REVIEW: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
Kindle edition (borrowed from library)

Goodreads Synopsis (shortened): On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? 

Immediate reaction, you ask? Wait, what? Wow that’s f’d up.

There were twists and turns in this book, and it was so well done!

The chapters alternate between Nick’s narration and Amy’s diary entries.  And we get to see each character’s true colors, very interesting.

I’m afraid to go into too much detail because certain things are revealed at different points in the story that I want to comment on, but I don’t want to ruin it for any of you who want to read this.  But if you have read it, I encourage you to leave comments and we can discuss.  And I’ll warn anyone who hasn’t read the book yet: read the comments (if any) at your own risk!

Let’s try a different style of review: my reactions throughout the book (not in any particular order):

• Suspicion (of a character)
• Disgust
• Annoyed (with some of Amy’s diary entries in Part I)
• Suspicion (of the situation)
• Baffled
• Creeped out
• Shocked

What a great psychological thriller.  I definitely recommend this to everyone!

REVIEW: The Many Lives of Lilith Lane – Episode V

Related Posts
Episode I
Episode II
Episode III
Episode IV

This is a review of the fifth installment of E. V. Anderson’s The Many Lives of Lilith Lane.

A bit more than a month passed between my reading of the 4th and 5th installments and that was my fault.  I thought I let Jenny (from Plympton) know that I was ready for the last installment and discovered the other day that I never sent her an email!  So she was very quick to respond once I emailed her (thanks Jenny!). I had to re-read the last couple of pages of the 4th installment to re-orient myself (luckily, I remembered well enough afer that brief recap).

My questions noted in the other reviews were answered; whew!

However, I was left with a few questions at the end of the last installment; it ends on a cliffhanger-like ending!  Dun dun dun! This series could definitely continue and I wonder if there is any plan for more; I would be interested in reading more about Lilith and her adventures. I’ll have to ask Jenny.

I believe this was the shortest installment of the bunch (or else it just seemed that way), but it was action packed.  There were a few things that tied in together that I would not have guessed, and they worked; at least the story was neater and not as far-fetched as it could have been (that is, if you can call a book that talks about literally jumping into alternate realities not far-fetched).  It’s confusing for Lilith (and perhaps the reader) to keep track of how the people act and the different relationships in each reality, so I guess we’re lucky to have only seen 2 different realities (I’d like to say “for now” because I think if this series continued we should definitely see other realities!)

Would you be interested in reading a serialized novel?  What if that novel was “never-ending”? (By never-ending I mean, there is no set number of installments and they could continue for as long as the author(s) wanted to write.)

REVIEW: The Many Lives of Lilith Lane – Episode IV

Related Posts
Episode I
Episode II
Episode III

This is a review of the fourth installment of E. V. Anderson’s The Many Lives of Lilith Lane.

This is the last installment I have access to and I’ve already asked when I can get the fifth one. This entire episode takes place in the alternate reality.

The killer in the original reality may not be the kidnapper in the alternate reality; at least clues are pointing away from that.  Actually, clues aren’t pointing to anyone, but certain aspects of the original reality are not present in the alternate reality (for example, a basement is set up differently in the alternate reality).   It could perhaps be someone else that I’m thinking of, but I think I’m only considering this person based on too many crime television shows (I’ve been watching a lot of SVU lately…) where that particular scenario could play out, but that’s probably wrong.  In the alternate reality, I don’t have a good grasp on who the kidnapper could be.

In fact, based on the happenings in the alternate reality, a number of characters have been crossed off Lilith’s suspect list, leaving pretty much only one.  And by the way things are going, it looks like this person is guilty; we’ll see.

We see and learn more about Michael, Dr. Hammer’s assistant, who is clearly smitten with Lilith but apparently she’s oblivious. He tells his history so matter-of-fact that it’s kind of awkward.  Lilith comments that he says it with almost no emotion.  Is this a clue to anything?

We also get to learn more about the alternate reality counterparts to some of the other characters we met earlier on in the original reality.  (I hope I’m not confusing people with all the “realities”!)  I’m curious to see how the rest will play out in the 5th installment.

This episode ends in a cliffhanger, so I look forward to reading the last installment to learn the rest and discover what happens in the alternate reality, whether Lilith returns to the original reality, and which characters play the biggest roles.  I would love to be completely surprised as to the rest of the story, because we all know a good mystery keeps readers questioning, but I don’t want to get my hopes up too high just in case.  Fingers crossed it’s a good one! (and fingers crossed I can get the last installment very soon!)

