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Books
Mystery
Novels
Sanyat
Sattar
 The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Mark Haddon
Vintage Books; May 2004
Christopher
John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and
their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates
well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions.
He cannot stand to be touched. Although gifted with a superbly
logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions
and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine, order
and predictability shelter him from the messy, wider world.
Then, at fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world
falls apart when he finds his neighbour's dog, Wellington,
impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the
killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real
killer and turns to his favourite fictional character, the
impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the
investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately
brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents'
marriage. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
is one of the freshest debuts in years: a comedy, a heartbreaker,
a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that
is great fun to read.
 If
Angels Burn
Lynn Viehl
Signet; April 2005
What if
vampires were the victims and humans the predators? This is
the underlying premise of Lynn Viehl's most unusual love story,
If Angels Burn. It is the first in a suspenseful new series
about the Darkyn, vampire-like creatures persecuted by humans
since the Middle Ages. When Dr. Alexandra Keller is recruited
-- kidnapped, actually -- to perform reconstructive surgery
on a reclusive New Orleans millionaire, she finds more than
a patient in need of a new face. She meets a compelling being,
Michael Cyprien, who engages her on the most primal of levels
and inspires her to help his people. Alex's battle to heal
her patient and her struggle to regain control of her own
emotions is paralleled by the story of her brother, a tortured
monk who allies himself with the Brethren, a Vatican-sponsored
enemy of the Darkyn.
 Cold
Service
Robert. B. Parker
Penguin Group (USA); March 2005
When Spenser's
closest ally, Hawk, is brutally injured and left for dead
while protecting booking Luther Gillespie, Spenser embarks
on an epic journey to rehabilitate his friend in body and
soul. Hawk, always proud, has never been dependent on anyone.
Now he is forced to make connections: to the medical technology
that will ensure his physical recovery, and to reinforce the
tenuous emotional ties he has to those around him.
Spenser
quickly learns that the Ukrainian mob is responsible for the
hit, but finding a way into their tightly knit circle is not
nearly so simple. Their total control of the town of Marshport,
from the bodegas to the police force to the mayor's office,
isn't just a sign of rampant corruption--it's a form of arrogance
that only serves to ignite Hawk's desire to get even. As the
body count rises, Spenser is forced to employ some questionable
techniques and even more questionable hired guns while redefining
his friendship with Hawk in the name of vengeance.
Compiled
by: Sanyat Sattar
Copyright
(R) thedailystar.net 2005
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