Emma Caldridge is running in an ultramarathon in South America.  A bomb explodes on the race route, and as Emma recovers from the shock of the blast a stranger injects something into her arm.  Amazingly, Emma is able to complete the 55 mile race and does so in record time.

Emma’s not the only one under attack. Back in Washington D.C., Emma’s good friend Edward Banner is defending Darkview (a security agency) from the FBI, Congress, & the IRS, due actions that took place in Colombia (Running from the Devil).  Cameron Sumner, the man responsible for saving Emma’s life in Colombia, is on board a luxury cruise ship off the coast of Somalia.  When the ship is attacked by pirates, Sumner is the only one onboard with a weapon powerful enough to defend the ship, albeit temporarily.

The three characters are brought together when Sumner learns that a chemical weapon is onboard the ship.  Emma, a chemist, must risk her life to get onboard the ship and determine how how dangerous this weapon is.

Once again, Freveletti doesn’t fail to impress me.  As in Running from the Devil, there is no lack of action and suspense in Running Dark.  From beginning to end, my heart was pounding. Fans of Running from the Devil will be happy to read more about it’s characters, but the author provides enough back story to get a new reader up to speed. My only complaint would be the resolution…it all seemed to end a bit too quickly for me.  Granted, it was very intense and exciting, I just wanted a little more. It is obvious that Freveletti plans on continuing the series; I’m definitely interested in reading more from this author!

Be sure to check back later today and win an ARC of Running Dark!

Review: Running Dark by Jamie Freveletti is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Related posts

• No related posts.

On December 24, 1800, an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Napoleon brutally massacres several innocent bystanders. Chief Inspector Roch Miquel must rush to find the guilty party before another attack is attempted.  His efforts are thwarted by internal politics and  corruption within the police force.  His work is also hindered by his superior, Minister of Police Fouche, who arrests his father when Miquel’s investigation leads him in a direction Fouche finds undesirable. His father’s fate and life are held in the balance. Can Miquel reveal the identies of the guilty parties and preserve the life of his dear father?

Delors paints a very vivid setting. For the King combines two of my favorite genres: history & thrillers. Although the reader knows of the identities of the bombers early on in the book, their motives and incentives for the bombing are carefully and intricately revealed throughout.  What I really enjoyed about this book is the amount of historical detail.  It’s not only an investigation to find and put to justice three individuals, but a history lesson as well.  The reader also learns a great deal about the politics and turmoil of France at this time.

Initially, not very much about Miquel is known, but Delors provides a bit of history about this character through flash-backs to his childhood. Miquel is an extremely likeable and compelling character.  Unlike others in his station, he did not come from a wealthy family. His promotion to such a high level within the police force shows his dedication to this cause.

 I highly recommend For the King to readers of historical/political thrillers.

Mini-Review: For the King by Caterine Delors is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Related posts

• No related posts.

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (August 3, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0061843415
• Source: Publisher

Summertime is nearing an end.  Thirteen-year-old Henry hasn’t done much but watch television.  He lives with his mother Adele who, since the divorce from his father, very rarely wants to leave the house.  Her heart has been broken for some time, nearly everything she once lived for is now gone.

They live off of Campbells soup and TV dinners. However, one day they forced to leave the house and trek to the local discount store.  Henry is approached by an injured man who asks for help.  Henry & Adele’s lives are forever changed.  For the next several days, Henry learns things he’d never learned before:  how to play catch, how to play baseball, and most importantly, he learns a lesson about love.  He also learns that it’s important not to judge someone based on their past, but instead an individual should be judged by who they are now, and what they can provide in the future.

Labor Day is told from the viewpoint of Henry, a young boy on the cusp of young adulthood.  He’s still young, a bit naive about girls, and very sensitive emotionally.  The six days he spends with this stranger play a key role in his emotional and mental development.  It is not until he’s an adult that he really begins to comprehend just how important this weekend was. He gains an insight on life that many don’t discover in an entire lifetime.

