Let me start by saying that when I received this for the blog tour I couldn’t make myself pick it up even though I thought it would be a book I’d love.  Why?

This cover is seriously creepy and I had such a negative reaction every time I walked by it.  So, last week I took the jacket off and put it away.  Deep Sigh.  I was finally ready to read!

This psychological thriller has it all.  Jack Cole, FBI agent who investigates the worst of the worst killers in the country, doesn’t look or act the part.  He is covered in one big Dante’s Inferno tatoo from his neck to his ankles with an attitude to match.  Jake is one of the more interesting characters I’ve encountered in awhile.

In simple terms he solved riddles – it was as mundane as that.

The element of the otherworldly that his coworkers subscribed to was simply confusion in the face of a mental acuity they could not understand.  Like a musical or mathematical savant, Jake was able to tap into something that those around him could not and the result was that they were uncomfortable around him.  Some were even afraid.

Chapter 19

When Jake heads home to take care of his sick father, famous artist Jacob Coleridge, he is called in to help the local police solve a grisly murder.  The two victims had been skinned alive, not a sliver of skin left on the two bodies, just like his mother 30 years before.  There is also the biggest hurricane ever recorded headed straight for them, so time was in short supply.  More bodies pile up and disturbing works are found in his father’s studio.

Those are the only details you need. I stayed up until 1 am racing through this book.  I really could not put it down.  (I regretted this 5 and a half hours later when Gage decided to get up early) I went to bed disturbed, woke up disturbed and have mentioned parts of the book to Jason all day.  The end was a mixed bag.  The reveal was great, but the end was a little unsatisfying.

I recommend this book for grisly murder and horror lovers who don’t mind liberal use of the f-word.  I think you’ll race through this debut novel and look forward to the next one by Pobi.  I am.  And so is Oprah! “O, The Oprah Magazine’s August issue, on stands now, named Bloodman one of their “Titles to pick up now” and called it a “Very suspenseful novel”!

I received this book from Wunderkind PR as part of a blog tour.  Thanks so much – loved it.

Bloodman  Finished 7-24-12, rating 4/5, horror, 345 pages, pub. 2012

Finished 7-18-12, rating 5/5, literature, 324 pages, pub. 1987

In Ohio seasons are theatrical.  Each one enters like a prima donna, convinced its performance is the reason the world has people in it. (p.136)

This is my fifth stop on my summer Ohio tour.  Toni Morrison was born in Ohio and this Pulitzer Prize winning novel takes place in Cincinnati.    I chose to read this because it was on my shelf, it was an Ohio book, and I could participate in Molly’s The Classic Bribe 2012.  Molly over at Quirky Girls Read is hosting this challenge to read a classic this summer.  If you do you can enter to win a $35 Amazon gift card.  Since I loved this book this challenge was a win-win for me.

This is the story of Sethe and the many people in her life.  Raised as a slave, she escaped with her children to Cincinnati where her mother-in-law was waiting and they all waited for Halle, Sethe’s husband and Baby Suggs son.  One day, Paul D from Sweet Home, came knocking at the door and brought with him unwelcome news. The story actually takes place in the years after the Civil War, but the flashbacks cover the years of slavery in the south.

I didn’t know anything before I started and I think the less you know the better.  This story about the black experience is told so perfectly as the many layers and years are slowly revealed.  All of the characters have their own story and their own contribution to the overall narrative.  A narrative that I loved.  Some was told in stream of consciousness that only enhanced the otherworldly quality of the book, a much-needed offset to the ugly subjects of slavery, bestiality, rape, torture and worse.

Sethe was my least favorite character and while that would normally doom a book for me in this case it didn’t.  The story revolved around Sethe, but it was the story of everyone around her too.  Baby Suggs, Denver, Paul D and others all contributed their experiences to the captivating tapestry.

I loved the prose and found it so rich and vivid that I only wanted to take my time reading it.  This is not one to rush through.  The story got off to a bit of a slow start, but the writing was so poetic that I didn’t care.  For me, it was a beautifully told story of heartbreak and triumph and I am so glad that I read it.  My words cannot do this book justice, so I’ll have to rely on Morrison herself.

