author pictures ever!

Also, thanks to her generosity, I have a brand new signed copy of SILENT MERCY to give away! In addition, I have a copy of the previous Alex Cooper novel, HELL GATE. So, I will give the big winner the signed SILENT MERCY and the lucky runner up with receive HELL GATE. I do, however, have to limit this giveaway to U.S. residents. I'll take entries through next Friday, March 18th. Just complete the form below.

Monday Mystery Backlist - FINAL JEOPARDY

As many of you know, Linda Fairstein is one of the authors I credit with pulling me into the crime fiction genre. And I will do everything within my power to marry Mike Chapman if I ever find him in real life. Just kidding. This week her most recent Alex Cooper novel, LETHAL LEGACY will come out in mass market paperback. So in honor of that release I have chosen FINAL JEOPARDY, the first book of the series, as this week's Monday Mystery Backlist.

In FINAL JEOPARDY Alex Cooper is introduced with this line: "I sat on my living room sofa at five o'clock in the morning with a copy of the mock-up of the front page of the day's New York Post in my hand, looking at my own obituary." No, this isn't a paranormal mystery series. Alex and homocide detective Mike Chapman have to figure out who killed Hollywood actress, Isabella Lascar, who was staying at Alex's home on Martha's Vineyard. They also need to find out if Isabella was the intended victim or if someone mistook her for Alex.

FINAL JEOPARDY introduces the characters of Alex, Mike, and Special Victims detective, Mercer Wallace. And while Alex may encounter "final jeopardy" in the plot, "final jeopardy" plays a duel role. Alex, Mike and Mercer make an effort to hear and bet on the Final Jeopardy question from the television show each night. This is a element that carries over throughout the entire series.

In all of Linda Fairstein's novels, I have found myself on a tour of New York City. She depicts the city so vividly and readers get to glimpse far more than the typical tourist spots. I found that when I made my first trip to New York City, I was recognizing different places because of their prominence in Linda's books.

So, for many reasons, I am happily recommending FINAL JEOPARDY as this week's Monday Mystery Backlist title. The hard cover was originally published in 1996 by Scribner, but has been published in many formats since that time. You can find it in paperback, audio, and e-book as well. A format for everyone.

You Have the Right to Six Words - Week 23

Here we go, pluggin' right along with another week of "You Have the Right to Six Words." We are up to Week 23 and I don't know about you all, but I'm still havin' a blast. I'm especially thrilled with this week's line-up. I have to tell you that when I started this project I initially got a plethora of responses from male authors. And don't get me wrong, I love the male writers in the crime fiction genre; I love them dearly, and many of them can be found on my list of favorites. But, I also know that there are a lot of great women out there writing in the genre, too, and I didn't want them to go unrepresented. You see, I'm an equal-opportunity crime fiction fan. I don't care what gender the writer as long as he/she is writing a great book!

Well this week, I have three amazing female crime fiction writers and I am beyond honored to have them represented here. And I think if we asked our lone male represented this week, he'd also be honored to be surrounded by these smart, talented, witty, beautiful women. So, let's find out who they are!

First up, we have a "do-over." When Robin Burcell first answered the six-word memoir question in her author interview, she was smack dab in the middle of promoting her first Syndey Fitzpatrick novel, FACE OF A KILLER, and her memoir was directed toward the book title. Well, when we re-ran the memoir in this series, it wasn't really fitting anymore. So, we had Robin go back to the drawing board, and today's she back with a real zinger. But let me remind you a little about Robin first.

Robin Burcell is the author of the award-winning Kate Gillespie series about the first female homicide detective in San Francisco. Last year she released her first book in the Sydney Fitzpatrick series, THE FACE OF A KILLER, which is about a forensic artist. Robin doesn't just write these characters, she's actually performed both of the roles throughout her extensive law enforcement career. In addition to working as a homicide detective and a forensic artist, Robin also has experience with hostage negotiations. Robin's next book in the Sydney Fitzpatrick series is titled THE BONE CHAMBER and will be released in hardcover this December. As a matter of fact, you can see her spiffy trailer for THE BONE CHAMBER right now at her website.

So, when Robin did some re-thinking and constructed her six-word memoir, what did she end up with?

Love seeing my kids reading books.

Oh, music to my ears. If only all parents were singing that same song!