Maynard does a stunning job portraying Henry’s character; she’s able to so accurately describe the attitudes and emotions of a teenage boy.  One couldn’t help but sympathize with Henry’s character.  We were all teens once; we experienced similar “growing pains.”

The secondary characters Adele and Frank are just as aptly detailed.  Initially, Adele’s character annoyed the heck out of me.  She seemed to have given up on life, completely forgetting that she had a son, a reason to live.  It wasn’t until I read a bit more about her that I realized the cause of her pain. Frank is an interesting character.  He has a pretty rough history and realistically one should have disdain for a man of his character.  But I couldn’t help but love him for what he gave to Adele and Henry.

The relationship this trio shares is initially perplexing, but ultimately rewarding. The storyline is captivating and unpredictable.  While reading this book my initial thought was “What!?” but by the end it was replaced with a “Wow!”  I was caught off guard by how much I enjoyed this book; I fell in love with this odd little “family” and Maynard’s descriptive, flowing prose. I highly recommend this one; it would make the perfect beach or lazy summer day read.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to participate in this tour.  Please be sure to check out the other upcoming stops:

Monday, July 26th: Café of Dreams

Wednesday, July 28th: Rundpinne

Monday, August 2nd: Book Chatter

Tuesday, August 3rd: Jo-Jo Loves to Read!

Wednesday, August 4th: excess baggage

Thursday, August 5th: Peetswea

Friday, August 6th: Stiletto Storytime

Monday, August 9th: Alison’s Book Marks

Tuesday, August 10th: Lisa’s Yarns

Wednesday, August 11th: Bookstack

Thursday, August 12th: The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness

Review: Labor Day by Joyce Maynard is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Related posts

• No related posts.

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (January 5, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 1439123349
• Source: Publisher

In 2012, a viral infection sweeps the country and wipes out half the population.  A new government rises up from the ruins, called “The Confederation of the Willing.”  The Confederation provides the only food, supplies and resources availablle.  Given this additional power & control, they begin to make a few changes.  Speech and behavior are now controlled by “slates”, computer chips embedded in the necks of all citizens. When a forbidden act is performed, or a red-listed word spoken, the individual is punished, sometimes even killed by an electrical shock.

Fast forward to 2045. The Confederation still exists, now providing sex and drugs to its willing populace.  Harper Adams is a “monitor”, working directly for the Confederation.  She has a special gift, she can see auras and read the thoughts of others.  This gift gives Harper a unique advantage; she can see just how manipulative the Confederation is and begins to wonder if there is a better life. When the word “veracity”, also her daughter’s name, is red-listed, Harper knows she can stand for this no longer.  Harper discovers the Resistance, an underground group set on overtaking the Confederation, willing to give up her own life in the name of freedom.

Compared to The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood,Veracity gives the reader a chilling look at the future. The freedom of speech we have is one that we often take for granted. Imagine not being able to say things such as poem, or courage.The characters Bynum has created are strong, well-developed; characters you want to survive, to win.  Veracity is a book that will stick with you long after you read the last pages. This book would be the perfect book club book; there are dozens of themes to be discussed.

Check back tomorrow for a special guest post by the author of Veracity, Laura Bynum.

Virginia is for…Book Lovers is a feature hosted by Jenn’s Bookshelves which spotlights local Virginia authors.  If you are a Virginia author, or publicist for a Virginia author, and would like to be a part of this feature, please contact me!

Virginia is for…Book Lovers: Veracity by Laura Bynum is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Related posts

• No related posts.

Biochemist Emma Caldridge is on a flight from Miami to Bogota when the plane goes down in a fiery crash.  Shortly after the crash, a group of guerrilla soldiers round up the survivors and force them to march into the rainforest.  It is soon realized by the survivors that the crash was no accident; the plane was brought down intentionally. Emma is  thrown from the wreckage, far enough away that the soldiers don’t see her.  She’s able to recover some supplies and food from the wreckage before it is blown up by the soldiers.

