Book Review: The Reunion by Sue Walker

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If you have been reading my posts for quite sometime, you already know that I am a fan of mystery/suspense stories. I love the chest-thumping, heart-stopping, and hand-trembling sensation brought about by suspense stories and I love making who-done-it guesses related to solving the mystery in a particular story. My love for mystery and suspense books started when I was in highschool when Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys became popular readings amongst my friends and classmates.

Suspense and mystery are inherent in most if not all crime stories and it obviously follows that I love crime stories too. Before I learned to love other genres, I thought that crime stories are the only books that I can ever tolerate. It's a good thing I came across Goodreads, and I was able to discover other genres and thus expand my reading preferences.

I bought The Reunion by Sue Walkerone fine, random day at Booksale without having any idea how good (or bad) it is and without any inkling who the author is except that it was only Php20.00 and its blurb seems to be just the kind of book I would like (suspense, check...mystery, check). It has suspense and mystery, all right, but I feel that the resolution towards the end took very long. I believe that for a suspense story to be effective, it must keep up with the pace otherwise it will turn out to be anticlimactic. The Reunion was just like that - anticlimactic. The suspense was so prolonged I finally got bored with it and did not care how the mystery will finally unfold in the end. I still endured it until finish and though there were some unexpected plot twists and surprising revelations, my interest had faded already that I was no longer that shocked nor surprised.

I have not heard about Sue Walker before so I did not have any idea about her writings. I do not have any trouble liking the way she writes except that the repeated flashbacks in the story terribly confused me and therefore added to my growing disinterest. This may be the last time I will ever read a book from Sue Walker, no offense meant. I do not mean to say that I entirely hated the book. It is okay, but entirely forgettable.

The Reunion is a leftover reading from last year and I don't know for how long this book has been sitting in my shelf. It just feels good to finally count this off my TBR list. Now on to other more interesting reads.

2 stars.

Blood Collector - The Time Anderson Series, By TC Elofson - Book Review

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It's another Thanksgiving in Seattle, and Detective Tim Anderson has a few problems. His partner, Detective Kenny Johnson, is having family issues with an elderly uncle. Anderson has a few family issues of his own, what with rarely seeing his daughter and having to deal with a bitter ex. Worst of all, somebody's killing people left and right on the Seattle streets, and all the evidence - such as it is - points to a vampire. However, as Anderson investigates further, he discovers it's worse than that: not only is the killer a vampire, but so are her victims.

This is the setup to Blood Collector, T.C. Elofson's mashup of vampire and police procedural novels, and it's a fast-paced ride. In fact, it might be a little too fast-paced; clocking in at just over 200 pages, Elofson takes readers on a whirlwind tour throughout history and several viewpoints as the saga of Fabiana, a nearly 2000-year-old beauty bent on destroying the original vampire, unfolds. Despite switching between first- and third-person points of view, as well as a few nested flashbacks here and there, Elofson does an admirable job of keeping the plot elements straight. Even better, real care is taken with the procedural and scientific evidence aspects of the plot, demonstrating a care and thoughtfulness with the realistic portions of the narrative that thoroughly grounds the novel's events in reality and helps sell the more fantastical aspects. This realism is not as assiduously applied to the vampires' effects on the real world, but there's enough present to sidestep some of the sillier clich?s, such as the lack of reflection in mirrors.

However, in a narrative this streamlined, something has to go, and in the case of Blood Collector, it's the characters. Not one is elevated to anything more than broad archetype, and in the case of the vampires, particularly Fabiana and her longtime love Cerci, all the clich?s Elofson managed to sidestep in vampire lore come crashing to earth from the romance side of the aisle. Even given the routine nature of characterization in most thrillers, these fall flat, and the stilted dialogue, frequent homophone misuse and comma-spliced sentences do the narrative no favors. The humans don't come off much better, and in at least one case - specifically, the FBI agent investigating the Seattle killings, which follow a pattern crossing state lines - some of the characterization and motivations seem to come out of left field. Mid-narrative switches in character don't do much for suspension of disbelief, and in this case, it becomes one too many burdens for the story to bear.

