Book Review: Private Vegas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Private Vegas by James Patterson
My rating: 3.0/5.0
Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Publish Date: January 26, 2015

Series: Private #9
How I obtained my copy: my local library



My Review:
I make no bones that James Patterson is my go-to guilty read, if you want to call it that. I read every book that comes out by him and his co-writers. I have since just before the Alex Cross series took off and while I was waiting for his next book to come out (once upon a time you had to do that), I read most of his back list.

The Private series has been a breath of fresh air to me. For some reason each book has really appealed to me. I love Jack Morgan but I have enjoyed the books about the satellite offices as well (London, Berlin, etc.) But my favorites involve Jack Morgan and his LA team.

So imagine me going into this book, it's call Private Vegas. I'm thinking it's about the Las Vegas office, only there is no Las Vegas office and most of the book takes place in LA. Only a very small amount page wise takes place in Las Vegas. I have no problem with it, it just seems the book was misnamed.

So on with the book. It's fast-paced just as you expect it to be. There are several things going on in the book. This book was a little disjointed for me. While I loved every page, I kind of felt like I was being pulled in several different directions. And each case/problem was being wrapped up quickly with very little input from the team. So I was disappointed. Disappointed enough to put the book down? No. Disappointed enough to quit the series? No. But I do have hopes the next book will pull things together more and I can see the LA crew at work again.

There are several loose ends that leave things open at least on the personal front that will make the next book interesting. So I will look forward to it and to seeing more of Jack and the crew soon.

If you enjoy James Patterson and are use to the "hit and miss" element of his titles, then go for it. It's an installment in the Private series and reading something is better than not reading. If you get frustrated easily then maybe it's not the book for you. But I stuck it out and enjoyed it and I think most people will.

About Private Vegas:
What happens in Vegas...stays Private.

Las Vegas is a city of contradictions: seedy and glamorous, secretive and wild, Vegas attracts people of all kinds--especially those with a secret to hide, or a life to leave behind. It's the perfect location for Lester Olsen's lucrative business. He gets to treat gorgeous, young women to five-star restaurants, splashy shows, and limo rides--and then he teaches them how to kill.

Private Jack Morgan spends most of his time in Los Angeles, where his top investigation firm has its headquarters. But a hunt for two criminals leads him to the city of sin--and to a murder ring that is more seductively threatening than anything he's witnessed before. PRIVATE VEGAS brings James Patterson's Private series to a sensational new level.

Challenges: 
Snagged @ The Library
Outdo Yourself

***I received this book from my amazing local library, go give yours a visit!  ***

Book Review: Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
My rating: 5.0/5.0
Publish Date: July 16, 2013

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Where my book came from: I read this through Scribd.com subscription service


My Review:
Dangerous Girls is a book that can inspire all kinds of reactions. First and foremost, I loved the suspense, the movement from the present to the past and back and the fact that the characters were true to teenagers. The book is disturbing and even more so that it was ripped from the headlines. But overall I absolutely loved this book, if not the subject matter (dealing with the murder of a teenage girl, but then I picked it out). :)

Ms. Haas does an amazing job developing the characters through flash-backs where you get to see when and how Elise and Anna became friends, how Anna ended up with Tate and how they all ended up on vacation together. Obviously some of the characters are not as fleshed out, but the important ones are (Anna, Elise and Tate). And besides the characters, the author really makes you feel in this book. Outrage at the murder, outrage at the fact that Anna is being tried and outrage at how certain things happen during the trial.

I spent the book truly wondering who did it. Yes I had my suspicions. But when it was all said and done, I still didn't see it coming even though I was right. I thought it was plotted well and I never found my interest level waning. Every time I put the book down I picked it up again as soon as I could (have 7 1/2 minutes while waiting for macaroni to cook for kids, great reading time!)

Ms. Haas really scores with her writing, making Dangerous Girls intriguing, horrifying and also an interesting story of friendship and justice. If you love a good suspenseful young adult novel, then this is a great one to pick up.

About Dangerous Girls:
It's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations.

As Anna sets out to find her friend's killer; she discovers hard truths about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone around her thinks she is not just guilty, but dangerous. When the truth comes out, it is more shocking than one could ever imagine...

Challenges:
New Author
Outdo Yourself

***I read this book through my Scribd.com subscription service.  I was not compensated in any way for this review. ***

Book Review: Crushing Summer by C.M. Stunich (+ Giveaway)

Title: Crushing Summer

Author: C.M. Stunich

Release Date: November 7, 2013

Genre: New Adult Romance

Hosted by: Love Between the Sheets

Synopsis

I'm a girl. I met a boy. Why can't it stay that simple? Here, in this town, summer doesn't just mean tiny bikinis and sunglasses, white toothed grins and lounging at the beach. It means pain. And loss. And false promises. It means liars pretending to be saints, friends pretending to be enemies, rivals pretending to be lovers. For me, it means being crushed. The Crush, actually. The one they all want simply because they were told to. It means being surrounded by beautiful faces and gorgeous bodies, sweet words and sizzling kisses. It means being wanted and despised. My name is Chloe Summer, and I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, this summer could be my last.

Buy the Book

AMAZON US: http://www.amazon.com/Crushing-Summer-C-M-Stunich-ebook/dp/B00GIOQ70Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383839448&sr=8-1&keywords=B00GIOQ70Y

AMAZON CA: http://www.amazon.ca/Crushing-Summer-C-M-Stunich-ebook/dp/B00GIOQ70Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383839607&sr=8-1&keywords=crushing+summer+stunich

AMAZON UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crushing-Summer-C-M-Stunich-ebook/dp/B00GIOQ70Y/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384275432&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=crushing+summer+cm+stutch

My Review

After a stellar reading month in October, I've been a bit of a reading slump. But Crushing Summer was just the book I needed to get me out of my reading slump.  Providing me with teen drama, a twisty plot, a great protagonist, best friends with secrets, two interesting boys and a meaningful message, this was a perfect book for me.

