2.0 stars� I watched the Hulu Miniseries, “The Murders Before The Marathon� based on the same investigative work of Susan Zalkind, and enjoyed it, so 2.0 stars� I watched the Hulu Miniseries, “The Murders Before The Marathon� based on the same investigative work of Susan Zalkind, and enjoyed it, so I decided to read the book version to get an even more comprehensive account of this crime. The book (“The Waltham Murders�) was definitely one of the most comprehensive accounts of an investigation I’ve ever read but in this case comprehensive and entertaining are two very different things. Don’t get me wrong the author left no stone unturned in her search for the truth in the case of the murders of three mid-range drug dealers that have been rumored to be connected to Boston Marathon Bomber, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, since his death soon after the bombing. The real ‘claim to fame� of this earlier triple murder is that the other known suspect in this case, Ibragim Todashev, was shot multiple times and killed while being interviewed by an FBI agent and other law enforcement officers about this case soon after Tamerlan’s death. The book version of this investigation can best be described as disorganized chaos. There were so many documented interviews with so many people that led to no relevant information being obtained, it was absolutely impossible to keep all of the people involved and relevant information straight. I also never felt the author conveyed what exactly made her go from being uncertain about who killed the three men at Waltham to being 100 percent certain about their identities. This coupled with an ending that had me convinced of the culpability of a third suspect left me with a dissatisfied, waste of time feeling when I finished this very long book which was badly in need of an edit....more
2.0 stars —I read “The Perfect Storm� many years ago and found Sebastian Junger to be an excellent writer and storyteller. I have not read any books b2.0 stars —I read “The Perfect Storm� many years ago and found Sebastian Junger to be an excellent writer and storyteller. I have not read any books by him since then but thought “In My Time of Dying, How I Came Face to Face With The Idea of an Afterlife� would be an interesting read due to my interest in near death experiences. Although once again I found Junger to be a very knowledgeable and well-spoken writer, this book was not one I would recommend. ‘In My Time of Dying� is written from Junger’s first person experience of almost dying from a ruptured aneurysm in his pancreatic artery. During the time in which he was closest to death, his recently deceased father appeared to him over a black void and was encouraging him to accompany him. When Junger made it through the surgery and recovered, he was haunted and puzzled by this and decided to research the possible causes of such a realistic and impactful brush with the other side. The book bogs down in very lengthy medical explanations of the medical conditions he was suffering from and the treatment he received. It only gets worse when the author discusses physics and the scientific and physiological explanations behind both the universe and near death experiences. The author does finally discuss very briefly some of the more famous Near Death Experiences books and research, all in an effort to explain what he went through during this time. Although in the end he seemed to accept that there is something on the other side, the rambling, haphazard way of getting to this point and touching on every conceivable explanation for the event was not a fun journey in which to accompany the author. Sadly, much like my high school physics class, much of what the author discussed as far as the principles and laws of physics caused my eyes to glaze over and for me to suffer my own NBE (Nauseated Boredom Experience). However, for readers that love anatomy, physics and the laws of the universe type discussions this is a 5 star read. ...more
4.0 stars � When I saw that there was a new John Marrs� book available on Kindle Unlimited, I immediately knew I had to read it. I have enjoyed most o4.0 stars � When I saw that there was a new John Marrs� book available on Kindle Unlimited, I immediately knew I had to read it. I have enjoyed most of his books and “The Stranger in Her House� was no exception. “Stranger� tells the story of Connie who has moved next door to her mother, Gwen, who is in the beginning stages of dementia, in order to help take care of her. When a man from the local volunteer agency, Paul, begins taking on more and more special projects for Gwen, Connie begins to realize she is being forced out of her mom’s life. Connie does what all of us would do to try and stop her mother from getting wrapped up with somebody with impure motives, but nothing she does has any effect, and soon, she is on the outside (literally) looking in. From here, the book takes many unexpected twist and turns that I never saw coming. For the most part I really enjoyed the ride with most of the plot twists seeming realistic and entertaining. Marrs writes in such a face paced and easy to read manner, his books always seem to just flow so well. I am definitely still a big fan of his work ( and even a bigger fan when they are free on Kindle Unlimited). I’d definitely rate it as one of my favorite Marrs� novels so far....more
