Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, TOR, NY, 2008. 380 pp., $17.95.
  
The best book I’ve read lately is usually the one I’m currently reading, and this is no exception. When San Francisco is attacked by terrorists, Homeland Security tares up what remains of our  constitutional rights and begins spying on ordinary citizens, hauling them off at will, using terror techniques to find the “terrorists.” Little Brother is about a group of geeky high school kids who use technology to thwart the government. Although the book is aimed at a teen audience, I think everyone over 25 should read it—and that’s an ‘inside joke.’
  
  
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny, Minotaur Books, NY, 2008. 322 pp., $22.95.
   
This is Louise Penny’s fourth Inspector Gramache novel, and in some ways it’s both her best and her worst. The novel takes place in Quebec, where the inspector and his wife are celebrating their anniversary at a remote inn. All the other residents are members of the same family, and of course, one of them is murdered. The worst thing about this book is that the mystery is painfully slow in developing. The best part is the intense character development. This novel shows us the human condition at its best and worst, and the resolution is more satisfying than any ten mysteries I can think of.
  
  
The Fourth Time is Murder by Steven F. Havill, Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s Minotaur, NY., 2008. 311 pp., $24.95.
  
The 15th book in the Posadas County mystery series, Havill brings us a cast of familiar characters, an interesting plot, and the sights, smells, tastes, and feel of this small New Mexico town.
        In The Fourth Time is Murder Undersheriff Estelle Reyes-Guzman investigates an accident  that turns out to be murder. She must determine why a scam artist has been delivering cash  payments to the residents of a small, border village, and why someone killed the delivery man moments before he would have died from the injuries he suffered in the accident. Havill blends this police business with Estelle’s family concerns, watching the woman balance her roles

 at work and home—something you seldom see when the main character is male.
  
  
Cruel Intent by J.A. Jance, Simon & Schuster, NY, 2008. 340 pp. $25.95.
   
J.A. Jance is one of my favorite authors of mystery and suspense. She has that magical ability to capture the reader within a few sentences and keep them in the story until the last page is voraciously consumed.
        Jance writes several mystery series. Her J.P. Beaumont mysteries follow a male police officer in Seattle. The Joanna Brady mysteries are set in Cochise County, Arizona where Brady is the sheriff. Cruel Intent is the fourth in Jance’s newest mystery series about Ali Reynolds, a former t.v. new anchor who now lives in Sedona, Arizona where the residents are dropping like flies. In this installment, Ali finds herself the target of a serial killer who has been targeting cheating spouses.
   
   
Hold My Hand by Serena Mackesy, Soho Canstable, London, 2008. 350 pp., $25.00
   
This book was a lot of fun—an old-fashioned mystery wrapped in a ghost story and topped off with an abusive spouse. There’s the great, slightly moldering manor house, a young child, a possible new love interest, and atmosphere that is palpable as you read this volume late at night. The book will hold your interest. The ending will satisfy you. My only regret is that it seems to lack a final chapter. Yes, the mystery is solved. The danger is over. I can’t help wondering, however, how all the loose ends are tucked up.