Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Cinnamon Skin, John D. MacDonald

"Cinnamon Skin" is an older mystery by J. MacDonald. Macdonald is dead(1986) but his novels live on with great value and suspense for the reader of today. This is a Travis McGee story that is copyright 1982 but holds it own as a good story to this day. Starts in Florida when a boat leaving the harbor is blown up. Travis was on top of the tragedy because the boat belonged to his close friend Meyer who was supposed to be on the boat. Further investigation proved this wrong, Meyer was in Canada giving a lecture on economics, his niece and her new husband were on board. A photograph was viewed by Travis and the new husband, Evan, was not on the boat. This leads Travis and Meyer looking into the past of this man. They gathered much info on him that took them to Texas and CancĂșn, Mexico and back to Florida. In CancĂșn Travis meets a lovely Mayan princess, the color of her skin is like cinnamon. She travels back to Florida with Travis and a new relationship is born.

MacDonald writes with much fact about the location of the travels and the mystery is superb. MacDonald's stories are worth reading and easy to understand, so if you have some free time, read his Travis McGee novels. You won't be sorry.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Blood Shot, Sara Paretsky

Blood Shot is an older novel that is copyright in 1988. Paretsky has a main character of V.I Warshawski, a lawyer and P.I in Chicago. Victoria meets up with an old friend from her childhood days, Caroline, to help find her birth father. The mother and her maternal grandparents don't want to disclose the truth. Caroline's mom is on her death bed at age 42 due to her work at a chemical company. The doctor was falsifying records so the company could continue to run. The search for the father turns into a battle that leaves one dead and many un-answered questions. Warshawski is an independent lady who stands her ground and almost died from this search. Paretsky takes the reader on a ride of insurance fraud to big business and mobster connections that keeps the reader on full alert. The mystery and suspense is very full filling with an ending that is very exciting.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Lee Child talks on video




Lee Child talks about the time knowledge of his character, Reacher and how it relates to him...

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

The Hard Way, Lee Child

Lee Child has out done himself with the new suspenseful thriller "The Hard Way". Reacher is drinking an espresso late one evening on a sidewalk cafe in New York when he sees a man get into a car and drives off. This is the beginning of a journey that leads Reacher into the hands of a mercenary, Edward Lane, who's wife was kidnapped along with her daughter. Five years earlier Lane's first wife was kidnapped and killed, so no cops on this case. With the mercenary market quite lucrative, Reacher is offered a million bucks to solve this. By piecing the puzzle together, Reacher uses more witt than mite, like Sherlock Holmes. By learning the chilling secrets of the past of his employer, Reacher is to deep in this to let it go, so he does it the hard way. The story leads the reader to England where a chilling stand off with mercenaries and Reacher have a show down.

Child has Reacher using his investigating skills more than his strength to out do Lane, but the ending is full of the hands on killing that Reacher is known for. The mystery is a great challenge for Reacher, but Child puts it all together in a good story. One of the best.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Palindrome, Stuart Woods

"Palindrome" by Stuart Woods is a great thriller full of suspense, a page turner. A palindrome is a literary device-a word, or sentence that reads the same forward and backwards. Exactly the same. Twins are palindromic.

Liz Barwick was nearly beaten to death by her husband, who was a pro-football player for the Georgia "Bobcats". He was out of control with steroids and drugs. Liz finds seclusion on Cumberland Island, south part of the coast of Georgia, for recuperating and taking photos for a book she is writing. On the island she becomes good friends with the Drummonds, who own the island, especially one of the twins. Things are peaceful until Liz hears that her lawyer and publisher died. Liz suspects that her "x" did this and is after her. Liz confides in Keir, the twin she is attracted to, and is reassured that it will be alright. The drama is very ongoing with death, love and sentimentality. Stuart Woods wrote a good novel, even though it is 15 years old, I found the second reading as though it was the first.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Therapy, Jonathan Kellerman

"Therapy" by Kellerman is an Alex Delaware novel. Kellerman is very descriptive in his details of what a character wares and the setting of a location. It is this detail that makes the story flow and keeps the reader interested to the finish.

Alex is asked by Milo to investigate a murder of a young man and his date that were found shot in the head as they were parked making out. They were left in a sexual position. Another murder of a well known psychologist, who was treating the first murdered victim, Gavin Quick, brings the story closer to the truth. There are sexual overtones in this killing. They are connected. As the story proceeds there are many theories that tie this novel together.

Alex assumes and Milo puts the assumptions together with his gift of good detection. The two of them amass much evidence that leads them on the right path. The ending is quite exciting but leaves many questions unanswered.

Kellerrman has done a good job with this book, taking one on a journey of suspense, discovery and insight. I found the book worth reading.