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.)

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.)

Life by Keith Richards

Author: Keith Richards

Hardcover: 576 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

(October 26, 2010)
ISBN-10: 031603438X

Book Description:

The long-awaited autobiography of the guitarist, songwriter, singer, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Ladies and gentlemen: Keith Richards.With The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the songs that roused the world, and he lived the original rock and roll life.Now, at last, the man himself tells his story of life in the crossfire hurricane. Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records, learning guitar and forming a band with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones. The Rolling Stone's first fame and the notorious drug busts that led to his enduring image as an outlaw folk hero. Creating immortal riffs like the ones in "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Honky Tonk Women." His relationship with Anita Pallenberg and the death of Brian Jones. Tax exile in France, wildfire tours of the U.S., isolation and addiction. Falling in love with Patti Hansen. Estrangement from Jagger and subsequent reconciliation. Marriage, family, solo albums and Xpensive Winos, and the road that goes on forever.

With his trademark disarming honesty, Keith Richard brings us the story of a life we have all longed to know more of, unfettered, fearless, and true.

My Review:

Keith Richards, legendary guitarist for the Rolling Stones has finally come out with his life story. As "the rocker most like to die" we get a sense of just how intense he life story is. From heroine addict to family man, the details are all here. The book is well-written, exciting, fascinating! A great read for Rolling Stone fans.

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

Cross Fire / Review

Author: James Patterson

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

(November 15, 2010)
ISBN-10: 031603617X

Book Description:

Wedding bells ring...Detective Alex Cross and Bree's wedding plans are put on hold when Alex is called to the scene of the perfectly executed assassination of two of Washington D.C.'s most corrupt: a dirty congressmen and an underhanded lobbyist. Next, the elusive gunman begins picking off other crooked politicians, sparking a blaze of theories--is the marksman a hero or a vigilante?

A murderer returns....The case explodes, and the FBI assigns agent Max Siegel to the investigation. As Alex and Siegel battle over jurisdiction, the murders continue. It becomes clear that they are the work of a professional who has detailed knowledge of his victims' movements--information that only a Washington insider could possess.

Caught in a lethal cross fire.... As Alex contends with the sniper, Siegel, and the wedding, he receives a call from his deadliest adversary, Kyle Craig. The Mastermind is in D.C. and will not relent until he has eliminated Cross and his family for good.

With a supercharged blend of action, deception, and suspense, Cross Fire is James Patterson's most visceral and exciting Alex Cross novel ever.

My Review:

I enjoyed every page of this heart-stopping, suspense novel by James Patterson. It is vicious, wicked, depraved, and at times even tender.

As Alex Cross attempts to protect himself and his family from his old nemesis, Kyle Craig, murders of Washington's elite are taking place. Detective Cross has a BIG SURPRISE awaiting him... right under his nose, so to speak. How will he get out of this one? His death seems inevitable; it's bound to happen this time.

I believe Cross Fire is Patterson's best Alex Cross work so far. The tale has depth, characters are well-developed, and the suspense is riveting. I was hooked from the first page!

5 stars*****

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

The Postcard Killers / Review

Author: James Patterson
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (August 16, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0316089516

My Review:
Detective Jacob Kanon is in Europe for one purpose...to find the killer of his beloved daughter, Kimmy. Her death is eating him alive; he must find the evil people who are slashing the throats of young couples who are enjoying vacation time in Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Stockholm.

Postcards are being sent to the local newspapers preceding each new death. Kanon meets Swedish reporter, Dessie Larsson, who has just received a postcard in Stockholm, and teams up with her, not knowing that he and Dessie will become attracted to each other.

As Jacob and Dessie start putting clues together and relentlessly pursuing the killers, I was completely drawn in by Patterson's vivid writing. This novel kept me interested from start to finish; it was never boring. It also had some very sexy moments, I might add!!

Definitely 5 stars*****

(Thanks go to Hachette Book Group for my review copy.)

