Lisa Gardner's Say Goodbye

I read this book as an audio book. I have about a half hour to commute to work, 5 days a week. This book gave me the creeps on multiple levels. I felt like I was going to be attacked by spiders while driving and probably looked like that moron that makes you laugh because they are making a face they don’t think others will see since we are all driving in our own little worlds. First, it is very well written and thought out novel. The plot unfolds slowly and at various angles and through various characters. For me, even the ending was not really an ending, there is closure and life moves on, but it’s just not conclusive I guess. Which, the topics raised by the author, there is no conclusion or ending, it’s a worldwide terror every parent prays won’t happen to their child. It is an ever growing web. That said; let me get back to my spine-chilling points.  . First is the subject matter…it is heavy. The Burger Man kidnaps little boys, rapes and terrorizes them, kills them and buries them, then moves on to the next. The families of these children will never get closure and Gardner has done such a good job writing about this excruciating topic that it was horrific to listen to and I just wanted to skip to the next track but knew I had to listen to the story, especially the story of the one boy the Burger Man decides to keep.  This book is not for the faint at heart or people who themselves have experienced this dark evil of life. The second set of creepiness in the book is the overall theme that is expanded on: Spiders. The reader is given very interesting and helpful facts about spiders at the beginning of each chapter. For instance how to tell what a black widow, distinguished by the red hourglass on the black body. However, the evil man throughout the book is a spider enthusiast and even things of himself as a type of spider. The scenes with the spiders (and I’m not going to ruin for those of you who are going to read the novel) just made me want to swat away invisible spiders, not drink my coffee while driving to work for fear there might be one in there, and just about gag in areas from the visual the author creates. Again, this novel is not for the faint of heart.

All that said Say Goodbye is a great novel because the author is able to put you there and I was so grossed out and horrified it was all I could do to finish the book or just explode about the book to my friends about what just happened. I recommend it, but want to caution those that may not be able to handle the subject matter.

My Rating System!

Introducing my new rating system! It’s whimsical, fun, and will be included in my future book reviews for those of you that like to take quick glances. Enjoy!

Kate Morton's The Distant Hours

The Distant Hours is a novel of mystery for bibliophiles and the curious, for people who wanted to be awesome like Indiana Jones but could not quite figure out how to start or fall into an adventure. I say bibliophiles because the main character, Edie falls into an adventure and is a voracious reader, collector, and works in book publishing. Through coincidence, circumstance, curiosity and luck Edie finds herself in the middle of what could change the world’s love and understanding of one of the most famous and mysterious novels in England, The History of the Mud Man. It all starts with inconsequential information for Edie. She learns her mom was an evacuee at Milderhurst Castle. Then Edie finds herself at Milderhurste Castle by chance on her way home from a book signing. From there the reader is weaved a tale from the various players points of view in both the books current time (1992) and the past when the mystery happened, 1939-1941. This is a book lovers of Jane Eyre, The Mysteries of Udalpho, and Wuthering Heights will appreciate. It has the gothic feel, unraveling of mysteries, characters that are redeemable and yet remain twisted, while planting well-paced revelations throughout the novel to keep the reader engaged and on their toes. Do we actually know “who-dun-it” or is there more to learn?

The author, Kate Morton, has an amazing voice for describing scenes, for painting vivid pictures with detail that enthralls the reader with the almost poetic rightness of the words chosen as well as putting the reader in the actual paper and ink of the novel, to truly experience it. I’ve read Morton’s previous novels and have to say I loved one and did not care for the other. This was a tie breaker for me and I would add this to the liked it/enjoyed it column.

Karen Chance's Hunt the Moon (Cassandra Palmer #5)

This is the fifth installment of the Cassandra Palmer series. For fans of this series this novel was a treat. Karen Chance’s writing style does not squander on the details and is still able to develop believable and realistically paced scenes. Hunt the Moon has the usual fast paced and kicking ass scenes riddled throughout the novel (leaving even the read almost as tired feeling as the characters because of how descriptive the scenes are) as well the author takes much needed breaks to share more info on characters we have been aching for previous books tempted us with. This novel takes the down time scenes with Cassie, Mircea and Pritkin, to share information, offer insight into these main characters and feed more emotion and sexual tension than before.

The book is sexy, orgasmic, exhilarating, exhausting and leaves you with a “This is far from over” ending. All I can say is good luck to Cassie because Pritkin is worth it. I do not envy her feelings for both Mircea and Pritkin since both are hard men to handle without involving all the feelings and politics.

Exciting News!

This blogger is SO EXCITED! After prodding, begging and encouraging words, it has finally happened. I received a text, but not just any ol’ text, asking the much anticipated question, “The question of the day is this: do you want to read the mechanic this weekend?” The answer is a screeching and emphatic, “HELL YES!” So, for the next bit, I get to be Queen Peer Review for author Becky Banks and read the first (for me) rough draft of her upcoming (and working title) novel The Mechanic. I am bouncing like a little kid in anticipation of the mailman delivering the 471 page (77,100 word) novel. In the mean time I am off to work…at least I have a sunshine daydream to tide me over.

