Category: O

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Empty Coffin, Fiction, O, RATING, Read in 2011, SERIES

2011.60 REVIEW – Envy by Gregg Olsen

Tara

Envy
by Gregg Olsen

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 285
Rating: 5/5
Read: Oct. 17– Oct. 24, 2011
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly Count: 60
Format: Print
Source: Library Copy

Blurb: Evil comes in all sorts of flavors. Some bitter. Some deceptively sweet. That’s what Katelyn discovers on the day she dies. One minute she’s a depressed teen with a loser life. The next, she’s lying on a stainless steel slab, eyes glassy, skin frosted over, and very, very dead. Was it: Suicide? Murder? Who’s to blame?

Twins Hayley and Taylor Ryan stumble upon the truth, which is far more disturbing than they could have ever imagined … and which sheds light on another secret, a hidden past even they don’t know about.

Inspired by a ripped-from-the-headlines true crime about cyberbullying, Envy is the gritty first volume in a new bone-chilling series that takes you to the edge – and pushes you right over.

Review: More time has passed since I finished this book than I had intended. I didn’t immediately write a review of this book because I wanted it to set in a little bit. (Well, I should know better than to put anything off, I’m such a procrastinator).

This is a first in a new Young Adult series by an author who writes adult fiction books that I love. I’m not a huge YA reader, but I do read a few YA books a year, and this is definitely a book that I’m glad I got the chance to read.  It will definitely be interesting to see what happens in the future installments.

For the most part, this is a mystery, but there is a slight paranormal edge to it. Being a person who is not a huge paranormal fan, I was not put off by the slant it had at all. I have always been intrigued by twins and the relationship that they have, so I really enjoyed following Hayley and Taylor and seeing them interact. Being young ladies who are starting to have boyfriends, Hayley having a boyfriend whereas Taylor did not, definitely made for some interesting passages. The jealousy over feeling left out was evident.

I would have liked to have known more about Katelyn. I felt as if there was a lot that the reader never knew about her. Like how on earth she ever got to be friends with a girl like Starla in the first place! And when it was finally revealed what Katelyn had done to Starla, well it was so little in comparison to what Starla (but was it really her? 😉 did for revenge.

Port Gamble is portrayed as a very small town. The accident that occurred there years before would have devastated the entire community. And then to have something happen again years later, well it seems like that would be almost too much for such a small place to deal with. Being from a small town myself, it made me recall how the entire town felt when two popular teenagers were killed in a terrible car accident my senior year (one of whom was in my class). It’s amazing how something like that can really touch so many different people’s lives.

Okay, so I realize that I’ve now rambled on about this book and really haven’t said much at all. It’s just one of those books where you don’t want to really say too much. All I can say is that I would highly recommend this book and I am eagerly anticipating the 2012 release of Betrayal.

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

2011.59 REVIEW – The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Tara

The Keeper of Lost Causes
by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Translated by: Lisa Hartford

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 395
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Oct. 3– Oct. 8, 2011
Challenge: TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 59
Format: Print
Source: Library Copy

Blurb: The Keeper of Lost Causes, the first installment of Jussi Adler-Olsen’s international bestselling Department Q series, features the deeply flawed chief detective Carl Mørck, who used to be a good homicide detective – one of Copenhagen’s best. Then a bullet almost took his life. Two of his colleagues weren’t so lucky, and Carol, who didn’t draw his weapon, blames himself.

So a promotion is the last thing Carl expects.

But it all becomes clear when he sees his new office in the basement. Carl’s been selected to run Department Q, a new special investigation division that turns out to be a department of one. With a stack of Copenhagen’s coldest cases to keep him company, Carol has been put out to pasture. So he’s as surprised as anyone when a case actually captures his interest. A politician vanished without a trace five years earlier. The world assumes she’s dead. His colleagues snicker abou the time he’s wasting. But Carl may have the last laugh, and redeem himself in the process.

Because she isn’t dead … yet.

Review: I’m honestly torn on how to rate this book. I’m not really sure where to begin, so I’ll just start from the beginning and work my way to the end (with as few spoilers as possible, of course).

This book alternates between the perspective of Merete Lynggaard, the politician who disappeared and everyone assumes is dead, and Carl Mørck, a detective who has survivor’s guilt after being involved in a shooting where his two colleagues weren’t as lucky as he was. I must say that when I first met Carl, I was not impressed. I wanted to shake him and say, “snap out of it!” But at the same time, I understood why he was feeling like he was … one of his colleagues lost his life and the other one is permanently paralyzed after a shooting in which Carl didn’t even pull his gun. But his attitude is not very likeable and I struggled with that throughout the entire book.

