Genre Wench

Vegas Knights

genrewench@gmail.com — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:47:26 PST

I was seduced by a cover blurb. Again. Vegas Knights by Matt Forbeck had a really interesting premise as stated on the front cover:

It's Ocean's Eleven meets Harry Potter when two college students scam a Vegas casino - using magic.

It sounds cool. Almost too good to be true. Well it is. Vegas Knights isn't a bad book. It just doesn't live up to the promise of the cover. I'm not even sure why the word knights is in the title. The story has nothing to do with chivalry. There's not a sword around outside a stage magician's act. I suppose you could claim that the main character ends up on a crusade for all that is right and good in the world but that would be a stretch.

This is another book where I found the main characters annoying. Bill is a rich brat. Jackson is the poor kid with abandonment issues. They know just enough magic to get them into trouble. The only "noble" people in the book are the aboriginal people led by an old woman. Her young granddaughter doesn't understand what's at stake and balks at the woman's ruthlessness. Everything goes to hell pretty fast after that.

This book is a kitchen sink of cliches. The stage magician who can really do magic. The extraordinarily gifted, but untrained, college kid who just happens to be the magician's son. The "dead" wizard holding on to life at any cost. Mobsters both live and dead. And zombies. That's not even getting into the Vegas cliches.

As I said, Vegas Knights is not a bad book. It is amusing in places. I just wanted more.

Net Switch Trailer

genrewench@gmail.com — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:06 PST

Book description from Amazon:

In the dead of winter, Sydney Hayes finds herself in an internet chat room in hopes of expelling her loneliness. Enchanted by a stranger, she soon finds herself caught up in an affair that spills over into her everyday life. Within a short period of time, the stranger captures her mind, her body and eventually her heart, but excitement turns to terror and Sydney must abandon the life she built in Chicago and assume a new identity. A fragile woman in a new city, Sydney tries to put it all behind her as she makes a fresh start in Seattle, but her troubles follow her and she is running out of time. Feeling as though she has no other choice, Sydney is determined to destroy him before he destroys her—unaware that her journal holds the key. Will she discover the secret before it’s too late?

Buy Net Switch

The Second Summoning

genrewench@gmail.com — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:36:19 PST

The Second Summoning by Tanya Huff is the second book in her The Keeper's Chronicles series. If you haven't read the first book, Summon the Keeper, you'll be lost. You really need to have read it to get many of the things referenced in this book.

Claire Hansen is a Keeper, a person with magical powers charged with preventing hell from manifesting on Earth, and she takes her job seriously. Too seriously. She's kind of a stick in the mud. She finally loosens up to the point where she consummates her relationship with her non-magical boyfriend, Dean. I mention it because the Earth moves. And heaven weeps. Sort of.

While Dean and Claire are occupied a teen aged girl brings forth a manifestation of her version of an angel. She's been reading Twilight and watching Vampire Diaries. The angel appears as a teen aged boy who is, as they say in Star Trek, fully functional. And because of the "as above, so below" rule a demon is brought forth in the form of a teen aged girl.

While Claire goes after the demon, her teen aged sister, Diana, goes after the angel. Claire intends to send both of them back where they belong. She does not consider them people but as manifestations of good and evil. The problem is that things are not that simple.

Tanya Huff is one of my favorite urban fantasy writers. Even though I find Claire and Diana annoying in many ways, I still enjoy the Keeper books. I will say that I don't think this book is as good as the first one. It seems to be a little light weight. Maybe I just don't have all that much interest in teenagers.

In the Bleak Midwinter

genrewench@gmail.com — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:20:07 PST

In The Bleak Midwinter by M.R. Sellars is the first Special Agent Constance Mandalay novel. Mandalay is a character from his Rowan Gant Investigations series. I haven't read any of those novels so I had no background going into this book. Luckily I didn't need it. Sellars doesn't spend a lot of time going over things that happened in the other books.

Mandalay is sent to the the small town of Hulis, Missouri where every Christmas, for the past eight years, a man is brutally butchered. The body just shows up in a house where something really terrible happened back in the 70s. Of course the police and the F.B.I. keep the house under surveillance but somehow the deed gets done.

