Mystery Books

Ya... this is too funny, but I thought this was based on a true story! I was almost too embarrassed to admit it, but I thought I might save someone else from getting the same impression if I just tell the truth. It's really a good book, well worth reading. It changed how I sometimes viewed God, and helped me to see Him as ALL Loving, even in my tough times. I think it's especially helpful to some people who have experienced a hard season, but I'm not sure everyone in that place would be ready for it. I would be cautious about passing it on to a hurting friend unless I felt they were ready to receive what it has to offer.

This book was recommended by a friend. Have not read it yet, however several people have said they have enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading it.

WOW! Very powerful story! I couldn't put it down!
It was suggested to me by a friend who knows I don't read these types of books. (meaning spiritual)
Totally engulfing! It actually helped me to look at my higher power in a whole new way... Looking forward to a new relationship with him!

The popularity of this book - and its 5 star rating - is yet another testament to the dumbing down of the American public. Don't waste your time or money - there are no insights here.

After seeing the huge postive response to this so-called Christian book, I wanted to read for myself why others thought it so impressive. In this age of weak, pablum theology, it is no wonder that it appeals. Humanity doesn't think anymore, it just feels. This is a feel-good book. And very liberal-minded by the way. I was appalled at the numerous crude and crass referneces to biological "humor" in this book, aka Adam Sadler or Dumb and Dumber vulgarity. Totally inappropriate for a Christian work of fiction or any Christian publication. Not to mention the fact that at least two of these "bathroom humor jokes" were spoken from the "mouth of God". Hideous! God isn't some vulgar good ole' boy redneck! Resounds of the stupid song of a number of years back that was so popular, "What If God Was One of Us?" He ISN'T one of us!! He came to earth in the form of Jesus Christ to redeem us from being "one of us", from being a pig wallowing in the mire!
This book degrades the very character and nature of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It brings God down rather than raising pathetic, disgusting humanity up! He didn't come down to "hang out with us" and be "one of the guys/gals".
Honestly, those of you that call yourselves Christian and thought this was a good book better reread your Bibles! God is not a black woman (and NO, I am NOT prejudice. Some of my closest friends are black!!!Ooops, let's be politically correct...African-American! Even the black man on the RNC the other night blasted that garbage!) He is not Aunt Jemima, Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelo all rolled together cooking "suppa" for y'all. This book reeks of New Age, Course In Miracles retching mindset. So far from God it isn't remotely funny! Was it on Oprah's booklist? I wouldn't doubt that for a minute.
I'm actually glad I have read the book. Helps me keep a finger on the pulse of the heresies floating around in the church.

I read this book quickly and mostly enjoyed it...but it's lightweight and won't stand much scrutiny...I enjoyed the vivid picture I got of Salem, but the characters are one-dimensional and have a National Enquirer world view...

This was like paying full price for a movie (hard cover book price) and then wishing you'd have rented it for 3 bucks.
I was swarmed with info about this book from amazon to costco and maybe it's because I had such high expectations that I was disappointed.
I got bored about 1/4 way through but kept trudging along for the "incredible mystery" to unfold. Some of the writing is quite eloquent but all in all this was a bad read, especially for full price hardcover!!

Its hard to believe that this is a first novel. I have heard so many rave reviews as well as those which appear here - Its that good. If this doesn't end up on the short list for one of the book awards, I will be surprised.

I am a History nut from Massachusetts and am very familiar with the ins and outs of Salem and the witches. The time is the present, and the author is funny about the industry which has grown up around these legends. However, the main story is about women who derive a power from being with each other, both as family and as friends. This story also shows the kind of secrets which are maintained within a family. I'm sure my own large extended family has a few which are being kept.

The brand new author tells her story softly, carrying on the narrative while giving the reader snippets and hints which brings one to the end of the book partly surprised and partly knowing what is going to happen.

When I picked up this book, I had just finished grumbling about having to set aside four books in a row which were not worth my time. This one is definitely a keeper, and I would recommend it highly. Be prepared to be educated and surprised.

