Novels Now

Defenders of the Scroll: History, Legend and Lore by Shiraz, illustrated by Steve Criado

Book 1

Pages: 317
Ages: 12+
First Published: June 29, 2009
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

In a different time, in a different place, Mornak ruled the realm of Mythos from the city of Aspiria.

Reason for Reading: The combination of members who joined the quest in this fantasy is what initially intrigued me enough to want to read the book.

Summary: Alex is your typical high school teen with one major obsession, playing rpg/mporg video games and a secondary fixation as the leader and lead guitarist of a band called the Axemen. Alex’s biggest dilemna in life is whether to skip a history exam to go to a real studio audition with the band. Meanwhile, in another realm of existence , Mythos, the dark forces have started to take over. Kidnapping and torturing the king to get the source of all his power, the magical scroll which is in possession of his 11 year old daughter, Dara. The King’s army, aptly named the Axemen have become lost in an ensorcered wood with no way out. When Dara summons the leader of the Axemen, Alex appears before her and he is stuck in her world until he has completed his mission, protect her until her father is free. As they search for the Hall of Shadows where her father is imprisoned and try to stay clear of the Shadow Warriors as they track Dara in search of the scroll they call upon teen warriors to join them in their quest: Scorpius, a Roman legionnaire, Genjuro, a Japanese samurai, Bantu, an African warrior, Maya, an Amazon archer and Tenzin a Shaolin monk.

Comments: First off this book is unique in that the pages have been designed with a scroll background which makes for a very attractive presentation. However, this left the reading page a very light grey with black text which I think did interfere with my normal reading speed as it did take me longer than it should have to read this book and I know it was not from lack of enjoyment. While the story follows the basic ‘group of companions on a quest’ format, a lot of originality has been brought into play making this a very enjoyable treat. They must follow many mini quests on the way to their larger goal and they face many dangers from the elements, monstrous creatures and their pursuers. At the beginning of the book, I did find it a bit confusing as it jumped back and forth between Alex in the modern world and Mythos as the trouble started. I had this lost feeling as to who were these people and what was going on but rather than distracting from the story it made me determined in the beginning to keep reading until the two sets of characters merged, as I knew they would. I started reading the book in bed and my dh asked me to turn the light off so he could sleep and I told him plainly, “No, not until this Alex guy somehow gets to Mythos so I can figure out what’s going on!”

I loved the group dynamics of the various races and cultures of the group members. Each person comes from such a strong ethnic group/profession that they all must also learn to get along with each other. As they struggle to flee from the enemy they also struggle to reject some of their own bias along with accepting other’s different ways. Each of the characters has a very strong character and their background life is developed enough that I formed great feelings for each of them even though I liked them in varying degrees. Bantu, the African teen who was a very strong warrior in this group but who had just gone out on his mission to prove his manhood in own real time, was my favourite of the bunch. Young Dara was characterized very well. While she needed protecting, she was still portrayed as a strong character with smart ideas who added to the group’s overall success, yet accepted when her role as child meant she had to obey the others or stay away from the danger.

The creatures (good and bad), the adventure, the fighting, the excitement, and the general theme were all very entertaining and I really enjoyed the story very much. My only complaint here is the the ending. If you read my reviews regularly you’ll see it coming. The book ends by letting us know it is the end of book one and has no proper ending. In fact, it ends mid-story, mid-action, a cliff-hanger if you will and I am not fond of such endings. I much prefer books in a series to contain individual mini-plots that have a resolution within the book while still remaining a part of the overall story arc. But at least this leaves you wanting more!

Hoodoo Sea by Rolf Hitzer

Pages: 243
First Published: Jun. 2, 2009
Genre: science fiction
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

White. The room was a sterile, monotonous white.

Reason for Reading: I was asked to participate in the Blog Tour but I had never participated in one before. I decided I would this time as the plot involving the Bermuda Triangle was just too intriguing to pass over. I used to be into the Bermuda Triangle big time when it was all the rage.
Summary: Canadian Wing Commander Scott Reed has been chosen to command NASA’s secret test flight of the first speed of light craft. Accompanying him is a crew of three. Everything goes according to plan until they enter the Hoodoo Sea (otherwise known as The Bermuda Triangle) where they see bright lights and the craft behaves in impossible ways eventually landing them in a meadow. What follows is a terrifying tale of evil and man’s attempts at survival.

Comments: I really enjoyed this book. Right from the beginning I was hooked. The plot was amazing and took me places I hardly expected. A truly, original plot that was exciting to read. I had a sense of where the plot was going as I read but each time, bang!, something totally unexpected would happen making me feel uneasy the throughout whole read.

My only complaint I have with the book is the dialogue which I found to be saturated with idioms (eg. “expect the unexpected”, “I’m done like dinner”, and “if I do say so myself”, which I just now found by simply opening the book and quickly browsing). This did become a tad tedious (to this reader) but can be chalked up to first book syndrome.

