Review: Truly, Madly by Heather Webber

This book was sent to me through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. I'm about two years behind in my review books, and MAN do I wish I'd gotten to this one sooner. So cute!

The book is a paranormal mystery/romance. Lucy Valentine is the black sheep of her family. Her father's side of the family can see auras, and her father has made tons of money with a matchmaking service (secretly) based on that ability. Lucy, however, had her ability to see auras converted by an electric shock at the age of 14. She can now only find lost items - not people, not pets, just things. She's bopped around aimlessly from job to job until her father's heart attack forces her to take over the matchmaking business.

Her first new client provides the mystery: when she shakes his hand, she gets a vision of a dead body, wearing the engagement ring he never got back from his first disastrous love. She teams with the handsome private investigator-in-training upstairs from her father's business to discover where the body is, who it is, and what happened.

Most of the book was pretty predictable, from the whodunnit to the various romances floating around, but I liked it anyway. It was a light read, what I would call "fluff," but it was also fast-paced and held my attention. And that's what everyone needs once in a while. Having just come off the Read-a-Thon, where I read the same long historical fiction the whole time, this was the perfect palate cleanser. I've already bought the second and third books in the series (one real book and one for Kindle), and I look forward to more adventures with Lucy, Sean, and the gang. Four out of five Whatevers...a point off for a couple of seriously grating grammatical errors that really set my teeth on edge (but I was reading an ARC, so I hope those were fixed before the book went to press). If you like romance or cozy mysteries or light paranormal, pick this one up. I was so glad I did.

2012-8

Spring 2012 RAT: Wrap Up

Well, the hubster gave in shortly after my last post, and I followed him not too long after that. However, I did get some more reading in...I keep holding out hope that some day I will complete the whole thing, but in order to do that, I probably should have started Read-a-Thoning a lot younger. My old bones can no longer stay up so late.

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Valley of Horses; Truly, Madly
Number of books read since you started: one and part of a second
Pages read since last update: 24
Running total of pages read since you started: 474
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 60 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 777 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Introduction meme; Turn to a Page; E-Reader Survey; Mid-Event Survey
Other participants you’ve visited: Foxears; Courtney at Abducted by Books; Mandy at Adventures in Borkdom; Denise at Flamingo House Happenings; Memory at Stella Matutina; Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelves; Melissa at 1lbr; Christa at Hooked on Books (although I'm not sure she's Read-a-Thoning); Rebecca at Kindle Fever (ditto); Ariel at The Librarian's Bookshelf (not RAT'ing); Christina at Ardent Reader; Brianna at For the Love of Books (not RAT'ing); Lindsey at Sparks' Notes (not RAT'ing); Ronnica at The Ignorant Historian; Amudes at Amused by Books; Jade at Sort of Beautiful; Jen at At Random; Stacy and Anneliese at Book Psmith; Reeder at Reeder Reads; Sheery at Sheery's Place (not RAT'ing); Teresa at Shelf Love; Jessica at Cryptographic Romance; Roxanne Kade; The Brain Lair (not RAT'ing); Tara at Hobbitsies (not RAT'ing); Kyle at A Reader's Pensieve; Kimberly at On the Wings of Books; Capricious Reader; Deb Nance at Readerbuzz; Abigail at The Story Factory Reading Zone; Dusky Literati (not RAT'ing); Kirsten M. at We Be Reading; Lisa at Lit and Life; Kanaye at Kanaye Speaks; Kate at Epic(Chocolate); Hillary at Adventures in Never Never Land; Noumena12; and Olivia at Down the Rabbit Hole
What I've eaten/drunk: cinnamon raisin toast and a Diet Mt. Dew; some Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles and a bottle of water; some pretzel M&M's stolen from the hubster; potato skins for lunch; some fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls; a Throwback Pepsi; a bowl of beef barley vegetable soup; two gummi bears from the hubby; a bottle of water; some more Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles; leftover Easter candy; water with lime; turkey, bacon and cheese sub from Alphonso's (SO freakin' good, I've eaten it like three times this week); Diet Mt. Dew; gummi bears; another bottle of water; the rest of the Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles; and part of another Throwback Pepsi

