Novels Now

The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker

Pages: 432
First Published: Apr. 13, 2010
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

“Thank you, detective. We’ll take it from here.”

Reason for Reading: I loved my first Dekker book, The Boneman’s Daughters, and *had* to read this.

Summary: FBI special agent Brad Raines is called onto a case where women have been found posed and glued to the wall of abandoned barns, wearing a bridal veil and having the blood drained from them. The serial killer has been nicknamed The Bride Collector and things get personal when Raines finds a note taped to living room window of his high rise apartment. Raines’ investigation takes him to an upscale rural psychiatric hospital that only treats those with high intelligence. It is here he meets Paradise a young woman who barely escaped from her father’s murder of her family. Though a diagnosed schizophrenic Paradise has a talent that Brad is willing to enlist, when Paradise touches a dead body she sees the ghostly images of the deceased’s last sights and sounds.

Comments: This was a thrilling, incredibly fast page-turning read for me. I had each page poised for turning at just the right moment so there would be no interruption in the flow of my reading. I loved this book. Two things in particular really grabbed me: one being the serial killer aspect, the other being the psychiatric angle. I have a special fascination for books that take place in psychiatric wards, hospitals or asylums and this aspect of the book was very well done. The patients were carefully chosen to suit this upscale hospital and were treated to learn how to focus on and express their intellectual or artistic “talents” with a minimum of medications. Whether there is any veracity to this method, does not really interest me to dig any deeper. I am deeply interested in exploring the high functioning intelligence of persons with mental disorders and I really enjoyed the motley crew of characters Dekker presented with various extreme disorders and while giving each full respect.

Brad Raines is an intense, likable, fully developed main character who carries his own dark psychological pain. Often in stand-alone thriller/mysteries characterization is thrown out the window in favour of plot but Dekker manages both equally well. Brad has a complete back story and range of emotions. He is a character the reader can relate to and feel for from the beginning.

The plot is top-notch thriller entertainment. A gruesome serial killer, driven by religious delusions is pure evil. The third person narrative switches back and forth from the investigation to the killer, making the identity of the killer known to the reader from the beginning and putting the emphasis on the detecting and the motives. There are many twists and shocks along the way, including a main character becoming a victim to the serial killer. Differently from The Boneman’s Daughter, this book does contain quite a bit of Christian material. The killer is delusional and rants about his God given reason for the killings and at one point Brad uses this against the killer by theologically answering each of his statements. It becomes heady stuff, which I quite enjoyed but may not be to everyone’s tastes. Dekker certainly does have a taste for the macabre when it comes to serial killers as evidenced by The Bride Collector and his previous book. I really enjoy that he hasn’t fallen into the series trap yet and hope he brings us another standalone for his next thriller, which I anxiously await. In the meantime I have some of his more mainstream Christian Fiction to read.

Secrets of Eden
By Chris Bohjalian
Completed February 21, 2010

A trademark Chris Bohjalian novel is one of suspense, engaging characters and a plot twist that few could anticipate. This magic formula is once again employed in Bohjalian’s latest book, Secrets of Eden.

Secrets of Eden tells the tragic story of Alice Hayward – an abused wife who was killed by her husband during a fit of rage. We see Alice’s story through the eyes of four narrators – her preacher and former lover, Stephen; the district attorney, Catherine; an angel afficianado, Heather and Alice’s daughter, Katie. This quartet of narrators all present different sides to Alice’s murder and the subsequent suicide of her husband.

As Bohjalian takes you through each person’s journey, he adds layer upon layer of complexity to the story. For instance, Stephen’s section shows a man tormented by the death of his former lover. His section alludes to allegations that maybe Stephen was responsible for Alice’s husband’s death. Then, Catherine’s section reveals how Stephen could be a prime suspect. By the time you get through Heather and Katie’s sections, you are not sure where the good reverand stands. Then, in the end, Bohjalian comes in with a plot twist that many readers do not see coming. The end result – a story that keeps you at the edge of your seat.

The abuse of Alice Hayward was heart-wrenching. Bohjalian shows every aspect of an abusive relationship – from the punches to the belittlement. Physically, emotionally and mentally abused, Alice endured it all – while hiding it from her neighbors. This is a hard subject matter to read but an important one, and I am glad that Bohjalian tackled it in Secrets of Eden.

Fan of Chris Bohjalian should not be disappointed with this book. It’s classic Chris Bohjalian – a great story, difficult subject matter and memorable characters. ( )

The subliminal mind has many dark, unhappy corners, after all. Imagine something loosening itself from one of those corners. Let’s call it a – a germ. And let’s say conditions prove right for that germ to develop  – to grow, like a child in the womb. What would this little stranger grow into? A sort of shadow-self perhaps: a Caliban, a Mr. Hyde. A creature motivated by all the nasty impulses and hungers the conscious mind had hoped to keep hidden away: things like envy, and malice, and frustration… - from The Little Stranger, pages 353-354 -

In a small English village in Warwickshire sits a Georgian home called Hundreds Hall. It was once an elegant mansion with beautiful grounds and many servants to keep its rooms flawless. But the war has taken its toll on the people and economy of England, and Hundreds Hall is now in decline with crumbling masonry, weed-choked gardens and leaky ceilings. Dr. Faraday, the local physician, had visited the mansion as a child and his mother was once a maid there, so he is shocked at what the once beautiful home has become when he is called out to see an ailing servant girl. He quickly befriends those still living at Hundreds Hall: the elderly Mrs. Ayres and her two adult children… Roderick (who is crippled from the war), and Caroline. Within a short period of time, strange things begin to happen – scorch marks appear on the walls, the telephone rings in the middle of the night and then goes dead, and the family dog acts out of character. Are these events caused by a ghost, as Betty the young servant girl believes, or something far more sinister?

