Review - Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published May 28th 2011 by Gollancz, Victor Limited

Synopsis:
'With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows'

My Thoughts:
I seemed to enjoy this instalment a bit better than the previous two (maybe because it was a nice time-out book to read in the middle of exam study) but I still get the feeling that the plot is going stale and Charlaine Harris is desperately trying to make unsuccesful attempts to keep it alive.

If the last two to three books had been the ones written at the beginning of the series, I don't think there's any way it would have become as popular as it is today. There just doesn't seem to be any solid plot developments anymore throughout the books and everything that does happen seems to be a bit weak up until the last 50 pages or so where the story finally gets a bit of kick and has some movement. I'm not sure if this trick is one the author thinks is perfect to keep people reading because they don't want to miss the huge finale, or whether it takes that long for her to actually decide in her head how she wants the story to develop.

Unfortunately, I felt there were a lot of cringe-worthy scenes in this book that frankly would have been embarrasing to write about. There is one particular scene which involves Alcide that just annoyed me to no end because it made him seem like a brainless ape rather than the smart, tough character he's supposed to be.

That's another thing that disappoints me now, the characters just don't seem to have the same personalities anymore. Sookie has become a well seasoned killing machine which just doesn't suit her at all, Eric isn't the sarcastic sexy vamp he used to be, Bill's character is just confusing now because he keeps changing his tune so much and Pam seems to have lost all her pizazz.

In my opinion, I think this series should be wrapped up soon so that us readers can get some closure and move on. The books just don't have that fun and cool draw factor anymore and I think Charlaine should bow out gracefully and begin something else that is fresh and new.

'Dead Reckoning' can be purchased from The Book Depository or here at Amazon.com

I am an Amazon and Book Depository affiliate. If you purchase any books using my link I will get a small commission which goes straight towards future contests J

Friday Finds (27th April 2012)

Friday finds is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading where you list all the books that you've come across or heard about during the past week.

My finds this week which were added to my TBR pile straight away were as follows (book covers link to Goodreads):

It's been a pretty slow week this week for for discovering new books as I just haven't had the time to really pay attention to everything I've been reading about. This time next week I will be exam free and can get back to wasting time without a care in the world. Yay! (Until my next semester starts again in August anyway).....

What were your Friday Finds this week?

Why Do You Read?

I was in a pondering moment today and I thought I'd pose the above question to everyone to see what different reasons there are out there for people to read.

Is it to escape from the real world, to discover new people/places/themes, to pass the time or just because it's an easy thing to do?

I think my reasons for reading mainly stem from the fact I was an only child with older parents who never really wanted to do much with me or get disturbed by me having too many friends over when I was younger. Due to this reading became my favourite way to pass the time and discover new things. I loved getting into new books and getting lost in new worlds and pretending that I was in the story as well as getting attached to the characters and feeling a little disappointed when the book ended and I was no longer in their world and being updated on their life.

These days I still love discovering new worlds and characters within a book and I also love being made to think when I'm reading something that's a bit challenging. I also love that feeling of intrigue you get if it's a mystery or thriller that isn't easy to work out and the suspense and heart pumping that can go with coming across an ending that just takes your breath away because it was totally unexpected.

So, why do you read? I'd love to know everyone's reasons.

In My Mailbox (22nd April 2012)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren and is a weekly meme to show what books you have accumulated during the week.

I'm getting a bit nervous about all the new books I've been acquiring lately because due to my looming CPA exam on the 2nd May I'm just not getting in the time to read that I would really like due to study commitments. I've officially hit panic stricken stressed-out mode now and won't calm down until I walk out of that exam in a week and a half.

Anyway, here are the books I acquired this week which are all patiently waiting for me to get back to my normal reading schedule:

Bought:



For Review:



Currently I'm still trying to get into 'Dead Reckoning' by Charlaine Harris but am not going so well. It's not the poor book's fault though as all I can think about when I try to read is my study materials so hopefully I will get into it a bit more once I de-stress.

I've also just started listening to George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' when I'm doing the housework and in the car. This is a classic that I've been wanting to read for a very long time so can't wait to get a bit more into it.