It’s hard to pinpoint the genre of Hoodoo Sea. Obviously it is science fiction. But at times I wondered whether it was crossing over to the horror genre as the pure evilness that exists within its pages rightly fit that definition. Oddly, I also found myself wondering whether the book was Christian fiction. There are two strong Christian characters and the feel had me looking up the publisher halfway through to see if this was from a Christian publisher, but no, it wasn’t. A truly fascinating mixture of genres in a top-notch plot that kept me enthralled from beginning to end. Speaking of ends, I absolutely loved the unexpected ending! It leaves me wanting to see what Rolf Hitzer will come up with next. Recommended!

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
By Katherine Howe
Completed OCtober 6, 2009

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe examined an alternate view of witchcraft in colonial New England. The story was based on “cunning women,” who used magic, herbs and prayer to heal people. While an interesting premise, this story didn’t fit together as well as it should.

The main character of the book is Connie Goodwin, a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard, who agreed to help her mother with the cleaning of their family home in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Always looking for research ideas, Connie stumbled upon a key and a name – Deliverance Dane – that piqued her interest. Through her research, she discovered that Deliverance was executed during the Salem Witch Trials, but there was no record of her. Additionally, Deliverance had bequeathed a recipe book to her daughter, which could be a valuable primary source for Connie’s dissertation. And so the search for the book began.

I enjoyed Connie’s historical research – her methodology, approach and goals. I too have a graduate degree in history, and Howe accurately described the research process, graduate school and demanding professors. However, I felt most of the novel was predictable, forced and somewhat contrived. I rolled my eyes at the evil mentor (Dan Brown already did that); the coincidental meeting of a handsome preservation expert who became Connie’s love interest; the young heroine alone in a creepy house. Does all of this sound familiar? It should – and Howe didn’t do much to innovate these old themes.

Overall, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane was beneficial because of its historical study of colonial women and witchcraft. It’s a shame that the rest of the story fell flat for me. ( )

Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes by Kate DiCamillo
Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
Mercy Watson, Book #6

Pages: 86
Ages: 6+
First Published: Jul. 14, 2009
Genre: children, humour
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy.

Reason for Reading: Next and newest (2009) in the series.
Comments: The Watsons are off to the Drive-in to watch a movie but Mercy is more concerned about the strong smell wafting about. Butter! Her favourite smell because where there is butter there is often toast. So she quietly slips out of the car and walks through the drive-in putting her snout in everyone’s popcorn and while it is deliciously buttery she is looking for the ultimate taste of buttered toast. Unfortunately for Mercy both Officer Tommilello (and wife) and Animal Control Officer Francine Poulet (and date) are taking in a movie that night as well. And thus we have another fun adventure of Mercy and the cast from previous books.

Another cute story about Mercy as we’ve come to expect. There are some really good laugh out loud moments in this book. A handful of new characters, one with a name that, for the life of me, I couldn’t wrap my tongue around without trying two or three times! Along with the few new characters every single character ever introduced in the series is found within this story and the usual toast party at the end has them all. If you’ve read all the books in the series you can try and name them all as we did! This book does have a feeling of being the last in the series. First with all the characters gathered together, it seems impossible for the author to continue the tradition since she has a nice fine large cast as it stands now. Second the last several pages speak of happy endings, while this pertains to the story I had a feeling this was also a way of wrapping up the series. Finally, this last book is at a higher reading level than the previous books, it is longer at 86 pgs, there are whole two page spreads without pictures found throughout the book (which never occurred in previous volumes) as if pointing the child in the direction of moving onwards with their reading abilities. (Of course, I have no insider info. This is just my humble opinion.)

Another fine entry, though not our favourite, in the Mercy Watson series, which is perfect reading for kids who are at the age where they can read but are not ready to move away from large print or still want to have colourful pictures. While there is no need to read the books in order, there is a benefit. One being that #6 here is a higher reading level than the others but more importantly starting with #1 new characters are introduced with each book and occasionally reappear until the final few books where we have every old character making appearances and it’s just a whole lot of fun to see them showing up again this way. If read out of order, you’d miss this fun.

In The Kitchen
By Monica Ali
Completed August 23, 2009

In The Kitchen by Monica Ali was like a good-looking, sweet-smelling dessert that held so much promise – until you sunk your teeth into it. Despite its delectable exterior, it turned out to be a book with little taste or appeal.

The recipe was classic. Gabriel Lightfoot was on the brink of culinary success, entering into a business agreement with investors for his own restaurant and involved in a promising relationship with the perfect woman. Then, one night, one of his porters died in the restaurant’s cellar, marking a downward spiral for Gabriel – his life methodically spinning out of control.

As if watching a character deteriorate was not hard enough, it was even harder to read how Gabriel made no attempt to get his life back together. His affair with Lena, a stone-cold wisp of a woman, and his treatment of his dying father did little to add to Gabriel’s plight – or his likeability. Not every character has to be likeable, but at least there should be a purpose in his general “unlikeability,” and I struggled to find that purpose in Gabriel.

