Category: 3.5/5

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.

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, Review Book, U-V-W

2011.38 REVIEW – Lonely Deceptions by D.R. Willis

Tara

Lonely Deceptions
by D.R. Willis

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 193
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: July 25 – July 27, 2011
Challenge: Criminal Plots Reading Challenge; TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 38
Format: Print
Source: Review Copy

Blurb: After Nick accidentally overhears a conversation between Lou Evans – his boss and owner of Lou-Paul Machine Shop – and a mysterious person, he unwittingly becomes a pawn in a game of international proportions. When Lou gruffly asks him to take possession of prototype blueprints, Nick has no idea that the blueprints contain a dark secret – a secret with the potential to kill. Combined with unwanted attention from a local police officer as well as a skeletal, dangerous former FBI agent, Nick’s normal life is suddenly not that at all, and no one can guarantee his safety – not even the beautiful FBI agent who has been assigned to the case. Lou may not be who he says he is, and, unfortunately for Nick, his downfall may be that he is the best machinist around and the only one Lou can count on to help him carry out a perilous mission.

Review: I received this copy to review courtesy of Hannah at BohlsenPR. Overall I thought the book was good, but there were some weird spots for me. First, I felt as if the beginning was slow and confusing. It took nearly 60 pages before I started to understand what was going on. And then at the end, when the big secret was revealed, I wasn’t all that impressed. I suppose I was expecting it to be a bigger conspiracy by the way it was played up throughout the entire book, either that or I missed something. That being said, the middle of the book was really good. I felt that this had the best writing, the best storyline and the best character development. This book read as if it could be the first in a planned series. I’m not sure what the plans are for this author, but I feel as if a second book in this series could definitely answer some questions that I had. My curiosity would lead me to want to read another book with Nick Davis as the main character. But like I said, I’m not sure that there is a plan for a series, the ending just left it open for the possibility. Overall, I would recommend this book as it was an enjoyable read.

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

2011.5 REVIEW – Alex Cross’s Trial by James Patterson

Tara

Alex Cross’s Trial
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 380
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Jan. 24 – , 2011
Challenge: TBR Dare
Yearly Count: 5
Format: Print

First Line: A few months after I hunted a vicious killer named the Tiger halfway around the world, I began to think seriously about a book I had been wanting to write for years.

Blurb: From his grandmother, Alex Cross heard the story of his great-uncle Abraham and his struggles for survival in the era of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, Alex passes the family tale along to his own children in a book he’s written – a novel called Trial. A lawyer in early-1900s Washington D.C., Ben Corbett fights against oppression and racism – and risks his family and his life in the process. When President Theodore Roosevelt asks him to return to his hometown to investigate rumors of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan there, he cannot refuse. In Eudora, Mississippi, Ben meets the wise Abraham Cross and his beautiful granddaughter, Moody. With their help, Ben discovers that lynchings have become commonplace. He vows to break the reign of terror – but the truth of who is really behind the killings may break his heart.

Review: This is not your typical Alex Cross book, so if you’re looking for that, this installment might not be your cup of tea. First of all, this particular book is actually a book within a book. It starts out with a brief introduction from Alex Cross about how there’s a story in his family history that he’s always wanted to tell, and that the subsequent book is that story. Then the reader is taken back to Mississippi in the early 1900s. Lynchings have become a way of life in the small town of Eudora. But the President, Teddy Roosevelt, wants all of the violence to stop. Unable to step in because of his role as President, he sends Ben Corbett down as his “spy.” Ben then embarks upon an unforgettable journey. This is the story that Alex tells of, Ben Corbett’s time in his hometown of Eudora, trying to fight all the racism and violence. I was a history major in college, so the Civil War era and anything to do with racism, Ku Klux Klan, slavery, etc., will immediately attract me. That being said, this book will not be for everyone. The violence experienced by the black people of Eudora is not at all sugar-coated or covered up in this book. I found it to be a good historical story. But as I stated above, if you’re looking forward to another good Alex Cross book, you might want to skip this book.

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, C, Fiction, Kay Scarpetta, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES

REVIEW: Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell

Tara

Book of the Dead
by Patricia Cornwell

Copyright: 2007
Pages: 511
Rang: 3.5/5
Read: Dec. 24-27, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 67
Format: Print

First Line: Water splashing. A gray mosaic tile tub sunk deep into a terra-cotta floor.

