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Beyond The Ice Limit by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
4★'s
This according to the authors is a follow up to a standalone book they wrote in 2001 entitled The Ice Limit. Readers felt the story was unfinished so they decided that Gideon Crew would make a perfect character to carry out the remainder of the mission...that at the close of the first book was just to rescue and study the 25,000 ton meteorite. Today the mission is to kill whatever it is before it destroys life on Earth.
The book is at times violent...with equal parts of science and even a little romance... but like all books by this duo...it is exciting and intriguing,with some of the best storytelling you have ever been privileged to read.
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Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Byrson - Loved it! Everything I wanted/or didn't want to know about Shakespeare and the history of the times in one book. :D 4 ★★★★
When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
Jackson Brodie Series Book #3
4★'s
At the start you wonder just who are all these seemingly unrelated cast of misfit characters...and where is Jackson Brodie? After all this is supposed to be a Jackson Brodie novel. Kate Atkinson lets us view what's happening through the eyes of each of these characters... even the dog. Picking up information from each we begin to answer the questions about the others Even thought the story comes together nicely in the end...I will have to say that I found this tremendous amount of information a little annoying. There is a small amount of clues handed out...and you would have to be brain dead not to know from the prologue and the first chapter exactly what is going to happen and why. The search for the missing woman by a hard-headed much determined Reggie and a reluctant, train-wrecked...literally... Brodie made the last half of the book worth the 4 star rating.
May 30, 2016Personal AUDIO - Trying to finish
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman for my other book group, deadline tomorrow! May have to listen to it tonight. Enjoying it, but didn't give myself enough time.
Diana S wrote: "Just finished Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Byrson - Loved it! Everything I wanted/or didn't want to know about Shakes..."I also really liked this! Have you read "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson? I thought it was very good!
Innocent Blood by James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell
Book 3 in the Order of the Sanguines Trilogy
What we think we know from the first book, like the identities of the Knight of Christ as well as the Warrior of Man and the Woman of Learning may not be accurate and a large part of the plot hinges on the quest to determine who has what role. Plus we have a new role to determine…the First Angel. We also get to experience several intriguing new characters that are woven into the story line... Rasputin and Judas Iscariot. With the assembled group we now have the potential for the launch of Armageddon. The conclusion left almost as many unanswered questions as answered ones but it does a great job of setting up the third book in the trilogy.
One of the things that set the book on a high mark for me was the fact that was brought out in the story that human nature is an unpredictable character itself. The "good guys" aren’t always good and the "bad guys" aren’t always bad. There are shades of "gray guys" that don’t always make the right choices or always make the wrong ones. This is just very, very good story telling.
6/1/16 Currently reading:TEXT -
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón for my "Senior" book clubPersonal AUDIO -
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson just for the fun of itAUDIO -
Talking God by Tony Hillerman getting ready to drive across New Mexico and Colorado on our way to Yellowstone!
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein, 4****s
This is an adorable story of a group of 12-year-old boys and girls who participate in a scavenger hunt-type game held in a library. The kids' goal is to find the secret passage out of the library in an effort to win a wonderful prize. But they can only use library books and their own knowledge to find the clues.
It is fun, exciting, and fast paced. The book makes lots of references to many different types of books that I think would entice children to want to read further. A friend of mine is using this book as the theme of her summer school lessons, so I just had to read it, and I'm so glad I did!
Listening to:
My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
and
Reading:
The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
Really liking both so far!
Entry Island by Peter May
5★'s
My Thoughts:
The book reflects Peter May's use of Scottish history and the Highland Clearances of the nineteenth century's effect on the modern day murder on Entry Island in primarily French- speaking Canada.
Most of the one hundred or so inhabitants of Entry island are English speaking and all think the murder couldn't have happened to a better person than the victim. As is usually the case, the victim's wife is the most obvious suspect. The different directions that the investigation takes will keep the reader turning pages and trying to guess who the killer was. The wonderful writing style of Peter May combined with the backstory and the history aspect makes Entry Island another outstanding contribution.
