Blaze by Stephen King

Title:  Blaze
Author:  Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman)
Pages:  285
Genre:  Fiction / Suspense
Publisher:  Scribner, 2007
Series:  Stand Alone

Synopsis:  A fellow named Richard Bachman wrote Blaze in 1973 on an Olivetti typewriter, then turned the machine over to Stephen King, who used it to write Carrie. Bachman died in 1985 ("cancer of the pseudonym"), but in late 2006 King found the original typescript of Blaze among his papers at the University of Maine's Fogler Library ("How did this get here?!"), and decided that with a little revision it ought to be published.

Blaze is the story of Clayton Blaisdell, Jr. -- of the crimes committed against him and the crimes he commits, including his last, the kidnapping of a baby heir worth millions. Blaze has been a slow thinker since childhood, when his father threw him down the stairs -- and then threw him down again. After escaping an abusive institution for boys when he was a teenager, Blaze hooks up with George, a seasoned criminal who thinks he has all the answers. But then George is killed, and Blaze, though haunted by his partner, is on his own.

He becomes one of the most sympathetic criminals in all of literature. This is a crime story of surprising strength and sadness, with a suspenseful current sustained by the classic workings of fate and character -- as taut and riveting as Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.

Review:  I was expecting horror and got something all-together different.  Good thing I keep tissues on my desk because this story was sad.  I rooted, shamelessly, for the 'bad guy', Clayton Blaisdell.  His life was messed up and ruined and he never caught a break.  He reminds me a little of William Blakely (Blockade Billy) and John Coffey (The Green Mile).  But he was neither of them.  He was something else, but his story was just as haunting and awful in its own way.

The short story Memory was included at the end.  It is the idea that turned into the novel Duma Key.  It wasn't horror either, although it had a bit of the horrific in it.

Mr. King proves again that, while he is undeniably the King of Horror, he is also a writer with a real talent for making you care about his characters.  He shows that fully in these stories.

Rating:  7 / 10

The Search by Iris Johansen

Title:  The Search
Author:  Iris Johansen
Pages:  311
Genre:  Thriller
Publisher:  Bantam Books, 2000
Series:  Eve Duncan, Book 3

Synopsis:  As part of an elite K-9 search and rescue team, Sarah Patrick and her golden retriever, Monty, have a gift for finding what no one else can.  But their latest assignment is not like the others.  This time Sarah is being forced to take part in a deadly mission....by a man who knows enough about her past to ensure her cooperation.

Billionaire Jack Logan's top-secret venture has been sabotaged, its facilities destroyed, and its handpicked staff massacred.  The sole survivor is being held for ransom.  Logan knows that the only way to save the man -- and the secrets he holds -- is to find him as soon as possible.  Sarah is furious when she is strong-armed into joining Logan on his search.  And once she takes the perilous assignment, not even Logan's promises that she and Monty will be safe may be enough to protect them.  Because a killer is devising a sadistic vengeance...and he may soon find use for Sarah.

Review:  I had read what I thought were the first 10 books of this series, only to find out I'd skipped the third one somehow.  So, once I discovered my mistake, I knew that this book would be one I'd read this year.  I love this author's stories, even though they are sometimes a more romantic than I usually like.  And I especially love her character Eve Duncan.

Eve played a minor role in this book.  Sarah and Logan and Monty were the stars of this story.  The bad guy was chillingly, delightfully bad.  The story was great, taking the characters across the world and back again, all in an effort to save lives.....and eventually themselves. But, Monty stole the show.  He and his girlfriend, Maggie, are smart and fun.

Rating:  7.5 / 10

Breathless by Dean Koontz

Title:  Breathless
Author:  Dean Koontz
Pages:  431
Genre:  Suspense / Thriller
Publisher:  Random House, 2009
Series:  Stand Alone

Synopsis:  In the stillness of a golden September afternoon, deep in the wilderness of the Rockies, a solitary craftsman, Grady Adams, and his magnificent Irish wolfhound, Merlin, step from shadow into light ... and into an encounter with enchantment.  That night, through the trees, under the moon, a pair of singular animals will watch Grady's isolated home, waiting to make their approach.

A few miles away, Camillia Rivers, a local veterinarian, begins to unravel the threads of a puzzle that will bring to her door all the forces of a government in peril.

At a nearby farm, long-estranged identical twins come together to begin a descent into darkness...In Las Vegas, a specialist in chaos theory probes the boundaries of the unknowable....On a Seattle golf course, two men make matter-of-fact arrangements for murder...Along a highway by the sea, a vagrant scarred by the past begins a trek towards his destiny.

