Tag Archives: Book Review

Book Review – The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

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The InformationistI recently finished Taylor Stevens’ 2011 debut novel, The Informationist. It’s the first in a series of books featuring Vanessa “Michael” Munroe, an expert in uncovering information for her clients. She’s best described as a detective without a badge that’s not afraid to rough somebody up. Similar to Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, this book was about the main character and what she did to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. It started off slow, and trudging my way through words that most people outside of Africa wouldn’t know how to pronounce wasn’t fun. But once I cut past this and reached the half-way point, the story found its groove. As I neared the end I was eager to see how things would wrap up. It was filled with action, believable dialogue and a lead character I look forward to following on future adventures. If you’re seeking an enjoyable thriller, The Informationist is worth a read.

Below is the official synopsis and book trailer. And stay tuned for my interview with Taylor Stevens later this summer; it should be a good one.

Synopsis 

Vanessa “Michael” Munroe deals in information—expensive information—working for corporations, heads of state, private clients, and anyone else who can pay for her unique brand of expertise. Born to missionary parents in lawless central Africa, Munroe took up with an infamous gunrunner and his mercenary crew when she was just fourteen. As his protégé, she earned the respect of the jungle’s most dangerous men, cultivating her own reputation for years until something sent her running. After almost a decade building a new life and lucrative career from her home base in Dallas, she’s never looked back.

Until now.

A Texas oil billionaire has hired her to find his daughter who vanished in Africa four years ago. It’s not her usual line of work, but she can’t resist the challenge. Pulled deep into the mystery of the missing girl, Munroe finds herself back in the lands of her childhood, betrayed, cut off from civilization, and left for dead. If she has any hope of escaping the jungle and the demons that drive her, she must come face-to-face with the past that she’s tried for so long to forget.

Book Review – Makeup to Breakup by Peter Criss

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Peter Criss - Makeup to BreakupIt’s no mystery that I’m a big KISS fan. I met the band 10 years ago, and I’m going to meet them again on KISS Kruise III in October. But a lot has changed in 10 years. The band has released two new studio albums and Peter Criss is once again no longer KISS’ drummer. Peter was always one of my favorite members of KISS, so I was eager to crack open his autobiography and learn about his wild adventures over the past 40+ years in the music business.

The autobiography started off with Peter Criss holding a gun in his mouth, ready to commit suicide. It was reminiscent of Hulk Hogan’s recent memoir, My Life Outside the Ring. Needless to say, this got my attention and the rest of the book held it up until the chapter about Peter’s religious beliefs, which I skimmed. It was fascinating reading about his career prior to KISS, how he joined the band and his opinion on the others members as the years progressed. Of course, this was a one-sided story, which I kept in mind while reading it.

The other members of KISS have accused Peter of being a whiner and out of control. This comes through in his autobiography. He did a massive amount of drugs, wasted a ton of money and didn’t do a great job of controlling his temper. Reading these stories made me feel bad for the guy. Thankfully, Peter saw the error of his ways and got his act together during KISS’ reunion tour. Unfortunately, all the bad blood he created during the band’s heyday caused Paul and Gene to never trust him again. Peter’s stories about this time period were especially interesting since this is when I became a fan of the band.

Overall, this is a great read for fans of KISS and/or classic rock autobiographies. It’s filled with humorous and heartbreaking stories that kept my rapt attention; and it gave me a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to part of, what I consider to be, the greatest American rock band of all time. Check it out.

Book Review – Gone Girl

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Gone GirlI’ve been wanting to read Gone Girl for quite sometime. It was one of the best-selling books of 2012 and several people I know read it and loved it. Being a fan of thrillers, I expected this novel to be fantastic. Boy, was I disappointed. It took 140 pages for anything vaguely unpredictable or interesting to happen in Gone Girl. And the first 140 pages made me happy the girl was gone. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a ton of free time. I’m used to excellent thrillers by authors like Harlan Coben that grab me from the first page and never let go. I’m also used to reading about characters I can relate to and therefore care about. This book failed miserably on both counts. While the last third of it was mildly compelling, it didn’t make up for the first two thirds being mediocre. And as many people have pointed out, the ending was unsatisfactory and lacked closure. While I’m glad I finished Gone Girl, I don’t plan on reading anymore novels by this author. This book, just like the girl, are better off gone.

