Like most readers who love a good murder mystery, I most often read books by American authors: Janet Evanovich, Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell, David Baldacci, Michael Connelly – the usual suspects. Occasionally, though, a book from a foreign author washes up on our shore like a message in a bottle. And while murder is always murder, the story becomes all the more intriguing and mysterious when set on foreign soil in unfamiliar landscapes, cultures, and civil structures. One of the latest to arrive is Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus from Germany, with more than 3.5 million copies in print in fifteen countries.

Altenhain, a village outside of Frankfurt, is a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Shops and businesses are owned and run by locals, who often end their day over a few beers and bratwurst at the local pub. The town’s wealthy benefactor is involved one way or another in most townspeople’s lives, controlling circumstances behind the scenes and often without their knowledge. Included in the list of beneficiaries is Tobias Sartorius, a village resident who has spent the last ten years in prison, having previously been convicted of the murder of two teenage girls in the town. Tobias has now been released, returns to Altenhain, with his reappearance setting off a chain of events that soon turn deadly and with far reaching repercussions. And there the mystery begins.

Police detectives Pia and Oliver are assigned to investigate the strange and violent developments occurring around town since Tobias’ return. Are they repercussions from the murders, which curiously never yielded the two dead bodies? Has Tobias’ return opened up old wounds that never healed? Or is there something entirely unrelated going on? No one can say because the residents of Altenhain subscribe to a collective code of silence, shielding dark and deadly underpinnings of what appears to be a quaint German village. Meanwhile, as the plot and threats deepen, the private lives of the two detectives continue to grow more complicated, thereby impeding their investigation and interfering with the pursuit of the likely suspects. A young woman’s sudden disappearance intensifies the investigation with most fingers pointing to Tobias, as things begin to spiral out of control and rush toward a deadly climax.

While many popular mystery writers charge forward in their narratives at breakneck speed, Ms. Neuhaus presents a story that is more patient, allowing the reader to dive more deeply into the lives of each character, and thus more fully inhabit the world in which they operate. So engrossing is Snow White Must Die, you may temporarily forget you are safe on American shores.

When I was a child, I was scared to go down to the basement. With its single bare light bulb, dark corners, creaky floorboards above, and an old furnace that spewed and hissed ominous sounds, just the thought of descending the basement stairs triggered all sorts of irrational alarms and nightmarish fears. As an adult, I've since gotten over most of my childhood fears. In Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, Libby Day has yet to get over hers.

Libby was seven when her mother and two sisters were brutally murdered in their Kansas farmhouse in the middle of a frigid January night. She escaped the midnight mayhem through a window into the freezing snow, barely surviving, but at a cost of losing some digits to frostbite. Libby later testified against her older brother, Ben, who has since spent the last twenty-five years in prison for the crime. Alone, aloof, and having foolishly burned through the trust fund set up by sympathetic donors at the time of the murders, she will soon be evicted from her modest dwelling. Libby's maladjusted life is quickly closing in on her.

Enter the Kill Club, a curious group of misfits who spend their free time and money investigating the gory inside details of notorious crimes. They hope to reopen the murderous scene through Libby, who reluctantly sees the opportunity as a solution to her financial difficulties. In doing so, her previous testimony against her brother leads to her own doubts about its validity, her memories, and his conviction.

Gillian Flynn's telling of the story is an imaginative one. In flipping back and forth between Libby's present life and twenty-five years ago, we come to understand the desperate conditions under which the family lived, through the eyes and voices of the main characters in the tragedy. And while bad choices coupled with bad genes seem to permeate their downtrodden lives, it is their continuous struggle and desperate attempts to reach for a normal and socially acceptable existence that tenders heartbreak to their humanity. The bad luck of a drunkard abandoning father, the wrong choice of limited friends, and the difficulties of tending a broken-down, financially failing farm all pile up into a haystack of misery. In the present, we find a young woman struggling to understand the truth and meanings of her dysfunctional past, and how they continue to inform, infuse, and hold a tight grip on her life, even at thirty-two.

As is often the case, we sometimes have to unlock our past -- to free our future. And this usually includes dark places. Not always pretty, sometimes violent, but ever intriguing, Dark Places is a perfect follow-up read for those who enjoyed Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.

As children, most of us grow up in a household that unintentionally defines to us what is normal. Our day-to-day activities, the food we eat, the way we interact with our parents and siblings, all seem to establish the norm, a comfortable existence in which we learn how to operate. We learn what is expected and adjust accordingly. We essentially become experts in our own sense of normalcy. As we grow and learn and experience and travel, however, we come to discover there are, actually, many versions of normal. Still, it is the earlier experience that we inwardly carry with us into our expanded lives, providing a frame of reference for our later days. In Canada by Richard Ford, Del Parsons and his sister, Berner, discover that their parents are planning a bank robbery in North Dakota. This is their normal.