Sarah Waters’ newest novel is Gothic in style. Set in post-war England sometime in the the late 1940s and narrated by a questionable narrator (Dr. Faraday), the story unfolds slowly at first but then picks up about mid-way through the book. Waters takes her time to carefully develop her characters and introduces the theme of class differences early on when it becomes evident that Dr. Faraday has never relinquished his dismay at being the son of a maid, and the Ayreses (despite their current bleak economic situation) will always consider themselves a family of means.

As in all good Gothic novels, Hundreds Hall becomes a character in the book. The descriptions of the house’s decline, its dark and gloomy halls and closed off rooms with peeling or mildewed wallpaper, seems to be a metaphor for the economic decline of the times. Beneath its crumbling exterior, the house also holds family secrets and tragedy.

Waters gives clues as to the malevolent presence in the house, but it is not until the end that I was certain of its origins…and then I was thrilled by Waters’ deft manipulation of her story. As with all of her work, Waters’ writing is sophisticated and satisfying, and filled with descriptions which capture the historical time of the story.

My only complaint, and it is a small one, was the slow pace at the beginning of the book. Waters takes her time to set the stage and introduce her characters, and at times I grew impatient for some action. Once events start to happen, however, the pace picks up. I found myself reading straight through the last 150 pages with barely a break.

Readers who have liked Waters’ previous books and who like a good Gothic mystery, will most likely find The Little Stranger an enjoyable, albeit disturbing, read.

Skin by Mo Hayder
Jack Caffery Thriller, #4

Pages: 380 pages
First Published: 2009 UK (Jan. 2010 US, Apr. 2010 Can)
Publisher: Harper Collins
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Human skin is an organ.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series and Mo Hayder is my favourite author in the world! (at the moment)

Summary: A suicide is found and everything points to case closed, though the ex-husband does show concern that things don’t seem right. When another suicide with the same MO shows up Jack Caffery asks to be put on the case as he has found some connections between the two. At the same time celebrity rich girl, Misty Kitson, has simply vanished and police diver Flea Marley has been called in to search a few lakes and a quarry. Flea and Jack do not work together in this novel, they are off on their own this time. Jack’s case takes him to a very strange human being and a sick prolific serial killer while Flea is hit out of the blue by a family problem that she must deal with and it is something that will change her life forever.

Comments: First off the mystery story was quite good, it did lack Hayder’s trademark gruesomeness and weirdness which I’ve come to expect but still a strange enough case to be worthy of Hayder’s talent. Flea’s story, however, is the one that gets the reader’s blood thumping. Not exactly a mystery as we learn the facts as quickly as Flea does but more pure thriller. What Hayder has done in this book is examine her main characters personalities and moral boundaries. From earlier books we know what Jack is capable of, but he has shown determinedly to prove himself the better man he knows he can be. Flea we’ve only seen from one side, this novel tests her boundaries and between them both Mo Hayder has created two very unique main character detectives for a police procedural series. Are they likable? “Can” they be likable? What does it say about the reader if he does like them? Personally, I did not like Jack the first time I met him in “Birdman” but I grew to like him quite quickly. At this time I do still like both Flea and Jack but with caveats and I must see what the next book brings before I make any final decisions. But whether I like them or not as persons, I love them as the unique, distinct detective team in Hayder’s twisted thrillers with plots that no one else could write.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Pages: 532 pages
First Published: Mar. 2, 2010
Publisher: Atria Books
Rating: 2/5

First sentence:

Everywhere I look, there are signs of a struggle.

Reason for Reading: I have Asperger’s. My son is autistic. I have never read a Jodi Picoult book before as they have never interested me but when I heard the topic of this one was Asperger’s I obviously just had to read it.

Comments: As a person with Asperger’s I am dismayed with Picoult’s portrayal of an adult with Asperger’s Syndrome. Picoult starts off by showing us all the sources she has used for her research but once one starts reading it is obvious she is so full of research she doesn’t know what to do with it. She has taken every possible symptom of both Asperger’s and autism (which are two different diagnoses) and put them all into the character of Jacob. Not only is Jacob loaded down with every single symptom of both diagnoses, each of his symptoms are of the most extreme variety. A real-life ‘aspie’ (as we call ourselves) will have some, perhaps even many, but certainly not all textbook examples, of the symptoms and then they are at varying degrees at that. What Picoult has done here is a disservice to the Asperger’s community.

