May 1 - Michael Connelly's latest Los Angeles novel The Brass Verdict, is his usual top-quality writing. It features both his new character, lawyer Mickey Haller and his iconic LAPD detective, Harry Bosch. Also worth noting are Stephen Greenleaf's Blood Type, featuring his PI John Marshall Tanner in early 1990s San Francisco, and John Billheimer's Dismal Mountain, one of an intriguing series featuring transportation expert Owen Allison and a mix of murder and corruption in small-town West Virginia.

April 19 - Nemesis, the latest Jo Nesbø book featuring Oslo detective Harry Hole, came in to my local library recently, and I just finished reading it yesterday. It's the best of the three I've read so far. As with the others in the series, the plot twists may be a bit over the top, but Nesbø helps make you willing to suspend disbelief.

April 11 - Among books I've read so far this month only A Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees really stands out,for a 5-star Library Thing rating. The others are also good reads, and I like the authors, but The Marvelous Boy by Peter Corris and Night and Day by Robert Parker are predictable fare for those who know these authors. Henry Chang's Year of the Dog is interesting for its Chinatown setting, but not quite as good, in my opinion, as his earlier Chinatown Beat.