Synopsis

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick Dunne’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick Dunne isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but hearing from Amy through flashbacks in her diary reveal the perky perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister Margo at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was left in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

 

Book Review: The Enemy by Lee Child

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Lee Child - The EnemyThe Enemy by Lee Child is the eighth book in the Jack Reacher series, and it’s different than its predecessors. This novel is a prequel that takes place in 1990, back when Reacher was a Major in the United States Army Military Police Corps. It’s an interesting tale that includes Reacher’s brother, Joe, and his mother. For those looking to learn part of the backstory of this famous fictional character, The Enemy delivers. Like most of Child’s books, there is an exceptional amount of detail – about weapons, the military, you name it. Longtime fans will enjoy this, while others may find it laborious. By the end of the book, twists and turns come at a fast and furious pace. While some of them are hard to believe, they are well thought out and unpredictable. Despite being a detour in Reacher’s modern-day adventures, The Enemy is a worthy addition to this formidable series.

Book Description

Jack Reacher. Hero. Loner. Soldier. Soldier’s son. An elite military cop, he was one of the army’s brightest stars. But in every cop’s life there is a turning point. One case. One messy, tangled case that can shatter a career. Turn a lawman into a renegade. And make him question words like honor, valor, and duty. For Jack Reacher, this is that case… New Year’s Day, 1990. The Berlin Wall is coming down. The world is changing. And in a North Carolina “hot-sheets” motel, a two-star general is found dead. His briefcase is missing. Nobody knows what was in it. Within minutes Jack Reacher has his orders: Control the situation. But this situation can’t be controlled. Within hours the general’s wife is murdered hundreds of miles away. Then the dominoes really start to fall… Two Special Forces soldiers – the toughest of the tough – are taken down, one at a time. Top military commanders are moved from place to place in a bizarre game of chess. And somewhere inside the vast worldwide fortress that is the U.S. Army, Jack Reacher – an ordinarily untouchable investigator for the 110th Special Unit – is being set up as a fall guy with the worst enemies a man can have. But Reacher won’t quit. He’s fighting a new kind of war. And he’s taking a young female lieutenant with him on a deadly hunt that leads them from the ragged edges of a rural army post to the winding streets of Paris to a confrontation with an enemy he didn’t know he had. With his French-born mother dying – and divulging to her son one last, stunning secret – Reacher is forced to question everything he once believed…about his family, his career, his loyalties – and himself. Because this soldier’s son is on his way into the darkness, where he finds a tangled drama of desperate desires and violent death – and a conspiracy more chilling, ingenious, and treacherous than anyone could have guessed.

The Da Vinci Code: 10 Years Later

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The Da Vinci Code10 years ago Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, took the world by storm. When it came out, I remember passing by numerous book stores and seeing it prominently displayed as a bestseller for months. Then people I knew started reading it, including my Dad. Once he was done, I read it and thought it was pretty good, but not mind blowing. When the film came out, I went with my Dad and his friends and felt the same way: It was good, but not great.

The Novel

Now that 10 years have passed, I decided to revisit Dan Brown’s most popular book, which went on to sell more than 80 million copies. During these past 10 years, I’ve read hundreds of books, so I was afraid I would think even less of The Da Vinci Code. To my surprise, I enjoyed the book even more than I did the first time. To be fair, I listened to the audiobook version instead of reading the free e-book I downloaded. I opted for the audiobook for two reasons: I love audiobooks and it’s a much faster way to consume books – especially when you work two jobs and go to school, like I do. As an added bonus, the audiobook featured an interview with the screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman, who was tasked with adapting the novel to film, as well as a 2005 Dan Brown speech at the University of New Hampshire. Both special features were interesting and insightful.

All in all, it was an excellent book that magnificently blended fact and fiction. If you’re not one of the millions who has already read it, I highly recommend you check it out right away. It’ll keep you turning pages late into the night wondering what’s going to happen next.

The Film

I also decided to revisit the film, which came out in 2006, and I’m glad I did. I watched the extended version and it was beautifully done. While it wasn’t a line-for-line or scene-for-scene reenactment of the book, Ron Howard did a wonderful job of bringing the novel to life through film. The cast was excellent across the board, especially Sir Ian McKellan as Leigh Teabing. The score by Hanz Zimmer was well done and suited the movie perfectly. Overall, it was a thrilling experience that kept my attention from start to finish.

If you’ve read the book, you’ll notice that certain changes were made in the film, but, in my opinion, some of them helped move the plot along at a faster pace while staying true to the story in the novel. But don’t take my word for it, check out the film, for free, below.

Book Review – No Way Back by Andrew Gross

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No Way BackAndrew Gross, the bestselling author of 15 Seconds, is out with a new thriller: No Way Back. I recently finished the novel, and I was impressed. Gross hooks readers by starting out with storylines about two characters: Wendy Gould and Lauritzia Velez. Eventually the lives of these two women intersect, and discovering how they are connected and why they need each other kept my rapt attention. The deeper I got into the novel, the more attached I became to the characters and cared about their welfare. And the moving conclusion made this roller-coaster-ride of a book even more satisfying.

