The Virgin's Knot by Holly Payne

I listened to the audio book version of The Virgin's Knot by Holly Payne. Before I write anything else, I have one thing to say.

Wow.

Double wow.

If I had to lump this novel into a category, I'd categorize it as literary fiction, but it was so much more than the label can capture. Payne is a master with words. She paints a verbal picture so vivid in this book that I could taste, see, smell, hear, and feel the characters and setting of The Virgin's Knots.

The symbolism in the novel alone could take up volumes essays.

This was one novel that I'd listen to again in a heartbeat. I know I'd get more out of it upon a second listen. Payne has such a way with words, that if I was a betting woman (and I am btw), I'd wager she spoke every word aloud prior to committing it to the final draft of the manuscript. I don't know this for sure; I don't know the author, but I'd still make the wager. Every word seemed crafted.

The Virgin's Knot tells the story of a Turkish weaver named Nurdane. She is crippled by polio at a young age but grows into a woman famed for her weaving bridal prayer rugs. Set in Turkey and intermingling two separate brands of monotheism, I was enchanted by the novel. I give it five stars. *****

What I liked the most about Payne's novel is that I was able to believe in multiple truths. There was not only one correct way to view reality. There are multiple truths in the character's lives. I was enriched by reading this book.

Thicker Than Water by P.J. Parrish

Thicker Than Water by P.J. Parrish was a delightful read. It was everything I look for in a good murder mystery. It is the fourth book in the Louis Kincaid series. I couldn't put my mass market paperback down. There was no stopping the pages turning. I had to find out what happened, who the killer was, and how the two cases connected.

Louis works as a P.I. and is hired to investigate the murder of which Jack Cade is accused of committing. Louis digs up a different murder, the original one in which Jack Cade was convicted of killing Kitty Jagger. After Jack Cade is released from prison, Cade's attorney, Duvall, is murdered. Jack Cade is the primary suspect. Ronnie Cade, Jack's son, hires Louis to investigate. The deeper Louis digs, the more complicated the original murder of Kitty Jagger becomes, and the more relevant it is to the murder of Duvall.

I think one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with Thicker Than Water was that it is set in the 80s. There is no CSI effect, no easy DNA evidence. Louis has to solve the mystery the old fashioned way. I like how murder mysteries and thrillers put the puzzle together piece by piece. There is a fair amount of sleuthing in the novel, and the reader is able to sleuth right along.

Another aspect of Thicker Than Water that made me smile over and over again was the love relationship between Louis and Jack Cade's new defense attorney. There is a love/hate relationship in which Benjamin (the attorney's son) plays the perfect role to bring the two together. I wasn't sure if the book would end with the two players on a positive or negative note. Unlike so many books, I wasn't sure if I wanted to root for them to hook up or to stay at a professional distance. I wasn't sure they would be good for each other, and the way they interacted with each other kept Thicker Than Water interesting.

Thicker Than Water also very much made me want to read the whole series. I read it in two days. I'm sure I'll be picking up the first book and falling in love with the rest.

I wouldn't have picked up Thicker Than Water from the bookshelf had I not known anything about the author P.J. Parrish. The author is a two sister writing team writing under a pseudonym. Both writers have made appearances at Killer Nashville. One of them critiqued the first ten pages of a manuscript I submitted in 2008.

Then, this past year at Killer Nashville 2009, I had the privilege of hearing half of the P.J. Parrish team during several panels. It was the writing advice during the panels this past August that ultimately caused me to buy Thicker Than Water. After listening to several discussions on the craft of writing, I realized upon reading Thicker Than Water how tight the writing is.

I didn't feel like any of the pages were wasted information, fluff, or an information dump. The pacing of Thicker Than Water was perfect for me as a reader. It was a quick read, but the action didn't go by so fast as to leave me confused or like I missed anything. The details were easy to keep tucked under my arm as I read from cover to cover.