I do applaud Ali’s attempts to elucidate the issues of immigration, sex trade and xenophobia in this story, but it was not enough. Her themes were right, but the story wasn’t.

While I had issues with the characterization and the plot, Ali’s writing was superb, and I do plan on reading more by this author. Simply put, In the Kitchen was not the story for me. ( )

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Pages: 371
First Published: Jun. 9, 2009
Genre: historical fantasy,
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Peter Petford slipped a long wooden spoon into the simmering iron pot of lentils hanging over the fire and tried to push the worry from his stomach.

Reason for Reading: The Salem witch trials have always been a favourite reading topic of mine so this book obviously piqued my interest.
Comments: It’s summer break and Connie has just finished her orals for her PhD. She intends on spending the summer coming up with a dissertation topic but her mother has asked her to clean up the ancient family home (which Connie knew nothing of) so she can sell it. Connie says yes against her better judgement and ends up spending the summer in an early 18th century home with no electricity or phone. Upon her arrival she finds a mysterious key with the name Deliverance Dane attached and so begins her research which will take her back to the 1690s and the Salem witch trials as she follows through the 18th century history of mother and daughter passing along a book of utmost importance to the family. But Connie’s research also turns deadly as she falls in love with a young man who has a terrible accident and her research becomes obsessively important to a superior at school. Connie ultimately must face a shocking question when she is asked to ponder whether some of the Salem witches might actually have been real witches.

When I first started reading this book I had no idea it contained such a strong supernatural element. Fortunately, I love fantasy and to find the book delving into witch lore was a pleasant surprise on my part. I really enjoyed this book. It was a really fun read. The narrative switches back and forth from the past, 1690s and early 1700s, to Connie’s modern day 1991 and also includes her reading from journals and newspapers as she researches the past. Connie herself is a likable character whose straightforward, no-nonsense character is compromised when she meets up with events that challenge her beliefs. The two storylines, past and present, are easily connected and I enjoyed them both equally well, I just wish Deliverance Dane’s character had been given more background as she remains rather a vague character.

The plot itself is on the predictable side. I had several things figured out at the start of the book and always seemed to be one step ahead of the plot but, nevertheless, I did still enjoy the whole story and read the book eagerly. I also found Ms. Howe’s idea of a Christian witch rather fascinating and entertaining. A unique mythology of witchcraft blended with excellently researched Puritan New England. This will be enjoyed by fans of historical fantasy.

Free Agent by Jeremy Duns
Paul Dark Trilogy, Book One

Pages: 338
First Published: June 23, 2009
Genre: espionage, thriller, historical fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

As I edged the car onto the gravel, the front door of the house swung open and Chief’s steely grey eyes stared down at me.

Reason for Reading: I don’t typically read modern spy novels as I’m not interested in today’s political climate. However, I used to be quite addicted to them in the eighties when I read the likes of James Bond, Robert Ludlum and Gorky Park. When I read the synopsis that this was set in the middle of the Cold War, the plot really intrigued me.

Comments: Paul Dark is an MI6 agent, has been since World War II and still is now in 1969. Since the War, the various British agencies have found KGB double agents within its ranks and every now and then another one comes to light but it’s been years now since they’ve uncovered any. Now a Russian wants to defect and he says he has information on a British double agent who has been working for the KGB since WWII, that’s 24 years of leaking information to the other side! MI6 wants to know who this agent is and Paul finds himself one of the agents whose been around that long and thus, falling under suspicion. Paul starts to find out that his whole life is starting to unravel and as he becomes cornered he decides to fight back.

Set first in London, then quickly moving to Nigeria amidst the fighting of the Civil War in 1969, this is a fast-paced, exciting and shocking thriller. Filled with just the right amount of historical and political information to make the reader knowledgeable without *ever* going overboard into boredom territory. The book has obviously been heavily researched. After reading the final paragraphs of Chapter One it is impossible not to be completely hooked on this book. In fact, I dare you to read *just* the first chapter. With so many twists and turns in the plot one never really knows who the bad guy(s) is or are. Paul knows more than the reader does so we are often shocked rather nonchalantly by a sudden action of the main character. But there are also many secrets that Paul is not aware of and those reveals are brilliantly crafted by the author. This book will keep you guessing right up to the last page where the ending is not what you think it’s going to be.

Paul Dark’s character is well written. He’s one of these ambiguous sorts who is not really a likable character, he can be downright nasty and cold hearted at times, but the author has made him human and Paul grows on you and by the end of the book I actually liked the guy, well as much as you can like that type. Secondary characters were hit and miss. Some really stood out whether they lasted one chapter or several, such as a female journalist and Chief. While others seemed rather two dimensional, Paul’s superiors, and others were rather stereotypical, the lazy, drinking, fat, colonial office head just putting in his time. But whether the characters were fully fleshed or not I will say they were all very colourful.

