Book Review: Mind Over Magic by William Rabkin

Title: Mind Over Magic
Series: Psych #2
Author: William Rabkin
Publisher: Signet (July 1, 2009)
Genre: Mystery, TV tie-in

Format: Ebook
Length: Novel
Source: Purchased

Based on the hit USA network series. Shawn Spencer has convinced everyone he's psychic. Now, he's either going to clean up- or be found out.

Murder and Magic are all in the mind...

When a case takes Shawn and Gus into an exclusive club for professional magicians, they're treated to a private show by the hottest act on the Vegas Strip, "Martian Magician" P'tol P'kah. But when the wizard seemingly dissolves in a tank of water, he never rematerializes. And in his place there's a corpse in a three piece suit and a bowler hat.

Eager to keep his golden boy untarnished, the magician's manager hires Shawn and Gus to uncover the identity of the dead man and find out what happened to P'tol P'kah. But to do so, the pair will have to pose as a new mentalist act, and go undercover in a world populated by magicians, mystics, Martians-and one murderer...

Teaser: “Keep up, O’Hara. We’ve got to pull a drunken magician out of a whiskey bottle,” Lassiter snapped, not pausing on his way to the top. [25% Kindle Edition. I had to laugh. That’s so Lassiter!]

Review: Fans of Psych will enjoy the magic Mind Over Magic by William Rabkin creates between the characters.

Shawn and Gus are on another case involving a supposed Martian magician P’tol P’kah and murder. Told mainly from Gus’s point of view, the novel keeps the laughs coming. Like the TV show Psych, there are so many witty and funny lines. Rabkin has a spot-on grasp of these characters.

The novel is fast-paced, funny, and at times a tad absurd. The mystery kept me guessing until the very end.

If you can’t wait for the next season of Psych, then you might want to give William Rabkin’s Mind Over Magic a try.

Five Bookworms = I loved it!

Other Books in the Series:

Click here to read my review.

Hook Me: Let Me Go by Chelsea Cain

Title: Let Me Go
Series: Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell #6
Author: Chelsea Cain
Publisher: Minotaur Books (July 1, 2013)
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Book Description: Beautiful killer Gretchen Lowell tightens her grip on Detective Archie Sheridan in Let Me Go, New York Times bestseller Chelsea Cain’s newest nail-biter.

Detective Archie Sheridan is about to receive a birthday present from the last person he ever wants to see again: Gretchen Lowell.

The investigation into Jack Reynolds's drug enterprise is heating up and has Archie heading off to attend a masked Halloween party on Jack Reynolds's island, where Susan is a reluctant guest. But the next morning one of the guests is found murdered, and Archie quickly realizes that nothing is what it seems. Only one thing is clear: Gretchen is back, and she's been closer than anyone thinks. On Halloween Eve, with time running out, Archie will have to risk everything, and choose wisely whom to trust, if he and his loved ones are going to live through the night.

First line: Archie Sheridan had a paper birthday hat on his head and six bullets in his front pocket.
Last line read: She smiled at what she found.

Overall Impressions: I've been a fan of Cain's Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell series since book one. Cain has this delightfully gritty style that had touches of wry humor that I just love. The opening is paradoxical at its juxtaposition of a birthday party and death. The sample just skimmed the surface of what the story is about.

Would I keep reading?: Yes!

Book Review: A Cruise to Die for by Aaron J. Elkins and Charlotte Elkins

Title: A Cruise to Die for
Author: Aaron J. Elkins and Charlotte Elkins
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (September 3, 2013)
Genre: Mystery

Format: Ebook ARC
Length: Novel
Source: Publisher

This should be the cushiest job Alix London's ever had. Surrounded by art and wealth and the sun-drenched Greek isles, she's aboard a sumptuous mega-yacht with no responsibilities save the occasional lecture to the guests of her temporary employer, Panos Papadakis, one of the world's richest men. But there's a catch: she's there as an undercover operative of FBI special agent Ted Ellesworth, a member of the Bureau's Art Crime Team. They hope Alix can gather the inside information they need to finally put the cagey Papadakis away. Moguls, murders, a forged Manet, and the Albanian mafia all play a role and send this pleasure cruise into murderously dangerous waters. The second Alix London mystery finds the art restorer in a world brimming with idle luxury, spectacular locations, and deadly intrigue, all served up with the style and sophistication with which Charlotte and Aaron Elkins have rewarded mystery fans for the past 30 years.

Teasers: Izzy had a curious way of speaking, halfway between supercilious and self-mocking, that gave much of what she said a wry tinge of irony, as if she were an observer taking in everything she saw, including herself, with tolerant, faintly cynical amusement. [42% Ebook ARC. Love this description of Izzy. It really fits her.]

