Agent X by Noah Boyd

Oh, Steve Vail! You’re my favorite ex-FBI agent/bricklayer/sculptor ever! Too bad you’re so hung up on Kate…

When Steve worked with the FBI on a difficult case in “The Bricklayer”, it was supposed to be a one shot deal. When he goes to Washington DC for what he hopes will be a romantic New Year’s Eve date with Kate, it becomes much more complicated when he is asked by the FBI to take on another case.

A Russian agent has informed the FBI that one of their own is working as a double agent. As Steve and the team try to figure out Calculus’ puzzles, the body count starts to rise, and Kate is brought under suspicion.

This story had so many twists and turns, I almost lost the plot, but it was a most entertaining ride! I’m hoping they’ll bring Steve to the big screen – the world could use another hero like him!

No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay

Imagine: you are fourteen years old. You wake up in the morning, and nobody else is home. Hmm. Maybe a little strange, but you don’t give it too much thought until you find out your brother didn’t show up for school. You try calling home again, but again there’s no answer. Your mom, dad, and brother have all disappeared without a trace.

Fast forward twenty-five years. Cynthia is now married, and she and her husband Terry have an eight year old daughter. It’s been difficult for Cynthia to live with the disappearance of her family, and she has never given up hope that even after all this time, there may be someone out there who has some information. After an appearance on a national television news program, strange things start happening that make Terry start to wonder if his wife is losing her sanity. When people start to die, it becomes crucial to find the truth, but there’s someone out there who’s got unfinished business with Cynthia, and now her whole family is in danger.

There’s a couple of authors I always pick up because I know that they’re consistently good reads, and Linwood Barclay is one of them. Much like Harlan Coben, Mr. Barclay’s stories are very believable with good characters and great plots, and if you’re in the mood for a little suspense, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

The Terror of Living by Urban Waite

Relentless. That’s the action in this book.

Hunt, an ex-convict,  has been living north of Seattle for about twenty years, raising horses with his wife, and from time to time, taking on the occasional “side” job. When one of his jobs goes terribly wrong, he now finds himself on the run.

Deputy sheriff Bobby Drake is a young man living in the shadows of his father’s crime. Now, in trying to live down his father’s reputation, he finds himself not only searching for Hunt, but also learning that the choices that people make aren’t always clear-cut.

Grady is the hit man hired to kill Hunt after the deal goes bad. He is a cold-blooded killer who really enjoys his work. Not since No Country for Old Men have we seen a killer like this one.

I couldn’t put this one down! Great effort for a first time novel. Can’t wait to see what the author has in store for us next.