The Drop, by Michael Connelly

Another good Detective Harry (hieronymous) Bosch tale.  Although I grow somewhat tired of all these detectives with no knack for intimacy, no family to speak of, and no friends who don't get killed.  Are there no normal detectives out there?

Broken Harbor, by Tana French

Broken Harbor is Tana French's fourth novel of the Dublin Homicide Squad.  As convoluted and intriguing as the first three.   Worth your time if you like mysteries.

Breakfast with Buddha, by Roland Merullo

Breakfast with Buddha is a tale of a trip from New York to North Dakota taken with a spiritual teacher, Volya Rinpoche.  Skip it unless you are into new-agey explorations of contemplation.  My main gripe is that the end seems to be the feeling you get from meditation-contemplation, not transformation of one's life.  My two cents worth.

What Happened to Sophie Wilder, by Christopher Beha

This book is somewhat bewildering.  Sophie is one of the literary set whose search for creative fulfillment is ultimately unfulfilling.  Her conversion to Catholicism gives this novel a hint of depth, but, ultimately, her conversion is unsatisfying to the reader.  Somehow it seems to lack depth, mostly, I think, because there is no hint of repentance or, more importantly, no hint of any understanding of forgiveness.  She is weighed down by her past sins and is unable to hope that she can be forgiven.  Worth a read but inthe end unsatisfying.

Patient Zero

Patient Zero (2009) by Jonathan Maberry is the first of the Joe Ledger series.  Based on this first look, I'll be back for more when I'm in the market for a thriller.  Joe, a Baltimore detective about to move on to the FBI, is recruited by the super secret Department of Military Science (DMS) to combat a terrorist threat.  The terrorists have learned how to create zombies ("walkers") in a plot to destroy the United States.  Lots of action, lots of blood and gore, and a kick-ass hero add up to a great page-turner.  Don't let the zombies scare you off.  This one is worth a look.