Nova Books

Its been a long time since I've enjoyed a trilogy as much as I have the Three Sister's Island books. The third book finished out the story of these wonderfully different women and their special talents. It was so much fun to read all three that I hated to see it end. I could read this trilogy again. Something I don't do often. If your going to read one, plan on reading all three. You won't want to have just one.

The heroin in this book would make any women wish she were her! I was sad to finish this series.

What is wrong with Nora Roberts? Her latest books about witchcraft and devils?? This is so not her. I long for a good book like her "THe Villa" or some of her past books with some depth and character development. I could not finish them and took them back to the dealer. Ick!

I think Nora Roberts has a habit of starting trilogies off really well, and then dropping the ball by the time she finishes. "Face the Fire" is nowhere near as interesting or compelling as the previous two installments in this trilogy. I think NR ran out of steam.

Mia Devlin is a strong beautiful witch that owns a bookstore/café on Three Sisters. She keeps buried a deep hurt from her childhood when the love of her life, Sam Logan, left her broken just out of high school.

Sam is back, and he is determined to win Mia back. He knows what a mistake he made leaving. He was so young, and the powerful emotions she brought out in him scared him, so he ran. Sam is also a witch, and he is willing to use whatever it takes to gain Mia's trust.

Mia and Sam must find their way back to each other, or they will not have the strength for the upcoming fight of their lives.

A great finish to the series. I liked that Mia was fire and Sam was water - fire & ice!

MC can write awfully better than this. I bought this book because I wanted to relax and read a good thriller and I got uneasy and bored. The main story is OK if and only if you can find it along its pages. The story has overly loopholes that it could be a strainer.

The hero in Michael Connelly's Blood Work is ex-FBI agent Terrell (Terry) McCaleb, who's recuperating from a heart transplant when Graciella Rivers steps onto his houseboat asking him to come out of retirement and find her sister's killer. Why should he? The answer is simple, Gloria River's was the heart donor who gave Terry his new heart. This leaves Terry no choice and he goes after the killer. It seems like a store robbery gone bad, but then Terry's FBI profiling instincts get ruffled and believes it was only supposed to look like a random act. He suspects there's a serial killer at work here, a predator.

Connelly departs from his straightfoward mystery/suspense novels with this story that centers on a retired FBI agent searching for the killer of the donor of his new heart. Terry McCaleb is 8 weeks out from a heart transplant when he learns of the donor's murder. Her persuasive and attractive sister spurs McCaleb to jump start the cold case of the hunt for the killer. It takes some unforeseen turns as the former FBI investigator faces his own past and the dilemma of gaining a new chance on life from someone else's loss.

Connelly, as usual, pens a suspenseful page turner. The heart transplant issue causes some missteps I think because such a patient probably would not be able to do some of the things McCaleb does or suffers without more severe physical problems. That question is present throughout the action of the book and is a part of the conflict he faces. It also limits the usual tough-guy (Bosch type) of character in Connelly's books. Other than that issue, the book is first rate.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, my first by author Connelly. My only gripe is strictly on myself: I saw the movie several times prior to reading the book. I'm a big Eastwood fan. Not to give anything away, but there are plot details that differ significantly, and I had a hard time keeping the two separate.

The book is much better. The plot may strain credibility at times but not in comparison to the movie. For the procedural, investigation genre, this novel works. Some of the plot twists are unlikely if not inconceivable, though. The characters are rich and completely engaging. The character development, at least with regard to the major characters, is superior. Its not the best thriller I've read, but if you find it too tedious, you're jaded.

Blood Work is based on a captivating premise: a retired FBI ace is persuaded by a stranger to investigate the murder of her sister. The recipient of a heart transplant, Terry McCaleb accepts and soon discovers that the victim was the donor of his new heart and therefore his savior. A most promising framework on which to build a police procedural.