Paul D had only begun, what he was telling her was only the beginning when her fingers on his knee, soft and reassuring, stopped him.  Just as well.  Just as well.  Saying more might push them both to a place they couldn’t get back from.  He would keep the rest where it belonged: in that tobacco tin buried in his chest where a red heart used to be.  Its lid rusted shut.  He would not pry it loose now in front of this sweet sturdy woman, for if she got a whiff of the contents it would shame him.  (p. 86)

Whitepeople believed that whatever the manners, under every dark skin was a jungle.  Swift unnavigable waters, swinging screaming baboons, sleeping snakes, red gums ready for their sweet white blood.  In a way, he thought, they were right.  The more coloredpeople spent their strength trying to convince them how gentle they were, how clever and loving, how human, the more they used themselves up to persuade white of something Negroes believed could not be questioned, the deeper and more tangled the jungle grew inside.  (p.234)

“A man ain’t nothing but a man,” said Baby Suggs.  “But a son?  Well now, that’s somebody.”  (p.27)  In honor of my Gage 🙂

An Infinite Number of Monkeys. Stacy and Janet are both rating it 3.75 stars.

I’ve raved about the Milan Jacovich series set in Cleveland and when given the opportunity to read Roberts first book and series set in Los Angeles I said yes and brought my mom along for the fun (post here).  I stopped by his blog and saw this recent post about the publication of his first book and Ray Bradbury.  I thought I’d share because it’s a good one and it’ll make you want to write a fan letter.  This is the fourth stop on my Ohio author tour and my second by Les Roberts.

This is book 1 in the Saxon series and right now the whole series is half price on ebooks (info here).

My mom reads all the time, especially now that she’s retired, so I convinced her to try a joint review with me.  We may do more in the future after some tweaking.  So, please welcome my mom, Janet.

Saxon is half private eye, half actor with only half a name.  Les Roberts claims that he doesn’t know Saxon’s given name, so here are a few suggestions from us…

Stacy: He does seem to like the ladies, so Casanova or Bond. Saxon Bond.

Janet: I’d pick a strong name like Jack or Luke.

How did you feel about Saxon?

Janet: Saxon is a strong character and very likable.   I liked that Saxon’s best friend in the whole world was Jo, his bookkeeper and secretary.

Stacy: Except for his inclination to fall in love on sight, I liked him.  I don’t know how good Saxon was as an actor, but he was a great private detective.  He knew the right people, wasn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with those more dangerous than he was, and he always seemed to ask the right questions. He was tough, fair, and smart. 

Saxon was investigating a possible attempted murder and became involved with a bestselling author and his daughter.  What did you think of the story?

Stacy: I liked it.  It felt like a throwback to some of my favorite movies in the mystery noir genre. I think the Los Angeles film scene was a perfect setting to enhance the comparison. 

Janet: The story moved along well and since there were no shortage of suspects, I did not guess who the murderer was until the end.

Did you have a favorite part?

Janet: My favorite part of the book was how it all came together at the end.  It was action packed.

Stacy: I liked that I kind of guessed the big reveal but still didn’t know for sure who the culprit was.  Made me feel smart and confused at the same time.

One word to describe the book.

Stacy: Noirish

Janet: If I had to describe the book in a word it would be ‘fast-paced’.  Sorry, I know that’s two words.

This was Roberts’ first book and series.  How does is compare to the Milan series?

Janet:  This was my first Saxon book and I plan to read the others.  I have read the Milan Jacovich mysteries and loved every one.  Milan is still my favorite sleuth, but Saxon is definitely worth the read. 

Stacy: I like the Milan series better, but that may be because it’s set in my town of Cleveland.  While Milan and Saxon have a lot in common, part of my love for Milan comes from his love of family and I don’t get that from Saxon.  Yet.  I do plan on reading the rest of the series.

I want to thank Jane from Gray & Company for sending us the book.