From the mother: “Since there’s no cure yet for Asperger’s, we treat the symptoms …“. Asperger’s is not a disease or an illness! There is no cure because one is not needed. Just from reading the positive reviews of this book I see the word “illness” being used over and over to describe Asperger’s! Simply because the book has left readers unfamiliar with AS with that impression. I could sit here and write an essay refuting all the quotes on the dog-eared pages I created while reading, but I won’t. If you want a realistic view of a young man with Asperger’s I urge you to read the book “Marcelo in the Real World” by Francisco X. Stork. The main character is 17 years old and is very comparable to Jacob only the author has done an excellent job in portraying Asperger’s, showing the struggles we face but also shows that we do indeed function and do not need anyone’s sympathy.

BTW, I did give the book 2 stars because if I removed the whole Asperger’s element I thought the mystery was quite interesting with a fun little twist to the solution.

Cassandra understood the media cycle well enough to know that Callie would disappear within a day or two, that she was a place-maker in the current story, the kind of footnote dredged up in the absence of new developments. Callie had been forgotten and would be forgotten again. Her child had been forgotten, left in this permanent limbo – not officially dead, not even officially missing, just unaccounted for, like an item on a manifest. A baby, an African-American boy, had vanished, with no explanation and yet no real urgency. His mother, almost certainly the person responsible, had defeated the authorities with silence. – from Life Sentences, page 12 -

Cassandra Fallows is casting around for her next book idea after having published two highly successful memoirs and one floundering novel, when an evening newscast brings up a name from her past. Calliope Jenkins had shared an elementary school classroom with Cassandra. She was later held for seven years in prison for refusing to reveal the whereabouts of her infant son…who is still missing and presumed dead. Now released from prison, Calliope provides the perfect backdrop for another memoir of sorts for Cassandra. Cassandra returns to her childhood home in Baltimore to try to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Calliope and her son, and ends up reconnecting with her old friends. What she discovers are buried secrets about her own life, and another perspective on what constitutes truth.

Laura Lippman takes her time in developing her characters in Life Sentences, switching back and forth from the past to the present, and giving the reader multiple perspectives of Cassandra’s life. Cassandra is not wholly likable (she has a tendency to go to bed with other women’s husbands and seems oblivious to how her literary portrayal of the people in her life might impact them) yet I found myself wanting to give her a chance at redemption. Part of the conflict in the novel is internal – that which lies within Cassandra herself. Although her goal was to write a book and not rethink her life, Cassandra ultimately is forced to deal with her own weaknesses, learn another way of seeing the world, and revisit her version of the truth.

Lippman apparently used to write straight forward mysteries and suspense novels, but in Life Sentences the mystery takes second stage to the deeper issues raised in the book. Using the historical backdrop of the civil rights movement in Baltimore and the assassination of Martin Luther King, Lippman explores the difficult subject of race relations. Cassandra’s unfaithful father leaves her mother to marry a black woman. Cassandra’s childhood friends are all black (she is white) and the division between them (and their later anger around Cassandra’s memoir) centers largely around unspoken race issues. One huge event in Cassandra’s life (when she is attacked by a group of white girls in her school) takes on a different meaning when seen outside of Cassandra’s narrow view and is explained from the viewpoint of a black friend who witnessed the attack but did nothing to stop it.

Another huge theme in the book is that of memory and perspective – how two people can experience the same thing and yet remember it differently. As Cassandra tries to mine her past for her next book, she discovers her memories about important events vary significantly from that of her friends.

Ultimately Lippman gets to the mystery and provides an answer for her readers, but she arrives there after a meandering journey through the lives of her central characters. And that is perhaps my only complaint with the novel – it moves a bit slowly at times. This is not a book a reader will plow through in one sitting. Despite this minor complaint, I can recommend Life Sentences to those readers who enjoy their mysteries character-driven vs. plot driven.

Please visit my TLC Book Tour post which includes a guest post by the author.

“Raven is the patron saint of the Tlingit. He’s responsible for bringing the sun and the moon and water and almost everything else, to the earth.” – from Raven Stole the Moon, page 24 of the ARC -

“Do you understand, Ferguson? Raven didn’t just give us the sun, moon, and stars. He had to steal them from someone else.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Stealing is an act of evil. But giving is an act of good. So was Raven good or evil?”
Ferguson felt a little dumb for having to be led to the answer.
“Both.”
“Both. Exactly. You now have a complete understanding of the Tlingit religion.” – from Raven Stole the Moon, page 46 of the ARC -

Jenna Rosen used to have a wonderful life – married to a man she loved, raising a little boy who meant the world to her. But a fateful trip to Thunder Bay, a lavish resort in Alaska, steals away everything. Bobby, Jenna’s five year old son dies in a drowning accident and Jenna feels responsible for his death. Her way of dealing with the guilt is to turn to alcohol and prescription drugs. Her husband, Robert, turns his grief to anger and directs it mostly at Jenna. Two years after Bobby’s death, Jenna  impulsively leaves Robert and boards a ferry from Seattle to a tiny town in Alaska where her grandmother once lived…looking for answers in  the cold and remote wilderness of Alaska.

Jenna’s journey for closure quickly becomes a terrifying ordeal where Jenna must not only sift through the legends and beliefs of her ancestors, but must face the devastation of her marriage.

