Spider Bones

John Lowery was declared dead in 1968—the victim of a Huey crash in Vietnam, his body buried long ago in North Carolina. Four decades later, Temperance Brennan is called to the scene of a drowning in Hemmingford, Quebec. The victim appears to have died while in the midst of a bizarre sexual practice. The corpse is later identified as John Lowery. But how could Lowery have died twice, and how did an American soldier end up in Canada?

Tempe sets off for the answer, exhuming Lowery's grave in North Carolina and taking the remains to Hawaii for reanalysis—to the headquarters of JPAC, the U.S. military's Joint POW/ MIA Accounting Command, which strives to recover Americans who have died in past conflicts. In Hawaii, Tempe is joined by her colleague and ex-lover Detective Andrew Ryan (how "ex" is he?) and by her daughter, who is recovering from her own tragic loss. Soon another set of remains is located, with Lowery's dog tags tangled among them. Three bodies—all identified as Lowery.

And then Tempe is contacted by Hadley Perry, Honolulu's flamboyant medical examiner, who needs help identifying the remains of an adolescent boy found offshore. Was he the victim of a shark attack? Or something much more sinister?

What I really like about Kathy Reich's books is I am assured of a suspenseful mystery as well as learning great historical facts that capture my attention.  This one had many twists and turns and a few times the military acronyms got confusing, but over all was a great entertaining read.  It has me wanting to know about the name on my POW/MIA bracelet.  I hope the resources she provided at the end of the book will help in my search.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "R".

A-Z Wednesday - Quick

The Arcane Society was born in turmoil when the friendship of its two founders evolved into a fierce rivalry. Sylvester Jones and Nicholas Winters each sought to enhance their individual psychic talents. Winters’ efforts led to the creation of a device of unknown powers called the Burning Lamp. Each generation the Winters man who inherits it is destined to develop multiple talents—and the curse of madness.

Plagued by hallucinations and nightmares, notorious crime lord Griffin Winters is convinced he has been struck with the Winters Curse. And the instincts that have helped him survive the streets and rise to power are now drawing him toward Adelaide Pyne, the bothersome social reformer. But even as he arranges a meeting with the mysterious woman, he has no idea how closely their fates are bound, for Adelaide holds the Burning Lamp in her possession.

A dreamlight reader, Adelaide should be able to manipulate the Lamp’s light to save both Griffin’s sanity and his life. But their dangerous psychical experiment makes them the target of forces both inside and outside of the Arcane Society. And though desire strengthens their power their different lives will keep them apart—if death doesn’t take them together.

Amanda Quick's (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) second novel in the Dreamlight Trilogy is also  book #8 in the Arcane Society series. This series is unique in that it is crosses over historical, contemporary and soon futuristic lines.  Each book does stand alone well, but do yourself a favor and read them all.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "Q".

I Curse The River of Time

It is 1989: and all over Europe Communism is crumbling. Arvid Jansen, 37, is in the throes of a divorce. At the same time, his mother is diagnosed with cancer. Over a few intense autumn days, we follow Arvid as he struggles to find a new footing in his life, while all the established patterns around him are changing at staggering speed.

As he struggles to negotiate the present, he casts his mind back to holidays on the beach with his brothers, to courtship, and to his early working life, when as a young Communist he abandoned his studies to work on a production line.

After reading and liking Per Petterson's Out Stealing Horses, I eagerly began this book.  While it was great writing, I kept waiting for something to happen, a secret to be revealed or a twist, but it never came.  This was a frustrating novel to read as I really wanted Arvid and his mom to work out their relationship. I felt the strained relationship. This is not a feel good, happy ending read and you will need to be in the right mood to enjoy and appreciate the writing in this book.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "P".

