Jenn\'s Bookshelves

Review: The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Jenn

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Harper; Reprint edition (July 10, 2012)
ISBN-10: 0062206281
Source: Publisher

Set in Barcelona in 1957, The Prisoner of Heaven shares the story of Daniel Sempere, his wife, Bea, and their new son. It is nearly Christmas and family friend Fermin Romero de Torres is about to be wed. One would think the mood would be jovial and celebratory but it is not. A strange man enters the Sempere family bookshop, purchasing one of the most valuable books in the shop. He leaves the book for Fermin, inscribing the following note inside: “For Fermín Romero de Torres, who came back from among the dead and holds the key to the future.” His visit sparks a rehashing of memories and a feeling of dread for Fermin, taking him back to the 1940s and his questionable past in captivity that eventually led him to working at the store.

Unlike Zafon’s previous works, Fermin is no longer the sidekick that provides a bit of comic relief, instead he is one of the central characters to the plot. Worried that he cannot wed legally due to issues that took place in the past, Fermin reveals the secrets that have weighed heavily on his heart to young Daniel. Daniel vows to do what he can to provide Fermin, a man that has done so much for his family, illegal documents of identity that will allow him to wed. The past that Fermin reveals to Daniel forces him to question a past he has grown to know as his own.

The Prisoner of Heaven allows readers to reunite with characters they’ve grown to love and a setting that has changed dramatically since his last novel. The most endearing part of this novel was that it added new dimension and another glimpse of the character of David Martín, the focus of The Angel’s Game. While not nearly as long or in-depth as Zafon’s previous books, this novel made up with a shortness in length with the volumes of information it shared in the sparse 288 pages. It creates a bridge between his two previous works, filling in lost details and tying up loose ends. It so wonderfully crafted the story of these characters that I found myself wanting to go back and reread the two previous books, using the knowledge I gained in reading this one.

While the author does state that each book should be able to stand on its own, I do recommend reading them in the order they were published. A fourth book is promised, one I am certain will be worth the wait and will return readers to the long, flourishing and complex prose previously witnessed in his previous books.

Bottom line: this novel just affirms my opinion that Zafon’s books are brilliantly woven, finely crafted novels, modern classics that must be read and savored to be enjoyed. They are an experience that this reader isn’t soon to forget. Highly recommended.

Thank you TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this book. Please be sure to check out the other tour stops along the way.

Posted in Harper Books, Literary Fiction, Review | Tagged Barcelona, magical realism | 5 Comments

Review: Ransom River by Meg Gardiner

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Jenn

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Dutton Adult (July 5, 2012)
ISBN-10: 0525952853
Source: Publisher

Rory Mackenzie has reluctantly returned to her hometown of Ransom River, California, now unemployed. She’s now serving as a juror in a high-profile murder case: two policemen are accused of shooting and killing an intruder in cold blood. Two men charge into the courtroom, taking everyone hostage. Before the long ordeal ends, Rory soon realizes that she was the intended “victim” of the attack on the courtroom, the attackers staging the takeover to kidnap her alone. Unfortunately, the police see a completely different story playing out, assuming that Rory was somehow involved in the attack.

The scene in the courtroom is just the start of a series of violent acts in the seemingly quite town of Ransom River, Rory’s family the center of all of the attention. Grigor Mirkovic, the father of the murder victim at the trial, uses his connections in organized crime to stalk and terrorize Rory and her family. The drama continues inside Rory’s family circle: Boone and Nerissa, Rory’s cousins and the children of her long-missing uncle, Lee, torment Rory with malicious threats and false accusations about her past. The only individual standing behind Rory is Seth, her ex-boyfriend and former cop who disappeared suddenly years ago. Rory isn’t exactly thrilled or comfortable with this, but she’s running out of options. She must get to the root of decades of dark, family secrets and lies if she’s going to be able to clear her name.

Gardiner weaves an intricate yet exhilarating mystery in Ransom River. Like many small towns, Ransom River is full of deep, dark secrets. Rory is shocked to realize that she is the center of many of these, stunned that her family has kept her in the dark all these years. Despite being an extremely flawed character, Rory is an incredibly strong-willed, determined heroine. It seems this is a case of the world vs. Rory and I found myself rooting for her, desperate to see her persevere.

Admittedly, as I watched the numerous story lines and subplots reveal themselves, I questioned the author’s ability to weave them all together. That uncertainty was unfounded, for Gardiner ties all of the weaving and winding story lines together to form a completely surprising conclusion.

