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FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

August 23, 2016

A Chicago Stars Novel

First I ramble…

Many years ago I learned a speed reading technique of sorts. It’s not for reading books, but rather looking at books. As a librarian, we get in tons of new books every day and there is no way to read them all. But this technique, that started out as How to Read a Book in Five Minutes then progressed to Ten Minutes, is very helpful at getting a good feel for a book.

I decided to test it out and asked a co-worker, Barbara, to pick out five romances that she was very familiar with, since I hadn’t read a romance in probably twenty years. I locked myself in a room and spent about an hour using this technique and looking at these books. Then I sat down with Barbara and told her about each of the books. We were both astounded at how much I got out of these ten minute reads.

Spring forward a few years and I’m in library school, where my professor assigns us to read a book out of our comfort zone. I chose a romance, again because back then I wasn’t reading any. The book I selected was NATURAL BORN CHARMER, the winner of the American Library Association Genre Fiction Award as the Outstanding Romance of 2007. As I was reading it, I kept thinking it seemed so familiar yet I knew I had never read it. The further I went, the more it kept gnawing at me until I finally realized that one of those ten minute reads was by this same author.

I loved that book and by now I think I’ve read all her books, so I’m always excited when she has a new one. The Chicago Stars series is like most romance series, it is completely unnecessary to read them in any kind of order, they all stand alone beautifully. The series centers around the fictional Chicago Stars football team and each book is about one of the team. Phillips writes smart, sexy books that have a lot of humor, and I would say she is my favorite contemporary romance writer.

First Star I See Tonight is another excellent addition to the series and it has one of the prettiest covers Phillips has ever had.

Cooper Graham was the star quarterback for the Stars, and for some reason, a woman is following him. Piper Dove is that woman and she is determined to live up to her father’s legacy and become a top notch private detective. Except Graham spots her, so she improvises, telling him she’s actually his stalker, albeit a harmless one. And that my friends, is the “meet cute.”

Graham is newly retired from football, and has opened up an exclusive, swanky night club. He eventually hires Piper, ostensibly to help out with security – but she quickly becomes his bodyguard, not that he thinks he needs one. They are a great couple, but face a lot of bumps along the way. But this is a romance and a happy ending is required, and Phillips does not disappoint. Another winner in the Chicago Stars series, and a terrific read. I loved it.

8/16 Stacy Alesi AKA the BookBitch™

FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. William Morrow (August 23, 2016). ISBN 978-0062405616. 384p.

2 Comments | Book Reviews, Fiction, Romance | Permalink
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CURIOUS MINDS by Janet Evanovich & Phoef Sutton

August 17, 2016

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Knight and Moon Series, Book 1

In the first entry of the Knight and Moon series, Evanovich and Sutton have teamed up again (Wicked Charms) to introduce the eponymous Emerson Knight and Riley Moon. Moon is a Harvard MBA with her first job as an analyst for Blane-Grunwald, a large, privately held bank, and Knight is their largest depositor; young, good looking and a bit of an eccentric.

When Knight demands to see his gold deposits, Moon is dispatched to placate him at his home, Mysterioso Manor, which boasts wild animals roaming freely and a classic car collection. The two of them fall into an adventure looking for the missing Grunwald partner that gets significantly more dangerous as they stumble onto an evil plot to steal the world’s gold.

The humor occasionally borders on silly, but the one liners fly as fast and furious as the pages do in this auspicious start to the new series. Evanovich fans will find this series closer in style to the Stephanie Plum series rather than the slightly more sophisticated Fox & O’Hare series.

8/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

CURIOUS MINDS by Janet Evanovich & Phoef Sutton. Bantam (August 16, 2016). ISBN 978-0553392685. 336p.

