Category: SERIES

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.

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

REVIEW: The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson

Tara

The Big Bad Wolf
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2003
Pages: 398
Rating: 5/5
Read: Apr. 27-30, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Celebrate the Author Challenge; Finish That Series Challenge;  RYOB 2010
Yearly Count: 21

First Line: There was an improbable murder story told about the Wolf that had made its way to the police lore and then spread quickly from Washington to New York to London and to Moscow.

Alex Cross is having a little trouble adjusting to his new career in the FBI. It’s almost as if he’s halfway on the fast track when it comes to his agent training. But his first case as an agent has everyone confused. Throughout the country, beautiful women are being kidnapped. But it gets worse than that, these women are actually being purchased as slaves. Behind all this, is someone known only as the Wolf. No one really knows who the Wolf really is, although there are pretty good suspicions that he’s somehow involved in organized crime. Struggling with some issues in his home life as well as feeling slightly out of the loop in regards to this case, Alex Cross has to figure this out before the Wolf comes after Alex.

This is the 9th book in the Alex Cross series. This series has got to be my absolute favorite in the world, Mr. Patterson has really created some monsters in his Cross books! And the Wolf is no exception! I love that I still don’t know who the Wolf actually is, it makes me look forward even more to the next book in this series. I know some people aren’t too fond of Patterson’s books, but for me they are great! If I’m stuck in a reading slump, a Patterson book will usually draw me in with the first few pages. The suspense is always great and the twists and turns that come with the Alex Cross books are amazing. I just love them!!

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.

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.

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

REVIEW: All That Remains by Patricia Cornwell

Tara

All That Remains
by Patricia Cornwell

Copyright: 1992
Pages: 382
Rating: 5/5
Read: Mar. 11-14, 2010
Challenge:  2010 100+ Reading Challenge; RYOB 2010; Thriller & Suspense Challenge 2010
Yearly Count: 10

First Line: Saturday, the last day of August, I started work before dawn.

Dr. Kay Scarpetta is up against a serial killer who is targeting young couples. Four couples have disappeared already, with their bodies to turn up in the woods months later. When the fifth couple goes missing the tables seem to turn – for the girl that was taken is the daughter of a very powerful woman in Washington – the new “Drug Czar.” Feeling the pressure from above, Kay is determined to finally catch this elusive killer once and for all.

This is the third installment of the Kay Scarpetta series and another great one in my opinion. It was very fast paced and action packed. I also liked the character development involved – I really got to know Marino. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing on with this series and I’m kicking myself for just now starting to read these books (they’ve only been on my shelves forever!!!)

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, 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.