The McCaleb novels are a departure for author Connelly, who is well known for his sharp, edgy Harry Bosch novels. Unfortunately, this new hero cannot hold a candle to Harry with respect to charisma and simple humanity. For some reason, Connelly resorted to a series of facile discoveries and coincidences to bring this mystery to its conclusion. Some of these contrivances are just too much to swallow. It didn't take long, for example, for Terry to find the exact beach location where the perpetrator hides out, and this along the southern California coast, no less.

I'll probably read the next McCaleb novel, but with lower expectations that I hold for dear Harry.

Another great book by Nora Roberts!!!! When I first started reading the book and got to the ghost part...I though oh no! But, it was written so well and so intriguing, I couldn't put it down. What a different story line!!! I loved it!

I loved this book, I prefer ghost stories and this is one of my favorites. I loved the twist and I'll leave it at that so as not to spoil this book. Just a great book, sweet storyline, and very beautiful descriptions of the land, the house, and the people. Very good read.

I think one of the things I like most about Nora Roberts is the way she portrays men. Somehow, though she makes them romantic, they are still... guys.

This is the story of Declan, a guy who was a lawyer, in Boston, of "the" Boston Fitzgeralds, engaged to be married. Then he decides that he does not love his fiancee, pretty much hates his job, and needs a BIG change.

He comes to see that he had been making decisions based on what his family wanted for him.

He buys an old run-down mansion in the deep south. It's complete with ghosts and cool neighbors. He remodels the house through the book, solves a 100 year old mystery, and wins the girl (no spoiler there, I'm sure).

And though he loves the heroine long before she loves him, though he questions his own sanity with the whole haunting thing, he is never less than a very strong, male man.

Great summer read!!!

(*)>

The minute I got to the ghost part, I was freaked out. This was a very intriguing book from beginning to end. This was one of the best books that i've read from her. It was full of Suspense, mystery, and romance with a twist of merging between different worlds/times. I couldn't put it down!

This story takes place in the present, but also in the past. Delcan Fitzgerald is drawn to a house in New Orleans called Manet Hall, but he really doesn't understand why. He just knows that since he first saw it in college, he would own it someday. He gets strange vibes from the house, and when he meets Angelina, they intensify. Together they go on the 100 year old journey to find the answers to the strange happenings within Manet Hall.

While I generally like ghost stories with the paranormal added to the mix, this went beyond the scope of what I can take. The rebirth and reincarnation of characters was just too far out in left field for me. I normally like Nora Roberts books, but this is one I couldn't get into.

Nora Roberts often shows signs of being a first-rate novelist, and then can't quite clinch it. This book is a perfect example of what I mean. The book starts very well, with the murder of a major movie star. Her drug addict husband is arrested, tried, and sent to prison. So far so good.

The story then focuses on the victim's four-year old daughter who may have or may not have actually witnessed the crime. She grows up, becomes a naturalist in the state of Washington and is approached by a writer who is doing a book about the sensational murder.

The book starts to go wrong, for me, at least, with the love affair between the writer and the girl. I know that some readers must crave this sort of thing, but somehow it just doesn't fit with the mystery/thriller genre. It distracts from our curiosity about what really happened that fateful night and how it will all turn out.

Still, I could have lived with the sex scenes, reruns in effect from Ms. Roberts' other books--lots of tasting and fisting without saying exactly where. The scenes are gauzy without the specificity of the X-rated movie. They remind me of those movies that had the camera point suddently up through the trees or at a waterfall at the crucial moment. If you're going to do a sex scene, then do it right. Be specific. Or don't bother with it.

Again still, it's the ending for this book that really bothered me. I'd have given this at least four stars except for the denouement. The problem is that it is too facile, too articulate. Obviously I can't go into the details about that without giving away the ending. Suffice it to say that in real life, perps don't take the time to explain, in detail, exactly what they did and why--in complete sentences and paragraphs. Only in bad movies and bad books do they do that. Unfortunately the reasons in this case don't make sense. But judge for yourself.