A-Z Wednesday

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

In 1984, Winston Smith lives in London which is part of the country Oceania. The world is divided into three countries that include the entire globe: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. Oceania, and both of the others, is a totalitarian society led by Big Brother, which censors everyone’s behavior, even their thoughts. Winston is disgusted with his oppressed life and secretly longs to join the fabled Brotherhood, a supposed group of underground rebels intent on overthrowing the government. Winston meets Julia and they secretly fall in love and have an affair, something which is considered a crime. One day, while walking home, Winston encounters O’Brian, an inner party member, who gives Winston his address. Winston had exchanged glances with O’Brian before and had dreams about him giving him the impression that O’Brian was a member of the Brotherhood. Since Julia hated the party as much as Winston did, they went to O’Brian’s house together where they were introduced into the Brotherhood. O’Brian is actually a faithful member of the Inner-Party and this is actually a trap for Winston, a trap that O’Brian has been cleverly setting for seven years. Winston and Julia are sent to the Ministry of Love which is a sort of rehabilitation center for criminals accused of thought crime. There, Winston was separated from Julia, and tortured until his beliefs coincided with those of the Party. Winston denounces everything he believed him, even his love for Julia, and was released back into the public where he wastes his days at the Chestnut Tree drinking gin. (Summary Central)

I am fortunate to have a First American Edition Published by Harcourt, Brace and Company (New York) on 13 June 1949.  It is missing it's dust jacket and has a little damage.  I first read this in ninth grade and then again in high school.  It has been on my TBR again list for ages.  My grandmother gave this to me the year I was home sick from school for nine weeks.  It never made it back to her house.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "O".

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English

At the outset of World War II, Jack Rosenblum, his wife Sadie, and their baby daughter escape Berlin, bound for London. They are greeted with a pamphlet instructing immigrants how to act like the English. Jack acquires Saville Row suits and a Jaguar. He buys his marmalade from Fortnum & Mason and learns to list the entire British monarchy back to 913 A.D. He never speaks German, apart from the occasional curse. But the one key item that would make him feel fully British -membership in a golf club-remains elusive. In post-war England, no golf club will admit a Rosenblum. Jack hatches a wild idea: he'll build his own.

It’s an obsession Sadie does not share, particularly when Jack relocates them to a thatched roof cottage in Dorset to embark on his project. She doesn’t want to forget who they are or where they come from. She wants to bake the cakes she used to serve to friends in the old country and reminisce. Now she’s stuck in an inhospitable landscape filled with unwelcoming people, watching their bank account shrink as Jack pursues his quixotic dream.

Natasha Solomons wrote a delightful debut book. Loved Jack and Sadie from the very beginning, and came to care for their family. I was hurt, annoyed, disgusted with the prejudice inflicted upon them and cheered when Sir William was defeated!  The secondary characters are endearing as well.  Don't let the fact that a golf course is being built in this book (as a golfing family, I loved it), it is about so much more than that.  It's about love, loss, identity, family, dreams, acceptance, friendships, etc.  Do not miss this gem!

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "N".

In The Belly of the Bloodhound and Mississippi Jack

Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber (Bloody Jack Adventure Series #4)

Now that the King of England has called her a pirate and put a price on her head, Jacky Faber has no choice but to stay out of sight. Hoping for a safe hiding place, she returns to the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston, but the calm doesn't last long. On a class field trip to Boston Harbor, the girls are abducted and forced into the hold of the Bloodhound, a ship bound for the slave markets on the Barbary Coast where they will be put up on the auction block and sold into Arab harems. Jacky wouldn't dream of going down without a fight, but the delicate Lawson Peabody girls are in over their heads. Although Jacky will use anything in her arsenal to help her well-heeled classmates, she isn't so certain they will find the strength and courage needed to survive. But if she can convince them to trade petticoats and propriety for her daring escape plan, the girls just might become their own rescuers.

Being an Account of the Further Waterborne Adventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman, Fine Lady, and the Lily of the West.

In Mississippi Jack, the fifth installment in the Bloody Jack series, the intrepid Jacky Faber, having once again eluded British authorities, heads west, hoping that no one will recognize her in the wilds of America. There she tricks the tall-tale hero Mike Fink out of his flatboat, equips it as a floating casino-showboat, and heads south to New Orleans, battling murderous bandits, British soldiers, and other scoundrels along the way.