Twins Del and Berner at age fifteen are not at all alike. Berner is assertive, moody, and outspoken, itchy to escape the family household. Del is more compliant, content, and doesn't think things are so bad. But when their parents' carefully planned bank robbery leads to capture and imprisonment, Del and Berner are immediately catapulted into boundless yet unfamiliar territory. At the risk of becoming wards of the state, Berner takes the opportunity to strike out on her own. Del, on the other hand, is quickly ushered across the northern border to Saskatchewan, where he is left among strangers. And from there, the story is his to tell.

Taken in by a strange cast of dangerous characters with shady pasts and mysteries of their own, Del is purposely vague when questioned about his arrival and reasons for being there. With no opportunity for further education, his new existence on the desolate prairies is limited to the odd chores assigned him and the broken-down shack in which he dwells. Nevertheless, each new experience is exciting in itself, relative to his prior life.

While the story is told in clear, concise, and sparse manner and dialogue, it is not simplistic. At times it is truly heartbreaking, balanced with moments of gentle humor, all equally understated but no less affecting. Underlying themes of family, maturity, relationships, and secrecy swim just below the surface of the story. And perhaps it is there we learn the deeper values of our ongoing but ever-adjusting sense of "normal" in our lives.

Richard Ford previously won the Pulitzer Prize for his earlier novel, Independence Day. Other notable works by the author are The Sportswriter and Rock Springs.

At a time when aging pop and rock stars continue to record and perform well past their best-by dates, who would have thought a somewhat cantankerous, outspoken, old hippie like Neil Young would be the one to produce a refreshingly genuine and candid memoir? Waging Heavy Peace is a book full of surprises and good humor, honesty, modesty, and personal revelation.

Most know Neil as a legendary musical artist, having recorded thirty-four albums over four decades. This memoir includes the juicy details of his early days as a Canadian troubadour, his serendipitous success with the revered folk-rock group Buffalo Springfield, the soaring, vocally harmonic CSNY (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young), the gritty, rock edge of Crazy Horse, and dozens of additional solo projects. For those less familiar, you may unknowingly recognize his high, nasally vocals on such songs as "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," "Southern Man," "(Four Dead in) Ohio," "Rockin' in the Free World," and "Long May You Run." His music has run the gamut from folk and country to rock and grunge. Neil has played or recorded with a virtual who's-who of the rock world.

As for the writing in Waging Heavy Peace, it quickly becomes apparent that Neil is not a professional author; his book reads more like a personal journal. Overall, this is a good thing; however, it's a bit untidy and, at times, could have used some judicious editing. But unlike celebrities who use ghostwriters or co-authors to pen their memoirs, Neil's affecting and naive way of expressing himself grows increasingly endearing as you settle in and travel the journey. What is revealed is the man behind the ego and rock persona: the way he thinks and feels and lives, his strengths and passions, regrets and weaknesses, with an abiding love and dedication to his children, one of whom is quadriplegic. His philanthropic involvements include the co-founding of Farm Aid, an annual benefit concert begun in 1985 to help raise funds for struggling family farmers. He and his wife, Pegi, were also founding members of The Bridge School, an internationally recognized leader in the field of augmentative and alternative communication for children with severe physical and speech impairments. For these and other efforts, Neil was named The MusicCare Foundation's Person of the Year in 2010, an annual award to commend musicians for their artistic achievement in the music industry and dedication to philanthropy.

I was happy to discover Neil Young is doing fine, alive and well, clean and sober, with many active projects and plans. His current passions include his involvements in LincVolt, an environmentally savvy solution for large automobiles, and PONO, a high-resolution technology for vastly improving digital music. These and other projects keep Neil active and fully engaged until the muse comes calling again. In a recent interview, Neil was asked about his book writing. Having broken his toe at the pool, he explained, "I just wrote this because basically I didn't have anything else to do and I couldn't walk." That's Neil just being Neil, honest and straightforward. And by the sounds of it, nowhere near his expiration date.

"Camelot,” the 1960 Broadway musical, is a medieval tale based on the folklore of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, including Guinevere and Lancelot. It is the glamorous, romantic yet tragic story of courage and gallantry, passion-fed betrayal, chivalry, love and loyalty. In Killing Kennedy by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, we come to understand the magical aura of the Kennedy years’ affinity with Camelot, through the authors’ superb accounting, explanation, and meaning of this national tragedy.

On November 8, 1960, Americans went to the polls and replaced one of their oldest presidents, Dwight D. Eisenhower (70), with the youngest (43) president ever elected. A handsome and charismatic Massachusetts senator with a beautiful, eloquent wife and two adorable children, John (and Jacqueline) Kennedy offered a youthful idealism, not only in the direction of our country but our identity as a nation. JFK inspired and challenged Americans to serve their country, setting a prime example through his leadership and hard work. JFK and Jackie’s marriage portrayed a romantic love story: he a confident, former war hero and dedicated father; she of elegance and style, poise and grace. When she wasn’t enchanting Parisian and American audiences, Jackie restored and elevated an undistinguished White House with historical antiques, fine art, impeccable decorating, and fashionably sophisticated yet lively social events. Through black-and-white television broadcasts, all became available to U.S. audiences. America fell in love with their First Family.

