Review: Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen

This is the 4th book in the Department Q series. This is also my favorite behind the 1st book in the series. The characters are well developed and you care about what happens to them and that makes a book enjoyable to read. Department Q investigates forgotten cases and this is a doozy of a case. The books explore the cases from the time of the events and then from Dept. Q's investigation. Between the two views you'd think it would be easy to figure out the ending, but no. Once all is revealed you'll be surprised at how it all ends.

Review: Reviver by Seth Patrick

This book was different and I loved it!! A few people are able to bring someone back from the dead long enough to question them about who killed them. This is the first in a trilogy and as been optioned for a movie (so I read on the internet).

Scary. Creepy.

Fans of the Infected Series by Scott Sigler should give this a try.

Back to reading & reviewing

Whew, Life sure does have a way of interrupting your reading life. The end of September I accepted a job as library manager. This has been a fun, hectic and a learning experience. I haven't done much reading these last 6 weeks with the excitement of a new job and family but I've gotten settled in and things are great so it's time for me to start reading and posting some reviews.

I have done some reading during those hectic weeks. I am caught up on the ZOM-B novels by Darren Shan. I don't usually read zombie novels but it was Darren Shan so I thought I'd give it a try.  There have been 5 books so far, 2 more with pub dates and I am looking forward to them.

I listened to Fireworks over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff during the drive to new job and it was fantastic. I was surprised, laughed & cried. If you want a good light romance this is for you.

Mortal Bonds by Michael Sears is the 2nd book featuring Jason Stafford. These books kept me guessing about the endings and have some well written action scenes.

Review: Downfall by Jeff Abbott

The 3rd book featuring Sam Capra and it is action packed and reads like movie script. The characters are easy to love and hate depending on which character you are talking about. There are a lot of good authors and books out there but Abbott knows how to get your attention and hold it the entire length of the book. If you are a spy, thriller and/or adrenaline junkie you must read not only this but everything by Jeff Abbott.

Review: A Conspiracy of Faith by Jussi Adler-Olsen

The 3rd book in this series has everything I look for in a mystery. The characters are entertaining, funny keep you guessing and looking forward to the next book. The storyline for the murder is interesting, different and the twists will keep you guessing what will happen next. The characters of Department Q- Carl, Assad and Rose will leave you with more questions than answers but that's ok by me, just that much more to look forward to in book number 4.  

Review: Dying Hours by Mark Billingham

Let me start this review with my final thoughts: If you are a Billingham fan this is a must read because: 1-You need to read this to be ready for the next and 2- It's Tom Thorne do you need another reason?
Seriously though this was not a show stopping read. The writing is good, as it usually is but the story line was just ok for me. There were no surprise twists or uh-oh moments and I'm still not sure about Thorne in a serious relationship. New readers to Billingham should start with some of the older books. Release date August 6th 2013.

Review: The Dinner by Herman Koch

I certainly ran through some emotions reading this book. The beginning third of this book I found myself laughing out loud in several spots. The way Paul describes fancy restaurants is pretty much I feel about them, also. Unlike Paul I have never ate in the type of establishment described and I am not sure I ever will. The middle is where we learn why the dinner is taking place and I find that I can sympathize with the parents to a point because as parents we know our kids make mistakes. We hope they are small ones, they can learn from in the end. The end of the book..amazement..well...it is a book and anything can happen, it would be hard to talk about without giving away to much. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to others. -Jennifer
*This would be a good book for a reading group it has several topics and interesting characters to be discussed.

Review: The Doll by Taylor Stevens

The third book featuring the character Vanessa Michael Munroe does not disappoint readers. Munroe is not hired for a job this time but kidnapped and forced to deliver "a package" and if she does not cooperate, people she cares about are going to pay the price.

The action is non-stop between Bradford in Texas and Munroe in Croatia and later Italy that you will not want to stop reading day or night. The characters are well developed and I loved the involvement of the sub-characters.

If you are a fan of Taylor Stevens you will dive right in to this and by the end of the book you will be asking yourself how long you have to wait for book four. If you have not read The Informationist or The Innocent you are missing out on one of the best new authors that I have read in awhile. Publication date is June 4,2013 -Jennifer

Review: Widow's Might by Sandra Brannan

By volunteering to take part in a Twitter Book Club I received a copy of each Liv Bergen novel. 

Widow's Might is the 3rd book in the series and I had no problem picking up the story line (for those who like to read in order). The characters are unpredictable and the story-line keeps you hanging until the end. A couple of times I thought I might have it figured out but I didn't. I love characters that are drawn into investigations, Liv is "recruited" to help by the FBI. I think I like this story line because well lets face it I'd love to help the FBI or the CIA solve a mystery.

When I first saw the covers of these books I thought I would be reading something in the horror genre but it was not horror at all. If you like mystery/suspense you should really look into this series. -Jennifer

Review: Safe House by Chris Ewan

Safe House by Chris Ewan

A stand-alone from the author of Good Thief's Guide.

From the start of this book, I was hooked and was not able to read fast enough. Set on the Isle of Man this thriller will have you wondering whom Rob should trust. There is plenty of action, mystery and suspense. A must read for any Ewan fan and a great starter book for new readers.

Jennifer