Category: Review Book

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2014, Review Book, S

2014.36 REVIEW – Safe Keeping by Barbara Taylor Sissel

Tara

Safe Keeping
by Barbara Taylor Sissel

Copyright: 2014
Pages: 302
Rating: 3/5
Read: July 29-Aug. 2, 2014
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly count: 36
Format:  Print
Source: Galley Giveaway via Shelf Awareness
Series: N/A

Safe KeepingBlurb: Emily Lebay has always thought of her family as ordinary. Sure, they’ve endured their share of problems, even a time of great trouble – what family hasn’t? But when a woman’s body turns up in the dense woods near their home, and Emily’s grown son Tucker is accused of murder, Emily is forced to confront the unfathomable, and everything she believed about her life is called into question.

This isn’t the first time Tucker has been targeted by the police; a year ago he was a person of interest when another woman was found dead in the same stretch of woods. Still, neither Emily nor her daughter, Lissa, can reconcile their Tucker with these brutal crimes. Terrified, convinced there’s been a tragic mistake, Emily and Lissa set out to learn the truth about Tucker, once and for all. And while his life hangs in the balance, what they discover proves far more shocking than their darkest fears…

Review: I received a copy of this book for free via a galley giveaway through Shelf Awareness, all opinions expressed below are my own.

Last year I read and reviewed Evidence of Life by Ms. Sissel. I *loved* it. Like, really, really loved it. So I was excited to see this latest book come through a Shelf Awareness ad. I was excited and put a request in for a galley. I received a copy and then let it sit. For 4 months! (I have a really bad habit of doing that). So I picked it up hoping it would be just as great as last year’s book.

Unfortunately, it didn’t quite meet those expectations. But that’s okay, I had extremely high expectations for it, probably to the point of unattainable to be honest. Overall this is a good book, but I think my main problem with it is that I have to use the one word I absolutely hate … predictable. I wanted there to be a twist. I wanted someone other than Tucker to be a murderer. I even considered Roy and Evan both as possible murderers!

And can I just say that I was absolutely disgusted by Lissa? I am a firm believer of a woman’s right to choose an abortion … but her “reasons” were ridiculous in my opinion. And the way she fawned over Tucker? I didn’t get that either. She was his sister, but the way she acted you would have thought she was his mother. I just didn’t like Lissa at all to be honest. Her character irritated me to no end.

Other than my issue with Lissa and the predictability of the book, it really was a decent read. It kept me turning the pages and was easy to read. It moved very quickly and was very well-written. I think I just would have preferred some sort of twisty, unexpected ending. But that’s okay, I’ll be on the lookout for Ms. Sissel’s next book anyway!

4/5, AUTHOR, Author Debut, B, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2014, Review Book

2014.35 REVIEW – Don’t Try To Find Me by Holly Brown

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Don’t Try to Find Me
by Holly Brown

Copyright: 2014
Pages: 352
Rating: 4/5
Read: July 23-July 29, 2014
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly count: 35
Format:  Print
Source: Publicist
Series: N/A

Don't Try to Find MeBlurb: Though the message on the kitchen whiteboard is in fourteen-year-old Marley’s handwriting, her mother, Rachel, knows there has to be some other explanation. Marley would never run away.

Marley’s quiet. Innocent. Sheltered. Growing up in Northern California with all the privilege Rachel never had, what does Marley know about taking care of herself? About being okay?

Rachel might not know her daughter at all. But she does know that she needs to find Marley before someone else does. Someone dangerous.

The police have limited resources devoted to runaways. If Rachel and her husband, Paul, want their daughter back, they’ll have to find her themselves. Paul turns to Facebook and Twitter and launches FindMarley.com.

But Marley isn’t the only one with something to hide. Paul’s social media campaign generates national attention, and the public scrutiny could expose Rachel’s darkest secrets. When she blows a television interview, the dirty speculation begins.

The blogosphere is convinced Rachel is hiding something. It’s not what they think; Rachel would never hurt Marley. Not intentionally, anyway. But when it’s discovered that Rachel lied to the police, the devoted mother becomes the prime suspect in Marley’s disappearance.

Is Marley out there, somewhere, watching it all happen … or is the truth something far worse?

Review: I received a copy of this book for free via a publicist, all opinions expressed below are my own.

The description of this book immediately intrigued me and I was very glad when I was able to receive a review copy. And I thoroughly enjoyed it!

