When we went on vacation in mid-September, I took some books of redeeming spiritual and intellectual value...but didn't read any of them. Instead, I stuck to the escapist track, devouring five thriller novels during our 12-day vacation. All were winners.

Fresh Disasters. This is the first Stuart Woods book I've read, which is pretty amazing, considering how many books he's written in genres  I like. He has a series about a private investigator named Stone Barrington. Fresh Disasters is part of that series. I enjoyed the character, and enjoyed the plot--not hugely, but enough to want to read more. I found several more Stone Barrington novels at a used bookstore. They're now sitting on my shelf. I'll get to them eventually.

Rough Justice. I've read a number of Jack Higgins books over the years, but not in quite a while. It's about time I got back to him, because he never disappoints. His books have some continuing characters, such as Sean Dillon, who figures in this book. In this book, Higgins creates a new fellow, Harry Moore, who joins this cast of tough-guy British spooks. This was a very good book.

The Killing Floor. This is the first of Lee Child's novels about Jack Reacher. I'd previously read books 2-5 in the series, but not the first one. Of the books I've read, The Killing Floor and Echo Burning are my favorites. This one had a great plot, and plenty of action.

L.A. Outlaws. T. Jefferson Parker is a superb writer. I've read only a couple of his books, but they're always good. And LA Outlaws was outstanding. The central character is a sympathetic woman bank robber, a really unique literary creation. Her parts are written in first person, everything else in third person. I loved this book.

Black Widow. I'd not read a book by Randy Wayne White. He's a heckuva writer. Black Widow was based on a Caribbean Island. The protagonist, Doc Ford, is a former CIA agent of some kind (the book never really explains much of his background). A collection of very interesting characters populate these pages. White has written another Doc Ford book. I'll probably need to track it down one of these days.