The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I won't even begin to try to tell the tale of this depressing, dragged out tale of murder and alcoholism.

I would have abandoned the entire book 60 pages in but since it was my book club selection I had to persevere.  I had it figured out very quickly and it really didn't hold my interest.

Can't figure out what the big hoopla was all about but I can tell you that I won't be going to see the movie when it's made.

★½

GENRE: Thriller
CHARACTERS: Rachel, Tom, Anna, Megan, Scott, Det. Gaskill
DATE READ: September 10 - September 11
NO. OF PAGES: 336
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: audio book  Library


SO SAD THAT BOOK #100 WAS SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT.

Strike From the Deep by Bob Branco

 ★★★¾

GENRE: Thriller
SUBJECT: modern day piracy
Setting: Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden
CHARACTERS:
DATE READ: September 1 - September 11
NO. OF PAGES: 297
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   yes, ARC from author

PLOT:....................................................................3.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................4.00
STYLE:..................................................................3.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................4.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................4.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.75
Average..............................................................................................3.72

An international naval task force takes on  Somalian pirates that have been capturing  merchant ships carrying oil and natural gas and holding them for ransom.  But now a new twist is inserted and the conflict gets more dangerous. The action is jolting grabbing the reader until the very end.

I loved the story but the beginning was a little too detailed causing the narrative to seem slow, but once the story gets moving, it grabs you until the end!

The Third Coincidence by David Bishop

★★★★

Genre: Thriller

Subject: political assassinations

Setting: Washington,D.C.

Main Characters: Jack McCall, Commander LW, President Schroeder

Series: no

Dates Read: May 25 - May 29

Number of pages: 288

Off the Shelf (pre-2012)? Source?: yes, NetGalley Download

Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Class Schedule

A Supreme Court Justice is found dead in his chambers. Because of his age, a heart attack is suspected but when a second Justice is found with his throat cut and a Federal Reserve Governor meets an untimely death in a c ar crash, the President wants an investigation and calls on his friend, Jack McCall who is a special Director awt the CIA. McCall creates a special taskforce with members from the CIA, FBI, and MPD and together they work to find who is threatening the elite members of the Supreme Court and Federal Reserve. Commander LW of the American Militia to Restore Representative Government sends his threats and demands for the non-elected elite to stand down or he will kill them all.

The nation is frightened, no one wants to be a nominee for the vacant position, putting their names on the hit list. With the assassination spree continuing, resignations occurring and no replacements, the Supreme Court cannot sustain a quorum. Will the nation fall into anarchy before the killer is found and stopped?

This book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, wondering if this ever happened in the real world, how we as a nation would react - would we demand immediate results or realize that someone that managed to accomplish something this devious would be difficult to track down and capture? It was well-written and seemed well-researched and the characters were well-developed. My only nit to pick was the change in viewpoint was sometimes too jumpy, but once I realized it had changed, there was no problem. This could have been related to the download format from Net Galley. But all in all, a great read.

Thanks to Net Galley and Oceanview Publishing for giving me the chance to read a great book.

Collateral Damage by H. Terrell Griffin

★★★★

Genre: Mystery

Subject: reprisals for old actions, camaraderie

Setting: Florida

Main Characters: Matt Royal, Logan Hamilton, Jock Algren, J.D. Dawson

Series: yes, #6 Matt Royal

Dates Read: May 9 - May 12

Number of pages: 352

Off the Shelf (pre-2012)? Source?: yes, NetGalley for review

Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Class Schedule

Matt Royal is a retired lawyer who lives at the beach on a Florida Key. One morning there is a knock at his door and his visitor is an old army buddy, Charles Desmond (Doc) who saved his life in Vietnam. Doc is here to ask Matt to help him find the person who murdered his son on the beach.

Enlisting the help of another friend, Jock, who is very high in a Federal Agency who can delve into areas that Matt has no access, and working with the local authorities, Matt uncovers connections of Desmond's son's murder with 2 other murders that occurred on the same day. Fighting off 2 separate attempts on his own life, concerns deepen when the local detective that he was working with disappears at the same time as his client.

The action is fast paced, the writing makes the reader feel the hot breezes of the keys as well as the sweltering humidity. Kept on the edge of your seat until the very end, the reader is given a great ride even though the clues are openly presented and the solution easily devised. It's still a great read.

Initially, I was a bit concerned because this is the 6th book in the Matt Royal series and I have not read any of the previous adventures but that will be remedied, most definitely. However, it does well as a stand alone mystery with just a few references to previous adventures that don't seem to effect the story other than character definition.