The only thing I can think of as a criticism is that having the protagonist have the last name Kincaid while the man accused of murder have the last name of Cade and the son who hired Louis also have the last name of Cade, is that this is one to maybe read rather than listen to in audio book version while driving. To see in print, it was clear, but if I had been watching traffic and hearing Kincaid and Cade over and over again, the plot might have gotten a little confusing.

I give this one five stars. *****

Four Blind Mice by James Patterson

Four Blind Mice by James Patterson is the eighth book in the Alex Cross Series. Like the other novels in Patterson's series, there are multiple murders and multiple killers. This time, the pieces are connected through the military, in particular veterans of the Vietnam War. Alex swears when he helps his friend, John Sampson, that this will be his last homicide investigation.

There are several reasons I gave this book five stars. *****. The first centers around John Sampson. I've waited during the last 7 books to get to know Sampson more intimately, and Patterson doesn't disappoint. He gives a depth to Sampson that I hope to continue to see in the rest of the novels in the series. He is a good side-kick type character who normally just supports Alex Cross. Sampson in many ways is the star of Four Blind Mice.

Another thing I really liked about Four Blind Mice was the motivation behind the villains. In a typical hard boiled novel, the murders are psychopathic creeps that a regular Joe wouldn't see much of himself/herself in. The killers in Four Blind Mice were all men who killed while in war. Some of them are able to move past their demons, and others breed darker demons after returning from Vietnam.

Nana Mama also plays a more pivotal role in Four Blind Mice than in some of the earlier novels in the series. Alex has to make some serious choices about his family life and how it intersects with his professional life. Kyle Craig also reappears in Four Blind Mice, though I very much got the impression that Kyle will reappear in future books as well.

Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon is a paranormal romance. Before I review the novel, I want to tell a brief story about how and why I purchased Fantasy Lover, because it colors some of the things I have to say about the book.

I was at my local bookstore a few months ago, and my intention was to purchase one romance novel and one fantasy novel. I didn't have any particular author or series in mind. Standing in the romance section, I picked a different Sherrilyn Kenyon book from the shelf and began reading the back cover. There were several other women in the aisle with me, and one of them turned to me and said, "That's not the first book in the series. I've read all of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books." She picked out Fantasy Lover and said, "If you want to start from the beginning, you should read this one."

I wasn't sure I wanted to start at the beginning or not, but thought it might be best to follow the woman's advice so I wouldn't be confused by the book I had chosen. The result was that I purchased a book I wasn't 100% convinced was the book I really wanted to buy. Fantasy Lover looked interesting enough, so I brought it home and began reading.

I give Fantasy Lover 2 1/2 stars ** 1/2. I'll start with the things that made me knock it down to that level. Would I purchase this book over again? No. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes. It would be a library book if I had to read it over.

The first thing that annoyed me (and I'm sure wasn't within the author's control) was that the man on the front cover has dark hair. Julian in the book was a blond. As a result, I couldn't imagine the character properly while I was reading. I kept picturing dark brown hair and every time Kenyon referenced him as blond, I was jolted from my suspension of disbelief.

The second thing that irritated me about Fantasy Lover is that the perspective changed mid scene from Julian to Grace. It happened mostly in the first half of the book, but there were a few times in the second time as well. I was inside one character's head and then suddenly was trying to figure out why I was inside the other character's thoughts. The head hopping drove me crazy. Absolutely crazy.

Ok. On to the information about the book. Fantasy Lover follows the story of Grace and her friend Selena. Selena is convinced that Grace needs a man and to get intimate after being hurt by her last boyfriend, Paul, so she buys an ancient book and together they conjure up Julian, an ancient soldier and half son of the Greek gods, out of the book. There is a curse on Julian that he'll only be released for 30 days, and his job is to pleasure the woman who brought him out of the book, a little like rubbing a magic lamp and getting a genie to appear.

The idea is interesting, and compelled me to keep reading, only to find out that Grace is a sex therapist by profession.

