Popular Author Archives - Page 3 of 10

Secrets and Unexpected Discoveries…”The Fallen”, by David Baldacci

One would think of a small town in western Pennsylvania as being laid back, quiet, and safe. However, the town of Baronville seems to be anything but serene…….or safe. In the newest of the Memory Man series, author David Baldacci follows another case that is under investigation by the series team of Amos Decker and Alex Jamison.

On an ordinary visit to Alex’ sister, and during a conversation with his precocious eight year old niece, he is distracted by a flash in the neighbor’s window. Upon checking it out, they discover two dead male bodies, with no clear hint as to how they died. Little did they know that their finding was only the tip of the iceburg.
After discovering two bodies, the investigative duo must now battle extraneous forces to have a chance at solving the mystery murders. They are working in a very financially and economically depressed small town. The only hopeful business left is a huge, new Fulfillment Center. The town is hanging all hopes for an economic revival on that new Center. However, the discovery of the deaths leads to something very sinister, that may lead the pair of FBI Agents to certain destruction. The suspense is never ending, revealing secrets and unexpected discoveries…….the reader is hooked from page one.

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Nothing Can Break Her…”This is Me”, by Chrissy Metz

It must be pretty cathartic to be in a position to write a self-revealing book at the young age of 37 years. Such is the new book, This Is Me, a novel by Chrissy Metz, who is the star performer on the hugely popular tv serial, This Is Us. It has been described as alternating between instructional and autobiographical, and as presented in raw honesty. Through her life lessons, she has learned that both setbacks and successes can be valuable in moving through life.

Chrissy grew up in a large family, but out of nowhere, her father just disappeared one day. Her mother did her best, but they always felt the threat of possible hunger or that their electricity might be turned off. So, when her mother remarried, Chrissy felt excitement and hope that her family’s life would return to some normalcy. However, that hope was short-lived, as her step-father became very mentally, verbally, and physically abusive. He seemed to just hate her body…….he started weighing her at age 14. I always have to wonder where the mother was when things like this happen to step-children. He punched her, shoved her, yanked her wrist, but never hit her face. She said it was as though he was just offended by her body. She also says that the mistreatment by him made her realize that nothing can break her after living through his abuse.

This Is Me is a takeoff on her very successful television show on NBC, This Is Us. Viewers seem to see themselves in her character, Kate Pearson, no matter where they live or what they look like. The character, as well as the entertainer, makes her viewers and readers feel like they are spending time with a friend with whom they can identify with.

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Desperate Choices are Made Which Will Change the Future of Several…”Accidental Hero’s”, by Danielle Steel

The new best seller by author Danielle Steel, Accidental Heroes, is a sort of compilation of the suspense of the 9-11 tragedy and the landing of the plane on the Hudson River. In this day and age of continual threats, you would think each situation would be taken very seriously. However, when TSA agent, Bernice Adams finds a postcard with a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge with an ominous note written on it, her supervisor just laughs it off. Apparently, that supervisor either had forgotten the horror of previous tragedies, or she was too young to remember them. Bernice took it upon herself to call Homeland Security, who took it very seriously.

Two planes are departing from New York’s JFK airport on a beautiful spring morning, traveling to San Francisco. One is a huge 757, and the other an Airbus A321. Homeland Security is quickly trying to determine who left the warning, and which plane they are on. They are fortunate to have the expertise of veteran Homeland Security officer Ben Waterman.

Ben’s focus turns to the A321 Airbus with Senior Pilot, Helen Smith and her male Co-Pilot, who was showing vocal irritation at being passed over, especially for a woman pilot. He had also been overheard speaking racial slurs. Fortunately, Helen had an off-duty pilot on board. In a novel unlike other novels by Danielle Steel, she combines intense action with emotional stories and intertwined lives. Desperate choices are made which will change the future of several accidental heroes. The mental visuals are plentiful in this book…….such as getting the plane back under control at the last minute, including flying under the Golden Gate Bridge and landing the Airbus in the San Francisco Bay.

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Why is Roxy on the Run…”Look for Me”, by Lisa Gardner

In #9 of her series of D. D. Warren detective novels, author Lisa Gardner presents, Look for Me, another in the established series. Gardner also brings back a survivor character from previous novels. Flora Dane is a true survivor from having been abducted at one time for over 400 days. We are never quite sure how a person comes away from such horrific circumstances with all faculties intact. Flora possesses knowledge that only someone who has lived through abduction and captivity can know. She also runs a group for survivors. And, so their investigation begins.

