Category: Read in 2009

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

Whispers by Lisa Jackson

Tara

Whispers
by Lisa Jackson

Copyright: 1996; 2003
Pages: 433
Rating: 5/5
Read: May 19-23, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009; 2009 Celebrate the Author
Yearly Count: 24

First Line: “Bitch.” Harley Taggert was drunk, but not drunk enough.

Sixteen years ago Claire Holland left Lake Arrowhead, Oregon, with a secret. One that she swore she’d never tell. But when her father calls her and her two sisters back to the old family home she realizes that the secret that she’s held for all these years just might get out after all. But what she didn’t count on was that it would be Kane Moran who would end up wanting to expose the truth behind the night that her fiancé drowned. But as Claire fights her feelings toward Kane, feelings that she has fought for sixteen years, a killer lurks in the background eager to silence Claire forever.

I must say that I have been in somewhat of a reading slump lately. So when I picked up Whispers I just had to cross my fingers that I would be able to finish it. But let me say that I never once had any hesitation once I really got into this book! I was hooked from the first page. I really enjoyed Claire and her family. I liked learning about them and seeing what the secret was all about. I couldn’t hardly wait to figure out what had happened to Harley that night at the marina. I definitely enjoyed this book and am glad that I have other Lisa Jackson books on my TBR shelf.

AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2009, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

7th Heaven by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Tara

7th Heaven
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Copyright: 2008
Pages: 353
Rating: 4/5
Read: May 12-19, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 23

First Line: Tiny lights winked on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window.

The Women’s Murder Club is back! In this seventh installment of the series, Detective Lindsay Boxer is running two cases. The first is the missing teenage son of California’s ex-governer. He’s been missing for quite some time, and when the first break happens, it’s devastating. But at the same time, Lindsay and her partner, Rich, are also investigating some fatal fires. The fires are destroying some of San Francisco’s most beautiful homes. But as Lindsay starts to really get into the investigation, one fire rages way too close to home.

I think I said this with the 6th book in this series – these books are getting so formulaic! I wasn’t going to read this one for a while, but the 8th in the series came up on my PBS wishlist and I accepted it and figured I would need to read this one first. I enjoyed it to a point, but I just keep wondering how far this series is really going to go. Personally, I’m not really seeing a whole lot of growth in the characters. Lindsay still hasn’t settled with Joe (although they have made big changes), Yuki and Cindy haven’t seemed to change at all, and all that’s happening with Claire is that she had a baby. There’s really no character development to me and that’s something that I really enjoy in a series. I’m going to read the 8th book since I already used a PBS credit for it and would like to get my credit back when I finish it, but if there’s a 9th I’m not sure I’ll be rushing to read it.

AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, F, Fiction, Read in 2009

The Osiris Alliance by Jack Ford

Tara

The Osiris Alliance
by Jack Ford

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 287
Rating: 5/5
Read: May 6-11, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge
Yearly Count: 22

First Line: The big bolt on the cell door slammed open, echoing like a thunderclap in the silence of the prison hallway.

When the US government gets wind of a possible nuclear arms smuggling deal going down, federal prosecutor Adam Stark opens an investigation. But when he begins to run into dead ends, he finds help from an unlikely source – television reporter Megan Delaney. Her own investigation into rumors surrounding the arms deal has led her to the Osiris Corporation, but she doesn’t know where it goes from there. Pairing up, they discover a small time crook who has an interesting piece of the puzzle – a stolen diary that gives all the answers and then some. But the diary’s owner wants his property back, and will go to great lengths to get it returned to him before Adam and Megan get their hands on it.

I received this book from Shelby Sledge with Phenix & Phenix Publicists to review. I have to admit that I was very excited to get this opportunity. I have seen the author, Mr. Ford, on television numerous times (I’m a former Court TV junkie!) and figured by the description of the book that this would be a really great read. I have to say, I was NOT disappointed!! I thought that the writing was concise and well done, the plot was intriguing and well thought out and the overall book was immaculate. I was entertained from start to finish – and let me tell you, I really enjoyed the historical twist to the book. I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good read and I look forward to any future books that Mr. Ford writes.

A, AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, Fiction, Read in 2009

Capital Offense by Kathleen Antrim

Tara

Capital Offense
by Kathleen Antrim

Copyright: 2001
Pages: 385
Rating: 4/5
Read: April 22-30, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 21

First Line: “What’s deadlier to a country than war?” a low, gravelly voice slurred.

A successful woman in her own right, Carolyn Alden Lane, wife of Senator Warner Lane from Missouri, Carolyn will do seemingly anything to put her husband in the White House – it’s her goal as well. But after a shocking confession to her husband, he becomes cold and distant. Their marriage is essentially over. But they can’t divorce. If they divorce Warner’s career is over. So Carolyn decides to take matters into her own hands and really manipulates everyone she comes into contact with just so she can be in the White House. But her real motive? Not only does she want to be First Lady – she also wants to be Vice President!

I enjoyed this book. I liked the writing. I thought that it was really good actually! Carolyn came across as a really heartless woman at times, but her original intentions were good. I thought that Antrim did a good job showing the kind of power that most people in Washington have (as well as outside of Washington) and what people will really do to become President or Vice President.

AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, Harper Connelly, Read in 2009, SERIES

Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris

Tara

Grave Sight
by Charlaine Harris

Copyright: 2005
Pages: 293
Rating: 4/5
Read: April 19-21, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 20

First Line: The silent witnesses lie everywhere, passing from one form of matter to another, gradually becoming unrecognizable to their nearest and dearest.