3.5 stars� I have a theory as to why “End of Story� has been reviewed so poorly by most readers since its release; it is absolutely nothing like “The 3.5 stars� I have a theory as to why “End of Story� has been reviewed so poorly by most readers since its release; it is absolutely nothing like “The Woman in the Window.� Personally, I prefer an author whose follow-up book contains totally different characters rather than more books revolving around the same character(I didn’t read sequels to books I didn’t like by Harlen Coben and Nita Prose for this very reason). I really enjoyed “The Woman in the Window� so I decided to read “End of Story� despite all of these reviews. “End of Story� is definitely totally different from any book I’ve ever read. I was a huge Agatha Christie fan growing up and this book is really a nod to an author, Sebastian Trapp, who writes books similar to Christie but also has a mystery in his own life that has followed him over the last 20 years: the disappearance of his wife and child. As Sebastian nears the end of his life he reaches out to a woman, Nicky Hunter, a superfan of his books and a longtime pen-pal to write his life story. Nicky arrives in San Francisco to live with the author and his family so that she can begin the process of interviewing him about his life. The book then introduces a myriad of weird family members and acquaintances that all seem to speak in riddles and half truths. The interactions between Nicky and all of these characters are in a word strange. In addd, Nicky’s job of writing the life story of Sebastian is frustrated by the fact he speaks in quotes from his books and books from other famous detectives and always seems to be trying to prove how smart and mysterious he is. I could never really get into the flow of the book and found myself rereading sections to try to understand what was being said because the author diverges from the story on asides of irrelevant information so many times. The end, in a word, brilliant, and almost made up for the story’s intentionally ambiguous dialogue that makes up the majority of the book. I would say I was invested in the story and enjoyed the very well thought out and unexpected ending, but I definitely didn’t enjoy a lot of the time spent getting there....more
**spoiler alert** 2.5 stars� I am a frequent reader of B.A. Paris, and have had a mixed reaction to her books (with my favorite by a large margin bein**spoiler alert** 2.5 stars� I am a frequent reader of B.A. Paris, and have had a mixed reaction to her books (with my favorite by a large margin being, “The Breakdown�). “The Guest� is Paris’s newest book and begins with the narrator of the book, Iris, and her husband Gabriel returning home from a trip to find that one of their best friends, Laure is staying in their home after leaving her husband, Pierre. She decided to do this after he confessed to her that he had fathered a child with another woman during their marriage. Although the book begins with a promising premise, it soon starts to drag with the mundane details of the couple’s day to day life dealing with their unwanted houseguest, Laure. The book continues on this same path until almost the end when the author attempts to pull an Alice Feeney type ending out of her hat. However, as unreliable narrators go, Iris just didn’t do it for me. Despite being the only narrator for the entire book, Iris later gives the reader details that were left out or misrepresented in her earlier version of events. There is no real explanation as to why Iris left out or lied about these details, just her reciting a different version of what really happened that fits with all of the details from the plot. Even though her doing this allow all of the loose ends to be resolved, I did not appreciate it. The way that the book was written made me feel like I had wasted several hours of my life reading details and looking for clues for over 90 percent of a book that was based on lies and omissions to keep me from understanding what was really going on. As you might be able to tell by now, this type of book is not for me....more
3.0 starsâ€� I decided to read “Best Day Everâ€� after reading several positive reviews of the book on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ over the past few years. “Bestâ€� is unique3.0 starsâ€� I decided to read “Best Day Everâ€� after reading several positive reviews of the book on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ over the past few years. “Bestâ€� is unique in that 95 percent of the book is told from the perspective of Paul Strom, an abusive narcissist who is in the midst of taking his wife to their cabin so they can celebrate what he has termed the best day ever. Paul is delusional about his intelligence and power, and through his very long and rambling narratives, I was easily able to tell that most of what Paul says is exaggerated and only half of the truth. Although I usually like a good