Dennis Lehane is so good at what he does as soon as he releases a new novel it goes directly to the top of my 'read next' pile --- regardless of who else is on that pile.

LIVE BY NIGHT is set in the time of prohibition, bootleggers and gangster's. Young Joe Coughlin is a major disappointment to his father, who happens to be a Police Captain in Boston. When Joe is arrested for his involvement in a criminal act whereby a cop was killed, his father washes his hands of Joe and let's him face his punishment in prison.

It is in prison where Joe comes alive. Teaming up with some well-known crime lords, Joe is able to blaze a path for himself and set up his life outside of prison. Still reeling from the death of his gangster's moll girlfriend and the sudden passing of his father, Joe makes tracks from Boston and heads to Tampa upon release.

It is here where the novel really catches fire. Joe finds himself in Ybor City --- a town of mixed races and an emerging Cuban population --- and he quickly takes on the popular illegal trade of the area --- rum-running. Bouncing between Florida and Cuba, filled with good and bad villains and surprises at every turn makes LIVE BY NIGHT an instant classic. In the hands of Lehane, he raises what could be common noir material to the level of fine literature and creates characters and scenes that you can actually smell and taste. Another hit for Mr. Lehane!

Her debut novel, "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dance" was one of the original books of the past few years and I eagerly sought out her second offering, "The House Of Velvet and Glass".

A period piece based in the years following the sinking of the Titanic and the on-set of WWI, young Sybil Alston is a Boston socialite dealing with the tragic loss of her mother and older sister who were on-board the ill-fated Titanic. She seeks out a local mystic in an effort to connect with her departed loved ones and seems to be be taken by the encounters. However, when she teams up with some local 'debunkers' that reveal the mystic to be a charlatan, Sybil is still left with unanswered questions?

If the mystic was a phony why was she able to see the Titanic in her crystal ball. To further complicate things, Sybil begins to show her own psychic abilities and predicts the death of one of her colleagues on board the Lusitania. Howe explores the topics of faith and mysticism with an unwavering eye. Unfortunately, the novel does not really answer any big questions and the last quarter of the story loses a lot of steam.

The mother/son team that writes under the pen name --- Charles Todd --- have already created the terrific Inspector Ian Rutledge series. Now, A BITTER TRUTH marks the third entry in their latest series --- the Bess Crawford mysteries.

Bess is a British battlefield nurse who witnesses first-hand the horrors of WWI. Additionally, she finds herself constantly at the center of various deadly mysteries. A BITTER TRUTH finds Bess befriending a young woman named Lydia who appears to have been battered by her husband, himself a British serviceman. Bess decides to accompany Lydia to her home and is quickly thrust into the middle of a murder that may have been committed to protect a deadly family secret.

The difference with this Bess Crawford mystery is that she herself is unwittingly made a subject in the murder investigation --- a fact that makes her involvement in finding out the truth that much more difficult. Although this is not Charles Todd's finest work, it does feature what they always do best --- create an atmosphere of a bygone era that is so real and gritty you are practically transported there with every line.

Back in the 1930's, a group of five respected British men from Cambridge were revealed to be Russian spies. They earned the nickname --- the Magnificent Five.

Now, in present times, a British academic and authority on Russian history, Sam Gaddis, has turned up evidence that points to a potential sixth member of this infamous group. The only problem is that each time Sam finds someone who can give him information on this long hidden mystery they seem to end up dead.

Sam discovers that the alleged sixth spy may have actually been a double-agent working for the British government. Through a series of hair-raising events, Sam realizes that the real secret is the fact that the saviour of modern Russian may have attempted to defect to the West at his country's most desperate hour. This is a fact that many powerful people in both Russia and Britian can not have released.

Charles Cumming has produced a non-stop thriller that brings the spy game back to life. THE TRINITY SIX is one exciting read!

In my opinion, Laura Lippman is the best American Female Crime Writer working today. As a former investigative journalist and resident of Baltimore, MD, she knows her territory and what is going on behind the scenes. Unlike contemporaries like Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs, she does not have to fill in the gaps in plot with sideline discussions of DNA or Forensic research.

