Books I read in August 2012

1. Broken Harbour by Tana French (fiction, Nook)
2. No Second Chance by Harlan Coben (Fiction
3. The Glass Castle Jeanette Walls (non-fiction, memoir)
4. One Breathe Away by Heather Gudenkauf (fiction, Nook)
5. Miracle Cure by Harlan Coben (fiction)
6. Just one Look by Harlen Coben (fiction)
7. One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper (fiction)
8. Triburbia by Karl Greenfield (fiction)

Book 66 (2011): Smokin' Seventeen

Smokin' Seventeen is one the best in the Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie and Ranger have sex. Lots and lots of sex.

And stuff blows up and bail jumpers get the best of Stephanie and the the former ho Lula, her partner in anti-crime. And since Vinnie's bail office is gone and is now in Mooner's RV, Stephanie has to catch more 'bad guys' to guarantee her job.

And her mother is working hard to get her to break up with sexy fellow bounty hunter Ranger and her on again-off again boyfriend cop Joe Morelli. She has a childhood friend of Stephanie's who is trying to cook his way into her heart.

There are dead bodies, Grandma Mazur at the funeral home, Grandma Bella's evil eye, Tasy Cakes and all other great things expected. (308 pages)

A

Book 60 (2011): Cemetery Girl

When I read Cemetery Girl I thought I liked book overall but it left me feeling creepy about the end, something just so off and wrong and it gave me the heebeeejeebees, it was so twisted. With a society like ours, unfortunately, maybe the twisted part that creeped me out was too real and it felt like a story we could hear on 20/20 or read about in the papers. So I think that means author David Beil did his job. This story was good but still left me.... icky at the same time.

Summery from Amazon:
Four years after Tom and Abby's 12-year-old daughter vanishes, she is found alive but strangely calm. When the teen refuses to testify against the man connected to her disappearance, Tom decides to investigate the traumatizing case on his own. Nothing can prepare him for what he is about to discover. (400 pages)

A-

Book 59 (2011): Fragile

Here is a summery of the book Fragile by Lisa Unger that I've taken from Amazon who took it from Publisher's Weekly:

Set in the Hollows, a secluded town about 100 miles outside New York City, Unger's contemporary thriller offers solid entertainment, but lacks the tension of her 2008 stand-alone, Black Out. Psychologist Maggie Cooper and her husband, Det. Jones Cooper, disagree on how to handle their rebellious son, 17-year-old Rick, who prefers to spend time with his band or holed up with his girlfriend, Charlene Murray. When Charlene disappears one night after a fight with her mother, Maggie and Jones wonder if she ran off to Manhattan, but are reminded of the disappearance 20 years earlier of Sarah Meyers, whose mutilated body was found after she vanished on her way home from school. Though the alleged killer confessed, there are still unanswered questions, and Maggie and Jones find themselves forced to revisit the past as suspicion falls on Rick.

I liked the book well enough. It was better than some I've read this year. There's a very small group of characters and their development is shallow. (336 pages)

B-

Book 58 (2011): The Midwife's confession

I LOVED this book. Here's a great summary I found, written by a reviewer at Amazon. com, named DC:

On a beautiful day in September, Noelle commits suicide. Her two closest friends, Tara and Emerson, are completely shocked that the woman they had known -- caring, committed midwife, champion of babies-in-need, strong independent Noelle has done this. Why? Turns out that Noelle had a lot of secrets -- a history of lies, betrayals and a hidden past that neither of them knew.

The story is a mystery and also a study in friendship and family relationships. The ability to write believable characters is a definite strength of author Diane Chamberlain. The women in her books are mothers, daughters, wives, etc. who are able to form strong bonds that are tested but that don't break even in the face of tragedy or heartache. Ultimately, this is a book about the extent that someone could go to in an attempt to make a wrong a right; or how loving someone too much can cause a person to do things that ordinarily wouldn't be considered. And at what cost? Told from the viewpoints of the key characters in the novel, the story also shifts back and forth in time as Noelle's friends and their children Jenny and Grace try to make sense of the suicide and to find answers to the questions it brought to light. It seems that none of them really knew Noelle at all!