A very satisfying read. A cleverly crafted thriller. I will definitely be reading the next two in the trilogy. I’ve also been reminded how much I enjoy reading Cold War spy novels and will have to make sure I read one every now and then.

Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
Kate Burkholder, book 1

Pages: 321
First Published: Jun. 23, 2009
Genre: thriller, mystery
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

She hadn’t believed in monsters since she was six years old, back when her mom would check the closet and look beneath her bed at night.

Reason for Reading: I’m always looking for new (or new to me) thriller authors who can live up to my high expectations. The synopsis sounded intriguing.

Comments: Kate Burkholder has been the Chief of Police for the small town in which she grew up for two years now. Kate is Amish, or more correctly was Amish, so she understands the large Amish community and fits the role of small town Chief perfectly. Then one day her world comes crashing down. A body is found, murdered, brutalized from torture and immediately a connection is made to a set of four murders which occurred in the area sixteen years ago. Kate, however, around fourteen at the time, knows it cannot be the same man as she knows who that killer was and had been sworn to silence by her Amish family never tell the events of the terrible night. Can Kate continue to do her job when more and more bodies turn up with the exact same MO as the former “Slaughter House Killer” and not give away the secrets of her dark past or her former Amish community.

This was a fabulous read. It had all the ingredients that I love in my thrillers: a vicious serial killer, gruesome details, heart-pounding moments, a cast of possible suspects, and a fabulous main character. Kate is a character I can’t wait to read more of. She is fascinating and totally unique. With her Amish background she is unlike any detective I’ve met before in my reading, but don’t let that fool you, Kate is all cop. In fact she’s as tough as it gets; yet off work she shows a vulnerable, feminine side as well. An intriguing character, whose personal storyline is left with dangling threads to be picked up in a sequel.

It took two days to read this. Darn life kept interrupting me. I just couldn’t stop reading. There was a point near the end, about three chapters left, that I had to put the book down just to catch my breath. Plus I actually didn’t want the book to end, so I purposely stopped reading! Don’t you love it when that happens?

Looking for a page turner, a can’t put down, stay up all night type of thriller? Then this is your book. Linda Castillo is currently working on the next book in the Kate Burkholder series. Yeah!

Relentless by Dean Koontz

Pages: 356
First Published: Jun. 9, ‘09
Genre: thriller
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

This is a thing I’ve learned: Even with a gun to my head, I am capable of being convulsed with laughter.

Reason for Reading: Dean Koontz has a new book out!

Comments: Cullen Greenwich is a best selling author who is living a wonderful life and he knows it. Good money, nice home, loving wife, fine son (who at six happens to be a genius), what more could a guy ask for. Then his latest book is published and he receives a review from the nation’s most renowned book critic, Sheardon Waxx. A scathingly bad review. Cullen usually just ignores bad reviews but Sheardon is somewhat of a recluse and when he finds out where he dines for lunch once a week, Cullen goes just to have a peek. The little peek turns into a chance encounter and what follows changes Cullen’s life forever. His life becomes filled with terror as he and his family are stalked by a sociopath whose one goal in life is to kill them each very slowly.

As someone who hasn’t read a lot of Koontz, just a few oldies a long time ago, and now his new ones, I’m finding that he does not stick to any one particular genre label. This book is pretty much your straightforward serial killer thriller with a bit of science fiction thrown in to give it a Koontz twist. Fast-paced, frightening, gruesome thriller that hooks you from the first chapter. A very hard book to put down once you get started. I’m a big fan of the serial killer thriller and this one does not disappoint. One thing I particularly like about Koontz’s villains is that they show pure evil, there is no sympathizing with them at all. The science fiction twist was, well, fun and a mystery itself which I managed to figure out shortly before it was revealed. I really enjoyed the main characters of Cullen and his wife Penny. Cullen is a sensitive, all round nice guy type of man with a dark secret in his past while his wife is the author/illustrator of cute children’s books but is an expert with weapons and has a fierce determination to fight back when she or her family are threatened. Penny’s parents are very eccentric and a real hoot. Actually, there is a sense of humour running in the background throughout the whole book which pops up every now and then giving the reader an occasional chuckle to lighten the otherwise heavy tension.

I really enjoyed the book and know I’ll continue to read Koontz’s work as it comes out each year. Now just to find some time to tackle his extensive backlist! I really want to get the Odd Thomas and Frankenstein books first then go back to all the other ones.

Die For You by Lisa Unger

Pages: 352
First Published: Jun. 02 ‘09
Genre: thriller, international intrigue
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

A light snow falls, slowly coating the deep-red rooftops of Prague.

Reason for Reading: Well, we all know by now I love a good thriller and a missing person case is always a good read. The plot intrigued me and I hadn’t yet read the author but had heard of her.

