Book Review "A Thousand Steps" by T. Jefferson Parker

 

I have been a fan of Parker for years and have read all his books. Unfortunately, his latest,"A Thousand Steps," greatly disappointed me. Set in Laguna Beach in the 1960's, and mired in sex, drugs, and free love. Our hero, if there is one, is 16 year old Matt Anthony, part-time student, part-time paper boy and full-time unhappy kid. His mother is a waitress when she isn't in her bedroom doing drugs. His dad left a long time ago and has started a new family. His brother Kyle is in Vietnam. His pretty sister, Jasmine, called Jazz, is a wild 18-year-old who fails to return home after a night of partying. Matt helps support the family by selling papers, pedaling his bicycle all over Laguna to do so. Now he's searching for Jazz every minute he can. His search takes him to Brotherly Love gatherings, complete with Tim Leary, and sexual orgies held in a private mansion that the police overlook. Day and night he pedals, fearful she'll turn up dead, just as a teenage friend had recently. When Jazz is not found, Dad returns to help, but his brand of help has violence connected to it. A mysterious sighting of Jazz running down the street, then being picked up forcefully in a van, convinces Matt his sister is being held against her will. Will the police believe what he saw? Will anyone care? The book wraps up as expected. To say more would give it all away. Hope Parker goes back to his really well-written novels and abandons the present tense style in which this book was written.

Book Review "Make Me" by Lee Child

When an author has a successful series, often the later books don't seem as compelling or interesting as the earlier ones which made you a fan. Not so with Lee Child. "Make Me" starts out slowly and builds, and kept me turning pages until the very surprising end. Jack Reacher, decides to get off his Chicago bound train at a stop called "Mother's Rest." Intrigued by the name and the small size of the town, surrounded by wheat fields in every direction, he plans to spend a day or two checking it, out then leave. He learns quickly he is not welcome. His room at the local motel is constantly being observed and when he walks around town he knows he's being followed. Michelle Change, former FBI agent and current private investigator, mistakes Reacher for an associate she has been waiting for. He had gone on ahead and now he's missing. Reacher is interested in her story and teams up with her in her search. They leave Mother's Rest with the intention of returning when they have more information. They collaborate with a journalist who has been contacted many times with a bizarre story by a caller who the journalist has deemed delusional. But was he? It turns out his story is even stranger than first thought. The three of them work closely to discover a nightmare only the most warped mind could develop. Reacher is getting older but he can still win a fight when outnumbered and there are plenty of such scenes throughout. The complete story is not revealed until the last pages and you will say, "wow, what a ride!"

"Piece of My Heart" by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke

 

Mary Higgins Clark passed away while finishing this book with Alafair Burke. I read it knowing there would be no more from her, and her last effort still showed she had the talent to keep her readers in suspense. Laurie Moran, the producer of a popular television show, "Under Suspicion," is about to be married to Alex Buckley. She, her son Timmy, and other family members gather for their wedding in the Hamptons. Seven-year-old Johnny, her fiance's nephew, is kidnapped during a beach outing. When he is not immediately found, wedding plans are cancelled and an all-out effort ensues to find him. Laurie's father Leo, a retired police officer who now hold a special position with the New York Police Dept. has his own troubles. A convicted murderer, who confessed his crime to Leo, is trying to get a new trial, saying that Leo lied and he is really innocent. Could he be behind the kidnapping as an act of revenge? Also, Johnny is an adopted child. Is it possible his birth mother now wants him back and she is behind the kidnapping? As Laurie and her family pursue various dead-ends, Johnny' s life is in the balance the longer he is gone. There are twists and turns along the way that will keep you guessing. Anyone who has read Ms. Clark knows that her books always have a satisfying ending. This one will too but you'll wonder when.

