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Detective Jackson Mystery #1
Dire, fare, morire: Un'indagine del detective Jackson
Kera Kollmorgan, infermiera e consulente per i giovani di Planned Parenthood, un consultorio di Eugene (Oregon), è già stata presa di mira da alcuni fanatici antiabortisti. Queste esperienze hanno solo rafforzato la sua determinazione. Un giorno, però, una bomba devasta la clinica e, poco dopo, il cadavere di una ragazzina curata da Kera viene ritrovato nudo in un cassonetto. La donna teme che la feroce guerra antiabortista nella piccola comunità abbia raggiunto un livello inaccettabile.
L’omicidio a sfondo sessuale di Jessie Davenport coinvolge da vicino il detective Wade Jackson. Padre single di una teenager, Jackson comprende meglio di chiunque altro i pericoli in agguato per le adolescenti. Non si aspetterebbe mai che le indagini lo porteranno a un gruppo di studi biblici per ragazzi, al lato oscuro della vita dei liceali e persino nei corridoi del potere. Si trova così costretto ad affrontare due sospettati radicalmente diversi, che non hanno niente in comune, tranne la passione per il sesso e la violenza.
Mentre Jackson intensifica la caccia all’uomo, Kera diventa una donna braccata, perseguitata da un devoto fanatico. Quando i destini dell’investigatore e dell’infermiera si incrociano, vendette moralizzatrici, segreti legati al sesso e ossessioni fatali minacciano di spazzarli via.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 19, 2007
304 people are currently reading
1408 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Sellers
58 books477 followersI write the bestselling Detective Jackson mystery/thriller series—a four-time Readers Favorite award winner—as well as the Agent Dallas series, the Extractor thrillers, and provocative standalone thrillers. My 30 novels have been highly praised and have sold more than a million copies.
I reside in Eugene, Oregon where my many of my novels are set, and I'm also an award-winning journalist who earned the Grand Neal. When not plotting murders, I enjoy standup comedy, cycling, social networking, and attending mystery conferences. I've also been known to jump out of airplanes.
I reside in Eugene, Oregon where my many of my novels are set, and I'm also an award-winning journalist who earned the Grand Neal. When not plotting murders, I enjoy standup comedy, cycling, social networking, and attending mystery conferences. I've also been known to jump out of airplanes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 295 reviews
July 24, 2021
Not The Nasty!?
Detective Jackson is called in to investigate the death of a little girl. Who Killed a child like this? Someone born into a nice suburban family and a nice community, with the right people and the right environment.
On top of this, the local women’s clinic is receiving death threats for giving women abortions.
Suddenly, it goes too far. The threats become factual when a clinic is bombed. Who is the bomber? Is the clinic still in danger? Is the community safe?
Looks like Jackson is going to be busy.
Detective Jackson is called in to investigate the death of a little girl. Who Killed a child like this? Someone born into a nice suburban family and a nice community, with the right people and the right environment.
On top of this, the local women’s clinic is receiving death threats for giving women abortions.
Suddenly, it goes too far. The threats become factual when a clinic is bombed. Who is the bomber? Is the clinic still in danger? Is the community safe?
Looks like Jackson is going to be busy.
August 12, 2017
La verdad es que la historia me ha sorprendido! No espera mucho de ella y, en cambio, me ha mantenido pegada a sus páginas hasta el final. Sólo he echado en falta algo más de pasión o sentimientos entre los protagonistas y, no sé, el final es correcto pero no memorable.
July 11, 2016
This had some great twists, turns, & more than a few lessons. Confidentiality was on overriding theme that was handled very well. Planned Parenthood was featured well; its work & the perceptions of it by conservative groups. While they believe it is nothing more than an abortion clinic that promotes sex, the reality is very different. Most of its work (97%?) is dealing with contraception & health issues with a shockingly small amount of resources. I was especially touched by the theme of how much more parents influence their kids by their actions rather than what they say to them & how these can be twisted. The problems the police & those who know the victims face were also well done.
The dialog was well done & never felt forced. There was just the right amount of action & it was well narrated, too. The characters were well drawn &, while there were a fair few for this sort of book, they were all memorable & easily distinguished. I could easily imagine my cousin in the role of Kera, the PP nurse, & some of my neighbors as part of the Conservative Coalition of Christian (something? I can't recall the exact name.) They were cast as the complete bad/clueless guys, so if you're a conservative Christian, you'll want to skip this book. I'm not, but the liberal bias was a bit much at times.
There were a few problems, but they weren't huge.
- It was very female-centric. The teen boys (if you read it, you'll know which ones) were pretty much ignored.
- Kera's concerns about the sex didn't ring true. I'm no expert, but
- The fact that the mayor got elected in the first place didn't seem terribly believable, but I rolled with that one. He must have been up against a real loser, though.
This is pretty much a beach-read, but one of the best in the class. Considering that this is a debut & possibly self-published novel, I'm seriously impressed. I'm looking forward to listening to the next one.
The dialog was well done & never felt forced. There was just the right amount of action & it was well narrated, too. The characters were well drawn &, while there were a fair few for this sort of book, they were all memorable & easily distinguished. I could easily imagine my cousin in the role of Kera, the PP nurse, & some of my neighbors as part of the Conservative Coalition of Christian (something? I can't recall the exact name.) They were cast as the complete bad/clueless guys, so if you're a conservative Christian, you'll want to skip this book. I'm not, but the liberal bias was a bit much at times.
There were a few problems, but they weren't huge.
- It was very female-centric. The teen boys (if you read it, you'll know which ones) were pretty much ignored.
- Kera's concerns about the sex didn't ring true. I'm no expert, but
- The fact that the mayor got elected in the first place didn't seem terribly believable, but I rolled with that one. He must have been up against a real loser, though.
This is pretty much a beach-read, but one of the best in the class. Considering that this is a debut & possibly self-published novel, I'm seriously impressed. I'm looking forward to listening to the next one.
January 3, 2019
Slow Start
I started this book awhile ago and then put it down. I didn’t like the slow beginning. But I’m glad l went back to this book because it is so good. It was definitely worth the second chance.
I started this book awhile ago and then put it down. I didn’t like the slow beginning. But I’m glad l went back to this book because it is so good. It was definitely worth the second chance.
September 12, 2019
Ein Anschlag auf "Planned Parenthood", eine Klinik, die in sozial schwachen Kreisen Hilfe bietet, auch bei Verhütung und Abtreibung. Konservative, die kritisieren und drohen. Eine ermordete 13-Jährige, die erst kürzlich dort Hilfe gesucht hat.
Das Opfer war eine Freundin von Detective Jacksons Tochter und er ist entschlossen herauszufinden ob und wie das zusammen hängt um den oder die Täter finden.
