Darkly Dreaming Dexter: A Novel Review

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Darkly Dreaming Dexter: A Novel ReviewI usually don't read crime novels, but I'm a big fan of the Showtime series "Dexter," and I wanted to read the novel the show is based on. "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" is the first installment of Jeff Lindsay's series about Dexter Morgan, a serial killer with a conscience. Dexter routinely kills and dismembers people in and around Miami, but unlike other serial killers, Dexter has a strict moral code that he struggles to adhere to: Basically, he only kills bad guys. Dexter struggles to keep his dark side under wraps by working as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department, hanging out with his foster sister, and even having a girlfriend. However, he always succumbs to his "Dark Passenger" and cannot suppress the urge to kill. When a new serial killer begins preying on Miami hookers, Dexter becomes intrigued by his new colleague and is intent on connecting with the murderer, even if it means exposing his own dark secrets.
This book was pretty good. Unlike most crime novels, which I usually think are very poorly written, "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" is composed of a blend of dark humor, intense drama, mystery and suspense, and good old-fashioned blood and gore. I was pleasantly surprised by how much content from the book was used in Season 1 of the television series "Dexter." There are some big differences between the book and the TV show, though. The "Tamiami Butcher" is referred to as the "Ice Truck Killer" in the TV show. The characters of Angel Batista, Vince Masuka, and James Doakes are relatively minor characters in the novel and are featured much more prominently in the television series. Migdia LaGuerta (who is called Maria LaGuerta in the show) is a supporting character in the novel, but is even nastier in the book that she is in the series, if you can believe that.
There are several other plot differences between the book and the novel, and overall, I think the television series is actually much better than the book. All of the characters are much more interesting in the show, and there are more intriguing subplots in the series as well. Also, I thought the ending of the book was extremely rushed, especially the part detailing the relationship Dexter has with the Tamiami Butcher. Hopefully that aspect of things is explored more in Lindsay's other novels, but I don't know if it is or not.
If you're a fan of the show "Dexter" or simply enjoy the crime novel genre, you'll probably find "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" to be an interesting read. However, don't feel like you absolutely need to read the novel if you're a fan of the Showtime series. This is one of those rare instances where the show is actually a lot better than the book.Darkly Dreaming Dexter: A Novel Overview

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Delivered from Evil: True Stories of Ordinary People Who Faced Monstrous Mass Killers and Survived Review

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Delivered from Evil: True Stories of Ordinary People Who Faced Monstrous Mass Killers and Survived ReviewYour life can change in an instant. Life is fragile. Be productive. Make your life meaningful. Make your family proud. Life must go on. It has to. My dad was 12 years old the morning of September, 6 1949, when his world would be forever altered. Life as he knew it was over. As he hid in an upstairs closet, his father, mother and grandmother were brutally slaughtered along with 10 other victims. Thirteen dead, many wounded, with repercussions still felt today, 61 years later. The story of my dad, like the stories of all of the survivors in this book, is that life must go on. Will it ever be the same, will the pre-violence innocence ever be restored? What is the legacy passed onto the children of these survivors? Was it a deep dark family secret that held shame and created a legacy of fear? How does life go on after unthinkable tragedy.
Ron Franscell captured the essence of each of the survivors' voices in this unique and well researched homage to the spirit of human resilience. I can attest to the accuracy of my dad's story because I watched the level of detail that Ron absorbed for his story alone. My dad had crammed 60 years of history into a suitcase that held newspaper clippings from the darkest days of his life. My dad saved clippings about his own unthinkable tragedy, but he also would save stories about other killings over the decades. He felt the pain of the survivors each time another event unfolded in the news. He would call his kids and say, "did you hear about....., are you ok? Be safe."
My dad wanted his story told, not for the public recognition, but for educational purposes. He wanted people to know that survivors are among us and life does go on beyond the tragedy. His life was a testament to a life lived with purpose and conviction. Ron Franscell gained my father's trust after many months of being phone buddies. My dad would call Ron when oh yet another mass shooting would take place. Ron and my dad became friends.
There are 10 survivor stories in this book. Each one horrific and mind bending. The thread that runs through each of them is that these people survived and even thrived in the face of the most unimaginable tragedies and horror. Life does go on. It must. Sadly, for my dad, he did not live to see this book published. Ron and my dad never met in person. The week Ron came out to interview my dad on what was the 60th anniversary of the murders, turned out instead to be the day we buried my dad. He had a massive stroke as Ron was driving cross country to meet him. He and Ron were going to visit the site on Sept 6, 2009. Instead, Ron attended my dad's funeral and comforted my family in our loss and confusion. But life does go on. It has to.Delivered from Evil: True Stories of Ordinary People Who Faced Monstrous Mass Killers and Survived Overview

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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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Desires of the Dead: A Body Finder Novel Review

