Perfume - The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind

Perfume - The Story of a Murderer. Patrick Suskind. Vintage Press. February 2001. 255 pages. ISBN #: 9780671749606.

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born in late 19th Century France to parents who is rejected by his parents and all who would otherwise want a little baby to nourish and cherish. The few who do encounter him as a baby note that he smells "evil," like an abomination, whatever that means; it turns out he literally has no smell to him, unlike other sweet babies. But Grenouille survives the rejection of a woman, priest and others to discover that his total way of appreciating the world is through the unique sense of smell that HE has. For he can recognize any object or person by smell, and this is what feeds his soul and sets his identity - that is until the day he encounters a wholly new intoxicating smell. What he will do upon reaching the source of that lovely odor will shock the reader to the core of his or her mind and heart!

Grenouille is now a changed man and seeks to create perfumes that will entrance other as he has been enraptured. But how he will do it is both mesmerizing and shocking, again and again. For creating the perfect perfume makes him even more of a misogynist than previously and his hate will lead to numerous victims as he seeks to rid the world of malodorous men, women, and children.

This is not your average horror or serial killer story. For the author depicts this psychotic individual with such neutrality and writes in such a literate style that the reader is compelled to keep rapidly turning the pages until the last shocking event! The story also gives a nice historical touch to the story, depicting the poverty, wealth, degradation and depravity of the times in a France that may be post-Revolution but is none the better for the overwhelming changes.

One word only perfectly describes this novel - amazing!

The Other Guy's Bride by Connie Brockway

The Other Guy's Bride. Connie Brockway. Published by Montlake Romance. December 2011. 386 pages. ISBN #: 9781612181448.

Ginesse Braxton is trouble waiting to happen! She's an intelligent girl, curious about everything, and mocked by all because her adventurous spirit has led her into several broken bones, some temper-filled conversations, and even the destruction of a very valuable ancient papyrus document. Now she's on her way to Egypt to find the lost city of Zerzura, but what she will do on her own there defies the imagination since this is 1897 when women are not expected to "do" but to "be" for their male partners/husbands. Trust Ginesse to come up with a very clever idea, to take the place of Ms. Whimpelhall, who is traveling to meet and wed her fiance, a British officer. Ms. Whimpelhall is quite seasick and says she cannot abide another trip at sea, so she asks Ginesse to take a letter to her fiance stating that she will make the rest of the journey by train. Everything seems to be falling into place so very nicely for Ginesse, that is until she actually arrives in Egypt and meets the man who will be accompanying her across the formidable Sahara desert.

Jim Owen is not whom he seems. Ginesse thinks he is the proverbial cowboy and a rather smelly, rude, and crude one at that. Yet despite their constant clashes, they are drawn to each other, which stands them both in good stead as both are avoiding people they know. If they were to meet these significant other people, disaster would strike for sure, wouldn't it? Or perhaps the two of them together are enough to invite troubles galore! Yes, these troubles are both hilarious, annoying, and very dangerous.

In the process of their travels, Ginesse and Jim get to know each other - that is, in their false identities. But little by little, revelations will unfold, and love will blossom but not until they both have to surmount more secrets and revelations that only the exotic Egyptian past can reveal to those who seek without fear. Jim is quite an unusual and special guy when all is said and done! Passion galore will flow and end in a lovely but surprising end for this stormy, feisty couple!

Nicely plotted story, Ms. Brockway - there's enough complexity and turns of the story to keep any reader avidly turning the pages. Fine romantic fiction!

Amongst My Enemies by William F. Brown

Amongst My Enemies. William F. Brown. Publisher - William F. Brown as E-Book. 348 Pages. ISBN #: 9781617506710.

Mike Randall is an American pilot shot down during World War II over Northern Germany, treated mercilessly as a German POW to do labor in conditions where one wondered whether one would freeze or starve to death first. While there, his buddy is dying and Mike makes a choice that will haunt him for the rest of his days. As if that were not enough, he is taken on a job and stows away on a ship carrying valuables stolen by the Germans from the captured and murdered Jews. A German officer allows Mike to go free but what follows literally minutes after he is placed in a boat to go ashore is a burden that causes Mike to have a physical and mental breakdown! War is indeed hell for Mike Randall!