She begins to follow the soldiers and the survivors through the hot, deadly Colombian rainforest. She’s a chemist for a lucrative cosmetics company, constantly looking for natural ingredients to enhance the cosmetics this company creates. Her knowledge of the local plant life and her experience as an ultramarathon runner gives her an advantage.  She’s soon joined by another survivor, Sumner,  a government agent, and they both head out in an attempt to rescue the remaining surviviors.

Meanwhile, the United States government has formed a task force ordered to rescue the survivors of the plane crash. They can’t seem to figure out what made this plane so important…who on the plane was worth killing so many people?  After doing a bit of investigating, it is soon revealed that Emma has a bit more riding on this trip than originally believed.

Freveletti weaves an extremely fast-paced, thrilling read. I thoroughly enjoyed Emma’s character: she was a no-nonsense woman, set on survival.  It’s refreshing to see such a powerful woman in a thriller, oftentimes a male holds this position. This was a quick, intense read.  Highly recommended!

I finished reading this book just in time!  This weekend, Running from the Devil won the Best First Novel award at the 2010 Thriller Awards!  Congratulations, Jamie!! Be sure to check out her newest book, Running Dark!

Mini-Review: Running from the Devil by Jamie Freveletti is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Related posts

• A Glimpse Inside Chelsea Cain’s Portland (11)
• Review:The Enemy by Lee Child (4)
• Review: On Folly Beach by Karen White (13)
• Review: Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon (10)
• Review: Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth (8)

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ecco (June 22, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0061626651
• Source: Publisher

Jessica Stern has been studying the causes of violence for the past two decades. She often wondered why she could study such a horrid subject without being affected in some way.  Perhaps it is due to that one event that forever changed her life, the night of October 1, 1973.

Jessica was just fifteen years old, her sister just a year younger, when they were raped. When they reported it to the police they weren’t taken seriously.  The police believed they knew their attacker and were too afraid or ashamed to admit to it.

The story turned out to be much bigger than the rape of two girls.  It seemed as if the entire community was in denial.  The police had not properly investigated the crime. They gave up quickly…rape at gunpoint was unimaginable in Concord, Massachusetts in 1973.  Denial, I would learn, is immensely seductive.  It is irresistible for bystanders who want to get on with their lives.  In the moment of terror, denial and dissociation are life-preserving for the victim…in this case, the denial of our community resulted in many additional child rapes-at least forty-four-and the suicide of at least one of the victims.

All these years later, Jessica does what the police didn’t do at the time, she reads the police reports, investigates her own unsolved rape and uncovers years of buried trauma and denial.  With the help of a local police Lieutenant, Jessica was able to discover the identity of her rapist, a man who raped at least forty-four girls in Massachusetts in a three year time-frame in the early 1970s.  Unfortunately, this man, Brian Beat, killed himself years before Jessica began her investigation

Denial: A Memoir of Terror is a very intimate look at one victim’s search for knowledge, for truth.  Jessica doesn’t hold anything back, each detail of that horrendous crime is clearly laid out.  It is for this reason I say it’s difficult to enjoy reading a book on this topic, but I definitely think I gained a lot by reading it.  As a criminal justice/psych major, I too was interested in learning more about what causes crime and violence.  I learned a lot about the criminal but never very much about the victim.  It was interesting to read about how one event, granted one very big life-altering event, could forever change the life of one young girl.  The way she behaved, the occupation she chose, all were in response to this attack. I was infuriated to learn just how many rapes could have been prevented had the police investigated more, had the town wiped away the cover of denial.