This was a great thriller and an amazing look at people, and definitely makes you ask the question "How well do we know anyone?" Great read! I tore though it in an afternoon and went in search of other books by Diane Chamberlain. Great voice of characters, and I liked how all characters were presented, even though I didn't 'like' them all! Wonderful, jarring and a good mystery, too. (432 pages)

A

Book 54 (2011): Sworn to Silence

When Kate Burkholder was 14, she experienced a horrifying encounter with a serial killer that left her alive but scarred for life, which caused her to shun her Amish community upbringing and become an "English" police officer. She is now the Chief of Police in her hometown, Painter's Mill. Kate's biggest problems were stray cows until a girl is found dead and all the traces are similar to Kate's past horror.

Although Kate is an excellent police officer, she is a woman and inexperienced so the town officials bring in more help with more experience. BCI agent John Tomasetti, a federal agent who's on the verge of being washed up and has his own secrets is sent to help Kate catch the killer.

The murders get more and more gruesome as the killers takes more victims. Kate, who is trying to do her job, protect her family and their secrets as well as protect herself, might have to quit her job to save the next victim, as well as herself.

It was a fine mystery and an interesting new character but Kate had too much personal angst to keep me interested in reading her any more. And having all these cops with issues when trying to solve a murder just made it an unpleasant read all the way around. I just couldn't seem to like any character! (336 pages)

C

Book 32 (2011): Save Me

Save Me by Lisa Scottoline is a wanna be Jodi Picoult book, only minus the trial and add a mystery. And the emotional roller coaster is down played into something a bit more... light and fluffy.

I enjoyed the book and it's a quick, summer beach read, for sure. Rose volunteers as a lunch mom when her 3rd grade daughter is being bullied by another girl in her class. Then at lunch one day, tragedy strikes and Rose is forced to make a decision that no mother must have to make. In one quick thinking moment, Rose make a choice that will haunt her for the rest of her life, or at least the rest of the novel.

It's a good read for the summer... (384 pages)

B-

Book 20 (2011): The Deadly Sister

This is one of the worst books I have ever read. I had the entire thing solved by page 40. By page 100 I was so frustrated with the lame story, the poor dialogue, the repetitiousness of everything, and I'm not a fan of the characters' backstories, nor did I like the author's writing style, that I did something I never do. I honestly can't remember a time I did this: I flipped to the back of the book and read the last chapter. Then I returned it to the library.

Terrible young adult fiction. Just terrible. (310 pages)

F

Book 5 (2011): The Double Bind

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian was good. I mean, really good. I want to say at about page 180 of the 356 page tome, I was starting to figure it out, but I wasn't sure how right I was. I don't want to spoil it, but I'll say that I am USUALLY pretty good at solving a thriller but this psychological thriller was one I pulled all the threads and was sort of right but there was enough mystery left that my jaw dropped at the end.

All that being said, I loved this psychological mystery. The main character, Laurel, was attacked when she was a student, living in Underhill, Vermont. Fast forward to 7 years later and she's a budding photographer, reclusive, dating an older man, living with her college roommate, and working at a homeless shelter. A homeless man dies and Laurel learns he, Bobbie Crocker, was a a photographer with a secret. As she attempts to solve the secret, she learns that Bobbie might have been a son to Daisy Buchanan, and her lover Gatsby. She travels to West and East Egg to... what?!?

West Egg? Daisy Buchanan? Jay Gatsby? Yes, these classic characters from the excellent novel (one of the best ever) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald come to life and become the center of the mystery at the heart of the novel The Double Bind. As Laurel gets deeper and deeper into Crocker's life and his photography, she becomes obsessed to finding the secret.

And the twist ending is amazing, creative, grabbing, startling and at the same time tragic.