“I guess he was still steaming over those credit card bills and looking for someplace to get it off his chest because he charged off looking for Donny like a bull hunting for a china shop—hey, I think I just invented a metaphor.” [67% Ebook ARC. What a fun image of a bull hunting for a china shop!]

Review: Step aboard a luxury cruise of a lifetime in Aaron J. Elkins and Charlotte Elkins’ A Cruise to Die for.

The unique and well-written characters made this book. Alix London is a likeable heroine. A bit bumbling in her spy skills, she does have a way to be in the right place at the right time. Ted Ellesworth was a harder read than Alix and quite the undercover agent. The array of the yacht guests were sometimes more interesting than the storyline and were quite fun to read about.

For a mystery, I felt this one was a bit slower in pace than the ones I’m used to reading. I also wished the killer’s reveal was handled differently. However, the clues and red herrings did keep me guessing.

The authors explored the lifestyle of the superrich, and I enjoyed vicariously living in such splendor for a few hours. The art history and archaeology mentioned when they were in Crete fascinated me.

A Cruise to Die for by Aaron J. Elkins and Charlotte Elkins is a whimsical and fun read, and I would enjoy reading more books featuring Alix London.

 

Four Bookworms = I really liked it!

Book Review: Valley of Ashes by Cornelia Read

Title: Valley of Ashes
Series: Madeline Dare #4
Author: Cornelia Read
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (August 14, 2012)
Genre: Mystery/Women's Fiction

Format Read: Hardback
Length: Novel
Source: Publisher 

Madeline Dare trades New York's gritty streets for the tree-lined avenues of Boulder, Colorado when her husband Dean lands a promising job. Madeline, now a full-time homemaker and mother to beautiful toddler twin girls, has achieved everything she thought she always wanted, but with her husband constantly on the road, she's fighting a losing battle against the Betty Friedan riptide of suburban/maternal exhaustion, angst, and sheer loneliness. A new freelance newspaper gig helps her get her mojo back, but Boulder isn't nearly as tranquil as it seems: there's a serial arsonist at large in the city. As Madeline closes in on the culprit, the fires turn deadly-and the stakes tragically personal. She'll need every ounce of strength and courage she has to keep the flames from reaching her own doorstep, threatening all she holds most dear. 

 

Teaser: “Ah, just what I’ve always yearned for ...,” I said, feeling the sides of the sweatshirt I’d slept in grow instantly hot and wet against my skin, “leakage.” 

On the bright side, their crib sheets were still dry. [p. 85 Hardback. These lines could make someone not really want babies. LOL!]

Review: Madeline Dare can only stand by and watch as everything she loves goes up in flames in Cornelia Read’s Valley of Ashes.

Although I haven’t read the previous Madeline Dare novels, I found the storyline easy to pick up. Madeline struggles to keep her house together with twin children while trying to regain a sense of her independence back by picking up a newspaper gig. Her husband seems more content to be away from his family than with them, and I felt Madeline’s frustration and helplessness at her situation.

The mystery about the fires seemed to take second place to Madeline and her family’s issues. This novel was very character driven, although the plot still was fast-paced. Madeline’s focus was very much on her twins, who could make a childless reader want to consider remaining that way. 

Valley of Ashes by Cornelia Read touches the heart and is a compelling read.

 

Five Bookworms = I loved it!

G is for Gretchen Lowell series by Chelsea Cain

 

For 2013's A to Z Challenge, I am talking about book series, particularly some favorite series as well as series I've been waiting to read for a LONG time.

 

G is for ... Gretchen Lowell series by Chelsea Cain

Gretchen Lowell is a female serial killer, and I just love this series! It's dark and intense and funny at times. My favorite characters are Detective Archie Sheradon and Reporter Susan Ward. Sometimes I just like to read these books to see what new hair color Susan will have. *grins*

Damaged Portland detective Archie Sheridan spent ten years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful serial killer, but in the end she was the one who caught him. Two years ago, Gretchen kidnapped Archie and tortured him for ten days, but instead of killing him, she mysteriously decided to let him go. She turned herself in, and now Gretchen has been locked away for the rest of her life, while Archie is in a prison of another kind---addicted to pain pills, unable to return to his old life, powerless to get those ten horrific days off his mind. Archie's a different person, his estranged wife says, and he knows she's right. He continues to visit Gretchen in prison once a week, saying that only he can get her to confess as to the whereabouts of more of her victims, but even he knows the truth---he can't stay away.

When another killer begins snatching teenage girls off the streets of Portland, Archie has to pull himself together enough to lead the new task force investigating the murders. A hungry young newspaper reporter, Susan Ward, begins profiling Archie and the investigation, which sparks a deadly game between Archie, Susan, the new killer, and even Gretchen. They need to catch a killer, and maybe somehow then Archie can free himself from Gretchen, once and for all. Either way, Heartsick makes for one of the most extraordinary suspense debuts in recent memory.