Deliver Us From Evil / Review

Author: David Baldacci
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing;
1ST edition (April 20, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0446564087

Book Description:
Evan Waller is a monster. He has built a fortune from his willingness to buy and sell anything . . . and anyone. In search of new opportunities, Waller has just begun a new business venture: one that could lead to millions of deaths all over the globe.

On Waller's trail is Shaw, the mysterious operative from The Whole Truth, who must prevent Waller from closing his latest deal. Shaw's one chance to bring him down will come in the most unlikely of places: a serene, bucolic village in Provence. But Waller's depravity and ruthlessness go deeper than Shaw knows. And now, there is someone else pursuing Waller in Provence-Reggie Campion, an agent for a secret vigilante group headquartered in a musty old English estate-and she has an agenda of her own.

Hunting the same man and unaware of each other's mission, Shaw and Reggie will be caught in a deadly duel of nerve and wits.

My Review:
Baldacci's Deliver Us From Evil is well written and fast paced. It was exciting from start to finish. Characters are well developed and the story is rich with suspense; although violent at times. A battle of wits. 4 stars****

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

False Convictions / Review

Author: Tim Green
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing;
1 edition (February 10, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0446401528

Book Description:

Casey is counting on an open-and-shut case, a sure success for her first effort with the Freedom Project, the renowned charity group dedicated to helping exonerate wrongfully convicted prisoners. Not only is the Freedom Project giving Casey the chance to help innocent people, but its founder, Robert Graham, is offering Casey a one-million-dollar annual pledge to her legal clinic for taking on just two jobs a year.

Her first assignment is to revive the case of Dwayne Hubbard, an indigent black man serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of a college student seventeen years ago. Using DNA evidence, Casey expects to easily prove Hubbard's innocence. Yet when she arrives in rural Auburn, New York, she meets immediate and aggressive resistance.

Tormented by death threats and assassination attempts, Casey investigates a prosecution apparently rife with lies. From the judge, the lawyers, the jury, to the police, she traces a web of corruption surrounding the destruction of one young man. But in all the chaos, Casey's hardest challenge may be just staying alive.

My Review:

The storyline was excellent. The writing is as easy to read as ever. Green spins another wonderful thriller that will keep the reader on the edge throughout the entire book.

(Thanks to Hachette Book Group for my review copy.)

The 8th Confession / Review

Author: James Patterson

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing;
ISBN-10: 0446561347

Book Description:

Someone is killing the richest people in the city - and the Women's Murder Club will pay a high price for hunting him. At the party of the year, San Francisco's most glamorous couple is targeted by a killer - and it's the perfect murder.

While Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates the high-profile killings, a saintly street preacher is brutally executed. Reporter Cindy Thomas inquires into this neglected case and discovers the victim may have had very dark secrets. As the search for two criminals tests the limits of the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly between Cindy and Lindsay's partner, Detective Rich Conklin. The Club now faces its toughest challenge: Will love destroy all that the four friends have built?

My Review:

The eighth installment of the "Women's Murder Club" series is another example of James Patterson's prolific writing ability. It is a quick read with some exciting moments. Rarely is a Patterson novel a disappointment. 4 stars****

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

Forbidden Passion / Review

Author: Rita Herron

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Forever; 1 edition (April 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0446199494

Book Description:

Fueled by her family's murder years ago, Dr. Marlena Bender has devoted her life to understanding violent criminals. But when a serial killer in this small Southern town starts taking the lives of women in diabolical ways--leaving trophies of his kills on Marlena's doorstep--it all hits too close to home. Terrified, Marlena turns to the only man she can trust...the man who saved her life.

BUT HIS SECRET IS HER WORST NIGHTMARE....

Sheriff Dante Valtrez would move heaven and earth to keep Marlena safe, but he's not the savior she thinks he is. A dark legacy runs through his blood and a dangerous secret lies within him. Now a fierce, hot, ruthless desire draws Dante and Marlena together--as a demonic force from his past threatens to rip them apart, destroying everything they hold dear.

My Review:

Herron provides the reader with romantic chemistry, intrigue, and surprise. This book has the non-stop action readers look for.