While the weak characterization and fundamental language issues sink the novel overall, Elofson displays strong plotting and clear thinking in constructing the narrative, raising hope that future efforts extend those strengths to characters.

Reviewed by: Nicole Sorkin, Pacific Book Review

http://www.pacificbookreview.com/

Wahoo Rhapsody, An Atticus Fish Novel by Shaun Morey

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AppId is over the quota

This is a rockin' good read! Shaun Morey hit all the bases with this. Readers have never met these outrageous characters anywhere else. They come right out of Morey's rich imagination, and are crafted in such a way that makes a series of Atticus Fish novels a must. Baja California makes a beautiful backdrop for the characters to move through, and these characters are certainly on the move. Drug running from Cabo to San Diego aboard a fishing charter called the Wahoo Rhapsody pulls the reader right in. The writing style is fresh, creative, and fast paced.

Atticus Fish, as a lawyer, sued God and the Church and won! Unfortunately, Atticus runs afoul of the "Christian fanatics," and with the huge settlement from the case he heads for southern Baja. He buys an island and buries his millions in the sand. To keep his sobriety Fish builds a bar, Cantina del Cielo, his reasoning being, "hanging around drunks all day is a good reminder to stay sober." He also owns the Wahoo Rhapsody. Atticus's character continues to unfold throughout the book, as a hero on the side of right, truth and justice he is a champion for sea life, and down and out people. He rides a burro in the name of ecology and simplicity, and doesn't have a girl friend, however there are a few juicy spots for the more randy readers.

Weevil Ott, the first mate on the Wahoo Rhapsody, is also a part-time drug runner, and a hapless sort. The reader starts to feel a little sorry for him, because the author has created hilarious ways of bringing pain to the pitiful fellow who just can't seem to get a break. The bet is on that the reader will actually laugh out loud more than once while reading Weevil's plight.

"La Cucaracha" the drug lord that Ott is tangled up with begins an attack on the Rhapsody for the "fat fish" stored on ice. Morey comes up with an ingenious way of transporting drugs as there is "a fortune in marijuana" hidden inside the cold carcasses. The big yellow-tail are off-loaded to a tuna canning operation in San Diego, where the unscrupulous manager, disembowels the pot from the bellies, cans and labels the Cannabis for shipment to the cartel.

Greed bites everyone but not as hard as poor ol' Weevil, who starts digging in the sand after Atticus' millions. There are many other notable characters, but Weevil steals the show. Foiled again by the drug runners who he had worked with, and being so beaten up he turns heartless as he kills them in very nasty ways. Atticus gets to fly his seaplane into the rescue, fights the bad guys, kills a few, and the plot twists and turns like making a run through the fresh-water mangroves of Baja's inland waterways.

Shaun Morey is also the author of the bestselling "Incredible Fishing Stories" series and won the inaugural Abbey-Hill short-story contest, as well as a three-time winner of the Los Angeles Time novel-writing contest. He has a passion for southern Baja, and has lived off and on in Baja for years, which definitely shows in his descriptive details on location. His inspiration for Atticus Fish started when he "fell in love with the remote rugged beauty of Magdalena Bay." He spent days exploring the outer islands, and "rolling down steep stunning sand dunes." It was natural for Fish to buy an island and build his getaway there. Shaun Morey's second book in the series of Atticus Fish novels is coming out in August of 2012.

