In keeping with author Lisa Scottoline’s ability to write the most searing and powerful thrillers, Most Wanted, will not disappoint her many fans. One reviewer put it this way…….”it drew me in, in a single breath”.
Just think about the premise of the novel……..Christine and Marcus Nilsson are a happily married couple who have a great life, except that they cannot conceive a child. As time passes by, they decide to take further steps by participating in artificial insemination with a donor male. His bio sounded like the perfect person to provide what they needed to make their family complete. Three months after insemination, Christine was indeed pregnant. They were, of course, ecstatic. The bio had read……..Donor 3319 Profile: Tall, Blonde, Blue eyes, Medical student……..perfect…….or so they thought!
One day Christine is watching the news and notices that authorities are looking for a suspect who has committed a series of murders. The artist’s sketch looks alarmingly like the sperm donor of the baby she is carrying. With the usual depth of emotions that Scottoline’s fans have come to expect, the ethical and moral dilemma presents itself. WHAT IF ……… the biological father of your unborn baby is a serial killer? Most Wanted could easily be Lisa Scottoline’s best selling novel yet!
This is the third in the Fox and O’Hare series by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum series, Alexandra Barnaby series and the Lizzie and Diesel series) and Lee Goldberg (author of the bestselling Monk mysteries). In an attempt to catch the most wanted and most elusive felons in the world, the FBI teams up Special Agent Kate O’Hare with ex con artist Nicholas Fox. To the rest of the world, Nick is still wanted by the FBI and Kate is the agent in charge of capturing him. The reality is that they are working together formulating a con to catch a violent drug lord at the request of Kate’s boss and the Deputy Director of the FBI. They are given unlimited funds and unofficial permission to do what it takes to capture their mark without being caught. In this adventure Kate and Nick formulate an elaborate con to bring down the leader of a drug smuggling empire. Traveling around the world with their enlisted band of misfit accomplices, Nick and Kate work to execute their plan. Challenges include a psychotic bodyguard and a Portuguese enforcer among others. Kate’s father Jake, who is retired Special Forces and shares Kate’s deep love of impressive firearms is back again to help out a good cause. An ongoing flirtation between Kate and Nick, as well as the antics of their team keeps the book light and funny, while still delivering an impressive and well thought out plot. Be sure to read the first two novels to get the most enjoyment out of ‘The Job’. (The Heist – book one, and The Chase – book two.)
Troublemaker is the first person account of actress Leah Remini‘s (TV’s King of Queens “Carrie”) history and life with the Church of Scientology. Remini exposes many of the darker facets of the “religion” and shares inside stories of her life as a Scientologist. Indoctrinated into Scientology at a young age along with her mother and sister, Remini spent over thirty years dedicating herself (at the cost of millions of dollars and thousands of hours of study and training). In this brutally honest memoir, Remini shares her experiences from childhood leading up to her very public break from Scientology in 2013. The book is a shocking expose Scientology’s closely guarded secrets delivered with insight and humor. As a Hollywood Insider, Remini shares stories about her interactions with other celebrity Scientologists, including her experience at the very publicized wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in Italy. An eye opener for those who have ever been interested in Scientology.
American author, Christy Wilson Beam, writes this beautiful memoir about the journey of her sick twelve year old daughter Annabel Beam. She survived, without any injury, a thirty foot fall from a branch into a hollow Cottonwood tree. While waiting to be rescued, she visited heaven and then was found to be cured of her chronic illness. Every parent can identify with the terror these parents felt as they waited for their daughter to be rescued.
Author Beam and her husband spent many hours in hospitals with Annabel trying to get her severe health issues resolved. The little girl was not able to digest her food. Most of the time, she would hardly have the energy to play, let alone climb trees. But, one day she decided to do just that with her two sisters. It was that day that changed her life and her family’s life in a very miraculous way. Some have reported getting an overwhelming sense of calm while reading what should have been very intense passages in the book. Some attribute that calmness to a feeling of a spiritual presence.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has produced an adapted version of this remarkable story, directed by Patricia Riggen, and scripted by Randy Brown. The film stars Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, and Eugene Derbez.
The Steel Kiss (Lincoln Rhyme #12) is the New York Times bestselling author, Jeffery Deaver’s latest offering. The new novel combines the talents of Amelia Sachs, not only the professional partner, but also the love partner of quadriplegic, forensic detective Lincoln Rhyme. There is a sinister murderer on the run, and it is up to them to stop him.
With the intricate mind of the latest serial killer, the pair are up against their most formidable opponent ever. Sachs and Rhyme find themselves racing against the clock and growing body counts to secure the identity of this maniac. He is known to turn common products used by his “Shoppers” victims, into murder weapons against them.
In reviews of The Steel Kiss, most reviewers applaud the new faces and complexities that Deaver included in this twelfth novel. When there are so many books about the same characters, sometimes the subject matter becomes monotonous, but according to several early readers, this book is not in any way monotonous. One reader described about four stories taking place in the one book.
There were some statements from those early readers worth quoting……..”What a creepy and suspenseful book I have just finished”; “I will never look at a remote in the same way again”; “Cars, elevators, escalators, buses, trains, planes, the equipment I use at work……computers, microwaves, heating……..technology that surround those targeted by the killer”; DO NOT READ OR LISTEN TO THIS BOOK AT OR NEAR BEDTIME!”
