Genre: Suspense, Mystery

I haven't read any of Kathy Reich's previous books, a fact which had me somewhat leery as I picked up this one. Sometimes, especially with books in a long series, it is almost impossible to understand what is going on if you try to jump in mid-series. I was pleasantly surprised to find that in this instance my fears were unfounded. 206 Bones is a great read, plain and simple, with lots of action and great characters.

Reich's series is very popular, so much so that it has in fact led to the creation of Bones, a television series based on the books. I've seen a few episodes of Bones, so I was a bit surprised to find that the books take place in Canada. I actually preferred the setting of the novel, and found myself wondering why they changed it. Attempting to further fuel our egocentric Americanism perhaps? But, I digress.

206 Bones begins with the main character, Dr. Temperance Brennan finds herself buried alive. She has no memory of how or why she is in this situation, and only slowly do the memories come flooding back to her mind. Recently, Tempe has been investigating the mysterious deaths of several older women; victims of violent attacks which may or may not be the work of a single individual. Her focus on the cases has been somewhat compromised by some troubling mishaps that have occurred in Tempe's own autopsy suites. These mishaps have begun to undermine the confidence of her superiors, and have eventually result in Tempe even beginning to question her own competence. Meanwhile, her relationship with her longtime co-worker/love interest Lieutenant Ryan has moved into undefined and unresolved territory. What these circumstances have to do with Tempe's own deadly situation remain to be seen.

I really enjoyed the dual mystery aspect of this novel. It was interesting to read as Tempe tried to piece together the reasons for her situation. Reich's pacing was excellent, as she never gave too much away, but she didn't unravel the story so slowly that it was frustrating. I found myself really getting emotionally involved with the characters, especially Tempe. I don't want to give anything away in this review, so I will simply say that Tempe is suffering from some co-worker related troubles throughout the novel. Reichs had me fuming right along with Tempe against the injustice of it all. In short, if you haven't read any of Reich's books and are looking to give one a try, you can't go wrong with this one.

I'm giving my slightly dented ARC copy to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment below stating why you think I should pick you! Include your email address, or I won't!

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Genre: Suspense

Reading Challenges: 35 for 100+ in 2009

Living in Iowa has been an education in the lottery. The lottery is a big deal in our state, and each day I drive by a sign that shows the current jackpot. Personally, I have no interest in purchasing my own lottery tickets, but sometimes just for fun, my husband and I fantasize what we would do with the money. At the very least, it is certain that our lives would change.

Ravens is the story of the Boatwright family, residents of a small Georgia town, who have been teetering on the brink of financial disaster. Then one Wednesday night, as Patsy Boatwright engages in her weekly ritual of fortifying herself with alcohol while she watches the lottery results on tv, the Boatwright's ship comes in. The Boatwright family are the sole winners of a $318 million jackpot. Meanwhile, Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko, two young men looking for an easy escape from their dead end jobs, are passing through town. Fate intervenes, and Shaw overhears about the Boatwright's amazing good fortune and he decides that he wants a piece of it for himself; half to be exact. Shaw, with the assistance of his doggedly loyal companion Romeo, embarks on a plan to force the Boatwright's to share their winnings. What follows is a story full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Ravens is an exciting read from beginning to end, but it is much more of a psychological thriller than a blood and guts page turner. The book features some great characters, most of whom are nicely developed. I especially found the characters of Shaw and Romeo to be very interesting. Shaw, who is a master of manipulation more than anything else, even seems to believe his own lies after a while, and he craves not only the cooperation, but the devotion of his intended victims. In contrast, Romeo is a villain who I almost found myself feeling sorry for as sometimes he seemed almost a victim himself. I also have to mention Tara Boatwright, who initially I was sure was going to be just another token female victim, but developed into so much more through the course of the book.

This is a great read, with interesting characters, and a pretty original premise. This is definitely a book that will keep your interest, as well as make you think.

Check out this book trailer. Actually, I watched it for the first time this morning, and I think it is almost more interesting to see after you read the book because you really know what is going on.

Genre:  Young Adult, Fiction, Coming of Age, Suspense, Noir

Reading Challenges:  13 for 100+ in 2009

What I Saw and How I Lied is several things at once: a coming of age story, a novel of suspense, and a book which captures the moral ambiguity and sexual tension of noir. The novel takes place shortly after the end of World War Two.  The story is narrated by Evelyn Spooner, the fifteen year old heroine, who shares with us the details of her family vacation to Palm Beach Florida in the company of her mother, Beverly, and her stepfather, Joe.  The Spooner family arrives in Palm Beach during the off season, only to find that their opportunities for entertainment are somewhat limited.  Shortly after arriving, they meet up with a man named Paul, who served with Joe in the military. Evelyn, or Evie as she calls herself, is suffering some serious growing pains and soon finds herself falling head over heels for Peter.  Before we reach the end of the novel, Evie's wold will have been turned upside down as she learns some hard lessons and lives through some harrowing experiences.  Most of all, she will come to know truths about those whom she has always trusted to know best, her parents, that will change everything.

This was an enjoyable read.  The author writes in such a way that we, the reader, can guess long before Evie what is really going on.  The author also did a good job of raising some moral issues.  I read in some other reviews that this was a difficult read for some as they felt that none of the characters were particularly virtuous.  This didn't bother me in the sense that I am familiar with the noir genre, and so I was expecting a resolution that didn't exactly wrap up all the ends neatly.  I also felt that although I wouldn't have made some of the choices that Evie did, that I understood why she chose to do what she did.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy film noir, and coming of age stories as I thought it was a well written and satisfying read.    

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Genre:  Fiction, Classics, Horror, Suspense

Reading Challenges:  11 for 100+ in 2009, 1 of 5 for Classics Challenge 2009

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; the words conjure up all sorts of images in my mind, mostly from the theatrical and cinematic depictions I've seen at different times in my life.  I thought I knew the story well, and so I didn't expect to find myself surprised by much in the novel.  How wrong I was!  

The novel is interesting, because there are so many aspects of the story that are left to the imagination of the reader.  Mr. Hyde's appearance, as well as his misdeeds, are never defined in black and white, but are instead only alluded to in a manner that almost makes them more horrifying.  I was also intrigued with the complicated nature of the character of Dr. Jekyll, a man who desires to be seen as an upstanding individual, but is in many ways somewhat fascinated by the evil aspects of his nature.  

I found this to be a great read, and far more thought provoking than I had anticipated.  It is a very short read, around 100 pages, but provides plenty of "meat" for the reader to chew on.  If you haven't taken the opportunity to try this book before, I would recommend it as a very enjoyable read.  This has been a great start to my Classics Reading Challenge for 2008, and has left me thirsting for more!