May #4 - BECAUSE YOUR VAMPIRE SAID SO

Title: Because your vampire said so

Author: Michele Bardsley

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Copyright: 2008

ISBN: 978-0-451-22386-9

Series or stand-alone: #3

Setting: Broken Heart, OK

1st Sentence:

"I ain't a grooming service," I said, wishing I could still smoke Marlboros.

Comments:

This story features Patsy, one of the turn-bloods, her teenage son Wilson and a new character, Gabriel (a werevamp.) Patsy is destined to rule both worlds but all she really wants to do is hair.

This book has ghosts, animated zombies, vampires, werewolves and demons. My kind of book. And I have to say, the sex scenes are getting more tolerable. A couple more books and I may be ready to switch to Harlequins.

Kidding!

May #3 - DEADLY ERRORS

Title: Deadly Errors

Author: Allen Wyler

Publisher: Tor

Copyright: 2005

ISBN: 9978-0-7653-5167-8

Series or stand-alone: Stand-alone

Setting: Seattle, WA

1st Sentence:

Seattle - In a statement issued today, Maynard Medical Center CEO Arthur Benson reported a twentyfold decrease in medical errors since becoming a beta test site for the highly touted Med-InDX electronic medical record (EMR).

Comments:

I won this book in a contest by the author, who was new to me. In this book the Maynard Medical Center has implemented a new software to keep track of their records. A huge problem is a computer glitch is causing people to die for unknown reasons and Tyler Mathews, a neurosurgeon, who was framed and fired before is now sticking his nose into a slippery business and it could very well get him more than fired -- it could just get him dead.

I enjoyed this medical thriller greatly -- except for the realism. With a pending surgery, this was just a little tooooo real for me and I'm going to have to probably hold off on the medical suspense books until I come through with flying colors. With hospitals computerized thesedays, it sent a shiver right down my spine.

I do have to say however, that I received a nice email from Mr. Wyler regarding my comments on one of the list-servs I belong to regarding this book and he said that he took a lot of liberties and that I shouldn't be worried about my own surgery.

Yeah. Okay.

May #2 - A COLD DARK PLACE

Title: A cold dark place

Author: Gregg Olsen

Publisher: Pinnacle Books

Copyright: 2008

ISBN: 978-0-7860-1830-7

Series or stand-alone: #1 in new series

Setting: Cherrystone and Seattle, Washington

1st Sentence:

4 P.M., Nineteen years ago
Women with transparent vinyl purses that exposed the shredded remains of coin wrappers stood in line.

Comments:

The book begins with the conviction of Dylan "Dash" Walker for the murder of 2 co-eds. Fast forward to present day where Emily Kenyon is a detective in Cherrystone and single mom to 17-year-old Jenna. In a twister, Jenna's friend Nick's family dies. But it's murder. Jenna goes on the run with him to prove that he didn't do it.

This book has a lot of characters to keep track of as well as multiple time jumps but it was a great thriller and I'll be reading the next in the series with a more mature Jenna titled HEART OF ICE.

In a separate note I want to say that my heart goes out to the residents of nearby Dunkerton, Parkersburg and New Hartford. On Sunday, May 25th we had a wedge tornado more than 1/2 a mile wide and catergorized as an EF5 rip through our neck of the woods and parts of these towns were just destroyed. You can see video here and here and a slide show of just some of the destruction in Parkersburg here. Several tornadoes touched down at the airport which is only about 7-10 miles from my house driving distance which was close enough to have me cowering in my basement with my dog. But these folks took an unimaginable hard hit and have a massive job ahead of them.

My thoughts are with them all.

May #1 - WHAT'S A GHOUL TO DO?

Title: What's a ghoul to do?

Author: Victoria Laurie

Publisher: Signet

Copyright: 2007

ISBN: 978-0-451-22090-5

Series or stand-alone: #1 in new series

Setting: Boston, MA

1st Sentence:

"Good morning, Miss Holliday," the real estate agent cheerfully greeted me outside 84 Dartmouth Street.

Comments:

I had a patron Interlibrary loan this book and then never pick it up. I can't let a book go to waste so I took it home.

This book is the first in a new series. The main character MJ Holliday is a ghostbuster and one-time medium. Gilley is her best friend and sidekick/partner and she has an African Grey that knows all the right things to say. Together they take a case busting the ghost at a family lodge/mansion belonging to Dr. Steven Sable. His grandfather apparently committed suicide and is now a lost soul. Unfortunately, he's not the only one and there are some nasty mortals hanging around the compound as well.

The jury is still out on how I feel about this series. I really like her Abby Cooper series so I'm having comparison problems. I will definitely read the next book in this series to give it a fair shot, but this one was a little too cozy for my tastes.

On a positive note, I loved the bird's rendition of YMCA.

April #10

Title: HOLD TIGHT

Author: Harlan Coben

Publisher: Dutton

Copyright: 2008

ISBN: 978-0-525-95060-8

Series or stand-alone: Stand-alone

Setting: Glen Rock, NJ

1st Sentence:

Marianne nursed her third shot of Cuervo, marveling at her endless capacity to destroy any good in her pathetic life, when the man next to her shouted, "Listen up, sweetcakes: Creationism and evolution are totally compatible."

