Thursday, February 26, 2009

Wicked Game by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush


From the Publisher:

It's been 20 years since wild child Jessie Brentwood vanished. Her high school friends believed she ran away. Now, a body has been unearthed on school grounds, and Jessie's old friends find themselves being killed off one by one, in this riveting work of romantic suspense. Original.


My Review:

This book is definitely forgettable. Half the book is about high school friends reuniting to rehash whether their friend Jessie left town or whether she really did die. Another 40% of the book is spent with a series of pointless deaths. The remaining pages of the book attempt to tie the story together but fails miserably. It kind of tells a story of incest and some man who is trying to kill two women who he thinks are the devil spawn but it doesn't really go into too much detail. The book is written by two authors and you can definitely tell when one person is dominating the writing more than the other person. I really disliked this book but felt the need to finish it. I would rate it at most a one out of five.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

From the publisher:
Orphaned and penniless at the height of the Depression, Jacob Jankowski escapes everything he knows by jumping on a passing train—and inadvertently runs away with the circus. So begins
Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen’s darkly beautiful tale about the characters who inhabit the less-than-greatest show on earth. Jacob finds a place tending the circus animals, including a seemingly untrainable elephant named Rosie. He also comes to know Marlena, the star of the equestrian act—and wife of August, a charismatic but cruel animal trainer. Caught between his love for Marlena and his need to belong in the crazy family of travelling performers, Jacob is freed only by a murderous secret that will bring the big top down. Water for Elephants is an enchanting page-turner, the kind of book that creates a world that engulfs you from the first page to the last. A national bestseller in Canada and a New York Times bestseller in the United States, this is a book destined to become a beloved fiction classic.

My Review:
Wow, this book was so good. I was hooked from the first page. I found the main character so endearing. I found the dynamics of the relationships quite interested as well. There is always a class struggle in this book. Even in the circus with a bunch of people travelling across the country, people were so divided. The main character in the book, also tells part of his story in the perspective of an old man. I have always found it important to know people's stories. When I look at the elderly I see rich life with so many stories. When Jacob is in the nursing home I found it endearing to read. I find that today people forget that the elderly are not just people to take care of and placate while in the final years of their life. We have so much to learn and hear from them. We need to be able to really listen to what they have to say. There is also the issue of domestic abuse in this book. I found it so important that someone took a stand against what was happening. All too often people sit back and don't get involved. Anyhow, I'm off on a tangent now. I would say if you haven't read the story go out and pick up the book now. I give the book 5 stars

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain


Summary (from the publisher):
With "Heartsick," Chelsea Cain took the crime world by storm, introducing two of the most compelling characters in decades: serial killer Gretchen Lowell and her obsessed pursuer Portland Detective Archie Sheridan. The book spent four weeks on the "New York Times" bestseller list and garnered rave reviews around the world. But the riveting story of Archie and Gretchen was left unfinished, and now Chelsea Cain picks up the tale again.
When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland's Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer's first victim, and Archie's first case. This body can't be one of Gretchen's--she's in prison--but after help from reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman's identity, it turns into another big case. Trouble is, Archie can't focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison.
Archie hadn't seen her in two months; he'd moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he's relieved. He knows he's the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.

Review:
This book is the 2nd book following the lives of a detective and an imprisoned psychopath. The detective was once the victim of the psychopath and now she has escaped from jail. I enjoyed the first book and this book was quite interesting as well. It took me a little while to get into it. The detective in the book is addicted to drugs and self-destructive. At times I must admit that I really couldn't sympathize with the detective regardless of what he had been through. Even with all the support around him, Archie (the detective) still can't seem to open up to help of any kind. I found the dynamic of the relationships in this novel so bizarre. Even though Archie is brought to the brink of death he still has sexual fantasies about his killer and goes as far as wanting to visit his torturer. I wouldn't say this is a classic that will be around forever and I don't think it will win any awards. This being said, it was a good read to keep you in suspence.