The TARGET by David Baldacci *****

This was a good book, had all the ingredients and not an overflow of unnecessary people to memorize. The only complaint is the either all the descriptions of the people were so subtle I missed them or he didn't bother with hair or eye color or much on body type. But I don't really read for that anyway.

Two ongoing stories. One is about a female named Chung Cha-an assassin from a hell hole in North Korea who is eventually sent to the US with a child she pulled out of another hell hole (sort of concentration camps where everyone is beaten and rewarded for ratting each other out. Chung Cha was forced by the camp guards to kill her family lined up, tied and with targets drawn on them. I leave you the details. She's the State assassin.

The second story is about Jessica Reel and Will Robie protecting the good 'ol USA from bad guys. In the end they meet up with Chung Cha and you'll have to read the book for the ending. Not giving it away. Would buy it.

The OCTOBER LIST by Jeffery Deaver *****

Very good murder mystery with the police and a bad guy. I can't say much about it without giving it all away. The story is written backwards so things are taking place in reverse order. You learn who is who at the end. Smallish book, fast page turning and easy reading. Highly recommend it. At first the past stuff confused me but I'm giving you the heads up so go with it. I would buy it.

MISSING YOU by Harlan Coben *****

Great reading. Kat is a cop, she used to be in love with a guy who suddenly left the area for reasons you won't find out till the end. Meantime she finds his profile on a date site and thought he was dead.
Bad guys steal seldom used date profiles to snatch women and men, drain their bank accounts and keep them in underground boxes resembling coffins. When the bank accounts are empty and they've shipped the money oversear they shoot the people.

Kat gets approached by a nineteen year old kid who's pretty good with computers and he helps her despite her reluctance to get involved. She figures her old boyfriend is dating his mom, the money withdrawn from the account of the female was for a home or trip and brushes the kid off most of the time until she finds things are a little hokey with the profile and having given the bad guys her real name. She finds more and more missing people and gets very involved in the case.

Very quick moving page turner and I enjoyed it a lot. Worth buying.

BIRD BOX by Josh Malerman *****

This book is small but intense. Some sort of creatures have infiltrated the world and if anyone including animals look at them they become insane due to not understanding or being familiar with the form of life. So people walk around with blindfolds on, as long as no one sees them they're ok. They also affect wild animals, birds and dogs etc. Very edge of the seat type story. Not a murder mystery at all but interesting nonetheless.

The title comes form a box of birds that squawk if anyone comes near the doorway so they're kept there as a warning sign.

One mix up at the end is that a dog, Victor, was locked in a room by his owner and the main character Malori lets it out then you never hear about the dog again. Meanwhile she's pregnant and another pregnant person, Olympia enters their home along with someone who is insane (Gary) and can't get any insaner when he sees the aliens. So he thinks that strictly by belief people kill themselves, like a mass hallucination. But when people do see the aliens they either kill others and then themselves or only themselves.

So Malori raises the 2 nameless children alone for a few years but Tom, one of the original people who helped her in the beginning phones every number in a phone book and leaves a message for someone several miles away who contacts Malori and she decides after 4 years alone to move there and see what kind of living arrangements are there. Most of the middle age children are blind by choice but the new guy Rick says they don't do that anymore. No creatures can enter their village or whatever it is. They are self sufficient. So now Malori lives happily ever after with 2 kids. Where is the dog Victor? I want to know!!

The DEEPEST SECRET by Carla Buckley ***

This book is strange. There's a creepy son Tyler who has XP where he can't go out in daylight, but of course near the end shatters that by running outside during daylight. Meantime he spies on his neighbors all night, then does school work all day so when TF does he sleep? Once it was 6 o'clock and author said that they were up late. Up late??? 6pm isn't late? 6am? Early? WTF?

The daughter got drunk went out, and is guilty of something, who knows what. Probably killing the kid Amy in the story. Which is mostly what this is about. There isn't a mother in the world who would behave as this mother does. She's so overprotective she can't even breath on her own. She's like a black raven on the son's shoulder not allowing him to do anything becaUse of his illness, he's almost 14 I think he can make his own decisions because supposedly no one reaches adulthood with this disease.

Mommy killed the little girl who knows why there were handprints or fingerprints all over the kids arm. You'll never find out. The cops have nothing but a confession. She's wiped out all the evidence and doesn't even tell her BEST FRIEND that she killed her daughter. Whatta bunch of b.s.

I didn't like one person in the novel. They were all out for themselves. Every single one of them is creepy and unrealistic. It's ok to read if you get it at the library. But I was underwhelmed.

THE LEFTOVERS by Tom Perrotta ***

Barely kept my interest. Apparently people were running around minding their own business when 1% or so of the human population disappeared. The book doesn't address this issue whatsoever.

There are stupid new religions springing up all over, targets on foreheads for one group and flip flops even in winter and smoking for another group. It's all so bizarre. People just decided to lead new lives as if their life has no meaning anymore. I was certainly not into all the people and their stupid lives. People do the same things NOW never mind after a calamity. One woman changes her hair color and goes to leave a note at some guys house (old husband?) and finds a baby their son dropped off on the door step. One of the gurus knocked up his little tribe of women. Wow isn't that novel?

Most of the women in the book are stupid, slow, mindless, without goals, vapid, not one leader or strong woman figure stands out at all. The men are the anchors in the book and the women are the dupes. I hated that part of it as well. Tried to look for ONE strong woman who could deal with anything and couldnt find a one.

Best seller list!! Soon coming to TV near you. I hated it with a passion. I'm a very strong female and not to even see ONE leaves the author a misogynist. He sees them as pointless unless he wants to fuck them.

The INVENTION OF WINGS by Sue Monk Kidd **

The librarian said she hated this book but I got it because it was on the best selling list. If you want to compare black history books I'd prefer Roots, 12 Years A Slave or the book written by a white reporter about the slaves in her neighborhood that told of each slaves story. Much better. This book tiring, boring, long winded and dead in the water.

I couldn't get past 55 pages. For one thing this isn't a murder mystery, so I don't like that much, then it's full of descriptions and made up descriptions from each person in the story. I really  am not a big fan of a narrative novel. You need to grab my interest quickly or bye. I don't have the patience of a saint. Just a reader trying to get thru someone's b.s. Not happy with this one.

BONES OF THE LOST by Kathy Reichs ****

This novel was sort of a mismash of many things. We have Temperance Brennan in Afghanistan right in the middle of a murder she's trying to solve. We have dead old dog xrays smuggled into the country and find out girls are also being smuggled into the country. She testifies in court that a guy who is accused of shooting 2 guys in the back were really shot face forward in the chest.

So you have a lot here to zig and zag you back and forth with a lot of descriptions and thoughts and sometimes that bogs down the story instead of forwarding it which is why you read.

Make your own mind up, I don't like TV shows like Bones because without fail the main female marries the main male and have kids. I get so sick and tired of that crap. This story has her divorced with a daughter in the service. If you like her books ALL the time you'll like this one. I wasn't head over heels.

FIELD OF PREY by John Sandford *****

Very fast moving serial killer story with twists here and there. It's a Lucas Davenport story and all the other law enforcement officers are mostly memorable, plus he refers back to his friend works for him Fuckin' Flowers for example.

Nicely built up suspense. I couldn't fall asleep didn't know who to blame it on, supposedly caffeine free ice tea or the novel. Probably the novel, the closer I got to the end the more suspense had built up and I really didn't want to fall asleep. I will just have to crate the puppy who wakes up at 6am in some other room of the house.

Really enjoyed it and worth the cover price.