Cold Cave
Love Comes Close
Matador

The music sounds like a cross between Erasure and Joy Division. The lyrics, all about relationships, are friendly. They sing with a wary note in their voices, as though they are uneasy with the thought of getting in too deep with whoever they want to go out with. Love Comes Close is a good album for an iPod, nice music to walk to, as well as to dance to, in a club. It’s a strong debut from this New York/Philadelphia band, and a great one. [www.myspace.com/coldcave]
Andrea Weiss

Friends on Fire
Dale Whisman
AWOC Books


The book begins in Vietnam. Davis is looking for something in Saigon, winds up getting kidnapped, but escapes. What was he looking for and why is it so important that he was kidnapped and marked as a criminal?

Thirty-five years later, Davis is still on the run. Why does his son think he’s innocent? Meanwhile, fires have been set in Tulsa, OK. Is there a connection between these fires and Davis, and if there is, why are people being killed because of it? And how is main character P.I. Carl Jacobs involved?

This well-plotted mystery, with characters that are very real, is told in clear, direct, matter-of-fact prose. What adds to the suspense is that the book is narrated in omnipresent third person, which allows for the bad guys to be seen as well as the good guys. Both sides have a story to tell.

Friends on Fire is a thrilling book, with many wonderful twists and turns, yet wraps things up in a splendid way. Whisman’s excellent writing makes this book a must read, and another winner just the way his last book, Friends and Other Perishables was. [www.awocbooks.com] [www.myspace.com/hookersmovie]
Andrea Weiss