Once D. D. and Flora get rolling, they play off of each other throughout the novel. The storyline is very heart wrenching, but there is still some levity as the two provide humor, snarky comebacks, and their dynamics as they work together. A family of five is brutally gunned down, but one person is missing from the group. Roxy, a 16 year old girl was not found with the rest of the family. That begs the question……is she a victim or a perpetrator? D. D. and Flora find a lot of clues to the personality of Roxy through different essays she has written on her ideas of the perfect family……and what the reality is of the family she was currently with. Why is Roxy on the run? The answer may not be what is expected.

Look for Me is a story of brutality, but also has much to say about the foster care system. According to readers who are Lisa Gardner fans, the book is a well-written, well-paced and cleverly plotted storyline that is told in the voices of the three main characters. Roxy’s thoughts are most thought provoking, as she told many secrets that came from her life as a foster child. Readers were sad, shocked, and angered by the foster home in this story…… a clue in itself.

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What is Legitimate and What is Not??…”Two Kinds of Truth”, by Michael Connelly

There are very few authors who could continue a series about the same main character for 22 episodes, but author Michael Connelly has done just that with his Harry Bosch series. His newest in the series, The Two Kinds of Truth, is another page Turner for Harry Bosch fans. For someone who retired from the very stressful LAPD job, he stays very busy with the San Fernando Police Department, comprised of just three detectives.

Harry’s new position has him tackling a stack of cold cases. However, as he was delving into the cold cases, a new case came up. A father and son, both pharmacists, have been murdered. Harry is immediately thrown into an undercover position and must enter into a very dark world of drug dealing by script. As if illegal drug dealing is not enough, now it is difficult to distinguish what is legitimate and what is not.

Harry also gets pulled back into an old LAPD case where an inmate on death row is claiming that Harry planted evidence on him. The reader will find both cases intertwining as Harry works on both.
“The two unrelated cases wind around each other like strands of barbed wire. Along the way Bosch discovers that there are two kinds of truth: the kind that sets you free, and the kind that leaves you buried in darkness.”

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Plague, Chaos, Death, Destruction, with some Supernatural Thrown in…”Year One”, by Nora Roberts

Who would be your first guess as an author of a book which begins with the plague, chaos, death, destruction, with some supernatural thrown in for good measure? It is an apocalyptic end of the world scenario. My guess would immediately be Stephen King. But, I would have been way off the mark. Usually known for her feel good, comforting books, author Nora Roberts has ventured into a different genre which includes all of the above mentioned subjects. There is no one central character, or no immediate love story, but some current oriented topics with several interesting characters involved.

Reviewers have been pleasantly surprised by Robert’s ability to transition into a darker world than any of her 200 previous novels have entered. Readers were happy that she did recover the book in the middle to show the new beginning of the survivors, after the assault on the population from several different directions. There are many happy, bright scenes as the new beginning takes place. Roberts follows the various characters who lived to carry on. There are still dark spots to be dealt with, but nothing as terrifying as they already survived.

Year One is the first in a new trilogy. For those who may have been left wondering about some subjects at the end of this book, there are two more books on the horizon that may have your answers. With book one of the trilogy by author Roberts, “the end has come……the beginning comes next”.

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Snakes, Professional Grave Robbers, 90 Year Old Grandmothers, and a Plethora of Corpses…”Hardcore Twenty-Five”, by Janet Evanovich

Hard Core 24 is the most current in the Stephanie Plum series of books by author, Janet Evanovich. Having written 23 other episodes, the 24th has proven to be in keeping with the hallmarks of her writing. Her new offerings come out about every Thanksgiving time, and her reading fans are never disappointed.

Meandering through a Stephanie Plum mystery may take you down many roads before you reach the final page. In the 24th book, Plum arrests a looney professional grave robber, but before she can take him in, he requests that she babysit his boa constrictor, Ethel. She tells him that she will do it, but if Ethel gives her any trouble, that she does own a stun gun. It would take more than a stun gun for most of us to agree to watch a huge snake that is capable of killing. As if that were not enough on the bizarre side, things turn even darker.

Plum is confronted with headless bodies being spread around town, discovering that they are coming from a funeral home and morgue. But then, a homeless man is found murdered and dumped behind a church. Now, time is of the essence in finding the killer. Plum is very capable of tracking down this killer, but learns that she has competition from bounty hunter, Diesel, who knows no limits when he is in pursuit of a perpetrator. The locals who are interested in competing bounty hunter, Stephanie, are not pleased that Diesel has appeared out of nowhere.

