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In the aftermath of a horrific murder in which an entire family has been attacked, the only survivor at the scene is a young boy who is covered with stab wounds. Detective Joona Linna insists that the attending physician call in a doctor, who in the past has specialized in hypnosis. This is a last ditch effort to try and reach out to the boy, who may soon succumb to his wounds. Dr. Erik Maria Bark has not used hypnotism as medical tool for years because of a promise he made. With the boy's life hanging by a thread, Dr. Bark reluctantly agrees to try hypnosis to get the boy to recount what happened to his family and possibly describe the murderer. What emerges is a tale that sounds as though it was the boy who murdered his family. The repercussions of Dr. Bark's hypnosis of the boy are far reaching. Did the boy actually kill the family members in his house? Is his older sister, who was not at home at the time of the murder, also a target? Is someone else out to kill all the members of this family and why? Dr. Bark is professionally and personally rebuked for using hypnosis on this young boy, even though the child was teetering between life and death. His wife chooses this time to leave him. In the midst of this fallout, Dr. Bark's son, who has a life threatening blood disorder, is kidnapped. Dr. Bark is haunted by the loss of his wife and son as well as by mistakes he has make in the past while using hypnosis. Is the kidnapping related to the murders? Are Bark and his family now targets of the murder? Detective Linna has his hands full trying to solve the murders and find the doctor's son.
This book has great depth both in plot and characters. The authors masterfully blend various subplots to bring the story to a satisfactory end. The characters are rich and full bodied. Swedish Detective Joona Linna is like a Canadian Mountie, who is determined to always get his man. When he does, however, he wants, no, needs to hear that he was right. Even the secondary characters are imbued with small quirks and nuances to give them life. For those of you who say, "What, another Swedish thriller?", I say if they are all as good as this one, keep them coming. This book was provided for review by the well read folks at Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Do you believe in a Book of Days? A book that lists the past, present, and future of everyone on Earth. Cameron Vaux doesn't, but he is starting to experience lapses of memory. His dad had died eight years ago after a devastating bout with dementia. His last conversation with Cameron had centered around the idea of a book that showed the future, which his father had seen. His dad believed it would be Cameron's salvation when he also would start to loose his memories. Cameron was not a religious man as his father had been. He finds it extremely hard to believe in a book from God that held all the answers. When his father's prediction starts to come true, Cameron has to search to find the answers to his father's riddle. Would a Book of Days be a curse or a blessing to those who find it? Is our future written down so that it cannot be changed? Are all our actions and their consequences predetermined before we are even aware of them. Do we have a choice? Can we change what is written? Some intriguing concepts presented in a mildly suspenseful story with interesting characters.
This is the story of John Holdsworth, a down and out bookseller in late eighteenth century England, who has recently lost his young son to a drowning accident. This is soon followed by the suicide by drowning of his despondent wife. He had written a book entitled, "The Anatomy of Ghosts" to try and shake his wife free of the belief that she could communicate with her dead son through a charlatan medium. John's attempt to bring her back to reality only exacerbated the problem and may have driven her over the edge. The first third of this novel thus moves at a somber pace. Things begin to look up for John and us when he is saved from a downward spiral, by the request of a Lady Anne Oldershaw to catalog her deceased husband's library in preparation for donating it to Cambridge University. There is a catch, however. Lady Anne's son, Frank, who had been attending Jerusalem College, has suddenly insisted that he has seen a ghost, had a breakdown and has been committed to a doctor's care. As Holdsworth seems to be an expert on debunking ghosts, Lady Anne wants him to bring her son back to her and cure him of these foolish and dangerous thoughts. Here the story switches to the life in the college and mystery surrounding Frank's encounter with his ghost. The author sets the scene and mood of the story nicely with a myriad of details of late eighteenth century English life in the cities and colleges of the time. The pace of the book is slow at first, but picks up as the cast of characters and story unfold. There are a number of interesting plot lines and twists to keep our interest until the grand denouement. I found the book a bit long. It would perhaps have benefited from some tighter plotting, but overall was an enjoyable read with enough tragedy, romance, mystery, and intrigue for everyone. This book was provided for review by the good folks at Hyperion books.
The Radleys are a vampire family trying to live a normal life in a small town in England. Well, Peter and his wife Helen haven't actually told their teenage children, Rowan and Clara they are vampires. The sunblock they constantly apply hasn't prevented Rowan from getting severe skin rashes. He is finding it increasingly hard to sleep at night. His sister, Clara has decided to go vegan with predictably dire gastronomic results. Yet, their parents are reluctant to reveal the truth, as they long ago pledged to each other to fight their urges and try to live normal human lives. An assault on Clara by a drunk, overly amorous classmate leads to predictable results, with her first taste of blood. In a panic, Peter calls out to his estranged brother, Will, for help. This could prove to be a major mistake, as Will is a fully practicing, nearly out of control, vampire. This story is an interesting take on the vampire mystique. I found it a bit staid, nothing over the top. The story flows smoothly and is an easy read.
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RRoseb3424 has commented on (14) products.
