STORM DAMAGE by Ed Kovacs **

Just started reading it but already I got stuff to bitch about. There's a "copper" (writer calls them that) named Honey Baybee. I can only surmise he promised one of his favorite hookers her name would appear in his next book (maybe even more than one). An abomination, cop named for a hooker. DUH. There was a murder of some store owner and his body disappeared. But this is during/after Katrina that devastated New Orleans so everything is a mess that Mr. Hired Detective has to go thru. I can't stand mafia type people and their wars, which is implied at this point in the book so I don't know if I'll bother with it. After Honey Baybee it's too ridiculous to continue without laughing out loud and I'm only on page 40. I can see where someone else dog-earred a page then returned it to the library. So I'm not hopeful.

I'm on page 99 and tomorrow it's being returned to the library. The copper stuff is dull. I really don't see anyone naming their little daughter Honey Baybee, and I don't see a cop renaming herself that. Maybe as a stripper but permanent? She thinks someone will take her seriously? How? Done.

WHITE HORSE by Alex Adams ***

First of all this is supposed to be scary. I have to say that at first I really was interested and enthralled with the book because it had a disease taking over the population that changed DNA somehow and you will NEVER know how or why. What pisses me off is there is no explanation of this disease nor the shot she was given even tho the lead character Zoe confronts the old man in charge of the lab that created it. He also had her sister killed by mistake wanting to kill her.

The problem with the novel is that after all the crap that goes on you begin to become more and more amused until you are laughing at the preposterous scenarios unrolling for you. First all countries are at war. Then a disease kills off or physically changes more than half the population so soldiers return to find their familes deceased by the illness. People are burned in mass graves like a swimming pool--see how it becomes amusing? Meantime Zoe is wandering around like a stupid lost person trying to keep one person or animal alive at a time. She meets a serial killer OF COURSE, then she smothers him (so she thinks) - he (it) killed a couple people she liked and cared for.

Meantime it goes on and on in this drab black and white depressing storyline until WHAT could possibly happen next?? AN EARTHQUAKE???? Yes!! Just what I was waiting for. I laughed and laughed. One thing about thrillers or horror the writer is always walking a tightrope; you really don't want to go past the point towards laughter. And I am truly totally amused now by so much bizarre horror. I don't even GAS about Zoe anymore. She's not a believable character, she lost it. She doesn't want to start up a cigarette for a dying boy cuz she's PREGNANT....hahahaha....like it'll hurt the baby. Not that the earthquake, the DNA disease, end of the world, the murder and mayhem will but one hit off a cigarette is gonna be fatal to her baby -we don't even really know she's pregnant. Her friend thought she was but there was no baby. O yeah and try not to laugh when all the cats fall out of the trees or the air like it's raining cats. That was too funny.

So if you like funny horror this is it for you! Not done yet so if I get more funny stuff I'll letcha know. Of course it's overwhelmingly full of every death one can imagine. Disfigured people lurching around (think: Total Recall) while Zoe is off chasing her psychotherapist who leaves her for Greece not giving a frickin shit about her at all. Why does she want someone who runs from her? Writer probably has a few of these unrequited loves...mooning over someone who doesn't care about her. It's all I can come up with. No one in their right mind would travel from America to Greece during war, famine, and disease with cats falling out of the sky for someone who ran away from her. DUH.

VICTIMS by Jonathan Kellerman ****

Awesome book, I took my time cuz I didn't want it to end. Has the psychologist Alex Delaware and Milo his cop pal looking for serial killers that originated in an old asylum years ago. A few things I didn't follow well enough or something 1) how did they know 2 people were working together? and 2) Who and what are Pitty and Eccles as part of this story? That confused me. As "mentors" what did they mentor? I have no idea how they got involved with the real killer. I don't even know if they killed anyone or what their motives were. At least the real nutcase killer is distinguishable and a solid filled out character in the story where the other two are much less so.

It was a good story, easy to follow and read, scary killer, bloody murders, lots of investigating and guesswork. I generally enjoyed it and would recommend buying it or get it at the library. Pretty good reading. Just concentrate better than I did maybe you'll figure out how the other 2 fit in. I left not knowing.

BONNIE by Iris Johansen

Difficult to follow with chasing thru woods, fog, anything to thwart the progress of the chase. So there are like 5 people who can't find one person a little bit ahead of them who is thoughtful enough to hide a boat and car for his getaway. Most of this crap I don't get at all. Supposedly Eve Duncan's daughter disappeared a long time ago and WHAT MOTHER would assume that she was murdered without a shred of proof? Who? Who? No blood, no body, no clothing found, no weapon found. NOTHING. She just assumes she's dead. There isn't a real life mother who would not hold out hope for a live child somewhere out there waiting to come home except this one. So meantime her and her crew of kiss asses are out chasing suspects.
I can't read it. Sorry. To misdirecting, too red herring. Too much of I just don't care. Not interesting enough.

