Reading right now:

            “Memory Man” by David Baldacci. In Baldacci’s 30^th novel, he introduces a fresh and fascinating new character named Amos Decker which looks like it will be a new series. Decker started out as a professional football player whose career was ended in a terrible accident so he joins the police and ends up being a police detective. His accident left him changed so that his memory is amazing. One night he returns home from work to find his wife, daughter, and brother-in-law murdered which propels him into a downhill slide into unemployment and homelessness. Years later someone walks in and announces that he murdered Decker's family. When Decker talks to him, he realizes that the man can't be the killer, but what is his motivation? This is a fast moving thriller which keeps you glued to the book until you finish (and then you are sad you read so fast). I really enjoyed the new character and the timely subject matter.

On hold right now:

            “Gathering Prey” by John Sandford. This is the 25^th book in the Lucas Davenport series which started in 1989 with “Rules of Prey.” When someone starts killing off panhandlers, Davenport’s adopted daughter, Letty, gets a call from a friend who thinks she knows the killer. Lucas Davenport has become an iconic detective, a must read for anyone who loves mysteries.

Other mysterious things:

            The Mystery Writers of America announced the 2015 Edgar Allan Poe Awards on April 29 in New York City. The Edgar winner for best novel of the year is “Mr. Mercedes” by Stephen King. The best first novel by an American author is “Dry Bones in the Valley” by Tom Bouman. The best true crime novel is “Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood” by William J. Mann.