I did a double take at this. Had she been a regular therapist, I would have rated the book much higher, maybe 3 1/2 stars or 4 stars. Her counseling patients is important to the plot, but I couldn't get past the idea that Selena would need to convince her to conjure up a Greek god from a book to be Grace's lover when the woman is a sex therapist. I presume that a sex therapist would be able to find a man on her own and would know when she was ready for one rather than allowing her friend to make the decision for her.

Ok, now for the things I liked about Fantasy Lover:

Kenyon does a nice job of weaving Greek Mythology into the novel in such a way that it is accessible to the modern reader. Although I have a B.A. in English Literature, I have to admit that I hated Greek Mythology in school, mostly because I couldn 't get the Roman names and the Greek names to sync in my head. Kenyon described the deities in such a way that I had a flood of knowledge come back to me regarding Athena, Aphrodite, etc.

Both Grace and Julian grow throughout the plot and redeem themselves multiple times. I found myself rooting for them to hook up at the end. Kenyon makes the happily ever after ending happen in a unique twist.

She also does a good job of revealing how and why Julian ended up cursed in the book. There is no information dump. She weaves the details throughout the plot.

I'll probably try another Sherrilyn Kenyon book again in the future, but won't listen to a random lady in the bookstore whom I don't know when I choose my next novel to read.

Pendragon Book One: The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale

The Pendragon series is within the YA (Young Adult) genre, and Merchant of Death is the first book in a very successful series. After I finished listening to the audio book, I went to the Pendragon website and saw the immense reader reaction on the author's message boards. The nature of the series, fantasy/paranormal within YA, is very rich, and Machale's reader's have a sounding board for their opinions. One of the first threads I saw had over 33,000 threads. With that said, because I listened to the book rather than reading it, I apologize in advance if I misspell any of the words MacHale creates for his territories.

The Pendragon series follows Bobby, the protagonist, and his Uncle Press as they go through a floom to a territory. At first, I thought Pendragon and these territories were very similar to Stephan King and the Territories used in The Talisman. I found myself flipping back and forth between how King uses the Territories and comparing them to the Territories Bobby Pendragon finds himself in such as Second Earth and Denduron.

The farther into The Merchant of Death I read, the less similiar the Territories were to those King used in The Talisman. There are very different ways the characters go back and forth between the two realms. One other large difference is that King's character never meets a good guide character who is an adult. Bobby Pendragon has Uncle Press to explain and Osa to explain various properties of his new world of Denduron.

Overall, I give The Merchant of Death 4 stars ****. I don't read much YA fiction, but what struck me immediately was the clear voice of Bobby Pendragon vs. his friend Mark vs. the other characters within Denduron. I always knew exactly who was speaking and the character's points of view. The Merchand of Death was an enjoyable book for an adult, though I won't be reading the others in the series since YA isn't my favorite genre.

What kept me from giving it 5 stars was that Uncle Press had a lot of information that he withheld from Bobby Pendragon for apparently no reason. I couldn't quite reconcile the reasoning for why he showed up in the story and suddenly dragged Bobby into Denduron without any forewarning of how the whole process of being a traveler worked. Bobby makes a lot of mistakes that could have been avoided had Uncle Press been upfront with him in the beginning. It gave me the feeling that the adults were just being mean by withholding the information.

Violets are Blue by James Patterson

Violets are Blue by James Patterson is the seventh book in the Alex Cross series. I couldn't wait to read this novel because at the end of Roses are Red, Patterson reveals the identity of the murder nicknamed The Mastermind. I couldn't believe the Mastermind's identity, and I knew I would find out for sure in Violets are Blue whether or not I had interpreted the last chapter of Roses are Red correctly.

The way in which the Mastermind is caught takes backseat during the majority of Violets are Blue while Alex Cross and a new female detective based out of California try to figure out the identity of a "real vampire" who murders several people by draining the victims' blood after biting their necks. I was a little surprised in the villain of Violets are Blue who ended up being the Sire. I thought the whole thing would turn out a lot differently than it actually did.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book a lot because I felt like I already knew a lot about the Mastermind before even picking the book up. He made a nasty villain, much better than the vampires that take up the majority of Violets are Blue. It was a nice change from the usual serial killers, though.

