Category: 4/5

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

REVIEW: The Dying Game by Beverly Barton

Tara

The Dying Game
by Beverly Barton

Copyright: 2007
Pages: 440
Rating: 4/5
Read: Apr. 9-13, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; Random Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010; Thriller & Suspense Challenge 2010
Yearly Count: 17

First Line: The intensely bright lights blinded her.

It’s the ultimate game. The rules are simple: to win, you have to kill. To lose, you will have to die. The victims are former beauty queens who are found brutally murdered. Lindsay McAllister was a rookie detective when her first case was the murder of Judd Walker’s wife. The murder shattered Judd and really affected Lindsay as well. Now, years later, Lindsay has to tell Judd that his wife’s murderer is killing again. As the body count continues to rise, Lindsay realizes that the only way she will ever stop this killer is to play the game herself.

I’ve only read one other Beverly Barton book a few years ago, but I have had this one on my shelf for some time. I was definitely not disappointed. I really fell in love with the characters – I’m intrigued by who Griffin Powell is and what is in his past. I thought that the plot was really interesting. I don’t know how all these authors can come up with so many different plots, it’s really awesome for people like me who devour mysteries as often as I can! Overall, I would really recommend this book. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it wasn’t too gruesome either. I’m really looking forward to getting more into the Griffin Powell series and reading more Beverly Barton books in the future!

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

REVIEW: From Potter’s Field by Patricia Cornwell

Tara

From Potter’s Field
by Patricia Cornwell

Copyright: 1995
Pages: 352
Rating: 4/5
Read: Mar. 23-26, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 13

First Line: Christmas Eve was cold and treacherous with black ice, and crime crackling on scanners.

As Dr. Kay Scarpetta knows, holidays don’t stop criminals from wreaking havoc among the innocent. So why should this particular Christmas be any different for Kay? Unforunately, it’s not. This Christmas finds her in New York City dealing with what appears to be another murder by Temple Gault. By this point, Scarpetta just wants to end this nightmare that Gault has brought upon her life. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that she is at the center of Gault’s obsession; it is Kay Scarpetta that Gault intends to destroy -by taking everything away from her. No longer safe in her own home or office, she has to rely on her FBI and police counterparts even though she knows that it will be her alone who will have to face Gault in the end if any of them want this nightmare to end.

This is the sixth book in the Kay Scarpetta series and another great one! It had a slightly slow start, but once it picked up, it was really a great and fast read. I felt like this one was written a little bit better quality wise than the past two books were. It was like it flowed a little bit better honestly. Kay’s character seemed to get over herself a little more than she showed herself to be in The Body Farm. Overall I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to diving right into the seventh book 🙂

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

REVIEW: The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell

Tara

The Body Farm
by Patricia Cornwell

Copyright: 1994
Pages: 338
Rating: 4/5
Read: Mar. 19-23, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 12

First Line: On the sixteenth of October, shadowy deer crept to the edge of dark woods beyond my window as the sun peeked over the cover of the night.

Kay Scarpetta is back and she’s started in her new position as a consulting forensic pathologist for the FBI. When she gets the call about the murder of an eleven-year-old girl in a small town, she fears the worst. She has a really bad feeling that the killer is Gault – a man that got away during her last big case. While dealing with that, her niece Lucy finds herself in trouble with the FBI. An intern for the Bureau, she is accused of a very serious security violation. Although Kay is trying her hardest to come to terms with Lucy’s predicament, the theory that she finally arrives at in regards to her murder case will surprise her more than she ever could have imagined.

This is the fifth book in the Kay Scarpetta series. This one wasn’t necessarily my favorite, but it was still good. Personally I felt as though Kay was a little over-reaching in places. It’s kind of hard to explain what I really thought of this book. Overall it was good, bu I felt as if it could have been better in places. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing on with this series!

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

REVIEW: Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell

Tara

Cruel and Unusual
by Patricia Cornwell

Copyright: 1993
Pages: 409
Rating: 4/5
Read: Mar. 15-17, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 11

First Line: The Monday I carried Ronnie Joe Waddell’s meditation in my pocketbook, I never saw the sun.

“Killing me won’t kill the beast” were some of the last words that rapist-murderer Ronnie Joe Waddell wrote before his execution. The words didn’t mean much until Dr. Kay Scarpetta found Waddell’s fingerprint at a crime scene after his execution. Something strange is going on and it’s going to be up to Kay to figure out what is going on before her career and life as she knows it is completely wrecked.

