Jennifer Jackson – Literary Agent

Bad Bird: A Mystery by Chris Knopf

As sole witness to the crash of a Cessna in the Hamptons, lawyer Jackie Swaitkowski retrieves the camera case that pilot Eugenie Birkson tossed out of the plane just before it exploded. Wanting in on the investigation, Jackie offers to defend Eugenie’s husband during the accident investigation, but her real interest is in the pictures on Eugenie’s camera. As she puzzles over the images, she finds faces she recognizes and is led back to her own damaged past and to her long-lost brother. Tenacious in pursuit of answers, Jackie takes up residence in her office after being attacked in her home. This sequel to Short Squeeze: A Mystery (2010) continues the series spun-off from Knopf’s acclaimed Sam Acquillo novels. Jackie, a lawyer inclined to skirt the law, is persistent to the point of bullheadedness and sometimes too fearless for her own good. Readers may want to scream warnings to her in the suspenseful final pages of this fine hard-boiled crime novel, which effectively combines action and introspection. — Booklist

Twilight’s Dawn: A Black Jewels Book by Anne Bishop

Bestseller Bishop fills out her popular Black Jewels dark fantasy universe (Daughter of the Blood, etc.) with this entertaining novella collection. Daemon Sadi, a black-jeweled Warlord Prince, deals with friends, family, and holiday celebrations in “Winsol Gifts,” while his brother, Lucivar Yaslana, has to thwart a traitor and his deadly trap in the richly entertaining “Shades of Honor.” A mother and her sons are threatened by a dangerous, twisted enemy in “Family,” while Daemon becomes a father and finds a new lease on life and love in “The High Lord’s Daughter.” Fans of the series will enjoy revisiting some favorite characters and mourn the loss of others; new readers may be initially confused by the myriad names and titles, but Bishop’s accessible writing style and interesting world-building will soon draw them into her web. –Publishers Weekly

Bloodshot by Cherie Priest

Locus Award winner (Boneshaker (Sci Fi Essential Books), 2009) Priest makes her first foray into urban fantasy with a new series starring undead flapper and high-class thief Raylene Pendle. Being a vampire just means quick healing and useful supernatural abilities as far as Raylene is concerned. She manages to stay out of vampire politics, living alone and working mostly for humans, until a blind vampire shows up and asks for her help in locating the records of the government experiments that left him permanently handicapped. Within moments of accepting the job, Ray is being tailed by government agents, and someone seems to be casing her warehouse, where she stashes goods she can’t move and lets two homeless kids crash. Priest writes a fast-paced mix of caper novel and thriller that features realistically flawed characters (vampire and human). Plenty of action and a fairly high body count (mostly bad guys) make this a good suggestion for fans of Christopher Farnsworth’s Blood Oath (2010) and other crime readers who don’t mind a few vampires.

Grail by Elizabeth Bear

This deftly told story completes the Jacob’s Ladder trilogy begun in Dust and Chill. The Conns and the other inhabitants of an ancient wandering spaceship face their last and greatest challenge. They’ve finally found a habitable planet, but others beat them to it: “right-minded” humans, surgically altered to achieve emotional balance, and more alien to the Jacobites than extraterrestrials would be. Leaders on both ship and planet are willing to fight and kill to keep the two cultures from interacting, while old enemies aboard the Jacob’s Ladder re-emerge to wreak destruction. The story is poised on a knife’s edge, with the Jacobites facing both possible annihilation and inner demons just as they’re closing in on their goal. Bear’s talent for portraying cultural divergence and conflict is especially apparent in this intense wrapup. –Publishers Weekly

Pack of Lies by Laura Anne Gilman

Gilman’s second Paranormal Scene Investigations is a fast, compelling read. Following Bonnie’s POV is fantastic, and the secondary characters are equally well drawn, especially Pietr and Sharon. Bonnie’s intelligence and perceptiveness really make this book go and readers will root for her and the team to solve their investigation. Gilman handles an extremely sensitive subject with grace and compassion.

Bonnie Torres and the rest of the PUPI team have been called out to the scene of a horrific crime – a ki-rin’s human companion was attacked, and the attackers ended up dead or gravely injured by the ki-rin (a unicorn-like creature, with the attendant purity requirement). Things are always more complicated than they appear on the surface, especially with tensions between the human and fatae heating up. Also heating up is the relationship between Bonnie and her boss, Benjamin Venec – and since he’s her boss, that may not be exactly the brightest idea either of them has ever had. — Romantic Times, 4 1/2 Stars, Top Pick