At the opposite end of Killing Kennedy, we meet the lone assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, a former U.S. Marine with communist leanings who defected to Russia for a period before returning to American soil. We learn much about Oswald’s earlier years, whereabouts, associations, and violent personal activities. The book’s pulse-raising track traces the steps of the President and Oswald in the months and days leading up to the killing of the President like two trains hurtling toward each other on a deadly collision course.

O’Reilly and Dugard are masterful in recounting and revealing exquisite details of these events. But as they did in Killing Lincoln, the authors omit the irrelevant clutter, allowing the narrative to move at a driving pace. Their scintillating reporting actually places the reader inside the president’s car with Jackie, when terror arrives and bullets strike. It is simply heart wrenching. Meanwhile, Americans watched the horror on national TV, Camelot crumpling and dying before their very eyes.

Killing Kennedy also includes the aftermath: Jackie’s grace-filled handling of an unthinkable situation and her efforts to insure JFK’s lasting legacy, including his extraordinary list of accomplishments as President. It later became known that JFK’s preferred bedtime listening was the musical cast recording of Camelot. His favorite lines were spoken in the final number: “Don’t let it be forgot. That once there was a spot, For one brief shining moment … That was known as Camelot.”

"Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing ... after they have exhausted all other possibilities," said Winston Churchill. But what is "the right thing"? The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy defines moral dilemma as: "Situations in which each possible course of action breaches some otherwise binding moral principle." When faced with a moral dilemma, introspective people consider, ponder, and sometimes agonize over the perplexity until ultimately deciding to do what they believe is the right thing. Others follow their instincts without much thought. Harry Hole is a lot like the latter. And in Jo Nesbo's latest gripping novel, Phantom, we find Harry faced with a moral dilemma. Actually, two. The first is difficult. The second is devastating.

Harry, a former police investigator, is on his way back to Oslo, Norway, after spending a period of self-exile in Hong Kong. Having previously concluded that his former lover, Rakel, would be safer, happier, and better off without him, Harry moved far from Norway, removing himself from her life. Although this has seemingly worked out to everyone's benefit, Harry recently learned that Rakel's son, Oleg, has been arrested for the murder of a drug-dealer back in Oslo. As a young boy, Oleg had always looked up to Harry as a father figure. So despite his new life in China, Harry feels a moral responsibility to do the right thing and try to help the young man. Thus, he is returning home. Unfortunately, he knows his presence will likely put the lives of Rakel and Oleg in mortal danger.

We soon find Harry immersed in the dangerous and sinister drug trade of Oslo. A powerful new substance has turned up on the streets destined to replace heroin as the high of choice -- it being more powerful, profitable, and instantly addictive. The dangerous mastermind behind it all is a darkly shrouded mystery. Picking up the scent of the trail, Harry's dogged determination soon leads to a seamy underworld of tunnels and cellars where shootings, stabbings, betrayal, and deceptions lead to deeper hatreds, torture, and death. Meanwhile, Rakel's new lover is drawn into this toxic brew, elevating Harry's confusion and anxiety over his complicated past with the woman and the future they almost had. Like syringes in a shooting gallery, crooked politicians, law enforcement agents on the take, violent drug traffickers, and sophisticated sales networks all plunge their deadly potions into this sinister arm of illegality. The results are a tantalizing tale of intrigue and mistrust, reported at an alarming pace.

Having first read Headhunters by Jo Nesbo, I became hooked on his imaginative and thrilling style of writing. Now having read many of his Harry Hole series, including The Snowman, Nemesis, and The Devil's Star, I found Phantom to be one of his best. Narrative pace, characterization, and plot are all solid, including many new characters and settings. And while Harry Hole is a particularly flawed individual who is often his own worst enemy, you can always count on him to do the right thing.

I like jigsaw puzzles. I like the whole process of doing them: separating and assembling the border pieces, working on individual sections, finding that elusive piece. Ahhhhh, it fits! The payoff, of course, is revealing the complete picture. Following the 2008 financial crisis, I soon realized we were not getting the whole story from newspapers, magazines, or political talking heads. Each had his or her own particular slant and point of view, with plenty of finger-pointing, scapegoating, and blame to go around. Wall Street and the big banks, unscrupulous mortgage lenders, politicians, the Fed, affordable housing, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and The Community Reinvestment Act all came under fire. Consequently, I began exploring books and movies on the topic in hopes of putting together the assorted pieces to get a fuller -- if not whole -- picture. My latest "missing piece" is Bull by the Horns by Sheila Bair, the former head of the FDIC.

