WOMAN WITH A GUN by Phillip Margolin ***

These are all the names you need to memorize in the FIRST chapter: Wilde, Levine, Barstow, Stacey Kim, Morris DeFord, Bill & Angela from a book she read, Miranda Perez, Kathy Moran; that's 8 pages. Add chapter two: Jack Booth, Elaine Rostow, Teddy Winston, Raymond Cahill, Megan Cahill, Archie Denning, Frank Janowitz. That's up to page 20. You may want to keep a pad handy for learning names because sometimes he uses first names then he uses last names. This character loading in as few pages as possible is caused by writer clogging your brain, nothing is more painful. There are more names coming up so make sure to get that pad and paper. Otherwise, like me, you'll never know who the hell he's talking about unless the names are used constantly.

Aside from the crappy way to introduce characters, not many of them have noticeable characteristics that stand out so you can latch onto that for memory. The only character well developed, and that's being generous, is Stacey Kim the main character who is writing a book about a photo she saw that was taken by Kathy Moran of a bride holding a gun walking towards the ocean. Oh and BTW it's very easy to get famous and make big time money at art galleries with photos. Who knew? With having the originals they can be printed thousands and thousands of times so I don't get that.

Of course little miss writer (Stacey) gets to solve the case all by her lonesome because most cops are the walking dead who can't get a line on anyone for at least 4 murders. Now that sucks cuz I respect the jobs that most cops have to do and they seem pretty dumbfounded in the novel. Oh, someone breaks into her house she whacks the hand on the window frame with a huge golf club, but never notices anyone in the story with a sore right hand. Hmmmm how incredible you ask.....

That's about it, you get some murders, overload of names and fall asleep not knowing what the heck you just read every night but maybe you can use your deep seated anger at the author for doing this to you by getting the damn names straight. GOOD LUCK with that!!!

THE ICE TWINS by S.K. Tremayne ****

Story line goes something like this: mom, dad, twins. The entire book is a long drawn out short story about how/why one of the twins falls from a second floor balcony. The family is totally disfunctional and the leftover twin is a stark raving lunatic who doesn't know which twin she is. Like that's a reality.

So both husband and mother have cheated on each other, one is forgiving (pops) one is not because it was her best friend but this lady is off her freaking rocker to begin with and when the story is in her voice she's an angry fantasy driven idiot. The husband has his anger issues in check but she doesn't.

Page 78 since this is written by a Brit we have her snug under the rug (shawl?) but they also call rugs on the floor rugs so WTF. We don't do that around here we more or less walk on rugs. They also wear jumpers which in our language is a one piece body suit not a freaking sweater like in the story.

On page 183 one second she's in pjs with her kid asking when her new friend Emily is coming over and the next paragraph, BOOM there she is about 4 hours later with not much of a transition. Very disconcerting and happens here and there in the novel. Could have used a space between paragraphs instead of throwing confusion around like confetti.

I would get it at the library.

GATHERING PREY by John Sandford *****

Of course this is a great book, once again Sandford pulls off a page turning thrill a minute. I hated having to fall asleep and kept trying to read, when I'd fall asleep the little flashlight I use never got turned off, and the book fell out of my hands without me being able to mark the page. Kept having to buy new 2032 batteries for the light and re-find my place every morning.

This is about a bunch of crazy travelers who move around the US, and they try to pretend on and off to be Juggalos (who knows...whatever!) anyways the crowd Lucas Davenport has to deal with are crazy killers. They stomped someone to death, a friend of his daughter's; Letty. Then everywhere they went they pretty much switched cars killing the drivers or entered homes and killed the owners. Had cop shoot outs, road blocks to get thru and lots of guns, shootings and even some gun armed residents had their shots at the gang.

Near the end Lucas, broadcast on TV, says the bad guy Pilate is a coward who ran when he knew cops were showing up, hides behind women when someone has a gun aimed at him and pretty much steps over all his little disciples at will right up to the very end. Pilate gets a little ticked off. Not giving anything away. Edge of the seat reading and I would buy it. Really great story telling here.

Not a lot about Flowers, which is good cuz I hate his stupid white trash girlfriend who he called "mama". I just can't abide her at all. I'm wondering how many kids he's fathered with her by now. Probably 3 to add to her collection of about 10. The town white trash pump. Not only do I hate Flowers -I learn he's "just a kid" like what is that?? She's got 10 kids so she's gotta be at least 30 and began spewing out babies at 15 or less and how old is Flowers? In his mid 20s? What? I'm so confused but just know that I hate his taste in women and I hate that he's so dumb she's what he thinks a woman is. DUH. Not liking him at all. He should find a chick higher up on the food chain.

THOSE GIRLS by Chevy Stevens ***

This is a story about 3 sisters and the trouble they get into. Mostly they get raped and held hostage by a couple teen boys for about 4 weeks  or so. Then one is preggers and like an absolute idiot keeps the rape baby. Like I would abort it just because I wouldn't want anything near me that had to do with the rape. I cannot imagine many women raising their rapists' child. It's just crazy.

So anyway after all this rape bullshit and they escape, they have so much help because the world is such a gentle and wonderful place that the first people you run into will take you in, get you all jobs and accept your new identities without asking ONE QUESTION. Right?

So now they live in Canada and it's 17 yrs later when the rapist kid is an adult. One of the crazy ass sisters wants to go kill the boys who raped her. She takes and gun and leaves, teenager follows, both are tied up and gagged and beaten and/or raped all over again. STUPID asshats. This book is not for adults, it's for teenagers. Don't bother reading it if you have half a brain, it's for kids; lesson teaching about stranger danger.

So I was so/so about the book. There were many times the "boys" went out and bought cases of beer they finished off in an afternoon, apparently author is unaware that is 24 beers, they wouldn't be able to stand up or screw anyone or even punch anyone in that condition. The girls could easily overtake them with a kick or punch yet they are hands free raped with guys who probably would not be able to get anything up including their dicks. I think she meant 6 packs but she wants to use the term case and that makes them pretty fuckin' drunk.

So if you're under 21 you may like it, if over 21 walk on by, nothing to see here.

MOTIVE by Johathan Kellerman ***

I liked the basic story and have read many of Kellerman's books, withAlex Delaware and Milo Sturgis. It's not hard to get into the books but once you're involved the names start coming up like wildfire and I not only can't keep up I don't want to.

There are always either discussions or internal dialogue about who might be the killer or killers, this goes on throughout the book, it's kind of off putting because I get so confused about which story I'm supposed to believe and by the end I'm weary of who did what to whom.

Your call, if you like Kellerman you'll probably like it for me THIS TIME. Ho hum.