Say Goodbye
by Lisa Gardner
My Rating:
Having lost her mother and sister years earlier to a sadistic killer, Kimberly Quincy is no stranger to death and tragedy. As an FBI Special Agent on the Evidence Response Team, she deals with both on a daily basis. She is now 5 months pregnant and struggling with the logistics of becoming a mother and keeping the demanding job that she loves.
Unfortunately for Kimberly, things are about to take a major turn for the worse. A young prostitute named Delilah Rose contacts Kimberly with a shocking story that seems almost too terrifying to be true. Delilah fears that a dangerous individual, who goes by the moniker Mr. Dinchara (an anagram for arachnid), has done something horrible to her roommate. It seems that Dinchara has an obsession for spiders, prostitutes and various other unusual amusements. Due to the lack of evidence, Kimberly is reluctant to pursue the case, but she soon changes her mind when she finds out that Delilah is also pregnant. Motivated by sympathy for Delilah and the guilt that she still feels from the deaths of her mother and sister, Kimberly decides that she just can not turn her back on the obviously scared Delilah Rose. She teams up with Special Agent Sal Martignetti who has anonymously received the names of several other missing prostitutes that are also suspected to be connected to Dinchara. Together, they uncover a twisted web of deceit and murder that becomes increasingly dangerous with each step that moves them closer to the truth.
Please be aware that this book deals with some disturbing social issues such as rape, child abuse and prostitution. They are necessary to the storyline and, as noted by the author in the Acknowledgments section of the book, the information was obtained from actual cases. However, if reading about these subjects is upsetting to you, than you might want to pass on reading this book.
Say Goodbye is a well-plotted and extremely wild ride, filled with lots of thrilling twists and turns. About halfway through the book, when the pieces start to fall into place, I simply could not put this book down. The author leaves subtle clues throughout the story, but saves the big surprises to be revealed at the end.
I particularly enjoyed reading about Kimberly's hopes and concerns regarding her pregnancy. It helped to show a softer side of her character. It also added a great deal of tension to the story. Pregnancy can be a very emotional time in a woman's life, even for the toughest of us. Add to that, a life-threatening case, a strained marriage and an unwanted attraction for a coworker and you will have a definite recipe for disaster, or at the very least, a throughly entertaining story.
The little snippets of information about spiders at the beginning of each chapter adds a distinctly unique element to the story. I found these to be very interesting facts, most of which I had no prior knowledge of. They also added to the overall creepiness factor of the tale.
If you are looking for an intensely chilling, fast-paced read that is sure to keep you up all night, this book surely will not disappoint. Just be sure to leave your lights on and lock all the doors. You might also want to have a can of bug spray handy, just in case.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Review: Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Review: Bedlam, Bath and Beyond by J. D. Warren
Bedlam, Bath and Beyond (World of the Storm Ravens, Book 1)
by J. D. Warren
My Rating:
Samantha is living in a suburban paradise. She has a gorgeous house, the perfect husband and adorable twin sons. Problem is, she thinks it is all too perfect. As it turns out, she's right. In reality, her milkman is the sexy shapeshifting leader of the Storm Ravens, her husband is a homicidal maniac who isn't even human and the twin sons are actually blood thirsty hell boars that have been sent to track her down. Now, with a little help from the Cor (the sexy mailman who's not really a milkman) and the rest of the Storm Ravens, she's on a mission to reclaim her life and stop the bad guys.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a fast-paced read with lots of excitement and a bit of romance. There are lots of interesting characters and funny dialogue. The main character is intelligent, funny and very likable. However, there are a few things that kept this book from earning a full five stars. First off, the title and book cover have basically nothing to do with the story! While this is not necessarily a bad thing, you might be disappointed if you are expecting the shopping-themed chick-lit that the title & cover suggest. The only other negative I found is that romance is definitely lacking something. It started off well, but by the end, I wanted to see a stronger connection between Cor and Samantha. In my opinion, if you're gonna risk your life for someone, there better be some a strong bond that you share with them. Unfortunately, I don't think the author developed enough of one between the two main characters. This didn't detracted from the story enough to make that much of a difference and I definitely will want to read the next book in this series.
Books in this series:
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Review: Enchanted Inc. by Shanna Swendson
Enchanted Inc.
by Shanna Swendson
My Rating:
Ever since her move from Texas to New York, Katie Chandler has been seeing some weird things. Things like guys who appear to summon the subway with a flick of their wrist, young ladies who wear wings and seem to float above the ground and stone gargoyles that move from one building to another. Little does she know that her normally boring life is about to get really weird.
