Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Kill Alex Cross

Started 1/25
Ended  1/31

I am a big fan of James Patterson. I especially love his Alex Cross series. I believe when he first started writing this series he had me addicted. The last couple of books it seemed as if he was lost as to what to write. The story just did not captivate me, the only reason I read them is because I am addicted to this series. I feel, sometimes authors get stuck in a rut because they write so many books they forget they are writing for the reader not the publisher.
This book changed my feelings. It was back to what I expected of Mr. Patterson. I was hooked. This book actually had a good plot. I can say I finished this book not because I needed to feel a sense of fulfillment, i read it to the end because it was a truly good read.

I recommend it!






The President's son and daughter are abducted, and Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene. But someone very high-up is using the FBI, Secret Service, and CIA to keep him off the case and in the dark.
A deadly contagion in the water supply cripples half of the capital, and Alex discovers that someone may be about to unleash the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced.
As his window for solving both crimes narrows, Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes—one that may alter the fate of the entire country. KILL ALEX CROSS is faster, more exciting, and more tightly wound than any Alex Cross thriller James Patterson has ever written!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Cross Fire

Started 1/19
Ended 1/25


www.jamespatterson.com





WEDDING BELLS RING
Detective Alex Cross and Bree's wedding plans are put on hold when Alex is called to the scene of the perfectly executed assassination of two of Washington D.C.'s most corrupt: a dirty congressmen and an underhanded lobbyist. Next, the elusive gunman begins picking off other crooked politicians, sparking a blaze of theories—is the marksman a hero or a vigilante?
A MURDERER RETURNS
The case explodes, and the FBI assigns agent Max Siegel to the investigation. As Alex and Siegel battle over jurisdiction, the murders continue. It becomes clear that they are the work of a professional who has detailed knowledge of his victims' movements—information that only a Washington insider could possess.
CAUGHT IN A LETHAL CROSS FIRE
As Alex contends with the sniper, Siegel, and the wedding, he receives a call from his deadliest adversary, Kyle Craig. The Mastermind is in D.C. and will not relent until he has eliminated Cross and his family for good. With a supercharged blend of action, deception, and suspense, Cross Fire is James Patterson's most visceral and exciting Alex Cross novel ever.

Fearless in High Heels (book 6)

Started 1/16
Ended 1/17

I think this is the last book in the series. I could not wait to read it so much I finished it in a day, again.



FEARLESS IN HIGH HEELS


High Heels book #6


Fashion designer turned amateur sleuth Maddie Springer is back!
Morning sickness sucks. Which is why fashion designer turned amateur sleuth Maddie Springer has spent the last six weeks being a couch potato and Moonlight vampire movie devotee. But when Maddie's best friends finally convince her to venture out, Maddie stumbles on a dead body of a girl who has been bitten on the neck, and life suddenly imitates art in the most deadliest of ways. Now Maddie is smack in the middle of a murder investigation involving a deadly dance club and a coven of Hollywood "vampires". Not to mention navigating the world of baby showers, diaper genies and Lamaze classes with her LAPD Homicide detective husband who would rather his pregnant wife not continue popping up in his murder investigation. Between the hormones, the homicides, and a flurry of fangs, Maddie and her gang work to track down the deadly truth... before the killer bites again!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Mayhem in High Heels (5/5)

Started 1/16
Ended 1/16

I started this book earlier this morning and I just could not put it down! I loved it.


High Heels Mysteries book #5
Maddie Springer is finally walking down the aisle with the man of her dreams. And she's got the perfect wedding planner to pull it all off in style. Well, perfect, that is, until the woman winds up dead - murdered in buttercream icing. Suddenly Maddie's hope of a dream wedding melts faster than an ice sculpture at an outdoor buffet. And when her groom-to-be is assigned the detective in charge of the case, there goes any chance of a honeymoon. Unless, of course, Maddie can find the murderer before her big day. With the help of her fellow fashionista friends, Maddie vows to unveil the cold-blooded killer. Is it the powerful ex-husband, the hot young boy toy, a secret lover from the past, or a billionaire bridezilla on the warpath? As the wedding day grows closer, tempers flare, old flames return, and Maddie's race to the altar turns into a race against time.



Sunday, January 15, 2012

Alibi in High Hees (4/5)

Started 1/15
Ended  1/16


Wow, the stories are getting more and more interesting! As I read more of Ms. Halliday's books I am getting more impressed with the character development and the structure of the storyline. Just when you think you have solve the mystery there is an interesting twist that takes you off course and keeps you guessing.