unreliable narrator, Paul is so obnoxious that he becomes tiresome very quickly. However, the plot was pretty good with a lot of twists and turns I didn’t expect. However, Paul’s actions and reactions didn’t always seem to be very genuineâ€� even for a narcissistic sociopath. In fact Paul is one of the most impulsive and reactionary characters I’ve read in quite a while. In no way would someone that acts the way he does be able to pull off all of the things he was supposed to have done at his job and over the ten years of his marriage to Mia. Because the believability factor was so low and the main character was so obnoxious, this was nowhere close to “Gone Girlâ€� or any other domestic suspense novel. I might eventually try another book by the author because the book was a fast paced readâ€� but not a fast paced read I particularly enjoyed....more
2.0 stars —“The Teacher’s Secret� is the first book I’ve ever read by Lauren North. I was hoping for a Lisa Jewell type experience but it was more lik2.0 stars —“The Teacher’s Secret� is the first book I’ve ever read by Lauren North. I was hoping for a Lisa Jewell type experience but it was more like a bad Freida McFadden to be honest. This is a great example of a book that tries too hard to hold its cards close to the vest, but when those secrets are finally revealed later in the book, they come across as far fetched and silly explanations of how they were described earlier in the book. The book begins with the disappearance of Cate and Archie, a teacher and her young son. The number one suspect is (of course) the teacher’s husband, Oliver, the principal at the school. The substitute teacher hired to take Cate’s place, Lexi, is an outsider who comes into town with an obvious interest in the missing persons� case. The first half of the books drags on with very little revealed about what happened to Cate and Archie or Lexi’s fascination with the case. When everything begins coming together towards the end of the book, I admit I wasn’t feeling the far-fetched explanations and relationships between the characters. The book definitely holds surprises, but they are the type of surprises akin to getting a pair of socks on Christmas morning from Santa or going in for a filling and having to get a root canal. A thrillerless thriller with a few bad surprises would be my one sentence review of this one....more
**spoiler alert** 3.5 stars â€� I couldn’t wait to get my hands on “Listen for the Lieâ€� after reading all of the great reviews it received on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.**spoiler alert** 3.5 stars â€� I couldn’t wait to get my hands on “Listen for the Lieâ€� after reading all of the great reviews it received on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. After reading the book, I am not as enthusiastic as I was going into reading it, but I definitely liked parts of the book and look forward to reading future books by Amy Tintera. “Listenâ€� is written in short chapters that intermix the story of Lucy told from her perspective and the transcript of the podcast that is investigating the unsolved murder in which Lucy is the primary suspect. Lucy has absolutely no memory of the events that led to her best friend’s death that left her injured and covered in her best friend’s blood. When Lucy goes back to her hometown and the scene of the crime after 5 years away, she meets the podcaster who is investigating the murder and agrees to cooperate in the investigation. The book maintains a very good pace throughout and is interesting until the end. I also enjoyed Lucy’s sarcastic comments and witty retorts throughout the story. However, the amnesia storyline has been done a million times and “Listenâ€� definitely wasn’t original in how this part of the story resolved. Also, the author’s use of the dead best friend’s ghost as a character in the book that only Lucy sees and speaks to in just about every scene is about the most annoying plot device ever conceived (especially when the ghost’s only words are to encourage Lucy to kill everyone she comes into contact). I did enjoy the writing and characters enough to round up to 4 stars, but if somebody â€� anybody would have told the author to lose the ghost it isn’t working, then this book would have been so much better. With all of that being said, I still recommend this book and look forward to what Ms. Tintera’s future books....more
4.0 I finally got a hold of a copy of “The Trial of Lizzie Borden� by Cara Robertson, and I found it to be an entertaining and very well researched bo4.0 I finally got a hold of a copy of “The Trial of Lizzie Borden� by Cara Robertson, and I found it to be an entertaining and very well researched book. The author did a good job of explaining both the crime and the persons involved so that the reader has a good understanding of both heading into the very detailed coverage of the trial. The trial coverage relies extensively on the stories from the best newspaper writers of the day who daily wrote lengthy narratives of the events of the trial. Most of the time I enjoy reading extensive details of major trials, but the sparseness of the evidence against Lizzie Borden