THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE - Paul Gallico

Anyone seeing the classic Irwin Allen film - which started off the hugely-popular disaster movie craze of the 1970's - knows the basic story of The Poseidon Adventure; ocean liner SS Poseidon, on its maiden voyage, is struck by a 99-foot wave caused by an undersea earthquake that literally turns the boat upside down in the water.  Capsized but still floating, those who survived the initial disaster find a strong leader in one of the passengers, Reverend Scott, who wants them all to band together and try to climb up through the overturned ship to the bottom, at the propeller shaft, where hopefully they will rescued.  When only a handful of survivors agree to go with him, the rest staying in the dining salon where they're sure help will be coming, it's up to Scott to lead those who believe in him to safety, the swiftly rising water and other hazards (including fellow passengers) standing between them and survival.  This is a tense novel, far different enough from the 1972 film (more characters and stronger characterizations, for examples) or its remakes, that it deserves to be read - if you're a fan of the film, especially.  That said, be forewarned: the book was originally released in 1969, so don't expect the political correctness of today to necessarily be reflected in the story or its people.  But there are parts of this novel that are just as tense and enthralling as the original film was, and while not always an easy read author Gallico has certainly made it a worthy one.  ****

'SALEM'S LOT - Stephen King

Look all you want, you won't find another horror novel that works quite as successfully as the one-of-a-kind 'Salem's Lot.  Not only because of its hardcore depiction of vampires as the soulless monsters who feed on the innocence and blood of others - as they were in earliest literature (Edward Cullen, you'd best take your glittering butt elsewhere) - but also because 'Salem's Lot is a raw and very naked novel depicting the sins and wrongdoings those in small-town American often hide behind closed doors.  The subject has long fascinated King as a writer, and it's fully blown up like an A-bomb here; Ben Mears is a fair-to-middlingly successful writer who has returned to Jerusalem's Lot - nicknamed 'Salem's Lot - where he lived for some time as a child, to exorcise the demons of something he witnessed in the old Marsten house.  Instead, he learns of a new owner of the Marsten home, the reclusive, never-seen Mr. Barlow, whose arrival fast becomes a catalyst for ... changes, not just in the town but also in those who inhabit it.  Terrifying and original, 'Salem's Lot goes far beyond a "vampire novel" to make those who read it, who have experienced the underlying "something's not right here" feel of a small town, also confront the potential darkness within the human soul.  *****

BAD MONKEY - Carl Hiaasen

Having been to both Orlando and Miami more than once, I can state categorically that humor writer/novelist Carl Hiaasen has the uncanny ability of depicting southern Florida with excruciating accuracy.  It is that nuts there, and no more so than in Bad Monkey, which opens with suspended county cop Andrew Yancy trying to figure out what to do with the business end of a human arm - it's middle finger still extended in one final jab at life - that's still tucked away in his freezer.  Not feeling the boat accident tag the cops have put onto it, no one wants to pursue what Yancy feels certain is a murder for fear of stirring some rough political waters, leaving newly-appointed Health Inspector Yancy to deal with everything from thwarting the sale of a monstrosity of a house next door to dealing with his ex, a sexy coroner, a voodoo queen down in the Bahamas, an insurance fraud scheme ... and, of course, the naughty monkey of the title, who manages somehow to be smart, stupid, disgusting and funny all at the same time.  Typical Hiaasen, only to me not one of his best; normally with him I can go along for the ride, breezing through laughing with the occasional "OMG" thrown in for flavor.  Here, about two-thirds in the story slowed way down for me, and though it picked up again in the end I had almost lost interest by then; still feel like things could have resolved themselves a bit more quickly.  Not horrible, but not his best work either.  **1/2

THE MOURNFUL TEDDY - John J. Lamb

Having never had a teddy bear as a kid (I finally broke down and got one when I was about thirty, naming it Sebastian after the main character in Brideshead Revisited; go figure), I thought a mystery series set around the making of artisan teddy bears and their collectors sounded both original and fascinating, but The Mournful Teddy (first in the "Bear Collectors" series) was just too slow-paced and not quite engaging enough, character-wise, to hold my interest.  Brad Lyon, recently relocating with his wife Ashleigh to a small rural community in Virginia after an injury forced him to retire early from the San Francisco police force, finds himself being pulled back into old habits when his dog discovers a body floating in the nearby river.  Curious about why the local sheriff is far too keen to call it an accident, Brad finds himself wanting to scope out the situation, which soon becomes oddly connected with a local artisan teddy bear show he and his wife - who designs and custom-makes teddy bears - are entering.  When the prized bear of the accompanying auction goes missing, the body in the river looking more and more like the guy who was in charge of delivering it, Brad and Ashleigh work to solve the crime - in a novel much grittier than your average cozy, and one that plays out virtually in "real time" with the story (to me, having both an unrealistic and negative effect on the novel).  Sadly, I found Brad a bit standoffish and unlikable, Ashleigh and the supporting characters not very memorable or well-drawn.  I may or may not try another in the series, but while I still like this idea, the execution of this debut novel left me a little mournful, too.  **

