The Outsider by Chris Culver

The Outsider

My thoughts
Ash Rashid is a devout Muslim police detective in the Indianapolis police department assigned to the prosecutor’s office. When the mother of his daughter’s friend is killed by a hit and run driver, he is somewhat “forced” to investigate by the suggestion of a local mobster, and finds that things just don’t add up.

I enjoyed this novel because Ash is real. He is tried to practice his religion as he can and tries harder not to have a drink as you can see that he may have a problem with that. He also cares about people and is devoted to doing good and believing in his job. The further he digs into the case, the more intense it gets. I liked how it all played out. Not everybody wins.

Book Description
Ash Rashid stands alone. A twelve-year veteran of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and one of the few Muslim-Americans on the force, he's unafraid of bending the rules in the pursuit of justice. But now Ash wants out. He's finished law school and is aiming to become a prosecutor. The last thing he wants is to become embroiled in a new homicide investigation.

That changes when he hears that the mother of one of his daughter's friends was murdered in front of her home-a crime that members of his department would seemingly rather ignore than investigate. Ash launches an inquiry and quickly becomes entangled in a case involving a dangerous mix of election-year politics, crime, and street justice. And what he finds may have repercussions for the entire city . . .

Disclosure: I received this book for review through the amazon.com vine program. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

A Certain Summer by Patricia Beard

A Certain Summer

This book will be released on May 21, 2013

My thoughts
Set on the small island of Wauregan right after WWII, Helen Wadsworth prays that her husband is still alive as he was declared MIA during a secret mission in occupied France. She has a son to take care off and begins to fall for Frank Hartman, her husband’s friend and partner on that ill-fated mission. She also starts to have feelings for yet another man, Peter Gavin, younger and also a survivor of the war with Japan. She finds it difficult to come to terms with the past and move on so that she and her son can move forward.

This is more than a love story or mystery; it is a novel of human emotions, frailty and endurance. I found the characters to be well written and felt for each of the three. The reader gets to feel what it is like for those left behind without some sort of closure. The mystery wasn’t too mysterious, but didn’t take away from the drama. This one was certainly an enjoyable read!

Book Description
"Nothing ever changes at Wauregan.” That mystique is the tradition of the idyllic island colony off the shore of Long Island, the comforting tradition that its summer dwellers have lived by for over half a century. But in the summer of 1948, after a world war has claimed countless men—even those who came home—the time has come to deal with history’s indelible scars.

Helen Wadsworth’s husband, Arthur, was declared missing in action during an OSS operation in France, but the official explanation was mysteriously nebulous. Now raising a teenage son who longs to know the truth about his father, Helen turns to Frank Hartman—her husband’s best friend and his partner on the mission when he disappeared. Frank, however, seems more intent on filling the void in Helen’s life that Arthur’s absence has left. As Helen’s affection for Frank grows, so does her guilt, especially when Peter Gavin, a handsome Marine who was brutally tortured by the Japanese and has returned with a faithful war dog, unexpectedly stirs new desires. With her heart pulled in multiple directions, Helen doesn’t know whom to trust—especially when a shocking discovery forever alters her perception of both love and war.

Part mystery, part love story, and part insider’s view of a very private world, A Certain Summer resonates in the heart long after the last page is turned.

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis

One Step Too Far

My thoughts
Emily Coleman decides to leave her husband and child and walks out the door and to start a new life for herself. Why would a woman who seemingly has a great life, loving family take off, change her name and live as someone else just to avoid her past?

First, I have to say that I was quite taken aback when Emily left her family. It made me wonder why and that is the whole premise of the book. The mystery surrounds her leaving and doesn’t get resolved until close to the end. But this didn’t hold enough interest for me. The first half of the book is about how Emily leaves, changes her name, finds a place to love and gets a new job. Then we learn what her husband was going through after she left him. And we learn more about her mother and twin sister and what Emily’s prior life were like.

Told from various points of views and some flashbacks, if you don’t pay attention, you could get lost. I believe I did a few times. I just couldn’t grasp hold of the story and didn’t really care for Emily. Finally, once I found out the why, I was not shocked but disappointed. It didn’t complete the story for me. To each his own.

