Books, Reviews, Short Stories, Authors, Publicity, a little poetry, music to complement...and other stuff including politics, about life... "Books, Cats: Life is Sweet..."
"We were always meant to end up here." He pressed the
release on her weapon harness." Always meant to find each
other. Save each other. Be with each other."
She laid her hands on his cheeks. "That's the Irish. But I
like the thought of it. Those weird intersects in the past--
your father, mine, Ricker. They didn't stop us from getting
here. Roarke." She lowered her hands, removed her
harness. "When Ricker intersected with us again, it screwed
us up for a while. I don't want that to happen again. I don't
want wherever this investigation may lead to cause a rift
between us again."
"I wouldn't want to see you take this investigation into an
area that causes a rift. Same goal...
Promises in Death
By J. D. Robb
My very favorite author is J. D. Robb and her Death Series. Somewhere up there in the top 10 favorite authors is Nora Roberts, but Robb's series is better! LOL So, when I saw books at my local grocery and saw a rare Robb in the pile, I was thrilled to see it was one that I had missed from 2009. I just had to stop everything and spend time with Eve, my favorite character.
Eve looks like I would "like" to look, but don't... LOL so I have no thoughts of looking like her, but I still see myself in many of her actions--like when she doesn't want to deal with parties, but then enjoys them once there... or that the job has been her main interest... Here's her back story if interested...
Promises in Death brought together many of the series' issues that make it so special--the childhoods of both Eve and Roarke, for one, as they face the investigation of a young woman who was involved with the Chief Medical Examiner Morris. It's always bad when someone within the unit is involved, but Morris was a special friend as well.
Plus the woman killed had been a cop so her own unit were upset that the case had been assigned to Eve when they felt it should be someone within her unit...
But it got worse as the investigation began and more was learned...Specifically that the son of a major crime lord, who had been captured and jailed by Eve, was the former lover of the woman. Was he trying to seek revenge for his father? Or was he jealous that a woman who he still cared about was now in love with another? Something had to be linked, because whoever had done it had returned the cop's gun and badge directly to Eve! Taunting her?
With all the connections, everybody in her squad and in her past must be investigated...until slowly Eve begins to dream and have conversations with the murdered woman--and she begins to piece everything together. I missed this one totally, although I was in the right neighborhood, but I guess that doesn't count does it...and it means that the crime was so well planned and executed that readers are caught up in the action of this great whodunit! I love all of them, but, like I said, this was even more spectacular in plotting and story line.
And, of course, having the fun of a wedding shower in the background brought a touch of whimsy and all of our favorite friends into the book! If you haven't read J. D. Robb, check her out now! Let me know whether you like her better than Nora Roberts...She's good, but...Robb is fantastic! LOL...I enjoy making this comparison just for fun...
GABixlerReviews
J.D. Robb is the pseudonym for a number-one New York Times-bestselling author of more than 170 novels, including the futuristic suspense In Death series. There are more than 300 million copies of her books in print.
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!
Book Received Via Facebook Reviewers Roundup
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.
When a member of a family gets into some type of trouble or problem, it is normal that the entire family is affected. So even though Emily Covington had left the drug scene behind and was now going to college, her mother and brother were still not totally over everything they had already gone through--at least not enough to completely trust her... Understandable, but it still adds pressure to the one who was the center of the situation...
So when Emily found herself right in the middle, and, possibly, even a target, she felt she had to discover what was happening in order to overcome the impression that she had again fallen...
In addition to taking classes, Emily had also started desk coverage at a local rehab center. Her mother had not been happy, since she was right in the center of those involved with drugs, but Emily felt she was doing a good job. During a break one day, she had overheard a conversation between two men who had just finished watching a Hitchcock movie. She quickly forgot about the whole situation until she heard that the wife of one of the men involved had been murdered.
But then, a bomb was placed under Emily's car so that it set fire when she started it. Luckily her brother was there and helped her get out so that only the car was destroyed. Sooo, was she a target in general or was the one responsible for the murder of the woman wanting to get rid of her as a witness to that fateful conversation.
Then the wife of the other man was murdered! But not before Emily had tried to prevent it by calling her, the police, and finally driving to her home to explain. Unfortunately her actions were perceived as aggressive. She was put in jail on the charge of murder...
Fortunately, there is a romance between Emily's mother and a cop. But even that relationship proved to be part of the problem since he had to take himself off the case and could not officially help...