The Diary, Finished audio 6-14-12, rating 3/5, pub. 2009

Unabridged audio 6 hours 30 minutes. Read by Susan Ericksen

Elizabeth Marshall lies in a nursing home after a stroke has left her unresponsive.  Her two grown daughters discover her old diary as they prepare for the worst and pack up their childhood home.  As they read the diary together they discover a mother they never knew, one with hopes, heartbreak, passion, and strength.  The diary describes the two loves of Elizabeth’s life and the ultimate moment when she had to choose between the two.

First, let me quibble with the description provided by the publisher.  The last line is, It’s also the story of the unshakable bond between a mother and her daughters.  Um, no, it’s really not.  The daughters, obviously, knew very little about their mother as a person and there was really no chance for them to recover that lost time except through a series of diary entries that covered only a small portion of their mother’s youth.

This book had three viewpoints, the daughters in current day, their mother’s written entries, and then the detailed story behind each entry which was not in the first person.  I found the jump between the three off-putting.  I liked Elizabeth’s story, but the jumping in and out of it left me less than fully engaged.  I actually started to resent the daughters for intruding on their mother’s story with their boring and clueless observations.  Yes, that seems harsh, but it’s true.  If they had been more compelling characters it may have worked  better for me since Elizabeth was a great character and I’d have rather heard the story straight from her.

Elizabeth’s story was a good one, even if there wasn’t anything terrible original.  The only thing that set it apart is how it was told and while I disliked the jumping between viewpoints it did allow for some much needed suspense at the end. The end was not a complete surprise to me (as it was to those silly daughters) but there were enough questions to want me to keep listening.  Why did Elizabeth end up with stable Bob and not passionate AJ?  Inquiring minds want to know.

I thought it was a solid and enjoyable audio book, but I wasn’t totally into it.  I borrowed the audio book from the library.

Don of the Dead, Finished 6-2-12, rating 3.25/5, 325 pages, pub. 2006

Book 1 of the Pepper Martin series.

Casey Daniels was one of the authors who spoke at the Ohioana Book Festival last month and I was surprised that I didn’t know about her series set in Lake View Cemetery here in Cleveland.  If you remember my post from last week, I think this cemetery is so beautiful and for all of its history it is a tourist attraction (and yes I know that seems weird).  Here’s another picture of the cemetery I took last weekend…

Idyllic, right?  Anyway, Daniels talked about her Pepper Martin series that spends most of its time in Lake View Cemetery.  I bought the book and this will be the third stop on my Ohio tour.

Pepper Martin is an ex-rich girl who now has to fend for herself and find a job.  Doctor Daddy is in federal prison for fraud and her prince charming dumped her.  Pepper finds a job as a tour guide for Lake View Cemetery and one night after she hits her head she finds that not all souls are resting in peace.  Gus Scarpetti, head of the mob, has been dead 30 years and he thinks it’s high time that someone finds out who offed him.  That someone is Pepper.  Pepper sees dead people.

Okay, I hate to start with what I didn’t like first, but since it was a problem for the first half of the book I must start here.  Pepper is not only beautiful, but she can make men do what she wants just by flashing her awesome boobs at them.  Seriously, everyone that Pepper came in contact with admired her perfect 36C breasts and she used it to her advantage in every situation possible.  It was her only way of obtaining information.  She didn’t seem to have much else going for her and it’s hard to like someone like that, especially when she’s 30 and should have developed some personality over the years.

Here’s what I did like.  I thought the mystery, when it finally became the focus of the book, was good.  After the so-so first half I was prepared to do some skimming in the second, but I became engrossed in the mystery of who killed Gus, probably because Gus is the best character/ghost in the story.  A mob boss has many enemies and surprisingly, after 30 years many of them are still around.  When I found out who did the deed I was surprised and satisfied.

Since we all know Pepper is beautiful she does meet two hot men and tries to keep them both interested.  There was a tease near the end about one of them that almost has me wanting to read the next book to find out more.  But ultimately, although Pepper ceased to annoy me by the end I’m not in any rush to spend more time with her.  Casey Daniels said in her talk that Pepper matures as the series progresses, so I won’t write her off just yet.  I’m just not in a hurry to read the next one.