New Novella from Barry Eisler!

THIS JUST IN: Barry Eisler is releasing a Deliah novella called London Twist.  Available February 8th.  Less than a week away!!!!

Review: Suspect by Robert Crais

After witnessing his partner's death, LAPD officer Scott James decided he never wanted another partner.  The trauma, the PTSD, were all too much.  Joining the K-9 unit, seemed like the best option.

Maggie is lost. After 3 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, she's loses her partner Pete to an IED. While she's tried to adjust to civilian life, Maggie is haunted by Pete's death and PTSD.  Then Maggie meets Scott.

Did I mention that Maggie is a military dog? 

I was prepared to enjoy this book, because, in my opinion, dogs are the world's greatest pets.  What I did not expect, was the emotional connection I developed with Scott & Maggie.  

While most people haven't experienced PTSD or violent death, Crais was able write about in a way his audience could understand.  Instead of focusing on the symptoms of the disorder (flashbacks, isolation, depression, etc.) he stressed the emotional aspects that come with the loss of someone close - Flashbacks become less about the violence and more about Scott's guilt in not helping his partner more, isolation becomes the determination to never get hurt again.  Now not only can the reader relate to Scott, but they have a better understanding of the effects of PTSD.

Dogs on the other hand are easy to portray.  Just make them loyal and/or funny and BANG!  Instant success, but Crais didn't want a one dimensional sidekick.  He gave her depth by allowing the reader to experience life walking in her paws.  While she may not fully grasp the gravity of every situation she is placed in, Maggie knows her role - to support and protect her handler Pete - and every action reflects that.  Even as he's dying, Maggie offers comfort by licking his face, in between barking and snarling as she protects him. 

Instead of a mystery about a guy with a dog, Crais gave us a love story about two broken souls learn to love and trust again.  One of them just happens to be a dog. 

Highly recommended for anyone who loved or been loved by a human or a dog.

Review: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

There are certain movies and books, that can terrify you so much that you can't even have them in the room with you finish with them.  For me, that moment took place almost exactly 10 years ago, when I read House of Leaves.  I read it on a whim, because a couple of my friends in college had loved it.  I had no idea what was in store for me. 

The book is about Johnny, a slacker, who finds a manuscript that was written by Zampano, a blind old man suffering from dementia.  It's an in depth study of a documentary film, The Navidson Record, with an underground following, complete with footnotes, quotes from experts, etc., but the film doesn't seem to exist.  Johnny decides to read the transcript, letting the reader figuratively peer over his shoulder as he does. 

To say this book scared me is an understatement.  It freaking terrified me.  Danielewski goes to incredible lengths to draw the reader in by changing the font, coloring, positioning and even the placement of the words on the page.  He even switched narrators. 

I would be totally absorbed in The Navidson Record manuscript and suddenly Johnny would interrupt - almost as if he hit the pause button during a very crucial part in the film.  He would begin rambling about the tattoo parlor where he worked and his fantasy girl, a stripper nickmaned Thumper.  Then he would abruptly stop and let me continue reading

At first, Johnny's narration seems random and purposeless - much like the character himself, but soon these little interludes were leaving me unsettled.  As we read more of the transcript, Johnny became more paranoid and by the time we returned to the manuscript, which was already creepy, I started to wonder how this book would affect me.  At one point, it got so frightening, I was no longer able to read it at night. 

The book haunted me for weeks after I finished it.  While I knew it was a work of fiction, I knew there had to be something more to it.  I would spend hours looking interpretations or opinions - anything, but there wasn't anything out there for me. 

This book screamed for a viral campaign, but it was published in 2000.  The Blair Witch Project with it's fake police reports and news stories, had only just shown the world how powerful the internet marketing could be.  Imagine what would happen if it was released today....

Maybe I should read it again. 

Retro Review: Divas by Rebecca Chance

 

Check out a review from original blog for another Rebecca Chance book!

Who’s the real Diva?

•Is it Lola, the Paris Hilton of London, with a trust fund from Daddy to provide her with everything and anything she ever could dream?

•Will it be Evie, who started out as an exotic dancer and then caught the attention of Lola’s wealthy Daddy to become his mistress? 

•Or is it Carin, Lola’s viscous stepmother, who cuts off both Lola and Evie the second her husband falls into a coma?You be the judge!
This is one of the most fun and sexy romps I have read in a long time and I highly recommend it if you want something entertaining and steamy. 
 
There’s one catch - this UK import can not be found just anywhere.  The only place I’ve seen it is at Murder by the Book, so I suggest you race over there right now to get a copy!




Review: Killer Heels by Rebecca Chance

Michael Kors once chided the Project Runway contestants, "Fashion is not for sissies."  Well if it's anything like KIller Heels, Rebecca Chance has got it down!

