The Professionals   Owen Laukkanen
A group of twenty-somethings who can’t get decent work become professional kidnappers. An FBI agent and a Minnesota BCA cop hunt them down. I liked the criminals the most, though all the characters had a little more depth than usual in this genre. Couldn’t put it down.

Satori   Don Winslow
Very entertaining “prequel” to Trevanian’s Shibumi. Nicholai Hel is entrapped to work as an assassin for the Americans, kills everything in sight, falls in love, deftly eludes those trying to kill him, avenges his mother, helps lay the foundations for the Vietnam war, and barely gets out alive. All based on the game Go. A lot of fun.

Dublin Dead   Gerard O’Donovan
Extremely well plotted sequel to The Priest. Mulcahy and Fallon are both on the trail of drug thieves, even though Fallon doesn’t know it. Nicely written as well, though there is still not enough characterization, and there wasn’t much mystery about who it was. A pleasing and entertaining read.

The Priest   Gerard O’Donovan
First Inspector Mike Mulcahy novel. He finds himself chasing a Dublin serial rapist and kidnapper who tortures his victims by burning them with gold crosses. Narrative moves well, writing is good enough, just enough characterization, and a rushing, slam-bang ending. Good entertainment.

Blueprints of the Afterlife   Ryan Boudinot
Highly imaginative and well written science fiction novel about the end of the world as we knew it, who caused it, and what follows. New York Alki, people popping into quantum super position, corporate war against the new humans, Bionet embodiment, and the last dude. Very entertaining and even a little thoughtful.