REVIEW: The Many Lives of Lilith Lane – Episode III

Related Posts
Episode I
Episode II

This is a review of the third installment of E. V. Anderson’s The Many Lives of Lilith Lane.

Well.

No re-capping/re-introduction in this installment, it picked up right where the second one ended.

Lilith definitely didn’t believe that the police’s suspect was the culprit, and she discovered who was.  I mentioned in my review of episode 2 that I thought it was two people working together though I didn’t understand their motive; it was based solely on the writing and the observations Lilith made.  I was half right.  One of those people is the culprit, but so far it’s being explained as an accident.  We’ll see if that’s truly the case.

We finally get to see Lilith jump again, but it’s pretty much at the very end of the episode so we only see a quick scene. But it’s a doozy, considering what we learned in the original reality!

As I continue to read, I think my only problem is with the writing. I think it’s slightly juvenile, in that it’s very easy to see where the story was going.  Lilith is pretty detailed in describing her observations as well as her thoughts, so it ends up showing really only one path that the story must go down; not necessarily giving us a few different ways.  You know how readers can sometimes piece together other alternatives or get a sense that there are other characters who could be the “bad guy”?  I don’t really see that in this story.  It’s fairly cut and dry, I guess. I don’t think I’m explaining myself well, but I guess it just doesn’t seem all that sophisticated as a mystery.  Don’t get me wrong though, it’s still an enjoyable quick read for entertainment’s sake.  Am I making sense?

I’m curious to see how things play out in the alternate reality.  I mean, there are still questions to be asked and answered (for both Lilith and the reader) since the alternate reality is slightly different from the original reality.  For example, we learn that Beth still gets abducted in the alternate reality, but regardless of whether Lilith saves her, would she still end up murdered? Maybe she was abducted for ransom in this reality. Would the murderer be the same person? If Lilith is trying to prevent Beth’s murder in the alternate reality, would she be stopping the right person?

REVIEW: The Many Lives of Lilith Lane – Episode II

This is a review of the second installment of E. V. Anderson’s The Many Lives of Lilith Lane. 

Related Posts
Episode I

At the beginning of the section we have a few brief re-introductions and some minor re-capping; I guess it makes sense if you have a week or a month in between each reading.  But in my case it seems a little redundant since I can read them with very little time in between.  (It actually made me think of the Baby-Sitters Club books where there was always a re-cap about who the narrator their family and the group, etc. etc.  Do you know what I mean?  Though BSC was more in-depth than the way this installment was.)

We get an explanation as to why they arrested their suspect, but I don’t really buy it, especially as the story continues and we learn about an alibi; well, one that the person won’t admit to, and may be a bit flimsy anyway.  But I still don’t think their suspect is the kidnapper/murderer. I’m starting to draw my own conclusions, but without giving too much away, I think it’s two people working together (I’ll say this: a person around Lilith’s age and an adult).  The only motive I could think of for these two, though, is not equal to kidnapping and murdering a 10-year-old girl. Lilith’s clues are pointing to a different person altogether, but I don’t think that person did it.  I think it might be a set up/framing, though this person could have motive to hurt Lilith’s family… (though this is a terrible way to do it).

We learn a bit more about some of the characters including Dr. Hammer and his association with Lilith’s family (particularly her father), and about the alternate realities.  In the first installment we learned about a car accident that Beth (Lilith’s sister) was in which resulted in the death of her (Beth’s) friend; in this installment we learned more about that friend’s parents. We also learn more about the beauty queen that is mentioned in the Goodreads synopsis and her husband as well the principal.

Though we got to see Lilith jump (literally) into the alternate reality in the first installment, we didn’t get to see that in the second.  She meets with Dr. Hammer so we learn more behind the whole concept, but maybe we’ll have to wait until the next episode to see her jump again.  I don’t think we’ll get to see more than one alternate reality, but I’ll have to keep reading to find out. It’ll be interesting to see how Lilith plans to use the alternate reality to her advantage. (I know I mentioned that it’s slightly different than her current reality, but one thing that’s the same is that Beth still gets abducted. Whether the result of that is the same as what happens in the current reality or if there will be a different outcome is still unknown).

We also see more of Lilith’s dumb boyfriend and her ex-bff.  It looks like the stupid boy is finally out of the picture (he had nothing to offer) and we witnessed a (possible) reconciliation with the ex-bff at Beth’s funeral.  Interesting to see how these relationships play out.

