Book Review Newer-30th

Review—Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton wrote the novel Swallowing Darkness. Ballantine Books published the book in November 2008; the novel has 365 pages.

            Meredith Gentry is one of the fey; she is human, fairy, and part brownie. What more there is to be discovered is only part of the future. She may be destined to be Queen of the fairies if her aunt is ever honest. Her cousin is crazy and many of her aunt’s protectors are now hers. Their power is returning and each guard that she was given is now more powerful and each time her abilities and powers grow. As in any royal situation, there is much infighting and deceit. In addition, there is danger from those who do not feel she is the right choice for the throne. She has been promised the throne if she becomes pregnant. This is also one of the reasons that she was provided with multiple men from her aunt’s army, these men are ones she has grown to trust, and over time, they have gained the abilities that were lost to them thousands of years ago.

            The goddess that aids and guides Merry knows the fairy courts have lost their way. She now carries twins and has to protect these lives and her own through the danger these courts present. Each one is claiming her fertility as their right, and those who do not agree seek her death. Her cousin Cel, is insane, though through her even his power has returned, and he is one of her greatest dangers when he is free. Darkness and Frost are two of her closest protectors and the ones she loves the most dearly. Loss and betrayal, danger and mayhem, these all are part of her journey to a crown she never sought. Upper and lower courts, goblins, demons and lesser fey, in addition to what many consider monsters come to rally in a war that can only mean the end for some and a beginning for others. Merry is the fertility goddess and has hands of power that can destroy and heal, she may have to do both to save herself and those she cares for.

            Laurell K. Hamilton has written a host of novels. One of her other series is the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels. Each novel is action-packed and the characters more fully developed and more intricate emotionally with each writing. They are often entertaining and a little naughty in this group of books. This is part of a series about the fantasy and power of the magical world; good and evil prevail there as well as in our daily lives, maybe magic does too.

Book Review Older-30th

Review—Lie by Moonlight

Lie by Moonlight, by Amanda Quick; published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in association with the Penguin Group, in July 2005, 385 pages.

The night is dark with an enveloping blanket of fog in an old English cemetery.  Ambrose Wells, a private inquiry agent is meeting with a potential new client, firm in his belief that only those truly wanting the answers he may secure would meet him in such a place.  This mystery quickly brings him into contact with a modern (for the Victorian era) and freethinking young woman.

Concordia Glade has just been employed as a teacher for four young ladies being kept at an old castle, which has purportedly been turned into a school for young women.  Things are not adding up as they should, the staff is surly and unkempt; they seem to be more like guards than other employees.  Concordia has recently overheard two dangerous looking men talking about how valuable the girls are and how they will soon be paying off.  As she and the girls are attempting to escape, villains are cropping up left and right; an unexpected source of aid comes in the form of Mr. Wells.  They make good on their plan to leave the castle and are soon secured in the home of a friend and mentor to Ambrose.

Through various means of sleuthing and amateur detective work Ambrose and Concordia determine the true intentions of the evil crime lord Larkin, and his nefarious plans for these four young women.  After several deaths they are able to bring in the local constabulary and round up the final culprits in this scheme.  During this time of risk and danger they find themselves of a similar nature and even more similar passions.

Amanda Quick is an entertaining writer and these characters are witty and endearing.  Though the language is at times stilted, and the action sometimes brief, this book moves fairly quickly.  Amanda Quick is the pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz and she has many, many other books available, and they are often as good or better than this last one.

Book Review Newer-29th

Review—Into the Fire by Suzanne Brockman

Suzanne Brockman wrote the novel Into the Fire. Ballantine Books published the book in July 2008; the novel has 496 pages.

            From Alaska to California, and across the USA, military members leave the service of their country to serve in police and investigative areas. Vinh Murphy worked for Troubleshooters, Inc., where he lost his wife and his spirit. He left behind good friends and colleagues. Ho sought solace in a bottle then revenge on the one he deemed responsible.

            White supremacy is a daunting and dangerous subsection in this country. While Murphy seeks help for his drinking problem, he finds out that during one of his many blackouts that the leader of the Freedom Network has been found dead and that he is a prime suspect. This Neo-Nazi group has claimed many acts of violence and his wife was killed in the crossfire of one such act. He has no answers of where he was during this time or what he may have done. Past friends from Troubleshooters and friends in the FBI come to his aid and though they are seeking answers from him, he searches for answers on his own. This group has issues of their own and each of them feel sorrow and the loss of Murphy and his wife, this may affect the future of his freedom.

            Hannah, Murphy’s best friend and an ex-police officer, introduced him to her best friend and one-day wife. Through each of their troubles and critical paths in life, they find a way to help each other and discover a relationship they never knew existed underneath the friendship. The Freedom Network has plans for both of them once this connection is discovered.