Comments: Isabel Raine, famous bestselling author, is married to Marcus Raine, successful software designer and company owner; they’ve had five fairly blissful years of marriage and after a particularly pleasant morning Marcus sets off for work and never returns. After waiting, and making phone calls, all through the night, Isabel heads for his office where she meets his partner on his way up to work. Barely after arriving the office is swarmed with men and women in FBI jackets taking all the computers and files. They lock her in an office and she sees her husband’s partner in handcuffs. After banging on the door a woman who Isabel has determined could not be FBI comes into the office and kicks her in the head. When Isabel wakes in the hospital, she’s told that the office was ransacked by these people (not the FBI) and all three employees were found dead in the office with her still alive, albeit unconscious. And so starts the tale of Isabel learning some frightening facts that Marcus Raine was a man who disappeared ten years ago and while also from Czech and looking slightly like her husband, is in fact not the man she is married to. Her whole life as she knows it falls apart by Isabel is not the type of woman to lay down and cry, oh no, she is going to find out why he’s done this to her.

The incredible fast pace of this novel takes place over a short period of time and has our heroine in New York, remembering the past in Paris and on the run in Czech. Her rich, luxuriant life is now filled with NYPD detectives, Russian and Albanian mobsters, and other unsavouries who’d simply prefer she be dead. But Isabel has a dark past where she was once left before and never had the question why answered and she’ll not rest, even if it kills her, to let the man she loved get away from her without this simple answer. Determination runs through the book so hard, that you feel your teeth clenching as Isabel often kicks caution to the wind to try to find her answer.

This is not my typical type of book. I’m usually your serial killer, or at least “let’s have a few dead bodies” thriller type of reader but this book sucked me into a new sub-genre I can see myself really enjoying. I certainly love these types of movies. There is a suspense that starts to tickle you on the first page only to grab you a couple pages later and just doesn’t let go until the final pages. A complete whirlwind of compulsive reading. I read the first 3/4’s all in one day. Then unfortunately real life intervened and I had to wait a bit to get back to finishing it but this can certainly be set aside to read in day. When you have one of those lazy Saturday’s coming up spend the day with Die For You and you might find your pulse rate quickening and even burn a few calories while you read. Recommended!

Far North by Marcel Theroux

Pages: 314
First Published: Jun. 15 ‘09
Genre: post apocalyptic fiction
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Every day I buckle on my guns and go out to patrol this dingy city.

Reason for Reading: As soon as I saw the words dystopian and post apocalyptic associated with the plot I was there. Those are favourite genres of mine.

Comments: Makepeace lives a solitary life in the Russian/Asian North, the only survivor in a once thriving town of American settlers. This is a world sparsely populated, where occasional persons pass by on the road but only rarely these days. Groups have settled in different areas and Makepeace begins to see what the world is really like after a plane flies by overhead and a decision is made to find the fabled land where civilization is still running, where they still have planes. Makepeace sees native tribes who are friendly and living off the land proudly, native tribes who are brutal and take what they want leaving pillage and bodies behind, a society based on strict religious rule and more but ultimately Makepeace is captured by a slave camp where work is gruelling but at least food is readily and freely given.

I really enjoyed this book. Makepeace is a very interesting character and while secondary characters come and go Makepeace is the one that is fully fleshed out and whose past is slowly revealed throughout the book. The atmosphere is dismal and bleak, as is the writing. I found it a slow read just as the trudging through snow and back breaking work would slow one down, it also slowed down my reading.

Blurbs on this book use either the word dystopia or post apocalypse but I’m going to take a stand and say I would not apply the term dystopia to this book. The world is too large, there are too many societies, the scope is more global and there is no true oppressing force. Sure there is oppression but it is from various sources of different makings. The book is certainly post apocalyptic and as the reason is revealed, truly believable. When reading modern apocalypse books I’m always leery of how heavily they will rely on “global warming” (sorry “climate change”) and I think the author’s theory of our ultimate doom should be believable to those on either side of that particular fence.

Religion is a strong theme in the story as well. Although the author is certainly against it. There are a lot of Biblical references in the narrative and yet the main character is agnostic (at the least) and all the Christian characters are villains or fools. The Muslim characters are shown as grouping in cliques and their religion makes them stand out, for various reasons, in the different societies encountered in the book. Being Christian myself, it is always disappointing when characters don’t find redemption, but neither is the book offensive, in fact, it is quite thought-provoking. How would a truly Christian character or society have affected the outcome of Makepeace’s story?

A fascinating tale of self-preservation at all costs, perseverance that never ends, greed, love, friendship, betrayal. Most of all though it is a desolate, frightening tale of our possible future which still manages to leave a feeling of hope for the future of mankind.

Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver
Kathryn Dance, #2

Pages: 399
First Published: Jun. 9 ‘09
Genre: mystery, thriller, suspense
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Out of place. The California Highway Patrol trooper, young with bristly yellow hair beneath his crisp hat, squinted through the windshield of his Crown Victoria Police Interceptor as he cruised south along Highway 1 in Monterey Dunes to the right, modest commercial sprawl to the left.

