Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Hush by Kate White

Started: 3/14/10
Finished: 3/21/10
Year: 2010
Pages: 341
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Grade: B
Reason for reading: Review for Myshelf.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "When Lake Warren learns that her husband, Jack, is suing for full custody of their two kids four months after their separation, she's pretty certain that things can't get any worse. The upside is that she's working with the Advanced Fertility Center as a marketing consultant, alongside the attractive, flirtatious Dr. Keaton. But the morning after their one-mnight stand, Lake finds Keaton with his throat slashed and discovers that things can indeed become worse-they can become deadly.
"So as not to jeopardize her case for custody, Lake is forced to lie to the police. Having just been intimate with a man who has been murdered, and wanting to protect herself from being charged with the crime, she begins her own search for the truth. Meanwhile, the police start looking at her closely, people at the clinic start treating her with hostility, and strange clues begin dropping-quite literally-on her doorstep, and Lake realizes that she is dangerously close to dark secrets, both about Keaton and the clinic. But can Lake stop what's she's started before it's too late?"
Opinion: An enjoyable quick suspenseful read. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com in the upcoming months.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Murder of a Wedding Belle by Denise Swanson

Started: 3/8/10
Finished: 3/14/10
Year: 2009
Pages: 246
Genre: mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "School psychologist Skye Denison is already in a tizzy of indecision contemplating her boyfriend Wally's marriage proposal when she very reluctantly agrees to act as maid of honor in her California cousin's over-the-top platinum-style wedding. What's more, she's expected to assist the control-freak wedding planner, which means being available to help 24-7. There goes Skye's much-needed summer break...
"Then Skye discovers the flawlessly chic wedding plannner lying not so flawlessly dead less than a week before the big event. Suddenly Skye is working double duty on two fronts: making sure every elaborate nuptial detail is executed perfectly, from the butterful release to the martini luge, and helping the police find out who hated the bossy bridal consultant enought to bash her on the head. Can Skye get her cousin to the church on time-and save herself from a killer who may actually be on the guest list?"
Opinion: It was a little different seeing Skye outside her school role but it makes sense that something would happen during summer break. The ending seemed a little rushed. Overall a great continuation of the series. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf in the upcoming months

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Dispatch by Bentley Little

Started: 3/6/10
Finished: 3/8/10
Pages: 386
Year: 2005
Genre: Suspense
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Blessed with a gift for the written word, Jason Hanford has everything he needs: a pen, stationery, and a prestamped envelope. His complaints yield complimentary meals and free hotel rooms. His correspondence with secret crushes makes fantasies come true. Letters to the editor spark citywide debates and inspire change. His letters are powerful, angry, heartfelt, sometimes obscene-and always persuasive.
"Then one day someone sens Jason a letter: This is for you. It leads to an offer to write letters for a living. A whole new world is opening up for Jason.
"He should have asked a few more questions about the job."
Opinion: What a great concept for a book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down. I definitely recommend it.

Freeze Frame by Peter May

Started: 2/22/10
Finished: 3/8/10
Year: 2010
Pages: 283
Genre: mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "A long-ago promise made to a dying man leads forensics ace Enzo Macleaod, a Scot who's been teaching in France for many years, to the study which the man's heir has preserved for nearly twenty years-untouched since the man's unsolved murder. The dead man left several clues in the study designed to reveal his killer's identity to his son, bur ironically the son died soon after the father and never set eyes on the father's legacy.
"So begins the fourth of seven cold cases written up in a bestselling book by Parisian journalist Roger Raffin that Enzo rashly boasted he could solve (he's been successful with the first three).
"This case takes Enzo to a tiny island off the coast of Brittany in France, where he must confront the hostility of locals who have no desire to see the infamous murder back in the headlines. An attractive widow, a man charged but acquitted of the murder (but still a viable suspect), a crime scene frozen in time, a dangerous hell hole by the cliffs, and a collection of impenetrable messages, make this one of Enzo's most difficult cases."
Opinion: Better than the previous Enzo files. There was enough action and plot twists to keep me entertained. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf in the upcoming months.