Category: D

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, D, Fiction, H, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, Review Book

REVIEW: Burn by Ted Dekker & Erin Healy

Tara

Burn
by Ted Dekker & Erin Healy

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 368
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Mar. 29-31, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010
Yearly Count: 15

First Line: Salazar Sanso raised his binoculars and looked out over the edge of the steep drop into the rosy New Mexican desert.

For teenager Janeal Mikkado, life in the gypsy world is a double edged sword. Her mother was not a gypsy and yet her father is the most important man in their community – which makes Janeal somewhat of an outsider. Almost ready to leave the gypsy life behind her, she strikes a deal with a powerful and dangerous criminal, Salazar Sanso. But when things go wrong Sanso’s men burns down her entire camp. And she has to decide whether or not to save her best friend in the deadly inferno, or save herself. What she decides will forever change who she is. Having to assume a new identity, Janeal starts her life over in a big city and makes her way up the corporate ladder. But when Sanso is finally apprehended by the DEA, Janeal discovers that there were actually three survivors of that awful fire – Janeal herself and her two best friends. It will be at this moment when Janeal finally has to face the choice that she made so many years ago.

This book was sent to me for review by Amy Currie at Phenix & Phenix Publicists. I have read Ted Dekker before (BoneMan’s Daughter) and thoroughly enjoyed it, so when this opportunity arose I jumped at it. I have to be honest here, the first two-thirds of this book were awesome! The last third, not so much in my opinion. Without giving away too much of the story, when the final twist came in the last hundred or so pages, I lost interest. The book lost its appeal to me then. I didn’t like the twist. I thought it was unbelievable and impossible. I liked the premise of what the twist was supposed to represent: good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, etc. But I didn’t like how it was executed. Overall I thought the book was good, but I wish the ending had been a little bit different. But I’d still recommend others to read this book.

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, D, Nonfiction, P, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009

REVIEW: The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson and Martin Dugard

Tara

The Murder of King Tut
by James Patterson & Martin Dugard

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 332
Rating: 5/5
Read: Nov. 13-15, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Countdown Challenge
Yearly Count: 60

First Line: It was New Year’s Eve as a somber, good-looking explorer named Howard Carter, speaking fluent Arabic, gave the order to begin digging.

King Tut, the Boy King. Less than a decade after becoming Pharaoh of Egypt, the boy dies mysteriously. In the years following his demise, his name is essentially wiped from the history books. Even today, the death of King Tut remains somewhat of a mystery. Howard Carter’s life mission was to uncover a virgin tomb; he wanted King Tut’s tomb the most. He began his search in 1907. It would take many, many years before he finally found Tut and the world would finally begin to understand the Boy King. In this book, James Patterson teams up with Martin Dugard to really look through all the evidence and put Tut’s life and death in a spotlight like never before – true crime and history collides in this book as Patterson unravels the mystery surrounding the Boy King.

Being a history major, I love anything history pretty much. But here recently my husband, mom, and dad, all went up to Indianapolis to see the King Tut exhibit. It really reignited my interest in Egyptian history. I was unfortunately never able to take a course in college on Egypt, but I knew some things from different museum trips and whatnot. But this book was really interesting to me. It read like a novel, which will make history interesting to a lot more people. (It also has the name James Patterson on it – which I have come to the conclusion sells a book like nothing else.) It’s really an easy read. And yet it’s historical. A lot of people don’t read historical books because they might feel bogged down or whatever the reason – however, if you are one of those people, please pick up this book!! You will not be bogged down at all. It reads like all of Patterson’s other works – like a novel. If you have any interest whatsoever in Egypt, this is an interesting book. However, I do want to add, that I’m not completely sold on Patterson’s conclusion – that it was a conspiracy of the three people closest to him. I’m not saying that it isn’t true, it very well may be, but without knowing more information regarding the mystery surrounding Tut’s death I’m not sure if this is right. Who knows if Tut was even really murdered?! However, if he was, there was almost certainly some sort of conspiracy, and it definitely revolved around the desire to have the power that Tut had as Pharaoh. But one of the three people that Patterson names, I’m not completely sold on being a part of the conspiracy. I think that there could possibly be other explanations for that person’s actions. But that’s just my opinion … I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good murder mystery, because that’s what this book is all about!

AUTHOR, Book Review, D, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2008, S

REVIEW: The Dyodyne Experiment by James Doulgeris & V. Michael Santoro

Tara

The Dyodyne Experiment
by James Doulgeris & V. Michael Santoro

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 448
Rating: 4/5
Read: July 20-25, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge;
Yearly Count: 37

First Line: Summer days in New York City could either be hot and oppressive or sparkling and glorious.

A research team has developed an amazing new technology: a computer system that can track people secretly with unimaginable accuracy. The system is called DaNA, and it is spread as a virus that can pass to others that the original person comes into contact with. What would make the country want to use this technology? Well, the idea behind it is that it can be used to track down criminals’ accomplices really trying to hone in on the drug cartel. But the research team gets orders from Homeland Security that they must put this system into use, before they can really test it out and work out all the kinks. What they find is unbelievable – six nuclear bombs hidden is six cities across the country. But as the team rushes to track down the terrorists in charge of these bombs, they find out something worse is happening …. DaNA is mutating and is spiraling out of control.