Reason for Reading: It’s almost embarrassing to say but I have never read Jeffery Deaver before. But I have wanted to ever since I saw the movie The Bone Collector a very long time ago, it just seems that with so many thriller writers I’m already reading I just never seemed to get around to reading Deaver so when the chance came to read this one, I jumped.

Comments: Kathryn Dance is the CBI’s specialist in kinesics, body language, which makes her a great agent especially when it comes to interviewing suspects and witnesses alike. A cross surrounded by roses is found on the roadside with tomorrow’s date written upon it, the trooper who finds it thinks nothing much about it until the next day they find a car parked on the beach which has been there during the coming and going of the tide with a girl locked in the trunk and with her is found a rose petal. More crosses pop up with dates to announce when the next victim will be attacked and each day brings a new victim. A connection comes up between the victims and a teenage boy who is being cyberbullied, especially cruelly on one blog called The Chilton Report. Just when the police find their suspect he disappears and we enter the strange co-existence between the synthetic (online) world and the “real” world through blogging and MMORPGs.

Brilliant. Amazing that an author can carry so many story lines seamlessly and without effort keep the suspense on full tilt all the way through the book. I loved the way the several plot lines run together for more than half the book, then as one get solved there is an about face and the plot rushes in a different direction as the solving of one case only makes it or the others more complex leaving more to be solved. Deaver is very clever, which I’m sure his long time fans already know. But as a first time reader myself, it was exciting to realize this. I was especially tickled with Deaver’s deviousness when early in the book I had my eye on a very minor character because of a single word he’d said and through out the book my suspicions about him were deepened with subtle clues until at the end … well, I won’t tell you but I felt like Deaver had created that character for readers like me who often guess the killer in Chapter 2.

I love serial killer books and this one doesn’t disappoint. The choices of deaths are imaginative and frightening. It makes for fast reading and long into the night page turning. This book is quite dependant on the first in the series, often speaking of events that previously happened and continuing on with unfinished storylines. Surprisingly, this didn’t hamper my reading at all. I easily picked up on what was going on and didn’t feel left out though I would highly recommend reading The Sleeping Doll first just as it would be better to be “in the know” to start with before reading this. I intend to go back and read it before book 3 comes out in 2011. But it is because of this heavy reliance on prior events in another book that my rating is a 4 and not otherwise a 5.

The book is also quite interesting in its themes of current internet usage. I’ve never read a book about blogging before and as a blogger found that the issues dealt with of whether there are any moral and ethical obligations of bloggers who are not answerable to anyone such as mainstream journalist are quite thought-provoking. The book does contain a lot of so-called technical information on blogging, what it is , how it works, which I found very elementary and found myself asking “Are there really people who don’t know this stuff?” but later on I found myself realizing that the shoe was on the other foot when the same sort of information was being imparted about MMORPGs, which I didn’t even know what it was besides some sort of online game.

Having not read any other books by the author to compare it to, I can’t say whether fans will fin it up-to-par or not as someone new to Deaver you will find out what a very, very clever suspense author this man is. Now I know I must go back and catch up on his backlist!

The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner

Pages: 373
First Published: Jun. 16 ‘09
Genre: mystery, thriller
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

I’ve always wondered what people felt in the final hours of their lives.

Reason for Reading: I enjoyed my first Lisa Gardner book, last year’s Say Goodbye, so much I wanted to keep reading her.

Comments: Jason and Sandra Jones seem to have the perfect life. They’ve figured out the perfect way to raise their four-year-old daughter. Sandra works days and Jason works evenings, this way they can look after their child themselves. One night Jason comes home from work and finds his daughter sleeping safely in bed and his wife missing. The police start to investigate and find Jason’s manner very odd, he’s obviously hiding something or perhaps he’s just hiding. He becomes their person of interest from the beginning but unlike most cases which start off with several suspects which are slowly dropped as evidence and alibis collect, this case starts with one suspect and slowly gathers more, such as the known sex offender five houses down the street and the middle school student genius who is obsessively in love with Sandra, and more until there are too many suspects to know who is telling the truth.

Absolutely riveting book! I enjoyed this even better than my previous read by the author. I can certainly say I’ll be going back and reading Ms. Gardner’s backlist. This book gave me everything I want in a suspenseful mystery, twists and turns in plot, interesting characters and mostly: I only sort of figured out “whodunit” and that wasn’t until near the end. Really not much more to say without gushing. The only thing that bothered me was the main detective’s name was “D.D.” Now this is just me but I’ve never met a woman who went around being called by initials and the fact that dd stands for ‘darling daughter’ in internet speak had my mind calling her that every third or fourth time her name appeared, strange but true. Unlike Say Goodbye, this book is not gruesome, there is a little violence of course but nothing that you can’t read and eat at the same time. This was a page-turner, read in a weekend because you just can’t put it down book for me. Mystery/thriller fans are sure to love this and if you haven’t read Lisa Gardner before The Neighbor is a great place to start.

Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon

Pages: 422
First Published: June ‘09
Genre: psychological thriller
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

“Dismantlement Equals Freedom”

Reason for Reading: The write-up had me drooling to read this thriller .

Comments: Four artist friends from college formed a group called the “Compassionate Dismantlers” whose manifesto was “To understand the nature of a thing, it must be taken apart”. They spend their final summer after graduation together in a cabin in the woods to experience the ultimate summer of dismantling until things go too far and one of them, Suz, is killed and they cover up the murder. Ten years later signs from the past show up, the remaining members are contacted, haunted, reminded of the past and that fateful summer. A former victim of their pranks commits suicide and the remaining three “Dismantlers” are frightened. Their lives become fraught with eerie events. Does someone know what they did that summer and is now trying to reveal the secret? Did Suz survive? Has she come back for revenge? Or maybe she’s found a way back to get revenge anyway …

An awesome book. Nail-biting suspense all the way through with twist after twist. I thought I had this figured out early on and just when I was about to be proven right, whamo, another reveal and my jaw dropped, of course! what an amazing ending!

At first glance this may appear to be horror, based on the write-up but it’s not. The book is not gruesome and while it does carry a paranormal element that element is small. I read this book in two days as I just couldn’t put it down. This is certainly a plot-driven book and while that leaves the characters a little flat it didn’t really matter, as so much is happening to them I really wasn’t interested in any greater insight into their psyche. Fascinating plot, very tense and fast-paced but also well-paced with plot moving episodes that allow the reader breathing space before the action picks up once again. I really loved the ending. I found it very satisfying with complete closure and yet with just a hint of eeriness that makes you smile when you close the book.

If this is an example of what to expect from Ms. McMahon I’m quite anxious now to read her two previous books Island of Lost Girls and Promise Not to Tell.

Bonnie Grove

368 pages

“You said you were still working on forgiving him.” I’d thought about his statement many times since. It made me realize that perhaps forgiveness wasn’t a singular event, but a progression, or better, a dance that took some figuring before you could perform the steps. -Talking to the Dead, page 305

Kate’s husband Kevin has just died. She’s barely gotten through the funeral when she starts hearing his voice. With her memory filled with holes and no one she feels she can trust, Kate begins to doubt her sanity. As Kate tries to figure out exactly why Kevin is talking to her, life begins spiraling further out of control. Finally, after having a mental meltdown, Kate is forced to deal with the return of her memory and many other issues.

Talking to the Dead is one of those books that is hard to classify. While it is Christian Fiction with a message of faith, it is not preachy. Kate is funny, vulnerable and human but man, is she surrounded by a bunch of stinkers. Everyone who should be there for her lets her down. But Kate finds support in a quirky support group filled with a bunch of frail, vulnerable people just like herself. She also meets Jack, a pastor, but a different sort of pastor and through his example of unconditional love and acceptance, she comes to understand her need for God. Then she begins on the road to healing.

I enjoyed Talking to the Dead very much. It has a little bit of everything: romance, suspense, humor and there were even a few times when Kate’s pain was so intense that a lump formed in my throat. I wanted to comfort her because no one else was. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy clean, faith-based, fiction. (5/5)

He was hunting just then, hot on the trail of something obscure, tracking a rare butterfly-like quotation as it fluttered through thickets of dense tropical paragraphs. The chase seemed to require the utmost concentration; still, he couldn’t help but think later on that if he’d only glanced up from the work, he might’ve seen something: a look in her eyes, a foreshadowing of doom, perhaps a train ticket in her hand or the words I’m Leaving You Forever stitched on the front of her coat. - from Last Night In Montreal, page 3 -

Lilia awakes one night when she is seven years old and finds her father waiting for her outside in the snow. She walks out of her home and into his arms. What follows is a life of constant travel - moving from place to place with the sensation of being hunted, changing identities, and an inability to create lasting relationships.When Lilia meets Eli, a young man studying dead and dying languages in New York City, she knows she will eventually leave him. But when she does just that, the act puts in motion a series of events which will not only change Lilia’s life, but the lives of those around her.

Fifteen years later in another country Lilia pressed her forehead against a windowpane in Eli’s apartment, looking out at an uncharted landscape of Brooklyn rooftops in the rain, and came to a somewhat unsettling conclusion: she’d been disappearing for so long that she didn’t know how to stay. - from Last Night In Montreal, page 9 -

Last Night In Montreal is a novel which intersects the lives of four flawed characters: Lilia, scarred by events she cannot remember but from which she constantly flees; Eli, stuck in one place and unable to move forward until he becomes obsessed with Lilia; Christopher, the private investigator who gives up everything to find a missing child and uncover the mystery of her disappearance; and Michaela, Christopher’s daughter who is abandoned by her parents and haunted by a girl she only knows through her father’s notes. The mystery surrounding Lilia’s abduction serves as the focal point from which the other characters’ stories revolve. As they are all drawn into Lilia’s life, they are forced to come to terms with their own weaknesses, desires, and fears. Thematically, the story is one about loss, repressed memory, family secrets and identity.