Review:  This story is about our future and the evolution (or what we thought was the evolution) of our species.  It takes everyone from an ex-Army sniper to a budding serial killer and makes five completely separate lives all part of the story.  And the story is about Puzzle and Riddle, two beings who have appeared out of nowhere.  They are wonderful and smart and far better people than most humans.  And they are our future.

Of course, the powers that be are scared.  Homeland Security cannot control or understand what's happening, so they treat this gift like a threat.  Fortunately, not even the United States government can control Mother Nature.

If you're at all interested in reading a story full of miracles mixed with science which includes enough thrills and mystery to knock your socks off, this novel is just the ticket.  I can't begin to tell you the hopeful and wistful feelings I was left with.  I wish, so much, that Puzzle and Riddle (and their brethren) were real.

Rating:  9 / 10

Blockade Billy by Stephen King

Title:  Blockade Billy
Author:  Stephen King
Pages:  132
Genre:  Horror / Suspense
Publisher:  Scribner, 2010

"Bloh-KADE!  Bloh-KADE!  Bloh-KADE!"

Synopsis:  Even the most die-hard baseball fans don't know the true story of William "Blockade Billy" Blakely. He may have been the greatest player the game has ever seen, but today no one remembers his name. He was the first--and only--player to have his existence completely removed from the record books. Even his team is long forgotten, barely a footnote in the game's history.

Every effort was made to erase any evidence that William Blakely played professional baseball, and with good reason. Blockade Billy had a secret darker than any pill or injection that might cause a scandal in sports today. His secret was much, much worse ... and only Stephen King, the most gifted storyteller of our age, can reveal the truth to the world, once and for all.

Review:  There were two novellas in this book -- Blockade Billy and Morality.  Both were horrifying in their own way.

In Blockade Billy, you meet William Blakely, the player who will do anything to win.  Anything.  In Morality, you find a happily married couple who take on a priest's dying wish....after all, the money is good.  The price?  Higher than they imagine.

There are no monsters here.  Well, actually, there are.  They just happen to look just like you and me, perfectly human.

I loved Blockade Billy.  It was chilling and awful and showed the underbelly of baseball in all its glory.  It touched on mental illness, murder and greed.  As much as I didn't want to, I actually ended up liking poor Billy.  I don't think he could help what he was.  Morality wasn't as good, but still a pretty good read.  You knew, just knew, the story wasn't going to end well.  You just didn't see why until the sad, bitter end.

This one's a keeper.  It's small enough to not take up too much room on my shelves.  And I may want to revisit old Billy again.  I'd probably have given this book a solid 10 if Morality had been left out or been just a little better.

Rating:  9 / 10

I'll Be Watching You by Samuel M. Key

Title:  I'll Be Watching You
Author:  Samuel M. Key
Pages:  296
Genre:  Psychological Suspense / Thriller
Publisher:  Jove, 1994

Synopsis:  HER SAVIOR
Rachel Sorensen feared she would never escape the abuse of her ex-husband.  Until a passing stranger came to her rescue.  A stranger who watched her from afar.

HER FOLLOWER
He was a photographer and collector of beautiful things.  And Rachel was the perfect subject.  He lived only to make her happy.  And elimate those who didn't.

HER DESTROYER
Once he used his camera to trap Rachel's beauty forever.  Now he wanted something more.  She owed him her life.  And tonight he will collect his debt....

Review:  The people who write the synopsis on the back of the book --- do they even read the book first?  Yes, Harry is a photographer and, certainly, he is obsessed with Rachel.  And he did kill several people who dared to behave less than perfectly towards her.  But his motives are far more deeply insane than the synopsis portrays.

See, Harry is looking for the lost Goddess of Beauty, who is lost somewhere on Earth, trapped in a human woman's body.  And only Harry can set the Goddess free.  His camera and his stalking are only foreplay, to be very sure that the woman in question is beautiful enough to possibly be the Goddess in disguise.  His real mission is, once he's found a possible candidate, to stab her to see if she bleeds blood or light.  Light being, of course, the trapped Goddess.  Makes perfect sense to Harry.

There was no Otherworldly stuff going on in this story.  An insane psychopath, a haunted woman and a camera all add up to an incredible, realistic, believable suspense novel.  Great book.  I loved it and couldn't put it down.

Rating:  9.5 / 10

Killing Moon by Rebecca York

Title:  Killing Moon
Author:  Rebecca York
Format:  PB
Pages:  330
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Publisher:  Berkley, 2007
ISBN-13:  978-0425220276
Series:  Moon Series, Book 1

Favorite Quote:  N/A

Synopsis (Amazon):  The national bestselling author delivers this suspenseful tale of paranormal romance for the new Berkley Sensation romance line. A private investigator on the trail of a serial killer has a secret of his own--an ancient secret that draws a beautiful genetic researcher closer to him.