The whole idea of Marley running away with a boyfriend that she met on the internet brought back some pretty bad memories of my early teenage years. I was about 15 when I decided it would be a great idea to meet a guy I had met online in some chatroom in real life. Luckily I was smart enough to meet at a public place with a friend in tow. However, I watched from the back of the building as he pulled up in his beat-up 20-year-old car and he wasn’t exactly 16 like he had told me. I never approached him, instead I hid behind the building until he finally gave up and left. I later told him that my parents hadn’t let me go out that night and I then never spoke to him again. I learned a very important lesson that night. And I was lucky for that. There are a lot of young girls out there who aren’t that lucky.

And that’s what I think made this book so much more real to me. I think teenagers need to read this book. Anyone can be anyone they want to on the internet and I really liked how this book explored that idea.

All of that aside, I thought this was a very well-written book. I personally thought Ms. Brown portrayed Marley better than she did Rachel. Maybe it was just me not liking how weak Rachel was portrayed. But I feel as if the sections from Marley’s perspective were stronger than those of Rachel’s.

The writing was very well done. The characters were well-developed. The storyline was fresh and relevant. This book reads so fast as well, I would sit down and 50 pages later I would come up for air.

Overall, a great book that I would highly recommend.

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E-Book, Fiction, H, NetGalley, RATING, Read in 2014, Review Book

2014.34 REVIEW – The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier

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The Butcher
by Jennifer Hillier

Copyright: 2014
Pages: 354
Rating: 3/5
Read: July 20-July 23, 2014
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly count: 34
Format:  E-Book
Source: NetGalley
Series: N/A

The ButcherBlurb: From the author of the acclaimed suspense novels Creep and Freak and whom Jeffery Deaver has praised as a “top of the line thriller writer,” The Butcher is a high-octane novel about lethal secrets that refuse to die—until they kill again.

A rash of grisly serial murders plagued Seattle until the infamous “Beacon Hill Butcher” was finally hunted down and killed by police chief Edward Shank in 1985. Now, some thirty years later, Shank, retired and widowed, is giving up his large rambling Victorian house to his grandson Matt, whom he helped raise.

Settling back into his childhood home and doing some renovations in the backyard to make the house feel like his own, Matt, a young up-and-coming chef and restaurateur, stumbles upon a locked crate he’s never seen before. Curious, he picks the padlock and makes a discovery so gruesome it will forever haunt him… Faced with this deep dark family secret, Matt must decide whether to keep what he knows buried in the past, go to the police, or take matters into his own hands.

Meanwhile Matt’s girlfriend, Sam, has always suspected that her mother was murdered by the Beacon Hill Butcher—two years after the supposed Butcher was gunned down. As she pursues leads that will prove her right, Sam heads right into the path of Matt’s terrible secret.

A thriller with taut, fast-paced suspense, and twists around every corner, The Butcher will keep you guessing until the bitter, bloody end.

Review: I received a copy of this book for free via NetGalley, all opinions expressed below are my own.

I first saw this book mentioned in a NetGalley email and was immediately intrigued. So I requested access and was glad to snag an e-galley.

This one is a tough one to describe. Here’s the deal: you know exactly who the Butcher is within the first chapter. I’m not entirely sure I liked that strategy. Nothing … and I mean nothing was a surprise in this book. I hate to use this word, but it was so predictable. That’s why I can’t rate it higher than a 3.

Overall it was a good book in general. I would recommend it, but if you like a lot of twists and turns, this one might not be for you. But it does read quickly and easily and kept me quite entertained.

Book Nerd Tours, Book Spotlight

Book Spotlight: The Founders’ Plot by Frank Victoria

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The Founders' PlotSynopsis 
 

Clarion Reviews – Five Stars: … an
intriguing and rich novel. The char-
acters, dialogue, and plot will
entertain readers…to the end.

Kirkus Reviews: … for a fictional
account of a contemporary political
dispute, this is a competent if not
inspiring option.

When California Governor Michael J. DiGrasso pushes through a tough immigration law, the Supreme Court declares it unconstitutional, but the decorated Vietnam veteran refuses to accept the ruling. This ignites a clash between federal, state, and judicial power that threatens to jar the country’s political and justice systems. And it leaves the governor’s long-time friend, President of the United States, Martin W. Ballard, with the decision of whether to federalize the California National Guard to enforce the Court’s order.

Tension increases when Elizabeth Stern, a savvy member of the opposition party tries to ram through a new immigration law that will pass judicial review. An expert in back-room legislative machinations, she’ll go to any length to force the governor to obey the Court decision, and her devious maneuvers throw DiGrasso’s personal and professional life into turmoil.

