Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Coming Back / Review

Author: Marcia Muller
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
(October 28, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0446581062

Book Description:
In Locked In, San Francisco private eye Sharon McCone was shot in the head and suffered from locked-in syndrome: almost total paralysis but with an alert, conscious mind. Now, as Sharon struggles to regain control over her body, she wants everything to go back to normal, but realizes that it may not be possible to return to her old life. Meanwhile, Sharon's relationships are suffering. Her husband is impatient with her refusal to accept help and some of her colleagues doubt her abilities after the accident. But when Sharon's friend from physical therapy goes missing, she must call upon those closest to her to find out the truth behind the disappearance. The investigation soon points to issues of national security and proves to be the most dangerous and critical case yet for Sharon and her colleagues.

My Review:
The first book I read by Marcia Muller was Locked In, in which the heroine,
Sharon McCone was shot in the head and lay dying in the locked in syndrome. In her new book, Coming Back, Sharon battles to regain her old self. While there are challenges with family and friends, there is also a murder that must be resolved. Can Sharon return to her former life? Can she help in some way to solve her friend's murder? These are the questions that we encounter in this intriguing story. If you liked Locked In, you must read this sequel.

(Thank you to Hachette Book Group for my review copy.)

The Trials of Zion / Review

Author: Alan M. Dershowitz
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
(October 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0446576735

Book Description:

A shocking act of terror brings the Middle East to the point of explosion. As the resulting political conflict threatens to erupt, a young Jewish-American lawyer joins the defense team of an arrested but possibly innocent Palestinian. Soon the lawyer's father, a famed criminal attorney, must win the Palestinian's case or risk losing his daughter forever. To do so, he must take into account the tormented history of the Holy Land from every possible angle.

THE TRIALS OF ZION combines the tension of the greatest courtroom dramas with the action of a fast-moving thriller, all set against the colorful backdrop of one of the most complex cultural settings in the world. Filled with memorable characters, this novel offers readers not only compelling suspense, but a panoramic view of the history of a beloved and bitterly contested land, and a sharply controversial perspective on the sources of--and the possible solutions to--the world's longest and most crucial international crisis.

My Review:

The Trials of Zion is a superb, well-told, fast moving thriller that is thoroughly entertaining. The reader will get a look into the history of the Middle East while enjoying a first rate tale of intrigue. A page-turner.

(Thank you to Hachette Book Group for my review copy.)

Monday, December 20, 2010

Don't Blink / Review

Author: James Patterson
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
(September 27, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0316036234

Book Description:

The good...
New York's Lombardo's Steak House is famous for three reasons--the menu, the clientele, and now, the gruesome murder of an infamous mob lawyer. Effortlessly, the assassin slips through the police's fingers, and his absence sparks a blaze of accusations about who ordered the hit.

The bad...
Seated at a nearby table, reporter Nick Daniels is conducting a once-in-a-lifetime interview with a legendary baseball bad-boy. In the chaos, he accidentally captures a key piece of evidence that lands him in the middle of an all-out war between Italian and Russian mafia forces. NYPD captains, district attorneys, mayoral candidates, media kingpins, and one shockingly beautiful magazine editor are all pushing their own agendas--on both sides of the law.

And the dead...
Back off--or die--is the clear message Nick receives as he investigates for a story of his own.Heedless, and perhaps in love with his beautiful editor, Nick endures humiliation, threats, violence, and worse in a thriller that overturns every expectation and finishes with the kind of flourish only James Patterson knows.

My Review:
Don't Blink may not be Patterson's best, but it is a good, fun read. For readers who follow author Patterson, it is one that you will not want to miss. I for one, enjoy collecting his books...some being great and others not so. This one fits somewhere in the middle, in my opinion. 3 stars***

(Thank you to Hachette Book Group for my review copy.)