Tag: fiction

Dead Sleep by Greg Iles

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Cover ImageFinished 5-10-09. rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2001

The paintings look modern for the most part, or what my idea of modern is, anyway.  A lot of stark color arranged in asymmetrical patterns, but it means little to me.  I’ve been called an artist-often during attacks by purist photojournalist-but that doesn’t qualify me as a judge of art.  I’m not even sure I know it when I see it.

Chapter 3

Renowned photojournalist Jordan Glass has been everywhere, with much of that time spent in the most dangerous, war-torn places on earth.  Her father, winner of two Pulitzers, died while obtaining his last award winning shot in Cambodia during the Vietnam War.  At least the world believes that, but Jordan is not convinced.  Jordan is in Hong Kong when she comes face to face with a painting of her, apparently dead.  The popular collection of ‘Sleeping Women’ at first thought to be women in repose is now rumored to be dead women.  Jordan is thrown because she knows she is not looking into the mirror, but at the face of her twin sister who has been missing for over a year.

As Jordan races back to New York and the seller of the portraits, she contacts the FBI for help.  As it becomes obvious that Jordan’s life could be in danger the FBI bring her in to help with the investigation.  The case takes Jordan home to New Orleans, where her sister’s husband and two children still live.

The action is non stop, the characters have depth, and the mystery is top notch.  The paintings and the possibility that the women may be dead haunted me just as the possibility did Jordan.  The spooky vibe and the sexual tension between Jordan and FBI Agent John Kaiser keep the book operating on  all cylinders.  This is a great thriller and I look forward to reading more from Greg Iles.

I won’t give away the ending, but I will say that I liked it, but didn’t love it for a few reasons I can’t say without saying too much.  But that is only the difference between a 4 and 4.5, so obviously I loved it!  It is wonderfully original story with a strong woman leading the way.

Fox River, by Emilie Richards

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Fox River by Richards Richards: Book CoverFinished 5-8-09, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2001

“It’s a fork in the road,” Maisy said, stroking her daughter’s hair.  “And you don’t even feel up to walking a straight line.  But you will.  You can.  You’ll get through this honey, and make all the right choices.  There’s no question.”

For once in her life Julia was profoundly grateful to be suffocated in her mother’s soft arms.  But as she sobbed, she wondered who was comforting Christian.  Who would tell Christian that at this critical fork in the road he would take the right path?  Who would hold him and reassure him?

 She knew, without a doubt, it should have been her.

Chapter 11

This grand sweeping romance will draw you into the world of horses and fox hunting and the privileged people who live there.  Julia, who comes from the most respected of horsemen families, is a woman who has had to deal with a lot of tragedy in her almost 30 years and it all culminates with a fall off a horse that leaves her blind.  Her father died when she was too young to remember, her best friend was murdered, her boyfriend was sent to prison for the murder, and the last of the foursome was killed in a car crash.  And this is all before she begins to think her nine year marriage may be over.

Christian was released from prison when another inmate confessed to the murder, but nine years is a long time to serve for a crime you didn’t commit.  He is welcomed back to Virginia horse country by the man who had taken him in as a teenager and had never stopped believing in his innocence.  Now he just has to face down locals who still believe he’s guilty and face up to Julia, whose trouble on the stand helped send him to prison.

Julia’s mother, Maisy, is a wonderful character who takes in her daughter and granddaughter and shares a novel she’s writing which becomes another story within Fox River.  There is no shortage of action and it all weaves together perfectly for a wonderful family saga full of life and death, lies and betrayal, love and revenge.

I adored this story.  I think if you are interested in horses or fox hunting you might appreciate it more, but it is certainly not a necessity.  This is my first Emilie Richards novel, but it won’t be my last!  Read my interview with her here.

Blue Smoke, by Nora Roberts

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Cover ImageFinished 4-26-09, rating 4/5, romantic thriller, pub. 2005

“Something else I need to talk to you about.”  He set down hos fork, looked into her eyes.  “Pastorelli’s out.”

“He–”  She drew herself in, glanced around to see if any of her family could overhear.  “When?”

“Last week. I just got word.”

Chapter 5

Reena was only 11 years old when she watched her family restaurant burn to the ground.  She had been attacked by a boy in her class and their two fathers had come to blows, causing the other father to take a match to their family livelihood.  Years go by as Reena studies to become a member of the arson unit and she returns home to the Little Italy area of Baltimore.  She is welcomed with open arms by her large Italian family and life settles into family, fires, and the occasional boyfriend.  She is a strong woman who has a hard time finding a man who admires her determination and when she does the relationships end in death or abuse. 

