So Much for That by Lionel Shriver

How much is one life worth?, January 23, 2011

Although a somewhat difficult and painful read, this story will stay with me for a long time. The characters are disturbingly realistic and their experiences and reactions to the events that transpire in the novel make them seem like they could be your neighbors or relatives. The underlying moral and ethical conflicts in the narrative -- the abuses of the insurance industry and the health care crisis -- are timely and important.

Shep Knacker is a very good man -- the kind of dutiful and responsible guy you'd like to have as best friend, employee, son, brother, father or husband. He works hard, pinches pennies and saves every dime while planning his ultimate escape to Pemba and the Afterlife -- retirement and freedom from all his middle class cares and worries. When his somewhat caustic and pampered artist wife Glynis is diagnosed with cancer, his kindness and obligation are brought to a supreme test.

Glynis enters treatment for mesothelioma (a cancer that has been associated with asbestos exposure) while Shep still has his healthy Merrill Lynch portfolio worth nearly a million dollars -- all earmarked for his planned one-way trip out of the USA. He quickly learns that he won't be able to leave after all because he needs to work in order to keep his health insurance for Glynis's fight against the cancer. He nobly accepts his care-taking role and soon finds himself at odds with work and his family and friends because of the tremendous pressure and stress on him to continue to provide. Inexorably, we see that Shep is slowly being metaphorically exsanguinated (bled dry) by all the demands placed on him at work, at home with Glynis, with his sister and father, by his children, and with his best friend Jackson. In addition, there goes the bank account -- draining dollar by dollar for drugs and treatments that don't seem to be doing much.

At the heart of this novel is the question -- how much is one willing to pay for a few extra hours, days, weeks or months of life? How much is one person's life worth and when is enough good enough? As Shep continues to take care of the bills and the people in his life, he becomes more resigned and trapped by the realization that even after Glynis dies, he still won't be able to escape to Pemba because he will be completely broke. And to what end? Glynis is still going to die.

I really cared about the people in this novel. There are other side plots dealing with Shep's friend Jackson and Jackson's family, Shep's sister and father that also provided insight into the character of a man who indeed "shepherds" those he cares for. It was neither an easy read nor a particularly uplifting one. It was, however, a poignant testimony to the power of love and the virtue of duty. I recommend it.

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen

* * * stars
This one left me cold..., January 15, 2011
This review is from: Ice Cold: A Rizzoli & Isles Novel (Hardcover)

Although this 8th book in the series featuring Boston medical examiner Maura Isles and homicide detective Jane Rizzoli is a very quick read, it lacks the depth and complexity of other novels featuring this duo. The setting in icy Wyoming and the plot involving a polygamous cult separate the two colleagues and make this book less about their team approach to solving murders but more about Maura's harrowing experiences while there.

While there is a mystery to solve and the story is suspenseful, I much prefer the Rizzoli and Isles novels that involve a murder investigation and the forensic details that I've come to know and love in the series.

I definitely hope that Gerritsen returns to the medical thriller formula that has made her previous books a hit with me.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

A worthy book of the year -- read it!, January 6, 2011

This review is from: Freedom (Audio CD)

DO believe the hype. This was a very good book about a family -- yes a dysfunctional family in some ways -- but is what I think is a fairly astute picture of a husband, wife, son, and daughter facing and trying to deal with the changes that life and circumstance put in front of them. Rather than write a synopsis of the plot, I would rather the reader consider this merely a portrait of a Midwestern middle class family - no, not a typical family per se, but one that could live next door to you.

Franzen's prose is stark. He writes with a pen as sharp as a scalpel sometimes revealing the inner workings of the mind that perhaps are normally kept hidden -- even from ourselves. I liked his other book, The Corrections: A Novel, as well. He has a biting sarcasm and a wry sense of humor that I find incredible and his perceptions about life are razor edged. I know he's not for everyone. He has a way of writing and putting out there the things you don't ever want to think or say and I believe he makes many very uncomfortable. I think he's brilliant.

I am not usually a person who prefers an audiobook to a paper book, but I quickly became engrossed in the story. The reader, David LeDoux, did male voices extremely well. Unfortunately his rendering of the voice of Lalitha got on my nerves! His accent made her unlikeable and she sounded rather simpering which was the opposite of what I believe that Franzen intended that character to be. Other than that annoyance, the voice, despite the changing points of view, was easy to follow and I thought he delivered them believable and entirely human.

