I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's a suspense thriller and though it's got a psycho killer baddie, (just tired of that old plot line), I consider it...moreI thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's a suspense thriller and though it's got a psycho killer baddie, (just tired of that old plot line), I consider it a good read. If Law and Order SVU's BD Wong character is played by a woman (the heroine) and her "love interest" would be Hartigay's character- only a man( the hero cop)- you would have this book. It's told mostly in first person, from the heroine's pov but when the psycho is on the scene it's third person. I liked this one because Morgan Snow, the heroine, is a consuler/therepist/psychologist specializing in the sexual arena. I love getting into the nitty gritty of why people do things the way they do, which is why I didn't mind the info. dumping. (Next time Show, don't tell, M J.)
There's also an entire send up on high-powered women involved in a secret club that caters to their "dominance" desires. Not out right S&M, but women who treat men like men have been treating women through the ages- in other words, women as the dominate gender-especially where sex is involved! Difficult to explain but i'm totally digging the author delving into this area of the human psyche! The pyscho killer part comes in when the male members of their club- the men who enjoy being "dominated", are being killed off. The scenes from the "club" were highly erotic, though not necessarily plentiful or explicit. I also enjoyed the romance between Morgan and her cop- although it certainly took a back seat to everything else going on.
This is a follow-up to The Halo Effect, but you can read it as a stand alone just fine. (less)
Typical me, I read The Delilah Complex, the second in this series, first. Fortunately, other than a little more background on Dr. Morgan Snow's (the h...moreTypical me, I read The Delilah Complex, the second in this series, first. Fortunately, other than a little more background on Dr. Morgan Snow's (the heroine) relationship with Det. Noah Jordain (the hero), there really wasn’t a need to read them in order. And, as I found out, I enjoyed the second more.
Both are well written- 1st person from Morgan’s POV. Both have engaging side characters and a plot reminiscent of the tv show Law and Order SVU, (I love that show!). However, TDC's central theme I found edgier and, well, titillating, making it a better read, imo.
In The Halo Effect, Morgan, a sex therapist/occasional forensic psychologist ala BD Wong’s character in SVU, finds herself in the middle of a ritualistic-serial-killer-who-targets-prostitutes investigation, when one of her clients disappears. Her client, the infamous yet discreet Madam, Cleo Thane, had just started to let Morgan into her confidence when she disappeared, and Morgan suspects the tell-all book Cleo was about to publish contains the key to the disappearance. Fortunately Cleo gave her a copy of the manuscript, and though ethical reasons keep her from giving the copy to the police, Morgan uses it to conduct her own investigation. Things get more complicated for Morgan when she begins to realize that Cleo's disappearance very well could be connected to the serial killer that the police are desperate to stop.
The details from the tell-all are interesting reading, however not as erotic as one would suspect from a high class "Madam" like Cleo. But then I suppose, that is the point. Ultimately, men who procure prostitutes at that level, are looking for the thrill of a kink that’s slightly off- something that their significant others wouldn’t understand or even consider performing - more than the depth of depravity.
Still, one of Cleo’s regulars is guilty and though the author gave us plenty of specific details to figure it out early on, the fact that she made the otherwise sharp-witted Morgan obtuse enough to overlook the killer, irritated me. I realize it was for dramatic effect, after all, you can’t reveal the killer too early in a suspense thriller or the book would be over before it began, but C’mon- Morgan overlooking what was obviously before her just didn’t make sense. Huge drawback, in my opinion.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m really enjoying this series. I’m fascinated by the psychological implications of people’s sexual peccadilloes, and Rose does an excellent job of allowing Morgan to sort it out for us. I’ll be picking up the third as soon as possible.
In the end, I’m giving this one 3 out 5- For making the heroine imperceptive when it really wasn't necessary.(less)
Hard to grade this one- where as most of it was totally amazing, there is the beginning and the end that pulls it down for me because really, the best...moreHard to grade this one- where as most of it was totally amazing, there is the beginning and the end that pulls it down for me because really, the best part of the story is when the protags were chasing down a killer- which only happens in the middle of the story, oddly enough. (The beginning and ending is almost another story all together!)
Bestselling The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo begins with investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist being hung out to dry for a piece he wrote that went horribly wrong. Through much of the beginning and to a lesser extent, the ending when Blomkvist gets his revenge for the happenings in the beginning, my eyes began to cross at the seemingly pointless blahdy blah blah of Larrson explaining how Blomkvist got into his current predicament.
But really it was Blomkvist's desire to hide away from his circumstances that made him accept a job offer from eccentric former captain of industry, Henrik Vanger- a frail old man haunted by the disappearance of a long gone relative- that brings us to the exciting part. So I guess I can make the bridge as to why it began the way it did.
