Friday Book Report: First, There is a River by Kathy Steffen

 

Kathy Steffen’s novel, First, There is a River delves deep into the world of the riverboat and its crew on the Ohio river in the early 1900’s.  The Spirit of the River is one such riverboat that offers escape and a second chance at life for Emma Perkins.  It was published in 2007 by Medallion Press, Incorporated.

On the surface, it seems as though Emma Perkins has the perfect life.  She has two wonderful children and a hardworking farmer of a husband that loves her very much.  But that hardworking husband is a façade, and Jared is not as loving as he seems.  Jared uses his belief in God as justification for punishing Emma when she isn’t the perfect wife he wants her to be.  For years, Emma did nothing and let him abuse her, afraid that he would harm her children or take them away from her.  But when Jared sells the children into labor at a nearby farm, Emma seeks refuge and escape onboard her uncle’s riverboat, The Spirit of the River.  On the river, Emma is seemingly safe from her abusive husband and uses that time on the river to regain her self-confidence and self-worth, all the while gaining the courage to stand up to her husband once and for all and regain the life she so desperately wants back.

I’m not quite sure what to make of this book.  I liked it, especially in the beginning, but I felt the middle dragged a bit and the end was just mediocre.  It’s a decent read for a weekend or on vacation, but it’s not very memorable and I doubt I’d ever read it again.  I thought Ms. Steffen did a great job capturing life aboard a riverboat in the 1900’s, and the scenes depicting riverboat life were vibrant and very well illustrated.  The characters of Emma and Gage were also very well written, and I found that I kept reading because Emma and Gage were so interesting and I wanted to find out more about them.  At first, Emma is meek and afraid to speak up for herself, her husband Jared has basically beaten the spirit out of her, and it was fascinating to watch her transform into the spirited, confident woman she once was while riding on the river.  I also thought Ms. Steffen uses the river brilliantly as a metaphor for life.  The river twists and turns, there’s bumps and slow, low sections, but all the while it keeps flowing just like life, and you can either submit and drown or go with the flow and continue on.

Despite all the positives this book has to offer, there was a lot left to be desired as well.  For one thing, the narration gets a bit confusing about halfway through.  There aren’t any clear breaks when the point of view switches, and all the narration changes kind of creep up on the reader which can be confusing.  I know there were several times it took me a minute to figure out that there was a narration change and realize who’s point of view I was reading.  I really liked Gage, I thought he was an interesting character, but the supernatural nightmare element implemented in his story about mid-way through was really weird.  It wasn’t fully developed and it felt uneccessary and very distracting.  If you’re going to write about the supernatural either commit fully to developing it, or leave it out altogether.  And my biggest problem with the book was the character of Jared.  From the start we know he’s not a very good dude, but to have him use his belief in God and the Bible as an excuse to punish his wife as violently as he does just felt like the easy way out.  I didn’t like the bible-beater husband story arc, and I think with a little more creativity the author could’ve given us a more original reason as to why Jared thinks he needs to beat his wife. 

There are also a lot of secondary characters that don’t really seem all that vital to the initial plotline.  It felt as though they were just in there to supply a little filler during the slow periods, but then the end came and their tiny storylines were never finished.  I understand there needs to be more than just the main characters, but having a half-hearted attempt at developing other characters without finishing their storyline was a little frustrating.  I would’ve much preferred they just serve as background characters instead of making me interested in them only to have their respective story’s cut short.

Overall it’s a decent book.  The storyline is promising and I did like the riverboat aspect very much.  I’d have to give this book a C grade for the efforts.  It’s not very memorable, I doubt I’ll read it again and aside from wanting to know more about Emma and Gage, I didn’t feel connected to anyone else in the story.  It’s good for a weekend or a vacation read.  I can’t judge too harshly since I did read it rather quickly, but it’s not something I can recommend whole-heartedly.   It’s a good, but not great book despite how great the Spirit is on the river.

Friday Book Report: Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass

Dr. Bill Bass and author Jon Jefferson team up under the moniker Jefferson Bass to create Carved in Bone, the first of the Body Farm Series.  Dr. Bill Bass is a well-known anthropologist responsible for “the body farm”, a three acre stretch of land at the University of Tennessee devoted to study how the human body decomposes in certain environments.  It’s an ultra-creepy environment that is perfect as the backdrop of a murder mystery novel.  The book combines the real life experiences of Dr. Bass and a little dose of fiction to create something completely original despite the fact that CSI shows/novels are popping up like dandelions these days.  The first of The Body Farm series was published in 2006 by Harper Collins Publishers.

Well known and respected anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton has been called upon numerous times by federal and state agencies for his expertise and knowledge regarding death, and when a mummified corpse is discovered in the backwoods of Tennessee, his expertise is needed once again to solve the mystery surrounding the young woman’s death.  Although she’s been dead for over 30 years, the unique environment of the cave she was found in has remarkably preserved her body and the discovery is about to turn the local town of Cooke County upside down.  Cooke County and its people aren’t known for allowing outsiders into their community, but when the sheriff of Cooke County calls for Brockton’s help, he knows that this is one mystery he needs to solve.  Brockton’s investigation is threatening to expose certain secrets that the townsfolk don’t want revealed, and attempts to thwart his progress and attempts on his life have him anxious to discover the truth in this baffling mystery.

I’m not usually a fan of the CSI and forensic genre, but I really really enjoyed this book.  For one thing, it’s a very real read, and I think that has to do with this book being co-written by an expert in the field of anthropology.  Dr. Bill Bass takes his own experiences and weaves them into this fictional book and it has such a fluid feel to it, the pages practically turn themselves.  This book is stuffed with information about dead bodies, which could be gruesome to read about, but it’s done in such a clinical way that it never really creeped me out.  I found I really enjoyed learning about the skeletal anatomy and the reasons why a person might have died, once you get past the creepiness of the body farm, it’s pretty interesting stuff.

I also liked that the authors gave Brockton a life outside of the body farm.  He wasn’t just an anthropologist helping the police department.  He’s also a man battling the grief and guilt of his wife’s death, and his faults as a father.  He’s human, and he makes mistakes just like all of us.  Writing about his personal life wasn’t necessary, but it helped to make the character of Dr. Brockton more believable.  He’s also really funny, and for someone that spends so much time surrounded by death, it was refreshing that he had a little bit of wit and humor in his personality.

