Category: RATING

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.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, L, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011

2011.37 REVIEW – The Chancellor Manuscript by Robert Ludlum

Tara

The Chancellor Manuscript
by Robert Ludlum

Copyright: 1977
Pages: 438
Rating: 4/5
Read: July 21 – July 24, 2011
Challenge:  Take a Chance Challenge 3
Yearly Count: 37
Format: Print
Source: Bookmooch point

Blurb: DID J. EDGAR DIE A NATURAL DEATH? . . .  OR WAS HE MURDERED? Inver Brass-a group of high-minded and high-placed intellectuals who see a monstrous threat to the country in Hoover’s unethical use of his scandal-ridden private files.  They decide to do away with him-quietly, efficiently, with no hint of impropriety.  Until best-selling thriller writer Peter Chancellor stumbles onto information that makes his precious books like harmless fairy tales.  Now Chancellor and Inver Brass are on a deadly collision course, spiraling across the globe in an ever-widening arc of violence and terror.  Hurtling toward a showdown that will rip Washington’s intelligence community apart-leaving only one damning document to survive . . .

Review: I chose this book solely for a challenge. Honestly, it’s not even a book that I had ever heard of. But when I was looking over my choices to fulfill this section of the challenge, this book immediately stood out for me based on the blurb. This was my first time reading a Robert Ludlum book, although I have 4 or 5 of his already on my shelves. But the description of this book immediately sucked me in. I like conspiracies. I don’t necessarily believe in them, but I enjoy them immensely in books, movies and television shows. That said, this book was right up my alley. I enjoyed it, but it’s not something that I will remember a year from now. The ending was long and drawn out in my opinion. It probably could have been wrapped up in about 10 pages and yet it dragged on for a good 30 or 40 pages. I felt as if Mr. Ludlum was a little long-winded in places that weren’t really necessary. Of course, this goes back to my preferences, it’s just not something that I like in books. However, this doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the book. I actually did enjoy it quite a bit, it was a fun and interesting read. The beginning was a little slow, but the last two-thirds of the book flew by. I would definitely recommend this book and I will for sure be reading more Robert Ludlum in the future.

4/5, 87th Precinct, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, M, Random Book Discussions, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES

2011.36 REVIEW – Cop Hater by Ed McBain

Tara

Cop Hater
by Ed McBain

Copyright: 1956, renewed 1984
Pages: 236
Rating: 4/5
Read: July 17 – July 20, 2011
Challenge:  TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 36
Format: Print
Source: PaperBackSwap point

Blurb: Swift, silent, and deadly – someone is knocking off the 87th Precinct’s finest, one by one. The how of the killings is obvious: three .45 shots from the dark add up to one, two, three very dead detectives. The why and the who are the Precinct’s headaches now. When Detective Reardon is found dead, motive is a big question mark. But when his partner becomes victim number two, it looks like open-and-shut grudge killings. That is, until a third detective buys it. With one meager clue, Detective Steve Carella begins his grim search for the killer, a search that takes him into the city’s underworld to a notorious brothel, to the apartment of a beautiful and dangerous widow, and finally to a .45 automatic aimed straight at his head.

Review: This is the first book in the 87th Precinct series. I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, it is definitely a different read than what I’m used to. I don’t read a lot of books that are this old, some of the slang terminology was a little difficult to follow and the police procedures are way different from anything that goes on today. For example, a person being “heeled” was (as best as I could figure) akin to “packing heat”. Little things like that made the book a little different for me. The storyline was interesting, and the bad guy in this book, well I had it completely wrong. I enjoyed this one and I will more than likely read the next book eventually.

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

2011.35 REVIEW – Shelter by Harlan Coben

Tara

Shelter
by Harlan Coben

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 304
Rating: 5/5
Read: July 16 – July 17, 2011
Challenge:  TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 35
Format: Print (ARC)
Source: LibraryThing EarlyReviewer copy

Blurb: After tragic events tear him away from his parents, fifteen-year-old Mickey Bolitar is sent to live with his estranged uncle Myron. For a while, it seems his train wreck of a life is finally improving – until his girlfriend, Ashley, goes missing without a trace. Unwilling to let another person he cares about walk out of his life, Mickey follows Ashley’s trait into a seedy underworld, revealing a conspiracy so shocking it will leave him questioning everything about the life he thought he knew.

Review: I received this book through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program. I am a huge fan of Harlan Coben. His stand alones are great. I’ve only read one of the Myron Bolitar novels, but since Myron takes a backseat to his nephew Mickey in this book, it didn’t affect anything. This is a young adult novel, but Mr. Coben doesn’t hold much back. The situations that Mickey finds himself in are interesting. His friends are funny and well-rounded. Ema is especially intriguing – there’s something about her that we don’t know about yet, but it has made me very interested in finding out more about her character. Spoon provides some great comedic relief in just the right places. Mickey’s character is very real because he is dealing with some very real events in his life – his dad is dead and his mom is a junkie. Any fifteen-year-old kid is going to struggle with that situation, but Mickey seems to deal with it as best as he can. Overall, I’m very interested in this series, I think that Mr. Coben has started a new series that could really grow into something great. It will attract young adults and his faithful adult readers as well. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

This book will be released in September, 2011.