BRINGING IN THE THIEVES - Lora Lee

Many first-in-a-series mysteries tend to be a bit choppy as the author gets his or her bearings with everything from the main sleuth to the setting to the secondary characters and their relationships with each other.  Such is the case with Bringing in the Thieves, where the mystery is solved a bit too simply (even rushed, in the end), some character motivations and coincidences don't ring 100% true, and even a couple of continuity errors jar you a bit from the story.  That said, the lead character and other residents of the fictional Ruby Springs, Texas are just so engaging and home-spun, you can't help but enjoy the book - and even look forward to the next.  Frankie Lou McMasters has just moved back to her hometown with her 11-year-old daughter Betsy, after a rebellious growing up culminated in her moving away years ago for the man she loved.  Now without her ex, Frankie Lou's come back for a fresh start but soon learns that old gossip remains - particularly in the form of old nemesis Poppy Rose Fremont, the church's choir director, who is diametrically opposed to Frankie Lou's proposal to form her own young people's choir of talented, at-risk youth - called The Joyful Noise - to help compete for the church in the upcoming spring festival. But when, just hours after the deacons approve Frankie Lou's idea despite Poppy's rant, Frankie Lou finds Poppy's body in the church baptistery, she becomes the number one suspect ... and between coping with her outspoken crazy neighbor Miss Nettie, or even crazier mother flying up from retirement in Florida to "straighten" things out, Frankie Lou tries to clear her name and stay sane at the same time.  Not a perfect book - future editions need to work more on fleshing out the mystery/sleuthing - but a fun read with genuinely engaging characters. ****

Note: I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

PAINTED HANDS - Jennifer Zobair

First-time novelist Jennifer Zobair tackles a tough and passionate subject in chronicling the lives of two best friends living in Boston, who happen to be Muslim-American women in America after 9/11.  Amras was always the good girl, the hard worker who has been toiling away for countless hours, for years, in an attempt to make partner at her law firm, when she reconnects (and falls in love with) a crush from childhood who seems the perfect man for her ... even as she wonders how much of herself she can really show to him, considering his more traditional Muslim ways.  Zainab, a strikingly beautiful woman whose feminism mindset puts her at odds with her faith even as she is forced to defend it, gets a job playing a key role in helping a feminist Republican Senate candidate with her campaign, and finds herself up against a severely right-wing radio show host who blasts Muslims and immigration on the air, even he finds himself falling in love with her.  Though many may see this as "women's fiction," I found Zobair's exploration of the political climate in this country, regarding the issues presented, was as intriguing as the characters she's created to carry the story.  A very accomplished first novel, and I look forward to more.  ****1/2

HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS - Agatha Christie

In time for the holidays, re-read this great locked-room puzzle that's a bloody (literally) good time.  Rich, old Simeon Lee, on Christmas Eve, has gathered together all of his estranged children and their mates, in order to stoke old resentments and put his "worthless" sons in their place.  When crashing furniture and a piercing scream send everyone in the house to Simeon's room, the old man is found in a mess of overturned furniture and broken crockery, his throat cut - and the room locked, with only Lee's body inside.  There wasn't even enough time for a murderer to do the deed and escape, but as Hercule Poirot aids in investigating the crime, he finds that old family hatred goes deeper and wider than anyone can suspect.  Another great puzzle by the Queen of Crime, and even with a bit of a fantastic ending it's still great fun getting there.  ****

BLUEBERRY MUFFIN MURDER - Joanne Fluke

The third book in the Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series (all of them set in idyllic Lake Eden, Minnesota) opens with Lake Eden in a flurry of activity, preparing for its first Winter Carnival.  Hannah Swensen, owner of the immensely popular The Cookie Jar eatery, is going a bit crazy baking hundreds of cookies with her business partner Lisa ... as well as contending with TV chef Connie Mac, special guest of the carnival who is also providing the fancy cake for the banquet, as well as coming to Lake Eden to promote her new boutique store. Hannah quickly grows tired of the demanding, condescending and mean-spirited Connie - far from the sweetheart she portrays to her general public - and when the banquet cake is destroyed in an accident and Hannah is forced to let Connie use her kitchen at The Cookie Jar to bake another one, Hannah is even further put out when Connie Mac is found dead the next morning in the restaurant's pantry, bashed in the back of the head while in the act of tasting one of Hannah's famous blueberry muffins.  I'm reading the Hannah Swensen series in order, so this is my third - and I have to say, even though the people of Lake Eden are a bit "goody-two-shoes" to be completely believable, each of these books really is like going back home to old friends.  This one's a nicely-plotted mystery with a very suspenseful finish, and it's also really nice that author Fluke develops the characters' lives over the series, as well; these people grow and make changes in their lives, instead of remaining static, one-dimensional characters.  And the recipes; OMG, who wouldn't want to try making the Short Stack Cookies, which supposedly taste exactly like fluffy pancakes generously topped with melted butter and syrup??  Even the mild romantic elements (Hannah has two ongoing suitors in the series, both of whom she likes as well, but in different ways) come off as real, yet at the same time do not impede or interfere at all with the mystery elements of the novels (one of my pet peeves, in some books).  Another winner in the series, and am already pondering #4, Lemon Meringue Pie Murder.  ****