I give this book 4 stars **** The pacing is fast, just like the other James Patterson novels I've reviewed thus far. I couldn't wait to find out what happened the entire time I listened to it in the car on my commute to work.

A Darkness Forged in Fire by Chris Evans

A Darkness Forged in Fire by Chris Evans is the first book in the Iron Elves Series. Konowa Swiftdragon is the protagonist who must go back to commanding an army. He previously killed the Viceroy and was therefore banished to live in the forest.

Konowa was part of the iron elves, who had been disbanded after he killed the Viceroy. As an Iron Elf, he fights both an internal and external battle against serving the Shadow Monarch. His father, a wizard, gives him an acorn from the Shadow Monarch's forest, and the power of the Shadow Monarch is drawn to him as he fights with his army.

Evans puts a little of everything that makes for a good novel into this book. There is a complicated love interest, Visyna Tekoy, and power struggles on mutliple levels. The Prince officially leads the army through battle, but he is incompetent, and Konowa must supplicate him while still making the kinds of decisions that will protect his regiment and keep him in a respectful position with them.

I was a little confused between the elves, the elfkynan, and the iron elves. I'm still not sure I understand the difference between the elfkynana and the regular elves. Perhaps I would find out in book two? I also loved the dwarf character and the minor character Alywn. I could see a whole series based on either of them as well. Rallie, the report/witch also made for an interesting character. The relationships between all of them were dynamic.

What drew me to give this 4 1/2 stars **** was the various levels upon which it could be read. It is a darker book than most I read, even more so than the murder mysteries I usually read. I felt like everyone and everything was doomed for most of the book. I couldn't see the happy ending at the end of the tunnel like I can for a lot of books.

I eagerly await the paperback release of book two.

Night Prey by John Sandford

Night Prey by John Sandford is the sixth book in the Prey series featuring chief detective Lucas Davenport. In Night Prey, Davenport works with Meagan Connell, a State Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator. She is a feminist and has only a short amount of time before she will die of cancer. She is between treatments for most of the novel.

In the beginning of the novel, I had a hard time focusing on the characters because I kept waiting for Lucas Davenport's arrival. I already knew him from Chosen Prey, and I couldn't stay focused on the other characters like Rose Marie Roux.

I also had a hard time identifying with Robert Koop, the killer. I'm not sure that it was an reflection of the writing as much as my expectations based on Chosen Prey. It was more difficult for me to go backward to another book that was still in the middle of the series. I couldn't figure out how serious the relationship between Davenport and Weather (sp? I listened to the audio book) was. I knew they were living together, but they still didn't seem as serious as a lot of other characters from other novels I've read who live together. Lucas' feelings for the reporter confused me. His feelings weren't as clean as I would have liked them.

About halfway through Night Prey, the pieces all started coming together, and I couldn't put the book down. I thought it had a satisfying ending with a few interesting twists. Overall, I still recommend Night Prey, but I would have liked to have seen more character building of Koop and a little less of the minor characters. I'll probably read another in the series later on. Perhaps Sandford uses this book as a stepping stone for other books. I was pleased he kept Dale in the plot.

I give it 3 1/2 stars *** 1/2

Roses are Red by James Patterson

Roses are Red by James Patterson is the sixth book in the Alex Cross Series. The villain in Roses are Red is named the Mastermind. Throughout the whole book, Patterson is consistent in using this term, both from Cross' perspective and from the villain's perspective. Just like Cassanova in Kiss the Girls, and Jack and Jill in Jack & Jill, I find using this type of a title intrigues me more as a reader rather than having the name of the killer right away.