Blurb: Starting over with a unique private forensic pathology practice in the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina, seems like the ideal situation for Scarpetta and her colleagues, Pete Marino and her niece, Lucy. But then come the deaths… A sixteen-year-old tennis star, fresh from a tournament win in Charleston, is found nude and mutilated near Piazza Navona in Rome. The body of an abused young boy is dumped in a desolate marsh. A woman is ritualistically murdered in her multimillion-dollar beach home. Meanwhile, in New England, problems with a prominent patient at a Harvard-affiliated psychiatric hospital begin to hint at interconnections among the deaths that are as hard to imagine as they are horrible. Scarpetta has dealt with many brutal and unusual crimes before, but never a string of them as baffling, or as terrifying, as the ones facing her now. Before she is through, that book of the dead will contain many names – and the pen may be poised to write her own.

Review: (There will be SPOILERS in this review). This is the 15th book in the Kay Scarpetta series. Overall, I felt as if the plot line was much better than the last few in this series have been. But, I do have a few issues with this book (and the series, really). First, let me just state: Pete Marino is a jerk with a capital J. Ms. Cornwell has managed to take a rough, yet likable, character and just totally ruin him and turn him into a disgusting excuse for a man. And Kay, well, if she forgives Marino one more time for a unexcusable offense, I think I will throw up. In general, the characters have really gone downhill as far as their characteristics go. Lucy hasn’t been in a good mood ever since the tumor was found. Benton, well besides the fact that you “kill” him off to bring him back 2 books later, has some serious communication problems when it comes to his feelings and Kay – and he’s a psychiatrist of all things, he should know better! But what really gets me is the fact that Dr. Scarpetta can’t stay in one place! In the last two books, she has moved to 2 different places (Florida, then South Carolina). And, having picked up Scarpetta, the 16th book of this series off my shelf to read next, I know that Kay has once again moved (Boston/NYC). I don’t know why Ms. Cornwell can’t just let her be in one place, all this moving is confusing. You meet new supporting characters, and then never hear from them again because she has once again picked up and moved. Anyways, I guess if you take away all my gripes and get down to the storyline, it’s slightly disappointing as well. There’s all this lead up to the who-dun-it part of the book, and then the killer is revealed (no big shocker, but somewhat of one) and then he’s effectively caught and imprisoned with only a slight mention in two sentences. Really? That’s how you’re going to end this book? Not sure I really care for this series anymore. I know of quite a few people who have given up on this series simply because the writing is not up to par with her early books and the characters are no longer enjoyable. It may be time for me to hang up Dr. Scarpetta as well. I suppose I will give it two more chances (since I have two more books on my shelves), after that I’m not sure I will pick up the latest installment (Port Mortuary) anytime soon.

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, L, P, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010

REVIEW: Run for Your Life by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Tara

Run For Your Life
by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 338
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Sept. 22-25, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 50

First Line: Getting stuck on a bus in New York City, even under normal circumstances, is a lesson in frustration.

NYPD Detective Michael Bennett is still trying to adjust after the death of his wife, Maeve, a year ago. Between trying to take care of his ten children and his job, he doesn’t have a lot of time to himself. But that’s his life and he has to find a way to move on, and he does – he throws himself into every case that comes his way. But the latest one that he has caught is incredibly confusing. There have been numerous seemingly random shootings around the city in a short time span. There’s no apparent connection at first, but Bennett has the strange feeling that it is anything but random. Fighting the flu at the Bennett household and a madman terrorizing the streets of New York City, Bennett has a few hours to find the identity of the man who calls himself the Teacher and track him down and stop him before he can cause any more chaos.

This book is the second in the Michael Bennett series. I’m still not 100 percent sold on this series. I don’t know if I just can’t grasp the fact that a New York police detective is trying to raise 10 adopted children or if it’s the fact that Alex Cross is my favorite series ever, but for whatever reason, this book and the first in the series Step On a Crack just isn’t catching my attention. I will probably seek out the third one in this series simply because I like reading James Patterson’s books, but it will never be as good as the Alex Cross series. that being said, this was a decent book. It was an interesting storyline. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t something that I would rave about to other people.

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.