Comments:

This was a great story, as usual, but with many characters to keep track of. In the end, they all fit together, but I found myself flipping back to remind me who was who.

The main story focuses on Mike and Tia Baye who are struggling to deal with their 16-year-old Adam's behavior after a friend commits suicide. A main component to the story is the weighing between a child's right to privacy and a parent's right to know. How far, as a parent, should you go to protect your child?

SPOILER ALERT: This plays a key part in the book and even my husband, who is a police officer, was not entirely aware. Scary, scary! Lock up your children, I say!

I've enjoyed every single stand-alone written by Coben and I look forward to the next. Unfortunately, I've had no desire to read the Myron Bolitar series so I'll just wait patiently until the next stand-alone comes along.

April #9

Title: BODY COUNT

Author: P.D. Martin

Publisher: Mira

Copyright: 2005

ISBN: 978-0-7783-2521-5

Series or stand-alone: 1st in series (Sophie Anderson)

Setting:Washington, D.C. and Quantico, VA

1st Sentence:

Twenty-five years ago
The house is quiet.

Comments:

I've come across a rather strange phenomenon in my reading. I have read two or three books recently that have been written first person present tense. And it's unusual in that I don't know that I've read more than ten like that in my entire reading life and then I've knocked out three in the last month. I don't know if it's becoming a more popular style of writing or if it's only popular in the vampire/wizard/witches/werewolves stuff that I've been reading of late. Does anybody know?

This book features Sophie Anderson, a transplant from Australia and an FBI profiler. She's caught the case of the DC Slasher and when one of her fellow agents is kidnapped by the Slasher, Sophie kicks into overdrive and pulls out all the stops to find her. But will it be too late?

This story has a good psychic element to it and I really enjoyed it. For some reason, I had a harder time with this book's voice than the previous book's voice and kept getting drawn out of the story. I will be looking for #2, however.

April #8

Title: STORM FRONT

Author: Jim Butcher

Publisher: New American Library

Copyright: 2000

ISBN: 0-451-45781-1

Series or stand-alone: 1st in Harry Dresden series

Setting: Chicago, IL

1st Sentence:

I heard the mailman approach my door, half an hour earlier than usual.

Comments:

This was another series that took me a long time to get the gumption up to read but when I finally took the plunge, I enjoyed myself immensely. A couple are found with their hearts torn out of their chests and Murphy, the main detective, calls in Harry Dresden (wizard PI) to investigate since magic was involved. Unfortunately for Harry, the black mage has Harry's name -- and a lock of his hair. Uh-oh.
This was a fun book with wizardry, demons, vampires, back magic, white magic and a talking skull named Bob. I'll definitely be reading more!

April #7

Title: CONFESSIONS OF A WEREWOLF SUPERMODEL

Author: Ronda Thompson

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Copyright: 2007

ISBN: 978-0-312-94925-9

Series or stand-alone: 1st in series

Setting: New York City, NY

1st Sentence:

Confession No. 1
Most women find the bloating, cramping, and bitchiness of PMS bothersome at worst. I turn into a monster a week before my period...literally.
Doing an underwear ad on a New York rooftop when it's blowing snow outside can get pretty hairy.

Comments:
Although this book is written in the 1st person present tense, once I became aware of it, it no longer bothered me. Lou is trying to find her biological parents to explain why in a fit of rage she turns into a werewolf. Not great for her supermodel career. I'll be looking for book #2 in the Lou Kinipski series.

April #6

Title: CIRQUE DU FREAK

Author: Darren Shan

Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.

Copyright: 2001

ISBN: 0-316-60510-7

Series or stand-alone: Series #1 (Saga of Darren Shan series)

Audience: Juvenile & YA

Setting: ?

1st Sentence:

I've always been facinated by spiders.

Comments:

I was a little slow to get around to this series but finally did. Darren and Steve visit an illegal freak show where an encounter with a vampire and a deadly spider forces them to make life-changing decisions.

I'm going to like this series...a lot!

April #5

Title: STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT

Author: Linda Howard

Publisher: Pocket Books

Copyright: 2002

ISBN: 0-7434-4426-4

Series or stand-alone: 3 short stories (I read WHITEOUT)

Setting: A cabin in Idaho during a blizzard

1st Sentence:

It was going to snow.

Comments:

There was a lot of talk about this short story on one of the list-servs I belong to so I thought I'd read it. Hope Bradshaw is holed up in her cabin with her dog Tink while a blizzard rages outside when a man shows up on her doorstep almost frozen to death. And then another guy shows up. And one of them is a bad guy. But which one? The one she's falling for or the other? I looked at the other shorts but they were too romancy for me.

April #4

Title: FIRST THE DEAD

Author: Tim Downs

Publisher: Thomas Nelson Books

Copyright: 2007

ISBN: 978-1-59554-024-9

Series or stand-alone: Series #3 (Bugman Dr. Nick Polchak series)

Audience: Adult, Christian Fiction

Setting: New Orleans, LA

1st Sentence:

Saturday, August 25, 2005
The Louisiana Bayous
He wiped the hot sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand but forgot that his hand was sealed in a latex glove.

