Dennis Lehane - Moonlight Mile

5. Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane (2010)
The Kenzie and Gennaro Series Book 6
Length: 324 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 15 January 2015
Finished: 16 January 2015
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 22 August 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and have read and enjoyed Mystic River by the same author in the past.

Twelve years ago, private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro were brought in to investigate the disappearance of four-year-old Amanda McCready. The toddler had suddenly vanished from her Boston neighborhood late one night, and her family feared the worst. Desperate pleas for help from the child's aunt had led them to take on the case - one of the toughest of their careers - and despite risking everything, the pair finally found the little girl. Against their better judgement, the investigators had to return little Amanda to the custody of her neglectful mother and a broken home.

Now Amanda is sixteen - and gone again. A stellar student, brilliant but aloof, she had seemed destined to escape her troubled upbringing. Yet Amanda's aunt is once again knocking at Patrick Kenzie's door, once more fearing the worst for the little girl who has blossomed into a striking, clever young woman - a woman who apparently hasn't been seen in weeks.

Haunted by their memories of the past - and determined to do something to settle their consciences - Patrick and Angela revisit the case that has troubled them the most and which, even after all this time, has stayed with them. Their exhaustive investigation leads them into the darkest depths of the criminal underworld - a world of identity thieves, methamphetamine dealers, a mentally unstable crime boss and his equally demented wife, a priceless, thousand-year-old cross, and a happily homicidal Russian gangster. This is a world where motives and allegiances constantly shift and where the slightest mistake can prove, or most likely will prove, fatal.

In their desperate fight to confront the past and find Amanda McCready, Patrick and Angela will be forced to question if it's possible to do the wrong thing and still be right or to do the right thing and still be wrong. As they face an evil that reaches beyond broken families and broken dreams, they discover that the sins of yesterday don't always stay buried and the crimes of today are the ones that could end their lives.

Mareena had chosen this book for me at our August Library Book Sale jaunt because she knew how much I had enjoyed reading Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. In my opinion, this particular book just wasn't for me. While I certainly found it to be well-written, fast-paced and jam-packed with drama and action, I must say that the Russian Mob is really too much for me. I'm sure that there are some readers who enjoy reading that type of story; however, I am definitely not one of them. I would give this book a B+!

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Robert K. Tanenbaum and Peter S. Greenberg - The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer

2.The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer by Robert K. Tanenbaum and Peter S. Greenberg (1987) 
Length: 301 pages
Genre: True Crime
Started: 3 January 2015
Finished: 6 January 2015
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap 
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 3 January 2015
Why do I have it? I like true crime and Robert K. Tanenbaum and Peter S. Greenberg are relatively new authors for me.

Charles William Yukl was the eldest of two sons born to Czech parents - pianist and conductor Dorothea Freitag Yukl, and trumpeter Charles W. Yukl. Charles Yukl claimed that his parents were often abusive to him as a child, attributing severe beatings and other random cruelty to his "perfectionist, demanding" parents. As a young child, Charles was fascinated by fire and was accused of setting several fires by the age of nine.

He held a variety of jobs as an adult, and was soon urged by his mother to become a professional ragtime pianist. He was rather successful and played in Manhattan, Union City, New Jersey and in the Catskills, often using the stage name Yogi Freitag. He married a German photography student named Enken in 1961 and subsequently became a voice and piano teacher.

The real Charles Yukl was nothing at all like the facade he portrayed to the world. Behind the well-mannered musical prodigy with the choirboy looks dwelt a twisted psychotic misogynist. A reclusive, eccentric man whose dreams of perverse sexual fulfillment lived - and died - only in his fertile imagination. 

Then on Monday, October 24, 1966, Charles Yukl brought his perverted fantasies to vivid life when he brutally murdered twenty-five year old Suzanne Reynolds. Suzanne was an aspiring actress who had been taking voice lessons for three months from the thirty-one year old ragtime pianist, and she had absolutely no idea of his true nature. Then, eight years later - on Tuesday, August 20, 1974 - due to a shocking series of legal errors that granted him the freedom to kill again, he lured a twenty-three year old aspiring model named Karin Schlegel to a Greenwich Village rooftop and savagely strangled her to death.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I had never heard of Charles Yukl or of the murders he committed. I found this story incredibly sad, and the fact that due to a bureaucratic oversight, he was allowed to kill again really made me angry. I will say that I found this book to be rather slow in places, and I really would have appreciated a deeper investigation of the wife's personality; other than mentioning that she was disturbing, very little else was explained about her, or their strange relationship. I would give The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer by Robert K. Tanenbaum and Peter S. Greenberg a B+!