One subplot involves DiGrasso’s close personal friend, Congressman Manuel Mendoza, who is indicted for taking bribes. Another concerns two Mexican families in the country illegally and the tragedies that befall them because of the new immigration law.

The unfolding of these interwoven events creates a tense, fast-paced thriller that parallels the current tumult over illegal immigration and the on-going debate on Constitutional interpretation that will leave readers craving for the eventual outcome.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Giveaway Banner-2

Frank Victoria was born and raised in Chicago, a city rich in industry and ambitions and many of his ideas were molded by its brand of politics and immigrant culture. He served in the Marine Corps, which left an imprint of just how much he could do and helped create the persistence needed to earn his BA in Journalism from Northern Illinois University.

It took him nearly eight years to get the degree because he repeatedly had to interrupt his studies with full-time work to pay for his expenses. He toiled on the docks loading and unloading freight, moved furniture, worked construction, was a cabbie, a shoe salesman and a factory worker. The payoff: Time in the ivory tower setting balanced by a nitty gritty education in the real world.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!!!
2 winners will receive a copy of The Founders’ Plot + $20.00 Amazon Gift Card by Frank Victoria. Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE RAFFLECOPTER

Please be sure to stop by HERE to see the rest of the tour participants!

2/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, E-Book, Fiction, L, NetGalley, RATING, Read in 2014, READING CHALLENGES 2014, Review Book

2014.32 REVIEW – The Three by Sarah Lotz

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The Three
by Sarah Lotz

Copyright: 2014
Pages: 395
Rating: 2/5
Read: July 5-July 15, 2014
Challenge: What’s in a Name
Yearly count: 32
Format:  E-Book
Source: NetGalley
Series: N/A

The ThreeBlurb: Four simultaneous plane crashes. Three child survivors. A religious fanatic who insists the three are harbingers of the apocalypse. What if he’s right?

The world is stunned when four commuter planes crash within hours of each other on different continents. Facing global panic, officials are under pressure to find the causes. With terrorist attacks and environmental factors ruled out, there doesn’t appear to be a correlation between the crashes, except that in three of the four air disasters a child survivor is found in the wreckage.

Dubbed ‘The Three’ by the international press, the children all exhibit disturbing behavioral problems, presumably caused by the horror they lived through and the unrelenting press attention. This attention becomes more than just intrusive when a rapture cult led by a charismatic evangelical minister insists that the survivors are three of the four harbingers of the apocalypse. The Three are forced to go into hiding, but as the children’s behavior becomes increasingly disturbing, even their guardians begin to question their miraculous survival…

Review: I received a copy of this book for free via NetGalley, all opinions expressed below are my own.

I originally saw this book mentioned in a Shelf Awareness email. It sounded really good and I was excited when I got the notification saying that I had been approved for a copy on NetGalley. Then I do like I seem to do with every single e-book I get … I let it sit. And sit. And sit some more. I decided it was time to clear this book off my review list and loaded it up onto my Nook and took off with it.

Now that I’ve finished this book, I’m just confused. First of all this book is billed as “horror.” To me there’s not a lick of horror in this book. I can’t even bring myself to call it creepy in any way, shape or form. I think horror fans are going to be sorely disappointed by this book.

The premise behind the book sounds really interesting. But the execution was just lacking in my opinion. I was okay with the book within a book format, but then it took a really strange turn at the end that I didn’t understand. The ending was so ambiguous and I did not like that at all.

Obviously the book wasn’t horrendous, because I finished it. But it just didn’t work for me.

3/5, AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, Fiction, H, RATING, Read in 2014, Review Book, TLC Book Tours

2014.31 REVIEW – Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey

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Elizabeth is Missing
by Emma Healey

Copyright: 2014
Pages: 301
Rating: 3/5
Read: June 26-July 4, 2014
Challenge: No Challenge
Yearly count: 31
Format:  Print
Source: TLC Book Tour
Series: N/A

Elizabeth is MissingBlurb: Despite Maud’s growing anxiety about Elizabeth’s welfare, no one takes her concerns seriously – not her frustrated daughter, not her caretakers, not the police, and especially not Elizabeth’s mercurial son – because Maud suffers from dementia. But even as her memory disintegrates and she becomes increasingly dependent on the trail of handwritten notes she leaves for herself in her pockets and around her house, Maud cannot forget her best friend. Armed with only an overwhelming feeling that Elizabeth needs her help, Maud resolves to discover the truth – no matter what it takes.