Gross cut his teeth writing captivating thrillers with James Patterson, and No Way Back shows how he’s honed his craft since then. It features believable characters in against-the-odds situations that’ll make you think, “What would I do?” If you’re a fan of intricately-crafted, fast-paced thrillers filled with intrigue, you should check out No Way Back. I highly recommend it.

If you’re interested in learning more about Andrew Gross and No Way Back, make sure to check out my interview with him.

Official Synopsis 

Wendy Gould is an attractive, happy suburban mom, and an experienced ex-cop. A chance meeting with a stranger in a hotel ends when the man is murdered and she’s the only witness, forcing her to run from rogue federal agents determined to keep her silent, even if it means killing her. Things only get worse when the authorities—the wrong ones—find their way to her door, giving her no recourse but to flee from her only safe haven.

Lauritzia Velez, meanwhile, is a devoted nanny. She’s also a woman with a deadly secret that has driven her into hiding until she can prove her innocence.

Scared and alone, these two women with nothing in common will eventually join forces and embark on a dangerous odyssey to find the truth and save their lives. It’s a desperate hunt that leads them into a nefarious web of treachery, lies, and corruption involving drug lords, arms dealers, and shadowy figures in the highest echelons of government.

A breathtaking tale featuring two strong, sympathetic women who must rely on each other to take down powerful, lethal forces, No Way Back is a riveting tale full of twists and thrilling surprises from the bestselling author who is “coming up on the rails behind Harlan Coben and Lee Child” (Evening Standard, U.K.).

Book Review – Lucid Intervals by Stuart Woods

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Lucid IntervalsStuart Woods is one of my favorite fiction writers. I’ve read many of his Stone Barrington and Holly Barker books, as well as a handful of his standalone novels. Most recently I read Lucid Intervals, a Stone Barrington novel, and it was very good. Unlike other thriller writers, Woods’ books don’t move at a break-neck pace. The chapters are longer and the convolution is kept to a minimum. This book highlights an area in which Woods excels: character development. His ability to craft memorable characters throughout this series of books is marvelous. Whether it’s Stone’s many – and I mean many – sexual encounters or Herbie Fisher’s moronically endearing personality, I found myself looking forward to all the encounters between the key and tertiary characters in the novel. The plot was fascinating and the conclusion was satisfying. While it didn’t feature all the twists and turns of Harlan Coben novel, that’s not the way Stuart Woods writes. If you’re a fan of the series or looking to try a different author in the mystery and thriller genre, you can’t go wrong with Lucid Intervals. It’s a compelling story that is well worth your time.

Official Synopsis 

It seems like just another quiet night at Elaine’s. Stone Barrington and his former cop partner Dino are enjoying their drinks when in walks former client and all-around sad sack Herbie Fisher… with a briefcase full of cash and in need of a lawyer.

But while he’s trying to fend off Herbie, Stone is propositioned by another potential client, this one a bit more welcome. A beautiful MI6 agent, Felicity Devonshire has a missing persons case she needs solved—and she knows from experience how very useful Stone can be.

Stone’s investigation takes him into the posh world of embassy soirees and titled privilege, where high society meets government intrigue. And when trouble follows him from his luxurious Manhattan brownstone to his tranquil summer home in Maine, Stone has to decide what to do with the explosive information he’s uncovered.

Book Review – Rod: The Autobiography by Rod Stewart

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Rod The AutobiographyI just finished Rod Stewart’s autobiography, and it was a fascinating look into the life of one of my favorite singers. The book covers all eras of his storied career, and it features multiple sub-chapters that are referred to as “digressions.” I learned about Rod’s love for model railroads, bluesy rock and fine art. I was also delighted to read about the creation of his most famous albums, numerous romantic relationships and legendary musical collaborations. My only complaint is that it didn’t delve deeply into Rod’s albums from the 1980s; instead, it simply touched on them and talked about how he wasn’t giving it his all until Out of Order. That said, I highly recommend Rod Stewart fans and those who enjoy classic rock give Rod: The Autobiography a read. Its written in a refreshingly humble tone, peppered with humor and filled with stories that’ll keep your interest from cover to cover.

Book Review: Six Years by Harlan Coben

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Harlan Coben - Six YearsI recently finished reading Harlan Coben’s new novel, Six Years. I had high expectations because of its excellent early reviews, as well as what I learned during Coben’s recent book signing. I’ve read almost all of the author’s novels, and Six Years is easily one of his best.

