"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough book shelves."
                                                  Anna Quindlen

I just finished reading Docket No. 76, one of the books I reviewed this week, and I started reading a review copy of Keith Raffel's upcoming thriller.  Suddenly I had an epiphany! What  makes a book a winner for me is the way an author presents his characters.  I know within the first few chapters whether I will like a book, dislike a book or love it enough to forgo food and sleep. A good plot is important for me to continue on in a book.  Smooth flowing dialogue is something I look for when I read.  It is the way an author builds his characters however that brings it all home.  If I want to invite them to Sunday brunch or have a good old fashioned debate with them, I am sold.  If I miss them terribly the minute I finish the last page, the author has a winner.  That is why series are so popular and why authors who can successfully keep them going will never want for readers.

When we think back on books we read as kids, it was the series that kept us intrigued. The antics of the Bobbsey twins, the mystery solving of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Come on girls...who didn't want to bop around with Nancy and boyfriend Ned in her blue roadster? I think it was Cherry Ames Student Nurse who made me want to go to nursing school.  Waiting for the next book in those series to come out was something we were all programmed to do. Naturally as we became adults we still wanted relationships with characters, not just one night (book) stands. Thankfully some authors realize that, and we get to enjoy romp after romp with Jack Reacher, Lincoln Rhyme, Andy Carpenter, Harry Bosch and the like.  I am also happy to report that some of today's top authors are introducing series for young people.  John Grisham, James Patterson and Harlan Coben, to name a few, have today's youth anxiously awaiting the next installment in their favorite characters' adventures.

Speaking of next installments, I always find summer a great time to start a new adventure.  As a teacher, summers were a time for me to reflect on the previous year and anticipate the next one.  June always marked the time for a new beginning.  I am no longer teaching, but I still think of summer as the perfect time to try something new.  Arthur will be the beneficiary of some interesting looking new recipes, like chickpea, feta and barley salad.  Yesterday's quinoa, mushroom and kale burger was yummy. Going for healthy and delicious this summer.  A new venture into yoga seems right for me too.  I have been threatening it for years...time to get off the stick and on to the mat.  Lastly, of course, are new books.  I have decided to try to read two new authors a month.  We get so caught up in our favorites, sometimes we don't get around to the new authors.  This will be my summer to get out of that rut.

So if any of you have any book or recipe ideas that you love, please send them to me.  If you click on the contact section of madderlyreview.com, you will find a place to send in comments.  I would love to hear from you.  Please tell me what is new in your life this summer.

- Beverly

Genre: Legal Thriller

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I often download samples of books before I decide to purchase them.  For me it is the 21st century version of sitting in Barnes and Noble, reading the fly leaf of a book.  Sometimes I am moved to buy the book, but often I am not.  Docket No. 76 not only moved me to buy it, but once I read the sample I actually stopped the book I had been reading so I could finish Bohannan's legal thriller.  Her descriptions of both people and events captivated me.

The coincidences in the story were indeed a bit far fetched, but this is fiction after all.
The story begins with the viscous attack of five year old Dori as she spends the night at her godfather's house.  The author does a good job of letting the reader feel the anguish without bombarding us with a detailed description of the attack.  What follows is the initial focus on the wrong suspect and then the arrest of the correct one.

The prosecutor, Sandy Morgan has a personal stake in the case (so much so that one must suspend reality to believe she remains the prosecutor) and becomes way too involved.  The reader sympathizes with Sandy and becomes emotionally attached to her character.

Bohannan makes us pull for her personal life as well as her professional success. The legalities often made me want to scream.  I understand why certain things weren't admissible, but it is hard to deal with when you are sure that the defendant is guilty.
 
Docket No. 76 is an exciting peek into the legal system, and I recommend it.

- Beverly


Publisher - AuthorHouse
Date of Publication - January 17, 2014

Genre: Thriller

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It is no secret that I am a sucker for a good story with a great talking point, and Sakey produced just that with this book.  It is several years old but worth reviewing for those who missed it.

