Wednesday, January 30, 2013

"Never Smile at Strangers", by Jennifer Minar-Jaynes


Do we really know the people around us?

The small Southern town of Grand Trespass Louisiana comes alive and slowly reveals its secrets when Tiffany Perron vanishes from her home in the bayou and in aftermath the lives of four desperate locals are changed for ever.

This atmospheric drama recounts how their lives are affected after Tiffany’s disappearance.

We discover:

1) Why her best friend’s relationship with her boyfriend becomes strained.

2) Why Becky, her sister, falls for a 15 year old boy with dangerous intentions.

3) How a mother of two came to cope with her husband’s affair with Tiffany, the missing girl.

4) How a disturbed man traumatized by the murder of his mother has coped with raising his troubled teenage sister and slowly over the past four years manifested a fear and hate of the opposite sex.

This stand-alone thriller/mystery is Jennifer Minar-Jaynes first novel to be published and I found it to be quite entertaining. The story is told in a third person narrative at a leisurely pace, it expresses the different points of view of a good number of characters as they tell their experiences. As we progress deeper into the story emotions go into high gear when we are taken deep into the killer’s psyche, chilling moments of suspense create a black hole that slowly takes control of your thoughts. The writing is clear, the prose innovative and the characters intriguing although on a minor note I did find the plotting wandered a little and the wishy-washy conclusion was a tad on the disappointing side. A rushed ending always leaves me with an empty feeling however the writer may have a sequel in mind to tie up loose ends. Overall I enjoyed my time with this book.

"The Debt", by Simon Kernick





There is no doubt Simon Kernick is one of my favourite authors so when he offered a free download of this short story I jumped at the occasion. I admit I am not normally a fan of short stories I usually find them frustrating, just as I become totally absorbed into the drama it ends abruptly and leaves me with that empty feeling and wanting more. I realize this is just a teaser to attract readers to his other well developed, suspenseful and exciting novels.






Synopsis taken from Goodread.com

A debt is a debt is a debt

It’s not your debt. It’s your cousin’s. And he’s done a runner.

So now the local gangland bosses have come to you for repayment. They aren’t taking 'no' for an answer, but they will take your fingers - one by one - if you don’t get hold of the money. Very soon.

You’ve got to think fast. You’ve got to act fast. And then you’ll have to get out of here – as fast as you can.

"Heat Rises", by Richard Castle

Book 3, in the Nikki Heat series

This series is as entertaining as the TV show “Castle”, one of my weaknesses is that I am a huge fan of both. All three books have been a wonderful read, whoever the real author may be (Richard Castle is a character), he is one that has a knack with words. With his graceful prose he knows how to produce a page-turner that has endless boundaries.

“Heat Wave” is a fun romp through the world of imagination. It pairs the tough and sexy NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat with hotshot reporter Jameson Rook in the most dangerous case so far. It opens with the bizarre murder of a parish priest in a New York bondage club. Through the investigation the book takes us deep into the world of sex and bondage and everything related.

As usual Nikki’s case becomes even larger than first expected. The writing creatively sends your mind on one red herring after another adding plenty of intrigue and flavor to the story. At one point, clues direct the investigation back to home base were Nikki finds herself caught in the middle creating shock waves for all. Nikki really shows her skills while doing all the legwork from facing down the brass at headquarters to saving her own skin.

The plot is quick paced and entertaining there is enough going on to keep boredom at bay and your mind spinning while trying to speculate what is going to happened next. This is not a complicated mystery but is fun to read perhaps the best one yet.