After being cared for by a kind Swedish family, Mike years later sees a news story that he knows he must follow-up on - the identification of a German officer who is not who he says he is. Not to spoil the story, a journey begins in New York and continues in Germany that involves an American detective, former German military who are hidden but ever-plotting, Russians who are looking to guarantee the spread of Communism, and numerous other sharks who will maim and kill just like all the others to guarantee their own wealth and power.

No, this is not just another war story! William Brown takes the reader to the heights and dregs of the human condition, giving glimpses to the motives and relationships that are ruled by head and heart, sometimes but not always balanced or whole. On the other hand, there are many characters who understand what Mike has endured and why he must bring some type of closure to the past and perhaps redeem the ghosts that haunt him on a daily basis. He surprisingly is drawn into a relationship with a spunky female whom he fears because of his secret that she doesn't know, but even there the author credibly leads them into a compassionate and passionate place.

This is a story that speeds along like a Ken Follett or Eric Ludlum novel of old. For those who love adventure, thrills, and mystery with a tinge of romance, this novel will leave you breathless and wanting more from this skillful writer. Splendidly written!

Legacy of the Highlands by Harriet Schultz

Legacy of the Highlands. Harriet Schultz. Kindle Edition. Cottage Park Press. 443 KB. ISBN #: B0062LPAO2.

After a passionate, sexy evening, Will Cameron goes out to buy some ice cream. He's worried and has something to tell his wife, Alexandra or Alex, but decides not to mar a perfect evening. Four hours later Alex awakens to find two policemen at her door, announcing Will is dead. She's obviously overcome and her friend Francie helps her make it through the funeral and luncheon held thereafter. Alex blames herself for mentioning the alley that was a quicker way home but also the place where her beloved was killed!

She's also annoyed that Will's former best but now estranged friend has shown up for the funeral but is so overcome with grief and inability to handle Will's family and friends that she allows Diego Navarro to take over. She tells him she has to get to Logan Airport and get out of Boston and soon thereafter she is comfortably resting and recovering in Diego's Florida home, a luxurious retreat where rest and food prepared by a caring maid allows Alex to begin the healing process. But Diego has something to confess to Alex as well as his overwhelming feelings for her that are beginning to slip out. More and more, she is also responding to him, a rather incredible response given the depth of her love for Will and the short passage of time since his death. Whatever is happening here?

The plot thickens as a family secret and an ultimate betrayal connected with Scotland begins to emerge. Scotland has small segments of its population who want separation from England and have signed a certain document in which members of an elite group vow to do everything possible to further the cause of separation from England - and not peaceful. Yes, financial and other agreements leading to Scottish independence are not enough for this group, and Will becomes the means to punish the one who chose other priorities. How will they do it? The story moves from Boston to Florida to Boston to Scotland and back home to Boston. Will's family is guarding some devastating facts that prove to be unforgiveable. Punish the family before the betrayer. But they don't realize that Diego and his bodyguard, a former Massad agent, have different plans and they are not peaceful either? How much will Alex play along?

Harriet Schultz has written a fascinating mystery/thriller novel. There's a bit too much of waiting for the story to evolve but it's worth the wait as events begin to spin out of control both on the personal front between Diego and Alex and on the international front for those seeking revenge. Will there be a satisfactory finale? Read it and discover what possibilities follow for all involved in this lethal story! Nicely done, Ms. Schultz!

The First Rule of Ten - A Tenzing Norbu Mystery by Gay Hendricks and Tinker Lindsay

The First Rule of Ten: A Tenzing Norbu Mystery. Gay Hendricks and Tinker Lindsay. Hay House, Inc.  January 2012. 312 pages. ISBN #: 9781401937768.

We meet Tenzing Norbu on a very bad day! He has been grazed by a bullet and he knows if he keeps it up, he'll be dead and definitely off the road to enlightenment that he has been following for years since he was a Tibetan monk. His life is turned even more upside down when a woman shows up in front of his home. She's a former druggie and cult follower now looking for an old friend, Zimmy. Ten, as he's called, puts her off and she sadly leaves, followed the next day by a messenger who announces she's been murdered. Ten's overwhelmed, to say the least and wonders why he's so off-track in being attuned to the whole person in front of him that he missed something wrong or chose to ignore the faint glimmer that might have saved her life - or might not have!