B+! - (89-94%)
  
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Michael Phillip Cash - The After House

115. The After House by Michael Phillip Cash (2014) 
Length: 194 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 29 November 2014
Finished: 1 December 2014
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Michael Phillip Cash and to Red Feather Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to read.  
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 17 October 2014  
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Single mother Remy Galway and her daughter Olivia are just starting over with the monumental task of rebuilding their lives together after the failure of Remy's marriage. Now, almost a year after her divorce, she and her daughter have moved into a three hundred year old cottage in historic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. It is in this elegant, ancient whaling captain's house where Remy and Olivia hope to find peace and tranquility for themselves.

Little does this little family realize that there is in fact another occupant who dwells in the haven of their new home. Someone who lurks deep in the shadows of history, someone who strives to remain a relevant part of this reality. In the end, will the After House ultimately turn out to be Remy and Olivia's shelter or their final resting place? 

Let me say right from the beginning that I really enjoy Michael Phillip Cash's writing style - he certainly knows how to create a properly creepy atmosphere. I have read four of Mr. Cash's books in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed each of them for different reasons. This latest novel was certainly a departure for me; it was a quick and easy read, and while I would technically classify this book in the horror genre, the story wasn't necessarily all that scary; at least in my personal opinion.

I found this story to be slightly more playful and light-hearted in tone than Mr. Cash's other work, not overly comedic but definitely lighter in tone. I enjoyed reading The After House by Michael Phillip Cash and give it definite B+! - I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Karen Robards - The Senator's Wife

109. The Senator's Wife by Karen Robards (1998)
Length: 388 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 11 November 2014
Finished: 14 November 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 11 September 2001
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and have read and enjoyed The Midnight Hour by the same author in the past.

Ronnie Honneker likes the idea of being Senator Lewis Honneker's wife much more than she actually likes being married to him. She may prefer the status of her marriage: the power, the prestige, the wealth, the comforts and beautiful things that such a marriage provides, but for Ronnie it is also an acutely lonely marriage. For she is the second wife. Married to the Honorable Lewis Honneker, a man twice her age who is wealthy, successful, and revered by the voters in his home state of Mississippi.

What the public doesn't know is that this pillar of the community is actually quite fond of engaging in casual indiscretions. Now he is running for re-election and his lovely young wife is expected to stand beside him. Though she is publicly scorned as the woman who broke up the senator's first marriage, Ronnie does her best to promote her husband's re-election campaign. Yet her husband is not the man she thought he was, and although long accustomed to it, Ronnie despises the strain of the campaign trail - especially the constant facade and total lack of privacy.

The glamorous political life can't make up for the emptiness deep in her heart, a dark space which she fears will never be filled. Until political strategist Tom Quinlan enters the picture. Hired to soften Ronnie's public image, Tom prides himself on his work, never mixing business with pleasure. Solid, quietly handsome, the quintessential southern boy-next-door, he is called in to enhance Senator Honneker's campaign and he takes his job very seriously.

To him, Ronnie is a job. Certainly a challenging one; but remaking Mrs. Honneker's public image is nothing more than a routine assignment to Tom Quinlan. Ronnie Honneker is perhaps one of Tom's most challenging assignments - she is difficult to direct, and can definitely test any man's patience. So why does he find himself unable to stop thinking about her? Her flowing auburn hair, her long, perfectly muscled legs, those inviting chocolate-brown eyes? Tom has never allowed himself to surrender to such feelings...until now. 

Ronnie never expected to find love again; and certainly not with a man like Tom Quinlan. However, as much as she may try, she just can't ignore the desire that Tom ignites in her or the newly-awakened passions that he inflames within her - feelings she'd once thought were gone forever. And she knows that the tempers flaring between them are just a cover for their barely contained passions. Together they discover that love and politics make uneasy bedfellows as they must contend with their developing attraction to each other, a swarm of snooping reporters, and a public which is growing increasingly suspicious of their relationship.

Yet when the senator is found murdered and Ronnie is accused of the crime, only Tom believes she is innocent. Now the two must work together to uncover the senator's sordid secrets; as the Honorable Lewis Honneker died while in the midst of a particularly sticky scandal. But as the stakes rise, they learn that they must watch their backs. And follow their hearts.

