This book is absolutely amazing!

A teen aged girl,Bella, who's parents got divorced when she was very young and she moves with dad because her mom gets remarried to a guy who travels a lot. Bella used to live in sunny Phoenix and moves to rainy Forks. Bella feels awkward at her new school at first, with all the stares and whispers. Some kids are friendly, some over friendly, and Bella has friends quickly, except for the biology next to her, Edward, in who looked very angry. Bella worried it was something she did. The next day the talk though. Edward is gorgeous and Bella is just awed by him. She soon finds out that he is a vampire.Edward says it would be better if they weren't friends but they're love keeps them together. Edward and his family, the Cullens, are good vampires and eat animals like bears and not humans but Bella finds out not all vampires are good and gets into some bad vampire trouble. This book is very suspenseful. If you love suspenseful and romantic novels you will love this like i did and you won't want to put the book down.

I was completely astonished! My friend told me she really liked this book and she is not a person who likes to read or even reads at all. But there she was recommending a book that was a LOT longer than the ussual things I read. I bought it to try it out and te results were amazing! It took me a total of TWO days to finish this well written, romance/thriller that had me addicted to it like a vampire is to blood. LOl, jk. I thought that Stephanie Meyer had done a great job writing this book and recommend it to all y'all.

Twilight is about a girl named Bella Swan who is just and ordinary girl moving from Pheonix, Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her dad. When she goes to her new High School, she met an unusual boy, Edward, who she couldn't keep her mind off of. Their relationship develops after many incidents where Edward saves her and flourishes into a dazzling romance. But soon Bella learns that Edward is a vampire and this book will turn into a thriller that will keep you hooked into this gripping novel.

So in conclusion, this has become one of my favorite books and I highly recommend it to everyone.

~A Very Satisfied Reader

I've often wondered about the precept of this book myself. As a translator, how can you stop yourself from using your own experiences and beliefs to colour, or filter, the languages that you are supposed to be interpreting and translating in an objective way? How can they, honestly? How can a Serbo-Croat translator at the Hague cover up their natural disgust for some of the atrocities perpetrated in Bosnia? Is it possible?

Of course, we all think. These people are trained professionals. And then le Carre introduces us to Salvo, a fearsomely gifted linguist specialising in African dialects. Salvo is seconded to the intelligence services for a mysterious summit, and soon discovers that its subject is a country very dear to his heart: the fabulously wealthy (in resources) and ruinously corrupt Democratic Republic of Congo. And as he gradually uncovers the truth behind the summit, and his suspicions about the motives of its attendees and organisers grow, he begins to let his moral conscience guide his actions.

I associate le Carre with Smiley and his Cold War ilk, which is possibly why this is the first of his novels that I've actually read. It's not the formulaic thriller I had expected: from the development of Salvo's character and his gradual shift from the gentrified immigrant to the idealist and crusader, there are subtle undercurrents and themes that make thought-provoking points. One or two of the characters, perhaps, could have benefited from more depth - Salvo's wife seems little more than an upper middle-class cypher, for example - but the novel has a quick pace and presumably the author has had to sacrifice a more rounded world to make way for a few more thrills. That's not a criticism. It's a thriller, albeit one with an absolute minimum of guns, and an enjoyable and thoughtful one.

The glass books of the dream-eaters is a mystery/thriller set in an unspecified European city in what seem to be Victorian times, and unites three central characters who, despite different individual motivations, band together to prevent a mysterious cabal of politicians, royalty, and wealthy dignitaries from carrying out a dastardly plan to acquire power across nations. Although we know the central characters motivations, we don't always know the intentions of each member of the cabal. The central characters, Miss Temple, Cardinal Chang and Doctor Svenson were sympathetic and intriguing, and I found myself caring about their fates, although at 752 pages it was quite a slog! I felt the book was repetitive in parts and could have done with some editing down. The language was at times over-the-top, and occasionally comic, but it didn’t stray too far into parody. It reminded me somewhat of Mark Gatiss’s Lucifer Box novels, though these are screamingly funny parodies, whereas Dahlquist’s is a straightforward adventure.

The edition I read had beautiful covers, and while I know you never should judge a book that way, I often do – it was wrapped in blue cellophane reminiscent of the blue glass which is a main ingredient in the story, and has fake foxing on some pages. It also had mock Victorian adverts in the back cover. I was drawn in by the packaging and the title, and found it a fun and entertaining read. It’s a very involved plot and I found the idea of what the cabal were up to an interesting and unique one. It has some very cinematic aspects and it could be adapted to film, which might solve the problem of the book being rather over-long.