There are a lot of secondary characters that are just as well written as Brockton.  The secondary characters never over shadowed Brockton, but they complimented him very well, and the wide range of personalities was compelling enough to keep you reading.

There aren’t a whole lot of twists and turns in this book, and those looking for more of a mystery will probably be a little disappointed.  It’s not your typical “whodunit” book, and once you dive into the heart of the book you’ll probably have an idea of who the culprit is, but this book does have the feel of how things would really shake out in an investigation.  I give this book a solid B+ grade.  It’s well written, with excellent characters and the body farm setting and backwoods of Tennessee provide an excellent location for a murder mystery.  As I said, I’m not a fan of the CSI shows on television these days, but I very much enjoyed how this book played out and I think that anyone that does enjoy that genre would enjoy this book, too.  It interested me enough that I’ve read it more than once and I am seriously considering reading the other Body Farm novels.  If I’m willing to read more from the same author, well then, that’s about as big as an endorsement that I can give.  I highly recommend this book, especially for those that like the murder mystery/forensic science type genre.

Friday Book Report: The Shack by William Paul Young

William Paul Young writes a modest tale about a man and his struggle with tragedy and life in general in The Shack.  It was published in 2008 by Windblown Media.

Mackenzie Phillips considers himself a normal man.  Married with children, he has a good life but definitely still struggles with past hurts that have haunted him for years.  His struggles continue when his youngest daughter, Missy, is abducted during a family vacation.  Frantically searching for his daughter, the evidence the authorities find leads them to believe she may have been brutally murdered in an abandoned shack in the Oregon wilderness.  After Missy’s death, Mack turns inward, hiding his emotions and fears from everyone.  He becomes angry at God for letting this happen to his family.  Four years later Mack receives an odd note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that horrible shack for a weekend.  Mack struggles with the desire to confront God and the fear that letting out all those emotions will open wounds he’d rather keep hidden.  His curious nature leads him back to the shack and what he finds there will change his life forever.

Whew.  This book is…powerful.  I can see why there is so much controversy surrounding this book.  From all the other reviews I’ve read, people either love this book or they hate it.  There’s hardly any in-between when it comes to The Shack.   I think I am one of the few that fell somewhere in the middle regarding this book.  I didn’t absolutely love it, but I didn’t hate it either.  And while I didn’t absolutely love it, I can admit that this book is powerful and it raises a lot of questions into subjects that most people would rather just ignore.

This is a Christian fiction book, and everyone should know that before proceeding.  William Paul Young uses this book to try and break down some of the stereotypes that people have of God and The Trinity with his own ideas about what he thinks they are like.  This isn’t a book to try and sway the reader into Young’s thinking, at least it shouldn’t be.  These are his ideas just like any other fiction novel out there and I think if the deeply devotional readers out there that did not enjoy this book can get past that, they might actually enjoy the story.  There’s talk of this book being heretical and inaccurate.  I’m not sure why, Mr. Young is writing a fictional story about a man and his battle with tragedy that is threatening to engulf his life.  His meeting with God changes his perspective, as I think it would do for anyone that met God.  I guess I just didn’t have a problem with some of Young’s ideas about the Trinity, even if they weren’t my own because I was able to read this book knowing it’s fiction and in no way should replace Scripture.

I really enjoyed that the majority of this book deals with the enormity of God’s love, and the inadequacy of humans to really understand how to fully love without the presence of God.  That part I really liked.  I really enjoyed how Young portrayed just how amazing God’s love is.  Mack has the stereotype that God is mean and an “eye for an eye” God, and Young definitely tries to alleviate that stereotype.  It was definitely enlightening to read a different perspective about God’s capacity to love and his grace to forgive.  

There are definite flaws in this book.  I didn’t think it was very well written, for one.  Mr. Young is not a writer and it’s very evident in this book.  I didn’t realize until after reading this that he never intended to publish this book, but it was more a story for his children.  So he does get a little pass after learning that.  The dialogue seems forced and unrealistic at times, especially the interactions between God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.  And while I thought Mack was very well developed, the dialogue wasn’t.   There are poignant scenes that are definitely emotional and tug at the heart strings, but even those powerful and heartfelt illustrations can’t hide that fact that a lot of the scenes were somewhat cheesy and forced.

Overall though, I liked this book.  It was interesting to read a different viewpoint on the Trinity, even if a lot of the thoughts I didn’t agree with.  Still, I would recommend this book solely because of the way Young describes God’s love and ability to forgive.  And for that alone I have to give this book a B grade, I’ve never read any other Christian fiction that was so enlightening about God’s capacity to love.  I don’t think The Shack is for everyone, but for those with the ability to discern between theology and fiction, I think this could be a very interesting book to experience. 

Friday Book Report: Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Welcome to 1929, where prohibition is in full effect, and men willing to bring alcohol to the masses become kings.  New York is ruled by these kings and the young flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes age of the flapper.  Anna Godbersen delivers a story of three young women searching for their own goals and dreams in Bright Young Things.  It was published in 2010 by HarperCollins Publishers.

Cordelia Grey is too big for her small town of Union, Ohio and so she escapes with her best friend, Letty Larkspur to the allure and glamour of New York City, just hours after Cordelia’s wedding.  Cordelia is searching for the father she’s never known, famous bootlegger Darius Grey.  She not only finds her father, but also a brother, Charlie, and a new friend in Astrid Donal, Charlie’s socialite girlfriend.  Cordelia soon discovers that family is most important to Darius, and she’s forced to choose between her newly found family or a promising romance with the handsome Thom Hale.

Letty dreams of seeing her name light up Broadway.  All she’s ever wanted to do was sing and perform on-stage, but she soon discovers that New York is full of young women with the same dreams, and the reality of her situation soon sets in.  After a falling out with Cordelia, the innocent and naïve Letty struggles on her own to find her way in the city that can dash a young girl’s dream in a blink of an eye.