On its surface, Raven Stole the Moon is a supernatural thriller which brings to life the Tlingit (pronounced Klink-it) legend of the Kushtaka – otter people who steal the souls of the dead. The Kushtaka are shape-shifters who can appear in whatever guise they desire to trick people into going with them. Jenna almost immediately encounters the Kushtaka upon her arrival in Alaska … and Stein amps up the tension and fear, successfully driving the story forward.

But to classify Raven Stole the Moon as just a thriller would be wrong. There are deeper issues embedded in the novel: how does a parent survive the loss of a child? And how does a marriage evolve or devolve in the aftermath of such an event? What role does religious faith play in recovery? How does someone forgive themselves for a tragedy for which they feel responsible? These questions resonate through the story. Jenna appears to have no religious faith until she discovers the religion of the Tlingit which puts her on a pathway to self-discovery and provides closure for the loss of her son. Her journey is not just a physical journey, it is a spiritual one.

As the sky regained its color and the birds awoke, Jenna stood naked before the world, wondering what was real and what was imagined, trying to fathom an absolute truth, a set of values assigned by some kind of higher being that she could live by, a belief system that would give her the answers she wanted and that she could depend on to survive more than a few thousand years. – from Raven Stole the Moon, page 227 of the ARC -

I read this novel in just under three days. The story pulled me in and made me want to continue reading to find the answers. I loved the German Shepherd who makes an appearance as Jenna’s spirit guide. I admit to being terrified at some of the scenes when Jenna was being pursued by the Kushtaka. That said, the writing is not perfect. At times the dialogue felt stilted and I longed for more development of some of the supporting characters. I did not always understand Jenna or her motivations.

Raven Stole the Moon is Garth Stein’s debut novel – released initially 13 years ago, it is now being re-released by Harper Collins after the success of his bestseller The Art of Racing in the Rain. I loved The Art of Racing in the Rain which I read last year (read my review). There are many differences between the two novels – perhaps most obvious the level of the writing. Stein has certainly grown as a writer in the 13 years between books. Despite some of the flaws in the prose, Raven Stole the Moon is still a worthwhile read, especially for those interested in Native American legend. The strengths of the book are its engaging storyline and the theme of recovery through spiritual awareness.

“[...] I have killed surgeons before – a couple of times, in fact. But I don’t know if I’m ever going to be hired to kill another surgeon again,” Koller continued. “Think about it, that would mean you would be the last surgeon I ever kill.” The assassin paused a moment, clearly deep in thought. “I have to really, really embrace this moment. You can’t record these feelings, the smell of your apartment, your fear. But if you believe it might be the very last time you do something, it’s best to approach it with deserved reverence. You might not be the last surgeon, but then again, you might.” – from The Last Surgeon, page 170 of the ARC -

A nurse, a gifted surgeon, an anesthesiologist – all professionals in the medical field – begin to turn up dead. Murders made to appear as something else – a suicide, an accident, a drowning. When psych nurse Jillian Coates is told her younger sister’s death is a suicide, Jillian begins to seek some answers. Her stubborn effort to find those answers leads her to an unlikely man – Dr. Nick Garrity, a trauma surgeon suffering from PTSD after serving time in Afghanistan. Together they begin to piece together the mystery of the disappearance of Nick’s friend Umberto Vasquez and how it relates to the death of Jillian’s sister. What they find is a cold blooded killer with pale blue eyes, and a conspiracy which reaches to the very top of the United States government.

Michael Palmer’s latest suspense-thriller has all the elements which make it a page turner – intrigue, an evil serial murderer, a growing love between the two main characters who find themselves in constant peril, and a mystery which must be unraveled to save their very lives.

If I have any complaints with the book it would be a plot which seemed somewhat improbable at times (and somewhat predictable), and an evil character who seemed just a little too evil to believe. Despite these criticisms of The Last Surgeon, I did find myself racing through the pages. Fast-paced and creepy, the novel embodies what readers generally look for in this genre – sweaty palms, a little bit of romance (to unite the main characters), and the requisite gruesome murders. Palmer does not shy away from gory descriptions…and since his killer is a sexual sadist, Palmer doesn’t spare the reader when it comes to revealing a graphic, twisted sex scene. This novel is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Readers looking for an edge of your seat thriller will find it in The Last Surgeon. As the book ramps up toward the end, most readers will want to continue to its conclusion, even if it means burning the midnight oil as I did.

Readers who enjoy genre fiction – specifically suspense-thrillers which delve into the medical and political – will most likely enjoy The Last Surgeon. Recommended for readers who like their reading gritty and fast-paced.

Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay

Pages: 415 pages
First Published: Mar. 2, 2010
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

“I’m scared,” Ethan said.

Reason for Reading: I always read Barclay’s newest novels.

Summary: Jan and David Harwood are going to spend their day with 4-year old Ethan at the new Five Mountains theme park. After a few typical miss-starts when you plan anything involving the kids they finally all get inside and David gets in line to buy ice cream cones. As he heads back Jan is running toward him, Ethan is gone, the stroller is gone, she was just tying her shoelace and then it was gone. Panic set in. David sends Jan to the gates to watch everyone leaving while he takes off running down the path. With joyous relief he finds the stroller with little Ethan asleep, no worse for wear, but is that man running away from the stroller? Just happy to have Ethan back, they go to find Jan at the main gate but she’s nowhere to
found. Hours go by until David realizes she is missing and the police are called in. How can Jan be missing? It’s almost unbelievable until the police questioning starts to take a turn that makes David feel like he’s being interrogated, then it all becomes too real.