What books have you acquired this week?

Michelle xx

Friday Finds (20th April 2012)

Friday finds is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading where you list all the books that you've come across or heard about during the past week.

My finds this week which were added to my TBR pile straight away were as follows (book covers link to Goodreads):

The one I'm most excited about is 'Things Your Dog Doesn't Want You To Know' as it just looks like a really cute and lighthearted read. I'm a sucker for any animal books and cannot wait to get my hot little hands on this one.

What were your great finds this week?

Michelle xx

Review - 'Til We Meet Again' by Stacey Kennedy

'Til We Meet Again by Stacey Kennedy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

ebook, Short Story, 35 pages

Published May 1st 2011 (first published April 30th 2011)

Book Blurb:
'Ethan Thomas has spent years alone―forever trapped between worlds. Once a soldier in the Civil War, he’s now a ghost bound to a chaise lounge that once belonged to him. He’s spent centuries lingering in Savannah, Georgia, waiting to be saved…

Cassandra Cole is an interior designer hired to restore an old Victorian home. As she begins to furnish the house, strange happenings erupt around her. She suspects the house is haunted. Determined to find out, Cassie sets out to discover who the ghost is, why she feels a connection to him, and what she has to do to free him. The answers will surprise her in ways she never imagined.'
Oh dear. Now I know why I've never been an avid romance fan. This short story was just one word to me: corny.

I thought I'd dip my toe in the paranormal romance genre with this story as it was only around 35 pages long but right from the start I was constantly giggling internally to myself at the language used and the references made. I don't know why but romantic stories like this have just never done it for me. I tend to pick the scenes to pieces and shake my head the whole time because I get so baffled at what I'm reading. I guess I'm more of a 'realist' when it comes to romance and these types of books are most definitely not real in any way, shape or form.

Any fans of paranormal romance out there (especially the naughty kind) will probably love this story but it was just a bit too much for me. I was extremely grateful that it was only 35 pages long. Any longer than that, and I just don't think I could have finished it.

This is definitely and 'adults only' story too.

I'd love to know what others think about romance novels these days? Am I a minority for thinking they're just a little bit cheesy?

Michelle xx

Waiting on Wednesday (18th April 2012)

Waiting in Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.

The book I'm desperately anticipating this week is 'Deadlocked' By Charlaine Harris which is instalment #12 in the Sookie Stackhouse Series (image is linked to Goodreads):

'With Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), in town, it’s the worst possible time for a body to show up in Eric Northman’s front yard—especially the body of a woman whose blood he just drank.
Now, it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.'

I know a lot of people are thinking this series has lost it's mojo and I am kind of one of them but for some reason I still feel compelled to keep reading the books when they are released. I guess I hold some hope that there might be some miraculous event that will bring the series back from the grave and spark interest again.

What does everyone else think? Has this series lost it's mojo or are there others eagerly anticipating the release of this instalment as much as I am?

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: May 1st 2012 by Victor Gollancz Limited

Review - 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Synopsis:
'In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.'

I am a bit late as far as getting into The Hunger Games series but I'm so glad that I did.
My main reason for reading this book was all the hype surrounding the recently released movie because I am one of those people that refuse to see a movie based on a book without having read the book first.
Once I started this book I was hooked pretty much from the first few pages. It was such a fast paced read with wonderful narration that creates such a vivid picture in your mind. I love books like this that move at a fast pace and always have something significantly happening to make you want to just keep reading more and more. Books which take so long to describe the simplest event and move at a snail pace just to be overly descriptive tend to lose my interest very quickly (Yes, I'm pointing a finger at you 'Wheel of Time' series!)
This is technically a Young Adult book and is written from the perspective of a 16 year old girl named Katniss but it is in no way a childish perspective which I thought was great. You could tell that the hard life lead by Katniss shaped her more adult perspective on life and this was evident in the way the story was told. Obviously there were certain things that made you remember that she was only 16, especially her naivety with regard to the feeling of love after everything that went on between her and Peeta, the other tribute from her District.
Overall I hated putting this book down and definitely think it's a book that everyone should read. The ending left me wanting more and I just can't wait to start the second one in the series.

