5 stars (out of 5)
No doubt about it: Books are expensive. Even discounted versions of books for ebook readers like my Kindle Fire can get very costly when you read as many books as I do. That's why I've signed up at websites that offer free and low-cost choices, like BookBub.com, BookGorilla.com, or Lendle.com (which are then downloaded from Amazon.com).
More often than not, the selections are from lesser-known writers, and a number of the free offerings don't cost more than three or four bucks to begin with - sometimes for good reason. So as I've said before, it's always a good idea to check customer reviews before you hit the download button (reviews with ratings of 3 stars and below get most of my attention, because I'm more interested in why someone didn't like the book than reading gushing comments.
Way more often than not, I've done well with my selections. And when I find a real gem, I want to tell the world. This one, a winner of a Florida Book Award (one of two for author Michael Lister), is one of those gems. For the record, the annual Florida Book Awards, which honors the best work of Florida authors, is coordinated by the Florida State University Libraries and co-sponsored by several other relatively impressive organizations. Medalists in nine categories are announced each February.
It was that award, in fact, that clinched the deal for me; at the time, this book had only nine reviews, mostly 5 stars - and even I have enough family and friends who would gladly award my book top honors in exchange for a six-pack of beer. Of course, the description didn't hurt; this is the fifth book in a series featuring prison chaplain and former cop John Jordan. Also for the record, Lister was named the youngest chaplain within the Florida Department of Corrections back in the early 1990s and served as a chaplain at correctional facilities for nearly a decade, so I figure he's got a good handle on that end of things.
I'm always a bit leery, though, of not starting with the first in a series; will I be able to follow what's going on, and will the book stand alone? I'm happy to say yes to both those issues, and even happier to report that I plan to get my hands on the rest in the series as fast as I can.
Here, Jordan has come to retreat center St. Ann's Abbey in the Florida Panhandle to shore up his own emotions after a nasty previous case (which I assume happened in the previous book). It doesn't take long for strange things to happen - first the apparent murder of a young boy, followed by the ghastly death of a young woman who had been undergoing an exorcism at the hands of an elderly priest who is one of the Abbey's founders. When he becomes the prime suspect, one of the nuns asks Jordan, who is here to get counseling himself and is reluctant to get involved, to well, get involved.
There's no shortage of suspects as Jordan - who is Protestant, by the way - begins his investigation, including the chief of police, an attorney who represents a large corporation intent on getting the land on which the Abbey is located and a beautiful young novelist (you really didn't think there would be no potential love interest, did you)? Untangling the ties that bind all these folks together and finding the culprit doesn't do much to drive out Jordan's personal demons, but the process sure is a treat for readers.
Blood Sacrifice by Michael Lister (Pulpwood Press August 2012); 271 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Depending on the source, this is either the 13th or 14th in the author's series featuring Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett, and I've read them all. As I've mentioned before, I started reading these books because of a special "connection" - Pickett is my family name. I've kept reading them, though, just because they're very good.
This one begins as Joe, who's officially still a game warden but unofficially assigned to handle special projects for the state governor, is given the task of finding out what's happening at a huge ranch in a remote area of the Black Hills. The owner, Wolfgang Templeton, is known as a philanthropist but also is powerful and mysterious. And, he's surrounded by dangerous men, not the least of whom is Joe's old friend Nate Romanowski, a falconer who's been living off the grid for quite some time. Meantime, Joe's daughter Sheridan, a resident assistant at the college she attends, is dealing with a potentially dangerous student, causing concern for Joe and his wife Marybeth.
When he starts checking out Templeton and his property, Joe quickly learns the man literally owns everyone in the county - including local law enforcement and quite possibly old friend Nate as well. Has Nate crossed over to the dark side? Will Joe make it out of this wilderness alive once it becomes clear why he's really there? Can he get to his daughter before she becomes the victim of a sniper?
The way these questions are answered, in fact, are why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5. Although everything moves along very quickly and it was hard to put the book down, parts of the plot - especially near the end - are more than a little contrived and hard to believe (an effort to set up the plot of the next installment, perhaps, or, as other reviewers have suggested, a rush to meet the publication deadline)? Still, it's a worthwhile read - just not the best of the lot.
Stone Cold by C.J. Box (Putnam Adult, March 2014); 374 pp.
4 stars out of 5
There are so many books waiting to be read on my Kindle (or on my to-read list) that I don't pay much attention to the freebies offered through a number of services to which I subscribe, like BookBub.com. But for some strange reason, this one got my attention back on Feb. 24, 2014. It had enough 5- and 4-star reviews at Amazon.com that I figured the author - once CEO of a General Motors Corp. division - couldn't have that many friends willing to boost the ratings whether or not it was any good. Since the book description was interesting as well, I decided to give it a shot.
