Jo-Bridge Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 Lisa Scottoline- killer Smile In the latest installment of Scottoline's best-selling series starring the all-female Philadelphia law firm of Rosato & Associates, young Mary DiNunzio takes center stage. Mary has taken on a pro bono case representing her "peeps"--an Italian American business group (the circolo) working on behalf of the estate of Amadeo Brandolini, who committed suicide while interned during World War II. The estate seeks reparations, and Mary feels drawn to the case, so much so that others fear she's obsessed with it. Under the guise of taking a vacation, Mary visits the site of the internment camp in Montana where Amadeo killed himself and finds herself with still more unanswered questions. Interesting author's notes at the end of this engaging drama disclose Scottoline's own discovery of her grandparents' internment, lending this unusual story a welcome authenticity. This was a really gripping crime novel with an appealing central character (I identified with old fashioned Mary being a bit of a Sinatra girl myself!)and cast of characters, "Killer smile" made me want to read more of the novels Lisa Scottoline has set in this law firm. The background of the story (the internment of Italian, Japenese and german- americans in WW2) was also very interesting and Scottolines grandparents story gave it a real touch of authenticity. I found the historical details, the descriptions of the Italian community and of Philadelphia itself really well descruibed but strangely (considering Scottoline is a lawyer) the courtroom scene too "Hollywood" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 Perfume- Patrick Suskind Survivor, genius, perfumer, killer: this is Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. He is abandoned on the filthy streets of Paris as a child, but grows up to discover he has an extraordinary gift: a sense of smell more powerful than any other human's. Soon, he is creating the most sublime fragrances in all the city. Yet there is one odor he cannot capture. It is exquisite, magical: the scent of a young virgin. And to get it he must kill. And kill. And kill. This novel really seems to divide opinion- I have seen some really bad revciews and really good reviews and not a lot in between! This is a strange and beautiful book-I found it to be almost fairy tale like in its grotesque, gothic character and cruel, black humour. The language and descriptions are so dense that I couldnt read too much at once and had to keep coming back to the book. Smell would seem to be the most difficult sense to portray in print but you can almost smell what is being described- the descriptions of "human scent" and of paris itself are well done (but you wopuldnt want to be smelling them! I though the novel veered too much towards the farcical towards the end but would stillrecommend it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 Pharoah-Valerio Manfredi In Jerusalem, in 586BC, the Kingdom of Judah is on the verge of annihilation by the Babylonians. In the chaos, the Prophet Jeremiah rushes to save the sacred Ark of the Covenant. As he locates the preordained hiding place, which will make it impossible to be found, he makes a terrible discovery...The Middle East, in the early 2000s. William Blake, a renowned Egyptologist has been called in to oversee the discovery of an amazing, magnificent and strange tomb of a Pharaoh many miles from the Valley of the Kings, located in a militarily sensitive spot. His research will lead him to an amazing and world shattering discovery concerning Moses and the tribes of the Israelites and their flight from the land of Egypt. Thsi book started out quite well with the main character William Blake fired from his job and on the verge of a breakdown but then just went rapidly down hill from there! Cant really recommend thsi book at all! I think the problem is that it is poorly written so it irritated me ( the constant referal to the female character as "the girl" particularly)but also that the writer seems to think he has written an important book (hence the mention that it was written three years before 911) when it is a Dan Brown style thriller. I also found the idea that the discovery Blakes makes (I wont reveal) will intantly change the world as we know it- as if any historical discovery is instantly accepted and unchallanged! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted May 10, 2009 Author Share Posted May 10, 2009 My Side Of The Story- Will Davis Jarold, aka, Jazz, is a typical sixteen year old boy. He lives at home with his two remarkably un-divorced parents, his holier-than-thou sister, and his overbearing grandmother. It Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted May 10, 2009 Author Share Posted May 10, 2009 The End Of Mr Y-Scarlett Thomas This was an unusual, original, thrilling novel and i really enjoyed it! I have got to admit (like a few people on here I can see!) some of the physics went a little over my head but I really liked disapearing into a completely different world. Its definately not an easy read but I liked the challanging nature of it although I do think the book occasionally gets caught up in its own cleverness I thought that Ariel was an interesting character- she is quite a damaged, self destructive person- but i did root for her and the love story part of the novel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 James Grippando- Beyond Suspicion When Jack Swytech's former girlfriend asks him to defend her in a case brought by investors who advance payment on insurance policies when their beneficiaries have been diagnosed with a terminal condition, it looks like an easy win; Jessie Merrill wasn't dying after all, but since Viatical Settlements accepted her doctor's somewhat equivocal diagnosis, they don't stand a chance of getting their money back. Still celebrating his victory, Jack learns that Jessie has lied to him; like the shady, possibly Mob-connected company that advanced Jessie the money, he's been scammed. Then Jessie is murdered in a bizarre scenario that not only sets Jack up as the prime suspect but also threatens his marriage to the woman who is still traumatized by a vicious attack perpetrated by another of his erstwhile clients. Enlisting the aid of his best friend, an ex-con who will do anything to protect the man who saved him from death row, Jack attempts to clear his name by finding the real murderer, who turns out to have a secret worth killing for. A good, page turning thriller- very enjoyable but not as good as the premise suggested it could have been. I think the problem is that for a lawyer the charcater does some silly things and the ending is a step too far. Good...but not great I read something by Robin Cook, which was similar to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 I wonder who had the idea first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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