Astrid Donal is a young flapper that seems to have it all, money, beauty, and the love of Charlie Grey, heir to Darius Grey’s bootlegging industry.  She’s spoiled and she knows it.  But she too is just a young woman with dreams of her own, and her seemingly perfect appearance covers up a slew of family secrets and flaws.

I had really high hopes for this book.  I thought the times of the flapper and prohibition would be an interesting read, but this book just fell flat for me.  I did enjoy the scenes and the description of the New York City scene in 1929, but that was about all I enjoyed.  I thought the author did a very nice job describing the city and the people during the times.  It was interesting to read more about how society’s came together and socialized more with one another during prohibition.  I did like that part of the book, but that was about it.

My main problem with this book were the main characters involved.  I just could not get on board with Cordelia or Letty.  I liked Astrid well enough, at least she knew who she was and wasn’t afraid to show it.  But Cordelia really got on my nerves.  She’s selfish.  She marries back in Ohio but leaves her husband just hours after the wedding.  Why marry him at all?  There are three books in this series, so perhaps he comes into play later on?  If that’s not the case it’s a realy crappy thing for Cordelia to do.  She runs off to New York with her friend Letty, but as soon as they have one fight, she abandons her.  Once she finds her father, I would expect her to bend over backwards to please him.  But nope, her father asks her to stay away from rival bootleggers, but she goes behind his back and sees them anyway.  She never did one thing that wasn’t for anyone other than herself throughout this entire book, and that really bothered me.  I guess she kind of redeems herself towards the end, but overall I did not like her character and really had a hard time reading about her.

Letty is just too naïve for her own good.  Her small-town mind can’t quite grasp the big city rules, and it was frustrating to read.  I suppose it’s realistic that the bright lights of the city can overwhelm a small-town country girl, but her sheer stupidity wasn’t realistic at all.  She’s new to the city and the rules of New York, so why not go out with a complete stranger and expect only good things to happen.  Any girl in her right mind would not do that, past or present.  It’s just asking for bad things to happen.  I didn’t like reading about Cordelia because of her selfishness.  I didn’t like reading about Letty because she was dumb.

I can’t really recommend this book because of the characters involved.  The storyline is actually pretty good, once you get past the foolishness of the characters.  But I can’t enjoy a book based solely on the storyline.  I need good, well-developed characters to make the book entertaining, and that just wasn’t the case with Bright Young Things.  Perhaps the second and third books in the series are better, but after reading the first, I just don’t think I can stomach trying to read more about Cordelia or Letty.  I have to give this book a C grade, it took me forever to finish because I just wasn’t interested in it, the characters drove me crazy, and while the storyline is readable, there wasn’t much going on and really nothing happens until almost the end of the book.  I suppose it’s just plot development for the second book, but I’m not going to waste my money on book #2 when I felt so disagreeable towards the first.   The title is “Bright Young Things” but I really think a more fitting title is “Stupid Young Girls.” 

Friday Book Report: Texas Hold Him by Lisa Cooke

The year is 1870 and the South is trying to recover from the Civil War that has just ended.  New Orleans resident Charlotte Mason used to live on a prosperous southern plantation, but the aftermath of the War left her family with barely enough to live on, and an unknown blackmailer threatens to ruin her family for good.  Lisa Cooke delivers a delightful look at the riverboat gamblers in Texas Hold Him.  It was published in 2009 by the Dorchester Publishing Company, Inc.

Southern Belle Charlotte “Lottie” Mason is in a pickle that she’s not sure she can get out of.  The Civil War that ravaged the South left her family devastated, and now a blackmailer is threatening to send her ill father to prison unless Lottie can come up with the money to keep her father safe.  Lottie learns that there’s a big gambling tournament coming up, and she pleads with Obediah “Dyer” Straights, a successful riverboat gambler, to teach her the game of poker to earn the money to save her father.  Dyer has no time for a proper Southern lady; he travels the riverboats to search for revenge.  However, the ever insistent Lottie won’t give up, and he finally agrees to teach her for the price of one night in his bed, which he assumes will make her run away, but she calls his bluff and the cards are dealt. 

This is your typical light-hearted romance novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  This isn’t the type of book that’s going to make a reader think, and your brain won’t need to function too much to understand the plotline, but I don’t care.  It’s a very fun read and a great way to let your mind escape to the riverboats of the Mississippi for a few hours.  The premise of the book is a tad bit hard to believe, and if you really analyze this book, the plot is fairly weak, but it’s the characters of Lottie and Dyer that make this book readable.  Without them, this book would be sub-par and I would’ve folded long before the big bets are placed.  Lisa Cooke knows her audience though, and instead of taking the time to develop an intriguing plot she improves on her main characters, which is why romance readers read romance novels in the first place.  Fans of the romance genre don’t mind if the story is a little far-fetched, just as long as the protagonists are interesting and worth reading about.  Lottie and Dyer are definitely worth reading about.

The dialogue between Dyer and Lottie is great, I found myself laughing out loud more than once while reading.  The banter, teasing, and sharp wit between the two are hilarious.  Lottie is a little naïve and definitely out of place on a riverboat, and Dyer’s reactions to the situations she gets herself in make this little book a page turner.  It reminds me a lot of the movie (or television show) Maverick.  While the situations may be life threatening to the characters, the comedic overtones trump the disasters the characters get themselves into. 

While I can accept that the plotline of this book might leave a little to be desired, my only real complaint was that I thought it was too short.  A lot of the situations Dyer and Lottie get themselves into weren’t quite as developed as I would have liked, and I wish that the book were longer to really explain and detail their mishaps.  It felt like some of the situations they got into were abbreviated and I wanted the author to really give us an illustration of what was going on, not just the Cliff’s Note’s version.  Ms. Cooke tries to develop a secondary storyline between minor characters Newt and Sally that I thought was unnecessary.  If Ms. Cooke wanted to expand on their story, well that’s fine, but their story felt underdeveloped and lacking.  There wasn’t enough explanation or emotion written about those two to make their story interesting.  She needed to either develop a real story between them or just leave out the little snippets of emotion and just focus on Lottie and Dyer and keep Sally and Newt minor characters in the relationship between Lottie and Dyer.   I also just wanted more interaction between Lottie and Dyer, and there wasn’t enough about Newt and Sally to make me care about them.  Lottie and Dyer were without a doubt; the best part of this book.  The exchanges between Lottie and Dyer were wonderful, and I would’ve loved to read more conversations between them.

