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Click on any book cover to go directly to Amazon.com Rating: *** If I didn’t know better, I would think that Sue Grafton
wrote this book! It is so similar
to the style of Grafton’s alphabet mysteries, and Grafton’s Kinsey character
seems like a sister to Evanovich’s Stephanie character. Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter, and she does a little
detective work on the side. Her
uncle Fred has disappeared, so she’s trying to help her family find him.
One thing leads to another, and Stephanie finds that people are being
murdered for their silence, but she needs to find out why before she’s the
next target. This book solves the
mystery at the end, but there’s still a small cliffhanger that forces you to
read the next book- Hot Six! Because
I like this Stephanie character so much, I do plan to read Evanovich’s series
of Stephanie Plum novels. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: *** It was really helpful to have read High Five before
reading this novel, because the cliffhanger of High Five leads right into
the first chapter of this novel. Stephanie
Plum is again the main character, but this time, her criminal to collect is her
own fellow bounty hunter Ranger. Stephanie thought she knew Ranger, but because he does lead
an illusive life, maybe he is hiding something.
Stephanie must again use her detective skills to solve a murder, and she
prays that it doesn’t involve her friend Ranger. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: *** This is the second novel I’ve read by Fairstein, and it
features the same heroine as the first novel- Final Jeopardy-
Alex Cooper. This story has
a lot of the same intrigue, and it’s a good read, but it’s just not
as good as Final Jeopardy. This
time around, Alex and her detective buddies Chapman and Mercer are
trying to solve a murder/rape of Denise Caxton, a wealthy NYC socialite
who is an art collector and connoisseur.
Denise and her husband Lowell have been separated, so of course
he’s a suspect. But
Denise had some shady business partners, was possibly involved in some
bidding schemes at art auctions, and potentially had possession of 2
famous paintings that were stolen 10 years ago from a museum.
All that makes for a wide-open case and potential suspects.
A newspaper article mistakenly states that Alex is close to
solving the case and that an arrest is imminent.
Now the killer is running scared and is after Alex.
She needs to figure out this case before someone takes her life. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein
Rating: **** Alex Cooper, assistant D.A. of the sex crimes unit in NYC,
is shocked to read in a newspaper that she has been murdered at her home on
Martha’s Vineyard. After
Alex calls to confirm that she’s alive and well at her apartment in NYC, she
realizes that the victim is probably Isabella Lascar, a famous movie star, whom
she loaned her house to for a get-away weekend.
No one knows whether Alex or Isabella was the intended victim, so she’s
on 24hr bodyguard coverage until they have a suspect.
Alex unofficially works on the case with Detective Mike, her long time
pal, and soon some damaging evidence comes forth implicating someone Alex knows
all too well. But are Alex and Mike
coming to the right conclusions, or is the real killer still on the loose?
This was a really good book with a great page-flipping ending!
It was very suspenseful right up until the end. The fact that part of it
took place on Martha’s Vineyard made me keep thinking of JFK Jr’s crash
because of all the local references, which made it all the more interesting to
read. The title of the book is kind of neat because the characters always
compete over the “Final Jeopardy” TV show question, yet “Final Jeopardy”
is also an appropriate title for the story! Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Bridget
Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding Rating: **** This is really quite a hilarious read- I even laughed out loud a few times. The story is basically a year in the life of Bridget Jones, via her diary. Bridget is a Singleton, 30, constantly dieting, and reading self-help books to develop inner poise. This book is the first of 2 Bridget Jones books, the second being Bridget Jones- The Edge of Reason. Be sure to read this one first, as it is helpful in learning all the characters, and feeds right into the second book. Bridget is British, living in London, so there are some weird words/ phrases to get used to. This book is being made into a movie! Top
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N-Z Bridget
Jones- The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding Rating: **** This book might be even funnier than the first (Bridget
Jones’ Diary). Because you
know all the characters from the first novel, there is more plot development.
You get to really admire Bridget, as she is quite aloof, and not always
aware of things. This novel has
Bridget picking up where she left off- with a new boyfriend, and the things she
does to try to keep him. Again,
there were several times when I found myself laughing out loud at Bridget’s
misfortunes! Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z The First
Time by Joy Fielding Rating: **** This is not a suspense story, but rather an insight into the
lives of Mattie and Jake. Mattie
and Jake were “forced” to get married 16 years ago, when she became
pregnant. Mattie has always
wondered whether or not they would have married, had she not become pregnant. Mattie has been aware of several of Jake’s trysts with
other women, and she’s gotten to the point where she can take no more.