Mandalay knows that there's something she's not being told. The last agent sent to Hulis won't talk to her. The files are just a little sketchy. Every new lead she ferrets out doesn't lead anywhere. She begins to think this might be a career breaker.

Two things you need to know about this book. It is, in effect, a locked door mystery and I really hate those. Once I realized that was what was going on I wasn't expecting much. The other thing is that it's a "paranormal thriller" so the solution doesn't have to make a lot of sense. It does does fit together but the ending was somehow unsatisfactory. I can't explain how but I really felt that something was left out when I was finished.

Having said that, it's still a decent book with an interesting bunch of characters. I'd be willing to give another Constance Mandalay novel a try.

I received a review copy of this novel.

It's All Shiny!

genrewench@gmail.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:50:36 PST

Image via Wikipedia

Wordnik has a science fiction related blog post up today. Monday was National Science Fiction Day (and Isacc Asimov's birthday.) Tuesday was J. R. R. Tolkien's. Today's post is a collection of sci-fi words and their meanings. Check it out!

Raven Cursed Trailer

genrewench@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:26:23 PST

Here's a pretty lame trailer but of all the ones I found posted this week this it the only genre trailer.

Book Description from Amazon:

The vampires of Asheville, North Carolina, want to establish their own clan, but since they owe loyalty to the Master Vampire of New Orleans they must work out the terms with him. To come up with an equitable solution, he sends an envoy with the best bodyguard blood money can buy: skinwalker Jane Yellowrock.

But when a group of local campers are attacked by something fanged, Jane goes from escort to investigator. Is it a rogue-vampire, shapechanger, werewolf, or witch? Or something else magical? Unless she wants to face a very angry master vampire, she will have to work overtime to find the killer. It's a good thing she's worth every penny.

Buy Raven Cursed

Happy Holidays

genrewench@gmail.com — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:58:27 PST

Donate To Pacific Assistance Dog Society

Happy Holidays!

As you can tell, I haven't been posting this month. I've been dealing with a medical issue. I've decided not to stress about blogging for the rest of the year. I will be back going full tilt boogie in January of 2012.

See you then.

Mad

Think Fast Die Last Trailer

genrewench@gmail.com — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:00:02 PST

Book description from Amazon:

TRAPPED...
Two couples, both needing to disappear for the night, arrive at a secluded forest retreat, just before a storm hits.
It’s a double booking - or so one of them claims.
Cut off from the world, the couples are stuck with each other.
But trouble soon finds them.

HUNTED...
Armed men descend upon the retreat at midnight and shoot their way inside.
But which two people have they come for?

TAKEN...
The problem goes deeper than the couples could ever have imagined.
They are forced to put their differences aside in a struggle to make it to daylight, while dangerous secrets begin to surface.

Buy Think Fast Die Last

Norse Code

genrewench@gmail.com — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:52:18 PST

Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout is a weird little book. If you don't know anything about Norse mythology you might not understand some of what is going on. If Norse gods are part of your spiritual practise you might not be happy with how they are characterized.

NorseCODE is a DNA company run by Valkyrie. It's purpose is to find the human progenyof Odin and turn them into warriors for the final battle of Ragnarok. Anyone who does not agree to be a warrior is killed. No explanation as to why.

A Valkyrie, with the unbelievable name of Mist, wants to free her sister from Hel's realm. To do this she tracks down the only being ever to return alive: the god Hermod. For his part, Hermod is having a bad day. He may have just released the wolves that eat the sun and the moon which leads to the destruction of Earth (and everything else.)

This book is part urban fantasy, part science fiction and part mystery. I'm not sure the combination was entirely successful. It has got some very funny moments in it. While I liked the book I thought it tried a little too hard sometimes. Maybe it's just that I thought Ragnarok would have had a lot more going on.

Murder Melts In Your Mouth

genrewench@gmail.com — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:00:03 PST

Over the top is the first phrase that comes to mind when I think about Murder Melts in Your Mouth. There are just too many "wacky" people in Nora Blackbird's life to be believed. More time is spent on the exploits of the people around Nora than on the mystery. I guess all the "colorful" people make the world of the Blackbird sisters more fully developed but after a while it's just noise.