And now here's the End of Event meme:


1.Which hour was most daunting for you? Hour Whenever I Went to Bed (17?)
2.Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? The Clan of the Cave Bear series is pretty good. I was never impatient to finish book 2, and I read it for almost the whole Read-a-Thon.
3.Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? More random reader and cheerleader prize drawings. It's the Read-a-Thon, not the Mini-Challenge-a-Thon.
4.What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Pretty much everything, as usual.
5.How many books did you read? One and part of a second.
6.What were the names of the books you read? The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel and Truly, Madly by Heather Webber
7.Which book did you enjoy most? The Valley of Horses
8.Which did you enjoy least? By default, Truly, Madly, since I only got about ten pages into it.
9.If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? N/A
10.How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Oh, I will absolutely participate again. I LOVE the Read-a-Thon! And I will still be a reader.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this event so great. This is always my favorite time of year (for the last eight Read-a-Thons, anyway).

Review: The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel

I read the first novel in this series, The Clan of the Cave Bear, a month or two ago. I can't say I loved it, but I can say that I kept thinking about it after I had finished it. The world that Auel created, the world of early man, was one that captured my imagination. This second book in the series I believe I Mooched, back when I was collecting all of the books. And this one I liked even better than the first.

SPOILER ALERT!!! If you haven't read The Clan of the Cave Bear yet, and you intend to, you might not want to read my description of this book, as it talks about some of the events of the first novel. Ayla has been cast out by the Clan, a death curse upon her, and she begins to wander. She is trying to find her own people, the Others, and find a mate among them. At the beginning of this book, she is wandering, wondering when she will meet up with all of the Others whom Iza told her lived to the North. Winter is coming on, and she is wondering what she will do for food and shelter through the rough cold season, when she comes across a cave in a valley. The cave would make good shelter and the valley would provide enough in provisions to allow her to stay the winter. Eventually, Ayla makes a nice life for herself in the Valley of Horses, but she is lonely. The second storyline of the book follows a man of the Others, Jondalar, and his brother Thonolan, as they make a Journey east from their home. When the two paths overlap, will Ayla finally find the family she's been looking for?

I really liked this book, much better than the first. In fact, I found this one very hard to put down. I was glad that Ayla was away from the Clan. All the Clan names started to run together for me, and I often got confused about who was who. But in this book, Ayla spends most of her time alone, so we get a better idea of who she is without the constraints of the Clan rules and customs. She really comes into her own in this book.

I give it four and three quarters out of five Whatevers. Recommended for those who like great detail in their historical fiction (I feel like I could knap flint, make medicines, and hunt prehistoric game after reading this book), for those who like strong female protagonists (Ayla is completely kick ass), and for those who like some dirty sex thrown in with their casual reading (yes, there are some steamy scenes). Since I like all of the above, this one was a winner for me!

2012-7

Spring 2012 RAT: Hour Sixteen

Wow. I'm so close to finishing my book! I definitely want to finish it and start a new one, but I'm getting tired, too. I think I'll try to get myself pumped up, but if I finish my current read, I might let myself go to sleep. So much for Hour 20, right? But we shall see. Perhaps a second wind is right around the corner.