I really liked this book.  I liked Reena, although I didn’t love her.  The secondary characters were fun and lovable and well developed.  I’d love to read another story involving the Hale clan.  I think it is the large family with so much love and loyalty that made this book feel so cozy.  The hero, Bo Goodnight, was a dream and easy to fall for.  Who doesn’t want a well-built, handsome carpenter who fell in love with you at first sight and has spent years trying to find you?

I’m not sure I would classify this as a thriller.  It is more of a family/romantic drama?  There was a mystery, but it really wasn’t that hard to figure out.  Actually, my biggest complaint is that for a smart woman, Reena was a little slow in seeing the obvious.

I’m not a Nora Roberts fan, but I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for a fun, fast-paced read.

April Morning, by Howard Fast

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Cover ImageFinished 4-23-09, rating 4/5, ya historical fiction, pub. 1961

For myself, I had the feeling that I was looking at my father for the very first time, not seeing him as I had always seen him in the vague wholeness of age and distance, but looking at the face of a surprisingly young man, his wide, brown face serious and intent upon me, his dark eyes shadowed in their inquiry, his broad full-lipped mouth tight and thoughtful.  How was it, I wondered, that I had never noticed before what a strikingly handsome man he was?  How was it that I had seen in him only the strength of overbearance and not the thewed strength of those massive brown arms spread on the desk with the white shirt sleeves rolled high and carelessly?  It was no wonder that men listened to him and heeded his words.

Chapter – The Night

It’s 1775 and the Battle of Lexington is about to take place in Adam’s backyard, but he doesn’t know it.  He is still hung up on feeling anger toward his father, unappreciated by his mother, and maligned by his younger brother.  He is a typical 15 year old, caught between wanting to grow up and needing to hold on to his childhood angst.  When their small community is warned that the British are headed their way, the men arm themselves, but hope that diplomacy may rule the day.  Adam is in the second line of defense when the British come through, guns firing and the blood flowing.  Adam started that April morning as a boy, but by the end of the day he had grown up witnessing murder, feeling despair, vowing revenge, and realizing that family is the most important thing. 

I loved this book.  I thought Adam’s adolescent relationship with his overbearing father was so real that it is really the heart of the book.  The battle and the rag tag way the men fought back that day at Lexington was a wonderful view into the ways of war over 200 years ago and it is interesting to contrast it with what we do to each other during war today.  This slim novel takes place over that one April day when Adam was forced into adulthood too soon, as was the case with many boys in 1775.

This book is told with such poignant honesty that it will touch your heart.  Although it is about life in the 1700’s, I think teens will recognize the feelings in this book and it may help them put their own feelings into perspective.  I’m glad I was able to watch Adam on his journey to manhood.

Storm Rider, by Cassie Edwards

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Cover ImageFinished 4-22-09, rating 2/5, romance, pub. 2002

Storm Rider was that man!

Soon the Snake’s evil deeds would be a thing of the past.  Then, and only then, could Storm Rider think of other things…most important, having a woman in his blankets to love, to cherish.

And then there would be children!

Chapter 2

Tabitha Daniel became Talking Rain the day her parents were killed and she was taken in by the Chief of the Crow tribe.  She was accepted as a member of the tribe, even though her blonde beauty and independent spirit set her apart.  Then Chief Storm Rider shows up wanted to reach a compromise with the Crows and Talking Rain finds herself drawn to him.    When a stunt goes too far Talking Rain finds herself a captive of Storm Rider and she is at his mercy. 

I found the story melodramatic and the writing tedious.  They were obssessed with one another at the very first look and there were pages and pages filled with alternating lustful and resisting thoughts and feelings without any real action.  And, while  I love a good exclamation point ! there were so many that it was distracting.  (Have you ever watched the Seinfeld episode where Elaine edited a book and used an ! every other sentence?  Then you know what I’m talking about.)

Cassie Edwards is a New York Times Bestselling Author, so I have to think I just read one of her less successful titles.  I don’t think I’d read another by her, but if you have a favorite, leave a comment.

The Man Who Ate the 747, by Ben Sherwood

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The Man Who Ate the 747 by Sherwood Sherwood: Book CoverFinished 4-21-09, rating 4.5/5, fiction, pub. 2000

It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, watching your best friend eat an airplane.  Some days you suspected he wasn’t all there in the head.  But then, on other days, he was the smartest. most insightful person you ever knew.