Despite what I consider flaws, the characters are interesting and well drawn. That's a strength of the novelist. As always, Roberts has the marvelous talent to take the reader to a place, in this case the rain forest of the west slope of the Washington range of mountains. Those are the attributes, the talent, that keeps me reading Roberts and hoping that she'll write better, more realistic last chapters. And maybe find a new vocabulary for the obligatory bedroom antics, if include them she must.

Oh, and I wish publishers would put a cast of characters at the front of complicated novels. I got a bit confused as to who was who in the first third of the novel. In fact, it would be a good idea to have a brief description of the characters in every novel.

Nora Roberts' RIVER'S END receives veteran freelance voiceover talent Sandra Burr's moving and passionate voice: perfect for the high drama contained in this story of a young woman who struggles to recall events on the night her mother was murdered. The son of the police officer who found the then-four-year-old hiding in a bedroom closet strives to help her - and indeed may end her loneliness as romance evolves.

When tragedy befalls 4-year-old Livvy, her life is forever changed when her father is convicted of murdering her mother. Since they were a popular Hollywood couple, everyone is curious about her, and the press won't leave her alone. To protect her, Olivia goes to live with her grandparents who raise her as their own. They live in the quiet Pacific Northwest, running a lodge providing vacationers the chance to be up close and personal with nature. Livvy loves nature, and majors in the field hoping to open a center at the lodge. As she settles into her peaceful life at the lodge, her past comes crashing into her present when her father decides to set the record straight. He has contacted writer Noah Brady to tell his story. As Noah and Livvy rekindle their childhood friendship and explore the future, they soon discover they have to resolve the past or there may be no future.

I loaned this book to a friend, who enjoyed so much that they did not return it to me. It is hard to put down, once you start to read; and the ending is not at all what I expected. When I saw this book, I purchased 2, one for myself and one for my daughter, who has also read it before. It is worth reading again.

What a great book! 420 pages, hardback, and every single page is worth reading, not one page is boring. You just want to keep reading and keep turning pages!

This is my first Nora Roberts' book. I can't believe how good she writes! I would recommend this book to everyone! It's got murder, mystery, romance, people, the love of the land...

I'd love to find another book like this one! I really enjoyed it.

(I'll let the other reviewers tell you about the story, I'm not so good at that.)

I am a huge fan of Greg Iles. This book is just as fast moving, twisting and suspensful as his others. It is not as heavy and morbid as some of his books. One that you can't wait to get back to, if you can put it down! - ENJOY.

I really like the idea behind 24 hours. In the hands of a better author, this concept could really go somewhere. However, Iles has proven himself to be little more than a hack in my mind. I have yet to find one of his books that I found satisfying. Perhaps this could be an indicator that if you have enjoyed his previous books you will disagree with my take on this one.

First of all, the characters are pretty boring. They never really develop past stereo-types. You have the hero husband-wife team who alternately play cavelrey and the Bruce Willis Die Hard character. You have the sweet little hostage girl, the evil to the core bad guy, and other characters that you have encountered too many times on bad B listing TV shows.

Secondly, the story goes out of control due to the unimagined characters. You pretty much are stuck watching the husband and wife here play out exactly what you would expect from them. This is not based on human nature, but what you would expect from standard hollywood fare. Because of this, the tension never really builds. You kind of know what is going to happen long before the protagonists do.

I would caution anyone from trying to read this book. Their are so many better ones out there. You could do a lot better than "24 Hours".

The writer is one of the most talented in the mystery genre and has the ability to take a story that has previously been written and can tweak it and update to the present time. This talent serves him well in this novel which centers around a successful Doctor, his wife and their five year old daughter. The issue involved is a kidnapping for ransom. The manner in which this is set up is fiendishly clever and makes this book a real page turner. There are numerous twists tht keep the reader guessing throughout this excellent read. The characters are extremely well developed and their depth grows as the syory progresses. Like an artist who utlizes canvas to convey a painting, Iles is able to add layer upon layer as he enriches each character. Although some of the scenario is rather far fetched, if the reader takes the book for what it is, they will be in for a most scintillating read.