Extreme Prey by John Sandford
Lucas Davenport series Book #26
4.5 Stars
My Thoughts:
I thought at the close of Gathering Prey that it read like John Sandford was planning to shut down this series that Lucas Davenport fans had enjoyed for a quarter of a century…so I was so very happy when I learned of this new one.
Lucas is enjoying his “retirement” from the BCA. While working on his fishing cabin and planning long weekends with his family and many friends Lucas gets a call from the Governor asking him to help the local police investigate and find the person or persons that may strongly be planning the execution of Presidential candidate Michaela Bowden. Since Lucas finds that he really is missing the excitement of police work…he readily accepts. This is a very timely story with the current political climate. Appearances are made by many old friends from the series and some new ones are introduced that will more than likely appear in books to come. While the ending seemed a tad rushed it presented a very pleasant surprise to take place in Lucas’s life and promises many more offerings of this great series.
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Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Byrson - Loved it! Everything I wanted/or didn't want to k..."Hi Terris, No, Don't yet. This is the first book I've read my Bill Bryson. I'm so glad I started with his Shakespeare book. If he can make Shakespeare so enjoyable ( I thought it was going to be boring). I'm sure his other books are enjoyable too. :)
Bent Road by Lori Roy
3.5★'s
I believe that someone on Amazon summed up the heart of this debut novel. "Bent Road is a difficult book to wedge into any particular genre other than "fiction." And that's a good thing. There is a mystery at the heart of it, a bit of romance, and some coming-of-age and coming-to-terms elements, but debut author Lori Roy has created a work that is more of a dark parable than a tale designed for entertainment or amusement."
Buried family secrets and the powers and destruction that such secrets hold are felt from the opening pages to the end of the book. You just know that in the midst of this Kansas farm country something foreboding is going to settle in and change the lives of every one of the characters Life on the farm is ordinary, Death and violence are major themes throughout the book but family ties and interactions will give true to life insight into what made this the perfect background for this story.
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If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) / Betty WhiteAUDIO in the car -
Circling the Sun Paula McLainPortable AUDIO -
A Moveable Feast / Ernest Hemingway
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul tremblay
Okay...what to say about this book? I guess I wasn't really very impressed overall. I found the TV script part difficult to read and make any sense of. it wasn't scary in the least...if anything it was very sad. The entire family was all border-line psychotic to a degree and making a TV series of Marjorie's schizophrenia severed absolutely no useful purpose other than monetary. Maybe I just didn't get it.
Blood, Salt, Water by Denise Mina
I've read several other books by this author and even thought I have to say that i really enjoyed the book...it wasn't one of her best efforts. The story was choppy and the events just didn't fit together. The parts devoted to the investigation by Alex Morrow and the Glasgow Police were extremely well done. Alex could have well carried the entire storyline to completion. The side characters...while having been meant to weave the story together with the missing woman just fell short and became more of a distraction. I wish Denise Mina had taken the time to help us understand Morrow's obsession with the missing woman and to give us more closure on the woman's death. Actually I believe the final reveal had been done before in a previous book.
The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths
Ruth Galoway series Book # 7
5★'s
A construction worker near University Professor and Forensic Archaeologist Ruth Galloway's home on the coast of Norfolk, England, discovers a buried WWII-era fighter plane with the pilot still inside....or it is assumed that the body is that of the pilot. Ruth is called to investigate along with DCI Harry Nelson who just happens to be the father of Ruth's 5 year old daughter.
The discovery of the grisly human remains ignites a series of mysteries that all seem to evolve around the Blackstock's...a family of nobility who has lived in the area since the Bronze Age and who may have a few more skeletons stashed in the closet and elsewhere. Soon Ruth and Harry Nelson's team are investigating throughout the countryside, from the developer’s digging site to a derelict WWII American airfield—one of many known as “ghost fields”.
The success of this wonderful series is due to the intriguing and ever developing cast of characters that readers of this series look forward to meeting again and again. Characters like Ruth and Harry...Kate the 5 year old...Judy, Cloughie and Tim...Harry's sometimes bumbling but competent team of investigators..and Cathbad the ever lovable and not always right Durid, whose presence the story would just not be the same without. There is no need to say that I really enjoyed The Ghost Fields. Long may the series run.
