Category: SERIES

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, K, RATING, Read in 2011, SERIES

2011.28 REVIEW – The Hundredth Man by Jack Kerley

Tara

The Hundredth Man 
by Jack Kerley

Copyright: 2004
Pages: 307
Rating: 4/5
Read: June 3 – June 7, 2011
Challenge:  No Challenge
Yearly Count: 28
Format: Print

First Line: Seconds before one of the most long-awaited events of Alexander Caulfield’s adult life, an event he’d spent years planning and pursuing, an event marking his ascension into professionalism, a decent salary, and the respect of his peers, his left eye started winking like a gigolo in  third-rate Italian film.

Blurb: Bizarre and cryptic messages found on a pair of corpses in Mobile, Alabama, launch junior police detective Carson Ryder and veteran cop Harry Nautilus into a desperate search for a mysterious killer. With the body count rising, Ryder descends into his family’s terrifying past by seeking advice from his brother, a violent, taunting psychopath convicted of similarly heinous crimes. Ryder soon confronts not only his past fears and nightmares, but also the knowledge that someone he knows is the next target. And time is running out.

Review: This is the first in the Carson Ryder series, I had never even heard of this author before until a fellow member of the MysteryBookSwap on Yahoo groups mentioned that she was reading it and that it was up for trade. I took a chance and requested a trade with her for it. I have to say that I am very glad that I read this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were humorous moments sprinkled in here and there at just the right times. The storyline was good, the characters were likeable. I’m really looking forward to reading more in this series. Highly recommended.

4/5, AUTHOR, Author Debut, Book Review, F, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES

2011.27 REVIEW – Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

Tara

Blood Oath
by Christopher Farnsworth

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 470
Rating: 4/5
Read: May 29– June 3, 2011
Challenge:  TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 27
Format: Print

First Line: After two extended tours in Iraq, Army Specialist Wayne Denton thought he’d never be cold again.

Blurb: Zach Barrows is a cocky, ambitious White House employee working his way toward becoming the youngest chief of staff in history. But Zach’s political rise takes an unexpected turn when he’s abruptly transferred out of the White House and partnered with Nathaniel Cade, a secret agent sworn to protect the president. But Cade is no ordinary servant. Bound 140 years ago by a special blood oath, Nathaniel Cade is a vampire. On the orders of the president he defends the nation against enemies far stranger – and far more dangerous – than civilians like Zach could ever imagine. And as a new threat looms, Zach has to learn to work with his undead partner, because the president’s vampire is the only thing standing between the American dream and total Armageddon.

Review: Okay, so obviously, this is not my normal type of book. I usually steer far clear from anything to do with vampires. It’s just not my thing. Mr. Farnsworth has a second book in this series that came out in April, I saw it mentioned on Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program. I was immediately intrigued, put my name in the hat for the book (did not win it) but did some more research and learned about this book, the first in the series. So I put Blood Oath on the back burner section of my brain to remember in the future. I was perusing my local Books-A-Million right before we went on vacation and saw the book on the shelf. I picked it up and bought it. Then I took it with me on vacation. It was my secondary book for vacation and I didn’t know if I would get to it. Well I did, and I was hooked almost from the first page, and read almost 50 pages in the first setting – when I had only intended to read for just a few minutes. I will admit though, that when I got to the very end and the “attack” begins, that’s where my “yeah, right” instincts began to sink in. But everything up to that point had been great and I honestly think it was just my natural reaction to anything with a paranormal/fantasy/vampire twist. Apparently Mr. Farnsworth is a screenwriter, and I will say that this book really read like it could be a really great movie. I’m definitely interested in reading the second book in this series, The President’s Vampire and hope to get to it soon (but doubt that I will, because I will not buy a hardback book new – hope my number comes up quickly on PBS!) So all in all, I would recommend this book. It was enjoyable, even for someone who does not normally read this type of book.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, R, RATING, Read in 2011, SERIES, SIGMA Force

2011.24 REVIEW – Sandstorm by James Rollins

Tara

Sandstorm 
by James Rollins

Copyright: 2004
Pages: 569
Rating: 4/5
Read: May 11 – 18, 2011
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly Count: 24
Format: Print

First Line: Harry Masterson would be dead in thirteen minutes.