While I certainly enjoyed the plot of this story; in my personal opinion, there was an overly heavy focus on the romance of the plot. Whereas I perhaps would have appreciated fewer graphic sexually explicit scenes in the story - I prefer for the romantic scenes to be left up to the reader's imagination more often, I suppose - I really enjoyed the mysterious part of the plot. Overall, I would give The Senator's Wife by Karen Robards a B+! 

I think that I have at least two more of Ms. Robards' books on my bookshelf that I'd be interested in searching out and reading sometime in the future, but for right now it's not imperative to me.  

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

LaVyrle Spencer - Small Town Girl

106. Small Town Girl by LaVyrle Spencer (1997)
Length: 364 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 3 November 2014
Finished: 6 November 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 16 August 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Eighteen years ago, a young and hopeful Tess McPhail left her tiny hometown of Wintergreen, Missouri, for the bright lights of Nashville and she never once looked back. Now considered to be one of country music's brightest stars, "Mac" McPhail is a millionairess many times over, whose career is her life. At thirty-five years old, Mac has no time for marriage, children, or kinfolk - until her sisters insist that she finally come home to help care for their widowed mother, Mary.

Assuming that staying in Wintergreen for the next month will be merely dreary, Mac is totally unprepared for what awaits her. After almost two decades spent basking in the public's adoration of her, she is suddenly an inconspicuous, almost inconsequential person - insulted by her jealous older sister, enraged by her intractable mother, and ignored by Kenny Kronek, the next-door neighbor she mercilessly taunted all through high school. Now a handsome divorcé who dotes upon his teenage daughter, Casey, Kenny is widely respected in the community. And he seems downright indifferent towards Mac, refusing to even give her the time of day.

Once she discovers Casey is a promising country music talent, Mac assumes the role of singing mentor for the girl. She gradually becomes an integral part of life in Wintergreen, and the feigned indifference between Mac and Kenny soon turns from playful bickering to sudden passion. By month's end, Mac McPhail is a completely changed woman; she has not only grown to treasure the priceless solidarity of family and community, but also opened up her heart to love.

Yet what was possible in the small town of Wintergreen, appears to be nothing more than a naive fantasy back in Nashville. Under Nashville's bright and harsh stage lights - in the realm of super stardom - is there room for caring and commitment; or is a woman who is worshipped by millions destined to always be alone?

While I certainly enjoyed reading this book, the story was somewhat predictable to me in places. I appreciated that it was an easy read, and it was definitely well-written. However, I must admit that this wasn't my absolute favorite book by LaVyrle Spencer. I give this book a B+!

B+! - (89-94%)  

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Danielle Steel - The House on Hope Street

95. The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel (2000)  
Length: 295 pages  
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 2 October 2014
Finished: 4 October 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past. 

During their eighteen years of marriage, Liz and Jack Sutherland had built a tremendous life together. A close-knit and loving family, a successful law practice, and a warm, happy home somewhere near San Francisco, in a house on Hope Street. The couple truly loved one another and were living the good life - life honestly couldn't be better for the Sutherland family.

However, on a bright, crisp Christmas morning, amid the laughter of children and the joy of the Season, tragedy strikes. In an instant, the peaceful life Liz Sutherland once knew is no more - and for Jack Sutherland a five-minute errand turns tragic. Suddenly Liz is alone, suffering in the wake of an unbearable loss.

She wonders how she can possibly go on living without her husband, her partner, the man she considered her best friend. How can she grieve herself, when she must be strong and console five devastated children, including one with special needs? Liz contemplates such painful questions, and is filled with despair.

As the months pass, Liz is strengthened by the love of her children. She eventually returns to work and slowly begins tending to her family again, becoming both mommy and "daddy" for her children. One by one the holidays come and go, until a devastating accident sends her oldest son to the hospital - and brings Dr. Bill Webster into her life. Bill becomes a friend to Liz as he slowly heals her shattered son.

As the long, lazy days of summer blend into autumn, a blossoming relationship offers new hope. So, with the first anniversary of Jack's death approaching, bringing with it another Christmas to the house on Hope Street - Liz reflects on life's little blessings; blessings that give strength when nothing else is left. However, Liz must face one more crisis before she can look back at a year of mourning and change - and ahead to the beginning of a new life in the house on Hope Street.

The House on Hope Street is about learning to live again after you think life is over. It is about cherishing the small miracles in life, and believing in the big ones. And it is, above all, about hope.

This was a very enjoyable story; and an easy, quick read for me. I found that the story was typically Danielle Steel - cresting from the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows in the space of a single plot line. While I found this story to be very well-written and interesting, it was slightly disconcerting for me to read about such flawless characters. I would give The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel a B+!