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Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord / Louis de BernièresAUDIO in the car -
The Hundred-Foot Journey / Richard C. MoraisPortable AUDIO -
The Paris Wife / Paula McLain
The Second Life of Nick Mason
Nick Mason series Book #1
5★'s
Nick Mason...Chicago born and bred...married and the father of a 4 year old daughter...finds himself serving a 25 year to life prison sentence for a murder that he didn't commit in a breaking and entering that went horribly wrong because he trusted the wrong man. Five years into his sentence Nick is summoned to a part of the prison that few people had ever seen...no bars...glass cells...and luxuries beyond any convicts expectations. Darius Cole...a Chicago kingpin serving multiple life sentences wants to meet with him to make him an offer that he can't refuse but comes to wish he had. Darius has the power to free Nick from prison but that freedom comes with a terrible price.
I have always had a soft spot for Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight series that takes place in Michigan's Upper Peninsula but the last of those appeared in 2013...so I had begun to think we weren't going to ever get another by this author. Then I read that a new series was on the horizon...one that offered a different type of hero. If anything this series...and I hope that is what this is going to be...my be even better. Nick Mason is a protagonist that you can admire, feel sorry for and root for him to get ahead all at the same time. Thank you Steve Hamilton!
Field of Graves by J.T. Ellison
Part of the Taylor Jackson series
5★'s
This was an unpublished book, written between 2003 and 2005 that should have been Book # 1 in the Taylor Jackson series. Her agent advised J.T. Ellison to write another for her first published book so she instead wrote All The Pretty Girls , Book #1 in the Taylor Jackson series and sentenced Field of Graves to a drawer to be forgotten for 11 years.
This should have taken it's rightful place as it reveals the origins of some of J.T. Ellison's most famous creations: the haunted Lieutenant Taylor Jackson; her blunt, exceptional best friend, medical examiner Dr. Samantha Owens; and troubled FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin. Anyone that has followed the series through the years, or has started Dr. Samantha Owens' own series, will want to put at the top of you tbr list. Why this book was thrown in a drawer and forgotten until now...who knows? But I am for one glad that J.T remembered. I highly recommend it for all fans of J.T. Ellison's works.
Dishonorable Intentions by Stuart Woods
Stone Barrington series Book# 38
3.5★'s
Readers travel around the United States, Europe and Russia in this latest Stone Barrington novel. Stone and his lady friend, Gala Wilde, is a Hollywood screenwriter with an ex-husband who is stalking her and just won't take "NO" for an answer. Her ex-husband is Boris Tirov, a Hollywood producer with ties to the Russian mob who makes life miserable for anyone who gets in his way. There's no hope of him going back to Russia because of an outstanding warrant could be waiting for him since he had been accused of killing one of his young leading ladies.
Readers will also find that some changes are about to take place with some major characters that have appeared throughout the series. There is just something about the Stone Barrington books that keeps me returning again and again, despite for a period of time hating what Stuart Woods had done to Stone Barrington's morals and common sense. Everyone has more money than they know what to do with and they spend it freely indulging in the very, very best of everything without blinking an eye. One thing I really like is that all the characters in his other series has been successfully blended into this storyline. Old friends are always making an appearance.
This series does need to be read in order to even begin to understand where it all began with any hope of knowing where it's going. Another recent trend is that one book is continued into the next one. So if you have a couple of years to devote to reading this series from Book #1...go for it:)
End of Watch by Stephen King
Book #3 in the Bill Hodges Trilogy
5+★'s
Stephen King has always had a way with characters and settings in addition to having an incredible imagination…so readers are never disappointed with the fantasy and horror that spills from his mind and into his keyboard. Actually we can’t get enough of it.
