Ricochet by Sandra Brown

 

Ricochet  by Sandra Brown Format: Trade Paperback  Published: July 24, 2007  Dimensions: 515 Pages, 4.6 x 8.1 x 1.2 in  ISBN: 1416523324  Published By: Simon & Schuster #1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown presents a spine-tingling story of murder and betrayal in high society Savannah, where a homicide detective finds his career — and life — on the line. When Savannah detective Duncan Hatcher is summoned to an unusual crime scene, he knows discretion is key. Influential Judge Cato Laird’s beloved trophy wife, Elise, has fatally shot a burglar. She claims self-defense, but Duncan suspects she’s lying, and puts his career in jeopardy by investigating further. Then, in secret, Elise makes an incredible allegation, which he dismisses as the lie of a cunning woman trying to exploit his intense attraction to her. But when Elise goes missing, Duncan finds that trusting the wrong person could mean the difference between life and death for both of them.

Another excellent book by Sandra Brown. I absolutely loved the twists in this novel. How everything came about, how it was all figured out … perfect!

I loved the characters. Duncan, as moral as he is. DeeDee, the best kind of partner one can have. I loved their thought-processes. Every character seemed real, as if watching it all unfold in front of you.

Sandra Brown knows how to gather a reader’s attention and hold it to the end. I adore her imagination.

Rating:

The MacGregor Brides by Nora Roberts

 

The MacGregor Brides by Nora Roberts Format: Mass Market Paperbound  Published: August 1, 2007  Dimensions: 384 Pages, 4.21 x 6.62 x 0 in  ISBN: 0373285604  Published By: Harlequin At age ninety, there is nothing the powerful patriarch of the MacGregor clan would like more than to see his three eldest granddaughters happily married—and he’s handpicked three unsuspecting candidates he believes would make perfect husbands. But this might be his biggest matchmaking challenge yet: his granddaughters are so focused on their careers that marriage is the last thing on their minds. It’s a good thing this meddlesome nonagenarian has a few tricks left up his sleeve….

I could have sworn that this had been the book I was missing. Turns out I was wrong. It’s been almost 2 years since I’d read this one, and I remembered it instantly, but finished reading it just the same. It’s ‘The MacGregor Grooms’ I’m missing, LOL!

I thought the stories were great. True Romance, Nora Roberts style. I love the way she writes; every line and thought the characters have is filled with feeling, with emotion. The three MacGregor women don’t need to have ‘men at their side’, but it sure helps, doesn’t it? Three beautiful love stories – just like they should be.

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Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich (‘Barney Barnaby’ series #2)

 

Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich ‘Barney Barnaby’ series Book #2 Format: Mass Market Paperbound  Published: July 12, 2007  Dimensions: 384 Pages, 4.19 x 6.75 x 0.96 in  ISBN: 006058405X  Published By: Harper Collins  Miami is still freakin’ humid. The nights are even hotter. And there’s a body on ice. And that’s just the beginning of this adrenaline-rush of a hot-wired ride from phenomenal number one New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich. A woman with a taste for speed and a talent for breaking the rules, Barney also knows a little too much about cheating. First there was Hooker and that salesclerk. Now she’s convinced one of the competitors is up to no good on the track. Snooping to find evidence, Hooker and Barney “borrow” a NASCAR hauler. Turns out, the hauler is carrying two race cars and a dead guy. It looks like Barney and Hooker are facing multiple counts of grand theft auto and homicide. So buckle up as Barney, Hooker, a 150-pound bundle of Saint Bernard love named Beans, and the Super Cigar Ladies Felicia and Rosa shift into gear on a wild race around South Florida and Concord, North Carolina. Everything you always wanted to know about righteous indignation, stealing an eighteen-wheeler, and sex in the fast lane.

Just as funny as the first one. Mostly the same characters, a few new ones added in, including a bunch of guys you wouldn’t want to be around. I thought the plot twists were great, and I laughed so hard some times, I had to put the book down.

In a way, even the second of this series reminds me of Evanovich’s ‘Plum’ series. Mostly I think it’s the situations that Barney finds herself in. You want a laugh, this is an excellent book to do just that. An easy and great read!

Rating: .5

Embraced by Darkness by Keri Arthur (‘Women of the Otherworld’ series Book #3)

 

Embraced by Darkness by Keri Arthur ‘Riley Jenson Guardian’ series Book #5 Format: Mass Market Paperbound  Published: July 31, 2007  Dimensions: 384 Pages, 4.23 x 6.28 x 1.05 in  ISBN: 055358961X  Published By: Dell Publishing She’s hunting a killer— and shattering every boundary— she’s ever known.… Part vamp, part werewolf, Riley Jenson plays by her own rules, whether it’s her stormy love life or her job as a guardian. But when her family’s alpha male demands that she solve the mystery of a vanished girl, Riley can feel a trap closing in around her. Because the job comes with a catch: if Riley fails, her own mother will die. Now the stakes are raised, the hunt is on…and when more women vanish, Riley is caught between a lover who demands that she give up her work, a serial killer who knows no boundaries, and a club where humans and supernaturals mix—at their own peril. Thrust into a realm of seduction and violence unlike any she could have imagined, Riley has to battle to save everything she holds dear. But the ultimate hunt has only just begun….