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Valley of Horses
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 66
Running total of pages read since you started: 450
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 90 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 717 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Introduction meme; Turn to a Page; E-Reader Survey; Mid-Event Survey
Other participants you’ve visited: Foxears; Courtney at Abducted by Books; Mandy at Adventures in Borkdom; Denise at Flamingo House Happenings; Memory at Stella Matutina; Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelves; Melissa at 1lbr; Christa at Hooked on Books (although I'm not sure she's Read-a-Thoning); Rebecca at Kindle Fever (ditto); Ariel at The Librarian's Bookshelf (not RAT'ing); Christina at Ardent Reader; Brianna at For the Love of Books (not RAT'ing); Lindsey at Sparks' Notes (not RAT'ing); Ronnica at The Ignorant Historian; Amudes at Amused by Books; Jade at Sort of Beautiful; Jen at At Random; Stacy and Anneliese at Book Psmith; Reeder at Reeder Reads; Sheery at Sheery's Place (not RAT'ing); Teresa at Shelf Love; Jessica at Cryptographic Romance; Roxanne Kade; The Brain Lair (not RAT'ing); Tara at Hobbitsies (not RAT'ing); Kyle at A Reader's Pensieve; Kimberly at On the Wings of Books; Capricious Reader; Deb Nance at Readerbuzz; Abigail at The Story Factory Reading Zone; Dusky Literati (not RAT'ing); Kirsten M. at We Be Reading; Lisa at Lit and Life
What I've eaten/drunk: cinnamon raisin toast and a Diet Mt. Dew; some Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles and a bottle of water; some pretzel M&M's stolen from the hubster; potato skins for lunch; some fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls; a Throwback Pepsi; a bowl of beef barley vegetable soup; two gummi bears from the hubby; a bottle of water; some more Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles; leftover Easter candy; water with lime; turkey, bacon and cheese sub from Alphonso's (SO freakin' good, I've eaten it like three times this week); Diet Mt. Dew; gummi bears; another bottle of water

Maybe it's time to haul out another soda? Plug on to the end of the book! Only about 14 pages to go!

Spring 2012 RAT: Hour Fourteen

What? Only ten more hours to go? I'm starting to get a little sleepy, so I'm drinking another Diet Mt. Dew, but I might have to add some sugar into the mix in order to get that rush to keep me going. Here's the latest update:

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Valley of Horses
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 42
Running total of pages read since you started: 384
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 90 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 627 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Introduction meme; Turn to a Page; E-Reader Survey; Mid-Event Survey
Other participants you’ve visited: Foxears; Courtney at Abducted by Books; Mandy at Adventures in Borkdom; Denise at Flamingo House Happenings; Memory at Stella Matutina; Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelves; Melissa at 1lbr; Christa at Hooked on Books (although I'm not sure she's Read-a-Thoning); Rebecca at Kindle Fever (ditto); Ariel at The Librarian's Bookshelf (not RAT'ing); Christina at Ardent Reader; Brianna at For the Love of Books (not RAT'ing); Lindsey at Sparks' Notes (not RAT'ing); Ronnica at The Ignorant Historian; Amudes at Amused by Books; Jade at Sort of Beautiful; Jen at At Random; Stacy and Anneliese at Book Psmith; Reeder at Reeder Reads; Sheery at Sheery's Place (not RAT'ing); Teresa at Shelf Love; Jessica at Cryptographic Romance; Roxanne Kade; The Brain Lair (not RAT'ing); Tara at Hobbitsies (not RAT'ing); Kyle at A Reader's Pensieve
What I've eaten/drunk: cinnamon raisin toast and a Diet Mt. Dew; some Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles and a bottle of water; some pretzel M&M's stolen from the hubster; potato skins for lunch; some fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls; a Throwback Pepsi; a bowl of beef barley vegetable soup; two gummie bears from the hubby; a bottle of water; some more Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles; leftover Easter candy; water with lime; turkey, bacon and cheese sub from Alphonso's (SO freakin' good, I've eaten it like three times this week); Diet Mt. Dew

Okay. Time to get up and do some jumping jacks, then eat some candy to get that sugar rush. I can definitely make it another two hours. Longer? Hope so. I'd love to make it 20 hours this time. I think 17 is the longest I've ever done...

Spring 2012 RAT: Mid-Event Survey

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?

Getting a little tired, probably not helped by the fact that I ate a turkey sub for dinner!

