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THE TALE OF HALCYON CRANE (Wendy Webb)

Book Review: THE TALE OF HALCYON CRANE by Wendy Webb (4 out of 5 Stars) As a native Michigander, I have many memories of summertime visits to Mackinac Island, the popular tourist spot in Lake Huron known for its fudge shops and its ban on motorized vehicles. So it was with great pleasure that I discovered The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb was set on Grand Manitou Island, a fictionalized version of Mackinac Island. Only it’s not the sunny vacation spot I’ve experienced, as this modern ghost story takes place in blustery November, after all the tourists have departed, giving the empty island an ominous feel. The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb Publisher: Holt Paperbacks Pages: 352 Source: Library Buy on Amazon The story is about Hallie James, a young woman who one day receives a letter in the mail informing her of her mother’s recent [...]

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AUTHOR: Kristen

POSTED ON:

Jun 22

2010

COMMENTS: 3

CATEGORY: Reviews

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THE PASSAGE by Justin Cronin

The Passage by Justin Cronin Publisher: Ballantine Books Pages: 784 Source: Purchased Buy on Amazon THE PASSAGE by Justin Cronin Book Review (5 out of 5 Stars) The Passage by Justin Cronin isn’t your typical beach read, but it’s still poised to be the biggest book of the summer. Now that I’ve read it, I think it deserves all the hype that surrounds it and then some. The Passage is an ambitious, epic story that manages to be grounded in science, yet mystical at the same time. It grabbed me from the first page and wouldn’t let go. The premise of The Passage is that, in an attempt to create immortal super soldiers, the US military accidentally unleashes a viral pandemic. The virus does indeed give the infected super strength and long lives, but it also makes them bloodthirsty monsters. The virals are vampire-like creatures, and I know vampire books [...]

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AUTHOR: Kristen

POSTED ON:

Jun 17

2010

COMMENTS: 1

CATEGORY: Reviews

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THE 9TH JUDGMENT by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

The 9th Judgment by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick Publisher: Hachette Audio Length: 6 hours, 48 minutes Source: Purchased Buy on Amazon THE 9TH JUDGMENT by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro Review (3 out of 5 Stars) The Women’s Murder Club has busted some pretty nasty criminals in their day, but the serial killer terrorizing San Francisco in The 9th Judgment is probably the worst they’ve ever seen. Dubbed the “lipstick killer” because of the messages he leaves at crime scenes, the sadistic psycho targets mothers and their young children. It’s a brutal scenario even for James Patterson. In contrast, the other case detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner, Rich Conklin, are working—trying to nab a cat burglar nicknamed Hello Kitty—seems almost light hearted. She steals jewelry from the rich and famous while they are having dinner parties and have turned off their security systems. These [...]

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AUTHOR: Kristen

POSTED ON:

Jun 8

2010

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Reviews

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BAD THINGS HAPPEN by Harry Dolan

BAD THINGS HAPPEN by Harry Dolan Review (4 out of 5 Stars) Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan Release Date: July 23, 2009 Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam Pages: 352 Source: Purchased Buy on Amazon It’s not often that I read a book set in a town where I’ve lived, so it was a treat to read Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan, which is set in the college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The mysterious David Loogan is fairly new in town and is renting a house near the campus of the University of Michigan from a professor away on sabbatical. Loogan is clearly a man with secrets and when we first meet him, it’s late at night and he’s nervously paying cash for a shovel. So the question is: Is he a good or a bad guy? And just what is he going to do with that shovel? The [...]

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AUTHOR: Kristen

POSTED ON:

Mar 29

2010

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Reviews

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THE PARIS VENDETTA by Steve Berry

THE PARIS VENDETTA by Steve Berry Review (3.5 out of 5 Stars) The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry Release Date: December 1, 2009 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pages: 432 Source: Library Buy on Amazon The Paris Vendetta is Steve Berry’s fifth book featuring bookshop owner and ex-Justice Department field agent, Cotton Malone. Fresh off his recent case involving his father, Malone gets roped into helping his good friend Henrik Thorvaldsen seek revenge on the man who killed his son. As you may remember, Malone killed the gunmen who shot diplomat Cai Thorvaldsen in Mexico City, but Henrik is after the man who hired them, Lord Ashby. Besides being responsible for Cai’s death, Ashby is a busy guy: he’s part of a group trying to manipulate the world economy for profit, he has ties to a terrorist planning to bomb Paris, and he’s on a quest to find Napoleon’s alleged hidden treasure. [...]

