"I, Alex Cross" by James Patterson

Again, it took me three days to complete a James Patterson book. While “I, Alex Cross" had everything you’d expect (murder, mystery, sickos, family), I have to say, it was very confusing to me. For one thing, there were way too many characters. Then, these guys were able to track everyone down and silence them (even as far away as Trinidad), but somehow they never located Hannah, leaving her to live and reveal Zeus’ identity and they never got to Alex, who they were told had the disk with a video on it? And what was with the ring? The person known as Zeus was seen wearing it in the video. Then the person they initially thought was Zeus (it turns out, it wasn’t) had it on, but its significance was never explained. Who were all of the people involved and how did they become involved? It just seemed like too many details were omitted. There was some seriously disgusting stuff going on in the DC area (think wood chipper).

It’s good being able to check back in with Alex and a lot went on with his family. He found out during his birthday celebration that his niece was brutally murdered. Nana Mama was near death, spending time in a coma, but bounced back. Alex and Bree got engaged on New Year’s Day. Alex’s old friend, Kyle Craig, made an appearance on the last page. I'm holding out hope that "Cross Fire" will be an improvement to this novel.

“Caught” by Harlan Coben is on deck.

See mew all later!

"On Shadow Beach" by Barbara Freethy

I have read several books by Barbara Freethy, including the first and now the second in her Angel’s Bay Series. She worked in the PR field prior to becoming a writer. She wrote a few novels under a pen name. She has written nearly thirty books to date. She lives in California, where she grew up.

“On Shadow Beach” returns us to Angel’s Bay. We are introduced to several new characters, while catching up with some from “Suddenly One Summer”. Lauren goes back home to help her father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. She ends up reconnecting with her high school boyfriend, Shane. He was initially a suspect in her sister Abby’s murder. The case is finally solved, when we learn that Abby’s best friend, Lisa, is the killer. Lisa wanted to silence her, as Abby was going to tell that Lisa was having an affair with their married coach. Lauren and Shane decide to give their relationship another go and he decides to share his secret with her-that he is the product of an affair and does not know who his real father is. The saddest, but then happiest, part of the story revolved around Kara and Colin. He had been shot while on duty as a police officer and was in a coma. She gave birth to their daughter, Faith, without him by her side. She went to visit him to let him know that she would not be able to visit him as often as she had been, since her baby would require/demand much of her time, when he woke up.

I look forward to learning more about life in Angel’s Bay and finding out more secrets “In Shelter Cove”.

“I, Alex Cross” will be my next read.

See mew all later!

"Fortune" by Erica Spindler

I just finished my third book by Erica Spindler, entitled “Fortune”. The story spans 26 years and spins the tale of several intertwining characters. Griffen Monarch is obsessed with finding his half sister, Skye/Grace, who was taken away by her mother (for her own safety) at an early age. He needs her back, as she has the gift, an artistic ability that will ensure the future success of their jewelry store and because he feels she is his possession. He is seriously sick in the head. He will stop at nothing (including murder) to keep her as his prize. As a child, Grace and Claire/Madeline are on the run, and travel with a carnival. There, they meet Chance, who is also running away. The three strike up a family of sorts. When Claire finds out that Griffen’s family is closing in on them, she asks a friend to pick Skye up and they will reunite when the coast is clear. The friend gets killed in a car accident, and Chance flees with Skye. They spend several years together until he finds a good family to leave her with. They meet up again several years later, and soon find that they are in love. Griffen sets out to ruin Skye’s friendship with a co-worker and ruin Chance’s business in order to have Skye all for himself. Griffen has already killed his father and his great aunt, poisoned Skye’s dog (thankfully, he survived) when he kills Claire to silence her. He also tried to kill Skye, as he believed if he could not have her, then no one could. It has a somewhat happy ending, as Skye and Chance decide to have a future together.

Overall, I thought it was a good story. There were a couple of items that I thought were odd. Claire was a psychic working to help bring missing children back to their families, yet she could never locate her own daughter. Also, she called Monarch’s, trying to get in touch with her daughter, but was intercepted by Griffen. She knew he saw that she had given her number and hotel room to the secretary, and she knew that he’d be coming after here. She wrote out a letter to Skye explaining everything and waited for him. I do not understand why she just accepted the fact that he would be heading her way to kill her and not leaving the premises.

“On Shadow Beach” By Barbara Freethy is up next.

See mew all later!

"Dark Alley" by Evan Marshall

I am not sure how I discovered Evan Marshall, but he’s been a great addition to my list of must read writers. He has 2 series in his repertoire-“Hidden Manhattan” and “Jane Stuart and Winky” mysteries. He is a literary agent and an expert on fiction writing. I have read and enjoyed all 9 of his books that have been released to date.

In “Dark Alley”, Department of Sanitation supervisor Anna Winthrop returns to lend a hand in solving murders. I find that the setting for these novels is an odd but refreshing choice, as I cannot think of another book I have read where the main character works with garbage-by choice, no less. She comes from money, and her career decision has stunned her family. She likes to play detective, and receives some help from her boyfriend, Officer Santos Reyes. As if her job doesn’t keep her busy enough, she gets involved in her neighbor’s new shady-seeming boyfriend, helps repair her parents’ marriage, and contacts everyone she can think of to break the case and find the person who murdered her employee and 4 others. The story comes to an amazing head, where we find out all sorts of secrets. I may have suspected who the murdered was, but I never would have guessed it involved stolen twins! A great read! Can’t wait for “City In Shadow”!

