94. The Getaway by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkinen

Listened on Audible - Audible Original
narrated by Emily Bauer
Unabridged audio (2:24)
2020 Audible Original
? pgs. (0nly out on audio) guessing 85 ...
Adult thriller
Finished 6/8/2020
Goodreads rating:3.31 - 33,333 ratings
My rating: 3
Setting: contemporary, a lake outside Washington, DC

My comments: A creepy tale told in two voices about a woman who accepts a free "getaway" yoga weekend on a lake outside Washington DC. that turns into something quite unexpected.

Goodreads synopsis:  In this short thriller from number one New York Times best-selling authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, a young woman's dream getaway becomes her worst nightmare.
          Prepare yourself for a transformative experience. Sometimes, life's setbacks contain hidden gifts. Here at Lakewood, you'll find the space to unwrap them.
          A weekend at the Lakewood Retreat is exactly what Chloe Powell needs. Freshly unemployed after her boss loses a reelection campaign, the former press secretary desperately wants a break from the bustle of Washington DC. A flier posted at her yoga studio leads her to the getaway, which looks amazing: organic meals, celebrity testimonials, and a serene private property within driving distance of the city.
          It's so perfect, in fact, that Chloe's barely bothered by the intensely personal questions she's asked in her application, or the unnerving social experiments her enigmatic host, Sebastian, imposes on her once she arrives at his remote cabin. But when a mysterious new guest shows up, Chloe can no longer suppress her rising panic: This place is not at all what it seems.
          A pulse-pounding story from the first minute to the last, The Getaway explores the weight of the small choices we make every day, and their staggering, unintended consequences.

34. Never Go Back - Lee Child

Jack Reacher #18
listened to audio CD AND Audible.
audio read by Dick Hill..
2013 Delacorte Press
400 pgs
Adult mystery
Finished 5/12/2015
Goodreads rating: 3.98
My rating:4
Setting:  Contemporary Washington DC & LA

My comments:  Lee Child - and Jack Reacher - always seem to grab me immediately and not let go.  There were a few places in the story where I had to pause for a moment and try to figure out how two plus two equaled four; and my anger at politics and government/armed forces/police hierarchy made me crazy, but good stories should attract strong emotions, right?  If you read this book only to take a look at Reacher and his beliefs, lifestyle and aggressive genius, you won't go wrong.

Goodreads synopsis:  After an epic and interrupted journey all the way from the snows of South Dakota, former military cop Jack Reacher has finally made it to Virginia. His destination: a sturdy stone building a short bus ride from Washington D.C., the headquarters of his old unit, the 110th MP. It was the closest thing to a home he ever had.
          Why? He wants to meet the new commanding officer, Major Susan Turner. He liked her voice on the phone. But the officer sitting behind his old desk isn’t a woman. Is Susan Turner dead? In Afghanistan? Or in a car wreck?
          What Reacher doesn't expect to hear is that Turner has just been fired from her command. Nor that he himself is in big trouble, accused of a sixteen-year-old homicide. And he certainly doesn't expect to hear these words: ‘You’re back in the army, Major. And your ass is mine.’
          Will he be sorry he went back? Or – will someone else?

27. The Naturals - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

2013, Hyperion

308 pgs.

YA Mystery

Finished 5/16/14

Goodreads Rating: 3.97

My Rating: 3/Liked it

TPPL

Setting: Contemporary Washington DC

1^st sentence/s: "The hours were bad.  The tips were worse, and the majority of my coworkers definitely left something to be desired, but c'est la vie, que sera sera, insert foreign language cliche of your choice here.  It was a summer job, and that kept Nonna off my back.  It also prevented my various aunts, uncles, and kitchen-sink cousins from feeling like they had to offer me temporary employment in their restaurant/butcher shop/legal practice/boutique."

My comments:  Yes, I liked it. Since this was a YA, I was a teeny, tiny bit surprised at the level of "grizzliness" of the murders that were the centerpieces of the story.  I love that investigations and forensics are available for teens, as well as the mystery/problem solving. However, there wasn't enough character development for me, the times that the main characters were introduced and got to know each other were skimmed over quickly to get directly to the major plot.  Therefore, I had to guess about and fill in my own thoughts about the relationships between Cassie and her peers a bit more than I liked.

Goodreads Review:  Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

          What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.
          Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

17. The Tyrant's Daughter - J. C. Carleson

2014, Alfred A. Knopf

295 pgs.

YA CRF

Finished 3/19/2014

Goodreads Rating:  3.99

My Rating: Liked it (3)

TPPL

Contemporary Washington D.C. area

1^st sentence/s:  "My brother is the king of nowhere."