In this trilogy his Bradley Hartsfield character is just amazing. From the start of the trilogy he has been horrifying and demented… a broken man who is just smart enough to cause mayhem. His vicious hatred is mixed with just enough dark genius to make him absolutely terrifying. Even when he is absent from the world in a state close to death…he manages to reek havoc. Hartsfield’s character in this trilogy is pure Stephen King genius at work. As we have seen in so many of his other works, he can take someone unpleasant and frightening to begin with and slowly turn them into a monster that will make themselves at home in our nightmares for a long time. To represent the side of good in humanity…King gives us retired detective Bill Hodges who takes on saving his city with the help of his young friends Holly Gibney and Jerome Robinson. As is the nature of this author… King builds on the events of the first two books using them to build a foundation that creates a tale of horror as well as a hard driven detective tale. From the title of the book…End of Watch… we know that this is indeed the end of a truly amazing adventure by the “Master of Horror”.
Drawn In Blood by Andrea Kane
FBI Series Book #2
3.5★'s
This story line continues from the book before it...Twisted…but it isn’t necessary to read Twisted first to understand what is happening. I like Andrea Kane’s writing style. She manages to throw in a twist or a turn just when you think you have it all figured out. Sloane and Derek have proven to be interesting and complex characters in both this book and the first book. The way they work together gives them a greater feeling of reality. Drawn in Blood is a fantastic story of love, hate, life, lust, and motive. This is a story you will hate to see end.
June 18, currently reading:TEXT - Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood--so far, the only book I've liked by this author!
Portable Audio - The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende--just starting
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Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord / Louis de Bernières (but I'm almost done and then I'll start on The Golem and the Jinni
AUDIO in the car -
The Rope Walk / Carrie BrownPortable AUDIO -
4.50 from Paddington / Agatha Christie
Follow You Home y Mark Edwards
4★'s
An intriguing story to say the least. From the setting...Romania...the reader at first suspects...you guessed it...vampires. I have to say that the author did a great job of building on that idea through the first 200 pages without ever actually saying the word. The plot and the chapters that follow are so cleverly done that you find yourself reading "just one more chapter...and then just one more...well maybe one more..." Yeah...it's that kind of book. I lost a lot of respect for the main characters though after their return to London and things began to effect everyone they came in contact with. I wanted to shake some sense into Laura...good heavens woman sit down and talk this thing out with Daniel. The story began to be a tad too long about 320 pages into the book but the epilogue is worth it all. Never expected this. Really good book and I highly recommend it...but stay OUT OF THE WOODS!
Haunted Destiny by Heather Graham
Krewe of Hunters series Book #18
3★'s
When it comes to things that go bump in the night, Heather Graham has a knack for making them come alive....no pun intended. Graham takes the paranormal and weaves it into the story in such a way that the reader starts to believe it's plausible. After all doesn't everyone see and talk to dead people? I have read all of the Krewe of Hunters series and found that this one was different from the others. It was missing the constant action, sharp edges in the story, and turbulent emotions. Taking place on a cruise ship restricts the environment of the action...the cast of characters...the possibilities to investigate and especially when the storm hits the agents have to use the old fashion way to investigate the murders. A lot more attention is also paid to the living and entertainment on the ship. I found that the story line became a little repetitive. The characters manner of speech and rigid ways made it sound more like a story from another era....which may appeal to other readers. It's not a bad book but just not something I would read again.
Blood Infernal by James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell
Book #3 in The Order of the Sanguines Trilogy
4.5★'s
The first two books and this one are filled with fast paced action along with complex mysteries... good and bad vampires...(although the "V' word is never actually mentioned)...and no end to demons and other creatures literally straight out of Hell. It all makes for a strong series and a trilogy conclusion that reveals bitter betrayal and unexpected redemption. There is a mix of religion, history and supernatural events that puts a different yet effective spin on the apocalypse genre. The authors take some liberties with religion as most of us know it but if you just suspend your disbelief for awhile and don't rely a great deal on credibility you will thoroughly enjoy this trilogy.
Blood Infernal by James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell
Book #3 in The Order of the Sanguines Trilogy
4.5★'s
The first two books and this one are filled with fast paced action along with complex mysteries... good and bad vampires...(although the "V' word is never actually mentioned)...and no end to demons and other creatures literally straight out of Hell. It all makes for a strong series and a trilogy conclusion that reveals bitter betrayal and unexpected redemption. There is a mix of religion, history and supernatural events that puts a different yet effective spin on the apocalypse genre. The authors take some liberties with religion as most of us know it but if you just suspend your disbelief for awhile and don't rely a great deal on credibility you will thoroughly enjoy this trilogy.
