Breakdown, by Sara Paretsky

Good. As usual, I was pretty annoyed by V.I. at times, but it's very fun to watch her careening around a city I know pretty well, getting irritated at traffic and some of the same stupid things that irritate me.

This is about a group of teenage girls doing some sort of vampire ritual in a cemetery at night when they happen upon a dead body. And then things get crazy: between a FOXNews-like local network, rabid right-wingers trying to dig up dirt on the Democratic candidate for Senate (or House?), and her supporters trying to keep their private lives private. There's a lot of stuff about a large mental hospital that houses the criminally insane, an old law school classmate, Vic's ex-husband...and WWII, sorta.

Below Zero, C.J. Box (on CD)

I really like Joe Pickett. This is about a teenage girl, his former foster-daughter, whom was presumed dead in a horrible accident 6 years ago. At least, until she--or someone claiming to be her--starts texting one of his daughters. While the main plot is quite far-fetched (no mob hit-man is this much of a sucker, really, is he??), once you buy in it's quite a ride. Great book. Not a huge fan of the guy doing the reading though.

Body Work, by Sara Paretsky

Ridiculous/Hilarious/Terrible/Cool : A Year in an American High School, by Elisha Cooper

A loving portrait of what it means to be in high school nowadays. Cooper managed to capture about 8 kids' school years at Walter Payton High School in Chicago. Most of them were seniors, but there were a couple of juniors as well. Not all are exceptional students, but Cooper brings each them out in a perfectly lovely way that brings the reader into their lives. One is an athlete, one is driving to be a politician, one is a dancer, one is a slacker, one is a player, one is an immigrant....

The one problem with this book is that it moves so quickly that there really isn't enough focus on each student to get to know them beyond the sketch, similar to the sketches throughout the book. The good side is that this is a VERY quick read.

Probable Cause, by Theresa Schwegel

This was a Christmas gift, signed by the author. I read about 20 pages and donated it to the library.

I'm not fond of books about crooked cops, even if it turns out that they are just cops who are fond of high-jinks. Pass.