Alex Cross's Trial (Alex Cross, #15) by James Patterson

This is actually the story of Abraham Cross, an earlier Alex Cross ancestor.   The time is the early 1900's with Theodore Roosevelt in the White House.   Ben Corbett, a lawyer from Mississippi and now practicing in DC, is called on by TR to investigate lynchings in his home town.   Of course, he gets involved in Klan violence which ends in a trial.  

Even though much of the action could be anticipated, the story holds your interest throughout.

Gallows View (Inspector Banks #1) by Peter Robinson

British police procedural that introduces Inspector Allen Banks.   A variety of crimes plagues the town of Gallows View and they are all solved in an orderly fashion by Banks and Co.   Nothing special but an enjoyable listen.

The Capitol Game by Brian Haig

This was an intricate novel based around a huge holding company that invested in a polymer that could be sprayed onto combat vehicles to make them indestructible.   The conflict swirls among the different companies and individuals who wheel and deal to get control of the substance and the various contracts to use it.   The intrigue includes finance, law and dirty tricks and ends in a surprising conclusion.   Along the way it's difficult to figure out who the good guys and bad guys are.  Great read!

The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30) by Mark Bauerlein

This one only got a thorough skimming, but it was enough to get the point.   Bauerlein sees a depth of knowledge in today's younger generations.  

Although the subtitle points at the digital age, Bauerlein points to a different cause in his final chapter.  He points out that since WWII adults have given in to young adults as the arbiters of culture.   This has broken down the transfer of knowledge and experience of their elders.  

The Racketeer by John Grisham

This one is like the old Grisham.   Lots of intrigue around a conspiracy to get the money and the freedom and the girl!

The Chronology Protection Case by Paul Levinson

This short story adapted to a radio play is a cute story of quantum messaging might become deadly and therefore hidden.

First Evidence by Ken Goddard

This was listed as a mystery centered around a forensics expert.    The first part was and featured a talk by the forensics expert about whether alien life was possible.  (it is)    Uh-oh....now the mystery isn't just a murder and disappearance but the role of alien visitors.

NOT recommended.

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris

This is the novel-ized retelling of the story of the Dreyfus Affair of the 1890's in Paris. The story is told from the point of view of Georges Picquart. Picquart was a career military man and expert in geography and its application to the military. He had recently been promoted as head of the counterespionage agency and participated in the original conviction of Dreyfus.

He then becomes the "whistleblower" and his evidence leads to the exoneration of Dreyfus and both Picquart's and Dreyfus' reinstatement to the military. Picquart subsequently became Minister of War.

The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell

This first novel by Suzanne Rindell is told through the narrative of the first typist, Rose Baker, as she works through therapy in the institution she has been confined to.   She sees herself as a plain woman making her way in a man's world -- a typist in the police department.   When a new typist comes on board, Rose eventually becomes friendly with her and moves into the hotel with her.  

Through many twists and turns, Rose takes on more and more of Odalie's characteristics and possessions.    In the end, the book leaves the reader with questions of just who Rose and Odalie are and what mental problems Rose is dealing with.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, #1) by Alan Bradley

This is the first in this series, although I already read #3.   Flavia is a precocious 11-year old with an interest in poisons.  This is helped along by the chemistry lab she has access to in the family mansion.   The lab was set up by a long forgotten ancestor.  

The stories are simple but the rest of the setting and background are engaging.   This one revolved around the father's stamp collection and its early start dating back to his school days.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

This is another in the genre - chronicle of a walking trip.   In this one, Cheryl Strayed (new name she chose herself) walks about 1000 miles on the Pacific Coast Trail.   The book outlines the events that led  her to this, mostly the death of her mother, and the relatively unprepared way she went about the hike.   The book was interesting throughout and not overly weighed down by introspection.   The stories about the actual hike were an interesting look at her perseverance.


Actually, this review from Goodreads says it all!

A self-absorbed, ill-prepared woman, 26 years old, leaves her husband (a decent guy) for no good reason, mucks her life up even further with drugs and reckless sex, then engages in some vacuous navel-gazing on the Pacific Crest Trail. As a woman hiking alone she gets all kinds of special treatment and help from fellow hikers. She loses a few pounds, gets some muscles and some sun-bleached hair and calls her work done.

The Eight by Katherine Neville

Interesting novel based around recovering an chess set dating from Charlemagne's time.   Two stories unfold through the book:   a computer specialist in the present day and a nun in the time of the French Revolution.   The challenge is both to recover the physical chess pieces and board and to unravel the "formula" encoded in the set.