I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone due to its subject matter.  However, I do think it is an important book to read.  It’s not only a book about a rape, but one about self-discovery and awareness. If I had to mention one thing I didn’t like it would have to be the repetitiveness. Some scenes, thoughts, etc. were relayed over and over again.  Perhaps this was in an attempt to drive that particular thought or action home, but instead I found myself skimming these parts, skipping ahead in the book.  That said, this only occurred a few times, it certainly didn’t take away from the impact this book had on me.  Highly recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with the opportunity to review this book.   Be sure to check out the last stop on this tour on Monday, July 12 over at Sophisticated Dorkiness.

Review: Denial: A Memoir of Terror by Jessica Stern is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Related posts

• No related posts.

Last year, I reviewed America’s Most Wanted Recipes by Ron Douglas. When I heard an updated version of the cookbook was scheduled for release, I jumped on the opportunity to review it. In More of America’s Most Wanted Recipes, Ron Douglas gives readers more than 200 simple secret restaurant recipes, this time all for $1o or less!  The cookbook contains secret recipes from restaurants like the Cheesecake Factory, Benihana, Red Lobster & T.G.I Friday’s.

The recipe I chose to make was P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef. The main reason was because P.F. Chang’s is one of my favorite Chinese pastries; the other reason was because I had many of the ingredients already in my kitchen.

The recipe was extremely easy to follow.  In no time, my kitchen smelled like heaven. Pictured below is the beef, simmering in the delicious sauce.

And the final product:

Looks heavenly, no?

Now down to the taste test: does it taste like the “real” Mongolian beef from P.F.Chang’s?  While it’s not spot on (I prefer a bit more garlic) it was pretty darned close!  Most importantly, my family enjoyed the meal!  I took the leftovers for lunch today and it stands up to the “reheat” test as well.

I can’t wait to try out one of the other recipes in this cookbook.  Which will it be? Maybe the Starbucks Chai Tea Latte? Or maybe the Golden Corral dinner rolls? The possibilities are endless!  So, what are you waiting for!? Go out and buy your copy of the cookbook now!

Review: More of America’s Most Wanted Recipes by Ron Douglas is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Related posts

• Review: SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families (6)

• Hardcover: 289 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (June 1, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 1439153981
• Source: Publisher

Lena Trainor is full of emotions as she puts her nine-year-old daughter, Sarah, on a bus to camp for the first time.  She’s nervous and anxious for her daughter, but her mind is also on her relationship with her husband.  She’s so unfocused that she really doesn’t pay much attention to the camp counselor who picks up Sarah.  Until a few minutes later when the real bus shows up.

She hurridly begins to call the parents of the other children to be picked up.  A total of four children were abducted, including Linda, Sarah’s good friend; Franklin, the son of a local minister; and Tommy, the son of a local contractor.  Within a few hours the parents all receive an email, demanding a $1,000,000 ransom.

When the FBI is called in, secrets are revealed, causing conflict within and between the families. No one knows who to trust, they simply want their child back. When the 24-hour mark passes, they begin to wonder if they will ever see their children again.

I simply cannot believe this is Magee’s first novel.  He reveals a story that is both captivating and chilling.  Losing one’s child is a parents worst nightmare, but the fact that these parents literally (although unwittingly) handed their children over to their abductors compounds it tremendously.  As a parent myself, I couldn’t help but feel the hurt, guilt, and anguish the parents were feeling.  It probably doesn’t help that my son’s away at camp now, right?  Never Wave Goodbye is not only a tale of suspense, but a study in the human condition, in how well one stands up to such a catastrophic event, seen from not only the parents’ eyes but the of the children as well.

My only complaints were very minor.  First, the vehicle used to abduct the children was described several times as being a camp van, but the cover clearly shows a school bus.  I know that oftentimes authors don’t have much say in what their cover looks like, so I don’t blame the author. The second is the maturity of the children.  They are all nine years old, some from pretty affluent families. They seemed be rather naive when it came to technology, such as using a computer, sending email, etc.  My oldest son was able to do these things at a fairly early age, well before the age of nine.  Again, a very minor complaint, but one I thought I should mention.