Tom and Anna Reed are in the midst of a financial crisis when their tenant suddenly dies.  While going through his apartment they find an incredibly large sum of money.  What would you do?  Several authors present us with that question, and I think Sakey does a good job making us regret even thinking about keeping it.

Tom and Anna keep the money, and their lives begin to fall apart.  They are suddenly being chased by a drug dealer, a robber and a cop who all want something different.  Sakey's characters are generally good people who get themselves into impossible situations, and things get a lot worse before they edge towards a solution.  This book really will keep you on the edge of your seats.  Have fun!

- Beverly


Publisher - Onyx; Reprint edition
Date of Publication - August 14, 2008

"Those who don't believe in magic will never find it"
                                                  Roald Dahl

I put down my book yesterday (reluctantly) and went to the movies. Jon Favreau wrote, directed and acted in a movie that is being touted by critics and movie goers alike.  In the movie, Chef, Favreau plays a chef whose creativity is being stifled by the restaurant owner played by Dustin Hoffman. A restaurant critic pans the chef, and he goes ballistic.  What follows is a look at a man trying to recapture his visions and his relationship with his ten year old son.  The movie is a good one ( hint: DO NOT GO HUNGRY ) with amazing food scenes, but for me it verified something else.  At one point Chef Casper loses it and admits to the critic ( played perfectly by Oliver Platt ) that he was hurt by the nasty review.  Chefs put their heart in their offerings, often working eighteen hour days to make sure their customers are given amazing food.  Granted it doesn't always work, but to be panned by a man who eats for a living is difficult to take. Restaurants are made or broken by critics who often forget the person behind the meal.

People question why my reviews are never terribly negative.  I am asked if I ever read a book I didn't like. I often read books (or stop reading books) that I don't enjoy.  No author can capture every reader, and some should probably find another profession.  That being said, every author puts his/her heart (and an insane amount of hours) into his/her book, and the fact that I didn't like it doesn't somehow lessen its importance to the author.  So I chose to not review books I don't like.  Those I review are generally those that captured me and make me want to share them with my friends.  I simply don't have the heart to tell all of my readers that the hundreds of hours an author put into a book were a waste of time.

Time means a great deal to me these days.  A good friend of mine died suddenly several months ago, and I was reminded once again how important it is to enjoy every minute that is given to me.   As much as I loved my teaching career, I am happy to have time for myself right now. Sitting by the lake and watching the wildlife, taking long walks with hubby Arthur or short walks with six year old Olivia,  or curling up on the couch with my mini iPad filled with books makes each day a special day.  My gift to you all this week isn't a book, it is a suggestion.  Make a list of the people, places and things that make you the happiest, and make sure that they become the focal points of your life.  Go kiss your spouse, play with your kids, visit your parents and hang out with your friends.  I promise that you will never look back and regret any of that time spent.  Then, of course, read a book!!!

- Beverly

Genre: Science Fiction

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Daniel Keyes died this week, and I feel he should be recognized one more time. The science fiction novel Flowers for Algernon came out in 1966 and introduced the world to Charlie Gordon, a mentally retarded man in his thirties.  In this amazing novel scientists have come up with a new procedure to advance the intellect of a person with mental retardation, and Charlie's estranged sister gives the university permission to perform the procedure on Charlie.
 
The reader gets a close perspective of Charlie's life since the book is told through "progris riports" that he writes.  His relationship with Algernon, a laboratory mouse that is undergoing the same experiment is both touching and scary, because Charlie can see the future in the actions of the mouse. Charlie's I.Q. Goes from 68  to 185 in a few short weeks, and suddenly he is facing a reality he is not sure he wants.  His flashbacks and moments of recognition are heart wrenching.  When Algernon starts to lose his intellect we watch Charlie struggle with decisions that must be made.
 