Martina Dobesh has been a resident of northern Baja for 12 years, having lived in southern Baja and spending much time on the Gulf of California. She is an author, journalist and editor of The Baja Sun. Her focus and intention is to bring a clearer awareness about what Baja has to offer, beyond the mainstream ideas of real estate and good food. The Baja Sun was created out of this desire. Please visit http://www.thebajasun.com/ and see for yourself. Read the stories from people who know the truth of this most amazing land. "Wahoo Rapsody" by Shaun Morey can be purchased on Amazon.com

Believing the Lie By Elizabeth George

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AppId is over the quota

Here finally is another Inspector Thomas Lynley novel. This one is over 600 pages though. Who knew there would be that much to say about a single case? Well it flows really well and goes exceedingly quickly. Lynley is summoned into the presence of Hillier at his London club away from Scotland Yard. He is asked to not mention where he is going or with whom he will be meeting. Immediately a little suspicious Thomas goes along as asked and finds himself meeting Lord Bernard Fairclough. Fairclough is a little bit of a rags to riches story. He met his future wife when they were teenagers and set about to not only courting her but also to marrying her. Her father owned a very successful business which Bernard eventually took over and made even more successful. This gentleman was requesting the help of Scotland Yard, but only on the sly. His nephew had just died a few days previously which had been ruled an accidental drowning by the courts. He wanted clarification of these results and to not make that public information. Lynley was to tell no one - not even his immediately superior.

Thomas enlists the help of his two best friends, Deborah and Simon St. James and they head up to the glorious Lake District and Cumbria. He knows he is going to need some help as they are to try to remain incognito to the rest of Fairclough's family too. The man has three grown children, all of whom seem to have their own set of issues. The dead nephew has two young children but he had left their mother about a year before to live openly with his male lover. To say the ex-wife was incensed would be to put it mildly and took out her grief and anger on anyone who would listen. As is usually the case, the children of this now defunct marriage are the ones who take the brunt of the hurt.

Every member of the family has a story, and a pretty extreme one in most cases as well. Lynley and his friends initially try to examine the evidence of the drowning as a place to start and quickly become embroiled in the everyday workings of the family. There is the added question as to whether or not the deceased was the intended victim as Lord Fairclough's wife used the boathouse far more regularly than he did.

The plots thicken and thicken and never does this story get old or feel as though one is reading what amounts to a tome. You could literally use the book as a door stop it is so large but then that is what was required to get all the facts out. Throw in Barbara Havers in London dealing with brass at the Yard as well as having to get herself sorted with regard to her personal grooming and a rabid tabloid reporter who is desperately searching for a great byline into the mix and you have a grand novel. A long one but a great one.

You can find more of my book and movie reviews at: http://ukchica.com/

Book Review for: "Murder in the Buff"

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Book Review for: Murder in the Buff
Written by: Maggie Toussaint
MuseitUp Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-927361-93-1
Avail as: ebook
5 Stars

Toussaint entertains with "Murder in the Buff," a cozy crime-mystery. Molly Darter is having a bad day. She's busted her husband kissing her sister and now she's chasing an obituary at the nudist colony for her day job. When the naturalists suggest that their friend, Barbara Jean, has been murdered, Molly doesn't know what's worse - searching for a murderer or dealing with her dysfunctional family.

Set in the contemporary south, Molly is a reporter for the local paper. Her mother is a modern southern belle, her father is pond scum, her sister is spoiled rotten, and her soon-to-be ex, Hadley, is in the doghouse for kissing her sister. The cherry on top of her day is her assignment to visit the nudists so she can write an obituary on Barbara Jean McAllister, a member of the naturalists who has recently passed away. It's enough to give Molly a monster-sized headache.

Mama Leon, the leader of those in the buff insists Barbara Jean was murdered and asks Molly to find the killer. Molly goes home only to discover that someone has placed compromising photos of Barbara Jean with several prominent men from the community in her paperwork. With suspects galore and her pond scum father on the list, Molly knows determining if Barbara Jean has actually been murdered, then going after the killer, is going to be challenging.

Complicating matters is her family. Her husband has involved her sister in his undercover work looking for drug dealers. After a long night, Hadley is caught kissing Molly's sister. Molly is furious and everyone around her feels her wrath.