I can't say I have that much sympathy or faith in Nora. Getting kidnapped twice in the same novel is overkill. Especially when the second time is by the person you suspect is the killer. I'm sure a lot of things in this book went over my head. I don't know anything about débutantes. Nor do I care. I also don't know anything about fashion. Nor do I want to. There may have been cool or funny things about both those subjects in this book but they were probably lost on me.

The murder at the center (?!) of this book is relatively simple. There are a few red herrings, everyone has a reason to hate the victim, but there's really only one person who could have done it. The red herrings each bring to light different motives for the killing ad raise a lot of issues but in the end none of them had anything to do with it.

The book was okay. Some parts were even amusing. I'm wondering about the title. There's a chocolate festival going on but the murder doesn't happen there and has no connection to it. There's only one scene at the festival and a cameo appearance by a chef later in the book. The victim's son has a chocolate company in need of money but that's only touched on briefly - and the fix for that is unbelievable. While I was reading I kept wondering if all the chocolate was thrown out. Or if someone ate it all before I got there.

The title could refer to the heatwave taking place but THAT would be boring.

Boss Bitch Swag Trailer

genrewench@gmail.com — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:09 PST

Book description from Amazon:

Meesha Clark, a gorgeous young wife, mother, and budding fashion designer, is forced to ask herself that very question when what she thought would be a routine prenatal checkup turns out to be anything but routine... Meesha meets the man she wants to devote her entire life to while she's still in high school. Falling in love with Boss, though, is the easy part; staying in love will prove to be a much harder task.

When Meesha discovers that her heart's desire is not only a well-connected gangster, but is also next in line to head the mob that controls the entire city of St. Louis, she must make the most difficult decision of her entire young life. When she decides to stand by her man, it becomes painfully clear that, even though she's the only woman in his heart, she's not the only woman in his bed...

Malcolm "Boss" Clark knows better than to fall for a girl almost ten years younger than him. He's a man, and Meesha is just a girl, but there's something about her that won't let Boss walk away. Their relationship moves fast and burns hot, much like the city they call home. In the blink of an eye, they find themselves dangerously in love with two small daughters and their first son on the way. The love soon turns to hate, though, when Meesha's doctor breaks the news to her that she's HIV-positive. Certain that Boss contracted the virus from one of his numerous affairs, an emotionally distraught Meesha locks herself in a bathroom with her husband, then proceeds to point his own gun in his face and demand answers - but will the truth set her free, or just keep her bound...?

Buy Boss Bitch Swag

Time of Death

genrewench@gmail.com — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:00:09 PST

Time of Death is a collection of three Eve Dallas novellas by J. D. Robb. Each of them have appeared in other forms but this book is the first time all three of them have been put together. There's no real connecting theme to these stories. There's a death and Dallas solves it. Business as usual.

Eternity In Death features a rich, young airhead who is convinced by a madman that he can give her eternal youth. Think of it as Eve Dallas, Vampire Slayer. Complete with stake. You get what you'd expect: lots of fang jokes and garlic.

Ritual In Death Eve can't even go to a party without a naked man, covered in blood crashing the party. The question is who turned one of Roarke's high priced hotel suites into a Satanic ritual space complete with human sacrifice?

Missing In Death This one's new. It might be the first time that Dallas has to deal with a murder and no body. The answer to how the killer got off a ferry with a dead body might be the lamest piece of writing ever but until that point it's a pretty good puzzle.

These three stories are quick read. I finished them in a couple of hours and was left wanting more.

In The Beginning Trailer

genrewench@gmail.com — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 09:05:00 PST

Book Description from Amazon:

As if the world didn't have enough problems of its own, heaven and hell are gathering for the biggest battle of all---a 'forced' apocalypse started by none other than Morning Star himself. With an insane plan to prove that God isn't perfect, he enlists the help of a very jaded archangel, Michael, to help him with his scheme. Along for the ride are Apollyon, Lilith, and their legion of Destroyers--the children of the Watchers--and cataclysmic worldly events quickly unfurl as one lone city cop discovers he plays a pivotal role in how this 'apocalypse' will end.

Buy In the Beginning

Press Release: Root

genrewench@gmail.com — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:21:00 PST

Guardian Teen Books has partnered with Random House for a new interactive, serialised story called Root - a fast-paced thriller set in the shadowy world of computer hacking and espionage. Every weekday for six weeks a new chapter will be released on guardian.co.uk/teen-books. The content will be directly influenced by readers’ contributions, such as their ideas for characters' personalities and skills.

