LeVay's book begins with the story of an accomplished track and field star who was unlucky to acquire Parkinson's Disease in 1979. His effort to get the best care took him to China in a last ditch effort to try an early stem cell transplant. The chapter chronicles the ups and downs of the treatment, and the patient's ultimate demise.

Volcanic research is a field that requires scientists to get up close and personal with their subjects. Unfortunately, a group of scientists studying a volcano in Columbia in the early '90s had the worst of luck. Despite indications the volcano was about to erupt, several scientists descended into the caldera, and were vaporized.

In 1928, the St. Francis Dam north of Los Angeles was completely destroyed just days after it was officially opened, due to an engineering mistake made by a respected "chief engineer" with little formal education. The blunder caused the death of hundreds downstream and destruction in the millions of dollars.

Three men died in January, 1961 at the Idaho National Laboratory, conducting routine tasks to bring a nuclear reactor back online after a hiatus during the Christmas holidays. The cause of the explosion was determined after the radiation dissipated but the accident's cause remains a mystery.

During the height of the cold war in the late 1970's, the U.S.S.R. was conducting clandestine research in the field of biological weapons, or maybe not. Over the years, many respected scientists have researched the deaths of more than 40 in Sverdlovsk as a result of anthrax poisoning, but several theories still abound regarding the outbreak's cause.

Other scientific mysteries are discussed in detail in the book, from the botched weather forecast of an English hurricane, recent research into the party drug Ecstasy, a CSI-style story about forensics nailing the wrong man, a Mars surveyor lost completely due to a software problem attributed to the wrong units which inadvertently changed the spacecraft's trajectory, and more. LeVay's book is an eye-opener, and makes you think about the ultimate impacts of scientific research. [June 24, 2008]

 

The Dark Tide Andrew Gross has been a co-writer with James Patterson on several very successful best sellers. His solo novel "The Dark Tide" begins on the day when Charles Friedman supposedly dies in an explosion at Grand Central Station. Charles owns and manages his own hedge fund. He had been a trader on Wall Street, working for a powerful firm, but he left to start his own business. He was able to take several customers with him and they were enough to enable Charles to earn a quality living for his family. Together, they all lived the good life. Charles and his wife, Karen, have two perfect children, Alex and Samantha. There is a classic Ford Mustang in the garage, color Emberglow. The vanity plate reads Charlie's Baby. The only point of grief in their life was when their Westie dog had been run over the previous week.

On what seems to be the start of a typical workday, Charlie takes the commuter train in from Greenwich, Connecticut to New York City. Karen is at yoga practice, when suddenly TV bulletins about a fire caused by a bombing at Grand Central Station rivet everyone. Many families in town have a family member who regularly takes the train into the city, so people worry that they might know a victim. It is several days before Karen can believe that Charlie is dead. The devastation at the bombing scene is so great that bodies are unidentifiable.

On the same day that Charlie dies, a young man is killed by a hit and run driver in Greenwich. Ty Hauck, a police detective, becomes both professionally and emotionally involved in that case. Ty had accidentally left his car in gear and the vehicle ran over his red-haired daughter. This victim had the same bright red hair, so that pulled a visceral response from Ty. He was determined justice would be found for this young man's death.

Months after Charlie's death, Karen is visited by two men who threaten her and accuse her of hiding millions which Charlie had supposedly stolen from the hedge fund. On the anniversary of the bombing, Karen reluctantly is watching a TV special about the event. The program is very difficult for her to watch, but just as she turns away, she sees a brief glimpse of Charlie leaving the station after the bombing. What happened to Charlie and what happened to the money? Eventually Karen and Ty partner in this cliffhanger search. [June 17, 2008]

The Book of Joe "The Book of Joe" by Jonathan Tropper is the fictional account of the trauma undergone by an author when he writes a novel about his hometown, including thinly disguised local characters. Joe Goffman left his hometown seventeen years ago and has not been back since. After college and several years spent in New York City, he wrote a very successful novel about his hometown and his tragic high school senior year. It even became a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kirsten Dunst. Two close friends and a girlfriend were a part of that senior year in both reality and Joe's fiction. Joe's great failure in high school was that he was not on the basketball team. The Bush Falls Cougars frequently win state championships, so the team is the focus for the entire town. Joe's father and older brother had both been team members. Virtually every town leader had played basketball. If you weren't a player, you don't count in Bush Falls.

Strangely, Wayne, an outstanding basketball player, spends time with Joe. Wayne is the kind of kid who sees no boundaries. He makes friends wherever he wishes. Joe's other friend is Sammy, a new transfer student. Sammy tries to be an outsider. His dress, hairstyle, and musical taste indicate he wants to be in New York instead of suburban Connecticut. The three boys manage to stay close friends, doing the slightly irresponsible things teenagers do in 1986. Some of these scenes are hysterically funny and some are unbelievably tragic.

When Joe's father has a stroke, Joe feels a familial duty to return to his hometown. Joe now has to face the outrage of the Bush Falls residents. Although the book had been an outstanding bestseller, it is not popular locally. On Joe's first night at a local diner, the wife of the high school basketball coach throws a milkshake at Joe. Joe's reunion with his brother, Brad, and the old friend, Wayne, isn't much happier. Even the local book club welcomes him back by throwing copies of his novel at the house. Additional characters that add dimension are Owen Hobbs, Joe's agent, and Joe's nephew, Jared. Jared is leading a new generation's rebellious teen life, and (gasp) he is not playing basketball. Joe has a new definition of ancient when he begins to grasp the chasm between his and his nephew's interests and moral codes. Lyrics from Bruce Springsteen songs are used to highlight characters' philosophies. [June 10, 2008]

Executive Privilege Philip Margolin has authored an exceptional read in Executive Privilege, a 2008 release by Harper-Collins. This fast-paced mystery chronicles the steps a President and his entourage might be willing to take to retain the position as "Leader of the Free World."

This tale begins with two people holed up in a safe house waiting to be heard in an investigation of murder charges being pursued by a special investigator against the President of the United States, and then flashing back to the series of events leading to this moment.

On both coasts of the United States, serial killers have a single unexplained murder amidst their gory kills. The investigation of one jeopardizes the career of a young lawyer doing pro bono work for his firm. Doing research on a potential death row appeal, he learns that the condemned killer, while accepting his death sentence for his acknowledged homicides, refuses to be condemned for a murder he couldn't have committed. His alibi was never shared at trial, but this innocent is saddled with the gruesome information proving the impossibility. The second anomaly brings a PI too much information regarding a presidential tryst with a teen-ager working for the opposition's campaign who winds up dead. As the actual serial killer is identified, the copycat has missed a key unreleased piece of information establishing this murder as the product of a different source. The resulting attempts on her life, send her into hiding while attempting to find a long-term solution allowing her to live.

The twists and turns take the reader from the scenic Williamette River to a dumpster in downtown D.C. pursuing the truth about an out-of-control, above the law triangle, which looks much different to its adoring public than it does when all is exposed. An incumbent President on the campaign trail, his devoted, newly pregnant wife and the long-time friend who has cleaned up his messes before, share a secret that binds them together in protecting the presidency and endangers anyone outside of the circle who knows it.

How far does loyalty go? What price would one pay for their ultimate prize? When money and power combine is anyone safe from its clutches? Margolin's grasp of legal, political and investigative nuances melds with believable characters to create a riveting read challenging the reader to answer those questions.
This page-turner has you certain you know how it happened until the final turn unlocks key details that only the murderer would know leaving one gasping at the identity of the improbable culprit. [June 3, 2008]

 

 

by Helen Davis