FIRST Degree

David Rosenfelt

Genre: Legal Thriller

Published: 2003

Personal Rating: 4/5

Andy Carpenter is back! And, he's back with his girlfriend, PI Laurie Collins. The good news is that Andy's circumstances allow him to pick and choose what clients he wants to represent. The bad news is he has accepted Laurie as his client when she is accused of murder.

This is actually my third encounter with Andy, but First Degree is the second in the series. What I enjoy most is Andy's wit and the courtroom scenes. While there are still murder scenes and maybe a tense scene, here or there, Rosenfelt writes with a flow that makes me feel comfortable and one that has continually pleased. The ending in this one had some spots that were too pat, but still enjoyable. I look forward to Bury the Lead.

16 Lighthouse Road

Debbie Macomber

Genre: Fiction

Published: 2001

Personal Rating: 2.5/5

Olivia Lockhart, a judge in Cedar Cove, Washington, lives at 16 Lighthouse Road. This book revolves around Olivia and all those in her life including: her mother, her children, her friends, her ex, her new male friend, and the people she presides over on the bench. AND, there are offshoots from the people already mentioned. So, there is a mega amount of characters all sharing the drama in their lives.

This type of book is just not for me. The concept of meeting people in a town and learning about their lives isn't all that bad, but to me this is like knocking on a stranger's door and asking them to share their life with you. I'm assuming that's the point of the book, Welcome to Cedar Cove!, so that may be a very nice compliment, but I have no interest in these people. Don't get me wrong, they are good people, but I can experience this is my daily life. I would rather read something else. Life is too short.

HALF Broken Things

Morag Joss

Genre: Psychological Suspense

Published: 2005

Personal Rating: 4/5

In a nutshell (I'm not a fan of giving too much away), three troubled adults independently find themselves in dire situations and eventually congregate in the same home. Their need and desire for love and acceptance is of the utmost importance; it's that drive which leads them into . . . well, more trouble.

Peculiar. That's my one word description of this novel. However, when all is said and done, there is so much more to this book. The story begins slowly, but gradually and strangely draws you in. Throughout the book, I felt liery - not quite sure what these people were capable of doing in the name of family. After a little more thought, maybe a better description would be: Peculiarly thought-provoking.

Even though at some point this book made it onto my TBR list (no recollection of when or why), I specifically read it now for the "J" Author (A ~ Z Reading Challenge). I'm thankful for the challenge, because it was worth the read. I may have missed out on it, otherwise.

A THOUSAND Bones

P. J. Parrish

Genre: Mystery

Published: 2007

Personal Rating: 4/5

P. J. Parrish is actually a sister team and this is the first in their new series starring Joette (Joe) Frye, who was plucked from their Louis Kincaid series. One sister is more adept at "character development" while the other's strength is the "gory stuff", so they make quite a pair . . . and it works!

In A Thousand Bones, Joe (note: pet peeve of mine - naming characters with cross gender names) who is currently on the Miami Police Department's Homicide Division shares with her lover, Louis (too close to Louise for my liking) Kincaid, about her past harrowing experience of being a rookie cop in Echo Bay, Michigan. Almost the entire book is told in flashback, which gives the reader a great understanding of Joe and how she dealt with chasing down a killer.

Ultimately, Joe's experience happened to be one of terror. The word choice and sentence structure contributed to a very fluent flow with no lulls in the story. I didn't find it to be a page-turner, yet I was always interested. I look forward to following this series.

THIRTEEN Reasons Why

Jay Asher

Genre: YA Fiction

Published: 2007

Personal Rating: 4/5

This was, without a doubt, a page-turning debut novel and an extremely creative and deep endeavor by Jay Asher. While the storyline of suicide is heart-wrenching, Asher delivers it in a way to help teens (and adults alike) to understand the process and influence we all have in contaminating or contributing to someone else's well-being.

The story of Hannah Baker personifies my thoughts on the header of my blog "Thoughts of Joy...": "Words can and do change lives." It also depicts how our actions or lack thereof affect others and ourselves. It's quite a powerful, enticing book, leaving me with much to mull over. I most enjoyed Asher's creativity and plot, which encourages me to watch for this author's name in the future.