B+! - (89-94%)
            
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Nancy Bush - Hush

87. Hush by Nancy Bush (2011)
Length: 426 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 12 September 2014
Finished: 15 September 2014
Where did it come from? From my mailman's wife who was getting rid of some books.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 7 September 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Nancy Bush is a new author for me.  

In the summer before their senior year, Coby Rendell and her classmates take a beach trip together. While this group were technically friends, they didn't necessarily consider themselves the best of friends; the teenagers' fathers had all been friends since high school, and were always hopeful that their children would have equally strong friendships with each other. So it was that around a campfire one foggy June night, Coby, Rhiannon, Yvette and the others find themselves sharing their darkest secrets; just before a tragic accident shatters the bond between them...

Twelve years later Coby attends a birthday party reunion that ends in horror when Yvette's sister's lifeless body is found in the hot tub. Soon other tale-tellers from that original group meet with similar fates - unfortunate 'accidents' that are shrinking their number one by one. Someone seems to be taking the saying: "Cross your heart and hope to die," dead seriously...

Increasingly conflicted by her growing feelings for the investigating detective, Danner Lockwood, Coby races to unravel a mystery buried deep in the past. But someone is watching her every move - someone who is prepared to kill again and again to protect a shocking truth...

This was the first book by Nancy Bush that I've ever read. Actually, I'm not quite sure how to grade this book, overall. It was certainly very well-written, I just found that there were so many characters that I had trouble keeping all the names straight. 

I thought that the mystery was incredibly convoluted and I had some difficulty getting into the flow of the story. The book was enjoyable in parts, but I had certain niggling issues about the plot that never completely resolved themselves in my mind. I may read another book by this author in the future, but I give Hush by Nancy Bush a B+! I'd be curious to see how others who have read this book found it - did you enjoy the story, or did it not quite live up to your expectations?

B+! - (89-94%)
             
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Phil Rickman - The Heresy of Dr. Dee

81. The Heresy of Dr. Dee by Phil Rickman (2012)
The John Dee Papers Series Book 2
Length: 446 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery
Started: 26 August 2014
Finished: 29 August 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 16 August 2014
Why do I have it? I like historical mysteries and Phil Rickman is a new author for me.

In this second book of the acclaimed historical series featuring Dr. John Dee - Queen Elizabeth's personal astrologer, and esteemed expert on matters of the occult - Tudor court intrigue, murder and the practice of the dark arts abound. England during the sixteenth century is rife with talk of the end-times...and the dead are rising. And John Dee must discover if one of his closest friends may have had sufficient motive to commit murder. However, devious politics and small-town corruption; as much as distorted religion and a sense of brooding superstition, leave Dr. Dee and his traveling companions isolated in the land of his father. 

At the end of the sunless summer of 1560, dark rumor and base innuendo shrouds the death of the one woman who stands between Lord Robert Dudley and marriage to the young Queen Elizabeth. Did Lord Dudley's wife, Amy, die from an accidental fall in a deserted house, or was it actually an act of calculated murder? Even Dr. John Dee, royal astrologer and adviser on the Hidden, as well as one of Lord Dudley's oldest friends, is uncertain. Then a rash promise to the Queen sends him to his family's old home on the Welsh border on a quest to find the Wigmore Shewstone, a crystal credited with supernatural properties.

Traveling with Dr. Dee is Robert Dudley, perhaps the most hated man in England. They travel with a judge sent from London to try a sinister Welsh brigand with a legacy dating back to the time of the Battle of Bryn Glas. This was a battle in which close to one thousand Englishmen died at the hands of the Welsh. According to legend, after the battle many of the bodies were obscenely mutilated. Now, on this same haunted hill, another dead man has been found, similarly slashed. 

In my opinion, this plot was certainly very intriguing; the story was well-written and strongly researched, and I'm pleased to have read it for that reason. This book is very historically accurate, and the age-old enmity between the Welsh and the English is obvious. If you are interested in learning more about Wales, then this is definitely the book to read.

I found that this book was definitely heavy reading - there were just so many characters to keep straight, and so many parts that those characters played in the mystery - that I had trouble remembering everything. This is definitely not a 'two-minute' reading style mystery - it is intricate and involved - and I found that I had to concentrate inordinately hard on it as I read this book. I think I've read some books by this author in the past, although I can't remember which ones. I would give The Heresy of Dr. Dee a B+! In my opinion, while this was certainly not my favorite book, it was still well worth reading.

