Dark Lava

A Lei Crime novel by Toby Neal, book 7 of the series. Lieutenant Michael Stevens is investigating disappearing petroglyphs, rare rock carvings on Maui. Someone is taking them out of their rocks with a hand held jackhammer. Stevens is married to Lei Texeira, also a police officer on Maui. She is training for the bomb squad - and not doing well. This book features Stevens' ex-wife, Anchara; Lei's dad Wayne; someone who uses shrouds to let Stevens and Lei know he wants them dead... It's an interesting police procedural that gives information on Hawaiin customs at the same time.

In Sheep's Clothing

A novel by L.D. Beyer. Action-packed, political intrigue. Matthew Richter is a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the president of the United States, Thomas Walters, who, while trap shooting, manages to kill himself. No one knows why, nor does no one know that he was being blackmailed by a Washington insider. Soon, the vice-president, David Kendall, is sworn in as president. Richter is assigned to his protective detail. Tyler Rumson, an ambitious senator, is appointed the new vice-president. The book details the survival of Richter and President Kendall after Air Force 1 is attacked. Heady stuff. And it carries you right along.

Creative You

Using Your Personality to Thrive. Informative non-fiction by David B. Goldstein and Otto Kroeger. Goes into the basics of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and how each personality tends to express self in creative works. Which tendency is strongest in each type (for instance, as an INFP, feeling is my strongest function; I should try to share my intuition instead.) Tells each type's least developed function (thinking, for me; go figure) and how to strengthen that function. How to interpret what critics say is included, as well as how each type can best overcome creative blocks. This book is so packed, actually, that I got bogged down. I was trying to take notes... it took me about a month to get through. Well worth it if you're at all interested in personality tools.

Going Underground

Autistic Detective Jonathan Roper Reveals a Dark Conspiracy in a Gripping Thriller. This is an independently published work of fiction by Michael Leese. It was one of the freebies on my Kindle, and I decided to read it because of the premise: an autistic detective. The book is well done, and the character of Jonathan Roper seems spot on as someone with high functioning autism. Chief inspector Brian Hooley is given the task of discovering what happened to Sir James Taylor, a highly regarded billionaire/philanthropist who went missing six weeks prior to his torso being found in an abandoned warehouse. He calls on the special investigative skills of Jonathan Roper, who has been on administrative leave since his challenges almost ruined his last investigation. Together, Hooley and Roper solve this case that puts Roper in personal danger.