Book Description
An apparently happy marriage. A beautiful son. A lovely home. So what makes Emily Coleman get up one morning and walk right out of her life to start all over again? Has she had a breakdown? Was it to escape her dysfunctional family - especially her flawed twin sister Caroline who always seemed to hate her? And what is the date that looms, threatening to force her to confront her past? No-one has ever guessed her secret. Will you?

Disclosure: I received this book for review through netgalley.com. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Oscar Wilde and the Murders at Reading Gaol by Gyles Brandreth

Oscar Wilde and the Murders at Reading Gaol: A Mystery (The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries)

My thoughts
After spending some time in prison and being released, Oscar Wilde is asked by the governor to investigate murders that have taken place there. Take the life of an actual person, and make him similar to the fictional Sherlock Holmes is quite a fascinating idea. The locale and time period and Wilde’s observation skills make it an exceptional mystery. One gets to learn what prison life was like in the 19th century and learn more about the man himself. I read that this is the sixth and final book in this series, but I feel that it should continue, because it intriguing.

Book Description
Oscar Wilde has fled to France after his release from Reading Gaol. Tonight he is sharing a drink and the story of his cruel imprisonment with a mysterious stranger. Oscar has endured the treadmill, solitary confinement, censored letters, no writing materials. Yet even in the midst of such deprivation, his astonishing detective powers remain undiminished—and when first a brutal warder and then the prison chaplain are found murdered, who else should the governor turn to for help other than Reading Gaol’s most celebrated inmate?

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Sunset Key by Blake Crouch

Sunset Key (Rapid Reads)

My thoughts
Letty Dobesh is off to the Florida Keys as she was hired to steal a Van Gogh from John Fitch, a very wealthy man. Although this is a novella it is not short on suspense, surprises and mystery. I have enjoyed many of Blake Crouch’s books, and this one is no different; I just was not expecting a quick read. I found out afterwards that this is part of an ongoing series of novellas, although this story stands on its own. Good work, Blake.

Book Description
Letty Dobesh is coming off a bender and hasn't had a job in months when she gets a very enticing offer. John Fitch, the ultrawealthy CEO of a major energy company, has recently been convicted of securities fraud. In four days he must report to a federal prison, where he will almost certainly spend the rest of his life. Fitch wants a female companion for his last night of freedom.

But Letty is no high-priced call girl, and this gig isn't about sex. The plan is to steal an original Van Gogh from Fitch's island retreat. A petty thief by trade, Letty has never had a shot at this kind of payout. It's certainly dangerous, but the money will set her up for life and allow her to regain custody of her young son. Besides, it's stealing from a very bad guy.

If all goes well, she'll be on Easy Street but in Letty's life, all seldom goes well.

Disclosure: I received this book for review through librarything.com. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Stolen by Daniel Palmer

Stolen

My thoughts
John Bodine and his wife Ruby Dawes have everything going for them. His business is about to take off and they want to start a family, but then Ruby finds out she has cancer. To make matters worse, their cheap insurance plan won’t cover her medication. Using his computer skills, John finds a way around that by stealing the identity of someone who has great coverage. Problem solved, they pose as this other couple for the six months that Ruby needs her treatment. Only problem, the person whose identity John stole finds him and decides to play a little game with him. A game that involves stealing; at first small things and progresses from there. If he fails to complete his tasks, the consequences are terrible. Yes, it could mean murder! John must stop this maniac before he is forced to do the unthinkable.

I have to say that this novel grabbed my attention at first, and wondered if this couple could pull off this insurance scam. But when the protagonist comes in and concocts this criminal game; I was at the edge of my seat. The action builds from there and there are many twists and surprises. It was a good read and I couldn’t figure what the deal was with this guy, but it all climaxed with yet another shock. I have say this should be on everyone’s; summer reading list!

Book Description
The future looks bright for Boston couple John Bodine and Ruby Dawes. John's online gaming business is growing, and they're talking about starting a family. But when Ruby receives a life-changing diagnosis, and their cut-rate insurance won't cover the treatment she desperately needs, John makes a risky move. He steals a customer's identity and files a false claim for Ruby's medication.

