Finders Keepers by Stephen King (Unabridged Audio)

In this second book of the Bill Hodges Trilogy Stephen King takes us into the mind of a reader obsessed with a series of books. John Rothstein, the writer of the series and creator of the iconic protagonist, Jimmy Gold, has not released a new installment in years and has been living an isolated existence, almost in obscurity for many years.  Morris Bellamy is obsessed with Jimmy Gold and is infuriated about the way Rothstein has left the character. Bellamy is so consumed by this obsession that he, and two accomplices break into Rothstein's secluded home and steal the money he purportedly kept in a safe. While cleaning out the safe they also find several filled notebooks of the aged author's writings. Bellamy is convinced these notebooks are the next installments of the series not yet released.  

After hiding his treasure, Bellamy is then sent to prison for an unrelated crime. As the years pass he dreams of the day when he can reclaim the notebooks and prove that Rothstein had, in fact, written another Gold book.  When finally released he discovers his treasure is gone and he sets out to find it.

My Thoughts on the Story:

Immediately, I was excited about the story featuring an obsessed reader. Morris Bellamy is a low-life but he is no dummy. He is totally obsessed with these books and will do anything to get those notebooks back. It has now been a few years since the Mercedes killings when we first met retired cop Bill Hodges. He isn't present right away, but King enters him into the story very naturally. Along with Hodges, Jerome and Holly are also included, which I really liked. They  sre an odd group of friends that you wouldn't think would have anything in common with each other, but their bond is evident. There are also a few minor characters from book one. For me, the story was original and had me riveted from the beginning. I have only read a few of King's other books but I really enjoy the way he reveals details in these crime fiction books. He doesn't throw everything at you at once. It's like peeling layers of an onion. I enjoyed it very much. There was just as much suspense as in the first book so it made the listening time go by very quickly.

My Thoughts on the Audio Performance:

As with MR. MERCEDES, Will Patton was exceptional. I've always been a fan of his acting ever since I first saw him in the Costner/Hackman film NO WAY OUT. His talent is unending. The way he can so smoothly distinguish between characters is total perfection. He brings such life to these people and makes them totally believable.  His ability to use so many different inflections of his voice for all these characters and keep them all straight is amazing. He is one of my all-time favorite narrators.

The Bottom Line:

I was curious where this second book would take us and if it would be a continuation of MR. MERCEDES.  I liked how King told a new story but kept it related to Book One. And even though I wasn't as blown away with this one as I was with MR. MERCEDES, I still really liked it. I'm looking forward to the final book. Lastly,  I have to mention the cover! It is as great as the previous one with its subtle hints! It's a great read in any form, but if you're looking for a new audio, I highly recommend giving this one a try. Will Patton is wonderful and makes the whole experience even better.

FINDERS KEEPERS (Unabridged Audio)
Author: Stephen King
Narrator: Will Patton
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Published:  June 2015
Length: 13 Hrs 5 Mins (448 pp)
Source: Purchased from Audible.com

Review: Fractured by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #2)

In this second installment of the Will Trent series by the incredibly talented Karin Slaughter, we are back in Atlanta investigating the brutal murder of one teenage girl and the apparent abduction of another. When Abigail Campano comes home from an afternoon of playing tennis to find her affluent Ansley Park home broken into, her mind instantly goes to Emma, her 16 year-old daughter. When she reaches the top of the stairs and looks down the hallway leading to Emma's room, she sees the small, crumpled body laying at the feet of a man leaning over her with a knife. Abigail's protective mother mode, along with her adrenaline, kicks in and she lunges for the intruder and literally strangles him with her bare hands, using her fingers to gouge his eyes out at the same time.

Agent Will Trent, with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, is called to the scene to assist the Atlanta Police Department in its investigation. When Will arrives, he soon starts noticing things about the crime scene that just don't add up. A few hours into the investigation, it becomes clear that the APD has made a pivotal error in assessing the crime scene, in turn, wasting valuable time. As a result, the GBI takes over the case which does nothing to sooth the friction between the two law enforcement agencies.

