4.0 stars— Ever since I watched the Lifetime network show,”Phrogging” I have been creeped out about some weirdo living in my attic or basement without4.0 stars— Ever since I watched the Lifetime network show,”Phrogging” I have been creeped out about some weirdo living in my attic or basement without my knowledge . I didn’t think it could happen until I watched that show, but that show gave numerous examples of it happening time and again. Which brings me to “Someone in the Attic’. I read “Someone in the Attic” solely on the basis of all of the great reviews I read on Goodreads when the book was first released. I never heard of or read any books by the author, Andrea Mara, before giving this one a try. The book begins with the murder of Anya, who is the second of a group of four lifelong friends to die under tragic circumstances. After the police rule the death an accident, the two remaining friends, Julia and Eleanor, begin suspecting that someone is stalking them and hiding in their attics. The narrator of the story, Julia, lives alone with her two children and the book does a great job of slowly allowing Julia to accept that there is someone surveilling her who might also be inside her house on a regular basis. The book also does a fantastic job of putting out multiple plausible suspects and storylines that left me guessing as to both who would have the motive to do this and what the motive actually was. For the most part, the plot was very plausible and just enough information was revealed throughout the book to keep me motivated to finish it in order to find out what was really happening to Julia and her family. The ending left a little to be desired but all in all I felt “Someone in the Attic” was a very well written and interesting book....more
**spoiler alert** 2.5 stars— Once again I don’t agree with the masses regarding my opinion of a book. “Lies He Told Me”has gotten rave reviews from ju**spoiler alert** 2.5 stars— Once again I don’t agree with the masses regarding my opinion of a book. “Lies He Told Me”has gotten rave reviews from just about everyone who has read it … except me. There were so many things that bugged me about the book, from beginning to end, that I was unable to ever get invested in either the story or the characters. The book is told primarily from the perspective of Marcie who is living the perfect life (aka the calm before the storm) with her perfect husband David and two kids. The book somehow develops into a full blown mob style thriller with dirty cops, killer enforcers for the mob, missing millions and fake identities that even Marcie is unaware of until she and David’s lives are placed in extreme danger. First, I have to admit —other than “The Godfather” movies, I haven’t liked many fictional portrayals of the mob or mobsters. Most of the time they are portrayed as dumb stereotypes who are just about always outsmarted by even the most unsophisticated, dweeby characters. This book is no exception with the so called enforcer for the mob (who is supposedly a ruthless killer) making the type of mistakes a 1st time criminal would make instead of a trained assassin. Second, the implausibilities in this book piled up to the point I couldn’t even read it without muttering to myself about the ridiculousness of it all. An attorney who represents a client who is in jail who has never seen him throughout her entire representation or even seen a mugshot of him. ...more
4.0 stars— ‘The Night We Lost Him’ is the second book by Laura Dave that I have read. I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as her previous book becau4.0 stars— ‘The Night We Lost Him’ is the second book by Laura Dave that I have read. I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as her previous book because of the slow pace of the book. However, I love how realistic and well-written her characters are, and the quality of writing is almost enough to propel this book into must read territory. The book is told primarily from the perspective of Nora, who is dragged into helping solve the mystery of her father, Liam’s death by her estranged younger brother, Sam. The book also interjects in the story scenes from the 50 year relationship Liam shared with the love of his life, Cory. Soon the two stories intersect to bring a surprise resolution to the story. The dialogue between the characters was masterfully written as well as their thoughts and actions. The author may have caught me in a reflective mood, but the book read so honestly in both the conflicted emotions and feelings the characters had towards each other and their deceased father, I felt myself really interested in how the characters handled these challenges. There are so few writers that have Dave’s abilities as a writer, this book is worth reading for her detailed narratives alone. Now if she can just learn to insert a few more twists and turns into her suspenseful books, I would consider her to be one of the top 5 authors in this genre....more
