Nobody Has to Know

Nobody Has to Know
by Frank Nappi
published by author
2012
ISBN n/a
Why Read?: Review
Challenges: Mystery & Suspense

Frank Nappi once again shows off his prowess at writing with his newest work, Nobody Has to Know.  This also marks a departure for him from the historical fiction genre and into suspense.

Cameron Baldridge is a young English teacher who loves to enrich his student's classroom experience.  As is the case with most young high school teachers, many of his students have developed a crush on him.  This would not be a problem except Cam finds himself feeling the same way about one girl, Nikki.  The two start texting and eventually find themselves alone in a motel room while Cam's fiance, Haley, is out of town.  Unfortunately, Nikki winds up dead, and Cam runs away.  Cam thinks he has covered his tracks, but someone saw him...and that person is now blackmailing him as his life spins out of control.

Nappi does a remarkable job with characterization.  While Cam makes some remarkably ill-advised decisions, the reader still feels for him, empathizing with the panic he feels as the tension builds.  The story does start off a little slow, but this lets the reader get to know Cam and sets the stage for the escalating suspense. The ending is also one hell of a twist, and while I am not sure how I feel about the outcome, I applaud Nappi for his bold choice.  Normally I would not comment on grammar, but really the only problem with this novel is the lack of commas when addressing other characters.

Frank Nappi uses a lot of rich detail in his historical fiction, and he carries that talent over to Nobody Has to Know.  I hope Nappi has more suspense in store for his fans, both present and future.

Rating: 4/5

The Banker Spy

The Banker Spy
by William G. Byrnes
published by Publish Green
2012
ISBN 978-1-938296-34-5
Why Read?: Review
Challenges: Mystery & Suspense

William G. Byrnes has burst onto the scene with a compelling thriller that melds a scary past with terrifying modern threat. The Banker Spy is a real page turner and a great overall suspense.

Peter Armstrong has a good job taking the lead on the issuing of public stock of a prestigious German auto manufacture, Storch.  Life seems pretty good until his ex-girlfriend, CIA agent Dayna Caymus, calls him, asking him to do some underground research into Storch.  Soon, Armstrong find himself on the run from the German government as they plot with Storch to start a war.  If Armstrong cannot deliver the information Caymus wants, then it looks like history will be repeating itself.

From the start, The Banker Spy is a real page turner.  What helps make it thrilling is how Byrnes ties his fictitious present into the most real past.  His knowledge of history is solid, and he imbues The Banker Spy with just the right amount.  Most intriguing are the Nazi tunnels and how they play into Storch and Germany's new plot for European dominance.

With great attention to detail and a great pace, The Banker Spy will delight fans of suspense.  William G. Byrnes is definitely one to watch.

Rating: 4/5

Mystery & Suspense Challenge Recap

Challenge:  Mystery & Suspense Challenge
Host:  Book Chick City
2012 Level:  TWENTY-FOUR (24 books) - FAILED!
Thoughts:  The jump in level from 12 to 24 was a little too much.  I know the year is not over, but I doubt I will be able to read 12 more mysteries or suspense before the year is out.  I might try this level again next year, though.
Books:

1. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
2. Mongrel by K. Z. Snow
3. The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
4. Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers by Chris Grabenstein
5. Spectral by Shannon Duffy
6. Shadow on the Wall by Pavarti K. Tyler
7. Revived by Cat Patrick
8. Three Seconds by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom
9. Jericho's Walls by Michael Bret Hood
10. Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George
11. Trickster's Point by William Kent Krueger
12. The Shadow Man by Mark Murphy
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
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22.
23.
24.

The Shadow Man

The Shadow Man
by Mark Murphy
published by Langston Street
2012
ISBN 978-1-938296-30-1
Why Read?: Review
Challenges: Mystery & Suspense

Mark Murphy’s debut novel, The Shadow Man, is a dark, atmosphere thriller set in the haunting city of Savannah, Georgia.  In it, Malcolm King, a respected surgeon finds himself the suspect in a serial murder case that involves surgical precision.  Someone – or something – seems to be setting him up, targeting him, but Malcolm can never get a good glimpse of his tormentor.  As the bodies pile up, Malcolm’s psychological state become more and more tenuous, leading up to one heck of an ending.