Next up is the man who gets to be surrounded by these talented woman this week. And he's no slacker, either. Kwei Quartey visited Jen's Book Thoughts this summer as part of his blog tour for his first novel, WIFE OF THE GODS. A native of Ghana and the son of university lecturers, he was surrounded by books growing up. As a child, he traveled to the United States with his American mother every couple of years, but it wasn't until he was studying pre-med at the University that Kwei and his family moved to the United States for good. Finishing medical school, Kwei is a doctor by day and a writer in his *ahem* spare time? Kwei runs a wound care clinic and is also the lead physician at an urgent care center. In his early morning hours, Kwei writes. His first novel, WIFE OF THE GODS, came out this year and it looks at some of the cultural issues and changes facing people in Ghana today. His protagonist, CID Detective Darko Dawson, finds himself stuck between a culture that is advancing and one that is battling the advancement. Very much like the current climate Kwei observed when he returned to Ghana only a few years ago. Now Kwei is hard at work on the follow-up to WIFE OF THE GODS, as Darko is still speaking to Kwei. So, how would Kwei summarize the experiences to this point?

Some things I would do over.

I can relate to that!

J.T. Ellison not only calls Nashville, Tennessee home these days, she also sets her Taylor Jackson series there. The tough homicide detective came to life in J.T.'s first novel ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS in 2007 and in February she will release, THE COLD ROOM, book number four in this best-selling, critically acclaimed series. J.T. says she was in the midst of reading John Sandford's Prey series when she decided she wanted to give crime fiction a whirl, and she had definitely taken the thriller genre to a new level.

Before deciding to move into a career in crime fiction, J.T. was a presidential appointee and worked in The White House and the Department of Commerce. Then she moved on to the private sector working as a financial analyst and marketing director for several defense and aerospace contractors. But Nashville seemed to be the turning point. It was after moving to Nashville that she started researching forensics and crime then moved on to researching and working with several law enforcement agencies including the FBI and the Metro Nashville Police Department. And the rest, as they say, is history.

J.T. writes short stories, in addition to her novels. She is one of the Friday bloggers at Murderati and main blogger at her own Tao of JT. And she active in various writing organizations, including International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

With this complex, diverse background is it no wonder her books are constructed with intricate and complex plots? Nashville Scene's 2008 Best Mystery/Thriller Writer puts it altogether with:

Dreamed a plot, wrote it down.

And the crime fiction community is ever so glad that she did!

Our final memoirist today is one of two people I credit with pulling me into the crime fiction genre. Robert Crais and Linda Fairstein wrote books that grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. In my desire to find more, more, more and quench my thirst for this drug we call crime fiction, I delved deeper and found more and more authors. But it all started with these two. So I am beyond honored to have international best-selling author Linda Fairstein here today to share her memoir.

Linda writes the Alexandra Cooper series and this year released LETHAL LEGACY, book number eleven in that series. She always wanted to be a novel writer, but she took a bit of a detour in life. And that detour helped shape the books she would one day write. Linda graduated from law school, joined the Manhattan District Attorney's Office as an Assistant District Attorney and went to work in what was the very beginning of the sex crimes unit. Linda was instrumental in this ground-breaking department that would cause a major shift in how sex crimes were handled. She was one of the first to use DNA testing in a criminal case, and she was considered for the Attorney General's position in the Clinton administration. Linda's first publication was a non-fiction work, SEXUAL VIOLENCE: OUR WAR AGAINST RAPE, which won great acclaim and became a teaching tool in universities and law enforcement agencies. But a year after publication, she decided to turn to her original dream, writing novels. And she took her vast portfolio of experiences and turned them into the Alex Cooper series, starting with FINAL JEOPARDY.

Linda's protagonist Alexandra "Alex" Cooper bears a strong resemblance to her creator, as does Law & Order:SVU Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot. This, of course, is for good reason. Linda says, professionally Alex Cooper "expresses my passion for the work and what the rewards are and also what the frustrations are." Alex Cabot is of course a nod to Linda's Alex Cooper since the Special Victims Unit was based on Linda's Special Victims Unit. And Stephanie March, who played Alex Cabot, shadowed Linda when she was preparing for the role. I love Alex's character, but I just have to admit a crush on her favorite homicide detective, Mike Chapman.

