Category: H

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, Review Book

REVIEW: When No One is Watching by Joseph Hayes

Tara

When No One is Watching
by Joseph Hayes

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 313
Rang: 4/5
Read: Dec. 1-4, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge
Yearly Count: 62
Format: Print

First Line: “I love this ride, Dano!” Blair Van Howe yelled exuberantly to his partner, who was passed out cold in the passenger seat.

On the eve of announcing his run for Congress, a charismatic Chicago politician causes a deadly accident. Panicked, he frames his best friend, a good-hearted alcoholic, and flees the scene. As one man tries to pick up the pieces of his shattered life, the other embarks on a meteoric rise to political stardom. But when a dogged detective digs deeper into the case, the political superstar must decide just how far he is willing to go to keep his dark secret.

I received this book for review courtesy of Megan at Phenix & Phenix Publicists. Overall, I enjoyed this story. There was actually two storylines throughout the book – one followed the path of Danny, the “driver” of the deadly car crash and the other followed Blair, the rising political superstar. The book itself moves at a very rapid pace, it spans 10 years in a short 313 pages. And what seems so strange when reading it is the fact that it feels as if Blair’s story is moving so much more rapidly than Danny’s story is, but I assume that it’s supposed to feel that way based on the two different storylines and the choices that the individual characters make. As the reader, we get to see Danny bring himself up from rock bottom – he goes to prison, he settles with the grieving wife, he cleans himself up and gets involved in AA, and then in the end nothing can save him. In alternating chapter, we also get to witness Blair’s rise to political stardom, from Congressman to Presidential candidate. And along the way, we see him falter and eventually crash and burn himself. Chapter 35 was especially poignant to me because Danny actually runs into the son of the man that was killed in the car crash – through AA. And from there we get to see what happened to the family that was torn apart because of the accident. This entire book is a really good testament to what can happen based on the choices that we make every day of our lives. Some people choose to take the high path, while others end up going in an entirely different direction. This book really illustrates what those choices could mean for you in the long run. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, it’s a really good read.

4.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010

REVIEW: 31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan

Tara

31 Bond Street
by Ellen Horan

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 349
Rating: 4.5/5
Read: Sept. 5-11, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010
Yearly Count: 47

First Line: For a boy who watched boats, his room was the perfect perch.

It was the crime of the century! Dr. Harvey Burdell was murdered in his own home in 1857 New York, with no witnesses and no clues as to the killer’s identity. Dr. Burdell was rumored to be a shady businessman, so one would think that there would be a lot of suspects to investigate. But the coroner quickly concludes that Emma Cunningham murdered the doctor. Cunningham, the housemistress, claims to have been married to Dr. Burdell. But the coroner and the district attorney, Abraham Oakey Hall, quickly dismiss the idea of marriage, claiming the marriage certificate is a fake. They conclude that Mrs. Cunningham, a wealthy widow who has spent most of her money, as well as her daughter’s dowry, was simply looking for a wealthy man to trick into marriage and then she killed him so that she would have all of his money for herself. But Cunningham swears she is innocent, she did not and could not have killed Dr. Burdell. Only one person in the entire city believes her: defense attorney Henry Clinton. Clinton takes on the case, having to give up his lucrative law practice with another highly respected defense attorney in order to defend Mrs. Cunningham. It will take Clinton everything he has in order to prove Cunningham innocent.

This is a richly detailed historical fiction set in 1857 New York City. It was a wonderful book. It was a great blend of historical fiction and crime fiction. The author opens the book with the murder and then takes the reader back and forth, alternating between the backstory of how Mrs. Cunningham and Dr. Burdell came to know each other and the present of how the murder case against Mrs. Cunningham progresses. Dr. Burdell was definitely involved in some shady business transactions, and poor Mrs. Cunningham seems to have been caught up in his lies and placed in an unfriendly light by some corrupt politicians. Her defense attorney, Henry Clinton, was an enjoyable character, and his wife Elisabeth was a wonderful addition to this book. I found it truly amazing that Mr. Clinton was able to do all that he could for Mrs. Cunningham, when so many other people were against her, he never backed down. He was convinced that she was innocent, and it was all he could do to prove that to everyone. I normally do not read historical fiction, I enjoy it but sometimes I have trouble following it. But this book was such a wonderful read. It really took my favorite genre, crime fiction, and blended so well with the historical aspect (history was my major in college :)) to produce a very enjoyable read that I think almost everyone would enjoy.

I discovered this book through the reviews at two wonderful blogs, I will share their reviews:
       ~Caribousmom
       ~Whimpulsive

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010

REVIEW: The President’s Assassin by Brian Haig

Tara

The President’s Assassin
by Brian Haig

Copyright: 2005
Pages: 426
Rating: 3/5
Read: Aug. 7 – 13, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010;  RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 40

First Line: Settling into the backseat of the car, I mentioned to the attractive young lady seated beside me, “That’s a lovely pistol you’re carrying.”