            Suzanne Brockman writes romance suspense novels and this one prove, exciting and action-filled. The relationships are intriguing with various possibilities, though a bit predictable. The characters are strong throughout any weaknesses and develop nicely, with their past laying the groundwork for the future relationships. This novel is an entertaining read and proved a reason to seek other works of this author.

Book Review Older-29th

Maximum Ride, the Angel Experiment; written by James Patterson.  Published by Little, Brown & Company; April 2005, 422 pages.

On a mountain in a cabin, live six very special people.  Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel are the names they have given themselves.  Their ages vary from elementary school ages to teenagers, but, they are still just kids.  They live by themselves. They take care of each other without parental direction or discipline; or especially love.  But, they started their life without either of those things and so far they are doing very well.

They are not ordinary kids.  They are 98% human and 2% bird.  They were born in a dark place, a place known only as the School.  This place, where they were treated like the experiments they were meant to be; kept in cages and subjected to tests and needle sticks on a regular basis, is where they escaped from a few years ago.  The School also did other experiments, trying out mutations from various animals and combining them with human embryos.  One of their fiercest creations is known as the Erasers, part wolf and part human that love the taste of birds.  These six kids have very special abilities in that they all can fly.  They each also have individual skills that seem to evolve and develop over time, often without them knowing and sometimes causing them discomfort in the evolution. 

Max and the gang think they are safe and fly out one morning in search of some berries or other fresh food that is provided by the mountain they live on.  Their morning is interrupted by Erasers.  They kidnap Angel and lead these kids on a journey across America, to the Death Valley, to California and then to New York.  And somehow, every time, Erasers track them down.  They are able to rescue Angel but they are frustratingly almost constantly harassed and endangered by the School and the Erasers that are in pursuit of them.

This is one of several youth novels by James Patterson, and though I had believed this to be a sequel to his previous books involving Max, this seems to be a series that will be taken in a new direction.  So, if you have read, When the wind Blows and The Lake House, do not expect Maximum Ride to take up where these left off.  It is enjoyable and engaging on its own.  So feel comfortable in letting your youths read this novel if you are one to let them explore flights of fancy and fantasy.

Book Review-Newer Books 28

Review—Fearless Fourteen

Janet Evanovich wrote the novel Fearless Fourteen. St. Martin’s Press published the book in June 2008; the novel has 310 pages.

            Made men, criminals, and cops are found not only in Chicago, but also in Trenton, New Jersey. This is part of Stephanie Plum’s world; a local bounty hunter, who lives with Joe Morelli, a detective and works a second job with Ranger, who not only tempts her senses, but owns his own security company.

            This time, Stephanie is pulled into circumstances that concerns one of Joe’s crazier relatives. With her trusted partner Lulu, she searches for a man just released from prison, who was thought to have stolen 9-million dollars and had it hidden while he served his time. In the process of the search, a kidnapping occurs and Stephanie and Joe are handed the responsibility of a confused computer-hacking teen, who is related to both the criminal and possibly, Joe. This adds a new dimension to Stephanie’s skills in bounty hunting, which are often inept at best. While Joe investigates recent crimes, Stephanie is hired to be the female part of a security team for a high-profile celebrity. Between Lulu planning a wedding and her grandmother, discovering computer gaming, Stephanie’s family is brought into the middle of each day’s new crisis, with the patience, food, and alcohol provided; items, which they have learned to need to deal with her life. During this time of partial parenting, Joe and Stephanie consider their future plans, kids and all, OH MY!.

            Janet Evanovich had written this series of Plum books and each one adds new levels and dilemmas for Stephanie in relation to family, friends, and relationships. In addition, she perseveres in being the funniest bounty hunter ever. With humor and fate combined to make each job entertaining and often fraught with danger, Evanovich weaves stories, which are laugh-out-loud funny. The characters surrounding Stephanie, no matter the situation, provide love, support and more often than not, an addition to the levels of crisis in her life, but every time it provides comic relief to her forever effort to get her life into a semblance of order and direction.

Book Review-Older Books 28

Pretty Woman, by Fern Michaels.  Published by Pocket Books, April 2005, 329 pages.

Rosie Gardner Bliss, built with her best friend Vicki Winters, a successful mail-order business out of local weeds.  They grew up together, and until recently, were able to say anything to each other.  They have made a considerable amount of money from the company and now both are very comfortable financially.  Rosie has always been overweight and often lacking in self-confidence.  When Kent Bliss, a gorgeous man pays her attention, she is overwhelmed, and shortly after getting involved with him a wedding date is set.  Vicki, who has recently seen said groom-to-be, in a compromising position, resolves to let her friend know, even though their relationship has recently been strained.  She goes to her house and soon leaves, to start her own journey as a paid companion, shut out from her best friend.

