Rosarito Beach

Rosarito Beach by M.A. Lawson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

DEA Agent Kay Hamilton doesn't play well with others not even coworkers but she brings in the bad guys and she doesn't care. And when she arrests the young brother of powerful drug lord Caesar Olivera she knows that there is nothing Caesar wont do to do get him out of jail. Including declaring open war on the U.S.

But she doesn't count on him kidnapping her daughter to get her to help his brother escape. Things don't go as well as Kay or the Cartel hopes. Now Kay's only hope on saving her daughter and herself is calling in every favor she has on both sides on the border.

This is a good introduction into a new series. It sucks you in quickly without over loading you with character development. In fact I didn't like Kay at first. I thought she was an annoying person and was annoyed by her. The more I read the more I started to understand her the more I started to kind of like her. I still thought she was a little annoying but at least I understood why.

Despite Kay's personality problems the book was addictive, I couldn't put it down and read it in one marathon session. I wanted to now what happened next. I forgot it was the beginning of a series and started to wonder if she would make it out of this mess alive and who was she going to take down with her.

Thankfully it was a quick read and I zoomed right through it. I would considered reading the next book in the series. I am curious to see what happens to Kay next. I guess I ended up liking her more than I thought.


View all my reviews

The Hollow Man

The Hollow Man: A Novel by Oliver Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Nick Belsey, London Police Detective Nick Belsey, is a man that has hit bottom with a vengeance. He wakes up on Hampstead Heath still drunk by a crashed squad car, no money, no wallet, no home and soon no job. While piecing together his night he casually starts investigating a missing person and figures out how to get himself out of this mess.

It will be oh so simple to step into the shoes of the missing business man, clean out his accounts and disappear himself. Its not like there is a body and no one even knows what Alex Devereux (the missing Russian business man) looks like. The more Nick investigates the missing person the more he is sure he could get away with the crime but he has to move fast. Soon body's are piling up and Nick's own life is in jeopardy.

You always know you have read a good book when you get to the end and you immediately go online to discover when/if more books will be coming. which is exactly what I did with this book.

Unlike most American crime novels this book moves a little slower and spends getting us to the guns blazing end, which is why it works so well. By the time you get to the half way mark you are secretly hoping Nick gets away with his scheming but also solves the big mystery surrounding Alex Devereux. You can't decide to you want Nick to be the good guy or the bad guy.

Unlike typical anti-heroes, bad guys being heroic, you have a "good guy" doing some bad things. And although the main character is essentially solving the mystery he is not doing it for the greater good he is doing it for his own selfish reasons. And that is what keeps you reading and connected to the character.


View all my reviews

Check out what others think of The Hollow Man.

The Unseen

The Unseen by Heather Graham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Meet Texas Ranger Logan Raintree known for his ability to solve cases and save victims. He has been asked to head a new investigative team for the FBI filled with agents who seem to have special abilities like his...he sees the dead.

Unsure if he will accept the new offer he teams up with possible team member US Marshal Kelsey O'Brien, known for her intuition, to solve a string of murders/disappearances that have occurred in the San Antonio area. And seem to have a connection to a murder of a young prostitute that occurred right before the battle at the Alamo in the 1800s and the disappearance of a girl at the famed Longhorn salon a year ago.

But what could the these events have to do with the murders happening now? Logan and Kelsey are going to have to trust each other and the ghosts of the past if they are going to solve this case before another girl ends up dead.

Despite following the same pattern of most of Heather Graham's books; a murder mystery, paranormal investigation, people following in love, mystery solved, Heather Graham managed to capture my attention and hold on to it for the entire book. So much so that I was staying up late and skipping meals to finish. At one point I was tempted to skip to the end just so I could relax.

This is part of a series but mostly a spin off so you could read it out of order with no confusion like I did.

I plan to read the rest of this series


View all my reviews

The Book of Fate

The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer


My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After being wounded during an attack on his boss, The President of the United States, Wes is a lost man. He stays in a job as the Presidents aide long after the President losses his reelection bid and longer than he should. One night while on a speaking tour Wes sees a man that is believed to be dead in the same attack were he received his disfiguring wounds. Not able to believe what’s going but determined to find the truth Wes sets out to unmask the mystery even if it means exposing his boss. Someone (or 3 someone) don’t want Wes to discover the truth and will do what ever it takes to keep their centuries old secrets save. The more Wes learns the greater his life is at risk along with anyone trying to help him.

This book was not my favorite book. it’s the first book by Metzler I have read. I like watching his show on History Channel where they solve historical mysteries. But like the TV show (that just draws conclusion without resolving much) this book didn’t not seem to have anything new to add to the genre. At first I really enjoyed the book it had a quick pace and I liked the characters. However the more I read the more I felt as if I was reading a book I had already read. The ending picked it back up then the Epilogue ruined the parts I liked about the book. It may seem silly to let 8 pages of a 508 pages book ruin it for you. But it really did I felt disappointed that everyone was going to run off to California now. It seemed like Meltzer was cheating and giving us the "Hollywood" ending. I am not sure I would recommend this book to others. I am going to try another of Meltzer’s books I have heard good things about but unless I find that 1 amazing I am going to skip his books in the future.

View all my reviews

Glory in Death

Glory in Death by J.D. Robb


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Police Lt. Eve Dallas must solve the mysterious murder of NYC prosecutor. And the list of suspects is not a short one. It includes the victim’s family, friends, everyone she has prosecuted and Eve's own boyfriend Roarke. Then another victim is found dead this time a up and coming movie star. Soon Eve discovers Roarke had a relationship with both women, one business one personal, will her own convection be enough to keep Roarke out of jail.

Slightly predictable but I was way off base on the identity of the killer. Only down side was having Roarke as a suspect again!!!! If this is going to be an on going trend in the series I may not continue to read them.

View all my reviews

Still Missing

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Annie O'Sullivan is just wrapping up her work day and planning on spending the rest of her day at her boyfriend's with a nice quite evening. When one last potential customer shows up at her open house Annie is hopeful that she will be able to get the house sold. Instead Annie is abducted and held hostage in a remote mountain cabin with no windows and no means of escape. Brutalized and terrorized daily for a year Annie manages to stay alive and escape only to endure the constant hounding of the media and her family and her friends.

There are certain books and movies or events that forever change your psyche this is one of those books. The story is told by Annie while seeing a psychiatrist mixed with the events of her current life and the year she was held captive. And just when you think they book is winding down things kick back into gear giving you a plot twist that leaves you gasping and shocked and the depravity of some people. Just make sure when you read this book it’s in the middle of the day and you are surrounded by those you love and trust.

View all my reviews

Naked in Death

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Eve Dallas is a NY police officer after a brutal night at work Dallas in asked to investigate the death of a Senator's granddaughter. All the evidence is pointing to the very sexy and mysterious Roarke (no last name). But Dallas believes Roarke is innocent of the murders and that someone is setting both her and Roarke up to take the fall.

J D Robb is actually acclaimed romance writer Nora Roberts for those who don’t already know. I think that is why I resisted reading this book for so long; I am not a fan of Nora Roberts’s books. However, I really enjoyed this book. While the plot was slightly predictable and I know who the killers were early on I enjoyed the way Roberts told the story. I liked reading her vision of what the future would be like. The main characters were flawed and tormented just as you would expected and a book as sinister as this one. This book is darker and more sinister than other books written by Roberts but I plan on reading more in this series and soon.

View all my reviews