2) What have you finished reading?

NOTHING yet.

3) What is your favorite read so far?

The only thing I've read is The Valley of Horses, but it's pretty damn good.

4) What about your favorite snacks?

The potato skins we had earlier today were tasty. And my sub was EXCELLENT.

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!

SO many new blogs. See my update list for all of the new people I've visited today!

Spring 2012 RAT: Hour WTF?! TWELVE!

How is it Hour Twelve already? We've been at this all day?! And we're halfway done?! Congratulations to us! Still feeling good, no tiredness. We just ordered in dinner, so that's good. Here's my stats:

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Valley of Horses
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 58
Running total of pages read since you started: 342
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 90 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 537 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Introduction meme; Turn to a Page; E-Reader Survey
Other participants you’ve visited: Foxears; Courtney at Abducted by Books; Mandy at Adventures in Borkdom; Denise at Flamingo House Happenings; Memory at Stella Matutina; Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelves; Melissa at 1lbr; Christa at Hooked on Books (although I'm not sure she's Read-a-Thoning); Rebecca at Kindle Fever (ditto); Ariel at The Librarian's Bookshelf (not RAT'ing); Christina at Ardent Reader; Brianna at For the Love of Books (not RAT'ing); Lindsey at Sparks' Notes (not RAT'ing); Ronnica at The Ignorant Historian; Amudes at Amused by Books; Jade at Sort of Beautiful; Jen at At Random; Stacy and Anneliese at Book Psmith; Reeder at Reeder Reads; Sheery at Sheery's Place (not RAT'ing); Teresa at Shelf Love; Jessica at Cryptographic Romance; Roxanne Kade
What I've eaten/drunk: cinnamon raisin toast and a Diet Mt. Dew; some Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles and a bottle of water; some pretzel M&M's stolen from the hubster; potato skins for lunch; some fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls; a Throwback Pepsi; a bowl of beef barley vegetable soup; two gummie bears from the hubby; a bottle of water; some more Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles; leftover Easter candy; water with lime

No food in the last couple of hours, amazing! I guess I was gearing up for dinner. Hmm. Well, my sub is on its way. I'm off to visit some blogs and read some more! P.S. - I'm super-proud of the hubster who, despite his short attention span and MS, is kicking ASS at this spring's Read-a-Thon!

Spring 2012 RAT: Hour Ten

Switched positions to the bed, and it was nice. I'm going back in there once I finish writing up this post and visiting some other Read-a-Thoners.

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Valley of Horses
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 59
Running total of pages read since you started: 284
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 90 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 452 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Introduction meme; Turn to a Page; E-Reader Survey
Other participants you’ve visited: Foxears; Courtney at Abducted by Books; Mandy at Adventures in Borkdom; Denise at Flamingo House Happenings; Memory at Stella Matutina; Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelves; Melissa at 1lbr; Christa at Hooked on Books (although I'm not sure she's Read-a-Thoning); Rebecca at Kindle Fever (ditto); Ariel at The Librarian's Bookshelf (not RAT'ing); Christina at Ardent Reader; Brianna at For the Love of Books (not RAT'ing); Lindsey at Sparks' Notes (not RAT'ing); Ronnica at The Ignorant Historian; Amudes at Amused by Books; Jade at Sort of Beautiful; Jen at At Random; Stacy and Anneliese at Book Psmith
What I've eaten/drunk: cinnamon raisin toast and a Diet Mt. Dew; some Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles and a bottle of water; some pretzel M&M's stolen from the hubster; potato skins for lunch; some fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls; a Throwback Pepsi; a bowl of beef barley vegetable soup; two gummie bears from the hubby; a bottle of water; some more Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles; leftover Easter candy

I eat a TON during the Read-a-Thon. Incessant snacking is one of the things I love most about this day!

Spring 2012 RAT: Hour Eight

Still going strong! Got really hungry in the last two hours and ate some more, but that's half the Read-a-Thon: eating until you puke!