Jake moves out, but then Mattie receives some devastating news that turns
their world upside down. This is a
really good story, but it’s definitely a tear jerker too! Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Missing
Pieces by Joy Fielding
Rating: **** This is a really intriguing story.
When you read the first chapter, you feel like you’re missing
something- and it will only make sense after you’ve finished the book.
Kate Sinclair is a family therapist, married with 2 daughters.
The story basically starts when Kate’s sister Jo Lynn is reading the
paper and sees a photo of a cute guy. She
announces that she is going to marry him- never mind that he is currently on
trial for the murders of 13 women. Jo Lynn attends the trial every day, and even manages to drag
Kate along every so often. Kate
feels as if her life is falling apart- her sister has gone crazy, her daughters
are rebellious, her mother is showing the first signs of Alzheimer’s, and her
marriage isn’t what it used to be. Can
things get any worse? Remember to
go back and read the first chapter after you’ve finished. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Cold
Mountain by
Charles Frazier Top
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Critiques Home Page Books
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N-Z The
Disappearance by J.F. Freedman Rating:
**** This
is an excellent murder suspense novel. It
is kind of reminiscent of The
General’s Daughter, in that things aren’t
always what they seem. The case in
question seems to be a pretty open and shut case, with damning evidence against
Joe Allison, a local TV news anchor. Joe
is accused of kidnapping and killing 14-year-old Emma Lancaster, the TV
station’s owner’s daughter. Doug
Lancaster is very powerful amongst the town officials, and bribes almost every
lawyer from taking Joe’s case. Luke,
the ex-D.A., left town after someone he convicted and gave the death penalty was
later proven innocent. Luke has
been recruited by an old buddy to be Joe’s attorney simply because he isn’t
involved in town politics, and because he isn’t really in the legal scene
anymore. As the case unfolds,
shocking evidence appears that makes Luke wonder if Joe is truly innocent, and
was framed, as he claims. Just
before the trial starts, someone tries to kill Luke- which gives him all the
more ammunition that someone out there is scared at what Luke will uncover! Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating:
* This
is supposed to be a suspense novel, but you’d never really know it.
The story line hops around from character to character, and is very hard
to follow. You get to
the point where you’ve just started to follow a certain character’s life,
and then the story switches to another without warning.
The plot is that these women sign up with a dating service, and one of
them is murdered- the same exact way that another woman was murdered years ago.
The problem is that supposedly the murderer died- but now people aren’t
so sure. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z In
Pursuit of the Proper Sinner by Elizabeth George
Rating:
*** This
story takes place in England, and is written by a British author, so
consequently, a lot of British English is used- and sometimes you feel like
you’re reading a foreign language! Most
of the words you can infer from the text in which it’s written, but here’s
an example of words not customarily seen in American English- bloke or sod (guy,
fellow), tube (subway), punter (a john for prostitutes), fag (cigarette), lorry
(truck). Once you get past this,
it’s a pretty good suspense novel. Julian
is in love with Nicola, and wants to marry her.
She has turned him down, but he isn’t giving up.
He goes over to her parents to pick her up for a prearranged date only to
find that she’s missing. A police
search of the area discovers 2 bodies- Nicola’s and an unnamed male’s.
The investigation takes you through the lives of Nicola and the unknown
male, where things aren’t always what they seem. Motives can be created for just about anyone that knew these
2, but who really would have gone through with the killings?? Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating:
*** This is a mystery novel featuring NYPD detective April Woo. This story doesn’t have many cliffhanger scenes or thrilling moments, but it’s still pretty good. April is Chinese-American, which comes in very handy with her detective job in NYC, because she is able to speak and translate Mandarin Chinese. April has just been assigned to the Popescu case- where the wife (Heather) was beaten unconscious and the baby is missing. The Heather is Chinese, and the husband (Anton) is Caucasian. The obvious thought is that Anton beat up Heather and did something to their baby, but so far, they have no proof. As April starts digging into the case, it’s discovered that Heather had never given birth. So where did the baby come from, and who beat up Heather- and why? Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z “O”
is for Outlaw
by Sue Grafton
Rating:
**** Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating:
*** This
story is about a man, Ethan, who is torn between two women.