The heroine Molly Root is a 15 year old computer genius whose friend Danny is killed after being caught stealing priceless data from a ruthless global corporation. Now she's in over her head. So far Molly Root's mission to get to the bottom of her best friend's murder has taken her on a perilous trail across London. Her key lead is a dodgy police detective - and her attempts to expose his shady contacts are testing her ingenuity to the limits.

As well as incorporating suggestions from readers, the story will also be brought to life via several social media platforms. For example, Guardian Teen Books' Twitter and Facebook accounts will be providing behind the scenes updates of how Molly is progressing, along with clips on Audioboo featuring the voicemails that Molly has discovered. This will be accompanied by onsite quizzes and photo puzzles on Flickr.

Farsighted Trailer

genrewench@gmail.com — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PST

Book description from Amazon:

Alex Kosmitoras's life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead-broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he's blind. Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival--an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future.

Buy Farsighted

Another Man's Treasure

genrewench@gmail.com — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:38:33 PDT

I must respectfully disagree with the reviews printed on the back cover of Another Man's Treasure by James V. O'Connor. I did not find it "a delightful, engaging, fast-paced read." The book has 86 chapters. Things should happen fairly regularly if you're going to stretch it out that long. After introducing the "mystery" nothing really happens until around chapter 50. Another reviewer found herself "rooting for characters." She doesn't say which ones? Ted McCormick, the main character, is a man so focused on how good he is that he doesn't notice that his wife, Mary, constantly makes comments about his lack of income. She might as well have been asking, "Why is your organ so small?" Poor old Ted is so busy NOT screwing around on his wife he doesn't see what's going on under his nose.

Ted works as a personal organizer. He used to be a stock broker but he did something awful and had to leave Chicago for Albany. We're told Ted did something bad a few times but it isn't revealed until late in the book. When the big secret is spilled I just said, "Is that all? A stock broker who got greedy. How clichéd." That Ted feels really bad about getting greedy and losing a lot of money is sort of different but he's such a boring man I didn't care.

Through most of the book Ted prides himself for resisting the advances of his client, Janet. She knows he's married but hits on him anyway. She has a psycho ex who is stalking her. Toward the end of the book, Ted confronts him. The ex makes a comment totally out of character by saying that Janet is the real treasure. Or something stupid like that. This is a guy who talks his kid into spying on his ex. A guy who stalks his ex, threatens any man who gets close to her and even tries to run Ted down. Nowhere in the book does he exhibit anything bigger than the basic Neanderthal brain. His final comment is VERY out of character.

Everything about this book is predictable. The "Other Man" man of the title is a client who "knows" that his father left a treasure hidden in his home and hires Ted to find it. He's not a nice man and I would have walked away rather than work with him breathing down my neck but then there wouldn't have been any book...

The only thing remotely interesting about this book is the identity of and the story behind the house's ghosts. And that storyline only lasts a little while.

Outer Darkness Trailer

genrewench@gmail.com — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:06 PDT

Book description from Amazon:

What would you do if your family was targeted for destruction by a violent Satanic cult? That's the position that Jim DiMario finds himself in - but has he found out too late? Jim feels the comfortable predictability of his day-to-day routine begin to unravel when he investigates a series of bizarre animal mutilations that have recently occurred in his normally quiet, upscale community. Seemingly by chance, he meets two strangers in his quest for the truth - a sheriff's deputy, and a TV news reporter, each of whom have their own reasons to investigate the grisly deeds. Jim soon finds himself hip deep in trouble when adverse events start happening to his friends and family. His world spinning desperately out of control, Jim finally discovers that he, his family, and his church are the focus of a dangerous Satanic cult - the shadowy Temple of Anubis, who's activities and true intentions are much more sinister than mere animal mutilations. With time ticking away just before Samhain, the most unholy night for the occultists, Jim and his new-found allies face an all-or-nothing gamble to save his daughter's life from the hands of the Satanists who have abducted her. Will he realize too late that his worst enemy is a member of his own inner circle?

Buy Outer Darkness

Indulgence In Death

genrewench@gmail.com — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:28:50 PDT

Indulgence in Death is the 31st Eve Dallas book by J. D. Robb. Two bored, wealthy young men begin a "killing game" and it's up to Dallas to make sure each of them loses.