**spoiler alert** 2.0 stars— I decided to read another non-fiction book by Gregg Olsen, who has impressed me in the past with his detailed coverage of**spoiler alert** 2.0 stars— I decided to read another non-fiction book by Gregg Olsen, who has impressed me in the past with his detailed coverage of murder cases. I chose “Abandoned Prayers” because the subject matter of a murder case in the Amish community really peaked my interest . Unfortunately, the book didn’t live up to my expectations and I wouldn’t recommend it. The book tells the story of Eli Stutzman who becomes a single father to his young son, Danny, after his wife dies in a mysterious fire at their home. Eli uses his wife’s death as an opportunity to leave the Amish community and live in numerous locations throughout the country with a trail of destruction wherever he goes. What stands out in this book is the number of people included in the story. I’m not exaggerating when I say there were at least 50 characters to keep track of. I gave up trying to remember which investigator or policeman went with which city. Also, after his wife’s death, Eli became one of the most prolific lovers in the history of gay men. It was impossible for me to remember which lover or roommate went with each incident. Bad things happened in each location Eli stayed, but by the end of the book I couldn’t even remember which incident happened in which state. I know I’m getting old but I would have to eat a 1000 carrots to even have a clue of what happened to whom in what order and where. The book ended with a lot of questions and I’m not sure anyone (including law enforcement or the author) will ever know exactly what happened in each of the cases or what crimes Eli is guilty of committing. The trial that led to Eli getting a lengthy prison sentence is not covered other than to tell the reader the result of the trial. I did find parts of the book interesting, but confusion reigned supreme in my mind so I cannot recommend it....more
2.5 stars— I decided to try Kindle Unlimited for my next book, and I noticed that “Dark Purpose” by Mary Stone received a large amount of positive rev2.5 stars— I decided to try Kindle Unlimited for my next book, and I noticed that “Dark Purpose” by Mary Stone received a large amount of positive reviews from most readers so I decided to give it a chance. The book is evidently the first in a series featuring Detective Charli Cross who along with her detective partner, Matthew Church, are tasked with the responsibility of finding the identity and capturing a serial killer known as ‘The Marsh Killer’. Although the plot was fast moving and interesting at times, I have to say I didn’t really enjoy the book. The best way to describe my dislike of this book is to use the example of how some movies and television series appeal to a certain group of people while another group hates those same movies and shows. (I was going to use a politician as an example but got cold feet.) The whole tone of “Dark Purpose” just didn’t ring true to me. The banter between Charli and Matthew seemed stilted and fake, the way the male officers bantered between each other… not even close, the angry police sergeant boss who had one mood: hateful … ridiculous. All of the male characters were chauvinistic losers that treated women with disrespect or hated women in general. These problems (well for me they were a problem )were pervasive and persistent throughout the book and kept me from really getting into the characters or the story. I know that many readers wouldn’t notice or care about a lot of the problems that bogged me down and from them the book would probably rate 4 or 5 stars. As they say ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.’ As for me I will move on to an author that is a better fit for me. Goodbye Ms. Stone. PS — I felt like I should have loved this book more but I just didn’t — thanks for being my ‘therapy couch’ for my feelings about this book....more
4.0 stars — I’m a huge Thomas Thompson fan (as evidenced by the 5 star reviews I gave the previous 3 books I read by him). With the completion of “Ric4.0 stars — I’m a huge Thomas Thompson fan (as evidenced by the 5 star reviews I gave the previous 3 books I read by him). With the completion of “Richie,” I have only two more to go before I’ve read all of his books (since I don’t read Westerns). I have spaced them out because the quality of writing is so good I don’t want to not have any of his books left to look forward to (I’m still sad that I have read every Pat Conroy novel and will never get the chance to read another one for the first time).. “Richie” a 1972 non-fiction account of the volatile and tragic relationship between Richie and his father, George, even though dated, is still worth reading today. Thompson truly possessed the gift of being able to write a good story. His research on all his books, including “Richie” was second to none. His writing style was very conversational yet detailed in a way that really makes you feel like you know the characters in his book. The first 95 percent of the book is the foundation and build-up to the tragic event itself. However, as a reader I didn’t feel cheated because the details of the relationship between father and son really help you understand why the tragedy was unavoidable. The only reason “Richie” didn’t receive a full 5 star rating was because I had to skim read several early parts of the book that were outdated about drugs during that period etc. that were extremely boring. However, when Thompson gets into the details of the father-son relationship the book picks up major momentum and (as usual with a Thompson book) I couldn’t put it down. A big thumbs up from me....more