Book Review - Murder in the Blood by Anne Cleeland

I'm addicted to this series, although by the tenth book, there is a certain sameness to the story line. Kathleen Doyle, redhead, Irish, charming, and Michael Acton, handsome, aloof, aristocrat, and Doyle's superior in Scotland Yard, not to mention also her husband. They work together to solve the many murders that seem to be occurring all around them, along with a cast of interesting characters. Acton is secretive but Doyle has unusual abilities to perceive what he is trying to hide. After many twists and turns, and references to previous plots in earlier books, this one ends in a surprise. A very entertaining series and I'm ready to start #11.

Book Review "Tainted Angel"

 

I've been a fan of Anne Cleeland since I began reading her Scotland Yard series, set in current time. "Tainted Angel" is the first of her historical fiction books I've read. Set in the time of Napoleon, we meet Invidia (or Libby, or Lina) a spy for England, or is it France? Hard to tell throughout the book. Her cohorts are also questionable. Are they with her, or against her? When the handsome, recent widower, Lucien Carstairs sets his sights on her, she can't resist. But is he only doing it to gain secrets, or does he really care? This confusion continues throughout the novel, finally resolving in the last pages. Having read most of her Scotland Yard series, I found it interesting that many of the expressions her British characters use were also used by the characters in "Tainted Angel." Since expressions are a reflection of the time they're in, and their locale, I considered this to be a flaw in this book. If you like historical fiction, and don't mind spy/counterspy stories, you would probably like this one. I think I'll stick to her Scotland Yard series.

Book Review

Murder in the Worst Degree by F.M. Meredith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book I've read in the series. It is supposed to stand alone but I found it difficult to understand certain characters because the comments made about them did not provide any background to make them understandable. The story takes place in the fictional southern California town of Rocky Bluff, placed near Ventura and Santa Barbara. It unfolds through the experiences of the police officers who work there as they investigate the mysterious death of an elderly man and try to capture a rapist who has viciously attacked two women. The department has a new chief, a black woman. The officers under her command have their own personal problems and worry about how she will make changes that will negatively affect them. The story bounced around. It had many inaccuracies that needed to be edited, such as sentences that were repetitious and the same question asked of a character more than once, with a different answer each time. Probation and parole were treated as though they were one and the same when they are two completely separate functions in California. Officer Ryan, married to Barbara (a widow with three boys) is ready to leave her because she is having a baby with Downs Syndrome. When he forces himself to see the newborn she looks beautiful to him and he is happy that she looks "normal." Barbara can't leave the hospital until the doctor has finished testing the baby to see what her limitations will be. If she has many limitations, will Ryan decide to run? Yet the author never gives us the answer. Gordon, who is constantly referred to as having problems (but never identified) wants to marry officer Lisette. She believes that if she marries another officer she will lose her job. She thinks the new chief frowns on relationships between two officers. However, Doug and Stacey, are both officers and are married. They are not losing their jobs. Why doesn't Lisette notice that? Sorry to say I was not impressed with this book and can't recommend it.


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Book Review

The Testament
by 

John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

Jeanette Fratto's review

Jun 12, 2020  ·  edit

it was amazing

Billionaire Troy Phelan was successful at building companies, but a failure as a husband and father. His last will leaves everything to his illegitimate daughter, who he has not seen for years, and is now a missionary in Brazil. His six children, their wives and ex-wives engage numerous attorneys and proceed to challenge the will. In the meantime, Nate O'Reilly, a down-on-his-luck attorney just out of rehab, is selected to go to Brazil to find the elusive daughter. Much of the book is taken up with his journey by plane, boat, and on foot into the jungles where primitive Indians live and are very protective of the missionary, Rachel Lane. He eventually finds her but she wants nothing to do with the money. She opens his eyes to a different kind of life. Before he can return home he contracts Dengue fever, suffering through the boat ride and in a third-world hospital where the patients around him are either dying or dead. Once home and recuperating, he must deal with the attorneys and siblings fighting for their "rightful" share of their father's money. There are many twists and turns in this story and the ending is a total surprise. It is well-written but I thought the author spent too much time describing every detail of Nate's trip to the jungle, the plane crash, storms, alligators ready to attack. I felt as though I was on the boat or plane with him. If you don't mind this, you'll enjoy the story. I managed to enjoy it anyway.

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