Lawrence Sanders - The Sixth Commandment

7. The Sixth Commandment by Lawrence Sanders (1978)
The Commandment Series Book 1
Length: 312 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 22 January 2015
Finished: 24 January 2015
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 14 August 2001
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

The Bingham Foundation is a corporation that assesses the grant applications of scientific researchers. Samuel Todd is the corporation's field investigator, tasked with finding out all he can about Gordon Telford Thorndecker, Nobel Prize-winning doctor and resident darling of Coburn, New York. The good doctor Thorndecker is the head of a combined research facility and rest home for the elderly, affluent, and infirm in Coburn, and has recently applied for a million-dollar research grant.

Dr. Thorndecker has impeccable scientific credentials; his project - to investigate the "cellular clock" that controls the normal life span of human beings - seems entirely credible and worthy of support; and despite the rumors and occasional rabid gossip-monger - the whole town of Coburn is rooting for its most famous resident. 

Samuel Todd's mission is basically to get background information about the eminent Dr. Thorndecker. Deep background information: Samuel has to "assess the intangibles, things known only to the applicant's priest, psychiatrist and/or mistress. As a suspicious romantic, Samuel is too young to have seen it all, but too old to expect the best of this world. 

But is it possible that his suspicions are getting the better of him? It's perhaps in the way the residents of Coburn stare past his shoulder while praising Dr. Thorndecker to the skies; or what he learns about the doctor's seductive young wife, Julie, and her not-so-secretive activities; or perhaps when he discovers that a patient at the rest home was buried rather suddenly in the dead of night, deceased, according to the death certificate, of simple heart failure. Whatever the cause, Samuel Todd is already mightily suspicious of this case, and his feelings only grow worse after he arrives at his hotel on a stormy night, and discovers a typed two-lined message waiting for him at the desk. The note is short, cryptic, and straight to the point: "Thorndecker Kills."

I really enjoyed this book and must say that I found it to be very indicative of Lawrence Sanders' work - incredibly suspenseful and quite dramatic. Mr. Sanders is perhaps one of my many favorite authors, and I have read quite a few of his books, although the first book from the Commandment Series that I've read. I would certainly give The Sixth Commandment by Lawrence Sanders a very strong A!

A! - (90-95%)
    
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Margot Livesey - The Missing World: A Novel

6. The Missing World: A Novel by Margot Livesey (1999) 
Length: 326 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 17 January 2015
Finished: 21 January 2015
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 8 December 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

What if - by a seeming stroke of fortune - you could start again, could start afresh and wipe away that one catastrophic blunder in your past. Just how far would you go to establish that you had, in fact, done nothing wrong at all? After an accident causes Hazel to have amnesia, and she loses three years' worth of her memory, just such an opportunity is presented to her ex-boyfriend Jonathan. He is absolutely undone by his betrayal of this woman, whom he professes to love above all, and he is determined to do everything within his power to make it up to her; to earn her forgiveness.

While Jonathan begins to rewrite his and Hazel's history together, two other misfits - an American sojourner and an unlucky English actress - travel around London, each of them haunted by indelible memories which they would much rather forget. Eventually their hopes for redemption draw them toward Jonathan and Hazel, who has become a virtual prisoner of Jonathan's most cherished whims and desires. The story that follows is a brilliantly inverted love story: a story which chronicles one man's desperate attempts to realize and rationalize a lie, and a woman's harrowing attempts to recognize the truth.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Margot Livesey is, in my opinion, a terrific writer, and she captures the essence of characters beautifully. As a matter of fact, the character of Charlotte is so like my sister-in-law, they could have been twins. I give The Missing World: A Novel by Margot Livesey a definite A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Alice Hoffman - The Ice Queen

124. The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman (2005)
Length: 211 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 21 December 2014
Finished: 23 December 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 19 December 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed Blackbird House by the same author in the past.

Once, in a childish fit of temper, the eight-year-old heroine of Alice Hoffman's The Ice Queen angrily wished to never see her mother again. Suddenly the little girl and her brother Ned were orphaned, and she was convinced that simply by stomping her feet she had shattered her world. While Ned dealt with the grief of his mother's passing by becoming a meteorologist: applying reason and logic to bad weather; as his sister grows into adulthood, she finds herself emotionally frozen.