Did everyone else get as hooked on this series as I did?

Michelle xx

Review - 'Poke' by Dalya Moon

Poke by Dalya Moon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:
'Zan is a teenage boy with a talent for discovering any girl’s secrets. If he asks a girl to poke her finger into his navel, he gets a psychic trip to Secret Town. Zan never likes what he finds.

When he meets mysterious, beautiful Austin, with her waist-length hair and mature laugh, he wants to get acquainted with her the slow way. Austin, however, can’t resist her curiosity, and when she pokes her finger into Zan’s belly button, he sees … nothing.

Austin dashes out of Zan’s house and out of his life, leaving Zan heartbroken and confused. To find peace, he must unravel the secret of his power. Is it a gift, or a curse? How can Zan love someone with no future? How can he not?

Poke is a fast-paced story about Zan's adventurous summer, as he battles witches, experiments with astral projection, and discovers the secret of his strange power, all to be with the girl he loves.'

I must admit that I really liked this book. At first I was super intrigued how a power such as a 'psychic belly button' could be written about without it seeming to be a bit silly and I was quite impressed in the end.
This was a very fast paced read and is probably a book that could be finished in a day if you had the time to get through it in one sitting.
It seemed to tick all the right boxes that make a book interesting - death of the lead character Zan's parents when he was really young, a 'gift' passed on from his father to stop him being betrayed by a woman like he was, serious notes surrounding Zan's love for Austin, a girl he has a one night stand with who has an inoperable brain tumour and light-hearted humour surrounding his belly button powers. All this set amongst your typical teenage obsessions and one-track mind mentality.
The author really knows how to create a picture of what she is writing about and there is a dream sequence which decribes a very interesting concept in how our childhood memories are stored in our minds which I thought was very clever.
I definitely found this story to be engaging and a nice quick read to pass the time with.


Michelle xx

In My Mailbox (16th April 2012)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren and is a weekly meme to show what books you have accumulated during the week.

This week I went on a bit of an e-book spree as I have recently discovered the 'Kindle for PC' app available at Amazon which I downloaded onto my laptop. I've been debating whether to get a kindle or other e-reader for a while now and keep having big emotional discussions with myself due to the fact that I don't think you can beat the touch, feel and smell of reading an actual book. I also have a bit of a disorder where I just love to stand and stare at my super full bookshelves which is obviously something that I couldn't do with an e-reader. Maybe if someone just bought me one as a present (hint, hint hubby!) I wouldn't have to fight with myself about it anymore.......

Anyway, here is what I acquired this week (click on the covers to go to Goodreads):




I have found that for some reason my little 13 month old refuses to let me hold a book in my hands to read it even when he's happy playing on his own but he doesn't mind me having my laptop out and reading on that. He went through a very sick few days last week where I couldn't put him down for more than 2 minutes or he'd start screaming so my Kindle for PC app on my laptop was my lifesaver while I was trapped holding him on the lounge for a week straight until he started feeling better.

Who knows. Maybe there is room in my life for an e-reader after all?

So, has anyone read any of the above books and liked/disliked them?

Quarterley Challenge Update

At the start of 2012 I decided to join in on three reading challenges. I'd never been part of a reading challenge before and knew I'd struggle a bit due to having a small toddler as well as my CPA studies which of course take up an enormous amount of my time, but I thought it would still be fun to join in and see how I go regardless.

The three challenges I joined up for were the 15,000 Page Challenge, The Chunkster Challenge and The Dusty Bookshelf Challenge.