Overall I really liked this book, it’s a fast and easy read, great for a day or two of escapism if you’re looking for a fun book that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  There’s mild language and a few steamy scenes, so I wouldn’t recommend for younger readers.  It is a romance novel, so keep that in mind if you aren’t a romance fan.  I am a romance fan and I give this book a solid B+ grade.  The plot may be silly, but it’s the characters that make this book, and if you enjoy the comedic romance books, than I recommend you ante up for Texas Hold Him.

Friday Book Report: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is one of those novels that every book lover should read.  Whether you enjoy it or not is based on your personal style, but one cannot deny that Austen is still one of the best novelists out there, and that she can take a story from 200 years ago and still it is relevant in today’s society.  The various themes of this book can very well be applied to today’s modern world, and it’s amazing that anyone familiar with the literary world knows exactly who Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are.  Their characters transcend time, and that in itself is a testament to just how remarkable an author Jane Austen was.  This book was originally published in 1813, and after 200 years is still one of the most famous works of fiction to ever grace a page.

The story revolves around the Bennett family and their five daughters.  Elizabeth, the second oldest is a young woman able to speak her mind and unafraid to do so despite what polite society might say.  She’s strong, independent and truly believes she can assess a person’s true character.  When she first meets Mr. Darcy, she finds him to be horrible and arrogant and she cannot stand him at all.  All her comments towards Darcy are filled with disdain, and she makes no apologies for speaking her mind to him so freely.   During the course of their acquantaince Elizabeth feels she has justly evaluated Darcy’s character and her stubbornness won’t allow her to change her thinking.  But of course, certain situations come to head and Elizabeth must soon realize that her first impressions of Darcy are not what they seem, and so this wonderful romantic tale takes off and Austen leads the way with her witty and humorous writing.

There of course are two main themes of this book; pride and prejudice, and both the main characters have ample amounts of both.  Darcy is an extremely proud man, his wealth and station in life have given him reason to believe he is above most in society and therefore he comes off as haughty and unsociable.  This is what Elizabeth sees when she first meets Darcy and he so grossly humiliates her with his cold comments about her appearance as well as the entire social scene he is thrust into.  Elizabeth is full of her own pride.  She overhears his insults and her stubborn nature will not allow her to shift her prejudice of this discomfiting man.  It’s really a remarkable thing to witness, the two are so much alike and so vastly different we all know they are perfect for each other; if they could just swallow their pride and be done with it.  Pride is shown and brought up throughout the book, and while it is usually considered a fault to have pride, Darcy says it best when he describes the differences of pride, “Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity to what we would have others think of us.”  And that is the crux of the situation, Darcy has loads of pride (and he should, for he is a wealthy man with a profitable estate to be proud of) but all Elizabeth can see at first is vanity, and not in a good way.  She sees an egotistical man, instead of a man proud of his accomplishments.  

Mr. Darcy on the other hand, is bothered by Elizabeth and he doesn’t like it at all.  Her manners and straightforward approach unsettle him and he has to battle with those first impressions that Elizabeth has thrust upon him.   He’s attracted to her but he doesn’t want to be.  Jane Austen writes his displeasure in loving her so perfectly in quite possibly the greatest scene ever written.  His first proposal of marriage to Elizabeth is one of the funniest things I think I’ve ever read.  The way he reluctantly acquiesces to the idea that he loves Elizabeth despite all her shortcomings is written brilliantly and Elizabeth’s response to his overwhelmingly “romantic” proposal is downright hilarious.

I very much enjoyed this book, and not just because it’s recognized as a “classic” and a must read.  It’s an intellectual romance, and the writing engages the reader to feel what the characters are feeling.  Having lived during that era, Austen can write with extreme conviction that the events that take place in Pride and Prejudice could most certainly happen in 18^th century England.  The writing can be hard to understand sometimes (British English 200 years ago is not exactly the same as American English in the present day), and I found myself taking breaks after reading a few chapters to let my mind digest the information I just read.  These breaks weren’t from a lack of interest, I just felt that at times the writing got over my head and I needed to stop reading and really absorb what I had just read so that I could follow the storyline and grasp just what Austen was writing about more coherently.

I wholly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, but I think those that read often will appreciate this book more than the casual reader.  I do not think I would have liked this book 5 years ago, but having read so much more in the past few years than I used to I can definitely recognize the value this book has in the literary world.  This book is an A, the writing is wonderful, the storyline and themes prevalent throughout the book and are explained and justified beautifully.  It’s suitable for any age, but younger readers may not have the patience to finish this book.  If you love books, and if you love witty romances set in the 18^th Century, you should really read this book, if you are among the few that haven’t already.  Pride and Prejudice is a delightfully entertaining book and I would definitely read it again.

Friday Book Report: 212 by Alafair Burk

Alafair Burke takes real life headlines and weaves them into her story to create the crime novel 212.  The third installment of the Ellie Hatcher series is full of compelling storylines, current events and the underlying theme that human instinct isn’t always what it seems.  This book was published in 2010 by HarperCollins Publishing.

Detective Ellie Hatcher and her partner J.J. Rogan are called to investigate a homicide in one of New York City’s hippest new buildings, the 212.  As it turns out, the man murdered was a bodyguard of a wealthy and famous entrepreneur in his own penthouse.  Sam Sparks, bachelor playboy and real estate mogul is unwilling to cooperate with their investigation, and thus Hatcher and Rogan are forced to put this case on the backburner when another murder lands on their desk.

Megan Gunther is a New York University sophomore that finds personal threats posted on a website specializing in campus gossip.  She’s disturbed by the posts and the anonymity of those posting threats about her.  She takes her case to the police for help, but there’s nothing they can do for her.  Her friends think it’s just a joke, but suddenly Megan ends up dead and now it’s up to Ellie and her partner to find justice for the young college co-ed.  Hatcher and Rogan investigate all the possibilities of Megan’s death, but it isn’t until another woman is killed that a link between the two is formed and the race is on to find the killer before another young woman dies.