Salem, Massachusetts is an unusual town. And the Whitneys are the most unusual family in Salem. Their family roots in Salem go back hundreds of years. They fit right in with the eccentric witches, most of the Whitney women have the ability to sense bits of people's thoughts and see glimpses of the future when they look through a piece of lace.

Towner Whitney is in her early thirties and she has just returned to Salem from her self imposed exile in California because her beloved Great Aunt Eva has disappeared. Towner fled to the west coast fifteen years before, running from the violence and grief that was part of her life as a teenager when she lost her twin sister, Lyndley. She is a damaged soul and Salem is the last place she wants to be. Her memories of her life in Salem are sketchy and she struggles to put the pieces of her childhood together while dealing with people from the past that she is not prepared to see.

Eva was in her eighties but still swam in the ocean every day. When her body is found out in the water it's hard to believe that she drowned on her own. The police suspect her estranged son-in-law, Cal. While married to Emma, Eva's daughter, Cal beat her so badly that Emma was left blind and mentally impaired. Somehow he managed to escape any legal penalty and now he is an Evangelist with a very warped following. Towner's return and Eva's death rip open the past and send everyone concerned reeling.

This is a book about the damage that people do to each other and the incredible lengths that the human soul will go to in order to survive. At times haunting, heartbreaking, mystical and magical, it has an ending that will surprise you and show you the healing power of love.

Towner Whitney comes from an eccentric family of women who are thought to be witches because of their ability to make and read lace. Just relax your mind and stare slightly off center and you can see the future. Sounds simple except for the fact she lives in Salem, Massachusetts and apparently there is still witch hunting.

Towner returns home after the drowning death of her great aunt Eva. This is a trip that Towner has been avoiding because of her traumatic upbringing that continues to envelope her whole life. Towner wonders what was the true cause of Eva's death; but since she herself is known as the town wacko with hallucinations of dogs mauling her abusive brother in law and run ins with a hellfire preacher, no one wants to help her or investigate.

Just when she is ready to return back home to her life in California the past that she had carefully created for herself comes crashing into her reality and what she had thought was "her" truth was only a thin veil that blocked out the full pain of "the" truth.

There were many times that I wanted to put this book down, the middle bogs down with such boring repetitiveness I was beginning to wonder what the author was thinking. Then the last 100 or so pages hits you with such force you can't get through the book fast enough. Great story with a stunning conclusion that has you spinning and thinking back to the clues that you missed.

In my opinion, MOSCOW RULES, is Daniel Silva's finest book, beautifully crafted and an absolute pleasure to read. His principal character, Gabriel Allon, is one for the ages, complex but human who struggles to balance his freedom and his art with his duty and reverence for his mentor, Ari Sharon. Silva's craft gets better with each book, really a must read. This book goes far beyond just an adventure thriller.

Fred Campbell

Hard to believe but Daniel Silva keeps coming up with plausible plots and actions that just keep getting better. What could be better than to go back to the 'good old days' of the Cold War? Well, with Putin and Bush we are half way there. It is a sad truth that there is only 'managed democracy' in Russia, but Russians like to be told what to do. If it's a question of guns or butter, the Russians have always wanted guns. It's better to be strong and hungry than to be fed and weak.

Gabriel, who is on his honeymoon, is called away from restoring a painting for the Vatican, to meet with a Russian journalist in Rome. When the journalist is killed right in front of Gabriel and Eli, they know they are dealing with professionals who may be better than they are.

It's easy to guess that the bad guy is Russian and an ex-KGB wonderkin. But what is he really after. He's after money, money and more money. He's been selling guns and weapons to African and Asia revolutionaries and dictators for years. But, now he's gone over the line by selling shoulder launch missiles to Al-Quada. So it's time to call in everyone.

Though most of the real action occurs on the Cote D'Azur around Saint Tropez, Moskow gets thrown in for some good killings too. The British, US and French are brought in, and a good time is had by all; except for the dead and they don't have a vote.

