Ken Follett returns to present day drama as he explores an international "what if" scenario.  It's a high stakes game of chess as the US and China strategically make their moves, while trying to predict the others' actions and keep tensions to a minimum.  The US president isn't just dealing with situations abroad, she has a domestic problem as well, right in her own house.  An American spy undercover in Northern Africa tries to maintain his cover even as he is falling in love with a striking Chadian woman who is trying to flee the country with her young son.  In China, a

Diana and Finn, an upwardly mobile couple living and working in New York City, are preparing to take a dream vacation to the Galapagos when the Coronavirus slams into the city.  Finn, a surgical resident, has to stay and face the ongoing crisis at the hospital, but he urges Diana to go without him.  Diana goes, but the dream soon turns into a nightmare.  Most of her luggage is lost, her hotel is closed, there's virtually no Wi-fi and then the whole island is quarantined so she can't even go home.  As the whole world is thrown into turmoil, being stranded in Paradise does

Someone who is a master at getting past locked doors and security systems is breaking into women's homes, but to what end?  No one has been harmed, nothing valuable has been taken.  The perpetrator moves some things around, takes a small token and leaves behind a note written on a page taken from a local scandal sheet.  The note reads "Reckoning - The Locksmith".  Lincoln Rhyme is just beginning to sink his teeth into the investigation to find out who is responsible when he is sidelined by city leaders making a political move to block civilian consultants being used in N

In the late 80's, in Edgewood, Maryland, a serial killer terrorizes the small community.  Burgeoning horror writer, Chizmar, is living at his parents' home in Edgewood, the town where he grew up, awaiting his upcoming marriage.

When small town sheriff, Winston Barnes, hears an unnaturally low plane fly over his house in the middle of the night, he figures he better head towards the airport.  Expecting to see a crash, he's surprised to see a mostly intact plane at the end of the runway.  Even more surprising, the large plane is completely empty; no cargo, no pilot.  But the biggest shock of the night is the dead man on the ground near the runway.

The lives of several people living in a London neighborhood become entangled when a young man is found murdered in the houseboat he was living on.  Daniel had a difficult childhood and had grown into a troubled adult.  The primary suspect is Laura, seen leaving his boat that night and with an equally troublesome past.  But as more is revealed about Daniel, it seems that even some family members could have a reason for wanting him dead.  I enjoyed this book.  The sinuous path for a solution to the murder is filled with complex, interesting characters that you can emp

The Delaney family used to live and breathe tennis.  They ran a successful tennis school and their four children were all excellent players.  But now they've sold the business and the children are all grown and doing things that have nothing to do with tennis.  Joy Delaney is at a loss.  She's not sure what to do with no business to run and no children to look after.  And no grandchildren either.  Her relationship with her husband, Stan, has always been somewhat volatile.  They worked hard, played hard, loved hard and fought hard.  When Joy disappears

As the Covid-19 crisis begins to sweep across Ireland, a young couple in Dublin begin dating.  When the lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests that Ciara temporarily move into his spacious, company-owned apartment, taking advantage of a unique opportunity to get to know each other better without outside influences.  56 days later, the local police find a body inside when called to investigate a foul odor coming from the apartment.  Finally something good comes out of the Covid pandemic.  This story is well written, intricately plotted and sufficiently twi

When the boss calls and asks you to take a particular flight as a personal favor to him, you can't say no, right?  Bill couldn't, so that's why he's headed to New York City this morning instead of his son's Little League game.  He's not really surprised when his laptop tells him he has an incoming email from his wife, but it's just a picture he can't quite make sense of.  It's his wife wearing a vest of explosives, standing next to their son in their living room.  And now there's a man standing in his living room with another explosive vest, the man who was there when he