**spoiler alert** 3.5 stars — I can’t believe I am writing this, but this is the 8th Shari Lapena novel I have read. Although I’ve never rated any of **spoiler alert** 3.5 stars — I can’t believe I am writing this, but this is the 8th Shari Lapena novel I have read. Although I’ve never rated any of her books 5 stars, I keep coming back for more. The reason why I keep reading her books is that Ms. Lapena is very talented at writing dialogue between characters and because she knows how to introduce multiple suspects in a way that makes it hard to guess who did what until the very end. “What Have You Done” does an excellent job of keeping the identity of the killer secret until the end, but (as I have noticed in some of her other novels)this comes with a sharp rise in the implausibility of the storyline. The story begins with the discovery of the dead body of Diana, a popular and beautiful young student, who was murdered and left in an isolated field. The book then introduces a very large number of characters, many of whom are suspects in Diana’s murder. At times it is difficult to remember which couple went together or which parents went with which child. But the story moves at a very quick pace and there is no getting bored with a slow storyline in this one. The book is set in Vermont and the Canadian author is definitely severely lacking in knowledge of the American criminal justice system regarding criminal suspects’ rights, search warrants, probable cause for arrests and, most definitely, law enforcement tracking of a phone’s location and contents. Despite these problems and the remarkable coincidences that would have had to have occurred for all of the major suspects to have had the level of involvement with Diana on the day before and the day of the crime, the book was still entertaining to read. Ms. Lapena reminds me of Freida McFadden in that her novels are fast paced but do not always have the most plausible storylines. However, Lapena outshines McFadden in writing dialogue and that is why I will be reading book #9 and probably be giving another 3-4 star review....more
4.0 stars—( Subreview: 5 stars if you are a college or divinity student or an NDE researcher—-3 stars for an average Joe Blow reader like me). I hesit4.0 stars—( Subreview: 5 stars if you are a college or divinity student or an NDE researcher—-3 stars for an average Joe Blow reader like me). I hesitate to give any J. Steve Miller book less than 5 stars, as he has become, in my opinion, the best researcher and writer on Near Death Experiences (NDE) and Death Bed Experiences (DBEs) since he began his writings several years ago. However, even though I learned a lot of detailed information about these two topics, the book definitely suffers from not including any detailed recountings of near death or death bed experiences. Miller decided to publish book 3 in his trilogy of books on this topic ahead of Book 2, and I’m sure it was the most difficult to write as it attempts to tackle many of the questions/issues that have arisen for both Christians and Non-Christians regarding NDEs. The author does a good job of researching and answering many of the arguments that non-Christians posit on-line on this topic. The most interesting sections of the book to me were the chapters on whether Jesus made appearances in NDEs of people from other religions (he does) and the multiple chapters on NDEs that visited Hell. I really enjoyed these sections of the book and felt like I learned a lot from these chapters. Unfortunately, some of the other chapters were dry (as in textbook dry), which I didn’t enjoy nearly as much. I am very much looking forward to the upcoming publication of Book 2 of the trilogy with the hope the author returns to form in including more of the powerful NDEs and DBEs that are such amazing evidence of the existence of Jesus and the afterlife....more
2.0 stars— I only have myself to blame. I told myself .. I told myself … I told myself to take a break from Riley Sager after I was left unimpressed w2.0 stars— I only have myself to blame. I told myself .. I told myself … I told myself to take a break from Riley Sager after I was left unimpressed with his last few books. But did I listen to self?…. No. Am I now writing another critical review explaining why this book (in my humble opinion) stunk? Yes again. “Middle of the Night” can best be described as boring. The premise is boring, the twists are boring, the story itself is so slow-moving it is boring. “Night” begins with Ethan returning to his childhood home where his best friend was abducted from Ethan’s backyard during a campout and never seen again. Ethan has been haunted by this and his lack of memory of what occurred for the last 30 years. So when strange eerie occurrences begins happening around his neighborhood and at the scene of the crime, Ethan becomes determined to get to the bottom of the mystery of the disappearance once and for all. The main things that stood out about this book for me was firstly, how shallow and non-fleshed out (is that a term?) all of the characters in this book were. After reading recent books by Mary Kubica, Michael Connelly and Stacy Willingham who write brilliant dialogue and narratives in their book , reading Sager is like reading Ned in the first reader. Secondly, the resolution of this book follows the unfortunate pattern of a long line of Sager endings… the words ridiculous, convuluted, and mind-numbing come to mind. Finally, Sager just needs to stop with the supernatural aspects of his books. There are authors that really have an innate ability to build tension and dread through supernatural elements and then there is Sager. Just stop. ...more
