Books, books and more books

I’ve read a ton of books lately…Christmas break and lazy weekends will do that for a girl. Here’s the scoop:

My Mom introduced me to a new author, Karen Robards. I am in love. Her books are murder mysteries, fast-paced and riveting. That’s a good combo. I read two of her books: Justice and The Last Victim. In Justice, Jessica is a high-powered attorney who is in the witness protection program. One night as she’s coming home from work, she is almost murdered. Was it random or not? Is it related to the incident that put her in witness protection? In comes her protector: Secret Service agent Mark Ryan. Oh and guess what? They have history. And he’s hot. There are many other plot lines and you find yourself wondering how it’s all going to tie together. But it does! Robards does an artful job of tying everything together. If you like murder mysteries, you will love it.

In The Last Victim, Charlie is a psychiatrist who studies serial killers in a prison. Good, right? She’s also the only survivor of a brutal serial killer who last attacked 15 years ago. She is soon contacted by the FBI to help with a case that is eerily similar to the one she survived. And there’s a ghost. Yes, you read that right. It’s weird at first…but then it’s awesome. I loved the ghost. Did I mention he’s hot too? And a convicted serial killer? Yeah. It’s good. The whole time I was reading it, I kept thinking “the killer is right here I just know it!”. You know what I mean? Like I knew it was going to be someone close to the story…but I couldn’t figure it out. I love that in a book.

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I’ve also read a couple of really good James Patterson books lately. I am a longtime fan of Patterson but sometimes I read his books and I’m underwhelmed. These were really good. In Confessions of a Murder Suspect, Tandi, the main character who narrates the story, is a 16-year-old wealthy girl in New York whose parents have just been murdered. The family is very strange and very rich and the investigation gets complicated quickly. The characters make the book extra special. The family is so strange and interesting and it makes it so fun to read. I also enjoyed trying to figure out who did it. (P.S. I didn’t figure it out.) It has a great ending and I imagine we’ll see these characters again in Patterson’s writing down the road.

NYPD Red was pretty good too and very different than most of his books. Being a celebrityphile (I just made that up), I loved the Hollywood and celebrity aspect of it. There’s a killer on the loose and his victims are all super famous actors and actresses. It’s a race between the police trying to figure out who’s doing it and the murderer trying to pull off the greatest murder of all time. It’s a quick and fun read but not the best one I’ve read lately.

Zoo by Patterson is one of the scariest books I’ve ever read in my life. My Mom even suggested that I not read it. Did you know I’m terrified of animals? Like all animals, even dogs. And zoo animals? Forget about it. I get scared every time we go to the zoo. I just know a zookeeper is going to forget to lock a door and I’m going to round the corner and come face to face with a silverback. So anyway, this book is about animals that go crazy. Like really crazy. The main character, Oz, has been telling the scientific community for years that something in the environment is making the animals act unusual. Then they start attacking humans for no reason…and like murderers. The story alternates between Oz’s search for the reason they’re attacking and the cure and stories of animal attacks all over the world. It’s so good. Especially if you’re afraid of animals!!!
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Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen was very enjoyable. This is one of her Rizzoi and Isles books. I had never read one of the books in this series. I really liked it and would definitely read more of these. The main characters are strong, interesting women which is always a plus. In this particular story, there is a killer on the loose targeting orphaned children who were the sole survivors of attacks on their families. They all end up at a private school in Maine and think they’re safe. But of course their not! The only thing I didn’t like was the ending. I felt like there would be a big “Oh My God!” at the end but there wasn’t. At least not for me. I was confused and disappointed at the end. But up until then it was a good read. But I finished it feeling like I needed more.
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Harlan Coben is one of my all-time favorite authors. I am in love with his characters and the plot lines he creates. In Seconds Away, the second in the Mickey Bolitar series, Mickey is obsessed with finding out more about his father’s death. Before you know it, he and his BFFs, Spoon and Ema, are the middle of a murder mystery after their friend Rachel is shot. I L-O-V-E Mickey, Spoon and Ema. Love them. I couldn’t put this book down. This story is fast-paced and interesting. There is also a twist that relates to Ema that is mind-blowing and awesome. If you’re a Coben fan, try this series!!!
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The last book I’ll share with you today is A Wanted Man by Lee Child. It’s another in his Jack Reacher series which I love. (Don’t even get me started on Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, ok?) In this one, Reacher is hitchhiking to try and get to Virginia to see a woman. He gets picked up by a trio of people and ends up in one big, hot mess. It turns out that the two men kidnapped the woman in the car. Of course Reacher doesn’t know this when he gets in. There are, of course, many twists and turns and plot lines. It’s a classic Reacher novel that doesn’t disappoint. (If you’re not a Reacher fan, go here to catch up.)

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That’s it for now! What have you been reading lately?