Bair's telling of the story is straightforward, accessible, and covers a tremendous amount of ground. Specific bank failures and deals, TARP, Dodd-Frank legislation and the Volcker Rule, as well as international issues, are all covered -- as is the meaning of the terms and jargon often used in banking and the subsequent reporting on the crisis. Credit Default Swaps, CDOs, derivatives, tranches, robo-signing, Basel II and III all become easily understood for the uninitiated, and play a role in the story. What makes this a particularly fascinating read is her revelations of behind-the-scenes negotiations and hidden agendas of the main characters in this tragedy. Want to know how Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary fought to protect Citigroup at all costs? Interested in hearing how high-stakes backroom negotiations are conducted? Curious about who was interested in furthering and protecting their political agendas? And how they used the media to manipulate the arguments?

It's all there in Bair's revelations, and in staggering detail. With hundreds of billions in play, you can bet there was plenty of poker. Bair does not hold back on stating her feelings about being the only woman of power at the negotiating table, and how her exclusion from the boys' club impacted some of her strategies and resulting actions, including moments of self-doubt. But Bair is equally unafraid to state her opinions forthright, although some will take issue with her total dismissal of the affordable housing mandate having no role in the eruption, on which other writers have written extensively. In the end, she believes she fought the good fight and is rightfully proud of her accomplishments. Bair admits she sometimes failed in negotiations and compromised too often, in her attempts to protect the American taxpayers. Note: In 2008 and 2009, Forbes ranked Bair as the second most powerful woman in the world.

There are many books and movies about the financial crisis, such as Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson, The Big Short by Michael Lewis, "Inside Job" with Matt Damon, On the Brink by Hank Paulson, and Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin. Many more will be produced for years to come. Some may ask why bother? What's done is done, move on. But like that unfinished jigsaw on the dining room table, the puzzle begs to be completed and give us the complete picture.

Choices. We all make them every day: how to dress, where to eat, what to read, who to friend, “Boss” or “The Newsroom.” Most will prove largely inconsequential. Others unintentionally lead to complications, like that pyramid of yet-to-read books we keep adding to … until moving day arrives and it suddenly becomes a problem. Choice sits at the center of Ian McEwan’s superb new novel Sweet Tooth, but here the stakes are stacked much higher.

Serena Frome is a bright, confident college student at Cambridge. A good Brit from a proper English family, she is thoroughly enjoying the newly found freedoms of campus life. She is opinionated and candid, minus the elite snobbery, and largely unconcerned what others might think of her. Serena is unassuming and romantic, but with a biting sense of humor. A voracious reader, she devours everything from Solzhenitsyn to Jacqueline Susann, then dishes out reviews for a small but popular local publication. Although excluded from the more popular in-crowd, Serena is unknowingly but most certainly being noticed.

Once she is befriended by a middle-aged professor, we begin to observe the upbeat, delightful personality of a carefree young woman begin to shade with deeper hues and the darker shadows of experience. Her open-book persona is closing, replacing the previous noisy din of distractions with a more focused but secretive existence. Ultimately, Serena is recruited by MI5, the Security Service Division of the British Intelligence Agency. As her decisions and responsibilities become more substantive, so does the nagging voice of self-awareness and the number of secrets to be kept.

Serena is eventually activated as a spy, to engage with a young, up-and-coming writer whose stories have a propensity toward pro-government ideals, and to whom she will offer funding under the guise of “grant money.” Enthusiastic about her first assignment, she enters the project wholeheartedly. But she soon discovers there is an ever-widening gap between what her head knows and her heart wants. By the time she must choose between loyalty and deception, her stack of lies is wobbling in the corner with the moving truck fast approaching. For Serena discovers how even the most noble intentions can sometimes lead to unintended consequences.

Multi-award-winning author Ian McEwan, known for previous novels such as Atonement and Amsterdam, has once again in Sweet Tooth offered a masterful story of intrigue and human emotion. (Also known for his short stories, I should note he has included a few brilliant ones at the pen of the young writer in this tale.) We also get a peek into the mindset and operations of the British Secret Service during the Cold War through the 1970s. Serena, who serves as the main character and narrator, is a treasure. The writing is exquisite; so compellingly authentic and refreshingly honest, it would be difficult to overstate. With humor, dilemma and machination in such deft and capable hands, McEwan’s latest novel is indeed an excellent choice. So do we make our choices … or do our choices make us? Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

As I was approaching my twenties, I couldn't wait to move out. It seemed like a bigger life was calling me. And so I pursued my dreams and aspirations for a new life, new friends, fresh adventures, and opportunities. Yet to this day, I still maintain a significant affection for my old neighborhood: the streets, the houses, the stores, and my childhood friends, some of whom have chosen to remain and build their lives there. Occasionally, in my more sentimental moments, I even wonder if these friends had the better idea. In Telegraph Avenue, the latest by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon, the author explores some of these attachments and a whole lot more.

