GIST
A heavy-handed parable that mocks the modern expressions of Christmas (expensive parties, glitzy decorations, extravagant foods, fancy presents) and celebrates the sentimental ones (families and friends). The story is broadly written and predictable, but readers must be finding it a welcome change from war and other gloomy headlines.

GIST
Reviewers love this novel, not in spite of, but because of its portrait of family dysfunction. The characters find that nothing satisfies, but they have no solution. Reacting to their parents' mistakes, each grown child makes corrections-and thus ends up with mistakes of his own.

CAUTION
Bad language and graphic sexual situations.

GIST
Ace FBI agent London, the ambush's only survivor, becomes a suspect in this complicated thriller. While searching for the real culprits he uncovers several bands of bad guys, including white supremacist terrorists and drug dealers. He also gets his head examined by a beautiful psychiatrist.

CAUTION
Bad language.

GIST
James Patterson's thrillers have become increasingly bizarre, as if in order to shock he needs to depict ever more depraved behaviors. Murder is no longer sufficiently evil in itself; his killers are sadistic, sexually depraved predators who hunt their prey like beasts and suck their blood like vampires.

CAUTION
See Gist.

GIST
The old Dirty Dozen theme, but this time the heroic misfits are all women, with the exception of one transvestite. It's only a matter of time before Hollywood turns Jackdaws into a movie; it already has stock characters, romantic interludes, and explosions.

CAUTION
Obscenities and profanities.