The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw

★★★

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Subject: lost civilizations, Roman Catholic church control

Setting: Russia, Africa, Spain

Main Characters: Thomas Lourdes, Leslie, Natashya, Cardinal Murani

Series: #1 Thomas Lourdes

Dates Read: April 14 - April 24

Number of pages: 312

Off the Shelf (pre-2012)? Source?: yes, Net Galley stockpile

Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Foreign Languages

Indiana Jones meet Da Vinci Code - well, not quite.

This is a intriguing story about the possible finding of the lost city of Atlantis and those that are fighting each other to get there first.

The clues to the actual location are apparently distributed through out the world with symbols that are from a forgotten language - enter Thomas Lourdes, a Harvard linguist professor who gets caught in the middle to decipher the code.

However, the characters are a bit stereotypical - Lourdes is brilliant and supposedly the only person who can solve the riddle, Leslie is the overly ambitious TV reporter, and Natashya is a female Rambo. The bad guys are so plain and ordinary you know from the start exactly how they will end.

However, even though the characters left room for improvement, the action of the book was extremely entertaining and has the reader rooting for Lourdes and his band of misfits. It was fun.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

Read: October 17 - October 19

Format: Audio 9 CDs equivalent 400 pages

Source: Public Library

Subject: cold cases, disfunctional families

Challenges: 11 in 11, 75 Book, TIOLI, SYLL, Audio

Category: Honeymoon - foreign settings/thrillers

Genre: Mystery

Stars: ★★★★

Three families are impacted by tragedies in a different way - a 3 year old disappears, one young woman killed, and a husband murdered. 10 years later private detective Jackson Brodie starts investigations of all three cold cases. Jackson is just what a reader wants in their central character - skeptical, suspicious, resentful - which means that when someone tries to stop him, he just digs in deeper.

The characters involved in all three of the cases are unique and diverse. The Land sisters found Blue Mouse after 10 years are still wondering if little Olivia is alive. Theo Wyre lost his daughter and wonders why she was cut down in the prime of her life and he was left behind. Michelle places her daughter in her sister's care who then proceeds to lose her. The cases are solved, not always skillfully, but in the end, we see how lives intertwine and events resonate like ripples in a lake. The reader can see from the clues that connections are there but how they twist and connect is what makes this book so riveting.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next Jackson Brodie mystery.

The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry

Read: May 4 - May 18

Format: Audiobook 11 CDs equivalent 607 pages

Source: Public Library

Subject: Conspiratorial economics, Napoleon's treasure

Challenges: 11 in 11, 75 Book, TIOLI, Audio, SYLL

Category: Honeymoon - foreign settings/thrillers

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Stars: ★★★½

You want a good thriller… pick up any Steve Berry/Cotton Malone book and you'll have one. As usually Steve Berry has taken a small historical fact and woven a tale of international intrigue that will take the reader through the troubles of Napoleon and use them to highlight today's economic issues as well as expand the characters that readers have come to care for.

In this 5th Cotton Malone story, the story surrounds Cotton's best friend, Henrik Thorvaldsen, who is searching for the men that were responsible for his son's death. In tracking them down, Henrik gets involved in a dangerous plot by the Paris Club (a financial cartel) to manipulate the world's economy and make billions. Henrik's vendetta against his son's killers clashes with the vendetta of the head of the Paris club and Malone is caught smack in the middle.

Cotton and Henrik become estranged as they battle the Paris Club members for different reasons but in the end I believe that they were emotionally on the same page.

As with all the Cotton Malone books, it was action-packed and whirled the reader through historical facts on a fictional road. One drawback, there was a new character introduced - Sam Collins. It seemed that Berry was trying to turn Cotton into a mentor so maybe Sam will be appearing in future books, however, it seemed to detract for the concentration on Cotton and his relationship with Henrik.

Overall, a solid addition to the series.

Above Suspicion by Lynda La Plante

Read: April 25 - April 30

Format: Paperback 392 pages

Source: Barnes & Noble $1 table

Subject: Police procedural

Category: Something Old - read those TBRs

Challenges: 11 in 11, 75 Book, TIOLI, BOYS

Stars: ★★★½

DCI James Langton is trying to solve the old cold cases of 6 serial murders of prostitute/drug addicts when a new unlikely 7th victim may have materialized. Having convinced his superiors that he needs a large task force, DS Anna Travis is transferred to his team and together they review old cases and Travis finds a connection that links all the victims except for the newest.

