The Night Season by Chelsea Cain

2.0 out of 5 stars Not suspenseful and not a thriller..., May 31, 2011

This review is from: The Night Season (Archie and Gretchen) (Audio CD)

I have read the other books in the Gretchen Lowell-Archie Sheridan series to mixed review. This one is so unrelated as to be understandable if read as a stand alone.

First off -- the reader of this audio version, Christina Delaine, was the WORST narrator I have ever heard! I almost threw the CD box in the trash but forced myself through to the end hoping for improvement. There was none. Her pronunciation of words (skele DON instead of TON and BOOO kay instead of Bow) drove me up the wall as did her hoarse-voiced raspy attempt at Archie (and all the other male characters come to think of it. He sounds like he has no personality and is almost dead most of the time -- no emotion. Anyway, the audio version was horrible. If you want to read more in this series, at least get the book.

Now for the review of the story. Well, hate to tell you, but it was not very good either. Victims are found in the waters of the Willamette river - they drowned -- but wait -- what is that puncture wound??? The killing method (blue ringed octopus???) = ridiculous and the whole motivation for the murders quite lame. There was absolutely nothing in this book to redeem the boring characters or the plot. The relentless and pedantic descriptions of the Willamette flooding and the water, water, water, were redundant and uninteresting. The only thing that got me were the needless deaths of some perfectly fine people.

I do not like any of Cain's characters. Susan Ward makes me crazy -- she's so immature and stupid (you'll agree when you read how she manages to yet again insert herself into the clutches of the killer and I'm tired of Saint Archie and his sad sack life, addictions, and in-need-of-therapy self. I was bored by turns and irritated by others. I didn't even care when the climax occurred but wondered why the book went on for several more chapters of blah blah blah. Gretchen Lowell? Well she's not in this book :) This was not suspenseful and not a thriller. Pass.

I won't read another in this series and urge you to just say NO. It really isn't worth your time.

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

"At least I tried."

In this 5th book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, Ann Brashares brings back the characters we knew and loved as they enter their thirties. Four friends ten years later. How has the sisterhood fared - how has life treated them and where are they now?

Although the girls had gone their separate ways and had sort of lost touch with each other, Lena, Carmen and Bee gather in Greece for a reunion arranged by Tibby. What they find there changes their lives forever.

This is a story of enduring friendship and love. Although at times almost maudlin and certainly sentimental, the narrative makes us root for each of the girls to finally find true happiness.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it as a fitting conclusion to the series introduced to the world of young adult readers in 2001. Some have said that this novel is not for that YA market, but I think teens who enjoyed the other 4 books (and movies) will want to follow this sisterhood of best friends into adulthood.

Addendum: I'm adding this last part because of advice not to read it because it's sad. Yes -- some parts of the book are sad. But who among you has a perfect life that is not marred by some disappointment or other event that you wish you hadn't gone through? I think the things that happen to the girls in the book provide a more realistic depiction of how we all fare through adulthood. There is regret and loss. Everything for most of us is not always sunny and happy. Neither is it for the girls of the Sisterhood. And I think that's how it should be.

The Devil's Punchbowl by Greg Iles

3.0 out of 5 stars Too long and too much, May 29, 2011

This review is from: The Devil's Punchbowl: A Novel (Hardcover)

3.5 of 5 stars
NOTE: this book contains graphic descriptions of animal and human torture, abuse, and dog fighting.

This third Penn Cage novel went on a bit too long. By the end, I decided that I really didn't like any of the main characters and I was tired of the story. Penn, formerly a DA and author, and now the ersatz mayor of Natchez, Mississippi -- his childhood home -- and Caitlin Masters, his former girlfriend reporter who has returned home for unknown reasons, team up again in a sordid story of gambling, prostitution, dog fighting and corruption at the riverboat casinos.

Penn has to call on his black op friends to protect his family and to help him figure out why his old friend Tim Jessup was murdered. Tim, trying to change his burnt out druggie reputation, has come upon some evidence of illegal activity that he brings to Penn. Before he can get the evidence to Penn, the evil Magnolia Queen boat owner/operators Sands and Quinn (Irish ex pats) take him out. In a race against time, Penn Cage joins up with a couple f elite special forces men, and a former Texas Ranger, in a somewhat unbelievable pursuit of justice and the saving of his town.