Krankenschwester Kera wird weiterhin bedroht, besteht aber auf die Schweigepflicht und will ihm nicht allzu viel sagen.
Dann gibt es noch einen weiteren Mord und es scheint eine Art Sexclub unter den Jugendlichen zu geben. Aber was hat der Bürgermeister damit zu tun?
Und der Bomber hat weitere Pläne...
Man ist direkt drin und die Story nimmt einen mit. Man interessiert sich für die Figuren und das was ihnen passiert, die Mystery ist komplex genug und man wartet gespannt was als nächstes passiert. Einige Twists und Turns, gut und flüssig zu lesen. Der Schreibstil ist einfach und gut verständlich, was nicht immer jedem passt, aber ich mag das so.
Detective Jackson war mir direkt sympathisch und ist auch nachvollziehbar, während Kera sich selbst in Gefahr bringt um anderen zu helfen, ihr Bestehen auf die Schweigepflicht mich aber oft die Augen verdrehen lassen hat.
Ist schon nachvollziehbar, bremst hier aber zu offensichtlich das Vorankommen. Gefallen hat mir aber das zwischen ihnen, ihr Interesse aneinander, das wirklich nur im Hintergrund spielt, gebremst dadurch, dass sie versuchen sich gegenseitig auszunutzen.
Besonders gut gelungen ist die Perspektive der fanatischen Konservativen mit den Szenen aus ihrem Kopf, die ihre Taten rechtfertigen.
Die Autorin schafft es zu vermitteln, wie sehr das Verhalten der Eltern Kinder beeinflusst, viel mehr als das was sie sagen und "Planned Parenthood" als Institut und die immer wieder aufkommenden Probleme gut darzustellen.
Die Idee und Darstellung, wie die Jugendlichen die Bibelstunden für Orgien nutzen sind teilweise schockierend aber durchweg glaubhaft.
Das Ende war dann schon vorhersehbar und irgendwie zu zufällig aber das passt schon.
Das Opfer war eine Freundin von Detective Jacksons Tochter und er ist entschlossen herauszufinden ob und wie das zusammen hängt um den oder die Täter finden.
Krankenschwester Kera wird weiterhin bedroht, besteht aber auf die Schweigepflicht und will ihm nicht allzu viel sagen.
Dann gibt es noch einen weiteren Mord und es scheint eine Art Sexclub unter den Jugendlichen zu geben. Aber was hat der Bürgermeister damit zu tun?
Und der Bomber hat weitere Pläne...
Man ist direkt drin und die Story nimmt einen mit. Man interessiert sich für die Figuren und das was ihnen passiert, die Mystery ist komplex genug und man wartet gespannt was als nächstes passiert. Einige Twists und Turns, gut und flüssig zu lesen. Der Schreibstil ist einfach und gut verständlich, was nicht immer jedem passt, aber ich mag das so.
Detective Jackson war mir direkt sympathisch und ist auch nachvollziehbar, während Kera sich selbst in Gefahr bringt um anderen zu helfen, ihr Bestehen auf die Schweigepflicht mich aber oft die Augen verdrehen lassen hat.
Ist schon nachvollziehbar, bremst hier aber zu offensichtlich das Vorankommen. Gefallen hat mir aber das zwischen ihnen, ihr Interesse aneinander, das wirklich nur im Hintergrund spielt, gebremst dadurch, dass sie versuchen sich gegenseitig auszunutzen.
Besonders gut gelungen ist die Perspektive der fanatischen Konservativen mit den Szenen aus ihrem Kopf, die ihre Taten rechtfertigen.
Die Autorin schafft es zu vermitteln, wie sehr das Verhalten der Eltern Kinder beeinflusst, viel mehr als das was sie sagen und "Planned Parenthood" als Institut und die immer wieder aufkommenden Probleme gut darzustellen.
Die Idee und Darstellung, wie die Jugendlichen die Bibelstunden für Orgien nutzen sind teilweise schockierend aber durchweg glaubhaft.
Das Ende war dann schon vorhersehbar und irgendwie zu zufällig aber das passt schon.
April 20, 2017
The title of this book rather put me off, but I guess it was just a bit sensationalist to attract attention to a debut novel. In fact, it is quite a decent police procedural set in Eugene, Oregon, and the first in The Detective Wade Jackson series. The narrative had a bit of pace and momentum and I will definitely read the next one.
January 8, 2008
I got to flash the title The Sex Club and the arresting cover all over the subway, which I think only added to my indefinable air of sheer class. So already, the book was one up with me!
Ok, ok, you want to hear about the text.
The Sex Club is a solid, well-paced mystery that combines whodunnit, thriller, and procedural elements to good effect. I was initially attracted by the plot, which pits a Planned Parenthood nurse and a sympathetic single-father detective against a clinic bomber who may or may not have also murdered a 13-year-old PP client. It's a solidly pro-choice book but it never lapses into preachiness - with the disclaimer that I, like everyone else in the world no matter how they protest, have a slightly higher tolerance for preachiness with which I agree. There's a little light romance, but never excessive or cloying.
Sellers is by no means a writer's writer, and she has the occasional As-you-know-Bob moment, but the book doesn't contain painful sentence-level clunkers. Her style seems heavily influenced by her journalism background, and those who find wordplay and complex sentences to be distractions will probably see it as a plus. To me, it was lacking at times, especially in places where emotionally-charged events seemed glossed over by straightforward narration. This became more noticeable in the wrap-up, where a scene with the detectives chatting over lunch was used to resolve a number of subplots a bit too quickly.
While I'm normally not a person to be impressed by characterization, Sellers does acquit herself very well on that score. The main characters are attractively practical, sincere, and well-meaning, even when they're wrong. They're not happy about discovering that 13-year-olds are having orgies, but they deal with the facts on the ground. (The book has attracted some predictable whining about the fundamentalist Christian characters, because that portion of the cast lacks the obligatory "but they're not all bad!" sincere, lovable plaster saint. Guess who I don't miss?)
BEYOND THIS POINT THAR BE SPOILERS!
Precisely because the characterization was so good, it irked me when a well-trained PP nurse seemed more shocked by (relatively safe) girl-on-girl sex than by (highly risky) unprotected anal. And I doubt that any otherwise reasonable police detective, especially one with a teen daughter of his own, would pity a statutory rapist who suicides when accused of abusing the murdered girl because it turns out he was abusing, not her, but a completely different child.
Deeper, though, were my concerns on the thematic level. It's peculiar to note that the book, while explicit about how much the traditional narrative gets wrong about which young women have sex and why, does reproduce one of the most ingrained conservative teen-sex narratives of all: All the teenage girls who have sex and enjoy it end up dead or in jail. All the boys, and the one girl who repents, are spared.
On the whole, while I can't see this book as a contender for my best of the year, it has enough strengths to make an enjoyable commute read and shows potential for better things in Sellers' future.
