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"The Grave Tattoo" was supposed to be a psychological thriller and I suppose in some ways it was because it did keep me guessing. But it also had other more obvious components of academic passion, mystery, science (forensics) and history. The author is Val McDermid, this is the first of his stories I have read and I would read him again if I stumbled across another book.

Everything begins by the discovery of a body in a swampy area where Dr. Jane Gresham grew up in the Lake District of England. The body is assumed to be about 200 years old, it has very defined, black tattoos which signify a man who had traveled the South Seas.

Jane Gresham resides in the scary, ghetto Marshpool neighborhood and gets to go home to the more upscale and yet quaint Lake District when she pitches a theory to the college where she works that the body found could be none other than Fletcher Christian. She feels this way based on another theory of hers that Fletcher Christian told William Wordsworth his story and Wordsworth wrote about it in his manuscript The Bounty. She proposes the whole truth exists and is being kept secret in a local home. If found her theory would be correct, she would become an academic hero and the family with the manuscript could stand to make millions.

There are a lot of different characters who you sort of have to remember and connect on your own throughout the story. One of which is a thirteen year old girl named Tenille who Jane treats like a younger sister. She gets caught up in a lot of trouble and is wanted for questioning about murder, arson, burglary, etc. Keeping track of her drama is like keeping track of a whole separate story.

Then you have the forensic scientist making a documentary of the "bog body" which she named Pirate Peat. So you have chapters involving just her, her name is Dr. River Wilde. She ends up dating a detective while she is in the area his name is Rigston. Rigston ends up getting pulled into the Tenille situation. See how things connect, but not really?

Jane wanted to find out which ancestors would possibly have the manuscript so she did a lot of research. She spoke with people who were decedents of a lady who used to work for the Wordsworth family. But each person on her list to speak with winds up dead. And so Rigston gets involved with this search even though it appears each person died of natural causes.

I don't want to get into too much spoiler information, but the twists and turns did keep me on my toes. I liked the suspense, even though at times it was very unbelievable. Like when Jane is hit over the head, falls off a cliff into water and a sheep herder sees her fall and saves her.

But, for the most part it was an entertaining read and I did enjoy the 20 minutes each night when I took time to get through a few chapters.

Labels: forensics, history, mystery, suspense, thriller, Val McDermid

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| 7:30 AM | 0 comment(s)!

This book, by Michael Scott, appealed to me on all levels. For one it mentions Nicholas Flamel in the title and of course my interest was piqued because I knew his name from having read the Harry Potter books; specifically mentioned in the first book of that series.

The cover of The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel looks interesting with it's colors and symbols. Nothing is explained about what you'll be reading, but it is enticing and mysterious. Cryptic.

Brother and sister, twins, Sophie and Josh Newman are spending the summer with their aunt in San Fransisco, California while their parents are away on yet another archeological dig. Josh finds a summer job at a bookstore, owned by Nick and Perry Fleming, and Sophie finds one across the street at a coffee shop. Their summer is turning out okay, mostly because at least they have each other.

The adventure begins almost immediately when Sophie sees something strange across the street from the coffee shop. Four dark figures emerge from a black sedan and enter the bookshop. She attempts to call Josh to see what is going on, but not before an explosion rocks the bookstore sending glass and strange smells out into the street.

While Sophie runs over to check out what is happening she runs into Perry Fleming, part owner of the store. Perry tells he to stay put, but Sophie isn't about to stay put while her brother is in danger.

Meanwhile, Nick Fleming, keeps telling Josh to run deep into the cellar and stay out of sight as he fights off a man he keeps calling Dee and three other strange clay people which he refers to as golems.

One item is stolen from the store during this mystical fight, it is the Codex, a book which is ten thousand years old and contains all the myths and legends of the world including sorcerer spells and potions from hundreds of generations. Fortunately, when Dee stole it from Josh's hands he didn't realize Josh had ripped the last two pages out. The last two pages of the Codex are extremely important and now both Josh and Sophie are in mortal danger.

After all this chaos the kids have more than enough questions for Nick and Perry Fleming. This is when they find out their real names are Nicholas and Perenelle Flemal and they are hundreds of years old thanks to an elixir that was keeping them alive. The elixir is in the Codex and without it they will age one full human year each day. But their aging is the least of their concerns. With the Codex in the hands of evil Dr. Dee the entire world is in danger of essentially being wiped out by those called the Dark Elders.

And this is where I'll leave you. If you like legends and myths, if you enjoy adventures and fantasies, if you like stories about magic then you'll love this book/series. I recommend The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel for all ages.

And yes, you might as well order the next book in the series because if you're like me you'll want to open it as soon as you're finished the first. The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Labels: fantasy, magic, michael scott, mystery

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| 8:56 AM | 0 comment(s)!

Codes and cryptic messages just don't have the ability to be dull; especially if the government is involved and they aren't exactly up to par.