Three years later, Rosie has come to the conclusion that life is not a bed of roses, and that she has been mistreated by the man she once loved for long enough.  Her outspoken housekeeper, aides her in finding her strengths and overcoming years of self-indulgences in finding solace in food.  Rosie gets herself an attorney, a personal trainer, and new resolves to take the company to new levels.  Also, her best friend is back in town and making amends is just another set goal.  Her spouse is determined to get all he can from a woman he claims he never could stand, not sight nor smell.  He is under-handed and sneaky, and recently he has come to the conclusion that she has hidden a winning ticket that could set him up forever.  He will employ any means to get his share.

Jack Silver, her personal trainer will support her in new ways, and she learns to trust in herself and sets new goals that require all the confidence she can muster.

Fern Michaels has written many novels and her characters frequently have down-home values and core- beliefs that sustain them through times of trouble.  These characters have this and more.  This story is about how believing in one’s self can have life-altering effects, regardless of luck or winning tickets.

Book Review-Newer Books 27

Review—Acheron

Sherrilyn Kenyon wrote the novel Acheron. St. Martin’s Press published the book in August 2008; the novel has 728 pages.

            From Greece to New Orleans, from 10,000 B.C. to present day, the distant past comes back to haunt and endanger humanity. Dr. Tory Kafieri is an archeologist determined to discover and unearth Atlantis; she comes from a family of scientists. Her family has sought this discovery for decades and even suffered ridicule and professional troubles due to a search that has had limited past successes.

            Time, far, far away, when gods and goddesses ruled the earth, a destroyer of gods, Acheron, was born, stripped of powers, and made to suffer pain and vast indignities; this destroyer fell in love with a goddess. Not knowing his power or abilities, being human brought many times of abuse and loss. The goddess he fell for was Artemis; she wove a web that will keep him caught in various ways throughout time and into the present. Acheron, also known as Ash, has a mother who has been essentially entombed in what could be Atlantis, her powers limited, and she wants out. Her time has been far from idyllic and she seeks retribution that could end the world, as we know it, maybe.

            Ash meets Tory and in an effort to lead her away from Atlantis. Soon danger and mayhem find them and actually draws them back to Greece, his past and their future. In this adventure, they find chemistry and desires that are of soul mate quality. This relationship leads Tory into his past and Ash determined to protect her and remain a part of her future.

            Sherrilyn Kenyon has written many of these Dark Hunter novels and this one book brings together many references from past titles. The book also brings much more of the mythological history. Miss Kenyon weaves together the past with the present and future quite well and in each novel, the characters are often intriguing and likeable. In this book, the past clearly related to the development of Ash, though less could have been more. The book was a bit long in areas, though, the gods and goddesses brought to the present was an interesting twist. This series is always entertaining and I await more.

Book Review-Older Books 27

Cold Service, by Robert Parker.  Published by Putnam Sons, March 2005, 305 pgs.

Spenser is a Boston private investigator extraordinaire.  He is currently at the hospital bedside of his right hand man-above-men Hawk, who was shot three times in the back protecting a local bookie and his family.  The bookie and his family did not survive, except for his young son.  Hawk has been upgraded from critical to stable status and will soon be able to go home.  Spenser and Hawk plan to investigate who instigated the hit and see about a little reparation.  Hawk still has to convalesce and this is degrading to this very proud man who has only depended on himself in all things.  But get stronger he will, and Spenser will be there for him.

They soon uncover that the hit was arranged by the Ukrainian mob and some of the players involved include the mayor of Marshport, and his own little fiefdom.

Hawk has always been Spenser’s link to the various underground criminal elements in the city, as Spenser has been Hawk’s link to the different policing agencies in Boston.

Spenser utilizes these contacts and Hawk utilizes his to find who was responsible for the hit.  They develop a plan not only to pay them back, but also to make them pay.  There is a little boy out there who needs to be taken care of, and Hawk plans to see to it. It makes little difference how many bodies it may take to make it so.  Susan, Spenser’s lover and friend, is a psychologist, and she cares for and respects Hawk, but parts of this are difficult for her to condone.  But as always she is a source of support.

Robert Parker has written many Spenser novels and this one is a fine example of his unique writing style and his use of very different speech syntaxes of his characters.  The characters are motivating and very individual in their contributions to the story.  

Book Review-Newer Books 26

Review—Tribute

Nora Roberts wrote the novel Tribute. Putnam Adult published the book in July 2008, which has 464 pages.

             A quiet town in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley once hosted a famous actress who tragically died in her home. The cause of death was determined to be an accidental suicide. Now her granddaughter, Cilla McGowan, is moving to the home. After years of neglect, the ramshackle house is just waiting for love and attention. Cilla, a child star in her own right, has left the business and Hollywood. In the last few years, she has begun flipping houses and making a profit. This home calls to her and her dreams for the future.