Zeb Kantrowitz

This is vintage Daniel Silva, riveting and spellbinding from the very begining. His sense of geopolitical timing is uncanny, always preceding the news with his latest novel. In this book he also gives us a glimpse of his sense of humor.

I've read all of Daniel Silva's books. Gabriel Allon still is quite the hero. As always, I've learned quite a bit about Russia in today's world. I recommend this to people who like thrillers, spies, and action.

As a fervent admirer of most of Mr Silva's previous work, I was very disappointed by Moscow Rules. Aspects of the plot are virtually recycled from one of his other books, and I find the relationship with the Pope and the Vatican totally implausible. This is a great pity from someone who has created one of the most interesting heroes of modern literature.

I have never claimed that Kathy Reichs' books are high art, but usually they are pretty entertaining and a good bet for either a nice beach read or a rainy day read.

Let me just say that Devil Bones is neither. I plodded through this book and although I only started reading it about a week ago, it felt to me as though I had been reading it for 3 months!

The basic story would lead you to believe it is about witchcraft and devil worship and actually, the first few pages were creepy - I liked the description of Tempe crouching in a scary basement, all dark and gloomy.

However, it went downhill from there. There is some nice interaction between Tempe and her two police friends (and a bit of a twist related to this) but otherwise, this book has no direction, no plotline and more importantly is boring, boring, boring.

I got to a point where I was skipping pages just to get to something "good" and I never seem to get to the "good" part. The ending has absolutely nothing to do with the beginning and was ridiculous.

I can suspend my disbelief quite a lot if I am enjoying the storyline and a thriller does not have to be high art for me, but a book must be entertaning!!!! and the ultimate sin was committed here!!! the book was BORING.

If you are a long-time fan of this series, I've written this review for you. You can skip this book if you want to. In terms of series continuity, I'm sure Dr. Reichs will be able to put in two sentences near the start of the next book to handle what happens in this one.

If you haven't read any books in the series, don't start with this one. Start with Deja Dead, a much better book.

If you like mysteries that are hard to solve as a reader, you will like Devil Bones much better than most readers. That's also true if you are fascinated by pagan religions and cannot get enough information about dead bodies.

On the other hand, if you want an entertaining story that's an easy read, you will probably think this is a two-star book. The book also features an easy-to-hate politician who makes the story less appealing. If you like to see Dr. Tempe Brennan's love life get somewhere, this book is pretty close to a zero.

Let's face it. We all have bad days. Tempe seems to be having one throughout this book. That also makes the book more of a downer than it had to be.

Tempe is called out when an apparent root cellar turns out to contain a human skull, associated with what looks like some sort of pagan religious rite. Tracking down the rest of that body becomes the focus of much of the story in Devil Bones. Soon thereafter, a body is dumped that displays satanic signs. Are the two events connected? How?

The investigation has many unexpected twists and turns, most of which wouldn't have happened if Tempe had been a little sharper in assessing one of the clues. If you are quicker than Tempe, you'll unravel the mystery faster than she did. But you'll probably miss the real criminal until all is revealed unless you have ESP.

I learned way too much about pagan religions and medical details from this book, but I liked the mystery being difficult to solve. So I rounded up from two stars to three.

I love Kathy Reichs' stories and would give her five points. I won't talk about the story here.
The quality of CDs from Simon and Schuster use is extremely bad. Almost on every single CD you here scratches, stuttering, lost words and sentences. I had also bought a copy of "Bones to Ashes" and had the same problem there too. Somehow Amazon shipped the article twice to me and I had to use both copies to put together a usable set of dics.
I own hundreds of both music and hearbook CDs and I have nether come across these problems. Why do they use such an inexplicable bad CD production?