There is no secret that I love Young Adult novels (and this one is YA, despite the NA classification above, the kids are still in high school) and Crushing Summer was a great one.  First there is Chloe, the main character.  A girl heading into her summer vacation but she really wants things to change, she wants to live life beyond what she has lived in her small secluded town in California.  However she doesn't expect to nor does she expect the summer to go the way it does.  First there is the almost drowning that brings intense and brooding (or so it seems at first sight) new boy Casper Alice into her sights.  He's almost emo in the way he dresses but Chloe quickly finds herself attracted to him even though they just met.  He seems attracted to her even though on the surface they couldn't be more opposite.  This was my first love in the book.  She really was attracted to him, she wasn't acting out bringing that boy home for attention, she liked his looks even though he wasn't her typical type and she wasn't ashamed of it. Next there is her best friend Heidi who Chloe loves dearly but who has also been acting strange for awhile.  Finally there is Cage, love interest number 2, who Chloe has known as she goes to school with him, but until the night of The Assignment she has never really talked to him, but suddenly he seems very interested in her.  He is her type, and he's the boy most girls would love to date, but is Chloe most girls?

I can't even tell you how much I loved Chloe, from the beginning of the book until the end there is so much more to her than meets the eye.  She doesn't like the status quo, she doesn't like bullying and she strives to be different. She's smart and she obviously reads as evidenced by this quote, which is one of my favorites from the book:

I stood up and made my way over to my armoire, pulling the doors open and wishing with all my heart for Narnia.  Hey you never know. It could happen.

Another reason I love her is she seems wiser than her years:

I moved down the stairs quickly, dropped my purse on my vanity table and flopped onto the bed. I was asleep in less than a minute.  The weight of knowledge hangs heavy on the heads of it's carriers. I had no idea whose quote it was, but it rang true.  Too true. For once in my life, I felt like I might be better off if I knew nothing at all.

And she'll stand up for what she thinks is right:

"Maybe when it comes to scrubbing floors or picking up dog crap, you're right. There are some things in life we have to do that we might not like. But beating up fifteen year old girls isn't one of them.  Attacking and belittling people isn't a necessity."

As far as plot, The Assignment was definitely an interesting thing to center the novel around.  It's crazy and it's scary.  It mimics cliques and friendships in high school but to a frightening level. I honestly think if teens could read this book it might make them think more about their actions, but maybe not.  I like that Chloe does think about hers and tries to make others think about theirs.  She's scared to death when she witnesses the mob mentality in full effect and she often likens what she is seeing around her to Lord of the Flies except without the death.  And she's fully right.  I found the actions of others in this book to be completely frightening examples of the mob mentality, but look around you in the news.  It is completely real.  And all though on a smaller and less violent level it is real in middle and high schools.  I think Crushing Summer really brings this to light in a less-than-real, yet real situation like The Assignment.  I love how the author uses a completely entertaining and frightening story to show how harmful bullying and mob mentality is.  And one of my favorite moments in this book (and this isn't a spoiler) is this insight from Chloe:

As long as were were being mean, we were free, but it was a false sensation, like a bird in a large cage It gave the illusion of true freedom, and it was a dangerous way of thinking.

Also as far as plot there is also romance, both Cage and Casper have interest in Chloe, but it's not an annoying love triangle.  It's real and it's interesting.  And she doesn't play them, so if love triangles aren't your thing, don't let that scare you off of this book.  There is more here than meets the eye.  There is also friendship.  And there is learning what love and friendship really mean.  This book is interesting on so many levels.  It brings to light so many different things and I think teens can really relate to them.  I think adults will enjoy this book as well, because it can either help them understand their growing teens or it will remind them in good and bad ways of their teen days.

There was so much I could relate to in this book. And while the premise of The Assignment really seems out there, it really isn't.  The Assignment happens every day, just not in the same organized summer experiment like it was in this book.  The suspense is also great.  I spent the entire book trying to figure out what was going on and who Chloe could really trust.  I did see part of the conclusion coming but there was part of it that totally caught me off guard.

I found Crushing Summer to be a fascinating book.  My only issue with Crushing Summer was it was a little predictable, but not completely, and truthfully what novel isn't after you've been reading many books for many years.  But I really love what the author did do with it.  From the very first page I felt like I was right there and involved.  I love how the author created a great character in Chloe, a girl who had skated along as part of the group before, but finally finds her footing and comes into her own in this book.  And the supporting case was each special or evil in their own right.  Every part of this book came together for me and really worked.  I was almost sad when it was over, but the ending was fitting.  And the book was excellent.  Great job C.M. Stunich.  I look forward to reading more of your books in the future!

My Rating: 4.75/5.0

Excerpt

“Casper,” I began, knowing I couldn't put this off any longer.  I hated to break the moment, but I could hear the shouting and cheering coming from the drive-in and knew it was only a matter of time before he figured out there was something odd going on.  “I know we just met and this might sound a little weird, but there's something you should know about this town.”  His raised his thin brows and sat back, draping his arms over the back of the bench.