A note about the publisher: Spellbinder Press appears to be a self-publishing venture on Sellers' part. I applaud her, because in 2002 she published a book with PublishAmerica, so she's moving in the right direction, and also because the book was physically a nice object (although the margins were a bit narrow.) I found the cover design enjoyable in a deliberately lurid way (as previously mentioned,) the type was well-chosen, and the copy-editing was thorough.
Ok, ok, you want to hear about the text.
The Sex Club is a solid, well-paced mystery that combines whodunnit, thriller, and procedural elements to good effect. I was initially attracted by the plot, which pits a Planned Parenthood nurse and a sympathetic single-father detective against a clinic bomber who may or may not have also murdered a 13-year-old PP client. It's a solidly pro-choice book but it never lapses into preachiness - with the disclaimer that I, like everyone else in the world no matter how they protest, have a slightly higher tolerance for preachiness with which I agree. There's a little light romance, but never excessive or cloying.
Sellers is by no means a writer's writer, and she has the occasional As-you-know-Bob moment, but the book doesn't contain painful sentence-level clunkers. Her style seems heavily influenced by her journalism background, and those who find wordplay and complex sentences to be distractions will probably see it as a plus. To me, it was lacking at times, especially in places where emotionally-charged events seemed glossed over by straightforward narration. This became more noticeable in the wrap-up, where a scene with the detectives chatting over lunch was used to resolve a number of subplots a bit too quickly.
While I'm normally not a person to be impressed by characterization, Sellers does acquit herself very well on that score. The main characters are attractively practical, sincere, and well-meaning, even when they're wrong. They're not happy about discovering that 13-year-olds are having orgies, but they deal with the facts on the ground. (The book has attracted some predictable whining about the fundamentalist Christian characters, because that portion of the cast lacks the obligatory "but they're not all bad!" sincere, lovable plaster saint. Guess who I don't miss?)
BEYOND THIS POINT THAR BE SPOILERS!
Precisely because the characterization was so good, it irked me when a well-trained PP nurse seemed more shocked by (relatively safe) girl-on-girl sex than by (highly risky) unprotected anal. And I doubt that any otherwise reasonable police detective, especially one with a teen daughter of his own, would pity a statutory rapist who suicides when accused of abusing the murdered girl because it turns out he was abusing, not her, but a completely different child.
Deeper, though, were my concerns on the thematic level. It's peculiar to note that the book, while explicit about how much the traditional narrative gets wrong about which young women have sex and why, does reproduce one of the most ingrained conservative teen-sex narratives of all: All the teenage girls who have sex and enjoy it end up dead or in jail. All the boys, and the one girl who repents, are spared.
On the whole, while I can't see this book as a contender for my best of the year, it has enough strengths to make an enjoyable commute read and shows potential for better things in Sellers' future.
A note about the publisher: Spellbinder Press appears to be a self-publishing venture on Sellers' part. I applaud her, because in 2002 she published a book with PublishAmerica, so she's moving in the right direction, and also because the book was physically a nice object (although the margins were a bit narrow.) I found the cover design enjoyable in a deliberately lurid way (as previously mentioned,) the type was well-chosen, and the copy-editing was thorough.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2011
Full video review here => http://mysterythriller.tv/the-sex-clu...
* The book has a story that you care about – opens with bombing at a sexual health clinic – that also performs abortion – topic that many people have strong views on.
* Character of Ruth, the religious right-wing bomber – we see scenes in her head as she justifies her violence – interesting to see her point of view.
* The sex club is a group of teens who are using a bible study group as a chance to experiment sexually – and many of them are going to the clinic to be seen for medical reasons.
* Against this we have the murder of a young girl, part of the group, with links to the mayor of the town and the investigation of this by Detective Wade Jackson, whose own daughter was friends with the murdered girl. We see a family man, wanting to protect his daughter but also aware that she’s growing up. He also wants justice and we see him pushing for this even though his own career is jeopardized.
* Character of Kera was interesting – someone whose beliefs about helping women and girls put her life in danger repeatedly. She continues to risk herself to help others and it was interesting to see how hard it must be for people working in those clinics when threatened.
* What keeps you reading: Mystery of who killed the young girl, the suspense of whether the bomber will be able to strike again and target one of the main characters, Kera. You are rooting for her all the way through – she is really hammered in the book from all sides, it doesn’t let up. I cared about story in itself, it was compelling to read, and there are two distinct investigations and storylines going on at the same time. I wanted the mysteries to be solved as well.
* The book has a story that you care about – opens with bombing at a sexual health clinic – that also performs abortion – topic that many people have strong views on.
* Character of Ruth, the religious right-wing bomber – we see scenes in her head as she justifies her violence – interesting to see her point of view.
* The sex club is a group of teens who are using a bible study group as a chance to experiment sexually – and many of them are going to the clinic to be seen for medical reasons.
* Against this we have the murder of a young girl, part of the group, with links to the mayor of the town and the investigation of this by Detective Wade Jackson, whose own daughter was friends with the murdered girl. We see a family man, wanting to protect his daughter but also aware that she’s growing up. He also wants justice and we see him pushing for this even though his own career is jeopardized.
* Character of Kera was interesting – someone whose beliefs about helping women and girls put her life in danger repeatedly. She continues to risk herself to help others and it was interesting to see how hard it must be for people working in those clinics when threatened.
* What keeps you reading: Mystery of who killed the young girl, the suspense of whether the bomber will be able to strike again and target one of the main characters, Kera. You are rooting for her all the way through – she is really hammered in the book from all sides, it doesn’t let up. I cared about story in itself, it was compelling to read, and there are two distinct investigations and storylines going on at the same time. I wanted the mysteries to be solved as well.
May 3, 2008
The Sex Club – 5 Paws
L. J. Sellers
Spellbinder Press, 2007, 347 pps.
ISBN No. 978-0-9795182-0-1
A bible study class has turned into a sex club for young teen-agers. A religious zealot is making bombs to bomb Planned Parenthood. A young girl is found naked and suffocated in a dumpster. Are these incidents connected or just separate tragic incidents?
Detective Wade Jackson is trying to discover the answer to these questions. Although bound by confidentiality issues Kera Kollmorgan wants to help him find the answers.
Kera is a clinical nurse at Planned Parenthood. She was present when a bomb went off at the clinic. Kera’s last patient had been a girl named Jessie who was obviously sexually active. Jessie had just left the clinic when the bomb went off. When Kera got home and checked her email she had received a message from Jessie. The message was not signed but Kera was sure it was from her.
Jessie is the girl that is found dead in the dumpster the next day. She was naked and had been suffocated. Detective Jackson started following up leads and some of the leads pointed to a man in a high position in the city.