Now working as a librarian somewhere in a small town, she lives a generally quiet life without much excitement. One day, she mutters an idle wish and suddenly, while standing in her house, she is struck by lightning. However, instead of ending her life, this cataclysmic event provides just the impetus she needs to restart her life. Determined to study the case histories of several survivors of lightning strikes, Ned convinces his sister to join him in learning more about the mysteries of lightning.

For her, being struck by lightning has left her with an inability to recognize the color red; and she soon finds herself fascinated by the awesome power of lightning. Witnessing the withering of trees and landscape near a strike, hearing the various stories of the medical traumas and odd new abilities of victims, all the myths of renewal; she is utterly amazed. Although she is a recluse, she goes in search of one Lazarus Jones - a local farmer rumored to have beaten death after a lightning strike: to have seen the other side and come back.

Perhaps this stranger who has seen death face to face can teach her to live without fear. When she finds him, he is her polar opposite, a burning man whose breath can boil water and whose touch scorches. As an obsessive love affair begins between them, both are forced to hide their most dangerous secrets - secrets that turned one person to ice and the other to fire.

I must say, that while this book was very good, and I enjoyed the story very much; in my opinion it still was slightly strange. I honestly don't know that much about lightning - although I do follow all the warnings about what not to do during thunderstorms - but even if only a fraction of what is described by the characters can happen in reality - I would be curious to find out. It was incredible to me. I give The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman an A! This was actually quite a fascinating book.

A! - (90-95%) 

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Christopher Golden - Wildwood Road

121. Wildwood Road by Christopher Golden (2005)
Length: 351 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 13 December 2014
Finished: 16 December 2014
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 24 November 2014
Why do I have it? I like horror and Christopher Golden is a new author for me.

Michael and Jillian Dansky seem to have it all - a happy marriage, two successful careers, and a bright future. However late one October evening, that changes completely. It's while driving home from a Halloween masquerade that Michael briefly nods off behind the wheel. When he wakes up, he finds a little girl standing beside his car - a little girl who Michael apparently came within a breath of running over.

Shaken by her appearance at such a late hour, and concerned that the child isn't wearing the most appropriate clothing for the frigid weather, Michael tries to help her as much as he can. She leads him to a darkened empty house, filled with shadows and haunted by whispers and sends him away with a whisper of her own: "Come find me." With her curious command echoing in his ears, Michael drives back home.

In the weeks to come, it's clear that someone - or something - doesn't want the girl found. As much as Michael tries to fulfill the girl's request, he just doesn't seem to be having much luck. And when a cold, cruel, vindictive woman awakens in the guise of his once loving and caring wife, Michael's search shifts slightly. Suddenly his quest isn't just for the missing girl, but for the Jillian he loves and may have lost forever...on Wildwood Road.

First of all, let me say that Mareena got this book as a 'just because' gift for herself when she saw that Stephen King had written a blurb for the book, and decided that I could read it as well if I wanted. She knew of Christopher Golden as primarily a young adult author, although she has never read any of his books. So, Mr. Golden is a new author for her to read.

In my opinion, this book was very enjoyable and I'm certainly glad to have read it. The story was quite a different treatment of horror from the books that I usually read, and was interesting enough to hold my attention right until the very end. It was well-written and I appreciated that the plot was constantly moving; the pacing never slowed or deteriorated in any way and this story never became dull or boring; at least for me. Overall, I give this book an A! 

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Alice Hoffman - Blackbird House

113. Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman (2004)
Length: 225 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 25 November 2014
Finished: 26 November 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 9 April 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Alice Hoffman is a new author for me.

Welcome to Blackbird House - a small farm on the outer reaches of Cape Cod, imbued with as much vitality as the people who live there. For the past two centuries, Blackbird House has stood as a testament to time and the passage of history; a place as bewitching and alive as the characters we meet. There is Violet Cross, a brilliant young woman who is in love with books and with a man who is destined to betray her; Lysander Wynn, attacked by a halibut the size of horse, is convinced that his life is ruined until a boarder wearing red boots arrives to change everything; and Maya Cooper, someone who does not understand the true meaning of the love shared between her mother and father until it is almost too late.

From the time of the British occupation of Massachusetts to present day in our own modern world, for each family that lives within the walls of Blackbird House, their lives are inexorably changed for however long they may stay. Not only by the people they love, but also by themselves and the lives that they lead within Blackbird House. For more than a dozen men and women who have lived inside Blackbird House, they will learn just how much love transforms us and how it is the one lasting element in our lives.