made some of the author’s writing regarding the trial both redundant and (at times) boring. This is more the fault of the trial and the lawyers rather than the author. The highlight of the book is reading about the battle between the prosecution and Lizzie Borden’s unbelievably talented defense attorney, the former governor of Massachusetts, George Robinson. To say that he was a gifted attorney would be a huge understatement. Robinson’s ability to keep out of evidence Lizzie’s attempt to buy deadly poison at the pharmacy the day before the murder as well as getting suppressed the entirety of Lizzie’s statement from the coroner’s inquest (that was full of incriminating and suspicious statements) was not only brilliant but effectively won the trial for Lizzie. I had never heard of Robinson prior to reading this book, but if I was on trial for capital murder in the 1880s, I know to whom my first call would have been. I definitely recommend this book for trial aficionados, and even though the events take place more than 140 years ago, the author writes in a way that you can easily understand the inner workings of the trial. I predict that most will enjoy the book and feel as if it is reporting a murder trial happening today rather than one from almost a century and a half earlier....more
4.0 starsâ€� I absolutely loved Stacy Willingham’s first two books, so I was happy to finally get my hands on “Only If You’re Lucky.â€� I noticed that sev4.0 starsâ€� I absolutely loved Stacy Willingham’s first two books, so I was happy to finally get my hands on “Only If You’re Lucky.â€� I noticed that several of my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖâ€� friends were less than enthusiastic about this one, but I was still hoping for the best. The first thing that stood out to me was that Stacy Willingham can flat out write. “Luckyâ€� is written from the perspective of Margot, a recent high school graduate who lost her best friend to a tragic accident prior to them leaving for college to be roommates. Margot decides to go on to the same college despite knowing nobody and soon meets three other women looking for a fourth roommate including the intense and intriguing Lucy. Although the book alternates between the past and present, Willingham gives you just enough details about both to really ratchet up the suspense. Even though it was a slow build, writing from just the perspective of Margot really caused me to become invested in her story. As the books builds suspense over the agenda and identity of the mysterious Lucy, I was all in and ready to crown this book Willingham’s best ever. And thenâ€� the author pulls a “The Housemaidâ€� ending around 80 percent into the book and ruins it. Unfortunately, the resolution of the story as well as the agenda and the identity of Lucy are so far-fetched and ridiculous it ruins what was otherwise a 5 star novel. I love Ms. Willingham’s storytelling ability and setting this one in a college environment was interesting, but when you have to suspend your common sense multiple times to even wrap your mind around who Lucy is and why she took the actions she did, it causes the whole book to suffer. Other than the very unfortunate ending, this one is definitely a keeper, and I will definitely be back for a forth helping of whatever she delivers in her next book....more
2.0 stars�-I chose not to believe the negative reviews that “Bright Young Women� received because Jessica Knoll’s first book, “Luckiest Girl Alive� wa2.0 stars�-I chose not to believe the negative reviews that “Bright Young Women� received because Jessica Knoll’s first book, “Luckiest Girl Alive� was also widely panned, and I ended up loving it. This book�. not so much. “Bright Young Women� is a fictionalized account of Ted Bundy’s infamous crime of breaking into a sorority house at FSU where he killed two young ladies and seriously injured two more. The book is written from three perspectives: (1) Pamela’s (the sorority’s president) in 1978 when murders took place; (2)Pamela’s in the present; and (3) Ruth’s, another possible victim of Bundy from the time he spent in Washington prior to the incident at FSU. The three perspectives all become intertwined through another of the main characters, Tina, who was in a lesbian relationship with Ruth at the time she disappears and who interjects herself into the life of Pamela immediately upon the murders occurring at the sorority house. The primary problem I had with the book was that the whole narrative the author builds between the major players in the book seems far fetched and unbelievable. Pamela’s character was poorly drawn and her actions and reactions to the murder and the days after were laughable. I couldn’t relate to any of the other characters either, and the book fell completely flat because of it. I was barely able to finish the book because none of the characters felt real, and I really didn’t care what happened to any of them. Hopefully, Ms. Knoll stays away from thrillers that intermingle truth and fiction in her next book because not only is it distracting, it ended up resulting in a very disappointing novel....more