Meanwhile we get to meet Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant but socially awkward researcher for a private investigator, who just happens to be assigned the task of investigating Blomkvist for the Vanger family. She’s secretive, sullen, punked out, and- of course- tatooed , but she does a helluva job. However, she finds herself distracted from her assignment when her guardianship is changed and taken over by a loathsome individual. (An individual on whom she exacts some spectacular revenge! At this point in the novel, I literally sat up, bug-eyed then dug in and didn’t look up till my eyelids refused to stay open late into the night!)
Indeed it was this insight into her character the ignites the novel and doesn’t let up until the ending, especially when she eventually joins Blomkvist covertly re-investigating the mystery surrounding Vanger's beloved niece's death under the guise of writing his familys’ checkered history.
Murder, intrigue, sex and violence- what more can you ask for in a mystery-thriller? It’s no surprise this little beauty been hitting the must read/bestseller lists for forever now. (Btw, this part of the story totally reminded me of a Criminal Minds episode, one of my favorite shows!)
Through his body of work, Larsson brutally exposes obvious purveying attitudes of violence toward women and antisemitism... attitudes being swept under the carpet of Swedish society. I love how he boldly empowers Lisabeth in a way few women would have the intelligence and courage to pull off, yet wraps her in a vulnerability that many woman can relate to. The second protag, Blomkvist, is a man-ho to be sure, but something about his innate nobility makes him extremely likeable too.
If it wasn’t for the slooooooow beginning I would have totally given this a 5 star. But I more than really liked it- so lets split the difference with 4.5 out of 5! :) (less)
Read this back before the movie was made but as soon as I got into The Da Vinci Code, I thought, "What a bunch of hooey, but dang, this is gonna make...moreRead this back before the movie was made but as soon as I got into The Da Vinci Code, I thought, "What a bunch of hooey, but dang, this is gonna make a good movie." So I wasnt surprised they went on to make it into a movie.
But I was surprised everyone found the twist "new". I just couldnt figure out why everyone got so hepped up about the "conspiracy". That particular heresy has been around since soon after Christ arose. Yep, I'd say the belief that the holy grail ...
Well I'm not gonna spoil that one for ya, you'll have to see the movie or do something really crazy like READ THE BOOK...
Anyway the conspiracy theory this books revolves around is in fact almost 2000 yrs old, yet people slap there hand over there mouth in surprise. "Well shut my mouth. How dare the Vatican hide this from us for so long?" They couldn't. And they didn't.
But its all right fiction reading. Perhaps not up to all the hype but entertaining enough.(less)
Bruno Ranieri is tormented by the death of his mother at the hands of an abusive boyfriend. However he doesn’t know the true reason behin...more3.5 out of 5.
Bruno Ranieri is tormented by the death of his mother at the hands of an abusive boyfriend. However he doesn’t know the true reason behind her death - and what he doesn’t know is about to get him killed. Lily Parr is on the run because of unknown factors involving her own parentage-but what she does know is that Bruno has a key to unlock the mystery. Their pasts are intertwined- just as their present and future is about to be. Funny thing is, they may end up being perfect for each other- if they can stay alive.
Typical McKenna- smoking hot romance mixed with a twisted evil psychopath bent on making the H/hs' lives hell. This one is particularly over-the-top on that end and, frankly I skimmed much of the psycho cloning bullshit going on, till towards the end when the big reveal occurred.
I did like Bruno and Lily an awful lot, however the book didn’t really take off for me till Bruno’s adopted brother Kev McCloud- and Kev's real brothers- showed up. The McCloud bros showdown with Kev is what I'd been waiting for since the last book and it didn’t disappoint. (I laughed thru a knot in my throat through some of it.) I also loved seeing the ladies. For those reasons alone the book gets a bump in review.
Another plus for the book is of course Bruno. Handsome, charming, compassionate and loyal, I really enjoyed getting to know him. He wasn’t as “alpha male” as the rest of the McClouds, but he sure makes you sit up and take notice. ::bobbing eyebrows::
McKenna, please don’t stop writing- but can we find a better plot device next time? (less)
Initially, I found The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury to be surprisingly engaging, despite the less than stellar reviews on Amazon. By the time I turn...moreInitially, I found The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury to be surprisingly engaging, despite the less than stellar reviews on Amazon. By the time I turned the last page I understood why it doesn’t quite work for many people.
Doesn’t work for men- Because the writer attempted to throw in a romance between the FBI agent called in to solve the case of the mystery horseman dressed as Templar knights who raided NY Met committing gruesome murder along the way and the archeologist Tess, who just happened to be right where the one significant thing was stolen. Khoury should have avoided the romance. It wasn’t needed. An early Scully and Mulder relationship would have worked much better.
