Category: SERIES

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

3rd Degree by James Patterson

Tara
3rd Degree
by James Patterson
Copyright: 2004
Pages: 339
Rating: 4/5
Read: April 6-7, 2008
Challenge: Suspense & Thriller Challenge – Terrorist thriller

First Line: It was a clear, calm, lazy April morning, the day the worst week of my life began.

In this third installment of the Women’s Murder Club, terrorists are at work on Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer’s streets. After more and more people are murdered for the “cause,” Lindsay calls a meeting with the girls. But the investigation will put one of the Women’s Club members in grave danger.
This book was amazing!! I really, really enjoyed it!! It’s almost heartbreaking in places. And the ending is truly shocking. I highly recommend this book. This series is great!! This book is definitely the best one in the series so far!!
3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, G, Kinsey Millhone, Read in 2008, SERIES

‘A’ is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

Tara
‘A’ is for Alibi
by Sue Grafton
Copyright: 1982
Pages: 215
Rating: 3/5
Read: April 1-3, 2008
Challenge: Celebrate the Author Challenge; Triple Eight – First in a Series Category

First Line: My name is Kinsey Millhone

Private investigator, Kinsey Millhone vaguely remembers the case of the murder of slick divorce attorney Laurence Fife, some 8 or 9 years previously. Fife’s wife, Nikki, was tried and convicted of the murder and sentenced to 8 years in prison. Now Nikki is out on parole and comes to Kinsey to prove that she did not kill Laurence. Kinsey is reluctant to take the case, eight years cold and seemingly solved. But she takes it thinking there is no way Nikki would bring this up again if she was indeed guilty. But what Kinsey does not expect to find along the way is a second eight-year-old murder and a brand new murder.
I had read part of this book a few years ago and decided to pick it up again since I now own most of the series (I think I’m missing K, O and T). Overall, I was a little disappointed in this. I felt that the writing was a little lacking. Of course, it’s hard to write a novel in 200 short pages. However, I am indeed going to continue this series and can’t wait to get to ‘B’.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Eve Dallas, R, Read in 2008, SERIES

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb

Tara
Naked in Death
J.D. Robb
Copyright: 1995
Pages: 306
Rating: 4/5
Read: March 23-27, 2008
Challenge: Triple Eight – 1st in a Series; Suspense & Thriller Challenge – romance thriller

First Line: She woke in the dark.

New York City police Lieutenant Eve Dallas thinks she’s seen it all in her 10 years on the force. But when the case of a murder of a Senator’s granddaughter comes across her desk, she experiences something she’s never thought about – being seduced by a possible suspect in the murder case. Even though every ounce in her body tells her to ignore the millionaire Roarke’s advances, she finds herself falling more and more. And before long, she realizes that she will need his help and resources in order to solve this murder.
Overall, I really liked this book. However, I felt a slight disappointment with it. I guess I had myself pumped up for a little more solidness to it. This book is set in the future, like the 2050s, but there was no real explanation for any of the technological advances when I felt like they were a little necessary. I’m sure I’m going to continue with this series, but I felt that this book could have been more solid.
4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

2nd Chance by James Patterson

Tara
2nd Chance
by James Patterson

Copyright: 2002
Pages: 400
Rating: 4/5
Read: March 21-22, 2008
Challenge: Numbers Challenge

First Line: Aaron Winslow would never forget the next few minutes.

The Women’s Murder Club returns in this second installment of the series! This time, they are up against a brilliant murderer who is seemingly killing people at random. But Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer is under the impression that the killings are somehow related and that there is a serial killer on the loose. But in order to convince her boss and co-workers, she has to enlist the help of her girls in the Club. And what they find out will rock the city to it’s core.

This was another great one from James Patterson! This one read so incredibly fast and was a great read!! I still do not know why I waited so long to start this series, but am definitely glad that I’m reading them now!!

Finishing this book also completes the Numbers Challenge. (My first finished challenge! Yay! – I’ll post a end-of-challenge round-up post shortly).