While Detective Jackson follows up leads in the murder, Kera reviews files at Planned Parenthood trying to connect the patients at the clinic with the participants in the sex club.
The Sex Club is a very exciting read with a tragic ending. Detective Jackson and Kera Kollmorgan are great characters and I hope to read more about them.
L. J. Sellers
Spellbinder Press, 2007, 347 pps.
ISBN No. 978-0-9795182-0-1
A bible study class has turned into a sex club for young teen-agers. A religious zealot is making bombs to bomb Planned Parenthood. A young girl is found naked and suffocated in a dumpster. Are these incidents connected or just separate tragic incidents?
Detective Wade Jackson is trying to discover the answer to these questions. Although bound by confidentiality issues Kera Kollmorgan wants to help him find the answers.
Kera is a clinical nurse at Planned Parenthood. She was present when a bomb went off at the clinic. Kera’s last patient had been a girl named Jessie who was obviously sexually active. Jessie had just left the clinic when the bomb went off. When Kera got home and checked her email she had received a message from Jessie. The message was not signed but Kera was sure it was from her.
Jessie is the girl that is found dead in the dumpster the next day. She was naked and had been suffocated. Detective Jackson started following up leads and some of the leads pointed to a man in a high position in the city.
While Detective Jackson follows up leads in the murder, Kera reviews files at Planned Parenthood trying to connect the patients at the clinic with the participants in the sex club.
The Sex Club is a very exciting read with a tragic ending. Detective Jackson and Kera Kollmorgan are great characters and I hope to read more about them.
June 15, 2011
I wrap this up tomorrow, so I can go ahead and review it today!
First off, this book is really well written. I went into this book with a ton of trepidation because this author was doing a donation for tornado victims and I purchased her next two books in the series, sight unseen..not even knowing if I would enjoy her writing. This one I was able to get through my library. This book flowed smoothly and sucked me in really quickly.
If I had to criticize it, I would say that my criticisms would be centered around the storyline, which focused around insane far-right Christians(allegedly, there are no other kinds) and poor Planned Parenthood as the victim in all of it..Let's not forget to throw in a Republican Mayor involved in a scandal...Just for once, I would love to see a fiction author go outside the bounds and show a Democratic or Liberal politician embroiled in a scandal( I do know I am asking alot!)...To be totally honest, I also felt the book had tinges of cramming "liberal propagandized love causes" crammed down my throat.
Now..will that stop me from checking out the author's other two books..No! Will it make me wear my BS monitor as I am reading her next set of books! You bet! Will I buy any more of her books if it is present in the next two books? Haell No!
First off, this book is really well written. I went into this book with a ton of trepidation because this author was doing a donation for tornado victims and I purchased her next two books in the series, sight unseen..not even knowing if I would enjoy her writing. This one I was able to get through my library. This book flowed smoothly and sucked me in really quickly.
If I had to criticize it, I would say that my criticisms would be centered around the storyline, which focused around insane far-right Christians(allegedly, there are no other kinds) and poor Planned Parenthood as the victim in all of it..Let's not forget to throw in a Republican Mayor involved in a scandal...Just for once, I would love to see a fiction author go outside the bounds and show a Democratic or Liberal politician embroiled in a scandal( I do know I am asking alot!)...To be totally honest, I also felt the book had tinges of cramming "liberal propagandized love causes" crammed down my throat.
Now..will that stop me from checking out the author's other two books..No! Will it make me wear my BS monitor as I am reading her next set of books! You bet! Will I buy any more of her books if it is present in the next two books? Haell No!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2009
From the title, you might expect some tawdry book, but this is a crime novel with some important points to make. The "sex club" refers to a group of middle-school kids, 13 to 15 years old, who get caught up in sex games that turn deadly when the body of one girl is found naked in a dumpster. Det. Wade Jackson knew the girl -- she was a friend of his daughter (Sellers paints a nice portrait of him as a separated dad trying to raise a teenage daughter). He's helped by Kera Kollmorgan, a nurse at a Planned Parenthood clinic, who has begun to notice trends among the teen patients and formed her theories -- but patient confidentiality prevents her from telling Jackson everything. To add to the tension, the clinic is bombed by a religious fundamentalist, also the mother of one of the sex club members. Soon, the mother is targeting Kera herself -- for death. There's a somewhat predictable ending, but before she gets there Sellers weaves in some issues to think about, such as the importance of sex education in schools. And that high school may already be too late to start discussing these issues with kids.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2008
L.J. Sellers offers readers a vivid and well-displayed look into a very disturbing and all too real trend. The style and dramatic flair of this author lend a wonderful edge to the book.
When an abortion clinic is targeted by "God's Messenger," one woman could hold the key to all of it, and she doesn't even know it. She's had enough loss in her life, so when her patients, young girls, begin dying all around her it takes its toll. Things really get complicated when the entire thing gets "political." What exactly does the Mayor have to do with a teen "sex club" operating under the guise of a bible study group?
Can a team of devoted detectives led by a single father get to the bottom of things before any more die?
THE SEX CLUB immediately brings the readers into the lives of the characters and offers the kind of suspense readers of the genre expect and crave. L.J. Sellers has a wonderful talent for telling a story and doing it well. I will definitely be reading more by this author, of that I have no doubt.
When an abortion clinic is targeted by "God's Messenger," one woman could hold the key to all of it, and she doesn't even know it. She's had enough loss in her life, so when her patients, young girls, begin dying all around her it takes its toll. Things really get complicated when the entire thing gets "political." What exactly does the Mayor have to do with a teen "sex club" operating under the guise of a bible study group?
Can a team of devoted detectives led by a single father get to the bottom of things before any more die?
THE SEX CLUB immediately brings the readers into the lives of the characters and offers the kind of suspense readers of the genre expect and crave. L.J. Sellers has a wonderful talent for telling a story and doing it well. I will definitely be reading more by this author, of that I have no doubt.
July 25, 2008
In The Sex Club, L.J. Sellers leads you through fourteen days in the lives of nurse Kera Kollmorgan and Detective Wade Jackson. It starts with a bang, literally, and takes you through the twists and turns of a case involving murder, secrecy, and twisted reasoning. Each new incident pulls you along and keeps you reading. It’s the underlying, unsaid, questions that keep you thinking, like: How does a “good” person get so rigid in their beliefs that they become worse than what they hate? It also begs the question, Is this radicalization the way terrorists are born?
But Sellers never becomes preachy, nor tells you how to think. This is left up to the reader. What she does if tell a fast-paced, unique tale of lives intertwined in unwanted murder and intrigue.
I especially liked this book because it took me beyond just the story.
But Sellers never becomes preachy, nor tells you how to think. This is left up to the reader. What she does if tell a fast-paced, unique tale of lives intertwined in unwanted murder and intrigue.
I especially liked this book because it took me beyond just the story.