The installment ends with another “dun dun dun”, with clues that Lilith finds. But these are the clues I mentioned earlier, that point to the person I think is being framed.

I’m looking forward to reading the next installment tonight!

REVIEW: The Many Lives of Lilith Lane – Episode I

I mentioned in my most recent post that I was approached to check out a serialized novel.  Well, here is my review on the first installment (which they call “episodes”).

I’m including the Goodreads synopsis so you have some general background:

Seventeen-year-old Lilith Lane has a hunk of a boyfriend, a wicked tongue, and a talent for solving the mysteries that pop up in her small home town of Mirabalis. But when her little sister goes missing in the middle of the night, both Lilith’s detective skills and her recall of sophomore year physics are put to the ultimate test.

To save her sister, Lilith must race against the clock with the help of Dr. Hammer, a mad scientist who pushes Lilith off the edge – literally – of his reality-bending skyscraper. Lilith’s world is turned upside down by her sister’s disappearance, and a skyscraper that is also a portal to a parallel universe suddenly doesn’t seem that surreal. With Dr. Hammer’s help, Lilith must put her girl detective skills to the test and try to save her sister.

A dashing snail expert, a scheming beauty queen, and the heir to a great advertising fortune are just a few of the unforgettable characters who round out the cast in this rollicking tale of love, loyalty, and multiple Earths.

Note: This book was initially released in episodes as a Kindle Serial. All episodes are now available as a complete book.

In the first installment we get set up with the major plotline of the story: Lilith’s little sister Beth is kidnapped and her body is found 2 weeks later.

We meet Lilith, the protagonist who is a senior in high school.  She’s pretty smart and kind of funny.  We meet her parents: an alcoholic (mother) and a philanderer (father).  We learn that her family life isn’t all that great. We also meet Lilith’s boyfriend, (a real dummy), as well as the school principal, who is kind and used to be a close family friend.  About halfway through the first installment we meet Dr. Hammer, the mad scientist, who shows Lilith that she can jump into an alternate reality; but of course things aren’t exactly the same. (I kind of pictured Christopher Walken from that Adam Sandler movie “Click” when we met Dr. Hammer).

Lilith mentions that she used to do detective work around the small town, so I wonder how much of a “sleuth” she really is.  I wonder how realistic the character will be as the story continues.  (Let’s face it, we all love Nancy Drew, but would she really exist in real life?)

By the end of the first installment, we’ve met a number of characters (though we haven’t met the snail expert or heir to the advertising fortune mentioned in the synopsis above); discovered that it is possible to move between alternate realities, but that there are rules and limits (of course); and were left with a: “that can’t be right” kind of reaction; or at the very least, we would hope it’s not true.

So far the story is decent.  The writing isn’t extraordinary, but it is entertaining.

Questions I was left with include: Is that person really the kidnapper/murderer? How many questions will be answered at each installment (whether the reader’s questions or the characters’)?  How many more questions will be raised (for both readers and characters)? How much will we learn in the next installment? Will we see more than one alternate reality?

I guess I’m a little spoiled with my first serialized novel because I received the first 4 installments (out of 5) at the same time, so there is no long waiting period for me. But I’m going to be good: I won’t read the next episode until I’ve written my review. I mentally patted myself on the back, because I stopped at the end of the first episode even though I still had more of my train ride before I got to work.

REVIEW: The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens

Title: The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Author: Charles Dickens

Goodreads Synopsis: The main issue in the novel is the disappearance of Edwin Drood and the suspicion that he has been murdered. But as intriguing as this central plot are the startling innovations in Dicken’s work and the troubled elements lurking within the novel: a dark opium underworld, the uneasy and violent fantasies of its inhabitants, the disquieting presence of old ‘Princess Puffer’, of the quiet cathedral town of Cloisterham from which people have to escape in order to save themselves–and, at the centre, the menacing figure of Jasper.

I wasn’t really impressed by this book.  Maybe I just don’t get “it”.  But it took me a long time to get through it, considering it was less than 200 pages.  I didn’t really care for any of the characters at all.  There were some that did seem to have genuine interest in the younger people’s lives and affairs and maybe they had a bit more substance to them, but overall I really just couldn’t get into any of them.

