Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

DON’T LOOK BACK by Gregg Hurwitz

August 21, 2014

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Eve Hardaway, mother of one, and just left by her husband decides to take the trip of a lifetime. She goes to Oaxaca in the southern part of Mexico to enjoy rafting and hiking in company of a few other tourists to a small resort run by a Mexican couple.

She is immediately flung into the adventure of her life when she spots a man living alone in the Jungle near the resort area. While peering at him, she finds a camera, picks it up and takes it with her back to her group. She also finds a prescription bottle with the name Teresa Hamilton on it.

From this chance sighting and the picking up of Hamilton’s property Hurwitz accelerates the pace of the book to breakneck speed. The man she sighted does not want to be seen by anyone and begins a campaign against Eve’s group involving murder and terror. A sudden violent storm wipes out all roads and in effect closes down the area leaving Eve and her group at the mercy of a dangerous predator who proves that he will stop at nothing to keep his presence there a secret.

The group realizes that he has already killed Teresa Hamilton and they are at his mercy with no way out or any means to call for help due to the damage caused by the storm. The book leads the reader through a maze of secrets and terror. A definite all nighter with answers seeming to elude everyone and leading to mayhem and all powering fear.

Who is the man living there? What does he want to do? Questions that Hurwitz answers logically and keeping the reader pasted to the book.

Good book, great plot, well fleshed out characters and Greg Hurwitz continues his record of engrossing fiction.

8/14 Paul Lane

DON’T LOOK BACK by Gregg Hurwitz. St. Martin’s Press (August 19, 2014). ISBN 978-0312626839. 400p.

1 Comment | Book Reviews, Crime Fiction, Fiction | Permalink
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THE BEEKEEPER’S BALL by Susan Wiggs

August 20, 2014

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Bella Vista Chronicles

This was the first book I’ve read by Susan Wiggs, and as soon as I realized it was the second book of a series, I went and got the first – this is the sequel to The Apple Orchard . Hopefully, there will be more to come.

This story is set at Bella Vista farm in Sonoma County, California, in the small town of Archangel. Isabel Johanson is a culinary school dropout but a gifted chef, and she is converting the large hacienda where she grew up into a farm-to-table cooking school. She is also busy helping her half sister Tess plan her wedding, which will be held at the recently converted barn on the property.

Bella Vista is home to a small apiary, and Isabel is determined to expand it. She leaves a message for a local beekeeper and is waiting for some help, but her bees have minds of their own and start swarming, looking for a new home. As she tries to capture the swarm, a young man stops, who she assumes to be Jamie, the beekeeper. But he knows even less than she does about bees, and gets stung, triggering a life threatening allergic reaction.

Turns out he is Cormac O’Neill, a famous journalist who is on his way to Bella Vista to work on a book about Isabel’s grandfather, Magnus, who worked with the Danish resistance during World War II. This is a family with a lot of secrets, and having the writer there helps them all come out.

There is obvious chemistry between Cormac and Isabel, but she is hesitant about getting involved. She had a bad experience in culinary school and hasn’t really come to terms with everything that happened, but she is forced to when her ex shows up in town to open a restaurant.

There are a lot of threads to this story, and Wiggs masterly weaves them all together seamlessly, creating an engaging page turner with historical significance – I learned a lot about about Denmark’s role during the Holocaust. Her characters are skillfully brought to life, and the setting becomes another character here. There are a few honey based recipes included as well, and I’m dying to try the Bee Sting Cake, a sort of breakfast sweet bread.

If you liked The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult, try The Beekeeper’s Ball – I liked it even more.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE BEEKEEPER’S BALL by Susan Wiggs. Harlequin MIRA; First Edition edition (June 24, 2014). ISBN 978-0778314486. 368p.

2 Comments | Book Reviews, Fiction, Women's Fiction | Tagged: Holocaust, Jewish | Permalink
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SHARK FIN SOUP by Susan Klaus

August 19, 2014

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The young, rich, and good-looking Christian Roberts sails off aboard his luxury yacht on an idyllic Bahamian vacation with his beloved wife, Allie. When they stumble upon long line fishermen illegally killing sharks to harvest their fins, Christian goes after them, freeing the sharks from their lines.