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

Private / Review

Author: James Patterson

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company;

1 edition (June 28, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0316096156

Book Description:

Former CIA agent Jack Morgan runs Private, a renowned investigation company with branches around the globe. It is where you go when you need maximum force and maximum discretion. The secrets of the most influential men and women on the planet come to Jack daily--and his staff of investigators uses the world's most advanced forensic tools to make and break their cases.

Jack is already deep into the investigation of a multi-million dollar NFL gambling scandal and the unsolved slayings of 18 schoolgirls when he learns of a horrific murder close to home: his best friend's wife, Jack's former lover, has been killed. It nearly pushes him over the edge. Instead, Jack pushes back and devotes all of Private's resources to tracking down her killer.

Jack doesn't have to play by the rules. As he closes in on the killer and chooses between revenge and justice, Morgan has to navigate a workplace love affair that threatens to blow the roof off his plans. With a plot that moves at death-defying speeds, Private is James Patterson's sleekest, most exciting thriller ever.

My Review:

I have reviewed many James Patterson novels, but I would place this one among his best. If you love a good mystery, this is certain to please. 5 stars*****

(Thanks to Hachette Book Group for my review copy.)

Cemetery Dance / Review

Authors: Preston & Child

Mass Market Paperback: 592 pages
Publisher: Vision; Reprint edition (April 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446618691

Book Description:

Pendergast-the world's most enigmatic FBI Special Agent-returns to New York City to investigate a murderous cult.

William Smithback, a New York Times reporter, and his wife Nora Kelly, a Museum of Natural History archaeologist, are brutally attacked in their apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Eyewitnesses claim, and the security camera confirms, that the assailant was their strange, sinister neighbor-a man who, by all reports, was already dead and buried weeks earlier. While Captain Laura Hayward leads the official investigation, Pendergast and Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta undertake their own private-and decidedly unorthodox-quest for the truth. Their serpentine journey takes them to an enclave of Manhattan they never imagined could exist: a secretive, reclusive cult of Obeah and vodou which no outsiders have ever survived.

My Review:

I couldn't stop reading; couldn't put this book down once I started to read! This one is a real thriller!

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

Built of Books: How Reading Defined The Life of Oscar Wilde / Review

Author: Thomas Wright
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; 1 edition (April 27, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805092463


Book Description:

This intimate account of Oscar Wilde's life and writings is richer, livelier, and more personal than any book available about the brilliant writer, revealing a man who built himself out of books. His library was his reality, the source of so much that was vital to his life. A reader first, his readerly encounters, out of all of life's pursuits, are seen to be as significant as his most important relationships with friends, family, or lovers. Wilde's library, which Thomas Wright spent twenty years reading, provides the intellectual (and emotional) climate at the core of this deeply engaging portrait.
One of the book's happiest surprises is the story of the author's adventure reading Wilde's library. Reminiscent of Jorge Luis Borges's fictional hero who enters Cervantes's mind by saturating himself in the culture of sixteenth-century Spain, Wright employs Wilde as his own Virgilian guide to world literature. We come to understand how reading can be an extremely sensual experience, producing a physical as well as a spiritual delight.


My Review:
An excellent overview of the life of Oscar Wilde. 5 stars*****


(Thank you to Henry Holt and Company for my review copy!)

Hanging By The Thread

Author: Donald B. Anderson

Paperback: 382 pages
Publisher: Granite Publishing & Distribution (May 7, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 159936056X

Book Description:

For ten years, a secret society has risen to power. They have infiltrated every facet of the federal government. They are powerful. They have extraordinary access to public funds. They have incredible technologies. And freedom is their nemesis.They have sought to destroy economic freedom, amass power to the federal government, and create mass dependency. They call themselves THE THREAD. And now, they are poised to destroy the Constitution and rise to power.But, on the eve of their burst into power, a copy of their plan falls into the hands of a young man in the Utah State Capitol building. A small group forms and comes to understand the plan of The Thread. And now, the race is on. Time is short and the group must struggle to preserve their lives, their nation, and freedom itself.It also contains a fantastic lecture series that powerfully conveys the principles of freedom. Hanging By The Thread is a freedom thriller that educates.