February 4, 2012
“She woke to wailing babies and the sulfur stink of burnt gunpowder. Kera’s temple pulsed with pain, but she ignored it. She pushed herself up, felt a cool October breeze blowing through the lobby, and promptly became so dizzy she had to lie back down.”
This was my first L J Sellers novel, but it certainly won’t be my last. From the title, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the author’s fluid writing style hooked me from the start. Fast-paced with lots of intrigue, The Sex Club is riveting reading. Highly recommended.
This was my first L J Sellers novel, but it certainly won’t be my last. From the title, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the author’s fluid writing style hooked me from the start. Fast-paced with lots of intrigue, The Sex Club is riveting reading. Highly recommended.
January 4, 2016
I love mysteries, always try to solve them as I read. This one was great! I was unable to figure it out and I like that. Kept me guessing. Well written, tight mystery with lots of intriguing twists and characters. Can't wait to read the next one. So glad I already have it on my e-reader! If you like mysteries, I highly recommend this book. If the rest of the series is as good as this one, I'm a fan!
March 11, 2019
Quite enjoyable. Good storyline. Looking forward to more books in this series.
March 16, 2011
To get the obvious out of the way up front - the title isn't quite as sinister as it first seems. Whilst this is a book which has some unsavoury elements to it, the point being made is more about the nature of peer pressure and the unfortunate consequences of denial.
When I was lucky enough to get a copy of THE SEX CLUB for my ereader I wasn't really too sure what to expect. The potential sexual elements of the book were certainly not an issue for me, but combine that with a fundamentalist Christian subplot and I became a reluctant reader. But I'm very glad that I was talked into putting my reluctance aside and found, once I started reading the book, I was very quickly engaged.
THE SEX CLUB combines the two main threads - the bombing of the Family Planning Clinic and the death of Jessie. Whilst some elements of the perpetrator of the bombing are known up front, there is less revealed about the murder. This means that the reader watches as, under pressure and under threat, Kera and Jackson must resolve everything - the bomber's identify and motives, the murder's identity and motives and whether the events are connected. And they must do all of that in time to stop any further bombings or murders. It's a well developed methodology, and the storytelling makes the interweaving of these threads believable, complicated but not complex, and engaging.
This book is a debut book and as an opening salvo in getting to know, in particular, Detective Jackson (who has his name on the ongoing series) it was a good start. There was a lot explained about both Jackson and Kera's backgrounds. Both characters do suffer a little from overtly damaged pasts (leading to much scope for mutual understanding and noble intentions), but overall Jackson, in particular, is an interesting character juggling the challenges of a demanding job and single-fatherhood to a teenage daughter. Of the supporting characters, perhaps the least successful is the perpetrator of the bombing - in whose head the reader spends a fair amount of time. It could be that the character was somewhat unconvincing, having said that, as I write this review I'm aware that it could also very well be that somebody that fanatical is.. frankly... completely offputting and impossible to understand.
In the main, THE SEX CLUB is a book that tackles issues that some readers are going to find contentious. For what it's worth, I thought that each of the difficult aspects were handled with sensitivity, although I should imagine that a slight tendency to "lecture" on some aspects might annoy some readers. Having said that, the sheer tackling of these issues alone is undoubtedly going to annoy some readers. On a personal level I was quite surprised that something built around perpetrators with viewpoints that I would normally leave to other readers worked as well as it did, and I'm looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
When I was lucky enough to get a copy of THE SEX CLUB for my ereader I wasn't really too sure what to expect. The potential sexual elements of the book were certainly not an issue for me, but combine that with a fundamentalist Christian subplot and I became a reluctant reader. But I'm very glad that I was talked into putting my reluctance aside and found, once I started reading the book, I was very quickly engaged.
THE SEX CLUB combines the two main threads - the bombing of the Family Planning Clinic and the death of Jessie. Whilst some elements of the perpetrator of the bombing are known up front, there is less revealed about the murder. This means that the reader watches as, under pressure and under threat, Kera and Jackson must resolve everything - the bomber's identify and motives, the murder's identity and motives and whether the events are connected. And they must do all of that in time to stop any further bombings or murders. It's a well developed methodology, and the storytelling makes the interweaving of these threads believable, complicated but not complex, and engaging.
This book is a debut book and as an opening salvo in getting to know, in particular, Detective Jackson (who has his name on the ongoing series) it was a good start. There was a lot explained about both Jackson and Kera's backgrounds. Both characters do suffer a little from overtly damaged pasts (leading to much scope for mutual understanding and noble intentions), but overall Jackson, in particular, is an interesting character juggling the challenges of a demanding job and single-fatherhood to a teenage daughter. Of the supporting characters, perhaps the least successful is the perpetrator of the bombing - in whose head the reader spends a fair amount of time. It could be that the character was somewhat unconvincing, having said that, as I write this review I'm aware that it could also very well be that somebody that fanatical is.. frankly... completely offputting and impossible to understand.
In the main, THE SEX CLUB is a book that tackles issues that some readers are going to find contentious. For what it's worth, I thought that each of the difficult aspects were handled with sensitivity, although I should imagine that a slight tendency to "lecture" on some aspects might annoy some readers. Having said that, the sheer tackling of these issues alone is undoubtedly going to annoy some readers. On a personal level I was quite surprised that something built around perpetrators with viewpoints that I would normally leave to other readers worked as well as it did, and I'm looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
November 6, 2010
I have to admit, this book surprised me! I am rather passionate about American Crime Fiction and when “The Sex Club” by L.J. Sellers arrived I attacked it with gusto, uncertain of what I’d find between the covers - I certainly wasn't disappointed. It’s great to get the chance to review an Indie title – I have to make time for more if this is the quality waiting to be read. Available from Amazon.
Forgetting that this is her debut offering, L.J. has without doubt hit the ground running – an intelligent and well delivered plot, a taut narrative and natural dialogue throughout. The novel had me guessing right to the end and despite taking great pride in usually guessing how a book will end; I didn’t get everything right with this one!
Introducing Detective Wade Jackson, the lead character for “The Sex Club”, L.J. Sellers brings us a fallible but likeable cop. He’s not perfect, has little control over his life and has a hard time opening up to people – that is until he meets Kera Kollmorgan, a registered nurse and Youth Outreach Coordinator at Planned Parenthood – a birth control clinic. Slowly but surely he changes.
I found Jackson refreshing and I warmed to his character immediately. He has enough to worry about - estranged from his alcoholic wife and a teenage daughter he doesn’t see enough of, he’s married to his job and works all the hours God sends.
The story begins at a frenetic and powerful pace - A pipe bomb explodes outside the clinic, sending Kera crashing to the floor and while she loses consciousness a patient fights for her life when a piece of glass is imbedded in her neck.