But the anglers respond by killing Allie, and with her last breath, she asks Christian to “save the sharks.” The fins are being harvested for export to China, where shark fin soup is in great demand.

The husband is always the first suspect, and F.B.I. agent Dave Wheeler is called in to help the limited Bahamian police department. Christian takes a polygraph, which is inconclusive, and Wheeler decides to keep a close eye on him.

Christian is heartbroken and depressed about his wife, but determined to save the sharks for her, turning into eco-terrorist “Captain Nemo.” He is helped by retired mob boss Vince Florio, who has no problem with mass murder and arson for a good cause.

Klaus is obviously passionate about her subject, but unfortunately, pedestrian writing and a vigilante hero are unlikely to gain her any support.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

SHARK FIN SOUP by Susan Klaus. Oceanview Publishing (August 19, 2014). ISBN 978-1608091232. 340p.

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CALL ME IRRESISTIBLE by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

August 18, 2014

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Good thing you can’t judge a book by its cover, otherwise, I never would have picked this one up. But Phillips is one of my favorite authors, so despite the cover I read it anyway – and I’m happy I did.

Lucy and Ted are getting married; that is, until Lucy’s best friend and maid of honor, Meg shows up. Meg takes one look at her friend and knows something’s wrong, and keeps pushing until Lucy admits she really doesn’t want to marry Ted, and takes off, leaving him at the alter.

Ted is no ordinary jilted bridegroom. He is the town hero, their mayor, their favored son, Mr. Perfect. Tall, good looking and rich, every woman in town was after him but they accepted Lucy with good grace. But Meg is blamed for the debacle, and everyone in the small Texas town of Wynette is mad at her.

That complicates things for Meg. Her father, a superstar actor/writer and her supermodel mother have cut her off, demanding the free spirit earn her own way. Meg has a problem – she thought Lucy’s family was paying for her hotel, but they’re gone and she’s stuck with the bill, no cash and a maxed-out credit card. She tries to sneak out of town in her old rustbucket of a car, but is stopped by the Sheriff and the Mayor, the jilted groom himself.

Her only options are work as a maid at the hotel to pay off her bill or go to jail. Meg chooses work. She has no money and no where to live so she is sleeping in her car. She remembers Lucy showing her a beautiful old church that Ted bought for her, and she decides to crash there. You can bet that is going to create additional problems.

The economy is bad and Ted is trying to lure a wealthy investor to build a sustainable golf course on the old landfill, and everyone in town is hoping it goes through. When the old rich guy takes a shine to Meg, Ted knows he needs her help. Meg is the only one who sees through Ted’s perfection and he doesn’t know how to handle it. They end up having an affair and Meg falls hard for Ted, distressed that she is now acting like every other woman in town. But Ted falls too, only it takes him a while to figure it out.

The crazy characters of Wynette add a lot of humor to this romance, and a hero like Ted is hard to resist, so don’t even try. Just sit back and enjoy turning every page – I did.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

CALL ME IRRESISTIBLE by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Harper Collins Publishers India; Reprint edition (March 27, 2012). ISBN 978-0061351532. 384p.

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INVISIBLE by James Patterson & David Ellis

August 17, 2014

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Overall, a fairly routine serial killer novel, only this time the murderer uses fire to cover his crimes.

Unfortunately for him, one of his victims is the sister of Emmy Dockery. an FBI researcher. Now all she has are the newspaper clippings that wallpaper her bedroom, and her recurring nightmares of an all-consuming fire.

Not even Emmy’s ex-boyfriend, field agent Harrison “Books” Bookman, will believe her that hundreds of kidnappings, rapes, and murders are all connected. That is, until Emmy finds a piece of evidence he can’t afford to ignore.

More murders are reported by the day–and they’re all inexplicable. No motives, no murder weapons, no suspects. Could one person really be responsible for these unthinkable crimes?

I found the interplay of chapters “written” by the killer and the search for him to be off-putting. Not a good Patterson.

