Bookshelf

 Fallen 

I think there's no finer
lesbian crime writer than Val McDermid, but Karen Slaughter, a number 1
international best-selling author, is a close second. Many of Slaughter's 11
thrillers have hit the New York Times
best-seller list, and her recent release, Fallen (Random House, $26), is no exception. It follows
Special Agent Faith Mitchell, a tenacious cop in Georgia's Bureau of
Investigations, whose personal and professional lives collide when she finds a
hostage situation at her mom's home (even though mum is missing). She goes into
overdrive combating police corruption, murder, and bribery as she searches for the
truth to what is happening. Slaughter’s books are relentless and bloody, and Fallen is as wonderfully provocative as her others. Even
better, in real life Slaughter is passionately spearheading a new fund-raising
initiative called Save the Libraries to help raise
awareness and support for public libraries. —Diane Anderson-Minshall