Review: Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs

Picture links to the Good reads page

A plumber doing some renovations on an empty house discovers an unknown part to the cellar, and with that a human skull,ritual implements and rotting animal carcasses. Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan is called to investigate. Subsequently, a headless body turns up on a nearby lake shore. Many questions arise, who is the owner of the skull? Do the skull and the body belong to the same person? Why is there minimal decomposition on the body? Who is responsible? Before anyone knows what is going on a preacher turned politician starts making accusations of witchcraft and local citizens turn it into a witch hunt.

Kathy Reichs has really become one of my favourite authors and I usually thoroughly enjoy her books. However, I really struggled to get into this book in the beginning. It seemed to take a long time to get anywhere.  I found there was too much background information given considering that it was the 11th book in the series. Also, some of it had no bearing on the current story, so really was unnecessary. Also, there was too much theoretical information (I normally enjoy this, so not sure why it frustrated me in this book), and I felt that it sometimes interfered with the flow of the story. I also, generally prefer the books set in Canada, since I love Andrew Ryan and he did not get enough time in this book.
Having said that, the book is not all bad and I was never in any danger of giving up.The second half of the book is much faster than the first, and there are lots of twists and turns in the plot. I had guessed the culprit half way through, then with the way the story played out changed my mind about 4 times before finally discovering that it was my original suspect. Once you get into the story it is easy to read and goes quickly, so on the whole I did enjoy it.

Rating: I gave it 3/5 stars on Goodreads

Review: Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

I have had a bit of a James Patterson readathon the last week, since I was staying with my sister and she has LOADS of them.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
A strikingly attractive swimsuit model, Kim McDaniels, goes missing at a photoshoot with the backdrop of an upscale hotel in Hawaii. Shortly after she vanishes, her distressed parents receive a shocking phone call – one that forces them to take the next available flight to Hawaii in a frantic effort to find their missing daughter. LA Times reporter Ben Hawkins is assigned to the case, and finds himself drawing on his experience as an ex-cop – particularly as the futile efforts of the local police are proving distinctly underwhelming. Ben may have his biggest scoop – but will it be at the expense of a young woman's life?

My review:
At the time I read this, I had only read one other non-Alex Cross book by James Patterson, and I felt that that book was a bit flat. However, this really did not dissapoint. It gripped me from the start, I started reading it at about 4pm on New Years day and finished that night, The short, punchy chapters make it easy to read, and easy to catch up if you need to leave it for a bit. That is if you can bear to leave it. He builds up the suspense slowly from the start of the book, and there are so many little clues throughout the book.. I liked the hero, Ben Hawkins, since I felt he was a normal sort of guy, that one could relate to. Although he had been a cop, he didnt have access to loads of fancy gadgets and backup, was just him on his own trying to solve the mystery.  Although he is a reporter and obviously out to get a story, you do get the impression that he really cares about the victims and the outcome of the case. One thing that surprised me though, is that the story is told, in a round about way, from the killers perspective, which makes for a different read. There are so many twists and turns in this book, with lots of violence and action.

The only thing I didn't really like, and it may sound a bit strange considering the rest of my review, is that sometimes I felt the book lost its direction a  bit. There was some unnecessary killing, and sometimes it seemed to go a bit in circles. However, overall it was an awesome read and perfect for a holiday or a long lazy day at the pool.

Rating: I gave it 5/5 on Goodreads

Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge 2012

It is that time of year when we start looking at various challenges for the coming year. I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge this year, and in fact this has become one of my favourite genres at the moment. So, I am back for another year. This year I hope to read 24 books during the year, and hope to be better at reviewing the books as well! If you would like to join, just click on the link or the button in the side bar.

1. Swimsuit by James Patterson
2. Don't blink by James Patterson
3. Run for your life by James Patterson
4. Step on a crack by James Patterson
5. Devil bones by Kathy Reichs
6. Kiss the girls by James Patterson
7. The Geneva Deception by James Twining
8. Atlantis by David Gibbins
9. Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs
10. Girl missing by Tess Gerritsen
11. Worth Dying for by Lee Child
12. Trackers by Deon Meyer
13. Private by James Patterson
14. The red coffin by Sam Eastland
15. Keeping the dead by tess Gerritsen
16. Ice hunt by James Rollins
17. The sacred cut by James Hewson
18. Worst case by Jassy Mackenzie
19. The last templar by Raymond Khoury
20. Mortal Remains by Kathy Reichs
21. The Genesis plague by Michael Byrnes
22. Worst case by James Patterson
23. Death benefit by Robin Cook
24. The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo
25. Monday mourning by Kathy Reichs
26. Crusader gold  by David Gibbins
27. Temple of the gods by Andy Mc. Dermott
28. Pyramid by Tom Martin
29 Under the knife by Tess Gerritsen
30. The mose legacy by Adam Palmer
31. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
32. The messiah secret by James Becker
33. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
34. Zoo by James Patterson