Will Jacky's carelessness and impulsive actions ultimately cause her beloved Jaimy to be left in her wake? Bold, daring, and downright fun, Jacky Faber proves once again that with resilience and can-do spirit, she can wiggle out of any scrape...well, almost.

This is my second favorite audio series. Katherine Kellgren does a fantastic job with all of the characters! Just when you think Jackie is out of trouble and on her way, she seems to find more trouble! My library does not have the next audio installment (yet) in L.A. Meyer's series and no longer allows (due to a cut in funding from our lovely Governor) inter-library loans on audio/video items. I am bereft!!  There is quite a bit of adult language in these books, so I recommend caution for younger readers/listeners.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "M".

Sworn to Silence

Sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community of Painters Mill, Ohio. A young Amish girl, Katie Burkholder, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Murders. In the aftermath of the killings, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence, and for Katie, the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish.

Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate Burkholder is back. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate for Chief of Police. She's certain she's come to terms with her past--until the first body is discovered in a snowy field.

Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. But to name him, she would betray both her family and her Amish past--and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.

It is great to find a new author and even better to find a new and exciting series that you enjoy. I have found that in Linda Castillo's Sworn to Silence. This is the first book in what I hope is a long running series. Chief Burkholder is a strong women with an interesting past. I could not stop turning the pages of this thriller. 

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "L".

Shattered

The past is never over. It just gets dusty.

Lisa Shewmaker was a rising star in a prestigious law firm in Lexington, Kentucky; that is, until the firm went bankrupt and she lost her job. With an ailing mother to care for, Lisa takes the first position she can find: research assistant to District Attorney Scott Buchanan. Scott is as disagreeable as he is sexy, and Lisa suspects the only reason she got the job is because of her privileged upbringing as the daughter of a wealthy federal judge.

While reviewing cold cases in the Fayette County courthouse, a particularly thick manila envelope draws Lisa's attention. The details of the case are engrossing: An entire family-father, mother, and two children-disappeared more than twenty-eight years ago. Except that's not all: The mother in the photo could have been Lisa's twin, and the toddler in the picture bears an uncanny resemblance to Lisa herself. Before Lisa can learn more about her past, a series of catastrophes strike close to home. Lisa confides in Scott, and their relationship develops into something completely different. Together Lisa and Scott unravel a terrifying web of criminal connections that could destroy the very fabric of Lisa's life-if she lives long enough, that is.

I know that I can always pick up a Karen Robard book for good romantic suspense. Shattered is no exception, it grabbed me from the beginning and kept my interest until the wee hours one evening/morning.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "K".

The Bishop

FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers’s cutting-edge 21st-century geospatial investigative techniques and impeccable logic have helped him track some of the country’s most grisly killers. But those skills are pushed to the limit in this new installment of the highly-acclaimed, award-winning The Bowers Files series.This time it’s a congressman’s daughter who is found dead even as her killers launch a spree of perfect murders in the Northeast.

 With nothing to link the crimes to each other, Agent Bowers faces his most difficult case yet—even as his personal life begins to crumble around him.

Known for his intricately woven, masterfully plotted novels of high-octane action and spine-tingling suspense, Steven James delivers once again.

Patrick Bowers is fast becoming one of my favorite fictional characters! Steven James delivers a fast paced, thrill ride that kept me guessing with every turn of the page. I knew that I needed to wait to start this book when I had free hours ahead of me and I was right. I started it early in the afternoon, kept reading while preparing dinner, did not even eat said dinner but finished the book! Looking forward to the next installment, The Queen.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "J".

Eight Days to Live

It all begins with a painting called Guilt. Eve Duncan’s daughter, Jane, has no idea why she painted the portrait of the chilling face that now hangs in a Paris gallery. But the members of a cult that dates back to the time of Christ know both the face and the significance behind it. They believe that Jane must die — when the moment is right, and not an instant before she leads them to an ancient treasure whose value and power are beyond price. But for now they target those close to her, killing without mercy or conscience.