(Thanks to the author for my review copy.)

Boneman's Daughters / Review

Author: Ted Dekker

Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Center Street; 1 Reprint edition (March 3, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446547204

Book Description:

They call him BoneMan, a serial killer who's abducted six young women. He's the perfect father looking for the perfect daughter, and when his victims fail to meet his lofty expectations, he kills them by breaking their bones and leaving them to die. Intelligence officer Ryan Evans, on the other hand, has lost all hope of ever being the perfect father. His daughter and wife have written him out of their lives.Everything changes when BoneMan takes Ryan's estranged daughter, Bethany, as his seventh victim. Ryan goes after BoneMan on his own.But the FBI sees it differently. New evidence points to the suspicion that Ryan is BoneMan. Now the hunter is the hunted, and in the end, only one father will stand.

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

The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story 1958-2009

Author: J. Randy Taraborrelli

Hardcover: 768 pages
Publisher: Hachette Book Group;

Updated edition (August 5, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446564745

Book Description:

So much has how been said and written about the life and career of Michael Jackson that it has become almost impossible to disentangle the man from the myth. This book is the fruit of over 30 years of research and hundreds of exclusive interviews with a remarkable level of access to the very closest circles of the Jackson family - including Michael himself. Cutting through tabloid rumours, J. Randy Taraborrelli traces the real story behind Michael Jackson, from his drilling as a child star through the blooming of his talent to his ever-changing personal appearance and bizarre publicity stunts. This major biography includes the behind-the-scenes story to many of the landmarks in Jackson's life: his legal and commercial battles, his marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, his passions and addictions, his children. Objective and revealing, it carries the hallmarks of all of Taraborrelli's best-sellers: impeccable research, brilliant storytelling and definitive documentation.

My Review:

This massive book contains the life and times of the legendary Michael Jackson from 1958 through 2009. It documents his life in such intimate ways, the reader will be captivated.

Another solid work by J. Randy Tataborrelli.

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

Sleep No More / Review

Author: Susan Crandall

Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Forever; Original edition (January 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 044655684X

Book Description:

The night was always Abby Whitman's enemy. As a young girl she walked in her sleep, and one night, she started a fire that scarred her sister for life and left Abby with unbearable guilt . . . and a loneliness that echoes within her. Now Abby has begun blacking out again--with apparently fatal results. A car accident has killed the son of a prominent family. Even though the evidence seems to exonerate her, Abby is plagued by doubts--and soon by mysterious threats. Psychiatrist Dr. Jason Coble is intrigued by Abby and offers to help her explore the dark recesses of her mind. Through this terrifying journey, Jason's interest turns to passion, and he yearns to give her the love she craves. But first, Abby must trust him--and shed light on secrets that will rock this Southern town and reveal a danger that threatens them both.

My Review:

Intense, provocative, thrilling... a fast read. 5 stars!

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

Kitty's House of Horrors

Author: Carrie Vaughn

Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Original edition (January 4, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446199559

Book Description:

Talk radio host and werewolf Kitty Norville has agreed to appear on TV's first all-supernatural reality show. She's expecting cheesy competitions and manufactured drama starring shapeshifters, vampires, and psychics. But what begins as a publicity stunt will turn into a fight for her life.

The cast members, including Kitty, arrive at the remote mountain lodge where the show is set. As soon as filming starts, violence erupts and Kitty suspects that the show is a cover for a nefarious plot. Then the cameras stop rolling, cast members start dying, and Kitty realizes she and her monster housemates are ironically the ultimate prize in a very different game. Stranded with no power, no phones, and no way to know who can be trusted, she must find a way to defeat the evil closing in . . . before it kills them all.

My Review:

The Carrie Vaughn books keep getting better and better. This one may be the best of all. It is well-written, as always, and full of dark, heart-stopping suspence...just the kind of book I love. If you are looking for a good "young adult" read that will keep you up all night turning pages, this one will not disappoint.

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