June 24, 2016 Currently readingTEXT - Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts for a nonfiction book club and The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón for a seniors book club (taking us 2 months to read it!)
PERSONAL AUDIO - The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny for fun!
My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni
4.5★'s
I really liked the Tracy Crosswhite character. She hits the pages as a person with good common sense, a career driven cop, and a take no nonsense type of character. She is at times, emotional and introspective and not always perfect. There's an emotional resonance and a core of truth in her character that make her both believable and empathetic. First books in a series often find the author trying too hard to get everything into a single book that he plans to build on in the future books of the series...but not so with this one. We meet Tracy..we follow Tracy as she takes on the demands of her job as Seattle's first woman homicide detective, as she returns to her home town and fights for justice for her murdered sister and as she tries to correct a huge mistake and in the process just may have found love in an unexpected place. Robert Dugoni has created a vivid world and an engaging mystery. Looking forward to many more.
The Emperor's Revenge by Clive Cussler & Boyd Morrison
4.5★'s
It doesn't take you long to guess who the "Emperor" is after Cussler's historical prologue which opens all of his books. From there the story enters the present day and you wonder "what did that have to do with what's happening now." That's just what Clive Cussler does well...blends the past with the present and presents a story that you just have to read more and more of.
This one is well written with lots of a variety of action. I especially enjoy the various crew members of the Oregon. Each one has a surprising range of skills and talents. This and the great story lines keeps the series from getting dull. I have heard rumors that this is to be the last book in the Oregon series. I hope that is just a nasty rumor.
Cross by Ken Bruen
Jack Taylor series Book #3
4.5★'s
Jack Taylor used to be cop...a very good cop... and then life got in the way and Jack's life unraveled. Along with a Cody...a young man that refused to take no for an answer...they set out on the next best thing than being a cop that Jack could find... being a private investigator. Jack's personal life gets in the way in this endeavor also. We find Cross opening with Cody in a coma in the hospital barely hanging onto life and Jack taking up residence at any local Galway pub. It seems there are times when Jack is merely reacting to events and appears lost in a world he no longer understands.
Ken Brune's writing is like no one else's that I can think of. He brings his characters to life with such imagination. Jack Taylor reminds me of a train wreck on it's way to happen. You don't want to watch but you can't turn away. My grandmother and mother came from Ireland and I can see where the author gives the reader a real sense of the Irish...the religion...the cultural and the historic influences on their lives. This series and the characters are diffidently unique.
The Templar Legancy by Steve Berry
3.5★'s
I couldn't get the print copy of this book before our group read so I got the CD book. I know that it takes real talent to read a book so that even 95% of the listener/readers will be satisfied but I think my 3.5 star rating of this book was mostly the reader and not the author's writing. There were times when Brian Corrigan's attempts at the French accent of this book's arch-villain, Raymond De Roquefort, that he sounded so much like Peter Sellers's Inspector Clouseau with a bad head cold. In spite of that the story line was absolutely magnificent. The clues that Cotton Malone and his band of merry men and women were tasked with finding and interpreting were well over this readers head but I did so enjoy the journey. This is the perfect blend for thriller fans and history buffs alike.
Redemption Road by John Hart
5★'s
Redemption Road is not your cut and dried murder mystery. There are many secrets and puzzles along the way that are complex and multi-layered. Some are fairly obvious, but even they will lead the reader to yet more questions. Through in several red-herrings and the plot becomes even more complicated with small amounts of truth clinging to each one. The characters are nothing but flawed...and that may be putting it mildly. Before it ends you can't separate the good guys from the bad guys. It all will eventually boil down to choices. Their choices are what brought them to this point and it's their choices that will take them down Redemption Road.