Brokeland Records is a vintage record shop, in a racially mixed neighborhood of Berkley/Oakland, California. Owned and run by two partners, Nat and Archy, who have a deep affection for the jazz and R&B music of yesteryear, their business is a modest enterprise, mostly catering to the locals they've known for years. The shop is a homey place to gather and sit a spell, to discuss and sometimes heatedly argue over topical issues, as well as favorite musicians and their works. In addition, everyone knows everyone else's business, which is, of course, vastly more interesting.

As the story of this inner circle expands and characters are more deeply revealed, we experience the richness of their personalities' strengths and flaws, marital problems, dangerous histories in some cases; in short, the fabric and soul of life's daily hardships, triumphs, dreams, and disappointments. Their latest dilemma entails the proposition of a new mall being built on Telegraph Avenue. The move is badly needed to lift the run-down despair of the local neighborhood, but the plans include a fancy, larger music store to be named the Dogpile -- which promises to bankrupt Brokeland Records as well as some other local favorite spots. City politicians are caving in to the idea (for the good of the community?) and pressure on these local establishments is growing by the day. An element of intrigue is added through some characters' knowledge of others' crime-riddled pasts. Characters include a rich, former NFL quarterback; an aging, martial-arts movie star of '70s blaxploitation films and his sexy flame; a hoodlum turned funeral director; and the wives of Nat and Archy, longtime friends who work together as midwives. They prove to be a delicious and provocative mix. If the story seems simple, I can assure you the sum is indeed greater than its individual parts.

Michael Charbon is exemplary in his storytelling, giving authentic and distinctive voice to each colorful character. His extensive and incomparable use of metaphor and analogies, distinct and imaginative, communicate believable subplots and back stories that create masterful mixes of dialogue, locale, and action, with a peppering of sharp and well-tuned wit. Surprises abound around every corner. It is clearly evident why some are referring to Telegraph Avenue as the Great American Novel. This level of writing is difficult to overstate, which may explain the success of this and his previous novels, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and others.

In Telegraph Avenue, Chabon reminds us how life in the old neighborhood was often a triumph of human spirit in desperate circumstances, but fortunately, infused with moments of grace, and thankfully, riotous laughter.

With summer’s end and the fall fast approaching, we begin to look forward to a riot of blazing autumnal colors in Central Park, brisk mornings and cooler evenings, the sensuous scent of roasted, street-corner chestnuts, and the delight of apple picking or a cloudy stroll in a pumpkin patch. It’s one of my favorite times of year, partly because there is nothing more satisfying than curling up with a hot, freshly brewed cup of tea, a warm afghan (the blanket kind), and a good mystery novel on a chilly autumn night. A few months ago, Word & Film introduced us to Headhunters by master storyteller Jo Nesbo and I’ve been hooked ever since. Having followed up that read with The Snowman, which was also terrorizing, my next venture into Nesboland is Nemesis by Jo Nesbo, the second of six Harry Hole books in the translated series (and fourth in the series including those yet to be translated). It’s another winner.

Harry Hole is a senior detective in Norway. He is considered one of the elite elders on the force, recognized as a tenacious, astute officer of the law with a remarkable record of solving some of the most heinous and difficult cases. Unfortunately, as successful as his professional record is, his personal life is equally a disaster. His on-again, off-again serious bouts with alcohol have periodically threatened to blow up his career while destroying many of his personal relationships. These drinking bouts sometimes lead to Harry’s black-outs and subsequent disappearances off the grid, only to reemerge days later with bruises or cuts he is reluctant to explain.

In Nemesis, Harry encounters his latest challenge: a number of bank robberies are occurring around Oslo, which uniquely involve a masked robber coldly and callously forcing a bank employee to count to twenty-five with a gun to his or her head. If the money demanded is not collected and bagged in the allotted seconds, BANG! The trigger is pulled and the employee is killed on the spot. It is a deadly game and gripping scenario. As if that weren’t enough, a concurrent plot finds Harry waking one morning with a severe hangover, only to discover that the former flame he had dinner with the night before is found dead. Harry can’t recall a single detail of the evening, leading him to desperately hide his involvement from the police. There’s plenty of deception all around, including that around the attractive female officer Harry is partnered with. Their dangerous trip to Brazil, in pursuit of the robbery suspect, supercharges the suspense and intrigue.

Part of the reason I’ve become hooked on the Harry Hole series is that, as a protagonist, Harry is unfailingly human with more significant shortcomings than other popular mystery heroes. Yet, like most of us, he struggles forward even in the most difficult of circumstances, despite obstacles and messes, often of his own making. Jo Nesbo’s imaginative writing is right on the money, finding the proper balance between description and drive, without becoming bogged down in density of details.

With more Harry Hole novels I’ve yet to read, it promises to be a most satisfying fall. Oh, and did you know that the main reason leaves turn colors in the fall is due to less daylight and more night? I guess I’d be wise to buy the big box of Lipton.