The devastation and havoc caused by hurricane Katrina should have been a wake up call for America. But, as soon as gas prices began to drop, media attention reverted back to the latest tabloid issues. It is with the memory of this devastation and the long list of consequences this country could endure as a result of our oil addiction, that LA Starks penned this explosive debut novel. 13 Days is an espionage thriller taking the reader as close to the industry as possible, without dawning a hard hat and being part of the crew.With Centennial Refinery on the verge of bankruptcy and management unable to shore up their company from within, the stage was set for an outside takeover. TriCoast Energy took control of the fledgling refinery. Lynn Dayton had four weeks to prove this a profitable venture to the board of directors. She had no way of knowing what began as merely another job, would soon become a matter of life and death for the employees, the refinery, and most importantly her family. Lynn Dayton is a strong character, engaging, intelligent. Her commitment to her family is mistakenly considered a weakness for an idealist that seriously underestimated his target.With a magna cum laude degree in engineering, MBA in finance and a career in the oil industry LA Starks provides a glimpse into the politics, secrets, and vulnerabilities as only someone with her extensive knowledge could deliver. I found the notes, definitions, and diagrams to be invaluable resources. While the lengthy detailed narratives, seemed to slow the story and clog the brain, it is vital to describe various processes in a basic, easy to understand format, due to the complexity of the subject matter. The plot, characters, and settings are all well thought out and delivered with the expertise of an award winning author. 13 Days is an excellent read that is as interesting as it is frightening. LA Starks has created a suspense filled thriller, that will keep the reader thinking from the very first chapter. Plot twists, unexpected betrayals, manipulations and so much more, this one has it all. If you love a good thriller, that keeps you up reading way past your bed time, look no further than 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy.

This is an exceptionally well written novel. I found it difficult to believe it was LA Starks debut novel. Well developed characters, strong and entertaining, 13 Days is one of those rare books that stays in your thoughts long after you’ve finished reading it! With this being the First - readers are sure to have many exceptionally well crafted titles to choose from.

Happy Reading!     RJ  xx

A Nail Through the HeartTimothy HallinanDisplaying an enviable gift for pacing and action, Hallinan’s first installment in this new series is an intelligent suspense thriller that is firing on all cylinders. Vivid descriptions of Bangkok provide a dramatic contrast to the dangers and unflinching moral depravity that isn’t truly hidden, but most never see. Hallinan artfully and cleverly peels away the surface layer, revealing a disturbing and ominous dark side. Painting his characters with deep, broad strokes - each is flawed and somewhat of an outcast. Yet, together, their complexities tell a multi-layered story that is sure to please even the most astute reader. Poke Rafferty has made a living writing travelers guides for the not so average tourist. The series, aptly titled “Looking for Trouble” was a how to guide for the odd and unusual. Tips on how to bribe a cop, advice on how to beat the exchange rates and spot counterfeit jewels, even how to discern a transvestite prostitute before it was too late. Trouble had never been too far away from Poke Rafferty, but that was before Bangkok, or so he thought. Poke had fallen in love with the city and a former Pat-pong bar girl. He hoped Rose would one day accept his proposal and become his wife. He was in the process of adopting Miaow, an eight year old street orphan, he loved as his own daughter. It felt as if his life was finally coming together. Until the day an injured street kid, everyone called “Superman” came into his life. Unknowingly setting into motion a chain of events that would expose a world, that exists in the shadows and welcomes newcomers with sly glances and wicked smiles. It is while juggling his girlfriend, the arrival of “Superman”, and the adoption of Miaow that Poke, in need of money, agrees to investigate the disappearance of Claus Ulrich. While working on this case, he meets Madame Wing, a rich old woman with secrets. The kind people will go to great lengths to keep hidden. She offers to pay him thirty thousand dollars and her instructions are non-negotiable. Poke is to find the Cambodian man and the envelope he stole and return the envelope to her. There was but one stipulation, Rafferty could not know what the envelope contained. As Poke gets more involved, the lines that so clearly divided these three events, as well as, those defining morality and decency begin to blur.A Nail Through The Heart showcases Hallinan’s literary talents, as well as, his knowledge and appreciation for the culture of the Far East. In addition to delivering a heart stopping fusion of mystery and intrigue, his ability to entertain, while simultaneously stimulating the reader intellectually will keep readers clamoring for more. To say that this is a must read or a page turner, would be a grave injustice. For these catch phrases are used far too often to be attached to a novel such as this.Happy Reading!.

RJ 3Rs-Real Reader Reviews©

I highly recommend this novel and anxiously await the second in the series!