He is an attorney in a small town in Kansas.
On the side, he is building up a cattle ranch.
Ethan is well liked in the close-knit town, and has been dating Katie
Anne for years. The town has been
expecting them to get married, and finally Ethan realizes that he’s ready. One day, a woman shows up in his law office because her
mother, Ethan’s client, has died and left her land.
Annette and her daughter Eliana live in France, and want nothing more
than to sell this land and go back to their lives in France.
Annette stays in town longer than planned, and she and Ethan begin to
realize how much they have in common. Ethan
is torn, and must make a decision soon- his wedding day is coming up.
The choice he makes will change his life forever. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Fall
From Grace
by Andrew M. Greeley This
is kind of a wacky novel- the story is told by all the different characters. It
flips from person to person telling their viewpoint of the story as it moves
along. The story is set in Chicago,
and its characters are Irish Catholics. The
story takes a little bit to unfold, but really speeds up at the end of the
novel. The main characters are
Kathleen, her husband Brien, her brother (the bishop) James, and their childhood
friend Kieran. These 4 lives are so
intertwined that it’s hard to explain- read the book and you’ll see what I
mean. One of the main themes in
this story is priests and pedophilia. Interesting
story. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z The
Hungry Ocean by Linda
Greenlaw Rating:
*** This
book is a real-life story about swordfish fishing on the Atlantic Ocean.
The author of this book gained notoriety because of The
Perfect Storm, but she talks only a little about the storm that the book/movie was
based on. This book is more of a
general overview of the life of a swordboat captain and crew. This book is an excellent compliment to Junger’s The
Perfect Storm, as it gives you insight into the lives of the crewmen, and what life
was like out at sea for 30+ days. The
author takes you on a swordboat journey from start to finish, as well as
throwing in tidbits from previous journeys.
This is a good story- colorful and intriguing. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating:
*** I have
to say that I’ve read a lot of reviews on this book, and they weren’t very
favorable. After reading the book,
I can say that it’s not one of Grisham’s best, but it’s still not a bad
story. The Brethren (which
literally means religious brothers) is a group of 3 judges in a minimum-security
prison. The Brethren spend a lot of
time in the prison law library reviewing inmate’s cases, and preparing appeals
for them. They’ve also begun an
extortionist scam. They advertise
in the personals of a gay men’s magazine, and wait for the letters to roll in.
They’ve hooked up with Trevor, a lawyer that is easily bribed.
Trevor is their link to the outside world.
He picks up and delivers mail to and from the prison. The Brethren write letters back to their pen pals,
flushing out who has money and who has the most to lose if they were “outed”,
and blackmail them for money in return for silence.
They soon stumble upon someone who has a lot to lose, which means big
money potential. They fire their
crooked lawyer and get ready to reap in the big bucks…and that’s where
things start to go downhill. I will
say that the ending to this story is pretty weak. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: *** This novel is a little different than John Grisham’s past novels, but it’s excellent nonetheless! The Mafia is not involved at all in this book, but it is still "law-based", but not in the same way as his past novels. The story is about an old man with millions and millions of dollars. He has been married several times, and thus has several different families. No one is close to this man, but of course are extremely greedy, and anxious for him to die (he has an illness). The man writes a will, after going though psychological tests approved by all of the families, ensuing that he is of sound mind. As soon as the will is written, the man runs to the window of his tall office building and jumps to his death. Little do the families know that the will he just wrote all but excludes them from the millions of dollars, and leaves his estate to an illegitimate daughter that no one knows about. The daughter is a missionary in the rainforest, and has no interest in the money. This is where the fights begin, and the story gets interesting! Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: **** This is an excellent suspense novel- it keeps you glued
through the whole book. Kate Conlan,
ex-FBI, is working with the police as a victim’s advocate.
Brutal murders have been happening, complete with torture, stabbing, and
burning the body. The issue gets
thrown into the limelight when Jillian, a local billionaire’s daughter goes
missing as is suspected as one of the murder victims.
Kate’s ex- John Quinn, who’s still with the FBI, is called into the
case, creating a nice secondary storyline of romance.
Kate is assigned to work with Angie, a young girl who witnessed the most
recent burning. Angie knows
something, but she’s not telling. As
the case drags on and on, the murderer is gaining confidence, and becoming
bolder in his murder locations. Pressure
is building to solve these cases- and fast. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: **** Chronologically, this book takes place after Ashes to
Ashes, so be sure to read that one first.