As this singular obsession forms a cornerstone of Maud’s rapidly dissolving present, the clues she uncovers lead her deeper into her past, to another unsolved disappearance: that of her sister, Sukey, who vanished shortly after World War II. As vivid memories of a tragedy that occurred more than fifty years ago come flooding back, Maud’s search for Elizabeth develops a frantic momentum. Whom can she trust? Can she trust herself?

A page-turning novel of suspense, Elizabeth is Missing also hauntingly reminds us that we are all at the mercy of our memory. Always compelling, often poignant, and at times even blackly witty, this is an absolutely unforgettable novel.

Review: I received a copy of this book for free in conjunction with a TLC book tour, all opinions expressed below are my own.

I was about 65 pages into this book when I realized that I didn’t know if I could go on with it. At that point I had spent three days reading those 65 pages. Three days. And it wasn’t because it was a bad book. Not at all. It was because Maud’s dementia hit a little too close to home for me. My grandmother has recently been diagnosed with dementia. I’m not sure what stage she’s in, but things are definitely deteriorating with her and it’s heartbreaking to watch. So. I was stuck … did I push through or give up?

I chose to push through. But I think a part of me really wanted to understand what my grandmother is going through. And let me tell you, the way Ms. Healey portrays dementia … just, wow. Obviously not having any previous contact with someone with the disease, I’m not sure what things will really get like. But I felt as if Ms. Healey hit it spot on in the way Maud is portrayed. It just felt so real. And my heart broke for Maud. And Helen. And Katy. It really was tough to watch the family go through everything. And Helen was so strong throughout it all; stronger than I would be or could be in her position.

But back to the book. I think the only reason I couldn’t rate it higher than a 3 (which means I liked it, but didn’t love it), is because of the dementia issue. I had trouble getting past it at times. I was relieved when I got to the last 50 pages and we finally learned what had happened to Elizabeth. It really didn’t surprise me, and I had a feeling it was as it turned out to be. But what shocked me was the storyline with Sukey. I can’t help but wonder if Maud saw exactly what happened to her sister all those years before and the shock of it all made her brain block it from her. I might have read into that a little more than what was there, but that’s the feeling I got from Sukey’s storyline. (Or it might have been exactly what Ms. Healey was trying to tell us … I read the last 80 pages in the car with a screaming toddler; my concentration might have been broken a few times!)

Overall, I think Ms. Healey is a very talented author. She definitely has a way with developing her characters in a way I haven’t seen in a long time. And if you follow me regularly, you know character development is very important to me. The writing was very well done and was easy to read. The story lines alternated back and forth between present day and shortly after World War II when Maud was just a teenager. The Sukey storyline was much more lucid, but it was really the present day storyline that was the heart and soul of this book in my opinion. It was the storyline that told the heartbreaking truth about the disease of dementia.

I would definitely recommend this to other readers – mystery lovers, literary fiction lovers, individuals with friends/relatives suffering from dementia. I think the audience can be very wide-reaching with this book.

I enjoyed it overall, but I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read this book before my grandmother’s dementia diagnosis.

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Purchase Links

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

Emma Healey photo credit Martin FiguraFind out more about Emma at her website and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.Emma Healey holds a degree in bookbinding and an MA in creative writing. Elizabeth Is Missing is her first novel. She lives in the UK.

Emma’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, June 10th: Anita Loves Books
Wednesday, June 11th: Literally Jen
Thursday, June 12th: Doing Dewey
Monday, June 16th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Tuesday, June 17th: Always With a Book
Wednesday, June 18th: Peeking Between the Pages
Thursday, June 19th: From the TBR Pile
Monday, June 23rd: Kahakai Kitchen
Tuesday, June 24th: A Bookworm’s World
Wednesday, June 25th: Ace and Hoser Blook
Thursday, June 26th: BoundbyWords
Monday, June 30th: Book-alicious Mama
Tuesday, July 1st: Time 2 Read
Wednesday, July 2nd: Tina’s Book Reviews
Thursday, July 3rd: Mockingbird Hill Cottage
Monday, July 7th: Tales of a Book Addict
Thursday, July 10th: 5 Minutes For Books
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3/5, AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2014, Review Book, U-V-W

2014.30 REVIEW – The Qualities of Wood by Mary Vensel White

Tara

The Qualities of Wood
by Mary Vensel White

Copyright: 2012
Pages: 312
Rating: 3/5
Read: June 19-25, 2014
Challenge: No Challenge
Yearly count: 30
Format:  Print
Source: Publicist for Review
Series: N/A

The Qualities of WoodBlurb: When Betty Gardiner dies, leaving behind an unkempt country home, her grandson and his young wife take a break from city life to prepare the house for sale. Nowell Gardiner leaves first to begin work on his second mystery novel. By the time his wife Vivian joins him, a real mystery has begun: a local girl has been found dead in the woods behind the house. Even after the death is ruled an accident, Vivian can’t forget the girl, can’t ignore the strange behavior of her neighbors, or her husband. As Vivian attempts to put the house in order, all around her things begin to fall apart.

