And When She Was Good

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. It alternates between the present when Heloise Lewis is a suburban mom, raising her eleven-year-old son and is the owner of an escort service disguised as a lobbying business, and the past when Helen Lewis is an abused teenager trying to survive.

Even though she is a prostitute, I couldn't help cheering for her. She's smart and dedicated to her son. What I especially liked is how flawed she is...just like all of us.

I read this novel in two days. Now, I need something new to start but nothing looks as interesting as this one.
Posted by Linda Jacobs at 10:33 AM

Merry Christmas, Alex Cross

I just can't resist this guy! I love his family, his values, and his intelligence.

In this installment, Alex deals with two situations. In the first one, he must prevent a man from murdering his ex-wife, their three kids, his wife's new husband, and a neighbor...on Christmas Eve when he'd much rather be at home.

In the second situation, he meets a terrorist from a previous novel. This time she's trying to blow up a railway station...on the same Christmas Eve when Alex would rather be at home.

Yes, this one is as formulaic as the other novels in the series but, it's the characters, clean writing, and morals that keep me coming back for more.

Danny's Mom

I had a hard time reading this book....not hard as in difficult to understand but hard emotionally. But I still couldn't put it down.

Beth Maller's son, Danny is killed in an automobile accident. She didn't want him to drive that night because he'd just gotten his license and snow was predicted. But her husband overrules her saying she's babying him and won't let him grow up. So, off he goes, never to return.

Beth blames her husband but also herself for not being stronger and more assertive. When she returns to her job as a high school guidance counsellor, her meekness is put to the test by a needy student, homophobic slurs against another teacher, and an uncooperative administration.

While reading this novel, I was Beth. I was back in high school dealing with teenagers and all their problems. How many times did I ignore issues so as not to sway the ship? How many students slipped through the cracks because I followed the rules? I'll be haunted by these thoughts and Beth for a long while.

Miracle Cure

I just can't resist Harlan Coben. So when Amazon sent me an email announcing this first book of his was now in Kindle format, I had to download it, of course.

The book is set in the late 80s. Harvey Riker is a scientist working on a cure for AIDS. Things are looking good when several of his experimental patients test negative for the virus. But, now, those survivors are being killed off one by one.

Sara Lowell is a journalist doing a story on the clinic. Her husband is a star basketball player who contracted the AIDS virus through a blood transfusion in the Bahamas six years earlier. Now, he is undergoing Riker's miracle cure. Then he disappears....

This was a quick read. Coben's writing is still immature in it; it lacks the humor and sharp edges of his more recent work. But, it's still plenty good!

Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore

Any title that has the word "bookstore" in it will always catch my attention. And this one was no different.

Clay Jannon is the night clerk at Mr. Penumbra's bookstore. But, it's a weird bookstore. Sure, there are some recent books at the front but the rear of the store is what fascinates Clay. Stacked from floor to ceiling are old books. He's told never to look in them. When patrons come into the store looking for a certain volume, he's to fetch it but that's all.

Of course his curiosity gets the better of him and he peeks. But he can't make out anything because the books are all in code. With the help of several computer geek friends, he embarks on a mission to decode the books.

Robin Sloane's writing is crisp and fresh. But, I have to admit I did get bogged down for awhile in the middle. Maybe it was me but I just didn't care all that much what happened. I put it down and read another book but then went back to it and managed to finish it. I'm glad I did. I liked it. I didn't love it like I thought I would and I can't really put my finger on why. The characters are interesting but there seemed to be something missing in their development.

Overall, though, the concept is cool and worth the money I spent on it.

The Racketeer

I read this novel in two days! There is just something about the clean writing of John Grisham that appeals to me.
Malcolm Bannister is serving a ten-year prison sentence for money laundering, a crime he is innocent of. While there he makes friends with an inmate who reveals to him that he plans on killing a Supreme Court judge.
When the murder takes place, Malcolm uses the info as a get-out-of-jail card. But that's just the beginning. The rest of the book is a non-stop escape! I loved it!

Accelerated

Wow! This was an eye-opener. As a teacher I was concerned about the high incidence of ADD and ADHD and the medications given to kids to control it.

This novel looks at that issue in NYC's best private school. Sean Benning's son is a third grade student at Bentley, a prestigious school. When the school psychologist suggests that his son, Toby might have ADD, Sean doesn't believe it. But, after a visit to an independent psychologist, he reluctantly agrees to the use of a Ritalin-like drug to help Toby keep up with his classmates.

But there are side effects and, after Toby has a reaction, Sean is determined to find out why the school was so intent on pushing these drugs.

I honestly couldn't put this book down. It's well written and kept me turning the pages.