This book caught my interest on page one and kept it throughout the story. The heroine is an independent business woman with common sense and a great sense of humor. Just the sort of gal you'd like to be friends with. The rest of the characters, from an enamored frog "prince" to the legendary Merlin, provide an amusing and fast-paced tale.
List of books in the Katie Chandler series:
Monday, June 16, 2008
Review: Shop till You Drop by Elaine Viets
Shop till You Drop
by Elaine Viets
My Rating:
Running from her ex-husband & the St. Louis legal system, Helen Hawthorne flees to Southern Florida. Unfortunately, the only place where she can find a job is at Juliana's, a snooty and exclusive clothing boutique with sizes too small for her and prices way too high. Despite the snobbery, Helen actually begins to enjoy working at Juliana's until she finds out her boss is engaging in a multitude of illegal activities, ranging from skimming the books to drug dealing. It gets even worse when murder is added to the equation. Now Helen is forced to find the killer before the secrets of her past are revealed.
This is a great start to the Dead-end Job series. The heroine, Helen, is a funny & intelligent woman stuck in a bad situation. If you've ever suffered the indignity of working in a retail job, you can probably relate to poor Helen's plight. In addition, there's a bevy of zany characters throughout the story to keep it moving, from the parrot-toting Peggy to purple-clad Margery. I'm looking forward to good things in the rest of the Dead-end Job series.
Books in the Dead-end Job series listed in order:
Friday, June 13, 2008
Review: Just Desserts by Barbara Bretton
Just Desserts
By Barbara Bretton
My Rating:
Legendary rocker Tommy Stiles just found out he is the father of the 38 year old baker/cake decorator, Hayley Goldstein. Finn Rafferty, longtime friend and lawyer for Tommy, goes to check Hayley out under the guise of hiring her to make a cake for an after show party. Unfortunately for Finn, he didn't plan on falling in love with her. How will Hayley, a independent but struggling businesswoman & mother of a fourteen year old, deal with this life altering news?
This is the first book I've read by Barbara Bretton and I have to admit, I picked it up due to the fact that it took place in New Jersey (yes, I am a Jersey girl). But truthfully, I really enjoyed this story. The writing is realistic with a little fairy tale thrown in to make it interesting. All of the characters are extremely well developed and you can't help but like the main character. This story is a great portrayal of the problems that arise when two adults with their own families and responsibilities fall in love with each other.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Review: A Girl's Guide to Vampires (Dark Ones Book 1) by Katie Macalister
(Dark Ones Book 1)
by Katie Macalister
My Rating:
Just before their trip to the Czech Republic to attend Goth-Fest, best friends Joy & Roxy decide to ask "The Goddess" for a little help in finding their true loves. Unfortunately for Joy, what she winds up with is a creepy premonition about a dark & dangerous stranger. At first she doesn't believe in the premonitions or in vampires at all, but as the visions get stronger and more detailed she becomes convinced there might be something to them. Who's making her see these visions? Is it the sexy and strong Raphael? The gorgeous but reserved, Christian? Or someone else all together?
The first thing I have to point out is that the back of the book has basically nothing to do with the book, so don't use it in your judgment to read it or not. Despite that fact that the book wasn't quite what I expected, I really enjoyed the read. It was some light, mindless fun with sexy, sizzling romance thrown in for good measure. I found the main character (Joy) likable and very funny. I would have liked to see a little more character development, however. I do definitely intend to continue with the rest of the series.
Here is a list of the Dark Ones series in order:
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Review: Sit, Stay, Slay (Kendra Ballantyne, Petsitter Mysteries) by Linda O. Johnston
by Linda O. Johnston
My Rating:
Kendra Ballantyne has been suspended from practicing law. She knows she's been set up but she can't prove it. As a favor to a friend, she winds up pet sitting and really enjoys it. She takes on more clients and everything is going great until she walks in to find one of those clients dead and that she's the top suspect. With the help of sexy PI Jeff Hubbard, she'll attempt to figure out who is killing off her clients.
This is the first book in the Petsitter Mysteries by Linda O. Johnston. Overall, it's an exciting, fast-paced cozy mystery with some romance thrown in to make it even more interesting. Kendra is a young, energetic and mostly likable character. Although, occasionally her attitude toward Jeff is a bit annoying. I have already picked up the second book in this series and have high hopes for it.