I really liked this book. It is a basic suspense story. It isn't overtold, with excessive unnecessary detail. It keeps the reader wanting to find out what happens next.

I do have to say though, as a parent of a diabetic child, it was even more scary. Unfortunately, the author doesn't quite capture the accuracy of diabetes.

Defintely recommend reading this one.

This was my first Greg Iles book and I am going to be getting more. From page 1, intrigue and suspense, until the very end. I was up all night reading, fortunately it was the weekend..that's how hard it was to put down.

This is by far the best book that Jennifer Crusie has written. It has the trickiest plot, the wittiest characters, and the most charming relationships ever written by Crusie. If you are under-educated enough to misspell "nowhere as", then I am not surprised that it was too much for you. Go back to reading Harlequins. As for me, I am busy re-reading this book and adorning my copy with post-its on the cleverest pages.

When Davy's character first appeared in "Welcome to Temptation" I didn't care for him, and actually disliked him, but when he resurfaced in this book I was completely enamored with him. He was a perfect dose of: lover, fighter, compassion, sexiness, not too wussy or too macho (I guess that's why he's a character not a real life guy! Lol..)

For those of you Jenny Crusie followers as you may or may not know this is the book following from "Welcome to temptation", so a couple of characters are brought back into this story. The plot starts out as Davy Dempsey trying to recuperate a huge financial loss that he suffered due to Cleo. Cleo was his former girlfriend who stiffed him of three million dollars. So.... Davy brakes into Cleo's home and while he's hiding in a closet he bumps into Matilda; who is also breaking in to recover some of her paintings for personal reasons. They kiss and she asks him to steal a painting for her and he's willing. Thats the beginnig of their romance.

I love how the characters just click with each other! I also really like how Jennifer Crusie is so inventive when sparking up her character. Such as Matilda and Davy's little act in front of the present owners of her former painting; when retrieving the paintings back. Unlike other love fun stories Jenny Crusie does not put picture perfect characters! They're not all 21 yr old heiresses with blue eyes and blond hair; Jennie's female characters are big, small, curvy, blond, red heads, or brunettes! She is my favorite author because she's not biased when it comes to picking out characters. I also thought Matildas sister was a little cooky for assuming another personality in order to unleash her inner diva. Highly recommended.

If you read WELCOME TO TEMPTATION then you will know that this is Davy's story.

Enjoyed this book better than WTT. The characters are much more way out there then in the other book. You have the mother who wants to spread her wings - the sister who works in her ex's cabroiet club as a singer with another persona - the ex bro-n-law who came out of the closet and employ's his ex - the hit-man who is after the hero - the heroine who tries to hold the family together and try to keep ahead by painting masters onto peoples walls, the hero who is a con - man and they all live above the gallery.

I just loved this book and the character developement. I would've loved to see a book written about Davys friend/partner.

Great fun read all around --- thank you JC!

The thing I like most about Jennifer Crusie's books are her characters. The Goodnight and Dempsey families are chock full of engaging, hilarious characters. If you like light romantic comedies this book is for you. It kind of reminded me of an old-fashioned screwball comedy. It was the perfect mid-winter vacation beach read!

This book is the sequel to Welcome To Temptation, which was about Sophie and Phin. Davy had a smaller role in that book and now this book is about him. The plot didn't make sense to me. Someone paints pictures and signs them with a fake name in the way someone uses a "pen name" to write books. The painter in this story felt she might go to jail if anyone found out. That didn't make sense to me since the name she signed wasn't a name used by anyone else. Davy is a reformed con man who meets the painter and more events happen. I didn't enjoy the plot or the characters that much. Nothing surprised or delighted me. Only once did I chuckle at something humorous. I read this because I loved three other books by this author which are "Bet Me,' "Welcome To Temptation" and "Anyone But You." I do not recommend "Faking It." Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: three. Setting: current day U.S. Copyright: 2002. Genre: contemporary romance.