Six people are shot and killed in a Virginia mansion, one of the victims is the White House Chief of Staff. But that’s not why Sean Drummond is called in on this case. New to the CIA, the Army lawyer knows that this is just the beginning: the killer left a note. The manhunt begins. There has been a $100 million bounty placed on the President’s head. If Drummond fails, Washington will never be the same. If Drummond succeeds, he will be a hero – maybe. It will be a rush against the clock to stop the senseless killing and get to the bottom of the case.

Apparently, this is part of a series, I was unaware of that when I first picked this book out. However, that wasn’t really necessarily my issue with this book. I never really warmed up to the main character, Sean. I just didn’t like him. He was cocky, smart-mouthed, and obnoxious. He’s just not a likable character in my opinion, and that affected my opinion of the entire book. Some of the parts of this part flew by and others felt like they moved at a snail’s pace. Overall, I enjoyed the plotline, but I just never warmed up to Sean.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, Review Book

REVIEW: The Alexandria Letter by George R. Honig

Tara

The Alexandria Letter
by George R. Honig

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 325
Rating: 4/5
Read: June 6-11, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; Thriller & Suspense Challenge 2010
Yearly Count: 30

First Line: Late one evening, in the spring of the year 362, the venerable Athanasios, Bishop of Alexandria, received a visit from one of his deacons.

After Cambridge scholar Nathan Tobin discovers an ancient Aramaic letter, he finds himself thrown into an agonizing struggle against powerful forces committed to discrediting him. The Alexandria letter discloses surprising revelations about the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist, as well as shocking claims of duplicity by Paul of Tarsus, which threaten to turn long-held principles of Christianity on their heads. But as he races to verify the authenticity of the letter, he faces rejection by his fellow scholars and sinister opposition from within the Church that aims to stop him at any costs. The Alexandria letter represents the most important work Nathan has ever done, but it may also be the last.

I received this book to review courtesy of Maia Levenson with Phenix & Phenix Publicity.I was excited by the blurb when I was first contacted about this book, I thought it sounded like a book that would be really great and right up my alley. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. But I felt like it had a slightly slow start, the first 50 or so pages were kind of rough for me to get through. But once I got really into the book the pages were flying by! I really liked this book and would definitely recommend it!

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, Review Book

REVIEW: Never Let You Go by Erin Healy

Tara

Never Let You Go
by Erin Healy

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 338
Rating: 4/5
Read: May 24-28 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010
Yearly Count: 26

First Line: For seven years, Lexi Solomon had been as cold as the wind that raced down the mountain above her home.

Lexi Solomon has worked unbelievably hard to keep everything together since her husband left seven years ago. But then things start to fall apart all over again. Her husband is back in town, her sister’s murderer is up for parole and an old “friend” is demanding payment on a debt that Lexi knows nothing about. Things are happening that Lexi can feel but not explain. Sometimes it feels as if she is losing her mind. But there are forces behind Lexi and her family that will keep everyone safe, if Lexi just opens her mind to it.

This is a review book that was provided to me by Amy Currie with Phenix & Phenix Publicity. I snatched up this review opportunity because I recently read Burn by Ted Dekker & Erin Healy. Overall, I enjoyed this book. However, it wasn’t one of my favorites. I personally did not consider it to be very suspenseful as it is categorized. It held my interest well enough, but I had my doubts with the ending. I am not a religious person in the least, and Christian books are a little out of my comfort zone. This is not my first Christian fiction book, but this one was the first one I had some issues with. I guess it was a little more in your face than I prefer. But that didn’t take away too much from the overall story, just a little bit. I’m just a skeptic, and this book brought out my skepticism. But I would still recommend it, it’s a good clean read.

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.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, Harper Connelly, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009, SERIES

REVIEW: Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris

Tara

Grave Secret
by Charlaine Harris

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 306
Rating:4/5
Read: Nov. 17-24, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Countdown Challenge;  2009 Celebrate the Author Challenge
Yearly Count: 61

First Line: “All right,” said the straw-haired woman in the denim jacket. “Do your thing.”

Harper Connelly has traveled to Texas with her stepbrother Tolliver to do a job. They like to travel to Texas, it allows this to see their little sisters. But what they learn while in Texas is worse than they could have ever imagined anything. First they learn that Tolliver’s father is out of prison and is trying to re-establish family connections. After they finish the job that brought them to Texas, Tolliver is shot. But the police think that Tolliver was not the intended target, that Harper was. While Tolliver is recovering in the hospital, Harper is trying to figure out what is going on. She has a feeling that there is a connection between their last job and Tolliver being shot, but she can’t possibly figure out what it is. And the fact that Tolliver’s father is back in the mix only makes matters worse for her. However, what she will ultimately find out will turn her world upside down. Harper finally finds out what happened to her sister so many years ago, but what the truth reveals is something far more disturbing than anyone ever thought possible.