Can Molly calm down and get to the heart of the matter involving Barbara Jean's murder and her family's problems or will she shoot herself in the foot?

Toussaint's writing style is crisp and sharp. She engages the reader from the get-go. Her contemporary voice brings a rich authenticity to Molly and her predicament. Just when you think it can't get any wore for the heroine it does. Toussaint keeps the reader on their toes with all the twists and turns in the plot.

The supporting cast is a hoot. From Mama Leon and his free-spirited naturalists who sell organic fruit to Molly's uptight mother, everyone in town has a motive to kill Barbara Jean. Molly's got her hands full whittling down the suspect list and managing her family's drama.

Toussaint waves a hint of romance effortlessly into this murder mystery, leaving the reader to wonder what will happen next. The love scenes are sensual in nature.

"Murder in the Buff" will keep you turning the pages and leave you wanting to know what's next for Molly, Mama Leon, and the good citizens of Marshview.

Reviewed by: S. Burkhart

StephB is an author who likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. StephB is an author at http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Creative Writing.

Genealogy Mystery Writers for Family History Buffs

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I recently found a list of mystery books on the Internet that have a genealogical theme. In order to narrow it down, I picked authors, whose books were written since the year 2000. That's not to say older books are not as compelling. It just means that these newer books will be easier to find if your interest is piqued.

It is always helpful to have a list of authors to draw from that covers a particular subject of interest. Dana Stabenow's series on Alaska was my motivation. Her 2011 book, Though Not Dead, is the second time she has delved into the genealogical background of her characters in an effort to give readers a clearer understanding of Alaskan history. I loved the book, and I highly recommend her Kate Shugak series.

One series of mysteries came out in 1997. The main character is a historian and genealogist for a small town on the Mississippi River in Missouri. She is married with two children. The first book of this series by Rett MacPherson, is Family Skeletons, and it has Victory (Torie) O'Shea looking into a client's WWII ancestors. These books are cozies with a family history theme.

Sarah Stewart Taylor began her Sweeney St. George mysteries in 2003. Her character is a single college professor, who focuses on cemeteries and gravestones and the mysteries that they conjure. In the first book, O' Artful Death, Sweeney finds an intriguing statute at a gravesite and decides to investigate its background. The stories take place in Vermont.

Fiona Mountain began her 2-book series in 2002. Her main character is thirty-year-old Natasha Blake, an ancestor detective and genealogist in England. Her curiosity comes naturally, since she was abandoned soon after her birth and knows little about her own family history. In Pale as the Dead a man, whose lover has disappeared and is somehow linked to an artist/poet of the 1860s, hires Natasha to find her.

Dan Waddell writes more non-fiction than fiction. His book Who Do You Think You Are? should be familiar to anyone who has seen the PBS series of the same name. The show traces the family history of celebrities. However, in his 2008 book The Blood Detective, he introduces Nigel Barnes a genealogist, who helps the police decipher a 100-year-old murder mystery. The present-day killer, who carves an archival index number into the bodies of his victims, leads them to a killer in the past. Nigel's job is to find the link between the past and present killings. Waddell's second book has Nigel delving into the Mormon Church.

For those who cannot get enough, I recommend you research three other authors that may be of interest. Chris Larsgaard wrote just one book back in 2000 called The Heir Hunter. In real life the author's business in San Francisco was to track down the heirs to money held by the State of California. The 10% commission reminded me of John D. McDonald's Travis McGee character. Veteran mystery writer Patricia Sprinkle has a series based in Atlanta, beginning with Death on the Family Tree. And K. J. Erickson has his police characters delve into mysteries related to Gettysburg and the Japanese internment during WWII.

For those of us who are addicted to genealogy, it is nice to sit back and let someone else solve all the mysteries. Who knows, the fictional research just might jump-start you into thinking about new sources for your own family tree.

