I got so involved talking about my battle with my MP3 player a couple of weeks ago that I forgot to mention the three books I heard/read. They were "Agnes and the Hitman" by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer and two books by Greg Iles, "Black Cross" and "24 Hours".

Overall, I enjoyed all three books. The Jennifer Crusie book "Agnes and the Hitman" is hilarious and had me chuckling to myself throughout. This book is a farce in the best sense of the word. "Cranky Agnes" Crandall is a food writer and chef. She lives in an antebellum mansion in a small South Carolina town. She bought the house from a mob widow, Brenda Fortunato and loves it. Unfortunately, Brenda still loves the house and wants it back. To accomplish this, she takes out a contract on Agnes’ life. As part of the purchase agreement on the house, Agnes must allow Brenda’s granddaughter Marie to have her wedding there along with other stipulations as to the physical condition of the house. Obstacles start popping up to prevent the wedding, including several inept attempts on Agnes’ life. The book becomes a crazy quilt of murder attempts, Mob shenanigans, dead bodies and quirky characters as Agnes tries to pull off Marie’s wedding and keep her house. "Agnes and the Hitman" is light fare and comical; however, Crusie’s liberal use of the "F Bomb" is distracting and my one major reservation about the book.

The two Greg Iles books are thrillers. The book, which I expected to like the best, was the World War II thriller "Black Cross". It is about a plan to destroy a nerve gas laboratory in a German Concentration Camp. This rash attempt may also kill hundreds of Jewish prisoners at the camp. For some reason, the plot of "Black Cross" just did not stay with me after I listened to the book. I had to go back and look at it again to refresh my memory. In the author’s defense, I listened to it during my most intense battles with my MP3 player. Perhaps, my concentration just wasn’t the best.

The second Iles book, "24 Hours" was much harder to forget. While Dr. Will Jennings is speaking at a medical conference in Biloxi, Mississippi, his young daughter Abby is kidnapped. Three perpetrators are involved in the crime. While Abby is being held by mentally challenged, 300-pound Huey, the ringleader and brains of the group, Joe Hickey (Huey’s cousin) holds mother Karen. In Biloxi, Joe Hickey’s abused wife Cheryl tries to keep Will occupied. Will quickly turns the tables on Cheryl, and she becomes the prisoner. The trio has successfully used this kidnapping scheme five times previously, but this time, Abby’s diabetes and Will’s resourcefulness complicate the kidnapping.

Joe Hickey is psychopath. and a memorable character. Although his manta is "the child is never harmed", his plan is different with this kidnapping. He holds a grudge against Will and plans to kill the whole family. If you read or listen to this book, be prepared for an attempted rape scene that is quite explicit. A frantic chase, involving an airplane and cars, forced me to suspend belief. Although the chase seemed improbable, it was definitely edge-of-your-seat dramatic. This thriller will have you turning pages or listening long after you want to quit.

Stop by the library sometime and allow us (Probably not me, I am still a rookie at this.) to show you how the OverDrive downloadable books can add to your reading/listening enjoyment.

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