The only thing I really didn't like that much about the way the story was told was the way the author jumped back and forth between characters and with sequence. I'm a reader who prefers sequential narrative; nevertheless I found the novel deeply satisfying and one that many of us who struggle with obstacles and unexpected hurdles can understand.

All things considered, I highly recommend this book.

The Devotion of Supsect X by Keigo Higashino

4 stars

A battle of wits, January 2, 2011
This is a very clever mystery novel originally written in Japanese and translated into English and is this author's first major English publication. Apparently this novel is a continuation of a popular serial drama, Galileo, and has also been made into a Japanese film, Suspect-X that was released in 2008. The recurring character in the series is Manabu Yukawa, a brilliant physics professor at Imperial University who is respectfully called Detective Galileo. He assists the local police sometimes with particularly vexsome cases, and this murder is one of those.
Yasuko Hanaoka is a divorced mother working in a box lunch shop. She left her old life as a hostess behind and is trying to live a quiet existence while raising her teenage daughter, Misato. Unfortunately for her, she has a deadbeat ex-husband who is looking for her and who wants to get back together and who wants money. When he comes to extort her and threatens to harm her daughter at her apartment on that fateful evening, she and her daughter murder Shinji Togashi. Overhearing the scuffle, next door neighbor -- a mathematics teacher named Tetsuya Ishigami -- comes to her door and offers Yasuko total salvation. He tells her that he will take care of everything and will help them avoid prosecution and imprisonment if only they do exactly as he says.
Although the lead detectives on the case suspect that the alibis of Yasuko and her Misato aren't quite ironclad, police are confused about whether or not they are truly suspects in the murder. With fantastic misdirection and precise circumlocution directed behind the scenes by Ishigami, the pair are continuing their daily lives as if innocent. Meanwhile the intrepid and faithful Ishigami is still pulling the strings of the investigation. Detective Kusanagi, certain that something fishy is going on, consults his friend Yukawa. It so happens that Yukawa knows Ishigami from their shared history at Imperial University where they both attended -- Yukawa majoring in physics and Ishigami in mathematics. What follows after Yukawa gets involved is a true battle of wits between the two former classmates.

I enjoyed the way the investigation unfolded and the interaction between the characters. The novel is complex and is definitely a thinking person's read. Scattered throughout are complex philosophical questions and mathematical proofs. The highly intelligent Yukawa and Ishigami provide point and counterpoint as the multilayered elements of the crime are slowly revealed. The conclusion, however, is painful. I closed the book with a profound sense of grief.
Recommend to discriminating readers. Don't be put off by this perhaps being an unfamiliar author, or by the fact that it is a translation from Japanese.

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit*, December 31, 2010

This review is from: The Janus Stone (Ruth Galloway) (Hardcover)

I knew when I opened the first page of this book that I should have read the first one in the Ruth Galloway mystery series -- The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway) -- so if you haven't read it, stop and remedy that now. This second book immediately made me wish I had "met" the characters previously so I could understand what led to Ruth's pregnancy and to know the relationship she had with her baby's father. That said, and even though her pregnancy takes up a lot of the novel, the book is really a mystery about the murder of a child, and how that child's headless skeleton comes to lie underneath the doorway of an old mansion. Who is the girl and how did she end up there?
Ruth Galloway is 40ish, unmarried, and a slightly overweight forensic archeologist. She is called in as a consultant when bones are found during the demolition of a large, old house (once an orphanage) that is being converted into apartments. Joined by other colleages -- Max and Cathbad -- Ruth begins to assist Detective Police Inspector Harry Nelson in the investigation. The more she delves into the case, the more trouble she has. Who is afraid of what she might find out and how far is that person willing to go to stop her!?

Although the story is not what I would call fast paced, it's the characters and their interactions and dialog that make the book interesting. I really like that the protagonist is a strong, intelligent, and independent middle aged woman. Her friends are interesting and the archelogocial details are fascinating.

I think most who enjoy forensic mystery stories will like this novel -- but be sure to read them in order as I didn't think this one worked well as a stand alone!

A solid 3 1/2 stars.

*Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit = Everything changes but nothing is destroyed.