Murphy’s fast-paced writing immediately draws the reader in, and the mood permeates every word.  This helps to immerse the reader into Malcolm’s world, making the pages fly by as the terror builds.  Mark Murphy carefully walks the line between mystery and horror making The Shadow Man the perfect psychological thriller.  For a debut novel, this is one amazingly strong story.

Rating: 5/5

Trickster's Point

Title: Trickster's Point

Author: William Kent Krueger
Publisher: Atria
ISBN:978-1-4516-4567-5
Why Read?: Book Reporter
Challenges: Mystery & Suspense

Thoughts: This definitely starts with a bang, but then the story slows more than I would expect for a mystery.  Cork does try to find who shot his friend Jubal to clear his own name but he goes about it much slower than I would expect.  The flashbacks to their childhood are nice and definitely add to the characterization, so those are an assured plus.

Rating: 3 stars

Believing the Lie

Title: Believing the Lie

Author: Elizabeth George
Publisher: Penguin Audio
ISBN: 9781611760408
Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges:  Mystery/Suspense, Audio Book, British, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: I loved the setting of this story, and the secrets that the family was keeping were highly intriguing. The ending, though, left me wanting. It was an entertaining listen overall.

Rating: 3 stars

Jericho's Walls

Title: Jericho's Walls

Author: Michael Bret Hood
Publisher: LazyDay
ISBN:  9781612580074
Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges:  Mystery & Suspense, Free Reads, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: This was a great suspense novel.  Very intense and wonderful title.  I really liked that it was set pretty close to St. Louis.  Hood is definitely an author to watch.

Rating: 4 stars

Three Seconds

Title: Three Seconds

Author: Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom
Publisher: Silver Oak
ISBN: 978-1-4027-8592-4
Why Read?: First Reads
Challenges:  Mystery & Suspense, Chunkster, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: I could not get in to this and it took me forever to finally finish.  The last 100 pages were good and rather fast-paced, but it was just so incredibly slow getting there.  Also, I did not like any of the characters, which really distanced me from the story.  I have decided that Swedish crime fiction is just not for me.

Rating: 1 stars 

Shadow on the Wall

Shadow on the Wall

by Pavarti K. Tyler

published by Fighting Monkey

2012

ISBN 978-0-9838769-1-5

Why Read?: Review

Challenges:  Mystery & Suspense, 100 Books in a Year

I can honestly say that Shadow on the Wall is unlike any book I have ever come across.  Pavarti K. Tyler takes a variety of themes and tropes and puts them together in a way that is simply stunning.

Recai Osman, a prominent young businessman and heir to a multi-billion Euro company, finds himself buried in the middle of the Turkish desert.   Luckily, Hasad Sofaer discovers him and brings him home to rest under the care of his daughter, Rebekah.  Hasad has misgivings about bringing a Muslim into his home, but it is not Recai he needs to worry about.  While he is out, the Reformation of Turkish Kurdistan (RTK) come, and although the Jewish Rebekah keeps a burqua on hand for occasions such as this, they accuse her of seducing Recai.  What happens next shapes Recai for the rest of his life, leading him down the path to become a superhero.  But along the way, he will have to fight against many more injustices from religious bigotry to sexism, testing him as a man and as a Muslim.

While Recai is the title character, Tyler tells the story from many third-person POVs, letting the reader experience all aspects of a culture that many Westerners know little about.  This characterization and attention to detail - and the fact that Tyler is not willing to pull any punches - is what makes Shadow on the Wall really stand out.  At times, this can be a difficult read, but that is only because Tyler's writing is so superb, it brings all of the injustices to vivid light.

Pavarti K. Tyler has amazing talent and is definitely an author to watch.  Shadow on the Wall may not be for everyone, but those who can stand to learn more about another part of the world and try to see it through the character's eyes will eagerly await the next installment in The SandStorm Chronicles.