I really liked the previous two novels in this series, The Quiet Game and Turning Angel, but this one just didn't hit the same spot for me. The bad guys were over-the-top evil and Penn almost hit sainthood. I know fans of Greg Iles' novels will buy this one, but I hope that his next in the series will be an improvement.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

isbn 1594202842 isbn13 9781594202841 asin num pages 237 pp avg rating 3.41 num ratings 3,305 date pub Nov 17, 2010 date pub edition Jan 11, 2011 I did not like this book and really won't recommend it except to argue with anyone who agrees with author Chua that she has an imitable or admirable p...more  I did not like this book and really won't recommend it except to argue with anyone who agrees with author Chua that she has an imitable or admirable parenting style. Her tone was superior and smug, all the while mostly a "brag book" about her talented, abused daughters and how SHE made them so successful. I don't understand a husband and father standing by listening to the insults and humiliation, disguised and excused as a fierce maternal love, heaped by his wife onto his precious daughters. No, thank you. I guess I'm of the mind that parenting impressionable children and raising them to be responsible adults is difficult and lacks a fool proof road map, but I would choose a method and style that, though strict in some ways, would not be cruel.

The Cutting by James Hayman

A satisfying thriller!, May 21, 2011

I really enjoyed this fast-paced mystery thriller and immediately sought out the next book - The Chill of Night (Det. Michael Mccabe Mysteries) - in what I hope will be a long series featuring Detective Sergeant Michael McCabe and his partner, Maggie Savage.

A young teen-aged girl is found dead and mutilated in a scrap-metal yard. Her heart has been cut out in a manner that could pass for surgical precision. Earlier that morning, a jogger -- another blonde and beautiful athlete -- was abducted by what McCabe fears is a serial killer targeting this type of victim. The suspense builds as he and Maggie race to try to find this kidnapped woman before she too succumbs to the mutilation. They discover a string of similar crimes stretching from Portland, Maine to Florida. Who is behind these murders and what are they doing with the hearts they steal?

Another thing I really liked, besides the well-developed plot, were the two main characters. I want to get to know them and read more about them. Mike McCabe is a single father raising a 13 year old girl with an ex-wife who has returned for a visitation after several years of absence from their lives. Maggie is a bit mysterious and might have some secrets. The partners work well together and there seems to be a bit of chemistry as well.

If you like a good thriller, ignore the fact that you may or may not find some of the book predictable, and open the cover!

Fallen by Karin Slaughter

Secrets, lies, betrayal and murder..., May 19, 2011

The opening chapters of this book will draw in any thriller lover immediately! Faith Mitchell is late to her mother's house to pick up her infant daughter, Emma. When she arrives to find a blood-stained door, a hostage situation in the bedroom, a dead man in the laundry room, and her mother missing -- the real suspense begins. The kidnapped, retired policewoman, Evelyn Mitchell, has a long and complicated history as a former head of a drug investigation unit that ended up brought down on corruption charges. Who has taken her and what do they want? What follows is a complicated and involving effort to unravel the mystery and takes the characters on a wild chase from death row at a Georgia prison to a warehouse that fronts as a cabinet factory to a hospital morgue.

This is the third novel by author Karin Slaughter that features the characters of Will Trent and Faith Mitchell - both work for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. They have connected with Sara Linton, a trauma doctor who was previously married to cop Jeffery Tolliver in the Grant County series. The two prior books, Triptych and Fractured, introduced the interesting duo of Will and Faith (he with severe dyslexia and she with a hard life past) and they met Sara when she returned to Atlanta to work in a hospital there. The complex characters have interesting and unique relationships to each other and this provides a great deal of depth to the narrative.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good suspense thriller. I do think it would be best if the reader started at the beginning of the Grant County series with Blindsighted (Dr. Sara Linton) and worked his/her way up to this one in order to fully see the changes and growth that have transpired in the characters, but I do suppose it could be enjoyed as a stand alone as well.

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Fun and mindless beach read!, May 10, 2011

A friend brought this book in for me to read since the movie was about to be released. I don't typically read this genre, but found it to be a mindless, lighthearted and funny story about two "best friends" who are heading into their thirties with marriage on their minds.

Darcy is engaged to Dex, the man that Rachel discovers that she wants for herself. Unfortunately, Darcy is her best friend and Rachel is supposed to be the maid of honor at the upcoming nuptials. What happens when Rachel and Dex hook up and begin an affair?