For those uninitiated, Jack Reacher is an aloof, offbeat, former military cop. He is the neighbor you never really get to know: a bit too intense, sometimes abrasive, possibly dangerous. Except Reacher is not your neighbor. Nor anyone's. He owns no home, no apartment, no automobile. The only clothes he owns are the ones on his back. Traveling from town to town and state to state by bus or thumb, he is a drifter. Along the way, Reacher never looks for trouble. Yet somehow, he always steps in it. A Wanted Man by Lee Child, the latest Reacher adventure in the series, is riveting. The story picks up mere minutes after we left him in the previous novel, Worth Dying For, and it never lets up.

Stepping onto the blacktop in the cold heart of midnight, blasts of frigid winter winds of Nebraska are a punch in the face. Jack Reacher sticks out his thumb on the dark, desolate state highway looking for a ride. At six foot five inches tall and heavily built, he is a big bruiser of a man. Muscular and strong, his physique is intimidating. A freshly broken nose covered with a strip of silver duct tape makes him even more grotesque. After a few shivering hours and a dozen or so looky-loos, a sedan with two men and a woman pulls over. Reacher gets in. The woman in the backseat to his right never speaks a word. The two men upfront are marginally more talkative, but Reacher soon realizes the details of their story and identities don't add up. His suspicions rise when they hit a police roadblock.

The prime suspects in a violent execution-style stabbing are apparently on the run. The gripping tale that unfolds is a tense nail-biter with more twists and turns than a Nebraskan corn maze. It includes a beautiful FBI agent, a politically-minded hometown sheriff, and a dangerous, deadly consortium, all swirling in a spinning crop-circle of lies. Attempting to discern the good guys from the bad is only half the mystery. Fortunately, Reacher's acute wit and extraordinary mental skills continue to dissect, analyze, and slug his way toward the truth.

Among all the series protagonists out there these days, Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly, Alex Cross by James Patterson, Harry Hole by Joe Nesbo, and others, Jack Reacher is a little more "out there" -- but even as a renegade of sorts, he is as capable as the rest of his brethren. Reacher is a straight shot of whiskey -- neat, no chaser. He lives his unorthodox life by a seriously defined, personal moral code with fierce loyalty, hurdling legal boundaries as he sees fit. Lee Child spits out the narrative of Reacher's adventures with intense vigor, propelling us forward at a blistering clip, leaving us gasping and irresistibly glued into the wee hours way beyond our bedtime. Later, we fall asleep feeling a little more safe, satisfied, and secure knowing Jack Reacher is, well, out there.

New to the world of Jack Reacher? A Wanted Man is as good on its own as it is a sequel to Worth Dying For.

When is a dream just a dream? And when does it unsuspectingly become our reality? The enchanting and charming Beautiful Ruins, a novel by award-winning author Jess Walter, gives us pause and good reason to wonder. For it is through his rare and exquisite storytelling that we discover the rich depth and soulful validation of daily hopes, heartbreak, and human existence.

Cinque Terre is a small stretch of Italian coastline, comprised of five fishing villages. A worn, early morning church bell tolls; locals and visitors awake to the delights of hot espresso, warm focaccia bread, salty sea air, and the comings and goings of small boats and fishing vessels. After a day of swimming, sunbathing, or hiking the vigorous mountain trails through upper vineyards and olive trees, Ligurian breezes rise to cool vacationers' spent, sun-stained bodies, sipping a glass of local vino or chilled Limoncello under makeshift canopies at water's edge. An Italian Brigadoon, these five gems are the smaller, less commercial cousins of the Amalfi Coast. To visit is to spend time out of time, in the Italia we all dream of.

Pasquale's dream began fifty years ago. As a young Italian man in his early twenties, he imagines his tiny town someday joining the glimmering Italian bracelet of Cinque Terre. Located just to the south, his ignored and inaccessible seaside village is his life -- where he tends to his bedridden, aging mother and cantankerous aunt, making small improvements to their modest inn, while harboring hopes as steep and wide as the huge cliffs overlooking this poor huddle of fishermen and their families. All of that changes when a beautiful young actress arrives by boat and happenstance. Pasquale is immediately smitten. But his innocent, gentle pursuit of amore proves rockier and more tortuous than the rugged hillside footpaths rising above his town. When Richard Burton (is there another?) unexpectedly arrives in pursuit of the fair beauty, the story breaks open into a wider berth, leading to modern-day Hollywood, and an unexpected new direction for Pasquale's future. (Under a less talented author's pen, this unlikely development might not bear the weight of its own creativity. But Jess Walter's exceptional writing makes such transitions natural and seamless.)

Over a fifty-year span, some dreams lead to Florence, to Genoa, Seattle, or London before arriving at their destination like a travel-weary, battered old suitcase. By the time the duopoly of yesteryear and today are heading toward collision, we are fully immersed and invested, inhabiting the fragile lives and tender yearnings of each unforgettable character. Their story is a beautiful romance, a heartbreaking drama, a hysterical and adventurous farce, all offered and infused with moments of grace … inspiring tears, deep-felt sighs, and molte risate (many laughs.)