5/5, AUTHOR, B, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES, The Camel Club

2011.34 REVIEW – Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci

Tara

Hell’s Corner
by David Baldacci

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 572
Rating: 5/5
Read: July 6 – July 16, 2011
Challenge:  TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 34
Format: Print

First Line: Oliver Stone was counting seconds, an exercise that had always calmed him.

Blurb: John Carr, aka Oliver Stone – once the most skilled assassin his country ever had – stands in Lafayette Park in front of the White House. Inside, the British prime minister is being honored at a state dinner. Then, just as the prime minister’s motorcade leaves, a bomb explodes in the park, and in the chaotic aftermath Stone is given an urgent assignment: find those responsible. British MI-6 agent Mary Chapman becomes his partner in the search for the unknown attackers. But their opponents are elusive, skilled, and increasingly lethal. Worst of all, the park bombing may have been only the opening salvo in their plan. With nowhere else to turn, Stone enlists the help of the only people he knows he can trust: the Camel Club.

Review: This was such an exciting and thrilling roller coaster ride type of book. There were many twists and turns. I really enjoy the characters involved in the Camel Club. Plus Adelphia made another appearance with a very surprising revelation. I found Mary Chapman’s character to be very interesting, and I hope that we see her again, especially after what was revealed at the end of this book. This is not really a series that would read very easily as stand alones, so if you haven’t read this series, I would definitely start from the beginning. But overall, I felt like this was another really strong installment in this series that naturally left me waiting for the next one!

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

2011.33 REVIEW – The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Tara

The Help
by Kathryn Stockett

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 522
Rating: 5/5
Read: June 29 – July 5, 2011
Challenge:  Take a Chance Challenge 3
Yearly Count: 33
Format: Print

First Line: Mae Mobley was born on a early Sunday morning in August 1960.

Blurb: Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, raising her seventeenth white child. She’s always taken orders quietly, but lately it leaves her with a bitterness she can no longer bite back. Her friend Minny has certainly never held her tongue, or held on to a job for very long, but now she’s working for a newcomer with secrets that leave her speechless. And white socialite Skeeter has just returned from college with ambition and a degree but, to her mother’s lament, no husband. Normally Skeeter would find solace in Constantine, the beloved maid who raised her, but Constantine has inexplicably disappeared. Together, these seemingly different women join to work on a project that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town – to write, in secret, a tell-all book about what it’s really like to work as a black maid in the white homes of the South. Despite the terrible risks they will have to take, and the sometimes humorous boundaries they will have to cross, these three women united with one intention: hope for a better day.

Review: I must thank my grandmother for encouraging me to read this book. She bought it for me after she read one of her friends’ copies and loved it. For her she remembered some of the things described in this book. Having been a history major very interested in the Civil Rights era she figured that I would enjoy it. Well she was certainly spot-on with her assumption that I would enjoy it. This is not a book that I would have picked up otherwise, in fact I had read the blurb of this book many times and decided time after time that it would not be a good fit for me. I cannot believe how hilarious this book was in some spots. I read the last half of this while on an airplane yesterday afternoon, the people around me must have been curious as to what I was continuously laughing out loud about. I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s an eye-opening, hilarious read that should be read by everyone. Oh, and I wouldn’t recommend the chocolate pie 🙂

5/5, Alex Cross, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES

2011.32 REVIEW – Cross Fire by James Patterson

Tara

Cross Fire
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 356
Rating: 5/5
Read: June 26 – June 28, 2011
Challenge:  What’s in a Name 4 Challenge
Yearly Count: 32
Format: Print

First Line: It had been months since Kyle Craig had killed a man.

Blurb: Detective Alex Cross and Bree Stone’s wedding plans are put on hold when Alex is called to the scene of the perfectly executed assassination of two of Washington, DC’s most corrupt: a dirty congressman and an underhanded lobbyist. Next, the elusive gunman begins picking off other crooked insiders, sparking a blaze of theories – is the marksman a hero or a vigilante? The case explodes, and the FBI assigns Agent Max Siegel to the investigation. As Alex and Siegel battle over jurisdiction, the murders continue. It becomes clear that the killings are the work of a professional who has detailed knowledge of his victims’ movements – information that only a Washington insider could possess. As Alex contends with the sniper, Siegel, and the wedding, he receives a call from his deadliest adversary, Kyle Craig. The Mastermind is in DC and will not relent until he has eliminated Cross and his family for good.

Review: Without a doubt, this is my absolute favorite series. Ever. This particular installment was better than the last few have been. Kyle Craig is back in the forefront in this book and that always makes for a good story! We see Alex in such a happy place, as happy as I think he’s ever been since his wife was murdered. Every single time that I read these books it really makes me wonder how many more there will be. My biggest fear is that the series will eventually end. I know it’s inevitable, but I don’t want to have to think about it. Also, without revealing any spoilers, there’s something really interesting on the last page that makes me look forward to future books! I would highly recommend this book and this series overall!