Sure enough, as is common in a book of this type, the characters are over-the-top stereotypical. Does consummate good girl Rachel deserve Dex because Darcy is such a self absorbed party girl? Hey, there are rules between friends, and one of the primary girlfriend rules is that you don't go after your best friend's boyfriend (fiance, husband, whatever). Despite the fact that this behavior is reprehensible, the novel is fast paced and entertaining. The reader may or may not root for a happy ending for all.

Definitely one to take to the beach.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

"How can a woman know herself, if she doesn't really know her mother?", May 5, 2011

This was a very interesting and emotionally involving story that moved from a present day setting backward in time to Leningrad, Russia, during the siege of that city during WW II.

Middle aged sisters Meredith and Nina have had a very unhappy and unsatisfying relationship with their cold and reserved Russian mother, Anya. They both have spent years trying to reach her and to earn her love, but neither has been able to breech the barrier that has kept her estranged from them. They know nothing about her past, which seems to limit them in their own ability to fully live their lives and to develop good relationships with those they care about. Meredith is the super obsessive older sister who stayed behind to help her parents run their orchard; she uses chores and activities to avoid thinking about why she has never done what she wanted. Nina left the family behind to become a globetrotting photojournalist with no permanent ties and no need to settle down anywhere with anyone. The girls reunite at the family home when their beloved father, Evan, dies and leaves them devastated and alone with the stranger who is their mother.

Through a series of stories told to the girls by their mother -- at first in fairy-tale fashion -- Meredith and Nina discover that their mother has a past that she has tried to escape by never speaking of it. She tells of the horrors of living and trying to survive in war-torn Leningrad during World War II and the subsequent sacrifices she had to make in order to live. The girls finally find out who their mother is and why she is the way she is.

This is a very touching but horrible story that will keep the reader turning the pages until the stunning revelation at the end. This is a book that does more than entertain - it will make the reader think and feel and want to go hug their loved ones. A book like this can change and affect a reader long after the last words have been read. I recommend it.

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

Two little girls go missing in the night..., April 29, 2011

I was expecting this to be a terrific read based on recommendations from several book lovers I know and admire. Unfortunately, in many ways, the novel fell short of my expectations and I turned the last page feeling let down and disappointed. I do tend to end up judging my books by the ending -- and this was part of the reason that I rated it only as 3 stars which means "it's OK" to me.

The story premise -- two little 7 year-old girls, Calli and Petra, vanish from their separate homes in the middle of a hot Iowa night. They live in an isolated area that is surrounded by woods and it is there that much of the main story action is focused. Calli Clark is a selective mute -- she hasn't spoken a word since a tragedy she witnessed at age 4. Her best friend, Petra Gregory, is her voice and has protected Callie since they met.

One morning, Calli's drunken brute of a father, Griff, drags her into the woods. Around the same time, for reasons not given to the reader, Petra leaves her house as well. When the girls are discovered missing, Deputy Sheriff Loras Louis launches a search for the girls. The deputy also happens to be the ex-boyfriend of Calli's mother, Antonia, and though he's married, he is of course still in love with her. The whole love triangle aspect of this book was completely predictable and left a negative impression on me and decreased my appreciation of the novel.

The drama surrounding the disappearance and the reactions of the parents of the girls and Calli's brother Ben provided the best suspense of the book. The story was told, however, in different points of view and the characters never seemed to find their own individual voice so I didn't end up really connecting with any of them.

The resolution falls flat and the epilogue, though it tied up all the loose ends, did not satisfy. I don't know if I will read this author's next book or not.

Terminal Neglect by Michael Rushnak

Big bad pharma...again, April 28, 2011

This was a mediocre medical thriller with a fairly old story line -- big bad pharma makes a new drug and gets greedy in order to recoup their investment and make millions. Of course there is the hero doctor with a big conscience who won't compromise his personal ethics and that resistance comes at a huge cost. So, nothing new here with the plot and cardboard characters who are quite cliche.

Dr. Jonathan Rogers is tapped to be Surgeon General by the current US President. Because of his personal moral stand against giving blanket approval to certain practices by the pharmaceutical industry, however, he is targeted for reprisal. He is shot, he's diagnosed with lung cancer, his daughter is kidnapped, and his entire personal and professional life starts to unravel. Who can he trust? Everyone has an agenda to advance themselves into positions of power.