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, P, Read in 2008, SERIES, Women's Murder Club

1st to Die by James Patterson

Tara
1st to Die
by James Patterson
Copyright: 2001
Pages: 462
Rating: 5/5
Read: March 2-4, 2008
Challenge: Celebrate the Author; Triple Eight – From my TBR Shelf & 1st in a Series; Numbers Challenge
First Line: It is an unusually warm night in July, but I’m shivering badly as I stand on the substantial gray stone terrace outside my apartment.
In the first installment of the Women’s Murder Club, Lindsay (homicide detective), Claire (medical examiner), Jill (assistant DA) and Cindy (crime reporter) form their club in the wake of a possible serial killer in San Francisco. Targeting couples on the night of their wedding, the bride and groom killer is rocking the city. With few clues at the crime scene, Lindsay decides to form the group in order to catch the killer before he takes the lives on anymore newlyweds.
I loved this book! I’m not sure why it sat on my shelf for so long before I ever picked it up, but I absolutely adored it!!! It was such a quick and enjoyable read. I even found myself crying a little at the end. Excellent book … I can’t wait to get to the second one!
3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, Read in 2008, SERIES

Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris

Tara
Hannibal Rising
by Thomas Harris
Copyright: 2006
Pages: 368
Rating: 3/5
Read: Feb. 7-8, 2008
Challenge: Triple Eight – From my TBR Shelf Category

First Line: The door to Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s memory palace is in the darkness at the center of his mind and it has a latch that can be found by touch alone.

In the fourth installment of the Hannibal Lecter series, we learn about where Dr. Lecter’s evil comes from. We learn about the mysterious sister Mischa’s demise as well as various transgressions of his youth. Harris really strives to provide insight about what caused Dr. Lecter to become the man that we know him as – a monster.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I had myself pumped up for a lot more than what I got out of this book. We learn about what happened to Hannibal and his family in his early years. And the book continues to chronicle his downward spiral until his eighteenth year. Then there was nothing else. It would definitely be interesting to see if Harris writes a fifth book telling about what happened between the time he was eighteen and the time he
4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, H, Read in 2008, SERIES

Hannibal by Thomas Harris

Tara
Hannibal
by Thomas Harris
Copyright: 1999
Pages: 544
Rating: 4/5
Read: Jan. 30 – Feb. 4, 2008
Challenge: Triple Eight – From my TBR Shelf Category
First Line: Clarice Starling’s Mustang boomed up the entance ramp at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on Massachusetts Avenue, a headquarters rented from the Reverend Sun Myung Moon in the interest of economy.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter escaped seven years ago. He might think he’s safe, but the multimillionaire that he left alive many years before, is on the verge of finding him – and seeking his revenge. Lecter also has to worry about an Italian policeman who is willing to sell him for a large sum of money. And there’s also Clarice Starling; she hasn’t been the same since last time. However, only one of these people will get Hannibal in the end, the question is, which one will it be?
I enjoyed this book. There was a section almost in the middle of about 150 pages that I definitely got bogged down in. I was not impressed with the part that was set in Italy. Other than that, though, the book read rather quickly and was quite enjoyable. Makes me ready to read Hannibal Rising!
4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Eve Duncan, Fiction, J, Read in 2008, SERIES

The Face of Deception by Iris Johansen

Tara
The Face of Deception
by Iris Johansen
Copyright: 1999
Pages: 446
Rating: 4/5
Read: Jan. 24-25, 2008
Challenge: Triple Eight Challenge – First in a Series category
First Line: It was going to happen.
Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan wants nothing more than to find the body of her murdered daughter and do her work. Unfortunately, work is all she has for now. But her world is turned upside down when billionaire John Logan confronts her, offering her a large sum of money for the use of her services. Unsure of his reasons, she reluctantly agrees to the job. What she will find out in the process will not only stun the nation when revealed but also puts her and her closest family and friends in danger.
This was a really good book! I enjoyed it a lot! It was a good introduction to the Eve Duncan series and I want to pursue this series more. I highly recommend it!
3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, R, Read in 2008, SERIES

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

Tara
Deja Dead
by Kathy Reichs
Copyright: 1997
Pages: 532
Rating: 3/5
Read: Jan. 5-8, 2008
Challenge: Triple Eight Challenge, First in a Series category
First Line: I wasn’t thinking about the man who’d blown himself up.
Dr. Temperance Brennan finds herself trying to convince her coworkers that there is a serial killer on the loose in Quebec. Five women have to die before she is finally able to convince them of this. Racing against the clock, after losing her best friend and the thought of losing her daughter starts to become quite a real possibility, Brennan has to face the killer herself.
I was not incredibly impressed with this novel. Maybe it’s because I know the TV show “Bones” so well and this is so not at all like the show. But I really had trouble with all the technological and medical information (in addition to the comments in French) and it really put a damper on my opinion of the book. I was bogged down throughout the entire reading and I doubt I will continue on with this series.