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
RRoseb3424, September 1, 2011
In the aftermath of a horrific murder in which an entire family has been attacked, the only survivor at the scene is a young boy who is covered with stab wounds. Detective Joona Linna insists that the attending physician call in a doctor, who in the past has specialized in hypnosis. This is a last ditch effort to try and reach out to the boy, who may soon succumb to his wounds. Dr. Erik Maria Bark has not used hypnotism as medical tool for years because of a promise he made. With the boy's life hanging by a thread, Dr. Bark reluctantly agrees to try hypnosis to get the boy to recount what happened to his family and possibly describe the murderer. What emerges is a tale that sounds as though it was the boy who murdered his family. The repercussions of Dr. Bark's hypnosis of the boy are far reaching. Did the boy actually kill the family members in his house? Is his older sister, who was not at home at the time of the murder, also a target? Is someone else out to kill all the members of this family and why? Dr. Bark is professionally and personally rebuked for using hypnosis on this young boy, even though the child was teetering between life and death. His wife chooses this time to leave him. In the midst of this fallout, Dr. Bark's son, who has a life threatening blood disorder, is kidnapped. Dr. Bark is haunted by the loss of his wife and son as well as by mistakes he has make in the past while using hypnosis. Is the kidnapping related to the murders? Are Bark and his family now targets of the murder? Detective Linna has his hands full trying to solve the murders and find the doctor's son.This book has great depth both in plot and characters. The authors masterfully blend various subplots to bring the story to a satisfactory end. The characters are rich and full bodied. Swedish Detective Joona Linna is like a Canadian Mountie, who is determined to always get his man. When he does, however, he wants, no, needs to hear that he was right. Even the secondary characters are imbued with small quirks and nuances to give them life. For those of you who say, "What, another Swedish thriller?", I say if they are all as good as this one, keep them coming. This book was provided for review by the well read folks at Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Book of Days by James L Rubart
RRoseb3424, January 18, 2011
Do you believe in a Book of Days? A book that lists the past, present, and future of everyone on Earth. Cameron Vaux doesn't, but he is starting to experience lapses of memory. His dad had died eight years ago after a devastating bout with dementia. His last conversation with Cameron had centered around the idea of a book that showed the future, which his father had seen. His dad believed it would be Cameron's salvation when he also would start to loose his memories. Cameron was not a religious man as his father had been. He finds it extremely hard to believe in a book from God that held all the answers. When his father's prediction starts to come true, Cameron has to search to find the answers to his father's riddle. Would a Book of Days be a curse or a blessing to those who find it? Is our future written down so that it cannot be changed? Are all our actions and their consequences predetermined before we are even aware of them. Do we have a choice? Can we change what is written? Some intriguing concepts presented in a mildly suspenseful story with interesting characters.The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor
RRoseb3424, January 16, 2011
This is the story of John Holdsworth, a down and out bookseller in late eighteenth century England, who has recently lost his young son to a drowning accident. This is soon followed by the suicide by drowning of his despondent wife. He had written a book entitled, "The Anatomy of Ghosts" to try and shake his wife free of the belief that she could communicate with her dead son through a charlatan medium. John's attempt to bring her back to reality only exacerbated the problem and may have driven her over the edge. The first third of this novel thus moves at a somber pace. Things begin to look up for John and us when he is saved from a downward spiral, by the request of a Lady Anne Oldershaw to catalog her deceased husband's library in preparation for donating it to Cambridge University. There is a catch, however. Lady Anne's son, Frank, who had been attending Jerusalem College, has suddenly insisted that he has seen a ghost, had a breakdown and has been committed to a doctor's care. As Holdsworth seems to be an expert on debunking ghosts, Lady Anne wants him to bring her son back to her and cure him of these foolish and dangerous thoughts. Here the story switches to the life in the college and mystery surrounding Frank's encounter with his ghost. The author sets the scene and mood of the story nicely with a myriad of details of late eighteenth century English life in the cities and colleges of the time. The pace of the book is slow at first, but picks up as the cast of characters and story unfold. There are a number of interesting plot lines and twists to keep our interest until the grand denouement. I found the book a bit long. It would perhaps have benefited from some tighter plotting, but overall was an enjoyable read with enough tragedy, romance, mystery, and intrigue for everyone. This book was provided for review by the good folks at Hyperion books.Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Volume 1 (Mark Twain Papers) by Mark Twain
RRoseb3424, January 1, 2011
Who would have thought a book dictated by the author over 100 years ago would hit home with readers today and end up on the best seller lists.The Radleys by Matt Haig
RRoseb3424, November 9, 2010
The Radleys are a vampire family trying to live a normal life in a small town in England. Well, Peter and his wife Helen haven't actually told their teenage children, Rowan and Clara they are vampires. The sunblock they constantly apply hasn't prevented Rowan from getting severe skin rashes. He is finding it increasingly hard to sleep at night. His sister, Clara has decided to go vegan with predictably dire gastronomic results. Yet, their parents are reluctant to reveal the truth, as they long ago pledged to each other to fight their urges and try to live normal human lives. An assault on Clara by a drunk, overly amorous classmate leads to predictable results, with her first taste of blood. In a panic, Peter calls out to his estranged brother, Will, for help. This could prove to be a major mistake, as Will is a fully practicing, nearly out of control, vampire. This story is an interesting take on the vampire mystique. I found it a bit staid, nothing over the top. The story flows smoothly and is an easy read.1-5 of 14next