Jane’s journey takes her from Paris to Scotland to a cave in the Holy Land, as she fights with all she has to save her life. Even with Eve’s help, can she possibly escape before the clock stops ticking?

Eight Days to Live begins with an ancient conspiracy and a shocking betrayal, but will it end with the death of Eve Duncan and the sacrifice of Jane MacGuire?

Iris Johansen's 10th novel in the Eve Duncan series was an entertaining page turner. The story was interesting with a couple of characters from previous books prominently involved in the mystery.   Seth Caleb is an intriguing character and I look forward to seeing him in future books. While the story is more about Jane this go round, Eve does have a small role.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "I".

White Cat

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

I enjoyed Holly Black's urban fantasy novel. It's twists and turns kept my attention trying to figure out the mystery. Cassel is a great character and I look forward to finding out how he handles what he learns about himself in the next installment of the series.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "H".

Promises to Keep

Callie Perry has a pretty perfect life. It may not be everyone’s idea of happiness – her husband spends more time travelling for his job as a commercials director than he does at home – but it works for her. It gives her time to work – she is a successful family photographer – and be around for her two kids, and her friends. She lives in Bedford, New York, is beloved by all who know her, and wakes up every morning grateful for how happy she is.

Her younger sister, Steffi, the baby of the family, has never grown up. In her early thirties and the epitome of a free spirit, she’s never held down a job, or a boyfriend, for longer than six months. Her latest incarnation is as a vegan chef. She’s living with the latest unsuitable man, in a sixth floor walk up in Soho, and her parents have almost given up hope that she’ll ever learn what it is to be responsible.

Lila Grossman is Callie’s best friend. Single, she’s finally met the man of her dreams. Ed has a son she adores, a crazy ex-wife she doesn’t, and she finally feels ready to settle down. If, that is, their goals are the same.

And then there are Callie and Steff’s parents. Walter and Honor . Divorced for almost thirty years, they haven’t spoken for most of that time. They may share two grown-up daughters, but it is agreed by all who knew them, they share little else.

Until they all receive a shocking phone call that changes their lives forever, and brings them all together one short, snowy winter.

I have seen Jane Green's book around but had not read one until I picked up Promises to Keep. The subject matter of sisters and friends got my attention and I was not disappointed. The 3 main characters are easy to like and getting involved in their lives was a joy.  Jane keeps you turning the pages to see how it all turns out.  I liked that the sadness was not drawn out.  I will definitely be looking for more of Jane's books.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "G".

Hush, Hush

Falling in love was never so easy . . . or so deadly.

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Because the reviews for Becca Fitzpatrick's book have been all over the place, I debated for awhile whether or not to read this book. It was sitting on the shelf at my local library and I picked it up.  At times I was really into the story and other times rolling my eyes as too "YA" for me.  Glad I read it and most likely will give the next installment in the series a chance.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "F".

The Last Time I Saw You

To each of the men and women in The Last Time I Saw You, this reunion means something different—a last opportunity to say something long left unsaid, an escape from the bleaker realities of everyday life, a means to save a marriage on the rocks, or an opportunity to bond with a slightly estranged daughter, if only over what her mother should wear.

As the onetime classmates meet up over the course of a weekend, they discover things that will irrevocably affect the rest of their lives. For newly divorced Dorothy Shauman, the reunion brings with it the possibility of finally attracting the attention of the class heartthrob, Pete Decker. For the ever self-reliant, ever left-out Mary Alice Mayhew, it’s a chance to reexamine a painful past. For Lester Heseenpfeffer, a veterinarian and widower, it is the hope of talking shop with a fellow vet—or at least that’s what he tells himself. For Candy Armstrong, the class beauty, it’s the hope of finding friendship before it is too late.