For the most part, I'm glad I did. I finished it in a few days with limited time available to read, and by the time I was done, I found it had accumulated 102 reviews at Amazon, 93 of them 4 stars or higher - so my 4-star rating is on target.
The book skillfully brings together high technology (in the form of artificial intelligence) and low (people still get killed by strangling, bullets and swimming with fishes), and more than once the late Mario Puzo's Godfather series came to mind. At the start, a Mafia-style guy named Alex Nicholas is murdered, leaving as his next-of-kin a third wife of questionable morals and a financial corporation CEO and straight-arrow brother Michael, who takes on the responsibility of settling Alex's affairs. Things get murky when Michael is contacted by his "deceased" brother via a computer software program as yet unknown by the rest of the world.
Slowly, Michael becomes absorbed in the shady world Alex knew (another nod to The Godfather, as expressed in Part III by Michael Corleone: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.") And slowly, just as did Corleone, Michael Nicholas begins to enjoy the power of running a high-stakes business and the danger that comes with it.
But if Alex is really dead, how is he able to communicate so effectively with his brother? After all, IBM's Watson was able to beat two very intelligent former winning contestants on "Jeopardy!" rather handily, but being able to make meaningful conversation with a human being and have a pretty good handle on what the future holds goes beyond anything that's available to man at this point - as far as anyone knows.
The book ends a bit abruptly and with no real resolution to how Alex has pulled all that off nor an answer to the question of the physical safety of Michael and his beautiful wife, Samantha. That was, no doubt, to ensure that everyone who bought this book will rush to get the next one, Death Logs In. I've seen nothing to indicate when that will be forthcoming, but I do know that if it takes very long I'll have forgotten what this one was all about - one of the pitfalls of those "cliff-hanger" kinds of novels (this one was published in December 2013). In comparison, every Godfather book left me wanting more, but each was an end unto itself. Hopefully, Simon will get his sequel out before I still care about what's to come.
Death Never Sleeps by E.J. Simon (Simon/Zef, December 2013); 389 pp.
5 stars out of 5
After I read all of J.K. Rowling's beyond-wonderful Harry Potter books, I said to myself, "Self, no one could possibly top these as young-adult fiction, at least not in the fantasy realm."
T-h-h-hat's my story and I'm stickin' to it. But tell you what: John Connolly gives her a darned good run for the money. This, the first in a fantasy thriller series featuring 11-year old Samuel Johnson, conjures up visions of things almost more frightening than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or any of the other obstacles Harry and his pals ever encountered. And, it's written with lots of humor (mostly around the 6th- or 7th-grade level, to be sure, but then that's right about where my funny bone got stuck a long time ago so I can relate). Really.
The plot centers on young Samuel, who through no fault of his own runs into supernatural elements while he's out trick-or-treating (a couple of days early to get a head start) in his hometown of Biddlecombe, England. Some kind of portal, it seems, inexplicably has opened up that allows very nasty dead folks - the kind who live in Hades, if such a place exists - to return to the present. Of course, they aren't here just to see all the new technology; no, they're hell-bent, so to speak, on destroying the world as Samuel, his family, friends and loyal dog Boswell, know it (Boswell: Samuel's dog. Get it)? Thrown in the mix is Nurd, a surprisingly likable demon lord who got through the portal by no fault of his own and, also by no fault of his own, befriends Samuel.
Needless to say, Samuel has a tough time trying to convince the adults about what he knows is happening - that is, until they start seeing it for themselves. But then, what's a mother (or a cousin or a Vicar or a scientist) to do? Lots of mayhem, mangling and heads coming out of places no head should ever be ensues, with creatures both human and not losing their lives and dozens of limbs until a solution is found (thanks, of course, to the ingenuity of Samuel and a couple of his young human friends).
Interspersed throughout are links to footnotes, and while I didn't bother checking them until I'd finished the book, I'll advise readers not to miss reading them at the end. They, too, are humorous, but perhaps more important (at least to parents and teachers), they have considerable educational value, to-wit:
"Because atoms are so small, and are constantly recycled, every breath you take contains atoms that were once breathed by Julius Caesar and Elvis Presley. So, a little bit of you formerly ruled Rome, and sang "Blue Suede Shoes."
"Whenever someone uses the word 'glitch,' which means a fault of some kind in a system, you should immediately be suspicious, because it means they don't know what it is."
Brilliant.
The Gates by John Connolly (Atria Books, October 2009); 308 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Talk about grabbing your attention in the first couple of pages - my mouth dropped open about a foot when I read that the first murder victim in the latest in the series featuring Boston Detective D.D. Warren was Christine Ryan. Why was I taken aback, you ask? Because that happens to be our daughter's name!
That jolt, of course, wouldn't be enough to keep me hanging on - or for me to award this book 5 stars. But trust me, what followed made me reluctant to put it down (to the point of my casting longing sideways glances at my Kindle as I was fixing dinner or dusting the coffee table). And head games? Wow! If you're looking for psychological drama accompanied by no shortage of gruesome murders, this one definitely falls into the don't-miss category.