Dr. Rogers and his estranged wife Kim are told not to contact authorities about their missing daughter or she will be killed. Doctors Choice Pharmaceuticals -- the manufacturer of a new cancer drug, seems to be implicated in both the kidnapping and in all the other things that are happening in Jonathan's life. Will he be able to stop the evil pharmaceutical industry and a secret organization of people in positions of high authority called The Health Club, from pushing their drug and encouraging oncologists to prescribe it to cancer patients even though the drug has not proved efficacious in the treatment of most of those cancers?

The book moved along quickly with shuffles between point of view and different characters. Although a completely predictable read, it did require some suspension of disbelief as the cross and double cross of the characters played out.

Pass on this one! I'm a lover of medical thrillers and this story line is tired. I think most people know that the pharmaceutical industry is a huge business and that sometimes they get greedy as new drugs cost so much to bring to the market. How about something NEW?

The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver

So-so stand alone..., April 21, 2011

I have read all of Jeffery Deaver's previous books but this stand alone cat-and-mouse tale doesn't hold up to the high octane suspense thriller that I'm used to reading when I open one of his novels.

Deputy Brynn McKenzie is dispatched to Lake Mondac to investigate an aborted 911 call from a cell phone that appears to have originated from a secluded lake house there. When she arrives and enters the house, she discovers the bodies of a man and woman who have been murdered. The killers are, however, still on the scene and when Brynn finds another potential victim unharmed at the residence they band together and run out from the house to evade the two killers. Although the plot advances at a rapid pace, and even as the events unfold and the reader is swept up into the tense chase, the narrative requires the reader to suspend disbelief as Brynn McKenzie and a friend of the murdered couple escape into the dark Wisconsin woods on a dark, cold night in April. Pursued by two ruthless hit men, they rush blindly toward any avenue of safety only to be thwarted by the men time and again. Dirtied and injured, they encounter others out in those dark woods that night. Are they friend or foe? The whole "in the woods" portion of the book goes on and on and on. In addition, there is another subplot involving union shenanigans and other red herrings that don't necessarily add to the story but only confuse the reader.

The loose ends are all tied up neatly at the end, as expected. While not Deaver's best, I'm sure his fans will want to read this one but I suggest they borrow rather than buy. I enjoyed the experience of reading the Large Print version of the book as it is much easier on the eyes.

A Heartbeat Away by Michael Palmer

Disappointed again..., April 19, 2011

This review is from: A Heartbeat Away (Audio CD)

I have read all of Michael Palmer's books -- some better than others. This was an "other" and a disappointment to me. This was not so much a medical thriller as it was a chance for the author to get on his soap box about ethical and political issues such as the use of animals for drug and disease testing, the efficacy of homeland security, and the government's approach to terrorism -- to name a few.

As other reviewers have pointed out, the plot premise was sound. Someone (we are led to believe it is a terrorist group known as Genesis) releases a deadly virus into the hall of the Capitol as the President is giving his State of the Union address. All who are present are subsequently quarantined and President James Allaire locates someone he previously imprisoned to try to make a serum that will cure everyone. From that interesting start, the story spirals out and tries to deal with too many subplots and those ethical issues I mentioned.

Although the narrative moves along at a rapid pace, the writing really irritated me and detracted from my enjoyment of the story. The author writes using one string of metaphors or similes after another. Everything is "like" something. The escapes that the main characters make from professional hit men are ludicrous and totally unbelievable. I didn't like a single character in this book -- not even the savior Griffin Rhodes or his girlfriend and sidekick, investigative reporter Angela Fletcher. The characters in the book are typical black and white caricatures and stereotypes of good guys and bad guys (or gals). Nothing was surprising and the entire resolution was completely predictable.

So, I suggest you pass on this one if you are looking to read a good medical thriller. I hope that Palmer returns to his original style and sticks to books that focus on the medical aspects rather than the political.

An aside -- I listened to this book on audio CD and I must give kudos to the reader. He did an excellent job of voicing the characters - both male and female. It was easy to tell them apart and he did a very nice reading. If you really want to get this book, buy this audio version!

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

A good friend is a true gift..., April 17, 2011

I liked this book! I know it was sentimental and tugged at the emotions -- a story of a tumultuous friendship between two women that spanned about 30 years and follows them through childhood, college life, and adult years. I enjoyed reconnecting with the sights and sounds of the 70s and 80s and took a trip down my own memory lane with Tully and Kate from Firefly Lane. My preferred genre is the suspense thriller so this was a nice change of pace from blood, guts and psycho killers.

