The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams

A demented killer is leaving bodies all over Atlanta with no apparent rhyme or reason. An ex-FBI profiler and her unknown main squeeze combine efforts to stop the mayhem.

This is in some ways a tale of redemption, of the ability to hold demon alcohol at arms length start a new life. So there is a good message of perseverance and tenaciousness seen in Keye Street an ethnic oriental with a southern drawl. Keye is a surprising blend of personalities. She struggles every day with being a recovered alcoholic yet she has time for kindness to strangers and a self destructive bent for chasing unnecessary violence. I really enjoyed the complexity of personality written for this character.

Rauser on the other hand, could have been fleshed out a bit more. He was a good character but I felt his development could have had more depth. Ms. Williams portrays a hot and sweaty southern environment populated by a wealth of questionable characters. Entertaining and thought provoking while maintaining suspense and action are a lot of balls to juggle but Ms. Williams did it well.

This is the first book in a new series and I will look forward to reading more about Keye Street.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of Amanda Kyle Williams

Web site: http://www.amandakylewilliams.com/

Coming Back by Marcia Muller

Sometimes I feel like I live in a cave. I am frankly shocked that I have never read a Sharon McCone mystery before. Marcia Muller seems to have a ton of books out there and I have missed them all. I intend to remedy that situation.

Coming Back details the recovery of private investigator Sharon McCone from a gun shot wound acquired in a previous book. Her introspection as to her recovery is interrupted by a double kidnapping. Who is responsible and what transpires is the meat of the novel.

Ms. Muller does an excellent job in providing a reality check on her characters. They are multi-dimensional and quite human. They could be friends or family they seem so normal. She allows them to be frail, frightened and extraordinary, simultaneously.

The story had enough twists and turns to satisfy every Machiavellian obsessed reader. Torn from the pages of corporate scandals and Black Water covert ops, this mystery keeps you guessing until the very end. Sharon McCone’s tenacity and compassion make her a very likeable protagonist.

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of Marcia Muller

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Vermillion Drift by William Kent Krueger

This is much more than a murder mystery. It is a murder mystery in both the past and the present but in addition it is an anthropological cultural exploration of conflict and enlightenment.

Cork is a troubled soul who discovers as much about himself as he does the murders in the book. Cork is a likeable character fraught with self doubt. Keeping one foot in his cultural roots and the other in “normal” society proves difficult.

Krueger posed an intricate mystery with implacable and in some case pathetic foes. The mysticism was well done and not overblown. His characters were painted with clarity and panache.

It is easy to see why Krueger's work sells well, it was an intriguing book that captured my interest and held it until the end.

I highly recommend it.

Body of work of William Kent Krueger

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