The "aftermath" of the addiction issue is what is truly spotlighted in this novel and, in my opinion, it is an important one. No matter whether it is drugs, alcohol or some other addiction, society in the U.S. does not let it be forgotten. And yet, the most important thing to that individual is to know that they are still accepted and loved...and trusted...as they were in the past. Thank you Terri for this important aspect being covered so effectively!
The suspense of the murder mystery is fascinating and keeps those of us who want to solve the crime quickly on edge. I had picked up a hint early so I wasn't quite so lost during the investigation, but the intrigue kept me interested to the last page. BTW, I enjoyed the author's note at the end...and there are a set of questions for book clubs included... I personally was inspired by Emily own actions as she tried to deal with once again being in the midst of turmoil with her family... Highly recommended...for many reasons!
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Biography Scroll down to read entire statement
Terri Blackstock is a New York Times best-seller, with over six million copies sold worldwide. She has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist. Terri spent the first twelve years of her life traveling in an Air Force family. She lived in nine states and attended the first four years of school in The Netherlands. Because she was a perpetual "new kid," her imagination became her closest friend. That, she believes, was the biggest factor in her becoming a novelist. She sold her first novel at the age of twenty-five, and has had a successful career ever since.
In 1994 Terri was writing for publishers such as HarperCollins, Harlequin, Dell and Silhouette, when a spiritual awakening drew her into the Christian market. As she was praying about her transition, she went on a cruise and noticed that almost everyone on the boat (including her) had a John Grisham novel. It occurred to her that some of Grisham's readers were Christians, and that if she wrote a fast-paced thriller with an added faith element, she might just find her niche. As God would have it, Christian publishers were showing interest in the suspense genre, so she quickly sold a four-book series to Zondervan. Since that time, she's written over thirty Christian titles, most of them suspense novels.
Besides entertaining her readers, Terri tackles issues that she hopes will change lives. Her recent book, Predator, was inspired by her experiences on Facebook and Twitter, and her concern that people posted too much personal information about themselves. The book deals with an online predator who uses social networks as his playground. She hopes the book will change readers' online habits. Her New York Times best-seller, Intervention, was inspired by her own personal struggles with a daughter on drugs. In the book, a mother hires an interventionist for her drug-addicted daughter. But on the way to treatment, the interventionist is murdered, and the daughter disappears. Barbara, the mother, sets out to search for her daughter. Terri modeled Barbara after herself, and poured many of her own emotions and experiences into that character. As a result, many families experiencing drug addiction have written to thank her for telling their story and giving them hope.
Other recent books include her stand-alone novel Shadow in Serenity, and Vicious Cycle (Book 2 in her Intervention Series). She's also known for popular series such as the Restoration Series, the Cape Refuge Series, the Newpointe 911 Series, and the SunCoast Chronicles series.
Terri has appeared on national television programs such as "The 700 Club" and "Home Life," and has been a guest on numerous radio programs across the country. The story of her personal journey appears in books such as Touched By the Savior by Mike Yorkey, True Stories of Answered Prayer by Mike Nappa, Faces of Faith by John Hanna, and I Saw Him In Your Eyes by Ace Collins.
Ok, so I really didn't get this as a birthday present...but I treated it as such, since It's my very favorite type of book--they have a Cat Character! So, I'm doing this article just a little differently--just because I can!
Here's the book blurb:
When Mallory opens the cage at the animal rescue center I trot out, right into her heart. She names me Thomas, a natural enough moniker for a male cat. It is a pampered life until I enter the surreal world of “feline noir” which twists my fondest dream into my worst nightmare after switching bodies with my mistress’ boyfriend, Tom A. Katt. My fondest dream? To have human interaction with Mallory, not limited to purring and mewing. My worst nightmare? Mallory is now on the hit list of a killer…The dilemma: To save her by learning to successfully masquerade as a human. My knowledge of the human world is limited to television, movies, and the books Mallory reads to me on rainy New Orleans afternoons. And, how do you use those pesky opposable digits, anyway?
The horns of the dilemma: There’s always a chance we’ll switch back, leaving Mallory in deadly peril.
Now, right up front, I have to admit that I'm "prejudice" about this book. I loved it and will even admit to collecting mystery books with cat characters; e.g., the late Lillian Braun collection is here in my home library, plus any other author who has made the trip into the cat world... I have to say, though, that, in my opinion, this author's writing showed more "knowledge" about how to make the cat "real" as a character than any other author. It was a pleasure as a cat lover to see that the writer obviously loves his cat... In fact, I went out looking for more pictures and found:
Briefly, the book is something like "Freaky Friday" except that the two characters who switch personalities are a cat and a male friend of the owner of the cat. With a clever twist, the name of the male friend is Thomas A. Katt, so that once the switch is made, the cat, entering the man's body, is, indeed, Thomas A. Katt.