What sounds like a very serious murder mystery is actually filled with humor. Stephanie’s 90 year old Grandma Mazur gives hysterical scenes that will have the reader chuckling, and Lulu adds to that humor with her antics. It is a successful author who is able to peak the interest of her readers with characters whom they know very well from the previous 23 books. It takes talent to combine big snakes, professional grave robbers, 90 year old grandmothers, and a plethora of corpses into a #1 New York Times bestselling novel. Readers have already exclaimed that they are eager to read #25.

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Integrity, Trust in God, and the True Power of Forgiveness…”Higher is Waiting”, by Tyler Perry

When one thinks of Tyler Perry, the actor, we think of his comedic character Madea. He created the character which has brought him much recognition and success as actor, director, and producer of the Madea movies. However, with the publishing of his book, Higher is Waiting, Perry also adds serious author to his resume.

The novel is very poignantly written, describing Perry’s life in vivid, moving prose, even though his early childhood and life were filled with brutality, depravation, and fear. He chose to be thankful for those people who helped him survive, rather than dwelling on the negatives. He gave praise to people such as…….his Aunt Mae who gave care to her grandfather, and who was born a slave and sewed quilts that told generational stories; Mr. Butler, a blind man who sold penny candies; and, his beloved Mother, Maxine, who endured abuse, money problems, and the daily struggle growing up in the old south. Perry very tenderly creates portraits of these people who taught him the important life lessons of integrity, trust in God, and the true power of forgiveness.

One reviewer says this of Tyler Perry…….despite his experiences early on in life, and despite having that natural ability to “sniff out” danger or ill intention, Perry has managed to develop an accepting and loving graciousness toward people, even toward those who have wronged him.

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Struggling Against the Ticking Clock…”The People vs. Alex Cross”, by James Patterson

American author, James Patterson, has come under great criticism as of late, for pumping out more Alex Cross series books without any particular order, or what some critics call the completely wrong order. He is accused of being more interested in increasing his ever-increasing bank accounts than being interested in pleasing his loyal series readers. However, his newest offering, The People vs Alex Cross seems to have reinstated his place in the eyes of his most loyal fans. With the new twist given to his newest installment, series fans have given kudos to Patterson for finally getting the series in sync.

Alex Cross, that person who with psychiatric training, has been the one to solve the deadliest crimes and find those whom others had no chance of finding. But now, Alex Cross finds himself on the wrong side of the law, and is being accused of being a trigger-happy cop who has actually committed murder. He has been put on suspension, and has decided to fill his free time by counseling others on the police force who needs advice or assistance in working through their problems. His first consult is with a fellow cop, Samson, who was one of his former partners. Several young blonde girls have disappeared, and among them is Samson’s daughter. He is desperate to find her, as he feels that her life is hanging by a thread. Alex Cross puts his own career in jeopardy to help this terrified father find his child, and therefore find the serial killer behind this string of disappearances. At the same time, Cross is fighting his own battle, preparing for a court case that will determine his fate.

As Cross struggles against the ticking clock of a serial murderer, and grows less and less confident in his own case, he must rely on his own psychology training to get himself through his most challenging times. As one reviewer commented……the end of Cross’s trial is absolutely mind-blowing!

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Unconditional Love….”Noelle”, by Greg Kincaid

As a New York Times bestselling author, Greg Kincaid has presented himself as a lover of dogs (and cats), a believer in the human spirit, and a strong affection for the family unit. His previous books in the series, A Dog Named Christmas, and A Christmas Home, follow the everyday life and passion for dogs that the main characters in the books possess. The McCray family from a small town in Kansas give Kincaid’s books their personality and authentic feel.

The newest in the series, Noelle, is more about the McCray son, Todd, who was described in previous stories as having some sort of mental challenge, but was never mentioned again. Now, this new book finds Todd coming back home to be one of the directors of a newly formed animal rescue group. Of course, Todd cannot resist a newly found homeless dog who survived in a ditch, even when its companion dog did not. Todd names the new adoptee, Elle. She does not fit the expectation of a perfect dog, but that may be a good reason for Todd to adopt her. Elle knows how to make the most of her experiences with people by showing them unconditional love.

There are many stories packed into one book with Noelle. There is the story of Todd and his girlfriend, Laura, the continuing story of Todd’s mother, Mary Ann, and the story of Abby and Link’s dissolving marriage. One reviewer commented that each story could be a book of its own.

Greg Kincaid’s books are filled with stories and characters that all ring true to the spirit of the Christmas season. They are books for dog or animal lovers, those who are lovers of all things Christmas, or anyone who enjoys excellent, solid family stories written in “simple, everyday prose, the warm, somewhat mushy, and equivalent of a Hallmark movie”.

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