Comments: Another great suspenseful thriller from Linwood Barclay! David is a very compelling protagonist and the reader becomes just as frustrated as he is when the police start focusing on him as their suspect. The book is full of reveals which tell us just a little bit more of what is going on until the ending where the last final secret puts everything into place. I have to admit I pretty much had this one all figured out very early on in the book but Barclay’s such a great writer I stayed along for ride. Funny enough roller coasters are a bit of a recurring theme in the story and that is what you are certainly in for with all the various twists and turns in plot, a roller coaster of a read. Ultimately, not my favourite by Barclay but still a strong thriller and a fast-paced plot that makes for a fast-paced read. I had it read in two evenings but if you have the day off it would make a great book to devote to an all-day reading day! Barclay’s books are all stand-alones so jump in with this one (or any other!) to get your feet wet and you’ll end up loving reading Canada’s best thriller author.

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

A Ruth Galloway Mystery #2

Pages: 335 pages
First Published: Mar. 2, 2010 CAN (Aug 10, 2010 USA)
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

A light breeze runs through the long grass at the top of the hill.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Summary: A Victorian home is being pulled down to make way for a luxury apartment building but is stopped due to the finding of Roman remains. As archaeologists work they find a headless skeleton of a child under the doorstep of the home and forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway is called in for her expertise by DCI Harry Nelson. The house was last used as a Catholic children’s home and that sends the investigation in a direction that will not easily bring answers. At the same time someone is literally trying to scare Ruth to death and when that doesn’t work perhaps they’ll have to get up close and personal to finish off the job.

Comments: I love this series! This book is even better the first, The Crossing Places. This was a fast, page-turner that I read very quickly; I just couldn’t put it down. Not only are there several possible suspects there are a few possible choices for the identity of the victim! I only just managed to stay a few pages ahead of each reveal but the final solution is one that you could not possibly see coming from the beginning.

Both Ruth and Harry are back the same as we remembered them from book one, only Ruth is less self-conscious but still her same outspoken, hard-headed, overweight, unfashionable self. For me personally, she is a character I could like ( I want to like) only I have great issues with her moral conduct and Harry’s as well, though both of their personal lives take new directions and this is being addressed. I am eager to see where they are each headed personally in the next book. Since the personal life is integral in these books I do recommend reading them in order.

I also was quite taken with the Catholic part of the story. Of course, starting with the investigation into a children’s home the usual preconceived prejudices are rampant and several characters are anti-Catholic. But once a retired Sister and Father are introduced as characters the journey of these characters and the Catholic part of the plot which leads to the eventual reconciliation of one of the characters is very satisfying.

Elly Griffiths, pseudonym of Domenica de Rosa, has created a wonderful mystery that is going to appeal to a lot of people. There is plenty of action and forensic detail for thriller fans and yet no gory bits for more cozy mystery fans. The plot has many layers, is quite intricate as it twists and turns upon itself and is a ton of fun to read. I’m glad to have started this series at the beginning and can’t wait for the next Ruth Galloway Mystery!

Burn by Ted Dekker & Erin Healy

Pages: 368 +reader’s guide material
First Published: Jan. 12, 2010
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Salazar Sanso raised his binoculars and looked out over the edge of the steep drop into the rosy New Mexican desert.

Reason for Reading: I’ve become a fan of Dekker’s new mainstream thrillers and wanted to try one of his books from a Christian publisher.

Summary: Janeal lives in a Gypsy community but is not altogether accepted. Her father is the leader but she is half white. She has always felt the need to leave, do her own thing and knew that one day she would. Then Salazar Sanso, a powerful and dangerous man, comes to her with a way to help her father get out of a terrible life/death “business” deal and offers her a life of everything she’s dreamed. Janeal has her own life and death choices and consequences to deal with, that leave few of her Gypsy community alive.

Comments: My summery is quite brief, I think the publisher’s jacket summary gives away too much information and I hate knowing something that happens halfway through the book so I’ve tried to keep the mystery remaining in my own summary.

I loved this book! It was a fantastic read. The plotting of the book was superb. Part One takes place when the characters are teenagers and is itself a complete story. Then Part Two picks up fifteen years later and slowly reveals who is left and what is happening now. Then at a certain point we are hit with an absolutely shocking and surreal twist. From that point on it is a fast paced roller coaster ride to the end.

The characters are great. Janeal, the main character, is the one the reader most feels for, though she isn’t necessarily someone you will like. She is shown from both sides of her personality, the teenager she used to be and the adult she has become. The book is very well written and while the Parts are quite distinct from each other and the pace goes from slow to fast, it never drags, and it always holds together seamlessly. The shocker was cleverly placed and became a “Holy Wow!” moment for the book, totally shaking things up and moving the book to another level. I really, really enjoyed the plot, the suspense and the thrill of this book.