Lilia is a complex character whose life is not her own. She has no recollection of her years before the abduction and seems unable to stop traveling - a compulsion which allows her to see the world and yet not be a part of it.

She moved over the surface of life the way figure skaters move, fast and choreographed, but she never broke through the ice, she never pierced the surface and descended into those awful beautiful waters, she was never submerged and she never learned to swim in those currents, these current: all the shadows and light and splendorous horrors that make up the riptides of life on earth. - from Last Night In Montreal, page 119 -

Last Night in Montreal is Emily St. John Mandel’s first novel, and it is a stunning debut. Told from multiple viewpoints and moving back and forth between the present and past, the book is compulsively readable. Mandel’s writing is flawless - poetic, compelling, and achingly beautiful. Perhaps the strongest aspect of Mandel’s prose is her ability to fully develop her characters - people who are adrift and searching and often in pain, but who attract the reader’s empathy and admiration despite their weaknesses.

Last Night In Montreal is one of those books which once started cannot be laid aside. Disturbing and dark at times, it is a novel which will haunt the reader long after it is completed.

Highly recommended.

The Blue Notebook
By James A. Levine
Completed April 11, 2009

The Blue Notebook was one of the most eloquent but haunting books I have read in a long time. It’s the story of Batuk, a 15-year-old prostitute, whose father sold her into sexual slavery when she was nine. Living in a brothel in India, Batuk took up writing as a therapeutic way to deal with the abuse in her life.

The author, Dr. James Levine, is a highly renowned Mayo Clinic physician, who was inspired to write The Blue Notebook after a visit to India. There, he met a young prostitute on the streets who was writing in a notebook, and Dr. Levine spent time talking to this young girl about her life. Thus, the character of Batuk was born.

Batuk left nothing to the imagination in this narrative. The reader learned every detail about her rapes, physical assaults and sexual encounters. Admittedly, it was hard to read about Batuk’s life because she endured such horrors, and the idea of it happening to a child make it harder to bear.

Despite the tragedies, Batuk’s sense of humor and wit made the other parts of the narrative very enjoyable. She was a delightful character. Stories of her childhood provided glimpses into Batuk’s life before she became a prostitute – when she was innocent and fearless. It, however, illuminated Batuk’s tragedies even more.

This book will make many readers uncomfortable, as it should, but it’s an important book because the horrors in Batuk’s life are happening now to girls and boys around the world. If you have the stomach for it, I would highly recommend The Blue Notebook. Additionally, proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children. Thanks to Dr. Levine for being so generous with his creativity and funding – you can tell this is a subject matter near and dear to him. And after reading The Blue Notebook, I believe it will become important to you too. ( )

Carefully, delicately, she caught the end of the paper with her thumbnail and withdrew it slowly from the shaft. It looked like a miniature parchment, tightly rolled into a tub. She laid the key in her lap and held the parchment up to the lamp, unrolling the crisp, brittle slip one millimeter at a time. It was brown and stained, barely as long as her thumb. On it, in a watery ink barely legible in the flickering light, were written the words Deliverance Dane.- from The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, page 50 -

Connie Goodwin, a PhD candidate in American History, finds herself and her dog Arlo unexpectedly spending the summer at her grandmother’s crumbling old home near Salem, Massachusetts. Tasked by her mother to clean up the place and sell it, Connie instead discovers an old key with a message inside an ancient family Bible which compels her to search for answers to a 300 year old mystery. Connie’s quest introduces her to a handsome steeplejack named Sam; and as Connie and Sam follow the clues to uncover the whereabouts of an old “recipe” book, Connie realizes that Salem’s dark history (including the witch trials) are impacting her own life more than she knew.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is Katherine Howe’s debut novel. The narration is from several points of view and spans the time period from 1681 - 1715, as well as immersing the reader in Connie’s present day life in 1991. Howe has done her homework on the rich history surrounding the Salem Witch trials. Period detail including the architecture and clothing from the late seventeenth century create a sense of place. Howe’s own background as a graduate student in American and New England Studies, as well as her family history (which includes being a descendant of Elizabeth Proctor and Elizabeth Howe who were tried as witches in Salem) lends an authenticity to the novel.

The book is not without its faults. I found myself growing weary of the New England accent in Howe’s dialogue. It started to feel like a chore to read these sections, and made me remember I was reading a story rather than being immersed in it. I also thought the early parts of the book dragged a bit. Howe’s desire to provide all the details at times distracted from the flow of her story.

That said, Howe’s strength is in creating character and when Connie discovers her previously unknown talents of healing, I believed it. Connie’s strained relationship with her new-age mother Grace had me smiling and nodding. And as the novel progressed, I found myself eager to learn the secrets and uncover the mystery surrounding Connie’s family.

For readers who love historical fiction and who are willing to allow their imaginations free reign to explore the magic of superstition, religion and witchcraft, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane will appeal.