MEMORY MAN (Pol Proc-Amos Decker-Burlington, -Contemp) – 1st in series – David Baldacci Amos Decker is a former professional football player whose career was ended by a terrible hit. Now a police detective, Amos is still haunted by a side effect from the accident he can never forget. One night Decker comes home from a stakeout to find his wife, young daughter and brother-in-law horrifically murdered. Obviously scarred and nearly broken. Decker has to use his skills as a detective and his unusual brain capacity to try to catch the monster who killed his family.
Christine – VG – Liked the book, loved the storytelling and the characters. The ending was a bit over the top, but it kept her going as she read it in two days. A very entertaining book. Charlotte - VG - She really enjoyed it. The protagonists mental “conditions” were fascinating and she liked the him. It was good entertainment. Charlotte’s sister also read the book and rated it as G+ - It kept her at full attention all the way through. It was a great airplane book. LJ – Ex - I felt Baldacci drew a painfully accurate portrait of someone who has hit bottom and is trying to work their way back. Decker’s conditions/abilities were fascinating. There were numerous plot twists where you thought you know where they story was going, but then it didn’t quite. I found it fascinating to see how the protag tracked the motive for the case back into the past. The climax was very well done and the final chapter touching and gratifying. Marcy G – G – She didn’t care for the main character although she liked his characteristics. She felt there were too many coincidences and the end was over the top. However, it did keep her reading and she did finish it.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: VG
LITTLE BLACK LIES (Myst-Catrin/Callum/Rachel-The Falkland Islands-Contemp) – Standalone – Sharon (S.J.) Bolton In such a small community as the Falkland Islands, a missing child is unheard of. In such a dangerous landscape it can only be a terrible tragedy. When another child goes missing, and then a third, it's no longer possible to believe that their deaths were accidental, and the villagers must admit that there is a murderer among them. Even Catrin Quinn, a damaged woman living a reclusive life after the accidental deaths of her own two sons a few years ago, gets involved in the searches and the speculation. And suddenly, in this wild and beautiful place that generations have called home, no one feels safe and the hysteria begins to rise. But three islanders--Catrin, her childhood best friend, Rachel, and her ex-lover Callum--are hiding terrible secrets. And they have two things in common: all three of them are grieving, and none of them trust anyone, not even themselves.
LJ – Ex – Bolton is an author who makes you stop and consider. She also makes you feel. It was interesting having it story set in the Faulklands and she does a wonderful job of providing some history or the island and the war, as well as describing it as it is now. The construct of the story is interesting with three, strong characters telling their perspective of events. Bolton makes what could be an awkward device, work extremely well. It is an excellent books with a very powerful, did-NOT-see-that-coming ending. Marcy G – Ex – She loved it. You’re not certain, at first, whether you want to read it because of the prologue, which isn’t brutal but is rather painful. The book has three strong, good characters, with a central incident told from the three different perspectives. You might think that wouldn’t work, but it does, and it works really well. The writing is very good and the story has excellent twists. Bolton conveys emotions very well, and writes excellent descriptions.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Ex
EASTWARD IN EDEN (Mys-Owen Keane-Kenya-Contemp) – 8th in series – Terence Faherty Two years after witnessing a devastating suicide, Owen Keane, metaphysical detective, travels to rural Kenya, hoping to lose himself where no one will think to look for him. Instead, he finds another mystery: the murder of a charismatic stranger who claimed to be the reincarnation of a long dead warrior hero. To solve the mystery of his own future, Keane must pay for a life with a life.
Christine – DNF – She just couldn’t get into it. It wasn’t “her cup of tea.” Linda S – G+ - She liked it. She liked the characters and the set-up of the character; but not all of it panned out. She loved the setting but would have liked depth to both of the characters and of the setting. Really liked the supporting characters as well. They were, to her, the strength of the book. LJ – G+ - Very intriguing protagonist; a former seminarian who now solves mysteries. Unfortunately, we end up with unfilled questions about him, perhaps from not having read the previous books. Faherty is very good at introducing the characters, as well as providing a political and geographic frame of reference for the location. Very strong supporting characters, particularly young Basil. I enjoyed the references to “Magnum PI,” the quote from Andrew Greeley, and the dialogue in reference to “Sherlock Holmes.” There was also an interesting conversation of the struggle between those of faith and those without out. The author has a great voice, the twists were well done, but the pacing was a bit inconsistent.