These interconnected narratives are as intelligent as they are haunting, as luminous as they are unusual. In a rare and gorgeous departure, Alice Hoffman weaves a web of evocative tales that becomes a glorious travelogue through time and fate, through loss and love and survival. The past both dissipates and remains contained inside the rooms of Blackbird House, where there are terrible secrets, inspired beauty, and, above all else, a spirit of coming home.

I must admit that I was slightly disappointed in my reading of Blackbird House; but that is only because I wanted more from each story. It felt slightly incomplete to me. I suppose that was because I wanted to know more of a back story with each of the characters, and I had a nagging feeling of being left hanging, wondering what would happen next. In my opinion though, reading this book was certainly still very enjoyable. 

In my opinion, each story was beautifully and lyrically written, if somewhat unusual and fantastic in places. I would give Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman a definite A! I have maybe two or three other books by Ms. Hoffman on my bookshelf that I might be interested in reading sometime in the future, but I'll need to search them out. I'm sure they'll turn up at some point.

A! - (90-95%)
   
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes - What Lies Beneath

112. What Lies Beneath by Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes (2002)
Harlequin Feature Anthology: September 2002 - (The Road to Hidden Harbor/Remember Me/Primal Fear)
Length: 378 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 24 November 2014
Finished: 25 November 2014
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 22 November 2014
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes are new authors for me.

She climbed back in her car, shoving her hair away from her face. "I'm going to find you, Michael O'Flannery," she murmured. "I'm going to find your ghost and everything I can about you. Just watch me."

Twenty years ago, an extremely talented and rising poet disappeared without a trace in the woods of Maine. Over the years rumors about his mysterious disappearance abounded, from the mundane to the fantastic; but nothing was ever proven. Now English professor Molly Ferrell has come to Hidden Harbor, Maine to write his story, and to find out what really happened to Michael O'Flannery.

She opened her eyes and stared at him. "Nathan?" His name came out in a husky whisper.
"I'm here."
She touched her hand to his. "Help me. Please help me."
"Do we know each other, Jill?"
She didn't answer, just closed her eyes and seemed to fade into a semiconscious state.

Dr. Nathan Duncan is curious about the mysterious young woman who just came into his emergency room as a patient. He's inexplicably drawn to her and is sure that he's met her somewhere before, but isn't sure where. Running from her jealous husband, Jill Jacobs is determined to hide her true identity. But can she keep the man she once loved in the dark forever? 

The woman began to run, dropping the bucket of shells she'd been collecting. As she drew closer to the body, she slowed. Her hand went to her mouth to stifle the scream as she saw the terrible damage that had been done by sharp, vicious teeth. For a long moment she stared at the body, and then she turned away and ran, retracing her steps to the beach cottage she owned on Pirate Harbor and the telephone that would bring the sheriff.

A badly mutilated body washes up on the Florida shore. Was this a victim of another shark attack...or something else entirely? Marine biologist Libby Phillips isn't quite sure. What she does know for certain is that modern-day pirate - and suspect - Chad Watson is distracting her from her work in more ways than one.

I must say that I enjoyed this book very much. In my opinion, all the stories contained in this anthology were very well-written, and as examples of the romantic suspense genre, each story was really quite good. The first story - The Road to Hidden Harbor by Anne Stuart - was the story that interested me right away, and was why I asked Mareena if I could read this book first. 

It took me one day to read the first two stories in the anthology - The Road to Hidden Harbor by Anne Stuart and Remember Me by Joanna Wayne. Both stories were great - although in my personal opinion, perhaps more focused on the romantic subplots, rather than the mysteries. Primal Fear by Caroline Burnes was also quite enjoyable. It was a quick read for me, and I appreciated that the romantic subplot was less pronounced in this final story. 

Overall, I would say that What Lies Beneath by Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes deserves an A! This was certainly a great anthology to showcase the work of three of the top romantic suspense authors within the genre: Anne Stuart, Joanna Wayne and Caroline Burnes.

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Colleen McCullough - The Ladies of Missalonghi

110. The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough (1987)
Length: 187 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 14 November 2014
Finished: 18 November 2014
Where did it come from? My friend Noeleen got married in March of 2011, but before the wedding she needed to purge some of her books in the process of merging two households.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 11 April 2010
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Colleen McCullough is a new author for me.