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

2011.31 REVIEW – Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Tara

Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher

Copyright: 2007
Pages: 288
Rating: 5/5
Read: June 21 – June 22, 2011
Challenge:  Take a Chance 3 Challenge; TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 31
Format: Print

First Line: “Sir?” she repeats. “How soon do you want it to get there?”

Blurb: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker – his classmate and crush – who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a first-hand witness to Hannah’s pain, and learns the truth about himself – a truth he never wanted to face.

Review: I waited for what seemed like forever waiting on the wishlist over at PaperBackSwap for this book. To put it the best way I can think of: this book was worth the wait. For real. This book was so haunting. Some points really resonated with me. Not being that far removed from high school (okay, well, 8 years), I know what those years were like. I remember them. Vividly. I was in Hannah Baker’s shoes when I got stood up at the movies (although technically her date showed up, eventually). I was somewhat of an outcast my junior year. I lost almost all my friends that year. Over something really stupid that I still can’t really put my finger on … but boy, do I still remember the one person who was at the center of the whole debacle. Ugh. I have my own Valentine Day memory like Hannah had hers, although mine wasn’t over a survey – although we did have those surveys! So I really related to Hannah’s character. Although I myself never considered suicide, I can understand the pain that this character went through when no one else was even aware. I was there. I felt some of that pain. I think that this book should be required reading for all young adults. High school can be brutal, and people suffer. A lot of the time others aren’t even aware of the pain and suffering that some people are going through. To read this book in a classroom I think could really open up some great discussions. I wish our high school had had a Peer Communications class like this fictional high school had. That would have been a wonderful class to experience. Overall, I simply cannot say enough good things about this book. I read it as quickly as I could. It sucked me in immediately.

4.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, J, RATING, Read in 2011

2011.30 REVIEW – Lost Souls by Lisa Jackson

Tara

Lost Souls 
by Lisa Jackson

Copyright: 2008, 2009
Pages: 488
Rating: 4.5/5
Read: June 15 – June 21, 2011
Challenge:  No Challenge
Yearly Count: 30
Format: Print

First Line: Where am I?

Blurb: Kristi Bentz wants to write true crime. All she needs is that one case that will take her to the top. She finds it when she enrolls at All Saints College after learning that four girls have disappeared in less than two years. All four girls were “lost souls” – troubled, vulnerable girls with no one to care about them, no one to come looking for them if they disappeared. The only personal that believes Kristi is her ex-lover, Jay McKnight, a professor on campus. The police think the girls are runaways, but Kristi senses there’s something that links them – something terrifying. As Kristi gets deeper into her investigation, she gets the feeling she’s being watched and followed – studied, even. Then the bodies start turning up, and Kristi realizes she is playing a game with a killer who has selected her for membership in a special club from which there will be no escaping death….

Review: Vampires, sex, murder … this book has it all. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it was a little on the long side for the story it was trying to tell, but honestly, that didn’t take away too much from the book itself. Having read Lisa Jackson’s books before, they are usually guaranteed to be a good thriller, but sometimes this one felt a little pushed in places. It’s hard to explain what I’m really trying to say. It was a good book, no doubt about it. But it didn’t feel entirely believable. I think that was my issue with it. Maybe that’s just me not buying into the whole commercialized vampirism and whatnot (now, if you want a good vampire story, check out Blood Oath). However, I suppose if the vampire element had been left out of this book, it would have felt like a gazillion other thriller books with very similar plots. Overall, I would recommend this book. But I think it’s a very forgettable read.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2011, SERIES, Taylor Jackson

2011.29 REVIEW – The Cold Room by J.T. Ellison

Tara

The Cold Room 
by J.T. Ellison

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 401
Rating: 4/5
Read: June 8 – June 14, 2011
Challenge:  No Challenge
Yearly Count: 29
Format: Print

First Line: Gavin Adler jumped when a small chime sounded on his computer.

Blurb: Homicide detective Taylor Jackson thinks she’s seen it all in Nashville – but she’s never seen anything as perverse as The Conductor. Once his victim is captured, he contains her in a glass coffin, slowly starving her to death. Only then does he give in to his attraction. Later, he creatively disposes of the body by reenacting scenes from famous paintings. Strangely, similar macabre works are being displayed in Europe. Taylor teams up with her fiance, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, and New Scotland Yard detective James “Memphis” Highsmythe – a haunted man who has eyes only for Taylor – to put an end to The Conductor’s art collection. Has the killer gone international? Or are there dueling artists, competing to create the ultimate masterpiece.

Review: I love this series, there is just something absolutely haunting about the stories J.T. Ellison can weave. There were some new characters introduced in this installment, one of whom I really hope will continue to be an integral part – the new detective, Renn McKenzie. In this particular book there has been a lot of changes within the Nashville Metro Police Department. These changes have directly impacted Taylor Jackson’s work life, so it was very interesting to see just how Taylor would handle them as a person. I sincerely hope that Taylor and Baldwin get married sooner rather than later, because I think they’re a great couple. I’m definitely interested in seeing where they go together in future books. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who hasn’t tried it before.