The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry

A thriller that takes you deep into the history of China, December 20, 2010

I have read most all of Steve Berry's previous novels -- my favorite was The Third Secret: A Novel -- and I like the way that the author blends history, archeology, and adventure into a mystery thriller. The typical Berry novel is a cross between Clive Cussler and Dan Brown, and they are fast paced, quick reads.

In this novel, Cotton Malone and Casssiopeia Vitt (these characters most recently appeared in the previous novel The Paris Vendetta: A Novel) are reunited in a mission that focuses on China and a conspiracy that may prove deadly as there are those who want to keep an incredible discovery a secret. Malone and Vitt are brought into the inner workings of the post Mao government where there is a showdown between the two leading contenders (Tang and Ni) for that country's leadership role. Add in traitorous eunuchs, Russian spies, and trigger happy soldiers and you have a somewhat confusing story of cross and double cross. At stake is China's leadership yes, but also a race to verify that oil -- not fossil fuel as long believed was scarce -- but abiotic oil that is self replenishing and would never run out. What a find for China if true -- China that needs massive quantities of imported oil to run its industry and shelter its people. A Russian geologist has what he believes is proof that abiotic oil exists and was actually discovered in Gansu over 2200 years ago!! He is wanted by both the Russians and the Chinese and they will stop at nothing to get the verification they need. For if China doesn't need to import oil, it will no longer have to follow the dictates of the other nations and won't be held in check by threats of embargo. How powerful the leader of the nation that possesses unlimited oil would be. But no other country will find out! Is the verification they need hidden in the Emperor Qin Shi's tomb? The only problem is that the tomb has been off limits and sealed for over 2000 years!

Although the historical parts of the book were quite interesting (dynastic succession, eunuchs, important discoveries made centuries ago in China but kept from the western world) the narrative was somewhat disconnected. The point of view and the scene would switch back and forth quite frequently. I found the dialog more like an anthropology lecture sometimes and something that irritated me was the way the author wrote the way the Russians talked. The Chinese spoke English smoothly, but the Russians said things like "I not know" and "She gives to Tang who returns boy" i.e., skipped words, etc. Annoying -- I'm certain that any Russian secret agent would speak English quite fluently.

In short -- this book was OK but seemed more like a lecture in between unbelievable scenes of escapes and near death experiences. The fight scenes seemed to go on far too long and some of the transitions dragged on between bursts of action. Read it if you like to read about Chinese history and if you like spy stories and adventures. The conclusion was quite predictable.

Ghost Country by Patrick Lee

Fun sequel - sci-fi thriller..., December 6, 2010

This exciting follow up to The Breach reads like a movie script and I could see the action sequences and the main characters on the big screen as I turned the pages. A worthy sequel, Mr. Lee takes the characters on an incredible adventure following their discovery of a dead city filled with dusty bones.

Travis, Paige and Bethany used the cylinder to time travel to Yuma, Arizona, where they figure out that a controlled catastrophe is about to happen in the current month of December and that it will have the effect of virtually destroying the known world. What that incipient disaster is has them running all over the continents, back and forth in time, and facing their nemesis -- a former humanitarian in cahoots with the sitting President and a host of other corrupt scientists and government officials.

Although some suspension of disbelief at the last minute saves and some of the science and politics is required, it is after all science/adventure FICTION, and should be read just for the pure escapist pleasure of it.

Seems that there is plenty of room for another book in this series and I will look forward to reading it as well.

Recommend -- enjoy!

The Breach by Patrick Lee

What is The Breach and who can you trust?, November 30, 2010

Lucky me! I have the second book in the series, Ghost Country, waiting for me right after turning the last page of this very interesting sci-fi type thriller. This first novel, The Breach, ends with a lot of unanswered questions and a cliffhanger that will make fans rush to find out out what happens next.

The story begins with a lone man trying to find answers in the Alaskan wilderness. Travis Chase has just recently been released from prison after serving time for a crime that we never quite get the details of but that will probably be significant later. He discovers a crash site of a 747 -- everyone on board is dead. There are cryptic messages and a strange series of instructions about a sphere that was taken from the plane. This sets in motion a very fast paced and suspenseful adventure that involves alien technology and lots of blood and guts. Travis rescues one of the two hostages taken from the plane and the two of them embark upon a mission to stop and prevent an apocalypse beyond his imagination.