Several years into the twentieth century, in the tiny town of Byron nestled somewhere in the Australian Blue Mountains, a shy spinster, her widowed mother and her crippled aunt live in genteel poverty. For thirty-three-year-old Missy Wright, her mother Drusilla and aunt Octavia, life is difficult living as the poor relations of the Hurlingford family - the most prominent family in Byron. Despite the Wrights being allowed to live at Missalonghi - Drusilla's home through marriage - the women are actually victims of the Hurlingford inheritance policy which allows only the male members of the family to inherit all the wealth. In turn, the men heartlessly abuse and dominate the women in their care.

Plain, painfully thin and doomed to dress always in serviceable brown, Missy has limited funds and suffers from periodic bouts of ill health. Her only consolation is her frequent trips to the privately owned lending library in town, where she indulges in her only vice - reading Gothic romance novels. Missy seems resigned to her fate, facing a dreary future until a distant cousin, a divorcée, arrives from Sydney...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a delightful little story, with a totally unexpected ending, at least for me. I do have a copy of Colleen McCullough's epic saga The Thorn Birds hidden somewhere on my bookshelf, but have never read it. That particular admission probably comes as quite a surprise to many people, but it is the truth: "I have not ever read The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough!"

However, reading The Ladies of Missalonghi is my first foray into Ms. McCullough's work, and it was a relatively quick and easy read for me. Engaging and rather quirky, I give The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Brian McGilloway - Gallows Lane

105. Gallows Lane by Brian McGilloway (2008)
The Inspector Benedict Devlin Series Book 2
Length: 340 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 30 October 2014
Finished: 31 October 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 mysteries and Brian McGilloway is a new author for me.  

It's summertime in the Irish borderlands, and the Donegal summer dawns surprisingly hot for Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin. Inspector Devlin returns to the border separating Donegal from the North of Ireland, waiting for a notorious ex-con named James Kerr to return home on early release. He claims to have found God while in prison, but Superintendent Costello - the superintendent of police, isn't taking any chances with the born-again Christian's fount of newfound grace. Inspector Devlin's orders are to escort him to the northern side of the border and make absolutely certain that he stays out of the superintendent's jurisdiction.

When a young woman is found beaten to death at a building site in what appears to be a sexually-motivated killing, Benedict is distracted from his assignment of keeping tabs on James Kerr. Inspector Devlin's investigation into the murder soon leads him to a local bodybuilder and steroid addict. But as the body count increases, with each murder more gruesome than the last, the born-again ex-convict is found nailed to a tree - crucified.

Increasingly torn between his young family and the rigors of his job, Benedict is determined to apprehend the killer - or killers - before they strike again, even as the carnage begins to jeopardize those he cares about most. Taking its title from the name of the road down which condemned Donegal criminals were once led, Gallows Lane is a virtuoso piece of writing from crime fiction's most exciting new talent. It is a sharp, modern thriller, a stunning second installment in Brian McGilloway's Inspector Benedict Devlin Series; and a heart-stopping follow-up to his acclaimed debut Borderlands.

I really enjoyed reading this book; I immediately liked the character of Inspector Benedict Devlin, he seemed like such a nice person. I also enjoyed the various mentions of the towns in Ireland, it really brought back some wonderful memories for me. If I had one issue with Mr. McGilloway's story, it would be that there were so many characters involved, that I had just the slightest trouble keeping all their names straight in my mind. However, that might be because of my own personal reading concentration. Overall, I would give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Pearl S. Buck - The Kennedy Women

100. The Kennedy Women by Pearl S. Buck (1970) 
Length: 218 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Started: 14 October 2014
Finished: 16 October 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 25 July 2001
Why do I have it? I like non-fiction and had read and enjoyed The Good Earth by the same author in the past.

For one of world's most influential families - the Kennedys - 'family' is indeed the watchword they live by. In this personal appraisal of the Kennedy family, author Pearl S. Buck specifically focuses on the women who bear the Kennedy name. Ms. Buck follows all of these ladies: from the dynamic matriarch, Rose, to Caroline, the lovely young daughter of JFK. 