Amos Decker is a former professional football player whose career was ended by a terrible hit. Now a police detective, Amos is still haunted by a side effect from the accident he can never forget. One night Decker comes home from a stakeout to find his wife, young daughter and brother-in-law horrifically murdered. Obviously scarred and nearly broken. Decker has to use his skills as a detective and his unusual brain capacity to try to catch the monster who killed his family.
Christine – VG – Liked the book, loved the storytelling and the characters. The ending was a bit over the top, but it kept her going as she read it in two days. A very entertaining book.
Charlotte - VG - She really enjoyed it. The protagonists mental “conditions” were fascinating and she liked the him. It was good entertainment. Charlotte’s sister also read the book and rated it as G+ - It kept her at full attention all the way through. It was a great airplane book.
LJ – Ex - I felt Baldacci drew a painfully accurate portrait of someone who has hit bottom and is trying to work their way back. Decker’s conditions/abilities were fascinating. There were numerous plot twists where you thought you know where they story was going, but then it didn’t quite. I found it fascinating to see how the protag tracked the motive for the case back into the past. The climax was very well done and the final chapter touching and gratifying.
Marcy G – G – She didn’t care for the main character although she liked his characteristics. She felt there were too many coincidences and the end was over the top. However, it did keep her reading and she did finish it.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: VG
LITTLE BLACK LIES (Myst-Catrin/Callum/Rachel-The Falkland Islands-Contemp) – Standalone – Sharon (S.J.) Bolton
In such a small community as the Falkland Islands, a missing child is unheard of. In such a dangerous landscape it can only be a terrible tragedy. When another child goes missing, and then a third, it's no longer possible to believe that their deaths were accidental, and the villagers must admit that there is a murderer among them. Even Catrin Quinn, a damaged woman living a reclusive life after the accidental deaths of her own two sons a few years ago, gets involved in the searches and the speculation. And suddenly, in this wild and beautiful place that generations have called home, no one feels safe and the hysteria begins to rise. But three islanders--Catrin, her childhood best friend, Rachel, and her ex-lover Callum--are hiding terrible secrets. And they have two things in common: all three of them are grieving, and none of them trust anyone, not even themselves.
LJ – Ex – Bolton is an author who makes you stop and consider. She also makes you feel. It was interesting having it story set in the Faulklands and she does a wonderful job of providing some history or the island and the war, as well as describing it as it is now. The construct of the story is interesting with three, strong characters telling their perspective of events. Bolton makes what could be an awkward device, work extremely well. It is an excellent books with a very powerful, did-NOT-see-that-coming ending.
Marcy G – Ex – She loved it. You’re not certain, at first, whether you want to read it because of the prologue, which isn’t brutal but is rather painful. The book has three strong, good characters, with a central incident told from the three different perspectives. You might think that wouldn’t work, but it does, and it works really well. The writing is very good and the story has excellent twists. Bolton conveys emotions very well, and writes excellent descriptions.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Ex
EASTWARD IN EDEN (Mys-Owen Keane-Kenya-Contemp) – 8th in series – Terence Faherty
Two years after witnessing a devastating suicide, Owen Keane, metaphysical detective, travels to rural Kenya, hoping to lose himself where no one will think to look for him. Instead, he finds another mystery: the murder of a charismatic stranger who claimed to be the reincarnation of a long dead warrior hero. To solve the mystery of his own future, Keane must pay for a life with a life.
Christine – DNF – She just couldn’t get into it. It wasn’t “her cup of tea.”
Linda S – G+ - She liked it. She liked the characters and the set-up of the character; but not all of it panned out. She loved the setting but would have liked depth to both of the characters and of the setting. Really liked the supporting characters as well. They were, to her, the strength of the book.
LJ – G+ - Very intriguing protagonist; a former seminarian who now solves mysteries. Unfortunately, we end up with unfilled questions about him, perhaps from not having read the previous books. Faherty is very good at introducing the characters, as well as providing a political and geographic frame of reference for the location. Very strong supporting characters, particularly young Basil. I enjoyed the references to “Magnum PI,” the quote from Andrew Greeley, and the dialogue in reference to “Sherlock Holmes.” There was also an interesting conversation of the struggle between those of faith and those without out. The author has a great voice, the twists were well done, but the pacing was a bit inconsistent.