Hangman: A Decker/Lazarus Novel Review

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Hangman: A Decker/Lazarus Novel ReviewI have read most of the novels in this series. I think I've missed a couple of the more recent installments, but all in all I've been a pretty loyal follower of Ms. Kellerman's work. Pete Decker and Rina Lazarus have always been two of the most unique characters in crime fiction, and the way Ms. Kellerman mixed together religion with crime and also managed to include an overriding commitment to family has always resulted in novels that were well written page turners that I really enjoyed. I am very puzzled over what happened with this one!
I think this book was in sore need of a good editor. There were many instances where words were left out or repeated twice. I am a fast reader, and these were like stop signs on the road, or scratches on a DVD. Very distracting. The pacing of this book seemed off, and I have never read a Kellerman book that was so lacking in suspense throughout the entire story. I know that her novels are heavier on the procedural aspects than some, but jeesh this was ridiculous. Give me something to keep those pages turning other than curiosity about a 13 year old piano genius. Facts were often repeated, and different characters seemed to say the same things over and over again.
I wanted more Rina in this one. She's a great character and I wish we would have seen more of her along with other members of Pete's family. They had almost no role to play except for limited involvement with the Gabe/Chris sub-plot. Speaking of which, I really wish we could have had more of that story! It was way more interesting than the main crime plot involving Garth/Adrienne/Crystal. I didn't care a whit about any of those characters, while Gabe, Chris and Terry were all very interesting and I felt vested in finding out their fates.
The writing was a big disappointment. Dialogue was stilted in spots, and I became extremely frustrated when every chapter or section ended with a cliched tag line that was usually very corny and melodramatic. Marge's dialogue here was the worst offender. Marge used to be an actual person, but in this book she seemed reduced to a caricature, and all we learned about her was what she was wearing. I was really tired of hearing about her clothes and hearing her utter cliches that seemed to be straight off Law and Order.
The ending resolved all outstanding issues, but did so in a way that was not dramatic and very unsatisfying. I am sad to say that I will be very cautious about picking up another Decker/Lazarus mystery. This series seems to have lost its heart. Not a recommend.
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Look Again Review

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Look Again ReviewI absolutely loved this book and disagree with other reviews that suggest Ellen should have simply called the birth parents and tried to work something out with them. That would likely never happened with the exception of a brief period of transition. This book portrayed a mother's love regardless of how you became a parent. Not only that, it had you asking yourself, would you, could you, make that call? There is a real emotional pull between doing what is right and NEVER wanting to give away your own child. I think that the way she goes about finding out the truth is a very real look at not wanting to show all your cards until you absolutely have to. Her reasons weren't completely selfish either, she clearly had the best interest of her child at heart or else she would have taken the advice of those telling her to just forget it. She knew it would haunt her always. Then you have to consider the fiction angle of a great writer. We wouldn't read the book if the story was sweet and simple and it wouldn't be a page turner without the drama and suspense of Ellen working the story through to find the truth and even when you think the truth is not in her favor, you are surprised to find you can't put this book down until you know the "truth". To me this book was so good, it stayed with me. I found I couldn't simply finish the book and move on to my next book. It was an emotional journey that had me just needing to take it all in and ask myself what I would do in the characters position's. My husband wouldn't even have to conversation with me when I tried to ask him what he or we would do. Just an impossible situation to ever have to consider. Loved it! Loved it!Look Again Overview

