Dana Delany Books

If you love archaeology and the wild west do yourself a favor and read this book. Packed to the brim with suspense and excitement I'd say this book falls in the top 3 of best novels by P&C.

and i'm really glad i finally got around to reading it!
what a ride! i really enjoyed thunderhead!
it's a smart, chilling, scary, and thoughtful story, with a dash of humor tossed it!
highy recommended!

happy reading!

I was searching for good, new (to me) authors, when I realized I had read all of James Rollins' books and was waiting for my "to be sent when published in paperback" copy of Rollins' The Judas Strain. I read the reviews on Amazon and decided Preston and Child offered potential to interest me. I was right in sampling one of their books. Thunderhead interested me because it was about archeology and the Southwest. I was not disappointed in the storyline or the protagonist. Some of the situations were a bit extreme and required acceptance of "literary leeway" for the authors, but the story moved fairly well and introduced interesting characters you could care about--or not.
It's a good summer read, and I will certainly purchase more books by them--both as co-authors and individually.

This is an easy read with adequate background information to give you some insight to the mysteries of the Anasazi. Personal conflicts mixed with modern day Indiana Jonesish thrills make for a compelling read. 4.5 stars out of 5.

This was my first Preston Childs book, but definitely not my last. I simply couldn't put it down until it was finished, and that doesn't happen much anymore, believe me.

The descriptions of the Anasazi dwellings and speculations on their culture, along with the desert environment and it's perils, kept me hooked. The characterizations were less believable and formulaic - the pompous scientist, the "salt of the earth" cowboy, the arrogant journalist, the plucky heroine - but this was all forgivable, given the power of the narrative. You were could feel the dust of the desert and terrified making your way with them through that slot canyon. I was riveted as they approached the lost city of Quivera, and when it was finally revealed - it was spellbinding.

From time to time the unlikely scenario of throwing together such a disparate crew, some of which were totally unprepared, on such an important archaeological expedition was irksome. Still, even that was acceptable, given the power of the storytelling What made me more uncomfortable however, was the gruesome deaths of all of the expedition's horses, along with Nora Kelly's indifference to the disappearance of her dog, later found mutilated. Throughout the book, this detail made me like her less.

That said, I highly recommend the book for it's archaeological detail and the sheer power of the story telling. It's a thriller in the true sense of the word.

This is a super-quick, engaging read that had me crying like a baby towards the end. It's a story told in literal notes left on a refrigerator between a mother and daughter -- a really unique premise. It's not a totally deep, meaningful read, but it's a good one!

The best thing I can say about this "novel" and I hate to call it a novel, despite the fact it is over 200 pages in length, is it was shallow, predictable, and disappointing. Even a slow reader can finish the book in about 20 minutes, as most pages have only one or two lines of print on them. The total word count for the book is probably less than that of the average short story. Thus, I have a difficult time calling this book a "novel." By no means can the book be considered novel length.

The characters are shallow, perhaps by design, I do not know, and the plot is as thin as the book. The mother is not given a name, thus the reader is robbed of any empathy toward her, despite the fact she is a victim of breast cancer. Sadly we know more about the daughter's boyfriend than we do about her mother. Plus, it was hard to work up a lot of emotion for a mother who put her career ahead of her relationship with her daughter. No wonder she is divorced (as her daughter so aptly tells her, in a note, of course).

The story was extremely predictable. After only a few pages, it was obvious (to me at least) that the mother would die at the end and the daughter would be ok. Too much foreshadowing, perhaps. But the predictibility robs the reader of most of the suspense and tension in the book. The only suspense is what happens before the mother dies.

Overall, the book was very disappointing. It is an interesting concept, to tell their story through a series of notes on the refrigerator door, but the story came up short.

If you feel compelled to read the book, obtain a copy from the library. Do not waste your money to buy a copy.

Mother and daughter relationships are so different from anything else. I loved this book. I loved the note type style it was written. It was VERY quick but got the point across. We have a mother who is a doctor. We have a 15 year old daughter who is left alone quite a bit because of the mother's work schedule. She does the shopping, cooking quite a bit and comes and goes as she pleases.

The mother gets bad news that she has breast cancer. From there it goes on -- Being a mother, I think the notes imply that you always "think" you have more time. The only thing I didn't enjoy is Claire seemed to come and go as she pleased. That wouldn't work for me. She had to grow up quick.

I did really love this little book. I wouldn't consider it a novel at all either. But then again I am not a writer or know what would constitute it a novel. I think this would be a good book to give for Mother's Day. Enjoy!

As most of the other reviewers have stated, this is an extremely fast read. I didn't find the characters particularly compelling, in spite of the tragic circumstances of the novel; Kulper's unconventional (but interesting) method of letting the story unfold solely through notes left on a refrigerator limits the depth of the characters and their story, and leaves the reader feeling somewhat detached from the whole experience.

I was shocked to find that this book had only received an average of 3 stars from the people who have previously reviewed it. To me it's a gem! It's worthy of 5 stars! I read a copy from my local library & I'm buying it as gifts for friends. K. Sweeny gave this book a one star rating. Sweeny has to be one massively cynical person. I've read all the customer reviews & all the 3 star reviews seem so positive that I don't know why the reviewers only gave the book 3 stars. Some of them cried at the ending. Some spoke of giving the book to their Mom & others to read. Most spoke that it ended too soon & they wanted more. How is a book like that just 3 stars? If leaving the reader wanting more is a negative in those reviewer's minds, I'm speechless. I always thought that was a positive trait. Many said they read the book in 20 minutes. Whoopee, you can read fast. Why? You need to savor the words & emotions on the pages of this book.
This book definitely deserves 5 stars.
I wonder how many of the customers who have published reviews have raised or are raising teenagers.
I'm helping raise a 15-year old teenage girl. I thought I was reading her notes. This book is so realistic. Single working Moms can see themselves reflected in the notes left by the Mom.
So many families leave post-it notes on the fridge for each other. As far as I know this is the first time an author has written a book solely using notes posted on a fridge.
Even with her hands tied behind her back because of the technique she has chosen, the author was able to develop characters, make the reader care about her characters, write a tight plot, & maintain a flowing narrative.
Not only does this author deal very realistically with the interactions between a 15-year old teenage girl & her Mom (& her Dad) - but the author adds a terminal disease for the Mom. Somehow she knows how a young mother facing this crisis feels like. Somehow she is honest enough to include spats & conflicts even during this time of crisis between Mom & daughter.
I loved this book. It can only help parents & teenagers who read it have an even closer relationship. If they are having troubles, perhaps reading this book can help smooth the way to recovery.
How this author can touch so many actual emotions is amazing to me. I applaud her.
I applaud her with 5 stars.
I put a pox on cynics & naysayers. As for those readers complaining about wanting more . . . how is that bad?
This is the author's debut novel. Wow! What a triumph!
Cynics should stay away from this book. Curmudgeons need not open its covers. Speedreaders should slow down to savor the words & the emotions the book will bring out in the reader.