All issues aside, I do highly recommend this novel.  It’s the perfect thriller for a warm summer weekend…just don’t read it while your child is away at camp!

Review: Never Wave Goodbye by Doug Magee is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Related posts

• Review:The Enemy by Lee Child (4)
• Review: Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon (10)

Eric Shaw is a failed filmmaker who, rather than making the films in LA as he’d hoped and dreamed, is now making a living making family videos for the families of those who have passed. When he is approached by Alyssa Bradford, a wealthy young woman and promised a substantial amount of money to travel to French Lick, IN to research her father-in-law’s history, Shaw cannot refuse.  She describes her father-in-law, Campbell Bradford, as an extraordinary man who was extremely financially successful in his youth, despite the Depression.

Alyssa presents Shaw with a small bottle of water, the only evidence she has of her father-in-law’s past.  The bottle is full of Pluto Water, spring water from the famous mineral springs that flow around the West Baden Springs Resort. Eighty years ago, the water contained in that bottle was considered a cure-all for all life’s ailments. That water alone brought people from all over to the West Baden Hotel and surrounding area.

The moment he arrives Shaw realizes something is amiss.  When he mentions the name Campbell Bradford, the residents of French Lick insist the man is long dead.  How is this possible, when Shaw himself met the man just days before his departure? He’s also described as a horrible man, who ran away from the town, leaving a wife and child behind. “People were terrified of the man…thought he was evil.” 

When Shaw meets Kellen, a young college student researching the African-American history in the area, he learns of the murder of Shadrach Hunter, a black casino owner who was murdered shortly before Campbell’s disappearance.  Campbell was believed to be the killer.  Kellen agrees to help Shaw in his hunt for the “true” Campbell Bradford.

Shaw, largely out of curiosity, takes a drink of the eighty year old spring water presented to him by Alyssa Bradford.  He is instantly sickened by it’s foul taste. After drinking the water, he begins to have visions, ominous and haunting snapshots of Campbell Bradford. He also begins to succumb to horrible headaches, the only way to alleviate them is to drink more of the ancient spring water, which now tastes sweet.

Anne, an elderly woman who has lived her entire life in that area, is key to Shaw’s “investigation.”  Anne has quite the collection of Pluto Water and is able to provide Shaw with a bit of history that no one else can.  Another vital part of the story: Anne’s an expert on weather and storms; she keeps a daily record of barometric activity in the area. She begins to notice a significant change in the weather since Shaw’s arrival;  perhaps “the” storm she’s been predicting will finally make an appearance.  Anne has always been aware of something “different” in the area:

“I’ve always connected it more to the weather myself…there’s something different in this valley…You can feel it in the wind now and again, and on the edge of a summer storm, or maybe just before ice comes down in the wintertime.  There’s something different.  And charge is the best word for it.  There’s a charge, all right.”

Shaw & Kellen soon realize that evil has returned to West Baden, evil buried decades ago. Rather than leave, Shaw feels he must get to the cause of this evil and find out more about the illusive Campbell Bradford.

Let me just start out with this: Koryta’s writting is stunning!  The pacing of this thrilling chiller is perfect, it starts out slow, slowly building with momentum, until it explodes at the end.  I can’t help but compare this to the storm that builds and builds and then unleashes it’s wrath throughout the book.  This storm is like a character itself…it slowly builds and progresses along with the storyline.  The way Koryta describes it makes it appear humanlike:

“The mass above it was black and purple but the funnel cloud was stark white. It eased to the ground almost peacefully, as if settling down for a rest, and then its color began to change, the wite turning gray as it blew through the fields and gathered dirt, sucking soil and debris into its vortex.”

The other characters, particularly Shaw himself, are very well laid out and organized.  As the book progresses, we learn more about Shaw, his life, his history. Anne’s character is an important one; she ties the present to the past.