Dan Brown's novel "Digital Fortress" began on a Saturday morning when two newly engaged people were ready to leave on a romantic getaway until their phones rang. David Becker was called to Spain for a mission which was declared a matter of national security. His fiance, Susan Fletcher, was called into work at Node 3 in Crypto. Little did they know both their lives were in danger and no one could be trusted, not even the most sincere of their old friends.

With David Becker looking for a pass key in Spain which could be anywhere and Susan Fletcher finding out an "unbreakable algorithm" was tainting the top secret TRANSLTR. The National Security Agency (NSA) has a corrupt seed and he happens to be dragging the leading cyptographer, Susan, into a game which he doesn't realize will be so deadly.

While in Spain David Becker finds himself running all over the blessed country trying to find a pass key which is engraved on a gold ring. Knocking on death's door the pass key creator removes the ring and gives it to a random stranger.

Susan Fletcher finds out about an unbreakable code which the agency hasn't been able to make heads or tails of. Could it be a virus, could it be bringing down the national top secret database? When two other system security technicians show up and wind up dead Susan realizes there's an inside job happening and her fiance is in danger.

The book was absolutely riveting; a page turner to say the least. I wish there were some sort of sequel. I do love a good thriller and mystery and Dan Brown seems to know just how to write them. This is the 3rd of his books I have loved. Of course you either love him or hate him and there are many sticklers who find the books are just too unbelievable. Luckily for me I read to be entertained and enthralled both of which are guaranteed if the author is Dan Brown.

Labels: Dan Brown, mystery, thriller

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| 9:25 AM | 0 comment(s)!

When it comes to mystery thrillers I love the work of Iris Johansen. She writes such fantastic thriller novels, I can hardly put them down when I get a new one. The character development is always impeccable and impressive considering most of her novels tends to have 4 or 5 strong characters.

Sophie Dunston is the main gal in "Killer Dreams". She is a strong, independent woman who is divorced and have a ten-year-old son who suffers from night terrors. His name is Michael and he has been suffering from these traumatic terrors since witnessing his Grandfather killing his Grandmother and trying to shoot him, but his Mom stepped in the way of the bullet. (I'd say he has every right to have trouble at night).

Anyway, Sophie is a brilliant chemist who has devoted all of her time to sleep research. Her father suffered from severe insomnia and that is what prompted her fascination with sleep patterns and disorders. She develops a product called REM-4 that ends up having such control over subjects that it is almost as if it brainwashes them into being slaves. Sophie rebels against what she created, insisting it never be used, but Sanborne (her boss) decides it can be the greatest chemical weapon of their time.

Needless to say Sophie quits and as we are getting into the book we find out she intends to kill Sanborne and destroy all of the REM-4 research.

Meanwhile Sanborne has been using the drug on many people along with a General they refer to as Boch. He has turned people into savage kiling machines that lack all emotion. One of the people who ends up escaping the program is Matt Royd. He too wants to kill Sanborne and Boch for that matter. He ends up joining forces with Sophie. You see where that is going, I'm sure.

Another chemist has altered REM-4 to make it stronger, but now the forumla has a very high fatality rate. Sanborne ends up sending people after Sophie and her son, Michael, because he needs her to fix REM-4 so that it won't kill the subjects, only control them. They end up losing everything and having to go into hiding with Royd.

It is easy to imagine where this book will end up, but how the author gets us to that point is full of twists and turns. Once again Iris Johansen has written a compelling novel that has left me wanting to read even more! Predictable at times, it still has enough suspense to keep me turning the pages. Plus, I really, really love her character profiles; excellent development.

Buy it, Killer Dreams!

Labels: fiction, Iris Johansen, Killer Dreams, medicine, mystery, suspense, thriller

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| 10:45 AM | 0 comment(s)!

Talk about a book making you think. Dan Brown's prequel to "The Davinci Code" is one of the best books I have ever read; right up there with Mario Puzo's "The Last Don."

All 710 pages of this book kept me completely enthralled and excited. Each day I would say to myself "I really wish I could sit down and read." Well, now I have finished it and I wish there were more like this one.

The religious, scientific and political themes were what had me so interested. Having been raised strictly Catholic there were a lot of historical facts and many theories in this book that I knew nothing about. I didn't know how many religious traditions have been carried down over hundreds and thousands of years. Even the Roman Catholic religion is such a blend of many others; makes you wonder which traditions and images are really truly 100% Catholic.

Dan Brown is a fantastic writer. His imagery is eerily realistic. Most importantly the amount of historical and geographical research he must have done in order to incorporate real life into this novel is just amazing. All spectrums from symbolism of multiple religions to theories of the world's brightest and most prestigious scientists must have been contemplated and fused together in his mind as he sat down to write "Angels and Demons."

