Saturday, December 29, 2007

Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell

I have been reading Patricia Cornwell's Dr. Kay Scarpetta Series since Postmortem. The latest installment and the 15th book in this series, is Book of the Dead. It is hard to believe Cornwell has written this many books in the Scarpetta Series. This high number of installments may also explain why I have not enjoyed any of the last several as much as I did the first ten or so series books. I think only a very few series books with this many installments can retain the integrity and story-line of the initial books in the series.

I would have bought and read this book simply because it was the newest installment in the Scarpetta Series. However, this book was even more interesting to me because in this installment, Dr. Scarpetta has moved from Florida to Charleston, SC, my hometown. As a matter of fact, I met Patricia Cornwell once at a book signing in Charleston in the late 1990's after the release of Point of Origin. I have an autographed copy and gave a couple away as birthday presents with personal inscriptions from Cornwell to the birthday recipient. Yes, I am definitely a Cornwell/Scarpetta fan.

When I first started reading this book, I found myself wondering if Cornwell had actually written it. The story was choppy, disjointed and at times, hard to follow - which is very uncharacteristic for Cornwell's early Scarpetta writing. As the story progressed and became more interesting, I learned to overlook the choppiness to follow the story.

Leaving out many of the human pieces of the story, Cornwell seems to put a lot more forensic detail and definition into this book. She ties up this left out detail in the closing chapters of this book. Unlike the first suspense-filled books in this series, she seems to have lost the ability to build to a climax and finish the book with a bang. Book of the Dead does not build to a climax, leaves out needed detail during the story and ties everything up quite nicely in the last couple of chapters. (Well, she ties up almost everything quite nicely. I wouldn't want to ruin the conclusion for anyone.)

Scarpetta is still an awesome forensic scientist. However, she is quite unable to resolve any of her personal issues. Lucy has become a, how-do-you-say, rich, spoiled brat, who believes herself the most intelligent investigator/computer whiz. Lucy also believes she is so gifted, she is above the law in most situations. And, Marino has become an overweight, over-the-top-testosterone driven, Harley riding male-chauvinist. What happened to the intelligent, law-enforcing, ethically-driven crime investigating characters I used to love?

The upside of this book, at least from "Island Girl's" point of view...reading about the Charleston setting was fabulous. Also, it was great to read about the fishing, crabbing and shrimping techniques I learned while growing up. I could almost smell the "sweet" aroma of the saltwater marsh and felt as if I could sink thigh deep in the pluff mud! The Charleston Place Hotel - spent a few nights there in August - great, charming hotel which serves absolutely great Southern cuisine. (Can't get good grits or sweet tea in California!) I knew most of the subjects and places pretty well, and believe Cornwell really did a thorough job researching to write so well about these Lowcountry charms.

As with the last several books in this series, I didn't enjoy Book of the Dead as much as the earlier books in this series. This book was okay. I will continue to buy and read future installments in this series because I really do like the ongoing story-lines and the characters. I would like to see a return to the more human, realistic, investigating side of Scarpetta, Lucy and Marino. But, I also realize these characters are Cornwell's creations and she can take them wherever she wants.

Book of the Dead
Author: Patricia Cornwell
Available formats:
Hardback, October 2007, 405 pages, approximate cost $18
Hardback, Large Print, November 2007, 655 pages, approximate cost $33
Audio, Compact Disc, Abridged, narrated by Mary Stuart Masterson, October 2007, approximate cost $24
Audio, Compact Disc, Unabridged, read by Kate Reading, October 2007, approximate cost $32

Other books by Patricia Cornwell are too many to mention in this space (more than 20). The books listed here are Patricia Cornwell books I have read or Dr. Kay Scarpetta inspired cookbooks.

Scarpetta Series:
Predator, 2005
Trace, 2004
Blow Fly, 2003
The Last Precinct, 2000
Black Notice, 1999
Point of Origin, 1998
Unnatural Exposure, 1997
Cause of Death, 1996
From Potter's Field, 1995
The Body Farm, 1994
Cruel and Unusual, 1993
All That Remains, 1992
Body of Evidence, 1991
Postmortem, 1990

Scarpetta inspired cookbooks:
Food to Die For: Secrets from Kay Scarpetta's Kitchen, Cornwell (and Marlene Brown), 2001
Scarpetta's Winter Table, 1998

Biography:
Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham, 1997 (updated re-release of A Time for Remembering, 1983)

To learn more about the author Patricia Cornwell, visit: http://www.patriciacornwell.com/

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

The 6th Target by James Patterson (& Maxine Paetro)

Fans of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club will not be disappointed in the newest installment of this series, The 6th Target.

The 6th Target is really three murder mysteries in one. The first mystery places you inside the mind of a deranged killer who, in his murderous crime spree, shoots one of the members of the Women's Murder Club. The second mystery is a killer on the loose in the apartment building of another of the Club's members. And the third mystery involves the disappearance of a gifted child in San Francisco. As in each book in this series, the four members of the Women's Murder Club - San Francisco Police Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer, San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner Claire Washburn, San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano and San Francisco Chronicle Reporter Cindy Thomas - put the the pieces of these mystery puzzles together to assist solving the crimes and putting the bad guys behind bars.