One of the things that really interested me in this book was the setting.  I was lucky enough to visit the West Baden Springs Hotel while it was undergoing renovation. To state it is breathtaking would be an understatement.  Here are just a few pictures:

The exterior of the hotel. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to walk along the dome. Despite my fear of heights, I stepped outside, knowing I’d never have the opportunity again.

Inside the atrium…the tilework, the detail, simply magnificent!

All in all, I highly recommend this unique, chilling thriller!  Check back later today for a giveaway: a autographed ARC of the book!

Review: So Cold the River by Michael Kortya is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Related posts

• No related posts.

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (June 8, 2010)
• Language: English
• Source: Publisher

Delilah Blue is a twenty-year old budding artist, so desperate to enter art school that she begins to model nude for art students in an attempt to raise money.  She lives with her father, Victor, in a quaint little cabin outside of Los Angeles.  They moved to LA when Delilah was eight.  Since Delilah, now  called Lila, could remember, they lived a pretty secluded life. Her father wouldn’t let her play with other children growing up, and when she got old enough to enter college, refused to let her apply for financial aid.  Victor always claimed he was just protecting Lila but it did get to be a bit extreme.

Victor begins to experience moments of memory loss, confusion, and eventually anger.  Lila insists that he go to the doctor, but he keeps putting it off.  Around the same time a ghost from Lila’s past makes a reappearance: her mother, who allegedly abandoned her when she was younger.  Lila must come to terms with her past, including her feelings of abandonment, while dealing with her father’s illness and her future as an artist.

I’ve been a fan of Cohen’s writing since I reviewed her book Inside Out Girl (click to read my review.  I must warn you it was VERY early in my blogging career and is quite pathetic!) In The Truth About Delilah Blue, she continues to write about strong, deep characters who must overcome some sort of battle.  It may sound a bit cliche but I guarantee it is not.  Her prose is detailed, developed, and fluid:

To have a mother like Elizabeth, and then lose her-not because she was struck by a car or swept out to sea by a dangerous current, but because she wasn’t sufficiently enamored by you to hang around-it left a hole in who you were.  You became one of those people who radiated worthlessness.  You became a living, breathing, walking–and in Lila’s case, drawing, painting, getting naked–tragedy.

You can’t help but feel for Lila and all the pain she is forced to endure.  Cohen’s skillful writing paints the scene right before your eyes.  The scene becomes multi-dimensional, you not only picture the setting and the characters but you can genuinely feel the emotion flowing from the pages.

Writing of Lila’s reuniting with her mother:

When a child spends a lifetime, or close to it, waiting for one specific moment, something magical and faraway with the power to set her entire world straight, she imagines that someday from up, down, and sideways…But there’s a fact about someday that you can’t possibly understand until it has settled upon you.  Someday you’ve doomed the moment you wished it into existence.  You’ve already ruined it.  By imagining it even once, you’ve created an expectation someday can’t possibly live up to.

It was hard not to like Lila’s character.  She was extremely strong-willed and did her best to keep control over the havoc that was attempting to take over her life.  The characters of her father and mother were a bit more difficult to like.  Her father seemed stubborn and unreliable while her mother was extremely flighty and self-absorbed.  My favorite character, other than Lila would have to be Kieran, Lila’s young half-sister.  I truly felt for her; she was a child but refused or was unable to behave as one.

I highly recommend reading The Truth About Delilah Blue.  For me, it helped me appreciate what I had growing up, the relationship I had with my parents, and my childhood overall.  It’s the perfect book club read.  In the back of the book, readers can learn more about the author, including a short interview and a list of the author’s favorite female characters in literature.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to review this book.  Check out some of the other upcoming stops on this tour:

Monday, June 28th:  Take Me Away

Tuesday, June 29th:  Galleysmith

Wednesday, June 30th:  Write Meg

Thursday, July 1st:  1330v

Review: The Truth About Delilah Blue by Tish Cohen is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Related posts

• No related posts.