Summer in the South was very well written, and the characters were easy to get to know. I enjoyed the “eccentric” ways of the people: ways that could be called looney or crazy but in the South they are not seen that way. There were plenty of moments that left me shaking my head. Having lived in the deep south, it was very easy for me to believe the people and their ways.
While the story did appeal to me in its gothic style, I ultimately just couldn’t get fully into the book. For me there were too many non-important details, and I found myself getting lost in them. But do not use my feelings to make a decision on reading this. It is a very enjoyable story. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, gothic stories, a bit of romance, quirky characters and family sagas, this would be a good book for you.
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The Scar by Michael S. Weiner
As a homicide detective, David Seff witnesses some of the most gruesome things life has to offer. He puts his life in danger everyday that he comes to work, visits perilous areas most people wouldn’t ..
Article first published as Book Review: The Scar by Michael S. Weiner on Blogcritics.
The Scar is about a serial killer in Pennsylvania and the detective who is hunting him. It begins with the killing of a priest then proceeds to tell the story of the killer and how he came to be the way he is along with the hard work the police put into finding him and getting him off of the streets.
I especially enjoyed the chapters where the killer talks about himself and why he is killing:
“I also desire more than impossible dreams. I desire a life I can call my own, but that day may never come. I have a job I must do for which I have come to believe brought me back from death: to punish those who are undeserving of life.” (21)
Our killer truly feels he is doing the world a favor by eliminating these people that he sees as evil. As the book unwinds and we learn their stories, we also see they are not the upstanding citizens that people think they are. But do they deserve to die such horrible deaths?
The characters are likable and believable. I enjoyed the interaction between Detective Seff and Captain Baron. Captain Baron wants the case solved yesterday and wants the mayor off of his back and he expects Detective Seff to comply:
“I don’t need to tell you that having a serial killer roaming the streets that we’re supposed to protect makes us look bad. Not to mention it’s giving me heartburn and a bad case of diarrhea. And I don’t like having a burning sensation from my ass, so tell me you have something we can go on.” (53)
The action does not stop and only intensifies as the book goes on. The author trips us up a lot. Just when you think you may have a handle on who it is, wham, he hits us with something else and sends us on a different track! And the ending? Just let me say WOW! I never saw it coming, and I like to pride myself on being able to figure things out. Not this time. I honestly sat there with my mouth hanging open in shock!
Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=readireadi-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0312595689&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr
Title: Never Knowing
Author: Chevy Stevens
Publisher: St Martin Press
ISBN: 9780312595685
Fiction, 416 pages
Source:Provided free of charge by publisher for an honest review
Blurb from Goodreads:
Summer in the South by Cathy Holton Book Review
Article first published as Book Review: Summer in the South by Cathy Holton on Blogcritics.
Title: Summer in the South
Author: Cathy Holton
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 9780345506016
Fiction, 352 pages
Source: Author via Blog Critics
Summary from Indie Bound:
After a personal tragedy, Chicago writer Ava Dabrowski quits her job to spend the summer in Woodburn, Tennessee, at the invitation of her old college friend Will Fraser and his two great-aunts, Josephine and Fanny Woodburn. Her charming hosts offer Ava a chance to relax at their idyllic ancestral estate, Woodburn Hall, while working on her first novel.
But Woodburn is anything but quiet: Ancient feuds lurk just beneath its placid surface, and modern-day rivalries emerge as Ava finds herself caught between the competing attentions of Will and his black-sheep cousin Jake. Fascinated by the family’s impressive history—their imposing house filled with treasures, and their mingling with literary lions Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Faulkner—Ava stumbles onto rumors about the darker side of the Woodburns’ legacy. Putting aside her planned novel, she turns her creative attentions to the eccentric and tragic clan, a family with more skeletons (and ghosts) in their closets than anyone could possibly imagine. As Ava struggles to write the true story of the Woodburns, she finds herself tangled in the tragic history of a mysterious Southern family whose secrets mirror her own.
My Two Cents:
Cathy Holton is the author of Beach Trip, Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes and The Secret Lives of the Kudzu Debutantes. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
A Conflict of Interest by Adam Mitzner – Book Review
Article first published as Book Review: A Conflict of Interest by Adam Mitzner on Blogcritics.
Publisher: Galley (May 17, 2011)
ISBN-13: 978-1439157510
Fiction, 384 pages
Source: Publisher for an honest review.
My Two Cents:
A Conflict of Interest opens with Alex Miller, a lawyer with a hot shot legal firm attending his father’s funeral and meeting Michael Ohlig, a good friend of his father. Michael needs help in a securities fraud case that he is involved in and asks Alex to defend him. He has been accused of selling Salminol, a worthless stock to unsuspecting elderly people who then lost all they had when it went bankrupt. There is so much more to Ohlig, and it is revealed little by little with each turn of the page.
The story keeps pulling you in deeper and deeper. I found it very hard to close the book for the night because I felt I was missing something. I had to read on and see if Alex would work on his marriage to Elizabeth that was falling apart or fall for the lure of Abby, the lawyer working with him on the Ohlig case.
As the book goes on we find out that our suspicions were correct; there is much more to Michael Ohlig than meets the eye. There are also things about Alex’s mother that come to light and cause Alex more than a little confusion and pain. And Abby: is she who she wants us to think she is, does Abby really have his best interests at heart or is she using him to work her way into partnership with the firm? All these questions are answered, but you have to read the book to find out. I won’t spoil any of it for you.
I found the book well written. The action slowed down in some places but never stopped. It goes from legal offices, to courtrooms, to restaurants, to bedrooms, to police stations, jails and so much more. The characters are well thought out and very well developed. You quickly come to see them as your neighbors or friends and really do care about what happens to them.
The scenes between Alex and his daughter Charlotte brought a nice interlude to the legal action and lets us see Alex as a loving father. His role as husband to Elizabeth was much more complex. I never doubted her love for him, but it was easy to see that she was a hard person go get close to. In many ways she seemed closed off, but always she was logical and tried to give Alex what he needed. I absolutely loved her thoughts on the telephone:
“No one ever has anything to say that can’t wait.” pg 256
“It would be rude for me to stop talking to you and start another conversation with someone else who was in the room, so why is it any more polite if that person doesn’t even have the decency to visit us?” pg 257
A Conflict of Interest is much more than a legal thriller about securities fraud. It has many stories intertwined. Stories about self, family and how people handle things when the pressure hits. Those ways may surprise you. Never did I guess what was coming next.
It’s hard to believe that this is Mr. Mitzner’s first novel. I highly recommend A Conflict of Interest to anyone who loves a legal suspense thriller. You will not be disappointed.
Book Review-Manson In His Own Words by Charles Manson & Nuel Emmons
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Title: Manson In His Own Words
(Image courtesy of The Smoking Gun)
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http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-manson-in-his-own/#ixzz1JXD84VwB