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Desires of the Dead: A Body Finder Novel ReviewDesires of the Dead is the follow up to The Body Finder where Violet has the ability to find the dead if they are not properly laid to rest. She also sees a matching imprint on the killer which could make her extremely valuable if her gift is ever revealed. The only people who know about what Violet can do is her family, as it was passed through the women in her family, and also her best-friend-turned-boyfriend Jay. Jay learned about what Violet could do when they were kids and has always accepted who she is. There has been much swooning for Jay. When Violet finds an Echo, it seems to drain her of any energy until the body is put to rest. Jay is always by her side to keep her going but readers shouldn't get the impression that this makes Violet a fragile girl who needs to be saved; if anything, she doesn't run or hide from her gift.
On a regular outing with her friend, Violet finds an Echo calling to her and drawing her closer. Violet isn't able to do anything without her friend finding out, but that doesn't mean that she will stop. This particular Echo changes Violet's life in more ways than she could imagine. In helping, she attracts the attention of the FBI and realizes since Jay is now her boyfriend, she can't tell him everything as she did when they were best friends. Jay, as a boyfriend, wants to protect Violet and that might mean telling her parents about the dangerous situations she puts herself in; but Violet isn't ready to share everything with her parents.
With the FBI on her trail and Jay's overwhelming need to protect her, Violet also feels that she is being stalked. First, hang up calls and then, creepy gifts are left at her car and later, threatening letters. When she turns to Jay, she doesn't find the answers she needs and things get shaky. Violet is also dealing with the insecurities that come with dating a guy who every woman seems to want. I would like to include myself on that list! All the stress and secrets cause major problems for Jay and Violet. Kimberly writes scenes so beautifully that you can't help but to get emotionally invested in these characters. Jay, I heart you!
I love that Violet's family members see that she is going through a lot and give Violet the space to deal with it in her own way, but they are always close enough if she needs them. I can't remember reading a YA book with such emotionally-stable families. Desires of the Dead really has it all! There is plenty of stalker/ killer creepiness, and yet lots of love, kissing, sweetness, and of course the emotional stuff. Kimberly Derting is an amazing author and has quickly become one of my favorites. I can see myself re-reading both The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead over and over. I would recommend this book to everyone and I see movie potential all over these books.Desires of the Dead: A Body Finder Novel Overview

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The Snowman Review

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The Snowman ReviewExtra Information: The first two books for this Harry Hole series The Bat Man and The Cockroaches have not been produced for translation at this time. The Redbreast: A Novel would be the third book in this series; if you were to start this series my recommendation would be from The Redbreast. The series then follows through in order with Nemesis: A Novel (Harry Hole), The Devil's Star: A Novel, The Redeemer followed by The Snowman which then brings us readers in wait for The Leopard.
Review - The Snowman (Harry Hole, Book Seven)
Little snowflakes start to fall taunting us with what's to come. Flurries grow stronger settling softly on the ground, powdery and fluffy at first but darkness soon takes hold, the cycle turns. Subfreezing temperatures, crystals formulate and yet dipped in magical moonlight everything sparkles and glisten. This brings a gentle calm of all things white and beautiful..............until someone builds a Snowman!
November Oslo, Jo Nesbø brings us into his story during family hour. The first snow has fallen and a discussion is taking place about a solitary figure looming in the garden. A snowman with big black stone eyes staring into the house and yet no one seems to know who built it. That same evening a young boy wakes to find his mother missing, he looks for her but all he finds is her pink scarf which the snowman is now wearing.
Harry Hole is brought in to investigate, what is thought to be a missing person to others, Harry has doubts, convinced there is a connection after receiving an anonymous letter some months earlier signed "The Snowman". His team look into old case files they find an alarming number of wives and mothers disappearances. A second mother then goes missing this time the snowman leaves his signature and handiwork, Harry's horror is confirmed but to catch a killer his to become a pawn in a deadly game for the serial killer will only play against the best.
Love this Authors work, for me in all his books its what this author is not afraid to write about, social issues of life and the way he brings in nature, wildlife to identify, relate too, which keeps these books intelligent and interesting. The cycle of life with all its shaded areas, loyalties or disloyalties, weaknesses, infidelities, parenthood, control, goodness fighting fear/evil from within. I'm not so sure in looking back to the first two books after working my way forwards from the third book and all in translation in this wonderful series this Author proves to stay one step ahead he goes from strength to strength.
Jo Nesbø novels are very descriptive he pays attention to detail with brain teasing puzzles even for us long term readers still he pulls snow hats over our eyes. This novel is darker than the others, close contender the devil's star but darker for me is marvelous and skin crawling with suspense. The Snowman also has references to the first book written The Bat Man which is not in English translation, a story line based in Australia, any references made to that first book are explained throughout.
The Authors observation of people is once again uncanny all are well drawn. Harry Hole is a compelling character to read, still fighting the bottle urges and his love life is complicated. A new character emerges Katrine Bratt who joins Harrys team, you warm to her quickly as she takes the no nonsense approach with life and Harry which is really what he needs.
For any first time readers starting any Jo Nesbø books, go in with suspicion, gather your list of characters remember trust no one and suspect the rest. The author has a remarkable way of twisting and turning plots, throwing in enough red herrings, smoked and salted with changing subjects and diverted argument. Yet he keeps the story line and smaller stories, exciting, entertaining with added dry humor, tying up loose threads and even though he gives enough information pulls off a fast paced unexpected ending. You have to feel convinced and this author for me delivers each and every time.
The Leopard is next in translation and has already won the Danish award Palle Rosenkrantz Prize, congratulation to the Author. Even though its not listed on amazon yet, its already on my wish list in the hope I can have this in the not to distance future.
Fantastic, loved it , The Snowman comes Highly Recommended. Also adding here a thank you to Don Bartlett for the clear translation in the series.
Andrea BowhillThe Snowman Overview

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