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Luanne Rice - Sandcastles

73. Sandcastles by Luanne Rice (2006)
The Star of the Sea Academy Series Book 1
Length: 441 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 7 August 2014
Finished: 9 August 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 22 August 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Painter Honor Sullivan once believed that she had the perfect home, the perfect life, the perfect love. Then her husband, a renowned photographer and sculptor, shattered their little family and her heart. John Sullivan's passionate nature had led him into disaster many years ago, and left his wife and family reeling under the consequences. Since then, Honor has struggled to make a safe haven for herself and their three daughters - Regis, Agnes and Cecelia - at Star of the Sea Academy on the magical Connecticut shore. 

Here she teaches art at the convent school's beautiful seaside campus - under the benevolent and ever-watchful eye of her sister-in-law, mother superior Bernadette Ignatius - cultivating young minds to appreciate and to foster the artistic talent that Honor once had in abundance. No one could have foreseen the day rebellious Regis would come home with the stunning news that she was engaged. Nor could anyone have guessed how that sudden announcement would soon change all their lives forever.

Now, years later, a mysterious letter written in a familiar hand hints at John's return. Hearing of Regis' impending marriage, John has ended his self-imposed exile and returned to the family he's always loved; more than anything on earth. What awaits him is a family wounded by the past: a daughter still despondent over his abandonment; one who barely remembers him; and a third who may be in more trouble than anyone knows. And then there is Honor herself - and a passion that may have been interrupted but that has never waned.

Some things, like sandcastles, don't survive the changing tides. But love, family, and friendship - things just as fragile - have a way of withstanding tremendous challenges. It will take nothing short of a miracle to heal the rifts between father and daughter, husband and wife, the past and the present - but the miraculous is what is always at work at Star of the Sea Academy. The only question is: Do you have faith strong enough to face such adversity?

For the most part I enjoyed this story, although it was slightly longer than it needed to be. The story could probably have been wrapped up about one hundred pages earlier and still have been told well - at least in my opinion. Luanne Rice is certainly a prolific author - and I have read several of her books that I've enjoyed immensely - however, I must give Sandcastles a B+! I have several other books written by Ms. Rice sitting on my bookshelf, and I'm sure I'll read another book by this author sometime soon; however, perhaps not right away.

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Mary Higgins Clark - All Through the Night: A Suspense Story

49. All Through the Night: A Suspense Story by Mary Higgins Clark (1998)
The Alvirah and Willy Meehan Series Book 2
Length: 170 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 23 April 2014
Finished: 25 April 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale 
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2001
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and had read and enjoyed Mount Vernon Love Story: A Novel of George and Martha Washington by the same author in the past.

A young unmarried woman leaves her newborn baby on the rectory doorstep of a church on Manhattan's Upper West Side. At that same moment, inside the church, a young man is in the process of stealing a treasured artifact - a chalice adorned with a single star-shaped diamond. Both the infant and the chalice subsequently disappear.

Seven years later, a few weeks before Christmas - lottery winner turned amateur sleuth - Alvirah Meehan and her husband Willy, are busy helping Willy's sister Cordelia - a nun who runs a thrift store that doubles as an after-school shelter for the neighborhood kids - prepare for the upcoming Christmas pageant. However, the shelter's future is threatened when the city condemns the building for that use. Then it is further jeopardized when the nearby brownstone to which the shelter was to be moved turns out to have been willed to a young couple who were already tenants in the building.

Convinced that something suspicious is going on, Alvirah refuses to believe that the will is genuine. She sets out to prove the couple are con artists. Soon she is involved with the mystery of the stolen chalice and child. 

While this was certainly a good story and I enjoyed reading it; I'm not entirely sure what grade to give it. In my opinion, the mystery was perhaps a little simplistic, and the plot seemed slightly hurried - at least to me. I would have preferred it if this story had been slightly longer, so that the plot could be better developed and the characters better drawn and more believable. Overall, I give this book a B+!

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jeffrey Konvitz - The Guardian

45. The Guardian by Jeffrey Konvitz (1978)
The Sentinel Trilogy Book 2
Length: 293 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 8 April 2014
Finished: 12 April 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 October 2000
Why do I have it? I like horror and Jeffrey Konvitz is a new author for me.

The very gates of Hell are about to open on the twentieth floor of an apartment building on the West Side. Evil is flourishing and soon no innocent will be safe. Through a window without curtains, an ancient blind nun sits perpetually gazing...keeping watch against the evil.

