Cold Fire by Dean Koontz
Fiction, 1991, 421 pages
Ratings : 4.0 (Amazon 4.0)
Recommended by : Carol Conti
Summary:
From Library Journal Teacher: Jim Ironheart, aptly named, is sent by forces unknown to save chosen people in life-threatening situations. By chance, a young but jaded reporter stumbles onto his missions, and joins him to investigate who is controlling him and why. Shared nightmares begin to point to an extraterrestrial influence, and the pair are forced to confront Ironheart's forgotten past for answers. Koontz ( The Bad Place , LJ 12/89), a master at maintaining mystery and suspense, weaves themes from earlier novels into this latest thriller. Even if the ending calls to mind DuMaurier and Hitchcock, Cold Fire contains all the ingredients--likable characters, nail-biting suspense, and above all, unlimited imagination--that will please Koontz's fans.
Recommendation : Typical Koontz novel.....a unusual premise is part of the plot. An enjoyable story with characters I liked.....Jim Ironheart & Holly.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Darkfall
Darkfall by Dean Koontz
Fiction, 1987, 371 pages
Ratings : 4.0 (Amazon 4.0)
Recommended by : John Polzer
Summary :
From B&N Review: In this great suspense by Dean Koontz we follow two detectives, Jack Dawson and Rebecca Chandler, as they try to uncover the horrifying murders that are going on to the Carramazzaas. The Carramazzaas are a family of drug dealers, whose killer is supposedly rats. But how could rats get away with murder or even commit such an act of violence and not even leave a trace? Soon Jack believes that these killings could just very well be the act of voodoo. Carter Hampton, a man who practices good voodoo, helps Jack uncover their culprit, Baba Levelle. Soon those “creatures” of Baba’s are after Detective Dawson’s children, Penny and Davey. As soon as Jack finds out that Lavelle is after his kids, he tries to hide them, but that didn’t work. As they encounter these creatures we find out that they can’t touch Jack, that they’re afraid to be near him. As Jack gets help from Carver, Rebecca, Penny, and Davey decided that they might be safe if they get in a cathedral, but they were wrong. This book keeps you on your toes the whole way through. If you’re into suspense mixed with the supernatural you’ll love this read!
Once I got past skepticism about voodoo, I enjoyed the book.
Recommendation: If you enjoy Dean Koontz's style of fiction, you will enjoy this book. I liked the characters in the book.
Fiction, 1987, 371 pages
Ratings : 4.0 (Amazon 4.0)
Recommended by : John Polzer
Summary :
From B&N Review: In this great suspense by Dean Koontz we follow two detectives, Jack Dawson and Rebecca Chandler, as they try to uncover the horrifying murders that are going on to the Carramazzaas. The Carramazzaas are a family of drug dealers, whose killer is supposedly rats. But how could rats get away with murder or even commit such an act of violence and not even leave a trace? Soon Jack believes that these killings could just very well be the act of voodoo. Carter Hampton, a man who practices good voodoo, helps Jack uncover their culprit, Baba Levelle. Soon those “creatures” of Baba’s are after Detective Dawson’s children, Penny and Davey. As soon as Jack finds out that Lavelle is after his kids, he tries to hide them, but that didn’t work. As they encounter these creatures we find out that they can’t touch Jack, that they’re afraid to be near him. As Jack gets help from Carver, Rebecca, Penny, and Davey decided that they might be safe if they get in a cathedral, but they were wrong. This book keeps you on your toes the whole way through. If you’re into suspense mixed with the supernatural you’ll love this read!
Once I got past skepticism about voodoo, I enjoyed the book.
Recommendation: If you enjoy Dean Koontz's style of fiction, you will enjoy this book. I liked the characters in the book.