To speak of the Christian Fiction aspect of this book, I think it’s a long shot to be labeled with that genre. The book is clean (ie. no swearing, so s*x). There is one Christian character who is quietly so and could be found in any mainstream book. The real CF part of this book comes, if one looks at it that way, from the theme, which does have a character announcing Biblical prophecy to set it up. I don’t want to give anything away so this is a bit difficult to go into. However, I did not buy the Christian theme, it did not correspond with my beliefs, it may with yours, but I felt it could just as easily be interpreted as a supernatural (a la Stephen King) theme.

This all leads to say that it doesn’t matter, didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book and don’t be afraid to pick up the book because it’s by a Christian publisher. Christians and non alike who enjoy a good suspense story with a bit of the unexplained thrown in for good measure are sure to enjoy. I surely did!

Twisted by Andrea Kane
Sloane Burbank, book 1

Pages: 376 pgs.
First Published: Mar. 2008
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

She was a true warrior.

Reason for Reading: Honestly, the cover put me off this for some reason. So it has taken me a while to get around to reading it.

Summary: Sloane Burbank is a former FBI agent who was injured in the line of duty and instead of taking a desk job decided to leave the Bureau until her therapy made her fit for active duty once more. In the meantime she is working as a private consultant for corporations and the police. She is contacted by the family of a childhood friend as a last resort that their daughter has been missing for close to a year and hired to look into the case for them. This one missing person case takes her into a series of related missing women cases, all having even the remotest link to herself, leading officials to believe Sloane is the ultimate target. At the same time the FBI agent in charge is involved in a case of a series of brutal prostitute murders down in Chinatown which may somehow be related to the missing women.

Comment: Wow! This was a stunner! I wish I hadn’t waited so long to read this as I would have read the sequel by now too. Two things initially put me off, the cover and the description on the back as a “romantic thriller”. I’m not a romance reader and the word had me thinking this might be a bit of fluff, but boy was I wrong!

A very creepy, unusual serial killer is the focus of this book which shifts focus occasionally to the criminal’s first hand point of view and then back to the third person narrative of the main plot. This person is very freaky and the whole story of motive that the author has created is very unique and fantastic. I quickly had my eye on a suspect and played into the author’s hands all along as I followed her red herrings and was joyfully surprised how wrong I was at the reveal.

Usually, in these thrillers with male/female partners we have s*xual tension or a relationship going on, but the ‘romance’ writer in the author comes out in this area of the book and there is quite a bit of descriptive s*x in the book that I would rather have done without. Some people would consider it quite graphic, though in the whole realm of what I’ve read I’d say it gets very close without quite getting to full fledged graphic. For this reason I can’t give the book a full rating. I’ve read a lot of thrillers and this type of ‘romance=sex’ doesn’t sit right with me. Save it for the paranormal romances, I say.

Otherwise, Ms Kane has crafted a taut, unique and very satisfying page turner of a thriller. I will be reading the sequel soon.

The Levee by Malcolm Shuman

Pages: 211
First Published: Nov. 2008
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

When I was fifteen we used to drive down to the levee to camp.

Reason for Reading: The publisher’s plot synopsis grabbed me right away and being a mystery fan I just had to read this one.

Summary: Colin, now in his sixties, is haunted by dreams of a past event that happened when he was 15 and he can’t remember which of his dreams/memories are really accurate or just from a vivid imagination. He has become the author of True Crime books and just finished a particularly harrowing one where the murderer invited him to interview him on condition he watch his execution. This sends Colin back to his hometown of Baton Rouge to unravel the truth about the night that the Spanish teacher was killed in the cemetery while they were camping near by and Colin and the other boys each knew a little more than they ever told the police, or each other.

Comments: This rather unimposing book, just over 200 pages with a fairly dull cover is hiding a terrific mystery within its pages. Likened on the back to Stephen King’s The Body (Stand By Me) it does capture the same nostalgia of a man looking back at a pivotal moment from his 1950s childhood, a day that changed the boys’ lives forever and the day the innocence of a child left them all.

The book wanders back and forth, often within the same chapter, from the adult Colin’s quest and seeking into his past as he finds only one friend left still living in the hometown to young Collin’s re-telling of the days surrounding the murder. The whole book is told in the first person, there are little breaks between time shifts and I found it flowed nicely. The majority of the book is spent in the past with little forays into Colin’s present until the story nears the end and the final reveal is given.

The quality of the mystery is superb. I didn’t find myself trying to guess the culprit as everyone in the book was doing that, seemingly leaving no person beyond suspicion. When the reveal comes, it is totally out of the blue and unexpected but I wasn’t shocked. It fit so naturally. It was an “Ahaaa” moment. Shuman pulls this off very cleverly and there is nothing I love more than a clever mystery writer. The back of my book tells my Mr. Shuman has written 14 mysteries to date, but a quick look at amazon shows that they mostly seem to be out-of-print. I must track down another of his books through the library system to see if his other work is as clever as this one.

BoneMan’s Daughters by Ted Dekker

Pages: 401 pgs.
First Published: Apr. 14, 2009
Genre: thriller, christian fiction?
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

The day that Ryan Evans’ world forever changed began as any other day he’d spent in the hot desert might have done.

Reason for Reading: The publisher’s description of this serial killer thriller was right up my alley.

