Published in 2008. 289 pages.
I like to read Mary Higgins Clark's suspense novels for the same reason I like to eat McDonald's hamburgers: I know what I'm getting. Where Are You Now? is typical Clark: female protagonist, compelling plot, lots of red herrings, happy ending. Just what I expected.
2008.51
Published in 2008. 310 pages.
This is the fourteenth book (not including the three novellas) in Evanovich's wacky Stephanie Plum series. Light and fun, this was a perfect read for the 24-hour read-a-thon last weekend!
2008.37
Published in 2006. 308 pages.
Dark Assassin is the fifteenth book in Perry's William Monk series, which is set in Victorian London.
I read my first Anne Perry novel in about 1995 on the recommendation of my mom. It was one of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt books, which are also set in Victorian London. I was immediately taken by that series and went back to the beginning to read them all in sequence.
For the same reason that I frequently avoid reading a second book by an author who wrote a book I absolutely love - that is, for fear of disappointment - it took me a little while to decide to also read the William Monk books. I think I like Monk even better than Pitt, though - although it's pretty close to a tie.
I bought Dark Assassin when I had a chance to meet Anne Perry, so I'd have something for her to autograph.
Having read Dark Assassin, I'm up-to-date with this series! Now I need to read Buckingham Palace Gardens to get up-to-date with the Pitt series.
First sentence: Waterloo Bridge loomed in the distance as William Monk settled himself more comfortably in the bow of the police boat.
Last sentence: He had never meant anything more in his life.
2008.36
Published in 2008. 397 pages.
The latest in the Alan Gregory series, Dead Time is another compelling thriller from clinical psychologist Stephen White. In this one, Alan's former wife, Merideth, asks for his help, dragging him into a complicated mystery that reaches back years.
I have been a fan of this series for many years. I love that Alan Gregory is not only a hero but also a flawed man with complicated relationships and issues. I also love that although all the novels in the series have the commonality of the Alan Gregory character, each is unique in its set up, its voice, its perspective. In sixteen books to date, the series has not gotten the least bit stale.
I found a fun Q&A with Stephen White about Dead Time on his website here.
2008.35
Published in 2008. 371 pages.
I am a fan of Michael Palmer, and I think I've read everything he's written. The First Patient is his latest novel, one which I think is not only a medical thriller - which I would expect from Palmer - but also a political thriller. The front cover of the copy I borrowed from the library includes a quote from President Bill Clinton:
An exciting thriller ... full of surprises; captures the intense atmosphere of the White House.
Published in 2007. 260 pages.
I read Carol Higgins Clark's Regan Reilly mystery series because it's light and easy to read, with fun settings and happy endings. This tenth episode was all that!
The eleventh book in the series, Zapped, is due out next month. Clark's website is here.
2008.20
Published in 2007. 389 pages.
This is the latest in James Patterson's Alex Cross Series, the thirteen novel about widower, devoted grandson, loving father of three, police psychologist-slash-detective Alex Cross. I love this character and enjoyed this latest episode in his life. While not my favorite of the thirteen, it was still everything I look for in an Alex Cross novel: easy to read with lots of action and dialogue, compelling and suspenseful.
2008.17
For many years my favorite genre has been the suspense thriller. Interestingly, with the creation of my book blog and my participation in a multitude of reading challenges, I've actually been reading less of this genre. That's not necessarily a bad thing - but it did entice me to join J. Kaye's Suspense & Thriller Reading Challenge so that I'll "have" to read some more of my favorite genre!
The simple rules of this challenge:
Published in 2007. 288 pages.
First sentence: Some time ago, two reporters visited me, and I was as open with them as I could humanly be.
Brief description (from the back cover): A spine-chilling first novel loosely based on the author's real-life relationship with a convicted murderer, An Absolute Gentleman delves, with subtlety and tremendous psychological insight, into a serial killer's mind.
Why I read this book: A publicist for An Absolute Gentleman contacted me at the end of December about reading the book and reviewing here on my blog. I admitted to her that I was way behind on my reviews but that the book looked like a compelling read and if she were willing to send it to me, I'd get to it as soon as I could. Joy's rave review prompted me to get to it sooner than later - so here I am!
What I thought of this book: For some reason, it hadn't occurred to me that this book would be written from the perspective of the serial killer - but it is, and his voice is at once both ordinary, even charming, and completely creepy. I found myself liking Arthur Blume, small-town college writing teacher and struggling author, even hearing in his words the voices of acquaintances of my own. And yet he was not just "an absolute gentleman" but also an absolute monster, who could make a decision to kill someone in the same way most of us would decide what to eat for breakfast or which shoes to wear. An Absolute Gentleman is well worth the read, and I'm hoping that short story writer R. M. Kinder is at work on another novel. Jonathan Kellerman, one of my favorite writers of psychological thrillers, is quoted on the back cover of An Absolute Gentleman as saying, "Beautifully written and all the more chilling for that." Well said!
To share in the joy of a good book: I would love to pass my now somewhat used copy of An Absolute Gentleman to another interested reader. Leave a comment if you'd be interested, and I will randomly pick one lucky reader from those who comment by Friday, February 29.
2008.14