I actually liked this one better than the last one. More compelling, there was more to the novel than just sex – so unlike the last one.

This one has a few twists. The investigation was a little more complex as well, and won’t leave the reader feeling unfulfilled. Same characters, some that just piss you off, and I felt really back for Riley at the end of the novel. You’ll see what I mean when you read it.

Rating: .5

Proof Positive by Phillip Margolin

 

Proof Positive by Phillip Margolin   Format: Mass Market Paperbound  Published: July 12, 2007  Dimensions: 448 Pages, 4.19 x 7.5 x 1.01 in  ISBN: 0060735066  Published By: Harper Collins Defense attorney Doug Weaver believes his client, Jacob Cohen, is innocent—but the forensic evidence proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the meek, mentally ill homeless man killed and dismembered a woman . . . Hired to defend gangster Art Prochaska against charges that he murdered an informer, lawyer Amanda Jaffe and her father, Frank, have their work cut out for them—because, as improbable as it seems, the forensic clues scream that Prochaska is guilty . . . And now people are dying inexplicably—as Amanda and Doug join forces to find answers hidden somewhere in the darkest corners of crime scene investigation, where a god-playing madman holds the lethal power to alter the truth.

This is the first Margolin novel I’ve ever read. I saw it on the new release shelf and thought the synopsis sounded good. An excellent book!

I love how he works everything! His details, whether with forensics, or the play of either detective or lawyer, were great! The plot was excellent. Several twists that I never saw coming. I thought his characters were genuine and down-to-earth – completely believable.

I’m definitely picking up more of his works!

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Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs (‘Temperance Brennan’ series Book #9)

 

Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs ‘Temperance Brennan’ series Book #9 Format: Trade Paperback  Published: July 11, 2006  Dimensions: 352 Pages, 6.1 x 9.1 in  ISBN: 0743297393  Published By: Scribner It’s the second-to-last day of archaeological field school. Dr Temperance Brennan’s students are working on a site of prehistoric graves on Dewees, a barrier island north of Charleston, South Carolina, when a decomposing body is uncovered in a shallow grave off a lonely beach… The skeleton is articulated, the bone fresh and the vertebrae still connected by soft-tissue; the remains are encased in rotted fabric and topped by wisps of pale, blond hair – a recent burial, and a case Tempe must take. Dental remains and skeletal gender and race indicators suggest that the deceased is a middle-aged white male – but who was he? Why was he buried in a clandestine grave? And what does the unusual vertical hairline fracture of the sixth cervical vertebrae signify? While Tempe is trying to piece together the evidence, her personal life is thrown into turmoil. When a bullet – intended, perhaps, for her – puts Tempe’s estranged husband Pete in hospital, her unexpectedly emotional response complicates her on-off relationship with Detective Andrew Ryan… But before long, another body is discovered – and Tempe finds herself drawn deeper into a shocking and chilling investigation, set to challenge her entire view of humanity…

I finished this novel on Tuesday, July 31st, 2007. Another awesome book in the series!

I adore Tempe. I love her attitude, her personality. She’s not without flaws, just like any human being, and I love reading about her – her feelings, her emotions. The novel is smooth with her thought process, and it wouldn’t be the same without it.

Reading about her troubles between Pete and Ryan, it feels natural and completely real. Anyone in her situation would be questioning herself. I love how Reichs brings Tempe to life, like an everyday person that you could bump into on the street, no matter where you go.

Again, unbelievable details in both crime scenes and crime solving. I can get over how much you’re brought right into the story and you’re stuck there until the end. And knowing (or reading her Author’s Note) that she writes from experience is pretty close to both frightening and wonderment at the same time. The way she describes everything, you could swear that you’re working the case step-by-step with Tempe. And I love it!

I can’t wait for the next one!

Rating:

The Dead Room by Robert Ellis

 

The Dead Room by Robert Ellis Format: Mass Market Paperbound  Published: August 1, 2002  Dimensions: 416 Pages, 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.8 in  ISBN: 0786014547  Published By: Pinnacle Books A young woman has been found, brutally murdered and left on gruesome display…in the “safety” of her own home. The atrocity kicks off an investigation into a bizarre string of increasingly disturbing murders, all believed to be perpetrated by someone of unprecedented savagery — and cunning. As the city’s panic rises, civil attorney Teddy Mack is thrown headlong into the grisly homicide case — and into a world of dirty politics and corrupt justice, where deceptions are as deadly as a killer’s twisted secrets. Now, another woman is about to meet the same horrific fate as the others. To end a madman’s reign, Teddy must enter his maze — a place of unimaginable terror…and shocking revelations.

I finished this novel early this morning, Monday, July 30, 2007. Excellent book!

I thought the characters genuine, devious, the killer’s twisted/warped mind, and I loved every twist and turn in this novel. There was enough action to keep the novel entertaining, enough time in the killer’s head to really feel how truly paranoid and ‘insane’ he was.

And the twist in the last chapter leaves much for speculation. I think Robert Ellis did that last twist on purpose; either to make the reader speculate or if he might come up with a second book featuring Teddy Mack. I hope so!