Is there such a thing as a "curse of greatness"? For Kathleen, Rosemary, Patricia, Jean, Eunice, Ethel, Joan, and the worldly Jacqueline; if there is, then with certainty the Kennedy women have found a way to endure.

I must say that this book was incredibly praiseworthy of the Kennedys; and indeed, Ms. Buck seemed almost awestruck by the Kennedy women. While this seemed slightly overdone - in my opinion, at least - I still enjoyed reading this book very much. Having been written in 1970, the information is somewhat dated now, perhaps, but I would certainly give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Debbie Macomber - A Good Yarn

94. A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber (2005)
The Blossom Street Series Book 2
Length: 345 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 30 September 2014
Finished: 2 October 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. 

When we last left Lydia Hoffman, she had just opened her knitting shop - A Good Yarn - on Blossom Street in downtown Seattle. This was her way of celebrating her cancer remission and she offered various knitting classes to those who wanted to learn such a skill. Well, in the year since A Good Yarn first opened, the little shop has thrived - and so has Lydia. This is due in no small part to Lydia's deep friendships with her first three students - Jacqueline Donovan, Carol Girard and Alix Townsend - and her close relationship with Brad Goetz.  

But when Brad's ex-wife suddenly reappears in his life, Lydia is not really sure what to do. She only knows that she loves Brad's son, Cody, very much and that she's beginning to fall in love with his father as well. Lydia is suddenly terribly afraid and unable to fully trust her new found happiness.

Elise Beaumont, a retired librarian, joins one of Lydia's popular knitting classes. Since losing her life savings, Elise has been living with her daughter, Aurora - the only positive legacy from her brief but tumultuous marriage to professional gambler, Marvin 'Maverick' Beaumont. Now she learns that her onetime husband plans to visit, and that Aurora wants a relationship with her father, regardless of Elise's feelings about him or the present situation.

Bethanne Hamlin, like Elise, is facing the fallout from a divorce. However her husband, Grant, left her for another woman - not a deck of cards - and she's still struggling to rebuild and completely reshape her life. She joins the knitting class at her children's urging; determined that this will be her first step in her effort to recover a sense of dignity and hope. Then Bethanne starts her own small business and also meets a man with whom she has something remarkably surprising in common!  

Courtney Pulanski is a seriously depressed and overweight teenager. Since her mother's death, she has been staying with her grandmother Vera. Vera is doing her best, trying to help Courtney...help that takes the form of dragging her reluctant granddaughter around to swimming sessions at the local Seniors' Center - and to the knitting class at A Good Yarn. Like so many women, these four find companionship and comfort with each other and in the age-old craft of knitting. Who knew that knitting socks could completely change someone's life?   

I must say that I certainly enjoyed reading this book; the story was well-written and very poignant and sentimental. However, while the story was very good, and I'm glad to have read it; I will say that it was just the slightest bit too sugary sweet for my taste. I give A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber an A! I will definitely read more books in the Blossom Street Series - or perhaps another book by Debbie Macomber - at some point in the future, but I think that I will wait for a while.

A! - (90-95%)
      
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Chet Williamson - Dreamthorp

93. Dreamthorp by Chet Williamson (1989)
Length: 357 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 27 September 2014
Finished: 30 September 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 23 January 2001
Why do I have it? I like horror and Chet Williamson is a new author for me.

Welcome to Dreamthorp, Pennsylvania - an idyllic little resort town full of picturesque cottages, friendly neighbors and a sleepy, picture postcard-style atmosphere. It is to this quiet little town that two people from the city can finally come to get away from it all. A place where one can escape and start their life over...

Laura Stark is a woman on the run. She has fled to Dreamthorp in order to recover from a brutal attack perpetrated by a crazed rapist - the same attack during which she saw him mutilate her best friend. Dreamthorp seems like the perfect place for Laura Stark to hide - and forget the past... 

Tom Brewer is a recently widowed teacher and sculptor, determinedly trying to put his life back together and helping his grieving fourteen-year-old son, Josh. 