The plan works perfectly--until the customer in question contacts John with a startling proposition. If John and Ruby play a little game he's devised, he won't report their fraud. The rules of Criminal' are simple: commit real crimes. But if they fail, there will be deadly consequences. John assumes it's a sick joke--until people start dying.

With each round, the crimes get more twisted. John and Ruby can't disappear--and they can't go to the police. Their only option is to keep playing, while trying to outwit a psychopath who has no intention of letting them leave this game alive...

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

The Last Sewer Ball by Steven Schindler

The Last Sewer Ball

This book will be released on June 11, 2013

My thoughts
Vinny and the boys are back on the Bronx. Not quite a sequel to “Sewer Balls” but involves the same group of characters. This time around Vinny is interested in tracking down his childhood best friend Whitney, who is purposely hiding out because he is wanted for murder. Is Vinny stirring up a hornet’s nest and can he find his former friend before it’s too late?

This is one of those novels that use flashbacks to tell the story, so not only does the reader experience what the gang is going through now, but we see what they were like as teenagers growing up in the Bronx. One says you can never go home again. I found the author’s descriptive narrative quite vivid as it made me feel that I could have been growing in the Bronx with these boys. (I didn’t). And I felt the struggle and the dilemma that Vinny was going through as he tried to locate Whitney. I really wanted to know what the hell was going on with this guy. The author is a good story teller and I recommend this book to those who want to travel to the past.

Book Description
What’s a sewer ball? It’s what you go after in a sewer manhole when you can’t afford to buy a ball to play stick ball with.

It started on the stoops and playgrounds of the Bronx back in the 1960s. But now Vinny is on a quest to track down Whitey after decades apart to find out what really happened to their friendship. Could family tragedies, a war, and perhaps even murder, break a bond that was forged long before eighth grade graduation? Secrets that have been simmering since childhood bubble to the surface and eventually explode, when past and present collide with not-so-instant karma.

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Something About Sophie by Mary Kay McComas

Something About Sophie: A Novel (P.S.)

My thoughts
Sophie Shepard was adopted and knows about. She is happy with her life and her parents and has no desire to find out how her birth parents are. But then she gets a call from a stranger who has a secret he wants to tell her. But when she arrives in Clearfield, Virginia, this man is dead and nobody in the town seems to know what he wanted to tell her.

There’s something about Sophie that just didn’t hold my attention enough to truly enjoy. Part romance, part mystery, but yet the plot was formulaic and didn’t move me. Sophie relationship with the doctor, didn’t add anything. Small town secrets have been portrayed better. Once the true secret was revealed, it picked up, but by that time my interest had waned. It was okay, but not enough.

Book Description
Answering a call that summons her to a stranger's deathbed, a reluctant Sophie Shepard is too late to hear what he was so anxious to tell her. What was so important that a dying man would think of her in his final moments? With the help of Dr. Drew McCarren, Sophie begins to dig into her past, setting off a chain of events that chills the quiet town of Clearfield, Virginia to its roots.

With part of her wanting nothing more than to put Clearfield behind her and run back home, Sophie knows she won't rest until she discovers the truth. But growing closer to the residents also means uncovering their dark secrets: about the woman who gave her up for adoption, the mysterious part these strangers played, and the life she never knew she nearly had.

Something About Sophie is an unforgettable story about the power of love...and the things people will do, both right and wrong, to protect it.

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

I LOVE LUCY in Color

Scenes from a 1951 taping of I LOVE LUCY with a home movie camera and in color!  Interjected with the actual show makes for an interesting but of historical nostalgia.

Ninth Anniversary Project

Mine and my wife's ninth wedding anniversary just passed and the traditional gift is pottery. Instead of giving one another a mug or something like that, my wife and I decided to paint ourselves a giant gnome. At first, my wife thought we’d each paint a piece for one another, but I liked the idea of working together to create one masterpiece. I had to choose the biggest one there.

Here we are after we painted the little guy and before he gets fired up. Then next step was to give him a name. We decided on Hans.

Here is Hans. All shiny and baked. Now where to put him. He is NOT going in the garden!