Always Watching by Brandilyn Collins and Amberly Collins (Book Review)

Title: Always Watching (Book 1 Rayne Tour Series)
Author: Brandilyn Collins and Amberly Collins
Publisher: Zondervan
Available: May 2009
ISBN-13: 9780310715399
Genre: Teen Fiction
I read this book for the First Wild Card Tour yesterday. (Click Always Watching to read the first chapter)

First sentence: It's not my fault I have to kill.

Shaley loved being on tour with her mom Rayne and Rayne's band. Since she was just 16, the hardest thing was leaving all her friends behind for months at a time. Thankfully, she had Tom to hang out with backstage. He was her mom's hairdresser and make-up artist and her closest friend on the tour. Her best school friend, Brittany, was flying in to spend a week on the tour with her.

Before they could leave the concert to go get her friend, Shaley's world comes crashing down. Someone murders her friend Tom and she is the one that finds his body.

The next three days as they wrap up in San Jose and head for Denver are filled with mysterious gifts, photos, messages, paparazzi and more murder.

This was a fun quick read and I look forward to learning more about these characters as the series continues. This book contains the 1st chapter of the 2nd book, Last Breath, and it doesn't skip a beat!

Murder, Mayhem and a Fine Man by Claudia Mair Burney (Book Review)

Title: Murder, Mayhem and a Fine Man (an Amanda Bell Brown mystery)
Author: Claudia Mair Burney
Genre: Mystery/Christian
Available: Now
ISBN-10: 1416551948
ISBN-13: 978-1416551942

I read this book for fun.

First sentence: I had every reason to be peeved, and I told Carly so.

Amanda Bell Brown was celebrating her 40th birthday with her sister Carly when it was interrupted by murder. You see, Carly is a medical examiner and she was the one on call. The victims were two men whose house Bell had been to years before when she was working/investigating cults. But if it wouldn't have been for those murders, Bell would never have met Jazz Brown - lieutenant with the Detroit Police Department.

And so begins Bell and Jazz's friendship - courtship - headlong tumble into love - whatever you want to call it. As they work together to try to solve these murders (Bell is a forensic psychologist) they learn how much they really care for each other.

One of the cult members, Susan, "escapes" and ends up at The Rock House. This is the church Bell attends, where the pastor, Rocky, is also her ex-boyfriend. Susan appears to be in a catatonic state, so Bell goes to visit her to see if she can get her to talk. After waiting hours, Susan doesn't move or speak so Bell goes home. The next day Susan writes Bell's name, so she called in again. She doesn't say much, but what she does say seems to implicate someone for the murders. Susan soon leaves the Rock House and nobody can find her.

Bell gets Rocky to tell her the addresses/phone numbers that Susan gave them when she showed up - before she went catatonic. Bell sets out to find the leader of the cult. She puts her life on the line to try to save the women and children involved. You see - 10 years earlier, she was actually in a cult where she was beaten and de-humanized - where she eventually lost a baby she was carrying. She has a hard time separating the present from these haunting memories in her past.

When the cult leader and Susan show up at her apartment, what will she risk to save Jazz, who she believes might be "The One?"

I recently read Deadly Charm (review here) which was the third Amanda Bell Brown mystery. I loved this one as much as that one and can't wait to get book 2 - Death, Deceit and Some Smooth Jazz. There is something about the way the author writes that just stays with me. I love the sarcastic flirting that goes on between these two - it keeps me smiling all the way through the book. Sometimes, reading as many books as I do, the characters can get mixed up or the plots can be confusing - but I don't find this happening when I read the Amanda Bell Brown books. Keep them coming!

Fatal Illusions by Adam Blumer (Book Review)

Title: Fatal Illusions
Author: Adam Blumer
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Available: Now
Genre: Christian/Suspense
First sentence: As dusk settled over the suburban Cincinnati neighborhood, the sodium-vapor lights along the quiet street blinked and came to life on cue.

Marc and Gillian were a couple in crisis - though at first they did not seem to realize this. Marc was an assistant pastor and one of his duties was Christian counseling. Stacey, on of his parishioners, had been coming to counseling as she said she was trying to reconcile with her husband. Marc felt that she was developing a crush on him, so had a female staffer take over her counseling. Stacey continued to call him and send him e-mails, which Marc tried to ignore.

Gillian had given birth to stillborn twins six months ago. She was still grieving, visiting their graves and writing them letters. Neither confided in the other the obstacles they were up against.