            Ford Sawyer, hunky neighbor, all-around good guy, and graphic novelist, sits on his porch and imagines the new owner of the house across the street as the star of his new book. Through a burgeoning relationship with Ford, Cilla, also renews relationships with a family she seldom had contact with while growing up. Hauntingly, the grandmother she never met also seems determined to introduce herself to Cilla. As the relationships progress, so does the rehabilitation of a house that was once a showplace, where celebrities strolled, wined, and dined. Past issues soon mar the excitement and hope that comes with rebuilding; there are threats, break-ins, and harassment. One family lost a son who was close to Cilla’s uncle and there is a secret affair from the time before her grandmother’s death. Strange happenings occur and they seem connected to the past and the present, dangerous happenings that could affect whether or not the relationships will grow or abruptly end.

            Nora Roberts writes as though the characters are family. The relationships are developed smoothly and with humor and the frustrations that come with growing to know one another. There is hope and laughter, and danger and mystery throughout the book, leading the reader into the difficulties and hopes that come with building a new life.

Book Review-Older Books 26

Review—Seek the Living

Seek the Living by Ashley Warlick.  Published by Houghton Mifflin, January 2005, 244 pgs.

In a little southern city, Joan Patee, is once again acting as a go-between for her father and brother.  Since her mother’s death, some time ago, their relationship has deteriorated.  Her father sold the farm that was supposed to have been Denny’s, and he has wandered from job to job, often breaking hearts and getting himself into trouble along the way.  Her husband Marshall is frequently gone for long periods, he works cleaning up after disasters.  This time he has come home in a strange and pre-occupied frame of mind.  The passion between them is still strong, but a bit burdened by the, at times, seemingly frantic efforts to have a child.  

Denny has been working as a caretaker for an old cemetery, and has recently found relics and bones that may date back to the Civil War.  He pulls Joan in to do some research and plans to profit from this in any way he can.  While he digs up the past, other friends and family are bringing up things long forgotten from Joan’s past.  Old lovers and friends she grew up with are once again part of the holiday season coming about.  New and old dramas make this a holiday that could lead to difficulties with both her husband and her family.

This is the first book that I have read by Ashley Warlick.  It is primarily told in narrative form with little communication between the many characters.  The story goes in many directions and never really seems to lead to any answers.  The characters are not well fleshed out and it is hard to find many redeeming qualities in them in which to care about them. The whole short book left me just wanting to finish it and ambivalent about any outcome.

Book Review-Newer Books 25

Review—Foreign Body by Robin Cook

Robin Cook wrote Foreign Body. Putnam and Sons published the book in August 2008; the novel has 448 pages.

            From Los Angeles, to India and with a little help from the Big Apples the world of Indian Medical tourism is introduced. The business is booming for those around the world to come to India for surgeries that can cost much less than in other parts of the world. This new means of getting either elective or necessary operations done for less money potentially poses a decrease in the needs for hospital corporations around the world. What lengths might some industries go to in order to protect their finances?

            Jennifer Hernandez, a fourth year medical student, hears a CNN report of the death of a surgical patient in India. Sometime later, she is called with the news of the death of her grandmother and is requested to decide on her arrangements. This prompts a trip to India and from the first contact with the case manager; Jennifer has uneasy feelings along with the sorrow and disbelief that comes from unexpectedly losing a loved one. She is barraged and persistently prompted to decide on how to deal with her grandmother’s body. Due to grief and uncertainty, Jennifer decides to make the trip; once there she learns more to make her feel that something is wrong in this system. When more suspicious patient deaths occur, Jennifer calls in the help of a friend who her grandmother was a nanny to in the past. Laurie Montgomery is a forensic pathologist and so is her husband, they also make the trip to India, and that is how discoveries are made.

            Robin Cook is well known as a writer of medical mysteries, and Foreign Body introduces new ideas and new characters. Laurie Montgomery and her husband Jack Stapleton have survived various past mysteries with Robin Cook at the helm. This story centers on Jennifer, her relationships and tenacity that is comparable to Jack’s behavior in past troubles. The book moves slow at first though the concept of medical tourism is an interesting idea, as well as the diabolical plan to disrupt a seemingly successful venture. In addition, the stories of those behind the deaths and destruction are tepid at best, though; the picture of India’s vastly different cultures from the wealthy to the impoverished is painted in vivid detail. The new characters lead me to believe they will be seen in future books, though maybe in a more interesting venue.

Book Review-Older Books 25

Review—Whiteout by ken Follett

Whiteout, by Ken Follett.  Published by Dutton, Penguin Group, Inc., December 2004, 374 pgs. 