The Qualities of Wood is a novel about secrets. Family secrets. Community secrets. And secrets between lovers, past and present. And all of these secrets have their price.

Review: I received a copy of this book for free for review purposes, all opinions expressed below are my own.

When I was first pitched this book, it sounded really great. I was definitely excited about getting the chance to read and review it.

However, I was ultimately let down by this book. Maybe I had too high of hopes for it, I don’t know. But it didn’t end up being the book that I had hoped for. To bill this book as a “mystery” is not entirely correct in my opinion. Because there wasn’t much mystery at all in it. And I think that’s what I was disappointed in. When the blurb talks about a dead girl and secrets, I automatically think: mystery. But this book does not fit that bill.

The ending was extremely rushed. You had 300 pages of build-up to finally figure out what was really going on. Three hundred pages. And twelve pages of Vivian, Lonnie, and Nowell running around in the woods behind the house. I just expected more. I wanted more answers. I wanted Vivian to step up her game and really question Nowell with the revelations he made. I wanted more than I got.

Now, I will say this about the book, the writing was impeccable. It flowed so beautifully in places. The characters were all interesting in their own way. I keep coming back to the idea that maybe things were left the way they were to open the door for another meeting of Vivian and Nowell. I could definitely see them still in Grandma Gardiner’s house raising a few children. There could be plenty of material still there to explore with some of the holes in this book.

So there is definitely good points to this book and I would ultimately recommend it to other readers. However, if mystery/thrillers are your main thing, I don’t think it will necessarily work for you. But if you like literary fiction, this one will probably be a home run for you.

Overall, a good book, but not what I was hoping for.

4.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2014, Review Book, Stone Barrington, TLC Book Tours, U-V-W

2014.26 REVIEW – Eyes on You by Kate White

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Eyes on You
by Kate White

Copyright: 2014
Pages: 306
Rating: 4.5/5
Read: May 30 – June 5, 2014
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly count: 26
Format:  Print
Source: TLC Book Tour
Series: None

Eyes on YouBlurb: After losing her on-air job two years ago, the television host Robin Trainer has fought her way back and is now hotter than ever. With her new show climbing in the ratings and her first book a bestseller; she’s being dubbed a media double threat.

But things begin to go wrong. Small incidents at first: a nasty note left in her purse; her photo shredded. But the obnoxious quickly becomes threatening when the foundation used by her makeup artist burns Robin’s face. It wasn’t an accident – someone deliberately doctored the product.

An adversary with a dark agenda wants to hurt Robin, and the clues point to someone she works with every day. While she frantically tries to put the pieces together and unmask this hidden foe, it becomes terrifyingly clear that the person responsible isn’t going to stop until Robin loses everything that matters to her … including her life.

Review: I received a copy of this book for free for review purposes in conjunction with a TLC Blog Tour, all opinions expressed below are my own.

I am ashamed to admit that I have never read a Kate White book before (although I do have The Sixes on my bookshelf). So I didn’t quite know what to expect of this author going into this book, but I did know that the description sounded really good and I was excited to read it.

Overall, I really liked this book. I kind of wish I had been able to take this one on my upcoming beach trip (but I had agreed to a review date prior to my vacation). I think this book would be a lot of fun to read while sitting by the ocean in a beach chair soaking up the sun!

I will happily admit that I had no idea who the bad guy was in this book until it was finally revealed. The twists and turns were a lot of fun. Robin’s sanity was questioned in my mind numerous times. I just had a lot of fun with this one. Sure, it could have been a little more complicated than it was, but I still really enjoyed it.

 

Highly recommended.

About the Author:

Kate WhiteKate White is recognized internationally as not only the veteran editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, the bestselling women’s magazine in the world, but also as the critically acclaimed author of both fiction and nonfiction books. Few high-profile editors have successfully balanced the rigors of overseeing a major magazine title with a thriving and independent writing career.