I must be out of the loop - I am a Crais fan but have never seen this book before nor have I seen the movie that other reviewer referred to.

Nevertheless, despite my previous ignorance I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable. More than that, I found it to be riveting, fascinating and I enjoyed Crais's ability to turn a cops and robber story into something more. James Daniels's brilliant narration is perfect for this text - every character has his own distinct voice. Daniels puts the right edge in his voice, be it the menacing quality of some of the characters or the panicky threats of others as they scream at the hostage negotiators. This is an audiobook done right!

Having read and enjoyed Two Minute Rule and a couple of the Elvis Cole / Joe Pike novels from Crais, he is quickly becoming one of my "must read" authors. While awaiting something new, I have gone back to sample more of his previous works. I was not disappointed with Hostage. It was a great page-turner, nearly impossible to put down. Crais grabs the reader in the first few minutes and keeps him completed captivated throughout the entire book. The lead character is Jeff Talley, the police chief of a small town in Southern California, where he enjoys the relative peace away from his former position with the Los Angeles police department. The peace, however, is shattered when he is confronted with a hostage situation in his jurisdiction. The action is fast and furious, with plot twists galore. Crais pulls the story forward with strong character development, providing a range of emotions and motivations that spans the character set. Start to finish, this is a great story.

This is a good story, well written, engaging, page-turner...but why, oh why, must he, Robert Crais, take God's name in vain so often? I mean really, can't we be a little more creative in our writing that to have to use JC or G**da**it? Really disappointed on that front.

I really hate having to harsh on a Robert Crais novel since the majority of his other books are better.

This book takes place all within a 24 hour period when almost everything that could possibly go wrong does. My problem with this book is not in the writing but in the substance. I can generally suspend belief to enjoy a novel but this was just too much.

We've got robbers who pick the wrong mini-mart to rob. And the wrong store owner. And they have the worst getaway car in the world. And they just break down and jump the fence into the house of a mob related accountant. And the accountant just happens to have a safe room with tons of cash. And one of the robbers just happens to be a serial killer. And the chief of police just happens to be a former SWAT negotiator.

Are you out of breath from the number of coincidences in that? I sure am. This novel had screen play stamped all over it. A bummer since Crais brough us Elvis Cole who is an awesome character.

I'm going to go back to my Elvis Cole novels. I hope Crais does too.

HOSTAGE is a very well written page turner and actually begins quite brilliantly. Unfortunately, as the plot progresses, I think Crais injects too many twists and turns into the storyline. Many of these twists are based on some highly unlikely coincidences that would never occur in real life. Eventually the plot spins out of control and becomes over-the-top. That's a shame, because the first hundred or so pages of this novel are quite realistic and chilling.

I also felt that many of the characters in HOSTAGE are quite flat. There is a relationship between the main character in his wife that is underdeveloped and ultimately unconvincing. The mafia characters in this novel are pretty much cartoons. There are too many characters in this novel, and many of them reminded me of cliched, stereotypical characters I've seen in countless other thrillers.

Still, this book is fun because Crais really knows how to plot a book. HOSTAGE is fast-paced, suspenseful, and well crafted. This is a good thriller, but not a great one. If your primary interest is plot and pacing, this is a solid choice. But if you instead prefer realistic storylines and characters, you may want to take a pass on this one.

Larson takes forever to get to the story, which is a stretched point, at best. He spends way too much time on painstaking details for setup, most of which go nowhere, and very little time fleshing out the climax of the story, which he fairly breezes over. Haven't read his other book, but judging by this effort, the man does not know how to tell a story. Painfully and woefully disappointed! Hours of my life I'll never get back again.

The stories of Crippen and Marconi are disappointingly disconnected. Larson fails to achieve the suspenseful story-telling that made The Devil in the White City a hard book to put down.

