Book #89 - Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson

I have to say I had no idea who the bad guy/gal was until the author told me. Perhaps it was because she didn't give me enough details to figure it out, but the villain wasn't even on my list of suspects. This book seemed like it had a 380 page build up followed by a 20 page wrap up. It was almost like the author had been told by her publisher to wind it up even though she'd spent a huge amount of time building the plot. I don't think this was one of her best, and it almost felt like she's gotten into a rut on the "caterer who solves murders". There are only so many ways that a caterer can discover a dead body and only so often she knows more than the local police. But, this book allowed me to read without having to think, so it solved its purposed.

Book #70 - The Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Like the previous in this series, it is light-hearted and fairly suspenseful. Previous books always started with Hannah Swensen (local busy-body) finding a dead body within the first 2 chapters. However, the author mixed it up this time. It took nearly 200 pages for the murder to happen because the author used a little flash back flash forward to tell the story. It made it far less redundant. Ended with another near-death experience for the heroine and of course she helped catch the bad guy. Book was again loaded with new recipes for cookies and other treats, and I have to say that I was for the first time enticed enough by three of them to run copies and perhaps try them.

Book #68 - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

This is the third and final installment of the series starring journalist Mikael Blomkvist and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. Unlike going from book 1 to book 2 (which was a whole new story line), this was a continuation of book 2. And, I thought this was the best of the three book. It was absolutely fantastic. This book contained a very interesting look into the secret police of Sweden as well as their judicial system, and I have to say, I find the way they run their courtrooms far more efficient and logical than in an American courtroom. The third book ended with enough closure that you do not feel a need for another book, but I have to say that I'm going to miss reading the adventures of these characters. As I've said in my blogs of the other two books, these movies will be fantastic if done right. The problem will be fitting 600 page books into 2 hour movies. One colleague from school said the Swedish version of the movie was fantastic, so lets hope they take a look at it before cutting the final copy of the movie.

Book #61 - Tough Cookie by Diane Mott Davidson

I know my avid readers were probably wondering what happened to me. Two things have keep my reading pace less than typical. First, school has been overwhelming the last week or so. Sometimes you forget how intense the start of a school year is. Second, I've actually been reading two books at the same time. I started a historical novel last week, and although it is very good, I needed something a little lighter. So, even though I was terribly dissapointed with the last book I read of hers, I figured I had already bought it, so I might as well read it. She redeemed herself with this one. It was a much better story, and I found I did not know who did it until the very last moment. She created just enough suspects to keep me wondering. This book was just the escape I needed from the intense days at work.

Book #60 - Private by James Patterson

I'm not really sure where to start with this book. I read it very quickly, and it was very captivating, however, I felt like it really fell short in the end. This is the story of a high-end Private Investigation company that works for the rich and famous. The story opens up with 3 high priority cases that are on the docket, and we are in on the investigation. I found that though there should have been a high level of suspense, it was really lacking. It took 250 pages to paint the picture, and within paragraphs, each of the stories ended in an anti-climatic way. I guess I should say it was disappointing, and definitely was not as good as some of Patterson's others. I feel like it lacked his inventiveness and really fell short of his usual high-octane thrillers. When I was on Amazon yesterday, I noticed it only received 3 stars (out of 5), and now I see why.

Book #58 - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

This book was thrilling, appalling, scary, captivating, and deeply intricate. Fantastically written, and also extremely well translated into English. Like I told my husband, this is going to be an awesome movie. I can't even begin to describe how deep and twisted the layers of this story are and how intense the different story lines were. It was almost like this book started with three distinct and separate story lines and seemed to have three endings that were all intimately tied together. This was one of the best books I've read in a long time, but I have to say the intensity was such that I'm going to have to take some time off before I start the sequel. There were extremely violent crimes involving women that were so disturbing and really made me think about how horribly women are treated all over the world. Often women are of less value to men than personal belongings, cars, homes, etc. Also weaved into the story line was thread about the financial systems of the world and all of those people making billions playing with money they don't have and betting on the quick sell. Obviously, Stieg Larsson was trying to make a political and personal statement by bringing to light these two very serious issues in Swedish culture and politics...who knows, maybe it led to his mysterious death.

Book #52 - The Collectors by David Baldacci

This is the 4th or 5th book by Baldacci that I have read, but it is the first involving the four old guys in the "Camel Club". I have to say that by far this is the best I've read (although I really liked the Christmas Train). Not only was there great adventure, but for the first time in one of his books, I really liked and felt engaged with the characters. Interestingly, the first 200 pages had 2 very different very exciting plots going on simultaneously. It wasn't until page 205 that the link between the stories was divulged. There was great artistry in the story telling as well as a enticing plot. I have to say, I'm excited to pick up copies of the other Baldacci books starring the famous foursome: Oliver, Milton, Caleb, and Reuben. This one I'm sending to my brother who will devour it in 8 hours or so...

Book #43 - I Scream, You Scream by Wendy Lyn Watson

So I've made it to the bottom of my reserve of books and am avidly waiting for the UPS driver to drop the next batch from Amazon. So when you get to the bottom of the stack, this is what you would find. I ordered this book several months ago because it was recommended by Amazon based on other books I'd purchased. I thought I'd take a chance even though it was a brand new author with very few reviews. This is the start of a series of books about a small town ice cream shop owner who gets wrapped up in a local murder investigation. It was actually pretty good, and I liked that it had more modern twists to it than the other series' like this that I read. I have to say that I had figured out who did it about half way through, but interesting twists as to why the perp did it kept me interested through the end. Very light and easy reading for a hot summer day.