A Misdemeanor

The Associate by John Grisham

Legal Thriller

I labeled this a legal thriller although 'thriller' is really too exciting a word to be placed on this book.  It's not one of Grisham's best; just an okay read.

It's about a young man set to embark on a legal career, so it's a little different from Grisham's norm.  Kyle McAcoy has played it safe all his life--good school, good grades, doing all the right things.  Should one bad night ruin his whole life?  What if that bad night involved something immoral and illegal?  Kyle has a chance to become an associate at the most prestigious law firm in Manhattan.  But, a college "indiscretion" jeopardizes all that.  Soon, the job is the least of his worries as he battles thugs, fights for his life, and is being blackmailed to commit fraud and treason.

This book involved an incident that will make you question the main character, at least I did.  There are some things for which there is NO excuse and I think Kyle got the consequences he deserved (at the very least), even though he was a passive criminal.  His silence was enough.  I know many will disagree with me, but he got his just desserts.  And, I'm pretty sure Kyle feels the same way as I do about the situation, which made him redeemable enough for me to keep reading about him.

The book was both interesting and depressing.  It's a look into the life of a corporate lawyer.  Is money really worth all that?  It was just okay for me.  It was not really the gripping legal thriller I was hoping for.  It felt very tame and only mildly interesting.  The ending was so ridiculous that is wasn't even credible and I walked away feeling a little cheated.  Very unsatisfying.

Deader is Better

All Together Dead:  Sookie Stackhouse #7 by Charlaine Harris

Paranormal Romance

I just love this series!  It never gets old to me.

Sookie has taken up with Quinn.  Don't get me wrong--I like him and the sex scenes are hot, but...he's no Eric!  When is Eric coming back???  Gross.  Bill is still around.  Stalker, much?  Of course, when Bill, Eric, and Quinn are all in one place with Sookie, delicious things happen. 

Sookie has been "hired", read forced, to attend a vampire convention and act as a human Geiger counter for the vampire queen of Louisiana, measuring what humans are thinking but not saying.  The vampire queen, 14-year old Sophie Leclerq, just happens to be on trial for the murder of her new husband, which happened in the previous book.  Of course, when you get that many vampires together, somebody is bound to wind up dead.  And, now Sookie has to solve that crime too.

Although this one wasn't quite as good as #6, I still loved it.  I hope the author isn't waning--I hate that.  There was plenty of action and adventure and romance and death-defying and I loved that Sookie always has to be her own hero.  My favorite part (in this book and every book) is when Eric saves Sookie.  I love that they are two magnets who can't help that attraction.  Sookie gets deader, and better, with each new book.

Perfect for Tech-Savvy Teens

Defriended:  Point Horror #1 by Ruth Baron

Teen Horror

This had a very unique storyline.   Kids who are really savvy with technology will get into this.  For the rare teen who doesn't at least have a cell phone, it might be hard to relate.  It reminded me a little of the MTV show "Catfish", except gone very wrong! 

Jason has an online flirtation going on with Lacey.  She's cute.  She's funny.  Can she really like Jason?  She seems too good to be true.  Maybe she is.  Lacey refuses to see Jason in person--and he soon figures out why after doing some research.  She's dead.  This launches a mystery for Jason.  He has to find out if his mystery girl is alive (and the Facebook memorial page is a joke), or if she's dead and someone is playing a cruel hoax on him.  This is a mystery that Jason will have to uncover if he wants to know the truth about Lacey.  But, the more he learns and knows about Lacey, the less he realizes he knew her.  But, if it wasn't Lacey he knew, who was it?  Jason and his friend use technology and old-fashioned detective work to find out the truth.  These parts are hilarious and are a nice break from the creepiness.

The front cover was perfect for enticing reluctant readers--very scary!  This is definitely PG13, and a book for teens and older.   It's perfect for teens who are heavy in social media.The book kept me hooked all the way through.  I wanted to find out what was going on right along with Jason.  I didn't guess where this was going or how it was going to end.

A Sad Goodbye

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest:  Millennium #3 by Stieg Larsson

Thriller

I saved this book for several years, knowing it would be the last one by Larsson and I just hated saying goodbye to all the characters, especially Lisbeth.  I always feel such sadness when I end a series, especially one that is truly over with no hope of a comeback.  While I have read that another author is going to take up the series, it just won't be the same without Larsson at the helm.

At this book opens, Lisbeth is lying in a hospital bed with a bullet in her brain--just where the last book left off.  When she awakens from her coma, she finds her father, and the man who tried to repeatedly kill her, in the same hospital just a few doors down.  It's a race to see who will be mobile first--to strike like a deadly cobra.  Oh, the tension from a hospital bed!  Genius! 