Crime novels aren’t particularly my favorite genre, but I did enjoy this book.  It’s obviously not my favorite book ever, but it kept me interested and it didn’t take me long to finish, so it did hold my attention.  This book reminded me a lot of the show Law & Order, what with the crime and the ensuing investigation that almost always leads to something more than just a simple case of murder.  There are a lot of twists and turns, and lots of red herrings to sort through.  Three seemingly unrelated homicides start to link together as Ellie and Rogan piece the puzzle together, and it’s up to them to solve the mystery before another homicide is added to the list.  I could almost hear the Law & Order theme music in my head while reading this…almost.

I liked the character of Ellie Hatcher, she was strong and resilient and very determined to do her job well.  She has her flaws but for the most part she’s well rounded and not your clichéd “screwed up” cop with issues.  I thought she was very well developed and even though this is the third book in the series (and I have not read the previous two), I didn’t feel like I was missing out on a lot.  There were some backstory moments where reading the first two books would’ve helped, but they weren’t necessary and this book works very well as a stand-alone.  I liked the little character details that Burke adds in to give Ellie a personality; how she always illegally parks when arriving at a crime scene, that she always orders the same drink, the hints about her musical tastes that give the reader a little more background on who the real Ellie is, and not just Detective Hatcher.

I liked that Burke took recent events as used them as background for her story.  There are a lot of similiarities to the the “Craigslist Killer” as well as numerous other political scandals that never seem to go away.  And while she does use current headlines, it never felt like her story was just copying what was written in the newspapers.  While I like the “ripped from the headlines” story Burke had going on, I thought perhaps she used too many headlines to form her storyline.

This is a mystery/suspense crime novel, and therefore there is supposed to be a lot of mystery involved before the real culprit is revealed.  However, I felt this book had way too many twists and turns in the plot to make the story believeable.  This story had so many red herrings, and the investigation of the murders jumps from one suspect to the next, winding and spiraling around that the original plotline starts to become clouded and convoluted.  With so much going on, the reader has to process all kinds of information and dead ends while trying to formulate an actual theory as to “whodunit” and why.  I understand the main concept of a mystery novel is to keep the reader guessing, but in this case I think the author took it a bit overboard.  And instead of allowing the reader to form their own ideas, Burke has Ellie and her partner lay out nearly all the possibilities that lead to the crimes they were investigating.  I’m sure this was an attempt to accurately depict how detectives work in solving crimes, but as for me the reader; I felt that the author was trying to purposely sway me from forming my own opinions and giving me Ellie’s instead.  I would have rather had all of Ellie’s theories kept to herself so I could think about the crimes and try to solve the mystery myself, without the “help” from the author.  I suppose it was meant to distract from who really did it, but instead it frustrated me.

All in all it was an entertaining read.  I give this book a B- grade because it did keep me interested enough to read through quickly, the storyline was well thought out for the most part, and I really enjoyed the character of Ellie Hatcher.  This is a crime novel, and there is some harsh language and disturbing scenes.  This book isn’t for children and I wouldn’t recommend to anyone younger than 17 or 18.  If you are a fan of the mystery/crime genre you just might enjoy Ellie Hatcher in 212.  I’m not particularly a fan of the mystery/crime genre, but I still enjoyed Ellie Hatcher, and I just might have it in mind to read a few more books involving her to see what else she has in store. 

Friday Book Report: World War Z by Max Brooks

Max Brooks provides us with a very believable and hauntingly realistic “oral history” of just how a war with Zombies could ever happen.  It reads as if it was a documentary on BBC or the History Channel, a very different and interesting way for a novel such as this to be written.  World War Z was published in 2006 by The Crown Publishing Group.

Max Brooks’ alter-ego (he is never named in the novel, and the reader is left to assume it is Brooks conducting these interviews) travels all across the globe to interview first-hand survivors after the Zombie War.  His journeys take him from the Plains of America to the Middle East to the Antarctic and everywhere in-between.  He interviews war veterans, critical members of various governments and even your everyday regular bloke that just happened to get caught in the middle of the most atrocious event to ever happen to humanity.  Brooks interviews men and women trying to help make a difference in the fight, but he does not discriminate and even interviews those that took advantage of the fears of humans to make money during humanity’s most trying times. 

This is one of those books that; we all know is science fiction and would never ever happen, but the writing is so good and Brooks thought of everything that this book has you thinking, “Zombies aren’t real…and yet.”  The Zombie genre has been around for decades, with authors and screen-writers all putting their spin on those mindless brain-eating buggers, but Brooks actually explains how his zombie infestation would work, and just how such an infestation could go global in a matter of days.  It’s very intriguing.  The breakout takes place in a remote village in China, once the Chinese government gets word of what’s going on, a cover-up of sorts is in place to keep other countries from really understanding the dangers.  Infected but not yet turned humans are fleeing the country to escape quarantine, getting smuggled out of the country by the thousands and therefore bringing the disease to the next country…and then the next…and so on and so forth.  I’ve never once thought that there would be anyway that The United States would ever be overrun by zombies (if such a thing existed) because we have too much firepower and so much land to cover, but Brooks actually made me believe that zombies could infest our country and initially succeed.

Brooks was able to really capture all the emotions of everyone he interviewed, and you could almost feel through his writing that you were there living through all of this with them.  The major themes of this book had to do with human nature and the irrational emotions that separate humans from the living dead.  The fear and irrational panic that everyone has at some level created not just a fear of zombie infestation, but also secondary threats that put the human race at danger.  Unpreparedness and fright caused humans to turn on humans, governments turning on their citizens and countries waging war with each other when they should have been coming together to fight the common enemy.  It’s truly an engaging book about what could happen in a post-apocalyptic earth, no matter if zombies are the cause or not. 

