Elizabeth Moon is my favorite sci. fic. author.  I have read most of her books from cover to cover twice and parts of them 9 or 10 times.

Cold Welcome is a bit different from her other series, yet she keeps the same well developed characters.  Her female protagonist, Ky, is returning to her home world after years away fighting a war.  She is returning  as a hero. But her shuttle is sabotaged by a group that is determined to kill her and all her family. Survival is the name of the game. Ky is strong, both physically and mentally, but her enemy is old, well financed, established, and has a secret they are desperate to keep.  Ky and the passengers she is marooned with must die if the enemy's secret is to be kept.

The passengers are not military and sometime reluctant to follow Ky's leadership. They don't really believe they are in danger from people meaning to actually KILL them dead and cause Ky trouble. The discovery of the enemies' hidden cave proves to be both Ky's possible salvation or her and the group's death warrant.

This is a novel that will be difficult for the reader to put down before the last page is read.

The Kill Switch

The Kill Switch is a well written novel as are all of James Rollins works. Tucker, the man hired to spirit one of two scientists out of Russia, is a tough, kick a _ _ , no nonsense man full of  amazing resources. Kane, his faithful four-legged partner, is an outstanding character all by himself. The enemy seems to anticipate each move Tucker and his group make as they move toward the border.  There is a leak of information somewhere, and it is a direct threat to his mission as well as his life. He is understandably suspicious of everyone he comes in contact with but has to trust someone. The cost in life as well as money is high if he makes the wrong choice.

WARNING: The prologue is gruesome, and I was sorely tempted to skip most if not all of it. No matter how stomach turning, however, it is crucial to understanding the end of the novel. This novel is not for the faint of heart but a page turner for those who enjoy detailed blood and guts adventure.

Note: I was interested to learn in the author's notes at the end of the story that Kane is modeled after real war dogs, especially one named Chaser, "a border collie who understood over a thousand words including grammatical structure."

I AM Number Four

Pittacus Lore, the author of I Am Number Four, has put together a thriller for all science fiction readers, especially daring youth ready to meet an over powering challenge. Lore has created well developed characters you might meet in any community or school, yet she makes the reader believe they are aliens from a distant planet, Lorien, hiding out in our world, hiding from those who are determined to destroy the last of their civilization and ours. Normal earthling teens are pulled into the aliens fight. It may be that the six remaining Loriens  and selected earth teens will be the ones that wake our world to the the dangers it is facing.
For science fiction fans I AM NUMBER FOUR is a must read.