                                      

 

15,000 Page Challenge
This challenge is obviously to try and read at least 15,000 pages over the year. As at the end of March I had managed to finish 5 books with a total of 2,253 pages. These were as follows (including a link to my review if applicable):
1) The Potato Factory - Bryce Courtenay (739 pages)
2) The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde (254 pages)
3) Dixie City Jam - James Lee Burke (512 pages)
4) The Murder Book - Jonathan Kellerman (437 pages)
5) Dead in the Family - Charlain Harris (311 pages)

I was hoping to rack up a bit more than that but it's still not a bad effort with everything else I've had going on.
Chunkster Challenge
I went for Level 2 in this challenge 'The Plump Primer' where I have to try and read 6 chunksters during the year. A Chunkster is a book of 450 pages or more. The books I've read so far that qualify are:
1) The Potato Factory - Bryce Courtenay (739 pages)
2) Dixie City Jam - James Lee Burke (512 pages)

I'm pretty confident I'll get through another 4 somehow during the rest of the year.
The Dusty Bookshelf Challenge

Again I went for Level 2 in this challenge 'Dust Bunny' where I have to read between 5-10 books. Basically this challenge is to read as many books that you can that you already own which have been accumulating dust on your bookshelf. It doesn't include any newly purchased books. The books that I've read for this challenge so far are:
1) The Potato Factory - Bryce Coutenay
2) Dixie City Jam - James Lee Burke
3) The Murder Book - Jonathan Kellerman
4) The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

I really should just concentrate on this challenge and nothing else. I've still got so many books on my shelves at home that I've had for years and never read and it's certainly a good way to save money. I could probably do at least 5 years of this challenge alone and still not get through my books at home. I know, it's pretty sad and I do feel guilty for buying new ones so often when I really don't need to. 

So, once my CPA exam is over for this semester in the first week of May I'm going to be locking myself away for about a week to do nothing but read so I can improve on this effort a bit during the next quarter.

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far.

Michelle xx

Feature and Follow (13th April 2012)

Feature & Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  It is a great way to make new friends and gain followers.

Here is this weeks question:

Q: What is one book that you would be nervous to see a movie adaption of because you think the movie could never live up to the book?

Mine would have to be 'Contest' by Matthew Reilly. I loved this book and thought it was a great idea (albeit it now seems very similar to The Hunger Games but with alien content) and I think that if it was made into a movie it would seem a bit tacky. I just don't think a movie could do it justice unless they got the alien creatures just right as well as the special effects.

What movie would you be nervous about if it was to become a movie?

Friday Finds (13th April 2012)

Friday finds is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading where you list all the books that you've come across or heard about during the past week.

My finds this week which were added to my TBR pile straight away were as follows (book covers link to Goodreads):

I just love the sound of this book. It it something that I just can't wait to read.

I got the first book Cleo a couple of years ago as a gift from my husband as we have a cat named Cleopatra (who we call Cleo for short) and he thought it was pretty cool to buy a book about a cat with the same name for me. I loved the first book even though it made me cry like nothing else and can't wait to read the second instalment.

Yet another book I can't wait to read purely because it is animal themed. We have two cats (Cleopatra and Caesar) and they rule our household so I love hearing about or reading stories about people with similar situations.

I've read a lot of blog reviews on this one that say good things so have finally decided to try it for myself.

 

I think the main factor for me to want to read this is the mouse on the cover. It's so cute! (Yes, I'm a sucker for good cover art even if the story turns out to be terrible)

I just love the concept of this book. It's got the look of being so innocent yet it sounds like it is most definitely the opposite. I can't wait to read this one.

What little gems did everyone else discover this week that they didn't know existed?

Michelle xx





Review - 'The Echo' by Minette Walters

The Echo by Minette Walters
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

" Who was Billy Blake? And why did he die of starvation beside a freezer full of food in one of the wealthiest parts of London?
Mike Deacon, a cynical and somewhat discredited journalist, is intrigued by Blake's macabre death and by Amanda Powell, the beautiful woman who discovered his body. Her sudden obsession with Blake's life fuels Deacon's interest, but the unlikely connections he finds only bring more questions."