“Fortune” by Erica Spindler is the next book up for review.

See mew all later!

"Lucid Intervals" By Stuart Woods

Stuart Woods is a prolific writer, having penned over forty novels, all of which I have read (save the two non-fiction books). He is from Georgia, but currently lives in ME, FL, and NYC (not a bad life!). He is an avid sailor and pilot, which you can sense from his themes. He has four main characters, Stone Barrington, Holly Barker, Will Lee, and Ed Eagle. Although each book features one of these characters, their lives often intersect. Ed Eagle looks to be the star of the next book.

Elaine’s, late. I just read “Lucid Intervals” and I have to say, I did find it a bit confusing, although I love the short chapters that seem to be Stuart's trademark. Womanizing Stone Barrington is back (is anyone bothered by the amount of women he is with?!?). I believe he only bedded one woman in this novel (is that a record?), although other offers were out there, and he was making plans with a new one at the end. Some other recurring characters make appearances, such as Dolce Bianchi, Herbie Fisher, Dame Felicity, and of course, his partner in crime (pun intended!), Dino Bacchetti. This story involves violence and intrigue, with several people being stabbed and shot at, and a mystery over who Stanley Whitestone really is. Everything was resolved, people were fired, arrested, and identified. Stone can rest easy knowing that Dolce was captured and will no longer be a threat to him-for the time being, anyway.

“Dark Alley” by Evan Marshall is my next read.

See mew all later!

"Forbidden Fruit" by Erica Spindler

Erica Spindler has been writing books for many years now. Some are out of print, and I have not been able to locate them at local libraries. I started off with “Red” and just completed “Forbidden Fruit”. OK, so this one is not really a mystery, although there are some murders. The novel is set in New Orleans, where the author resides. It spans the years of 1959 through 1996, and tells the tale of 3 generations of women. The eldest, Lily, lived in a house of ill repute. She wanted her daughter, Hope, to escape this life, and so she sent her away to school. Hope changed her name and disowned her mother and her history. She herself had a daughter, Glory, and she did everything in her power to protect her from the Darkness. Glory never knew Lily, having been told her grandparents were dead. It turns out, sHope was schizophrenic, and ended up committing suicide. There is an additional character that plays a major role in their lives, Victor Santos. He first meets Lily, as she hits him with her car. They end up becoming friends and he lives with her until her death. She is a mother figure to him, as his mother, who also worked as a prostitute, was killed when he was a teenager. Hope borrows money from her mother, and Santos is the go between (he does not know that Hope is Lily’s daughter). He ends up meeting Glory and they enter into a relationship. A taboo one, to Hope, and she succeeded in splitting them up. Santos becomes a police officer, in order to catch the man who killed his mother. Hope sets Santos up, and while defending himself, he discovers that Hope has been hiding the fact that she has succumbed to the Darkness and worked as a hooker for many years. Santos never was able to catch his mother’s killer, but he was able to nab a serial killer of prostitutes, and rescue a girl he had neglected many years back. It seems odd that when his mother was found dead, there was an apple at the scene and years later, the serial killer's trademark was to leave an apple with 2 bites taken from it and a cross in the girl's hand. However, the serial killer was a 20something, so he could not have been Victor's mother's killer. Victor and Glory got back together, and he even gave her his mother’s earrings, which he deeply cherished, as they were the only items he had from her. This story was unique in that it spanned so many years and involved so many hookers!

“Lucid Intervals” by Stuart Woods is the next book I’ll tackle.

See mew all later!

"The Wild Zone" by Joy Fielding

I learned of Joy Fielding through a coworker, who recommended “See Jane Run”. I’m never the type to just start reading a book without checking out all of the author’s novels. So, I started out with “Kiss Mommy Goodbye” and worked my way through the list. BTW, “See Jane Run” did live up to its expectations. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of her works to date. This is her 19th story (three other novels are out of print and she does not recommend anyone reading them anyway!). She is a Canadian citizen who lives in Toronto, and Palm Beach, FL. The best of both worlds, as far as I’m concerned.

OK, so I have to admit I didn’t see that ending coming! The Wild Zone was where it all started. Or was it? This book involves a love story, but not between any of the characters you might think. A chance meeting between two girls many years ago at a group home subsequently led to three men’s deaths. Was it worth the carnage for them to be able to be together? They appear to think so. Suzy was in an abusive marriage with a doctor. Kristin was living with her boyfriend, who thought nothing of cheating on her. Suzy pretended(?) to be in love with Kristin’s live-in in order to gain his sympathy and hopefully feel the need to put an end to the “good” doctor’s life. All of the characters had difficult childhoods, but is that an excuse for their actions? The three men they used never found out that Suzy was the love of Kristin’s life. Joy Fielding amazes once again.

Next up is “Forbidden Fruit” By Erica Spindler.

See mew all later!