Review:  The concept seems interesting:  private investigator, Ross Marshall, is a werewolf.  Megan Sheridan is a genetic researcher.  There is a serial killer on the loose.  Unfortunately, this is fluff.  Good enough fluff, but still fluff.  It did have its suspenseful moments but, for the most part, this is a romance novel.  Which is fine if you like romance novels.  I don't especially, although I didn't hate this one.  It was pretty good actually, just not my cup of tea.

Rating:  4.5 / 10

Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick

Title:  Wait Until Midnight
Author:  Amanda Quick
Format:  PB
Pages:  350
Genre:  Historical Romance / Suspense
Publisher:  Jove, 2005
ISBN-13:  978-0515138627
Series:  Stand Alone


Favorite Quote:  "It is not a joke.  Brace yourself, sir.  I am about to become embroiled in a shocking scandal involving murder and an illicit liaison with a famous sensation novelist."

Synopsis (Amazon):  Adam Hardesty has a serious problem. The secrets of his past are in danger of being exposed, and in the course of investigating his would-be blackmailer, he discovers the dead body of a prominent psychic. To make matters worse, her house has been torn apart, and the diary containing Adam's secrets is missing. His only lead is a list of the psychic's last visitors - the people who came to her house for a sitting on the night of her death. The most likely suspect is a woman named Mrs. Caroline Fordyce, whom he confronts in her parlour, only to discover an inconvenient attraction to the beautiful young widow. Alarmed by Adam's insinuations and questions, Caroline concludes that she must conduct her own investigation into this strange matter. If she can discover the true killer, Adam will have no reason to expose her connection to the dead psychic, which would cause a scandal she and her aunts could ill-afford. Besides, her life has been boringly uncomplicated for too long, and the exciting tension she feels around Adam presents a welcome alternative to her mundane daily routine. But as Caroline and Adam journey deeper into the shadowy world of psychics, mediums and con artists, they find that the only ones they can count on are each other...

Review:  I was expecting a thriller set in historical times.  I got a romantic suspense novel set in historical times.  Was I disappointed?  Not in the least!  Ms. Quick writes so well and with such humor that it was impossible not to enjoy this novel.

The novel is set in what I believe to be the late 1890's in England.  The characters are all quite proper and society is so full of rules that it made me wonder how anyone ever got anything done.  However, the two main characters, Adam and Caroline, are hardly your average people for this time period.  I found them both humorous and wonderful.  Caroline's aunts were perfect.  Adam's family was lovable.  The bad guy was quite insane and, in the end, got exactly what he deserved.  The best part?  I was completely fooled until the very end as to who the murderer was.

Since I usually cannot abide romance novels, I was completely surprised how much I enjoyed this one.  If this novel is any indication of this author's writing style, I will be searching out more novels by this author.

Rating:  8.5 / 10

Abandon by Carla Neggers

Title:  Abandon
Author:  Carla Neggers
Format:  PB
Pages:  328
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Publisher:  Mira, 2007
ISBN-13:  978-0778324553
Series:  Stand Alone

Favorite Quote:  "The Cupid wallpaper stays."

Synopsis (Amazon):  On what is supposed to be a quiet long weekend in New Hampshire, Deputy U.S. Marshal Mackenzie Stewart is viciously attacked at the lakefront cottage of her friend, federal judge Bernadette Peacham. Mac fends off her attacker, but he manages to escape. Everything suggests he's a deranged drifter—until FBI special agent Andrew Rook arrives.
With Rook, Mac broke her own rule not to get involved with anyone in law enforcement, but she knows he isn't up from Washington, D.C., to set things straight between them. He's on a case.

As the hunt for the mysterious attacker continues, the case takes an unexpected turn when Mac and Rook return to Washington and find Bernadette's ex-husband, a powerful attorney, shot to death. Then Bernadette disappears, and Mac and Rook realize the stakes are higher than either had imagined, and a master criminal with nothing left to lose is prepared to gamble everything.

Review:  This story was very cliche.  Strong woman who stands on her own two feet finds herself embroiled in a murderous plot.  Enter gorgeous, tough man to save the day.  But, they fall in love and they will live happily ever after.  This is the reason I steer clear of romance novels.  I tire of the women being so needy, with lives that just aren't quite complete without the man to step in and take care of them.

The suspense portions of this book were fairly well done.  The bad guy was really bad and had a hidden past which I never guessed until the very end.  The main characters were all interesting to one degree or another.  I just am not a big fan of Romantic Suspense.  I expected this to be more of a thriller with some romance tossed in.  It had more romance in it than I wanted.

I have another of this author's books on my shelf, but after reading this one, I think I'll just pass it on.  While this author does tell a pretty good story, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Rating:  4.5 / 10