I have read and liked this entire series of books. I like these books because of the San Francisco setting, the power roles of the female lead characters, and the inter-personal relationships of these women outside of their crime solving duties. The Women's Murder Club is also a new series on ABC. I like the television show for the same reasons I enjoy the books. The television show has taken some criticism because, at times, the characters seem to be more interested in their personal relationships than solving their criminal investigations. I have always liked the personal story lines as much, if not more, than I enjoy the crime solving skills of these four women. Although the television series seems to have jumped around to and from different nights on ABC, I think it's regular time-slot is Friday night after Men In Trees, another of my favorite television shows. (With Tivo, I am almost always assured I will never miss an episode of my favorite shows, no matter how many times the network changes the time-slot. You gotta love Tivo!)

Even with the personal story lines, The 6th Target is a suspense-filled mystery. Patterson has done a great job building the criminal and criminally insane characters of this book. The "perps" are almost too realistic and frightening.

If you have not read any of Patterson's Women's Murder Club series, and you enjoy reading crime stories which include the inter-personal relationships of working women, my suggestion would be to start with the first book in this series, 1st to Die. (This complete series of books is listed below.) You do not need to read previous installments in this series to enjoy this book. The 6th Target is a good stand-alone, crime-solving story.

Although I have read and enjoyed other Patterson books, I am very partial to the Women's Murder Club series. After finishing the latest installment in this series, I always look forward to the next one! If you have not started this series, you have an advantage. Because of the availability of all six books in the series, you can read them back-to-back, while I have to wait on the next publication.

The 6th Target
Authors: James Patterson (and Maxine Paetro)
Available formats:
Hardback, May 2007, 390 pages, approximate cost $20
Hardback, Large Print, May 2007, 483 pages, approximate cost $30
Paperback, available January 2008, 416 pages, approximate cost $14
Audio, Compact Disc, Abridged, read by Carolyn McCormick, May 2007, approximate cost $30
Audio, Compact Disc, Unabridged, read by Carolyn McCormick, May 2007, approximate cost $40

Other books by James Patterson are too many to mention in this space (more than 40). The books listed here are James Patterson books I have read.

Women's Murder Club Series:
The 5th Horseman, Patterson (and Maxine Paetro), 2006
4th of July, Patterson (and Maxine Paetro), 2005
3rd Degree, Patterson (and Andrew Gross), 2005
2nd Chance, Patterson (and Andrew Gross), 2003
1st to Die, 2002
(Note: The seventh installment of this series, 7th Heaven, is currently scheduled to be released in February of 2008)

Alex Cross Series:
Four Blind Mice, 2003
Along Came A Spider, 1993

Others:
Maximum Ride, 2006
The Lake House, 2004
The Beach House, Patterson (and Peter de Jonge), 2003
When the Wind Blows, 1999

To learn more about the author James Patterson, visit:
http://www.jamespatterson.com/

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg

Best Quote From Book: "Just like two and two always add up to four, kindness and foregiveness is always right, hate and revenge is always wrong. It's a fail-proof system; if you just stick to that one simple rule, why, you couldn't make a mistake if you tried."

I enjoyed Flagg's Can't Wait to Get to Heaven more than I enjoyed her previous best-seller, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe. Since I really enjoyed Fried Green Tomatoes..., to like this book even more is saying quite a bit. The reason I really liked this book; with all of the negative happenings in our world today, Flagg's humor-filled story illustrates a simply positive approach to everyday life. Not only has she written a humorous, heart-warming novel, her well written, easy-to-understand concepts are things all of us should strive to incorporate into our day-to-day life.

Set in current day Elmwood Springs, a small town in Missouri, this novel is full of small town charm, warmth, character idiosyncracies, and side-splitting humor. Flagg's characters are the essence of her story. They are small town, folksy, lovable and uniquely familiar. They will remind you of yourself and people you know.

The story opens as the "loves all living creatures" Aunt Elner, the 80-something-year-old lead character, climbs a ladder to pick figs for a friend. In Elmwood Springs, Aunt Elner's early morning fig picking, will send her on an incredible journey and set in motion a series of unforeseeable events. Elner's neurotic niece, Norma, and her Home Depot employed & very Aunt Elner loyal husband, Macky, round out the lead roles.

Some of the other richly colorful characters you will encounter in this book are the local newspaper editor, the beauty shop owner, the Bible thumper, the egomaniacal attorney, the retired, snail killing gardener, the ambulance chasing lawyer, and the always trying to stay out of trouble truck driver. For the most part, in their own ways, each of the characters is pondering the real meaning of life and the consequences of their actions, good and bad. Flagg continues to develop her characters as her plot develops. These characters develop all of the way through the book to the very last chapter.

In this novel, Flagg utilizes an easy-to-read writing style making it even more enjoyable. This book was charming and hard-to-put-down, likely making it one of my favorite reads of 2007.

Can't Wait to Get to Heaven
Author: Fannie Flagg
Available formats:
Hardback, July 2006, 384 pages, approximate cost $26
Hardback, Large Print, July 2006, 528 pages, approximate cost $28
Paperback, June 2007 Reprint, 384 pages, approximate cost $12
Audio - Compact Disc, Abridged, read by Fannie Flagg, July 2006, approximate cost $30
Audio - Compact Disc, Unabridged, read by Fannie Flagg & Cassandra Campbell, July 2006, currently unavailable new, approximate cost used $90-$125
Reading group guide also available

Other books by Fannie Flagg:
A Redbird Christmas, 2004
Standing in the Rainbow, 2002
Welcome to the World Baby Girl!, 1998
Fannie Flagg's Original Whistlestop Cafe Cookbook, 1995
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, 1987
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man (aka Coming Attractions), 1981

To learn more about the author Fannie Flagg, visit: http://www.randomhouse.com/features/fannieflagg/