The storylines are independent of each other, but Dust
makes several references to incidents in Ashes. This story spotlights Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska- 2 homicide
detectives trying to determine whether a hanging of an internal affairs
cop was suicide or murder. Sam
is convinced that there’s more to it than suicide, but his superiors
want the case closed and push to get the incident labeled as an
accident. Sam and Nikki dig, and start to find reasons to believe that
murder is quite probable. In
the midst of this, another cop is killed, made to look like a suicide.
They realize they’re on the right track, and need to move fast
enough to solve this case before they’re the next victims. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: *** This is a pretty good legal suspense novel, but kind of long. Ellen North is the Asst. D.A., and is working on taking a child kidnapping case to trial against a well known and respected college professor. Ellen doesn’t have a lot of solid evidence to work with, as the accused is pretty crafty. Many people in town can’t believe that the professor would do such a thing, and have rallied to his defense. To make matters worse, Ellen’s ex, a flashy “winning is everything” kind of lawyer, has just signed on to be the defense attorney. With the deck stacked against her, can Ellen prove her case, or will a convict walk free? Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Here on Earth
by Alice Hoffman Rating: *** This is an Oprah’s Book Club selection. The story is about a married woman who travels back to the East Coast, where she grew up, for a funeral, and stays awhile to settle the estate. While she’s there, she meets up with her teenage love, and sparks fly. Worlds collide, decisions and discoveries are made. As the book jacket says…" In heaven and in our dreams, love is glorious. But it is something altogether different here on earth…" Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Hiding
in the Shadows by Kay Hooper Rating: **** Faith Parker is in a coma, and not expected to come out of
it. Dinah Leighton appears to be
the only friend she had, and visits her religiously. Dinah has arranged to pay for all Faith’s medical care, as
well as set up a trust for her to live off.
Dinah is an investigative reporter, and keeps much of her work to
herself. Kane and Dinah have been dating for 6 months, and he’s ready to ask
her to move in with him, but he’s concerned that she’s too independent- he
doesn’t even know anything about her friend Faith other than she’s in a
coma. One day, Dinah is
chasing after a top-secret story, and she disappears.
Around the same time, Faith awakens from her coma and remembers nothing.
Faith begins having weird dreams that link her to Dinah.
Kane and Faith begin working together to find Dinah, and it becomes
interesting. As is typical of
Hooper, one of her characters- Faith- has psychic powers.
Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Out
of the Shadows
by Kay Hooper
Rating: **** Miranda Knight is a small town sheriff, escaping from her
past. Teenagers start turning up
murdered, and Miranda realizes she needs more help, so she calls in the FBI.
Who should show up, but her ex-love Bishop.
Both Miranda and the FBI team have special psychic abilities, which they
need in order to solve this case, which is turning out to be quite high profile. Miranda would like nothing better than to get this case
solved, ship the FBI out, and return her little town back to normal, but Bishop
has other thoughts about leaving. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Stealing
Shadows by Kay Hooper Rating: **** KH is a new author for me, but I decided to try her out
after reading a synopsis of this book, and I wasn’t disappointed!
One thing that really intrigued me about this book is that the main
character has psychic abilities, and that topic fascinates me.
Cassie has the psychic abilities to climb into the minds of murderers,
and has been helping police. After
one really terrible murder, she fled 3000 miles from LA to North Carolina to get
away from it all, and to live in isolation.
But instead of that, she gets thrown into the beginnings of a serial
murderer right there in her new town. Quite
an exciting plot line! Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z The
Face of Deception by
Iris Johansen Rating:
*** Eve Duncan is a forensic sculptor, who works with unidentified skulls to help identify the dead. Her own daughter was murdered and the body never recovered, so this job is Eve’s way of dealing with her death. Eve accepts work from a computer tycoon, John Logan, to work on a skull he has discovered. John doesn’t tell Eve the whole story, and terror arises. Eve gets too tangled in the discovery to bail out. There are others who want this skull, and will do anything to get it- including killing. This character/storyline concept is similar to something that Cornwell or Cook would write. This is a little bit of a thriller! Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: *** This book is kind of neat, because the main character is
Sarah Patrick, a friend of Eve Duncan, a popular character from IJ’s other
novels. Sarah and her golden
retriever Monty are a K9 rescue team. They
go all over the world to assist rescues from natural disasters and bombing
calamities. Sarah and Monty are
sent to South America to work with Logan in a high-risk search, and they soon
become a new target. Logan and
Sarah are acquaintances from the past, with some animosity between them.