Copyright 2012 by Linda Murdock. Linda K Murdock is the author of four books, including two cookbooks, a mystery crossword puzzle book and an insider's look at living in Colorado. She has traced her genealogy back ten generations in America and is an avid mystery reader. Learn more about her Mystery Lover's Puzzle Book or read more mystery book reviews at http://bellwetherbooks.com/

First Rate Thriller

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Atticus Gunner was known as the "Hawkman" during WWII. He served under Major Gaperman in Germany in a unit known as the Night Hawks. Gunner's special skills set made him an invaluable addition to the Night Hawks, whose job "was to identify and hunt down escaped Nazis suspected of war atrocities." He was "considered the best hunter in the unit," which earned him his nickname. Since those days, however, Atticus has adopted a more sedate life as a high school administrator, and as the thrilling and page-turning novel The Moonhawker by George A. Fox opens, Gunner lands a plum job assignment in Michigan to be the new assistant principal at Madison West. Things seem to be going well for Atticus, who is divorced and is the father of two daughters-he will be earning a larger salary, and will be able to spend more time with his girls. But then, when he receives a job offer to become the principal of a high school on Washington Island, his career and life takes yet another turn. His past comes back, and it appears that he still might find a need to call upon his considerable skills at hunting down Nazis and bringing them to justice.

When his friend, Principal Bob Thrison, offers Atticus the position as the assistant principal of Madison West High School, Gunner jumps at the offer. Why shouldn't he? He will get the chance to work alongside his friend, he'll be making more money, and have great job security. But, when the attorney who represented Atticus in his divorce proceedings meets with him and out of the blue introduces him to another attorney, William Markup from New York, who presents him with another job offer, it is one that is too tempting to refuse. If he accepts the offer, he will get paid $310,000 and will get, as a further incentive, "a brand-new thirty-two-foot sailing sloop." The name of this $276,000 sloop is-you guessed it-the Moonhawk.. He's given a $5,000 check straight off for expenses. There are a few conditions the attorney attaches to the deal, but it is so tempting to Atticus that he accepts.

Even before Gunner makes it to the island, while sailing the Moonhawk with one of his daughters (Inger), he and his ship are attacked by men who appear in a small boat out of the fog. Atticus manages to chase them off, but they threaten him as they leave, saying: "you better hope we never meet again!" When the men board a nearby ship, the vessel almost rams into the Moonhawk, and Atticus and Inger are fired upon. Is it a simple case of holding a grudge, or do the men have some other motive for wanting to see Atticus dead?

On Washington Island, Atticus and Butch Gorpon (the president of the school board there) join forces to uncover the secrets behind a mysterious series of deaths. What they find is a chilling connection to the Nazis of WWII. From fighting off the men who try to board his ship with an ax handle to getting involved in a barroom brawl with the Cline boys the very first night he's on the island, Atticus proves he can handle himself and that he hasn't lost the edge that earned him his reputation as a top Nazi hunter. There's more than enough action in Fox's novel to satisfy the most discriminating fan of the thriller genre.

Other aspects I really liked about The Moonhawker is the three dimensionality of the characters, and Fox's display of his intimate knowledge of Lake Michigan, Madison, and Washington Island. The characters are vividly described, and Fox's skill as an author makes them come alive for the reader. Michigan, Washington Island, and the Moonhawk become characters in their own right, as well. The relationship Atticus has with his two daughters, Stacie and Inger, is integral to the plot and is interesting in itself. He will do anything he can to protect his daughters and he will stop anyone from harming them.

The Moonhawker by George A. Fox is a page-turning novel filled with twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat. It's a very cinematic and sweeping novel that begs to be made into a movie. I can imagine that the panoramic vistas of Lake Michigan and Washington Island would look fantastic on the Silver Screen. I look forward to reading more from this talented author in the coming years, and I highly recommend this stunning debut novel.

Reviewed by Douglas R. Cobb for http://www.bestsellersworld.com/