        “Do you sacrifice kittens on the full moon?  Because if so, I'm totally out.  I won't sacrifice kittens.  Goats, maybe.  But not kittens.”  I tried to smile back at the joke, but thinking of The Assignment was akin to strapping weights on either side of my mouth.  The corners of my lips pulled down into a frown.
        “Tonight is Assignment Night.”  Casper remained still, listening, not at all nervous about what I was going to say.  He didn't think it was going to be bad or that it was going to affect him, but I knew it would.  Somehow, I just knew.
        “Like, for classes or something?”
        “Like, for the summer.  All summer.  Tonight, all the students, ages thirteen to eighteen, will be assigned a title.  Most of them will stay Students, but a select lucky and unlucky few will be …  Something else.”  Casper gave me a look that said I was totally and completely nuts.  Again, I attempted a smile, but this one fell even flatter than the first.  I resorted to keeping my eyes on the sea and letting my fidgety hands spin the conch around in circles.  “You know all the stereotypes people think about when they talk about high school?  Jocks?  Losers?  Party boys?  Goths?”  Casper pulled  a cigarette out of his pocket and slipped it between his lips.
        “Yeah, sure, okay.”
        “Well … on Assignment Night, tonight, people get nominated by their peers for certain … positions, and then they have to act them out until the Friday before Labor Day.  Every day until that day, at midnight, they have to be who everyone wants them to be, for good or bad.  And everyone else, the Students, they have to play along.”
        “Um, you're kidding right?  Is this some kind of game?”  My faux smiled turned into a grimace.
        “I wish it were.  If it were just a game, it'd be fun, right?  But it's not.  I mean, I used to think it was, but not anymore.  People get hurt playing this game.”  I paused, not necessarily for dramatic effect, but there it was.  “They get killed."

 About the Author

C.M. Stunich was raised under a cover of fog in the area known simply as Eureka, CA. A mysterious place, this strange, arboreal land nursed Caitlin's (yes, that's her name!) desire to write strange fiction novels about wicked monsters, magical trains, and Nemean Lions (Google it!). She currently enjoys drag queens, having too many cats, and tribal bellydance. Always a fan of the indie scene and 'sticking it to the man,' Ms. Stunich decided to take the road less traveled and forgo the traditional publishing route. You can be assured though that she received several rejections as to ensure her proper place in the world of writers before taking up a friend's offer to start a publishing company. Sarian Royal was born, and Ms. Stunich's books slowly transformed from mere baking chocolate to full blown tortes with hand sculpted fondant flowers. C.M. is a writer obsessed with delivering the very best and scours her mind on a regular basis to select the most unusual stories for the outside world. Ms. Stunich can be reached via e-mail or by post and loves to hear from her readers. Ms. Stunich also wrote this biography and has no idea why she decided to refer to herself in the third person. Come visit me at www.cmstunich.com and follow me on Facebook !

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

***I received this book from Love Between the Sheets Tours and Promotions for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Book Review & Giveaway: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King on audio

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Publish Date: September 24, 2013
Audiobook, MP3 CD, also available in hardcover, audiobook and ebook
ISBN: 9781442362536
The Shining #2


My Review:
Stephen King was probably the second adult author I read as a young teenager. My first book was It, which is now my favorite book of all-time. I then worked my way through Salem's Lot, The Stand, Pet Semetary, and of course The Shining. Through the years I have continued my love of all things Stephen King by reading most of his books. So obviously I am a huge fan and when I heard Doctor Sleep was coming out as a sequel to The Shining I was beside myself. I read every article that came out that came through my email about the book. So to say I was excited might be an understatement. So it was a very magical day when the opportunity to review the audiobook came through my email from my wonderful publicity person at Simon & Schuster audiobooks. Thank you Lauren and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to listen to and review this title! Okay now that I have blathered on about my love for all things Stephen King, let's get to my thoughts.

First The Shining is probably my 3rd favorite Stephen King so a sequel was just what I wanted. What did happen to Danny Torrance after the end of The Shining (and that would be the end of the book, not the movie). So we move to the future. Dan Torrance is now pretty much a drunk like his father. He's a man who moves from place-to-place when drinking makes him lose his job. And then he hits rock bottom and moves on and we find him in New Hampshire where a man takes him under his wing, gets him into AA and into a job for him. Quickly Dan moves on to a job that fits him better and we find him settling down and getting into the groove. Then strange things start happening and he gets insight into a young girl, his "Shining" helping him see moments in her life that she transmits to him. I like Dan, even when he hits rock bottom, you know he's going to somehow get through it even though it is a major rock bottom. I found myself cheering for him during the first part which reminds us of his past, gives some of the history in between and describes him currently. Abra is also a fascinating character. We meet her and her family at birth up to the time that her and Dan meet and things are looking bad. I love her, love the things she does as a child and her need to do good things. Casey, Billy and John are also integral characters. Casey being Dan's AA sponsor, John being Abra's pediatrician and he happens to also be an AA leader of one of the meetings Dan attends. And Billy who introduced him to Tiny Town, the train and also to Casey. Billy is a true friend through and through as are Casey and John. The final character is also introduced early on and that is the True Knot as a whole, but with a focus on Rose the Hat. Now that is one scary group of characters. In true King fashion he has created a scary paranormal force to be reckoned with that is truly evil yet somehow fairly ordinary on the outside. I disliked and feared them from the beginning so they were the perfect scary villains for this story.

Now onto the story. Wow, even the beginning which gives a history of Dan and some insight into the True Knot was fascinating. Nothing in Doctor Sleep drags to me. It was well paced and probably from the middle to the end if I had been reading the book I wouldn't have put it down. With the audio I began taking it on walks, and honestly I don't usually listen to audiobooks except in the car, I listen to music on walks, but I had to find out what would happen next so I kept finding ways to listen. On walks, while making breakfast, while making supper. Anytime I could. It was that good. And there were surprises I didn't see coming that just made me say wow. There were scary moments, touching moments and characters that inspired and haunted me. It was just an amazing story.

I love how in Doctor Sleep there seemed to be a marriage of the earlier creepy Stephen King with the current more character driven and reality-based Stephen King. It was wonderful to see an example of a man who makes it through AA. Yet having the paranormal aspect between Abra and Dan was like the old days. The True Knot was truly an evil to be reckoned with similar to the vampires in Salem's Lot. It was just a wonderful way to craft a story. Doctor Sleep is a book that will grab you, make you hang on for dear life and keep you enthralled and slightly creeped out until the end. And then you will continue to think about it and it's characters long after you finish. Kind of the way Danny Torrance may have stayed in the back of your mind from The Shining. Hearing his story was wonderful and it's a great sequel. So thank you Mr. King, you've been scaring me for the last 25 years and I hope you continue to scare and enthrall me for many more.

