Thriller And Suspense Reading Challenge Part Deux

I've read a few suspense novels since this challenge started in January and I just wanted to touch on them briefly for May's review post.  The challenge is to read 12 all toll for the year.
                              

    

The Monkey's Raincoat

By Robert Crais

Paperback 237 pgs

Publisher - Crimeline

This was a great book.  The protagonist is Elvis Cole.  A Disney character loving Private Eye.  He has this smart ass attitude that comes out at very odd times.  Like when some guys are in his office ready to kick his ass.  Monkey's Raincoat is the first in the series, and Elvis takes on the case of a murdered man and his kidnapped son at the pleading of the victims wife, Ellen Lang and her friend.  He is quite hesitant in the begining about it, not knowing if she can even pay him.  Ellen has lived a sheltered life with her husband Mort, and she can't even write a check!  Mort is a talent agent in Hollywood and hasn't been doing very well.  Elvis has to go digging into some real garbage to get to the bottom of the murder and get Ellen's son back.

You also meet Elvis' partner in the agency, Joe Pike.  He is a very quiet, brooding, deadly man.  A Vietnam Vet, to say he has issues is an understatement, yet you can't help but like him.  Together Elvis and Joe work to solve this case, plenty of action, lots of suspense, well worth the read, and I will definitely continue with the series.

Vampire A Go-Go

Victor Gischler

Paperback 352 pgs

Publisher - Touchstone

This book took a bit before it picked up for me.  At about halfway through I really started to enjoy it.  A murder/suspence mystery with a nice dose of humor in it, I laughed a few times as I read.  Allen Cabot is a College student who is going to spend some time in Prague doing research for pain in the neck Professor Evergreen.  Not too enthused about the mission, he begrudgingly goes and finds himself smack dab in the middle of a battle between a Society of Witches, Jesuit Priest commandos and Professor Evergreen's very mysterious very beautiful wife.  The ghost of alchemist Edward Kelly narrates the story and he pulls us back and forth through time with humor explaining the mystery of just what all these people really are doing in Prague.

Murder, power hungry people, a smidge of romance, serves up some suspense with a great close.  I liked this book, even though it took a bit to get going.

The Face of Death
Cody McFadyen
Paperback 624 pgs.
Publisher - Bantam






This is book 2 in Smoky Barret's series that McFadyen has weaved.  I have to say, as a man writing a woman's viewpoint, he sometimes does things that I don't think a woman would do.  He also has Bonnie, the 10 year old daughter of her friend from book 1, do and "say" things that I don't think 10 yr olds realistically would say or do, so I think I understand what my hubs was saying about the fluff in the book.  That said, it kicks off with a real bang right out of the gate.  Smoky has her vacation interupted by a call telling her a 16 yr old is requesting her specifically to speak to.  The girl, named Sarah, is holding a gun to her own head and her family has been slaughtered.  This killer or "The Stranger" as the girl calls him, killed her parents and has been doing bad things to her for 10 years now.  He is cutting a killing swath and Smoky and her team are on the case.  It was a good book.  Some of the parts are a little unrealistic.  Like Sarah at 9 being spoken too about grief like she's an adult.  As the mother of a 9 yr old, there is no way I would speak to her like that, even my 11 yr old who is an old soul in a kids body wouldn't merit being spoken to in that way.  Over their heads big time I don't care how "mature" or what the child went through. 

All in all, Smoky is a decent character, I don't have strong feelings for her one way or another like Kay Scarpetta, I don't know if I will or not, and the other characters are still not yet fleshed out enough for me to feel much for them yet.  Alan's wife Elaina just doesn't do it for me as the mother of everyone, and thank goodness Callie's honey-love was almost nonexistent, though if pushed to really choose, I think I like her the best so far.

You can find my other review of book 1 Shadow Man by clicking right on this word here : )  All together I've read 7 in the Thriller and Suspense Reading Challenge.  I'm enjoying it, it has always been one of my most favorite genres!