On February 23, 2016, author Debbie Macomber released her latest endeavor, A Girl’s Guide to Moving On. As for many other women in the world, the lead characters in the novel, Nicole and her mother-in-law Leanne, find themselves and their marriages broken and shattered. Their husbands, who are father and son, have led a cheating existence for years. Nicole lived under the false impression that she had a perfect marriage, but Leanne lived in denial for many years, although she knew her husband was leading an unfaithful life.
Nicole and Leanne both meet new men friends who are completely different than the men they first married. Both women show bravery and courage as they make their way from betrayal and sorrow to the eventual joy of redemption and reinvention. For anyone who has ever thought to themselves…..Is this all there is?……. the novel inspires hope and second chances.
Debbie Macomber is a nine-time New York Times #1 bestselling author, with more than 170 million copies of her books for sale worldwide. Her success has been amazing, with several novels becoming hit movies on the Hallmark Channel. “A Girl’s Guide to Moving On” affirms the ability of every woman to forge a new path, believe in love, and fearlessly find happiness”.
One would think by looking at Kate Hudson, that she effortlessly goes through life ever beautiful, ever in the best of physical fitness. The truth is…….she has had to learn how to take care of herself, to strive to her fullest potential. She outlines her fitness journey in her book……Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body. She is the mother of two, a businesswoman with her line of clothing, and actress. Her time is very precious, so she makes the most out of work outs. It takes motivation and a lot of discipline to meet your personal goals…… a whole lot of hard work. Her best feeling about it all is when physical and mental combine to give her a sense of feeling strong.
The book is not some tell all. It is meant to give an explanation of how, over a period of time, Kate developed a focus on how to connect with what her body needs by connecting to herself. In that way, she does not even have to think about what she needs to eat or how long she should work out.
She explains that she is not always the smiling, upbeat persona that the public is used to seeing in movies……she says, nobody is. She has great days, not so great days, and awful days, just like everyone else. She is leading a much more complicated life than in her earlier years, but feels more relaxed, self-assured, and confident than ever. She attributes this to feeling at peace with herself, which gives her the energy to face new challenges and new projects.
“When you understand yourself and connect to how you can become body smart, you realize pretty quickly that the perfect, the ideal is not the goal…….the goal is feeling good in your body.”
American born author, Nicholas Sparks, wrote another one of his many, outstanding novels, The Choice, that was published in 2007. If the reader is familiar with Spark’s other novels, The Choice is another story of love and sadness with beautiful characters who encounter some very challenging obstacles during the course of their relationship.
The two main characters, Travis Parker and Gabby Holland meet when she moves to Beaufort, North Carolina, where Travis lives. He has been living an ideal, all- American life, until Gabby moves next door. For Gabby, her move was to be closer to a long-time boyfriend. As she gets to know Travis, who is very popular and has had many girlfriends, she begins falling in love with him. She believes in marriage and he ……….not so much.
The Choice has been adapted for film, with the movie released on Friday, February 5, 2016. The main characters in the novel, Travis and Gabby are being played by Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer. One critic describes the book and the movie as…….”The writer (Sparks) of many romantic novels-turned-movies……..sticks to a pretty distinct formula about girl meeting guy, girl having childish banter with guy and pretending to dislike him, girl falling in love with guy”. That might sound a bit negative, but there are millions of Nicholas Spark’s fans who enjoy just that kind of novel…….enjoyment without a complicated plot. The Choice is actually two choices that characters Travis and Gabby must make.
American author, James Patterson, has added another novel to his NYPD RED series. To quote the description: “An audacious jewel heist. A murdered actress. A killer case for NYPD RED.” Patterson is the #1 bestselling crime writer 9f all time. Reviewers have said that it is great to pick up the latest James Patterson novel, and follow the lead Detectives in the elite force, Zach Jordan and his partner, Kylie McDonald.
NYPD RED #4, brings the detectives into multilayered cases,. A famous actress is myrdered, but before they can delve into that case, they must try to find out who is stealing every expensive piece of equipment out of hospitals in the city. Nobody knows how they are getting in. In the midst of the two cases, Kylue’s husband has gone off the deep end, again, and is back on drugs. So, Kylie enlists Zach’s help to track down her husband, which is not readily accepted by Zach’s new live-in girlfriend. Solving a murder, the robberies, and balancing their personal lives takes a toll on the two detectives.
Reviewers seem to love this fourth book in the series, and have given superior reviews. One reviewer had this to say, “Such a great story with twists and turns until the very end. Thankfully, it seems James Patterson has left room for another book in the series. I never want it to end!”
Approximately 30 years after Return of the Jedi, comes The Force Awakens. It traces Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron and their battle with the Resistance. Led by veterans of the Rebel Alliance, they fight members who are decedents of the Galactic Empire.
“Thirty years after the destruction of the second Death Star, Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, disappeared. The First Order has risen from the remains of the Fallen Galactic Empire, and seeks to eliminate Luke and the Republic.”
The Force Awakens was filmed in Abu Dhabi and Iceland, and other photography took place in Ireland and England. It premiered on December 18, 2015, which was more than 10 years after the release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sixth. The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, and others.
In keeping with author Lisa Scottoline’s ability to write the most searing and powerful thrillers, Most Wanted, will not disappoint her many fans. One reviewer put it this way…….”it drew me in, in a single breath”.