Audiobook review: Will Patton is the narrator and I believe he is a new one to me. I wasn't sure about him at first, but the more he read the book the more I really grew to love him. He became the characters and just from his different voices I was able to discern each character before they were identified. That means a lot to me. I would get lost in his reading and he made my drives, walks and cooking very enjoyable. The production is outstanding. Wonderful job Simon and Schuster and I now have a new narrator to look forward to enjoying in the future.

My rating: 5.0/5.0
Audiobook Rating: 5.0/5.0

About the Book:
Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted fans of The Shining and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.

Giveaway:
I have my gently used copy of the MP3 CD to giveaway to one lucky winner.  US/Canada only.  Ends 10/31 - Halloween seems very appropriate for an ending date for this one!

Note: this is an MP3 CD, I easily played it on my computer but the best thing (besides the fact that it only uses 2 discs instead of 10+) is that I saved/ripped it to my laptop and put it on my MP3 player to listen to.  So if you have something that reads MP3 CDs it's easy to listen to the book pretty much any way you want. This also tells you the discs have not been carted around, they were pretty much used once and put back in the case. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***I received this audiobook from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Book Review: Lie Still by Julia Heaberlin

Lie Still by Julia Heaberlin
Publisher: Bantam
Publish Date: July 2, 2013
Paperback, 384 pages
ISBN:  9780345527042





My Review:

I really enjoyed this book to a certain extent. It was exciting, it had interesting characters in the way of Desperate Housewives and it had a good suspense plot going for it. But one thing let me down, the ending. So let me explain.

I liked Emily and I cared about her and her husband. The book jumps right into her association with Caroline and the members of her group and the small southern town dynamic. Full of disfunctional women, the book was amusing in a dark way. And then bam there is the mystery, which I enjoyed. Enter pregnant Emily trying to get to the bottom of things when she herself is being harassed. Is it the same person perpetrating the crime of the book or is it someone else. Ms. Heaberlin does an excellent job of weaving the plot together, going back and forth in time some to fill in the blanks. Emily feels like an unreliable narrator, as do any of the women she is involved with, but is she? That was the fun of the book, getting to know Emily and trying to figure out truth from lies. I love books like this.

And then came the ending, and maybe not the ending, but the last few pages of the book. Things tied up nicely, I was surprised as I hoped I would be but then the last few pages left me feeling like "what the heck?" I honestly think I missed something or need to go back and read it again. It's not a major thing because like I said everything was tied up well. I was just a little lost with what I believe was the Epilogue.

But overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to people who like southern novels where all is not what it seems. It's very enjoyable, moves at a fast pace and has characters that were interesting and had me continually turning the page. So give it a try and if you figure out the ending please message me. :)

My  Rating: 4.0/5.0

About the Book:
 In the tradition of Lisa Unger’s Beautiful Lies and Nancy Pickard’s The Scent of Rain and Lightning comes a twisting, riveting novel of shifting trust and shattered lives. Lie Still delves deep into the heart of an opulent Southern town, where gossip is currency and secrets kill.

When Emily Page and her husband move from Manhattan to the wealthy enclave of Clairmont, Texas, she hopes she can finally escape her haunted past—and outrun the nameless stalker who has been taunting her for years. Pregnant with her first child, Emily just wants to start over. But as she is drawn into a nest of secretive Texas women—and into the unnerving company of their queen, Caroline Warwick—Emily finds that acceptance is a very dangerous game.

It isn’t long before Caroline mysteriously disappears and Emily is facing a rash of anonymous threats. Are they linked to the missing Caroline? Or to Emily’s terrifying encounter in college, years earlier? As the dark truth about Caroline emerges, Emily realizes that some secrets are impossible to hide—and that whoever came for Caroline is now coming for her.

***I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Book Review: Unseen by Karin Slaughter

Unseen by Karin Slaughter

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publish Date: July 2, 2013

Hardcover, 400 pages
Fiction, Suspense, Romantic Elements
 ISBN: 9780345539472
Will Trent #7

My Review:
I will admit I have been away from Karin Slaughter for awhile just because I haven't kept up with her series.  But I was intrigued by the blurb of this book and decided to heck with series order and picked this one up for review.  I don't regret my decision one bit, but I will be going back and starting with the second book in the Will Trent series and also going back to read the Grant County series.

Character Development:
I was familiar with Will Trent going into this book having read Triptych when it came out.  But somehow after that I think my reviewing life got in my way and I haven't read the series since.  I like Will, he's not perfect but he's trying to do the right thing.  I was really interested in his undercover work in this book and also in his love life with Sara (who I was not at all familiar with since I haven't read the Grant County series).  Will makes a great character.  Sara is also interesting and a little bit of a contrast to Will.  I liked getting to know her in this book and look forward to getting to know her more by reading the other series.  Lena was also interesting.  Somehow even though I don't think you are supposed to like her, I liked her.  I wanted justice and for her to prove that the crime in this book wasn't her fault.  I also can't wait to get to know her more from the earlier books.

Plot:
The plot was interesting and fast moving.  There is romance between Will and Sara.  There is history between Sara and Lena.  And there are secrets between Will and Sara.  And of course there are crimes that need solving.  The dynamics between the characters were great to watch, a lot of animosity that really comes off the page is present in the book.  The crimes that need solving are also fascinating and I kept turning the pages to see what would happen next.  I honestly could not figure out the ending until it happened.  To me that was the mark of a great suspense novel and why I enjoyed Triptych years ago.