I have always loved the character of Lisbeth.  There are so many reasons for her to engage in self-pity, but she refuses to become a victim and, instead, becomes an advocate for womens' rights.  For a change, though, Lisbeth can't do this all on her own.  She has to call Mikael for help--who comes running right away.  Love that guy!  This story ties all the loose ends up with a bow.  Nothing is left out or left unanswered.  I loved that Larsson didn't have a chippy/happy ending for everyone.  Some books, some characters, just don't get that and that is exactly, perfectly right here.

Even though I saved it for years, this book was not a disappointment.  It truly lived up to my expectations.  I am only disappointed there will be no more.  I have been reading some other Swedish authors but none come close to Larsson.  If you know of a another author like this one, please, oh please, pass along a new recommendation.

ARGHHHH!

Nevermore:  The Final Maximum Ride Adventure #8 by James Patterson

Fantasy

I hate to stick with a series, through thick and thin, for years and years, only to have the author drop the ball at the end.  But, that's just what happened here.  Typical James Patterson!  So, really, it's my own fault for expecting more.  Such laziness from this author.  He had so many loose ends to tie up and he took the lazy way out.

There's nothing new in this last one.  Same old characters.  Some constant, pointless fighting.  Same "Save the World from____"  (I forget what because there have been so many reasons.)  Some things that were confusing and were solved, not really by plot resolutions-just by bad writing:  Maya, Max's weird clone/twin; problems with entire human population; and, EVERYTHING on planet Earth.  You want unbelievable?  How about a tsunami and an asteroid as a way to solve some problems. 

The best thing about the book is that it's over.  Or, is it?  If James Patterson can make a buck on it, it will be back so, of course, the ending is left a little open.  And, Max, once such a strong female character, has turned into a two-timing, fly-off-the-handle, stubborn whine bag.  She's very unlikeable in this book.  It's so disappointing.  I want a refund for the time I wasted reading all these.  It would have been a better ending if everyone had died--that way, I wouldn't feel like they're out there, waiting on me. Because I will NOT read a new series with these characters! 

My Favorite Killer

Joe Pike #2:  The First Rule by Robert Crais

Thriller

This second book in the series was just as good as the first one.  And, yay--Elvis Cole is back as wingman!

When an ex-military friend of Pike's is brutally slaughtered along with his young family, Pike sets off to avenge the murder and find the killers.  Along the way, though, Pike and others start having questions about his late friend.  Was he the doting father, happy husband, successful businessman he appeared to be or a cold-blooded mercenary thief who got what he deserved?  Pike ignores the evidence. He ignores advice.  He relies on his memories and his gut instinct to guide him to the truth.

The action in this book never stops, from beginning to end.  If you've read the Elvis Cole series, know that this series has a completely different tone.  Cole is humorous and friendly, which gives his book a warm feeling.  Cole is someone you want to grab a beer and have a pizza with.  Pike is like cold, hard steel--a killing machine.  As a reader, you can't get close to him.  So, these aren't as good as the Cole books but are pretty good nonetheless.  It's a good escapist read, definitely a beach read.  The plot is pretty basic:  revenge at all costs.  So, you can pick it up and lay it down without getting lost.  As always, there's another story behind the story, which usually involves a foreign mob run amok.  I will definitely keep on reading these, if only to catch those glimpses of Elvis Cole!

Better Than the First One

Farm Boy by Michael Morpugo

Adolescent Fiction

This is a sequel to War Horse but it was so different that it almost seemed to be written by different authors.  It is a sequel, but the books have completely different styles and feelings to them.  I loved Farm Boy and only kind of liked War Horse.  Farm Boy is 1/2 illustrations and 1/2 story, a quick and easy read. 

The story is about Albert's son, who is now grown up and an old man.  He reminisces on  his life with Joey and Zoey after the war, which took place in the first book.  The great-grandson of Albert has come to stay for the summer with his grandfather, a man with a secret he's been hiding his whole life.  The grandson spends his summer helping his grandfather with this secret and listening, probably not for the first time, of stories of the old man's younger days.  The main story centers around one incident when a bragging neighbor bet that his new tractor could cut a field of hay faster than the old man and his two old farm horses.  It is like a tortoise and hare retelling, really, with "modern" farm machinery against traditional values of man and beast. 

I was crying by page 20 and that lasted all the way to the last page.  I really liked this story.  It was such a fast read, more like a short story than a novel.  The illustrations reminded me of another childhood favorite, The Little House on the Prairie series.  The story reminded me of my own youth, long summer drives with my own grandmother listening to the stories of her youth.  It was sweet and touching and a beautiful story to share with young people.