SILENT SCREAM by Karen Rose

A teenage girl dies in a suspicious fire, Detective Olivia Sutherland is assigned to track down the arsonist. Then she discovers something more sinister: a vicious blackmailer who preys on young people and murders without hesitation. Making her work even harder is sexy firefighter David Hunter. He's not only sharing the case, but sparking memories of their long-ago night of passion, when feelings were left unsiad and hearts were broken.

David has his own ghosts, and a million regrets. But while he and Olivia try to face the wall of pain between them, a diabolical puppet master is pulling strings to make a group of twenty-somethings do his bidding. Soon Olivia and David are scouring the city for a calculating criminal who seems tantalizingly close--and is moving in for the kill.

The suspense of who done it was killing me. I read and read till I finished the book. Lots of action! Awsomely compelling right to the end. A have to read to find out if David and Olivia get over themselves and do what should have been done a long time ago. Ooooooooh, see how they create misery when there was no need. I couldn't believe how a piece of equipment was used to do such evil. The top! 5 stars

Thanks Miriam and Hatchette for the book.

THE YELLOW HOUSE by Patricia Falvery

The Yellow House Book - Synopsis
"I remember the summers best, when the days rested in the long arms of evening and the sounds around Slieve Guillon were as muted as benediction. Only the faint barking of distant dogs cut the stillness as farmers drove their cattle home. Smoke curled from cottage chimneys and children gulped down tea so they could return to play while time hovered between day and night like a gift from heaven.
Glenlea, County Armagh, Ireland 1905. When her family is torn aprt by religious intolerance, personal tragedy, and explosive secrets, young Eileen O'Neill is determined to reclaim the Yellow House where her family had been happy and bring her broken family back home.As war is declared on a local and global scale, Eileen cannot separate the politics from the personal impact of the conflict. Her choice is complicated by the influence of two men. James Conlon, a charismatic and passionate politcal activit is determined to win Irish independence from Great Britain at any cost, appeals to her warrior's soul. But Eileen also finds herself drawn to Owen Sheridan, the wealthy and handsome black sheep of the pacifist family who owns the mill where she works, and who believes that peace can never be achieved through violence. The choice that Eileen makes will change the course of all their lives and give her a true understanding of herself. Set in Ulster in the early 20th century, this novel brings to life the conflicts leading up to the birth of the border that divided the island of Ireland, and still exists today.
Patricia Falvey was born in Northern Ireland and raised in Ireland and England before immigrating to the U.S. at age twenty. A former managing director with a financial services firm, she now devotes herself full-time to writing and teaching and divides her time between Dallas, Texas, and County Armagh, Northern Ireland. THE YELLOW HOUSE is her first novel.
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The Reader's Review: I found this story tugging at my heart as it is such a moving and rewarding novel. Eileen has such a passion for life and does what she needs to do to fulfill her dreams. I loved how Eileen took a stand and did not back down or really care what anyone else thought of her. She is one tough cookie! The author wrote with such insight that I was able to vicariously be a part of this story. 4.75 Stars

Thanks Miriam and Hatchette for the book.

UNDRESS ME IN THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN by Susan Jane Gilmore

In 1986, Susan Jane Gilman and a classmate embarked on a bold trek around the globe starting in the People's Republic of china. At that point, China had been open to independent backpackers for roughly ten minutes. Armed only with the collected works of Nietzsche and Linda Goodman's Love Signs, the two friends plunged into the dusty streets of Shanghai.

Unsurprisingly, they quickly found themselves in over their heads--hungry, disoriented, stripped of everything familiar, and under constant government surveillance. Soon, they began to unravel--one physically, the other psychologically. As their journey became increasingly harrowing, they found themselves facing crises and Susan didn't think they'd survive. But by summoning strengths she never knew she had--and with help from unexpected friends--the two travelers found their way out of a Chinese heart of darkness.

A once in a life time excursion, maybe I would do it, maybe not. With only knowing a few words from the Mandarin dialect, no Chinese what-so-ever, I definitely would not have gone. But that's me. The story astonished me totally. I pictured in my mind the situations that were being described and oh boy, but, through the author's written words I was travelling in China. At times, I was fearful that the outcome of the story was not going to end happily. All in all, a really a good story and quite and undertaking for these two girls. I give it 4 stars.