My comments:  Great premise, excellent research, believable characters. I liked it. However, it didn't grab me as I expected.

Goodreads Review:   From a former CIA officer comes the riveting account of a royal Middle Eastern family exiled to the American suburbs. 

          When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila flees from the war-torn middle east to a life of exile and anonymity in the U.S. Gradually she adjusts to a new school, new friends, and a new culture, but while Laila sees opportunity in her new life, her mother is focused on the past. She’s conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to regain the throne their family lost. Laila can’t bear to stand still as an international crisis takes shape around her, but how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations? 
          J.C. Carleson delivers a fascinating account of a girl—and a country—on the brink, and a rare glimpse at the personal side of international politics.           *Bonus Backmatter includes a note about the author's CIA past, and a commentary by RAND researcher and president of ARCH International, Dr. Cheryl Benard. Recommendations for further reading are also included. 

9. Dead Watch - John Sandford

This is a standalone Sandford novel

audio read by Richard Ferrone

9 discs/10 hours

2006 Penguin Audio

373 pgs.

Adult Political Murder Mystery

Finished Sunday, 2/9/2014

Goodreads Rating: 3.81

My Rating: 3.5  I liked it okay

Acquired: PBS (will no trade it on

Setting:  mostly Washington DC and surrounding Virginia area

My comments:  This was an interesting political mystery that included murder, mayhem, and a questionably ethical protagonist, Jake Winter.  Jake's smart, knows his way around DC, and works for the White House - principally the President's Chief of Staff.  It always pisses me off (but never surprises me) to hear of all the shenanigans that happen on the taxpayer's dime and this one certainly was no exception.  It read fast, and I was happy to see the touches of Virgil Flowers that Sandford gave Jake.  I guess it's time for another dose of Virgil....

Goodreads Review: Sometimes, justice isn't enough.

          From the author of the number-one-bestselling Prey novels comes an extraordinary story of murder, passion, and deadly ambition——a political thriller like no other.
          Through twenty-one novels featuring Lucas Davenport, Kidd, or the razor-edge world of the Night Crew, John Sandford has been writing brilliantly suspenseful, consistently surprising thrillers filled with rich characters and exceptional drama.
           But Dead Watch sets a whole new level.
           Late afternoon, Virginia, and a woman is on the run. Her husband, a former U.S. Senator named Lincoln Bowe, has been missing for days. Kidnapped? Murdered? She doesn't know, but she thinks she knows who's involved, and why. And that she's next.
          Hours later a phone rings in the pocket of Jacob Winter. An Army Intelligence veteran, Winter specialises in what he thinks of as forensic bureacracy. Congress, the Pentagon, the FBI, CIA, Homeland Security——when something goes wrong, Winter kicks over rocks until he finds out what really happened. The White House is his main client, and the chief of staff is on the phone now.
          If Bowe isn't located soon, he is told, all hell will break loose.
          What Winter doesn't realise is——all hell will break loose anyway. And he will be right in the middle of it. Large forces are at work, men determined to do whatever it takes to achieve unprecedented ends. Before the next few days are out, Winter will discover he has to use every one of his resources not only to prevail...but just to survive.
          And so will the nation.

14. The Cut - George Pelecanos

Spero Lucas #1
audio read by Dion Graham - really nicely!
2011, Hachette Audio
6 unabridged discs, 7 hrs. 32 minutes
TPPL
292 pages
Rating:  4.5 ( I really, really liked the book, and especially the protagonist)

Setting:  Washington, DC (with lots of description and place references)
OSS:  Spero Lucas is hired by a local marijuana kingpin to locate some stolen pot shipments.

Spero Lucas is a very likable, interesting, real character.  At 29 years old he has returned home from his stint in the Marines in the Middle East to his hometown of Washington DC.  He has been raised in the Greek Orthodox tradition and is still  quite spiritual.  He comes from a mixed and blended family, three of the four siblings had been adopted.  He visits his father in the cemetery frequently, and is very close to his school-teacher older brother.

Spero has discovered that he's good at finding things.  He takes photos, draws street plans, makes notes in his black moleskin notebook.  He thinks outside the box.  He makes mistakes --- but learns from them.  He has Marine buddies that hang out with him at the local American legion, and he has them help him out.  He's an avid bicycler and kayaker, we see a lot of DC from this perspective.  He drinks, he loves women, good food, and his city.  He is thoughtful and perspective.  I really like his character, and I like his humanity.

Pelecanos is great with character creation throughout the book.  You get to know the bad guys, the peripheral characters and all their flaws. I'm really looking forward to the second book in this series.