Excellent!

Rating:

Don’t Look Now by Linda Lael Miller (‘Clare Westbrook’ series Book #1)

 

Don’t Look Now  by Linda Lael Miller Format: Mass Market Paperbound  Published: June 29, 2004  Dimensions: 448 Pages, 4.3 x 6.7 x 1.2 IN  ISBN: 067104253X  Published By: Simon & Schuster  ‘Clare Westbrook’ series Book #1 Defense attorney Clare Westbrook functions very well in crisis mode — whether taking the media rap for an explosive case or bargaining with her teenaged niece, whom Clare is raising. But a shocking crime — the murder of her notoriously unethical boss — is about to test her heart and soul: heading the homicide investigation is irresistibly sexy detective Tony Sonterra. Now, a passion that is as risky as it is addictive pulls Clare into the crosshairs of a deadly mystery from the past. As the truth closes in and it becomes clear someone’s targeting her, Clare and Tony embark on a twisting chase in the Arizona heat, where their dangerous desire sparks a determined hunt for a killer.

I finished this novel on Tuesday, July 24th, 2007. Not bad for the first in the series.

I thought Clare was a strong, determined woman; in a world ruled mostly by men, she holds her own, while raising her 13-year-old niece. Stubborn to a fault, she does what she needs to do, regardless if that puts herself in harms way.

I liked how Miller wrote the character of Clare’s niece. She acted like a 13-year-old would act, and I appreciated it.

And Tony… yeah, if I was single, I’d be going for a man like that myself. Tenacious, I loved the sarcasm, and the anger when he doesn’t get his way or when Clare’s being difficult.

I thought the plot was good, I liked the twists, and I’m not sure if it was just me, but I found that the synopsis of the book added a little more flavor to what was really there. Don’t get me wrong, I thought the book was great, enough action of different kinds and enough twists that the book doesn’t lose your attention, but I was expecting a little more ‘oomph’.

Rating:

The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross

 

The Blue Zone  by Andrew Gross Format: Trade Paperback  Published: April 12, 2007  Dimensions: 352 Pages, 6 x 9 in  ISBN: 0061355658  Published By: Harpercollins Publishers, Incorporated From the number one New York Times bestselling coauthor of Judge & Jury and Lifeguard comes this electrifying solo debut, The Blue Zone. Kate Raab’s life seems almost perfect: her boyfriend, her job, her family . . . until her father runs into trouble with the law. His only recourse is to testify against his former accomplices in exchange for his family’s placement in the Witness Protection Program. But one of them gets cold feet. In a flash, everything Kate can count on is gone. Now, a year later, her worst fears have happened: Her father has disappeared—into what the WITSEC agency calls “the blue zone”—and someone close to him is found brutally murdered. With her family under surveillance, the FBI untrustworthy, and her father’s menacing “friends” circling with increasing intensity, Kate sets off to find her father—and uncover the secrets someone will kill to keep buried.

I finished this book on Monday, July 23rd, 2007. Great book!

I thought Gross did a great job with his characters and the situation. It was well pointed out in the book, a certain question that seeps in your mind and stays there throughout the novel: ‘How well do you really know a person?’.

A true kaleidoscope. The characters were all truly different, unique, and some right down scary. If Gross had to make Kate one hell of a confused woman, he did an excellent job. I felt back for Kate, but I was proud of her. No matter how scared she was, she remained angry enough to get down to the truth, no matter how many people tried to steer her the other way. Tenacious without seeming like it – I liked Kate very much.

For Gross’s first try all on his own, and excellent read!

Rating:

Fanged & Fabulous by Michelle Rowen (‘Sarah Dearly’ series Book #2)

 

Fanged & Fabulous by Michelle Rowen Format: Mass Market Paperbound  Published: July 1, 2007  Dimensions: 368 Pages, 4.28 x 6.8 x 1 in  ISBN: 0446618624  Published By: Grand Central Publishing ‘Sarah Dearly’ series Book #2 My name is Sarah Dearly, and I’ve got major problems. Last month, I was turned into a vampire by the world’s worst blind date. Then I may have, totally by accident, started a war between the mostly peaceful bloodsuckers and a bunch of sociopathic vamp hunters who have nicknamed me the Slayer of Slayers. Now I’m being used as bait to draw out the hunters’ bad-ass leader, while my gorgeous 600-year-old boyfriend Thierry seems to be blowing me off, and my sizzle-hot, fanged friend Quinn is trying to turn my self-defense lessons into make-out sessions. So you know what? I’m done. I’ve had it. There comes a time when a vamp has to just suck it up and go after what she wants. And as soon as I figure out what that is, that’s exactly what I’ll do…

I finished this novel on Sunday, July 22nd, 2007. LOL, a great second book!

I laughed as much while reading this one as I did the first one. Most of the characters are the same as the first, with the exception of a few added ‘bad guys’. I thought the plot played out well.

Moments of action that were as funny as well as holding your breath, a few moments of tears, a few of anger, and one of ‘oh, how sweet’ and ‘aaaah’.

Can’t wait for the third book!

Rating: .25