Edge of Midnight by Shannon McKenna

McKenna, Shannon. Edge of Midnight. Brava, 2007.
(#4 McCloud Brothers series)

More erotic than romantic, this book was a real eye-opener to the erotic suspense genre. Liv Endicott returns to her hometown to open a bookstore. When an arsonist targets her store, her family and ultimately her, Sean McCloud comes to her rescue. A promiscuous playboy who has always carried a torch for Liv, they rekindle old feelings and fight off the evil that stalks them.

So that's what the plot line looks like, but really this book was a bunch of graphic sex scenes strung together with some thriller suspense moments in between. I chose this book because there is a large volume of romantic suspense checked out at our library. I was curious what these legions of fans are reading. Now I know. I don't think I'll be reading this type of book in the future. I'm not into books that make me blush if I read them while my kids are in the room.

Recommendations:

Killer Secrets by Lora Leigh (Tempting SEALs series)
Fans of the alpha male, former military man Sean McCloud will like Leigh's Tempting SEALs series. Homeland Security Agent Kira Porter is sent to keep an eye on the motives of Navy SEAL Ian Richards.

Midnight Man by Lisa Marie Rice (#1 Midnight series)

Another Navy SEAL scenario with interior decorator Suzanne Barron needing the protection offered by her new tenant Navy Commander John Huntington.

FabJob Guide to Become a Bookstore Owner by Grace Jasmine

Do you want to open a bookstore like Liv Endicott (and maybe meet the man of your dreams?). This FabJob Guide will show you how.

The End of the Twins: A Memoir of Losing a Brother by Saul Diskin

Readers sympathizing with the tragedy of Sean's loss of his twin brother 15 years earlier, may be drawn to this touching memoir. Depicting how twinship defines ones very essence, Diskin delves into the relationships between twins and siblings.

The Reef by Nora Roberts

Roberts, Nora. The Reef. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1998.

Tate Beaumont is studying to be a marine archaeologist. When her family hooks up with rogue treasure hunter Matthew Lassiter and his uncle to recover a legendary amulet off the coast of St. Kitts, an uneasy partnership ensues. The dialog was cloying with the typical bad boy/good girl who hate each other, are forced to work together on a project, fall madly in love, bodice ripping commences. Actually it wasn't quite that bad. The main love story was predictable, but it was actually wrapped in another plot that was reasonably interesting and the characters, while not very complex (note to author -- just b/c he is "brooding" does not make him complex or interesting!), were at least engaging and likable.

Being a SCUBA diver and sailor who lived in the Caribbean for a few years, I chose this book thinking that if I didn't like the characters, I might like something about the setting or plot. While the boating and diving scenes were evocative, they were also rife with errors, which were distracting and irritating. Several technical aspects of diving were off, such as characters swimming to the bottom (as opposed to sinking gradually as they decrease the air in their BCs) or staying still with small movements (experienced divers, such as Tate, control buoyancy through breathing which is imperceptible to an observer). Roberts even describes swimming through fish bubbles! Really, she must have gotten her knowledge of diving and reef fish by watching the bubbling diver-guy in her home aquarium!

The sex scenes were predictable, not too graphic (good), and humorous while not intending to be. One scene has Tate's "sea begin to toss." Anyone seasick?

Recommendations:

The Alibi by Sandra Brown

Fans of Roberts' forbidden love and romantic suspense themes might enjoy this tale of assistant District Attorney Hammond Cross who is drawn to the mysterious Dr. Alex Ladd, who later turns out to be the prime suspect in a case he is prosecuting.

Out of the Mist by Joanne Ross (1st in Stewart Sisters Trilogy)

Rife with bad boys and intriguing career women, Ross' plots strike a similar tone as Roberts'. Lily Stewart is drawn to a hunky Scottish filmmaker when he arrives to film her annual Scottish Highland Games event.

Treasure Hunting on a Budget by Robert E. Park

Don't have the funds to go to St. Kitts? Want to try your hand at finding lost treasure? Pick up this handy guide which shows thrifty and frugal ways of starting a new and interesting hobby.

Fatal Treasure: Greed & Death, Emeralds & Gold, and the Obsessive Search for the Legendary Ghost Galleon Atocha by Jedwin Smith
Readers interested in tales of true, contemporary treasure hunts might be interested in the story of Mel Fisher and his search for the Atocha.

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

Grafton, Sue. A is for Alibi. Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1982.