Chapter 3

 J.J. Smith is the Keeper of the Records for The Book of Records (a Guinness-like book).  He is your average man who witnesses greatness, but never acquires it.  His last assignment was to verify the world’s longest kiss, 30:45:00, and the couple misses it by 4 seconds.  He is under pressure from his boss to find the next great record or he could be downsized.  As luck would have it he receives an anonymous tip from someone that a man is eating a Boeing 747.  He catches the first plane to a small town in Nebraska.

Wally Chubb has been in love with Willa Wyatt since his ninth birthday and he figures by eating the 747 that crashed into his field he will finally get her attention.  He has made pretty good progress by the time J.J. shows up and he is excited when television outlets show up to record his feat.  He must find help for the black box, but executives from Boeing show up to help him out.  Unfortunately, Willa seems to take no more notice of him than she did before.

Willa knows why Wally is eating the plane, but figures if she ignores him he will eventually stop.  Then this handsome man shows up asking questions and spouting records that he has witnessed all around the world and she is hooked.  Against her better judgement she finds herself drawn into J.J.’s orbit.

I adore this charming  and original love story.  It is full of small town warmth and spirit and it is sure to inspire you, at least a little.  I wouldn’t want anyone to eat a 747 for me, but I had to admire Wally ingenuity.  It’s amazing to find out what foods you can put ground up metal  into.  It should have included a few recipes in the back 🙂

The quirky characters and plot will bring a smile to your face.  This was not at all what I expected, but I cannot recommend it enough.  At only 250 pages it is a quick, worthwhile read.  It’s my favorite book so far this year.

Pot of Gold, by Judith Michael

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Cover ImageFinished 4-14-09, rating 2.5/5, fiction, pub. 1993

“Claire won the lottery on a Wednesday afternoon in May, the same afternoon that Emma graduated from high school, the dog ran away, and the land lord raised the rent.”

first line of book

Claire Goddard, a woman in her mid 30’s, has a job she likes, a daughter she loves, and a friend as close as a sister.  Then her weekly lottery ticket is a winner.  Sixty Million Dollars!  She quits her job, buys a million dollar home within minutes of seeing it, takes in an old woman claiming to be an aunt (or cousin), and begins spending her winnings at a fast pace.  On a celebratory cruise to Alaska Claire and her daughter, Emma, fall prey to the charms of Quintin and Brix Eiger.  Suddenly Emma wants to skip college and become a model for the Eiger’s cosmetic company and win the heart of Brix.  And Claire finds herself in the inner circle of the wealthy in the arms of Quintin.

Winning $60 million in the lottery could be the ultimate American dream.  And Claire spends it fast and furious like most lottery winners, which is fine except she never really seemed to grasp the absurdity of her decisions.  One her first decisions was letting a homeless woman con her way into her home and life.  And when given the option of going anywhere in the world, money is obviously not an issue, she chooses an Alaskan cruise.  Nothing against Alaska, I’d like to take a cruise there someday myself, but given the extravagance of her monetary spending it was a very odd choice. 

I found it a little boring.  I must confess if I had accidentally left this on the plane with a few hundred pages left I wouldn’t have been upset.  I did not connect with any of the characters.  Claire was nice enough, but lacked wit or a sharp intelligence.  And the point of view changed often with no notice or obvious reason.  I really wanted to like it more, but I didn’t.  But I wouldn’t mind winning $60 million in the lottery.  Even though I’ve never purchased a lottery ticket.

Long Lost, by Harlan Coben

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Cover ImageFinished 4-5-09, rating 4/5, thriller, pub. 2009

Two days before I learned the secret she’d kept buried for a decade – the seemingly personal secret that would not only devastate the two of us but change the world forever – Terese Collins called me at five AM, pushing me from one quasi-erotic dream into another.  She simply said, “Come to Paris.”

 Chapter 1

This is the 9th Myron Bolitar novel.

Myron, Win, and Esperanza are back in a mystery that takes Myron to Paris, Britain, and an unknown location before returning home to New Jersey and New York lucky to be alive.  Myron is called by an ex-lover, Terese, and she asks him to drop everything because she needs him in Paris.  Myron, coming to the end of a relationship, meets her there and is almost immediately taken into custody under the suspicion of murder of Therese’s ex-husband.   

Therese comes clean to Myron about the death of her daughter and the ex-husband Myron did not know about and Myron confesses that the French police have evidence that her dead daughter may have been at the murder of her ex.    So, the two must enlist the help of badass, best friend Win to help them not only stay one step ahead of police custody, but to learn the truth about her daughter’s death.