Looking for a taut, chilling mystery to fill your weekend? Ransom River is the book for you. Highly recommended.

Posted in Dutton, Mystery/Suspense, Review | Tagged family secrets, small town | 3 Comments

Review: Bloodman by Robert Pobi

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Jenn

Paperback: 428 pages
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (May 15, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1612182135
Source: Wunderkind PR

Jake Cole is an FBI contractor who has returned to his home of Montauk, New York for the first time in two decades after his father, a renowned local artist, sets himself afire & jumps through a plate glass window. Jake has a unique talent: he is able to recreate three-dimensional crime scene models in his head, snapshots that are taken with his mind after only viewing the scene for a few moments.

Jake’s return coincides with a series of brutal murders in which victims are found devoid of their skin, murders that are remarkably similar to the manner in which his mother was killed thirty years previous. He is asked to join in the investigation by the local sheriff, Dan Hauser, who struggles to prepare his small community for the onslaught of a horrific hurricane in the midst of these murders.

Jake begins sifting through the chaos that is his father’s home and soon discovers hundreds of paintings that, alone, seem insignificant. It’s not long before he discovers they are clues left behind by his father, on the border of dementia, before he set himself afire. Together the paintings form an image of the killer, known as the Bloodman. Jake must face his own personal demons while tracking down this incredibly ruthless and brutal killer before the hurricane hits, destroying what evidence they’ve obtained.

Pobi has created a truly complex character in Jake Cole. Jake left his home nearly thirty years ago, walking out on his alcoholic father, not daring to look back. Riddled with his own demons of substance abuse, Jake has Dante’s entire Inferno tattooed upon his body. This is juxtaposed with an incredibly loving side as a husband and father.

Throughout the novel, Pobi reveals puzzle pieces, bread crumbs to lead the reader to the final and stunning conclusion. The thing is, the reader isn’t aware of these clues until reaching the conclusion. I found myself going back after I finished the book and stumbling across what should have been several “a ha!” moments but really didn’t come together until I saw the full picture.

Bloodman is a truly astounding and incredibly terrifying debut by author Robert Pobi. The terror isn’t in what he portrays within the pages of the novel, but the information that is alluded, what is left up to the reader to infer. A compelling and addictive dark thriller/horror, this book is one of the few that has been able to terrify me to this extent. While the acts the Bloodman performs are truly terrifying, the fact that these actions are completely plausible is what chilled me to the bone.

Admittedly, I had a lot of reservations when I accepted this novel for review consideration. My followers who know me well can infer what those reservations were, but ultimately I was completely stunned with how much this novel affected me. For nights after, I found myself going to sleep with the light on, checking on my boys throughout the night. For this reason, while I am completely enamored by this novel, I wouldn’t recommend it to those with a weak heart…or stomach. So, if you think you are up to the challenge, I wholeheartedly recommend this novel! As a matter of fact, O, The Oprah Magazine’s August issue, on stands now, named Bloodman one of their “Titles to pick up now” and called it a “Very suspenseful novel”! So…if you don’t listen to me, listen to Oprah!

Posted in Horror, Review, Thriller | Tagged hurricane, murder, Thomas & Mercer | 4 Comments

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week?

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Jenn

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finish this week. It is hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books so stop by and join in!

Books Completed Last Week

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad (audio)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters (review and giveaway)
Bloodman by Robert Pobi

Currently Reading

Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (audio)

Books to Complete This Week

Ransom River by Meg Gardiner
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Black Isle by Sandi Tan

What are you reading this week?

Posted in It's Monday What Are you Reading This Week | 4 Comments

So you want to be a zombie….Here is your chance!

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Jenn

You all know how what a big zombie fan I am, right? Well…what if you could be drawn into a web comic as a zombie!? You’d jump on the opportunity, right!?

My good twitter friend and author extraordinaire Ryan Jacobson is giving you that chance! You may recognize him from his Can You Survive middle grade books. See, he’s launched this new web-only comic, Monster Ninjas.

He’s offered to grant one of my readers the opportunity to appear in this comic as, you guessed it, a zombie! Similar to what is shown below, the illustrator, Shane, will use a photo of your choice to transform you into a zombie!

To be entered into this contest to appear in Monster Ninjas as a zombie, all you have to do is visit the Monster Ninja web site, peruse the comic, and come back here and comment with the name of your favorite Monster Ninja. Easy peasy, right? Alright then, what are you waiting for? Go (but be sure to come back & comment)! The winner will be announced Saturday, July 28th!

Fine print: The winner will need to provide a photo and will need to sign a release that grants permission to use their likeness.