Final Thoughts:
If you enjoy great suspense with romantic elements than Unseen is a great read for you.  Don't fear if you are  not caught up in the Will Trent or Grant County series, the book can read as a stand alone.  There is definite history but it's explained in a way that I don't think previous books will be ruined if you go back and read like I am going to do.  I loved Unseen and it reminded me why I loved Karin Slaughter years ago.  I won't get behind again!

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:
Karin Slaughter’s New York Times bestselling novels are utterly riveting and masterfully drawn. Her latest thriller, Unseen, pits detectives, lovers, and enemies against one another in an unforgettable standoff between righteous courage and deepest evil.

Bill Black is a scary guy: a tall ex-con who rides to work on a Harley and trails an air of violence wherever he goes. In Macon, Georgia, Bill has caught the eye of a wiry little drug dealer and his cunning girlfriend. They think Bill might be a useful ally. They don’t know that Bill is actually a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent named Will Trent. Or that he is fighting his own demons, undercover and cut off from the support of Sara Linton—the woman he loves, who cannot be told of the risk Will is taking.

Sara herself has come to Macon because of a cop shooting: Her stepson, Jared, has been gunned down in his own home. Sara holds Lena, Jared’s wife, responsible: Lena, a detective, has been a magnet for trouble all her life, and Jared’s attack is not the first time someone Sara loved got caught in the crossfire. Furious, Sara finds herself involved in the same case that Will is working without even knowing it, and soon danger is swirling around both of them.

In a novel of fierce intensity, shifting allegiances, and shocking twists, two investigations collide with a conspiracy straddling both sides of the law. Karin Slaughter’s latest is both an electrifying thriller and a piercing study of human nature: what happens when good people face the unseen evils in their live.


Books in Will Trent series:
Triptych
Fractured
Undone
Broken
Fallen
Snatched
Criminal
Unseen

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
Karin Slaughter (born 1971), is a US author who debuted with her novel Blindsighted in 2001. It became an international success, made the Dagger Award shortlist for "Best Thriller Debut" of 2001, and has been published in 23 countries.

Slaughter was born in a small southern Georgia community, and now resides in Atlanta. She is widely credited with first coining the term "investigoogling" in 2006.


Website

***I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Guest Blog: Tanya Anne Crosby (Speak No Evil)

  
Today I welcome Tanya Ann Crosby, author of See No Evil, an e-original from Kensington, which I'm currently reading and enjoying while on vacation with my family.  I will be posting my review hopefully later this week, but for today, please grab your favorite cuppa and sit and learn a little more about Tanya Ann Crosby and See No Evil.  

For me, the seeds of a story come from anything and everything—a newspaper headline,
a dream, something my husband said. For Speak No Evil, it began with the concept that
every event in a person’s life is connected. Every small decision we make leads to a cascade
of events we can’t predict: A moment of indiscretion may plant the seed for villainy; an
inattentive moment on the beach may lead to a never-ending search along the shore for a
missing child. The state of our lives, at any given time, is the sum total of everything we have
done and everywhere we have been ... and our next decision determines, not merely where
our lives end, but who we become along the way.

But there’s a certain “woo woo” factor that goes into the creation of a story as well. For
Speak No Evil, some of that “woo woo” has to do with the setting itself. Although I grew
up in Charleston, S.C., I had never been to the Secessionville Creek area on James Island—
a historic location that saw one of Charleston’s—and in fact the entire Civil War’s—most
pivotal battles. If the Secessionville Creek Battle had been lost by the South it might have
meant an end to the war nearly two years sooner. But I first stumbled upon that pinpoint
on the map after a game of eeny meeny miny mo . . . or just maybe, if you believe in
providence . . . it chose me.

My first look at the area was through Google Earth—just to be sure the layout of the land
was close to what I had in mind. But I was shocked to find there was already a historic
plantation sitting right where I planned to place the fictional Oyster Point Plantation. The
Stiles-Hinson house dates back to 1741 and was a vital working plantation through the 18th
and 19th Centuries. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

SPEAK NO EVIL is just the second of my books to be set in Charleston, S.C. where I grew
up. I very much love the city and still have family there and visit often, and I felt Charleston
was the perfect place to set this story of a perfect family (at least on the surface) living in an
idyllic setting. But Charleston also has its super creepy factor. It’s full of alleys, old buildings,
ruins, swamps and old cemeteries. It has a very genteel image that serves as a wonderful
juxtaposition for a darker story—and lots of woo woo for a great story! As for the setting—
Charleston, with all its secrets—is a character in itself.

To see some of the places that inspired SPEAK NO EVIL, visit my Facebook at http://on.fb.me/164M9sg


About the book:

Lifting the veil of secrecy on a grand Southern family in decline, author Tanya Anne Crosby explores the lives of Caroline, Augusta, and Savannah Aldridge, three sisters who share a dark past and an uncertain future...Caroline Aldridge was surprised by the number of mourners at her mother's funeral. Evidently the newspaper heiress who had caused her children so much pain was well-loved by everyone else in Charleston. Now she was gone, leaving behind countless secrets--and a few demands: Caroline and her sisters must live together for one year or lose their inheritance. And Caroline must take over "The Tribune." But a killer is making headlines, and Caroline may have unwittingly stepped into the crosshairs...

A series of kidnappings and murders resurrect the sisters' memories of their brother's disappearance as a child--and Caroline fears she may be next. Yet in the midst of her turmoil, she may be rekindling a romance she'd extinguished long ago. With Jack back in her life and the tattered bonds of sisterhood slowly mending, Caroline hopes the family can restore its position in Charleston society--unless a sinister force beyond their control tears them apart forever. . .