8/14 Jack Quick

INVISIBLE by James Patterson & David Ellis. Little, Brown and Company (June 23, 2014). ISBN 978-0316405348. 432p.

3 Comments | Book Reviews, Crime Fiction, Fiction | Tagged: Thriller | Permalink
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THE BONE SEEKER by M.J. McGrath

August 16, 2014

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An Edie Kiglatuk Mystery

Edie still hasn’t fully recovered from the loss of her ex stepson. As such, it is suggested that she spend the summer away from Autisaq. Her friend Derek Palliser has helped set her up with a place to stay in Kuujuaq while she takes on a summer teaching position in the local school. Then one of her students goes missing and is later discovered having been brutally murdered. The townsfolks immediately turn to the nearby military base for a scapegoat and tension is beginning to run high. Edie has no desire to get caught up in yet another investigation but Kuujuaq is grossly unequipped to deal with such a case. The ME and forensics folks are tied up elsewhere and Derek needs all the help he can get if he’s to do the girl’s case justice.

This third release in the Edie Kiglatuk series returns readers to the Canadian Arctic, this time during the literally endless days of summer. It’s an insular and harsh landscape, one that comes through quite clearly in McGrath’s prose.

While the main focus of the book is the murder there is a subplot concerning the military – both past and present. It’s actually a quite fascinating subplot that McGrath weaves quite well into the main story.

This latest is not without issue: the pacing is a bit off and there are hangups that prevent it from being a smooth and quick read. Overall, though, this is a satisfying addition to the series as a whole.

8/14 Becky Lejeune

THE BONE SEEKER by M.J. McGrath. Viking Adult (July 24, 2014). ISBN 978-0670785803. 352p.

2 Comments | Book Reviews, Crime Fiction, Fiction | Tagged: Mystery | Permalink
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THE ARRANGEMENT by Mary Balogh

August 15, 2014

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I can’t believe I’ve never read this author before – Balough is one of the queens of the Regency romance, and now I know why.

This is the second book in the series, which focuses on a group of men who all sustained injuries during a battle. This book centers around Vincent Hunt, Lord Darleigh, who was blinded when a cannon misfired.

Our heroine is Sophia Frye, born a lady but whose father was a rake and a gambler and cut off from his family. When her mother left, he raised her but when he passed, she was left in care of family members who didn’t care about her and barely kept her fed and clothed.

Lord Darleigh’s family is determined to get him married, and he escapes their matchmaking attempts to return to his hometown, and a ball is thrown in his honor. Sophia’s aunt and uncle are determined that he shall marry their daughter, and a scheme is hatched to get them in a compromising position and force the issue.

But Sophia interferes, enraging her family who throw her out into the night. Lord Darleigh hears what happened and approaches Sophia with an unusual arrangement. He is tired of his family’s matchmaking and he knows he needs a wife; she needs a place to live and someone to take care of her. An arrangement is reached, and within a week of meeting, they are wed.

Sophia is bright and imaginative, and it was fascinating seeing her come up with ideas to give her blind husband more independence, including what has to be one of the earliest examples of using a guide dog.

This is a richly detailed story with warm, engaging characters and a happy ending, of course. A terrific read and I look forward to exploring more from this prolific author – she has written more than 60 novels.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE ARRANGEMENT by Mary Balogh. Dell (August 27, 2013). ISBN 978-0345535870. 400p.

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SERVANTS OF THE STORM by Delilah S. Dawson

August 14, 2014

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Dovey has spent much of the year since Hurricane Josephine hit Savannah in a drug-induced haze. The loss of her best friend Carly – who was swept away in the storm before Dovey’s own eyes – hit her harder than anyone expected. But the pills that are supposed to keep Dovey calm and guard against the episodes that increased in occurrence and intensity after the storm leave Dovey a shadow of her former self. Her memory is plagued with fog and holes and now she’s starting to see things she suspects may not be real. Like Carly.

Dovey drops her meds and immediately begins to see things more clearly. Then she sees Carly again. Dovey chases her into a strange part of the city and thus begins a terrifying adventure.