I received this book from Merritt Talbott at Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for review. I don’t normally read books like this, but the blurb that she presented me just sounded too good to pass up. And when I finally got to reading the book, I have to say that I was definitely not disappointed! I found it to be a fast read, even with everything going on. It was easy to read as well, especially with some of the names and subplots it could have gotten confusing at times, but I had absolutely no problem with it. I really took to Sarah’s character, I thought that she was really well written and believable (which is something very important in my opinion). Overall I’m glad that I was given the opportunity to read this book, because I probably never would have seen or heard anything about it if I had not been contacted about it simply because it is a little out of my comfort zone, but I really do recommend this one to anyone.

AUTHOR, D, Fiction, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2008

REVIEW: BoneMan’s Daughters

Tara

BoneMan’s Daughters
by Ted Dekker

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 401
Rating: 4/5
Read: July 19-12, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge; What’s in a Name 2 Challenge
Yearly Count: 36

First Line: The day that Ryan Evan’s world changed forever began as any other day he’d spent in the host desert might have begun.

The BoneMan is a serial killer who is looking for the perfect daughter. He has already killed six young women in his quest. After he takes a girl if she doesn’t live up to his potential he simply breaks their bones and leaves them to die. Intelligence officer Ryan Evans has not been the perfect daughter to Bethany – nor the perfect husband to Celine. He’s too tied up in his work and currently he’s overseas on assignment. Bethany and Celine have pretty much moved on from having any hopes of being a family together again. But Ryan is taken hostage in the desert and as his life is hanging in the balance he realizes what a mistake he has made in the past with his family. He returns to the States in order to start anew. But Bethany and Celine want no part of it. Before he knows it he’s out of their lives for good. That is until BoneMan takes Bethany. This causes Ryan to be out for blood. He will do whatever it takes to track down BoneMan and to save his only daughter …. he’s going to be the perfect father once and for all. But when the evidence begins to point towards Ryan as being the BoneMan he realizes that Bethany’s only chance at survival lies within Ryan. But BoneMan has a plan …. BoneMan knows that there can only be one father for Bethany, and he is determined that it is not going to be Ryan Evans.

So I picked this one up at the library after reading a review of it on someone’s blog … and once again I have forgotten whose blog I read about it on (I really should start writing that stuff down so that I can link reviews!) Anyways, I picked it up and was immediately sucked in. I have never read a Ted Dekker book before and this one was really enjoyable for me. It was well written and fast paced. The suspense was wonderful. The way that he bounced between differing points of view was interesting, you  never knew what was really going to happen next. I found myself hoping that Ryan would prevail in the end, that he would save Bethany from BoneMan, even if he was beaten down psychologically. I know that I only rated this a 4 and my reason was really because of the cookie-cutter ending. I’m not saying that I didn’t like the ending, but it was too neat for my tastes. Overall I really recommend this book, I found it fascinating! Dekker really created a superb serial killer in BoneMan …. also – could BoneMan return in a future book?? I guess we’ll have to wait to find out….

AUTHOR, Book Review, D, Fiction, Read in 2009

The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinksy

Tara

The Secret Between Us
by Barbara Delinksy

Copyright: 2008
Pages: 343
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 1-6, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 14

First Line: They were arguing in the seconds before impact.

Deborah Monroe and her daughter. Grace are driving home one rainy night when they hit a man running in the dark. Grace was driving but Deborah sends her home before the police arrive in order to take the blame for the accident. However what seemed like such an obvious and easy decision on Deborah’s part takes on a life of its own and threatens to shatter the mother-daughter relationship between the two.

When I first heard about this book I knew I had to read it. I put it on my PBS wishlist, after waiting for what seemed like forever I finally got a copy!!! When it came in the mail I could hardly wait to start it. And let me tell you, I loved this book! You really saw the interaction between mother and daughter. Barbara Delinksy really was able to show me, the reader, how one little innocent omission of truth can really affect everyone involved. Deborah’s decision to take on the blame for the accident was something that most mothers wouldn’t even think twice about doing, but Grace’s reaction to the untruth was really amazing. Delinksy created a very strong teenage character in Grace. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story.

AUTHOR, Book Review, D, Fiction, Read in 2008

The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver

Tara
The Sleeping Doll
by Jeffery Deaver

Copyright: 2007
Pages: 578
Rating: 4/5
Read: Oct. 17-20, 2008
Challenge: No challenge; personal read

First Line: The interrogation began like any other.

