Book #42

Paskagankee by Allan Leverone
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had a hard time finishing this one. I read about half of it and put it down for a couple of weeks, started another book, took a long time to read it and finally picked this one back up and finished it. I'm not sure if I was just in a reading slump or if I picked some books that were just not very good.

So, first for what I liked about this book. I really liked the plot. The story. The Indian legend that the crimes were based on and the way the the crimes ended and were resolved.

And what I didn't like about the book. I was a little disappointed with the dialogue in the book. It sounded stilted, stiff and a bit amateurish. I hated the love story component. It was too quick and unbelievable. I think the characters (and author) would have been better served by letting the relationship develop for awhile before jumping in. This is the first in a series so jumping in to the relationship was premature.

Not sure if I'll read book #2.


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Book #33 of 2012

The Devil's Bones by Jefferson Bass
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the third book in the Body Farm series by the writing team of Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass. This book has 3 mysteries/problems happening. #1 Mary Latham's body is found in a burned out car on her family's farm outside of Knoxville. #2 Dr. Brockton's defense attorney "Grease" asks him to check out the cremains of his Aunt. #3 Garland Hamilton escapes form prison.

#1 -- Seemed to be almost an afterthought. This mystery wasn't the 'biggie' in this book, but was interesting to get the answer to how the fire was set while the suspect was 7 hours away.

#2 -- This story line was definitely based on the real life crematory mess that happened in North Georgia several years ago. My favorite part of this book, but wish Dr. Brockton had been more involved.

#3 -- I'm over the Garland Hamilton mess and am glad this is resolved in this installment.

There seemed to be a few loose ends that weren't tied up to suit me, but perhaps that'll happen in the next book. I want more of Art in the books and I enjoy the peeks into Dr. Brockton's family.


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#26 of 2012

Wool 2: Proper Gauge by Hugh Howey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second book in this series/omnibus takes us farther into the lives of those in the Silo and further into the Silo.
Since the Sheriff has gone to the cleaning, the Mayor must chose a new one to take his place. His Deputy, Marnes doesn't want the job, but suggests Juliette (who prefers to be called Jules) from Mechanical in the Deep Down. All the way to the 142nd floor deep into the Silo. Mayor Jahns and Deputy Marnes take a trip down the staircase stopping along the way to introduce us to other levels and people and their jobs.
I enjoyed learning more about this world in the Silo and being introduced to more inhabitants. This is an interesting world that Mr. Howey is setting up and I look forward to reading more.


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Book #25 of 2012

Wool by Hugh Howey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Started and finished this in one sitting. Very interesting story, glad I bought the omnibus so that I can start on Wool #2 right away.

Your world consists of living inside a silo, underground where all you see of the 'outside' is a brown, dead countryside and a city filled with decaying, building shells. Your entire life is inside, only those sentenced to death step foot outside the silo. Their crime? Wanting out. Their last job, to clean the cameras that allow those inside to see out. But why do they all clean the cameras so willingly?

This is Holston and Allison's story. We go from present day with the Sheriff, Holston to 3 years ago and his wife's sentence to cleanse the cameras. Why she wanted out, why he has decided to go out.

Thanks Wendy for the recommendation.


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Book #19 of 2012

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sookie is always loads of fun and games. The books are easy to read. I'm still not fond of the relationship with Eric. Eric isn't good. and he's not good bad, if you know what I mean. I want more of Sookie's fairy roots. I wanna see more of Claude and Dermot. What are they up to? Sookie's relationship with Hadley's son Hunter is sweet too. I'm not tired of Sookie and crew yet, but I do want her to get rid of Eric. Bring on a new man!