Delilah S. Dawson’s teen debut is completely creepy and odd, just what I’d expect based on her Blud series for adults.

I loved the progression of the story. It begins with the hurricane and then jumps to almost a year later. With the exception of the storm aftermath, everything in Dovey’s world is achingly normal. Then she sees her dead friend and it all goes downhill from there. Servants takes on a bit of an Alice in Wonderland feel (if Alice were packed with even more bizarre and murderous characters than it already is) as Dovey’s world is turned upside down.

Servants of the Storm is a teen read but I think it’s quite dark and unique – enough to satisfy Dawson’s Blud fans for sure. And while there’s no connection to that series there is a fabulously chilling abandoned amusement park that’s certainly reminiscent of Criminy Stain’s carnival.

8/14 Becky Lejeune

SERVANTS OF THE STORM by Delilah S. Dawson. Simon Pulse (August 5, 2014). ISBN 978-1442483781. 384p.

Comments Off on SERVANTS OF THE STORM by Delilah S. Dawson | Book Reviews, Fiction, Horror | Tagged: Young Adult | Permalink
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THE FROZEN DEAD by Bernard Minier

August 12, 2014

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Commandant Servaz is a top-notch investigator for the city of Toulouse, France, at the foot of the Pyrenees, who relies more on his gut than on science. Servaz is annoyed when he is called away from an investigation to a new crime scene at the hydroelectric plant of Arruns, so high above sea level that the only way to reach it is by cable car.

A body is hung on the upper deck, stripped and beheaded. However, it is not a human body, but rather a thoroughbred horse hung high above the Pyrenees. This disturbing scene only gets more disturbing when the DNA of an inmate at Institute Wargnier, the nearby psychiatric prison, is found on the horse.

This case gets priority as the horse belonged to Eric Lombard, CEO of a multinational company and member of a very influential family with strong political ties to the area.

In a parallel story, Diane Berg, a new psychologist, has arrived at the Institute Wargnier and is not entirely welcome, especially as she finds many inconsistencies and flagrant mistreatment of the prisoners.

The pervasiveness of evil makes for very compelling reading, with the suspense bordering on horror. It is a very tense and disturbing story coupled with interesting and well developed characters, and is a true page turner. Translated from the French. Should appeal to readers who enjoyed Pierre Lemaitre’s Alex or like Scandinavian thrillers.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

The Frozen Dead by Bernard Minier. Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (August 12, 2014). ISBN 978-1250045539. 496p.

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THE BOY IN THE SNOW by M. J. McGrath

August 11, 2014

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Edie Kiglatuk Mystery Series #2

When Edie agreed to be part of her ex-husband’s Iditarod team, she never expected to become embroiled in another murder mystery. And yet, when Edie stumbles across the body of a baby boy buried in the snow she can’t help but get involved.

Local investigators are convinced the person responsible is part of a nearby religious group called the Old Believers. The group has long garnered criticism and the fact that the body is found on land owned by the group doesn’t help. Neither does the fact that Edie witnessed two of the Old Believers passing by just moments before making her discovery.

To Edie’s eye, however, the infant had been in place and undisturbed for quite some time and the Old Believers seem to be too easy a scapegoat. Unfortunately for the Old Believers, the discovery of the body coincides with the current governor’s race and the local hopeful is set on having this case solved as quickly as possible.

This is the second installment in M. J. McGrath’s Edie Kiglatuk series – a mystery series with a half Inuit lead. This is something of a unique premise for a series and I thought McGrath handled it really well. Edie seems authentic in terms of heritage and viewpoints. There’s enough cultural reference to set the tone for her and the Alaskan setting quite nicely, too.

I should note that this was my introduction to Edie and her story and while there are plenty of mentions of the case that is the focus of the first book I never felt lost or confused. The Boy in the Snow is a fair jumping off point for anyone new to the series and a great introduction to Edie.

8/14 Becky Lejeune

THE BOY IN THE SNOW by M. J. McGrath. Penguin Books; Reprint edition (October 29, 2013). ISBN 978-0143124146. 400p.

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