Click here to read my review of Heartsick.

With Heartsick, Chelsea Cain took the crime world by storm, introducing two of the most compelling characters in decades: serial killer Gretchen Lowell and her obsessed pursuer Portland Detective Archie Sheridan. The book spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and garnered rave reviews around the world. But the riveting story of Archie and Gretchen was left unfinished, and now Chelsea Cain picks up the tale again.

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland’s Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer’s first victim, and Archie’s first case. This body can't be one of Gretchen's—she’s in prison—but after help from reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman's identity, it turns into another big case. Trouble is, Archie can't focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison.

Archie hadn't seen her in two months; he'd moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he's relieved. He knows he's the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.

Chelsea Cain has topped her own bestselling debut thriller with this unputdownable, unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat read.

Click here to read my review of Sweetheart.

Chelsea Cain’s novels featuring Portland detective Archie Sheridan and serial killer Gretchen Lowell have captivated fans through two nail-biting entries, Heartsick and Sweetheart, both of them multiweek bestsellers in The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly.

Gretchen Lowell is still on the loose. These days, she’s more of a cause célèbre than a feared killer, thanks to sensationalist news coverage that has made her a star. Her face graces magazine covers weekly and there have been sightings of her around the world. Most shocking of all, Portland Herald reporter Susan Ward has uncovered a bizarre kind of fan club, which celebrates the number of days she’s been free.

Archie Sheridan hunted her for a decade, and after his last ploy to catch her went spectacularly wrong, remains hospitalized months later. When they last spoke, they entered a détente of sorts---Archie agreed not to kill himself if she agreed not to kill anyone else. But when a new body is found accompanied by Gretchen’s trademark heart, all bets are off and Archie is forced back into action. Has the Beauty Killer returned to her gruesome ways, or has the cult surrounding her created a whole new evil?

Chelsea Cain continues to deliver heart-stopping thrills and chills in the latest entry in this dynamic bestselling series.

Click here to read my review of Evil at Heart.

With the Beauty Killer Gretchen Lowell locked away behind bars once again, Archie Sheridan—a Portland police detective and nearly one of her victims—can finally rest a little easier. Meanwhile, the rest of the city of Portland is in crisis. Heavy rains have flooded the Willamette River, and several people have drowned in the quickly rising waters. Or at least that’s what they thought until the medical examiner discovers that the latest victim didn’t drown: She was poisoned before she went into the water. Soon after, three of those drownings are also proven to be murders. Portland has a new serial killer on its hands, and Archie and his task force have a new case.

Reporter Susan Ward is chasing this story of a new serial killer with gusto, but she’s also got another lead to follow for an entirely separate mystery: The flooding has unearthed a skeleton, a man who might have died more than sixty years ago, the last time Portland flooded this badly, when the water washed away an entire neighborhood and killed at least fifteen people.

With Archie following the bizarre trail of evidence and evil deeds to catch a killer and possibly regain his life, and Susan Ward close behind, Chelsea Cain—one of today’s most talented suspense writers—launches the next installment of her bestselling series with an electric thriller.

Click here to read my review of The Night Season.

Nothing makes Portland detective Archie Sheridan happier than knowing that Gretchen Lowell—the serial killer whose stunning beauty is belied by the gruesome murders she’s committed—is locked away in a psych ward. Archie can finally heal from the near-fatal physical and emotional wounds she’s inflicted on him and start moving on with his life.

To this end, Archie throws himself into the latest case to come across his desk: A cyclist has discovered a corpse in Mount Tabor Park on the eastern side of Portland. The man was gagged, skinned, and found hanging by his wrists from a tree. It’s the work of a killer bold and clever enough to torture his victim for hours on a sunny summer morning in a big public park and yet leave no trace.

And then Archie gets a message he can’t ignore—Gretchen claims to have inside knowledge about this grisly murder. Archie finally agrees to visit Gretchen, because he can’t risk losing his only lead in the case. At least, that’s what he tells himself . . . but the ties between Archie and Gretchen have always been stronger, deeper, and more complex than he’s willing to admit, even to himself. What game is she playing this time? And even more frightening, what long-hidden secrets from Gretchen’s past have been dredged up that someone would kill to protect?

At once terrifying and magnetic, “Beauty Killer” Gretchen Lowell returns with a vengeance in Kill You Twice, Chelsea Cain’s latest razor-sharp psychological thriller.

E is for Evans and Blackwell Mystery Series by Clarissa Draper

 

For 2013's A to Z Challenge, I am talking about book series, particularly some favorite series as well as series I've been waiting to read for a LONG time.