Pardonable Lies : A Maisie Dobbs Novel
Pardonable Lies : A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear
Fiction, 2005, 340 pages
Ratings : 4.0 (Amazon 4.0)
Book Club : NY - B&N Mystery (June, 2007)
Summary :
From Publishers Weekly: Agatha-winner Winspear's engrossing third Maisie Dobbs novel maintains the high quality of its predecessors, Maisie Dobbs (2003) and Birds of a Feather (2004). In late 1930, the London "psychologist and investigator" gets involved in three cases: proving the innocence of a 13-year-old farm girl, Avril Jarvis, accused of murder; undertaking a search for Sir Cecil Lawton's only son, a pilot shot down behind enemy lines in WWI, whose body was never recovered; and looking into the circumstances of the death of her university friend Priscilla Evernden Partridge's brother in France during the war. Maisie must go back to the region where, 13 years earlier, she served as a nurse, and confront her memories of mud, blood and loss. Filled with convincing characters, this is a complex tale of healing, of truth and half-truth, of long-held secrets, some, perhaps, to be held forever. Winspear writes seamlessly, enriching the whole with vivid details of English life on a variety of social levels.
The second Maisie Dobbs novel I've read. I enjoy the character and the setting. Set in the 1930's, there aren't the forensic technologies of today, so Maisie solves the mysteries by observation and the understanding of human nature. She reminds me of a Sherlock Holmes or "Monk".
Recommendation : I enjoy this series and will probably read more of Jacqueline Winspear's novels. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a mystery.
Fiction, 2005, 340 pages
Ratings : 4.0 (Amazon 4.0)
Book Club : NY - B&N Mystery (June, 2007)
Summary :
From Publishers Weekly: Agatha-winner Winspear's engrossing third Maisie Dobbs novel maintains the high quality of its predecessors, Maisie Dobbs (2003) and Birds of a Feather (2004). In late 1930, the London "psychologist and investigator" gets involved in three cases: proving the innocence of a 13-year-old farm girl, Avril Jarvis, accused of murder; undertaking a search for Sir Cecil Lawton's only son, a pilot shot down behind enemy lines in WWI, whose body was never recovered; and looking into the circumstances of the death of her university friend Priscilla Evernden Partridge's brother in France during the war. Maisie must go back to the region where, 13 years earlier, she served as a nurse, and confront her memories of mud, blood and loss. Filled with convincing characters, this is a complex tale of healing, of truth and half-truth, of long-held secrets, some, perhaps, to be held forever. Winspear writes seamlessly, enriching the whole with vivid details of English life on a variety of social levels.
The second Maisie Dobbs novel I've read. I enjoy the character and the setting. Set in the 1930's, there aren't the forensic technologies of today, so Maisie solves the mysteries by observation and the understanding of human nature. She reminds me of a Sherlock Holmes or "Monk".
Recommendation : I enjoy this series and will probably read more of Jacqueline Winspear's novels. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a mystery.
A Deadly Vineyard Holiday
A Deadly Vineyard Holiday by Philip R. Craig
Fiction, 1997, 225 pages
Ratings: 3.5 (Amazon 4.0)
Book Club : NY - B&N Mystery (July, 2007)
Summary:
From Booklist : President Callahan (read Clinton) and his family are vacationing on Martha's Vineyard when J. W. Jackson encounters the First Teen during a predawn excursion for bluefish. Cricket Callahan (read Chelsea) and her entourage of Secret Service agents come to spend a few days with J. W. and his wife, Zee, allowing her a normal teenager's summer, however briefly. Cricket needs protection even more than usual, forcing J. W. to thwart a plan to attack her. Jackson's relations with women--Zee, Cricket, Cricket's female Secret Service guard Karen--are warm, easygoing, and just a bit tangled by the Mars/Venus thing. Beyond the appealing characters and the Clinton parallels, the real fun here comes in meandering across the island and its culture. Craig knows the Vineyard intimately and uses that knowledge in intriguing ways. A nice addition to this series, but it could have used a better--and more Clintonesque--title.
Although the plot was rather predictable, there were no bizzare or violent twists and turns. The main characters, J. W., his wife Zee and Cricket....were all likeable, and I enjoyed the setting which was Martha's Vineyard.
Recommendation : I didn't realize it was a series, and I might pick up another book about J.W. & Zee. A good light summer read.
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