About the Author:

Put a menu in front of me and I immediately don't know what I want. Fried green tomatoes with grits? Yep, OK. Fish? Sounds good, too. OK, so what are you having? I'll do that too. When it comes to shoes--forget it. I end up buying nothing because I can't make up my mind. Thank God I have a husband who has great tastes, or my closet might be empty. I'm one of those people who suffers from acute ambivalence given too many choices, but when it comes to what I wanted to do with my life, I've known that decidedly since the age of 12--and probably long before that. It all began once upon a time after a tonsillectomy, when the doc advised mom and dad they should reward me with anything I wanted (the key word here being anything). All I wanted was dad's typewriter. I got it, of course--a black, sporty Olympia I immediately set out to wearing the letters off the keys. So here I am all these years later, with sixteen books under my belt and a new one on the way ... still wearing the letters off keyboards ... and loving every minute



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Book Review: Political Suicide by Michael Palmer

Political Suicide by Michael Palmer

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Publish Date: December 11, 2012

Hardcover, 384 pages
Fiction, Suspense
 ISBN: 9780312587550
Lou Welcome #2 (but reads as a stand-alone)

My Review:
I have enjoyed Michael Palmer books in the past so I was thrilled to accept Political Suicide for review.  One of my first loves is adult suspense reads and while I believe Michael started with medical thrillers, he has branched out into more political-type suspense thrillers.  This is military centered and is a definite thriller.  While it is the second book to feature main character Dr. Lou Welcome, it does not have to be read in order, I have not read in Oath of Office (I did get it from the library to read next) but I did not feel the least bit lost reading Political Suicide.

The characters are fascinating in Political Suicide.  Dr. Lou Welcome is the center of the book.  He is brought in to help his friend and the doctor that he is helping in the program he is involved in, Dr. Gary McHugh who is accused of murder of a Congressman who's wife he was sleeping with.  But there is more to the story than meets the eye.  Along with Lou there is also Sarah, Gary's attorney who I really enjoyed getting to know.  Both characters were really great and interesting and well-developed and worked really well in the story.  I liked how well they fit in the story and how they never felt forced.

The plot is captivating.  It starts with a bang and never quits.  It keeps delivering new twists and turns with each turn of the page.  I could not put it down.  I loved that this one was slightly different. No serial killers, I liked the elite military angle.  A little scary but definitely interesting and mind-blowing at the same time.  Mr. Palmer paces this one perfectly to keep your interest and not give too much away too soon.  You know what is going on, but you really can't guess what is coming next, or at least I couldn't.  I really like how this book is done and how it all turns out.

I love Dr. Lou Welcome, he has a great moral compass, he's a good friend, and he has a sense of humor.  He really  makes the book.  This is definitely one of my favorite suspense books of the year just based on the great characters and the interesting premise.  Pick it up, it's a new release from last week (don't let goodreads throw you, it's out now) and it would make a great Christmas present for the suspense lover in your life or for yourself.  Hey we all deserve a great book!


My Rating: 5.0/5.0


About the Book:

From The New York Times bestselling author of Oath of Office comes a gripping thriller at the crossroads of politics and medicine

Dr. Lou Welcome, from Palmer's bestselling Oath of Office, is back in this heart stopping medical thriller. A desperate phone call embroils Lou in scandal and murder involving Dr. Gary McHugh, known around the Capital as the “society doc.” Lou has been supervising McHugh, formerly a black-out drinker, through his work with the Physician Wellness Office.  McHugh has been very cavalier about his recovery, barely attending AA and refusing a sponsor. But Lou sees progress, and the two men are becoming friends. Now, McHugh has been found unconscious in his wrecked car after visiting a patient of his, the powerful Congressman Elias Colston, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Soon after McHugh awakens in the hospital ER, Colston's wife returns home to find her husband shot dead in their garage. She then admits to the police that she had just broken off a long-standing affair with McHugh.

Something about McHugh's story has Lou believing he is telling the truth, that the Congressman was dead when he arrived and before he blacked out. Lou agrees to look into matters, but when he encounters motive, method and opportunity he is hard pressed to believe in his friend—that is until a deadly high-level conspiracy begins to unravel, and Lou acquires information that makes him the next target.

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
Michael Palmer, M.D., is the author of the forthcoming A Heartbeat Away (2011), The Last Surgeon, The First Patient, The Fifth Vial, The Society, Fatal, The Patient, Miracle Cure, Critical Judgment, Silent Treatment, Natural Causes, Extreme Measures, Flashback, Side Effects, and The Sisterhood. His books have been translated into thirty-five languages. He trained in internal medicine at Boston City and Massachusetts General Hospitals, spent twenty years as a full-time practitioner of internal and emergency medicine, and is now an associate director of the Massachusetts Medical Society's physician health program.

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FTC Information: I received this book from Lizzie McQuillan at Scratch Marketing + Media for an honest review.  I do make money from purchases made at The Book Depository, but all money is used to fund giveaways and shipping for giveaways from the blog.

Book Review: Placebo by Steven James

Placebo: A Jevin Banks Novel by Steven James
Publisher: Revell
Publish Date: Nov. 1, 2012
Softcover, 416 pages
ISBN: 9780800719340
Suspense


My Review:

Placebo is a great introduction to a new series featuring Jevin Banks and his cohorts Charlene, Xavier and Fionna. It also offers something different from Stephen James other series and most other suspense novels I've read, Jevin is an escape artist and illusionist. It definitely makes things interesting and lends a new feel to the suspense genre which usually revolves around PIs, FBI agents, police officers and the like.

The first part of the novel moves a little slow, but with good reason. In this first part Mr. James is taking the time to introduce the reader to the characters and give the reader a good feel for the characters and the situation he is about to put them in. While I state it's slow, I don't mean it's boring, I just mean it's not the breakneck pace that will come later. I found it to be interesting from the beginning because I enjoy getting to know characters, getting inside their heads and understanding their motivations. The reader definitely gets this in Placebo.

As the book continues the pace begins to ramp up and gets to the point that the only reason I put the book down is because I fell asleep and the book fell on my face (true story, I take a sleeping pill, so don't think the book bored me). I picked the book right back up the following morning and didn't set it down until I finished it.

