Brother Odd: a novel by Dean Koontz

Odd Thomas gets odder***

This, the third book in the Odd Thomas series by Koontz, author of more than 50 novels,is better than the second but not as good as the first. After the events of the second book, Odd has retreated to a monastery in the Sierra Nevadas to ponder the meaning of life and the strange things that happen to him. But no quiet time for him. His sixth sense, intuition, and his ability to see the lingering dead, again propel him into a maelstrom of weird events as he senses something terrible is about to befall St. Barts and the disabled kids who reside there.Stange creatures lurk around the monastery. Odd ends up being assisted by a former Russian spy, now working for the NSA, in uncovering the mad genius at the heart of the impending doom. Odd averts disaster and then sets off on a journey which will lead us to the next instalmentr in the Odd Thomas saga.

I have to confess I much preferred Velocity and The Husband to the Thomas series. Indeed, it's hard to believe they were conceived by the same author.

Echo Park: a novel by Michael Connelly

Bosch is back in fine form***** December 31, 2006


I have long been a fan of Connelly's Hieronymous(Harry) Bosch. The last couple of Bosch thrillers have been only average but with Echo Park, Connelly/Bosch come roaring back.Bosch is again working in the Open Unsolved unit, worrying the bones of cold cases. One case in particular has haunted him, the disappearance of equestrian Marie Gesto in 1993. Bosch had a suspect but no evidence. Then suddenly an unknown serial killer Raynard Waits is apprehended with body parts in his van.Waits has a long list of killings to his (dis)credit. He's prepared to avoid the death penalty by showing police where bodies are buried. In the process he claims to have killed Marie Gesto. Bosch is called in to assist with the investigation. Pretty soon he senses something is not quite right. Is there corruption at the top of the LAPD? Is Bosch being set up (again)? Connelly reveals all in a plot which unfolds in a measured way with an interesting twist at the end. Highly recommended!