Readers have remarked on this book's similarity to the 1988 movie Beaches (Special Edition) and the book Beaches: A Novel. They are only similar because female friendship stories typically have the same elements -- strong loyalty, support, and love that weather the tests of time and the changes that the women go through as they leave childhood behind and become the women they are going to be. Certainly the situations that crop up in the novel are ones that other lifelong female friends have faced: betrayal, jealousy, envy -- and the root of those feelings is that even best friends compare themselves to each other and often wonder at that "path not taken" as they reach the stage of self actualization. Sure it's almost a cliche that the hard-driven career minded single woman wishes for a husband and family (that's Tully) while the downtrodden, self-sacrificing homemaker (and this is Kate) wants more glamour and a sense of reaching a goal of "being somebody" in her own right. Don't most of us, maybe only secretly or momentarily, wonder sometimes -- "what if?" Friendships and relationships have stages and don't stay the same throughout the course of a life -- some don't last even as others evolve and are the very foundation of another's life. Tully and Kate have many ups and downs through their years, but one fact remains; the girls know each other inside and out. And they count on that.

I think it's nice now and again to touch base with the concept of a being or having a true friend. This story of Tully and Kate helps us to perhaps re-evaluate where we ourselves are on the continuum of our own friendships. It is unusual for anyone to really have a "perfect life" or really "have it all" (despite what we're told -- there are always sacrifices to be made) and I would say that though some women friends come into your life for "a reason or a season" (as the song says), others are there for the duration. As the old saying goes, however, to have a friend, you must BE one. Mistakes are usually made, petty squabbles can turn into major disagreements, and resentment can destroy the relationships we have. This book showed that despite all that, two women could be there for each other when the chips went down. I'd like to believe that all of us will have that kind of friend.

I'm going to go search out Kristin Hannah's other books as this was the first one by her that I've read.

The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain

Secrets, lies and betrayal...how well do you know your best friends?

On a beautiful day in September, Noelle commits suicide. Her two closest friends, Tara and Emerson, are completely shocked that the woman they had known -- caring, committed midwife, champion of babies-in-need, strong independent Noelle has done this. Why? Turns out that Noelle had a lot of secrets -- a history of lies, betrayals and a hidden past that neither of them knew.

The story is a mystery and also a study in friendship and family relationships. The ability to write believable characters is a  definite strength of author Diane Chamberlain. The women in her books are mothers, daughters, wives, etc. who are able to form strong bonds that are tested but that don't break even in the face of tragedy or heartache. Ultimately, this is a book about the extent that someone could go to in an attempt to make a wrong a right; or how loving someone too much can cause a person to do things that ordinarily wouldn't be considered. And at what cost?

Told from the viewpoints of the key characters in the novel, the story also shifts back and forth in time as Noelle's friends and their children Jenny and Grace try to make sense of the suicide and to find answers to the questions it brought to light. It seems that none of them really knew Noelle at all!

The book raises questions that made me wonder how well anyone can really know another person. Often we take what they say at face value without probing more deeply, and there can be periods of time when we are enough out of touch with someone that we miss a key turning point or ignore some essential signs.

I read this book cover to cover over an afternoon. It was fast paced and absorbing; the only jarring note was the ending. Although some of it was wholly predictable, I was a bit dismayed at the behavior of one of the characters and I won't give any further spoilers to ruin it for anyone.

Fans of mystery and relationship stories, and all those who love Diane Chamberlain's previous work won't want to miss this one!

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens

3/5 stars - There are some things that you just might not really want to know....

The premise of this story was a good one: a young woman who was adopted but never felt wanted tries to locate her birth parents and finds that she was born as a product of rape and that her father is a serial killer -- one still active and loose.

The narration is in first person and the technique that worked so well in STILL MISSING is used again as a method to advance the story -- Sara relates what happens as though she is in therapy sessions with her psychiatrist (Nadine).

The first part of the story was absorbing and I was racing through the pages as Sara's life starts to fall apart and she becomes embroiled in a bait tactic to entice her killer father into a trap set up by police. Although she's engaged to be married to the love of her life and they've had a happy life together with her daughter from a previous relationship (Ally), she has a lot of issues and emotional drama that start to cause problems between them. She's obsessive and compulsive -- and in some ways a very weak person. About half way through the book, I started to scoff in disbelief and frustration at what was transpiring. I almost put the book down in disgust. Because I can't NOT finish a book, and because I so enjoyed this author's debut novel, I made myself continue by suspending that disbelief and waiting for what I was positive was going to happen. Most of what I had anticipated was exactly as presumed.

