Category: 4/5

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.

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.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, C, Fiction, Kay Scarpetta, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES

REVIEW: Black Notice by Patricia Cornwell

Tara

Black Notice
by Patricia Cornwell

Copyright: 1999
Pages: 441
Rating: 4/5
Read: June 17-23, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 32

First Line: The late morning blazed with blue skies and the colors of fall, but none of it was for me.

When the body of an unidentified man is found in a cargo ship in Richmond, cause of death and an identification is nearly impossible. But Dr. Kay Scarpetta is able to make out an odd tattoo on the decomposing flesh. It will be that tattoo that will lead Kay to Interpol, over in France. But she also has to deal with a lot of stuff on the homefront. There seems to be someone out to get her and Marino: someone wants both of them out of their jobs. In order to figure out this latest puzzle, Kay will have to try and protect her career while also trying to get to the truth at the same time.

This is the 10th book the Dr. Kay Scarpetta series. I personally felt like it was another good installment in this series. However, I did have a few complaints: first, I got really tired of Kay and Marino constantly fighting in this book. I understood that emotions were still raw from what happened in the previous book, and I also understood that they were both having to deal with some changes in their jobs, but seriously? It was a little annoying after a while – I mean, their characters have always kind of gotten on each other’s nerves, but it was really obnoxious in this book. I also had some issues with Lucy’s attitude in this book. I hope that the characters straighten their attitudes out in the next installment of this book. Overall, I’m still enjoying this series and I did enjoy this book, but it wasn’t as good as some of the earlier books in the series.

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.

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

REVIEW: Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell

Tara

Point of Origin
by Patricia Cornwell

Copyright: 1998
Pages: 356
Rating: 4/5
Read: May13-19, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010;  RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 24

First Line: Benton Wesley was taking off his running shoes in my kitchen when I ran to him, my heart tripping over fear and hate and remembered horror.

Carrie Grethen is back in this installment in the Kay Scarpetta series. This time she has escaped from the mental institution where she was being held while awaiting her trial. When Kay receives a letter from Carrie, it just brings all the horrors that Carrie has caused to Kay and her closest family and friends. She must put Carrie out of her mind when she is called to the scene of a horrific house fire. But what she never expected was to find a link between the house fire and Carrie. The amount of hatred that Carrie has toward Kay and everyone close to her is sometimes unbelievable and Carrie will do everything in her power to break the famous Dr. Scarpetta.

This is another good one in this series. I know that a lot of people have complained that as the series went on it went a little south in terms of quality. Maybe I haven’t reached that point, or maybe I just really like this series. But I will say that this one had a few slow parts for me. Overall I enjoyed it, but there was a little bit of what I would consider padding (you know, useless info/words that just add to the page count). There was a surprising turn of events in this book, however, and that really kept things going near the end of the book. I was sad to see how it turned out, but I’m anxious to see where Ms. Cornwell takes Dr. Scarpetta in the next installment!

4/5, AUTHOR, B, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES, The Camel Club

REVIEW: The Camel Club by David Baldacci

Tara

The Camel Club
by David Baldacci

Copyright: 2005
Pages: 593
Rating: 4/5
Read: May 1-7, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; Random Reading Challenge;  RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 22

First Line: The Chevy Suburban sped down the road, enveloped by the hushed darkness of the Virginia countryside.

There is a secret club in Washington. It’s members are four rather eccentric guys who study conspiracy theories and try to find out the truth behind certain governmental actions. They are led by Oliver Stone, a very mysterious man. Their efforts have very little impact on current events until they witness a murder. Determined to keep themselves alive and solve the murder, they have to work together with a somewhat disgraced Secret Service agent in order to keep the country from spiraling into an uncontrollable war of unimaginable proportions.

This is my first time reading David Baldacci (even though I have like 6 or 7 of his books.) This is a book that I’ve had on my shelf for more than a couple of years now and one that I have actually picked up and put aside twice before. The third time was definitely a charm for me and I am so glad that I was finally able to read this book because I did enjoy it. I must say that overall I enjoyed this book. However, I thought that it had a slow start (which might explain why I had previous trouble getting into this book). I also had trouble with all the flip-flopping back and forth between the different story lines in the beginning of the book. It took me about halfway through it before I was really able to get a good grasp on what exactly was going on and who all the characters really were. But I must say I was intrigued by the storyline itself, it was a very good plot in my opinion.