I think all book lovers want their favorite novel characters to come to live so I especially love this novel because Gatsby characters mix and mingle on these pages with the modern day contemporary characters Bohjalian presents.

A deeply riveting psychological mystery that should be read in one sitting, because no one is going to want to set this aside until the last page is read! (384 pgs)

A

Book 52- Walking Dead

Walking Dead by Greg Rucka is part of the Atticus Kodiak series. Atticus is going after a missing girl who's been sold into prostitution as revenge for evil her father had wrought. Atticus finds himself going around the world, hunting her, in hopes to bring her back to some sort of safe life. While his girlfriend Alena disapproves because it might ruin their lives and ruin the cover they've developed over the years, he must still do it anyway to right a wrong.

Pretty exciting stuff, and it was nice to see a character appear from Atticus's body guarding days. Even though there was quite a bit of Russian "stuff" it was still easy to follow. Lots of action!

Book 41- The Likeness

STOP!!! SPOILER ALERT! And this review is only a spoiler alert to the first book in this series, In The Woods. If you plan to read the novels by Tana French, and haven't read the first one yet, go no further! These two novels are completely tied together! Now, if you don't care and have no desire to read an intricate, complex, and engaging thriller, with well developed characters, an intriguing storyline, and an author who uses words wonderfully, well, then.... by all means, read on!

SPOILER FOLLOWS...


Tana French's second novel The Likeness follows right on the heels of her first one, In The Woods, and picks up a few scant months after it ends, with Cassie Maddox having transferred out of the Murder squad to Domestic Violence and she's in a serious relationship with Sam, and Rob Ryan is gone.

First and foremost, I want to say that The Likeness was about a million times better for me since I read In The Woods. I'm trying to objectively think about if this could be read as a stand alone, and I certainly don't think so. Cassie's mindset and her nerves are still shaken from the case in Woods, and influences all the choices and decisions she makes in this novel.

In The Likeness, the Murder Squad finds a dead body of a young woman who is the doppelganger of Cassie. And not only is this girl identical to Cassie in look, but she has also identity theft Cassie- no, she's not Cassie Maddox Dublin Cop, but she stole her undercover persona, Lexi Madison.

So Cassie goes undercover and pretends to be Lexi, moving in to the house with the 4 other Trinity University grads students with whom she lived. And Cassie manages to pull it off, trying to find her killer, letting people think she was only wounded and critical but recovered. She can work the case from the inside and she's bait, seeing if the killer will come after her again.

This is an excellent novel. I loved it. I think I liked it better than the first one. I love an author who treats readers like they are smart- so French's vocabulary made me happy. I love her words. I also thought she wove an intricate storyline and mystery together that was utterly fascinating.

Her characters are engaging and well throughout. They're interesting and developed. Cassie struggled because of what happened to her in Woods, and it was interesting to see that she carried this guilt, fear, and pain over into this novel. And how it affected how she continued to do her job. Not only was Cassie amazingly developed, but so were the four prime suspects, "Lexi's" housemates.

I liked everything about this novel. I can't wait to see if French writes a third!

Book 35- Worst Case

Worst Case by James Patterson is the third book in the Detective Mike Bennett series.

Bennett is a widower with 10 children, an Irish priest grandfather, an Irish nanny named Mary Catherine, and is a police detective in NYC.

In this third outing, Patterson writes with Michael Ledwidge in typical Patterson style- quick thoughts, choppy sentences, and a fast paced mystery. I like Bennett, especially in this novel, as he hunts a kidnapper and killer of New York's wealthiest children, racing against time, also a popular devise in Patterson's writing.

Also, readers are treated to possible romance between Mike and a feebie assigned to help with the case, and the home fires are burning a bit brighter as Mary Catherine finally lets Mike know that she, too, is interested.

I'm a moderate fan of Patterson, usually on a lower level because I can read his stuff quickly, it's beach quality, and it's cotton candy for my brain. I really like the Mike Bennett series, though. Mike is a more developed and a round character. he also had a neat story line. I like his almost as much as I do the Alex Cross series! This is a good one; add Mike Bennett to your reading rotation!