The next thing Carl knows he’s getting a promotion! That would definitely be the last thing anyone would expect, but they put him in the basement with Assad as his assistant. Now, let me just say that I loved Assad’s character. There was so much to him that was so surprising! He’s definitely a good match with Carl … it was really Assad’s interest that got Carl’s interest going in the Merete Lynggaard disappearance. And as Carl continues to dig deeper (while looking like he’s not doing anything) he realizes that there’s something not quite right about the case.

So now I’m to the point where I need to explain why I’m so torn on my opinion of this book. First of all, I didn’t like Carl’s character. Not one bit. He’s a jerk, plain and simple. He doesn’t care about his job anymore. He has a major beef with one of the detectives upstairs. He practically blackmailed his superiors because he knows how much money his new department has been allocated … and he knows that his department isn’t seeing all that money. He’s just not a nice guy.

But then there’s Assad. He’s a very likeable guy. He’s intriguing because we don’t really know anything about him. Carl doesn’t even believe him when he tells him he’s from Syria; Carl thinks he might be from Iraq. He’s definitely not who he says he is, that much is very clear. And he’s not doing what Carl thinks he’s doing when he sends him up to talk to Hardy, Carl’s paralyzed colleague. But then again, it’s really Assad who pushes Carl to work hard on this case. It’s Assad who gets him interested. It’s Assad who really comes up with some great ideas to work the case with.

So I guess the next logical question would be: will I read more in this series? I’m honestly torn. I’m not sure I could stand another book of Carl’s attitude. But at the same time, I would love to know more about Assad and who he really is. Overall, I put this book at a 3.5 rating, which is somewhere between good and really good. If I had liked Carl’s character just a little bit more, I could have given it a 4, but I just can’t bring myself to do that. I think I could recommend this book to other readers, but I don’t think it would be a good fit for everybody.

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E-Book, Fiction, O, RATING, Read in 2011, Review Book

2011.43 REVIEW – Untouchable by Scott O’Connor

Tara

Untouchable
by Scott O’Connor

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 374
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Aug 6 – Aug. 11, 2011
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly Count: 43
Format: E-Book
Source: Review Book courtesy of FSB Associates

Blurb: It is the autumn of 1999. A year has passed since Lucy Darby’s unexpected death, leaving her husband David and son Whitley to mend the gaping hole in their lives. Whitley – an 11-year-old social pariah known simply as The Kid – hasn’t spoken since his mother’s death. Instead, he communicates through a growing collection of notebooks, living in a safer world of his own silent imagining. As David continues to lose his grip on reality and The Kid’s sense of urgency grows, they begin to uncover truths that will force them to confront their deepest fears about each other and the wounded family they are trying desperately to save.

Review:  I received a copy of this e-book courtesy of Leyane Jerejian at FSB Associates. I was intrigued by the blurb of this book. If I was to explain the premise of this book in three words it would be this: everyone grieves differently. The story revolves around a husband and son who lost their wife and mother the previous year. Her death was definitely an unspoken topic in the house. For the husband, who works nights for a company that cleans up the scene after a person has died, he can’t seem to handle what really happened. He doesn’t know how to handle The Kid. You can see this through the elaborate descriptions of his time at work. I’m not sure that Lucy’s death was ever talked about by David after he told his son and co-worker, Bob, about what happened. I think he just blocked it out. At the same time, the reader also gets a peek into the life of Whitley, or The Kid, as he is known throughout the book. The Kid has made a decision to not speak again. He seems to think that by giving up this form of communication, it will bring his mother back to him. He can’t seem to grasp the reality that she is gone. He wants to really believe that she’s just on vacation and that she will be back. I think part of this stems from the fact that he can’t talk to his father about it. This book was definitely unlike anything that I’ve ever read before. But I think it would be a book that would really hit home with anyone who has lost someone close to them. For me, it was the unexpected death of my grandfather when I was 12. He was the first person really close to me that I lost. I remember being absolutely numb. There was never much discussion about it after the funeral. It wasn’t that it was avoided or taboo in my house, it was just that everything was still too raw to talk about it at the time. Fourteen years later we have wonderful memories of him and we talk fondly of him quite a bit, so it’s like I said, everyone grieves differently. This book shows that. I would definitely recommend this book.