The library didn't have this one on audio book, so I read the paperback. Like Cross (the first book I plucked out of the middle of the series, and the novel that got me hooked on Patterson's writing), Roses are Red was a quick, energetic read. I finished it in five days. I don't have the novel in front of me at the moment, but it was around 360 pages. Patterson tends to write very short chapters, sometimes only a page or two, so it wasn't nearly as dense as other 360 page novels. There is a lot of white space on the pages.

I began Roses are Red needing to find out what happens with Christine Johnson and her baby. I wanted to know for sure whether Cross was the father of if Geoffrey Shafer had raped her from The Weasel. I also wanted to know immediately after beginning the book how things end up. The Mastermind was very different from Patterson's other villains I've read thus far in that a lot of the killing isn't carried out by the Mastermind himself.

When I finally found out who the Mastermind truly is, I wished I had Violets are Blue (the next book in the series) because I was hungry for more. Much more. Patterson tells stories with excellent timing. I won't be happy until I've read Violets are Blue. I couldn't believe how Roses are Red ended. I practically salivated.

I also felt like I got to know Jannie and Damon, Cross' kids, a little better.

I give Roses are Red four and a half stars **** 1/2. The only thing keeping me from giving it five stars was that I felt like Cross spent as much time with his love interest as his children. I keep wanting to slap him in the face and tell him to spend a solid week at home with his kids. I suppose that wouldn't make for as entertaining a read, though!

World Without End by Ken Follett

World Without End by Ken Follett is a delightful read. It is the second book that follows characters through their lives from childhood to adulthood in the town of Kingsbridge in England. I'm not sure I consider it a sequel to The Pillars of the Earth because none of the same characters are in this book (The setting is two centuries later), but it follows the same spirit as Pillars of the Earth.

Follett is a master at not only character building but building things like setting though the actions of his characters. Like Pillars of the Earth, a lot of the book follows architecture, though this time it follows a tower and a bridge more than the cathedral itself. Like Pillars of the Earth, I'm not sure that I can distinguish one protagonist. There are several main characters to World without End, and each is given his/her own importance. If I had to choose a protagonist, I think the character of Caris stands out the most in my mind.

Then there is the love of her life, Merthin Builder. Merthin is the brother of another major character and villain, Ralph. Ralph and Merthin were born into the nobility in the beginning of the novel, and it takes nearly the whole 1000 pages for them to enter back into the nobility from the merchant and peasant classes.

It took me eight months to read World Without End. Unlike Pillars of the Earth, I didn't have a convenient break (I had three weeks off of work in which I read Pillars of the Earth over my Christmas vacation) to read in a large chunk. During the beginning of World Without End, I had a hard time distinguishing between several different characters, partly because many of them have names that begin with the same letter. There are Gwenda and Griselda, Ralph and Roland, Mother Cecilia and Caris, etc.. For that reason, it took me nearly six months to read the first five hundred pages, and only one month to read the second five hundred pages.

I give World Without End five Stars ***** because I was gripped during the second half. Many times while reading both Follett's novels, I wondered if these two works would have been better suited to being an entire series rather than 1000 page novels. I'm not sure the reading experience would have been the same had Follett broken them into several shorter novels because the lives of the characters are totally interconnected.

Had Follett focused on one character for 300-400 pages and then gone on to another character, I think the odds of becoming bored with the plot would have been higher because as soon as a character like Ralph took an action, it spread to the peasants like Wulfric and Gwenda, Annette, or Maude and Gerald.

A history buff, I always look for places authors might have made mistakes. I only found one thing that made my head turn, and it was a very slight detail. I'm not going to mention it here because I haven't researched it, so I might still be mistaken.

For anyone considering reading World Without End, I caution you to read the entire novel before forming judgement on the work. There were a few places where I wanted to through my book against the wall. I won't include any spoilers here, but I will mention that in my opinion, there are many happy endings for the characters. It just takes 1000 pages to get to them. There are many times when things seem hopeless or seemingly hopeless, especially for Merthin and Caris, but I was more than satisfied with how the novel ends.