Monday, July 13, 2009

The Cheater by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg

I read about The Cheater on several different blogs and the premise really grabbed my attention. It sounded like something different and interesting, so I placed a hold on it. While I enjoyed parts of it, the main character just really got on my nerves. I ended up grading The Cheater as a B.

Inside cover:
Returning to her most beloved character, Lily Forrester, from the New York Times bestsellers, Mitigating Circumstances and Buried Evidence. Rosenberg proves once again that she is a master of the suspense thriller. Forrester, now a Ventura County judge battling demons from her past, finds herself in yet another mix of bizarre circumstances that lead her onto the trail of a vicious criminal mind.
Along the way we meet:
FBI Agent Mary Stevens: She is tracking a killer who murders men who are cheating on their wives and disposes of their mutilated bodies in ghastly ways and strange locations.
Bryce Forrester: Lily's husband calls her from a Las Vegas jail, where he's been arrested for attempted rape... though Las Vegas was not on his itinerary.
Anne Bradley: Bryce's accuser, like Lily, is a woman with an eerie past, an enigmatic woman to who Lily is strangely drwan.
Lily's investigation leads her to a Web service that provides alibis for cheating spouses... and into a thick web of deception that puts Lily's and Mary's lives in jeopardy.
Do you know where your husband is?

So, like I said, I thought the idea of a serial killer murdering men who cheat on their wives was very clever and unlike anything I have ever read. There is a lot of detail, including a website that provides alibis for these cheating men, and from what I understand, is something that is actually happening in real life. While the reader knows fairly early on who the killer is, the suspense is still built as you wonder how everything is going to turn out. I probably would have rated this book much higher if I didn't dislike the main character as much as I did. She was rude to her employees, friends, husband, and everyone around her. She was so manipulative (and no, Lily is not the murderer) and she spent so much time arguing and talking about one of her friends who is just trying to be a friend and accusses her of being a stalker and a loser. I couldn't believe it! If I wasn't so invested in the book and wanting to see how everything turned out, I would have put the book down. Another thing that kind of annoyed me was a good portion of the book was dedicated to a case that Lily was trying, and in the end it just left hanging. We never hear anything else about it... and I would have like some sort of resolution. Hmm... maybe I should revise my score, the more I think about it. With all of that being said, I may read another book by Ms. Rosenberg, but probably not one focusing on Lily. Ugh, I just really didn't like her!

I am not sure what I am going to read next. I am out of library books, but do have one in on hold that I will pick up tomorrow after school. I need to get to bed, and probably will not have much time to read before school in the morning, so I am not sure if I will pick another book right now even though I probably won't have time to get into or if I will just wait for the library book. I just hate going anywhere without a book, even if I know there won't be any time to read it. Such problems!!! All right everyone, I am off to bed. I am not used to this early rising after a month of work and since I didn't sleep well last night, I need to get as much as I can. Have a wonderful night everyone and Happy Reading!

2 comments:

Literary Feline said...

Not especially liking the main character can be a book breaker. :-( It does sound like an interesting premise though.

How did your first day of school go? My animals seem to have decided that I need to wake up at 4:30 every morning instead of my usual 5:30. Like you, I'm not really a morning person and try to sleep as late as I can during the week. Gotta love 'em though. :-)

Kristie said...

Ughh... my mom's dog wakes me up sometimes when we dogsit and it drives me crazy. Of course it's always a work day and then I can't fall back asleep. But you are right... I wouldn't trade my pets for anything!

School went really well. Not sure if we are in a "honeymoon" phase or what, but I haven't had any problems. My teaching partner has, though, but I think part of it is because he is way too nitpicky about things. It is an enrichment program in the summer, so some of the kids have no incentive to be there. I don't let them get away with anything, but I do give them some free time and it seems to work well. Plus, I play games with them and even though they try to act like tough 8th graders, they really love it!