CBI Agent Kathryn Dance is interrogating a modern day Manson killer, Daniel Pell. He escapes and Dance is put on the case to track him down. But Pell is always one step ahead of Dance, it seems. So Dance has to review the case that put him in jail – the murders of William Croyton, Croyton’s wife and two of their three children. The child that survived, Theresa, who was dubbed the Sleeping Doll, is who Dance wants to see in order to figure out what Pell might be up to. But with a psychopath like Pell on the loose, time is of the essence.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a little slow in the beginning, but once it picked up – boy did it pick up! And there were surprises left and right. I couldn’t possibly say enough good things about this book.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, D, Fiction, Read in 2008

Night Fall by Nelson DeMille

Tara
Night Fall
by Nelson DeMille

Copyright: 2004
Pages: 651
Rating: 4/5
Read: Aug. 7-14, 2008
Challenge: Celebrate the Author; Triple Eight – 500+ Pages Category

First Line: Bud Mitchell drove his Ford Explorer along Dune Road.

July 17, 1996 – a date that most Americans will remember for quite some time. That was the night that TWA Flight 800 exploded in mid-air, just a few short minutes after take off, killing the 230 passengers and crew on board. The official conclusion: mechanical failure. But some of the people involved in the investigation simply cannot accept that explanation. The reason?: There is the possibility that a couple on a clandestine tryst on the beach may have videotaped the explosion. But that couple and the videotape has never been found – or have they?! On the fifth anniversary of the crash, John Corey and his wife attend the memorial service. And her past work on the investigation and her unanswered questions and lingering doubts will get him interested in the case and will land them both in hot water when all they’re trying to do is find out the truth behind the explosion of TWA Flight 800.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The only problem in my opinion with it was the fact that it was sooooo slow in the beginning. It really didn’t pick up pace until the second half of the book. However, those last few hundred pages just flew by and it was amazing! The ending was really, really good!!!

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, D, Nonfiction, Read in 2008

Presumed Guilty by Matt Dalton

Tara
Presumed Guilty: What the Jury Never Knew About Laci Peterson’s Murder and Why Scott Peterson Should Not Be on Death Row
by Matt Dalton with Bonnie Hearn Hill

Copyright: 2005
Pages: 192
Rating: 3/5
Read: Aug. 9-11, 2008
Challenge: Triple Eight – True Crime Category

First Line: On April 18, 2003, Scott Peterson, a thirty-year-old fertilizer salesman from Modesto, California, was arrested for the murder of his wife, Laci, and their unborn child, whose bodies were identified the same day.

Matt Dalton was involved in the Scott Peterson case as a defense attorney alongside Mark Geragos in the early stages of the investigation. Matt was the attorney that had primary involvement with Scott while he was in jail after being charged. Dalton is convinced that Scott Peterson is stone cold innocent. In this book he goes into a lot of detail as to other explanations for Laci’s murder. He discusses theories such as the satanic cult group and that the burglary of the house across the street was related. He also says that he personally uncovered six witnesses who could place Laci alive on the morning of December 24, 2002. But the question that he really left unanswered is why those witnesses were never called to the stand in the trial. Now, he states somewhere along the way that it is up to the trial attorney to decide who gets called as a witness. And for anyone who watched this trial like I did, they know that Geragos did not exactly prove Scott innocent like he said he would in his opening statement. If I’m not mistaken, I believe Geragos even mentioned those six witnesses in that same opening …. so why were they not called?! If they could swear under oath that Laci Peterson was indeed alive and out and about when Scott Peterson was out fishing, why wouldn’t or couldn’t they testify?! As you can tell from my comments, I didn’t buy into this book whatsoever. If perhaps Geragos had called those witnesses to the stand during the trial, the ending would have been different. But as the jurors stated after the trial was over, there simply was no other alternative as to who could have possibly committed that horrendous crime. Overall, I felt that Dalton made a good case on some of the points that he pointed out, but in the end, he didn’t convince me anymore than Mark Geragos at trial convinced me.

There is one passage that I would like to quote from this book:

I again got the feeling I’d had when I first met him – that he was docile. He certainly didn’t seem to fit the profile of a psychopath, and he didn’t strike me as a killer. I couldn’t imagine this young man doing anything like what he’d been accused of. (p. 30)

The first thing I thought of when I read that ….. people said the same thing about Ted Bundy.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, D, Fiction, Lincoln Rhyme, Read in 2008, SERIES

The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver

Tara
The Bone Collector
by Jeffery Deaver
Copyright: 1997
Pages: 423
Rating: 4/5
Read: July 28-31, 2008
Challenge: Triple 8 – First in a Series Category

First Line: She wanted only to sleep.

Lincoln Rhyme was one of the nation’s best criminologists. Then an accident at a crime scene paralyzed him. Now a bitter cripple, he’s ready to end his life. But when his old department drags him into a case, he is swept up into an intriguing case. A man known as the Bone Collector is preying on the New York streets, picking at random, and it will take Lincoln’s genius to solve the case. With police detective Amelia Sachs being his eyes at the crime scenes, it becomes a race against the clock in order to catch this madman before he hits too close to home….
I enjoyed this book. I found it a little difficult to follow in a few places, but that might have been my attention slipping a bit. I’ve only read one other in this series and am glad to have read the first in the series. Although I watched the movie, I didn’t recall enough of it to ruin the book for me (although I’m not sure I really agree with changing Thom’s character into Thelma for the movie). Overall I enjoyed this book!