And, of course, the real Mr. Katt is now in a cage at the vet where he was causing lots of problems! LOL...
Now, the cat loves his owner Mallory, who works as a librarian. In fact, you might say that his feelings are more than the norm... So, when the switch is made, he delights in now being able to talk, touch and interact as a human with Mallory. On Mallory's side, she is intrigued because her friend has suddenly become more caring, compassionate, and, ah....human? Who knew that a cat would make a better friend than a human?
Of course, I did...LOL
Anyway, contrary to the movies you might have seen where this has happened, the transfer happens more than once because of the action taking place... You see Thomas A. Katt is a dirty cop--in fact, he handles the "blood work" for the local mob boss. Felix, his police partner is also dirty.
Readers will find the conversations between Felix and the cat as Thomas hilarious, since, of course, the cat is a "good guy." A murder has recently taken place...Thomas A Katt is sent to investigate (the cat) a murder that actually was committed by Thomas A. Katt, the man...It is just pure fun, no matter how grisly the blood work!
I loved, loved, loved it...Did I tell you I loved it! But I've already told you I'm prejudiced... On the other hand, if I didn't feel I could not rightfully recommend it to you as top rate, I just wouldn't have done a review...
Now the key issue for me is: Is another book coming? Is Thomas A. Katt going to remain as the cat? Will Mallory be able to fall in love with the cat? Will the cat tell her who he really is? Please, Mr. Stewart, make this a series! I want more! And I know others will too!
GABixlerReviews
Bob Stewart is the author of four nonfiction books and two novels. He has reported news events for popular magazines (People, Time, Life, and Latina). He has written two plays presented by the Aggie Players at Texas A&M University, and two scripts for series television while pursuing a career in journalism. He was associate producer for Switched at Birth, a mini-series based on the baby switch in Florida. He has been managing editor of The Bryan Daily Eagle, The Laredo Times, and the Marshall News-Messenger. He wrote a daily television column for the San Antonio Light before pursuing a career as a free-lance reporter/writer/author. In 1998, he joined the staff of PEOPLE Magazine. Stewart has worked on a number of national stories for PEOPLE, including the Oklahoma City bombing, the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, the murder of Tejano singer Selena, the TWA jet crash in New York, the murder of students at schools in Pearl, Miss., Jonesboro, Ark., and Columbine in Denver, Colo., the racially-motivated murder of James Byrd in Jasper, Tx., the execution of Karla Faye Tucker, and the kidnap/murder of Mark Kilroy in Matamoras, Mexico. Also, he has worked PEOPLE assignments on First Lady Laura Bush, the capture of the Texas Seven convicts who blazed a trail of death and murder in the Southwest after they escaped prison, and the discovery of the remains of Madelyn Murray O’Hair, bringing to an end a six-year mystery. Other PEOPLE Magazine stories include reports on Ann Jillian, Sammy Kershaw, Tracy Lawrence, Clay Walker (his exclusive revelation of muscular dystrophy), Wynonna Judd, Bryan White, LeAnn Rimes (the first national story on this unique singer), Gary Busey, Lt. Jeanne Flynn (the country’s first female fighter pilot), and Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones.
"That's all I had when I began writing BLIND FAITH--quite frankly it's more than I usually have!I knew it would be a dark, edgy novel, filled with betrayals and intrigues.A novel where nothing could be taken for granted, where no one was the person they appeared to be.Where dark secrets would be unearthed and the lives of every character would be forever changed.But also an uplifting novel of courage and strength and perseverance, and most of all, revealing that we each have the power to choose.To choose to have faith, to choose to love, to choose to forgive." --quote from author on writing this book and included on Amazon book page...
Blind Faith (Kindle Version)
By C. J. Lyon
I very much enjoyed reading the little article on Amazon (excerpt above) by the author about how she came about writing Blind Faith. Indeed, her plan to write a dark, edgy novel was very successful in my opinion! It is not only a page-turner, moving fast with quite a complex story, there is indeed an underlying tale of how faith can be tested and how far it will stretch before breaking for any one person.