As you’ll read in the official synopsis below, this book is focused on the relationship between Jake Fisher and his true love, Natalie. For my money, no author has the ability to create vivid characters and palpable relationships the way Coben does. This story was told in the first person and done so effectively. As I was going through it, I felt just as confused as Jake, wondering what was true and what was false. I also felt his love for Natalie and his anguish over losing her, not to mention the roller-coaster-ride of emotions Jake experienced throughout the rest of the story.

The first Harlan Coben book I read was The Innocent, and it’s my favorite, quickly followed by Tell No One. Six Years is one of Coben’s best novels. It grabbed me from the first page and never let go. Filled with compelling characters and mysterious circumstances, this twisting tale of suspense is a must read.

Synopsis 

Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd.

But six years haven’t come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd’s obituary, he can’t keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife he’s hoping for . . . but she is not Natalie. Whoever the mourning widow is, she’s been married to Todd for more than a decade, and with that fact everything Jake thought he knew about the best time of his life—a time he has never gotten over—is turned completely inside out.

As Jake searches for the truth, his picture-perfect memories of Natalie begin to unravel. Mutual friends of the couple either can’t be found or don’t remember Jake. No one has seen Natalie in years. Jake’s search for the woman who broke his heart—and who lied to him—soon puts his very life at risk as it dawns on him that the man he has become may be based on carefully constructed fiction.

Harlan Coben once again delivers a shocking page-turner that deftly explores the power of past love and the secrets and lies that such love can hide.

Free Preview 

You can read the first chapter of Six Years for free here, and below is an excerpt from the audiobook.

Book Review: Don’t Go – Lisa Scottoline

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Don't Go

I recently finished reading Lisa Scottoline’s new book, Don’t Go, available April 9. Below is my review of the novel, and in the coming weeks I’ll be posting an interview I conducted with the author about this book and her career.

Book Review

Not only is Don’t Go Scottoline’s 20th novel, but it’s the first time she’s writing from the point of view of a man. Up to this point, I had only read one other book by the author, Come Home, and it was pretty good. I never read a novel focused on a member of the military, and it wasn’t something that interested me. But I kept an open mind going into this book. To my delight, I quickly fell in love with Don’t Go and was fully engrossed in the plot from start to finish.

Many of Scottoline’s recent books have focused on relationships between family members, and it’s something at which she excels. What really struck me was her effortless ability to construct magnificently descriptive prose that spoke to me. It not only carried me through the story, but it made me feel what the characters felt. Unlike some of her contemporaries, Scottoline’s writing comes off like she does in real life: Genuine.

As you’ll see in the synopsis below, this novel focuses on the tumultuous life of Dr. Mike Scanlon. His wife dies while he’s serving as an army doctor in Afghanistan, and he’s forced to pick up the pieces when he gets home. He not only has to come to terms with his wife’s passing, he has to learn how to be a father to his daughter, who barely remembers him. It’s an emotionally-charged tale that’s peppered with Scottoline’s signature humor. And it’s filled with unpredictable twists and turns that kept me flipping through pages late into the night.

Don’t Go was an excellent read, and I highly recommend it. It’s a compelling thriller filled with nuanced characters you can’t help but care about. Most of all, I loved how this novel had a theme weaved throughout. In addition to being the title of the book, the phrase “don’t go” is something Mike Scanlon hears and ponders during his journey. It’s a beautifully executed storytelling device that makes the title feel inspired and the plot cohesive. So far, this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Be sure to add it to your list to check out, and look out for my upcoming post where I interview Lisa Scottoline about Don’t Go as well as her storied career.

Synopsis

Lisa has thrilled millions with her emotionally-charged novels that feature strong women exploring the boundaries of family, justice, and love. In Don’t Go, she breaks new ground and delivers the story of a soldier who discovers what it means to be a man, a father, and ultimately, a hero.

When Dr. Mike Scanlon is called to serve as an army doctor in Afghanistan, he’s acutely aware of the dangers he’ll face and the hardships it will cause his wife Chloe and newborn baby. And deep inside, he doesn’t think of himself as a warrior, but a healer.

However, in an ironic turn of events, as Mike operates on a wounded soldier in a war-torn country, Chloe dies at home in the suburbs, in an apparent household accident. Devastated, he returns home to bury her, only to discover that the life he left behind has fallen apart. His medical practice is in jeopardy, and he is a complete stranger to the only family he has left — his precious baby girl. Worse, he learns a shocking secret that sends him into a downward spiral.

Ultimately, Mike realizes that the most important battle of his life faces him on the homefront and he’ll have to put it all on the line to save what’s dearest to him – his family. Gripping, thrilling, and profoundly emotional, Don’t Go is Lisa Scottoline at her finest.