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Valley of Horses
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 48
Running total of pages read since you started: 225
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 92 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 362 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Introduction meme; Turn to a Page
Other participants you’ve visited: Foxears; Courtney at Abducted by Books; Mandy at Adventures in Borkdom; Denise at Flamingo House Happenings; Memory at Stella Matutina; Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelves; Melissa at 1lbr; Christa at Hooked on Books (although I'm not sure she's Read-a-Thoning); Rebecca at Kindle Fever (ditto); Ariel at The Librarian's Bookshelf (not RAT'ing); Christina at Ardent Reader; Brianna at For the Love of Books (not RAT'ing); Lindsey at Sparks' Notes (not RAT'ing); Ronnica at The Ignorant Historian; Amudes at Amused by Books; Jade at Sort of Beautiful
What I've eaten/drunk: cinnamon raisin toast and a Diet Mt. Dew; some Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles and a bottle of water; some pretzel M&M's stolen from the hubster; potato skins for lunch; some fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls; a Throwback Pepsi; a bowl of beef barley vegetable soup; two gummie bears from the hubby; a bottle of water

Making okay progress, but I'd like to see my page count up a little higher. Maybe if I stop making food all the time...

Spring 2012 RAT: Hour Six

Hour Six already?! Wow. The latest update:

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Valley of Horses
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 52
Running total of pages read since you started: 177
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 90 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 270 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Introduction meme; Turn to a Page
Other participants you’ve visited: Foxears; Courtney at Abducted by Books; Mandy at Adventures in Borkdom; Denise at Flamingo House Happenings; Memory at Stella Matutina; Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelves; Melissa at 1lbr; Christa at Hooked on Books (although I'm not sure she's Read-a-Thoning); Rebecca at Kindle Fever (ditto)
What I've eaten/drunk: cinnamon raisin toast and a Diet Mt. Dew; some Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles and a bottle of water; some pretzel M&M's stolen from the hubster; potato skins for lunch; some fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls; a Throwback Pepsi

Still enjoying my book. Still a little tired. Who knew sitting and reading all day could exhaust you? Maybe it's time to change reading locations from the couch to the bed or recliner...

Spring 2012 RAT: Hour Four

Here's the update:

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Valley of Horses
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 61
Running total of pages read since you started: 125
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 90 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 180 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Introduction meme; Turn to a Page
Other participants you’ve visited: Foxears; Courtney at Abducted by Books; Mandy at Adventures in Borkdom; Denise at Flamingo House Happenings; Memory at Stella Matutina
What I've eaten/drunk: cinnamon raisin toast and a Diet Mt. Dew; some Screamin' Dill Pickle Pringles and a bottle of water

It's going well so far. Fighting off mid-morning fatigue, but really enjoying my book, The Valley of Horses. It's very good...probably even better than the first in the series. I'm getting ready to turn on the oven to heat up some snacks/lunch for the hubster and I, and also to visit some other blogs. Later!

Spring 2012 RAT: Hour Two

I've spent the last hour and a half reading, and now I'm taking a break to read a few others' blogs and do a meme!

Introductory Meme:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

South Florida, as usual

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

My current read, The Valley of Horses. I'm really enjoying it.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Mmm, potato skins.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I love bacon, cats, and reading, not all for the same reasons.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

I don't think I'll do much differently. In the past I've read magazines to break up the Read-a-Thon, but I don't have any to read today.

And now for my stats:

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Valley of Horses
Number of books read since you started: part of one
Pages read since last update: 64
Running total of pages read since you started: 64
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 90 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 90 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Introduction meme
Other participants you’ve visited: none, yet
What I've eaten/drunk: cinnamon raisin toast and a Diet Mt. Dew

Hope everyone is having a great Read-a-Thon so far!!!