DCI Langton is a strong character whose handling of the team has some issues that may endanger Anna Travis both physically or emotionally, but together they solve the murders with good detective work.

Lynda La Plante is the writer who developed the Prime Suspect series that brought Helen Mirren to the attention of many TV viewers and I believe that this series will probably be worth further pursuit. What amazes me is that I found this book on the $1 table at Barnes & Noble a few years ago. Definitely worth the investment.

The Amber Room by Steve Berry

Read: March 29 - April 5

Format: Overdrive download equivalent 304 pages

Source: Public library

Subject: Nazi art confiscations, treasure hunters

Challenges: 11 in 11, 75 Book, SYLL, Endless Europe, Audio

Category: Honeymoon - foreign settings/thrillers

Genre: Thriller

Stars: ★★★½

Wikipedia says

The Amber Room in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoye Selo near Saint Petersburg is a complete chamber decoration of amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors. Due to its singular beauty, it was sometimes dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

Before it was lost, the original Amber Room represented a joint effort of German and Russian craftsmen. Construction of the Amber Room began in 1701 to 1709 in Prussia. The room was designed by German baroque sculptor Andreas Schlüter and constructed by the Danish amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram and remained at Charlottenburg Palace until 1716 when it was given by Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm I to his then ally, Tsar Peter the Great of the Russian Empire. In Russia it was expanded and after several renovations, it covered more than 55 square meters and contained over six tons of amber. The Amber Room was looted during World War II by Nazi Germany and brought toKönigsberg. Knowledge of its whereabouts was lost in the chaos at the end of the war.

In 1979 efforts began to rebuild the Amber room at Tsarskoye Selo. In 2003, after decades of work by Russian craftsmen, the reconstructed Amber Room was inaugurated in the Catherine Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

In this book Rachel Cutler, an Atlanta judge, discovers after her father's death that he had been a treasure hunter after WWII. He had searched and possibly found, the Amber Room, a massive set of intricately carved panels crafted from the precious substance and looted by Nazis during WWII from Russia's Catherine Palace. Intrigued, Rachel decides to try to find herself. What she and her ex-husband find are danger and see deaths that they are unable to prevent.

Rachel and Paul find a secret club who's members collect great art and are willing to do anything to hold on to their treasures.

This book had a wonderful premise but left something to be desired. It was a bit too long and at times too violent. The fascinating details surrounding the Amber Room, however, did make it an interesting read.

In the Bleak MidWinter by Julia Spenser-Fleming

Read: September 3 - September 5
Format: Audio 11 CDs equivalent 384 pages
Source: Public library
Subject: New York, Female ministry, out of wedlock pregnancy, cold weather
Category: Niagara Falls - Overflows - #7 I Heard That!
Genre: Thriller
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, Audio, SYLL, Thriller
Stars: 3

Clare Ferguson is the new Episcopal minister in Miller's Kill, NY where she has some problems fitting into the community. Besides being a female, she's also ex-army and a southerner who doesn't understand the difficulties of a hard cold winter. Shortly after her arrival, she discovers an abandoned baby on her doorstep and throws herself into the investigation of first who the parents may be and then who murdered the mother and grandfather.

I had heard a great deal about how good this series was from several friends, so I thought I would give it a try when I had the time. First, I liked the plot and the two main characters. They were well-developed and interacted in a interesting manner. But the other characters and the lack of clues make me wonder what I missed that others saw. I'll have to try another in the series before I can make a definite decision.

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

Read: August 15 - August 19
Format: Tradepaperback 371 Pages
Source: LT ER program for review
Subject: Champlain, Old Quebec City, mental anquish
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, Thriller, BOSC
Category: Niagara Falls -- Overflow/Books found - Internet
Genre: Mystery
Stars: 5

It's hard to believe that the Three Pines series could keep getting better and better but in Bury Your Dead Louise Penny has excelled beyond the previous books in this series. Rarely, do I stay awake into the wee hours of the night because I simply can't go to sleep without finding out the ending of a book. This one kept me up.

For those that follow the series, this book is set several months after the ending of The Brutal Telling and we are informed that Olivier has been convicted of manslaughter and is in prison, and that Chief Inspector Armand Gamache as well as several of his team are recuperating from a deadly attack for which we have no specifics at the beginning.