This book took pretty much right up to the last 50 pages to finally grab me. There were just too many wild assumptions made through the entire book that I actually had difficulty in following most of the time. Then, when it all finally came together at the end I was left feeling a little deflated.
I seemed to have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Mike Deacon. Sometimes, when his personality shined through in a good way he was a really likeable character, but at other times his tendency to be obnoxious and overly confident bothered me a little bit.
This book gives you a really gook look into the life of a homeless person and how it is to live in the slums of London. It also covers some deeper topics such as homosexuality and family issues.
I mainly read this book because it has been one that I've owned for many years so it was a good candidate for The Dusty Bookshelf Challenge. I also had recollections of enjoying the other Minette Walters book I'd previously read.
Overall, I have to admit that the trail that was linked up in this book in the end was very clever, but for some reason it just didn't completely gel with me and at times I was left thinking 'Well that's a bit of a stretch'. Maybe I'm just getting a bit too cynical myself with the more books I read in this genre.

A bit about Minette Walters I grabbed from her website here:

"Miles away from the "cosy" confines of preconceived notions of what an English murder-mystery author should be, Minette Walters can be found, glass of wine in hand, explaining the finer details of plumbing in a larder sink...

Web bookmarks for Minette's research can run the gamut from brain trauma to the anti-war campaign, paedophilia and racist propaganda...

And, along with husband Alec, she's only too happy to engage in 'full and frank' conversations about any topic you care to name, punctuated at regular intervals by her infectious laugh and reprimands for her omnivorous Golden Retrievers... "

Has anyone else ever read a novel by Minette Walters? If so, what did you think?

My Latest Book Haul

Oh dear. I'm the biggest sucker for a sale, especially when it's a sale on books. I seriously have a problem. Even though I have at least a hundred books on my shelves at home that I haven't even started reading yet, I still feel a need to just keep buying more, and more, and more!!

Today I purchased the following:



Plus I also got The Masterchef Australia Cookbook Volume 2, an Italian cookbook called The Food of Italy plus I just had to get a Dr Seuss book for my little man. See, I have issues when it comes to book sales.

I know none of the above titles are very recent but they are books that I've been wanting to read for ages and just hadn't gotten around to purchasing until now.

Needless to say I have no idea when I'll actually get to them as my time is very limited at the moment with a toddler and my CPA studies, but I can at least look forward to getting to them eventually.

What books have you recently purchased that you can't wait to finally read?

It's Time To Separate!

After trying to incorporate my book reviews and other bookish interests into my other blog My Little Space for some months I have finally decided to separate my interest in reading and create a whole new blog instead!

Therefore, I am now pleased to unveil My Little Book Space.

I'm hoping to incorporate a lot more bookish things onto this blog other than reviews, such as, books I can't wait to read, new releases, information about authors, challenges and a whole lot more. It all depends on the time I can scrape up I guess :-)

I hope you join me in my reading journey.

Michelle xx

Book Review - The Murder Book by Jonathan Kellerman

The Murder Book by Jonathan Kellerman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Summary - "Alex Delaware's relationship with his longterm partner, Robin Castagna, is on the rocks. Still reeling from the aftershocks of the murder of one of his young clients, Alex is floored when Robin announces that she is heading off on a three month music tour in the aid of famine and child welfare.
But soon he has other things to think about. In the post, he receives a three-ring binder with gold letters on it - THE MURDER BOOK. The album is full of macabre pictures of murders taken at the scene of the crime, with brief descriptions of how, and why, the victims died. But only one picture is marked 'Not Solved' - the horrifically mutilated body of a young woman. What is the connection between this photograph and his friend, LAPD detective Milo Sturgis's past, and could the gruesome collection be the work of a police insider? If so, why has it been sent to Alex - and by whom?
I have to admit that I was a little disappointed in this book. It seemed to have such good potential but it just took so long to develop the story and some of the trails that were followed and assumptions made were just a little too far reached to me. I found myself thinking so many times "As if you'd just come to that conclusion so easily?" and this kind of annoyed me a bit. I like crime stories where the ending obviously isn't too easy to guess but I really don't like it when ridiculous conclusions are drawn to try and make the author seem super intelligent for coming up with the story because it's obvious that any normal person wouldn't even dream of making the same corrolation that they did and it just seems way too 'far out'.
The lead character, Alex Delaware, seems to have lacked any 'oomph' in this book and was kind of depressed during most of the story. His friend, Milo Sturgis seems to be a bit of a confusing character. He somehow comes across as a bit of a soft pushover in one way but then can be a hard police officer in another.
The story did finally pick up in the last 80 pages or so and the pace that it sets from that point was what I would have loved to be the pace for the whole book. I finally got interested towards the end once the truth started being uncovered and all the twists started coming together but the whole experience of reading this book felt a bit like a horse taking off real slow so that it doesn't get too tired and then finally making a sprint when it finally sees the finish line. Because of this slow pace I really struggled to get into this book for the most part and almost had to bribe myself just to keep picking it up to continue reading. I prefer stories that grab you from the start and keep up a good pace so that you feel a full-on need to keep reading.
If you're a Jonathan Kellerman fan and have gotten into his previous Alex Delaware books you may enjoy this a bit better than me. Overall, if you look beyond the slow starting pace it did have the foundations of a good crime story.


