I want to do a big thoughtful post on Dennis Lehane’s newest novel, The Given Day , because hey, Lehane. Mystic River remains one of my favorite books ever. But… I liked The Given Day a lot...Good book, and I liked it as a historical, but as a tutorial on Boston history in 1919 it fell flat. I’d recommend in paperback rather than hardcover. Originally published at Imaginary Vestibule .

...like JT Ellison and Brett Battles were in general fiction, along with the likes of Jeffery Deaver and Michael Connelly . Now I'm well aware that Mr. Battles's books could be considered thrillers, but Ms. Ellison's seem like mysteries to me, as do most of Mr. Deaver's and Mr. Connelly's. So does being housed in General Fiction mean you've "really made it"??? I can't imagine that's true...

... but these are the people I idolize.  i think you have to look at your work and try to see it next to the top caliber authors out there.  So you know what?  I would call most all of these mystery/thrillers.  And that's my WIP as well (unless/until an agent tells me otherwise, that is). What about you?  Does your work cross more than one genre or subgenre?  Have a romantic suspense, or a mystery/sci...

More info about these titles on our website: http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/upcomingMystery.shtml The Body in the Record Room by Joe Barone (St. Martin's Minotaur hc, 1st edition, $24.95) I Am Not... How America's Special Operations Forces Became the World's Greatest Fighting Unit by Dwight Jon Zimmerman and John D. Gresham (St. Martin's Griffin trade pb, reprint of 2007 hc, $14.95, non-fiction

Books reviewed: Out of TIme by Samantha Graves, Left to Die by Lisa Jackson Did the Indiana Jones movie leave you wanting more? Samantha Graves follows the story of a tomb raider and a museum curator...is published by Kensington books. It is $7.99 and 499 pages long. Contact Amy Mendenhall at amendenhall@newsandsentinel.com . Visit her blog at www.newsandsentinel.com for more book reviews.

KOP Writer: Warren Hammond Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 331 I noticed this book last year when it was released in hardcover. With that kind of cover, it's no wonder I noticed it. However, after...think this book was familiar! Not that this book is anything like THAT story, but the cast, the mood, the tone, yeah. Sin City (the movie, not the graphic novels. I've not read the graphic novels).

Hi there: I'm Cheryl Kaye Tardif, a Canadian suspense author, and I'd like to introduce you to my novels. Whale Song - a haunting story of love, tragedy and transformation. "Moving... Reviews of Divine Intervention To read my main blog, please visit: The suspense is killing me! Or visit my websites: www.cherylktardif.com www.whalesongbook.com

 Books reviewed: The Writing Class by Jincy Willett and Pitch Black by Susan Crandall A college class is being threatened by one of its students in Jincy Willett’s "The Writing Class." Amy Gallup...at amendenhall@newsandsentinel.com . Read past columns at amendenhall.livejournal.com and visit her blog at www.newsandsentinel.com for a new book a week for your summer reading list!

Here's another five-pack of quickie reviews. This time, I've selected five movies I've watched recently on DVD through Zip.ca . Zip is one of the Netflix alternatives available here in Canada (Netflix...an effort to bother doing anything with but immediately forgetting. I'm sure there's tonnes of straight-to-DVD movies out there as bad as this one, but God willing, I'll never see them. 0.5/5

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson delivers a chilling mystery with more than a few twists and turns in her new novel, "Lost Souls." Kristi Bentz is trying to mend from her traumatic past...the very end. A gothic tale of murder and romance on a college campus setting, "Lost Souls" is a thrilling ride. "Lost Souls" is published by Kensington Books. It is $22 and 403 pages long.