I read this book as a teenager and was deeply moved. I taught it as a teacher and found it an amazing tool to bring up so many life lessons for discussion.  If you have not read it (or your teenage children have not read it) then please honor Daniel Keyes (and yourself) by ordering the book today.  Read it with a box of tissues by your side and use it as a wonderful start to a family discussion.

- Beverly


Publisher - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Kindle)
Date of Publication - December 1, 2007

Genre: Mystery

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My husband teases me about my weakness for shoes.  I just can't resist a great looking pair of sandals, or loafers, or ballet slippers, or pumps, or... .  I line them up by color, I try them on with each outfit, and nine times out of ten I end up wearing the comfortable old shoe that sits in the back and calls out to me.  David Rosenfelt is my comfortable old shoe of authors. His characters are familiar, his settings are homey and his stories filled with excitement that is lightened by humor.  Without Warning fits that category.  His two main characters are Jake Robbins, small town police chief, and Katie Sanford, editor of the local paper.  Can you get more familiar or homier than that?  A storm causes the unearthing of a local time capsule that was meant to stay buried for fifty years.  When the contents are examined, there are twelve tragedies predicted including the death of Jake's wife.  Several of these tragedies have already occurred...all after the capsule had been buried.  A serial killer is in their midst.
 
Jake and Katie had dated in high school but drifted apart.  This is fiction, so naturally Katie's husband, Roger,  is found guilty of the murder of Jake's wife and later dies while incarcerated.  The predictions point to the probability of Roger's innocence.
 
Rosenfelt has a way of making us believe in the preposterous and feel smart while doing it. There isn't much humor in this book (he saves that for his wonderful Andy Carpenter series), but there is a bit of lightness even as we go through the tragedies.
 
I won't give away any more of the plot but will definitely recommend the book as one of my favorites this month.  Like that old loafer I keep wearing, David Rosenfelt is the author I want in reaching distance when I am ready to settle down and be comfortable.

- Beverly


Publisher - Minotaur Books
Date of Publication - March 25, 2014

Genre: Legal Thriller

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Anyone who has read an Allison Brennan book knows that she has a way with building her characters.  FBI agent Lucy Kincaid is an interesting character who we get to know better and better as we read each book Brennan writes about her.  In Dead Heat she is assigned to the Violent Crimes unit in San Antonio.  She is part of a task force trying to get local offenders with outstanding warrants. Of course things get more complicated  and she has to deal with kidnapping, trafficking, murder, deception and a drug cartel. The love of her life, Sean Rogan, is there to help her.  Their relationship is one of my favorite parts of this series, and I love that she made his brother Kane a real character in this book.
 
I recommend this book...in fact, if you haven't read any Lucy Kincaid books yet, start with book one and keep on going.

- Beverly


Publisher - Minotaur Books
Date of Publication - June 3, 2014

"The Journey of a Lifetime starts with the turning of a page"
                                                                               Rachel Anders


Wow!  Whoever coined the phrase " time flies" sure hit the nail on the head. How can it be June already?  It was just Thanksgiving filled with stuffing and yams and all of those wonderful carbs that fuel us through the holiday season. Then I blinked and the ball was dropping over Times Square.  The New Year's excitement turned quickly into Easter bunnies and stacks of Passover matzo.  Then Mother's Day and now Father's Day help us remember those who love us unconditionally.   Unbelievable that all this happened while I feel like the Thanksgiving pies are just getting ready to be pulled from the oven.

One way I know that a new month has passed is the appearance of yet another James Patterson book.  I know many authors are prolific (how is it that authors die and just keep publishing?) but Patterson and his co-authors seem to break all records.  I read (and reviewed) his latest Women's Murder Club series this week and must admit that I enjoyed it. He is pretty formulaic, but this formula works.  Unlucky Thirteen had me turning the pages as quickly as his earlier stories about these four friends who always seem to be there for each other.  They remind me of the Sex in the City women who always had fun through their collective tragedies.  I always wanted to join those City girls for brunch, and I keep wishing for the opportunity to join the Murder Club four some evening for dinner and drinks.
 