4.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, O, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011

2011.40 REVIEW – Closer than Blood by Gregg Olsen

Tara

Closer than Blood
by Gregg Olsen

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 412
Rating: 4.5/5
Read: July 31 – Aug. 4, 2011
Challenge: TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 40
Format: Print
Source: Purchased new

Blurb: The first victim was easy. No one ever suspected the victim had been murdered. The crime long buried, the dark passions guiding the killer’s hand are still alive. But the need for revenge cannot be denied. Only one person can stop the killing. Only one person can identify the killer. Only one person knows the face of death – is as close as the face in the mirror…

Review: Mr. Olsen never fails to impress me. I have read all of his fiction novels so far and have enjoyed every single one of them. The amount of evil he can come up with is amazing to me. Tori, one of the twins in this book … wow, what a character, is all I can say. The storyline was interesting and there was a very interesting twist that came out of left field for me! I simply can’t say enough good things about this book – for sure pick this one up!

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

REVIEW: Crimson Rain by Meg O’Brien

Tara

Crimson Rain
by Meg O’Brien

Copyright: 2002
Pages: 394
Rating: 4/5
Read: Sept. 26-28, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 51

First Line: Life, some say, is only an illusion – an illusion we create ourselves, in our own minds, then project onto the screen of our days.

Paul and Gina Bradley wanted nothing more than a perfect family when they first got married. After receiving the frustrating news that they would not be able to have children of their own, they set out to adopt. Twin girls soon came their way and they thought that their lives were complete. But something was wrong with one of the twins, Angela. After a terrifying event, Paul and Gina make the difficult decision to return Angela to the orphanage for the safety of the other twin, Rachel. Sixteen years later the Bradley family is falling apart. Paul and Gina have drifted apart after what they went through with Angela. When Rachel comes home from college for Christmas break, it’s like she’s a completely different person to Paul and Gina. When Rachel disappears shortly after Christmas Paul and Gina must come together for the sake of their daughter. But the turn of events that happen in their quest to find Rachel will have some surprisingly vengeful results.

This was an enjoyable read. Although in some places it felt a little predictable and formulaic, there were some definite surprises throughout the book. There were some typos, which is a big pet peeve of mine (if you name a character Vicky, do not call her Vicki on the very next page). The ending definitely had a surprising twist. This book was an easy and enjoyable read, but it probably isn’t one that will be very memorable in the long run.

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

REVIEW: Victim Six by Gregg Olsen

Tara

Victim Six
by Gregg Olsen

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 406
Rating: 5/5
Read: May 8-12, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010;  RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 23

First Line: “Quiet, bitch,” he said. “Be a good girl and do as I say.”

When one girl goes missing the police assume that she’s run back to her home country. But when the second and third go missing they realize that something is not right. And when the bodies are discovered, Detective Kendall Stark can’t help but feel like she’s somewhat to blame for what is going on because she didn’t take the disappearance of the first girl very serious. When the body count reaches four and a fifth woman goes missing, things in the little town of Port Orchard, Washington hit a fever pitch. With the awareness of a serial killer in their midst, one dubbed the Cutter by the local newspaper, Kendall and her partner Josh Anderson have to do everything in their power to track down this killer and finally put an end to the terror in their town.

Gregg Olsen is one of my MUST read authors. Although I must admit, I’ve never read any of his true crime books (and I enjoy true crime) I have read all of his fiction novels. He can come up with some of the sickest, twisted stuff and I just can’t get enough of it! Now, I will state that this particular book started out slow for me. However, I stuck with it and definitely enjoyed how it ended up. I particularly liked how the title of the book made sense to me after I finished reading. Sometimes I wonder where book titles come from, but this one made perfect sense to me. Granted, Gregg Olsen’s books are not for the faint of heart, and I wouldn’t really recommend them to just anyone, but I can’t help but love his writing and I really enjoyed this one!

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

REVIEW: Final Breath by Kevin O’Brien

Tara

Final Breath
by Kevin O’Brien

Copyright: 2008
Pages: 436
Rating: 4.5/5
Read: Jan. 27 – Feb. 3, 2010
Challenge:  2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; RYOB 2010; Thriller & Suspense 2010
Yearly Count: 5

First Line: “I swear to God, I’m going to killer her,” he whispered. 

