Category: K

4/5, Alex Delaware, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, K, RATING, Read in 2011, SERIES

2011.62 REVIEW – Over the Edge by Jonathan Kellerman

Tara

Over the Edge
by Jonathan Kellerman

Copyright: 1987
Pages: 433
Rating: 4/5
Read: Nov.. 8– Nov.27, 2011
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly Count: 62
Format: Print
Source: Personal Copy

Blurb: Brace yourself for shock –

when Alex Delaware gets a phone call from a former patient, a young, troubled genius who suffered a devastating mental collapse….

when he drives through the night to save his life and winds up in a morass of murder….

when he uncovers the secret life of one of California’s leading families, and is witness to an explosion of murderous passions and shattering revelations….

Review: It’s been entirely too long since I read the first two books in this series. But that didn’t stop me from diving right in with no problems. This book starts out strong and never really lets up in the suspense department.

I was bummed with how little Milo was included in this installment, but I also understood that the interaction between Alex and Milo had to be limited because they were both working the same case – on opposite sides. I mention this because after looking back through my review for the previous book (Blood Test) I had specifically mentioned how little character development there truly was. I understand that Alex is the main character, but the supporting characters are always important in my opinion and I enjoy getting to know them just as well as the main character. Maybe in the next book 🙂

Overall, this was an action packed adventure. Alex kept running into wall after wall, but he never stopped. And I can only imagine what it would be like to go up against the kinds of people he was dealing with. An affluent family hiding behind their attorney – that would be hard for anyone to deal with.

So I would definitely recommend this book. And I hope that I don’t wait as long to get to the next book in this series as I did to get this book!

3/5, AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, Fiction, K, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011

2011.54 REVIEW: The Blue Edge of Midnight by Jonathon King

Tara

The Blue Edge of Midnight
by Jonathon King

Copyright: 2002
Pages: 265
Rating: 3/5
Read: Sept. 11– Sept. 13, 2011
Challenge: Take a Chance Challenge 3
Yearly Count: 54
Format: Print
Source: Personal Copy

Blurb: On a night that will haunt him forever, ex-cop Max Freeman killed a twelve-year-old child in self-defense in a Philadelphia shootout. Since then he has lived a solitary existence on the edge of the Florida Everglades, where he answers to no one save the demons tormenting his conscience. But when he finds the corpse of a child along a shadowy riverbank, he’s pulled back into the twisted maze of law and order – as a murder suspect. Now Freeman has no choice but to hunt down a killer who has committed the unthinkable – even if it takes him to the darkest places of the soul…

Review: I only picked up this book to fulfill a challenge requirement. While it would not be my favorite book, it wasn’t a bad book. There was just something about the book itself that bothered me. I don’t know if it was the (what I call) flowery dialogue. By this I mean that there were long, drawn-out descriptions in places where it (in my opinion) was unnecessary. But then again, I am not a fan of a lot of words, as I’ve said before here on my blog, I’m a “just the facts, ma’am” type of girl. Or if it was just the fact that I didn’t really get the main character, Max. He was a strange guy, there were a lot of unknowns about him and he just was … strange. That’s the only way I could describe it. Honestly, I’m not sure I will ever read any more in this series, I just didn’t get the book. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but it definitely wasn’t great. In the words of Simon Cowell, it was utterly “forgettable.”

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, K, Maggie O'Dell, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES

2011.41 REVIEW – Hotwire by Alex Kava

Tara

Hotwire
by Alex Kava

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 288
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Aug 5 – Aug. 7, 2011
Challenge: TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 41
Format: Print
Source: Library Book

Blurb: On a crisp fall evening in western Nebraska, what started as a group of kids filming their drug-induced party ends in an explosive light show, leaving the victims apparently electrocuted, with odd scorch marks being the only evidence. While Maggie tries to make sense of what is real and what is hallucination, she realizes that the surviving teens are being targeted and systematically eliminated. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, Army Colonel Benjamin Platt is at the scene of a deadly outbreak, desperate to identify the pathogen that has infected children at a Washington, D.C., elementary school. Despite the miles that separate them, the two cases collide as Maggie and Platt uncover secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the remote Midwest landscape.

Review: I was a little hesitant about this book since I was a little bit disappointed in the last book (Damaged). That being said I’m a little on the fence on this one overall. First of all, I should start out by saying that I really do enjoy this series, I like Maggie’s character. I especially like that we’re starting to see the possibility of some romance in her life. But this book and the previous book haven’t been as great as the other previous books were. There seems to be less profiling for Maggie (and that’s what her job description is!) and I honestly loved that aspect of the series. There were two storylines in this book that were supposed to be connected … but seriously, the connection required quite a bit of imagination if you ask me. The way that the two storylines were connected would not have been the way I would have connected them. But again, this is just my opinion. As I stated in my review for Damaged, the ending to this book felt a little rushed as well. Once again I felt the story being built up and up only to be wrapped up in 10 pages. I don’t know. Like I said, I’m a little on the fence. I enjoyed it, but if I was just picking this book up without having read the others first, it probably wouldn’t be a series I would continue with.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, Jack Daniels, K, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES

