Jigsaw by Jerry Kennealy

I can't remember where I heard about this book, but I know my interest was definitely peaked as soon as I read this description. This book had a serial murderer who was taunting a local movie critic with clues from Alfred Hitchcock movies. As a lover of old movies and especially Hitchcock this book seemed like it was right up my alley. However, it didn't quite hold up to my expectations. I rate it a B-.

From Amazon:
A killer calling himself Thanatos, the Greek God of death, has been sending e-mails to entertainment critic Carroll Quint, taunting him with clues about his next target from Alfred Hitchcock movies. The victims were all friends of Quint: a screenwriter, an actor, and a makeup artist. Since Quint is the one person connected to all three victims, the police have fingered him for the murders. Quints mother, a former starlet and movie trivia buff, points him in the right direction when she tells him, Thanatos is like one of the midgets in Casablanca, Carroll. Hes right there, you see him, but you dont take any notice.

The clues were few and far between and I would have liked to see the ties in to Hitchcock have more to do with the characters. I guess this book was a little bit more of a cozy than I would have liked. I think it was a fantastic idea and more could have been done with the idea. That being said, it was an enjoyable read and Mr. Kennealy has written some wonderful characters that surround the main character Carroll Quint. Carroll is also an enjoyable character and had some great one-liners. This book is the first in the series though I don't think I will be actively seeking out the series but if I happen to run across it, I will pick it up. I guess I just like my books a little bit more juicy.

Having gotten back from vacation, I am having a problem getting back into my routine. My anxiety and depression was so much better when I was on vacation and now it is rearing it's ugly head again. However, I am happy to be back in my own surroundings and have my stuff around including my baby Roxy. Right now I am reading All the Pretty Girls by J.T. Ellison and so far, its going good. I am only about 50 pages in and haven't had much time to read today since I am getting the house and laundry in order. I need to get organized before the week starts since this week I start working my late nights and Saturdays at my mom's office, so I want everything to go slowly. I hope everyone else had a wonderful week and Happy Reading!

Night of Reunion by Michael Allegretto

As I mentioned in the previous entry, I am not sure where I heard of this book but as I was looking for the summary on Amazon, I noticed that several reviews compared this to Mary Higgins Clark books. I have always enjoyed her books, so that may have had something to do with it. I enjoyed this book and give it a B+.

From Amazon:
Four-and-a-half years earlier, Christine Helstrum murdered Alex Whitaker's family. Now she has escaped from a mental hospital, and Alex fears she will attack his new wife and son. The police assure them that Christine could not possibly find Alex, but, unknown to everyone, Christine is already hiding in the Whitakers' rambling Victorian basement, emerging to play innocuous pranks. The pranks, and the novel, are focused on Sarah Whitaker. She knows Christine is toying with her and her family, but can offer no reasonable explanation as to how Christine is penetrating their defenses. Christine's tricks become more malicious, and Sarah's tension and frustration grow until the final confrontation, a battle over Sarah's son. The author has made it easy to identify with Sarah's mixture of fear, anger, and self-doubt; and the inexorable escalation of Christine's mischief into murderous violence makes for a suspenseful thriller.

I would be hard pressed to call this book a thriller but it was still an enjoyable read. The violence level was almost non-existence and we always knew what was going on even when the main characters, Sarah and Alex, don't. However, it was kind of frightening with some of the things that the villan was doing and had me thinking about all of the things that could be going on in a big house that you wouldn't even know about. The book held my attention, and even though it was written over 17 years ago, it held up with the time. I pretty much read this book last night and finished it today on my lunch. I was glad to get another library book returned though. Only three more left.

I leave for Florida on Saturday, so I need to still pack my clothes, and of course pick out my books to bring. I am working tomorrow, though only half a day. I still have a ton of stuff to do, but my cooperating teacher from student teaching had a family emergency and asked me to sub for her yesterday, today and tomorrow. The class is so challenging for us who know them, much less a sub who hasn't had the pleasure to meet them. I also brought home a stack of papers to grade tonight so when she gets back to class on Tuesday she won't have her desk overloaded. She helped me so much so I am happy to help her out. However, I am beat from them and the last thing I feel like doing is grading some papers tonight. I would love to just curl up in bed right now. Oh well, I will have plenty of time to relax next week right?

Up next is Meg Cabot's Big Boned. I enjoy this series and even though I said I was kind of through the chick lit mystery, this one isn't so much chick lit. Ms. Cabot is always hilarious and I have never been disappointed with her books. I hope to get it done before I leave but I am sure that won't happen with all I have left to do. I am not sure if I am going to bring my laptop or not, but if I do, I hope to blog on my reads. If I don't, everyone have a great weekend and week and Happy Reading!

The Halo Effect by M.J.Rose

I have read several of Ms. Rose's previous books and have always enjoyed them. While browsing my local library (why oh why am I doing this when I have shelves and shelves of books to read at home?!?) I saw this and picked it up. It was an all right read, my least favorite of her's that I have read and give it a C+.

Cleo Thane, a high-priced prostitute, is one of those special patients Morgan connects with immediately. When Cleo asks Morgan to read her unpublished book about her exclusive clientle, Morgan realizes that what she has in her hands could be explosive. Then Cleo disappears.

Detective Noah Jordain is trying to stay one step ahead of a serial killer who has been targeting prostitutes, killing them with ritualistic precision. When a missing person's report is filed on Cleo Thane, Noah approaches Dr. Morgan Snow for insight, but Morgan refuses to breach patient confidentiality. Instead she begins her own investigation and is shocked by how much the intimate sexual details of another woman's life affect her own. Too late she realizes that navigating Cleo's mind, and saving her life, could prove deadly.

This book was just ho-hum. It was slow to start and continued on through out the book. It took me about 2 days to get through the first half and I only really continued it because I wanted to get to the conclusion. I can't really pinpoint the particular points that bugged me, but it just kinda did. I did not sympathize with Morgan at all and she got on my nerves. I also figured out the killer very early so that took away some of the suspense.

For some reason tonight I cannot put out a better review, so I am just going to end it here. I leave for Ft. Lauderdale for 5 days on Sunday, so tomorrow a good amount of time figuring out what books I will be taking. I also have to get the house in really good shape so there will not be a huge mess as well as laundry. I am hoping to get through one more library book before I leave, so of course I have to leave time for reading. Well that's it for me. I am tired and gonna get ready for bed. Happy reading!