Now they’re forced to work together to catch the bad guy before he
kills them. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z The Perfect Storm
by Sebastian Junger Rating: *** This is a real-life story about a storm over the Atlantic Ocean in October 1991. It’s billed as "A True Story of Men Against the Sea". It tells the stories of several different fishermen from different boats that were caught in this storm- with waves of 80-90 feet and winds at 120 mph. The book describes in details what the people were going through, and the decisions they made. It does describe some things pretty graphically, like what it feels like to drown. The book starts out a little slow, because of all the technical terms being explained, but the second half is gripping! For some of these fishermen, it was a tragic ending, and for some, it was life experience they’ll never forget. For an added supplement, read The Hungry Ocean, by Linda Greenlaw. Bonus: This story is now a movie, starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Diane Lane. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Devil’s Waltz
by Jonathan Kellerman Rating: **** Alex Delaware plays a starring role in this novel as a psychologist-detective. I really like the novels by Kellerman that have Alex as the main character. This story is about a little girl who is constantly ill. She has spent the majority of her life in the hospital. Dr. Eves, the girl’s pediatrician, brings in Dr. Delaware as a consult. Alex begins to suspect Munchausen by proxy (an illness where someone, usually a parent, purposely makes a child ill)- but who would be making the child ill? The parents seem devoted to the child- and the girl’s father is the son of the head of the hospital! As Alex delves into this case, something strange is happening in the hospital- unexplained murders. Alex doesn’t have much time to solve this case- the little girl might end up dead in the meantime! An excellent medical/mystery thriller. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: *** Dr. Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis are back in
this psychotic thriller. The story
starts out when Dr. Claire Argent, a doctor at Starkweather- a high-security
psychiatric hospital for prisoners, is found dead in the trunk of her own car.
Milo is assigned the case, and Alex tags along as his unofficial partner.
The two start inquiring around Starkweather, and learn that no one is
ever released, and there haven’t been any escapes.
More dead bodies show up with the same characteristics, leading Alex and
Milo into quite a web of entanglement. Ardis
Peake, a mass murderer nicknamed the monster, is now in a near vegetative state
and hasn’t spoken in 16 years. Suddenly, he’s mumbling things, and he seems to know when
the next death is going to happen and how.
This story really gets going at the end! Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z The Green
Mile by Stephen King Rating: **** If you didn’t already know, you would never believe that
Stephen King is the author of this novel.
It is completely different from his usual genre of books like Pet
Semetary and Carrie. The
main character in the story is Paul Edgecombe, the chief super on the E
Block (death row) of Cold Mountain Penitentiary.
The story is set in 1932, and is recollected by Paul in the
present day, as he writes about his experiences in the prison. Cold Mountain seems to get one new face on the E Block a
month, and they don’t stick around long before they’re sent to Old
Sparky, the electric chair. In
the short time they’re residing in E Block, Paul and his workers get
to know their residents, but they always have to remember that they’re
there for a reason, usually murder.
Paul is on good terms with most of his residents, and it’s hard
to see them go to the chair. One
memorable resident is John Coffey, and what Paul finds out about him
will shock you. The title
of the book comes from the fact that the floor on E Block is green
linoleum, and the prisoners “walk the Green Mile” to Old Sparky.
This story has been made into a movie starring Tom Hanks.
I know that it didn’t get good reviews, but I still plan to see
it! Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: *** Into The Wild is a true-life account of Chris "Alex" McCandless and his journeys "Into the Wild" of America. Chris has just graduated from Emory University (May 1990), and decides to end all communication with his family, head west, and live off the land. He has the post office hold all mail for a month, and then return to sender, to give him a head start in his journey without alerting his family. He donates the remainder of his college fund ($24K) to charity, and heads west with little more than his old beat-up Datsun and a few belongings. Chris also changes his name to Alex during this trip. Chris becomes a vagabond, wandering from place to place, sometimes staying for a few days or weeks. Chris’ ultimate goal is to head into the wilderness of Alaska and live off the land for a while. He works odd jobs here and there for income, and saves to buy his supplies. Finally, in the spring of 1992, he hitchhikes to Alaska- to the Stampede Trail, and finally realizes his dream of living in the wilderness of Alaska. But can he survive? Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: **** This is an excellent book that tells about the ill-fated
climb to Mt. Everest in 1996. The
author, who has been climbing for years, is a journalist who convinced his
magazine (Outside Magazine) to send him on an expedition to Mt. Everest for a
magazine feature. The magazine
arranged for Jon to go with Adventure Consultants, led by world-renown climber
Rob Hall from New Zealand. Lou
Kasischke from Bloomfield Hills, MI was a member of the same group. Jon tells a pretty detailed account of what it’s like to be
on the mountain, and the effects of the altitude.