The story begins in Scotland, at Oxenford Medical, a drug research company.  They try to find cures for deadly viruses, and now one of the containers of their most deadly virus is missing.  Toni Gallo is the head of security, and she tracks it down to an employee, who is found with the virus and a missing animal.

Toni had once been a police officer, who had been forced to resign.  She was living with her partner at the time and he left her abruptly without any support.  She now has to deal with him again, to protect the public and control the media frenzy if this gets out.  So far it is contained.

Stanley Oxenford if the head of this company and though Toni fears the loss of her job, he assures her it is safe, as they determine how through all of the security measures in place this event occurred.  They handle the media, after a leak occurred, and the resultant demonstrator’s camp on the lawn.  The situation seems to be taken care of, new and strengthened security in place.  They all head off to a Christmas weekend, hoping that the situation is resolved.

Toni and Stanley or on the fringes of beginning a relationship and his grown children make their feelings known.  Stanley’s son has gotten involved with some unsavory people who want a sample of the virus and his anger at his father over several issues lead him to help them, regardless of the consequences.  The worst storm to hit the area has occurred and they get snowed in at his father’s house, with the deadly virus in their grasp.  A family matter keeps Toni away from her trip for the holidays, and in the area.  She is notified of the theft and pulls strings to get help, and hopefully contain the situation.  She heads to Stanley’s unaware of the danger and knows that help from the local police may not be in time, if needed.

Ken Follett makes Whiteout an intriguing mix of relationships, danger and excitement.  His characters have the usual emotions combined with the threats of what such extreme situations can show in each person’s character. Several of them weather it quite well, while others falter.

Book Review-Newer Books 24

Review—Scream for Me

Karen Rose wrote the novel Scream for Me. Grand Central Publishing published the book in May 2008; the novel has 436 pages.

            Small towns and the secrets they can hold. There may be truth in the statement that familiarity breeds contempt. Dutton, Georgia holds more than a few secrets. Many small towns seldom count murder in the lists of crimes recorded. A young woman found dead in a ditch recreates a murder from the past of this small town. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) sends in agent Daniel Vartanian, who has some issues of his own with this small town. Daniel grew up in Dutton and he has just come back to work after horrors of his own. Alex Fallon is the twin sister of a young girl tragically killed 13 years ago, a death that set off a series of crimes and now leads to the uncovering of a history of rapes and murders in this small town that were perpetrated by the entitled of the area.

            Alex Fallon, an emergency room nurse, receives a call that she is needed to care for a baby she knew nothing about and that the child’s mother is missing; her step-sister has abandoned her child. Alex is listed as the guardian for this baby and she goes to Dutton. This small town was a place she left after suffering her own horrors and crisis’s, facing these may be a hurdle she had needed. She finds the child unable to speak, a child, who for now only communicates through red crayons. In trying to find her step-sister, Alex is lead to Daniel who is stunned by the resemblance to a past murder victim and this just opens the door to many past issues for this small town and the crimes that have transpired. Alex and Daniel also find an undeniable attraction to each other that propels them through not only a budding relationship, but also mystery, murder and mayhem.

            Karen Rose leads these strong and capable characters through situations that combine danger and investigation with complicated family situations and a small town with many secrets to hide. This is a sequel to a previous book; but this in itself is fast-paced, witty, in addition to being insightful regarding the psychological trauma that children and young adults sometimes have to deal with. The characters are well developed and enjoyable in this easy to read novel. 

Book Review-Older Books 24

Review—Hot Target

Hot Target, by Suzanne Brockman.  Published by Ballantine Books, January 2005, 383 pgs.

A day in the life of a Navy Seal sometimes may begin in a sewer, in a land far away; rescuing captives who have been kidnapped and whose lives are in danger.  Sometimes, their rescue may result in a loss of the life or lives of their captors.  These are decisions Seals may deal with on a regular basis.  Cosmo Richter, Navy Seal, is known as the man to make these decisions.  To some who have seen him in action, he is a robot and dispatches known threats systematically and with extreme efficiency.  Cosmo now with some free time on his hands, due to a recent accident involving his mother, joins an old friend in his security firm.

Mercedes Chadwick, is a film producer making a comeback.  Her current project has placed her in the sights of radical group, who oppose the fact that she intends to show a known World War II hero, as a man who was gay and never truly came out of the closet.  She has received multiple death threats and the company backing her project has hired Trouble Shooters, Inc. to protect her.  Mercedes is never one to back down, and hardly considers the threats real; she also never misses a photo-op and uses this for any publicity she can obtain.  She soon has to face reality when one of the people protecting her is gunned down. Cosmo is only one of the many set in place to keep her safe.  The FBI is involved and one of their top investigators is gay and out of the closet, and his personal relationships are intertwined in this story.  Her brother is also going through his own sexual identity crisis, to top off an already tense situation. 