This is a multi-level story intricately woven together so that the reader is drawn deeper and farther along without realizing the tug to reach the end will completely engulf them. First we have Armand Gamache staying with his old mentor in Quebec City incognito. When he is recognized at the scene of a suspicious death, the officer in charge asks for his assistance and reluctantly, Gamache agrees. Next, we have Gamache questioning himself and the conviction of Olivier in Three Pines so he sends Inspector Beauvoir to the tiny village to re-investigate off the record. Lastly, we have the mysterious attack which injured and killed members of the Sûreté du Québec. Who was killed, who was hurt, how badly- are the questions that are constantly running through the reader's thoughts as the story evolves.

To answer any or all of these questions in a review would only detract from the thrill of reading this book for yourself. The majestic writing of the anguish and fear of the Chief Inspector and his desire to continue on after his ordeal only add to the reader's respect and admiration for the character and his gentle spirit.

I have been blessed with the sheer pleasure of reading every book where Armand Gamache appears as the central character and hopefully, I will continue to be blessed in the future with more books by Louise Penny. They are all sensational! I couldn't give it less than 5 Stars!

God of the Hive by Laurie R King

Read: May 21 - May 30
Format: Advanced Uncorrected Proof 354 pages
Source: LibraryThing ER program free for review
Subject: Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, Thriller,
Category: Books found - Internet/thru LT/library/bookstore
Genre: Mystery
Stars: 4

The mystery and characters that were remaining at the end of The Language of Bees are front and center with this sequel. Holmes is desperately trying to keep his son, Damien Adler, alive and out of Scotland Yard's custody while Russell is responsible to keep Damien's daughter, Estelle, safe. While they escape from Rev Brothers' fiasco in different directions, the reader knows that they will eventually meet up and resolve the issues.

Rev Brothers' attempt to become a god are thwarted in the Language of Bees but in the God of the Hive we see that Brothers was just a cover-up for more sinister motives by those seeking power. Mycroft is threatened, Holmes protects and Russell investigates finding out things she wished she hadn't.

Having read all the previous Russell/Holmes mysteries I had no problem following the plot, however, I do believe that for this book to make sense to the reader The Language of Bees is a necessity.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the continuing saga of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes

Death and Judgment by Donna Leon

Read: April 22 - April 26
Format: Audio 8 CDs equivalent of 336 pages
Source: Public Library
Subject: Murder, prostitution,
Category: I Heard them!
Genre: Thriller
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, TIOLI, Audiobook, SYLL, Thriller
Stars: 3½

Death and Judgment is the fourth book in the Commissario Brunetti series. Commissario Guido Brunetti is assigned to the case when a well-known Venetian lawyer is found murdered on a train. Chiara, Brunetti's daughter, attended school with the murdered man's daughter and informs her father that the parents had warned Francesca to be careful so that she wasn't kidnapped making Brunetti think that the Mafia may have made a hit. When the murdered man's business partner is found dead, the connection is made to a sleazy bar outside of Venice. When the lawyer's brother-in-law, his accountant, is found murdered as well, Brunetti realizes that the connections must go far deeper. and may impact greater on Venetian culture.

In this book, Leon reveals the corruption surrounding the members of high Venetian Society and how money paid to the right people will produce just about anything. The storyline was, at times, very depressing and, in areas, frightening but the solution, though somewhat expected, was not unsatisfying. The actual ending leads the reader with the idea that Brunetti feels that though he solved the murder, he was not successful.

There were several bright spots in the book, where Guido is interacting with his wife and daughter which bring a smile to your face and these moments give the reader a feeling of normalcy in a frightening world.

HUSH by Kate White

Read: Apr 10 - Apr 11
Format: Paperback, 352 pages
Source: Harper Collins, ARC
Subject: Thriller, murder, fraud, infertility clinic
Setting: New York City
Category: Books found - Internet/thru LT/library/bookstore
Genre: Thriller
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, Thriller
Stars: 4

I'm still shaking. I can feel my heart pounding and I have to remind myself that it was just a book. I started and immediately was drawn into the lead character, Lake Warren. The first few chapters telling of her strive for independence as her divorce is finalizing and her struggle with custody issues. But then when she gets herself caught in a web of fear when she finds the man that she slept with casually murdered in his bed while she slept on the terrace, Lake feels that no one will believe her innocence and she will lose her children.

The story revolves around Lake efforts to keep herself out of the limelight so that the police will not ask her for a DNA sample, but since she is working for the same Infertility Clinic as the victim, she has to keep a straight face while trying to solve the murder herself. I don't want to say too much for fear of SPOILERS.

The story was riveting and keep me going until I had to find out the ending. Highly recommended for Thriller lovers.