I really enjoyed this book.  My one complaint is that there were too many interviews and not enough depth or explanation.  There are some really great interviews, but just when they started to get good and pull you in, Brooks stops and goes on to the next interview.  At times it was frustrating to read about one person’s experience but never hear the whole story.  There were so many characters and so many stories you could never get focused or engaged enough to truly care about that specific person’s experience.  I would have preferred less interviews but with more depth and progression in the stories that Brooks told.  Brooks does try to tie it all together in the end, but by that time the reader is left trying to remember what person goes with which story and its importance to the overall book.  I get that all the stories are important to the whole story, and he does put them in chronologically according to how the zombie war started but it was difficult at times to focus on the story when you have all these characters and experiences running around throughout the book.

Overall I liked this book a lot.  Brooks gives us a plausible and very realistic version of the Zombie Apocalypse.   It’s not just the believability that makes this book so darn good; it’s the human emotion and the resolve of the human spirit that makes this book worthy of all the praise it has received.  I wish the individual stories were better explained, but overall this book gets and A- from me.  It’s very well written, the zombie infestation is explained brilliantly and the war on the zombies is so in-depth you actually feel like this is something that really happened and not just a work of fiction.  Any fan of the zombie genre should read this book, and I believe any zombie fan will find this book as hauntingly realistic as I did.

Friday Book Report: Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is known as “The Queen of Mystery” for good reason.  In the novel, The Murder at the Vicarage, the character of Miss Jane Marple makes her debut as an amateur investigator trying to solve the mystery of the murder at the vicarage.  This book was first published in 1930.

In the tiny village of St. Mary Mead nothing ever happens, until one day Colonel Protheroe is found dead in the vicar’s study.  Colonel Protheroe isn’t a very popular man within the village, even the vicar, Len Clement has voiced his opinions that the world would be a better place if Protheroe was no longer in it.  That casual remark comes back to haunt him when he finds Protheroe laid out across his writing desk with a bullet in his head.  In a town such as St. Mary Mead, gossip and rumors start flying around, and everyone has a theory as to who shot the Colonel.  Miss Jane Marple, elderly spinster and busybody with her talent for human observation and deduction believes there are at least seven residents of the town with a motive to kill the Colonel, and as the clues start to come in, Miss Marple uses those powers of deduction to try and solve the town’s biggest mystery to date.

This was my first Christie novel and while it wasn’t what I was expecting, I still did enjoy it.  It’s a straight up mystery, which isn’t my favorite genre, but it was still an enjoyable read.  And at least now I can say I have read a Christie mystery novel.  All of the characters are well developed and most play a very important role in the plotline.  While the book is about a murder and the investigation to find who killed the Colonel, I found I was more interested in the fascinating characters that made up the town of St. Mary Mead.  The vicar and his wife added some humor to an otherwise grim storyline, Inspector Slack was your quintessential police investigator, and Miss Marple is in a class all her own.

Miss Marple, the elderly neighbor of the vicar and his wife, has a knack for observation – or spying, depending on your viewpoint – and she excels at evaluating human nature.  She’s very clever and cunning, and while most people would simply disregard the speculations of an elderly woman, her conclusions about human behavior are so precise that it’s hard for any of the investigators to ignore her theories.

This book is written from the point of view of the vicar, Len Clement, which I wasn’t expecting at all.  I mean, it’s a Miss Marple novel and I just assumed it would be from her point of view, but it’s not and Miss Marple isn’t in this book as much as I thought she would be.  I wasn’t expecting that, but it actually makes sense once I sat down to think about it.  In the 1920’s, an elderly woman wouldn’t be privy to all the information that the vicar received while the murder was being investigated, and in fact the main source of information for Miss Marple was the vicar, otherwise I doubt Miss Marple would’ve collected enough of the facts to help solve the case.  So, while it was unexpected to have the point of view of the vicar instead of Miss Marple’s, it completely makes sense and is actually more believable written this way.

What would have otherwise been a so-so book for me turns into something rather enjoyable because of the vicar Clement and his younger wife, Griselda.  They make this story for me.  The mystery is all well and good, and Miss Marple is a charming dear, but its Len and his wife that are the stars in my mind.  Griselda is much younger than her husband, she isn’t the demure housewife one would expect a parson to marry, the two couldn’t be any more different, and yet he absolutely adores her, and she him.  The vicar’s narration is brilliant, and his character analysis of all the inhabitants of St. Mary Mead is spot-on, even if it isn’t the most charitable given his profession.  I thoroughly enjoyed their story, and if I knew they were involved in other Christie novels, I would definitely pick up a few more to read.

The mystery genre isn’t my favorite, if there’s a mystery in the book I usually like it if there’s more than just a mystery to figure out.  It’s a bit like reading 250 pages of the board game Clue, and that isn’t really my thing, but for all that I did enjoy this book and I really enjoyed finally reading a Christie novel.  It’s hard for me to rate this book because mystery isn’t my genre, but the writing and the story and the characters are all worthy of a solid B grade.  While this book was written well and the mystery developed nicely, you never really knew who did it until the end (at least I didn’t) which is what you want in a mystery novel, I found the book just didn’t pull me in like I thought it would.  It took me longer than it should have to read this book, and it’s not because I didn’t like it, I just wasn’t as enthralled in this book and I took my time in finishing it.  Still, anyone that’s a fan of mystery novels should enjoy this book, and any fan of literature has got to read at least one Miss Marple story by Agatha Christie; who is without a doubt a literary icon.

Friday Book Report: The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham

Susan Higginbotham dives deep into the Wars of the Roses in The Stolen Crown.  Full of intrigue, betrayal, secrets, and deception, Higginbotham brings to life the characters involved to create a compelling and fresh look at just what happened to the Princes in the Tower.  It was published in 2010 by Sourcebooks, Incorporated.

One day in 1464, six-year-old Katherine (Kate) Woodville sneaks out of her chambers late at night and finds that her older sister Elizabeth is in the midst of marrying King Edward IV.  That one night changes everything for Kate and for England as well.  At seven, Kate is married to eleven-year-old Henry (Harry) Stafford, the second Duke of Buckingham; and the two are able to form a friendship and a deep bond as they grow up together.  But politics can create strange bedfellows; and Harry and Kate find themselves in the middle of a battle for the throne that could destroy not just their beloved country, but their marriage as well. 

