Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Ghost And The Dead Deb by Alice Kimberly

The Ghost And The Dead Deb by Alice Kimberly

My Rating: 7 *'s

Description: The spirit is willing...to solve a murder

Don’t haunt the customers!

This was the only rule bookshop owner and widow Penelope Thornton-McClure had given her resident ghost, hard-boiled PI Jack Shepard. But when the hot young author Angel Stark arrives at the store to promote her latest, a true crime novel, Jack can hardly contain himself. After all, this is his specialty!

Angel's book is an unsolved mystery about a debutante found strangled to death. And it's filled with juicy details that point a finger at a number of people in the deb's high society circle. But when the author winds up dead too, in precisely the same way, Pen is fast on the case...which means Jack is too. After all, a ghost detective never rests in peace.

My Thoughts: Second book in The Haunted Bookshop series. This one wasn't bad, but I enjoyed the first one more. There's a slight hint of an attraction between Penelope and Jack, but seriously, where can it go? He's dead! As with the first book, I enjoy the banter between Penelope and Jack and his vernacular is quite entertaining. The author does a good job of making Jack believable with his vocabulary. I have the next two books in this series and am looking forward to reading them.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Ritual in Death by J.D. Robb

Ritual In Death by J.D. Robb

My Rating: 10 *'s

Description: When a high-society party is crashed by a naked, knife-wielding, blood-covered man who "thinks" he might have killed someone, Eve Dallas must track down the crime, and the criminals. Everything points to Satanic ritual, but Eve doesn't believe in devil worship...

My Thoughts: This was one of the short stories featured in the SUITE 606 anthology. Not as satisfying as the full length stories only because it's short, the story feels rushed and doesn't have all of the elements of the plot I have come to enjoy and look forward to with each Eve Dallas story. But I still enjoyed the story and the new twist of a Satanic ritual in the plot. I especially enjoy it when Eve gets to be a bad ass when interrogating the perps. I'm glad I'm not the one sitting on the other side of the table...

Monday, May 17, 2010

Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore

Bite Me by Christopher Moore

My Rating: 10 *'s

Description: "The city of San Francisco is being stalked by a huge shaved vampyre cat named Chet, and only I, Abby Normal, emergency backup mistress of the Greater Bay Area night, and my manga-haired love monkey, Foo Dog, stand between the ravenous monster and a bloody massacre of the general public."

Whoa. And this is a love story? Yup. 'Cept there's no whining. See, while some lovers were born to run, Jody and Tommy were born to bite. Well, reborn, that is, now that they're vampires. Good thing theirs is an undying love, since their Goth Girl Friday, Abby Normal, imprisoned them in a bronze statue.

Abby wants to be a bloodsucking fiend, too, but right now she's really busy with other stuff, like breaking in a pair of red vinyl thigh-high Skankenstein® platform boots and wrangling her Ph.D.-candidate boyfriend, Steve (the love monkey). And then there's that vampire cat Chet, who's getting bigger and smarter—and thirstier—by the minute. Abby thought she and Steve could handle the kitty cat on their own, mais non . . .

Before you can say "OMG! WTF?" Tommy and Jody are sprung from captivity, and join forces with Abby, Steve, the frozen-turkey-bowling Safeway crew, the Emperor of San Francisco and his trusty dogs Lazarus and Bummer, Abby's gay Goth friend Jared, and SF's finest Cavuto and Rivera to hunt big cat and save the city. And that's when the fun really begins.

My Thoughts: Christopher Moore does it again! This book is laugh out loud hilarious! Most of the book is told from the point of view of "Abby Normal," a goth Valley Girl, who wants nothing more than to be "Nosferatu" and spend her life being Mistress of the Greater Bay Area Night and going "Raaarrr" to those around her.

When we last left Abby and her manga-haired love monkey, Foo Dog, they had trapped "The Countess and Lord Flood" in bronze statues and were living in the love lair deciding what their next move should be. They quickly learn they have gotten in way over their heads when they discover that Chet is a vampire cat and is quickly turning other cats to the dark side and eating several people along the way. Plus, Jody and Tommy are gonna be REALLY pissed when they get out of the bronze statues. And then there are those ass-hat cops Rivera and Cavuto who are snooping around...seriously, could life get any more sucky?