Did you see my review of Erik Larson's "Devil in the White City"? Every superlative used there goes double for "Thunderstruck". There are some shortcomings, of course.For example, Larson spends a great deal of time fleshing-in his characters,but little time fleshing-in the history of telegragh technology( the conventional telegraph was developed after Hans Christian Oerstead discovered electrical magnetism could move a charged needle, in 1820).He mentions Morse code, but little about the man it's named for( Samuel F.B. Morse made the first practical telegraph in 1837, using a code that used dots and dashes to indicate numbers, groups of which indicated letters, NOT the system that bears his name).

I've come to watch for Larson's books as I've enjoyed his past histories. This one came highly recommended, but it wasn't as good an entry as his other books.

The book looks at a murder that occurred in the late Victorian Era in England, and the impact that the advent of the wireless had on closing this case. Larson spends a good amount of time giving the background of both the people involved in the murder, and the development of the wireless by Marconi. Marconi's work and attitude are interesting, as he really wasn't a scientist, but rather a tinkerer/inventor who managed to create something that proved vital to the communication needs of the world. Unlike Edison, who invented a variety of things most of his life, Marconi only did the one, and he didn't try to understand the science behind it...and that cost him.

The work done by the police in England was phenomenal. It's important to appreciate the amount of sheer dogged investigation that was done to bring Crippen back to stand trial. In our current world where everything must be immediate (like processing DNA on CSI), we forget how much time and effort was spent by both policemen and physicians in proving a case.

The book was a bit confusing, as one chapter would be on Marconi's work, and the next on Crippen and his wife. But the 'timing' of each chapter would be off. Larson would have to go back to explaining how the technology of the wireless was achieved, while the Crippen case would run ahead. A bit disconcerting...

Karen Sadler

Thunderstruck, by Erik Larson, reviewed by Sandy

Once again Erik Larson manages to weave two seemingly unrelated stories into one compelling and suspenseful narrative. A work of non-fiction, Larson paints a graphic picture of England between 1900 and 1910, during the short reign of Edward VII. The beloved Queen Victoria is dead, the memory of Jack the Ripper still sends shivers up the spine, new inventions create both fascination and fear, and there is the threat of war against Germany.

Against this backdrop, Guglielmo Marconi brings his wireless invention to London and begins the long process of proving the validity of wireless telegraphy, finding funding, and attaining his goal of sending wireless messages across the Atlantic. There are many competitors with greater scientific background than Marconi, and he has made some enemies who would delight in seeing his comeuppance. This alone would make a fascinating story, but the addition of a murder mystery heightens the suspense.

Hawley Crippen, trained in homeopathy, has come to London to further his career in the development of patent medicines. His bugged eyes accentuated by thick glasses and his gentle, soft-spoken manner make him a man easily passed over. His wife, Cora, having unsuccessfully pursued fame in musical shows in America, eventually joins him in London. She takes the stage name of Belle, and again tries her hand a variety shows. A large, voluptuous woman, her public demeanor is one of great cheer and friendliness. Few are aware of her bouts of unreasonable anger directed at her husband. When Belle suddenly disappears, her friends doubt the story Crippen gives, and once Scotland Yard gets involved, a murder victim is discovered - or rather, various parts of. What remains cannot be identified as male or female, but there are clues. Could this be Belle? Is it possible that the meek Crippen is capable of such a methodical and thorough dismemberment?

And how on earth do these two stories become one? Read for yourself. This a book you want to buy and pass on to friends.

There was a great deal of mystery in this novel, which helped take away from some of the raunchier elements of her books. She even used some sex in a very humorous way, so I was impressed with that. Still too much of the really smutty stuff for my liking (but that's personal taste, and I'm not including that in the number of stars), but the overall story was decent. I wasn't as taken with the characters, either, as they seemed a bit over-the-top and extreme.

Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie

I think this has become my favorite Crusie novel. The characters are likeable, believable, and the dialogue is great. First off, my complaints. The worst parts of the book for me were the long patches of dialogue, not because the dialogue itself was bad, but that every single snippet was followed by "said" plus an adverb ending in -ly. This got old really really fast. And irritating. Second complaint, the mystery part of it was really silly. But I understand why she added it because the main characters' relationships all center around a detective agency and there wouldn't be much to do if there wasn't some mystery to detect, right? Third complaint--I didn't like the constant butting of heads back and forth between the two leads, Gabe and Nell, which seemed to miraculously resolve itself in the last chapter when he decided to change. Uh huh. Fourth, she ends chapters in the middle of a scene and then finishes it at the beginning of the next chapter (which I hate). Aside from those complaints, this was still an excellent novel.

The plot centers around three Dysart women--Eleanor (Nell), Suze, and Margie--who are married to the three Dysart brothers--Tim, Jack, and Stewart. You don't hear much about Stewart until halfway through the book when the mystery part really starts taking off. Jack is a serial cheater and Tim, well, he's a jerk and a burgeoning serial cheater. So, when Tim dumps Nell on Christmas day and tells her he's fallen out of love with her and files for divorce, she becomes a zombie for a year and a half, not eating, and sleepwalking through her life. The other two Dysart wives, Suze and Margie, convince Jack and Margie's dad Trevor (who is the other partner in the Dysart business) to get Nell a job with the McKenna Agency. Cousins Gabe and Riley McKenna are private detectives who have done business with the Dysarts for decades and so they reluctantly hire Nell. SPOILER AHEAD*****Soon, Gabe falls for Nell and you meet his whacko ex-wife Chloe who consults the stars on everything and his daughter Lu, who falls for Nell's son Jason. And it turns out that Riley has been in love with Suze from afar for over fifteen years. So they end up together too. Margie has a shady family history that slowly unfolds and you discover that her mother was murdered, her husband Stewart (who disappeared) murdered her, and her father has a penchant for freezing people to death, so bodies start popping up in freezers all over town. No, she doesn't end up with anyone, thank goodness.*****END OF SPOILER

So, throw in a dognapping of a drama queen dachshund named Sweetie Pie/Marlene, Nell's cleaning and remodeling of the McKenna office, the McKenna's embezzling secretary Lynnie (who is really someone else), and a lot of china (all three women have bizarre china collecting habits) and you've got Fast Women.

I thought the story would drag because the blurb on the back of the book sounded really boring. It doesn't. There are parts where the story slows down considerably and Crusie could easily have cut a hundred pages and made the book better, but it's easy to read. I love that Nell is 42 and on her second go-round, that Gabe is also older and on his second go-round, and that Nell has such a good friend as Suze. I also like that Crusie didn't make this heroine short, dumpy, and fat, which she seems to do a lot lately. In some of her other books, she spends way too much time making her heroines seem really ugly. In this one, she does portray Nell as looking pretty ghastly coming out of the divorce, but that's understandable and weaves into the story well. Although a lot is going on, Crusie doesn't drop it all down on you at once, so that's good. Even if you don't like detective novels, this one is definitely worth a read.

I liked this book a lot, it was very interesting and different. There's not really a main character to this book since it's mainly focused on 2 women but meant for 3 (not forgetting Maggie). I was really interested in Nell and Gabe at first, but as soon as Suze and Riley semi-hit it off I was obsessed with that couple more. I really hope there's a sequel with Suze n Riley finally ending up together!!Truth be told I found myself skipping pages to read more on Suze n Riley than Gabe n Nell. The dog situation was hilarious!

I just recently discovered Jennifer Cruise and I wish I had found her sooner. Her characters are so believable and you honestly connect with them as if they were people you know personally. So far this is one of my favorites running a close second behind "Bet Me" but I still have several Jennifer Cruise books to go and I can't wait to see which one will be my all time favorite. I suspect I will have a hard time picking just one.

I didn't enjoy the two main characters as much as I enjoyed her characters in other books. I'm not sure why. There was some humor, but not enough to recommend the book. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: three. Setting: current day U.S. Copyright: 2001. Genre: romantic mystery.