FALSE CONVICTIONS by Tim Green

Casey Jordan is counting on an open-and-shut case, a sure success for her first effort with the Freedom Project, the renowned charity group dedicated to helping exonerate wrongfully convicted prisoners. Not only is the Freedom Project giving Casey the chance to help innocent people, but its founder, Robert Graham, is offering Casey a one-million-dollar annual pledge to her legal clinic for taking on just two jobs a year.

Her first assignment is to revive the case of Dwayne Hubbard, an indigent black man serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of a college student seventeen years ago. Using DNA evidence, Casey expects to easily prove Hubbard's innocence. Yet when she arrives in rural Auburn, New York, she meets immediate and aggressive resistance.

Tormented by death threats and assassination attempts, Casey investigates a prosecution apparently rife with lies. From the judge, the lawyers, the jury, to the police, she traces a web of corruption surrounding the destruction of one young man. But in all the chaos, Casey's hardest challenge may be just staying alive.

The Review: I find Tim Green to be an excellent writer of thrillers. Some day and I would like to meet him and ask where his ideas come from. This story took this reader from start to finish in such a great way I am almost at a loss for words to review the story.

Casey Jordan gets such a full bodied taste of corruption, as the story goes on, I want to just shout out loud. She is doing her job as she is asked to do, and "she" ends up in jail. Why?? And just who are her friends and foes? Foes are friends? Friends are foes???? What a web of confusion the author weaves. Just when I thought I figured out what the plot really was, boom! another twist gets thrown in. A must read for thrill seekers. 4.75 Stars

WORST CASE by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Detective Michael Bennett is on the case. The son of a wealthy New York family has been kidnapped but no money is demanded. The hostage is questioned and wrong answers prove fatal.

The kidnapper gets bolder and calls Mike on his cell phone and leads Mike and his partner Emily Parker on a merry chase through the streets of New York to find the hostage. Finally they are lead to a dilapidated building and are told to go to the basement where they would find Jacob, the hostage. On his forehead they find a smudge, a gray mark like a small x. A sentence is written on a blackboard in Latin but what does it mean?

A girl, Chelsea Skinner finds herself lying on a bone-numbing cold stone floor. She cries, her teeth chatter. Someone knocked her out, took her clothes and left her in her underwear. Why? She hears a noise and is then headbutted. Coming too, she finds herself tied to an appliance hand truck. Oh, what now? The test begins again.

What a great suspense story with a bit of romance thrown in. A great book to read in one or two sittings. I give it 4.75 stars. Thanks Miriam for sending the book to me. Here is a link to go to James Patterson's website and join his community. http://www.jamespatterson.com/

IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL by Tiffany L. Warren

Zenovia, a clairvoyant, and her schizophrenic mother Audrey live in a one bedroom apartment in King Kennedy, a Cleveland housing project. Someone knocks on the door. Finally they call out, "We'd like to share the Gospel with you".

The Brethren of the Sacrifice church believe they are the true Christians. Audrey and Zenovia joined this church after going the first time. Not finding the praise and fellowship she found in other churches, Zenovia starts to question the beliefs of this new church. People are cast out for having sex before marriage or taking medication for diseases. Human condemning human as the result of this church's interpretation of the bible.

Zenovia knows things are wrong but what can she do. Could this be a cult religion? She flees town but at what cost to her. An exceptional book. Another must read!

Thanks Miriam for sending this my way.

3.75 stars

THE DOOMSDAY KEY by James Rollins

A famed geneticist dies inside a bio hazard lab at Princeton University. A Vatican archaeologist is found dead in St. Peter's Basilica. At a Red Cross camp in Africa, a U.S. senator's son is slain. Three murders bear a horrifying connection: a Druidic pagan cross burned into their flesh.

Commander Gray Pierce of Sigma Force searches for the truth with the aid of two women. The adventure races from the Roman Coliseum to Norway, to medieval abbeys, to the lost tombs of Celtic kings. Sigma Force confronts the greatest threat hidden inside an ancient artifact known as the Doomsday Key.

Time machine???? After reading this I question, "Could this be reality?"
How do we know what the government and bio companies really do? Is it safe what they do? This is fiction, BUT? We are just the lowly occupants of the earth, not in any form of control of anything but our own lives or are we? Unbelievable or believable? Wouldn't it be great to know what information is really being withheld from us?

I give this 4.25 stars