E is for ... Evans and Blackwell Mystery series by Clarissa Draper

I've been following Clarissa Draper's blog for a while, and as a fan of mysteries, I wanted to read her debut novel The Sholes Key. It was wonderful! I loved the main characters Evans and Blackwell. The mystery was thrilling, and best of all, it had codes with it! I love codes. It's definitely a series to watch, and I look forward for more Evans and Blackwell Mysteries.

All across London, single mothers are vanishing. Margaret Hill, mother of two, walked out of her house two months before, never seen again. A month later, Carrie-Anne Morgans takes her two-year-old son for a walk in the park and disappears leaving him alone in his stroller. Lorna McCauley leaves her London flat in the early hours of the morning to buy medicine for her sick child and disappears. Newly promoted Detective Inspector Theophilus Blackwell is assigned the case of Lorna McCauley, which, on the outside seems to be a simple case of mid-life crisis and child abandonment. Elsewhere in London, MI5 analyst, Sophia Evans, is working undercover to catch an animal rights group responsible for targeted bombings. As her case (and her personal life) fall to pieces, she receives a strange envelope in the mail. It contains a picture of Lorna McCauley s lifeless face along with a daunting code. Now the police and MI5 are forced to work together to stop the murders, and Sophia must find her way into the terrifying mind of a serial killer.

Read my review of The Sholes Key here.   

Teaser Tuesdays: MAD MAX: UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES by Betsy Ashton

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

Page 56 of Paperback

“No ‘but firsts.’”

“‘But firsts’?”

“You know, I need to clean the kitchen, but first I have to reread War and Peace.”

As soon as I read these lines, I not only laughed out loud, but I read them to my mom.

What's your teaser?

Waiting on Wednesday: MAD MAX: UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES by Betsy Ashton

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Mad Max: Unintended Consequences
By Betsy Ashton
Publication Date: March 1, 2013

From Goodreads: 

Mad Max Davies lives a privileged life in Manhattan when her only daughter is seriously injured in an auto accident. She rushes to Richmond, Virginia, to care for her daughter and her two grandchildren, including the paranormally gifted twelve-year-old, Emilie. When her mother’s behavior deteriorates, Emilie uses her special gift to feel the thoughts of others, and acts as an early warning system . When her daughter is murdered, Mad Max and her grandchildren set out to solve the crime and bring the killer to justice.

Betsy Ashton is the President of my writers' group, and even though I'd only heard bits and pieces of Mad Max in my writers' group before getting a copy of this book, I couldn't wait to read more. Betsy has a fast-paced style that makes it easy for the reader to get swept away in the story.

What's your "waiting on" pick?

Teaser Tuesdays: BOLERO by Joanie McDonell

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

Page 93 of Paperback

“Cut the power, cut your boat loose, jammed the cell phones, and tried to get into Dr. Sloane’s bedroom, then disappeared—sounds like Batman.”

“I was thinking Hellboy,” I said.

Yes, I picked these lines mainly because they mention Batman and Hellboy. *grins*

What's your teaser?

Book Review: BOLERO by Joanie McDonell

Title: Bolero

Series: A Nick Sayler Novel, #1

Author: Joanie McDonell

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (March 5, 2013)

Format: Paperback ARC

Source: Publisher

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Bolero introduces Nick Sayler, the private investigator who lives aboard a Hudson River barge with a brilliant savant, a retired psychiatrist and a stunning Creole girl. But Sayler’s haunted by memories of the woman who took a bullet meant for him, so his good life is belied by a bad drinking habit. Then an emergency room doctor's desperate call about a ballerina with no memory and nothing on her except his card, changes everything. If he can dip into his notorious past to uncover the secret that will save the dancer, maybe he can finally save himself.

Review: Joanie McDonell’s Bolero introduces tormented private detective Nick Sayler in a new modern noir series.

Written from Nick’s point of view, Bolero is very well-written. McDonell breathes life into each character she writes. My favorite character by far was Meriwether. He’s such a mystery, and I feel like we’ve just grazed the surface of who he is. The dancer intrigued me, and every moment, I wanted to learn more about her and all the characters.

McDonell excelled not only in crafting her dialogue and characters but her descriptions. I could see the barge turned houseboat and the various places in New York and Connecticut where the story takes place. I wanted to learn as much about who the dancer was as Nick and the dancer did. The ballet and dance references really added to the story. The complex and fast-paced plot kept me guessing at every turn, and I had no clue how it would end until the very end.

I would recommend Bolero by Joanie McDonell to readers who like complex mysteries with a noir feel. I can’t wait to read more Nick Sayler novels!

 

Five Bookworms = I loved it!