On the day that Stacey's feelings got out of hand, Gillian finds a love letter that she had written to Marc, hinting at an affair. Before Gillian can confront him about it, Stacey shows up at their house and shoots Marc in the chest, accusing him of attempted rape as she runs from his home. Fortunately, he survives, but he and Gill are further apart than ever.

Together, accompanied by their 16-year-old daughter Crystal, they take a sabbatical to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in hopes that the media circle will die down in their absence. Little do they know that they are moving to the same remote area as the Magician Murderer, a serial killer who has killed 4 girls in Cincinnati. Girls that all resemble their daughter Crystal.

This book was hard for me to put down. You are instantly immersed in the murders and through them begin to know Detective Riley. A veteran cop and a Christian who is on the brink of retirement. But he can't seem to let go of this case.

Between the loss of the babies, Marc's shooting and Stacey, Marc and Gillian have lost faith in each other and where is their faith in God? You cheer them on that they will somehow be able to see how the other is hurting and open up to the love they once had for each other and the love that God still has for them.

There are a lot of twists in this book, but the way it came together in the end was very believable! As everyone begins to close in on the killer, I found myself urging them on - trying to tell them how close they were. I also loved the way it brought everything around to believing and trusting in God. I highly recommend this book! You can read the first chapter here.

Purchase book here.

BoneMan's Daughter by Ted Dekker (Book Review)

Title: BoneMan's Daughter
Author: Ted Dekker
Publisher: Hachette
Genre: Thriller
Available: Today! April 14
My ebook was provided by Net Galley.

First sentence: The day that Ryan Evans' world forever changed began as any other day he'd spent in the hot desert might have begun.

Ryan Evans is a Naval Intelligence Officer on location near Fallujah. Normally he deciphers information from his desk, but today he is being sent out to a remote location. His caravan is hit on the road and he is taken hostage by a man called Kahlid. Kahlid wants to show America all the senseless killing of women and children that is happening because of America's bombs. He tells Ryan that he must either tell him where his wife and daughter live, or watch more children die in front of him by having their bones broken one by one.

Many days and several children later, Ryan is able to escape. But is he leaving the same man that he was when he was captured?

Celine and Bethany are Ryan's wife and 16 year old daughter back in Texas. They were abandoned by Ryan years ago because he felt the best way to serve them, the only way he knew how, was to serve his country. Now he is back and wants to be the husband and father he never was. But Celine is currently involved with the D.A. Burton Welsh. Is it too late for this family to mend?

BoneMan is a serial killer that made his way across Texas two years earlier. A man was convicted and sent to prison. Evidence has come to light that the blood samples that were used to convict may have been planted. BoneMan has been set free. Ricki Valentine, the FBI agent who was on the case 2 years ago, reopens the investigation now. Either they have just released a serial killer back on the public, or they never had him to begin with.

BoneMan has been looking for the perfect daughter - as he considers himself to be the perfect father. When the girls he abducts do not live up to his expectations - he is forced to kill them by breaking their bones one by one. After two years of no activity, he is feeling the need to find a daughter again. Who better than the soon to be step daughter of the D.A. that is trying to find him and the daughter of a man who doesn't deserve her - as he abandoned her years earlier? How far will a father go to protect his daughter?

This is my second Ted Dekker book and I can't wait for more. I love the way that we really get to know these characters. We can feel their pain, their frustration, their fear. And what is scarier than having one of your children abducted! If you love thrillers, this is a book you won't want to miss.

Deadly Charm by Claudia Mair Burney (Book Review)

Title: Deadly Charm (an amanda bell brown mystery)
Author: Claudia Mair Burney
Publisher: Howard Books/Simon & Schuster
Genre: Christian Fiction
Available: Now

First sentence: Rocky showed up at my apartment door with an offer that, in his words, I "no coulda refuse."

Dr. Amanda Bell Brown, or Bell to her friends, has been pretty lost without her husband Jazz. He had left her the day after they got married when he found her kissing her ex-boyfriend Rocky. Well, actually Rocky had kissed her. He did not know that she had gotten married and she was trying to let him know without causing more hurt.

Rocky was the pastor of the Rock House. Ezekial Thunder and his family were staying with Rocky while Ezekial was trying to jump start his ministry again. He had made a shambles of it a few years back when he had an affair with an intern. Since then his wife had passed away and he had married the intern, Nikki. Together they had a little boy, almost 3, by the name of Zeke or Little Zeekie. Ezekial had other children - all of whom were named some form of Ezekial.