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

REVIEW: Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass

Tara

Carved in Bone
by Jefferson Bass

Copyright: 2006
Pages: 317
Rating: 4/5
Read: Apr. 24-27, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 20

First Line: I picked up the hunting knife with my left hand and tested its heft, then shifted it to my right hand to compare.

Anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton has spent his career building the Body Farm. But now he’s being called upon to solve the murder of a young woman in a remote mountain community. This community is very insular and are not pleased when Brockton comes around investigating. A long-buried secret will come to a head when Dr. Brockton’s investigation threatens to open doors that most people would prefer to keep closed.

This is the first in the Body Farm series. Overall I enjoyed it, but I really did have a few issues with the technicality of it all. First of all, at one point Dr. Brockton, is essentially processing a crime scene. I had a bit of a problem with that because Dr. Brockton is an anthropologist, not a CSI or police officer. Also the overall character of Dr. Brockton seemed a little underdeveloped to me. I’m sure it will come together better in later books in this series, but it did bother me a little bit. Overall though, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to continuing on with this series, but I think it could have been better.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, C, Fiction, Kay Scarpetta, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES

REVIEW: Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell

Tara

Unnatural Exposure
by Patricia Cornwell

Copyright: 1997
Pages: 338
Rating: 4/5
Read: Apr. 18-21, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 19

First Line: Night fell clean and cold in Dublin, and wind moaned beyond my room as if a million pipes played the air.

While doing a series of lectures in Dublin, Ireland, Dr. Kay Scarpetta gets a chance to investigate some unsolved cases that appear to be related to some similar unsolved crimes back at home. Five dismembered and beheaded bodies were found in Ireland years ago, now four have been found in the States. When the fifth one is found in Virginia, Dr. Scarpetta isn’t convinced that it is related to the others. Her suspicions are confirmed when she realizes that there is something even worse with this case: the killer is armed with smallpox.

This is the eighth book in the Kay Scarpetta series. Overall it was a pretty decent book, but I felt like the storyline was a little weak in spots and it felt a little far-reaching. I felt as if the story was moving along quite well and then out of left field came the smallpox angle. I personally didn’t get why that aspect was even in the book. I’m still into this series, but I really didn’t think that this was the best book by any means.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, G, Jane Rizzoli, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES

REVIEW: The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen

Tara

The Apprentice
by Tess Gerritsen

Copyright: 2002
Pages: 366
Rating: 4/5
Read: Apr. 14-18, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; Random Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 18

First Line: Today I watched a man die.

Detective Jane Rizzoli somehow managed to survive the previous summer in Boston when she had to face The Surgeon. Still healing emotionally from the effects The Surgeon had on her, Rizzoli is not quite ready when murders begin occurring again that have eerily similar pattern to them. A pattern that suggests The Surgeon is back. But he’s not – he’s still locked safely away in prison … or is he? So maybe he has an acolyte somewhere out there, a maniac who is staging his murders to look like those of The Surgeon. Forced to face The Surgeon once again, Jane Rizzoli is shocked by just how personal it will get this time around.

I read The Surgeon late last year and really loved it. This one was good as well, but I have my issues with it. First of all, at the end of The Surgeon, Warren Hoyt (aka The Surgeon) was put away, so I’m not really quite sure why Ms. Gerritsen felt the need to bring him back. I know it gave more insight into the character of Jane, but I really didn’t feel like it was necessary. I know a lot of authors bring back the bad guys, but I’m not sure Warren Hoyt needed to come back so soon, it probably would have been better if he had reappeared in a later book. Anyway, that’s just my personal gripe. After reading this book, I’m kind of on the fence about whether or not I like Jane’s character. Parts of me just want to slap her and tell her to get over herself – like her jealousy about her previous partner’s new wife – seriously? I’m going to continue on with this series, and I hope that Jane’s character grows on me some more. Overall, I enjoyed this book, I just had some minor gripes about it here and there, nothing major though. I would recommend this book and this series.