2011.39 REVIEW – Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath

Tara

Whiskey Sour
by J.A. Konrath

Copyright: 2004
Pages: 276
Rating: 4/5
Read: July 28 – July 30, 2011
Challenge: TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 39
Format: Print
Source: Purchased online from Powell’s in 2010

Blurb: Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels is an insomniac Chicago cop with a train wreck of a personal life and a stalker bent on adding her to his murder list. Join Jack, her binge-eating partner, a sleazy PI, and two very stupid FBI agents on a wild hunt for the Gingerbread Man – a killer who makes Hannibal Lecter look like Huck Finn.

Review: I purchased this book online in 2010 from Powell’s. I went on this binge where I was gathering up some new series’ to start. I hate to admit that I let this one sit on my shelf for as long as I did. And honestly, I only read it when I did was because it is part of a large trade I have going with a fellow member of the Yahoo group MysteryBookSwap. That being said, I found this book to be hilarious. I’m already looking for the second in the series, Bloody Mary. I don’t think that there’s any other character quite like Jack Daniels in any book I’ve ever read. She’s believable, humorous, serious and likeable all at the same time. The storyline was really enjoyable, the bad guy was interesting, the supporting characters are good. I’m definitely glad that I read this book and I’m really looking forward to reading more in this serious. I would highly recommend this book.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, K, RATING, Read in 2011, SERIES

2011.28 REVIEW – The Hundredth Man by Jack Kerley

Tara

The Hundredth Man 
by Jack Kerley

Copyright: 2004
Pages: 307
Rating: 4/5
Read: June 3 – June 7, 2011
Challenge:  No Challenge
Yearly Count: 28
Format: Print

First Line: Seconds before one of the most long-awaited events of Alexander Caulfield’s adult life, an event he’d spent years planning and pursuing, an event marking his ascension into professionalism, a decent salary, and the respect of his peers, his left eye started winking like a gigolo in  third-rate Italian film.

Blurb: Bizarre and cryptic messages found on a pair of corpses in Mobile, Alabama, launch junior police detective Carson Ryder and veteran cop Harry Nautilus into a desperate search for a mysterious killer. With the body count rising, Ryder descends into his family’s terrifying past by seeking advice from his brother, a violent, taunting psychopath convicted of similarly heinous crimes. Ryder soon confronts not only his past fears and nightmares, but also the knowledge that someone he knows is the next target. And time is running out.

Review: This is the first in the Carson Ryder series, I had never even heard of this author before until a fellow member of the MysteryBookSwap on Yahoo groups mentioned that she was reading it and that it was up for trade. I took a chance and requested a trade with her for it. I have to say that I am very glad that I read this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were humorous moments sprinkled in here and there at just the right times. The storyline was good, the characters were likeable. I’m really looking forward to reading more in this series. Highly recommended.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, K, Maggie O'Dell, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES

REVIEW: Damaged by Alex Kava

Tara

Damaged
by Alex Kava

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 255
Rating: 4/5
Read: July 25-27, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; Finish That Series Challenge
Yearly Count: 37

First Line: Elizabeth Bailey didn’t like what she saw.

Pensacola Beach is bracing for what could be a category 5 hurricane. The Coast Guard is routinely patrolling the Gulf of Mexico when they spot a cooler floating a mile offshore. Suspecting drugs, they recover it. Instead of drugs, it’s full of body parts. Profiler Maggie O’Dell is called in on the case. She is able to track down who the torso belonged to – a man who went missing during a previous hurricane on the other side of Florida. How did the body end up 600 miles away in the Gulf? Maggie must battle a serial killer in the middle of a hurricane to get all the answers this case has to offer.

This is the eighth in the Maggie O’Dell series and I must say, I was a little disappointed in it. First of all, Maggie didn’t even feel like the main character in this book; Scott and Liz did. And the story seemed to build up for the first 200 pages and then the ending was so rushed. The storyline seemed good, but not all that inventive, really. I have never read an Alex Kava book that felt so rushed. I just felt as if there was too much emphasis on the other characters, and not enough on Maggie, who is obviously the main character in this series. I still gave it a good rating because I just love this series and this author, but it’s definitely not the best book in this series.

5/5, Alex Delaware, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, K, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES

REVIEW: Blood Test by Jonathan Kellerman

Tara

Blood Test
by Jonathan Kellerman

Copyright: 1986
Pages: 349
Rating: 5/5
Read: May 29 – June 1, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 27

First Line: I sat in the courtroom and watched Richard Moody get the bad news from the judge.

Five-year-old Woody Swope was terribly ill. His parents were unsure about the treatment that he was receiving at the clinic. One day, Woody goes missing from the hospital. Without treatment, Woody’s chances of survival were slim-to-none. Child psychologist Alex Delaware is brought in by the attending physician and cannot seem to shake this case. Alex and his good friend, homicide detective, Milo Sturgis, have to track down Woody and whoever took him. Unfortunately, Milo is limited in what he can do with the case, so it will be up to Alex to unravel the truth behind this little boy and his situation.