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Purchase Links

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

Find out more about Kate at her website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

As always, I hope you will take the time to visit the other stops on the tour:

Tuesday, June 3rd: Jen’s Book Thoughts
Wednesday, June 4th: The Year in Books
Thursday, June 5th: Mockingbird Hill Cottage
Monday, June 9th: Tales of a Book Addict
Tuesday, June 10th: Drey’s Library
Wednesday, June 11th: A Bookworm’s World
Thursday, June 12th: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
Wednesday, June 18th: Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Thursday, June 19th: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Tuesday, June 24th: Kritters Ramblings
Wednesday, June 25th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Thursday, June 26th: From the TBR Pile
Monday, June 30th: BoundbyWords
Wednesday, July 2nd: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Monday, July 7th: Always With a Book

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Book Blitz, Pump Up Your Book

Book Blitz: Unnverving by Karen Gallahue

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About Unnerving :

UnnervingTitle: Unnerving
Author: Karen J. Gallahue
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Pages: 231
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Format: Kindle

Purchase at AMAZON

“You’re telling me that Ralph Kendrick, the bogeyman of my worst nightmares has escaped from jail?” Eyes wide and unbelieving, Fiona Morgan asked the detective standing at her front door. She reached for the door frame to steady her wobbly legs. When she was ten years old, Fiona Morgan and two Girl Scout friends stumbled across Ralph Kendrick murdering a young woman at a Minneapolis park. At his trial when he was convicted of Rose Wilson’s murder, Kendrick threatened to kill all three young girls if he ever got out. Now, twenty years later, Fiona discovers that Kendrick has indeed escaped from prison, and he may have wealthy connections. She hires a bodyguard, Ted Collier, veteran police officer to protect her. Matters get worse for Fiona when she finds out that Kendrick knows that she is an identical triplet. He has told other inmates he doesn’t know which one testified. So he’ll eliminate all of them. This means five women are at risk. Two days later, Tory Girard, one of Fiona’s Girl Scout friends, is found dead in Minneapolis. Tension builds as Fiona and Ted try to stay safe and track Kendrick down before he can kill or hire someone to kill again.

About Karen Gallahue

Karen J. Gallahue is a former occupational therapist who now satisfies her overactive imagination by writing stories of suspense. She lives in Naperville, Illinois,with her husband,Greg. Her previous book is Murder with a French Twist.

There is also a rafflecopter giveaway opportunity in conjunction with this book blitz. You can find that HERE.

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, F, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2014, Review Book, Stone Barrington

2014.25 REVIEW – The Kafka Society by Ron Felber

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The Kafka Society
by Ron Felber

Copyright: 2014
Pages: 341
Rating: 3/5
Read: May 24 – May 29, 2014
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly count: 25
Format:  Print
Source: Publicist
Series: Jack Madson #2

Blurb: After a night of clubbing, Jack has no memory of the past twenty-four hours. Who is the beautiful woman he discovers in his hotel room? How did a severed head get into the trunk of his Mustang convertible? Is he a murderer? Before he can answer these questions, Madson finds himself helping his former high school nemesis, Tom Dougherty – now chief the FBI’s East Coast Operations – get disentangled from a blackmail scheme. Nothing is quite what it seems. As his investigation progresses, Madson uncovers a criminal organization that specializes in the most monstrous of enterprises: global human trafficking, run from abandoned tunnels deep beneath the streets of New York City and directed by a coterie of intellectual thugs known as the Kafka Society. Once again, the reader follows Madson through a wealth of dangerous episodes and exotic pleasures before the exciting conclusion of this thrilling page-turner.

Review: I received a copy of this book for free for review purposes, all opinions expressed below are my own.

I had read and reviewed the first Jack Madson book, A Man of Indeterminate Value, last year. So when I was pitched this book, I was interested simply because I wanted to see what else Jack could possibly get himself into!

Overall, I have to say, I still do not like Jack Madson’s character. I don’t like all the booze, pills, sex and just overall stupidity that he finds himself in. He brings most of his troubles upon himself and he just seems to “prepare” himself with more drugs. I was also a little turned off by all the sex in this book. I don’t mind sex in books as a general rule, but the descriptions were very graphic and at times it felt more like erotica than a crime thriller. Just not my cup of tea.

But all that said, I still kept reading the book! So obviously it wasn’t that bad. I really wanted to know what happened in the end. I wanted to know if Jack would figure it all out in time. And really, I liked the ending. It’s actually made me quite curious to see what Mr. Felber has planned next for Jack Madson.

So while I would say that this book has a few bad characteristics to it, overall, it’s a compelling read, and I will be on the lookout for the 3rd Jack Madson book.