High Heels Mysteries book #4
Baguettes, bodies, and haute couture galore! Shoe designer turned amateur sleuth, Maddie Springer, is at it again, this time in fabulously fashionable Paris. When Europe's designer de jour, Jean Luc LeCroix, invites Maddie to show her creations at Paris Fashion Week, Maddie's sure she's died and gone to heaven. That is until Jean Luc's top model is found dead on the runway, stabbed with a familiar stiletto heel. Sure someone is trying to frame her, Maddie enlists the help of her friends, including the sexy Detective Jack Ramirez, to uncover a daring jewel heist, a devious blackmailer, and even a few skeletons lurking in the closets of those closest to her. But as the evidence mounts, Maddie becomes the prime suspect and Ramirez is stuck between a badge and a cute blonde with a tendency for trouble. Will he stand by her as she attempts to track down an international killer, or will this be the case that finally comes between them? One thing's for sure, if Maddie doesn't uncover the real killer soon, she may be saying her final adieu.


Undercover in High Heels (3/5)

Started 1/13
Ended 1/15

The third book in the series. The writing is getting better and so is the story line. I really enjoyed reading this book. The ending was not so predictable. With the usual amounts of hilarity and romance, this was better than the last one.


High Heels Mysteries book #3
Secret affairs, hunky gardeners, and housewives desperate enough to bare it all... welcome to Magnolia Lane, TV's hottest new prime time show. A place where L.A. shoe designer Maddie Springer should be in fashion heaven. That is until the body of a rising young starlet is found dead on the show's set. Now it's up to Maddie to sift through a leading lady with a secret, an actor on the verge of a nervous breakdown, a sexy cyber scandal, and one tabloid reporter who'll stop at nothing to get the story of the century. Not to mention Maddie's hot-cold relationship with the case's familiar lead detective, Jack Ramirez. In a world where secrets, lies, and deception can earn you an Oscar, Maddie plays the role of a lifetime to catch Hollywood's hottest killer. But if she doesn't watch her step, Maddie's fifteen minutes of fame just may be her last.





Friday, January 13, 2012

Killer in High Heels (2/5)

Started 1/11
Ended  1/12

This is book 2 of the 5 books High Heel series. The suspense is increasing, what will this designer shoe wearing, fast food eating, diva get into next?
I am getting addicted to see what is going to happen next...


KILLER IN HIGH HEELS
Maddie straps on her stilettos and, along with her trigger-happy best friend, makes tracks for Sin City in search of her MIA dad.
Maddie finds not only her dad, but also a handful of aging drag queens, an organized crime ring smuggling fake Prada pumps, and one relentless killer. Plus, it seems the LAPD's sexiest cop is doing a little Vegas moonlighting of his own. In a town where odds are everything, Maddie bets it all on her ability to out-step a vicious murderer. 



Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Spying in High Heels (1/5)

Started 1/10
Ended  1/11

I found these book randomly on the Barnes and Noble website. They looked interesting. This first set of books is a set of 5. The first book is interesting. The main character is on a mission to find her missing boyfriend and prove his innocence. Lots of comedy and a bit of romance. It's a great way to escape to the ridiculous.

Now that I have read the first one I will have to read them all, as I am a bit neurotic about reading the shoe series of any book. 

Stay tuned as i continue with the rest of the the High Heel mysteries.

SPYING IN HIGH HEELS
L.A. shoe designer, Maddie Springer, lives her life by three rules: Fashion. Fashion. Fashion. But when she stumbles upon the work of a brutal killer, her life takes an unexpected turn from Manolos to murder. 




Monday, January 9, 2012

Movie Alert! The Lucky One

Last year i read another Nicholas Sparks book, The Lucky One. I am happy to see it will be made into a movie starting Zac Efron! I am really excited to see it. It releases on April 20, 2012.



Safe Haven

Started: 1/8
Finish:  1/9

I read many great reviews about this Nicholas Sparks book. Most of his books are the same, a love story with a dramatic twist and then it works out one way another. This book had a bit of suspense and thrill to it. Not filled with to much sappiness. I am getting tired of the love at first sight occurrences in all his books. It happens to people all the time, I know, but this is insane. These people always know as soon as they see each other they will be married.
Even so, it is a nice read. The characters are likable. I recommend it.



Safe Haven

Description

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.
But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.
http://www.nicholassparks.com/books/safe-haven


Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Explosive Eighteen

I finished this book in about 7 hours. I love the character and I love her sidekick! Just when you think things are getting serious you are hit with a bit of comedy with a dash of romance. I could not put it down. I am glad I waited to read all three back to back :-)


Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits dangerously close to home, in this dynamite novel by Janet Evanovich.
Explosive Eighteen hardback coverBefore Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 from Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, she’s flying back to New Jersey solo, and Sasquatch is snoring in row 22. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. The FBI, the fake FBI, and guns-for-hire are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.
Only one other person has seen the missing photograph– Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target, and she doesn’t intend to end up in a garbage can. With the help of a FBI sketch artist Stephanie recreates the person in the photo. Unfortunately the first sketch turns out to look like Tom Cruise, and the second sketch like Ashton Kutcher. Until Stephanie can improve her descriptive skills, she’ll need to watch her back.
Over at the Bail Bonds Agency it’s business as usual– until the bonds bus serving as Vinnie’s temporary HQ goes up in smoke, Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls in love with their “largest” FTA yet, lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment, and everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii?!
Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii. And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is…it’s complicated.