Sadly, I think this is the last story in the series as this book ties up many loose ends and pretty much cleans house. One can only hope there will be more, but it doesn't feel like it. Do yourself a favor and read this series, starting with BLOODSUCKING FIENDS, followed by YOU SUCK and then BITE ME.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights by Kyra Davis

Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights by Kyra Davis

My Rating: 3 *'s

Description: Sophie Katz has just offered a man $12,000 for his services... Is she desperate or just meshugeneh?

Considering the kind of disasters that usually befall the half-black, half-Jewish mystery writer, probably both. Because the last time Sophie saw sexy P.I. Anatoly Darinsky, he practically danced a jig when she waved goodbye --- a normal reaction for a man who'd nearly bought the farm trying to protect her from her own foolishness. What are the chances he'd agree to take incriminating pictures of her sister's philandering husband? Or that he'd let her tag along --- you know...for research?

But when her brother in law turns up dead and her sister becomews the prime suspect, Sophie's priority is finding the real killer. With or without Anatoly's help. Her brother in law's secret life yields plenty of suspects, but the San Francisco police aren't taking any of them seriously. So Sophie does what comes naturally to her: she stirs up trouble (to lure the killer out, of course).

But if her crazy plan works, will Anatoly be there to protect her this time?

My Thoughts: Didn't like this one as much as the first one. I will be reading the next two in the series soon and hope they are much better.

Sunday, May 02, 2010

New Additions To The TBR Pile In April

That sound you hear is the groaning of the foundation under the weight of yet more books to the already heaping pile...


Cold Case by Robin Burcell

Description: The colder it gets . . .the hotter it gets.

Three years ago SFPD Homicide Investigator Kate Gillespie was in pursuit of a suspect who murdered a hooker in a sleazy motel, and she nearly lost her own life in the process. The shooter escaped into the San Francisco shadows and the trail went colder than the grave. Now Kate's appearance on a Bay Area "crime stoppers" TV show produces new leads that carry her back into the sordid world of drugs and prostitution -- and point her toward a local crime boss whose missing wife is possibly linked to multiple men and multiple murders. But when a dangerous knot of betrayals, secrets, and criminal cover-ups starts unraveling, Kate can only hope she'll be as lucky as she was on that black night at the Twin Palms Motel. Because the only way to the truth leads directly into the line of fire . . .


Deadly Legacy by Robin Burcell

Description: SOME SECRETS ARE MURDER TO KEEP...

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY

San Francisco P.D. Homicide Inspector Kate Gillespie's investigation into a bizarre apparent murder/suicide is threatening to careen out of control. A dead man might not be dead. The families of the deceased are hiding something. And there are blood-soaked threads reaching into some very lofty places. But most perplexing of all are the shocking revelations of one of the "victims" dark and dangerous history -- the more Kate learns, the less she knows. It's a case that has placed Kate Gillespie on the hot seat as her investigation gets bigger by the moment -- and puts her perilously high on a rabid killer's hit list.


Strangers In Death by J.D. Robb

Description: Technology may be different in 2060 New York, yet the city is still a place of many cultures and great divides. And as ever, some murders receive more attention than others - especially those in which the victim is a prominent businessman, found in his Park Avenue apartment, tied to the bed - and strangled - with cords of black velvet.

It doesn't surprise Lieutenant Eve Dallas that Thomas Anders's scandalous death is a source of titillation and speculation for the public - and humiliation for his family. While everyone else in the city is talking about it, those close to Anders aren't so anxious to do so. Fortunately, because Dallas's billionaire husband, Roarke, happens to own the prime real estate where Anders's sporting-goods firm was headquartered, she has some help with access. Before long, she's knocking on doors - or barging through them - to look for the answers she needs.

But the facts don't add up. Physical evidence suggests that the victim didn't struggle. The security breach in the highly fortified apartment indicates that the killer was someone close to Anders, but everyone's alibi checks out, from the wife who was off in the tropics to the loving nephew who stands to inherit millions. Was this a crime of passion - or a carefully planned execution?

It's up to Dallas to solve a sensational case where all involved guard secrets from one another - and strangers may be connected in unexpected, and deadly, ways.


The Associate by John Grisham

Description: If you thought Mitch McDeere was in trouble in The Firm, wait until you meet Kyle McAvoy, The Associate

Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father’s small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of The Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential.

But Kyle has a secret, a dark one, an episode from college that he has tried to forget. The secret, though, falls into the hands of the wrong people, and Kyle is forced to take a job he doesn’t want—even though it’s a job most law students can only dream about.

Three months after leaving Yale, Kyle becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world, where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed.