This is the fourth of the Kay Scarpetta series. It was another great book. But I did have some reservations about it. The main thing that I have noticed (and this applies to the 2nd and 3rd books as well) is that when the next book in the series begins it seems as if the reader has missed something. Not to give anything big away but when this book started there was a pretty big revelation that came pretty much out of nowhere. I was confused and it took a while before the whole thing came together. Something similar to this happened in the beginning of the third book as well. I guess I expect the books to pick up where they left off a little bit more than these have seemed to do. Another gripe that I have (which again applies to the 3rd book as well) is that the lead-up to the overall climax is really wonderful and then the killer is revealed and the end result kind of falls flat. Maybe I expect too much, I don’t know. But overall I really enjoyed this book and am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

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

REVIEW: Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell

Tara

Body of Evidence
by Patricia Cornwell

Copyright: 1991
Pages: 403
Rating: 4/5
Read: Feb. 20 – 23, 2010
Challenge:  2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Random Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 9

First Line: Dear M, Thirty days have passed in measured shades of sunlit color and changes in the wind. I think too much and do not dream.

When reclusive author Beryl Madison is found brutally murdered in her own home, Kay Scarpetta is on the case. Kay knows that Beryl has been having some issues with some menacing phone calls. In fact, Beryl had escaped Virginia altogether in order to get away from the harassment. While away Beryl is thought to have been writing a tell-all memoir about her life and her relationship to another reclusive author. But Kay also knows that that is a book that there are more than a few people who do not want it to ever hit the presses. While trying to track down the only known copy of the book Kay finds herself mixed up with a man from her past as well as the same stalker that Beryl was dealing with.

I read the first book in this series last year and was not real impressed by it. So I wasn’t in much of a hurry to get around to this one. But I have to tell you – I am glad I did read it! This book was so much better than the first one. The story was better, the writing was better, everything was better. It has definitely made me look forward to reading the third in this series. As a side note to this review, I just saw on CNN that it has been confirmed that Angelina Jolie has been cast to play Kay Scarpetta in an upcoming movie based on this series. I have to say – this is really wrong! From the descriptions that I get from reading the first two books, Ms. Jolie is too young, too tall, too skinny, just too wrong to play this character. That’s just my two cents on the matter. You can read about this here. (Of course I also didn’t like Denzel Washington as Lincoln Rhyme either….)

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

REVIEW: Shall We Tell the President? by Jeffrey Archer

Tara

Shall We Tell the President?
by Jeffrey Archer

Copyright: 1977, 1985
Pages: 322
Rating: 4/5
Read: Jan. 23-26, 2010
Challenge:  2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Random Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010; Thriller & Suspense 2010
Yearly Count: 4

First Line: “I, Florentyna Kane, do solemnly swear…”

Florentyna Kane has finally achieved everything that she hoped to – she has been elected as President of the United States of America. She hopes that her legacy will be in her Gun Control bill that she is pushing through Congress. But there are a lot of people who are opposed to the legislation – even people who want to kill Florentyna in order to kill the bill. FBI agent Mark Andrews knows that there is going to be a presidential assassination, but he doesn’t know the who, when, where, or how. He only has six days to figure out who wants the President killed. He doesn’t know who he can trust. He doesn’t know anything except that he must divert this possible assassination.

I’ve only read one other Jeffrey Archer book, False Impression, and I really enjoyed it. This one was almost as enjoyable. As I tend to do with older books, I found some of the things a little dated (hello! Cell phone Mr. FBI Agent! Oh wait – they don’t exist yet.) And this one had a few slow spots that had some slightly unnecessary information. Overall though, the book was quite enjoyable. It was really interesting to see everything unfold for Mark Andrews, and how he had to determine who was behind the possible assassination plot. I think I will look for more Archer books in the future.

4/5, Alex Cross, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES

REVIEW: Four Blind Mice by James Patterson

Tara

Four Blind Mice
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2002
Pages: 383
Rating: 4/5
Read: Jan. 18-22, 2010
Challenge:  2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010; Finish That Challenge Series; RYOB 2010; Thriller & Suspense 2010
Yearly Count: 3

First Line: The District Attorney for Cumberland County, North Carolina, Marc Sherman, pushed the old wooden captain’s chair away from the prosecution, and it made a harsh, scraping eeek in the nearly silent courtroom.

Alex Cross is ready to resign from the D.C. police force. But there will be one last case that he simply can’t refuse before he can resign. His best friend and partner, John Sampson, comes to Alex asking him to help him prove that a good friend of John’s has been framed for murder and will be executed. His accusers are the United States Army. Tackling such a case will be more of a challenge than they could ever imagine. And this case goes deeper than either of them would have ever thought.

