Motive    

     

by Jonathan Kellerman

 

                Motive is the latest installment in Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series. It opens with the murder of a young woman in her apartment. The aberration is that her table has been set up post crime with a dinner for two. When another woman is murdered and her table for two is set, the case moves into Dr. Delaware’s area of expertise: motive.

                This novel is classic Kellerman. It’s a fast paced story that is a quick enjoyable read. There are plenty of red herrings along the way. In fact, Kellerman is known for this. He throws out red herrings like a crazed jester throwing beads at a Mardi Gras parade. I know this. I expect this. Every time I read a Kellerman novel, I have a conversation with myself. “You know he’s going to try to lead you down the garden path, right? Yep. You’re not going to fall for all those false clues, right? Nope.” Of course, I do fall for his misdirections and slight of hand. I don’t know why I even bother.

                For fans of Kellermans, you will not be disappointed. If you’ve never read this author, what are you waiting for?

The Forever Bridge

by T. Greenwood

             

            Set in a small town in Vermont, The Forever Bridge begins with a storm that fractures a family and ends with a storm that holds the possibility of healing that fracture.

            Sylvie is a woman who can no longer face the world after the death of her son in an accident. For two years she has closeted herself in her home believing the world to be a dangerous place.

            Ruby is Sylvie’s eleven year old daughter. For her, the accident took not only her brother, but also her mother. Living with her father, Ruby longs for her mother. Alternating between pity and anger, Ruby tries to navigate the mine field that is her mother’s world.

            Nessa was a throw away child. Now seventeen and pregnant, she longs for the only thing she has ever wanted; a home. Returning to Vermont to find her mother, she carries secrets that could destroy some lives and heal others.

            These three lives are on a collision course that will explode one night as a hurricane bears down on their small town.

            Beautifully written, The Forever Bridge may just be Greenwood’s best novel to date. Her books are always a joyous, sad, funny, heart breaking, lush, barren and thought provoking examinations of relationships. This book is no exception.

            If you've read T. Greenwood’s novels before, you will love this book. If not, you're in for a treat. A must buy.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

The Nightingale

by Kristin Hannah

 

            An epic novel that spans over 50 years, this is beyond a doubt Hannah’s finest book to date. Hannah is at the height of her ability on this one, and it is impressive.

            Set in France during WWII, the book follows two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, ordinary French women who experience the evil, desperation and desolation of war in occupied France. Vianne, the elder sister, believes that if she keeps her head down and follows the rules the Germans impose, all will be well. Isabelle has seen the evil of the German army and believes that resistance is the only choice.  Each of the sister’s attitudes not only shape their choices and change their lives, but will affect many others, both in the present and in the future.

            The book moves from the present day to the past in the two sisters voices. Vianne and Isabelle in the past, and one of the sisters in the present. It is not until the end that the present tense sister’s identity is revealed.

            It is impossible to read this novel and not loose oneself in it. There is just so much to this book: love, loss, beauty, evil, horror, courage and hope.

            Hannah’s opening line to this novel sums it up best: ‘In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.”

            Buy this book for yourself, your friends, anyone who enjoys an epic read of the first quality.

The Great Zoo of China

by Matthew Reilly

 

Think Jurassic Park with dragons and you have Reilly’s latest book. Just as the dinosaurs run amuck in Jurassic Park, so do Reilly’s dragons. However, Reilly takes this idea and goes far beyond expectations.

The book begins with a media tour of a fantastical zoo, amusement park, vacation destination spot the Chinese government has been building in secret for over 40 years. Of course, the tour goes horribly awry very quickly. That’s when the fun begins!

Led by a female protagonist, CJ Cameron, the cast of characters includes a host of Chinese officials, technicians, a U.S. ambassador, scientists and dragons, dragons, dragons. Lots of dragons of varying sizes, shapes, colors and abilities.

What makes this book work so well, is the author’s ability to make the existence of dragons in the modern world seem so believable. Whatever objection your mind can conjure up, Reilly has an answer to, and that answer is very plausible.

The Great Zoo of China is a thriller, a fantasy and a sci-fi novel all rolled into one really good read. Even for readers who are not fantasy or sci-fi readers (I count myself among them) this is a novel that will be enjoyed by most.

                Buy this book, buckle your seat belt, and let Matthew Reilly take you on one fantastic ride. Oh, and when you dream of dragons, blame the author, not me.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

If I Fall, If I Die

by Michael Christie

                Christie’s debut novel focuses on a woman, Diane with agoraphobia raising her young son Will completely within the bounds of their house. Will can’t remember ever leaving their house to go Outside. His entire world consists of the rooms of his house, the Inside, and his mother Diane. Then one day, Will does the unthinkable and ventures Outside. As Will stands Outside, he waits to stop breathing, for his hair to catch fire, for all manner of calamity to consume him. Nothing happens and Will is emboldened to venture further Outside. What follows is Will’s experience with the Outside world, for which he is wholly unprepared.

                This started off as a terrific novel. Christie does an admirable job of making the novel believable and letting the reader discover the Outside from Will’s perspective.

                Unfortunately, about half way through the novel, Christie does a complete 180, and the story crashes and burns a fiery death. It seemed that Christie took the novel to a certain point, and then had no idea where to go next, so he introduced a mystery and plot points that went far beyond stretching credibility. It’s unfortunate, since If I Fall, If I Die was a wonderful novel until this point.

                I’ll look forward to Christie’s next novel, since he shows promise. But this one needs work.     

   

Borrow this book from your library and read the first half which is very, very good. Then if you have an extreme desire to punish yourself, read the rest of it.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

First Frost

By Sarah Addison Allen

 

                Anyone who has ever read one of Allen’s books knows they are always about family, friendships and our connections to the world around us, with a little magic thrown in. This latest offering is no exception. A sequel to her novel Garden Spells, this follows the Waverley sisters as each struggles with new doubts and challenges.

                Both Claire and Sydney Waverley are now married with daughters of their own, a new generation of Waverley women with gifts. Reading this novel is like spending the weekend with old friends. It’s a comfortable, easy experience that leaves you feeling good for no specific reason.

                Allen’s gift is in her ability to make you feel a part of her character’s lives. First Frost does not disappoint on that score. The only question is: when and if we will see a sequel to this book. This reader hopes so.

                Scheduled for publication on January 20, 2015.

                Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Rain on the Dead  

By Jack Higgins

Let me start out by saying that I have read Jack Higgins for a LONG time. That being said, I fear either his writing skills are deteriorating or I have just simply outgrown him. How sad. I love his Sean Dillion series and the character, but I found myself struggling to get interested in his latest offering. It’s just too formulaic. The good guys always win; the bad guys always die. There’s simply too much ‘in the right place at the right time’ happenstance to really work for me. Perhaps at the age of 85 it’s unreasonable to expect the same quality of writing from Higgins.

            Borrow this one from your library.