"Alex Duarte is my kind of cop. I hope he sticks around for a long, long, time." – Michael Connelly It was supposed to be a low-level bust for ATF agent Alex Duarte, with the hope that he could work it up the ladder to someone important. He just didn't know how important. In New Orleans to check out a mysterious Panamanian named Ortiz who likes to trade guns illegally and import marijuana by the truckload, Duarte suddenly finds himself in the middle of something bigger than he has ever known. Because guns and drugs are bad enough-but there are other things that are much, much worse. A shadowy colonel who is not what he seems… a white supremacist intent on becoming "the man who changed America"… an attractive FBI agent with a lot of pull and a lot of secrets… Alex Duarte knows he's in deep with these characters. He just hopes he's not over his head.

From School Library JournalGr 6-10–On a goodwill mission in Africa, Max and the flock meet Dr. Hans Gunther-Hagen, a scientific researcher and billionaire purporting to be a philanthropist in this episode (Little Brown, 2010) in James Patterson's series. He introduces Max to Dylan, a hunky heartthrob bird-kid secretly created to woo 15-year-old Max as a future mate. Skeptical of Dylan's motives and Dr. Hackjob-Wackjob's humanitarian efforts to use adaptive genetics to improve survival among the less fortunate, Max learns toxic chemicals have been used on orphans in Chad. Angel upsets the flock with a prediction of Fang's death and, seemingly brainwashed by Dr. Hans, challenges Max as flock leader. Action passages are fewer than in previous installments as Angel goes off to help Dr. Hans, Dylan moves into the safe house, and Fang follows Max to Las Vegas to contemplate their future. In a fast-paced ending, Fang is captured and rendered lifeless and Angel telepathically calls the flock to help. Jill Apple adeptly captures Max's softer side as she anguishes about Fang and the new flock dynamic, while retaining familiar acerbic tones unleashed on Dr. Hunka-Munka. Almost all of the voices are spot-on, and it is only a minor irritation that Fang seems persistently hoarse. Subtle music and sound effects punctuate the action. Fans of the series will eagerly await the next installment._Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia Jr./Sr. High School, NY_© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. FromThe Maximum Ride series' flock of winged children is off to Africa for a photo op while providing humanitarian aid. Then Max's rival, Angel, prophesies that best-friend Fang will be the first to die and it will happen soon. When Dr. Gunther-Hagen introduces Max to Dylan, a gorgeous new bird kid who has been designed to be Max's perfect mate, Max's voices tell her Dylan is perfect for her. But how does this affect her commitment to Fang? This will excite the legions of fans waiting for this installment in the flock's story. Grades 7-9. --Diana Tixier Herald

If the mission fails, it's World War III. Any questions? Owen Taylor is about to be betrayed on his final covert mission. It will take everything he has to make it home alive, and to save the woman he loves. BookShotsLIGHTNING-FAST STORIES BY JAMES PATTERSON Novels you can devour in a few hours Impossible to stop reading All original content from James Patterson

Private, the world's most renowned investigation firm, has been commissioned to provide security for the 2012 Olympic games in London. Its agents are the smartest, fastest, and most technologically advanced in the world, and 400 of them have been transferred to London to protect over 10,000 competitors who represent more than 200 countries. The opening ceremony is still hours away when Private investigator and single father of twins, Nigel Steele, is called to the scene of a ruthless murder. A high-ranking member of the games' organizing committee and his mistress have been killed. It's clear that it wasn't a crime of passion, but one of precise calculation and execution. Newspaper reporter Karen Pope receives a letter from a person who calls himself Cronus, claiming responsibility for the murders. He also proclaims that he will restore the Olympics to their ancient glory and will destroy all who have corrupted the games with lies, cheating, and greed. Karen immediately hires Private to examine the letter, and she and Nigel uncover a criminal genius who won't stop until he's ended the games for good. "America's #1 storyteller" (Forbes) delivers an exhilarating, action-packed thriller that brings the splendor and emotion of the Olympics to a wildly powerful climax.

Two cases have pushed San Francisco detective Lindsay Boxer beyond her limits. In the first, a terrible fire in a wealthy home left a married couple dead and Lindsay and her partner Rich Conklin searching for clues. At the same time, Michael Campion, the son of California 's ex-governor, with a reputation for partying, has been missing for a month. When there finally seems to be a lead in his case, it is a devastating one. And the combined pressure from the press and the brass is overwhelming. Assistant District attorney Yuki Castellano plunges into the biggest case of her life to get to the bottom of Michael Campion's disappearance. As fire after fire consumes couples in expensive neighborhoods, Lindsay and her friends in the Women's Murder Club race to find the arsonists responsible. But suddenly the fires are raging too close to home. Frightened for her life and torn between two men, Lindsay confronts the most daunting dilemmas she's ever faced--in a thriller with unexpected twists and emotional extremes of the kind only James Patterson--"the man who can't miss" (Time) can deliver.