For this case, Agent Trent is assigned a partner, which is something new for him. Faith Mitchell, a detective with the APD is as surprised as Will but they attempt to put their personal feelings aside and get to work on the case. Both Faith and Will have connections to the case, though both are reluctant to divulge the connections. With the life of a young girl hanging in the balance they have a suspect in their sights but proving his involvement becomes tedious and difficult. As the hours tick by, the hope of finding their victim alive wanes as they try to put all of the pieces together before its too late.

My Thoughts:

A few months ago when I read the first book in this series, I was riveted and I am happy to say I felt similarly about this one. FRACTURED is not as violent as TRIPTYCH, the first book, but it was equally as heart-pounding. I didn't miss the gruesomeness of the first book, and it showed me that Karen Slaughter can give the same thrills without all of the shock and horror she showed previously. That said, I'm sure there will be other books in this series that will have more violence but it won't keep me from reading them at all. Her restraint in this book spotlights her talent as a great suspense writer.

On another note, I liked the introduction of Detective Faith Mitchell as a new character and I feel like she brought a dimension to the story that worked very well. I hope to see more of her in the future. From the very beginning, I have appreciated KS's writing style. There's not many writers that can really take me by surprise the way she does in her stories.  Its one of the things I love most about her writing. I've also noticed that my vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds since I began reading her books. I've started highlighting all the new words I discover as I read just to keep track. These are words I've never heard before such as: fulcrum, spurious, misogyny and shemales to name just a few.  As a lover of words, this is a bonus for me.  

The next book in the series is UNDONE and it brings in the main character of her Grant County Series, Sarah Linton. I've not read that series though I do have the first book, BLINDSIGHTED, and I am planning to read it as well.  I'm really looking forward to continuing with the Will Trent books as I've developed a passion for crime/suspense fiction. I know these books have been out for awhile, but its never to late to get started. Karin Slaughter is a writer that I enjoy so much and though it may take me some time to get caught up, I am going to enjoy every book along the way.

FRACTURED (Will Trent #2) 
Author: Karin Slaughter
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Sold By: Random House, LLC
Published:  July 2008
Length: 400 pp

Review: Blood Money by Doug Richardson

Sometimes it is the book cover that grabs my attention and makes me wonder what lies between the pages. That' is what happened when I saw BLOOD MONEY, the latest release from Doug Richardson. I was looking for something different and a bit edgy and I was ready for some fast-paced action. I thought the cover with the big rig on it was really cool. I've always had a fascination with big rigs, especially the pretty ones. I wasn't familiar with the author so I visited his website and was amazed at how successful he is, not only as a writer of books, but also as a Hollywood screenwriter. When I learned that he was behind such hits as Die Hard II, Bad Boys and Hostage, I knew I wanted to read his new novel.

About The Book:

This crime/action novel centers around Kern County (CA) Debputy Lucky Dey and his chase to track down the driver of a black-on-black refrigerated truck who has been implicated in killing his younger brother, also a deputy sheriff. The horrible murder was caught on the dash cam video of the patrol car that also shows the deaths of two other people at the scene. One of the victims was a popular teen TV star whose father has deep pockets and a questionable past and he soon uses his connections and power to find out who killed his only child. But he is very specific - he wants the man alive so he can kill him himself.

Lucky follows the truck's path to L.A. where he teams up with some of his former colleagues with the L.A. County Sheriff's office.  Because of the high profile case, Detective Lydia Gonzalez from the LAPD has been  assigned to 'babysit' the out of town deputy in his search. Gonzo, as she is called, soon figures out that Lucky is not your ordinary country cop. He knows his way around L.A. and he has connections within law enforcement that Gonzo suspects runs deeper than just former co-worker camaraderie.

Greg Beam is the former Marine turned murder suspect who is behind the wheel of the semi. He has simple plan of driving the stolen rig and it's contents of stolen frozen plasma to Southern California and get it shipped out of the country.  He'll collect his big payoff and be on his way to a faraway paradise. But his plan is quickly spiraling out of control.  He's getting tired, making mistakes and leaving too many bodies in his wake. His last move threatens his entire mission and has devastating consequences for an entire city that believes it is encountering a terrorist attack.