At times, the writing seemed almost play-like; the dialogue was easy enough to get through, it was the description that really left me struggling. I tended to wander away and come back wondering what the heck I had just read.  Normally, I’m a very focused reader and can read in any setting with any noise around me (on a train, bus, plane, around television, radio, people, iPod…seriously, just about anything).  But I was very easily pulled away from this book and into conversations or television shows.

Since this book wasn’t finished before Dickens’ death, it is the ultimate cliff hanger with no real ending.  However, I have chosen “my” culprit.  I have yet to Google the book to really see what speculation is out there or if there is any particular character that most people lean toward, but from what I gather, it seems an easy enough guess as to who did the deed and I don’t think it’s the one the people of Cloisterham believe it to be.

REVIEW: Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson and Marshall Karp

Title: Kill Me If You Can
Author: James Patterson & Marshall Karp

Goodreads Synopsis: Matthew Bannon, a poor art student living in New York City, finds a duffel bag filled with diamonds during a chaotic attack at Grand Central Station. Plans for a worry-free life with his stunning girlfriend Katherine fill his thoughts–until he realizes that he is being hunted, and that whoever is after him won’t stop until they have reclaimed the diamonds and exacted their revenge. 

Trailing him is the Ghost, the world’s greatest assassin, who has just pulled off his most high-profile hit: killing Walter Zelvas, a top member of the international Diamond Syndicate. There’s only one small problem: the diamonds he was supposed to retrieve from Zelvas are missing. Now, the Ghost is on Bannon’s trail–but so is a rival assassin who would like nothing more than to make the Ghost disappear forever. From “America’s #1 storyteller” (Forbes) comes a high-speed, high-stakes, winner-take-all thrill ride of adrenaline-fueled suspense.

The book had its good and bad points, but I actually liked it better than the most recent Alex Cross installment (see my review here).

Matt Bannon, currently an art student, is also an ex-Marine, so of course, when the shit hits the fan he’ll know how to take care of himself and anyone he needs to protect.   I find that most of the main characters in Patterson’s novels usually have some training, quality or trait that will aid them in whatever mess they find themselves in.

There were a few things that I didn’t like, one being the relationship between the Prince family members, Nathaniel and Natalia.  I guess I understand how it fit into the story and propelled some of the action, but it probably could have been re-worked to not include a relationship such as theirs.

I felt that the story moved super fast, but I suppose that’s also due to Patterson’s signature chapter style (as I’ve mentioned in earlier posts).  The way Matt reveals some of his past to Katherine seems a bit rushed and not really done in the right way or at the right time, but I suppose that’s a set up for what happens between them shortly afterwards.

I was surprised to discover the identity of the Ghost, but also intrigued, I guess I didn’t see it coming…though once revealed, it made sense.  Patterson is known for having chapters from multiple characters’ points of view, so I wasn’t surprised to see some from the Ghost’s point of view, though the transition from the Ghost to his real identity was interesting because it happened in the same chapter; in fact, in mid-conversation (but it wasn’t the Ghost’s real identity saying “I’m the Ghost”).  I thought that was well done, because it was a “wait, what?” split second moment.

However, the ending intrigued me the most and I wouldn’t be surprised if this turned into a series.  All is not wrapped up with a nice bow at the end.  I was left with questions such as who are Newton and Matt’s art benefactor “Copernicus”? How do they know about his past?  Who else is involved in it?

As always, Patterson’s stories are decent (some better than others) and quick reads…usually enjoyable while reading, but I’ve never felt the urge to re-read them (good thing I borrow them from my mom, huh?)

REVIEW: Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson

Title: Kill Alex Cross
Author: James Patterson
Genre: Fiction – Crime

Goodreads Synopsis: The President’s son and daughter are abducted, and Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene. But someone very high-up is using the FBI, Secret Service, and CIA to keep him off the case and in the dark.

A deadly contagion in the water supply cripples half of the capital, and Alex discovers that someone may be about to unleash the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced. 

As his window for solving both crimes narrows, Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes–one that may alter the fate of the entire country. KILL ALEX CROSS is faster, more exciting, and more tightly wound than any Alex Cross thriller James Patterson has ever written!

This wasn’t my favorite Alex Cross novel.  I don’t think it’s best one of the group.  There were others (with Kyle Craig, for example) that I thought were more interesting.  Some of the plots for other stories were better.  Plus, this seemed to be similar to the Gary Soneji plot line from an earlier book (the Soneji “case” was even mentioned more than once during the book).

I also thought it was missing more of Alex’s family story line.  Usually we see his family quite a bit and learn more about them or the neighborhood, etc. but it was pretty limited in this novel.  I enjoy reading about his family and his life outside of being a cop.

