Book 15 of 2012

The Peach Keeper: A Novel by Sarah Addison Allen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a really good book. There wasn't as much magic in this book as there was in the other books I've read by Sarah Addison Allen. That's okay. I needed a light, happy book to read after the darkness of the last couple of books I'd read. There were times when I was looking for a little bit more.


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Book 14 of 2012

A Perfect Husband by Douglas Wickard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this book via a Goodreads friend who gave it a 5 star review. When I see a 5 star review by someone who has similar taste, I almost always try to find the book and read it. While I gave this book a solid 4 stars (4 1/2 if Goodreads allowed 1/2 stars) instead of 5 it was absolutely worth the time I spent reading it. I messaged the publisher and offered to review the book and received a copy for my Kindle via email. Thanks Untreed Reads.


There were many positives in this thriller. Smitty. Wow, he is one sick and creepy monster. He's a beautiful man. His looks play a pretty big role in his ability to find his victims. Girls are in awe of his looks. He's a kind,attentive husband to a fragile wife and a sweet, gentle father to his new baby girl. He's a dependable employee. He's also a sociopath with a cemetery full of dead wives. Sami is a great protagonist. She's in a really bad place. Just divorced, ready to move on to the next step of her life. She's moving out of the city to a cabin in the woods. Creepy stuff starts to happen and we see how Sami handles it. She's at times scared and at times strong. Just like a real person! The supporting players are woven into the story in a believable easy way. The ending was a little too schmaltzy for my taste, but the build up was great. The only negatives were the lack of back story for Smitty. I'd like to know than just the little blip about his mom being abusive. There was also one little thing that pissed me off. Toward the end of the book, there was scene with a cigarette and it was referred to as a 'fag'. This book is set in the US, and NO ONE in the US calls a cigarette a 'fag'. Little things bug me and this little thing was just silly and out of place.


I'm looking forward to Donald Wickard's next thriller.


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Book 13 of 2012

Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I like D.D. Warren. She's a great investigator and I like her vibe.

This book had a very compelling story. The issue of mental illness in children is a difficult one to read about. It's hard to believe that there are children who have such severe mental illnesses that locking them away is the only option. But those children are out there.

2 families murdered. It looks like the father murdered everyone and then committed suicide. Both families have a connection to the locked pediatric psych ward at the local hospital. There's a nurse working there who is the lone survivor of a similar attack. There's another counselor who also has a similar family incident. A family that is going through a crisis. A spiritual healer. All little pieces of the puzzle. There are a couple of elements thrown in that are a little questionable, but over all this was a good mystery with a somewhat believable conclusion.

I'll definitely be reading the next D.D. Warren thriller.


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Book 12 of 2012

The Accident by Linwood Barclay
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There was too much going on in this book. The story became too contrived.


When Glen Carver's wife Sheila is killed in a drunk driving accident he's devastated. He can't believe that she would get behind the wheel of a car and drive if she was drunk. Not only did she kill herself, but a father and son are also killed in the accident. A couple of days later, her daughter's best friend's mother dies in a suspicious accident. As Glen delves into his wife's last day he uncovers some very unsavory happenings.


Too many types of counterfeit goods. Too many sexually perverted affairs. Too many murderers. Too many side stories. All put together it just muddled up the book and made it much less enjoyable.


I probably won't try another by this author unless I just run out of things to read.


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Book 11 of 2012

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Kate Daniels series and I definitely enjoyed it. I have several more of these on my Kindle and will be reading them soon. Love the setting in Atlanta, GA. Since I live just south of Atlanta and go there frequently it was fun to read about the sites around town.

I really loved that this series treats the monsters like they are monsters. And boy were there some scary monsters in this book. No pretty, sparkly drop dead gorgeous vamps and weres in Hotlanta!

I hope we get a little more back story in the next installment. I'd love to learn more about Kate's dad and what drives her. I'm anxious to delve into the Guild, the People, the Pack, and the Order. I hope there's much more in subsequent books.



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Book 10 of 2012

Survivor In Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been a long time since I read a book from this series. I don't know why I waited so long. I really really like these books. Dallas just goes right in and kicks ass and worries about cleaning up the mess later. The cast of characters always offers just the right amount of assistance and comic relief.

In Survivor in Death the 23rd in the series, Eve investigates the murder of a family with a lone survivor. 9 year old Nixie had sneaked downstairs during the night to drink a forbidden orange fizzy drink leaving her best friend Linny in her bed. While she's drinking she sees a shadow slip into the housekeepers room and thinking it's a boyfriend and they are gonna 'do it' she slips in to watch. What she sees is the shadow cutting the housekeeper's throat, slipping up the stairs and joining a second to kill the rest of the family. Eve's investigation turns up other murders that may be connected and a suspect.

The setting in the future always makes me smile. I hope that many of the things that J.D. Robb has imagined are truly in our future.


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Book 9 of 2012

I'm not really sure if you can count a novella as a book, but for the purposes of my blog I'm going to.


Faint of Heart by Jeff Strand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This thriller novella plunges right into a really scary place.Rebecca lives with her husband Gary in Alaska and she has some pretty extensive hangups. She's really, really scared of being alone. Gary and his friends are going on a weekend camping trip and Rebecca's not thrilled to be home alone. When Gary doesn't return by late Sunday afternoon, Rebecca becomes very worried. Then Alan shows up at her door pretending to be a State Trooper. Let the horror begin. What follows is a couple of days of torture for Rebecca, reliving Gary's torture. If Rebecca can relive the entire weekend of torture just like her husband Gary did, the 2 sadistic kidnappers promise they will both live.


I'm not sure I'm really fond of novellas. I think this could be a really great full length novel. There was just a little bit too much violence/gore for me, but if you like sick shit, this is definitely gonna be right up your alley.


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Book 8 of 2012

S is for Silence by Sue Grafton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I forget how much I enjoy these books and then I read another and remember why I like them. I enjoy the setting. They are not set in present day, yet they are set in recent times. It's like just going back a few years and enjoying the time all over again. They're modern but not today. Takes me back to my 'good ole days'.

This book takes Kinsey to a small town to find a woman who disappeared about 30 or so years ago. Her daughter hires Kinsey to find her or find out what happened to her. The books moves between the present and Kinsey's investigation and the past in the days leading up to the disappearance. We're provided with a cast of several suspects. I was waffling between a couple of those right up until the end. I should have figured it out quicker.

I'll be getting on to the next in the series, "T" working up to "V".


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Book 7 of 2012

Buried Prey by John Sandford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So glad that John Sandford didn't disappoint. Buried Prey is #21 in the Lucas Davenport series and it's just as good as the previous 20.

This book begins with the discovery of two sisters buried under an old building that is being torn down. Davenport worked the original case, first as a patrolman then as a plain clothes. This is the case that got him out of a patrol car and into the detective bureau. I loved the flashback and getting to see Lucas as a young policeman. Lucas was never happy with the outcome of the case. He didn't believe the party line that the mentally ill, homeless man who was shot fleeing the police was the kidnapper.

As Davenport investigates the case, he comes back to his initial conclusion that the mentally ill man was not guilty and that the mysterious tipster may well have been the criminal. Del plays a big part in the investigation and Jenkins and Shrake play a bit part. And Marcy, oh Marcy. Why?

As always I'll anxiously await the next book in this series and in the meantime, I'll just be off to read #5 in the Virgil Flowers series!


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Free books and Kindle Fire contest

http://bigkindleboogie.blogspot.com/   has an awesome contest going on, sponsored by some great authors. Hey, they have 75 free books on Feb 1&2 and a chance to win 10 Kindle Fires. What's not to love. Go grab some free books and enter to win!