This is no everyday eBook. This is a book to be cherished, kept, and revisited in your personal collection. It is simply a treasure. I fell in love with it. Maybe there's a little Pasquale in all of us. Or perhaps we'll someday meet in Cinque Terre.

Browse through any reasonably sized bookshelf these days and it is likely you'll find a virtual smorgasbord of offerings by celebrity chefs: everyone from Alton Brown to Geoffrey Zakarian. But as you peruse this literary buffet, searching for the tastiest intellectual palate pleaser, I posit none will prove more satisfying than the latest offering by Marcus Samuelsson, Yes, Chef: A Memoir.

Samuelsson's credentials are notable. They include the award of three stars to Aquavit by The New York Times; he is a three-time James Beard Foundation winner including "Best Chef: New York City"; and the 2010 winner of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters." Marcus was also chosen to be guest chef for President Obama's first state dinner at the White House, not only planning but executing the dinner for 400 guests. It is not the fascinating stories leading to these achievements that make this read so rich and enchanting but, rather, the deeper, more compelling story of his lifelong formation as a man, a son, and a father, engendered by the remarkable grace, generosity, and humility with which he tells it.

Born in Ethiopia, Marcus and his sister Linda were adopted by a family in Sweden after their birth mother tragically died from a tuberculosis epidemic in 1972. The story walks us through his modest but cheerful childhood, growing up a black son in a white family and society, the lessons his parents taught him about life, race, and work ethic along the way ("hard work is its own reward," "integrity is priceless,"), all deeply infused with the love and loyalty of his family. It was his adoptive grandmother, Mormor, who first taught and inspired Marcus with her delicious yet humble traditional Sunday dinners. Ultimately, it is these main ingredients that nurture and allow Marcus to pursue a lifelong quest of "chasing flavors," through apprenticeships, jobs, and work-related travels. Africa, Sweden, South America, Asia, and most recently Harlem contribute soul to his simmering culinary sensibilities. Ultimately his recipes honor deep traditions of generations, while adding the delightful unexpected mysteries of other cultural tastes.

It was his family's guidance and generosity that sculpted a young man's driven and sometimes selfish ambitions into the kind, accountable, and successful individual he has grown to become. Marcus gives credit where credit is due. And his frankness about it all results in a refreshingly honest introspection of a man who now knows who he is, and how he got there. "One of the reasons that people enjoy coming to a great restaurant is that when an extraordinary meal is placed in front of them, they feel honored, respected, and even a little bit loved." A pretty good recipe in the end.

Choosing which mystery writer to read these days is a bit like choosing a dining experience. In addition to the myriad of cultural offerings, we may choose a sit-down, takeout, standing casual, or bite on the fly. Reading a Stieg Larsson novel, for instance, is a seven-course meal, requiring some time and patience, yet resulting in a deeply rich and satisfying experience. James Patterson is a lot like fast food, tasty but quickly and easily devoured. And then there’s David Baldacci, who always delivers a full, hot plate. His latest, The Innocent, is steak, rare, with potatoes and gravy, all-American, all-heart.

Will Robie is a political assassin. Hired by the U.S. government, he is ordered to kill individuals who conspire against the United States. Robie is tough, savvy, and courageous. He takes enormous risks and no prisoners, pursuing these most heinous villains. Meticulous planning and precise executions have granted him a perfect record. Now, with his long, violent career beginning to catch up with him, Will struggles to hold on to that small, buried, diminishing piece of himself that reassures him that he is, in fact, still human.

But when elements of his latest assignment go suddenly and tragically awry, the hunter becomes the hunted and circumstances soon spiral south. With federal bureaucracies of little help, Robie teams with the unlikeliest of partners, deepening the mystery and creating more problems than solutions.  The result is classic Baldacci: a maze of bread-crumb clues keeping you riveted to the page as each precious minute ticks toward its deadly ultimatum.

Many authors of this genre tend to write with a speed-driven narrative, and often fall prey to arrested character development. Baldacci strikes a better balance between speed of story and intricacy of character, his Camel Club series serving as a prime example. And where devices such as red herrings (misleading clues) are employed by many mystery writers, Baldacci relies more on shrewd plots and hairpin turns to keep you guessing, while tottering on the edge of your seat. Overall, it is the deeper intelligence of his writing that keeps me coming back for more. His talent for weaving so many disparate and delicate strands into a perilous web of deception is masterful, resulting in a remarkable, intellectually satiating experience. In doing so, I am left most impressed with the genius of his thinking, plotting and craft. A Magnolia cupcake on the fly? Baldacci is more like a favorite restaurant you return to time and again. Bon appetit!