I have to come to expect so much more from the series than this book was able to offer. The historical background is dry and uninteresting, not the usual transfer of intriguing information by the author. It is not that the topic is not interesting to me as I am a practicing member of an earth-oriented religion. However the intellectual areas do not mesh with the interpersonal on a level I have come to expect from the author. The use of ending a paragraph negating all that was just written in terms of dire future events became annoying. Bringing an new romantic character and then not developing him at all was a letdown and the coming of Andrew Ryan into the storyline seem trite and contrived as if he was there as a useless appendage. His part was also never developed to satifaction. Lastly we have he ex-husband and dragging in all THAT involves with the half his age fiance' and again the developement was left undone. I think the book would have been better served to leave off so many personal demons, including the off the wagon drinking binge that happens and then is treated as if there were no physical effects and fewer mental ones. All in all it was an OK read, but not up to standards of the other Tempe Brennan novels.

I'm a long-time Reichs fan, and have enjoyed her books with the glaring exception of "Cross Bones" (which I reviewed when it came out).

I won't bother rehashing the story line, as you can see that in the publishing reviews, other than to say Tempe Brennan finds herself again involved in murder most weird, this time involving off-stream religions (Santeria, etc) as well as the gay chickenhawk underworld.

Many of Reichs's trademark stylistic touches are here in full glory to be enjoyed: her wit, her fast-paced plotting, and deft character portrayals. The story moves right along, and there's really not a dull moment.

But I had one fairly major problem with this book. There comes a point in the book at which she and her partner are trying to decipher some clues in the form of notes left in a personal shorthand code by one of the murder victims. Further, several of the players - victims and suspects - are also known to be using aliases.

Well, these two issues work in conjunction in advancing the plot, and in all honesty, I found it EXTREMELY confusing. I felt like I needed a schematic diagram to keep track of what was going on. By the time we reached the denouement and the identity of the killer was revealed, I was totally at sea.

So.... Four stars for style, two stars for clarity, ending up with three stars.

It is not often that an author can take two timelines and integrate with no confusion or disorientation and loss of the thread of one story to the next. Others that I've read have felt a little jumpy. I loved this book, never put it down once.

Ebershoff, David. "The 19th Wife", Random House, 2008.

Two Stories of Polygamy

Amos Lassen

News reports claim that Mormonism is the fastest growing religion in America and I would venture to say that it is also the religion that we, as a nation, know the least about. David Ebershoff fills some of the gap in that knowledge with "The 19th Wife", his novel that gives some of the history of the Mormons. Ebershoff gives two storylines in the book---one concerns the 19th bride Brigham Young, former president of the Church of Latter Day Saints and the other is about Jordan Scott, a gay man and former hustler who tries to understand why his mother murdered his father who had eighteen other wives.
We don't know much about the murder but we learn that Jordan had been forced out of the religion when he was 14 and left on the side of a highway for no apparent reason. As Jordan comes into his own and develops his identity, we get the parallel story of the original Mormon colony in Mesadale, Utah and the life of Ann Eliza, the 19th wife of Brigham Young. She later divorced him and then when on a national crusade to outlaw polygamy.
The two stories interweave beautifully and on many different levels. The book is rife filled with examples of how the church convinced women to share their husbands because it is a key to salvation (so they say), The brainwashing ability of these people is still evident today as we saw with the Yearning for Zion group in Texas.
Ann Eliza's story is fascinating and Ebershoff did his research. We learn about the tyranny of religion and the whole issue of polygamy. The characters are who give us the information and they are richly drawn and unforgettable. Jordan emerges as a gay hero. Woven into the historical material is a modern story and a wonderful murder mystery. At 600 pages it is quite a book but it catches you from the first page and it keeps you interested the entire time. Both the subject matter and the prose style of Ebershoff make for an outstanding read.

Jordan Scott's mother has been accused of killing his father. It could be any murder mystery - until we learn that Jordan's mother was his father's 19th wife in a small polygamist cult in Mesadale, Utah. Jordan was kicked out of the cult at the tender age of 14, left alone on the side of a highway for virtually no reason. By the time this novel starts, Jordan has established himself and developed an identity, but that identity isn't strong enough to keep him from trying to save his mother once she convinces him that she didn't do it - despite all the evidence against her. Paralleled with Jordan's story is that of the original Mormon colony, more specifically the background and life of Brigham Young's 19th wife, Ann Eliza. She divorced him and took her story on the national circuit, making strides in the battle to force the early Mormons to renounce polygamy all together. Of course, they didn't complete the job, because Jordan's family is derived from the sect that broke off after the official renunciation.

