New books - August 25, 2004

New this week: Chasing the Devil, the story behind the capture of the Green River Killer is a great read. For eight years, Sheriff David Reichert devoted days and nights to capturing the Green River Killer--the most notorious serial killer in American history. He was the first detective on the case in 1982 and doggedly pursued it as the body count climbed to 49 and it became the most infamous unsolved case in the nation.

Oregon author Keith Scribnerâ??s Miracle Girl is the story of a beautiful young Vietnamese-American girl who brings chaos, controversy, and hope to one man and his city. The San Francisco Chronicle hailed Scribner's first novel, The Good Life, as "the literary love child of Truman Capote and Robert Altman."

And, a reminder that Friday Harbor author Sharon Duncan has published her fourth mystery in her Scotia MacKinnon series, The Lavender Butterfly Murders. It's in paperback, so you don't need a huge outlay to enjoy some local fiction.

New books August 18, 2004

I've added two new books in the fiction category today.

Kirkland writer Robert Ferrignoâ??s latest work, The Wake-Up, is a "taut thriller, show through with vivid characters and Southern California strangeness," said Seattle times reviewer Adam Woog.

Meanwhile, Skye Kathleen Moody, a Seattle writer, has just released her latest, The Good Diamond, described as a rollicking, fast-paced crime novel that promises to intrigue fans and newcomers alike.

Now comes a reminder of a couple earlier books:

The Lavender Butterfly Murders by Sharon Duncan. When does a sojourn on a remote Pacific Northwest island become a race against time and a deadly assassin? Another mystery from San Juan Island, Wash. author.

D. B. by Elwood Reid. This stunning fictional imagining of legendary American folk hero D.B. Cooper's daring hijacking and its aftermath is penned by one of the toughest, most distinctive voices in American fiction.

New books - August 11, '04

New this week: from Bellingham, Wash. author Michael Collins, Lost Souls is a great psychological thriller and Microsoft Rebooted, as told by bestselling author Robert Slater.

Weâ??ve got a couple northwest authors on the bestsellers list here this week: Day of the Dead, by J. A. Jance and Pyro by Earl Emerson. Meanwhile, D.B., a fictionalized account of the aftermath of the D.B Cooper hijacking, received a good review in the New York Times Review of Books on August 8.

I've just finished reading Pyro. It's a fascinating fictional look at the search for a serial arsonist who returns to Seattle after 25 years' absence. The books is told from several viewpoints, including those of the arsonist.