"My daughter the skeptic. So you don't believe God speaks to man? Let me put it in your language." He took a model of the human brain down from a shelf and set it in front of her. "As you probably know, Vittoria, human beings normally use a small percentage of their brain power. However, if you put them in emotionally charged situations - like physical trauma, extreme joy or fear, deep meditation - all of a sudden their neurons start firing like crazy, resulting in massively enhanced mental clarity."

"So what? Vittoria said. "Just because you think clearly doesn't mean you talk to God."

"Aha!" Vetra exclaimed. "And yet remarkable solutions to seemingly impossible problems often occur in these moments of clarity. It's what gurus call higher consciousness. Biologists call it altered states. Psychologists call it super-sentience." He paused. "And Christians call it answered prayer." Smiling broadly he added, "Sometimes, divine revelation simple means adjusting your brain to hear what your heart already knows."

Never before have I ever read an excerpt from a book that actually made me believe fully that God does communicate with His children every day. We just don't see it.

Of course that would be the angelic portion of the book. The demons...well they were another horrifying story altogether. Whereas I have never read anything so profoundly spiritual, I have also never read anything quite so evil.

An ancient secret brotherhood, the Illuminati, I knew nothing about. Now I feel like I know far more than I ever wanted to know. Scientists who rejected the authority of the Church and government.

This book mentions symbols the Illuminati have placed around the world to verify their presence in society and make themselves secretively known. For instance, the eye on top of the pyramid on the American dollar bill is said to be a Satanic symbol placed by the Illuminati to mark their work. The eye is an all-seeing eye of the pagan god Horus. According to the theory this eye represents the evil Illuminati or Satan watching everything you do. Talk about giving you the chills. Those sneaky weasels.

This will be one book I will not summarize. It is far too good for me to give anything away. If you enjoy reading and have an open mind which will allow you to step outside of your comfort zone and into a world that questions and tests your beliefs...you should borrow this book from the library, or better yet, buy it. I loved it. I would read it again.

And a thank you to Bri for suggesting and lending the book.

Labels: Dan Brown, mystery, religion, suspense

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| 6:21 PM | 0 comment(s)!

A little bit mystery, a little bit sci-fi and a whole lot of inquistive character development kept me glued to "The Consciousness Plague" from beginning to end. For those interested in medicine, serial killers and msyteries you'll find this book a quick read and you'll wish it didn't have to end so soon.

Paul Levinson out did himself with this story. It is written perfectly. There are a lot of in-depth discussions which involve how the brain communicates and remembers things. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to understand the dialogue, but Levinson wrote it in such a way that I was able to make sense of it and enjoy it.

Phil D'Amato, our main man, is a NYPD forensic detective. There is a serial killer plaguing his area and the person(s) are strangling women, stripping them and leaving them for dead. At first there doesn't appear to be a motive or connection between the women. In fact, there doesn't even appear to be a suspect until much closer to the end of the book.

There is another storyline that develops throughout and that involves a flu epidemic that is spreading worldwide. The newly developed antibiotic Ominin seems to kick the bacteria within a week's time, but there is one extreme side effect. It messes with your memory and people are forgetting hours of their days.

Can you see how Ominin could complicate the murder case?

Oh and it does.

The twists and turns that this story takes were rivetting and I may end up reading this one again later down the road. There is some holes in the story with the secondary events and characters, but they can be forgiven overall.

My score:
Solid B+

Labels: books, drama, medicine, mystery, sci-fi

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| 8:34 PM | 2 comment(s)!

In addition to being a music fiend, I also LOVE to read. And yesterday I finished a great book; another Dean Koontz pick called "Forever Odd."

Odd Thomas is the name of the main character and he can see dead people. Laugh if you must, but this is not as cliche as Sixth Sense. In fact, this is a gift in which people come to Odd for resolution or sometimes even for reasons he doesn't quite understand. In addition he has a gift of psychic magnetism which guides him to the right places at the right time.

The book begins when Odd wakes in the middle of the night to find the spirit of Dr. Jessup in his room. He isn't scared, but he is alarmed because Dr. Jessup was perfectly alive earlier that day. So he follows Dr. Jessup to his home and finds his murdered body. Dr. Jessup's son is nowhere to be found. Thus the plot thickens and we follow Odd throughout the book searching for Danny (the missing boy) and dealing with the three sick people who have kidnapped him. The sickest being Datura, the woman who befriended a crippled Danny and took advantage of secrets he told her about Odd's supernatural gifts.

I won't get into the rest, because it was such a good read I would rather you find out for yourself. But I will tell you that despite many of the grim details, Koontz is a very funny writer. There were quite a few times in which I was laughing at how he described things. He is a vivid writer with a phenomenal imagination.

And next on my reading list is "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire.

Labels: afterlife, books, drama, mystery

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| 10:25 AM | 0 comment(s)!