Waiting On Wednesday -

This is a neat little weekly chat about books we're anxiously waiting to be released.  If you'd like to participate go - here.  There are so many great ones coming out that it sometimes is hard to pick just one, but for this week my pick is hands down -

                 
Dead In The Family
By Charlaine Harris
May 3 2010






I have been waiting anxiously for May to come ever since I finished book 9 last May!!!  Who will Sookie choose?  What will happen to all of them?  Book 9 was really rough, the violence that Sookie endured was tremendous.  How will they all go on after what's happened, how will they be changed, will they be changed?

 This series has been just fantastic, I have LOVED it!!  I love the show on HBO too, and can't wait for June to get here for season 3.  I think the characters are rich and colorful.  Charlaine is a wonderful writer, I don't find her writing condescending, or tedious.  Her books flow beautifully.  If you haven't dipped your toe into the water that is the Southern Vampire Series, I highly recommend ya get your feet soaked ; )

Whacha Reading? (April 22nd)

I am now reading Shades of Midnight by Lara Adrian.  This is all part of the Midnight Breed series.  I enjoyed them so far.  Kinda along the lines of Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward, who by the way has her latest coming out in a few days, Lover Mine. 

My favorite of this series so far is #2 Tegan's book, Midnight Awakening.  He is a very dark brooding type.  The heroine, Elise is also great too.  Sometimes the gal leads in  books are just for the birds.  I like a strong woman, but not like a girl Rambo, just some toughness that doesn't cry and whine, but is still feminine. My least fave is Ashes of Midnight, Andreas Reichen's book.  You meet him in book 2, and is a decent character, I just didn't really like the book.  Rios's book, # 4 Midnight Rising, is pretty darn good too!

After I finish this I'll read The Face Of Death so I can be caught up with hubs in that series, then I need to read Covet by JR Ward, I've had it on my TBR pile for months now and need to get with it.  I can't wait for Lover Mine, it's John Matthew's book.  He isn't my favorite brother, that would be V, who I did a scrapbook page on, which you can see at my other blog here.  Vishous is just my cup of tea, very much like Tegan from breeds, dark, brooding and real strong, yum yum ;) anyway, I like most of her series.  The worst by far was poor Phury's book, Lover Enshrined.  By the way, she has odd spelling for all of their names for the most part.  His story was so shortchanged it wasn't funny.  Didn't like it at all, his and then Butch's book, Lover Revealed, ack!  But I read em all so that I knew what was going on.  I do recommend ya read em, even the less faves, you might like em, cause those brother's just rock!!

I've pre-ordered Miss Charlaines Dead In The Family!!!  I can NOT wait!  Daughter Desirae and I will be going down to LA to her book signing when she comes out to Cali in May.  I have her tour schedule on the side bar to the left.  I am soooo stoked!!  I can't wait for June and season 3 of True Blood as well.  The 2nd season DVD's come out on the 4th of May I believe.

Well, what's in your reading pile!  What have you been reading, and tell me, do you read more than one book at a time?  I can't, I know of some who read 5 and 6 at once, just can't do that, I'm a one book girl myself ;) how bout you?

Wow! Thriller Thriller What A Chiller...

Shadow Man

Cody McFayden

Paperback 496 Pgs.

Publisher-Bantam

I have finished reading Shadow Man by Cody McFayden.  I really liked it.  There were a few little things that needed some tweaking, but for the most part, thumbs up.  Smoky Barrett is an FBI agent who has had her life riped away from her in a most terrible and horrific way.  A psycho killed her family and raped and tortured her.  She is so broken, but somehow she manages to come back and get with her "team" again to hunt down another wacko who has picked her as the ultimate hunter to try and catch him.  He says he is a true ancestor of Jack the Ripper and calls himself Jack Jr.  This guy is off the hook cukoo.  What he did to Smoky's  friend and her daughter was dispicable.  He knows everything about all of them, really personal stuff, and they are stumped to how he's finding this out.  Their computer geek Leo tells them anyone with hacking ability can get the info he did, but it is unnerving none the less.  Jack Jr. has given Smoky 1 week and then he is going to start killing the teams loved ones, hunting each and every one of them one at a time.