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2 Comments | Book Reviews, Crime Fiction, Fiction | Tagged: Humor | Permalink
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RISE THE DARK by Michael Koryta

August 16, 2016

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Markus Novak Novels, Book 2

Markus Novak lost his wife when Garland Webb killed her and left her body in a ditch in Casadaga, Florida, home to a large psychic and spiritual community. Webb was never caught and Novak is on the hunt, his only clue is his wife’s last entry in her journal, the mysterious phrase, “rise the dark.”

Across the country in Montana, a high voltage linesman is accidentally killed while his best friend, Jay, is just a few feet away. Jay and his best friend’s sister, Sabrina, move away, ostensibly to keep Jay safe and on the ground. When the power goes out, he goes to work but Sabrina is kidnapped while Jay is instructed to take down some heavy duty power lines.

Meanwhile a beautiful young woman is traveling the country on her way to Montana, leaving a trail of dead bodies behind. These disparate stories eventually come together in a frightening story about the holes in the U.S. infrastructure and security, and a villain who seems too smart to be stopped. Novak’s dysfunctional family comes to the forefront in this excellent second book in the Markus Novak series.

8/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

RISE THE DARK by Michael Koryta. Little, Brown and Company (August 16, 2016). ISBN 978-0316293839. 400p.

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THE GIRL BEFORE by Rena Olsen

August 9, 2016

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Clara is home brushing her daughter’s hair when a group of armed men swarms the house, arresting her and her husband Glen, and taking all her daughters away. This disturbing scene is set at the opening of the novel, and the story moves back and forth in time in alternating chapters titled “Then” and “Now” until we piece together the horror that unravels Clara’s life.

The last thing Glen says to her is, “say nothing,” and as always, Clara is obedient to her husband. She learns that he is in jail, but she is in a psychiatric hospital under the watchful eye of a couple of federal agents and a therapist, and they force her into group therapy with other young women. Clara doesn’t understand why she is in this group; she feels her story is nothing like theirs.

But as the mystery of her life unfurls, Clara’s point of view starts to change. This is superb psychological suspense; Clara starts to question everything she thought she knew about her family and her life and slowly starts to emerge from her cocoon-like existence.

The Girl Before is a compelling, albeit difficult read, but is almost impossible to put down, much like Room by Emma Donoghue.

8/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE GIRL BEFORE by Rena Olsen. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (August 9, 2016). ISBN 978-1101982358. 320p.

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THE COMMODORE by P.T. Deutermann

August 7, 2016

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Ex-Naval Captain Peter Deutermann spent his career as an officer with the United States Navy. Upon retirement he commenced an equally successful career as an author of adventure novels, including several based on events during wartime.

The Commodore is his latest book and is based upon the sea battles surrounding the invasion of Guadalcanal by the Marines. Harmon Wolf is a naval officer born on a Minnesota Indian reservation. He has never been thought of as an acceptable career officer since he does not fit into the traditional image of a by the book sailor.

The navy has been taking a pounding by the Japanese fleet and admiral “Bull” Halsey, a maverick in his own right, is looking for non-traditional answers to that problem.

Wolf is appointed commander of a destroyer and immediately demonstrates an ability to bring aggressive solutions to problems. He quickly earns promotion by Halsey as Commodore of an entire destroyer squadron. Applying original answers to questions about naval tactics gains a much sought after victory over a Japanese fleet bringing reinforcements to Guadalcanal.

As always, Deutermann’s descriptions of naval engagements, military tactics, weapons and armament are couched in easy to understand language for the reader. His gift for language keeps his audience glued to the book, and easily picturing the situations populating the novel. When Wolf is injured during the battles and cannot be safely sent to sea, a unique solution to continuing making use of him is set up.

Very well done indeed.

8/16 Paul Lane

THE COMMODORE by P.T. Deutermann. St. Martin’s Press (August 2, 2016). ISBN 978-1250078070. 304p.

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YOU WILL KNOW ME by Megan Abbott

August 4, 2016

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I’m a long time Megan Abbott fan so I was just thrilled to see all the buzz this new book is getting. There have been great articles in The Atlantic, The Independent and The Guardian, and a great interview (and excerpt) in Entertainment Weekly.

