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.

Be the Miracle by Regina Brett. Finished 5-22-12, rating 4/5, 267 pages, pub. 2012

Regina Brett is a popular Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist where she was a finalist in 2008 and 2009 for the Pulitzer Prize in commentary and has her own call-in talk show.  Her breast cancer journey inspired her first book, God Never Blinks:50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours.  This book follows in the same vein, so that we see everyday opportunities to be a miracle, not only for ourselves but more importantly, others.  Regina was born just south of where I live and has spent her life in the Cleveland/Akron area and is the first stop on my Ohioana author tour.  I met Regina in February at a book signing.

Each of these lessons is short enough to read on a daily basis for a jump-start to your day which is how I approached it.  Since it’s been awhile since I started it I don’t remember all of the lessons and, to be honest, as much as I loved some of them others were equally as forgettable.

There were a few standouts.  Lesson 40 is titled Aim Higher and it’s about Bonnie St. John, the first African American to win Olympic medals in ski racing.  Oh, and she did it with one leg.

Bonnie often goes to hospitals to visit patients and give talks to people who are facing obstacles that seem insurmountable like hers once did.  She met one mother whose 13-year-old son had been horribly burned on his face and arms.  The mother turned to Bonnie and asked, “Will my son ever live a normal life?”

I expected Bonnie to promise, “Of course he will.”  She shocked me with her answer.

“No,” Bonnie said.  “He should aim higher.”

That’s what she did. 

And the last two chapters were the strongest.  Leave a legacy time can’t erase and If you woke up today, God isn’t through with you yet are both about taking time to reflect on life’s end game and living life to the fullest every moment of every day.

This book definitely had a Christian slant, but I didn’t feel it was preachy, just what’s important in Brett’s life.  I liked most of it and might give her first book, God Never Blinks a try.

I bought this one at the book signing in February.