Then one day the peace of Dreamthorp is irrevocably shattered when a couple of local treasure hunters uncover several deeply-buried Native American artifacts. The couple's digging yields some ancient coins, beads, and an unusual-looking amulet. Once the haunted relics are unearthed, a hellacious and centuries-old evil is also unleashed; one that will inevitably exact a horrific vengeance that has no place outside of the gates of Hell. A series of brutal murders occur in the quiet town, rocking Dreamthorp - and its people - to its very core.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was certainly very graphic and gruesome in parts, and the story was somewhat far-fetched in places. However, I found the book to be surprisingly well-written, for horror that was written in the late 1980s and I'm currently looking for more books by this author. I would give Dreamthorp by Chet Williamson an A!

A! - (90-95%)   

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Barbara Delinsky - Suddenly

92. Suddenly by Barbara Delinsky (1993)
Length: 438 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 24 September 2014
Finished: 26 September 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. 

In the idyllic little town of Tucker, Vermont, life flows at a slower pace for everyone. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the lives of thirty-nine-year-old pediatrician Paige Pfeiffer and her colleagues. However when Mara O'Neill, Paige's medical partner and best friend since college, inexplicably takes her own life, the consequences of that one irrevocable act shatters Paige's peaceful life, and throws the lives of the three other doctors who practiced with her into absolute chaos. 

For Angie Bigelow, grieving Mara's death becomes the final straw in the disintegration of her once well-organized - and ostensibly happy - home and marriage. Peter Grace, whose relationship with Mara was much more complicated than he admits publicly, is left with a sense of desolation at her death. He has difficulty coping with his feelings of grief and feels a growing discontentment with life; a feeling which has its roots in his youth. 

Paige deals with her own feelings of loss and deep sadness by temporarily caring for Mara's newly-adopted baby daughter. As she slowly comes to terms with her grief, Paige clings to the hope that, in due time, she'll understand why Mara chose to end her life. And that her orderly life will eventually return. 

What Paige hadn't counted on were the unexpected pleasures that often come with change. In the wake of such a tragedy, Paige never realized that she would ultimately discover true meaning and purpose in her own life; including the touch of a man who offers Paige things she never thought she wanted. But before she can allow herself to fully embrace a future she never imagined, Paige must let go of the past and learn to trust her new found happiness. 

Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this book. It was a relatively quick read for me, and was very well-written. The story featured a wide variety of well-developed characters, and was written with a true understanding of the complexities of human nature and the intricacies of relationships. 

This wasn't necessarily my favorite book by Barbara Delinsky, but it certainly was well worth reading anyway. I give Suddenly an A!  

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Alma Katsu - The Taker

84. The Taker by Alma Katsu (2011)
The Taker Trilogy Book 1
Length: 440 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 2 September 2014
Finished: 7 September 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and Alma Katsu is a new author for me.

In the tiny town of St. Andrew, Maine, on a freezing wintry night, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting a quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute - just your typical midnight shift at Aroostook County Hospital. That's until Lanore McIlvrae - Lanny - walks into his Emergency Room, and completely changes his life forever. Lanny is unlike any woman Luke has ever met - a mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets. He is inexplicably drawn to her, sure that they have met somewhere before...despite the fact that she is a murder suspect and currently in police custody; under armed escort. 

A stranger and apparently new to town, Lanny is accused of a bizarre crime: allegedly killing a man and leaving his body in the Great North Woods. Lanny insists that while she committed the killing, the man had wanted to die. Always a practical man - a man of science - Dr. Luke Findley witnesses something which he can't explain - a miraculous impossibility that confounds him, and leaves him enthralled by this woman, whose very existence defies all reason. And so, as Lanny begins to tell her story - a tale of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke Findley finds himself utterly captivated.

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, at the time that it was a Puritan settlement. As a child, Lanny finds the love of her life in Jonathan St. Andrew, the privileged son of the town's founder. She promises herself that she will do absolutely anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is too steep - an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. Now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and salvation lies in the hands of Dr. Luke Findley.

I must say that Mareena actually chose this book for me at the Library Book Sale that we went to in June of last year. While I would technically classify this book as horror, in my opinion, the story actually wasn't all that horrific - creepy or eerie perhaps, but not scary. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have chosen this book to read for myself - as this is not my usual choice in horror - although I still thought it was very well written and an interesting story nevertheless. 

I was certainly fascinated by this particular story; some aspects of the plot which seemed utterly implausible to me, actually made perfect sense within the story. In my opinion, The Taker by Alma Katsu was just the slightest bit too long, although I still enjoyed it very much. I give this book an A! 

A! - (90-95%)
 
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight