Book Review- Patrick deWitt- The Sisters Brothers

Patrick deWitt- The Sisters Brothers 1 Star

Charles and Eli Sisters are killers for hire working for a man called the Commodore. The Commodore has sent them after a man named Hermann Warm. He claims that Warm has stolen something from him, but really he intends for them to steal something from Warm. Getting Warm though, might not be so easy. It is a long trip from Oregon to Sacramento. Eli must try to keep his brother’s thirst for killing under control and yet stay alive as they travel many miles to complete their job.

I kind of liked the way this book started and I was settling in for a great western read with rave reviews and many awards. I did become bored pretty quickly though. The main plot I felt was lost with rabbit trails that dragged your attention away from what it was leading towards. I know the author was trying to develop a conflict of self within the character, but in the end it made me lose my focus. I also found the main characters to be quite dislikeable throughout the whole book, which made it hard to enjoy. That is not to say that the characters were not well done as the mains were very well crafted, the other characters though I felt were lacking. The ending of the book was the best part; it was a suiting way to conclude the events. I disliked how the author also kept talking about everyone’s “organs” and especially hated the part where the main character is checking a bruise on his leg and figures that that is an opportune time to “compromise himself”, this was most unnecessary. Overall I would not recommend this book to anyone, and I find myself questioning why it won/was nominated for so many awards.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Jeffery Deaver- Edge

Jeffery Deaver- Edge 4.25 Stars

Corte is a federal agent responsible for the protection/hiding of people who have information that lifters want to extract for their bosses. Henry Loving is one such lifter, the most ruthless of these lifters, and Corte has come across him once before. The last time Loving killed his mentor, this time Corte will be out for revenge, he just can’t let it cost him his charges. His current charges that Loving is after are the Kesslers. He must protect them from this madman and prevent them from giving up the information, the only problem is no one knows what information he could possible be after.

The opening section of Edge grabbed my attention and it prepared me for a great read. It was a different kind of book from some of the others I have read by Deaver, but I enjoyed it. The plot was well thought out with many great twists and turns that just keep the reader guessing and wondering what could possibly surprise you next. That being said I do often feel that he slips in one too many twists that his main characters always magically figure out and have known for a while they were just manipulating things to catch the villain. Such was the case in this one, although it didn’t really detract from the overall read. The characters were well crafted and seemed to be very realistic. I do get tired of his under-aged characters though, all the young girls say ‘like’ many times, which is not an accurate portrayal of young girls. I was also wondering why a sixteen-year-old girl would be carrying around a bear backpack. Overall though, this was a great read that I would recommend to anyone who likes a good thriller.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Ann Rinaldi- Girl in Blue

Ann Rinaldi- Girl in Blue 2.75 Stars

Sarah Louisa has been told by her father that she is going to marry a neighbour she has no intentions of marrying. Now with the Civil War beginning, she is running of to sneak into the army as a soldier. She must struggle through army life and keep her real identity a secret for fear of being kicked out. Learning new skills is what will keep her safe, including figuring out how to be an effective spy.

The novel starts off a little slow, but does pick up enough to keep the reader interested. That being said, I never really had any wow moments when reading. It was an intriguing storyline though, with a great overall concept. I would have liked to have seen her remain as a soldier instead of taking her off into the spy business, but I understand what the author was trying to do here. The characters were a redeeming quality in this novel, being very well crafted. I do also love books about the Civil War and this time period. Overall this book fell a little flat for me and would not be one I would pick up and reread.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Harlan Coben- Caught

Harlan Coben- Caught 3 Stars

Wendy Tynes is a reporter catching pedophiles in the act by using chat rooms as a sting operation. When she catches social worker Dan Mercer in her web, she had no idea just how much it was going to change her life. Suddenly the story gets complicated and everything seems to be amuck. Nothing makes sense anymore and the question is, was he really guilty, or was he set up?

I loved the opening line for this book. It was a great way to draw you into the book. I also loved the opening chapter as it was really good at making you want to read on. That being said it got to be a little hard to follow for the next quarter of the book as it seemed like there was so much going on and so many shifts in perspective. The plot was really well thought out though and had great twists and turns along the way. I especially enjoyed the ending, though not completely unpredictable, it was a fitting conclusion. The characters were also really well done and assisted the plot nicely. Overall it was only a decent read. Not the greatest book by this author.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Don Passman- Mirage

Don Passman- Mirage 3.75 Stars

Berger has just found out that his place of work has been bombed and he is suspect number one. The problem is, he was gone playing in a chess tournament all weekend, but all records of there having been a tournament have been wiped out. Now he must try to keep ahead of the FBI as they hunt him down. Only one person in the FBI believes him, Agent Jill Landis. Jill is a young agent with no experience in such matters, but she believes it could be a part of something much larger, and far deadlier than an office building explosion.

Interesting beginning. It makes you curious about what could be so bad and how this is going to tie into the main plot. Mirage gripped my attention all the way through; it kept up a good pace and had some good twists and turns. The major twist we find out about in the ending I did see a mile away. I wish that the author had found another way of making this less obvious. I also hate how FBI agent women in novels seem to end up sleeping with someone they aren’t supposed to in every book. The characters were pretty good though. Overall this book was a pretty good read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Richard Preston- The Cobra Event

Richard Preston- The Cobra Event 3.5 Stars

Dr. Alice Austen of the Centers for Disease Control is on the trail of a new strain of virus. A man is releasing bits of this virus into the New York City population. A homeless man dies and is quickly followed by a young girl. Now they must locate this man before he causes a widespread epidemic. He has no intention of being caught though and will not go down without a fight.

                             

It took me a bit to get into this book. That being said, it had some really intense parts that led up to an explosive ending. The plot kind of twisted and turned, but was slowed down by parts that were pointless fluff. It did also have a few parts that I wondered about the plausibility. The characters were really well done, and it must have taken some research to find out symptoms of different diseases. I especially loved the way it ended. Overall it was a pretty good read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Ryne Douglas Pearson- Top Ten

Ryne Douglas Pearson- Top Ten 3.5 Stars

When serial killer Michaelangelo sees that the top ten most wanted list has been numbered and he is at the bottom of the list, it infuriates him. Now he is hunting down the others on the list in order to become number one. Ariel and the FBI are after this man though and they are onto what his game is. This cagey villain will be the ultimate test for her skills.

This was one of the most disturbing introductions I have read in a long time. The book was very well written, but continued to be chillingly disturbing throughout the book. The plot was twisting and weaving all the way through, working towards an explosive ending. I did have to wonder how the villain so easily tracked down all these people that the FBI could not find. The characters were pretty well done, but could have had more depth. The overall plausibility was probably my biggest problem with this novel though. As a whole the novel kept me on the edge of my seat, so I would say it was a decent read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/