Harper Connelly has an interesting job. She finds dead people. After being struck by lightning as a teenager Harper has had this uncanny ability to “hear” the dead. She is able to find people who have gone missing and bring closure to the family. She can even tell what the person died of. So she travels the country with her stepbrother Tolliver helping families find their loved ones – for a price of course. This time Harper finds herself in the small town of Sarne. She is there to look for a teenage girl. But in a small town, some secrets aren’t meant to be brought out in the open. So when Harper begins to uncover the truth behind the girl’s disapperance it becomes very clear that some people want Harper out of town at the very least.

Okay, so I was unsure about this book, but the description definitely sounded interesting. However I was pleasantly surprised by this book!! It was a quick and enjoyable read. I really took to Harper as a character and I’m definitely looking forward to getting to the second book in the series soon! Highly recommend this book.

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.

B, Book Review, Fiction, Read in 2009

The Broken Parachute Man by Robert B. Bolin

Tara

The Broken Parachute Man
by Robert B. Bolin

Copyright: 2008
Pages: 292
Rating: 4/5
Read: April 3-10, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge
Yearly Count: 18

First Line: I’ve always wanted to be what I am not.

Pharmaceutical companye executive Clyde Young boards an airplane to go to a meeting. The flight should have been routine. It ended up being anything but routine. His plane has been hijacked by terrorists. And what’s worse is that Clyde is thrown from the plane with a barely operable parachute because he wouldn’t listen to the terrorists. Surviving the wilderness that he is stuck in when he finally gets back to civilization no one seems to believe his story. People assume that he was one of the terrorists. On the run to Las Vegas he is on the hunt for who really was behind the hijacking and why it seems that he was targeted. He lives on the street and the only people that will believe his story are a sociopath, a prostitute, an alcoholic doctor, and a pickpocket. But these four people travel with him in order to fight for him. As Clyde continues to investigate what was really going on he realizes that the pharmaceutical company that he worked for is doing unimaginable things that are endangering the lives of numerous innocent people. So Clyde must act quickly to get to the bottom of things and stop what is really going on before someone stops him first.

As a general rule, medical-ish books are not my cup of tea. However, I liked this one. This is definitely a book that I would recommend to others to give it a try. I would like to thank Elizabeth McCurry with Phenix & Phenix Publicists as well as Mr. Bolin for allowing me to receive a copy of this book for review.

Book Review, Fiction, Read in 2009, S

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Tara

The Reader
by Bernhard Schlink

Copyright: 1995
Pages: 215
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: April 1-5, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge
Yearly Count: 17

First Line: When I was fifteen, I got hepatitis.

Michael Berg was 15 years old when he became ill on his way home from school one day. A woman takes care of him. After he recovers somewhat, he goes back to her house with flowers in order to thank her for her help. And he keeps going back. Hanna is the first woman who has caught his interest. She’s also quite older than him. She’s msyterious and avoids many questions that Michael has for her. The affair goes on until one day Hanna disappears. Michael is distraught and confused but life eventually goes on. However, years later as a law student observing a trial in Germany, Michael is shocked to see Hanna at the defendant’s table. Confused to see her and unable to comprehend the crimes that she is accused of committing, Michael becomes obsessed with trying to figure out why Hanna would admit to such crimes …. until he finally realizes that she’s actually trying to hide something  by admitting guilt.

I haven’t seen the movie. But the previews really had me interested. Unfortunately the book didn’t do much for me. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I had in mind. However, I am kind of curious to see the movie in order to see what all the to-do was really about.

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

Heartstopper by Joy Fielding

Tara

Heartstopper
by Joy Fielding

Copyright: 2007
Pages: 565
Rating: 4/5
Read: March 15-22, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009; Celebrate the Author Challenge 2009
Yearly Count: 16

First Line: The girl is waking up.

Most people would argue that the most dangerous predators in Torrance, Florida, are the alligators. However, that was before a serial killer appeared to have arrived in town. No one really noticed when a runaway teenage girl disappeared; however when the pretty and popular Liana Martin is found murdered, the town goes into a panic. As the Sheriff, John Weber, digs into the cases he does not like what secrets he is finding out about his little town.

This is the first book by Joy Fielding that I have read, and trust me, this will not be the only book I ever read!! I really enjoyed this one a lot!! And believe me, when you get to the end you will be pleasantly surprised by who the bad guy is in this book!! I really can’t say enough good things about this book – give it a try if you haven’t already!!  🙂

AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2009, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

The 6th Target by James Patterson

Tara

The 6th Target
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2007
Pages: 386
Rating: 4/5
Read: March 6-15, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 15

First Line: A killer in waiting, Fred Brinkley slumps in the blue-upholstered banquette on the top deck of the ferry.

A madman opens fire on a ferry as the boat is coming into the dock. Several people are dead, and one member of the Women’s Murder Club was injured. While Lindsay is hunting down the truth behind the ferry massacre, she is also having to deal with children of wealthy families being abducted. But the kidnappers are not contacting the families for ransom. Lindsay must deal with all of this and her personal life in order to figure everything out and bring peace back to San Francisco.

Now don’t get me wrong. I really enjoy a good James Patterson book. However, his books are quite formulaic after a while. If you want a quick and easy read – this is it. However, there’s no “meat” to his stories. When I first started reading the Women’s Murder Club books I couldn’t get through them fast enough, but for some reason I’m hitting a slump with them. I mean it took me a week to read this book, I can usually knock out a Patterson is 2 days tops. I might have to give them a break for a while before picking up another one.