Spring 2012 RAT: Hour Zero

I've done so many Read-a-Thons, I'm running out of clever titles for posts. The beginning is about 20 minutes away and we are hanging out, consuming caffeine, enjoying the cool weather in grey, gloomy Florida today. The hubster has Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter on deck and I've got The Valley of Horses here. I'm ready to start reading already! I think I'll make some cinnamon raisin toast before we get started...

Read-a-Thon Begins Tomorrow Morning!

Just a reminder, the Read-a-Thon starts tomorrow. If you haven't yet signed up, and you wish to do so, do it here. I've laid in supplies (junk food) and have a huge book that I've just started to get me through (The Valley of Horses). I'm hoping to get all the way through that chunkster and, if I do, I have a number of books standing by. I'll probably post a pic of my book pile sometime tomorrow. My favorite semi-annual event is about to happen! Now to get a good night's sleep to be rested and prepared for tomorrow!

Review: Chaos Bites by Lori Handeland

I bought this book a year or two ago for my birthday. It's the fourth in the Phoenix Chronicles series by Lori Handeland. I was introduced to this urban fantasy series when I received a review copy of the first book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. I loved it and was hooked. I was very excited to see this book come out in 2010, because I'd read up to the third installment and was anxious to see what happened to Elizabeth Phoenix and the rest of the crew trying to save the world.

In this episode, Liz is fresh off of killing Sawyer, the skinwalker she loves, in order to save the world from Armageddon. The Nephilim (half-human, half-fallen-angel) are trying to bring about the end times, and Liz had recently become the leader of the light, the forces who are trying to prevent the extinction of the human race. At the beginning of this book, Sawyer is visiting Liz in her dreams. And a baby appears on her doorstep - Sawyer's baby...and who else's? In between learning how to care for an infant and trying to save the world, Liz is also trying to figure out how to bring Sawyer back from the dead.

The book was full of the expected thrills and chills. Plenty of violence, and danger, and sex. And cursing. As I've said before, this series is not for the faint of heart. If you don't like books with a lot of sex and cursing, go elsewhere. As those things don't bother me, I fully enjoyed this latest installment of the adventures of Liz & Co. - as you might be able to tell, since I finished it in an unheard-of two days. No worries, my next book is a chunkster, so it will last me at least through the Read-a-thon. Anyway, I give this one four-and-a-half out of five Whatevers. For those who like urban fantasy, fans of Lori Handeland's other work, or those who need a quick read in between heavier tomes.

2012-6

Review: O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King

I bought my copy of O Jerusalem from Powells, probably with one of the many gift cards I've received for them over the years. It is the fifth published in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, but chronologically it falls after (or, really, in the midst of) the first book, The Beekeeper's Apprentice.

In this book, Holmes and Russell have traveled, under the auspices of Holmes' brother Mycroft, to the Middle East. Mycroft indicated that he had something for them to do there, but he never specified what that something was. When they arrive, the Hazr brothers, Mahmoud and Ali, meet them at the dock and take Holmes and Russell under their wing. Russell dresses as a young Arab boy, Amir, in order to move more freely through a culture which does not allow women much freedom. They soon discover several deaths, which seem unrelated, but are eventually revealed to be the work of one man, or one group. Holmes and Russell, with the help of Mahmoud and Ali, set out to solve the murders and prevent an occurrence which could destroy the semblance of peace that has come to Israel.

I liked this book more than I thought I would. I was not terribly excited about the setting - the Middle East does not really intrigue me. But King's descriptions of the Holy Land really pulled me in, and made me feel like I was really there. The desert scenes had me running for water, and the scenes in the city of Jerusalem gave me a very good idea of what that ancient home to three religions was like. The race to save the day at the end was as exciting as always in a Holmes/Russell novel. Recommended for those who are already a fan of the series, for any who love the original Holmes and are looking for more, or for anyone who likes a good mystery. Four out of five Whatevers. And I think this one qualifies as my second review for the Merely Mystery Reading Challenge!

2012-5