The futuristic sci-fi and the technical information provide the reader with lots of interesting things to imagine and the narrative moves quickly as Travis and his rescued hostage Paige try to second guess and outwit the entity that is trying to control all the events that transpire. The problem is that The Whisper knows and can predict everything...from years in advance.

This is a quick read that you'll devour if you like futuristic "end of the world" science fiction adventures!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

5 stars -- a wonderful, beautiful, and satisfying read. I really loved it and think you will too!
Stories don't get much better than this.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Where will she go? What will she do?, November 2, 2010

I almost cried when I finished the last page of this trilogy. I slowed down my reading to a snail's pace to drag out the last few paragraphs knowing that I'd never read another word about Lisbeth or the rest of the wonderful cast of characters created by Stieg Larsson in three fantastic novels that captivated and enthralled me. I was left thinking that there was unfinished business here and that I would always wonder what happened after...

This book, the third in the Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy Bundle: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest takes up immediately where The Girl Who Played with Fire (Vintage) ended -- Lisbeth is mortally wounded and about to undergo surgery for the gunshot into her brain. Her eventual recovery and days spent in hospital are not wasted -- she is always planning her revenge and will accept no compromises in her quest for justice, finally, after years of being a persecuted victim. The reader is drawn into the story quickly and roots for Lisbeth's triumph over her oppressors and wishes her to overcome all the obstacles that have been placed in front of her. No capitulation. She's one of the most interesting heroines in suspense fiction, or perhaps such a finely developed idiosyncratic character has not previously been found in any genre lately! I was at times annoyed by her stoic and total refusal to engage with those who tried to help her as well as to be moved with pity or admiration for the way she dealt with the injustice served her.

I highly recommend this series and wish I could have the pleasure of reading yet another story involving Lisbeth Salander. This final novel in the trilogy brought some closure to her story, but there were still some unanswered questions that I believe I will ponder for some time.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

4 stars -- great intelligent thriller with lots of interesting details and suspense. I love the characters, especially Lisbeth, and have already started the third and final book in the series. I had hesitated to even start this trilogy because of all the hype, but I'm glad I did and recommend it to anyone who likes this genre.

The Murderer's Daughters

Escaping a shocking act of domestic violence..., October 21, 2010

This review is from: The Murderer's Daughters (Hardcover)

I was quite disappointed in this uneven, overly slow novel that never seemed to go anywhere. The premise was interesting -- two sisters struggle through a series of sad and depressing events after their father murders their mother, attempts to stab and kill one of the sisters, and continues to torture them emotionally and disrupt their lives from his jail cell. I believe some have remarked upon a similarity to Janet Fitch's heartbreakingly beautiful novel, White Oleander (Oprah's Book Club), but I did not see much similarity beyond the basic facts that in both books a parent committed a murder and went to prison and also both tried to manipulate their children while incarcerated.

Told in first person alternating voices, this novel tells the tale of Lulu and Merry - the murderer's two daughters who witnessed his crime against them and who try to escape being known and defined by his act. Taunted at school, in the home of relatives and later in an orphanage, the girls can't seem to get away from the horror of their childhood abuse and the stain that violence left upon them. The sisters are as different as night from day as they deal with the trauma and suffer various types of post-traumatic reactions. The two behave quite stereotypically with the older sister taking on the reliable, responsible maternal role and the younger Merry becoming a bit off balance, promiscuous, and developing an addictive type personality. They remain close although constantly trying to hide their past, shielding Lulu's children from the knowledge that they have a grandfather in prison, and fighting about Merry's continued relationship with their father whom she visits at the penitentiary.

The narrative continues through the course of their young adult lives as each sister struggles to find her place in the world and to leave her past behind. Their bond is threatened when their father announces that he's about to be released from prison. Will the sisters be able to forgive him and accept him back into their lives? What, after all, is the nature of family and how strong is a pull toward a biological parent no matter how "bad" they have behaved? Can anyone remain unaffected after a shocking act of domestic violence and become whole again? These are all questions that the reader might ponder while reading. I personally didn't like the way the book ended, but perhaps others might have found more profound meaning in the conclusion. No new revelations here!

Hell Gate by Linda Fairstein

This 12^th in series is OK (3.5/5 stars) although there seems to be too much going on to really flesh out both story lines – the one with the victims of the ship going aground and the other involving the disappearance of the congressman’s mistress. I do like the interplay between the characters but sometimes the narrative and dialog seems more like a lecture than actual conversation. I usually learn something new with every book, especially the historical background – in this case with the mansions and Federalists from Revolutionary times. I’ll read the next as I am a fan.