Summary: The BoneMan kidnapped and brutally murdered six girl’s by breaking every single bone in their body. He was arrested and sent to prison but there was always a feeling by some that the wrong man had been convicted. Two years later on a technicality the prisoner is released and at the same time Ryan Evans, Intelligence Officer, returns home from a gruelling POW capture in the desert. The murder’s start again and when Ryan’s own estranged daughter is kidnapped the FBI start seeing all evidence pointing towards Ryan himself but Ryan has received a message from the real BoneMan and Ryan must do what he says to save his daughter’s life.

Comments: All I can say is wow, wow, WOW! An amazing serial killer thriller. I loved it! A page-turner with gruesome details that never quite goes over into goriness used by some other authors. The back of the book tells me this is Ted Dekker’s 23rd book and I ask myself “Why am I only reading him now?” In fact, I’d never heard of him before this book came out. I feel like I’ve just discovered a treasure chest, if Dekker’s other work is anywhere near as engrossing as this one is I’ve got a lot of reading ahead of me!

The story is fast-paced and never lets up, some of the scenes are a little beyond believability but I chalked it up to an Intelligence Officer being overly intelligent and perhaps overly lucky. There’s no sense picking apart a thriller like this when you are on a wild ride of tension. Ryan’s character is fully fleshed out and we come to understand and feel for him. The secondary characters are less realized though they do not play emotionally integral parts to the plot. The bad guy is bad, pure evil, and this is one thing I particularly like in thrillers. There are no grey areas as to who is evil. The fight of good vs evil is very clear, as in a Dean Koontz novel.

And mentioning Dean Koontz, I’d like to comment on the Christian Fiction aspect of this novel. Never having read anything else by Dekker I can’t comment on him yet, as an author, but on this book alone, if that tag bothers you, don’t let it. Likening this book to Christian Fiction would be the same as likening Dean Koontz to Catholic Fiction. (Koontz is Catholic and his books contain many Catholic themes, if you know to look for them) There is a Biblical theme behind the killer’s motive (very common in thrillers) and the main character believes in God, thus there are some Christian elements/quotes in the story. Of course, I am a Christian and none of this stood out to me but I had no idea I was reading Christian Fiction until I looked up the amazon link and saw all the CF tags and checked out his other books and found that he was a popular CF author!

A fabulous book, thriller readers should not miss out on this one, and you can be sure you will be seeing more Ted Dekker reviews from me in the future.

The Private Patient by P.D. James
Adam Dalgliesh Mystery, Book 14

Pages: 395 pgs.
First Published: Nov. 18, 2008,
Genre: mystery, British police procedural
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

On November the 21st, the day of her forty-seventh birthday, and three weeks and two days before she was murdered, Rhoda Gradwyn went to Harley Street to keep a first appointment with her plastic surgeon, and there in a consulting room designed, so it appeared, to inspire confidence and allay apprehension, made the decision which would lead inexorably to her death.

Reason for Reading: I’m a fan of P.D. James.

Summary: Rhoda Gradwyn goes to an exclusive manor, which houses a plastic surgery and recuperation facility, out in the English countryside to have a large scar on her face removed, one she has had since childhood. The morning after the operation she is found strangled to death in her bed. Being only one of two patients, a nurse, an assistant doctor, a small household staff, and a couple of on property live-ins the suspect list is limited. Adam Dalgliesh is called along with his partner Kate to solve the death of this famous investigative journalist.

Comments: It has been a while since I’ve settled down with Adam Dalgliesh and what a delight it was! James continues to write the quintessential British mystery, taking place in a house full of people where one them must be the murderer, and she both keeps the old-fashioned air to it while at the same time keeping it modern. There are many times when one really has no awareness of the time period, old stone cottages, an old manor way out in the country, bicycling instead of using the car, with nothing intrinsically modern standing out and yet we know the time is the present as people simply answer their cell phones, go to print something off the computer, speak of DNA, etc.

James takes time to build her story, the first 100 pages or so are about the murder victim’s life leading up to her murder. Adam Dalgliesh is a thinking man. He and his officer’s ask questions, take statements and at the end of the day get together and piece together what they’ve got so far over coffee or wine. You won’t find the hero running through the woods trying to capture the killer in this book. No, you’ll find yourself baffled with the explanations, trying to figure out ‘whodunit’. Then a second murder happens and suddenly all your theories are thrown out the window but AD doesn’t seem fazed. He picks up the pieces and starts putting them back together.

A very enjoyable mystery. I was shocked in the middle but by the time the reveal came at the end I’d figured it out too, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment. I really enjoy reading gruesome serial killer mysteries but sometimes there is nothing like sitting down with a master mystery writer such as P.D. James and experiencing not just a brilliantly crafted mystery but an intelligent one as well, written with James’ wonderful command of the English language. I found myself reading sentences twice just because I like the way they are written. A very good book, but not for those who expect a quick, wild plot. The Private Patient is more for those who like to figure out an intriguing puzzle while getting to know an assortment of eccentric characters.

The Taken by Inger Ash Wolfe
Hazel Micallef Mystery (Book 2)

Pages: 415pgs.
First Published: Oct. 27, 2009 (Canada), Jul. 15, 2010 (US)
Genre: mystery, crime
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

What always broke his heart was the way they dressed themselves.

Reason for Reading: Next in series.