Blurb: An inexplicable explosion rocks the antiquities collection of a London museum, setting off alarms in clandestine organizations around the world. And now the search for answers is leading Lady Kara Kensington; her friend Safia al-Maaz, the gallery’s brilliant and beautiful curator; and their guide, the international adventurer Omaha Dunn, into a world they never dreamed existed: a lost city buried beneath the Arabian desert. But others are being drawn there as well, some with dark and sinister purposes. And the many perils of a death-defying trek deep into the savage heart of the Arabian Peninsula pale before the nightmare waiting to be unearthed at journey’s end: an ageless and awesome power that could create a utopia … or destroy everything humankind has built over countless millennia.

Review: This is my first time reading James Rollins, I have always heard good things about him and I love a great thrill ride of a read and this book fit that bill perfectly. The characters were interesting and the plot was intense at times. There were a few moments in the book where the science involved was a little over my (science-hating) head. I’m not a science fan and I will be the first to admit that the hydrogen-oxygen-antimatter information was way beyond my understanding. Other than that one issue, I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

4.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

2011.23 REVIEW – 10th Anniversary by James Patterson

Tara

10th Anniversary
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 395
Rating: 4.5/5
Read: May 13 – 15, 2011
Challenge:  TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 23
Format: Print

First Line: This was the day I was getting married.

Blurb: Detective Lindsay Boxer’s long-awaited wedding celebration becomes a distant memory when she is called to investigate a horrendous crime: a teenage girl is badly injured and left for dead, and her newborn baby is nowhere to be found. Lindsay discovers that not only is there no trace of the criminal – but the victim may be keeping secrets as well. At the same time, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano is prosecuting the biggest case of her life – a woman who has been accused of murdering her husband in front of their two young children. Yuki’s career rests on a guilty verdict, so when Lindsay finds evidence that could save the defendant, she is forced to choose. Should she trust her best friend or follow her instinct? Lindsay’s every move is watched by her new boss, Lieutenant Jackson Brady, and when the pressure to find the baby begins interfering with her new marriage to Joe, she wonders if she’ll ever be able to start a family.

Review: This was a really good book. But my goodness, edit edit edit! There were grammatical errors in this book, which isn’t usually something I come across in a James Patterson book. I understand that these things happen, but if I can spot them it always makes me wonder if anyone even edits/reads these books anymore! Spell check doesn’t catch everything! Anyway, grammar issues aside, I felt like this was a good read. I enjoyed the two plot lines that were going on. I enjoyed more character development with Lindsay and Joe and Yuki’s new relationship as well as Cindy and Conklin’s relationship progression. It’s always like getting together with friends when I read this series. I really like this series, and although I prefer the Alex Cross series, this is another one of my favorite series that I would highly recommend.

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, D, Fiction, Goldy Schulz, RATING, Read in 2011, SERIES

2011.22 REVIEW – The Last Suppers by Diane Mott Davidson

Tara

The Last Suppers
by Diane Mott Davidson

Copyright: 1994
Pages: 272
Rating: 3/5
Read: May 2 – 7, 2011
Challenge:  No Challenge
Yearly Count: 22
Format: Print

First Line: Never cater your own wedding reception.

Blurb: It should be the happiest day of Goldy’s life. The Colorado caterer is about to tie the knot witht he man of her dreams, homicide detective Tom Schulz. But minutes before the ceremony is to begin, Tom phones with an urgent message: The wedding is off, and the reason is murder! Tom was on his way to the church when he stopped to pick up Father Olson – and found the rector shot and dying. Yet by the time Tom’s fellow officers arrive at the crime scene, Tom has disappeared, leaving behind a notebook that contains a cryptic message. Has the groom been abducted by the killer? Or has he gotten cold feet and walked out of Goldy’s life? For better or worse, Goldy needs to know the truth. So she puts her exquistely decorated wedding cake on ice and begins to search for clues. What she quickly discovers is that her fiance’s life – and her future happiness – depend on her ability to decipher Tom’s note. For only it can lead her to an unsavory killer whose unholy passion may make Goldy a widow before she’s a widow.

