Dark Watch

November 15, 2005
Writing the best-selling books "Table for One" and "Spaghetti and Meatball" has made Julia James famous as the Queen of Single People. With her professional and personal identities wrapped up in being single, she's mortified when the press links her amorously with a one-time acquaintance, struggling actor Lance Collins. When Lance accompanies Julia (with the encouragement of his unscrupulous agent) home to Oklahoma, it not only fans the flames but also brings the pair closer together. Although Julia eventually falls in love with Lance, she finds it hard to leave the security of singledom. Problematically, the plot often feels forced and choppy, and the supporting characters of Julia's friends and family overwhelm rather than enhance the principal players. This is unfortunate because Julia and Lance are both truly decent, likable characters with more than a spark of chemistry between them. Carter's writing is similar to, but not quite as readable as, Lani Diane Rich's ("Ex and the Single Girl"). Recommended only for large popular fiction collections." -Lisa Davis-Craig, Canton P.L., MI"

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2005
Cussler's back, this time with coauthor Dubrul. For those readers who are still counting, it's Cussler's twenty-eighth book. This one involves the clandestine spy ship " Oregon," whose crew--led by one Juan Cabrillo--work for what Cussler describes as "high-powered Western interests." Cabrillo's newest employers are a consortium of Japanese shipping tycoons who are being threatened by pirates. The plot includes commercial freighters that are disappearing, missiles that North Korea is selling to Syria, bad guys planting a bomb on a ship that the U.S. wants to destroy, the sinking of a research vessel, covert operations from any number of nations, and the threat of diseases such as typhoid and cholera that could run rampant--and that's just the first 100 pages. These are a few trite lines ("We can't see diddly," for example) and an ending that doesn't come as a surprise, but Cussler's countless fans won't care.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)