As the book opens, Warren is off the job recuperating from a devastatingly painful injury she incurred when an unknown assailant pushed her down a flight of stairs at an earlier crime scene. When a second woman is murdered in a virtually identical fashion - including leaving a red rose and a bottle of champagne and a particularly distasteful post-mortem action - it's clear they're dealing with a serial killer.
When Warren consults with psychiatrist and pain specialist Adeline Glen who, ironically, suffers from the total ability to feel physical pain, and the discussion turns to the murders, both women realize aspects of the murders are strikingly similar to the MO of the doctor's sister, Shana, who's been in prison since her teenage years after being convicted of killing a teenage boy (and, while in prison, has killed again at least twice). Both Adeline and Shana, as it turns out, are daughters of a deceased and well-known serial torturer, murderer and child abuser - from whom, apparently, Shana has "inherited" her killing tendencies. But did Adeline inherit them as well?
Unraveling the connections and finding the new killer takes on many twists, turns and suspects - and provides an experience this reader didn't want to end. One of Gardner's best efforts - and one of the best books I've read in a while.
Fear Nothing: A Detective D.D. Warren Novel by Lisa Gardner (Dutton Adult, January 2014); 400 pp.
My primary knowledge of Mitch Albom as come through his gig as a panelist on the ESPN series "The Sports Reporters," and I must say I've been a fan for years. When his book, Tuesdays with Morrie became a best-seller, I admit to being a bit surprised. What on earth, I asked myself, does this have to do with sports?
I also admit I didn't read it - nor have I read any of the other non-sports books he's written including The Five People You Meet in Heaven, another one that was wildly popular. But this time, I decided it's past time to let go of my hang-up on the sports aspect and give one of his books a try. And now, I'm an even bigger fan.
This one takes place in small-town Coldwater, Michigan, where nothing much of note ever happens until a handful of residents start getting phone calls from dead people they've known and (in most instances) loved. Of course, they're both skeptical and overwhelmed with joy, but their skepticism is put to rest when the callers use words and phrases that are familiar, making them believe they must be real. The calls also are most welcome because the callers make it clear there's a wonderful life somewhere in the hereafter; in fact, the reasons for the calls is to let people know they needn't worry about dying and to ask that they spread the word.
As you might expect, those who already believe quickly are turned into zealots, and those who don't step up their protests that the whole thing is some kind of hoax. Woven in between are backstories of the folks who are getting the calls (and one notable guy who isn't) as well as history lessons about Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone.
At just 336 pages, this one easily can be read in a few hours - and it's so well written and the story so intriguing that I wanted to do just that. But because I didn't start it till late in the evening, exhaustion set in and I had to call it a night. The next morning, I almost resented the fact that a handful of family members would be spending most of the day with us - that's how much I wanted to get back to my reading. The minute we left and I hit the "on" button on the dishwasher, I grabbed my Kindle and told my husband not to interrupt me unless the house caught fire.
In short, this is a wonderful "feel good" story that centers on human behavior and is almost guaranteed to leave a smile on your face in the end no matter which side of the hereafter debate you're on. And as you might expect, I've put Albom's earlier books on my must-read list.
4 stars out of 5
Despite being a huge fan of the late Robert B. Parker's work - I've read all the Spenser and Jesse Stone books - I've never read any of his series featuring Marshal Virgil Cole and Deputy Marshal Everett Hitch. When a friend happened to mention this one, the second written by actor, writer and producer Robert Knott after Parker's death (Ironhorse was his first) - I was surprised that the books even existed. But it didn't take me long to find a copy and give it a whirl.
Never having read any of Parker's Cole and Hitch novels, I can't say whether or not Knott does a good imitation. But knowing Parker's style, I'm betting they're pretty close. Set in the Old West, this one from the start reminded me of a cross between a Zane Grey character and Parker's Jesse Stone, with saddles and six-guns interspersed with "Nope," "Yup" and "Sure."
The book opens as the two relatively uneducated lawmen return a notorious outlaw to San Cristobal to stand trial. Before he can be arraigned, a bank robbery happens that requires investigation by the pair. The man who supposedly did the deed is a bank employee and town resident who is later found after being beaten almost to a pulp and his beautiful wife kidnapped. It's then discovered he's not who he's been claiming to be - and in fact, he's got ties to that outlaw they just brought in. What's more, the outlaw is the only one who knows who kidnapped the wife (who just happens to be the daughter of a St. Louis millionaire) and where Cole and Hitch need to go to track the culprit and his gang down.
I won't say this is anywhere near the most engrossing novel I've ever read, but if you like cowboys who speak mostly in monosyllables and lots of horsing around, it's pretty darned good reading.
Robert B. Parker's Bull River by Robert Knott (Putnam Adult, January 2014); 353 pp.