This book has plenty of fast-paced action, and emotional scenes.  Suzanne Brockman dedicates this book to her homosexual son, and this book seems dedicated to showing her acceptance of his choices.  Ignoring all of that, as that will always be up to personal beliefs, the book showed the emotions and turmoil involved in making choices as diverse as life or death to sexual identity.  And the struggles it takes to make them. 

Book Review-Newer Books 23

Review—Phantom Prey by John Sanford

          Minneapolis, not a city most would equate with the gothic lifestyle. Like any city, murders and death happen. A businesswoman comes home to find blood in the kitchen and her daughter missing. The police have found very little to go on and there has been discovery of a body. Alyssa Austin runs a spa business and recently lost her husband, now her daughter’s situation could be dire and no one seems to know which direction to look. As a friend of Weather Davenport’s, Alyssa enlists the help of her husband Lucas, a well-known detective in the area.

          Lucas is part of the upper-echelon of the local police department and he starts investigating as a favor, when two more Goths are murdered, he digs deeper into the case. Determining motives and connections to the multiplying deaths, leads Lucas down several paths. A fairy (a HOT Goth) seems to be a part of the puzzle. Lucas connects her to each crime scene by witness accounts and then the fairy seems to vanish. No one knows her name or where she comes from. Lucas and his team are also involved in a surveillance operation to capture a known criminal who has been a danger to the area. These two situations lead Lucas to ponder the vagaries of fate and how choices made can influence your life and how things happen.

          John Sanford has written many Prey novels, with Lucas Davenport, leading the investigations into many different crimes. This novel brings issues closer to home and at times, the danger is closer than even he knows. Through twists and turns, the evidence leads to a surprising end. The answer does not even begin to become clearer until well into the book. These characters are always strong and focused with an ability to infuse warmth and at times humor into often-questionable occurrences. Enjoy this series and go back and try others. 

Book Review-Older Books 23

Review—Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Are You Afraid of the Dark?, by Sidney Sheldon.  Published by William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, September 2004, 377 pages.

Across the world people are dying.  Their connection is that in one way or another they are connected to Kingsley International Group (KIG), one of the largest think tanks in the world.  There business covers the globe.

Kelly Harris and Diane Stevens are young widows of two of the recently deceased.  Their husbands both worked for KIG.  They meet in New York City after meeting with Tanner Kingsley, the owner of KIG.  The two, in an effort to confront their loss and search for clues as to why their husbands may have been murdered, bond, even as some man with a scar seems intent on ending their lives.

Kelly and Diane seek help from Tanner, who promises he is doing all he can to find the answers to these murders.  The man with the scar keeps finding them and their lives are in constant danger, no mater how many precautions they take.  The search takes them across the continent and to Eastern and Western Europe, with peril trailing their every move.  Tanner Kingsley is a Nobel Prize winner and so was his brother.  They started their company to help the world. But Tanner had other plans for this think tank, and they are just now being realized.  His motives and drive propel his company into a source to be reckoned with and these two women may disrupt all of his plans.  And while he feels they are no match for him, he just can’t seem to pin them down.

Sidney Sheldon is a novelist of renown and I have enjoyed his books for many years.  This book was exciting to read, but started out slow and in what seemed like just too many players.  When it tapered down to just a few, it moved fast and kept my attention hooked to see shat would happen next.

Book Review-Newer Books 22

Review—Blue-eyed Devil

Lisa Kleypas wrote the novel Blue-eyed Devil. St. Martin’s Press published the book in May 2008; the novel has 336 pages.

            The great state of Texas is made of big open spaces, big oil, big men, and big values. Haven Travis is part of an old money family from Houston. Between her father and three brothers, she rebels against the sheltered life she has lived. The decision to marry a man her father disapproves of leads her into a relationship, which is nothing she could have ever dreamed of. After a chance meeting with one man, a blue-eyed devil, who causes new feelings for an inexperienced young woman, Haven marries the man she has met in college. Nick seems to be in love with her and all she can hope for, but once her father cuts her off and they get married, life seems to go downhill. They move to another town, where both have jobs and they have a home, but her husband is seldom satisfied. When she is encouraged to stay at home, then he changes her name, the situation gets worse. One night leaves her bleeding and hurt, and then she turns back to the family she left for this man.

            After a healing period and a new job, Haven begins to live again. Therapy helps and her family supports her desire to control her decisions, to a degree anyway. Once her life is back in a modicum of control, the blue-eyed devil, Hardy Cates, enters her life again. Trust is an issue in a relationship that one player is very unsure of and the other is determined to have. Through understanding, patience, and the willingness to explore untapped needs, passion and a future also becomes a part of Haven’s future.