Touch by Claire North
3★'s
I was defiantly a fan of Claire North's first book, The Fifteen Lives of Harry August so I didn't hesitate to pick up Touch, her second book. This novel is build on the premise that there are body-hopping ghosts that can inhabit any body...or "skins" as they refer to them..with a simple "touch". One of the problems is that the main "ghost" character in the story changed "skins" so many times that it became difficult to keep up with who he was at any given time. Also when another "ghost" was added...who just happened to be a psychopath...the changing became chaotic. I can't say I entirely disliked the book...it did have some interesting parts... but it's not one that i would consider for a recommendation. Hope her next offering meets the standards of her first and this is just a fluke.
7/2/2016 Now reading:Personal AUDIO - Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey--the main character, in her 70's, is either senile or on the verge of Alzheimers, and thinks her best friend is missing, while remembering when her sister disappeared years ago, confusing the two!
AUDIO in the car - Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King--really interesting so far, detailing criminal cases Marshall tried early in his career.
Just finished Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry, 3***s (wanted to like it more), am listening to The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (very interesting so far!), and just starting The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan for book club (really looking forward to it!).
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry, 3 ***s
This novel is the story of Hannah Coulter told in first person of her life from the 1920's to the early 2000's. She grew up on a small farm in Kentucky, then after leaving the farm, she tells of meeting her husband(s), and of her life on the farm, raising children, being a part of the small farming community of neighbors, and of old age and the death of her husband. I liked it fine. It wanted to be more poetic and thoughtful than I was in the mood for right now, so it might be my own fault that I didn't like it better. It is the July read for my library book club, and I know the leader who recommended it really likes this author and has read many of his books, many of which are connected to each other. But I'm not inclined to read another one :/
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The Golem and the Jinni by Helene WeckerAUDIO in the car -
The Last Runaway by Tracy ChevalierPortable AUDIO -
A Cold-Blooded Business by Dana Stabenow
3.5★'s
"A single mother and lawyer, Iris has a colorful caseload, a young son with behavior issues, and a judgmental mother. She also has a brother—shocking news she uncovers by accident. Why did her mother lie to her for her entire life? Why did she hide the existence of Ray Boelens from her?
Curious about this sibling she has never known, Iris begins to search for long-buried truths. What she discovers surprises—and horrifies—her. Her older brother is autistic—and in prison for brutally murdering his neighbor and her daughter. Visiting Ray, she meets a man who looks heart-breakingly like her own son. A man who is devoted to his tropical fish and who loves baking bread. A man whose naivete unnerves her. There is no question that Ray is odd and obsessive, unable to communicate like the rest of us. But is he really a killer?"
The reader will in turns feel pity for Ray and at times will feel admiration while alternating between guilty and not guilty every few chapters. Girl in the Darkis a compulsive, page-turning, dark thriller about lies, murder and dogged determination. If you enjoy psychological suspense stories about dysfunctional families, or twisted endings...and I have to say I never expected the ending that I got... then you'll definitely want to read this one.
Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay
4★'s
I read Paul Tremblay's first book...A Head Full of Ghost and thought that while it was good for a first book he could do so much better. He has lived up to that expectation with his second book, . The author has produced a blend of psychological suspense, and supernatural horror into an absorbing tale that feeds off every parent’s darkest fears . . . and an adolescent’s darkest secrets. The thing that I like most about Paul Tremblay's writing is that he leaves the reader with a head full of "possibilities"...how and why did something happen as it did, while playing on the readers own reactions and interpretations of events. Looking forward to a long relationship with this author's books.
The Unsuspected by Charlotte Armstrong
4★'s
From the Book:
Why did Rosaleen Wright hang herself in a soundproof room? She left an unsigned note, peppered with stiff religious references and no trace of her trademark vitality or wit. The police believe it was suicide, but Rosaleen’s best friend, Jane, is suspicious. To prove Rosaleen was murdered, she takes a job with the man who killed her. Luther Grandison, Rosaleen’s boss, is a New York theatrical impresario with a lethal charm. To the world at large, he’s powerful and charismatic, but Rosaleen’s letters to Jane described a greedy man who stole from his adopted daughter when his bank account ran low. Jane thinks Grandison killed her to protect his secret, but to prove it she will have to face down one of the finest murderers Broadway has ever seen.