Review: This is the fourth in the Goldy Schulz series. I didn’t find this one as enjoyable as the first three, personally. Overall, it was a good mystery, but it was too religious and preachy at times for my liking. I understood that the mystery itself revolved around the murder of a priest, but it just went one step too far with the religious aspect for my personal taste. I am very curious as to where the next book in this series goes, now that Goldy and Tom are married and Julian got into Cornell. The transition that should be found in the next book will be very interesting, I think. Although this will not be a favorite book of mine in this particular serise, I still recommend this series to everyone (at least those who have been living under a rock and had just now gotten around to reading these books)

4/5, AUTHOR, B, Book Review, Cotton Malone, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES

2011.19 REVIEW – The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry

Tara

The Alexandria Link
by Steve Berry

Copyright: 2007
Pages: 485
Rating: 4/5
Read: April 8 – 17, 2011
Challenge:  TBR Dare; TwentyEleven Challenge
Yearly Count: 19
Format: Print

First Line: George Haddad’s patience ended as he glared at the man bound to the chair.

Blurb: “You have something I want. You’re the only person on earth who knows where to find it. Go get it. You have 72 hours. If I don’t hear from you, you will be childless.” Cotton Malone’s teenage son has been kidnapped, and an anonymous e-mail from those responsible proves they will stop at nothing to get their hands on a coveted prize: the legendary lost Library of Alexandria, which vanished 1,500 years ago. Within that vast reserve of 500,000 manuscripts, one holds the key to ultimate power – a revelation so shocking it could fundamentally alter modern geopolitics. Pursued by a lethal mercenary, Malone crosses the globe in search of this vast bounty of wisdom. His quest will lead him to England and Portugal, even to the highest levels of American government – and the shattering outcome, deep in the Sinai desert, will have worldwide repercussions.

Review: The last 200 pages of this book made the first 300 pages that I suffered through made this book entirely worth it. There were spots that were just too much for me. I am not a religious person and I found myself skipping over whole passages discussing the Bible and the Holy Land and how the Bible was fundamentally changed in translation. However, I still enjoyed this book. And honestly, I loved the conspiracy part of the book. And once the climax occurred, the book flew by for me. It was just getting to that point that was a little difficult to me. But I toughed it out because I remembered how much I enjoyed the first Cotton Malone book, The Templar Legacy, and I was just patiently waiting for the break-neck thrill ride that I know Steve Berry is capable of writing to happen. I’m glad I stuck with it, because it was honestly a great ending. I already have the third book in this series on my shelf and I hope to get to it quicker than I got to the second book after the first. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fast-paced thrill-packed adventure!

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Dismas Hardy, Fiction, L, RATING, Read in 2011, READING CHALLENGES 2011, SERIES

2011.18 REVIEW – The Vig by John Lescroart

Tara

The Vig
by John Lescroart

Copyright: 1990
Pages: 376
Rating: 3/5
Read: April 4– 8, 2011
Challenge:  TBR Dare
Yearly Count: 18
Format: Print

First Line: At 2:15 on a Wednesday afternoon in late September, Dismas Hardy sat on the customer side of the bar at the Little Shamrock and worked the corners of his dart flights with a very fine emery board.

Blurb: Down-and-out lawyer Rusty Ingraham left behind a murdered woman and a houseboat splattered with blood. All the evidence said Ingraham was in San Francisco Bay. Dead. But a friend of Ingraham’s, former cop and prosecutor Dismas Hardy, isn’t so sure. And Hardy has to find out, because a stone-cold killer, now paroled, once threatened to kill Ingraham and Dismas Hardy both. Now, to save his own skin, Dismas must face down liars and killers on both sides of the law. From mob foot soldiers to brokenhearted lovers to renegade cops, a dozen lives are tied to the fate of Rusty Ingraham – and the payback has only just begun…

Review: Whoever edited this book should be fired. Immediately. I can’t even begin to tell you how many different grammatical errors I spotted in this book. And I also had trouble with the amount of different characters that were presented in this book. I found myself not remembering who was who. However, that didn’t change my overall opinion of the book itself. I read the first book in this series, Dead Irish, almost three years ago. So it was really like starting the series all over again since I didn’t remember much from the first book. But that was okay, I still enjoyed this book. It actually stands well on its own. The mystery aspect of it was interesting, but it was not a really big surprise. I liked this book, but I think I now realize why after reading my review from the first book as to why I’m just now picking this book up, it wasn’t specatular, just good.