A body is found, burned beyond recognition. Then there are two more murders...strangely connected. And the discoverer of one of the bodies, a beautiful young woman, is brutally raped. Her innocent young child is exposed to horror. Her furious husband sets out on a relentless path of revenge.

In the final hour of evil, paralyzing terror is unleashed. One step beyond the very boundaries of belief is a cool, calculating, laughing priest intent on saving more lives from destruction. And so it begins...powerful, satanic, terrifying...a time you will never forget. The battle has already begun.

I must say that I wasn't all that sure what grade to give this book after I finished reading it. The story was certainly very scary, but I found that the horror was almost overwhelming. In my opinion, the frightening elements began to overshadow the actual story so much that this book confused me. This book is actually the second in a trilogy, so my feelings might be somewhat influenced by not having read the first book - The Sentinel - but I had to give this book a B+! 

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Tilly Bagshawe - Sidney Sheldon's Angel of the Dark

9. Sidney Sheldon's Angel of the Dark by Tilly Bagshawe (2012)
Length: 293 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 23 January 2014
Finished: 25 January 2014
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 24 June 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and have read and enjoyed several books by Sidney Sheldon in the past, although Tilly Bagshawe is a new author for me.

It was his first major murder case - and one of the bloodiest and most violent crimes LAPD detective Danny McGuire would ever encounter. Andrew Jakes, an elderly multimillonaire art dealer, had been brutally murdered in his Hollywood home, his lifeless body tied to his naked young wife. Raped and beaten, the lovely Angela Jakes had barely survived the attack herself. Gazing into her fathomless, soulful eyes, Danny swore that he would find the psychopath responsible for such a barbarous act. However, the investigation didn't turn up a single solid lead, and within days of her release from hospital, the stunning young widow - Danny's only witness - had vanished.

For a decade, Danny McGuire could not forget the sweet face of Angela Jakes and the terrible crime that had shattered her life; his obsession with her had nearly cost him his sanity. Now living in France - thousands of miles from the past - Danny has a new life, a new job with Interpol, and a ravishing new wife - he's happier than he's ever been...until he meets Andrew Jakes' estranged son, Matt Daley.

Curious about his father's murder, Matt has been digging into the cold case - and he has made some shocking discoveries. Three killings nearly identical to his father's have taken place across the globe. The victims were elderly, newlywed millionaires, their young wives assaulted. And in each case the widow, the sole beneficiary of the will, donated her newfound wealth to children's charities and subsequently disappeared. Could it be true - could Andrew Jakes' murderer have struck again? If so, Danny knows he must tread carefully or risk losing everything for good.

All the evidence points to a single killer - a brilliant and ruthless criminal who travels across the globe under a string of assumed identities, always keeping one step ahead of the law. Joining forces, Danny and Matt pursue this intriguing shadow from Los Angeles to London, New York to Italy and the French Riviera, in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse against a formidable opponent. In an investigation filled with promising leads and frustrating dead ends, Danny and Matt match wits with a clever criminal. When another murder fitting the profile occurs, Matt heads to Hong Kong, hoping to get answers from the latest widow - Lisa Baring - and perhaps uncover the hard evidence they need to finally solve the case.

However, Matt becomes besotted with the irresistible beauty, nearly derailing the entire investigation, and Danny wonders if Lisa is truly a victim or something more sinister. When a break in the case sends Danny to Mumbai, he realizes he must act quickly, because the shrewd murderer is poised to kill again. In a fast-paced story, full of mystery, glamour, excitement, and spectacular twists that build to a stunning climax, Sidney Sheldon's Angel of the Dark is quintessential Sidney Sheldon from the first page to the last.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. It was certainly quite good - I just wasn't expecting the plot to be as convoluted or as intricate as it turned out. For me, solving this mystery took much more concentration than some other mysteries that I've read recently. I have to give this book an B+! 

Ever since Sidney Sheldon passed away in 2007, Tilly Bagshawe has taken up his mantle so the legacy continues. I absolutely loved Sidney Sheldon as an author, but I have to say that this book was slightly disappointing for me to read. I just wasn't expecting to work so hard to solve such an intricate mystery.

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Anne Rivers Siddons - Burnt Mountain: A Novel

4. Burnt Mountain: A Novel by Anne Rivers Siddons (2011)
Length: 323 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 12 January 2014
Finished: 14 January 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 November 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Born into an affluent family in Middletown, Georgia, the only place that tomboy Thayer Wentworth ever truly felt at home as a child was at her summer camp in the North Carolina mountains. It was there that she came alive and where she met Nick Abrams, her first love...and first heartbreak. 