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, C, Nonfiction, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009

REVIEW: Decoding the Lost Symbol by Simon Cox

Tara

Decoding the Lost Symbol
by Simon Cox

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 221
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Dec. 17-23, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Countdown Challenge
Yearly Count: 69

I was contacted by Anna Suknov at FSB Associates about reading and reviewing this book. First of all, it hurt that I have not read The Lost Symbol yet (But I did see the movie). I guess it never occurred to me that I would need to read the book before I read this “Unauthorized expert guide to the facts behind the fiction.” Now that is not to say that I didn’t enjoy this book. It was pretty good. However, it would help if you read The Lost Symbol before reading this one (OOPS! LOL) I learned some new things. Actually, I learned a lot of new things. I have previously read (and loved) The Da Vinci Code but I never thought to look into just how much of a stretch Dan Brown took when writing it. But after reading this one, I realized that Brown probably stretched quite a bit to make his fiction so enjoyable. On the flip side, it was nice to read this book before reading The Lost Symbol so that I would have a clearer picture of what is what in regards to fiction and fact. So all in all, if you want to know what is fact and what is fiction in The Lost Symbol this is a great resource to begin with! Mr. Cox makes great use of numerous sources and really helped me to understand certain aspects about the book that I never would have understood had I not read this one.

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008

Judge & Jury by James Patterson

Tara
Judge & Jury
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2006
Pages: 416
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Aug. 20-22, 2008
Challenge: No challenge; personal read

First Line: My name is Nick Pellisante, and this is where it started for me, one summer out on Long Island at “the wedding of weddings.”

Aspiring actress Andie DeGrasse ends up as a juror in one of the biggest trials in quite some time. Mafia boss, Dominic Cavello, aka “The Electrician,” is connected to hundreds of horrendous crimes. But he’s not going to go down without a fight. Senior FBI agent Nick Pellisante has spent more than a few years tracking down Cavello and putting together the evidence for this case. He’s convinced that Cavello will try something in order to get out of this. And indeed he does, not once but twice. And it will be Nick and Andie that have to team up in the end to finally catch Cavello once and for all.

This book was just okay for me. It wasn’t spectacular. It was typical Patterson – it read quickly and somewhat kept my interest. I definitely prefer it when Patterson is the sole author. But this one was still good and suspenseful but the ending was just a little too neat and tidy in my opinion. It was just okay.

3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, G, Kinsey Millhone, Read in 2008, SERIES

B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton

Tara
B is for Burglar
by Sue Grafton
Copyright: 1985
Pages: 211
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: Aug. 4-6, 2008
Challenge: Book Awards II Challenge – Anthony Award

First Line: After it’s over, of course, you want to kick yourself for all the things you didn’t see at the time.

When Elaine Boldt’s sister comes into Kinsey’s office, Kinsey feels that finding the missing Elaine for her signature on some legal papers will be a piece of cake. She was last seen leaving her condo in California headed to her condo in Florida for the summer – an every year occurrence. But when Kinsey finds out that Elaine apparently never made it to Florida and that she instead sublet her condo (against condo rules), Kinsey feels that something deadly has happened to Elaine. As she follows the leads her case has, Kinsey realizes that her case is related to an accidental fire that killed Elaine’s next door neighbor – and that it might not have been accidental at all….
This book was a lot better than the first one. I liked it. It wasn’t exceptional, but it was definitely intriguing!It’s definitely got me hooked on this series. I’m looking forward to “C” sometime in the near future.
3.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E, Fiction, Read in 2008, SERIES, Stephanie Plum

Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich

Tara
Two for the Dough
by Janet Evanovich
Copyright: 1996
Pages: 312
Rating: 3.5/5
Read: August 1-3, 2008
Challenge: No challenge; personal read

First Line: I knew Ranger was beside my because I could see his earring gleaming in the moonlight.

Stephanie Plum is at it again. This time, the bounty hunter is on the hunt for Kenny Mancuso, a guy who shot his best friend in the knee and has jumped bail. He’s also distantly related to Joe Morelli. So with the help of Joe, her fellow bounty hunter Ranger, and her Grandma Mazur she’s on the hunt and determined to find Kenny before more people are hurt, mutilated or killed.
Okay, this one was just okay. I’m not overly impressed by this series (I read the first one a couple years back and remember not being very impressed), but I’m going to have to admit, that Grandma Mazur is a piece of work!! I found myself jotting down some of her funnier quotes because they were just too good to pass up! The best in the book had to be in the end, where Grandma quotes Clint Eastwood:

“But being that this is a forty-five magnum, the most powerful handgun in
existence, and it could blow your head clean off, you got to ask yourself one
question. Do you feel lucky today? Well, do you, punk?” (p. 305)

I laughed and laughed at that one! It’s definitely an entertaining book, but the plot left a little to be desired in my opinion. I’m probably going to look for the third in the library sometime in the future though, simply because these books are so funny!