            Lisa Kleypas has written an intense and intriguing novel. Her characters are easy to become involved with and care about. This is the first book by this writer, this reader has tried and after crying in the first few chapters, I will read more. A fully enjoyable read, that was hard to put down.

Book Review-Older Books 22

Review—Incubus Dreams

Incubus Dreams by Laurell K. Hamilton.  Published by Penguin Group, October 2004, 658 pgs.

The City is St. Louis, and Anita Blake is a woman of many talents, one of which is working for the police departments Regional Preternatural Crime Investigation Unit, on an on-call basis.  Anita is a Vampire Hunter and she also investigates crimes involving other species of the dark side.  She was also born a necromancer, and her regular job is raising the dead, frequently for attorneys disputing wills.  These are just a few of her skills; relationships are where more of her problems lie.

Anita is involved with the Master of the City, Jean-Claude, who also runs many night clubs in the city.  He is a vampire and she is his consort.  Her ex is a werewolf named Richard and he makes up the third in a triumvirate of power.  This threesome manages the undead, the were-animals and vampires of this city by a very thin thread.  Older and more powerful preternatural beings seem to show up with frequency, usually bringing death and mayhem with them.  This death keeps Anita in contact with the police and her intimate knowledge of such beings makes her contributions valuable to the investigations.

Anita’s living situation is also beyond the norm.   She currently resides with a couple of were-leopards.  Micah is the leader of the were-leopard pard, and he seems like just the right guy for her, and Nathaniel, another were-leopard, was a friend who is slowly becoming to mean more to her.  They make her chaotic life generally run better.

But being part of this triumvirate has increased the power of all involved and some of the drawbacks have made her life seem more like a roller coaster and the bad guys just keep coming.  Old-world powers seem to be the cause for the recent murders and Anita means to stop whoever is the cause, by whatever means necessary.  The means are frequently gruesome and sometimes comical.

This book is the latest in a long-line of Vampire hunter novels by Ms. Hamilton.

They are gripping and enticing and can be very, very steamy to the very open-minded.  The many interpersonal relationships and constant dangers are weaved throughout the book with attention grabbing skill.  Beware, though, you definitely have to let your imagination take you through this book as it is steeped in the fantastical.

Book Review-Newer Books 21

Review—Black Widow

Randy Wayne White wrote the novel Black Widow. Putnam Adult published the book in April 2008; the novel has 337 pages.

            South Florida is an excellent place for researching sea life. Doc, as friends know him, studies sea life and is even working on some form of poisonous shrimp. He is mysterious to those around him, friends old and new. He has government contacts and a past that few seem sure of. His goddaughter, Shay is soon going to be married and when she calls; Doc learns that she needs his help.

            The help Shay needs takes Doc to the island of St. Arc, near St. Lucia. After a bachelorette party on the island, the situation gets dire. Blackmailers have contacted the girls with a tape and demands. They make one payment, thinking it is over, only to find out the people with their lives in their hands want more. St. Arc is an island of beauty and get-a-ways for tourists. The bachelorette party that got out of hand involves alcohol and a drug that reduces inhibitions; in addition, it turns out to be part of an elaborate system of tourists being threatened and humiliated. Doc comes to St. Arc hoping to help his goddaughter and finds himself embroiled in an investigation that involves not only family but also many other victims, from politicians to mid-western homemakers. There is black magic woman, who runs an exclusive retreat and rules the island; she may be the mastermind behind the criminal operation. She keeps big dogs that keep the retreats secrets secret and has islanders who fear her follow her directions. Physically and emotionally frightening to many on the island, the black magic woman is almost more than even Doc can handle, even with reinforcements.

            Danger and intrigue are a part of the story and the characters are at times interesting throughout the novel. Otherwise, the book falls flat; the topics and stories jump around with little follow through for characters or introduced ideas. Many plots are brought into the book, then dropped and sometimes picked up later, or not at all. The novel is the first read by this reader and though the main character is interesting it was not enough to encourage further exploration.

Book Review-Older Books 21

The Bourne Legacy by Eric Van Lustbader.  Published by St. Martin’s Press, June 2004, 453 pages.

Chechen rebels are seeking an end to Russian oppression.  They are being led by a man known as the Shayk.  This man, Stepan Spalko is otherwise known as a humanitarian, helping people worldwide, but his other agenda is to disrupt a summit that is to be held in the near future, where world leaders hope to come to an agreement on how to end terrorism and live in peace.

