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Friday, March 4, 2016
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Book Review: A Sound Among the Trees
Publisher: Waterbrook Press (October 4, 2011)
After years of looking for the perfect match, an online dating service links Marielle to widowed Carson Bishop and they are soon wed. When she moves across the country to live with Carson, his two children, and Adelaide, the grandmother to his former wife, she agrees to reside with them in the family's historical mansion in Virginia known as "Holly Oak". There she is greeted by Adelaide's fears that the house itself is seeking atonement for the tragic past it's been subjected to, while others share rumors that the ghost of Susannah Page, Adelaide's great-grandmother who was believed by some to be a Civil War spy, are wandering it's halls. Marielle refuses to ignore these strange ideas as Carson encourages her to do, and sets to discover the truth of what exactly happened within the halls of Holly Oak, to forge out a new future for her family.
Meissner writes with beautiful prose, vivid descriptions, words that invoke your emotions. A Sound Among the Trees is a unique story, a blend of contemporary and historical with a hint of the supernatural that makes up an engaging read. The characters are well fleshed out, from Marielle and Carson, to Adelaide and her daughter Caroline, to the young Susannah who lived during the Civil War. I enjoyed the spiritual aspects of the novel, the question of whether ghosts are real, whether they haunt the house or not, or whether they are the product of one's fears.
The book does a tremendous job of illustrating Jesus' words that "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). How often do we become trapped in our own understanding of a situation, are held captive by our fears of what we hold to be true? I loved the fact that it was Caroline, the formally estranged mentally ill daughter, who swept into the house and illuminated the truth, a truth that helped set the family free and led to a truly satisfying conclusion.
I give this book a solid recommendation of 4.5 out of 5 stars, and believe that readers who have enjoyed Meissner's previous novels will find their time well spent in reading this one.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Book review: The Prophet by Michael Koryta
about the book....
Adam Austin hasn't spoken to his brother in years. When they were teenagers, their sister was abducted and murdered, and their devastated family never recovered. Now Adam keeps to himself, scraping by as a bail bondsman, working so close to the town's criminal fringes that he sometimes seems a part of them.
Kent Austin is the beloved coach of the local high school football team, a religious man and hero in the community. After years of near misses, Kent's team has a shot at the state championship, a welcome point of pride in a town that has had its share of hardships.
Just before playoffs begin, the town and the team are thrown into shock when horrifically, impossibly, another teenage girl is found murdered. As details emerge that connect the crime to the Austin brothers, the two must confront their buried rage and grief-and unite to stop a killer.
Michael Koryta, widely hailed as one of the most exciting young thriller authors at work today, has written his greatest novel ever-an emotionally harrowing, unstoppably suspenseful novel that Donald Ray Pollock has called "one of the sharpest and superbly plotted crime novels I've read in my life."
my review...
The Prophet grabbed me from the first page with its break-neck pace and well-plotted suspense, and held me captive until the last page. Rarely do I experience those moments near the end of a story where the identity of the murderer is revealed and my jaw literally drops in shock as I think "no way!". But that is precisely what happened with The Prophet, a book that will not only entertain you, but will also leave you thinking about faith and forgiveness, loyalty and family. Koryta takes breathers in the story, moments where he draws you deeper into the character's lives until you can’t keep them off your mind. Brothers Adam and Kent are superbly developed characters, utterly human, prone to make mistakes as they are faced with ethical dilemmas like any of us, and desperate to experience those moments of forgiveness and acceptance that we all long for. Kent especially is a character whose inner thoughts contain gems that I take away from the story, such as when he contemplates, "How much better would the world be if everyone operated under the lights and before the crowd, if they were not granted moments alone in the dark?" The story goes on to explore exactly what happens when both Kent and Adam retreat from that light and are faced with moments of darkness, and let me tell you that it is quite a ride!
A brilliant mix of superbly crafted suspense and profound moments hidden within the story, The Prophet wins a high recommendation from me. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Hachette Book Group (Little, Brown & Company), for the purposes of this unbiased review.
about the author...
Michael Koryta (pronounced ko–ree–ta) has written nine novels, praised by such authors as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane, and The Prophet was called "Friday Night Lights meets In Cold Blood...a flawless performance" by Kirkus. His last three novels, The Ridge, The Cypress House, and So Cold The River were all New York Times notable books and nominated for several national and international awards. In addition to winning the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, his novel Envy the Night was selected as a Reader's Digest condensed book. Koryta's work has been translated into more than twenty languages. A former private investigator and newspaper reporter, Koryta graduated from Indiana University with a degree in criminal justice. He currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Bloomington, Indiana.
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Friday, December 21, 2012
Book review: Queen by Steven James
Publisher: Revell
Publication date: September 1, 2011
Book Synopsis as provided by the publisher:
While investigating a mysterious double homicide in an isolated northern Wisconsin town, FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers uncovers a high-tech conspiracy that ties together long-buried Cold War secrets with present-day tensions in the Middle East.
MY REVIEW
The Queen captured me from the first sentence and held me victim until the last page. I literally found myself thinking several times, this book is unbelievably good. James is a master of suspense, and the Patrick Bowers thrillers are some of the best in the genre. The scenes are skillfully written and crackle with tension, and the character of Patrick Bowers is masterfully rendered, with the author probing further into Bowers' personal history in this novel than he has done in previous ones. I love reading about Bowers relationship with his stepdaughter, Tessa, as it is so unique and different than many father-daughter relationships that are often portrayed. Tessa herself is quirky and yet endearing at the same time. And, as in his earlier novels, the author has succeeded at creating fascinating villains, especially in the character of Alexei Chekov, who is brutal and violent and yet an enigma of empathy at the same time. The book concludes with a twist that readers likely won't see coming.
James has a special ability to keep the pages turning at a frantic pace and the rest of my life suffers when one of his books is released, as they are just so difficult to put down! I highly recommend this book, and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
**A word of caution is in order: the books in these series are full of gruesome detail that will definitely turn some readers off. Fans of books or television shows that involve FBI agents and who can handle dead bodies and the portrayal of serial killers will not be impacted, but those expecting a gentle romance should steer clear.
MY REVIEW
The Queen captured me from the first sentence and held me victim until the last page. I literally found myself thinking several times, this book is unbelievably good. James is a master of suspense, and the Patrick Bowers thrillers are some of the best in the genre. The scenes are skillfully written and crackle with tension, and the character of Patrick Bowers is masterfully rendered, with the author probing further into Bowers' personal history in this novel than he has done in previous ones. I love reading about Bowers relationship with his stepdaughter, Tessa, as it is so unique and different than many father-daughter relationships that are often portrayed. Tessa herself is quirky and yet endearing at the same time. And, as in his earlier novels, the author has succeeded at creating fascinating villains, especially in the character of Alexei Chekov, who is brutal and violent and yet an enigma of empathy at the same time. The book concludes with a twist that readers likely won't see coming.
James has a special ability to keep the pages turning at a frantic pace and the rest of my life suffers when one of his books is released, as they are just so difficult to put down! I highly recommend this book, and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
**A word of caution is in order: the books in these series are full of gruesome detail that will definitely turn some readers off. Fans of books or television shows that involve FBI agents and who can handle dead bodies and the portrayal of serial killers will not be impacted, but those expecting a gentle romance should steer clear.
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