Comments:

Dr. Nick Polchak is called to New Orleans just before Hurricane Katrina strikes to be available to recover bodies afterwards. When the work starts, though, some of the bodies tell that tale that they died before the hurricane and somewhere other than the lower 9th ward. Nick is on the case. I liked this book better than CHOP SHOP but not as well as SHOOFLY PIE. That said, I really like Tim Downs' work.

April #3

Title: MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN MEATLOAF

Author: Jennifer L. Holm

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Copyright: 2007

ISBN: 978-0-689-85281-7

Series or stand-alone: Stand-alone

Audience: Juvenile, YA

Setting: Woodland Glen, PA

1st Sentence:

None.

Comments:

This book is the story of Ginny's 7th grade year told through stuff like shopping lists, horoscopes, notes from mom, report cards, IMs, postcards, bank statements, etc. It's a very cool concept and you really get the gist of how Ginny's life as a 12-year-old is going. Fun book!

April #2

Title: CHANGE OF HEART

Author: Jodi Picoult

Publisher: Atria Books

Copyright: 2008

ISBN: 978-0-7434-9674-2

Series or stand-alone: Stand-alone

Setting: Concord, NH

1st Sentence:

Prologue: 1996

June

In the beginning, I believed in second chances.

Comments:

Like Picoult's MY SISTER'S KEEPER, this book is told from many POVs. June (the mother and wife to Shay Bourne's victims), Lucius (inmate living next to Shay), Maggie (ACLU lawyer who represents Shay), Michael (a Catholic priest who acts as Shay's spiritual advisor).

Eleven years prior Shay was convicted of murdering June's husband and daughter. Now, when he is executed, he wants to donate his heart to June's living daughter who needs a heart transplant. But his execution would make the organ non-viable. This books deals with a lot of ethical what ifs and it's pretty heavy on religious beliefs but overall I thought it was a fantastic book. Picoult is probably my favorite mainstream fiction author.

April #1

Title: AN UNQUIET GRAVE

Author: P.J. Parrish

Publisher: Pinnacle

Copyright: 2006

ISBN: 0-7860-1607-8

Series or stand-alone: Series #7 (Louis Kincaid series)

Setting: Hidden Lake and Ardmore, MI

1st Sentence:

The Christmas lights were already up.

Comments:

Louis' foster father, Phillip, calls him home over the Thanksgiving Day holiday for help - his childhood sweetheart, Claudia DeFoe and one time resident of Hidden Lake sanitarium has been exhumed and her body is not there. Phillip wants help finding the remains. Louis, however, must contend with many dark secrets and sordid histories to get to the truth - while pitting himself against a killer on the hospital's grounds! Great entry in an entertaining series.

March #8

Title: SEVEN MINUTES TO NOON

Author: Kate Pepper

Publisher: Signet

Copyright: 2005

ISBN: 0-451-21579-6

Series or stand-alone: Stand-alone

Setting: Brooklyn, New York

1st Sentence:

Jen followed her mother to school, earning a come on or hurry up when she fell too far behind.

Comments:

Kate Pepper is a relatively new author to me but I really have enjoyed her books. I would definitely recommend her to patrons who like Mary Higgins Clark, Lisa Gardner, Donna Anders and the like. This book has Lauren who is nine months pregnant disappearing at 11:53AM (hence the title.) She was supposed to meet her best friend Alice, but never showed. Days later her body is found. Alice wants answers but the people she talks to wind up hurt or dead. Is she the next target? Or is it her unborn twins?

March #7

Title: Don't talk back to your vampire

Author: Michelle Bardley

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Copyright: 2007

ISBN: 978-0-451-22170-4

Series or stand-alone: Series #2

Setting: Broken Heart, OK

1st Sentence:

When Lorcan O'Halloran, four-thousand-year-old vampire and professional Druid, fell at my feet, it wasn't to beg forgiveness for killing me three months ago.

Comments:

This book focuses on Eva LeRoy, town librarian, who was one of those turned into a vampire by Lorcan in book #1 when he had the 'taint'. Her turning gave her the gift to connect with and command animals, which has some bad guys in a tizzy. I like these for light reading, even though they have a tendency to make me blush with their amorous descriptions, but I get past it. Hey! They're vampires!

March #6

I'm trying a different format to see if it makes the blogging process any easier for me. Please let me know if you like it any better or worse.

Title: Stalked

Author: Brian Freeman

Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur

Copyright: 2008

ISBN: 978-0-312-363-27-7

Series or stand-alone: #3

Setting: Duluth, MN

1st Sentence:

The prisoner squinted at the threatening ebony sky through the steel mesh that made up the cage in the rear of the patrol car.

Comments:

This is a really good installment of the Jonathan Stride/Serena Dial series by Freeman. Jonathan's partner, Maggie Bei is at the forefront of this story and in deep doo-doo. Jonathan comes to her rescue and Serena goes undercover to investigate sex clubs and rapes.