Posted in Bookish Chatter | 3 Comments

Giveaway: The Last Policeman by Ben Winters

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Jenn

Yesterday, I reviewed the truly dynamic The Last Policeman by Ben Winters. Today, thanks to Quirk Books, I have three copies of the books, plus three of the official book posters (pictured below) to give away. Each winner will win a copy of the book & poster.

Great poster, right?

To enter, simply answer the following question in the comments below: If you knew an asteroid was going to crash into the Earth, how would you spend your last few months? Quit your job & go on an extended vacation? Keep going with your every day activities?

Three winners will be selected from the comments. Please be sure to include an email address/twitter handle so I can contact you if you win! The winners will be contacted Saturday, August 4th. Good luck!

Posted in Bookish Chatter | 25 Comments

Frightful Friday: The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Jenn

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week.

This week’s featured book is The Last Policeman by Ben Winters:

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Quirk Books (July 10, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1594745765
Source: Publisher

If the world was going to end in a matter of months, what is the point of having a police force? Of investigating a murder?

Concord, New Hampshire. On April 9th, a 6.5-kilometer-diameter asteroid known as Maia is predicted to crash into the Earth, causing devastation across the entire planet. Scientists have yet to know exactly where Maia will hit Earth but bets have already begun to come in, countries speaking up as to how they expect to respond. Society has changed in the meanwhile, people have quit their jobs to spend the rest of their short life on the beach or some other scenic location. Chain restaurants like McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts no longer exist. OPEC shut down the production of oil so gasoline is no longer being produced. Not surprising, the number of suicides have increased dramatically.

Known as “hangers” due to their method of suicide, these cases are picking up steadily as the date approaches. Detective Hank Palace is one of the few policeman remaining on the job, many have retired, not seeing the point in protecting a society doomed to end. One morning, he is investigating another potential hanging. He sees a dozen suicides in a week yet this one, the victim a 38-year-old insurance agent by the name of Peter Zell, feels different. His coworkers (and pretty much everyone around him) thinks Peter is wasting his time. The medical examiner has already ruled it a suicide yet Palace can’t get over this feeling in the back of his mind. Yet another question keeps popping up in his mind as well: what is the point of investigating a murder if everyone is going to die in a few months?

The first book in a new trilogy, The Last Policeman is a unique marriage of pre-apocalyptic fiction and police procedural. Winters excels at not only producing a compelling murder case that must be solved, but in doing so also examines the way society has responded to this catastrophic inevitability.

Hank Palace is one of the few individuals who still have a sense of hope, a need to keep the norm up and running, despite the fate that has been dealt to them. The world Winters conveys is a completely realistic (thereby terrifying) glimpse at how our country would run in the face of chaos.

A sub-plot flowing through the novel involves Palace’s sister, Nico, and her involvement in a underground group of rebels that seem to think the government knows more about the destination of the asteroid than it is leading on. This story-line doesn’t come to a nice and tidy finish at the end of the novel, insinuating it will continue in the subsequent books in this trilogy.

Bottom line: this unique mash-up is certain to grab the attention of readers of all varieties. I, myself, am impatiently awaiting the next book in this series. Highly recommended. Check back tomorrow for a special giveaway!

Posted in Frightful Friday, Mystery/Suspense, Quirk Books, Review | Tagged apocalyptic, asteroid, end of the world, police procedural | 2 Comments

Review: 15 Seconds by Andrew Gross

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Jenn

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (July 10, 2012)
ISBN-10: 006165597X
Source: Publisher

Henry Steadman wasn’t aware just how drastically his life would change as he stopped at a red light. In town to speak at a medical conference, he found himself lost. Seconds later, he is pulled over by the police. The fifteen seconds that follow determine his fate. The minute the officer runs his license his world changes. He is immediately pulled from the car, put in cuffs. Another patrol car arrives and they begin questioning Henry. There seems to be some sort of miscommunication or confused identity. Just as the matter is cleared up, a blue sedan pulls up and shoots the officer. Harry is stunned. The only remaining witness to the crime he jumps out of the patrol car and into his own, perusing the car that just sped away from the scene, calling 911 as he drives.

He is shocked when he tunes into the radio and hears that he is the prime suspect in the police officer’s murder. Rather than turning himself in, he goes to the home a friend he trusts, only to discover his friend has been murdered. Unsure of what to do, certain he is being framed, Henry goes on the run. He wants to turn himself in, but soon learns that doing so would result in deadly consequences.

Henry soon befriends a community resource person at the police station, the one person who believes he may be innocent. With her help, Henry learns more about the man who is determined to ruin his life, a man bound and determined to get revenge for his daughter, a woman Henry has never met.

15 Seconds can best be described as an exhilarating, heart-pounding, thrill-ride of a read. The chapters and sentences are short and abrupt, allowing this pacing to continue throughout the entirety of the book. Throughout the book, there are several instances in which one must suspend disbelief but simply going with the flow will allow the reader to become quickly immersed in the story, believable or not. Other readers have commented that the plot-line is formulaic. I cannot disagree, but that’s not to say that this novel doesn’t have merit and is deserving of a read.

This isn’t a complex novel but one that will take over your free time if you allow it. If you are looking for an intense thriller that completely makes you loose all track of time, 15 Seconds is the book for you. Recommended.

Watch the video and learn Andrew Gross’ inspiration for writing this novel:

Posted in Review, Thriller, William Morrow | 3 Comments

Review: The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Jenn

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Harper (June 26, 2012)
ISBN-10: 0061140325
Source: Publisher

“The most valuable thing a girl possessed was hidden between her legs, waiting to be sold to the highest bidder. It was never a question of yes or no. It was simply a matter of which man would have you first.”

In 1871 Manhattan, Moth is a young girl born into squalor and suffering. Her father abandoned her and her mother, a fortune teller, and the two now get by on her mother’s practice of telling fortunes to desperate women.

One night, when Moth is just twelve years old, she awakens to find her mother has sold her as a ladies maid to Mrs. Wentworth. The time spent at Mrs. Wentworth is short, full of immense abuse and ridicule. She is “saved” by butler, who returns her to her home in return for a small act of thievery. However, when she returns home to finds her mother is no longer there, their home is inhabited by other people. Just when Moth thinks she has survived the worst, she finds herself without a home and is forced to learn how to survive life living on the street, surviving the only way she knows how.

Soon she meets Miss Emma Everett, a madame who runs a brothel specializing in “unique” tastes. She supplies young virgins to wealthy older men, for it is assumed that deflowering a virgin provides a cure, a virgin cure, to rid the men of “French Pox” (syphilis.) Providing this cure was a curse for the young girls. Once they lose their virginity, they are no longer marrying material and are doomed to a life of prostitution. Moth is forced to make a difficult decision: is a life of luxury living in Miss Everett’s home worth the consequences? Her life outside Miss Everett’s home would certainly be short, for it was nearly impossible for a young girl to survive on the streets for fear of being attacked, raped, and murdered.

Shortly after her arrival Moth meets Dr. Sadie, a physician who examines and treats prostitutes in Manhattan while also trying to lead them to a better life. It is Dr. Sadie who allows Moth to realize she has more options than she assumes, that she is worth more than her current living suggestions suggest.

The Virgin Cure is an incredibly original piece of historical fiction focused on telling the story of a young forgotten girl in early 1800s New York City. McKay’s prose is incredibly addictive, one finds themselves lost in the story of young Moth, rooting for her to rise above the life that has been dealt to her. Interspersed in the novel is short excerpts from magazines and newspapers and other sources, allowing the reader to gain background information on the social norms, the history, and the culture surrounding young Moth.

The characters of Moth and Dr. Sadie were the most valuable and sympathetic. Moth is forced at a very young age what it takes to survive. It isn’t until she meets Dr. Sadie that she realizes that she has other options, has potential to have a real life. Dr. Sadie, too, is suffering, stuck in a world full of social injustice that makes it difficult for women to survive. Despite this being a difficult book to read, due to the subject matter alone, I felt myself returning to it repeatedly. I couldn’t get enough of young Moth and the angel she found in Dr. Sadie.

Without a doubt, this novel is certain to make my favorites list for the year. A deeply satisfying and rewarding read, this book will continue to resonate within me for some time. Highly, highly recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this book. Please be sure to check out the other stops along the tour.

About the author:

Ami McKay is the author of the #1 Canadian bestseller The Birth House, the winner of three Canadian Booksellers Association (CBA) Libris Awards and a nominee for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her work has aired on various Canadian radio programs, and her documentary, Daughter of Family G, won an Excellence in Journalism Medallion at the 2003 Atlantic Journalism Awards. She is also active with UNICEF and other organizations. Originally from Indiana, she now lives with her husband and two sons in Scots Bay, Nova Scotia.

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Posted in Harper Collins Publishers, Historical Fiction, Review, Women's Fiction | Tagged 1800s, child slavery, New York, prostitution | 5 Comments