1.0 stars— Well that didn’t go as planned. I have read and enjoyed most of Kimberly Belle’s books (especially the top-notch “Personal Assistant”) so I1.0 stars— Well that didn’t go as planned. I have read and enjoyed most of Kimberly Belle’s books (especially the top-notch “Personal Assistant”) so I was expecting nothing less from her newest, “The Paris Widow.” To say I was disappointed in this disjointed, convoluted mess of a novel would be a huge understatement. The book is written from the perspective of Stella, whose life is thrown in shambles after her husband, Adam is a suspected victim of a bomb that explodes in a business district in Paris. As Stella searches for any information about whether he was one of the victims, she is flooded with information that Adam might be involved in some nefarious activities involving the world of stolen art and sculptures. As the author introduces the characters and the plot twists they bring into the story, my eyes rolled further and further into the back of my head. Ridiculously implausible is the best phrase I can use to describe this whole book. I was able to make it to the end of the book mainly to see if it ended as I had predicted about halfway through… unfortunately it did. I am not sure if I have read too many of this type of book in a row or whether I’m just getting older and more crotchety, but I just couldn’t get into either the characters or plot of this book. It definitely felt repetitive and predictable to me. However, I promise not to hold my dislike of one book against the author, Ms. Belle, who is still a quality thriller writer who has written many books I couldn’t put down....more
4.0 stars— I know I’m a little late to the party, but I finally got around to reading “A Talent for Murder” by Peter Swanson. This was my first Peter 4.0 stars— I know I’m a little late to the party, but I finally got around to reading “A Talent for Murder” by Peter Swanson. This was my first Peter Swanson book, and I found it very cleverly written with several twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. The story begins with the death of a teacher at a large training conference. The wife (Martha)of one of the vendors at the conference begins suspecting her husband (Alan)of being involved in the murder of the attendee. She drafts a friend to help her investigate whether her husband (with whom she is stuck in a loveless marriage) was behind this and possibly other unsolved murders. The book definitely takes off from there with a strange but interesting vibe from start to finish. I put this one in the category of a book for the thriller book lover who has read so many formulaic thriller plots that reading this book is a huge breath of fresh air. That definitely held true for me. I enjoy it when a character is unexpectedly killed off or when a criminal is smarter than the investigators or law enforcement officers that are trying to apprehend him. Henry and Lilly, the so-called private investigators, use a lot of luck and several unbelievable deductions that you have to look over, but the story held my interest until the end. I am definitely looking forward to reading some of Swanson’s earlier books to see if they are as well plotted and interesting as this one was....more
4.0 stars— I decided to read “First Lie Wins” without knowing one thing about it before reading it other than it had received a lot of great reviews o4.0 stars— I decided to read “First Lie Wins” without knowing one thing about it before reading it other than it had received a lot of great reviews on Goodreads. After reading “First” I can say I was very impressed with this very well thought out and very well written book. The book is told from the perspective of Evie who is (for the lack of a better word) a “fixer”. She has been working in that capacity for an unknown man, the mysterious “Mr. Smith”, for several years after being recruited by a dirty cop. This occurred after she got into some criminal trouble that the dirty cop was able to get her out of as long as she was willing to work doing what was requested of her. She is paid by the job by Mr. Smith upon her successful completion of what project he assigns her to. Most of her assignments involve her committing assorted illegal acts at his behest. The author does a magnificent job alternating between timeframes as she slowly discloses the type of jobs Evie has done for Mr. Smith in the past that has led her to the job she is currently working. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but the author definitely kept me guessing as to who was who and what was what throughout this very unpredictable book. With as many twists and turns as the author inserted into the book, I hated to see that author had to rely on an ‘assistant’ for Evie named Devon who was capable of finding out and doing anything and everything (and I do mean everything) in order to allow Evie to succeed in her employment. Devon could best be described as a mix between McGyver and God as he was capable of miraculous acts that could never be accomplished by anyone in the real world. His omnipotence caused me to mark down my rating a little bit because his superhero abilites were a little much at times. But, all in all, I was never bored and would recommend this book to anyone who likes cloak and dagger type books with a lot of twists and turns.....more