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AUTHOR: Kristen

POSTED ON:

Feb 22

2010

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Reviews

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ALTAR OF EDEN by James Rollins

ALTAR OF EDEN by James Rollins Review (4 out of 5 Stars) Altar of Eden by James Rollins Release Date: December 29, 2009 Publisher: William Morrow Pages: 416 Source: Library Buy on Amazon When I found out that James Rollins’ latest book, Altar of Eden, isn’t a Sigma Force novel, I admit I was disappointed. Then I reminded myself that prior to the Sigma Force series, Rollins wrote some exceptional standalone books like Subterranean and Amazonia (which, by the way, has more than a few similarities to the movie Avatar). Altar of Eden is Rollins’ first book to feature a veterinarian, but it’s reminiscent of some of his earlier books. The story takes place in Louisiana where US Border Patrol Agent Jack Menard has discovered a shipwrecked boat full of exotic animals. He brings in veterinarian Lorna Polk to examine them because they have odd abnormalities and seemingly heightened intelligence. [...]

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AUTHOR: Kristen

POSTED ON:

Feb 8

2010

COMMENTS: 1

CATEGORY: Reviews

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THE EDGE OF FOREVER by Jeff S. Chimenti

THE EDGE OF FOREVER by Jeff S. Chimenti Review (2 out of 5 Stars) The Edge of Forever by Jeff S. Chimenti Release Date: April 9, 2009 Publisher: AuthorHouse Pages: 304 Source: Publisher Buy on Amazon Natural and man-made disasters combine to form the apocalypse to end all apocalypses in The Edge of Forever by Jeff Chimenti. As the novel starts, widower/winery owner/ex-Marine Michael Hanson meets and is immediately drawn to small town waitress Cassie McMurphy. The same day they meet, he saves her from an abusive husband and they go on the run together, too distracted to give much thought to the strange, earthquake-like ground “jumps” they’ve been experiencing. Eventually, they discover the “jumps” are related to the volcano beneath Yellowstone National Park and they might be a sign that a catastrophic natural disaster is looming. If you think things couldn’t possibly get worse, you’d be wrong. The unstable [...]

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AUTHOR: Kristen

POSTED ON:

Jan 20

2010

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Reviews

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U IS FOR UNDERTOW by Sue Grafton

U IS FOR UNDERTOW by Sue Grafton Review (5 out of 5 Stars) U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton Release Date: December 1, 2009 Publisher: Putnam Adult Pages: 416 Source: Library Buy on Amazon I’ve been reading Sue Grafton since I was in high school, so, by now, private investigator Kinsey Millhone feels like an old friend. I love her stubborn independence, her converted garage apartment, her all-purpose wrinkle-free black dress, and her love of Quarter Pounders with Cheese. Kinsey is a little prickly and rough around the edges, but still endearing. In U is for Undertow, Kinsey returns for her 21st mystery and I think it is one of Grafton’s best yet. The case starts when Michael Sutton arrives unannounced at Kinsey’s office with an odd problem. He recently remembered that on his 6th birthday he accidentally came across two men burying a large bundle in the woods. [...]

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AUTHOR: Kristen

POSTED ON:

Jan 11

2010

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Reviews

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GRAVE SECRET by Charlaine Harris

GRAVE SECRET by Charlaine Harris Review (4 out of 5 Stars) Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris Release Date: October 27, 2009 Publisher: Berkley Hardcover Pages: 320 Source: Library Buy on Amazon Grave Secret is the fourth book (and maybe the last if the rumors are true) in Charlaine Harris’ Harper Connelly series. Harris is best known as the author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, which the TV show True Blood is based on. Like Sookie, Harper has a special gift that differentiates her from most humans. Since being struck by lightning as a teenager, she can sense the remains of dead people and “see” what killed them. There’s a demand for her talents and she and her stepbrother, Tolliver, make their living by charging for her services. In Grave Secret, Harper and Tolliver go to Texas at the request of Lizzie Joyce who has questions about the death of her [...]

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AUTHOR: Kristen

POSTED ON:

Dec 29

2009

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Reviews

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THE SCARECROW by Michael Connelly

THE SCARECROW by Michael Connelly Review (4 out of 5 Stars) The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly Release Date: May 26, 2009 Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Pages: 448 Source: Library Buy on Amazon The Scarecrow is Michael Connelly’s follow-up to his 1996 novel, The Poet. Newspaper reporter Jack McEvoy and FBI agent Rachel Walling return and once again partner to catch a killer. As a reporter in Denver, McEvoy helped snag a serial killer in The Poet and also wrote a successful book about the case. Twelve years later, he’s now a reporter in Los Angeles and is about to be laid off due to the decline of the newspaper industry. He’s been given two weeks to train his young replacement and he decides to write a story so good that they’ll regret letting him go. He ends up stumbling upon another serial killer, The Scarecrow, and, with dreams of [...]

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AUTHOR: Kristen

POSTED ON:

Dec 21

2009

COMMENTS: 0

CATEGORY: Reviews

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