Nick of Time (A Bug Man Novel) by Tim Downs was a refreshing surprise. The book was out of the ordinary and interesting.

Nick Polchak, otherwise known as the Bug Man, is getting married. At least, that was the plan, but after a friend of Nick's is murdered and he lets himself get pulled into the investigation, he starts to have doubts. While trying to solve a murder, he also tries to sort out his feelings, leaving Alena, his fiance, twiddling her thumbs at home.

Alena is not one for twiddling her thumbs for long, so she sets out after Nick, along with three of her most well-trained dogs, to track him down.

The unpredictable twists and turns in Nick of Time (A Bug Man Novel) will keep you guessing and turning the pages. The story was fast paced and highly enjoyable. I particularly like Nick's acerbic sense of humor and rash disregard for authority.

I hadn't previously read anything by Tim Downs, but I'll now be going out to get the rest of the series. I really want to read the rest of Nick and Alena's story.

If you like suspense laced with a side of humor, I think you'll like Nick of Time (A Bug Man Novel) .

I just finished reading LIVING ON THE EDGE by Shannon K. Butcher from Penguin Group's Signet line. This is the first in her new THE EDGE suspense series. After reading all of the books currently available from her paranormal series, SENTINEL WARS, I have to admit I was expecting a little more suspense from her new suspense series. LIVING ON THE EDGE was well-written, had great characters, an interesting back story, and quite a few plot twists and turns, but the suspense tended to ebb and flow. I found myself feeling bored in a few chapters and actually flipping ahead in the book to find some more action!

Despite that one minor flaw, I have to say that Shannon K. Butcher still produced a great read. All of the elements of a good novel were present, and Butcher definitely had character development down to an art form. Her characters practically jump right off the page with realism. Once again, though, in true Butcher style, she does leave the reader hanging at the end of the book - wanting more, but being forced to wait until the next book in the series comes out in November 2011.