Book 30- Holly Blues

It's Christmas time in Pecan Springs, Texas which finds China and Ruby and the gang gearing up for traditional Christmas doings, along with some dead bodies in the newest mystery Holly Blues.

China's husband McQuaid is still teaching and PI-ing when his ex-wife Sally comes to town bringing nothing but trouble, as usual. With her comes lots of lies and China and Ruby set out to find the truth. Turns out that McQuaid is working on a case and Team China/ Ruby are also at work and the information they find compliment each other, rather than causing problems (which is typical when China and amateur wannabe-a-private-detective Ruby get in on the case solving actions).

We have the usual gang of suspects: Blackie the Sheriff and Smart Cookie the Chief of Police. Brain, China's step-son, and her adopted daughter Caitlin play small roles in this novel, as do the staff of Thyme and Seasons, and other business partner Cass.

This is the 18th book in the China Bayles series and I've read them all. I try to read this objectively and figure if it could be a stand alone novel and I'm not sure. Author Susan Wittig Albert writes this novel from the first person narrative voice of China, who gives a brief "get to know me" synopsis at the beginning of the story, so I think while anyone could pick the book up and enjoy the quick paced mystery, I think a reader who hasn't followed the majority of the story lines will be missing out on some good stuff.

I've enjoyed the China series for years and I always look forward to a new one. While I don't think Albert's writing style is always up par of her past novels, I do like the books. One thing that always makes me laugh is the references Albert makes to other mystery characters like author Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone; to me, this is cute and funny, but probably because I read that series too, so I get the 'inside joke'. I also love that the characters keep growing and evolving. I love the bits and pieces about herbs at the beginning of every chapter; that probably my favorite part of every novel. Ruby is usually my favorite character- with her wacky ways and new age-ness. I also want to point out that Albert has a fabulous web site, Abouthyme. The addition to yummy recipes at the end of the books since the characters have opened a tea room business is also a delightful feature of this series.

This is a wonderful series and if you're a person looking for a fun, new set of books to read and enjoy "mystery lite", then try China Bayles.

Book 28- Invisible Boy

I read it, I read it, I read it!!! I loved it, I loved it, I loved it!! I mentioned how much of a fan I was of Ms. Cornelia Read? Well, I am thrilled to say this novel was wonderful!

Madeline Dare is back and better than ever in this third outing, Invisible Boy, by wonderful author Cornelia Read. Madeline and her cutie husband Dean have now reclaimed NYC, even if it is in a crummy sublet walk -up with her sister and a family friend, Sue. She's officially left upstate New York behind and can be back among the land of the living again.

Or so she thinks... she meets a distant relative and they agree to do a clean up project of a family cemetery. And while cleaning they stumble across the remains of a 3 year old boy who had obviously been abused in his short lifetime.

As Madeline tries to stay away from the case, of which too many factors keep pulling her in, she is also rekindling a friendship from the past: Astrid, a prep school friend. Astrid with her wealthy and ares, and her rich husband Christoph seems to leave Madeline even more unsettled. Add the money problems, her mother's "news", her re-settling into the city, Dean's new & stressful job, and the revelation of a tragic family secret, Madeline is fraught with stress.

As the mystery of the dead boy is revealed, Madeline becomes involved in solving the mystery. In a great courtroom scene, all the details are woven together; but will justice prevail, and really, what is justice in this case?

This is a brilliant novel. I am a huge fan of Read; she is a smart author. I feel, as a reader, she caters to me, a person with a brain. Her word choices and metaphors are dazzling and as often I found myself laughing out loud with the characters, I also found myself thinking: thank you to Read for challenging me while entertaining me!

I also love Madeline. She is a smart woman who doesn't take herself seriously. I like how she knows she's from 'old money' but rather than write from the upper crust perspective, she's more of a debutante turned poor- and she seems happy with it. Her wit is razor sharp, sarcasm is as necessary as air, and she has a clever view of what it was like to be a WASP-I love her voice!