THE GIRL IN THE GREEN RAINCOAT was originally released as a serial in the NY TIMES. It is Lippman's version of HItchcock's "Rear Window" as her recurring character, former journalist/current P.I., Tess Monaghan, is very pregnant and ordered to bed rest. Using binoculars from her medically-imposed exile room she spies a local dog park and notices that a woman in a green raincoat that she has seen walking a small Greyhound one day disappears, leaving the dog to fend for himself.

Tess takes in the dog and finds his address from his dogtags. Turns out the dog - Dempsey - is the property of the Epstein family. More ironic is that Don Epstein, the husband of the girl in the green raincoat, is on wife number three (the first two both died under mysterious circumstances). Using her friend Whitney to do some legwork, Mr. Epstein's background shows a pattern of potential homicidal behavior. Will Tess be able to crack this case from her bed? This short novel is intriguing and continues the terrific Tess Monaghan series---intelligent novels that always keep the reader guessing.

As one character is quoted in the latest effort by British mystery writer, Peter Robinson: "A bad boy is unreliable, and sometimes he doesn't show up at all, or if he does, he's late and moody; he acts mean to you, and he leaves early. He always seems to have another iron in the fire, somewhere else to be." That's putting it mildly!

With his latest effort, "Bad Boy", Peter Robinson continues the outstanding Inspector Alan Banks series with a tense thriller that may be the most personal yet for D.I. Banks. The 'bad boy' in question has shot and seriously wounded a cop (Bank's oft partner) and is on the lam with Banks' daughter, Tracy, as hostage. What lengths will Banks go to and what allegiances need to be made to secure an acceptable end to this nightmare.

This novel, as with all of Robinson's work, if fast-paced and intense and never seems to let up. What I enjoy most about the Banks novels is how he continues to expand my appreciation of music as D.I. Banks possesses one of the most eclectic CD collections of any fictional character in modern literature and always keeps me abreast of the latest and greatest on the music scene. Well done!

George and Serena Pemberton are newly married and have made the huge decision to relocate from Boston to North Carolina during the uncertain times of 1929. In an effort to make their mark in the world they dream of building their own timber empire. This is not as easy as it sounds as a couple of "Yankees" are not necessarily accepted in the mountains of the south.

However, George and Serena have a serious mean streak. George's philandering has spawned an illegitimate child and Serena has turned herself into a real "mountain woman" - making them a formidable pair. When Serena learns that she is unable to bear a child - she takes out her pain and frustration on the illegitimate child George fathered. What follows is a battle of blood-lust that turns surprisingly violent.

Ron Rash has penned a classic American saga against the rugged landscape of the N. Carolina Appalachia region that reads like an epic soap opera where each character has much to gain or lose.

Nora and Ken Hammond live an ideal life - house in suburban New England, two kids and work together at the family-owned newspaper. That is, until Ken's betrayal of Nora by exposing a 4-year long affair with one of their closest friends. The secrets, lies and betrayal that ensues among all the lives effected would be enough to create an engaging story. But Nora has her own secret - a criminal one - and a maniacal figure from her past has arrived in town to exact his revenge.

Compelling and well-written, Mary McGarry Morris has scored a winner of a thriller-drama with The Last Secret.

For sports fans, particularly baseball fans, the idea that the Red Sox's 2004 World Series victory of the Cardinals may have been tainted is intriguing. Could it be that the Red Sox were part of the biggest ruse in sports history? Does this mean the Curse of the Bambino still lives?

Author/Sportswriter Rick Shefchik explores this fictional concept in his novel, "Green Monster". It is a blend of sports fiction with gumshoe detective novel. The idea and premise are interesting - especially for fans of the Red Sox - but the combination of actual facts/dates with the use of fictional names for all the players involved proved to be distracting and took away from the "reality" of this fictional concept.

Overall, an interesting read - but nothing special.

Peter May's novel, The Critic, involves the investigation into the mysterious death of a wine critic in France. Ironically enough, the body of the wine critic is found drowned in a cask of wine. Investigator Enzo MacLeod, Scottish exile, delves into this case and finds himself literally immersed in the winemaking trade of France and all the jealousies & competition involved in that business.

While not a wine expert myself, I found myself intrigued by the settings of this novel - many vineyards in the French countryside. I found May's style similar to that of Donna Leon's descriptions of Venice. However, I found the pace of this novel somewhat slow and it took too long to get to the climax. Overall, a good read for oenophiles and fans of European mysteries.