Doesn’t work for women- a man wrote the romance part. ‘Nuf said.
Doesn’t work for most- Too much rip off of Dan Brown. Too much info. Dumping. And too many clichéd and “oh, THAT’S convenient” moments.
Yet, for me anyway, the flaws didn’t bother me as much it should have. I happen to love The Gnostic vs The Church debate. It’s an old debate- since Christ ascended I would say- and it never fails to amuse me that people think they are being clever and “new” in their arguments. Still, I like to read about the history of it and the author threw in quite a bit of it. Now, the question is whether or not the author got it right from The Gnostic/Templar historical view. Personally I don’t care. It had enough in it to keep the pages turning- mostly because I wanted to figure out what the big secret was that the Catholic Church wanted to keep hidden. Thankfully, It wasn’t quite Dan Brown’s big “secret”, (*snort* secret), or I would have been done with it early on. But it’s unimaginative enough you might figure it out right away.
I’m giving it a 3 out of 5. It’s mildly entertaining- you just have to deal with his style of delivering it.(less)
Mia is back on the force after being shot by a local gang banger. She got away just being winged- more or less- Her partner Abe, (I'm Watchi...moreGood book!
Mia is back on the force after being shot by a local gang banger. She got away just being winged- more or less- Her partner Abe, (I'm Watching You), was not so lucky. (He survived, but just barely it seems.)
While waiting for him to return to work, Mia is paired with Lt. Reed Solliday, an investigator for the Chicago Fire Department, on a case that has the two depts. working together to catch an arsonist. Not only is the nut job setting blazes, he's killing- with intent.
Mia has baggage. Her father was a former cop and a private abuser. She doesn't want another partner and she certainly doesn't want the feelings of attraction she's feeling for him. Despite her abusive father and apathetic mother, she's turned out okay- she's truly an honest, decent person. She longs for a loving relationship like the ones modeled around her but she's sure she'll mess it up somehow.
Reed doesn't like the pull he's feeling toward Mia either. Married once to a woman he considered his "soul mate", that last thing he wants is a relationship with strings.
But as they get closer to finding the bad guy, the temptation grows stronger and when the villain starts going after Reed and Mia and their loved ones- they find their desire for each other something that can't be denied.
Like the previous book by Karen Rose that I read (Die For Me- and yes, I read them out of order!), I found myself enjoying the story despite the fact I'm all but burnt out on the "Serial Killer" plot.
Ms. Rose is a very detailed author. She writes in a way that makes you believe she's done her research- thoroughly- but doesn't bore you with the details.
She also has a way of writing empathetic characters that draws you in to their lives and makes you feel like you get them. (I totally understood Mia despite the fact I never experienced the things she's experienced.) That's good character development in my eyes!
Reed is sexy and sensitive yet retained enough of an edge to appeal to even this Alpha Male loving reader!
The sizzle between these two worked and I found the sex worked better than Die For Me, imo. (HOT!)
Karen Rose is fast becoming my favorite Romantic Suspense writer right now . If your looking for something along those lines, you can't do much better than Count To Ten!
Die For Me has received almost unanimous 5 star reviews from everyone whose read it that I know personally. I'm gonna have to add mine to it. Well wri...moreDie For Me has received almost unanimous 5 star reviews from everyone whose read it that I know personally. I'm gonna have to add mine to it. Well written, extremely well plotted without sacrificing one ounce of character development- Ms. Rose is an author to watch!
She must be, considering the fact I'm almost fed up with the serial killer/stalker plot. In fact, I almost put DFM down soon after I started it because of this, but the intriguing characters and my curiosity about them kept me going.
Sophie is an archaeologist called into to assist the police in a homicide investigation when a body is found on a deserted piece of property. She's tall, prone to hippy clothing, bold and blond- and just as vulnerable as you and I. Vito is a detective with soft heart. He's seen the worst- including an event that killed the woman he loved, but he hasn't given up on humanity. When they meet, there is an instant attraction and, despite all that's going on around them, and their respective baggage, they fall for each other in a big way.
The killer in this story is unconscionable, heartless, and not as intelligent as he thinks! Too late, he finds himself up against a formidable investigative team- a team who cracks the shell of his evil deeds putting themselves one step ahead of unknowing him through most of the book. (Which is something that I LOVED about DFM. These cops were no dummies!)
This book is a nail-biter and the inevitable climax and resolution is satisfying enough to suit even lil ol' jaded me! (Sophie ain't no wilting flower waiting patiently for her knight in shining armor- although Vito is indeed that!)
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