3 Women all connected by one man, media mogul Jacob Dupleix.

Mireille Grenier has no intention of being ousted from her role as fashion director for a major fashion magazine, Style.

Style Magazine editor, Victoria Glossop is more cutthroat than Miranda Priestly, until someone comes along to send this ice queen to her boiling point.

Rising Star, Coco Raeburn, who is willing to do anything, even change her name to be a an editor.

Will these women unite to form a trio to be reckoned with or will they destroy each other in order to gain power?

Okay, I love Rebecca Chance's books.  Everything about them is slick, sexy and sophisticated - the designer labels, the strong women and of course, the steamy sex....sigh.    It's all fabulous, but this one took me by surprise.  There were a few more twists and turns that I didn't expect and I loved Coco.

Chance did a wonderful job creating very vulnerable character a who couldn't tell anyone no.  Coco was a girl who was so committed to her dream, that she was willing to almost destroy herself in order to fulfill it - struggling with weight, bad relationships, satan in Gucci, anything could bring a a half step closer to fashion editing.  It struck a chord with me, because I think this is a common issue for a lot of young women.  We don't know how to get to the next level, so we answer yes, when in our hearts we know something is not right.  

Highly recommended for anyone who loved The Devil Wears Prada or Plum Sykes!

PS - These books are not available in the US.  Skip Barnes and just go straight to your favorite Indie bookstore.  In my case, it's Houston's Murder by the Book.  

Review: What a Ghoul Wants by Victoria Laurie

Please note:  This is the 7th book in the Ghost Hunter series.  Laurie's books are very enjoyable, but I'm reading them out of order.  If you need to start from the beginning, start with What's a Ghoul to Do?

MJ  Holliday has managed to translate her talent for communicating with the dead into a television show called Ghoul Getters, but her latest shoot at Kidwella Castle in northern Wales may be even be too much for her.  She's investigating the Grim Widow who had been rumored to drown victims in the moat, but MJ suspects something more. The closer she gets, the more danger she's in.

For people who are not aware, I am a Victoria Laurie fan and MJ is just as great Abby Cooper.  She got the biting wit and sarcasm that I've come to love about Laurie's characters.  Her books are light reads, but they still have enough twists and turns to keep me turning pages all night long, literally.  

This one she took to a new level.  There are times when MJ's encounters with the Widow even had me shivering under my covers.  It was fabulous.  

A Change would do you good.

Hey everyone!  Oh The Book Girl will now be known as A Fox in the Stacks!  Check me out at http://foxinthestacks.blogspot.com/.

Review: Die Easy by Zoe Sharp

For Charlie Fox, life should be good.  She lives in a prime apartment in New York City, work is going well, her boyfriend, Sean, has come out of his coma.  Everything should be great...except that Sean's memory of Charlie has not recovered.  Instead of a loving boyfriend who runs a security firm, Sean has returned as a soldier who still blames Charlie for ruining his career in the armed forces, so the idea partnering with him for a bodygaurding job in New Orleans is less than ideal. 

It also doesn't help that someone is trying to murder her client.

What can I say about Charlie Fox?  She is intelligent, courageous, and she can fight with the best of them.  This woman is so badass, it's unreal, but where some authors could make Charlie very one dimensional, Sharp brings an incredible vulnerabilty out in her, especially in the last few books. 

In this one, we see Charlie coping with a shattered dream - her life with Sean.  It never even occurred to her that the brain damage he suffered could affect his memory their life together.  His renewed lack of trust in her seems to be what affects her the most, but instead of falling into the cliches of most memory loss stories, Charlie stays strong.  Rather than forcing the details of lives on him, she answers questions - even the hard one - when they arise.  It was really well done.

Highly reccommeded for those who enjoy Lee Child, JT Ellison and Barry Eisler.

Movie Review: Jack Reacher

As you know, dear readers, I was very skeptical of the Jack Reacher.  A short guy to play Jack Reacher?  No way, but let me tell you, when I let that go, I really enjoyed the movie.

While Reacher could have easily slipped into brutish or cocky man, Cruise stayed true to the character.  His Jack was quiet and unassuming, but demonstrated that he was no dummy.  One of my favorite points was after he reviewed the evidence with Detective Emerson.  The police tried to trip him up by asking Reacher what the serial number was on the rifle, but our hero countered by asking the detective what the year on the quarter was.   Emerson could not provide an answer, but Reacher could.  

It was that type of interaction that proved the production team the character, but they really won me over by providing nods to the book:  

• The scars on his body
• Jack's shopping trip to Goodwill
• A cameo by the author
• The folding toothbrush
• Reacher rinsing out his shirt in the motel room
• Jack using pay phones

These were little things, but it communicated conscious effort on their part to not just make another action movie.  This was a film to introduce Reacher to the world as well as appease the fans.  

For me it was a success.  What do you think?