**spoiler alert** 4.5 stars— When I saw “I Will Ruin You” as a selection on Kindle Unlimited, I immediately knew I had to read it. Although I was unfa**spoiler alert** 4.5 stars— When I saw “I Will Ruin You” as a selection on Kindle Unlimited, I immediately knew I had to read it. Although I was unfamiliar with the case and the author, I knew this was the type of book I really enjoy. “I Will Ruin You’ is an extensively detailed account of the backstory and the triple murder trial of Christopher ‘Kit’ Martin.The author, Emilio Corsetti III, did an unbelievable job in both the research and writing of this book. I am not sure how he was able to get such detailed information about the crimes and the defendant’s complete (and I do mean complete) version of what happened (including his theory on how he was wrongfully convicted for a crime he claims was committed by his ex-wife, Joan). The author makes no bones about the fact that he is 100 percent convinced of Martin’s innocence and agrees with the defendant that Joan (and her accomplice(s)) set Kit up both at an earlier court martial that resulted in Kit’s dismissal from the military as well as the triple murder trial. But do not pick up this book expecting a balanced look at the evidence, witnesses and trial. He repeatedly accuses prosecutors, detectives and even witnesses of intentionally misrepresenting evidence in order to obtain a conviction in this case. He is also very critical of all of the attorneys who represented Kit and discusses in detail missed opportunities to overcome objections, present additional witnesses and arguments they should have made. And truthfully, Mr. Corsetti brings up some very good points that might have helped the defendant obtain an acquittal in a very circumstantial case. **When searching for more information about the case after finishing the book, I noticed in April of 2024 police discovered in a hiding place under the stairs at Martin’s former residence a gun and a silencer that they believe were used in the murder. They obtained information about this new evidence from monitoring Martin’s phone calls in prison. This new evidence is being tested for DNA and if any of the victims’ DNA is found on these items there will no longer be any dispute that Martin deserves to rot in jail for the remainder of his life,...more
3.5 stars— One of my all-time favorite books is ‘Lords of Discipline’ by my all-time favorite author, Pat Conroy. When I saw that G.U. Steffner had wr3.5 stars— One of my all-time favorite books is ‘Lords of Discipline’ by my all-time favorite author, Pat Conroy. When I saw that G.U. Steffner had written a first person account of his time as a plebe at the Citadel during the late 70s, I was immediately interested because this was the subject matter of Conroy’s fictionalized account of his time as a plebe at the Citadel in “The Lords of Discipline”. “Through Their Eyes” was a very easy read since it was only 165 pages long and was written in a style in which the author just strings together story after story of his time as a first year plebe at the Citadel. Many of the stories were entertaining but others reminded me more of a grandfather telling a long winded story to grandson that goes on way too long that was interesting to him but not to the grandson. I did learn a lot more about how the plebe system operated at The Citadel during the late 1970s, and it definitely was a system that allowed upperclassmen to mentally and physically abuse “the plebes” for an entire year where only the strongest survived. The description of how the plebes were treated as basically slaves to the upperclassmen would make me seriously question why anyone would go to The Citadel and allow themselves to be subjected to such abuse. But, I have read so many Citadel graduates’ stories (including Conroy) that speak of the special bond and camaraderie the cadets share after going through such a traumatic experience and none of them seem to regret the experience at all. The book was definitely worth reading if this is a subject that interests you but definitely is not for everyone....more