Told from the alternating point of view of Harry and Kate, this is a very fascinating story about that secret marriage and the catastrophe that follows in its wake.  I of course had heard about the Wars of the Roses and the Princes in the Tower, but was Americanly unfamiliar with all the history and events that happened during this particular time period.  The more I read historical fiction, the more fascinated I become regarding events that happened hundreds of years ago.  If a particular historical fiction novel interests me, I find that while reading the book I’m also doing a little research to learn more about the events and characters I’m reading about.  I did this for The Stolen Crown.  This book was wonderfully written, and it’s the perfect blend of historical fact and fiction.  

I really enjoyed reading the perspective of Harry and Kate during these tumultuous times, and I found that their characters were both believable and well-developed.  Reading about the two and their relationship from their youth and beyond was very interesting and provides a little romantic storyline to go along with all the betrayal and scandal developing around those two.  While this book is told during the secret marriage and the events that led up to the Princes in the Tower, this is essentially about Harry and Kate and their relationship.  Harry is the second Duke of Buckingham and he wants more power and control, and when Edward IV doesn’t relinquish he grows complacent and edgy.  Kate is a loyal subject to Edward IV and a loving sister to the Queen, and it’s interesting to see how Kate and Harry react toward each other when certain alliances can become treasonous.

Anyone that knows their history, or has an ability to go online to Wikipedia (or wherever) will know what the end result of this secret marriage will be.  I sort of knew what happens, but that didn’t deter me from wanting to finish this book.  This book is more about the relationship of Harry and Kate and their thoughts and reactions to the events surrounding them.  The Princes in the Tower and the Wars of the Roses just provides a backdrop setting to the story of their relationship.  Instead of just writing a historical fiction about this time period, Higginbotham gives the reader a fresh viewpoint of those events and the perspective of Kate and Harry, who aren’t really documented all that much in the history books.

This book is structured very well and the research involved writing this book is very apparent in the writing.  Historical fact was blended so well with fiction in this book and Higginbotham knew when to be fictitious and when to be factual and when each was essential to the telling of the story.  Higginbotham was descriptive when needed, but very blunt and to the point when description wasn’t necessary.  I loved that she was able to balance that out and it made this book all the better in my mind. 

My only real complaint is that I think there were way too many characters and it was hard to keep up with all of them.  All the characters having multiple names and titles just added to the confusion.  I felt like I needed a family tree next to me so I could remember who was who and what their relationship was to the main characters.  But, that isn’t really Higginbotham’s fault, and in fact she did provide a list of characters at the beginning of the book, but I read this book on my Nook, so going back and forth wasn’t really feasible for me.  There were just a lot of Lancaster’s and York’s and Duke’s and Duchesses and it was hard to keep track of all of them. 

I also felt that there were a lot of big events that didn’t get quite as much attention as I thought they should have, whereas some other little incidents seemed to get more notice than needed.  But, like I said previously, it wasn’t the events that really mattered in this book; it was the relationship between Harry and Kate that was the main focal point.  So, I can’t really complain too much, I just wanted to learn more about some of those happenings that weren’t described as much as I thought they should have been in this book.

Overall, a very well thought out, well researched book that any fan of historical fiction would enjoy.  I say it’s a romance, but it isn’t really, it’s about Harry and Kate, but it’s about their relationship more than it is about the romance in their life.  I give this book a solid B+ grade and am seriously contemplating picking up a few of her other novels because this one was so very well done.  If you enjoy historical fiction I strongly recommend this book to enhance your book collection.

Friday Book Report: Seven Splinters by L.N. Jennings

L.N. Jennings first novel, Seven Splinters introduces us to Tuuli, a young woman that comes into her own through unusual and extraordinary circumstances.  This science-fiction novel is jam-packed with action and adventure that takes us through Tuuli’s remarkable journey of self-discovery.  It was published in 2012 by Lulu.com.

Tuuli Jakobsson is pretty much your average teenager.  She feels like an outcast and is unsure of who she really is and where she wants to be.  College doesn’t seem like the answer, and high school can’t get over soon enough for her.  Struggling with her own identity already, things seem to get worse when her eyes start to glow on her eighteenth birthday.  She knew she wasn’t normal, but this is beyond explanation!  While trying to hide her abnormalities from her annoying sister and the general public, she meets Alvar Gunnaron; an enchanting stranger that seems to understand her better than she does herself.   Alvar helps her to awaken her true self, and leads her through a path of self-discovery that’s as unbelievable as it is magical.  Bound by fate to the fascinating Alvar, Tuuli follows him into an ancient realm on the edge of destruction.  Tuuli and Alvar must find the seven stones of the realm to save their race before a covetous Lord finds them and takes Tuuli for himself.

I may be a bit biased because I actually know this author, but I really enjoyed this book.  I think it’s so cool that someone I sat next to in high school English (she obviously paid much more attention in class than I did!) is now a published author.

L.N. Jennings brings a lot of different story arcs into her book, and she develops them all fairly nicely.  Jennings does a nice job telling a story not just about Elven mythology, but also about a young woman finding out who she is and the way she deals with such an outlandish discovery.  Tuuli seems like your typical teenager, struggling with the harshness of high school and the realities that she doesn’t really fit in anywhere.  When she finally “awakens” she becomes torn between her new race and her human instincts and I think Jennings brilliantly illustrates Tuuli’s transformation and finally her awareness of who she really wants to be.  For that storyline alone, I think this is a great novel for young adults to read.

I loved the new (well, new for me at least) take on Elven mythology.  I thought Jennings did a great job working in both Elven and Viking mythology and truly making it her own story.  This is a science-fiction novel, but with all the intricate details about the Elven and Vikings, it felt more like historical fiction; that’s how believable I thought her story to be.  The characters are all likeable and the dialogue between Tuuli and Alvar felt genuine and believable.  First a first time book, I thought this one was written remarkably well.

As a native Tri-Citian, I loved that parts of this book took place in the Tri-Cities (which is in southeastern Washington).  Jennings’ description of the city after coming over the hills into the Columbia Basin was spot on, and I actually visualized in my mind the many times I’ve seen the Tri-Cities from that exact viewpoint.  There were so many sections that really had me thinking about my hometown, such as this passage, “After replacing the nozzle and putting back the cap, she went into the store to pay, letting a huge, translucent cloud of potato wedges, fried chicken and burritos swarm out the double doors.”  I don’t know what her inspiration for this sentence was, but it so reminded me of The General Store in Finley.