When thirteen year old Jessie leaves the clinic in a hurry, narrowly missing the explosion, and turns up dead in a dumpster just hours later, it brings about unwanted attention to a young Bible Group. Patient confidentiality raises its ugly head and Kera is torn between doing the right thing and respecting her young, but dead, patient.
Full Review on my blog http://www.milorambles.com/2010/11/06...
Forgetting that this is her debut offering, L.J. has without doubt hit the ground running – an intelligent and well delivered plot, a taut narrative and natural dialogue throughout. The novel had me guessing right to the end and despite taking great pride in usually guessing how a book will end; I didn’t get everything right with this one!
Introducing Detective Wade Jackson, the lead character for “The Sex Club”, L.J. Sellers brings us a fallible but likeable cop. He’s not perfect, has little control over his life and has a hard time opening up to people – that is until he meets Kera Kollmorgan, a registered nurse and Youth Outreach Coordinator at Planned Parenthood – a birth control clinic. Slowly but surely he changes.
I found Jackson refreshing and I warmed to his character immediately. He has enough to worry about - estranged from his alcoholic wife and a teenage daughter he doesn’t see enough of, he’s married to his job and works all the hours God sends.
The story begins at a frenetic and powerful pace - A pipe bomb explodes outside the clinic, sending Kera crashing to the floor and while she loses consciousness a patient fights for her life when a piece of glass is imbedded in her neck.
When thirteen year old Jessie leaves the clinic in a hurry, narrowly missing the explosion, and turns up dead in a dumpster just hours later, it brings about unwanted attention to a young Bible Group. Patient confidentiality raises its ugly head and Kera is torn between doing the right thing and respecting her young, but dead, patient.
Full Review on my blog http://www.milorambles.com/2010/11/06...
April 22, 2012
It’s no wonder this book came highly recommended by so many readers. When I was one quarter of the way through, I was already searching for the other books in the series.
The Sex Club is so well written, it’s like you’re reading a transcript of life itself. The characters are unique, but very real and the situations that they come across are equal to any you would happen on in your day to day puttering. When people meet, it is a true, honest meeting of two individuals, when a relationship develops, it comes naturally. Many would push the relationships, throwing together the people they want to be involved, which creates a sort of false reality. In that kind of situation, things are too fast, too obvious, too set up. The natural flow of this novel is such that you pick it up, start reading and realize you’re halfway through and don’t want to put it down.
I was trying to explain the complex, yet easy flowing style of this book to a friend and the easiest way to describe what I was reading was to say that if they liked the television show The Closer, they would probably want to pick up this book. Within these pages you will find more than one mystery. There are layers of questions to be answered and the reality of the book is that you will find yourself as desperate to find out about the people as you are to find the answers to your questions, and as is the case with the first book of any series, I think this one is guaranteed to make you hurry back for more.
Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.
The Sex Club is so well written, it’s like you’re reading a transcript of life itself. The characters are unique, but very real and the situations that they come across are equal to any you would happen on in your day to day puttering. When people meet, it is a true, honest meeting of two individuals, when a relationship develops, it comes naturally. Many would push the relationships, throwing together the people they want to be involved, which creates a sort of false reality. In that kind of situation, things are too fast, too obvious, too set up. The natural flow of this novel is such that you pick it up, start reading and realize you’re halfway through and don’t want to put it down.
I was trying to explain the complex, yet easy flowing style of this book to a friend and the easiest way to describe what I was reading was to say that if they liked the television show The Closer, they would probably want to pick up this book. Within these pages you will find more than one mystery. There are layers of questions to be answered and the reality of the book is that you will find yourself as desperate to find out about the people as you are to find the answers to your questions, and as is the case with the first book of any series, I think this one is guaranteed to make you hurry back for more.
Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.
August 27, 2011
I have just finished this book, the first in the Detective Jackson series, and started on book 2 "Secrets to Die for" - which tells its own story?
The books appealed to me as after I had chatted to the author on Twitter, I went off to read about her books. On reading the reviews of them, I was fairly certain I would enjoy them so I immediately went to Amazon and downloaded the whole series to my Kindle. I managed to read the 1st book in a very short time as I found myself picking it up at every opportunity, even when I woke up during the night I reached out for it.... It was easy to read and to follow the story. I like it when there are not too many characters so you don't have to keep trying to remember who they all are!
To be honest if I hadn't read the review I wouldn't have gone for this book because of the title, I found it a bit off putting. Having read the book, it makes sense, but I didn't care for it and I am just glad I had been directed to these books as I might not have found them on my own.
Detective Jackson, I liked. He was a normal guy with problems, both in the job and at home, and I found him to be very believable, and I cared about him pretty quickly. It was a delicate subject, yet it was handled well, I wont say any more as I don't want to give the plot away, but I shared the horror with Jackson as he began to realise what was going on and how close to home it might have been.
It was a roller coaster ride, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I am now off for a fresh cup of coffee and continue with book 2, with that lovely feeling of having more waiting to be read!
The books appealed to me as after I had chatted to the author on Twitter, I went off to read about her books. On reading the reviews of them, I was fairly certain I would enjoy them so I immediately went to Amazon and downloaded the whole series to my Kindle. I managed to read the 1st book in a very short time as I found myself picking it up at every opportunity, even when I woke up during the night I reached out for it.... It was easy to read and to follow the story. I like it when there are not too many characters so you don't have to keep trying to remember who they all are!
To be honest if I hadn't read the review I wouldn't have gone for this book because of the title, I found it a bit off putting. Having read the book, it makes sense, but I didn't care for it and I am just glad I had been directed to these books as I might not have found them on my own.
Detective Jackson, I liked. He was a normal guy with problems, both in the job and at home, and I found him to be very believable, and I cared about him pretty quickly. It was a delicate subject, yet it was handled well, I wont say any more as I don't want to give the plot away, but I shared the horror with Jackson as he began to realise what was going on and how close to home it might have been.
It was a roller coaster ride, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I am now off for a fresh cup of coffee and continue with book 2, with that lovely feeling of having more waiting to be read!
August 30, 2011
A female church-goer just bombed a clinic in Eugene Oregon, a clinic which routinely performs abortions. She sees nothing whacked with contorting bible verses to justify her actions and appeases her conscience by telling herself she's doing it for God and if she gets away with her heinous behaviors, hey, that's only confirmation that she's doing His will. She sees murder of the unborn as wrong but what? It's okay for her to murder those in the clinic? Hey, she's a contortionist, twisting God's word to her liking.
A three-inch chunk of glass from the bombing, got wedged in the neck of a young girl and they don't know whether she's going to make it. The bomber saw a girl in the area who looks like a young church member, a close friend of her daughter.
A young girl is found dead in a dumpster and a well-known man in a high position looks like the likeliest suspect. Another body turns up.