If that sounds vaguely familiar, you might be thinking of the famous real life duo of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. In the early 20th century, two wealthy men from Chicago killed a young boy just to find out what it would be like to murder someone. Indulgence In Death takes the same idea a turns it into a game.

My one gripe with this novel is that Dallas "knows" whodunnit as soon as she meets the young men. There's no question in her mind. She doesn't like them so they did it. There's no detecting needed. The whole book is about proving they did it. It becomes a straightforward police procedural. There's nothing wrong with police procedurals but I expect more from a Dallas novel.

Along with not having a mystery, there's not a lot of the usual interaction between different characters in Eve's life. There's not even that much crazy, hot sex between Eve and Roarke. And that's a damn shame.

A Miscellany of Murder

genrewench@gmail.com — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 PDT

A Miscellany of Murder: From History and Literature to True Crime and Television, a Killer Selection of Trivia, by The Monday Murder Club, is a rather long winded and pretentious title for a decidedly light weight non-fiction book. Having said that, I will admit that some of the tidbits in the book are interesting. It's just the little things that bug me. As always.

Is it just me or has there been a decline in the quality of work done by editors/proof readers/fact checkers? One of the most glaring mistakes in this book is that it lists the name of Sue Grafton's female detective as “Insey Millhone.” Anyone who has read any of the Alphabet books knows her name is Kinsey. It's a stupid mistake that should have been caught.

The other big problem I have with this book is that they present all kinds of “facts” without stating the sources. There's no bibliography or end notes. Take the following list as an example.

Women commit:

30 percent of murders within a family

34 percent of intimate-partner killings

48 percent of infanticides

15 percent of murders of the elderly

It's a very interesting list but there's no word on where they got it. Magic 8 ball? Ouija board? We just don't know. Sloppy.

I should tell you that “murder” in this book is divided into seven categories based on the Seven Deadly Sins. This leads the editors to stuff some slightly square pegs into their preconceived round holes. It also leads them into writing some stupid stuff:

Stumped by Perry Mason

Would you believe that America's favorite lawyer of all time, Perry Mason, never cracked any of his cases? Well... sort of, Raymond Burr, who played Perry Mason in the enormously successful TV series from 1957-1966 in some 271 episodes and then again from 1985-1993, said that he never managed to solve any of the cases until he'd read them all through. In fact, he admitted further that he'd often been puzzled about who committed the murder even after shooting the script. Sounds like The Case of the Slothful Thespian.

So what's wrong with that? To start off there's no citation for what Mr. Burr supposedly said. It is almost certainly taken out of context. Let's just forget the fact that Burr filmed an average of 28 episodes a season - as opposed to the 22 that seems to be the average these days. Let's forget the fact that TV shows and movie scripts are usually shot out of order. It's not unlikely that he wasn't always sure of what happened. Especially if they shot the final scene first. It happens. Because of the complicated script, The Usual Suspects actor, Gabriel Byrne, thought he was Keyser Söze.

My final point is that it's a good thing you can't slander the dead. In my opinion, it sounds to me like The Case of the Slothful Writers Trying to be Funny and Just Sounding Bitchy.

So those are my little nitpicks about this book. It's not a total waste of time. If you're looking for some suggestions of movies to see or books to read then this book will give you something some pointers. Just don't expect to get much else to chew on.

The Zombie Cookbook Trailer

genrewench@gmail.com — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:01 PDT

Book description from Amazon:

Intro to this anthology by members of the metal band, The Zombie Cookbook.

Interior art by George Silliman

Wokking Dead By Karina L. Fabian

It’s war and love when zombies invade a Korean restaurant.

Secret Ingredient by Lisa Haselton

There’s a zombie in the kitchen! That may be the case, but when spaghetti-eating zombie Clete takes a job as the assistant chef at the L-Double-J ranch, he’s not the one you need to work out for. It’s a tale of catering and culinary revenge. Would you have added the secret ingredient?

A Zombie Named Clete By Lisa Haselton

A little poem in honor of the twice-deceased Clete. Was this on his tombstone, or did he carry a copy in his pocket?