Summary: Reports of a body found at the edge of a nearby lake have Detective Inspector Micallef and her sidekick DC Wingate investigating. What appears to be an apparent drowning is by no means a mere murder but only the beginning of a twisted game being played out by a psycho. The drowning seems familiar and is found detail for detail in the last issue of the local paper’s summer serial story. When the next installment is printed the police begin a frantic investigation to save the life of a kidnap victim before he is killed or not enough of him is left to be rescued.

Comments: This second book by Wolfe was even better than the first. A very unique murder mystery case unlike any I’ve read before kept me riveted to the book. The gruesome factor is enough to make the squeamish squirm and keep the interest of hardened thriller readers as myself. A well-paced story with a mystery that kept me guessing to the end and I really enjoyed the read. The book also focuses on Hazel’s personal life and progresses her character forward to a more likeable one than in The Calling, yet I still just do not find her someone I particularly like. I think there are also moments within the story when one must suspend reality a tad. I suppose that is inevitable with most crime thrillers, to a point, but this just stands out for me with a 62 year old woman taking on so much action. Ultimately, though, the plot is unique, the case is quirky and The Taken is a compelling read. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what case Hazel must solve in her next book.

The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe
Hazel Micallef Mystery, book 1

Pages: 419 pgs.
First Published: Mar. 4, 2008
Genre: crime, thriller
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

He was precisely on time.

Reason for Reading: My sister brought the book to my attention and I saw that Mo Hayder had put a blurb on it so I definitely was intrigued by this new author.
Summary: Inspector Hazel Micallef is the acting chief of police at a small Ontario town. At 61 years of age daily life for Hazel and this police force involves drunks, trespassing, speeding and maybe the occasional domestic dispute. That is until an elderly town citizen dying of cancer is brutally murdered and drained of all her blood. Investigating the murder Hazel and her force stumble upon a similar case in a small town not so far away and believe they have stumbled upon the trail of a serial killer who has been working his way across Canada. Can they find him before he reaches the Atlantic?

Comments: A fabulous new crime writer for me to follow! Inger Ash Wolfe is actually a pseudonym for Russell Smith, an already published Canadian author. While Smith’s own books don’t hold any appeal for me to read, The Calling is a fantastic addition to the serial killer genre. Very well-written with a creepiness that just oozes from it’s pages. The gruesome factor nowhere matches Mo Hayder but it has enough, written with style to satisfy fans looking for hard edge mysteries. It was mostly the plot and the mystery that kept this book alive for me though as I couldn’t quite find myself comfortable with the main characters. Hazel is the central figure with a few of her police officers taking secondary character roles. Nobody was particularly likable to me; they all just rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps this may be unique to this particular reader. Yet I find it hard to 100% enjoy a book when I don’t like any of the main characters. There was one guy who I started to like by the end of the book but it is left up in the air as to whether he will be returning. I guess I’ll find out in The Taken. I’ll certainly be continuing with this series. The plot and the crime are so very unique that I’m eager to find what else Wolfe will come up with and I’m hoping that with another book I’ll find a regular character that grows on me. A definite not-to-be-missed book for serial killer crime fans.

To-Do List:

1. Take Laurie to her one-month wellness appointment.
2. Visit Galigani in the hospital, find out what happened to him.
3. Find George.
4. Interview Kiku (bring own water!).
5. Call Winter Henderson re: hippie chick alibi.
6. Read the parenting book from library.
7. Find the parenting book from library.
8. Oh yeah, diet, exercise, clean car, be good mom/wife, cook clean, and all that jazz. - from Bundle of Trouble, page 124 -

Kate Connolly is on leave from her job because she has just given birth to her baby daughter, Laurie. But her maternity leave quickly becomes complicated following a call from the San Francisco medical examiner’s office investigating a dead body found floating in the Bay. When Kate discovers the dead man is the husband of a high school friend, and then that friend turns up dead, she becomes immersed in the case. Kate does not let the lack of formal training as a private investigator deter her…and with baby in hand, she pieces together the clues to solve the case…and remove her own husband from the suspect list.

Bundle of Trouble is Diana Orgain’s first mystery novel…which I would classify as “cozy.” Lighthearted and a bit predictable, the story makes for a quick read. It veers down a different path from most books in this genre because of its protagonist Kate…whose first role is as new mother, and who gives a new meaning to multi-tasking.

Orgain writes firmly in Kate’s point of view, my only quibble was her use of questions as internal dialogue which wore on me after awhile. Although Orgain’s protagonist is certainly likable, I had a hard time relating to Kate having no children of my own – not a fault of the author, but something to consider in terms of the target audience for this book. Bundle of Trouble was a bit cutesy for me – but in fairness to the author, it is not supposed to be deep literary fiction, and I will admit to not always loving books from this genre.

Despite these minor flaws, Orgain has created an entertaining and comical debut novel which cozy-mystery lovers will enjoy. Penguin will be publishing more of Orgain’s Kate Connolly mysteries…in fact, the next book in the series (Motherhood Is Murder) will be available in the Spring of 2010.  The Maternal Instincts Mystery Series juxtaposes child development with Kate Connolly’s development as a P.I.  Bundle of Trouble represents the first six weeks of baby development; Book Two represents month two, etc… Read more at the author’s website.