I borrowed this book from my sister (thanks, Lisa!), who got it as a freebie from Bouchercon 2009. I think it was handed out during a publisher panel, but don't really remember... It wasn't part of the big free-for-all at the end of the con, I know! In any case, the FTC or whoever should be satisfied now that I have said it was free.
Boyd has written a credible and exciting thriller (even if I did figure out what was going on way before the FBI). A terrorist group is extorting the FBI, using a series of murders to get $5 million dollars. The FBI is at a loss, and calls in a fired agent to locate a missing FBI agent who might have run off with $2 million of the money. False leads abound as the hero, Steve Vail, works outside the FBI hierarchy to find the missing money and the last members of the Rubaco Pentad, who have planned what may be a perfect crime.

I finished this in just a few days, and really enjoyed it. I would pick up the next in what is sure to be an on-going series featuring Vail.

I am way behind on my comic book reading, and I haven't lately read a new book. Instead, I have been rereading the Vorkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold. Why, you may ask, am I rereading these books? Well, for one, they are very good. They are, for me, a sort of comfort book. Even though I know what is going to happen, I enjoy rereading them pretty regularly. I can pick and choose parts to read, and if I only have ten minutes or so to read, I can pick up my PDA and read just a bit.

And that is really why I am reading these -- they are all on my PDA and easily fit into my purse. With the advent of the Kindle and other ebook devices, a reader might think that ebooks are relatively new. Not so! I have been reading books on my PDA for years. And I have been reading very good books, reasonably priced (or free) in open formats, from Baen Books. I don't think Baen gets enough credit for their ebook options. Check out the books they offer for free, every day.

But back to Lois McMaster Bujold. This woman can write! She has a really elegant writing style, and her characters really come alive. Although these books are science fiction (space opera, one could say), she concentrates on the relationships between her characters and that's what I love about the books. And I do love the Vorkosigan saga, but another fantasy series she wrote, starting with (the especially good) Curse of Chalion.

Really, if you get a chance, read these books.