I have read all of the Myron books and love the witty repartee and humor.  The mysteries have gotten better over the years and this is the case with this one.  The mystery involves digging up graves, Mosad, secret torture locations, and terrorists sleeper cells in America.  It had much of the sarcasm I’ve always loved with the hard edge of today’s terrorism fears.  The resolution of the book was creepy and on the surface, thought-provoking. 

I loved the back drop of Paris (maybe a nod to the country who made Coben’s book, Tell No One, into an award winning movie?) and Britain and the long lost love of Therese.  Myron is such a romantic that it is always interesting to see how Coben manages to keep him single.  And no one does dialogue better than Coben.

You do not have to read the Myron books in order to enjoy them but I have to think it would make them better if you did.  The first Myron book is Deal Breaker.

One more thing, if you are on Facebook you should add Harlan Coben as a friend.  He updates daily and always has something fun to say.

The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd

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The Secret Life of Bees by Kidd Monk Kidd: Book CoverFinished 4-2-09, rating 5/5, fiction, pub. 2002

Next to Shakespeare I love Thoreau best.  Mrs. Henry made us read portions of Walden Pond, and afterward I’d had fantasises of going to a private garden where T. Ray would never find me.  I started appreciating Mother Nature, what she’d done with the world.  In my mind she looked like Eleanor Roosevelt.

Chapter 3

It’s 1964 in South Carolina and Lily is a fourteen year old living with her abusive dad and the knowledge that she killed her mother.  All she has of her mother is a photo and a picture of a black Mary with the words Tiburon, South Carolina written on the back.  When she chooses to spring her nanny, Rosaleen, from jail they hitchhike to Tiburon so Lily can find the memory of her mother.  What she finds are three African-American beekeepers that live in a pink house.  The three sisters take  in Lily and Rosaleen.

This novel has been popular for so long, it almost seems silly to to write a review, but I am sometimes silly.  My Mom gave me this book in 2003 and told me I had to read, but I didn’t think it was my type of book.  So, I am silly, a major procrastinator and occasionally wrong.  I absolutely loved this book.

 I thought Lily’s heartbreak over the confusion of her mother’s death and her pain of having T. Ray not love her was touching and real.  I loved her embarrassment over Rosaleen and Rosaleen blossoming in the pink house.  The three sisters were each interesting and August provided Lily with the rock that she needed.  

I didn’t even mind learning about bees and the Black Madonna.  I’m not sure I totally got the ‘religion’ the small group practiced, but it did provide stability for Lily.  And the bees helped her gain confidence.

The book was not only about losing a mother, but racial inequality.  Lily was the only white girl in a house filled with black.  Zach, who worked with the bees, provided Lily with the knowledge that desire is color blind and he was also a friend to lean on.   August, June, and May all accepted her even though it was highly improbable at the time.  I loved Rosaleen’s obsession with registering to vote and the full circle the story provided for her.

This is the best book I’ve read in awhile and I’m happy to have finally read it.  Now I can watch the movie.  Will I be disappointed?

 

Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg

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Cover ImageFinished 3-28-09, rating 3.5/5, fiction, pub. 1993

She couldn’t do a whole sentence; it took too much air.  So she would say pieces like that.  Sometimes, even if you were loving her so much, your fists clenched and your heart feeling like it had a tight peel around it, you would get mad like that.

page 13 of the mass market paperback

Katie is a twelve year old Army brat living in Texas with her abusive father and her older sister.Her mother has recently died and Katie crawls under her bed to have conversations with her and even harbors a hope that it was all merely a misunderstanding and that one day she will walk through the front door.  Her best friend, Cherylanne, lives next door and is two years older, so Katie learns about kissing boys and sex and shaving her legs from her,  Their conversation about sex was pretty funny.

Katie is just  a girl trying to make her way in a world without a mother and a sister already halfway out the door.  She is every girl and it is easy to recognize yourself in her, of course, some things are scarier and more painful than others.  When she starts her period she thinks of it as a gift and is excited that she can now have a baby, something to call her own.  When her father tells them that they will have to move again she resists the idea because she would be moving to a place where her mother had never been.

This is a powerful coming of age story.  I read the second book about Katie, Joy School, first, and liked it better than this one.  I understand her father and her sister now that I’ve read this one, but I did not like the story as much.   I still recommend it,  as I do with anything Elizabeth Berg writes,