Linda writes about plots she knows, has created characters she knows, and she also depicts a setting that she knows. Her depictions of New York City and Martha's Vineyard bring both locales to vividly to life. And I have to say that when I saw Linda's memoir, I felt it brought HER vividly to life as well. This IS Linda Fairstein:

Love. Loyalty. Integrity. Courage. Kindness. Laughter.

Thank you so much to all of our memoirists today: Robin, Kwei, J.T., and Linda. This is simply a wonderful group of crime fiction writers. I am so incredibly humbled. And everyone stopping by to read, thank you for letting me gush a tad bit more than usual today. Thank you for sticking with me through this series and enjoying it as much as I have. I still have more to come, and I look forward to next week.

Happy Reading everyone!

Odd Tidbits

Holy Moly! Is it the end of March already? Where have the first three months of this year gone? I'm starting to grow antsy because my Southern California trip for fun is coming up soon - I leave in less than three weeks. I've been chatting with my friend Michael out in SoCal who's been incredibly awesome to me, giving me all the lowdown on the LA Times Festival of Books. The authors and panels have been posted on their website and I've already picked out the three I want to attend. They're all on Saturday. First I'm going to see CRAIG JOHNSON! Woo hoo! Yes, it is so! Then in the afternoon, Michael Koryta. Kinda funny going to the other side of the country to see an author who lives a few hours from me! And after Michael's panel then...oh yeah! The man himself! I will FINALLY get to see RC! Takin' extra batteries for the camera.

Anyway! I still have to wait more than two weeks to leave, and the FOB isn't until the end of my stay in SoCal, so I have to try to keep the excitement contained a bit. So, I'm focusing on what's exciting here on the blog. April will finally bring about a new batch of interviews. We'll be giving the ladies some love in April. I have three exciting interviews lined up with the first to be this Friday. I'll also be hosting another guest blogger in April. But, the fun isn't going to stop in April. There are a few fun things lined up for May already and hopefully we'll find a few more before May finds it way here.

Today I came home to find a copy of THE PROSECUTION RESTS from the fine folks at Hachette. This is a collection of short stories, edited by Linda Fairstein, and as the title indicates, they are courtroom-related stories. This is the third collection like this. Last year Michael Connelly edited THE BLUE RELIGION, which is a fantastic collection of police procedural short stories. I loved that collection, so I'm definitely looking forward to THE PROSECUTION RESTS.

Today was the release date for Harlan Coben's long awaited new Myron Bolitar novel, Long Lost. Harlan was interviewed by Al Roker on the Today show this morning. You can see the interview here. Coben's a funny guy! I love to read his tweets on Twitter. I get a chuckle out of every one.

Alrighty kids. I want to get some extra reading time in with Libby Hellmann's EASY INNOCENCE because by golly, I'm lovin' this book. Can't wait to tell you all about it. Until then...I'm still looking for more comments on what you like in a book review, be sure to share your two cents in my previous post. And happy reading!!

January Round-up

O.k., in January I managed to finish eight books (five of the authors were new to me), which is pretty good considering I was also reading a manuscript for a friend. I thought I was slow at just READING a book, but when I'm making comments as well - OH LORD! I felt so bad because it took me so long to return the manuscript, but alas I was consoled when he told me the comments were helpful. That's all I need to hear, and I'm happy as a lark. I simply want to be helpful. Anyway, back to the January roundup.

It feels kind of funny to do this post because you can see all eight books over under my 2009 reads. There's only January at this point, but here goes:

I started out with Linda Fairstein's Lethal Legacy this year. What a joy to be back with Alex, Mike and Mercer. Mike Chapman is one of my favorite supporting characters in crime fiction. He's funny, has a macho exterior and a soft cushy interior! This book was especially fun because I learned about the New York Public library, and I can't imagine a better crime setting for a bibliophile. And by the way, it will be released this Tuesday.

Next I read A Dangerous Affair. That was a historical crime fiction novel that I received through Harper's early reader program. It was fun to transport back to Victorian England for that caper.

Time and Again was my book club's read for January. Not especially impressed with that one, but overall, I'm not a fantasy fan, so it was really at a disadvantage to begin with. If you're in to the time travel-type books, you may enjoy this one.

The Redbreast was another Harper publication and it is the first book to go on the list for contention in my top reads of 2009. Nesbø does an amazing job creating a complex plot and breaking the loner, alcoholic stereotype.