In planning his evil he awakens a sleeping lion.  David Webb is a college professor, who happens to also have been one of the CIA’s most deadly and skilled killers for hire.  He was known as Jason Bourne.  And after a failed attempt on his life, he calls on one of his mentors only to find himself on the run suspected of the murders of the two men who could have helped him.  His new family is sent away as he searches for who could have killed his friends.  His search takes him from Georgetown to Paris, Budapest and Iceland.  His adventure keeps him barely ahead of authorities who have been told to shoot first and ask questions later.  Peril and danger is the name of this trip and during it he finds more answers to the many questions he has regarding his very cloudy past.  Not only are all police agencies searching for him, there is also a killer toying with him and causing him significant pain.  Everywhere he turns new bodies are turning up with the finger marking him as the man who brought them to their end.

As a sequel to the Bourne series by Robert Ludlum, his estate has chosen Eric Van Lustbader to bring Jason Bourne back to life.  After the first chapter this story is a fast-paced pager-turner.  There seems to be no end of people that want to see Jason Bourne dead or captured and behind every corner a new evil confronts him.  Eric Van Lustbader did justice to Robert Ludlum’s character Jason Bourne.

Book Review-Newer Books 20

Review—The Infidelity Pact by Carrie Karasyov

Carrie Karasyov wrote the novel The Infidelity Pact. Broadway Books published the book in June 2007; the novel has 272 pages.

          Southern California, where the temperatures stay cozy and the sun is rarely covered by clouds. This sunny place should just be the place of sunny, happy marriages. Four women who are in what seem to be successful and happy relationships meet regularly and are the best of friends. Their husbands have better than decent professions, their kids attend the better schools, they fill their days with parenting and physical activities to keep them part of the social sets in the higher orders. Hollywood is nearby, and starlets and aspiring stars are everywhere, so the standards to always look and be at you best are high. They are what many would view as healthy, wealthy, and wise. On the other hand, are they?

          After one lunch together, the four women agree to a plan that will have all the earmarks of disaster, though it has been broached as a way to add spice to their lives. Not, the possible life-changing event such an agreement could cause. The plan is for each woman to expand their sexual horizons or find fulfillment in themselves or their daily existence. Each woman is searching for something different in agreeing to this venture; one is looking for a better sense of identity, one for a better way of life than the one she is in, one is looking for the special romance that so many feel they have lost after marriage settles into routine, and the last woman turns out to be searching for something that she could have attained if she had trusted her friends. After some of the women have begun their journey, a gossip columnist who has always tried to insinuate himself into their friendship not only makes demands of them, but also, turns up dead. The pact involves extra-marital affairs to be consummated and completed within a year’s time. Does each woman complete the pact or not? Is the dead gossip a real threat or imagined?

          Carrie Karasyov has written a novel that though the characters are interesting, the pace is slow. The character development could have been more thorough and made the interest in their lives more of an investment as the plot thickened. The hate the columnist professes is also poorly presented. The novel was short and had potential, but fell short of riveting. 

Book Review-Older Books 20

Review—Ten Big Ones

Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich.  Published by St. Martin’s Press in June, 2004, 312 pages.

Trenton, New Jersey, a place where crime is growing and its violence is escalating.  The Burg is a piece of this city and it’s a place where people still know each other’s business, sometimes down to the smallest detail.

This is where Stephanie Plum lives and she provides many backyard stories for this neighborhood.  She works as a big, bad bounty hunter; though it frequently seems like a scene from Laurel and Hardy.  She is a work in progress in regards to her career as a bounty hunter.  Stephanie hates guns and is frequently missing her handcuffs and her pepper spray occasionally malfunctions.  She does have interesting help in the form of the bond office’s file clerk Lula, an ex-street working girl; and her grandmother will come along for the ride to help out and usually swing by the local funeral parlor for the latest viewing.  Stephanie’s love-life isn’t much better.  She’s on-again/off-again in a relationship with a Trenton detective Joe Morelli; and she has an in-lust/just friend’s relationship with her mentor Ranger, a truly big and bad bounty hunter.

This time Stephanie may be in real trouble.  While bringing in a fugitive, she sees the face of a local criminal who is known as the Red Devil, and the bomb he had planned to use on a store lands under her car.  And, yet another car has been totaled for Stephanie.  The Red Devil turns out to be a gang member and soon after a contract is put on her head and her job just gets more and more difficult.

Stephanie is often bumbling but just as often ingenious in her determination to stick with this job.  She constantly faces opposition from her mother and boyfriend for her choice of profession, but somehow through luck and stubbornness she just manages to get through in one piece.  And while doing so she still manages to make it to dinner every Saturday with her family and be involved in her sister’s wedding plans.

Janet Evanovich has written many other novels and this is the tenth in this series.  Stephanie may be the comic relief to some of her co-workers, but she is definitely a comic relief to readers.  If you haven’t tried this series, it is definitely recommended.  Every one of these books makes me laugh and I finished this one in under two days.