The rest of the novel is a complex journey and mystery in which Ten explores quite a few obnoxious and shady characters associated with the cult, some very prosperous businessmen who seem to have a rather unique interest in the land owned by the cult and that owned by its neighbors, some innocent neighbors who seem to be falling prey to some lethal diseases and medical problems, and of course those who are assisting Ten with his research and technological needs.

Add to that a soulful cat, Tank, and a pretty new girlfriend who begins to care but is put off very quickly by Ten's brusque occasional responses - but still hangs around...

Change happens and how does one flow with the ups and downs of those vicissitudes without losing one's cool or as Ten would put it, flowing with the connections, dealing with the paradoxes, caring without getting in the way?

To say more would be unfair, but this is a grand read that is fun, wise, thrilling, and quite different from the stereotypical mystery novel. This reviewer absolutely loved it and can't wait to read the next book in the series!!! Great story!

Hidden Summit - A Virgin River Novel by Robyn Carr

Hidden Summit - A Virgin River Novel. Robyn Carr. An MIRA book from Harlequin. 352 pages. ISBN #: 9780778313007.

Leslie Petruso and Conner Danson are some duo! Both are loaded with pain and look forward to a life unencumbered with a member of the opposite sex. Leslie was married to a man who wound up cheating on her and now, even though they are divorced, just won't leave her alone. So she leaves to take a job as far away as she can get from him as she knows her old friends and neighbors either pity her or wonder what she did to push Greg into the arms of another woman who is now carrying a baby he swore he never wanted when married to Leslie. Off she goes to a job where her former skills are respected and people seem more than kind and welcoming!

Conner Danson is divorced as well from a woman who slept with anyone available, almost to the point of an illness. Add to that he was unfortunate enough to witness a murder. While he is waiting to testify against the successful businessman killer, his business is burned to the ground and he receives threats of worse to come in the future if he dares to go to court. So he has been placed under protection with an alias and arrives in the same town as Leslie. But he's not so comfortable with that for many reasons the reader will learn.

When Leslie and Conner meet, both are very careful not to get connected even though the sparks are very clear to each one. As time goes by, both begin to talk, date, and then on to a hot, steamy closeness that belies their original intentions. However, things become complicated on both sides when Greg appears on the scene and Conner wants to share the truth with Leslie.

The pages fly by in this quick-paced, tense, emotional, and passionate story that will thrill every reader who loves romance fiction. Robyn Carr knows how to craft a great story within the romance that keeps the reader flying through the pages, wanting to have the mystery elements come to a satisfying closure but totally unsure until the very end how that will be accomplished. Great story, Robyn Carr!

Voices of the Dead by Peter Leonard

Voices of the Dead. Peter Leonard. Introduction by Elmore Leonard. The Story Plant. January 2012. 320 pages. ISBN #: 9781611880328.

Harry Levin, is a scrap metal dealer who has become successful businessman. His life is turned upside down when his daughter is killed in a car crash. He travels to Washington D.C. and then Germany to find the man who callously killed his daughter and received no penalty for this horrific murder. But when he finally figures out who the man actually is, he tries to approach him and is attacked by the man's bodyguard. Fortunately, Harry has no problem handling the attacker but he is horrified by the callous treatment of the man who killed his daughter, a casual offer to pay for the funeral. This simple, poignant tale, in which Harry himself barely displays any emotion other than anger and some mention of tears, becomes even more terrible when Harry discovers that this man is the notorious Ernst Hess, now a German diplomat still carrying out unbelievably awful deeds!

The reader learns that Harry Levin is a Holocaust survivor who escaped being shot to death by playing dead and then crawling out of a hole filled with other dead bodies during World War II. After following Hess, he discovers Hess is still doing something to Jews that absolutely must stop. The story of the chase between the two, with Hess realizing who Harry is and determined to stop him from pursuing his course and Harry looking for proof to finally get some justice on many levels, is tautly plotted and gripping on every page.

This is a story that must be told, even if it is in fiction form, for it is still occurring in some parts of the world today. No spoilers here - there is so much more that will hold the reader in awe and horror, but one can't stop reading...and hoping that justice must be accomplished. What a story - fine, fine writing Peter Leonard!