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Book Review - Dead In The Family by Charlaine Harris

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ok, now I don't know if Charlaine Harris was just running out of ideas but this stage or whether I have just read too many of these books in quick succession but I must truthfully say that I didn't enjoy this one as much as any of the others.

This book is number 10 in the Sookie Stackhouse series and the summary is as follows:

"Sookie Stackhouse is dealing with a whole host of family problems, ranging from her own kin (a non-human fairy and a telepathic second cousin) demanding a place in her life, to her lover Eric's vampire sire, an ancient being who arrives with Eric's 'brother' in tow at a most inopportune moment. 

All as Sookie's trying to track down a distant relation of her ailing neighbour (and ex), vampire Bill Compton.

In addition to the family issues complicating her life, the Shreveport werewolf pack has asked Sookie for a special favour, and since Sookie is an obliging young woman, she agrees. But this favour for the wolves has dire results for Sookie, who is still trying to recover from the trauma of her abduction during the fairy war."

For some reason the story just seemed to chop and change way too much and didn't really follow just one or two plot lines which is the norm.

I just didn't feel like anything solid had developed by the time I reached the end of this book and yet again too many things are left hanging and I know it's obviously to keep more sequels happening and people buying future instalments but some closure and plot development at this stage would still be nice.

I did come across a favourite quote from this book where Sookie says at one stage "It's not that I approve of murder, but some people just beg to be killed, don't they?" This line really made me giggle because who hasn't thought this at one time or another when someone has annoyed you all the way to the bone?

Of course I'm still going to read the next instalment because that's the sucker that I am and I just hope that it does get a bit better.....

Has anyone else read this series? If so, what did you think?

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Book Review - 'Dixie City Jam' by James Lee Burke

Dixie City Jam by James Lee Burke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

'When a Nazi submarine is discovered lying in sixty feet of water off the Louisiana coast, some troubled ghosts are ready to be released. A local businessman is offering Detective Dave Robicheaux big money to bring the wreck to the surface, but he his not the only one after the submarine and its cargo. A new spirit of hatred is abroad, and its embodiment is stalking Robicheaux's wife...'


I've always been a huge fan of James Lee Burke. I just love the feeling I get of being swept away down south into the world of Louisiana and New Orleans and the vivid picture he paints of the places and people in his books. Burke's writing is always so descriptive, down to the leaves on a tree and this always adds such a great extra element to his stories and enhances your whole reading experience.

I always get mixed feelings when reading one of Burke's books, and this one was no exception. I gravitate from being disgusted at certain events, to being fascinated by others and that is another reason why I love this author.

The way he makes you feel as if you can visualise and even smell the evilness of the main character, Will Buchalter really gets you interested in the story and makes you want nothing more than to see this guy get put in his place.

Dave Robicheaux is again playing the typical cop trying to do things the correct way but who doesn't mind going against the grain whenever it will work out in the good guys favour, or if it means protecting his family.

I've always been a huge fan of Clete Purcell too. I think this character is hilarious and I just love his complete disregard for any laws. Sometimes he can go overboard but that's half the fun of waiting to see what he will do next.

I definitely recommend this book to any Burke fan. Once I was halfway through I just couldn't put it down!

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