Wow! Finding Alafair Burke, New For Me--Now Favorite Author!

Alafair Burke (Photo credit: annie_c_2)never tell


By Alafair Burke




Finding a new author that has given me a whodunit mystery that is so complex and interwoven that I'm still stumped until the very end, is a rare gift. I knew as soon as I started never tell that the author had that undefinable "edgy" feel to her writing that makes me tense, excited, knowing that I've picked a suspenseful winner to read!


Before I begin about the story, I want to highlight that there are a number of important issues about teens, drugs, sexuality, parenting, and schools that are at the basis of this story. Be alert to the interaction among each as you read and make sure you understand what is actually happening. In my opinion, if the story line is fiction, the reality of what is being introduced has been established to a small or greater extent. I applaud this author for choosing topics that are so attuned to what we must consider for the future of our children!

Ellie Hatcher is a cop with a past that sometimes interferes with her handling of a new case. All people would do this, but she had a partner who was willing to challenge her on it--and the guts to evaluate her own actions and willingness to work harder to be more open. But finding Julia Whitmire, a rich 16-year-old girl who initially presented as having committed suicide, even to leaving a message on her bed, was, to Ellie, an open-and-shut case. And she was ready to move on to other work...

Except that the girl's mother didn't believe she would kill herself. And the parents knew the right people to call to ensure that the case was handled as more than suicide... I thought one of the ironic points was that the parents had willingly left their daughter live alone, but then (guiltily?) were adamant that a murder investigation be held.

As the investigation begun, the normal first thing was to talk with school officials and students. However, the principal of the private school would not permit any type of at-school discussions, claiming that the incident had not happened on school property and they had no responsibility. With parents who knew few of their daughters friends or what she might have been involved with, they began to get some basic information from Ramona, her best friend. From her she learned that Julia was interested in knowing all types of people, so we meet Casey and later several other who lived either on the street or in a homeless shelter. Casey is not only implicated, but is assaulted by private investigators hired by Julia's father,  We learn much about his life and is one of the brighter side of the novel's closure.

Each piece of evidence continues to lead the investigation further and further into the private lives of many people, including Ramona's mother who was writing an anonymous blog about her being abused when young and who, during the investigation, begins to receive death threat messages as comments to her articles! More and more individuals are pulled in--but not more than are reasonable based upon the investigation. That is, the twists and turns are relevant! Power, money and corruption strikes often!

The presentation of the characters was interesting in that readers learn in-depth information as presented. However, the story line is so well woven that we meet them based upon how and when they fit--impressive that the author was able to do this so seamlessly! Kudos to Alafair Burke for one of the finest I've read...I'll be looking for more from her in the future. My first reading of her novels has definitely made her one of my favorite authors... If you've also not read her, I highly recommend this one to begin. There is a series for Ellie Hatcher but the novel stands well on its own... Check it out and let me know if you agree with my feelings!


GABixlerReviews

Biography

Alafair Burke is the author of "two power house series" (Sun-Sentinel) that have earned her a reputation for creating strong, believable, and eminently likable female characters, such as NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher and Portland Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid. Alafair's novels grow out of her experience as a prosecutor in America's police precincts and criminal courtrooms, and have been featured by The Today Show, People Magazine, The New York Times, MSNBC, The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Chicago Sun-Times. Dennis Lehane has called her "one of the finest young crime writers working today."

A graduate of Stanford Law School and a former Deputy District Attorney in Portland, Oregon, Alafair is now a Professor of Law at Hofstra Law School, where she teaches criminal law and procedure.

She lives in New York City with her husband and beloved dog, Duffer. She spends too much time on Facebook and Twitter, but has no plans to quit.

Learn more about Alafair at www.alafairburke.com

Reading Pat Bertram Gets Better and Better!

More Deaths Than One


By Pat Bertram




I laughed with Pat while reading Daughter Am I, was scared by what happened in A Spark of Heavenly Fire, sighed with Pat's Light Bringer (Click to read my reviews of the other books!)...


But, Wow! I sat in amazed suspense as I read More Deaths Than One...


The first reason I was amazed was that each of Pat's books are so uniquely different,  The second was that, for me, this, last book was a mystery/suspense--my preferred reading--and therefore the most enjoyable...so far! I do hope she continues writing! Her imagination and creativity is exciting and diverse--readers may not be able to rely on what each book will cover, but we can be sure that it will be top rate!

Meet Robert Stark... He is a character like no other you will ever meet, but you will remember him even if you've just met him through this book. He's shy, average in all ways and lives in a boarding house with few, if any, friends. Sometimes. Sometimes he's completely different. We soon find out that he's just returned to Denver, Colorado, after having lived in Thailand since he was serving in the military during the Vietnam war...


After arriving in town, he soon meets Kerry, a waitress who, one day, started talking to him as soon as she waited on him rather than her usual request for what he wanted...and then, whenever he came to the restaurant. One day, as he was now somewhat acquainted to her, he asked what she would do if she had seen an obituary for his mother, who had already died years ago. She said she would go to the funeral--so he did. There he saw his brother. He also saw himself, married to his long-ago girlfriend with kids...