In an ever so Olympic timely way, this domestic thriller is set in the world of competitive gymnastics – but not in the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan kind of way. In this story, the victim isn’t a gymnast at all, and is murdered.

Devon is a gymnastics prodigy, despite her deformed foot, the result of a childhood accident. The whole town vacillates between rooting for her and hating her for her immense talent. Her family is super supportive, to the point of pretty much ignoring her younger brother and going into serious debt to pay for all her coaching. Second mortgages are de rigeur in this world.

Devon is close with both her parents, who have been attending her meets and practices for as long as she can remember. But they are having some problems, there seems to be a distance between them. And once the murder happens, things really start to go awry.

Abbott has a deft hand with character development and building suspense, making this a really fast, really tense read. A great book to take on your last summer weekend to the beach.

AUTHOR BIO:

Megan Abbott is the Edgar®-winning author of the novels Queenpin, The Song Is You, Die a Little, Bury Me Deep, The End of Everything, Dare Me, and The Fever, which was chosen as one of the Best Books of the Summer by the New York Times, People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly and one of the Best Books of the Year by Amazon, National Public Radio, the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times.

Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Salon, the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Believer and the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Born in the Detroit area, she graduated from the University of Michigan and received her Ph.D. in English and American literature from New York University. She has taught at NYU, the State University of New York and the New School University. In 2013-14, she served as the John Grisham Writer in Residence at Ole Miss.

She is also the author of a nonfiction book, The Street Was Mine: White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction and Film Noir, and the editor of A Hell of a Woman, an anthology of female crime fiction. She has been nominated for many awards, including three Edgar® Awards, Hammett Prize, the Shirley Jackson Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Folio Prize.

To win YOU WILL KNOW ME by Megan Abbott, please send an email to contest@gmail.com with “YOU WILL KNOW ME” as the subject. You must include your U.S. street address in your email.

All entries must be received by Aug. 20, 2016. One (1) name will be drawn from all qualified entries and notified via email. This contest is open to all adults over 18 years of age in the United States only. Your prize will be sent by Tandem Literary.

One entry per email address. Subscribers to the monthly newsletter earn an extra entry into every contest. Follow this blog to earn another entry into every contest. Winners may win only one time per year (365 days) for contests with prizes of more than one book. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone.

YOU WILL KNOW ME by Megan Abbott. Little, Brown and Company (July 26, 2016). ISBN: 978-0316231077. 352p.

2 Comments | Crime Fiction, Fiction | Tagged: Thriller | Permalink
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PARADIME by Alan Glynn

August 3, 2016

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Danny Lynch is floundering since his return from Afghanistan, where he worked for a private company feeding the troops. He gets fired after witnessing a deadly riot.

Afraid to say anything, he meets with one of the corporate big shots who assures him all is well as long as he keeps his mouth shut, and offers to help Danny find a job. He is grateful for the job as a prep cook in a fancy midtown Manhattan restaurant; he is settling in, his girlfriend is happy he found a job and things seem to be looking up.

While looking out the kitchen window into the restaurant one afternoon, he sees a man who looks familiar. Very familiar. In fact, it is like looking in the mirror. Teddy Trager is the mega-successful founder of Paradime Capital, and Danny becomes obsessed with his doppelganger.

Eventually they meet with devastating results, and then things really start spiraling out of control. Suspend your disbelief and go along for a really fun, really fast rollercoaster ride with Danny.

Glynn wrote The Dark Fields, which was adapted into the movie and television series “Limitless.”

8/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

PARADIME by Alan Glynn. Picador (August 2, 2016). ISBN 978-1250061829. 272p.

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DARK MATTER by Blake Crouch

August 2, 2016

Blake Crouch entered the literary scene with his imaginative trilogy Wayward Pines, novels that centered upon an imaginative set of circumstances very different from most other books. Dark Matter delivers another scenario that involves a plot that sets the action in a different and certainly not ordinary setting.