This was a well told story, much more than just a mystery. I appreciate the look into the minds of the characters, and how real they were. This was also more than just a mystery. Rather than a cursory glance at the people involved and a focus on the whodunit, read paints a detailed picture of all involved, with high polish on their emotions. This book, to me, was all about the characters.

Loved this story! I recommend it, as well as the previous two Madeline Dare novels, A Field of Darkness and The Crazy School.

Book 25: The Man Who Loved Books Too Much

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett reads like a work of fiction, like a sequel to The Thomas Crown Affair, only it's so much better because it's all real.

Journalist Bartlett follows John Gilkey, a man obsessed with rare books and became a successful book thief, and the man who became his pursuer, one who is also obsessed with rare books, Ken Sanders. Sanders is a life long lover of rare books, a bibliophile, who turned into an amateur detective to stop the man who is pillaging the things he loves most: those rare books.

As Bartlett reports on Gilkey's thieving ways, first making contact with him while he was in prison, there for the first time after a successful sting operation set up by Sanders, she becomes enmeshed in the world of books herself. Her interaction with Sanders,Gilkey , other books sellers, and the literary world of rare books weaves her into her own story, letting her see her own personal relationships with books and the written.

Not only do we see Bartlett's personal history with books, but we are treated to Sander's views as a rare books expert, and his self appointed title as "bibliodick"- a man who wants to catch book thieves, any book thieves, but especially Gilkey.

We also hear first hand accounts of Gilkey's thieving ways. He shares with Bartlett how he did it; from the bad checks to the phone deceptions to the credit card fraud. His mindset isn't that of a man who wants to steal this rare classics for the money, but for the prestige, the romance of book owning, the validation of having something so exquisite , just to steal for the pure joy of owning an autographed first edition of a book. He wanted these to build his own private library, not for any reason other than he just loved books. But Gilkey is a con man; has he conned himself into being a book lover or is there something else?

Bartlett paints an interesting portrait of a man who will resort to almost anything for books. I love the all over view she gives us ofGilkey-- I left this book feeling like he was slimy but I envied that he had, even if by illegal means, he touched and "owns" these wonderful classics. I learned an amazing amount about the world of book collecting; and it just reinforced my own personal feelings that books are to be treated like friends.

This was an amazing book with an even more amazing story. I appreciate that Bartlett's style spun a tale in the style of fiction but is still very real. Worthy of more than just one read!

Cornelia Read's newest out now!

Author Cornelia Read has a new book about, her third about Madeline Dare. I LOVE this woman's books! Insightful, so very, very smart, the character is likable, dry wit, good mystery... I'm thrilled it's finally out now! I've waited forever for Invisible Boy. I love her writing style- she is a smart lady and I love how she doesn't pander to readers but she gives them words to chew on and a story to think about.

Her first two Madeline Dare novels are A Field of Darkness and Crazy School.

Thank you, Ms. Read, for delivering a new novel! Can't wait to get my hands on it!

Book 15- U is for Undertow

The latest in the alphabet series installment by Sue Grafton, U is for Undertow, finds us in 1988 with female private eye Kinsey Millhone.

This time Kinsey is digging into a cold case of a missing child. But she chases on lead after another to no avail. Then she finds out her client isn't the most reliable sort so she wonders if she's really chasing leads or illusions.

While the story of Kinsey's hunt for the missing girl is happening, Grafton also tells the parallel story of different people in flashback and readers see how it ties to her missing person's case.

Often times in a flashback writing, it seems to mire down the story or isn't very interesting, but in this case, the stories of Walker and Jon and Debbie were as interesting as the main story. And they all were woven together marvelously!

I also enjoyed all the usual characters, Henry her landlord and friend, and the Hungarian bar owner Rosie.

I was surprised at how good this was. I have read all the books in this series and I was disappointed by all of the ones since Q so this was a delightful step in a great direction. I hope the next 5 books are a yummy as this one was!