The author brings to light something that is all too common today, even in our pretty-packaged Christian schools and churches. Aren't those the exact places we'd least expect this?
There are some things I would question in here about police procedure and other issues however, this is so well-done otherwise. Kept me drawn in and wanting to see what happens next. There is so much going on in "The Sex Club," and most of it surrounds a legalistic Baptist church which twists God's word in so many ways, from the justification in one woman's mind of destroying those who work in abortion clinics, to the twisting of God's word in the discipline of our own children. Who would want to become a Christian if this is the way God is represented?
A three-inch chunk of glass from the bombing, got wedged in the neck of a young girl and they don't know whether she's going to make it. The bomber saw a girl in the area who looks like a young church member, a close friend of her daughter.
A young girl is found dead in a dumpster and a well-known man in a high position looks like the likeliest suspect. Another body turns up.
The author brings to light something that is all too common today, even in our pretty-packaged Christian schools and churches. Aren't those the exact places we'd least expect this?
There are some things I would question in here about police procedure and other issues however, this is so well-done otherwise. Kept me drawn in and wanting to see what happens next. There is so much going on in "The Sex Club," and most of it surrounds a legalistic Baptist church which twists God's word in so many ways, from the justification in one woman's mind of destroying those who work in abortion clinics, to the twisting of God's word in the discipline of our own children. Who would want to become a Christian if this is the way God is represented?
October 23, 2011
Kera Kollmorgan works at the Planned Parenting Clinic; she is a trained nurse who is working as a health care worker giving confidential advice to women about contraception and sexual health issues. Some of her clients are young teenage girls. Abortions are carried out at the clinic and this has led to protesters standing regularly outside the building. So security is a top priority at the clinic.
However one quiet Tuesday morning a pipe bomb explodes in the clinic. Causing damage and badly injuring one person. Nothing like this as happened before in the peaceful town of Eugene, Oregon. Detective Wade Jackson has been a police officer for half his life and has the most experienced detective he is put in charge of the investigation to find the person responsible for planting the bomb.
Who would do such a horrible thing and what were they thinking?
Then when a young teenage girl who attended the clinic and was one of Kera’s clients, is found dead in a dumpster not long after sending Kera an unfinished email. Kera discovers that the girl Jessie Davenport belongs to a group called Teen Talk a group of Christian teenagers that meet up for a Bible study group. Kera discovers that the teenagers may have been using their free time to do something far more exciting than Bible study. Have they been rebelling against the strict religious upbringing their parents have forced on them and what lengths are they prepared to go to keep their club secret?
Another brilliant crime mystery story by L.J. Sellers packed with suspense and the unexpected. A really well thought out storyline with a strong cast of characters that make this a not to be missed read.
However one quiet Tuesday morning a pipe bomb explodes in the clinic. Causing damage and badly injuring one person. Nothing like this as happened before in the peaceful town of Eugene, Oregon. Detective Wade Jackson has been a police officer for half his life and has the most experienced detective he is put in charge of the investigation to find the person responsible for planting the bomb.
Who would do such a horrible thing and what were they thinking?
Then when a young teenage girl who attended the clinic and was one of Kera’s clients, is found dead in a dumpster not long after sending Kera an unfinished email. Kera discovers that the girl Jessie Davenport belongs to a group called Teen Talk a group of Christian teenagers that meet up for a Bible study group. Kera discovers that the teenagers may have been using their free time to do something far more exciting than Bible study. Have they been rebelling against the strict religious upbringing their parents have forced on them and what lengths are they prepared to go to keep their club secret?
Another brilliant crime mystery story by L.J. Sellers packed with suspense and the unexpected. A really well thought out storyline with a strong cast of characters that make this a not to be missed read.
March 7, 2016
THE SEX CLUB is (technically) a police procedural in that it is a Detective (Wade) Jackson Mystery and L.J. Sellers follows the police investigation in the book with a remarkable eye for detail. However, the story starts and ends with Kera Kollmorgan, a doctor working for Planned Parenthood in Eugene, Oregon. And the story starts off with a bang – literally – when a bomb goes off at the clinic where Kera works.
Things quickly turn even uglier when Kera becomes the unwitting focus of the unhinged anti-abortionist's deadly assaults AND a girl she's treated for genital warts ends up murdered and stuffed in a Dumpster.
The story follows the two incidents, creating two plotlines, and shifts deftly back and forth between two points of view – Jackson, a single parent with an adolescent daughter and a boatload of guilt about spending insufficient time with her, and Kera, who's suffered more than her share of personal loss in the form of a dead son (who died in Iraq) and estranged husband (who abandoned her).
Sellers builds suspense to the point where it's almost unbearable and weaves the plotlines seamlessly together. It got to the point where I simply couldn't click through the pages on my Kindle fast enough. This book kept me up way past my bedtime to see what would happen next.
The fact that the story is in Eugene is kind of icing on the cake for me, since I'm somewhat familiar with the town and enjoyed reading about it.
Read the entire review at http://thebookgrrl.blogspot.com/2011/...
Things quickly turn even uglier when Kera becomes the unwitting focus of the unhinged anti-abortionist's deadly assaults AND a girl she's treated for genital warts ends up murdered and stuffed in a Dumpster.
The story follows the two incidents, creating two plotlines, and shifts deftly back and forth between two points of view – Jackson, a single parent with an adolescent daughter and a boatload of guilt about spending insufficient time with her, and Kera, who's suffered more than her share of personal loss in the form of a dead son (who died in Iraq) and estranged husband (who abandoned her).
Sellers builds suspense to the point where it's almost unbearable and weaves the plotlines seamlessly together. It got to the point where I simply couldn't click through the pages on my Kindle fast enough. This book kept me up way past my bedtime to see what would happen next.
The fact that the story is in Eugene is kind of icing on the cake for me, since I'm somewhat familiar with the town and enjoyed reading about it.
Read the entire review at http://thebookgrrl.blogspot.com/2011/...
July 29, 2013
This is the first book I've read from L.J. Sellers and I'm so glad I chose it. It's hard to believe that young teens are doing the things they do today, but this book clearly demonstrates that.
Kera Kollmorgan is a planned parenthood counselor and she finds herself in a whirlwind of mess with young teens in a sex club. And knowing that confidentiality is the key to keeping her job secure, she finds herself in a huge bind when she meets a young thirteen year old named Nicole.
The connection that Nicole has to this case is something that Kera could not possibly fathom. So, when Nicole abruptly leaves the clinic after a session with Kera, to only find herself a corpse in a dumpster short hours later.
Now enters Detective Wade Jackson, who has the skill and know how to get a case done, but not without his fair share of problems, from corruption in his department and a huge leak that fuels the media frenzy.