5.0 stars— There is only one way to describe “One Perfect Couple” : “Lord of The Flies 2.0”. I have enjoyed several of Ware’s previous novels but none5.0 stars— There is only one way to describe “One Perfect Couple” : “Lord of The Flies 2.0”. I have enjoyed several of Ware’s previous novels but none as much as I enjoyed this one. The book is told from the perspective of Lyla, a virologist who is in a long term relationship with a struggling actor, Nico. When Nico is offered a part on a new reality show, he has to convince Lyla to commit to appearing on the show too because the premise of the show is a competition to find the perfect couple. After Lyla reluctantly agrees to accompany him, the story really takes flight when they arrive at the isolated tropical island location with the other 4 couples and tv crew to film the show. When a very strong tropical storm hits the island, the couples (or what is left of them) find themselves abandoned, alone and struggling to survive. The rest of the book I read in one sitting—late into the night. This is very rare for me because I am old and get up very early and am never so caught up in a book that I can’t put it down. Well, this was that book for me. I absolutely loved all of the characters and the twists and turns found throughout the book. This book was 1000% better than Ware’s first attempt at this type of novel (where she used a blizzard instead of a tropical storm to trap a small group of strangers in the presence of a murderer in “One by One”. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who might enjoy an amalgamation of books by William Golding and Agatha Christie....more
4.5 stars— After reading many middling reviews for “Among the Bros” I wasn’t sure whether I should read this book, but I have to admit that I really e4.5 stars— After reading many middling reviews for “Among the Bros” I wasn’t sure whether I should read this book, but I have to admit that I really enjoyed it. I have never read anything by the author, Max Marshall, but he must have done hundreds of hours of research and interviews to tell the story of a massive drug operation that was run through past and present fraternity members at the College of Charleston from 2015 to 2016. I’m no prude, but I was absolutely amazed at the level of debauchery and ignorance this book details in the daily lives of fraternity and sorority members during that time. The amount of drugs sold and consumed through the actions of basically three prolific frat boy drug dealers absolutely amazed me. And talk about operating ‘wide open’ — these guys had absolutely no fear of police or other drug dealers as they made so much cash they ran out of room to hide it all. The story focuses on the two biggest fraternity drug dealers, Mikey Schmidt and Rob Liljeberg, who became friends as they raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars providing primarily xanax, cocaine, and marijuana to fraternities and sororities in Charleston and in Mikey’s case, several other colleges. Marshall manages to provide extraordinary detail through witness interviews, access to police files and cooperation from some of the principals. Although the author is not the best writer in the world as far as how he organizes the book and the irrelevant details he sometimes provides, I couldn’t put this one down. I’m not sure why this book has such a low Goodreads’ score because it provides very detailed information that you usually can’t find on a major drug operation that was absolutely fascinating to me. I am still trying to wrap my head around the very large number of young people who knowingly commit felonies on a daily basis as well as the depraved lifestyle that thrives on major college campuses in the Greek system. I guess after reading my review I am a prude based on my ignorance of the so-called college lifestyle described in this book. My one sentence review for “Among the Bros” — the best argument for homeschooling since Stephen King’s ‘Carrie’....more
**spoiler alert** 3.0 stars— Around this time every year, I begin searching for a good horror novel to read. I read some early reviews of “Incidents A**spoiler alert** 3.0 stars— Around this time every year, I begin searching for a good horror novel to read. I read some early reviews of “Incidents Around the House” that made me think that this might be a good way to begin my horror reading season. “Incidents” has an interesting premise: 8 year old Bella begins communicating with an entity that lives in her closet she refers to as ‘Other Mommy’. As her parents become more aware of what they initially believe to be an imaginary friend, they become more alarmed especially about the requests ‘Other Mommy’ makes of Bella. The book is entirely written from Bela’s perspective which definitely takes some getting used to. I definitely enjoyed the fast paced style of the writing, but as is the problems with many horror novels (and movies), the stupidity of the adult characters’ actions and reactions really destroyed what could have been a great novel. As ‘Other Mommy” begins revealing itself to the parents through sight and smell, they decide to leave the home and go stay with friends. The rest of the book can best be described as ‘wash, rinse, repeat’ ‘wash rinse repeat’. I don’t know how many times I mind-screamed at the characters ‘MOVING LOCATIONS DOESN’T WORK’ OTHER MOMMY IS MOBILE.’ They finally do but what they try is even more stupid than moving locations. The ending was well written but one most readers will easily predict early in the book. The book was very easy to get caught-up in so I hate to rate it too low, but redundancy and stupidity does not a good horror story make....more
3.5 stars— As a longtime prosecutor, I have followed the West Memphis 3 case since the documentary, “Paradise Lost” premiered on HBO. I have followed 3.5 stars— As a longtime prosecutor, I have followed the West Memphis 3 case since the documentary, “Paradise Lost” premiered on HBO. I have followed with interest as Hollywood embraced the cause of the three teenagers who were convicted of the murder of three young boys in Arkansas, ultimately resulting in their release from prison after serving approximately 18 years in prison. The WM3 had a lot of supporters — none more passionate than one of the WM3’s (Jessie Miskelley) original attorneys, Dan Stidham. When I saw that Stidham wrote a book on the case, I was all in because I wanted to see what drove him to be so passionate about the innocence of the WM3. Unfortunately, despite being a well written book, “ A Harvest of Innocence” doesn’t give much insight into the evidence that led to conviction and imprisonment of the WM3, but is instead a detailed look into one man’s lifelong obsession to free the WM3. I can honestly say there is absolutely no one I would rather represent me in a case than Dan Stidham as he made it his lifelong quest to get “justice” for his client at the expense of his marriage and personal life. The book itself was more like a closing argument as he attacks the original judge and prosecutors mercilessly and acts as if anyone who didn’t agree with his position was unethical with no redeeming qualities. He acts if every experts’ testimony in favor of the WM3 is the gospel truth, when any experienced trial attorney knows that many experts will craft their testimony to help the side that retained their services. It is also obvious that Stidham got caught up with all of the celebrities that were backing his cause and the compliments and accolades he received for his unrelenting defense of the WM3. I respect the passion Stidham showed for his client, but I definitely don’t think this is a book which gives a reader a balanced look at any of the evidence in this case. Check out the Callahan website or the many other more informative books on this subject if you want to learn about the true facts of the WM3 case. This book is just a victory lap for Dan Stidham who is now an elected Judge in Arkansas. I want to congratulate him on his win but I sure do feel sorry for whoever is the prosecutor in the court he presides over....more
5.0 stars— After reading a bunch of duds lately, I decided to check out A.R. Torre’s latest book because of the many great reviews it received. Boy, a5.0 stars— After reading a bunch of duds lately, I decided to check out A.R. Torre’s latest book because of the many great reviews it received. Boy, am I glad I did. I absolutely loved ‘The Ghost Writer” by Ms. Torre but I think I liked ‘The Last Party” a little bit more. The book is hard to give a synopsis of without giving away a lot of the plot which is revealed slowly throughout the book. The main characters,Perla and Grant, are a very wealthy married couple whose perfect life has cracks (to say the least). Their story is told separately from Leewood Folcrum, a convicted double murderer who is serving out his final days in prison. The way the author connects these characters over the course of the book is in a word, brilliant. Yes, the book is morbid and dark, but sometimes writing from the perspective of a killer (which allows the reader to understand his/her plan) is very entertaining. This is especially true when the killer is as intelligent and methodical as this one was. As some of you know from my frequent criticism of Riley Sager, I am not a fan of far fetched plot twists. This was not a problem with “The Last Party” as the whole plot from beginning to end felt realistic and kept me on the edge of my seat. I now consider myself a superfan of Ms. Torre as 2 out of the 3 books I’ve read of her’s I have given 5 stars. Do yourself a favor and give her a try if you like well written thrill rides that will keep you guessing from beginning to end....more
2.0 stars— When I saw that Freida McFadden was writing a third book in her ‘Housemaid’ series, I was cautiously optimistic. I loved everything but the2.0 stars— When I saw that Freida McFadden was writing a third book in her ‘Housemaid’ series, I was cautiously optimistic. I loved everything but the ending of “The Housemaid” and even though “The Housemaid’s Secret” was a step down from the first, I still believed the series had potential. Unfortunately, “The Housemaid is Watching” is another step down and in my opinion the worst Freida book I’ve read to date. As I read “Watching” I felt like this book could have been a stand alone book with different characters because Enzo and Millie didn’t seem to be written the same as they were in the first two books. The plot itself was disappointing in that implausibility was stacked upon implausibility in an attempt to make things appear to be something they were not. The entire book to me lacked the realism necessary to build any suspense or create any investment in any of the characters. The so-called climax of the book was so badly written and executed that the chances of it happening the way the author wrote it were a big zero. Also, Ms. McFadden’s weakness is obviously writing about the behavior of children and how they speak to one another. I almost abandoned ship several times during some of the scenes with Nico and Ada. I did enjoy (as always) Ms. McFadden’s fast-paced, easy-to -read style, but as the stupidity quotient steadily increased I enjoyed the book less and less. I think I can confidently say it is time for Millie to retire and for Ms. McFadden to write about a school bus driver or postal worker....more