I love this series, and this was another good installment. While this one was not as good as my personal favorite in the series (Roses are Red) this one was still a good strong book. I like the direction that Alex Cross is going in in regards to his personal life. It will be interesting to see how things end up for John and Alex in the next few books.

4/5, AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, Fiction, R, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009

REVIEW: Conflicts with Interest by Michael Ruddy

Tara

Conflicts with Interest
by Michael Ruddy

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 333
Rating: 4/5
Read: Dec. 28-30, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010
Yearly Count: 73

First Line: The river card snapped to the felt.

T.R. Morgan of Morgan Homes has had a successful life and business. But it’s all threatened by one little thing: a lawsuit. And who else is he going to be going up against but Steve Sanderson – a ruthless and feared attorney in the Bay Area. Not knowing much about what he is about to be involved with, he’s optimistic that his insurance company will come to his rescue and a quick settlement will be reached. But not with Steve Sanderson – even the insurance companies fear Sanderson. How far will this go? Will he lose his business? His home? Everything? Everything will have to play itself out before it will come to an unbelievable end. An ending that no one would have expected. Will T.R. bring Sanderson down, or will Sanderson bring T.R. down?

I was contacted by Rebecca Brown of The Cadence Group about reading and reviewing this ARC. Scheduled to be published in late January, 2010, this book was quite interesting. It was not a mystery, which is what I’m used to reading. But it was more of a general fiction book. It also dealt with the building industry, something that I am somewhat involved in being employed by a concrete company. Overall I think that this was a good debut novel. However, I had some reservations about it as well. First of all, the legal descriptions that are involved in this book can be a little overwhelming to the lay person. I also felt as if the chapters going back and forth were a little choppy. There were a few grammatical errors (but it was an ARC, hopefully they’ll catch that before final publication – I hate being such a stickler for grammar, but I am!) Overall though, this book kept my interest. It was an enjoyable read for me, and I’m glad that I was contacted about this book because it probably would not be something that I would pick up in a bookstore or library. I am interested to see where Mr. Ruddy’s writing will take him next based upon his background. He definitely has the skill to come up with new and interesting topics and I hope to see that in the future.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009, T

REVIEW: The Sorority: Samantha

Tara

The Sorority: Samantha
by Tamara Thorne

Copyright: 2003
Pages: 203
Rating: 4/5
Read: Dec. 26, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 71

First Line: Meteors showered the black velvet night.

Samantha Penrose knows that there’s something going on in the Gamma Eta Pi sorority house at Greenbriar University. And her investigative journalist instincts tell her to look into it as much as she can. Between Eve’s “suicide” and Merilynn’s disappearance, Samantha takes every opportunity to dig deep into the secrets of the house, sisters and the exclusive Fata Morgana. But what she finds is not just scandalous – they’re sinister! Malory Thomas is watching her every move, but that is not stopping Sam from finding out what exactly is going on in the sorority house.

This was the finale of the trilogy. Taking all three books together, I must say that the trilogy itself seemed to be quite standard. The basic premise behind this whole trilogy was this: there are evil witches living as sorority sisters at Greenbriar University. Three young new sisters end up in the same sorority after meeting as young girls at the cheerleading camp across the lake from the university. They all know that there is something funny going on with the lake and the woods that surround it, but when they end up in the same sorority, they realize that something is weird with the sorority as well and they all set out to figure out what really is going on in their sorority house. The three books follow the three main characters’ own personal story of the mysteries surrounding Gamma Eta Pi. Again, it seemed kind of standard and formulaic, but I still enjoyed it altogether.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2009, T

REVIEW: The Sorority: Merilynn by Tamara Thorne

Tara

The Sorority: Merilynn
by Tamara Thorne

Copyright: 2003
Pages: 203
Rating: 4/5
Read: Dec. 24, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009; 2010 Countdown Challenge
Yearly Count: 70

First Line: “A long time ago, the town of Applehead was located right there under the lake.” Counselor Allie Mayhew pointed toward the lake, its black water slowly rippling with silver moonlight.

Merilynn Morris is an old soul. She’s always had a sixth sense that she can’t explain. After Eve Camlan’s mysterious disappearance, and suspected suicide, Merilynn is troubled. She is absolutely certain that there is evil in the Gamma Eta Pi sorority house at Greenbriar University. When Malory Thomas invites her to be involved with the ultra secret Fata Morgana, Merilynn gets even more concerned because of the glimpses of evil she is having. Is this some kind of a warning of things to come?

This was a continuation of Eve’s experiences. This one answered a lot of the questions that I had after finishing Eve’s version. I’m not sure what to make of this trilogy in general. It seems pretty standard in terms of evil sorority sisters and black magic. Will have more to say about the trilogy as a whole after Samantha’s version.