When all the pieces of the puzzle come together, what the reader discovers is a sad case with a great ending. This story was weaved well and it will definitely keep you turning the pages. A great thriller indeed! I can't wait to delve into more of the Detective Wade Jackson series.
Kera Kollmorgan is a planned parenthood counselor and she finds herself in a whirlwind of mess with young teens in a sex club. And knowing that confidentiality is the key to keeping her job secure, she finds herself in a huge bind when she meets a young thirteen year old named Nicole.
The connection that Nicole has to this case is something that Kera could not possibly fathom. So, when Nicole abruptly leaves the clinic after a session with Kera, to only find herself a corpse in a dumpster short hours later.
Now enters Detective Wade Jackson, who has the skill and know how to get a case done, but not without his fair share of problems, from corruption in his department and a huge leak that fuels the media frenzy.
When all the pieces of the puzzle come together, what the reader discovers is a sad case with a great ending. This story was weaved well and it will definitely keep you turning the pages. A great thriller indeed! I can't wait to delve into more of the Detective Wade Jackson series.
August 11, 2021
I was worried about this book just from the title, LOL. It was so much more than I could have imagined. Detective Jackson is our main character and we get to work the crimes through his eyes. We also get bits and pieces from all the other characters and can watch the plot unfold. The author has excellent writing abilities. She can pull you in like you are there. She gives you enough information that you know what’s coming. Or better yet, you THINK you know what’s coming. I love this book so much! The writing style, the characters, the crime solving, the twists and turns, the roller coaster of emotions, all of it!! Get ready to stay up all night
March 30, 2012
This is an engrossing reminder that kids are no longer innocent. If they ever were.
From the time a pipe bomb goes off in a birth control clinic, to the ending I almost didn't see coming, this held my attention.
Supposedly Jackson, the detective, is the protagonist but it's really Kera, the nurse at the clnic who notices several young girls coming in for help with different problems like genital warts. Some say they're from the high school, but she recognizes several from the middle school.
When one of them is found nude in a dumpster, Kera wants to confide what she knows to the police but the confidentiality laws prohibit her.
Several characters besides Kera and Jackson have viewpoints, including the fundamentalist mother of one of the girls and the girls themselves. A Christian Teen Talk group becomes the focus, a place for kids to have sex and boast about it on private chat rooms that Kera gets access to.
Upsetting read for parents who may not realize how jaded a thirteen-year-old is in today's society.
From the time a pipe bomb goes off in a birth control clinic, to the ending I almost didn't see coming, this held my attention.
Supposedly Jackson, the detective, is the protagonist but it's really Kera, the nurse at the clnic who notices several young girls coming in for help with different problems like genital warts. Some say they're from the high school, but she recognizes several from the middle school.
When one of them is found nude in a dumpster, Kera wants to confide what she knows to the police but the confidentiality laws prohibit her.
Several characters besides Kera and Jackson have viewpoints, including the fundamentalist mother of one of the girls and the girls themselves. A Christian Teen Talk group becomes the focus, a place for kids to have sex and boast about it on private chat rooms that Kera gets access to.
Upsetting read for parents who may not realize how jaded a thirteen-year-old is in today's society.
May 23, 2013
This book was recommended to me by a good friend. I have never read her but was intrigued that she writes about Eugene and Portland Oregon. I have visited their many times so I thought I would give her a try. What a story. Kera Kollmorgan is a nurse who works at a planned parenthood in Eugene. Her client today is a 13yr old girl who is coming to her to treat a STD. She is concerned that she is so long and why is having sex. She does some research and finds out she is not the only middle school girl to get treated. She later finds out that the kids are using a Teen Talk gathering where their parents think it is a bible study. The kids were having sex. Mind you, these are God fearing people who believe that fornication is immoral. One of the parents is the one who set the bomb and is after the abortion nurse. Her vendetta against the nurse leads her to kill her own daughter. The detective is faced with trying to solve the murders of two young girls. Very good book and I recommend it. Downloading the next book.
September 1, 2016
On the same day that a bomb explodes at a Planned Parenthood clinic, a local teenager is found murdered. Are the two crimes connected? Detective Jackson has his hands full as clues begin to point in politically unfavorable directions. Kera, a nurse at the clinic who is constrained by confidentiality, begins a little investigating of her own and discovers that the local teen bible study group isn't quite what it appears.
The Sex Club has enough intrigue and suspense that you won't want to put it down, and it's a quick read. My complaints are few: Although Ms. Sellers would find me a friend on the same end of the political spectrum, even I had a hard time swallowing the big fat agenda being stuffed down my throat while trying to remain engaged with the story. It's not subtle. Sellers' primary "villain" is painfully 1-dimensional. It's hard to believe that someone with such intense compulsions could have a genuinely successful semblance of a normal life. Finally, as others have mentioned, the chat room scenes are wholly unbelievable, for so many reasons.
The Sex Club has enough intrigue and suspense that you won't want to put it down, and it's a quick read. My complaints are few: Although Ms. Sellers would find me a friend on the same end of the political spectrum, even I had a hard time swallowing the big fat agenda being stuffed down my throat while trying to remain engaged with the story. It's not subtle. Sellers' primary "villain" is painfully 1-dimensional. It's hard to believe that someone with such intense compulsions could have a genuinely successful semblance of a normal life. Finally, as others have mentioned, the chat room scenes are wholly unbelievable, for so many reasons.
September 18, 2014
When the author described her main character's heart rate as beating like a V Twin Harley engine I nearly quit reading and deleted the work from my Kindle app. The writing is at best of journeyman quality and frequently so simplistic that one wonders how all the accolades she has evidently garnered were bestowed.
Compounding the often grade school sentence structure is the obvious liberal biases of the author. Perhaps she was writing for the approval of the denizens of Eugene from which she evidently hails. If so she probably succeeded.
Her heroine gets her news from MSNBC and subscribes to Mother Jones.
The bad guys are Christian Conservatives and the righteous do-gooders are the Planned Parenthood workers whose only concern is safe sex for teenagers.
Among the incredible features of the work is that the primary bad guy is a Republican mayor of Eugene. That is about as likely as a Republican getting elected in Madison, Wisconsin.
Save your time and money and find another author, unless this kind of drivel appeals to you.
Compounding the often grade school sentence structure is the obvious liberal biases of the author. Perhaps she was writing for the approval of the denizens of Eugene from which she evidently hails. If so she probably succeeded.
Her heroine gets her news from MSNBC and subscribes to Mother Jones.
The bad guys are Christian Conservatives and the righteous do-gooders are the Planned Parenthood workers whose only concern is safe sex for teenagers.
Among the incredible features of the work is that the primary bad guy is a Republican mayor of Eugene. That is about as likely as a Republican getting elected in Madison, Wisconsin.
Save your time and money and find another author, unless this kind of drivel appeals to you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 295 reviews