DNF Books, SERIES

2011 DNF #2 – Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell

Tara

Faceless Killers
by Henning Mankell

Copyright: 1991
Pages: 359
Format: Print

Blurb: On a cold night in a remote Swedish farmhouse, an elderly farmer is bludgeoned to death, and his wife is left to die with a noose around her neck. The only other clue the police have is one that they wish they didn’t: the dying woman’s last word is “foreign.” In the first riveting installment in the internationally bestselling Wallander series, police inspector Kurt Wallander doggedly investigates the horrible crime, as he contends with his own demons and tries to keep the public outcry for vengeance against an already reviled immigrant community at bay.

I picked this book up based solely on the recommendation of many fellow readers on the Yahoo reading group MostlyBooks. It sounded like it was right up my alley. But the fact of the matter is that it wasn’t a very good book in my opinion. I never warmed up to the main character, Kurt Wallander, I didn’t find him to be a very likable fellow. In fact, I didn’t think that any of the characters were very well developed. I gave this book 150 pages before I finally had to put it aside. It just wasn’t to my liking.

Quarterly Update, Reading Statistics, SERIES

Reading Update – First Quarter, 2011

Tara

I usually only post a mid-year and end of the year reading update. But this year I decided that I wanted to try and do it quarterly, that way it wouldn’t be too overwhelming for me to put together. So what I want to concentrate on is a slight breakdown of my overall reading for the first quarter and then I also want to update where I stand on my series reading.

  • Challenge Status:
    • Criminal Plots Reading Challenge (3/6 books read – 50% completed)
    • Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge (12/12 books read – 100% completed)
    • Take a Chance Challenge 3 (1/10 books read – 10% completed)
    • The TBR Dare (14/20 books read – 70% completed)
    • TwentyEleven Challenge (2/20 books read – 10% completed)
    • What’s in a Name 4 Challenge (2/6 books read – 33% completed)
  • Finished: 16
  • Abandoned: 1
  • Fiction: 16
  • Non-Fiction: 0
  • New-to-Me-Author: 4
  • Female Authors: 4
  • Male Authors: 7
  • Books in a Series: 10
  • Review Books: 2
  • Books I Own: 16
  • Library Books: 0

——————————————————————————————————————-
Series That I Started This Quarter:

Series That I Caught Up With This Quarter:

Series That I Worked On This Quarter:

Books That I Read That Are Part of a Series, but Picked Up in the Middle of the Series This Quarter:

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

2011.16 REVIEW – The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

Tara

The Lincoln Lawyer
by Michael Connelly

Copyright: 2005
Pages: 505
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 27– 30, 2011
Challenge: Criminal Plots Reading Challenge; TBR Dare
Yearly Count: 16
Format: Print

First Line: The morning air off the Mojave in late winter is as clean and crisp as you’ll ever breathe in Los Angeles County.

Blurb: For defense attorney Mickey Haller, the clock is always running. With two ex-wives, four Lincoln Town Cars that he uses as offices, and dozens of guilty clients, he can’t afford to miss a trick. When he gets picked by a Beverly Hills rich boy arrested for assault, Mickey sees a franchise case: a nice, long, expensive trial with maximum billable hours – until it hurtles him into the last place he wants to be. Suddenly hustling, cynical Mickey Haller is confronted with pure evil and someone who may be truly innocent. Now, for a lawyer who has always gone for the easy score, getting justice means taking the deadliest risk of all.

Review: Oh. My. Gosh. This book was (in the words of Dickie V.) AWESOME, BABY! I wanted to hurry up and read this book since I want to go see the movie this weekend. Well, let me just say, that I didn’t have to worry about finishing the book. It was just that good – I flew through it!! One thing that kind of bothered me was the number of times Mr. Connelly used the “do you know the difference between a lawyer and a fish?” joke, once was funny, twice was okay, but the third time was too much. And I really understood the context as to why he brought the joke out all three times, but it was a little overkill. (And no, I am not a lawyer). The main character, Mickey Haller, did not always come across as a really great guy. He was a little shady at times, but he knew it and didn’t try to hide it and I think that’s what made him so endearing as a character in the end in my opinion. The guy on trial in this book, Roulet, well he was definitely something else …. pure evil, as Haller noted so well. I must say as I was reading this book I was thinking of the actors who have been cast in this movie, I think they’re going to be spot on!! I would definitely recommend people to read this book, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.