The only time I can honestly say I enjoyed the movie better than the book. I suppose my biggest gripe is style...the author comes off almost pretentious at times. Plus the thought of "neo-hippies" as some kind of scientist/artist/wood elf kind of makes my stomach turn. All the hippies I ever met smell bad and have no job.

Also, I guess it might be kind of picky, but count how many times he uses the word "irony". It's just about every other page. Sorry. Loved the movie though.

To Brin's credit: this book moves along quickly, follows a nice formula, and goes roughly where you expect it to go with just enough twists to keep it engaging along the way.

That said, this is also an exemplar of a very average novel about a "post-apocalyptic America". It makes me want to see the film with Costner. Just to compare.

Also: Brin's attempt at being sympathetic to a woman's plight in this post-apocalyptic scenario? Fell way short. Trust me bro, these broads would be way tougher than you've painted them here. Even with a bunch of survivalist ex-soldiers with rampant genes and hormones.

Copyright in 1985 by David Brin. This book survives the test of time. I can't think of any of this genre I haven't read and I recommend The Postman highly. It's an excellent story, well thought out, well written, and believable. The characters are very well developed, and the story line never falters from its beginning to the excellent ending. I enjoyed the movie as well, and although it was true to the idea of the book certain items (not many) were changed. And honestly, I'm glad I read the book last as it helped me understand the film better.

I have not seen the film version with Kevin Costner, but that's where I'd first heard of the story. A friend lent me the paperback, and it was interesting and a good, quick read.

Gordon Krantz walks through a post-apocalyptic world, trading stories for what he needs, a nation torn apart by war and now divided. His finding of a Postal Service vehicle and its dead driver is his turning point as he moves through the Restored USA, though its restoration is far from done.

Brin's attention to character development and detail is excellent--Krantz and the people he meets and comes into conflict with are compelling, and you just can't stop reading to see how it all goes.

The back cover talks a little about how this can be compared to "Alas, Babylon." I don't know about that; I agree the style is a bit alike and it takes place largely in a similar situation, but Brin doesn't steal from that.

With the world as it is, this could be a cautionary tale. What happens when your universe collapses, and you realize what kind of real trouble you can be in, it makes one think. For me, that's the mark of a fine book!

"The Postman" by David Brin is a brilliant concept. The unifying symbol of a post-apocalyptic America is a man in the uniform of a much-maligned civil servant.

Gordon Krantz was a Minnesota university student when the U.S. and the world were hit with a triple-whammy. First a limited nuclear war followed by germ warfare then the deranged fanatics of survivalist cult in sequence destroyed civilization. Gordon became a soldier in the Minnesota National Guard. He had a front row seat as society and government were overwhelmed by catastrophe after catastrophe. He sees the heroism of the men in his unit and others as they lost the battle against chaos.

Years later and much farther west, Gordon is a wanderer in search for a home. The US has sunk into barbarism. The few places there is order are ruled by feudalism. There is little technology, little interaction between communities. Occasionally, he finds some isolated communities that will allow him to perform his one man theatrical show. The life of this drifter is changed forever when reivers chase him from his camp. He finds shelter in the vehicle hidden by a dying postman.

Like others Krantz knew, this mail man continued to deliver mail months after the US government had ceased to exist. Taking the man's bag and putting on his uniform, he resumes his search for a home.

At his next stop, he goes through his usual vaudeville routine in exchange for food and shelter. But something peculiar happens. The people of this settlement believe he really is a mailman. They give him letters for the next town.

Gordon conceives a simple con. He will pose as an official for the Restored United States government. What was originally a scheme for food and shelter becomes a great movement. People believe because they want to believe. Gordon finds himself as a leader. In his heart he is an idealist. All he wants is the old peace and order. But he is unaware that his years of wandering have made him resourceful and creative.

Order is gradually restored in Oregon. This can't happen too soon because unknown to Gordon, other forces are conspiring to impose an order of a much more brutal nature.

"The Postman" has a simple message. Sometimes ordinary people can't look to someone else but themselves for their own salvation. We live in comfort and security because ordinary people were willing to pay literally in blood.