Dead Run by PJ Tracy

The software developers known as the Monkeewrench team have volunteered their sophisticated computer programs and their considerable expertise to help police departments solve related crimes. When Sharon Mueller, a Wisconsin police deputy now working for the FBI in Minneapolis, asks Grace MacBride and Annie Belinsky of the Monkeewrench team to help her connect the dots in a series of Green Bay murders, the three women set off on a road trip through rural Wisconsin.

Along the way, they find the grisly remnants of a mysterious event: an abandoned town, a quasi-military blockade, and a farm field filled with unspeakable horrors. Is this some kind of secret government experiment? Or is it the beginning of a new kind of war? Drawn into the mystery against their will, the three women soon find themselves actively involved not only in saving themselves, but also in preventing the potential deaths of thousands of other people.

In the meantime, terrified by the women's disappearance, the rest of the Monkeewrench crew and law enforcement agencies in two states mobilize to find the three women before it's too late. For some, such as Detective Leo Magozzi, the motivation is as much about their personal desires as it is about professional concerns: "We're not on the job. What we really are is a couple of frantic guys chasing a couple of skirts. Saving our women. Caveman stuff." Little do these frantic guys know, though, that their women are more than capable of taking care of business, sometimes surprising even themselves.
The characters drew me in and kept me involved with the story.

I'll be lookimg for more PJ Tracy.

Mindscan by Robert J Sawyer

The premise of this novel is that in 2048, the time in which the story is set, researchers have developed the technology to digitally upload human consciousness. A multi-billion dollar corporation called Immortex is selling the uploading process to elderly people, in order to provide them with "immortality." What they do is make a digital copy of a person's consciousness by taking a MRI-like snapshot of their entire neural configuration. Using this copy, they use something called a quantum fog, which remains momentarily quantally entangled with the original copy, to grow a replica brain out of nanogel. This synthetic brain is then placed inside a synthetic body, modeled to resemble the person's original body (at least at some point in their life) so as not to throw the mind's calibration off too badly.

A well written and highly enjoyable story, one that will leave you pondering the eternal question of what it means to be a human being.

The School for Heiresses

In four new crowd-pleasing Regency novellas, students from Mrs. Harris's School for Young Ladies return home for the holidays with high hopes for entering society. Despite their careful training under the wise Mrs. Harris, each defies the rules in her own way and, in the process, gets her first taste of romance. Bestselling Jeffries, author of the series that inspired this anthology, leads with panache: her passionate tale of Eliza Crenshawe finds the young firebrand fleeing a marriage arranged by her cruel uncle, attempting to steal a horse and falling under the spell of the horse's owner, the new earl of Monteith. Rita-winner Carlyle weaves a complicated tale about Martinique, a courtesan's daughter with a mysterious past in the West Indies, whose bedchamber is mistakenly breached by the scandalous Lord St. Vrain. London presents Grace Holcomb, the daughter of a wealthy wool merchant, who inherits her domineering father's distorted values and nearly misses out on the love of a good man from Leeds. Bernard's tale of mischievous Alyssa Martin, whose odd luck lands her in a series of comical misadventures, rounds out the collection with an "all's well that ends well" finale.

I bit of light, fluffy fun with a lot more sex than should be indulged in by unmarried Regency misses.

Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts

Having travelled through the Dance of the Gods to the land of Geall, the six members of the circle find themselves convincing then training the people of Geall to defeat Lilith's vampire army. The Valley of Silence is a forbidding place for the battle of all battles, but the circle continues to prepare through a series of magical tests that improve their strengths both individually and as a team. Moira finds herself playing the roles of warrior and royal, as she follows the tradition of her people and prepares to take the crown before leading them into battle. She must also deal with her feelings for Cian, who she finds her thoughts turning to more often than not. And how will the people of Geall fare against an army of blood-thirsty vampires who have had centuries to prepare?

This was better than book 2 in the trilogy. I liked the gradual development of the the relationship between Moira and Cian. The ending wasn't a big surprise, but it fitted.

Full House by Janet Evanovich

Her life was pleasant, proper, and predictable-- until he showed up and trouble moved in... Polo instructor Nicholas Kaharchek senses danger the minute he sees Billie Pearce. She represents everything he's so artfully avoided. Happy in her home life, a divorced mother of two, Billie is the epitome of stability. They have nothing in common. To his horror, Nick is fascinated-- and irresistibly attracted. When Billie generously offers to share her home with Nick's crazy cousin Deedee for a while, Nick finds himself visiting-- often. And while each is slowly seduced by the other's charms, and both are wildly encouraged by devious Deedee, Billie and Nick find out that what they have in common is most important of all. But neither one knows that danger is lurking where they least expect it and a killer is closing in on them.

A light fluffy read.

Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts

the circle of six prepare for their battle against the powerful vampire Lilith and her undead army. The six members, culled by the goddess Morrigan from the past and the present, include the wizard Hoyt and his vampire brother Cian, the witch Glenna, ancient Geallian princess Moira and her shape-shifting cousin Larkin, and demon hunter Blair.

I enjoyed this book, but it did have the feel of a transitional novel to me. The circle was formed in the first book, the battle will be fought in the third. The romance wasn't as hot or as filled with difficulties as was Glenna and Hoyt's.

I loved the description of riding a dragon.

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

Bella and Edward marry, then Bella gets pregnant on their honeymoon. The baby grows very rapidly and nearly kills Bella. Once the baby is born Edward transforms Bella into a vampire and the baby continues to grow rapidly. Jacob imprints on the baby (Nessie) so he now just feels friendship not love for Bella. Big showdown with the bad vampires. Everyone lives happily ev er after.

A good ending to the series but somehow lacking depth.