Without spoilers, let me say that the ending, however, was NOT exactly as I had anticipated. There was a wholly out of nowhere twist which really didn't sit right and that left me unsatisfied with the conclusion.

Although I really wanted to love this book, I have to say that it was not as good as STILL MISSING though written in the same style. I like believable, strong heroines who, though damaged, don't behave like invincible superheroes and who don't dissolve into tears or uncertainty at every turn. Who can make decisions without doing stupid, unsafe things and who know their own minds. That said, Sara was not that heroine.

I'm sure that fans of Chevy's previous book will buy this one anticipating the same experience they had with STILL MISSING. I venture to say that most will find it won't provide that thrill but I do feel most will enjoy it anyway if they don't think too deeply and just go along for the ride.

The Raising by Laura Kasischke

Sinister and gothic, a fun "ghost" story..., April 6, 2011

This was definitely a fast-paced, suspenseful mystery set on the campus of an unnamed Midwestern university. The main characters: beautiful Omega Theta Tau sorority sisters Nicole and Josie and their friends -- Godwin Honors Hall roommates Craig and Perry. Nicole is dating Craig when they are involved in a car accident one night. Shelley Lockes (the director of the college Chamber Music Society) comes upon the accident and calls 911. She's sent away from the site after reassuring herself that both of the victims were OK but finds out later that Nicole was declared dead and burned beyond recognition at the scene. Hmmmmm. She tries to contact police and the local papers to correct the story and straighten out the record, but no one follows through. A year later, Josie, Perry and Craig return to campus. The sorority is draped in black, mourning their lost sister and taunting "killer" Craig. He's a mess, can't remember any details about the wreck or its aftermath, and is barely getting through school. His roommate Perry takes a class from Professor Mira Polson -- an anthropologist and expert on cultural aspects of death, in order to try to make sense of all that happened.

Told in shifting perspectives of time and point of view, the novel takes the reader back to the early days at college when Nicole was still alive and through an amazingly complicated story that packs a powerful punch. College romance, manipulation, Greek rituals and hazings -- possibly even outright murder! The tension mounts as people close to discovering the truth find themselves run out of town, discredited, and embarrassed. What did happen the night of the car accident -- is it possible that Nicole did not die or is it her ghost that is haunting her former friends Craig and Perry. And why is Josie acting so strange?

A fun "ghost" story that I think any mystery fan will enjoy! Recommended.

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

Creepy suspense..., April 1, 2011

This was an entertaining thriller with an interesting middle-aged heroine. Christine Lucas wakes every morning without any memories -- she remembers nothing of her childhood, young college days, married life, or even the mundane details of yesterday that preceded her going to bed the night before today. Some sort of calamitous event has caused her to not only have amnesia, but the inability to form any new short term memories as well. Each day dawns and finds her uncertain as to who she is or how she came to be in the house she shares now with a man who claims to be her husband, Ben. As the story starts, Christine is jarred by a ringing phone. The caller is Dr. Ed Nash and he claims he is trying to help her discover her past while also admitting that he's going to do a research study of her case. He encourages her to write in a journal each day, recording the events and thoughts she has. They both hope that this exercise will help Christine recover her history and lead her to understand her situation and experience some kind of life in the present. It's during the course of this activity that Christine begins to have flashes of what she believes are people and events in the years leading to the current time -- the problem is that she can never be quite sure if she is actually rediscovering her own memories or confabulating - making up a history to replace what she doesn't really remember. As she writes in her journal, Christine also discovers that Ben seems to be lying to her -- is he trying to protect her from feeling the pangs of loss and the pain of not being present in her past? Or is it something more sinister? And who really is Dr. Nash and why doesn't he want Ben to know that he's treating her?

