The City

The City by Dean Koontz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Different then his other books but still very good. The young boy Jonah Ellington Basie Hines Eldridge Wilson Hampton Armstrong Kirk in some indefinable way reminds me of Odd Thomas.

Jonah is a young African American boy growing up in the 1960s. His Father (Tilton Kirk) married his Mother because she was pregnant and then deserted his family. He comes back to her briefly when Jonah was eight. Tilton soon takes up with an upstairs neighbor Aurora Delvane, and Jonah's parents divorce.

Jonah meets the mysterious Miss Pearl who claims to be the soul of the city and helps him at various times throughout the book mainly by sending him prophetic dreams.

When Fiona (a girl from his dreams) moves into Jonah's aparmtment building Jonah is suspicious of her, she threatens him when she catches him snooping and he goes to his neighbor Mr. Yoshioka (Japanese American who was placed in the internment camps during WWII). Mr Yoshioka uses his network of friends from the internment camps to check out Fiona, Mr Smaller (the apartment building superintendent) and Lucas Drackman (a killer from Jonah's dreams). Unfortunately the information is gathered to late to save Jonah.

When Jonah's Mother (Sylvia) loses her singing job they move in with Grandpa Teddy. Jonah (a piano prodigy) then makes friends with two white children who live in he neighborhood Malcolm (who plays the saxophone) and his older sister Amelia. Amelia starts taking the two younger children on field trips when she has the time. When they visit a bank renown for it's architecture Jonah spots his Father and Fiona and realizes they have planted a bomb in the bank. Jonah attempts to warn everyone. Amelia is killed and Jonah is severely injured and will never walk again.

Lucas is infuriated that Jonah and Mr. Yoshioka thwarted his plot and the terrorist make plans to exact revenge on them.



View all my reviews

The Perfect Hope (Inn Boonsboro, #3)

The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My absolute favorite of the trilogy.

Sparks fly between Ryder and Hope when they decide to give a relationship a chance, after Lizzy locks them in a guest room until they kiss.

Hope finally figures out that when Lizzy says Joseph William Ryder, she is telling her Billy's last name and not asking her about Ryder. It did take her long enough.

Ryder is Justine's (Ryder's Mother) maiden name. There is an old cemetery on the old Ryder Farm, when they visit the cemetery Ryder immediately goes to Billy's grave. That night he dreams of Billy's death. They tell Lizzy what they discovered and she is pleased, she says Billy can find her now.

Avery's new Restaurant and Tap house opens and after the grand opening Ryder ask Hope to marry him. And as he slips the ring on Hope's finger they see Billy and Lizzy together.

View all my reviews

Storm Front (A Virgil Flower's Novel)

Storm Front by John Sandford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book just made me really sad.

Elijah Jones is a respected archaeologist and minister until he smuggles an important artifact out of Israel and back to the Sates where he arranges to sale the stone to the highest bidder.

Virgil is hot on his trail and on the trail of the potential buyers. He is also busy trying to shut down Ma Nobles' (aka Frankie by Virgil after they become lovers) lumber scam and trying to stay out of her pants.

He manages to recover the stone and arrest Elijah after he is shot by one of the potential buyers, but Ma Nobles helps Elijah escape from the hospital, and the chase is on again, after Elijah steals the stone from Virgil.

Tal Zahavi kidnaps Ellen (Elijah's daughter) but after Virgil plasters Tal's face all over the TV releases her.

Meanwhile Elijah uses Ma Nobles as a decoy long enough to sell the stone. Virgil arrest Elijah just as he slips into a coma (Elijah is dying of cancer) and retrieves the stone from Ma Nobles.

After Elijah dies Ellen ask Virgil to take his ashes to Israel and place them in the grave prepared next to a family friend, and tells him that Elijah said the case wouldn't be closed until he did. Virgil goes to Israel and discovers the priceless artifact was actually part of the tombstone of the family friend.





View all my reviews

The Last Boyfriend (Inn BoonsBoro, #2)

The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very sweet.

Avery told Owen she was going to marry him when she was five years old, he bought her a bubble gum ring. Now they are all grown up and ready to play house for real.

Avery has to deal with the Mother who abandoned her when she was 12 coming back and asking for money.

Owen discovers that Hope is a distant relative of Lizzy the ghost.

View all my reviews

Deserves To Die (To Die, #6)

Deserves To Die by Lisa Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Grayson dies under mysterious circumstances (wonder if they will explore that in another book).

Anne-Marie is counting on Sheriff Grayson to help her escape from her husband (Calderone) who tried to kill her, he cut off her ring finger and left her for dead in a Louisianan Bayou. In New Orleans Calderone is a respected surgeon, and Anne-Marie is a known liar who spent time in a mental hospital. Anne-Marie has been on the run ever since. She was briefly involved with Cade (Grayson's brother) and Cade told her that Grayson was fair, so she headed to Grizzly Falls for help.

Women are turning up dead in Grizzly Falls with their ring fingers missing and the only clue is Anne-Marie's fingerprint.

Ryder a former boyfriend that can't forget Anne-Marie followed her to Grizzly Falls on behalf of her Father. When he tries to bring her back to New Orleans she outsmarts him and handcuffs him to his steering wheel. But before she can escape her husband shows up and holds her at gunpoint. Determined to save Anne-Marie, Ryder does the only thing he can do and runs Calderone down.

Regan and Santana finally tie the knot. Regan is expecting a baby.

The new Sheriff (Blackwater) seems to have a secret.



View all my reviews

Mad River (Virgil Flowers, #6)

Mad River by John Sandford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Dick Murphy's wife wants a divorce he decides that hiring local punk Jimmy Sharpe to get rid of her is the better option. In an effort to make it look like a robbery gone bad Jimmy takes along his girlfriend Becky (and promises her Mrs. O'Leary's diamond necklace) and his pal Tom.

After they kill Agatha Murphy (the O'Leary's daughter) they hastily leave the house without taking anything, when their car won't start they carjack a car, killing the car's owner. And they are off on a killing spree, with Virgil Flowers hot on their trail.

Jimmy is shot when they rob a bank, when Becky and Tom go to get medicine for Jimmy Tom rapes Becky and takes off on his on. He turns himself into Flowers and reveals that Murphy hired Jimmy to kill Agatha. Flowers starts looking into the allegation and finds enough circumstantial evidence to convince him of Murphy's guilt but without the testimony of Jimmy or Becky he doesn't have a strong enough case to put Murphy away.

Becky goes back to Jimmy and tries to nurse him back to health but the wound is infected and he is fading fast. Becky calls Flowers and arranges to meet him to turn herself and an unconscious Jimmy in. Flowers calls the local Sheriff (Duke) for back up. Duke sets up an ambush and Virgil Flowers doesn't find out about it in time to prevent the unarmed teens from being gunned down. He goes to the press with his allegations that the cops murdered the teens and becomes very unpopular in town.

The case against Murphy is dropped due to lack of evidence. Murphy disappears and Flowers suspects the O'Leary's killed him but decides to take Davenport's advice and not to look for proof.

View all my reviews

The Virgin's Lover (The Tudor Court, #5)

The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Robert Dudley plots to divorce his wife Amy and marry Elizabeth and become King of England.

Elizabeth who wants to keep Robert's love but doesn't want a King plots to prevent him from ever being able to marry her. With Cecil's help she concocts a plot that will dash Robert's hopes to marry her forever.

View all my reviews