Auntie M is back with more holiday gift suggestions for those readers on your list, or for suggestions to print out and leave lying around for others to buy for YOU!

James Lee Burke’s Edgar-winning Black Cherry Blues has been reissued by HarperCollins. 197772741This is the third entry in the long-running and popular series.

In what could be called Cajun Noir, Louisiana ex-cop Dave Robicheaux is running from too many painful memories, among them the murder of his wife and his battles with the bottle. He’s struggling to raise his adopted daughter, Alafair, while running a fish-and-tackle shop.

Into the mix comes his old college roommate, and before he knows it, Dave is implicated as a murder suspect and is off to Montana to clear his name.

There will be sociopaths, the mob, and even Native American activism all piled on Dave’s plate before he’s through.

Despite the violence, Burke’s first person style let readers view events from Dave’s point of view and his interior monologue is part of the attraction to this series. The sense of place is detailed with graceful descriptive passages that contrast to the high action scenes and sharp dialogue.

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Dale Brown and Jim DeFelice feature the thriller revolving around Dreamland’s Whiplash unit in Collateral Damage.

Years after the fall of Gaddafi, all is not well and Libya requires the attention of NATo forces, intervening in a  war that could have devastating consequences for the volatile region.

Dreamland’s latest invention are flown entirely by computer, removing human error. But something has gone terribly wrong with this supposedly foolproof super-weapon, and a tragic accident results in the deaths of innocents.

The entire Whiplash program is under fire. Was the accident the result of the scientist’s human errors? Or is a more sinister force at work and this is the result of sabotage.

But there’s an enemy waiting for him, determined to unleash more chaos, increased terror and even more deaths—which sends pilot Turk Mako to the skies. Flying the older technology of A-10E Warthogs, flying without computers, Mako tries to prove that, in the heat of battle, a skilled ace can do what no computer can.

For those readers looking for a female protagonist, or a book that’s loaded with humor, there’s JB Lynn’s Further Confessions Of A Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman.16133981

Start off with characters that include a snarky lizard lovable and a grammatically-challenged Doberman. Toss in a bit of Doctor Doolittle in the form
In this story, Maggie has to raise money for a lawyer to defend the custody of her niece Katie. Her “boss” gives her the target who happens to be a former uncle (and drug dealer) and the person who Maggie believes is responsible for killing her sister, brother-in-law and putting her niece in the hospital. She also has to perform her duties as maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding, reunite with a friend from the past that she had such a crush on, shake off advances of a police officer she went out with a couple of times in the past, stop the emotions and feelings she has for her hitwoman mentor, experience threats that have to do with her incarcerated father, and deal with her crazy aunts. A lot goes on in this story!

Overall what I liked about this one was that there was a little more romance for Maggie. I think Maggie needs someone to love her and be there for her every day. She deals with so much on her own and while Godzilla and DeeDee are great for her, they are still pets and not people. I really liked Zeke in this story and went back and forth about whether or not I wanted he and Maggie to start a relationship. I still like Patrick the best and hope he and Maggie can find a way to be together when all is said and done. Maggie’s aunts remind us all that we everyone has wacky family members and even if they do some crazy things, at the end of the day, they all love each other.

JB Lynn has written another fantastic story full of humor, emotion, family, friendship, and love. I really hope there will be more books in this series. I highly recomme