I enjoyed Placebo, I really enjoyed the characters the most. The plot was a little confusing at times, but it was exciting enough I could get past it. My only other complaint was it was a bit rushed at the end, probably victim to the development in the beginning which I wouldn't have wanted to lose. But all-in-all I found Placebo to be an enjoyable book. I like Jevin and his friends and can't wait to read the next book in this series. Characters make books for me and these characters and their jobs are different, fun and make the book exciting and leave me wanting more of them. Placebo is a very enjoyable suspense read, Steven James has done it again and has a dedicated reader for life with me.

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

Available November 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
About the Book:
While covertly investigating a controversial neurological research program, expose filmmaker Jevin Banks is drawn into a far-reaching conspiracy involving one of the world's largest pharmaceutical firms. After giving up his career as an escape artist and illusionist in the wake of his wife and sons' tragic death, Jevin is seeking not only answers about the questionable mind-to-mind communication program, but also answers to why his family suffered as they did. 

Rooted in ground-breaking science and inspired by actual research, "Placebo" explores the far reaches of science, consciousness, and faith. Readers will love this taut, intelligent, and emotionally gripping new thriller from master storyteller Steven James.

***I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Audiobook Review: Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs

Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
Audio CD, Unabridged,
Temperance Brennan #15



My Review:


Another interesting installment in the Temperence Brennan series by Kathy Reichs. This one has Tempe back in Canada with Detective Ryan and also an old lover who she's not as thrilled to see. However her and Ryan have cooled it because of his relationship with his daughter so there's not much romance in this one. But that's okay there's enough suspense to keep this one moving. I like the Brennan/Ryan romance, but also was getting a little tired of the indecision which is still there, but I felt like the case is at the forefront of this book, with a little angst between the two of them still there. But the case is front and center so if that is what you come for in these books, then read it.

The plot was interesting. Dead babies are found and send Tempe, Ryan and Ollie Hasty (the old flame) across Canada looking for a missing woman who goes by different names. When they finally end up in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, the story really takes off. Lots of great twists and turns that Reichs is known for. Lots of trouble for Tempe to get into, she really never learns, but I still love to read about her and how her mind works as she solves the crimes and really gets to the heart of things. Tempe cares and that's what I really like about her. That part of her character shines through in this book and made it enjoyable for me even when I was a little lost in the details. The fact that she felt something would reel me back in and make me feel something and really care about the characters involved.

The setting was a little bland, but the mining history made things a little more interesting. Also some of the characters were a little so-so which is what brought my rating down a little, but again Tempe is the main character and she shines in this and that was what mattered in the end.

I listened to the audio and it's another winner. I love the reader, she does a wonderful job with the voices so I can tell the difference between the characters even when my mind is wandering a bit on some days (not the fault of the book, the fault of my busy life). I actually found this book held my attention pretty well most days. It had to, I would get a little confused by the different names and places if I didn't pay close attention. So if your mind wanders a lot when you listen to audios, the book version might be better.

I think the book worked overall. Was it one of the best in the series, probably not, but it's the 15th book, there are bound to be some that aren't as great as the others, but then again that is my opinion, you could read it and it might be your favorite. Yellowknife and it's residents may appeal to you more than they did to me. Is is still worth reading? Yes, it's a good book and if you enjoy the series then it's another good book in the series. Will I continue the series? Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I love Tempe Brennan and will continue to read the books about her as long as Kathy Reichs writes them. So she still has a follower in me and Bones Are Forever is a good book. It has Tempe at her best, solving a crime, getting in trouble and caring about people, what more can you ask for?

My rating: 4.0/5.0

About the Book:
Kathy Reichs, #1 New York Times bestselling author and producer of the FOX televison hit Bones, is at her brilliant best in a riveting novel featuring forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan—a story of infanticide, murder, and corruption, set in the high-stakes, high-danger world of diamond mining. A woman calling herself Amy Roberts checks into a Montreal hospital complaining of uncontrolled bleeding. Doctors see evidence of a recent birth, but before they can act, Roberts disappears. Dispatched to the address she gave at the hospital, police discover bloody towels outside in a Dumpster. Fearing the worst, they call Temperance Brennan to investigate.

In a run-down apartment Tempe makes a ghastly discovery: the decomposing bodies of three infants. According to the landlord, a woman named Alma Rogers lives there. Then a man shows up looking for Alva Rodriguez. Are Amy Roberts, Alma Rogers, and Alva Rodriguez the same person? Did she kill her own babies? And where is she now?

Heading up the investigation is Tempe’s old flame, homicide detective Andrew Ryan. His counterpart from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is sergeant Ollie Hasty, who happens to have a little history with Tempe himself, which she regrets. This unlikely trio follows the woman’s trail, first to Edmonton and then to Yellowknife, a remote diamond-mining city deep in the Northwest Territories. What they find in Yellowknife is more sinister than they ever could have imagined.

Crackling with sexual tension, whip-smart dialogue, and the startling plot twists Reichs delivers so well, Bones Are Forever is the fifteenth thrilling novel in Reichs’s “cleverly plotted and expertly maintained series” (The New York Times Book Review). With the FOX series Bones in its eighth season and her popularity at its broadest ever, Kathy Reichs has reached new heights in suspenseful storytelling.

***I received this audiobook from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the audiobook for free.  ***

Book Tour and Review: And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman

TITLE:  And When She Was Good

AUTHOR:  Laura Lippman

PUBLISHED BY:  William Morrow (Harper Collins)

PUBLICATION DATE:  August 14th, 2012

ISBN:   ISBN-10: 0061706876  ISBN-13: 978-0061706875

GENRE:  Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

# OF PAGES:  320

REVIEW:
I love Laura Lippman books and And When She Was Good did not disappoint.  Ms. Lippman has her own way of building suspense, it's simple, it's deceptive. She creates the story, sucks you right into it and then throws the surprises at you but not in a thriller type way. No her way is more sedate, but definitely wonderful.  I love her books and look forward to her new releases each year so I jumped at the chance to read this one.


