Females in Law Enforcement

Hello Everyone - As you know by now, I'm a retired probation officer. As a female in a field of mostly males, I had my share of challenges. I'd like to create a forum where females in law enforcement can discuss their experiences, especially if they are writing about them in some form. So, if you currently are in, or retired from, the police, FBI, or probation, I'd like to hear from you. If you have a book you've written, I'll be glad to promote it. Wherever you've worked, we all share certain things in common. One thing for certain, we all share a particular mindset that led us into law enforcement in the first place. I'm anxious to hear what you have to say.

Book Review

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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California Residents Take Note

For those of us who live in California, we have a wonderful opportunity to improve our writing craft and network with other authors through the California Writers Club - www.Calwriters.org   There are 19 branches throughout the state.  I've been a member of the Orange branch for several years and have benefitted greatly by the association with other members.  If you're a writer, or aspire to be one, look for a branch near you and attend a meeting as a guest.  There are interesting speakers each month who cover various topics such as plotting, publishing, and marketing your finished product.  Regardless of your writing accomplishments, you will be comfortable at one of these meetings.  If any of you are already a member of one of the California branches, I'd love to hear from you.

Book Review

I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson


My rating: 3 of 5 stars







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Book Review- "I, Michael Bennett" by James Patterson

This review didn't post.  You can read it by going to Goodreads.com

Book Review

Echo Burning by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I just spent a few days in Texas, traveling the barren countryside, sweating in the scorching heat,and tasting the dust, and I didn't have to leave my comfortable sofa. I was transported there by Lee Child's amazingly descriptive narrative. "Echo Burning", another Jack Reacher novel, and one of the earlier ones, was a page turner in every sense of the word. Child's fans know that Reacher is an unencumbered traveler, managing to find trouble wherever he ends up. By the time he leaves, people are hurt or dead, and problems are solved. In "Echo Burning" Reacher is picked up while hitchhiking by Carmen Greer, a pretty Hispanic woman with a strange proposal. She's looking for someone to kill her husband Sloop, a wife beater currently in prison. She and their daughter live with his mother and brother in the town of Echo, Texas and are treated like the hired help. Sloop is scheduled to be released in a few days and Carmen is desperately looking for the right person to do the job. Although 6'5" Reacher looks like he could be the one, he quickly refuses, but is intrigued by her story and realizes she needs help from the abusive home she is in. Carmen arranges to have Reacher sign on as a hired hand on their large ranch so he can be a bodyguard as she awaits her husband's release. When he learns Carmen has purchased a gun to defend herself, he reluctantly shows her how to shoot it. Sloop is released and Reacher is soon driven out of Echo by the local sheriff at the family's request, only to hear that Sloop has been shot and is dead. Carmen is arrested and thus follows a very twisted tale that will have the reader believing one thing, then the opposite. There are other killings that seem random but are related to the Greer family connections. Reacher and an attorney named Alice are determined to get to the truth, and it's quite a journey to get there. One of the final scenes was much too long and detailed, and some of Reacher's deductions could only be made by someone who is clairvoyant. It does wrap up in the end, and Reacher is seen leaving town on foot, ready for his next adventure.

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Five Star Reviews

I was re-reading my recent book reviews and noted that I was generous with 5-star reviews. I don't give these out lightly, although it might seem that way. Apparently my most recent reads were of the 5-star variety, although I've read some other books lately that wouldn't merit that rating. For me to rate a book highly it has to have a plot that keeps me turning pages, and must be well written. The story must be unusual in the sense that the topic hasn't been written about in this way by someone else. I like details if they advance the story, but when they're overly done I want to "fast forward". So I'm wondering, what does a 5-star review look like to you when you read a novel? If you've read any of the books I've rated, and disagree with my rating, I'd like to know that too. As readers, we all come from different perspectives. Let me know yours!