Years later, much to her family's dismay, Thayer marries Aengus O'Neill, an Irish professor. The couple moves into her deceased grandmother's house in Atlanta, only miles from Camp Edgewood on Burnt Mountain - where Thayer's father had died in a car accident. There, in the shadow of Burnt Mountain, Aengus and Thayer lead quiet and happy lives until the day Aengus is invited up to the boys' camp - Camp Forever - to tell old Irish tales to the campers.

As Aengus begins to spend less and less time at home - and becomes increasingly distant towards her - Thayer begins to realize that something is not quite right at Camp Forever. Thayer must eventually confront several dark secrets - about her own mother, her first love, and, most devastating of all, her husband - she must come to terms with the knowledge that the man she married is not the man she thought she knew.

I must say that, while I enjoyed reading this book for the most part, there were certain parts of the story that were slightly confusing to me. I found that the story was a little slow to get into - although it was definitely intriguing once I did - and the story held my attention through until the end. I absolutely needed to know how the story ended. However, in my opinion, the plot was more convoluted than I expected - elements of the story didn't quite mesh together all that well - at least for me. 

Overall, I give Burnt Mountain: A Novel by Anne Rivers Siddons a B+! It was perhaps not Ms. Siddons' best book, but still quite interesting to read. 

B+! - (89-94%)
       
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jim Lehrer - White Widow

1. White Widow by Jim Lehrer (1996)
Length: 211 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 31 December 2013
Finished: 2 January 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 November 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Jim Lehrer is a new author for me. 

Some bus drivers can go their whole careers and never cross paths with the type of woman known as a 'White Widow'. A White Widow is a wild card; a woman traveling alone who can change the course of a driver's life, and not always for the best.

Jack T. Oliver has a solid marriage, a cozy home in Corpus Christi, Texas, and a job he loves - driving the Houston to Corpus Christi route - for the Great Western Trailways bus line. In a few weeks, Jack will be promoted to Master Operator in recognition of his many years of perfect service and punctual driving record. It may not be everyone's idea of the most exciting life - but it's comfortable, it's good, and it's Jack's. 

That is until a White Widow boards his bus, on a one-way ticket from Victoria to Corpus Christi. Suddenly, Jack Oliver's otherwise orderly life is turned completely upside down. Within weeks, without ever even learning her name, the White Widow's passage through Jack's life has been as unforgettable as it has been irrevocable. His unstoppable, ruinous passion for a complete stranger will ultimately cost him dearly: in ways that Jack T. Oliver could never have predicted - not even in his wildest dreams.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure if I would have chosen this book to read for myself. It's not that I would have dismissed it, it's just that I never actually saw it until Mareena brought it to my attention. It was an unusual premise to begin with, so I was drawn into the story for that reason. The story was also extremely well-written and poignant, and it held my attention right up until the end.

Now, Jim Lehrer is a very successful journalist as well as an author; although in the past, both his father and himself worked as bus drivers. This novel is loosely based on the author's true experiences during his brief time spent as a bus driver. While the story was certainly interesting overall, the author's appreciable and, at times, intricate knowledge of bus transportation was sometimes lost on me. However, I would give this book a B+! 

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Warren Smith - The Strange Ones

104. The Strange Ones by Warren Smith (1972)
Length: 190 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 5 November 2013
Finished: 6 November 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 November 2001
Why do I have it? I like horror and Warren Smith is a new author for me.

This book is filled with various true accounts of personal brushes with the unexplained: incidents of parapsychology; the paranormal, unexplained disappearances at sea, anomalies of medicine and the occult. While I certainly enjoyed reading most of these stories, I must say that this book wasn't entirely riveting to me. I found that the stories, while interesting, just weren't as detailed as I would have preferred. I give this book a B+!

B+! - (89-94%)
 
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Nancy Thayer - Belonging: A Novel

99. Belonging: A Novel by Nancy Thayer (1995)
Length: 341 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 20 October 2013
Finished: 25 October 2013
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap 
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 30 September 2013
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Joanna Jones seems to have it all. As the successful host of a New York based television show - Fabulous Homes - Joanna is blessed with great looks. She has a wonderful lover and a job that gives her money and fame, while allowing her to indulge in her passion for beautiful homes. Today, Joanna has the life she's always dreamed of, tomorrow she just might lose it all...

Suddenly and shockingly, Joanna will discover what she doesn't have: a committed relationship she can depend on. Now she faces a stunning discovery alone and makes the tough decision to leave her glittering life in New York behind for a quaint Nantucket home with an ocean view. Joanna will soon discover new friends, and unexpected enemies. 

