Thursday, May 24, 2012

It has been a while since I have added to my blog. That does not mean I have not been reading. Oh no! I read every day. I wanted to tell you about four books that I have just finished.

David Baldacci is one of my favorite thriller writers. I just finished "The Innocent."  It is a very thrilling read about an assassin in an unnamed U.S. federal program, who gets caught up in an unforgettable mess of killings, running from other assassins, and a very complicated plot to get him killed. Not only does he have to worry about himself, but a fourteen-year old girl whose family has been killed is in the mix. At first I thought she was the owner of the title (Innocent) but there is much more to the story than that. It is very much a book to read and savor but it does move fast.  This is a keeper for sure.

James Patterson has become a fast read  --  short chapters, quick paced story. Two of his newest books are no exception. I read "The 11th Hour" and "Guilty Wives" in two days. Of the two, I found "Guilty Wives" the most fascinating. It details the story of four housewives, living in Switzerland, on a girls' weekend to Monte Carlo. You know it is going to turn horrific because the book begins with them in a French prison, one of them being killed there. Abbie Elliott, the narrator, needs to find out who the real murderers are so she can get her friends and herself out of the prison. Horrendous prison scenes give a glimpse of torture and degradation. The ending is foretold but comes as a real surprise, too. It is a good read. David Ellis is a co-author.

"The 11th Hour" is a Women's Murder Club novel with the characters from previous books experiencing life-changing events. This is more of a typical Patterson with Maxine Paetro story. Easy reading, short chapters, some characterizations, and a relatively good story.

The newest Mary Higgins Clark was rather a disappointment to me. Her characters Alvirah and Willy were the sleuths in a story about a Biblical treasure discovered, then stolen, with murder thrown in. A letter supposedly written by Jesus Christ to Joseph of Armathea was stolen from the Vatican in the 1500's has come to the attention of a Biblical scholar, who is then killed. Police think he was killed by his Alzheimer-suffering wife. Their daughter must find the real killer. Her friends Alvirah and Willy help her discover the truth. Clark produces a much better product when it is not with these characters, but a stand-alone. While Alvirah is an interesting character, she is so unrealistic that it makes the whole story seem convoluted.  I have read better.

Now back to my cozies!


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