In her stunning follow up to the 2006 best seller “Shiver,” Lisa Jackson has proven that there’s room for a little romance amid all the death and depravity. Absolute Fear is part of the Bayou series, which includes, “Hot Blooded, Cold Blooded, and Shiver.” The plot line is in depth and complicated yet developed simultaneously with the characters, in such a way that Absolute Fear stands on its own. This book has it all, child abuse, scandalous behavior within the church, unethical medical practices, sex, murder and mayhem. Having enjoyed this novel on every conceivable level, I have added all three previous titles to my list of must reads.

Absolute Fear opens three months after the ritualistic murder of Roy Kajak and the attempted murder of Eve Renner. Eve, still suffering from amnesia, returns to New Orleans. That very day, Cole Dennis was set free. It seemed like a life time ago that she had met Cole at her fathers farm house. A hot shot attorney that successfully represented Dr. Renner after his patient committed suicide. There was a part of her that had never been convinced that he had tried to kill her. On the night of her return, this belief would be tested, when Cole appears at her door.

They had to find a way to trust each other and work together. The irony of this uneasy alliance is yet another twist leading the reader deeper into the story. Everything that was happening was related to the asylum, where her father had been the head psychiatrist. As an adult she had heard rumors about Our Lady of Virtues and the horrors that occurred there. Now  in order to regain control of her life she would have to go back where it all began. Because somewhere in the midst of that crumbling building were the shattered pieces of her memory. The key to the murders wasn’t the only secret Our Lady held. Oh no, there was more, much more. The subtle innuendos quickly place the reader into a frenzied state of near panic. Frantically reading as quickly as possible in hopes of finding a calm place to slow down and breathe.

Unspeakable madness had once been perpetrated behind the walls of Our Lady of Virtues - and he intended to revive that madness, just for Eve. She would pay for her sins, he would make sure of that. Then he would be deified, his god had said. The “Reviver” is a sick, twisted, ritualistic murderer. The tattooing, cryptic clues and murders are all part of his elaborate revenge. He knew they were all so blinded by sin that they were unable to interpret that which he had written in blood for all to see? He wouldn’t just spell it out for them - and yet that is exactly what he had done. As the true nature of his actions and extent of his manipulations are revealed, the skillfully coded clues scattered throughout become crystal clear.

Absolute Fear is an Absolute Best Seller! Lisa Jackson has continued her series, while creating a novel that stands tall on its own merit. Jackson’s ability to explore the inner workings of this characters depraved mind is an astonishing literary feat, that should not be overlooked. Successfully delivering to the reader a fright filled journey into the dark recesses of a madman’s desires, while maintaining a relationship filled with explosive passion places Lisa Jackson in the company of the best! This book has the perfect mix of secrets, lust and murder to keep readers coming back again and again. And with the door left open at the conclusion, we can hope that there will be another installment.

Happy Reading!RJ xx

As a librarian I'm not sure I should admit this, but I picked up Bad Monkeys entirely because of the cover. Talk about leaping out at you from the shelf, the publishers not only gave it a bright yellow, vinyl cover but made it nine and a half inches high by five inches wide. That's an image of a mandrill monkey you see on the front cover, though at first I took it for a Rorschach ink blot.

Bad Monkeys has one of my favorite thriller themes, the super secret organization. Jane Charlotte is a member of an organization dedicated to fighting evil. It isn't part of any government, has no fixed location, and is only known as "the organization." The departments within the organization have long and convoluted names. Jane works for the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons, nicknamed Bad Monkeys. The intelligence gathering group is The Department of Ubiquitous Intermittent Surveillance otherwise known as Panopticon.

What's a secret organization fighting evil without an equally secret adversary? the organization is opposed by Mandrill, a group that believes in evil for the sake of evil.

As the book opens, Jane has been arrested for murder and is undergoing an interview to determine her sanity. She told the detectives that arrested her that she is in a secret crime-fighting organization, something not likely to accepted by law enforcement. The verbal sparing between Jane and Dr. Vale is well written and interesting. The present day interview is interspersed with flashbacks as Jane describes her bad girl youth, recruitment into the organization, and the events that led to her capture. Is she really an operative or is she nuts?

The capabilities of the organization are more in the realm of science fiction and I imagine Homeland security would like to have some of their gadgets. Panopticon (see above) not only knows what you read but how often reread certain passages and if you laughed inappropriately (like the Bible story of Sodom and Gomorrah). They literally see and hear everything. That Marlene Dietrich poster above your bed, yep the eyes see what you do. Jane relates a time when she was questioned by Dixon from Malfeasance, the Panopticon subdivision that investigates operatives. They are discussing The Delta of Venus, a copy of which Jane stole when she was twelve.

"It's curious sort of literature, though, isn't it?" Dixon said."for example, the third story in the book - the one entitled `The Boarding School' - concerns a young student at a monastery who is ogled by priests and sexually violated by his classmates ... This is what you consider wholesome erotic entertainment?"