My Thoughts:

Admittedly, I don't read a lot of books in this genre. However, the premise, when I read it, sounded exciting and it didn't sound far-fetched, which is something I dislike in crime stories. This is basically a pretty simple plot with many twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. I was drawn to Lucky Dey for several reasons: he's a tortured soul, a loner and he's definitely a man's man. OK, so the female in me thought he came across as sexy.   The supporting cast of characters were also good, although maybe a bit cliche, but I didn't really let that bother me. They each brought something to the book that was positive. There were many characters that I thought may be difficult to keep up with in the beginning, but after getting into the story, was not a problem at all.  Also, there wasn't a lot of character backstory that sometimes bogs down a book of this sort. Sure, there was some details that needed to be given about certain characters but it in no way slowed down the pace of the storytelling.

I felt the plot itself was plausible and the constant action kept me on my toes. I had no problem at all envisioning the events in my mind. It was like a movie playing out in my head. In fact, I think this would make a great feature action film, which Doug Richardson is so well known for.

The bottom line is that I really enjoyed the action and thrills that this book gave me. It made me realize that I'd like to spend more time reading such books because they get my blood pumping and it's different than what I usually read. Trying different things is a good thing and this book was also a good thing.

I'd like to thank Doug Richardson and his team for asking me if I'd like a review copy after seeing me repeatedly talking about it here on my blog and on Twitter. I really appreciate the opportunity. I enjoyed reading it very much.

BLOOD MONEY (Kindle Edition)
Author: Doug Richardson
Twitter: @byDougRich
Publisher: Velvet Elvis Entertainlment
Published: January 2013
Length: 320pp
Source: Author

Teaser Tuesday: A Thriller of a Crime Novel

Teaser Tuesday is one of my favorite things. Its a good way to get a quick glimpse inside books that other bloggers are reading. Anyone can participate so stop by Should Be Reading for full details and for additional teasers.

Today my teasers come from a suspenseful book I just started reading called BLOOD MONEY by Doug Richardson . . .

Lucky stuffed the weapon between his belt and the small of his back, slung on an antique high school letterman's jacket, and walked out into the dawn without locking the door behind him.  It would be the last time Lucky ever saw the place. ~ Loc 312 Kindle Edition

I'm rolling through this book pretty quickly and enjoying the ride as I go. Its a fast-paced, hold nothing back crime novel with an array of unique characters. Plus, I LOVE the cover!  To learn more about this accomplished author/Hollywood screenwriter, please visit his website.

Friday Finds: Denial and Crime Fiction

Friday Finds is a great way to share books you've discovered this week whether it be by cruising the blogs, magazines or a book shop. I discovered my Finds while visiting blogs this week. The books couldn't be any more different from each other but they both stood out to me. Here's what I found:

THE GOOD HOUSE by Ann Leary

I saw this book first on Book Fan's blog where she reviewed the audio version on Tuesday.You can read her review here. One of the other reviews that stood out for me was over at Book Mama's blog. You can read her review here. The reason this book has captured my attention is the main character, Hildy Good, a successful real estate broker battling alcoholism. She really stood out to me because of her realness and the believability of her story. I was so taken by this book's description and by Mary's review of the audio that I used one of my monthly credits at Audible.com and purchased it for myself.

BLOOD MONEY by Doug Richardson

I discovered this author/book while visiting Fiction Books' blog yesterday. I also visited Doug Richardson's website and was surprised to see how many books he's published. I am always looking for new crime fiction reads but many times when I read the synopsis I am turned off by over-complicated and confusing storylines and excessive characters. But in her blog post, Yvonne laid the story out beautifully and also included a bit about the Mr. Richardson's impressive career as a screenwriter. Honestly, I don't know how I've missed this author! I'm very anxious to get my hands on BLOOD MONEY, his new release set to come out in the Spring. This story is centers around a small town sheriffs detective's quest to track down the ex-Marine who shot down and killed his brother. This suspect has left a trail of death from Nevada to Los Angeles and the detective looks for help in the form of an LAPD detective who is not thrilled to have to 'babysit' the small town cop. It sounds thrilling and I am very much looking forward to diving in. One last thing I like about this book is the cover. I think it's a great cover that gives just enough hints to what's inside.

There are more Friday Finds over at Should Be Reading, so stop over there and see what other book lovers have discovered this week.