In this first Kinsey Millhone mystery, readers are introduced to the quirk- and foible-ridden heroine that has made Grafton a titan in the genre. Millhone, former insurance investigator turned PI, is both protagonist and narrator. This first person style was startling at first, but Grafton carries it off well. The California setting offers a strong ambiance that permeates the story while Millhone is a character with plenty of room for development over the course of twenty-six novels. Grafton left clues throughout the book and then had a nice twist at the end which was not unrealistic and was reasonably satisfying.

A procedural in every sense of the word, A is for Alibi was slower paced than expected. Millhone spends an inordinate amount of time on paperwork, note cards, taking notes, organizing notes, writing notes and going through old files. While this is probably the unglamorous truth of the PI biz, it doesn't make for compelling reading. In addition, the emphasis on the paper and pen makes the novel feel a little dated. That said, A is for Alibi is a completely legitimate and readable mystery. One can see where Grafton intends to take her heroine and character qualities will expand and grow. There is certainly something to be said for witnessing the birth of an icon. The only question left to ask is, "What happens when she gets to 'Z'?"

Recommendations:

Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky (1st in V.I. Warshawski series)

Readers looking for a long-running series with a slightly harder edge than Grafton and an independent female lead will enjoy the V.I. Warshawski series set in Chicago.

Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr (1st in Anna Pigeon series)

Another strong protagonist is Ranger Anna Pigeon who solves crimes in the National Parks system. Her tough exterior masks an inner vulnerability which makes her a good match to Millhone.

Catch Me if You Can: A California Saga of Murder, Greed & Two Heroic Detectives by Kraig Hanadel

Two hard-working detectives devote three years to following the faintest of leads to prove that playboy Dana Ewell killed his parents and sister. A good read-alike for people who enjoy the southern California setting of Grafton.

Private Investigation 101 by Norma M. Tillman
Want to be a PI like Kinsey? Check out this step-by-step guide to starting a successful investigating business.

Tripwire by Lee Child

Child, Lee. Tripwire. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1999.

In his Jack Reacher series, Child has created a character who men will admire and women will love. Amoral Reacher, a transient Vietnam vet, finds himself in all sorts of precarious situations that stretch credulity. But Child creates in Reacher a protagonist so silently charming and appealing, readers will willingly suspend their disbelief and go along for the fast-paced ride.

In Tripwire, Reacher is digging pools in Key West -- with a shovel --when a detective comes looking for him. The guy ends up dead and Reacher has the presence of mind to know that something is wrong. The clues lead him to a “kid-sister” figure from his past where he is drawn into discovering the fate of a Vietnam helicopter pilot. In the midst of uncovering the truth about the pilot, Reacher stumbles onto a coverup more than thirty years in the making.

Child's writing style moves along at a fast clip and dialog is often pithy and staccato. There is minimal profanity; sexual encounters are not very detailed, but are present; action-based violence can be gory at times. One strength of this series is that it is not a true series in that each Jack Reacer title is a stand-alone written in no chronological order. A new reader can jump in at any point.

Recommendations:

The Camel Club by David Baldacci (1st in Camel Club series)
Baldacci creates a similar strong rootless protagonist with a shady military history who operates against a government run amok and who is aided by righteous insiders. Like Child, this thriller series is action-packed, but sex and language are kept to an ungraphic minimum.

Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn (1st in Mitch Rapp series)

Mitch Rapp, the CIA's top counterterrorism operative is called upon to settle an insurrection that has taken hostages at the White House and driven the president into hiding in his bunker. Fast pacing, brutal action and light romance round out this political thriller.

My Father The Spy: An Investigative Memoir by John H. Richardson

As his father lies dying, the author decides to investigate his father's government jobs that took them all over the world including Vienna after WWII, Manila and Vietnam at the onset of the conflict. He is stunned to discover that rather than being an attache to the US embassy, his father was one of the founding members of the CIA. This is a fascinating look at modern US history from an insider's perspective, as well as, a bold look at the author's family and their struggles with alcoholism. Riveting.

Warriors: An Infantryman's Memoir of Vietnam by Robert Tonsetic

This a fast-paced, realistic, unsentimental, but not unsympathetic look at a rifle company commander's experiences during the Vietnam War.

Hola!

As a way of documenting what I have read for a UWM class, I have started this blog to record the two books from each genre that we are required to read. After this semester, this seems like a nice place to create book reviews of the books I read. I read A LOT (several books a week) and writing is one of my favorite ways of solidifying and ordering my thoughts.

Welcome to the Bibliosphere!