With an unforgettable cast of characters and villains—from Baxter Tate, a drug-addled trust fund kid and possible rapist, to Dale, a pretty but seemingly quiet former math teacher who shares Kyle’s “cubicle” at the law firm, to two of the most powerful and fiercely competitive defense contractors in the country—and featuring all the twists and turns that have made John Grisham the most popular storyteller in the world, The Associate is vintage Grisham.


The Shiksa Syndrome by Laurie Graff

Description: Manhattan publicist Aimee Albert knows a good spin, but she’s the one who winds up reeling when her gorgeous, goyishe boyfriend breaks up with her—on Christmas! For a stand-up comedian, you’d think he would have better timing. But Aimee’s not about to let a man who doesn’t even have a real job get her down. She dusts herself off and decides to seek companionship with a member of her own tribe. There’s just one problem: all the shiksas are snapping them up!

So when the very cute, Jewish, and gainfully employed Josh Hirsch catches Aimee’s eye at a kosher wine tasting and mistakes her for a shiksa, what’s a girl to do? Hey, her heart was broken, not her head! Unfortunately, the charade goes on longer than Aimee planned, and her life becomes more complicated than a Bergman film. To make matters worse, Josh and Aimee aren’t exactly on the same page as far as their attitudes toward Judaism go, creating tension in the relationship. But as Aimee begins to discover that her identity isn’t as easily traded as a pair of Jimmy Choos, she must decide if having the man of her dreams is worth the price of giving up so much of who she is.

Wry and witty, The Shiksa Syndrome is a by turns laugh-out-loud funny and disarmingly poignant.


When You Wish by Kristen Harmel

Description: Star Beck is super-duper megastar famous. She rocks–literally–every night in concert for thousands of cheering fans. But the pop star life–tour buses, fauxmances, size 0 minis–is getting a little old. Star can’t help wondering what it would be like to be a regular girl–without paparazzi trailing her every move, and without people being nice just because, well, she’s Star Beck. And when she discovers that her mom has been lying to her for years about something very important, Star decides to find out what the world beyond her stage is like after all.

In the blink of an emerald green eye, Star finds herself . . . buying a car. Eating cheeseburgers. Swapping her stilettos for flip-flops. Getting a job that doesn’t require dancing, winking, or mall appearances. And falling for the cutest, realest boy she’s ever met. But how will she know if he feels the same way? Because for once in her life, someone is going to have to like her for who she really is.

Strangers In Death

Strangers In Death by J.D. Robb

My Rating: 10 *'s

Description: Technology may be different in 2060 New York, yet the city is still a place of many cultures and great divides. And as ever, some murders receive more attention than others - especially those in which the victim is a prominent businessman, found in his Park Avenue apartment, tied to the bed - and strangled - with cords of black velvet.

It doesn't surprise Lieutenant Eve Dallas that Thomas Anders's scandalous death is a source of titillation and speculation for the public - and humiliation for his family. While everyone else in the city is talking about it, those close to Anders aren't so anxious to do so. Fortunately, because Dallas's billionaire husband, Roarke, happens to own the prime real estate where Anders's sporting-goods firm was headquartered, she has some help with access. Before long, she's knocking on doors - or barging through them - to look for the answers she needs.

But the facts don't add up. Physical evidence suggests that the victim didn't struggle. The security breach in the highly fortified apartment indicates that the killer was someone close to Anders, but everyone's alibi checks out, from the wife who was off in the tropics to the loving nephew who stands to inherit millions. Was this a crime of passion - or a carefully planned execution?

It's up to Dallas to solve a sensational case where all involved guard secrets from one another - and strangers may be connected in unexpected, and deadly, ways.

My Thoughts: A very intriguing story that again leaves me amazed how this author can continue deliver another book in such a lengthy series without repeating herself or making the series boring. Eve Dallas is a character that impresses me with how focused she is on the case and with the tenacity of a pit bull, doesn't let go of our suspect once her sight is locked on them.

The sub-plots going on in each book make the stories even better and the characters more real. I enjoyed Charles and Louise's side story and look forward to seeing how Eve deals with this as time goes on.

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I am not a professional reviewer, but I love to read and share my opinions on my reading with others who are interested. I work full time but my ideal perfect day would be to curl up with a good book. The majority of the books I review here are from my private collection and my reviews are provided purely for entertainment purposes. I receive no compensation whatsoever for sharing my thoughts and review on any book. If you would like me to review your book, please email me at sharalsbooks@yahoo.com Happy Reading! :o)