As always, super short chapters cause faster page turning and thus faster reading time.   It was enjoyable while it lasted but I don’t expect to read it again.

REVIEW: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Lovely Bones

Alice Sebold

Kindle Edition

Goodreads Synopsis: When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. This was before milk carton photos and public service announcements, she tells us; back in 1973, when Susie mysteriously disappeared, people still believed these things didn’t happen. In the sweet, untroubled voice of a precocious teenage girl, Susie relates the awful events of her death and her own adjustment to the strange new place she finds herself. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets.  With love, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie watches her family as they cope with their grief, her father embarks on a search for the killer, her sister undertakes a feat of amazing daring, her little brother builds a fort in her honor and begin the difficult process of healing. 
In the hands of a brilliant novelist, the author narrates the THE LOVELY BONES through the eyes of her winning young heroine. This story of seemingly unbearable tragedy is transformed into a suspenseful and touching story about family, memory, love, heaven, and living.

I had heard differing opinions on this book and knew there had been a movie made.  I knew Mark Wahlberg was in it.  Haha

It was interesting to see the story from the point of view of the murdered girl.  If it were me, I would get so frustrated at not being able to get in touch with my family and help them figure out who killed me. For the most part, the characters were quite believable.  They all handled their grief in different ways.  I got really frustrated with Susie’s mom, Abigail, though.  I understand that it was probably a way of expressing her grief, but through Susie’s narration, especially of the time when she took her mom’s pictures, I felt that perhaps Abigail was never completely happy in the family life that she had.  So when Susie was killed, she was able to use it as a way out.  That frustrated me.

I really liked all the other characters, though…except of course, Mr. Harvey.

I was pretty disappointed in the ending.  I assumed there would be some type of closure in the case itself.  The family finally gained their closure and came to terms with the loss of Susie (by the end of the 8 years had passed) but I still felt that there was unfinished business.  And Mr. Harvey’s demise was way less than satisfactory.

Overall it was a decent read.  There were a few points I was disappointed with, but all in all I moved through it pretty quickly.  Some parts were better than others.  Though, there were times were I kept expecting something to happen and nothing did.  That’s no issue, really, because I didn’t want to see anymore bad things happen, of course.

REVIEW: V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

V is for Vengeance is Sue Grafton’s 22nd novel in her Kinsey Millhone series.  I like to refer to them as the “Alphabet Books.”  It is pretty clever to have each title go with a letter of the alphabet.  And the word associated with the letter is usually the theme or plot of the novel.  It makes you wonder how many different situations one main character can encounter without the story lines getting stale.  So far, Sue Grafton has avoided that.

If you haven’t read any of the “Alphabet Books” I definitely suggest starting them.  The first book is called A is for Alibi. (surprised?)

Set in the 1980s, the Alphabet books follow Kinsey Millhone (an ex-cop private investigator in Santa Teresa, California) and the cases she is hired to investigate, many of which are likely to get her killed.  Kinsey is immediately a likable character.  She is easy to relate to and really pops off the page.  She could be someone you meet walking down the street (though she isn’t the most social of people).  Her closest friend is her octogenarian neighbor and landlord Henry.

This installment starts 2 years before the main action occurs.  A recent college grad has a gambling problem and borrows money from a not-quite-legal businessman, loses all the money and can’t pay him back.

Fast forward to “present day” (April 1988) and we find our heroine doing a normal, everyday activity: shopping.  She sees a shoplifter and reports her.  Thus begins a wild ride of many loose ends and new pieces of information popping up in all directions.  What seemed to be an isolated shoplifting incident turns out to be part of a shoplifting ring set up across the country. We see points of view from a few different characters and I tried to figure out how it was all connected before it was revealed.  I didn’t figure out the full story, but I picked up little pieces here and there.  Of course, once it is all explained it makes so much sense.

One thing I like about this series is that Grafton has been able to keep it set in the 1980s.  She started the series then, so at that time the stories were taking place in present day.  However, time moved faster than Grafton could write.  But rather than have the story timeline move with real-time, she kept the novels in the 1980s. This is a good thing, because in today’s time Kinsey would be 61 and it would become somewhat unrealistic.  As far as I can tell, she has held true to the ’80s (no anachronisms that I’ve noticed…then again, I was 5 when the 80s ended).   But I have to continually remind myself: no cell phones!