I will confess that since it was Laura Lippman, I didn't read the synopsis.  I love her that much and sometimes I don't want to know anything about the book, I like to be surprised.  Well this was a surprise of a good kind.  I enjoyed getting to know Heloise through the present and her past.  I like this style of writing and getting to know the character and building the story.  I could feel the intensity of the storyline building through each chapter as new secrets and facets of Heloise's life were revealed.  I liked Heloise as a character, she's strong, she's been through a lot, but she keeps on moving.  I also like the secondary characters and the facets Ms. Lippman adds to them to tell the story.


The plot was amazing to me.  It's intense without making you feel too edgy and I like that.  It's subtle.  I like that. The focus is on the characters, mainly Heloise and telling her story leading up to the present and what is going on in her life now.  The changes and events of the story.  It's thrilling and wonderful and a great story to me.  It had me enthralled, yet I wanted to carefully read, not scan to hurriedly get to the end.  

This was a book to enjoy, to get the nuances of, not to just read and find out what would happen.  And that is what I did.  I will still admit I read it in a little over a day, but I read it slower than I read a lot of books.  I savored And When She Was Good.  And it was good, I have to say I highly recommend it!



MY RATING: 4.5/5.0

SYNOPSIS:

Perennial New York Times and nationally bestselling author and acclaimed multiple–prize winner Laura Lippman delivers a brilliant novel about a woman with a secret life who is forced to make desperate choices to save her son and herself. 

When Hector Lewis told his daughter that she had a nothing face, it was just another bit of tossed-off cruelty from a man who specialized in harsh words and harsher deeds. But twenty years later, Heloise considers it a blessing to be a person who knows how to avoid attention. In the comfortable suburb where she lives, she's just a mom, the youngish widow with a forgettable job who somehow never misses a soccer game or a school play. In the state capitol, she's the redheaded lobbyist with a good cause and a mediocre track record. 

But in discreet hotel rooms throughout the area, she's the woman of your dreams—if you can afford her hourly fee. 

For more than a decade, Heloise has believed she is safe. She has created a rigidly compartmentalized life, maintaining no real friendships, trusting few confidantes. Only now her secret life, a life she was forced to build after the legitimate world turned its back on her, is under siege. Her once oblivious accountant is asking loaded questions. Her longtime protector is hinting at new, mysterious dangers. Her employees can't be trusted. One county over, another so-called suburban madam has been found dead in her car, a suicide. Or is it? 

Nothing is as it seems as Heloise faces a midlife crisis with much higher stakes than most will ever know. 

And then she learns that her son's father might be released from prison, which is problematic because he doesn't know he has a son. The killer and former pimp also doesn't realize that he's serving a life sentence because Heloise betrayed him. But he's clearly beginning to suspect that Heloise has been holding something back all these years. 

With no formal education, no real family, and no friends, Heloise has to remake her life—again. Disappearing will be the easy part. She's done it before and she can do it again. A new name and a new place aren't hard to come by if you know the right people. The trick will be living long enough to start a new life.

AUTHOR BIO:   

Laura Lippman has been awarded every major prize in crime fiction. Since the publication of What the Dead Know, each of her hardcovers has hit the New York Times bestseller list. A recent recipient of the first-ever Mayor’s Prize, she lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and New Orleans with her husband, David Simon, their daughter, and her stepson.

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PURCHASE LINKS:   AMAZON link    B&N link

  

PHOTO CREDIT (author):  Jan Cobb

EXCERPT:

Monday, October 3

SUBURBAN MADAM DEAD IN APPARENT SUICIDE

The headline catches Heloise’s eye as she waits in the always-long line at the Starbucks closest to her son’s middle school. Of course, a headline is supposed to call attention to itself. That’s its job. Yet these letters are unusually huge, hectoring even, in a typeface suitable for a declaration of war or an invasion by aliens. It’s tacky, tarted up, as much of a strumpet as the woman whose death it’s trumpeting.

SUBURBAN MADAM DEAD IN APPARENT SUICIDE

Heloise finds it interesting that suicide must be fudged but the label of madam requires no similar restraint, only qualification. She supposes that every madam needs her modifier. Suburban Madam, D.C. Madam, Hollywood Madam, Mayflower Madam. “Madam” on its own would make no impression in a headline, and this is the headline of the day, repeated ad nauseam on every news break on WTOP and WBAL, even the local cut-ins on NPR. Suburban Madam dead in apparent suicide. People are speaking of it here in line at this very moment, if only because the suburb in question is the bordering county’s version of this suburb. Albeit a lesser one, the residents of Turner’s Grove agree. Schools not quite as good, green space less lush, too much lower-cost housing bringing in riffraff. You know, the people who can afford only three hundred thousand dollars for a town house. Such as the Sub­urban Madam, although from what Heloise has gleaned, she lived in the most middle of the middle houses, not so grand as to draw attention to herself but not on the fringes either.

And yes, Heloise knows that because she has followed almost every news story about the Suburban Madam since her initial arrest eight months ago. She knows her name, Michelle Smith, and what she looks like in her mug shot, the only photo of her that seems to exist. Very dark hair—so dark it must be dyed—very pale eyes, otherwise so ordinary as to be any woman anywhere, the kind of stranger who looks familiar because she looks like so many people you know. Maybe Heloise is a little bit of a hypo­crite, decrying the news coverage even as she eats it up, but then she’s not a disinterested party, unlike the people in this line, most of whom probably use “disinterested” incorrectly in conversation yet consider themselves quite bright.

***I received this book from the publisher through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***