You get to know all the members of the group, and the other groups that
are also climbing at the same time, so it’s sad to read how many of them met
their demise, including many of the top guides and Sherpas.
It’s really amazing the amount of people that did make it off the
mountain alive, considering the situation.
The book also includes some pictures and maps to help illustrate the
journey. A very riveting book! Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z The
Jewels of Tessa Kent by Judith Krantz
Rating: *** This is the story of a mother-daughter relationship gone
wrong. Tessa, who grew up by the
name of Teresa, got pregnant at age 14. Her
parents, not wanting to deal with shame and gossip, moved the family from the
East to California. When Teresa was
ready to give birth, her mother Agnes gave the hospital her own name as the
birth mother, and Teresa’s parents raised her daughter Maggie as their own.
Teresa tried out for the part of Jo in Little Women when she was 16, and ended
up winning an Oscar for her performance, beginning the birth of Tessa Kent.
A few years later, Tessa marries Luke, a man twice her age.
Luke is very generous with his wife, and is constantly buying her
exquisite jewels (hence the name of the novel!).
Tessa never mentions to Luke about her past, and doesn’t ever think
that she can. But what happens
between Tessa and Maggie- who are raised as sisters?
Will Maggie find out the truth, and how will she take it? Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Where
the Heart Is by
Billie Letts Rating: **** Novalee Nation is 17 years old, and 7 months pregnant.
She and her boyfriend, Willy Jack, are headed out to California to get
rich. Novalee asks Willy Jack to
stop yet again, because she has to go to the bathroom.
Willy Jack is visibly annoyed at her requests to stop every ½ hour.
He stops at a Wal-Mart while she runs in. After she goes to the bathroom, Novalee buys some snacks for
their trip, and receives $7.77 back in change.
Novalee knows something bad is about to happen now.
When Novalee comes out of the store, Willy Jack is gone.
She just can’t believe it, but then again, she has always been unlucky
with 7’s, and there’s a lot of 7’s in her life right now.
The story goes on about how a pregnant 17 year old with no money, no
home, and no friends survives. This
is an Oprah book club selection, but it is much more upbeat than you’d expect.
It’s really a good book. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: **** Jewel is the title character of this novel, and tells the
story in her voice. The bulk of the
story takes place in the 1940’s and 1950’s in Mississippi.
Jewel and her husband Leston are the parents of 5 wonderful children.
Unexpectedly, Jewel discovers she’s pregnant.
They’re happy, but a little unsure of having a baby at their age, when
their oldest child is 17. Jewel
goes into labor, and has problems. After
an extended labor, she finally gives birth to a daughter, Brenda Kay. It isn’t long before Jewel realizes that Brenda Kay is
different from her other children. A
doctor diagnoses Brenda Kay as a mongoloid, with a life expectancy of 2 years.
The story is of Jewel’s life, and how it is impacted by this diagnosis.
This is an Oprah book club selection, so it’s not the happiest of
stories, but it’s a good story nonetheless. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: ** This is a legal thriller about a woman who is viciously
murdered- via a glass shard. Her
husband-Elliott Ashford is the top suspect- especially when he has a really weak
alibi. Grace Harris is a top
prosecutor, and ideal for the job, but her case really hinges on evidence that
is missing. She is battling Barrett
Dickson for the defense, who is seen by many as washed up.
Elliott seems to have some connection to the mob, and the author tries to
incorporate that into the storyline- but fails miserably.
As the trial gets underway, Amanda Keller is brought into the story- she
is a member of the jury pool, and believes it is her destiny to be on the jury.