This is the fourth (and, sadly) the last in the Harper Connelly series. Although Ms. Harris left a small opening for another book in this series, she has mentioned in numerous places on her website that she is finished with Harper. And honestly, I can see where it would be hard to go anywhere else with this series. Although a lot of people might have been turned off by the relationship between Harper and Tolliver, I didn’t find it all that problematic. In fact I can see where it can be quite common – however, I would have thought that the attraction would have happened when they were teenagers. However, having Harper and Tolliver together practically 24/7 on the road made it kind of inevitable also. I personally liked Harper’s character. I thought that the gift that Harris thought up for her was quite interesting, and her descriptions of how she did her work were interesting. However, I have a rather large complaint about this book – there was very little action in regards to what Harper does as a living. She came in and did her “thing” within the first chapter and that was that. The rest of the book was mainly about Tolliver recovering and Harper trying to figure out what was going on with the help of Manfred. I rated this book a 4/5 simply because I felt it was a little rushed in places. It was like Ms. Harris was trying her hardest to wrap this series up as quickly as possible. There were also more than a few grammar/spelling errors (which I have noticed is a common thing in Ms. Harris’ books). Overall I thought that this was a pretty decent way to end this series, and that although I am sad to see the end of this series, I am also glad to have a conclusion.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009, SERIES

REVIEW: A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris

Tara

A Bone to Pick
by Charlaine Harris

Copyright: 1995
Pages: 262
Rating: 4/5
Read: Oct. 10-13, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge ; RYOB 2009;
Yearly Count: 53

First Line: In less than a year, I went to three weddings and one funeral.

Roe Teagarden has had an interesting year. After her crime discussion group disbanded, it seems like life has been a roller coaster – with her personal life on a permanent downfall. But her life will be turned upside down when she is told that she has inherited everything that Jane Engle owned. Jane was a member of the abovementioned discussion group but it wasn’t like she was Roe’s best friend. So why would Jane leave her everything? Roe is unsure but she is impressed by the inheritance. But when she finds a skull in Jane’s window seat she is completely baffled. Knowing Jane, Roe is positive that she had not killed somebody, but why on earth would Jane Engle have a skull in her house? She finally realizes that Jane would have wanted Roe to figure out the puzzle that Jane left behind. But Roe begins to suspect that one of her new seemingly ordinary neighbors is a cold-blooded murderer.

I recently read the first in this series, Real Murders and was not very impressed overall. This one was a lot better. But my one main complaint is that halfway through the book it’s like the mystery part of the book was thrown out. On the positive side there was a lot of character development in this installment, but the actual murder mystery part of this book was kind of sporadic. Overall it’s a good story and it was a quick and enjoyable read, but I felt like there could have been a lot more to the actually mystery part of this book.

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009

REVIEW: Real Murders by Charlaine Harris

Tara

Real Murders
by Charlaine Harris

Copyright: 1990
Pages: 175
Rating: 3/5
Read: Sept. 2-6, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; 2009 1st in a Series Challenge; A Well-Rounded Challenge
Yearly Count: 46

First Line: “Tonight I want to tell you about that most fascinating of murder mysteries, the Wallace case,” I told my mirror Enthusiastically.

Aurora “Roe” Teagarden is a small-town librarian. Nothing much really happens in her town of Lawrenceton. The peak of her excitement comes from her monthly meetings with her group “Real Murders.” They are just a group of people who share an interest in past murder cases. But when one of the members turns up dead at one of their meetings, with her murder scene looking suspcisiously like that of a murder case from the past that Roe recognizes. As time goes on, others in this small town turn up dead, also seemingly patterned after other famous murder cases. Roe can’t help but wonder who is at the heart of these murders – it almost has to be a member of Real Murders … but who could it be?

Okay, so I love the Harper Connelly series and was looking forward to giving this series a try. I liked it to a degree, however there were numerous spelling errors in this book (which really irritates me to no end). But for some reason I didn’t immediately take to this book. I mean it was okay in the end, but I felt as if it was missing something, I don’t really know how to describe my feelings though. It had a slow start. And I felt as if the character development lacked a little bit. But overall it was a decent book and I will probably continue on with this series, I just don’t know if I’ll be rushing to continue it.

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, Harper Connelly, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2008, SERIES

REVIEW: An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris

Tara

An Ice Cold Grave
by Charlaine Harris

Copyright: 2007
Pages: 280
Rating: 5/5
Read: Aug. 20-23, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 43

First Line: The eastern seaboard is crammed with dead people.

Harper Connelly is called to a job in Doraville, North Carolina. She is hired to find a missing boy for a grieving grandmother. He is just one of several teenage boys that has disappeared from the area over the past five years. She ends up finding them all, buried at an old deserted house. Having done the job she was hired to do, all she wants to do is get out of town. Instead she finds herself attacked and in the hospital. While recovering Harper will learn more about Doraville, North Carolina, than she ever cared to know.

This is the third book in the Harper Connelly series. I have read online at Ms. Harris’ website that the fourth book due out later this year will be the final book in this series. I sure will be bummed out when this series ends. I have read the first three this year and I have really enjoyed all of them. I personally feel as if the first is still the best so far, but this was one was better than the second. I loved how Harper and Tolliver both grow as characters by leaps and bounds in this installment. I definitely recommend this series.