Beer-Battered Zombie with Butternut Squash By Becca Butcher

What’s a cookbook without a recipe? Not for the faint of stomach, though with a few substitutions, it might actually make a good meal. (Not everyone’s a fan of squash, after all.)

The Right Recipe By Lin Neiswender

Zombie culinary aficionados had better watch out! The zombies are not pleased to be eaten, as the editor of the Zombie Cookbookery Publications discovers in this tale of turnabout-is-fair-play.

Quick & Easy Zombie Pastie by Kate Sender

A no frills, 4-ingredient full course meal will satisfy both your Zombie’s cravings and nutritional needs.

Express Cuisine by Dawn Marshallsay

Zombie attack on a speeding train--is there really any escape? Fight, hide, jump--none of it can stop you from becoming...Express Cuisine.

Brain Food By Carla Girtman

Ah, domestic zombie bliss! It’s the Undead Cleavers mixed in with a little Arsenic and Old Lace. Can’t tell you much about this story except that the ending will surprise you as much as it did Thelma!

Brain Salad for Dummies by Scott Virtes

The practical guide for that zombie invasion. Your own little zombie poison recipe, combined with practical advice. As Scott says--Follow his advice and you might get enough sleep at night to stay two steps ahead.

A Zombie’s APB By Cinsearae Santiago

A zombie decides to give a ‘Hear ye, hear ye!’ to the human race after getting fed up with the lack of ‘good food’ these days.

My Big Fat Zombie Wedding by Karina Fabian

So what if he’s undead? That won’t not keep Vida from marrying her true love--and neither will challenges from prejudice to unusual dietary needs stop the wedding of the decade!

Buy The Zombie Cookbook

Claim of Innocence

genrewench@gmail.com — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:41:22 PDT

Claim of Innocence by Laura Caldwell is an okay mystery. Izzy McNeil is a moderately interesting character. Another reviewer called her "plucky" I'm not even sure what that means these days. I find Izzy's family more interesting. Her back from the dead former spook/operative/whatever dad is a bit of a cliche but he's a nice contrast to the many bland people in Izzy's life.

HERE THERE BE SPOILERS

I'm sorry to say that I do not like the Izzy's client, Valerie Solara, at all. The whole did she or didn't she kill her best friend got boring fast. Solara is over dramatic. Dropping little bombs, like the fact that her father was executed for killing someone, while hiding something at the same time.

Here are some other things that annoyed me:

The verdict in the case ridiculous. I really can't think of any logical reason they didn't find her guilty.
The child molester storyline wasn't built up properly. It was just suddenly there, tacked on towards the end of the story.
Neither the victim or the accused were sympathetic. They both made a bad decision to take the law into their own hands and then didn't take simple precautions to see that things didn't go pear shaped.
The other sub-plot with Maggie and her grandfather was totally unnecessary. It didn't add anything important to the story. Other than continuing the theme of fathers and/or father figures. It was a distraction.
Multiple and confusing case changes. If this is a new trend I don't like it. I like to get one, maybe two, voices in one novel. Not four or five. Unless you're writing a riff on Rashomon - which I think would be pretty hard to do well.

I wanted to like this book. I'd read good things about Laura Caldwell and the other Izzy books. It's an okay book. I'd give it a 6 out of 10.

Mercy: The Last New England Vampire Trailer

genrewench@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:13:59 PDT

Book description from Amazon:

Fourteen-year-old Haley is struggling to cope with her stepmom and baby brother, with her beloved cousin's terminal illness, and with dropping grades at school. When she digs deep into her family history for a school project, she uncovers a disturbing New England tradition and a ghostly past. Haley must overcome her doubts and confront a vampire in order to save herself and her family.

Buy Mercy: The Last New England Vampire

Sleeper's Run

genrewench@gmail.com — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:00:04 PDT

Sleeper's Run by Henry Mosquera is your typical political thriller. The main character, Eric Caine, is a War on Terror vet with martial arts and computer skills. There doesn't seem to be anything he can't do. Except see a set up when he's getting into it.

At the beginning of the book Caine is in a hospital after being found wandering the streets speaking Arabic. He had been reported missing a week before. Mosquera makes a point of mentioning that Caine is speaking Arabic and then never mentions it again. I found myself hoping that the trouble Caine found himself in was created by terrorists who made it look like he was set up by his own government. That would have been a more interesting story.