"I don't remember that story."

"Don't you? I'd have thought it was a favorite. According to my records, you read it nineteen times while the book was in your possession."

"According to your records?"

"Library Binding."

I bet publishers wouldn't mind having access to this kind of information. Imagine how you could target spam with this information. Of course, that would be using the technology for evil.

Bad Monkeys is a good read if you are partial to this genre as I am. It is well paced and I had a difficult time not finishing it in one sitting. The concepts are intriguing and the action sequences well done. Ruff successfully keeps the reader wondering about Jane through to the end.

Having only read Kate Atkinson's collection of short stories Not The End Of The World previously I had for a while wanted to get stuck in one of her critically acclaimed novels. I managed to get my hands on Case Histories via www.bookmooch.com and was submerged into the world of Jackson Brodie, a former police inspector turned private detective in Cambridge - a world where nobody is perfect, but where good people do exist. The book weaves at times a complex and rich tapestry of lives, stories and tragedies, but at times the pattern of this weave becomes somewhat predictable and boring.

You could describe the book as part thriller, part drama and part journey to self discovery for most of its charaters. Everyone in the book has a story to tell and a secret to keep. Everyone also seems to be connected to eachother in one way or another, no matter how remote and individual these people are. The book starts off beautifully concentrating on three main stories, building them up individually, and then slowly together using Mr Brodie as the red thread throughout. The first half really is so good I did not want to put the book down, but then things start to slip. In the end I felt I had started a totally different book to what I finished reading.

What I was most impressed about Atkinson's short stories previously was her skill to portray people and their stories with such bitter sweet sharpness and reality. She did not, to an extent, fail in Case Histories either. Her strength really lies in building up her characters, but her problems start when it comes to carrying their stories through in a believable manner. At least in this novel. I was let down by the way the stories fell into somewhat obvious and dull grooves after such a magnificent start that this book undeniably has.

I feel that Atkinson's strength really lies in her short stories. She has real skill in building her characters and stories together like a beautiful patchwork when she is forced to be concice and has to deliver a snapshot of a person and their life, and event or any memory. I was let down with her "sewing skills" in this novel, where beautiful colours and texture weaved together just seemed to form in the end something predictable and repetitive.

Best to be read on a beach holiday, trip to the country or during those rainy Sunday afternoons when you need a bit of a mystery and thrill (with a nice cup of tea).

Dead On is a thrilling, intellectually fearless novel that seamlessly blends horror, mystery, and the paranormal, to deliver a fast paced, provocative and highly entertaining read.

Ann Yang hoped to escape the ugliness of her divorce and start over in the quiet Pennsylvania suburb of Doylestown. Settling into her job as Medical Examiner, with renovations to her house underway, she was putting the past where it belonged... in the past. However, that notion is short lived as a ruthless killer begins to hone his sinister craft in Ann's backyard. When bodies are discovered, obviously staged, the killer's one-of-a-kind signature placed beneath the tongue, taunting police, Ann finds herself in the middle of a madman's reality. With her colleagues unaccustomed to high profile crimes and mystified by the murders, Ann calls on close friend and retired FBI profiler, Tony Cole for assistance. Together they follow the clues from Pennsylvania to New Orleans, only to find themselves wrapped in an unending enigma of impossible to answer questions.Adding yet another dimension to this multi-layered story is the discovery of an old diary that immediately captures Ann's attention and captivates her unusual abilities of perception. Dating back over a hundred years, the time worn pages reveal intimate details surrounding the disappearance of a young girl, which remained unsolved. Could this be related? Are the hypnosis induced visions of being murdered in past lives clouding or possibly shaping reality? The one thing that is abundantly clear this psychopath has Ann squarely in his sights and she has unwittingly become the ultimate pawn in a high stakes game of cat and mouse.

The characters while sharply drawn are as fluid as the ink of this phenomenal author's pen. The expert use of dialogue brings the characters to life and delivers a disturbingly delicious reading experience. Although a quick read, Kelly spares no punches when it comes to complexity, depth and suspense. Palpable tension builds as the story speeds, almost recklessly toward the shocking but satisfying conclusion.

Ann Kelly's tantalizing debut novel is well researched, intelligently portrayed and delivered with unbridled passion. The subtle clues embedded throughout keep the reader involved and guessing, without preemptive spoilers. The mystery within a mystery allows Kelly to simultaneously develop multiple angles, cleverly weaving an intricate web of murder and mayhem, past life regression and brilliant detection. Dead On is an absolute knock out! Happy Reading!RJ McGill

Editor's Choice Award Winner!DIY Los Angeles Book Festival Runner-upNominated for Agatha Award for Best First Mystery NovelFilm rights optioned by Gold Circle Films