The SKELETON BOX by Bryan Gruley ***

The names of places in here are depressing; Starvation Lake, Hungry River, and some other one. Long involved murder about a nun in the 1950's which most of the people involved are luckily still alive. The main character's mom is involved hiding info and evidence. The protag is a newspaper writer. So of course some of the townspeople are either involved, know who was and suddenly for whatever reason people are now being robbed or killed for a map mom drew 30 yrs ago.
Lots of people mentioned, names galore, too many personalities and twisted motives. Of course involving, nun, priest and baby. Not really a book I'd look to read but it was fair to ok for me.
I don't like old mysteries. I like newish murders, forensics, ongoing on the run hiding etc.
This was an old forgotten mystery and for me the reading went slow.

TOO MUCH STUFF by Don Bruns ****

Sort of comedic story telling about 2 not very bright guys on the prowl for some leftover supposedly buried gold in Islamoralda. Won't say more than that or I'll give away too much info. They were hired by a woman who deciphered a message and that's why they thought the gold was on the island.

They two pals bicker back and forth, there are a few women tossed in to keep them healthy, aside from it's in the Keys so I'm sure there are plenty of women down there. Not once did they eat a key lime pie much to my disappointment.

Good pace, well written, nice adventure to go along for the ride. Not too deep or confusing or over anyone's head. Liked it, get it at the library. Not really a "murder mystery" but still ok.

BLINK of an EYE by William S. Cohen

Wow, hard to read. Can't follow it at all. So much internal junk, lots of diplomatic crap, too much gov't garbage. It's some kind of conspiracy oriented story wrapped in so much crap you can't find the story line. Good luck. I read about 25 pages and gave it all I got. Hated it.

DEAL BREAKER by Harlan Coben *****

Picked it up at a yard sale for beach reading. Great book, lots of action. Coben actually takes you along with one character as he goes from one place described well to another with his buddies or girlfriend. Old case is being investigated with Myron Bolitar's help, his first case.
Fast paced, well written, easy to follow. No uppity Harvard-snob type writing, just down to earth and really am grateful for that after so much vomit I have to read. Thanks for the great story. I liked it a lot. Get it at the library, a yard sale or buy it. Worth it.

FREEZING by Clea Koff ***

Really fast paced and readable novel. It felt like you know the characters, they're all very distinctive and likable except of course the bad guys. I liked the forensics, the science and explanations of the deaths but for a murder novel I would have preferred more in depth of the the killer/killers by that I mean their mental thoughts, their processing of information. I feel it lacked something I can't describe as far as the murders and it being a mystery.

The personal issues that were involved either weren't well described or not traumatic enough to cause the disturbances acted out by the characters. Going into forensics is an expectation of working with bodies, not being traumatized by all associated with the job. She picked the wrong profession? The writer seems to be over awed by her own job description. 

The one incident of a guy being blown up in front of one of the  main characters wasn't touched upon enough to satisfy my curiousity about why it affected the person to any extent. Wasn't enough. The reasoning of the killer to "get" Houston wasn't explained well, nor did Houston ever even KNOW why the killer was killing because of him. I don't really know either. Not explained a all.

Good library book but could use some work. To me it seemed like a work in progress, not a done deal.

The END of the WASP SEASON by D. Mina *

Written by a woman from Scotland. Confusing. I'm getting descriptions of everything in the room, the stairs, the books, furniture. It goes from one confusing scene to another. A driver is never named yet there is a conversation between the pregnant female investigator and the female driver. I really am being dragged thru this room by room, person by person all with partial personalities. I'm not going to finish the book. It's way too boring for me.

I have no idea what relation anyone has to anyone else and at this point since the author doesn't WANT to tell me I don't care anymore.

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU by Iris Johansen ***

I actually couldn't wait to read this and put a hold at the library for it but once I started reading it I found it to be extremely repetitive, somewhat boring and very little action. I barely cared about the characters who seem mostly robotic or make believe or whatever they are. There's a lot of philosophizing that really is circular in it's thinking: round and round and round over and over again.

Someplace in this hodgepodge of sloppiness is a story about some poison, or tampering with stem cells and people trying to get it and other people trying to stop them and protect themselves. The bulk of the REAL story could have been over in 5 chapters or so but I was dragged kicking and screaming thru 406 pages. So many times I didn't want to continue.

I feel so so about it. If there's story, it's not easy to pick it up; it totally gets interrupted many times with either her childhood, her kids childhood and nothing at all about the obvious HIS FATHER. Since she trusts so few people who the hell was the baby daddy?

L.A. MENTAL by Neil McMahon ****

Honestly I have no idea what the L.A. Mental is all about..the title. It doesn't seem to fit the story. The story is about people who are making a movie. Then it's about some of them having nano technology they put into cocaine or in a bath so others inhale it. Then they have these remote controls to control people with either ecstasy or violence. At one point the FBI are involved but you really don't see much of them, or have a clue what they're doing in the story. Only one person gets arrested. They never stop the nano stuff from being anywhere. No scientist tries to cure anyone. Nanos remain in place in their brains.

Later there are truck loads of this stuff dumped and burning in a port so many people are going to be exposed. Next book I suppose. Meantime I found the premise weird. I found the nanos had magical unrealistic powers and the main character thinks he discovered layers of "gods" that watch silently as all this goes on. It's a lot of fictional junk to be tossed on a reader so stay awake. Not poorly written, but confusing at times. Ok library find.