"The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Irish History and Culture”                                          by Sonja Massie

Review #73

Don't get shook up...I did not read this book in 2 days! I have been reading it on and off for several weeks!


There are approximately 40 million people of Irish descent in America today and they are not the only ones who have made books such as How the Irish Saved Civilization and Angela's Ashes international best sellers. This Complete Idiot's Guide contains exhaustive, easy-to-follow coverage of all of Irish history from the Celts to the Dark Ages… to the crucial role of Christianity… to conflicts with England… to the vital Irish assimilation into American culture. This book includes concise biographies of great Irish leaders, as well as profiles of famous poets, novelists, playwrights, short story writers, artists, actors, and more.

Whether you are Irish or not, if you have an interest in the Irish, you will love this book! I would also recommend it for parents whose children are studying Ireland.

I liked it so much, I actually bought it after returning the Library’s copy.
(I am of Scots-Irish-English-Cherokee Indian descent.)

“Deliver Us From Evil”   by  Robin Caroll

Review #72 

A search-and-rescue helicopter pilot for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Brannon Callahan, is distinguished by her strong faith and a decorated history of service. These have kept her one step ahead of on-the-job dangers, but there's no precedent for what's about to happen. She is pushed to her limits when she must rescue U.S. Marshal Roark Holland from a dangerous blizzard after his plane crashes.

Together, they must race to get a heart to a transplant recipient who happens to be the only government witness in a human trafficking case. If they fail, the largest child trafficking ring in history, (with shocking links from Thailand to Tennessee), will slip further away into darkness along the Appalachian Trail.

This is the first book I have read by this author. It most certainly won’t be the last!

AN EXPLANATION

For those of you who are following my entries into the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge, you may see on the right hand side of my blog (The Book Challenge), a figure less than the number of Book Reviews I claim. However, the first 10 books I posted were on 1 post so you will have to add 9 books to that count to get the actual number.
I hope that clears up the 'mystery'. :)

"The Clairvoyant Countess”   by Dorothy Gilman

Review #71

Exotic Madame Karitska is a genuine countess, but is foremost a psychic. When one of her clients turns up dead, Madame Karitska makes the acquaintance of Detective Lieutenant Pruden and an uncanny partnership is born.

Madame Karitska helps Pruden in several different ways. She aids him in solving several crimes and…she introduces him to a side of himself that he never knew before.

We also have the opportunity to meet several other clients that she introduces to one another and we watch their relationships grow.

There are several interesting mysteries woven throughout the plot and the reader discovers that ‘who dunnit’ isn't always the reason to continue reading.

This fictional book won't appeal to every mystery lover but for those who like light-hearted mysteries…IT IS FUN!

"The Empty Chair”   by Jeffery Deaver

Review #70

Lincoln Rhyme, a former New York City cop and a quadriplegic since a beam crushed his spinal cord years ago, is desperate to improve his condition and goes to the University of North Carolina Medical Center for high-risk experimental surgery.

Lincoln no sooner arrives when the authorities ask him to use his expertise to help find two missing women. In a twenty-four hour period, the sleepy little town of Tanner's Corner has a local teen murdered and two young women abducted. While the police know the culprit, they have no idea where he has taken them.

The kidnapper is 16-year-old Garrett Hanlon, a local youth of ill repute whose obsession with bugs has earned him the nickname "The Insect Boy." His captives are Mary Beth McConnell, who Hanlon has stalked for months, and local nurse Lydia Johansson, who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A marathon chase ensues across North Carolina's perilous swampland by sheriff deputies and Rhyme's assistant and lover, Amelia Sachs. Rhyme directs the search from his wheelchair at sheriff headquarters. As he examines forensic evidence from the crime scenes and points along the search route, Rhyme grows increasingly suspicious about which players are the good guys and which are masking their evil intentions.

I have loved all the Lincoln Rhyme books and this one is no exception!

"Run for Your Life”                                                                       by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Review #69 

Irish cop, Michael Bennett is an easy to like character. He is a dedicated police detective determined to make the streets of NYC safe, even though, he sometimes fantasizes about a career change. At the end of the day, Detective Bennett wants to be a great dad to his ten children. Having just lost his wife to cancer, Mike tries to pick up the pieces and move on while dealing with his grief. He stumbles and sometimes makes mistakes, but his family is his first priority.

While taking care of his lovable, flu-infested brood of children, he’s also dealing with a serial killer who calls himself the “Teacher”. The trail is initially ice cold but, Michael uses his instinct (combined with a lot of luck) to identify and pursue the Teacher, an egotistical psychopath, on a mission to teach manners to those condescending and rude people who have seemingly wronged him. Michael follows a series of clues which lead to an ultimate showdown with the killer.

In an unusual and totally unexpected twist of fate, Michael finds himself and a loved one hostages. He then must use reverse psychology, recall every trick he learned in hostage negotiation training, and every ounce of strength he can muster to save himself, his child, and New York City from the evil clutches of this killer.

On the home front, Bennett has some help to deal with his sick children in Mary Catherine, a live-in Irish nanny. Her patience and knowledge in dealing with all of the children make her a favorite person to all who benefit from it. Bennett also gets assistance from his grandfather, a Catholic priest who has some crime of his own to solve as someone is stealing from the church’s poor box. (Grandpa became a priest after his family was grown and his wife passed away.) The parts of the story with these characters provides some interesting lighter and often humorous moments in this very serious story.

Michael Bennett is becoming one of my favorite characters! Excellent read for guys and gals!

“Bad Luck and Trouble”   by Lee Child

Review #68

A former MP, Jack Reacher, now a wanderer without an address, a phone, or an e-mail address, discovers that someone has deposited $1,030 in his bank account and quickly deduces that the money represents a call for help from Frances Neagley, a sergeant in Reacher's old special investigators unit. (1030 is the MP's code for urgent assistance needed.)

Calvin Franz, a former MP, is dumped from a Bell 222 helicopter three thousand feet above the California desert floor. It turns out that Franz was not the only member of the army's special investigation unit, headed by Reacher, to meet the same fate. Four of the eight members of the unit have been killed, and Neagley is rounding up the survivors to avenge their colleagues and, thus, live up to the group's motto: "You don't mess with the special investigators".

This latest Jack Reacher thriller marks a significant departure from the rest of the series. Lee Child fans know Reacher only as a loner, a tough guy with his own agenda who falls into stranger's problems, solves them, and moves on. But here we see him functioning as part of a team and it reveals new and fascinating aspects to his character.

As usual, the action is intense, the pace unrelenting, and the violence unforgiving.

I love Jack Reacher stories!