This is the second book in the Alex Delaware series. I personally felt like it had a slightly slow start, but overall the book ended up being quite enjoyable. I found myself flying through it with all the twists and turns. Alex can sure find himself in some strange situations, even if his intentions are perfectly good. I was kind of disappointed that there wasn’t as much character development in this installment as I would have preferred, with Robin out of town the entire book and Milo just playing a secondary role in the case. There was also two story lines going on throughout the book which sometimes made for confusing moments, but overall it was a good book with a good storyline. I would recommend it.

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

REVIEW: Black Friday by Alex Kava

Tara

Black Friday
by Alex Kava

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 295
Rating: 5/5
Read: Feb. 7 – 11, 2010
Challenge:  2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Finish That Series Challenge
Yearly Count: 7

First Line: Rebecca Cory stood her ground despite another elbow shoved into her shoulder blades.

It’s the busiest shopping day of the year – Black Friday – everybody is enjoying great sales and the true beginning of the holiday shopping season. People were minding their own business in the Mall of America … until three bombs go off in the food court area. The three young men that are carrying the bombs think that they’re just carrying jamming systems to cause chaos in the stores, unfortunately they become suicide bombers by the man carrying the remote control for the bombs. Maggie O’Dell is called in to profile. But things get a little personal when Maggie finds out that her brother Patrick could have been mixed up in all this mess. But when an informant finally confides in Maggie about the truth behind the entire situation she realizes that there will be a second place and that she must find out where it will occur in order to stop it and save more lives.

I love, love, love this series!! And this installment was especially good in my opinion. I’ve been to the Mall of America numerous times, not on Black Friday, but it always seems to be packed inside that mall, I can’t even begin to imagine if a bomb was really to go off in that mall. I found the way that Kava brought Nick Morelli back into the picture a little far-fetched, the odds of the way they ended up at the same disaster was a little suspicious. Personally I feel like that attraction ran its course a few books ago. But I liked how she brought Patrick back into the story. Overall I really liked this book. If you’ve never tried this series before, I definitely recommend reading them in order.

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, K, Maggie O'Dell, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES

REVIEW: Exposed by Alex Kava

Tara

Exposed
by Alex Kava

Copyright: 2008
Pages: 373
Rating: 5/5
Read: Jan. 7-10, 2010
Challenge:  2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; Finish That Challenge Series; RYOB 2010; Thriller & Suspense 2010
Yearly Count: 2

First Line: Waheem was already bleeding when he boarded the crowded motorboat.

FBI profiler Maggie O’Dell and Assistant Director Cunningham cannot believe what is happening to them until it’s too late – they have been exposed. Exposed to a very deadly virus. Stuck in quarantine, Maggie beings to wonder if there isn’t some kind of a connection with the victims. Cunningham thinks it’s personal. And it is – they just have to figure out how. With nothing to think of except what could be going on inside her body, Maggie has to get inside this killer’s mind. And she needs to do so before this becomes an epidemic.

I love the Maggie O’Dell series. I was a little late in getting around to this one, mainly because medical-ish books are not really my cup of tea. But I should have known better- Alex Kava has never disappointed me yet. Since it has been so long since I read anything in this series, it was a little difficult for me trying to remember what had happened with the characters in the earlier books. There’s just something about the way Kava writes. Her books are always full of such great suspense and of course I absolutely love the psychological aspects!! I’m definitely looking forward to getting  Black Friday from the library so that I can get caught up on this series again until July when the 8th book in this series is set to be published.

5/5, Alex Delaware, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, K, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009, SERIES

REVIEW: When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman

Tara

When the Bough Breaks
by Jonathan Kellerman

Copyright: 1985
Pages: 351
Rating: 5/5
Read: Sept. 14-17, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; 2009 1st in a Series Challenge; A Well-Rounded Challenge; 2009 Celebrate the Author; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 47

First Line: It was shaping up as a beautiful morning.

Alex Delaware is a well-known and established child psychologist when he burns out at the age of thirty-two. But he gets involved when his friend, LA police detective Milo Sturgis, enlists his help as a “consultant” with the department. Charged with helping a terrified seven-year-old girl who might have seen the perpertrators of a horrific murder, he is intrigued with the entire case whereas the police seem less impassioned about it. Determined to get to the bottom of the case, he is caught up in a web of unimaginable evil and a forty-year-old secret.

I have read a few of the more recent Alex Delaware novels and have enjoyed them, so I was really excited to finally read the first in this series. I learned so much about who Alex and Milo really are that I had missed out on in the later books. I was so intrigued by all the twists and turns. Kellerman really wrote a great story with this one. I’m probably like the last person on earth to have read this book, but if you haven’t read this one before I highly recommend this one.