The publicity will help her break back into the acting career she once
had. Amanda is seated as an
alternate juror, but strange things happen, and she’s now a full-blown juror
with a mission. But because of the
strange things that have been happening, the jurors are scared, the judge
declares that the jury is tainted and there will be a retrial. Amanda’s world is turned upside down, and she needs to
think fast. You wonder the entire
time who really murdered Elliott’s wife, but the suspense you expect is just
not there. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Remember
When by Judith McNaught
Rating: **** This is a really good romance story.
It’s hard to make romance novels unpredictable, and this novel is no
exception, but there are a few twists and turns thrown in to make it
interesting! Diana Foster has grown
up in a wealthy family, but she doesn’t let it go to her head.
She befriends the neighbor’s stable boy, Cole Harrison during her high
school years. Ten years later, Cole
is a successful multibillionaire, and Diana is publisher of a magazine entitled
Foster’s Beautiful Living when they meet up again.
Diana was just jilted by her fiancé, and Cole’s uncle is threatening
to give his stock shares to his other nephew’s children, if Cole doesn’t
produce an heir of his own. Cole
decides he has the answers to both of their problems! Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating:
**** This novel is a legal thriller, and it will keep you
captivated! The story is about Sara
and Jared, a young married couple, both lawyers, living in NYC. Jared is a
defense attorney, and Sara has just gotten a job as an Assistant D.A.
Jared is “on the partner track” and Sara is eager to keep her job and
prove herself in the midst of city budget cuts.
Sara takes a case earmarked for her superior, in the hopes that it will
be a headline case and raise her profile. Upon
further examination, Sara sees that it’s just a simple burglary case- nothing
flashy. She feels that there must be something more to this case, because her
superior is upset that she has the case. The
defendant, Kozlow, learns that Sara is the prosecutor for his case and then
discovers that Sara’s husband is a defense attorney- and he hires him!
Jared needs this case to make partner, and Sara needs it to keep her job.
Both Jared and Sara are threatened individually that if they don’t win
the case, their spouse will die, and involving authorities is not an option.
Neither one of them know about the threat the other has received. Husband and wife are pitted against each other in a no-win
situation. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z The
Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer Rating: *** Four men have recently graduated from college and are
sharing a house together in Washington D.C. because they all have jobs related
to government. Ben has just gotten
a job as a Supreme Court Clerk. He
and his co-clerk Lisa realize just how important they are- they can influence
the Justice’s opinion based on what information they provide him (hence the
title of the book), and they know the outcomes of all the cases weeks before
they’re announced. Ben receives a
phone call from a previous clerk, Rick, who wants to help orient him to his new
job. Without realizing it, Ben tells Rick the outcome of a case that hasn’t
been announced yet. One of the
parties of the case “gambles” on the outcome of the case being in his favor
and stands to make millions. Ben’s
job is in jeopardy, so he tries to contact Rick to tell him to keep the
information confidential, and realizes that he’s been had.
Rick begins to blackmail Ben on future cases, so Ben enlists the help of
his housemates to fight back. This
is a pretty good suspense novel, with quite a few twists to it!
It’s the first novel from Meltzer. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z While
I Was Gone by Sue Miller Rating: ** This book is an Oprah selection, and true to form, it is a
little melancholy. At times I found
the story hard to follow, as it jumps around from time frame to time frame.
Jo Becker is a vet, married with 3 daughters.
The plot line revolves around Jo, when she becomes reacquainted with Eli,
a guy she knew years back, when they and a group of others lived together after
college. Eli seems to have a need
to see Jo, and talk about the past. She
is attracted to Eli, and considers having an affair.
But then, Eli tells Jo something she wasn’t prepared to hear, and
suddenly, everything changes. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z Rating: *** This is an Oprah Book Club novel, and is typical of her
selections! The story is about a
young girl Julie who lives with her family in the North Carolina Mountains.
She has grown up in a poverty stricken area (Appalachia), and at age 17
she marries Hank and moves to Gap Creek in South Carolina.
The newlyweds are extremely poor, and are fortunate enough to get free
rent from an older gentleman for cooking and keeping house for him.
Hank loses his job, and things get worse than they’ve ever been. Julie is pregnant, there’s a flood, a fire, and almost
anything else you can imagine that could go wrong.
This book tells the story of how this young couple lives through life’s
hardships. Top of Page Book Critiques Home Page Books A-D Books N-Z
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