Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The List by J.A. Konrath

This was one of March's book selections for my book club. I am happy to say, the ladies chose well. It was entertaining and something I wouldn't probably have read, or possibly even heard of, were it not for my book club.

The premise, while a bit convoluted, was completely engaging and fun. There are 10 people who have mysterious numbers tattooed on the heel of one of their feet, that's been there since they were adopted as infants. As these 10 have approached their 30th birthday, paths start crossing, and numbers start being murdered. It's up to a police detective, with a mystery number on his foot, to figure out the murder and connect the dots to solve the mystery. And while it seems like any other mystery, it took a turn that was definitely nothing like I've read before!

If you're a fan of murder mystery/thrillers, with a bit of history and science sprinkled in, then give this book a go. It's not the most convenient book to get a hold of, as it's only available on Kindle e-readers and print on demand books, but it's worth it for a fun, fast paced adventure in the comfort of your own home!

Friday, February 8, 2013

The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston

 The Witch's Daughter was a book I purchased on my Nook with a gift card I received for Christmas. I was looking forward to it, as I love a good historical fiction, especially from the time period this book started out in. However, I was disappointed by the delivery.

The premise of this book focuses on a girl, Bess, and her family. Bess was the daughter of a family with little standing in a small town. They owned a farm and her mother practiced as a nurse, helping deliver babies and treat various ailments. The black plague hit their town, and shortly after, witch trials did too. Her mother, being a healer, was accused of practicing witchcraft and was hanged. All the while a man, Gideon, has had his finger in the jelly pot, so to say, of the story. Before long, Bess finds herself possessing magic and is accused too. The story takes off from there and we find Bess, going by various monikers (might I add, that are all variations of the same) and possessing immortality, living through the century's. She lives her life running from Gideon and practicing medicine, while trying to avoid the dark magic within her. She's supposedly lived a solitary life, until a young girl in her recent location weasels her way into Bess's heart. She begins to train this young girl up as a practicing hedge witch, but it doesn't take long for Gideon to catch up, as he always does, and endanger Bess and her new protege. Bess find herself once again wondering, should she run, or stand up to him?

This book had a lot of potential. I think it's a very daunting task to write a story that spans mortality and time, and Brackston proved that she was lacking mettle. Too many weak spots in the story line just can not handle much scrutiny and I'm not even a reader that picks apart story weakness. I like to just read and suspend my belief. Sometimes, I even throw reason and logic out the window completely. I'll notice,  but I can overlook them. But this wasn't even close to a good enough story for me to disregard the glaring illogicality of it all. On top of that, none of the characters were particularly endearing.

Perhaps, if you haven't had much exposure to this genre and method, you may be able to enjoy it. If you've never experienced an author who can attempt this type of historical time spanning and knock it out of the park, then you would probably be able to get into it. However, I find myself just feeling rather ho-hum about it. If I need a historical fiction book with magic and immortality, I'll go back and re-read Forever by Pete Hamill.

The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

This is the first book in The Strain trilogy by the movie master Guillermo Del Toro, and fellow author Chuck Hogan. It does exactly what a first book should, whets the appetite for more!

This book has a few main characters, players that all converge together for one intense, exciting ride. While reminiscent of Stephen King's The Stand, it is very capable of standing on it's own two creepy legs.

The story begins with a plane, an international flight, landing at a New York City airport, and then going black. All electrical equipment dies, and so do the passengers. The government is in a panic, is this a terrorist attack? Did a passenger bring a modern plague with them? The first step is containment. But soon, they realize, that containment will be a problem. The dead don't want to be contained. Before long, NYC is being overrun by something sinister. Only one man knows the truth of what's happening and has the wherewithal to help stop it, but first he has to convince the powers that be that he's not a raving lunatic.

Not once have I read something that made an inanimate object so frightening, nor a fantasy story so plausible. An amazing story, told with finesse and completely thought out, crafted to make you question the unbelievable and keep you awake, wondering. Read it, y'all! 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Stephanie Plum is My New Best Friend!

I am currently reading the fifth installment in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, but since it's easier to just write one big post filled with all of my Stephanie adoration, instead of 4 separate ones, this is what ya get! (And some of it is ripped straight from my good reads review!)

Janet Evanovich has created a series that is chock full of likable protagonists and unlikable antagonists. Stephanie Plum is a self-deprecating, humorous character who is concerned about money, men, and her hamster, Rex. Janet writes the whole time from inside Stephanie's head, which is quiet an enjoyable place to be.

The first book in the series is One For The Money. In the first installment, Stephanie looses her job and finds herself desperate for cash. Through a little blackmail, she convinces her cousin Vinnie, a bail bondsmen who owns his own business, to let her work for him as a retrieval agent. She ends up with an FTA (failure to appear) that's a lot more than she bargained for, Joe Morelli. He's a stallion of a man well known around the Burg and very intimately known by Stephanie. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and if having all of your belongings repoed and being very behind on your rent isn't a desperate time, well I don't know what is! Hookers, shoot outs, explosions, sadistic boxers, and commandeered vehicles abound in this funny book. So as Stephanie stumbles her way though her new bounty hunting gig, we get the pleasure of laughing all the way to the bank.

The second book in the series is Two For The Dough. This time around Stephanie's a little less wet behind the ears in this bounty hunting gig, but still has a lot to learn. She ends up having to find a local boy, Kenny Mancuso. Not only is he an FTA, but his sudden suspicious wealth adds to the list of things going against him. One dead guy, a weasel mortuary owner with missing caskets, and black market weapons, lead to another hilarious, exciting romp through New Jersey with Stephanie and the gang you came to know in the first book.

The third book in the series is Three To Get Deadly. Stephanie's FTA, a well loved candy shop owner whom no one thinks could do wrong, has vanished. The community as whole is impeding Stephanie's search for him, even when dead bodies are found in his cellar! Dead drug dealers, pervs, and a criminal chicken, make for another rip rollicking read! (This may be my favorite book so far!)

And the fourth book is Four To Score. Stephanie finds herself on the hunt for a woman scorned. This book introduces a few new characters. One in particular, Sally Sweet, is a lovable transvestite that helped make this book! Stephanie finds herself ass deep in alligators in this story while searching for the missing FTA, whom is leading her on a scavenger hunt for clues. Along the way she finds missing fingers, coded messages, and at one point, herself in hooker heels and a Marilyn wig! She also finds herself a victim of multiple fire bombings, which leads her to find herself at the mercy of Joe Morelli. The heat is turned up in this one in more ways than one! 

If you're a fan of humor, mystery, and romance; do yourself a favor and get to know Janet and Stephanie!