Michael Thomas Ford's Jane Goes Batty

I know many readers, especially of romance, prefer to not read books written by men. I was drawn to this series, originally, because it was another Austen spin-off. I am addicted to them. Reading it, I had to remind myself that this novel was written by a man. It was not apparent and that, to me is telling of the author’s success, especially when the main character is Jane Austen.

While Jane Goes Batty is a sequel, it could also be read as a stand-alone novel. The author gives the reader reminders, retellings of story line and facts, so that the reader never struggles to guess or remember the previous story. The series is the story of what Jane Austen would be doing now, in our time, if she had been Lord Byron’s lover and he turned her into a vampire. Today, Miss Austen lives in a small cute town, runs a successful book store, just published her first novel and has a human boyfriend. She is constantly harassed by Lord Byron and attacked by an angry and jealous Charlotte Bronte (also a vampire thanks to her love affair with Lord Byron).  It is a fun Austenite spin-off with cute and quirky ideas and plot twists. I would recommend it to Jane Austen fans, paranormal readers or someone who just wants to try something new and fun.  For those looking for romance, it is in there; however it is not the dominating force of this series.

Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Prince

This is the second book in the Infernal Devices series. The dust jacket aptly describes Clockwork Prince, “As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.” It was an engaging read but left many unanswered questions to the plot while answering many questions about the characters. Unlike the first book in the series, The Clockwork Prince focuses more closely on the individuals, mainly Jem, Tessa and Will, than the storyline. The lover’s triangle and teenage angst sucked me in. I felt like I was back in my school days of dating. I am relieved to say I do not have to endure that anymore, all those overwhelming and confused feelings were draining just reading about them.  That said I am ready for the next book in the series to pick up the pace and move the story along. I would recommend trying out this young adult series and author if you are looking for a fun read and new twist on the supernatural world.

P.D. James' Death Comes to Pemberley

I am a fan of the Austenite literature and was joyed when I received Death Comes to Pemberley as a Christmas gift. It is a fun read that I definitely recommend. P.D. James is a master of her craft. Her style, I would describe to others, is Jane Austen meets Michael Connelly with a touch of John Grisham. Death Comes to Pemberley is insightful and realistic with the approach of crime. The reader is immersed in the life of Pemberley and revisiting beloved characters from Pride and Prejudice then the story is interrupted with a murder on the grounds of Pemberley Estate. From there the story follows the investigation, court proceedings and life afterwards (which I was very pleased with the fate of the Wickhams, too bad it could not have happened earlier). It was interesting how similar yet changed the process of law is from then to now. I also appreciated that while the reader is walked through the process of an investigation to its resolution, it is a crime novel, and it was not tedious or over-burdening.

P.D. James did a wonderful job staying true to the characters of Pride and Prejudice. Even thinking back on the book now, there are not any discrepancies that stick out to me. I was very relieved with this because that is generally the downfall of the Austenite spinoffs. Their histories, mannerisms, speech, relationships, everything, were thought out and continued on in a way even Miss Austen could be happy with. I was also surprised when, towards the end of the book, we learn the resolution of one of the issues and suddenly, the names of that portion were surprisingly familiar. I was not sure what to think since I had, obviously, never read this book before. After a moment, I realized that the author was able to weave in characters from Emma!

If P.D James continues to write about characters born of our beloved Jane Austen, I will definitely read them.

Brenda Novak's Inside

After reading the dust jacket to this novel I was a bit leery of how the book would unfold. Would it be cheesy, unbelievable, forced, or would it be believable and leave me pleased I read it? Inside is a romantic suspense about, female, Chief Deputy Warden Peyton, of the super-max prison Pelican Bay, who is put in charge of an impossible mission: to infiltrate the Hells Fury gang and find out about a judge’s murder. The informant is to be a man named Virgil, who was recently exonerated and released from a federal prison after 14 years for the supposed murder of his stepfather. As you can see, it is obvious where the love interest is going and the plot is pretty much laid out for you, so it was hard to imagine, other than the logistics of a hopefully excellent steamy romance, how it will actually happen. In the end, I was pleased I had read Inside.

Brenda Novak was able to insert great researched tidbits, paint pictures of life inside and outside of the prison, and inform the reader of why this was such a hard and scary task to accomplish while also adding depth to the characters. I found myself rooting for some of the characters and hoping that others would themselves end up in the prison system by the end of the novel. Another thing I appreciated about Novak’s novel was that she was able to make both sides (the prisoners, gang members, friends, and the various government employees) both good and bad people. It was their nature that was shown and not a political view thrust on the reader.