The choices ahead will test her courage; the surprising twists of fate will challenge her faith as she faces a day of ashes, a time of sorrow, and an extraordinary new chance for love, happiness, and...Belonging. 

This book was a good read for me; although, I must say that it was not as good as I was expecting. I found that the central character of the story just wasn't as sympathetic as she probably should have been - at least in my opinion. Anyway, I give Belonging: A Novel by Nancy Thayer a B+! I will certainly be reading more books by this author in the future; although perhaps not right away.

B+! - (89-94%)
   
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bentley Little - The House

96. The House by Bentley Little (1997)
Length: 360 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 9 October 2013
Finished: 15 October 2013
Where did it come from? Mareena downloaded this ebook from Amazon back in December of 2011 as an early Christmas present for me. Then I acquired a physical copy from Paperback Swap.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 17 December 2011 as an ebook; Since 9 October 2013 as a physical book.
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed The Resort by the same author in the past.

Five complete strangers from across America are about to come together and open the door to a terror they couldn't even begin to imagine. Inexplicably, four men and one woman are having heart-stopping nightmares which revolve around the houses where each of them were born. When terrifying events occur, each person is drawn to their identical childhood home to confront an ancient evil that dwells in a place they all call home - a sinister supernatural presence which has pursued them all of their lives, and is now closer than ever to claiming their souls.

I must say that after reading The Resort by Bentley Little, my expectations about reading this book were quite high. Perhaps they were slightly too high. Not that this book wasn't tremendously frightening - it certainly was. I just found that the story couldn't quite sustain the fear enough for me throughout the entire book. I think I would have preferred The House to be about fifty pages shorter. I give this book a B+!  

B+! - (89-94%)
    
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bentley Little - The House

96. The House by Bentley Little (1997)
Length: 360 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 9 October 2013
Finished: 15 October 2013
Where did it come from? Mareena downloaded this ebook from Amazon back in December of 2011 as an early Christmas present for me. Then I acquired a physical copy from Paperback Swap.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 17 December 2011 as an ebook; Since 9 October 2013 as a physical book.
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed The Resort by the same author in the past.

Five complete strangers from across America are about to come together and open the door to a terror they couldn't even begin to imagine. Inexplicably, four men and one woman are having heart-stopping nightmares which revolve around the houses where each of them were born. When terrifying events occur, each person is drawn to their identical childhood home to confront an ancient evil that dwells in a place they all call home - a sinister supernatural presence which has pursued them all of their lives, and is now closer than ever to claiming their souls.

I must say that after reading The Resort by Bentley Little, my expectations about reading this book were quite high. Perhaps they were slightly too high. Not that this book wasn't tremendously frightening - it certainly was. I just found that the story couldn't quite sustain the fear enough for me throughout the entire book. I think I would have preferred The House to be about fifty pages shorter. I give this book a B+!  

B+! - (89-94%)
    
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Dan Wakefield - Returning: A Spiritual Journey

89. Returning: A Spiritual Journey by Dan Wakefield (1988)
Length: 250 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Started: 13 September 2013
Finished: 18 September 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 November 2001
Why do I have it? I like non-fiction and Dan Wakefield is a new author for me.

Dan Wakefield was a successful writer of novels, non-fiction, and screenplays when he awoke to a private life that was disintegrating around him due to alcohol, depression, and isolation. On a balmy spring morning in Hollywood, a month or so before his forty-eighth birthday, Dan Wakefield woke up literally screaming. His private life had been crumbling for years and alcohol barely numbed the pain.

Those horrifying morning screams drove him back to Boston, his former home, where he changed his entire life. He stopped drinking, started exercising, and discovered, much to his surprise, the power of Christianity. Dan had become an atheist while in college, and did not return to church until 1980 - when he initially heard a Christmas Eve sermon that seemed directed especially at him.

This book is about Dan Wakefield's return to his past life: his boyhood in Indiana, his student years at Columbia University being taught by Mark Van Doren, his bitter disappointment with Freudian psychoanalysis, his sexuality, and his writing career. It is also the story of a spiritual pilgrimage, a courageous and comforting return to faith.

Getting into the flow of the story was slow going for me at first; there were a couple of places during my reading where I thought that the pace was slower than I would have liked, but that could have just been my own experience while reading this book.  Overall, I actually enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. I give this book a B+! 

B+! - (89-94%)
      
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight