Review: Sudden Death

Sudden Death by Michael Balkind

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



My impression of this book:
Pro golfer throws tantrum
Pro golfer spends exorbitant amounts of money to show love
Pro golfer gets death threat
Pro golfer golfs
Pro golfer throws tantrum
Pro golfer spends exorbitant amounts of money to show love
Pro golfer gets more death threats
Pro golfer golfs
Over and over again. All that changed was what he was spending the money on.

After reading about 2/3 of the book I couldn't take anymore. I skipped to the end, found out who was writing the death threats, rolled my eyes and closed iBooks.



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Review: Manner of Death

Manner of Death by Stephen White

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



After the funeral of a former colleague, a man is approached by former FBI agents that want to warn him that his life might be in danger. Their reasoning? In the past 2 decades his old team has seen a few deaths. One was a murder (drive-by, bad part of time, gang-suggestive shooting) and the rest were the type of accidents that just happen. These deaths have occurred over YEARS and are not suspicious...but these former agents are convinced that a serial killer is targeting this random group of interns and doctors. It was so implausible, yet an entire book was written about it. I simply couldn't stand it and quit reading.



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Review: The Search

The Search by Nora Roberts

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Thirty excellent chapters ruined by one incredibly stupid one. This was a four star book until chapter 30. Fiona is cool. Simon is interesting. The dog training was fascinating (and, yes, I borrowed some of her tips for my dog.) I wasn't a fan of the interactions between Fiona and Simon and managed to ignore most of the 'bartering' they arranged but I was willing to overlook it because the story was good.

*Spoiler-ish snark ahead. No specifics but could give away the ending*

But did I mention chapter 30? You know, the one where Fiona does the classic B horror movie concept of doing something unbelievably stupid just to give the screenwriter a way to let the crazed killer could catch up to her? It's the equivalent of that. If you ask yourself what a search and rescue trainer should NEVER do when hunted by a killer, you'll know how the story ends.



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Review: Dry Ice

Dry Ice by Bill Evans

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



(I read an ARC given to me through a Goodreads giveaway. Thanks Goodreads!)

When I read the description on the giveaway, I signed up because it sounded interesting. Early reviews had me concerned because I was expecting a technically confusing story - but it wasn't. I'm one of those people that love to learn new things and the explanation of the division of Antarctica and the lifestyle of those living on the ice was fascinating.

As I read the book, I wondered how they would be able to pull it together into a plausible end. With 30 pages left, I still didn't think it would happen. And in the end, it worked...and it kept the action going until the last chapter.

I could see this becoming a SyFy disaster movie. The cinematography could be amazing and the devastation makes it fit into their niche easily. I don't know that I've ever read a disaster book and it's a nice change from the disaster movies! I will definitely look for something more from Bill Evans!



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Review: Roadside Crosses

Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I enjoy Jeffery Deaver books and I like Kathryn Dance...but not this time. The book had an interesting idea and a good twist at the end but the time spent getting from the idea to the end was too long. Each time another part of the story would wrap up, I'd realize that another piece still needed resolved. The murder...the kidnapping...the case against her mom...the new relationship...the old relationship... I eventually found myself thinking, "How many more pages?" It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't one of my favorites.



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Review: The Liar's Lullaby

The Liar's Lullaby by Meg Gardiner

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Perhaps this book would have been a 3 star if I had read it instead of listening to the audio version. You know how sometimes a reader can completely turn you off a book? In this book, the portions concerning NMP are read in an angry voice that has a touch of the 'nails on chalkboard' effect on me. I really struggled to stay with the book during those parts. I also disliked the stereotyping of country music. The lyrics and comments in the beginning of the book were so outrageously horrible that I almost pulled the cord and disconnected the Playaway. The book itself was enjoyable. If you are interested, read it and don't listen to it!



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