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Book 18 of 2012

Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always really like the Tempe Brennan books and look forward to reading them. I prefer the books set in North Carolina (even though I do like Ryan). This book really had the best of all worlds. It began in Canada, had the connection to North Carolina and took the gang to Hawaii (my favorite place on earth) to solve the mystery. And I did enjoy this mystery even though it got a little convoluted at the end. I always learn a little in these novels and this time I learned about chimeras. Interesting stuff. I loved the Plato character. Loved him! I also learned about JPAC and was quite impressed with what I learned.
As an aside, I also like the TV show Bones that is loosely based on this series of books. It's enough different that I don't even see Emily Deschanel and/or David Boreanz as the characters when I read these books. I just see Tempe and Ryan.


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Book 17 of 2012

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I first started reading this I didn't understand all the positive reviews I'd heard from my friends. It was really slow getting started, but did turn around. I'm intrigued by the Black Dagger Brotherhood and definitely want to learn more about some of the brothers. I enjoyed the introduction to this breed of vampires and the world they live in.
Wrath and Beth are at the center of this story and are fairly uninteresting characters. I was a little put off with the ease with which Beth (and Butch) accepted that vampires existed. I think most folks would be a slight bit more skeptical. I'm much more interested in Zsadist and his story. I'll try a few more before I decide if it's a MUST read series.


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Book #16 of 2012

Origin in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This series always gives me just what I expect. A good book, with some mystery and detecting, a little romance, and memorable characters. The futuristic aspect is well-done I think. The author gives us a glimpse into a future that doesn't seem too far-fetched to be real. I love the auto-chef and I want one, but I wonder if it will be just as aggravating to program a meal as it is to plan and cook one? The clean up should be easier, right? The basis of the mystery in this volume scared me. I see some of these scientific advances being made in the world we live in today and wonder if something like this could happen. I hope not and while the subject was scary and creepy I did enjoy reading this one as I'm sure I'll enjoy reading the next one. Nora Roberts as J. D. Robb delivers another great futuristic story! On to the next in this series!


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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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Book 6 of 2012

The Litigators by John Grisham
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Easy read and lighter than I would generally like my legal thrillers. Guess it really wasn't a thriller, just a legal novel. I'd like to expect more from Grisham and certainly I used to. I'm beginning to read more new authors since most of my old standbys seem to be letting me down with books that seem to be just re-hashing of old themes.

David Zinc works inhuman hours for a mega law firm until one day he has a break, spends the day in a bar and winds up drunk at the law offices of Finley & Figg. What ensues teeters between serious law and comic tragedy. First, Wally Figg comes across what seems to be an open and shut case of a drug gone wrong and a huge settlement from an evil drug company. This turns into a national class action suit run by some major tort firms. Rather quickly it turns into a dog. During the time it takes for this sure thing to turn into a nightmare, David comes across some Burmese immigrants who have been treated unfairly by an unscrupulous employer and in settling their case finds a child who has been grievously harmed by lead tainted fake teeth. On the quiet he works to find the importer of these teeth and engineer a settlement for this family. Wrapped into the story is David and his wife's pregnancy and birth, senior partner Oscar Finely's divorce, Wally's decline back into his alcoholism, and the ever saucy secretary Rochelle.

The inner workings of tort law doesn't really seem like an interesting setting for a novel, but it was. The bumbling, ignorant lawyer is overdone in legal fiction. I'm tired of reading about him.



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Book 5 of 2012

The Search by Nora Roberts
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

this one wasn't one of my favorites by Nora Roberts, but it was ok for what it was. Fiona is a dog trainer who survived a serial killer several years ago. He is in prison, but the killings have started back. Is it a copy cat or his protege? The dog trainer aspect was interesting and I enjoyed it, the search and rescue part was also pretty interesting. The serial killer part was just meh. I guess this book was more romance than suspense and I like a little more suspense than romance in my romantic suspense books!


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Book 2 of 2012 Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Can't wait for the next book in this new series. I don't remember where the recommendation for this one came from, but I'm glad I followed up on it and read it. This was YA fantasy at it's best . The world that Laini Taylor has created is new and interesting. The two species of characters are intriguing. The heroine is a smart, creative, pretty, flawed young lady. And I love her. The romance is just enough. And the heartache makes the story just right. I want to know more! This book set up the back story and told it perfectly. 


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