This story is told through many forms of media - in addition to an ordinary narrative in both storylines, there are also excerpts from newspapers, journals, letters, and even a master's thesis. All of these are fictional, of course, but they add a feeling of authenticity since some of these could have existed in similar ways, and it's certainly not unimaginable that a member of the current LDS church would choose to research Ann Eliza.

Both stories are extremely compelling and I love the way that they related to each other. Ebershoff thought the story through on many levels. I suspect it would be difficult to find a non-fiction work that could better expose the evils of polygamy. In addition, I could relate to all the characters and I loved how Jordan picked up several endearing sidekicks along the way. They added flavor and emotional attachment to the story, fleshing out Jordan's character as we witnessed his relations with them. I was drawn in by Ann Eliza's narrative, too, so it's clear that the author can do a very good job with historical fiction in addition to his mystery storyline. I did, however, feel a bit disappointed by the mystery's ending. It wraps up too quickly and a bit too neatly, in my opinion.

This is a very enjoyable book and I'd recommend it to fans of mystery and historical fiction.

I really enjoyed this book. I had trouble putting it down. Mr Ebershoff weaved 2 tales a hundred years apart, yet related. One based on the real life story of Anne Eliza Webb, wife # 19 of Brigham Young (one of the first leaders in the Mormon church) and a fictional story of a modern day cult of polygamists. The book switches back and forth between the 2 stories. Seemingly the 2 stories are related only by the fact that the 2 woman at the heart of the stories are both ranked 19th with their husbands, but the author lays clues thoughout the book that connects the stories futher.
I guess real life is more interesting then fiction because the story of Anna Eliza is definalty better then the modern day murder mystery of the second story.
I've always been curious about the mormon faith and it's current reputation. My interest in this book was peaked when I saw that it was about polygamy and it didn't disappoint. Understandably, the story doesn't paint a nice picture of polygamy, however the author did a magnificent job of including several points of view, including those of the men who practice it.
This book was so well written, it answered my own disbelief about the reality of someone that would practice polygamy, and satisfied my interest in Mormonism's history.
Wow, I will definatly read this book again soon.

Told in a back and forth style with many voices, Ebershoff tells the story of Ann Eliza Young who being the 19th wife of Brigham Young decides that polygamy isn't for her and decides to do the unthinkable and file for divorce. Interspersed with this story is the story of BeckyLyn also a 19th wife of modern day who is accused of killing her husband, and her son Jordan, one of the Lost Boys, who is trying to clear her name and get her out of Mesadale, the compound she lives in with the other Firsts; the break off group that still follows the old tradition of polygamy.

Have I lost you yet?

There is also Kelly Dee the student researcher that is trying to pull the life of Ann Eliza together for her masters thesis who is telling the story, in a round about way, through all the characters and who is also trying to decipher the goings on and hoping to separate fact from fiction.

Though this is a book of fiction, there is enough history to make you wonder what is real and what is embellished for a better story. In this multiple character driven novel, Ebershoff reaches into the world that Smith and Young created and how dominate they were over their followers. Whether truth or innuendo, the story makes a very slow progress to a conclusion that really wasn't a conclusion, just a good place to stop.

Reviewed at The UnGraphic Novel at WizardUniverse.com: the official web site of Wizard Magazine for comics (http://ungraphic.wizarduniverse.com/2008/08/30/the-book-of-lies/) I give this book 3.5 stars (out of 4).

Here's a clip of the review: "(Meltzer's) presentation of this alternate and little known history has gained attention from national media ... It seems poised to rewrite comic book history, or rather correct it. This could be a major turning point in the entire Superman franchise. As our perception of the Man of Steel changes, hopefully so too will our understanding of the character ... Forget the fictional elements and the transparent DaVinci knockoff for a moment. This book is worth reading because of how it will forever change the way we look at Superman."