I also wondered where Caine's sense of paranoia went when all of a sudden a stranger is bailing him out and getting him an interview for a job the stranger had no way of knowing he had the skill set for. Doing "computer stuff" could mean a lot of things. I re-read the beginning of the book and Caine's computer abilities are never explained other than to say that they're out of date. He should have known something was up. At the very least he should have done some digging to find out who is new friend was. It's not paranoia if they are out to get you.

Then again, if he had, that would have been the end of the book.

Sleeper's Run isn't a bad book. If you can overlook a couple of hanging elements, or the fact that the book really needed another round with a proof reader or editor -- there are case changes in different parts of the book and some modifiers didn't get changed with them -- you'll enjoy this book. After all, political thrillers do require a little suspension of belief.

Promissory Payback and Unrevealed

genrewench@gmail.com — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:06 PDT

Promissory Payback by Laurel Dewey is a novella featuring Denver Homicide Detective Jane Perry. Dewey has three Perry novels out. I'm not really sure where this novella sits in the timeline. This story can be enjoyed without having read the previous ones.

Jane Perry is a deeply flawed character. Foremost is the fact that she is a recovering alcoholic. She's a lone wolf who isn't always comfortable dealing with the "people" part of her job. She reminds me of Carol O'Connell's Katherine Mallory and J.D. Robb's Eve Dallas. Perry is prickly and quirky and completely interesting to follow.

Perry is called to the home of Carolyn Handel. The elderly woman is found tied up on her bed with tape covering her mouth and nose. It's soon obvious that the killer sat and watched her as she suffocated. It turns out that Carolyn was a bitch and thought nothing of cheating people out of their money to finance her lavish lifestyle. There's no shortage of people who wanted to hurt her.

My one warning is that if you read Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express and hated the ending you might be unsatisfied with the ending of this novella.

Unrevealed contains four Jane Perry short stories. My favorite is entitled Things Aren't Always What They Seem. Perry walks into a bar just after leaving a horrendous crime scene and runs into a woman from her AA group. The ending was a surprise. I don't think I was expecting something so dark.

You're Only As Sick As Your Secrets had me expecting something really out there but the secrets are rather tame. Nothing that hasn't been covered on CSI. Still, I liked the way Perry handled the "suspect". It shows that she has a softer side that understands people wanting to start over.

You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover has Perry doing a presentation at a local high school. She meets a "problem" student who seems to be able to read her mind. Something about the boy's random outbursts clicks for Perry and she become suspicious that something awful has happened at the boy's foster home.

Anonymous takes place during Perry's brief stint as a private investigator. A woman from her AA group asks her to find her sister who died on 9/11. If you think that sounds weird, it gets much weirder and more complicated.

Both of these publications provide a quick introduction to Jane Perry. I'm looking forward to reading the novels Dewey has written. Perry is a character I want to see more of.

Accountable To None Trailer

genrewench@gmail.com — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:13:19 PDT

Book description from Amazon:

Glorious revenge, the dish known as best served cold. Audra Tanner has waited for five years to invite her unwitting guests to her feast of just desserts and now her dinner party approaches.

Audra was a brilliant CPA that for years, worked the grueling hours her job demanded as she made her way from lowly grunt auditor to a minority partner at a prestigious accounting firm located in the southwest. Her dedication took a tremendous toll on her not only mentally, but physically as well, and culminated the night that she met with the sadistic managing partner, Olin Kemper, to discuss her promotion to equity partner. That night, Audra learned that to become part of the ‘elite’ at Winscott & Associates required much more than she was willing to give. Unfortunately, that knowledge came too late and partnership was granted as a reward for her silence after her violent beating and rape.

Five years later, Audra is now an entirely different creature at work, a shell of her former self that wears the guise of partner during the day yet retreats at night to her hidden self as she plots her revenge on not only her rapist, but all those in power at the firm who knew what Olin had done to her, yet did nothing to stop him, as they were immersed in their own corrupt behaviors. Now head of the IT department and a self-taught hacker, Audra has spent the last five years perusing the firm’s computers, searching and digging through the mounds of encrypted words for anything that she can use to allow her the opportunity to exact revenge on all those responsible for her pain.

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