My Thoughts:
Although the plot seems a bit improbable, you are so involved with the story that you don't really think about it. The main character, Grandy, is one of the most unique creations that I have encountered in some time.... and the bewildered heroine was quite...bewildered...but appealing also. Overall, it was a delightfully enjoyable work of fictional intrigue. Just suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. You will be amazed how much you'll enjoy it.
Collecting the Dead by Spencer Kope
4.5★'s
From The Book:
Magnus "Steps" Craig is part of the elite three-man Special Tracking Unit of the FBI. Called in on special cases where his skills are particularly needed, he works as a tracker. The media dubs him "The Human Bloodhound," since Steps is renowned for his incredible ability to find and follow trails over any surface better than anyone else. But there's a secret to his success. Steps has a special ability---a kind of synesthesia---where he can see the 'essence' of a person, something he calls 'shine,' on everything they've touched. His ability is known to only a few people---his father, the director of the FBI, and his partner, Special Agent Jimmy Donovan. When the remains of a murdered woman are found, Steps recognizes the shine left by the murderer from another crime scene with a physically similar victim. And he uncovers the signature at both scenes---the mark of a sad face. At the same time, another killer, one Steps has dubbed Leonardo and has been trying to track for over ten years, appears again, taunting Steps. But while Steps tries to find a clue that will lead him to Leonardo, the case of the Sad Face Killer heats up. The team uncovers eleven possible victims: missing women who fit the same pattern. Using his skill and the resources of the Bureau, it is a race against time to find the killer before it's too late.
My Thoughts:
Maybe because the author has had personal experience in his "non-author" life at bringing serial killers to justice is why his book Collecting the Dead resounds with the ring of truth. He has created a very unique character with Magnus "Steps" Craig and surrounded him with a mystical ability and a team of top-notch agents. At times the exchange between "Steps" and his partner and best friend Jimmy...is humorous but it never takes away from the seriousness of their task. Nowhere does it indicate that this is a start or a part of a series but this book just begs to have many "brothers". I will be awaiting Spence Kopes future books.
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The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down / Anne FadimanAUDIO in the car -
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness / Susannah CahalanPortable AUDIO -
A Cold-Blooded Business / Dana Stabenow
AUDIO -
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
PRINT -
The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan
PRINT -
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
Dark Watch by Clive Cussler & Jack DuBrul
Oregon Files series Book #3
4.5★'s
This has to rank as the best of this series thus far. Clive Cussler teams with adventure/thriller writer Jack DuBrul for the this...the third book... in the "Oregon Files" series. Non-stop action throughout and plots and schemes by the Oregon crew to bring the bad guys down that would equal "Mission Impossible" or an episode of "McGeyver". The authors juggled complicated, multiple plots throughout the story and tied them together into a believable, exciting, and interesting package at the end that pulled the Oregon crew out of the frying pan and the fire....while offering a special surprise for them all. Looking forward to the next adventure with Juan Cabrillo and friends.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Signature Kill (other topics)The Jefferson Key (other topics)
Friend Request (other topics)
The Charm School (other topics)
Hidden Figures (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Nelson DeMille (other topics)Margot Lee Shetterly (other topics)
Nicole Krauss (other topics)
Daphne Sheldrick (other topics)
J.D. Vance (other topics)
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4★'s
At first it was somewhat difficult to make sense of the 30 odd years between the three cases. Then Jackson Brodie makes his first appearance and it becomes obvious that these are cases that he is investigating. Not just investigating mind you...but solving. Jackson seems to go where "angels fear to tread". The fact that I hd just watched season 1 of the TV series based on the books was very helpful.
The chapters do jump between the different story lines, and the plots unravel sometimes at a snails pace. There is some humor, some bits of human insight mixed with irony here and there. There are some aspects that are not handled all that well. As the real reason is reveled for the missing Olivia...the 3 year old girl from the first case...and the adult development or lack of same...of one of the other sisters...just seems to be ridiculously forced. Jackson's dark secret bout his past was unnecessary and had no real purpose in relation to his character. The homeless girl who appears throughout the book... whose identity the reader will figure out very early....should have been either left out or made to appear closer to the close of the case so as not to give away the closure so quickly. I do have to admit that the author doesn't give away everything and ties up every loose end. I will be reading more in this series.