As Dorothy, Mary Alice, Lester, Candy, and the other classmates converge for the reunion dinner, four decades melt away: Desires and personalities from their youth reemerge, and new discoveries are made. For so much has happened to them all. And so much can still happen.

Elizabeth Berg is recommened to me over and over again. This is the second book of hers that I have read and while it was a good, I think this is not her best. I enjoyed reading about the reunion attendees. Laughing at those that had not grown past high school and rooting for those who did not have the best high school experience but have moved on.  I will continue to look for Elizabeth's books.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "E".

Wench

Tawawa House in many respects is like any other American resort before the Civil War. Situated in Ohio, this idyllic retreat is particularly nice in the summer when the Southern humidity is too much to bear. The main building, with its luxurious finishes, is loftier than the white cottages that flank it, but then again, the smaller structures are better positioned to catch any breeze that may come off the pond. And they provide more privacy, which best suits the needs of the Southern white men who vacation there every summer with their black, enslaved mistresses. It's their open secret.

Lizzie, Reenie, and Sweet are regulars at Tawawa House. They have become friends over the years as they reunite and share developments in their own lives and on their respective plantations. They don't bother too much with questions of freedom, though the resort is situated in free territory–but when truth-telling Mawu comes to the resort and starts talking of running away, things change.

To run is to leave behind everything these women value most–friends and families still down South–and for some it also means escaping from the emotional and psychological bonds that bind them to their masters. When a fire on the resort sets off a string of tragedies, the women of Tawawa House soon learn that triumph and dehumanization are inseparable and that love exists even in the most inhuman, brutal of circumstances–all while they are bearing witness to the end of an era.

Dolen Perkins-Valdez's novel was an emotional page turner.  I was immersed in the lives of these four women and was surprised to learn of the historical facts in this book.  While the topic is heavy and some parts are brutal, it is well written and I look forward to more from this author. This would make an exceptional book club selection.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "D".

The Passage

“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.”

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

"WOW" is the word that describes Justin Cronin's book and what I said when I turned the last page. This is a book that you need to take your time reading as each part introduces many characters with a lot going on. Just when you think you have everyone straight in your head you move on and have to start all over. There are parts that have you turning the pages as fast as you can and then there are a few where things seem to drag.   This chunkster had me immersed for three days ignoring all that was going on around me.  I would not classify this as just a vampire saga, but a saga it is and one that will appeal to many readers. You may need help holding it as you read into the wee hours.  I look forward to the next book in the series.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "C".

The Stormchasers

As teenagers, Karena Jorge had always been the one to look out for her brother Charles, who suffers from bipolar disorder. But as Charles begins to refuse medication and his manic tendencies worsen, Karena finds herself caught between her loyalty to her brother and her fear for his life. Always obsessed with severe weather, whose wild and magic energy seems to mirror his own impulses, Charles begins chasing storms, and his behavior grows increasingly erratic . . . until a terrifying chase with Karena ends with deadly consequences, tearing the twins apart and changing their lives forever.

Two decades later, Karena, now a reporter for the Minneapolis Ledger, gets a call from a mental health ward in Wichita, Kansas, to come pick up her brother, whom she hasn’t seen or spoken to for twenty years. She soon discovers that Charles has lied to the doctors, taken medication that could make him dangerously manic, and disappeared again. Having exhausted all her reporter’s resources to track him down, Karena realizes she has only one last chance of finding Charles: the storms. Wherever the tornadoes are, that’s where he’ll be. Karena joins a team of professional stormchasers—passionate adventurers who will transform her life and offer her a chance to love and redemption—and embarks on an odyssey to find her brother before he does more damage to himself—or to somebody else.

Jenna Blum's book had me turning the pages almost faster than I could read! I enjoyed the stormchaser aspect with it's wonderful descriptions but was glued to the pages because of Karena and Charles's story. I identified with Karena and Kevin. I have been both of them in dealing with a good friend who is bipolar. Beautifully and honestly written.  I recommend this one.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "B".