The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

Read: Apr 4, - Apr 7
Format: Paperback, 335 pages
Source: Candlewick Press, ARC
Subject: Adventure, female undercover spy, piracy, insurance fraud
Setting: London, England, UK
Category: Books found - Internet/thru LT/library/bookstore
Genre: Thriller
Challenges: 101020, 75 Book, Thriller
Stars: 4

A Spy in the House is the first book in a Victorian series whose main character, Mary Quinn, is rescued from hanging at age 12 and whisked away to a girls school were she is educated and then offered the opportunity to be an undercover spy. Her first assignment places her as a companion for a wealthy young woman whose father is suspected of smuggling. No one believes that the dowdy companion is listening for information that could break the case. When listening doesn't get Mary what she needs, she takes more energetic steps to solve the case.

All the characters in this book have secrets from someone and it is entertaining to see how they all work to prevent their confidences from being discovered. Ms. Lee also cleverly weaves a light-hearted romance within the story while allowing Mary show that she is intelligent, witty, and independent.

What a delightful story, I will be looking for the continuations in the future.

THE VENETIAN BETRAYAL by Steven Berry

Read: Jan 14 - Jan 18
Format: large Print 618 page
Source: Public Library
Setting: Denmark, Venice, Asia
Subject: world takeover, biological warfare, miracle cure, Alexander the Great
Genre: International intrigue
Challenges: 101020, Thriller Suspense, 75 Book, SYLL, Chunkster
Stars: 3½

This book is the third installment of the Cotton Malone mystery series and it continues to utilize the historical mysteries of the past to entertain in the here and now. In this story Cotton is drafted out of his retirement by friends to assist them in preventing the Supreme Minister of the Central Asian Federation from utilizing biological warfare to take over the world.

Okay, I know that that sounds pretty melodramatic, but basically that's the plot. It doesn't seem that it would be plausible but Steve Berry somehow manages to take these unusual situations and make you suspend your belief, and go with the characters through their trials and emerge from the dangers triumphant.

I really like this series and look forward to the future installments.

WHISKEY SOUR by J.A. Konrath

Read: Jan 8 - Jan 15
Format: Paperback, 276 pages
Source: Public Library
Setting: Chicago
Subject: serial murder
Category: A Full Course Meal
Genre: mystery-police procedural
Challenges: 101020, Thriller Suspense, 75 Book, SYLL
Stars: 2½

The heroine of this tale is named Jack Daniels so when I was looking for a book that would give me the "Cocktails" for my Full Course Meal, I thought this would be perfect. It fit the category but was not particularly palatable for me. The story is set in Chicago and tells of a serial killer who targets "sluts".

This mystery wasn't really a mystery because the reader knows right from the beginning who the bad guy is and what he is thinking and doing. He is vicious and sadistic. The descriptions of his crimes are graphic and frightening. He went after Jack without any real provocation other than the fact that she was in charge of the investigation into the brutal crimes he committed. Character development left something to be desired.

I have ready many murder mysteries but these murders are among the most grisly that I've read, (and I have read about the BTK murders). It was sickening to read about the sexual assault of his victims both alive and dead. It truly was frightening so much so that at times I had to put the book away because I couldn't bare anymore. Thriller, yes...entertaining, no. I definitely will not be continuing this series.

Editorial: I have to say that I do not feel that the graphic details of the viciousness that were included in this book were warranted and that the story would have been more palatable without all the specifics. I also believe that the details included could lead to them be used in real life and that would very sad.

THE LOST THRONE by Chris Kuzneski

Read: Jan 1 - Jan 8
Format: Unedited Proof Book, 495 pages
Source: publisher for review
Setting: St Petersburg, Russia; Greece
Subject: murder, smuggling, antiquities
Category: ER/ LT Recommendations
Genre: mystery-police procedural
Challenges: 101020, Thriller Suspense, TBR, 75 Book, Endless Europe, Chunkster

DJ Jones and Jonathan Payne are disturbed while on vacation and enlisted to rescue a damsel in distress (Allison) who has witnessed the murder of her employer in St. Petersburg, Russia. Determining that the reason for the murder by a hit man has something to do with what Allison's boss was looking for, the three set out on a treasure hunt.

At the same time Nick Dial, the head of Interpol's Homicide division is investigating the brutal mass slaying of an entire community of monks in Greece. The stories are fast paced and intricately interwoven throughout until they converge at a thrilling climax.

I received this book for review from the publisher, and to be honest, I had delayed reading it, now I wished I hadn't. I found out that this was the third in a series with these characters and I will definitely be looking for the first two books. What a great way to start 2010!