Private by James Patterson

Typical recent Patterson thriller, October 9, 2010

This review is from: Private (Hardcover)

This novel provides exactly what fans of James Patterson have come to expect from his recent (co-authored) novels. It's a quick and easy read -- nothing deep or thought-provoking here. It provides enough intrigue to be called a thriller and though short on suspense, the narrative moves along smoothly juggling a couple of different plot lines: the unsolved murders of at least thirteen school girls and two other concurrent investigations -- a football gambling scandal and the killing of his best friend's wife.

Jack Morgan runs a private investigative firm with several associates; they operate a bit outside of the law and have unlimited resources and contacts to help the team achieve the necessary results by whatever means necessary.

If you're looking for a mindless thriller, this might just fit your requirements and if you're a Patterson fan, you won't want to miss this one and you won't have any lingering effects or nightmares after you've turned the last page.

Petty Magic

Changes everything you thought you knew about witches..., September 29, 2010

This review is from: Petty Magic: Being the Memoirs and Confessions of Miss Evelyn Harbinger, Temptress and Troublemaker (Hardcover)

This is a lovely book about 149-year-old beldame Evelyn Harbinger, a witch who uses her power exactly as prescribed and allowed by her coven --"By magic I shall do no harm, except in defense of myself or another." Eve uses her abilities to transform herself into a young woman each night and then goes about using her charms and wiles on unsuspecting human men. She's adventurous, lonely -- and greedy!

Told in the second person, Eve takes "you" on a journey into her world. She plies you with tidbits about being a witch in the modern world and explains how she travels and what she eats. In short, she shows you what witches are and aren't. Eve is about her business when she meets a young man, Justin, who reminds her of her long lost love -- a man she met and fell in love with during World War II, in Europe, where they worked together in the French Resistance to defeat the Nazi regime. Typically, witch-mortal romances are disastrous -- after all, he ages normally while she retains her youth and lives a very long life. She can't say no to this chance to reconnect with the spirit of her dead lover, Jonah. She must have Justin.

A fun novel dealing with World War II history, magic and love. What more could a reader want on a cool autumn night -- read it for a warm feeling!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Need to find out more about Lisbeth..., September 25, 2010

This review is from: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Paperback)

It seems that that this is a book that tends to polarize people -- either they rave about it or they pan it. Well, I liked it -- despite all the naysayers and the critical reviews. The plot moved along at a steady pace and the revelations of the narrative were interesting and surprising. I confess to having seen the movie (with subtitles) before reading the book, and felt that the movie was a faithful adaptation. I liked the character of Lisbeth and wanted to know more about her, hence why I picked up the book. I did get a little bored with all the financial shenanigans and the endless detail about the money laundering, but the story about Harriet and the Vangers was definitely worth wading through all the other stuff!

Glad I read it and think that most readers who like a good mystery will enjoy it too! I definitely plan to read the other two in the series.

Star Island by Carl Hiaasen

Mildly amusing, got old fast..., September 16, 2010 This review is from: Star Island (Hardcover) This latest novel read like an issue of one of the more lurid entertainment magazines -- however in this case, fiction is a bit stranger than truth although some of the current stars do manage to create a lot of mayhem and mischief. Hiaasen has taken a page or two from the tabloids and churned out another trademark romp -- this time focusing on Cherry Pye, a young singer who is poised between rehab and a comeback tour. Unfortunately, she's so out of control that even her handlers can't seem to slow the skid. The other characters in this sometimes funny story include a familiar face -- Skink, formerly known as Clinton Tyree, who had a short-lived term as governor of Florida before he went "green" and bonkers. He's been in several previous novels and hasn't changed a bit. In addition, Hiaasen has given somewhat clever names to the players in this novel including the giant bodyguard Chemo (and his weed-whacker arm), Bang Abbott (one of the paparazzi) who hatches a scheme that goes horribly wrong, the slimy promoter Maury Lykes, and the rest of the cast fill out a bizarre tale that amuses at times but ultimately the joke goes on too long. I really had no empathy for any of the characters, not even the stand in Ann who is supposed to be the one we root for, rose much beyond a stereotype. I think there was just too much going on -- definitely this was tongue in cheek, over-the-top satire of the world of celebrities and the folks who feed off them. Basically the novel was a cliche of all that and although I found it mildly amusing, I wasn't unhappy when I turned the last page and closed the book. I've read all of Carl Hiaasen's novels and probably will read the next one, so I expect other fans of this author and this genre will do so as well.