  
I like the characters.  They aren't as well rounded yet, I'll guess since it's just book one and your still getting to know them, but you get a great sense of their personalities.  Callie is a strikingly gorgeous red head, witty with a dry sense of humor, one thing that is driving me abosulutely APE and did my hubs as well - her overuse of the word, to the point of nausea, honey-love.  I can't stand it, it's became such a distraction when she speaks, it's so bad.  She uses it in almost every sentence to every person and it's horrid!  Hubs said it isn't half as bad in book 2, so maybe that was a beef with readers.  Alan is a huge football player sized man, yet gentle as can be.  He hasn't been developed totaly yet, but he is very kindhearted.  James is a jerk, case closed.  He is described as a word that rhymes with stick, very cold, cutthroat and at times nasty, but he is aces at what he does, and when he and Smokey are in the zone, she describes them as oil and bearings.  They can go into a crime scene and just pick it apart hitting off each other with such an amazing rhythm.  Their newest member is Leo, he is a computer geek.  Now, I don't know if he comes back in book 2, but the way he was introduced in this book, it was made to seem as though he is the newest member.  Sharp, knows his stuff, young and very green, this case rocks him in a way he probably was never prepared for.

The killer is quite something, what he does is very good in the psychological warefare category.  Knowing how to get under your victim's skin and shake them to the core makes for a wonderful killer.  Can Smoky get him before he hurts those who she loves?  Will she crack under the pressure of being back before healing from her own trauma? 

I have one problem, and I think it's due to my hubs.  I had an inkling of who it was from about halfway through, totally convinced by 2/3 of the way.  Hubs is very very good at detecting.  Being a cop was one of his greatest loves and he was, and is very good at it.  The 2 of us are real good people readers, and pick stuff up quick.  I have learned from the best.  Still a fantastic book, and I'm going on to #2.  Hubs said he's done, but that's ok, unless it's a real capoofa, I like to finish most series that I start.  I am way behind on John Sandford's Prey series, and James Patterson's Alex Cross series.  Oh well, sometimes I take detours, but there's plenty of time to catch up ; )

All in all, if this type of book is your cup of tea, go for it!  I give it 4 cannoli's ;)

Keep reading,
Paula

I've got The Fevuh

How bout you?  I'm talking about Karen Marie Moning's Fever series that is.  I've got it and bad, and I have to wait alllll the way till December 28th for Shadowfever to make it's entrance onto the book shelves!  BooHoo.

I really loved this series.  The 1st book, Darkfever was a little slow on the upstart, you have to push through it, and then it picks up.  It's not heavy romance and most definitely urban fantasy.  I just love the characters, MacKayla Lane is the lead, of course she has special talents that she was clueless about till the tragic death of her sister in Ireland.  She is fondly called Mac.  Then there is Jericho Barrons, boy he is sumpin sumpin!!!  What an awesome character he is.  The mystery?  Well what is he exactly?  Then there is V'lane, a Fae, no, time out a second, none of the Fairies in this series are anywhere near the Tinkerbell type.  Some are wickedly evil and dangerous, downright deadly, V'lane is as well, but he isn't quite in the evil category.  Wicked, hhhmm, yes, yes he is, but he developes a soft spot for Mac.  You have book 2 -Bloodfever, 3 -Faefever, and  finally, Dreamfever.

As the books progress you meet the hunky Christian MacKeltar, for those of you who are familiar with her Highland series he is part of their family.  A college student, he befriends Mac.  You have the young Dani, just a teen who is a tough young kiddo.  She helps Mac in her fight with the evil that is growing and brewing.  I'm really glossing here, just barely skating the surface of what these books are about.  They are very intricate with a whole world crafted by Miss Moning.  All I will say is the last book, Dreamfever, has a begining that is very rough and hard to take as far as violence against a woman, and an ending that left me feeling like someone took sandpaper and just scraped it across my nerves.  They were just raw!  The ending has all who read it in a tizzy over who or what happened and will happen next.

This is a series well worth getting sucked into.  Karen Marie Moning has crafted a fabulous tale here and I thoroughly enjoyed them!