Only rarely have I met or known an enthusiast of American history, certainly not back in my school days. So then, how to explain the enduring popularity of Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard, which has ensconced itself on The New York Times Best-seller List for a formidable thirty-six weeks as of this writing. Most people know Bill O'Reilly as the popular host of "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel. Yet few people are aware that O'Reilly was a history teacher before he entered the world of broadcast journalism. But love him or hate him, O'Reilly (and Dugard) serve up a riveting four-act tragedy as compelling as any suspense novel of recent memory.

We enter the story a mere fourteen days before the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The Confederate Army, under the command of Lee, is on wobbly last-legs; out of food and supplies, their uniforms and shoes in tatters, men (and horses) are falling or deserting daily as Lee leads them in an incessant, punishing march south toward the Carolinas, desperately attempting to save his soldiers' lives. Each step of the way, they are relentlessly pursued and pounded by Grant's larger and well-equipped army, forcing the Confederates to turn and fight yet again, refusing to accept what is inevitable. It is a heartbreaking first act, viewed from a boots-on-the-ground perspective. Meanwhile, Lincoln is desperate for the four-year war to end, so that the true healing of our divided nation can begin.

Lincoln hardly sleeps, his eyes are hollowed, he suffers bouts of depression, and he has lost thirty-five pounds from worry and dismay over this country he loves so dearly, and whose needless death of Americans on both sides tears him apart. Meanwhile, Confederate loyalists and spies conspire to kill Lincoln, so infuriated are they over his freeing of the slaves and the resultant changes to their beloved South. Lincoln is well aware his life is in mortal danger. His only solace is found in his love of Shakespeare, the simple and loyal dedication of his wife, Mary, and a few verses of daily reading from his tattered Bible.

Enter John Wilkes Booth, a flashy, good-looking bon vivant and actor, who is determined to kill Lincoln on behalf of the South, with the promise of his own egocentric immortality at stake. We discover the wheres and hows of Booth's recruitment and funding, the exquisite detailing of his fiendish plan, including a theatrical flair Booth will add to the finale, and his planned escape to Mexico, all in staggering detail. O'Reilly's telling of the final day is masterful, giving us an hour-by-hour interplay of the two main characters hurling toward their destiny. The narrative is swift and fully engrossing.

While O'Reilly's book is strictly nonpolitical, I find myself now pondering the differences between Lincoln, one of America's greatest Presidents, and today's political leaders.

Check out an excerpt of Killing Lincoln.

Some years ago, I attended an Aerosmith concert in Portland, Oregon. The band was in fabulous form, punching out their greatest hits with a sound and fury that was explosive: two hours of ear-numbing party insanity, ending with three solid encores of heightened hysteria. Phew! Frontman and lead-singer, Steven Tyler, by then crowned the modern-day Mick Jagger, strutted and swaggered his rouge-faced, glitter-laden body across a dazzling mega-stage, rock super-showman singing and screaming as only he can do. I met Steven shortly after the show, shook his hand and thanked him for an extraordinary concert. His response came as a surprise. With warmth and gentle humility, he quietly thanked me, patiently shaking my hand. We chatted for a few brief moments. I found him gracious and soft-spoken, genuine and kind, something I would never have expected based on his public and stage persona.

Now, fifteen years later comes Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? A Rock 'n' Roll Memoir by Steven Tyler. Tyler serves up his philosophy, poetry, history, anecdotes, advice, and stories – great stories! – all wildly spinning on the revolving disc of the music business. Want to know what it's like to be a rock star? What it's like to be on stage? What it's like behind the curtain? In the studio? He tells you … in his unique way of connecting a cacophony of thoughts that spill and jangle and twist and turn and take you places far and unknown, sometimes all in one sentence. But that is what makes this read such a fun ride. And if there is no word to describe what he's telling, he just invents a new word! Brilliant!

We learn of his early summers in New Hampshire as "Nature Boy," life in the Bronx with his "hippie" mother and Juilliard-trained, classical-pianist father, his sojourns to Greenwich Village as a teenager, and the bumpy musical expeditions, manifestations, disappointments, and developments all along the way. Tyler speaks freely and his language is loose, as you might expect. He holds nothing back – in what he thinks of others, but also what he thinks of himself. Both good and bad.

Later, we learn of Tyler's experience of Aerosmith and life on the road: the drugs, the sex, the music, the arrests, addictions and rehabs, and their subsequent toll on his marriages and personal life. Tyler tells it all with refreshing candor yet with no apology. He also explains how these experiences transposed into specific lyrics and songs. Tyler shares stories of his rocky relationships with Joe Perry and the other band members, including concerts they performed while not speaking to each other. There are many juicy tidbits and details for the dedicated fan, but Tyler's memoir also offers a wider perspective and reflections on an unusual life, with lessons drawn from such a colorful and topsy-turvy journey.

Anyone who has seen Steven Tyler as a judge on "American Idol" may have observed that he has grown into a more generous, kindhearted, and gentle being with age, while maintaining his zany sense of humor and outrageous ways of expressing himself. I'd say this was Steven Tyler all along, but we’re just now getting to know him.