And the mystery began...As he began to try to understand his family situation, he realized that he was being followed and that the men were trying to capture him.  Somehow he would always elude them...


Kerry and he were becoming closer and during a conversation explained to Bob that the author of a book they'd been discussing was dead. At first Bob couldn't believe it but shared that they had been as close as brothers. Further, that a book Bob had known he was working on had already been published, so that much that Bob had thought was top secret had already been shared across the world...


One of the things that had happened when Bob had decided to come back to the States was that he began to have severe headaches and he began to have nightmares. Bob was also beginning to paint again, but he began to notice that somewhere in each painting, there was some addition that he didn't remember painting...the latest a creepy hand coming out of a bush...


Since Bob continued to be followed and knew that his place had been searched, he began his own investigation, which ultimately led to a company, ISI. A minor character, a street man who was seen by most people as crazy and to be avoided, had been befriended by Bob and was the key to how Bob was able to infiltrate this research facility. Not only did he begin to gather information, he also saw the men who had been following him. Finally, Bob decided he had to go back to Thailand, to where everything seemed to have started...By that time, he and Kerry were involved and she quit her job so traveled with him.


One decision by the author proved to end this story in a unique way, one that responded to the need to provide a satisfying conclusion without going into the gory details that took place. The surprise ending was not totally unexpected, since the writer had shown us over and over that there was something strange going on...But I had no clue what it was until the last major revelation was made... Leaving out the action of those final days or weeks, leaves the reader with the romantic suspense as the primary plot line One that is memorable and, at the same time, allows us to get past what actually happened...which was too horrendous to dwell on. 


Kudos to Pat Bertram for effectively presenting this strange but plausible tale! If you've already read Bertram, you should consider this a must-read! Highly recommended!  



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GABixler Reviews



About the Author

Pat Bertram is a native of Colorado. When the traditional publishers stopped publishing her favorite type of book -- character and story driven novels that can't easily be slotted into a genre -- she decided to write her own. Second Wind Publishing liked her style and published four of Bertram's books: Light Bringer, Daughter Am I, More Deaths Than One, and A Spark of Heavenly Fire. Bertram blogs about writing and the writing life at http://ptbertram.wordpress.com.

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Review: Impossible Motherhood Speaks to All Women!

Impossible Motherhood


By Irene Vilar
Other Press
ISBN: 9781590513200
222 Pages


Somewhere shortly after I began to read Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict by Irene Vilar, I turned to the back to see if there was an author picture. Such a beautiful woman, but with large sad eyes, even in this photo. As I read about her marriage, I wanted to alternatively "shake" her for allowing her husband to treat her so, and then "hug" her tightly as her mother and/or grandmother should have.

There is no doubt that a young 15-year-old woman who begins an affair with a much older man is searching for "something." There is both an honest account of her life with her husband, as well as a follow-up analysis of what was happening to her. Even though she later separated from her husband and went into the same type of defeating relationship with another man, by that time, Irene was already addicted--to abortion as a means of control.

Irene places her life within her cultural background. This is most significant--and not so significant. A need for women to gain some control over their own life has been documented for all women, not just one culture. I must say though that the activities about using the women in Puerto Rico to test drugs are a devastating reality that we must never forget! When will the time come when profits for corporations are no longer more important than people?

Childhood for Irene included her mother leaving the home in her early years. Two of her brothers were drug addicts, one dying from his abuse. Her father was a quiet alcoholic and while he seemed to be "there" for the family, his loss of his wife deeply affected the entire family.

When Irene was 15, she was allowed to go to the United States to begin college. As an intelligent woman, but young enough to be "moldable," she became the mistress of her professor. I can think of no other words to describe him than as narcissistic and selfish! In essence, he wanted his freedom above all else, wanted Irene to financially carry her own weight and had no desire to have children, making that quite clear but forcing Irene to be the one to deal with birth control.

Thus began the cycle. Irene could become pregnant, because she wanted children, but would abort within the time allowed legally...only to ignore her birth control pills or take them sporadically, until she was once again pregnant.

It is arrogance beyond belief what her husband did "in support of his freedom!"

It is stupidity beyond belief to allow it to happen...unless there are psychological issues that press someone into this type of self-destructive behavior. Irene Vilar freely shares her innermost feelings about her husband and others in her life. Many women become stupid when faced with things they cannot control, including myself!

I am so thankful that women are beginning to open up about sexuality and its impact on their personal life. God alone knows how many women are facing some type of psychological issue/result from sexual-related issues; and there are few, if any, church-supported actions created to help women with the terrible abuse they face.

If you have the least feeling for women's issues in the United States and other countries, you owe it to yourself to read this book. It is not fiction; it is a reality that must be explored and discussed...YOU must discover this for yourself!



G. A. Bixler