Speaking of dinner, my dinner at Barbuto's  in  New York last week was amazing.  Our table shared the gnocchi primavera for an appetizer and fought over the last bit of sauce.  How Waxman's chefs make those little pillows so light and the spring vegetables so perfectly textured is a trick I would pay to learn.  My main course (cod on a salad of lightly sautéed asparagus, almonds and mint ) was so amazing that I left little room for the shared strawberry-rhubarb tart and chocolate pudding for dessert.   I definitely understand why it is one of Michael's (my son and New York Guide) favorite restaurants.

Marley (college roomie and reason for this trip) took us to a few good restaurants, too.  Ici, a charming Brooklyn restaurant, had the greatest enclosed patio to enjoy an amazing brunch, and Sociale, in Brooklyn Heights was just the kind of warm and inviting neighborhood restaurant that is sorely missing in South Florida.

Well, enough daydreaming about things gone by...onward to Fathers' Day plans and my next novel selection...Without Warning by David Rosenfelt.  It has been out for a few months, but I have been saving it as a gift to myself.  I usually love his books and decided that I can wait no longer.

Enjoy your fathers, grandfathers, husbands and sons this weekend, and start a great journey by turning to page one of a new book.

Click on the book cover to order the titles mentioned in today's blog:

Genre: Mystery  

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It seems as if I have been reading James Patterson books since I began reading.  I used to anxiously await each Alex Cross book with the excitement I once reserved for Nancy Drew.
Unfortunately I outgrew Detective Cross in much the same way I outgrew Detective Drew.

 Actually, when James Patterson started amassing co-authors, I stopped reading most of his books. Interestingly enough, I really enjoy many of those co-authors when they write alone
(Andrew Gross and David Ellis are two of my favorite authors).

The one series that calls me back to Patterson is The Women's Murder Club.  I love the girls and want to go out for drinks with them.  They are all strong women with enough vulnerability to help us relate to them.  This book, like all in the series, has multiple stories to keep us interested.  Lindsey is tracking down the "belly bomber," while Cindy is going after an evil character from a past book.  Poor Yuki shows us that even her honeymoon can be sidelined with disaster, and Claire is always around to add her clear head to the mix.

I also enjoy the men in each of their lives and was thrilled when Lindsey finally married Joe in a previous book.  Her mothering skills are a bit suspect, but Joe saves the day when he gives up an amazing FBI career to be Mr. Mom. ( Okay...I never said it makes sense!).

As they always do, the authors solve most of the cases in this book but leave us wondering about the main one.  It is a fast read with short chapters and lots of dialogue.  If you are a Murder Club devotee, this book will not disappoint.

- Beverly


Publisher - Little, Brown and Company
Date of Publication - May 5, 2014

Genre: Fiction

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I am not generally a fan of short stories. Just as I start to feel invested in the characters and plot, the story is over. In fact, to be totally honest, I still have a couple more stories to read in FaceOff.  That being said, the concept of this book is quite interesting and was probably great fun for the more than twenty writers who contributed.  The authors were paired up and wrote stories that used both of their main characters as protagonists.  Seeing the characters meet each other and interact was interesting, but it also made each character seem a little " less." Another problem for me was that even as an avid thriller reader and reviewer, there are some authors I don't read and some characters I am not familiar with in FaceOff.  Having Kenzie and Bosch together in "Red Eye" was fun though, and Nick Heller meeting Jack Reacher was quite the match-up in "Good and Valuable Consideration."  For those who are legal thriller fans, two of my favorite lawyers, Paul Madriani and Alexandra Cooper are matched up in “Surfing the Panther," and Cotton Malone meeting up with Gray Pierce in “The Devil’s Bones,”  was definite testosterone overload.

While FaceOff was not my favorite showing of any of these individuals, it was so much fun watching them meet that I do recommend this book to those who have known and loved these characters through the years.

- Beverly


Publisher - Simon & Schuster
Date of Publication - June 3, 2014