Jason Dessen is a physics professor at a local university very happily married to Daniela, a woman that he has been in love with since meeting her years ago. They have a son named Charles who is an adolescent to be proud of. That Jason turned down a career involved with making brilliant strides in the world of physics in order to marry Daniela when she became pregnant does not enter his mind.

One evening while preparing for a family meal, Jason is called out to have a drink with a long time friend of his. He leaves the bar shortly after the drink but is stopped at gunpoint by a stranger, taken to a warehouse and put to sleep. He awakens strapped to a gurney and told by a person he does not know,”welcome back my friend.” He learns that he seemingly is a different Jason Dessen, one who has achieved something so far beyond what he has ever known that he will become world famous.

Crouch develops a story that should be labeled Science Fiction for want of a better term but involves the reader in a rapid fire journey that is as absorbing as any adventure that has been my pleasure to read. The book is relatively short and a must finish in one sitting. Crouch does not hide behind descriptions of future inventions taxing the imaginations of his readers but opens an imaginative set of circumstances that could exist in the world populated by his creation.

8/16 Paul Lane

DARK MATTER by Blake Crouch. Crown (July 26, 2016). ISBN 978-1101904220. 352p.

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DEAD JOKER by Ann Holt

July 28, 2016

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Hanne Wilhelmsen Novels, Book 5

Hanne Wilhelmsen is a middle-aged lesbian detective in Oslo, Norway who has a problem case fall in her lap. The Chief Prosecutor’s wife has been murdered – she was decapitated by her own antique sword, with her husband’s fingerprints all over it. Plus he’s offering up an alternative suspect who happens to have died a few weeks earlier.

Nonetheless, Wilhelmsen doesn’t really believe he’s guilty but even with her deputy, Billy T, helping, she has a hard time finding another suspect. Then a reporter is also decapitated and Wilhelmsen needs to figure out how the two deaths are related.

Meanwhile, her long time partner at home has been diagnosed with cancer and the stress of her home life and these cases is definitely taking its toll, all played out against the bleak Norwegian backdrop. The pacing is leisurely, especially for a Scandinavian thriller, but the character development almost makes up for it.

Holt is Norway’s former Minister of Justice. Readers who enjoy Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series or Karin Fossum’s Inspector Sejer series will feel like they are back in Scandinavia.

7/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

DEAD JOKER by Ann Holt. Scribner (July 26, 2016). ISBN 978-1501123269. 368p.

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THE GIRLS IN THE GARDEN by Lisa Jewell

July 27, 2016

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In the aftermath of a community party, a girl falls victim to a terrible attack. She’s found unconscious by her younger sister while their mother lay passed out drunk in their nearby flat.

Months earlier, in the wake of another tragedy and short on funds, Clare and her two daughters, Grace and Pip, were forced to move into a small London flat. The new home offered two positives: a chance to hide from their past and the unexpected hidden gem of a communal garden. As months passed, the family made friends amongst their neighbors. But now the quiet safety of their new existence has been shattered. And everyone is a potential suspect.

Jewell’s latest begins with the attack in question. It’s a fairly shocking start to the book, but after this opening chapter the reader is launched backward in time to “Before.” In fact, Jewell takes the story months back in the characters’ timeline with Clare, Pip, and Grace having just moved into their new flat. And it’s clear as soon as we meet this family that something horrible has happened. Something that has forced them to uproot and basically hide in this new neighborhood.

This particular start and immediate flash backward sets a great tone for the book as a whole – one that hints at secrets and possible clues to the eventual attack around every corner. That suspicion and the deliberate pacing of the book make for a quite suspenseful and utterly enjoyable read. And the end was one even I didn’t fully see coming.

7/16 Becky LeJeune

THE GIRLS IN THE GARDEN by Lisa Jewell. Atria Books (June 7, 2016). ISBN: 978-1476792217. 320p.

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