The deaths appear to be random. There seems to be no connection whatsoever. But one woman is slowly realizing that there is indeed a connection – and it’s her. Television reporter Sydney Jordan begins receiving strange souvenirs. She has no idea what these souvenirs really mean, but she eventually begins to realize that people that she has previously interviewed for her television show are ending up dead – most of them are made to look like accidents. But she knows that something else is going on with these deaths. After leaving Chicago abruptly with her son for Seattle, she feels that it will be a new start, but these strange occurrences just keep happening. Someone is watching her and her son, someone who knows her quite well, someone who has placed Sydney as a pawn in a very deadly game. When Sydney finally puts all of the clues together, will it be too late?

I have read a few other Kevin O’Brien novels in the past and have always loved the intense thrills that he manages to write. I don’t know how he does it, but he’s just one of those authors who can give me goosebumps. This one had a few slow places, but overall I thought it was a really good book! I had no idea as to who Sydney’s stalker was until it was revealed in the last few pages, and it was definitely a surprise. There were clues placed throughout the novel, but like Sydney, I missed most of them. My one gripe was that there were a few grammatical errors (my biggest pet peeve). I highly recommend this one.

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

Rape: A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates

Tara

Rape: A Love Story
by Joyce Carol Oats

Copyright: 2003
Pages: 154
Rating: 3/5
Read: May 24, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge;
Yearly Count: 25

First Line: After she was gang-raped, kicked and beaten and left to die on the floor of the filthy boathouse at Rocky Point Park.

When Teena Maguire took a shortcut home after a party with her twelve-year-old daughter Bethie, she could never have imagined what awaited her in the park. A victim of a vicious gang rape some say she deserved it. She shouldn’t have been in that park at midnight dressed the way she was … But now the only thing Teena can do is regret that she even survived the attack. And Bethie’s childhood as she knows it is now over. The gang of young men who attacked her have been rounded up, identified by Bethie, but they’ve got hot shot attorneys who are going to get the charges reduced to simple assault. And with them out on bail, Teena is not coming out of her bedroom and Bethie is terrified. But one man understands their pain … and understands the meaning of justice for Teena and Bethie.

I read a review of this book on someone’s book blog (sorry, I don’t remember who it was) and put it on my PBS reminder list. When I was browsing in the library (like I need to be doing that with all these books at the house) I happened to notice it and picked it up off the shelf quickly! Unfortunately I was not impressed by this book, or novella I should say. There was just something about it. I didn’t care for the writing style I guess you could say. The sentences seemed all choppy. I am assuming that some people would enjoy that style, but I personally didn’t like it real well. I enjoyed the overall storyline, but didn’t care for the execution of it.

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

Heart of Ice by Gregg Olsen

Tara

Heart of Ice
by Gregg Olsen

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 460
Rating: 5/5
Read: April 11-15, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 19

First Line: Hauling a dead body around isn’t easy.

Three bodies. Three differrent towns. What do they have in common? They’re all sorority girls. Their murderer is very precise … but he’s not done. He has a specific sorority girl in mind and he won’t stop until she’s suffered the same fate.

Okay, I simply love Gregg Olsen!! Very rarely do I buy a book new anymore, but Olsen is definitely an author that I buy new!! His books are always full of twists and turns and this one is no exception. It features Emily Kenyon once again, a few years after the last time we met her. It was definitely nice to see how her and her daughter Jenna came out after facing the madman the first time we saw them in A Cold Dark Place. I really recommend everyone to give Gregg Olsen a try if given the opportunity.

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

A Wicked Snow by Gregg Olsen

Tara
A Wicked Snow
by Gregg Olsen

Copyright: 2007
Pages: 369
Rating: 5/5
Read: Dec. 26-30, 2008
Challenge: 2008 2nds Challenge; Countdown Challenge

First Line: The girl remembered the snow and the evil that had come with it.

When Hannah Griffin was a girl a terribly tragedy struck her family. She still remembers the flames of the fire that engulfed her house as well as the twenty bodies that the police found, three in the house and the rest buried in the back yard. The three in the house were that of her mother and two brothers. But the killer was never found and it remained one of the worst unsolved cases. Twenty years later Hannah is now a successful CSI with a loving husband and daughter. She still has difficulty dealing with her past, but things get ripped wide open when she opens a box that was delivered to her office that reads “Your Mom called…” With those three words, Hannah’s world is turned upside down.

I really enjoyed this book. This is the second Gregg Olsen book that I’ve read this year, the first being “A Cold Dark Place” which I also enjoyed a great deal. I’m definitely glad that I had this one on my shelf because it was a great way to end my 2008 reading! I highly recommend this book (as well as “A Cold Dark Place“) to anyone who is looking for a great mystery!