The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro

Bloodthirsty vampires -- plague continues..., September 12, 2010

This review is from: The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy (Hardcover)

Although I rushed to start reading this book immediately after closing the last page of The Strain (The Strain Trilogy), I ended up not being as engrossed in it and tired quickly of the endless descriptions of the killing of the hordes of vampires that had infested every nook and cranny of New York. The book tended to bog down in the middle but finally took off toward the conclusion of this volume in the trilogy.

The story continues right where it left off; led by an ancient Master who controls them, the new breed of vampires (virus and parasite) have a long sucker that springs out of the mouth to acquire sustenance, and once drained of blood, the humans are turned. These zombie-like creatures roam the streets and subterranean tunnels of New York, the changed ones tending to return home to their loved ones to infect them as well. Fighting this epidemic is an unlikely vampire hunting and killing team, intent on saving the human race, composed of a CDC doctor named Eph and his associate, Nora, a Holocaust survivor and professor turned pawnshop owner -- Setrakian is the one who has the most knowledge about these creatures and a plan for how to stop them, and a city rat exterminator, Fet, who has key knowledge of the underground sewers. These folks are intent on saving New York, and the world, from extinction. Now the Ancients have joined the hunt to seek out and destroy the Master -- because he is evil and is not following the rules and plan that have been laid out since their origination or becoming.

The narrative is mostly non-stop action and the reader is treated to all manner of violent vampire killing methods with lots of gory details, vivid descriptions of the changed ones young and old, and the hunt continues to find and stop the Master before he can take over the world with his dastardly plan. Meanwhile, Eldritch Palmer, a very wealthy but physically sick human is trying to buy immortality by enticing the rogue vampire to the "New World" and acquiring whatever means will allow that to happen. In addition, Eph's ex-wife and his son Zach's mother (who became a vampire in the fist book) is searching to find her boy.

This second book in the series ends on an ambiguous note, another cliffhanger, and we will have to wait to find out what happens to all the remaining humans in the final thriller in this trilogy.

The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro

Entertaining and fun -- don't take it too seriously!, September 1, 2010

This review is from: The Strain: Book One of The Strain Trilogy (Hardcover)

Despite almost being put off by some negative reviews, I found the book to be a fast-paced and entertaining tale about a new breed of vampires -- perhaps changed by some "strain" that could be identified later as a virus or parasite (easier to eradicate in a future book?). Led by an ancient Master, these vampires have a long sucker that springs out of the mouth to acquire sustenance, unlike the vampires of old with fangs that bite into the neck. These zombie-like creatures roam the streets and subterranean tunnels of New York, the changed ones tending to return home to their loved ones to infect them as well. Fighting this new horde is a vampire hunting and killing team, quite a motley crew, composed of a CDC doctor and his associate, a Holocaust survivor turned pawnshop owner, and a city rat exterminator. These folks are intent on saving New York, and the world, from extinction.

Many have pointed out the flaws in some of the action sequences, the stilted dialog, the lapses in logic and the strained credulity they experienced while following the story line. My advice -- don't take it all so seriously, quit analyzing and just enjoy the ride! The narrative moves quickly advancing the action and the reader is treated to all manner of vampire killing methods (not the ones you're familiar with from other novels of this nature that have the typical vampire lore), vivid descriptions of the changed ones, and the hunt for the lair of the Master. Meanwhile, a very wealthy human is trying to live forever by enticing the ancient vampire to the "New World" and acquiring whatever means will allow that to happen. Along the way are some side stories involving abusive husbands, divorce, custody issues, nosy neighbors, bad mothers, evil lawyers -- well you get the picture!

The book starts out strong (the dead plane on the tarmac at JFK airport) and will keep you turning the pages until the end...of this volume in the proposed trilogy by this author duo. Although not a cliffhanger ending, it did leave me wanting more. Thank heavens I have The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy waiting in the wings to start tonight!

All in all -- it's a fun and fast read -- don't take it seriously!