Having read all of Mr. Meltzer's other novels and most of his comic books, I was thoroughly looking forward to his new book, which aims to connect Cain's murder of Abel with the creation of Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster. I wasn't disappointed at all. If you're a fan of Superman, if you're a fan of a good mystery/thriller, if you're a biblical scholar, then you'll likely enjoy this book. And then, hopefully, you'll want to get involved in the action and help save the house where Superman was created.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R88L32NETHRJS Don't Like to Read, Then Don't, Listen!: How to Turn Any Type of Text Into Audio Files That Can Be Read to You! (isbn 1438252455)

Unfortunately, the book's marketing contention that Mitchell Siegel was murdered by bullets and that this tragic event was a direct inspiration for his son's creation of the man of steel, is false. The senior Siegel died of a heart attack resulting from the stress of the robbery of his secondhand clothing store. "Book of Lies", indeed.

Meltzer's feel for character and emotion are what make this nail biting thrill-ride worth every moment. Once you pick it up you won't want to put it down. Great concept and story made all the better by a tight plot, human characters and overall great writing.

Horrible, unreadable, jingoist propaganda. I certainly didn't expect Faulkner when I bought this book, but what I got was so subpar that I quickly arrived at the point where I continued reading just to see if it was possible for the plot, characters, or dialogue to become any more contrived. In this way, at least, this book never failed to disappoint.

I didn't read anyone else's review (so I'm sorry if there's any duplication of the opinion that follows). But I think this book smells too much like a Da Vinci code spin-off and too much in the brew of National Treasure and thus too banal to give Thor any real credit for an admittedly quick and clear read that might garnish some quick profits -- small chapter increments, the foundations of a major-world religion under attack, the same pedantic dialogues, a religious-zealot ever-present heartless-hitman, clarion-imputed explanations for historial characters or world events (like Thomas Jefferson's study of Islam or the Muslim riots in France), sophisticated code-machines from days of old, and even setting the stage in France -- come on! Hence, the "Jefferson Code" would have been a more apt title perhaps. As long as you read it too quickly to start thinking about it, I guess you'll probably enjoy it more than I did.

The dialogue is often unrealistic and the characters, shallow. And, of course, the same sex and violence formula that we've had since Homer. Don't forget the periodic and, indeed, obligatory insertion of profanity (otherwise, how could we suspend our disbelief?) And all of it dumbed-down just in case we couldn't read between the lines. Let's be more original shall we? I take that back -- maybe this book isn't meant be be judged as a real work of literature, but just as an attempt to garnish quick profits after all and have no real lasting value. Still it's a little "headier" than television.

But you can't deny the oh so surreptitious self-cameo on page 217, can you? Give me a break Thor!

One star.

I chose this book for our book club and I was thrilled that it turned out to be an exciting and interesting book. I read it in two days and couldn't put it down. The chapters are short so I kept reading "just one more chapter" until I had finished the book. I learned so much about Thomas Jefferson that I ended up buying a book called,"Jefferson Writings" and I might even venture to say that he just may be my favorite President now that I know more about him. I also bought two books on Niccolo Machiavelli. I was constantly checking the internet to read up on some of the inventions mentioned in the book. The writing style of this book reminded me of DiVinci Code. I was a little apprehensive at first that it would be anti Muslim, but it described the difference between being Muslim and being Islamic. If you want a fast paced book to read on the plane, vacation, or just to inspire your intrigue, Brad Thor's, "The Last Patriot" is the book for you.

Brad Thor has done it again with THE LAST PATRIOT. This book continues his series of political thrillers set in modern day. Fast moving - good character development - logical considering the state of the world today. A good read!

Although not a real fan of "political" thrillers...this book had me riveted from the first few paragraphs. Well done, Mr. Thor!!!! I'm sure there's a lot more truth to this than any of us would like to believe.