Finally I read Barry Eisler's Fault Line. Not especially impressed with this one. I just couldn't make a connection with the characters, and I'm a character reader.

My audio books for January included Blood Trail and Free Fire by C.J. Box. I enjoyed them, especially their settings, and I'll read other books in the series. But there also wasn't anything that really distinguished either of these two books as outstanding for me.

And I also listened to Last Car to Elysian Fields in January. Amazing. It's just that simple. Mark Hammer was a phenomenal reader and James Lee Burke is a phenomenal writer. The combination is perfect. As I've said before, I would consider Burke to be one of the greatest living American writers, and I have yet to find a reader who more perfectly embodied the essence of a novel than Hammer embodied the Dave Robicheaux series. The person who made that connection happen is a sheer genius.

I didn't link any of my titles to their reviews because I'm lazy tonight. I just finished a review that will be posted tomorrow - make sure you check back - and I figured since I have them linked over in the sidebar, you can link from there if you want to see the review. Plus, I'm really antsy to get back to a book my friend loaned me to read; it's called ADAM by Ted Dekker. So, I'll toddle off to my reading and leave you to yours.

Happy Reading - hope your February discoveries are wonderful!

My One Resolution Word

So, I decided on my resolution. Corey from The Drowning Machine and Michael from Lazy Thoughts from a Boomer both gave me great ideas for my resolution word. Thank you both for your talent...and compliments! I decided I want this to be a year of action, so I'm go to choose a verb, and ENDEAVOR is going to be my word.

endeavor (as a verb) 1. to exert oneself to do or effect something; make an effort; strive 2. to attempt earnestly; try.

However, because I'm wordy...I can't ever really do anything with one word, just call me verbose...I want to develop my endeavors....so let's make an acrostic and start out with ENDURANCE because by golly, it's going to take endurance for me to endeavor...thank you very much, gentlemen!

E..ndurance
N..ew
D..istinctive
E..volution
A..esthetic
V..ibrant
O..riginal
R..isky?

Risky? Me? That might be a challenge for me, but I'm going to make an earnest attempt! ;) Oh lord, I think I'm getting a big head!

O.k., so I'll put my little acrostic over in my side bar and when I start to get dull and boring in '09 just remind me of my resolution!

And now I'll remind YOU that you have two more days to enter the drawings for one of two copies of Tilt-a-Whirl or a copy of A Carrion Death. So don't delay on that if you're interested in winning.

I'd also like to let you know that Alafair is recruiting some help. She ran into a conflict with her book title and needs to come up with a new one. Stop over to her blog and offer a suggestion if you have one!

Linda Fairstein has a new look on her blog and with her new look is a new contest where you can win a copy of Lethal Legacy (which I reviewed last week). You just need to share with her your favorite things about libraries.

As for me, I'm off to check out a link that Michael left for me so I can figure out this Twitter thing. I'm going to endeavor to be risky and try something new for my blog...this Twitter! :) Have a great weekend; if you're up north by us, stay warm!

Happy Reading!

A Couple Finds to Share

I have a couple fun book-related finds to share today. First deals with one of my "must read" series - the Alex Cooper series by Linda Fairstein. For those who don't know, she has a new Alex Cooper novel set to release in February. Despite dealing with some rather rough road personally last year, she still managed to provide her fans with a new installment. What a woman!

I have learned a lot about the NYC geography and famous locales through Linda's books. When I visited NYC in 2006 there were several times we'd come across a building and I'd say, "oh, that was in Linda's book! I read about that place!"

Lethal Legacy (I'm reading it right now) deals with the NYC Public Library...what better setting could a bibliophile hope for? I'm having a blast learning about it through the book! Anyway, Linda put together this little video that talks about the library and its connection to Lethal Legacy. I enjoyed it and wanted to share it with you, too.



And in addition to that cool find today, I was sent a link to this blog that is written by Charlotte Hughes. Maybe some of you are more familiar with her. I hadn't heard of her before this, but I was laughing hysterically at some of the posts she has on her blog. The humor might be more appreciated by women than men, but it's still funny. Check it out if the desire so strikes you. I'll be adding her blog to the ones I follow regularly. I can use a regular laugh to lighten the day! I'm betting I'll also be adding one of her books to my TBR list.

I hope you had fun ringing in the New Year, and here's to a happy 2009!

Happy Reading!