4.0 stars—This is the second book I’ve read by James Renner, and once again, he does an excellent job in both researching and writing about a very int4.0 stars—This is the second book I’ve read by James Renner, and once again, he does an excellent job in both researching and writing about a very interesting crime. This time he tackles the 1990 murder of Cleveland teenager, Lisa Pruett, who was stabbed to death while riding her bike on her way to a late night rendezvous with her boyfriend. The suspect left no physical evidence so the police were left with conducting interviews with all of the people who knew that Lisa was planning on riding her bike to her boyfriend’s house that night. Eventually a suspect is identified and arrested, and the case proceeds to trial. Renner does an outstanding job in documenting both the criminal investigation and the trial. Not only does he examine all of the law enforcement investigative files and court transcripts, he also attempts to speak with all of the surviving witnesses and friends and relatives of the suspects. “Little Crazy Children� also does a great job of delving into the lives of Lisa and her boyfriend, Dan and their lives leading up to her tragic death. This is one of the only cases I’ve ever read about that ended with three viable suspects and a true mystery as to who was the murderer. I really enjoyed this one from start to finish, and despite the writing being conversational at times and a little too often detailing the author’s thoughts and emotions, I highly recommend this book. I will definitely continue to read Renner’s books because he has a knack for choosing interesting cases, and his obsessive personality comes through in his writing as he uses every means necessary to figure out who the bad guy is in every case he covers....more
4.0 stars� The best way to describe “Let Him In� is a very pleasant surprise. This is my first time to read anything by William Friend, and I believe 4.0 stars� The best way to describe “Let Him In� is a very pleasant surprise. This is my first time to read anything by William Friend, and I believe him to be a very accomplished writer. He writes this book from two perspectives: Alfie, the widowed father of two young twin daughters and Julia, the sister of his dead wife who is also a counselor. The book begins soon after Alfie’s wife’s death when strange occurrences occur inside his home. The twins begin complaining to Alfie about seeing a man at night and request to sleep with him at night. Later, they stop coming into his room but claim the man has morphed into a snake that they refer to as Black Mamba. After initially dismissing this claim as an imaginary friend that the twins are using to deal with their mother’s death, Alfie soon enlists the help of Julia as strange behavior becomes more prevalent with the twins. The author does a great job of building the creepiness factor throughout the book. The book definitely takes some unexpected twists and turns as it delves into the occult and possible demon possession as explanations as to what is occurring. The twins� behavior is also very disturbing and kept me on edge throughout. The unclear ending is the only thing keeping me from giving thr book 5 stars, but I really enjoyed it. If you are in the market for a slow building creepy book with numerous plot twists, this is the book for you....more
5.0 stars. —All I need to say to those of you who have never read a Harry Hole book by Jo Nesbo is to drop whatever inferior book you are reading and 5.0 stars. —All I need to say to those of you who have never read a Harry Hole book by Jo Nesbo is to drop whatever inferior book you are reading and throw it in the garbage then immediately being reading a Nesbø book. There are so many things to like about Nesbo’s latest, “Killing Moon� it is hard to know where to begin. “Killing Moon� begins with Hole visiting the USA, and he soon finds himself in the middle of some major drama after he intervenes to prevent a violent assault/kidnapping. Harry makes his way back to Norway after being hired by a millionaire to conduct a parallel investigation with the police in a highly publicized case involving the murder of two women in which the millionaire is the #1 suspect. Per usual, the plot is unbelievably good with twists and turns that you never see coming. Many of the characters and storylines are continuations from earlier Harry Hole books. These characters are fleshed out very well, and Nesbo has no problem in this or any of his earlier books in killing off characters or twisting the plot in a direction you never see coming. Nesbo is the absolute best author I’ve ever read in including sections in each of his books from the villain’s perspective and does so without revealing who the villain is. It is absolutely amazing to read an author who has that ability. In fairness, the author has produced a couple of duds that I didn’t enjoy, but when he is on he is ON. And, I can honestly say this may be Nesbo’s best book to date and even at over 500 pages, I never lost interest in what turned out to be one of the best roller coaster rides I’ve ridden in a while.....more
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