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Hawaii Scandal Review

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Hawaii Scandal Review"Hawaii Scandal" is a very intriguing book, one that works on many levels. It is at once a mystery and a courtroom drama, but also a tale of innocence lost. The story is set in the decade prior to the Pearl Harbor bombing, undoubtedly the single most important event in the history of the islands, and the act which propelled the United States into World War II, and ultimately towards becoming an enormous global superpower.
Populated with such luminaries as legendary trial lawyer Clarence Darrow, the book begins with the alleged rape of the wife of a U.S. Navy Lieutenant by a group of local island boys. The reaction of both the Hawaiian governor as well as the Navy officials gives insight into the deepening distrust and alienation between the Americans and the Hawaiian people. The events spiral into murder, and the subsequent criminal trials offer fascinating insight into the tenuous relationship between the island people and the American government.
This is a true story and one gets the impression that Cobey Black has done the painstaking research needed to provide an accurate detailing of the events. But the author tells the story in the form of a novel, which allows the reader to gain insight into the characters and absorb the texture of their plight. And the metaphors of a woman's dignity taken from her can be applied to the heavy handed manner in which the Americans took over Hawaii and used her for their own purposes. The woman and her family are forever changed, and shortly thereafter, the Hawaiian islands would be forever changed as well.
Next to James Michener's magnificent story, "Hawaii Scandal" is probably the next most insightful book about how the islands became what they are today. The book is well written, well researched, and tells a tale which many of us are unaware. But what makes this an especially worthwhile and satisfying read is the author's ability to take the story to another level, one that leaves the reader with an understanding of what Hawaii became, and the price that was ultimately paid.
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Evil at Heart (Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell) Review

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Evil at Heart (Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell) ReviewIn Chelsea Cain's "Evil at Heart," forty-year old homicide detective Archie Sheridan has taken up residence in the Providence Medical Center psychiatric ward in Portland, Oregon. After being victimized by serial killer Gretchen Lowell and becoming addicted to pain pills, Archie signed himself in voluntarily. Because of Gretchen's hold over him, Archie wrecked his marriage and is on leave from his job. His goal is to rid himself of his twin obsessions: Vicodin and Gretchen. In spite of Lowell's cruelty, Archie admits that he craved the company of this gorgeous but deadly predator. He has progressed enough to concede that he has serious issues to work through before he can be considered "cured." Unfortunately, Gretchen is still at large and the mayhem has not yet ended. Human bodies and body parts begin to show up all over town; either Gretchen is back at work or a copycat is emulating her.
This is Cain's best work to date. Instead of playing it straight and simply grossing us out with descriptions of nauseating gore, the author injects elements of dark humor that enliven the proceedings enormously. It seems that Lowell, known popularly as the "Beauty Killer," has become something of a folk heroine. Although she has slaughtered and mutilated many men and women, her image is everywhere: She has a Wikipedia page, there are fan sites devoted to her on the Web, and people are wearing T-shirts with her face on them. Gretchen memorabilia is being sold on eBay, and there is even a "Beauty Killer Body Tour. Thirty-five bucks. Twenty crime-scene stops." How did this madwoman become an icon? Cain implies that we live in a warped society whose values have become seriously perverted. At one point, Archie says to some young Lowell groupies, "Gretchen Lowell is a psychopath. She is not some sort of antihero." He wants them to give up their adulation of this monster, but his plea falls on deaf ears.
"Evil at Heart" is a suspenseful and entertaining thriller in which Archie is forced to once again to confront his demons with the help of journalist Susan Ward and Detective Henry Sobol, Archie's close friend and colleague. They are seeking either Gretchen herself or acolytes attempting to mimic her activities. Cain's prose is witty and crisp, her dialogue is clever and often hilarious, the tidy plot is fast-paced, and the conclusion is as satisfying as can be expected, considering the unpleasant subject matter. Susan has a major role in this novel and she is a riot. With her purple hair, tendency to wisecrack, and rebellious personality, she is the poster girl for nonconformity. Even as she mocks herself for being stupid, Susan puts herself in harm's way to get material for her forthcoming book. Cain's themes are that a person can be both physically beautiful and mentally unbalanced, many individuals take a perverse pleasure in violence, and those whom we place on a pedestal are often morally bankrupt. "Evil at Heart" is highly recommended for fans who have read the first two installments in this series.Evil at Heart (Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell) Overview

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