Bell does not really care for Ezekial and Nikki, especially after her "exorcism" of her "interracial dating and adultery" demon at Ezekial's Crusade. It had ended badly with her vomiting right at the feet of Ezekial. This episode made it on CNN when they began covering the Thunders after Little Zeekie accidentally dies while taking a bath at Rocky's. Or was it an accident?

Bell decides that it is up to her to find out. She teams up with her detective husband, Jazz, whom she is still separated from, to try to find out the truth.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Bell was full of quick wit and a sarcastic tongue which brought a smile to my face quite often. I loved the banter between Jazz and Bell. They clearly loved each other but were both very proud and independent. Here is an excerpt of that banter:

I didn't move. "What are you doing?"

"Opening the door for you."

"Why didn't you drive over to where your car is?"

"I'm not ready to leave yet, Bell."

"What if I've had enough of you for one day?"

"Oh, I happen to know you can take more of me than that." He said this with a wicked grin.

"Is your head always in the gutter?"

He leaned toward me, his arm resting on the top of the Love Bug. "Get out of the car, baby."

"No."

"I know you're mad. We can talk inside."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"You asked me to look into this for you, and that is what I did. Will you get out of the car so I can tell you whatI accomplished this evening?"

I took a peek at him. "You were just working?"

"I was."

"You're not attracted to that Cruella De Vil stick figure?"

"Hardly"

"And you don't think I'm too fat?"

"Bell, get out of the car. It's cold out here."

"You were supposed to say something romantic that made me believe you don't think I'm fat."

"Bell, if you don't step out of the Love Bug right now, I'm going to drag you upstairs."

"That fell way short of romantic, not to mention you still haven't said I'm not fat."

He sighed and rake his fingers through his hair. "You're not fat. I think you're stunning. You're so hot that I can hardly resist you, even though I'm still mad at you."

I grinned. "You think I'm hot?"

"Perhaps you should focus on my saying I'm still mad at you."

"You'll get over it. About me being hot. . ."

"You'll be hotter inside your apartment."

"Do you want to ravish me?"

"No. I want to throttle you. Please get out of the car."

I stepped a leg out. "I'm only letting you inside so you can report what happened with your girlfriend Nikki."

He moved back, took my hand, and helped me out of the car. "Fine."

"I don't want you getting fresh just because you're my husband. We're separated."

"You grill me about whether or not I want you, and now you insist that I not flirt with you."

"I have my standards." (pg 135-137)

This goes on all the way through the book. It cracked me up because I could so see arguing like this with my husband. Come back tomorrow for the First Wild Card Tour and read the first chapter!

Scream by Mike Dellosso (Book Review)

Title: Scream
Author: Mike Dellosso
Publisher: Realms (A Strang Company)
Genre: Thriller/Christian Fiction
Available: Now

First sentence: Mark Stone could still smell the grease on his hands.

Description from the book cover: While talking to his friend on the phone, Mark Stone is startled by a cacophony of otherworldly screams. Seconds later, a tragic accident claims his friend's life. When this happens several more times - screams followed by an untimely death - he is compelled to act.

Battling his failure as a husband and struggling with his own damaged faith, Mark embarks on a mission to find the meaning behind the screams and hopefully stop death from calling on its next victim. When his estranged wife is kidnapped and he again hears the screams as she calls from her cell phone, his search becomes much more personal and much more urgent.

(Go here to read the first chapter)

I love thrillers and this one did not disappoint! Mike Dellosso created characters that were very believable. People that you wanted to cheer on and tell them not to give up hope. The pace of the book was perfect - it kept you turning the pages, but did not give away any secrets too soon.

Scream really starts out as two stories - and as the book progresses the two stories combine to make for a great ending! I especially loved the way the message of Christ was delivered without getting "pushy" or "in your face." This would be a great book for a non-believer or one right on the fence. It made me take a look at whether or not I was telling everyone that I knew about Christ's love and sacrifice - and sadly, that answer is no. So now I get to decide how I will change that!

Thanks Mike for writing such a wonderful thriller while including Christ's message. I can't wait to pass it on to my friends who are not believers. Hopefully it will give me the opportunity to strike up some meaningful conversations.

Kiss by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy (Book Review)

Title: Kiss
Author: Ted Dekker and Erin Healy
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Fiction/Christian/Suspense

First sentence: The view from my therapist's window was unremarkable.