My only complaint, and it’s a small one, is that there seemed to be so much going on in this book (it’s a page turner) that some of the storylines felt a bit rushed.  I wish this story was broken into a series of books so that each storyline and plot had more time for depth and development.  I can understand why she packed it all into one novel, to keep the reader’s interest, but for me I think having a bit more explanation and development on the main storylines and characters really could’ve enhanced the overall appeal of this novel.  But, it’s still really well written and explained; I just get picky sometimes and wanted to learn more about the Elven mythology and the relationship between Tuuli and Alvar.  There is potential for a sequel, and I really hope that Jennings writes another book. 

I give this book a solid B+ grade.  For a first time novel, it’s done very well and I think it has the potential to appeal to a lot of readers.  It reminds me a lot of Karen Marie Moning’s “Highlander” and “Fever” series, just a little bit cleaner and without the in-depth romantic storyline.  This is a clean book (no swearing, no sex, and very few violent scenes) and I think it’s geared more towards young adult readers, but anyone that enjoys science fiction would enjoy it as well.  And anyone that went to River View High School or lived in the Tri-Cities should support our former classmate and local author.  I am biased because I do know this author, but if I didn’t enjoy this book, I wouldn’t have written (or posted) a review about it.  I highly recommend and I think if you take a chance on Seven Splinters, you’ll find it as surprisingly good as I did.

Friday Book Report: Shades of Grey by J.C. Phelps

J.C. Phelps has brought Alex Stanton back to life in Shades of Grey, the second novel in the series.  It’s packed with as much adventure and thrills as the first, and is sure to take the reader on one heck of a ride.  It was published in 2006 by NewPub Binding.

Alex Stanton has been with White & Associates for several months now, but she still has no idea just how much there is left to learn about her new partners.  She’s taken on the permanent alias of Ms. Grey (all the partners have different colors as aliases) and is tasked on her first solo mission.  It seems relatively simple – go undercover and determine whether or not an employee has been embezzling money – but the facts she finds don’t sit right with her, and when she learns a contract has been put on her life she knows this case wasn’t so simple after all.  The clues start to come together and it all connects with a legendary and mysterious sniper known only as Penumbra.  Now her sole focus is to unravel Penumbra’s true identity, but when secrets start to become known, she wonders if she really wants to know who Penumbra actually is.

This story resumes right where Color Me Grey (you can find my review of that book here) left off and continues the dynamic story arc of Alex Stanton – also known as Ms. Grey – and her new job with White & Associates.  The books are connected, and it is better to read them all in chronological order, but it isn’t absolutely necessary.  Alex is continuing her training, we get to learn more about some of her colored partners (Mr. Red, Mr. Green, Mr. Blue, Mr. Brown, Mr. Black, and Mr. White) and there are a couple of missions all jam-packed in this book. 

This book revolves around Alex and her path to self-discovery and self-confidence as she learns new skills as an agent for White & Associates.  White & Associates is a private military corporation taking on cases for both the government and civilians such as reconnaissance and recovery missions.  Alex is a strong and capable female lead, and it’s very entertaining to watch her become so determined to keep up with (and sometimes outdo) her male counterparts.  She’s working in a “man’s world” and wants so much to fit in with her coworkers.  This book deals more with her struggles to be considered and equal amongst the men, and it’s amusing to read how she deals with the coddling she sometimes receives from the men.  I’ve never felt that way myself, but I have no doubt there are tons of women out there that have gone through the same thing in the professional world; determined to succeed and earn the respect and admiration of their male counterparts. 

While the main storyline was much the same as the first book, the overall mission was vastly different and offers up a little bit of a surprise towards the end.  We also get to read a little bit more about her male co-workers, and it’s nice to see how she interacts with each of them.   The characters are so unique, and this story is so interesting I just wish that the men weren’t so much alike.  I think the author tried to write them differently, but a lot of the times their dialogue and actions were all the same.  The only character that really stands apart is Mr. Black, and I think that’s only because he was such a large focus in the first book.  Even Mr. White, who is supposed to be her “romantic interest” (even though nothing has happened yet), seems like the same character as Mr. Red or Mr. Blue.  All of the men had the potential to be interesting and individual, but a lot of times they just seem to roll into the same person, which was a little disappointing for me.

The actual mission is very well thought out, and I really liked the little twist at the end.  I thought that was written very well and I am looking forward to reading more of this series to see how it all unfolds later on.  I like how Phelps was able to correlate all of the missions and have them collide together with a reasonable and fitting explanation.  It’s no real surprise what’s going on, but Phelps does do a nice job of getting us there.  The actual resolution to the conflict seemed a little anti-climactic to me, and I wish there could’ve been a few more thrills and action scenes before it all got resolved.  But, I think Phelps was more focused on the twist and telling that story than she was on solving the case, and I think that’s why it was wrapped up so neatly;  so the reader could focus on the twist that caused havoc on Alex’s emotions.

Once again, the first person narrative is in effect (as it was in the first) and so it’s all told from Ms. Grey’s point of view.  I think it must be easier to write that way, because my one and only real complaint about this series is that it is told in the first-person.  I think all of the characters could have been developed so much more if the narrative was in the third-person instead, and there could be so much more depth to the storylines involved.  Regardless, this is still a fun series and I will continue to read them all until there aren’t any more left.

I really like this series and I enjoyed this book as well.  I give this book a B+ grade, it’s fun and the characters are interesting even if they aren’t fully developed to their full potential.  The storyline is interesting and the plot well thought out.  Alex is a dynamic character and one you find yourself really pulling for.  If you like strong and able female protagonists, you should really check out this series by J.C. Phelps.  It’s a mix between James Bond and Alias, with a kick-butt kind of girl and a lot of no-nonsense men.  It’s a fun and entertaining read that won’t make you think too much, but if you’re looking for a little escapism in the form of one strong and sassy woman, this might be a fun series for you to check out.