Monday, January 2, 2012

Movie Alert! One for the Money

One of my favorite authors, Janet Evanovich,  is having a movie made from one of her books. One for the Money, from the Stephanie Plum series. I am really excited to see this movie.

One for the Money Trailer

If you have not read the book, I would recommend it. It is a series of unfortunate incidents that lead to the apprehension of the bad guys. Lots of comedy and interesting characters that work well together.


Watch out, world. Here comes Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with attitude. In Stephanie’s opinion, toxic waste, rabid drivers, armed schizophrenics, and August heat, humidity, and hydrocarbons are all part of the great adventure of living in Jersey.

One for the Money paperback coversShe’s a product of the “burg,” a blue-collar pocket of Trenton where houses are attached and narrow, cars are American, windows are clean, and (God forbid you should be late) dinner is served at six.
Now Stephanie’s all grown up and out on her own, living five miles from Mom and Dad’s, doing her best to sever the world’s longest umbilical cord. Her mother is a meddler, and her grandmother is a few cans short of a case.
Out of work and out of money, with her Miata repossessed and her refrigerator empty, Stephanie blackmails her bail bondsman cousin, Vinnie, into giving her a try as an apprehension agent. Stephanie knows zilch about the job requirements, but she figures her new pal, fearless bounty hunter Ranger, can teach her what it takes to catch a crook.
Her first assignment: nail Joe Morelli, a former vice cop on the run from a charge of murder one. Morelli is also the irresistible macho pig who took Stephanie’s virginity at age sixteen and then wrote the details on the bathroom wall of Mario’s Sub Shop. There’s still powerful chemistry between these two, so the chase should be interesting.
It could also be extremely dangerous, especially when Stephanie encounters a heavyweight title contender who likes to play rough. Benito Ramirez is known for his brutality to women. At the very least, his obsession with Stephanie complicates her manhunt and brings terror and uncertainty into her life. At the worst, it could lead to murder.
Witty, fresh, and full of surprises, One for the Money was among the most eagerly awaited crime novels of the season.
Originally published in hardback June 1994, Scribner

Smokin' Seventeen


Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. 


Smokin' Seventeen paperback coverDead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list.
Short on time to find evidence proving the killer’s identity, things get even more complicated for Stephanie when family and friends decide it’s time for her to decide between long-time off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop, Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert, Ranger. Stephanie’s mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both, and choose a former high school football star who has just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir “bake-off”. And Grandma Bella, Morelli’s old world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts “the eye” on Stephanie.
With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie’s life looks like it’s about to go up in smoke.
http://www.evanovich.com

Sizzling Sixteen

Trenton, New Jersey, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a “lucky” bottle from her Uncle Pip.  Problem is, Uncle Pip didn’t specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck….

Sizzling Sixteen paperback coverBAD LUCK:
  Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, has run up a gambling debt of $786,000 with mobster
Bobby Sunflower and is being held until the cash can be produced.  Nobody else will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs.
GOOD LUCK:
  Being in the business of tracking down people, Stephanie, Lula, and Connie have an advantage in finding Vinnie.  If they can rescue him, it will buy them some time to raise the cash.
BAD LUCK:
  Finding a safe place to hide Vinnie turns out to be harder than raising $786,000.  Vinnie’s messing up local stoner Walter “Moon Man” Dunphy’s vibe and making Stephanie question genetics.
GOOD LUCK:
  Between a bonds office yard sale that has the entire Burg turning out, a plan that makes Mooner’s Hobbit-Con look sane, and Uncle Pip’s mysterious bottle, they just might raise enough money to save Vinnie and the business from ruin.
BAD LUCK:
  Saving Vincent Plum Bail Bonds means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter.  In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a Turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.
GOOD LUCK:
  The job of bounty hunter comes with perks in the guise of Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous, Ranger.  With any luck at all, Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky—the only question is . . . with whom?

Sizzling Sixteen . . . so hot, the pages might spontaneously combust!
http://www.evanovich.com

2011 Books




I just finished reading all three books of the Hunger Games Trilogy.

Book one was very impressive. I could not put the book down. The characters are very likable. The imagery is great. I know when i see the movie, I will be somewhat disappointed because what I envision in my mind and what they bring to the big picture is always different. It seems they always leave out some parts that I feel are most important.


Book two is a great followup. It plays to my emotions and makes me want to keep reading. The author does a great job building the suspense. 

Book Three is where it all falls apart. I think this booked ended three times. There are so many moments where I thought ok if the book ended right now the story would be good. The last quarter of this book drags, on and on and on. The love story gets worse. Katniss is so conflicted with who she wants to be with, i wonder if the author just flipped a coin and that's who she went with. Back and forth was the theme in this book. I had to finished it because i started it but I did not love reading it.