The narrative moves along, unfolding with deliberate pacing as the tension builds to a somewhat anticipated climax as Christine is pulled inexorably to the ultimate revelations. The conclusion is somewhat unsatisfying and not completely unpredictable, but I do read a lot of books of this type and made some accurate guesses. That's not to say the book isn't enjoyable, it is -- and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well written and suspenseful mystery. I look forward to the film adaptation as well.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Sentimental and romantic old-time circus adventure story..., March 30, 2011

Ninety-three-year-old Jacob Jankowski, an unhappy resident of a nursing home, reminisces about his life with the traveling train circus -- Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth -- during the Great Depression. In and out of a small town, usually an overnight, the performers and working men put on a show that involves animals, freaks (the dwarf and the fat lady), the clowns, and all manner of circus act entertainment including a tent just for "gentlemen" and other delights.

Jacob's parents died just as he was about to write his final exams in veterinary school at Cornell University. Because of the hard economic times, his parents mortgaged everything to pay his tuition and thus he was left grief-stricken AND penniless. He ends up joining the Benzini Brothers by an accident of good timing and, because of his vet training, he ends up hired on to care for the horses and other animals. Along the way, the circus owner purchases an elephant named Rosie; she becomes a special part of this story.

Author Sara Gruen weaves a tale of hooking the rubes into coming to the show, second-rate performances that managed to wow the audiences, boozy nights, in-fighting among those with the train, backbreaking work, and other fascinating details of the traveling circus. Jacob quickly assimilates into the hard life and makes the mistake of falling in love with Marlena, one of the performers who has a sadistic husband. Not only cruel to his wife, August also beats and mistreats the animals. What will become of Jacob and the rest of the members of this group of misfits, outcasts, and showmen?

Readers will savor the story and applaud the somewhat maudlin ending. I read it quickly and found it very sweet and entertaining; recommended for teens and adults. Enjoy!

Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell

Nanobots: good vs evil..., March 27, 2011

This is the 18th Patricia Cornwell novel featuring Kay Scarpetta that I've read. I've also read her Andy Brazil series. I must say that I have to agree with other reviewers who are longing for this author to resurrect the thrills and suspense that were hallmarks of the first books she published over 20 years ago! The evil perpetrators, the gory crime scenes, the forensic science, the likable characters, the passion, and the basic storyline of previous books are all missing here.

This premise of this book was interesting enough -- the new cutting-edge technology of nanobots and virtual autopsy were fascinating and thought-provoking, but the plot lacked the magical ingredient of making me care about the case and I can't say that I was racing through the pages to a thrilling conclusion. Kay is given to long bouts of introspection and it seems that she can't get any answers or straight talk from any of her cohort -- including Benton, Lucy and Marino. It reads as if she were a weak tool of all the powerful men in her life and is no longer the strong, independent, powerful woman that I had come to admire over the years. The mystery in this case is complex and convoluted and limped to the end with a whimper though there was the obligatory "Kay almost dies" scene.

In conclusion, the book is one that true fans will read because they are vested in Kay and the other characters we've grown to know and care about. It's not one of those books that you can't put down or that will keep you up all night, but it's readable escapist crime fiction.

The Bay at Midnight by Diane Chamberlain

Secrets and lies..., March 20, 2011

A beautiful young girl. A tragedy on a moonlit night. In 1962, Isabelle Bauer drowned in Bay Head Shores. Her death, ruled a homicide, remained an unsolved mystery despite the fact that a local man was found guilty and spent the rest of his life in prison for the murder. Isabelle's mother and sisters don't talk about her or what happened on that hot August night. Until the day that Julie Bauer, who was 12 years old during that fateful summer, receives a visitor bearing a letter that may or may not shed light on the case.

This is a novel about what happens when secrets are kept and passions are denied. It's about what happens when love is confusing and mistakes are made. The events of that particular night and others during the summer leading up to it are examined from three different points of view. Maria (mother to Isabelle, Julie and Lucy) tells her story, each of the daughters relates what part she played in the unfolding drama, and Julie's daughter, Shannon is meanwhile creating problems of her own that lead the women to finally deal with 40 years of anger, silence, suspicion, guilt, and shame.

The reason I like the novels that Diane Chamberlain writes is because she writes believable characters. This suspense story, set in two different time periods -- 1962 and present day - is a wonderful mystery featuring three generations of women. Those women, a grandmother, two middle-aged daughters, and a teen granddaughter, are so real that they seem to be people that you know who have feelings that you have or that you've had in the past. The interactions and the relationship that they have, the type of personalities and the deep attachment they display, will definitely touch the hearts of readers as the narrative unfolds.

Highly recommend to all fans of romantic suspense novels and to those who enjoy a good family story with a multi-generational cast of interesting women.