Sarah Durandt had much faith and love. Her family had been the most important thing in her life and she was unable to accept that they were dead. She had even gone to the prison and watched the execution of the man who had admitted to killing them. Now she spent most of her time going into the hills where some evidence had been found, trying to find some sign of where they might have been buried. Only then might she be sure they were really gone.
She knew every place around their home and had been trained in search and rescue, so that on her most recent trip when she had seen what looked to be a body, she had called it in and then went on to check... It was not her husband so she proceeded to get it ready to be taken back...a gutsy lady that readers will certainly come to care about!
Readers know early on that things are not right about the whole situation. One man is wooing Sarah while we see that he is playing her in order to later get rid of her... There are many characters involved in what actually happens and a series of events catches Sarah right in the middle, trying to discover what had been going on in her husband's past life, only to get caught in being chased by those who knew him from his past.
Note that the pace and puzzling twists move so fast that it is hard to share without giving too much away. Surprises are ongoing and will catch readers off guard and close attention to the tale is the only way you'll be able to read to keep up. I do believe that the Kindle Version was actually an ARC because there were some issues that should have been addressed and probably will be before its out in print in July. I got my copy at a 99 cent sale that is not even now available.
I enjoyed the book. Some of the events were maybe a little too contrived as you read and, afterward, you may question some of what took place. But, I still have to say that I got so quickly caught up that I was hooked up until the surprise ending. The print copy won't be coming out until July, a full year after I got my copy! This best-selling author has many books to her credit, even though this version got some bad reviews, I feel sure that they will be corrected prior to print and is worth checking out further...
Serenity prayer, extended version: serenity, courage & wisdom + patience, appreciation, tolerance & strength (Photo credit: gumption)A Trick of the Light (Audio Version) A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
By Louise Penny
I hadn't enjoyed a "good ole' fashion" mystery for a long time--you know the kind that goes through the crime step-by-step and then winds up in some central setting where the lead investigator--in this case, Chief Inspector Gamache--solves the crime and points out the perpetrator who is there and then that individual shares his side of the "why" of the whodunit! This type of novel certainly allows we readers the wonderful chance of working along in solving the crime, even if we aren't successful in solving the case before the end! Only one thing dampened my enjoyment of Louise Penny's latest Gamache mystery. For those of you like me, who doesn't have an ear for languages, the audio version is beautifully read by Ralph Cosham and while his pronunciation of characters names in French was excellent, for me it was hard to follow who was who, especially when a first-name was used. Nevertheless, I highly recommend that mystery lovers either read or listen to A Trick of the Light! It is first-class in the more traditional mystery from which many of us first came to love mysteries and their writers!
Penny takes us deep into the art world in Montreal where Clara Morrow, an older artist, has had her first, somewhat unexpected, solo show at Musee, receiving many rave reviews... The concept of her show was intriguing to me--painting portraits using the women in her village. One was especially interesting in using one woman as the older Virgin Mother...made me wish I could see the painting! Still, there were some that didn't understand her work, or perhaps were jealous. This included her husband...
In celebration a town-wide party hav been arranged back in her home town, Three Pines, which was attended by nearly everybody in town and including many invited guests from the art world. But one woman showed up unexpectedly. She had been a childhood friend of Clara, but their friendship had been broken for many years.
Now that friend, Lillian Dyson, was dead. Found behind Clara's home, in the garden flowers...
They found a small coin-like circle under her body later. In was the type of token given to members of AA...
Of course, there were many potential witnesses to be interviewed and we are privy to each one. During that time we learn that Lillian was also an artist now, but that she had been a literary critic in the past. What Gamache found most interesting was the difference between descriptions from Clara and others who had known her in the past and most remembered her for how cruelly she could treat others, including in her writings. But those who had met and known her as a struggling and somewhat successful member of AA had quite a different version. One in particular was her sponsor there, also an artist, who had witnessed how she was improving.
Her sponsor thought that Lillian might even had been trying to make amends for her past...so the investigation turned more toward that time. At the same time, however, they had discovered her present work as an artist--would it be worth more with that artist dead? There were so many plausible reasons for Lillian to have been murdered! Had she really changed via AA? Can people really change at all? This underlying theme weaves through many lives, past and present, and allows readers to ponder just how much people, including us(s), can really change?
Brilliantly presented for us as we work through the steps that the victim had walked in her life--affecting some personally, others professionally. As a reviewer, I was especially intrigued by how those in the art world quoted, memorized, and referred often to comments by critics...and their affect on the "victims" of those reviews!
Intriguing story! Investigating skills exhibited at their best. Do consider Louise Penny's A Trick of the Light!