Shauna awoke after being in a coma for six weeks to a nightmare that she would like to forget. She had no idea why or how she ended up in the hospital. Actually, she couldn't remember the last 6 months. She knew who she was, who her brother Rudy was, her dad Landan, "Uncle" Trent, even her evil stepmother Patrice. However, she did not know Wayne Spade, the guy who claimed to be her boyfriend. How could she have forgotten him?

After Shauna is released from the hospital, Wayne offers to stay with her 24/7 to help her recuperate. He works for her Uncle Trent at her father's company, McAllister MediVista, so there isn't a problem with him getting some time off. She discovers that her brother Rudy is brain-damaged due to the accident that put her in the coma. The accident that they say she caused. She had been indicted while in the coma because they had found Ecstacy in her system, and in her car, and in her apartment. She couldn't EVER remember taking drugs in her life. How could this be happening to her?

Rudy had been her father's favorite ever since he had married Patrice. She had been left for Patrice to raise and Patrice was every bit the wicked stepmother - even burning Shauna with an iron. But did her father believe her? No. He believed Patrice when she told him that Shauna just wanted to be the center of attention. This drove a wedge between Shauna and her dad, which is why she now calls him Landon.

Soon, Shauna starts remembering things - but they don't seem to be her memories. Why is she remembering things that couldn't possibly have happened to her? And can she really trust Wayne or is he trying to kill her?

The underlying theme in Kiss is that God will always love you and you don't need to fear. (Shauna keeps remembering her deceased mom telling her this.) What Shauna wants more than anything is for Landon to feel this way about her. We also get to see some family and romantic relationships develop and some family and romantic relationships fall apart. You will have to read to find out whose!

This was my first Ted Dekker book (I know, I know, I must have been living under a rock!) and I loved it - the book, not living under the rock. Thrillers are hard for me to put down and this one was no exception. I was lucky enough to get a galley of Mr. Dekker's book that is coming out in April - The Boneman's Daughters and can't wait to read it!

Scream for Me - Karen Rose (Book Review)

Title: Scream for Me

Author: Karen Rose

Genre: Romantic Suspense Fiction

Publisher: Hachette Books - Thanks Renee and Hachette!

First sentence: A bell dinged.

This was book 2 in a series with Agent Daniel Vartanian, but it read well as a stand alone. The first book, Die For Me, I have on reserve at our library, so that should tell you that I really enjoyed this book!

Daniel Vartanian is a Special Agent with the GBI, Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He has just returned from a case which involved his parents and his brother (I have a sneaky suspicion that this is what Die For Me is about...) He isn't even home a day before a murdered girl is discovered in a ditch and the investigation lands in his lap. It appears to be a copycat murder from 13 years earlier.

Alex Fallon is the twin sister of Alicia Tremaine, who was killed 13 years ago. She has received a call that her stepsister, Bailey, is missing and she is listed as the emergency contact for her 4 year old niece, Hope. This comes as quite a shock, as she didn't even know she had a niece. The last time she saw Bailey was to get her into a rehab program 5 years earlier.

Daniel's investigation and Alex's missing stepsister lead them on a collision course to each other - and the sparks start to fly. As the bodies pile up, will Alex ever find Bailey? Can Daniel catch the murderer? And can they both confront the ghosts of their past so that they can move into a better future?

This was a quick read for me, even at 569 pages! It was great the way all the suspects fell into place one-by-one. It was like watching dominoes fall in slow motion. I almost just typed a spoiler here - so I will just end on that note! Great book!

2009 Suspense & Thriller Reading Challenge

Rules of this challenge:
* Read TWELVE (12) different sub-genres of thrillers in 2009.
* You do NOT need to select your books ahead of time. Also, you may change as you go.
* Your books can crossover into other challenges.
* You don't need a blog to join in this challenge. For those who do, this is important. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, list the direct link to your post where your S/T books will be listed. If you list just your blog’s URL, it will be removed.
*Challenge is being hosted by J.Kaye Book Blog and you can signup here.
*Listed at the host site is a very detailed list of sub-genres for thrillers.

Books:

1. - Scream for Me - Karen Rose (Serial Killer Thriller)
2. - Kiss - Ted Dekker and Erin Healy (Conspiracy Thriller)
3. - Scream - Mike Dellosso (Action Thriller)
4. -Deadly Charm - Claudia Mair Burney (Amateur Detective Mystery)
5. - Fatal Illusions - Adam Blumer
6. - Boneman's Daughter - Ted Dekker
7. - Always Watching - Brandilyn and Amberly Collins
   
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