Rating: 4/5

Spectral

Spectral

by Shannon Duffy

published by Tribute

2012

ISBN 978-0-09837418-7-9

Why Read?: Review

Challenges:  Mystery & Suspense, Debut Author, Horror & Urban Fantasy, Witches & Witchcraft, Paranormal Fantasy, 100 Books in a Year

Shannon Duffy mixes an ancient occult feel with contemporary romance in her YA paranormal, Spectral.

Jewel Rose has spent her entire life on the run.  Every few months means a new town, a new school, and a new name.  Jewel thinks her parents are hiding from the mafia, but shortly before her seventeenth birthday, she learns the truth after moving to the sleepy little town of Ponoma Park, Florida.  Arriving at the same time as her family is another new student, Roman.  The mysterious and attractive Roman explains to Jewel that she is a spectral, a special witch who turns seventeen on a summer solstice with a full moon.  What makes a spectral so special is that she is able to assimilate the powers of any other witch if those powers are used on her.  Every coven wants her – either to use her power or to kill her because of it – and that is part of the reason her family has been running for so many years.  The other reason is that they kidnapped her for their own coven.  Now with Roman’s help, she must find her real family…but can she trust someone whose coven is out to kill her?

Spectral is very fun and fast-paced.  The pages fly by as Duffy doles out twist after twist, shaking Jewel’s sense of whom to trust with each new development.  The only problem is its lack of believability.  Yes, it is a paranormal, and by that definition alone, it is unrealistic, but there should still be some plausibility.  Jewel was a realistic teenager with solid young adult feelings but the turn her life takes was a tad too fantastic lacking the by-in that lets a reader suspend their disbelief.

All in all, Spectral is an engaging YA paranormal romance.  I look forward to more works by Shannon Duffy – especially ones with a hint of the occult.

Rating: 3/5

The Darkest Evening of the Year

Title: The Darkest Evening of the Year

Author: Dean Koontz
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 978-0-553-58912-2
Why Read?: Book Club
Challenges:  Mystery & Suspense, Book Blogger Recommendation, Chunkster, Dean Koontz, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: At times the suspense was so great that I didn't want to stop readings.  However, especially at the beginning, the animal scenes were so heart-wrenching, that I had to keep putting the book down.

Rating: 3 stars

Mystery & Suspense Challenge

Challenge:  Mystery & Suspense Challenge
Host:  Book Chick City
2011 Level: TWELVE (12 books) - COMPLETED
2012 Level:  TWENTY-FOUR (24 books)

1. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
2. Mongrel by K. Z. Snow
3. The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
4. Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers by Chris Grabenstein
5. Spectral by Shannon Duffy
6. Shadow on the Wall by Pavarti K. Tyler
7. Revived by Cat Patrick
8. Three Seconds by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom
9. Jericho's Walls by Michael Bret Hood
10. Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George
11. Trickster's Point by William Kent Krueger
12. The Shadow Man by Mark Murphy
13. The Banker Spy by William G. Byrnes
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

Mystery & Suspense Challenge Recap

Even without trying, I do read a good number of mystery and/or suspense books a year, so the Mystery & Suspense Challenge was relatively easy. The thing I kept forgetting was to check back in in order to win the prizes that Book Chick City was offering. As this challenge is to read 12 books, I couldn't got a level higher next year, but I will probably still participate again. Here is what I read this year:

1. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

2. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

3. Montooth and the Canfield Witch by Robert Jay

4. Summer by Eden Maguire

5. The Crime Stories by Louis L'Amour

6. Most Wanted by Michele Martinez

7. You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin

8. The Cypress House by Michael Koryta

9. Missing Persons by Clare O'Donohue

10. Hornet's Nest by Patricia Cornwell

11. Falling Awake by Jayne Ann Krentz

12. Absolutely, Positively by Heather Webber

Falling Awake

Title: Falling Awake
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Publisher: Brillance Audio
ISBN:
Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges: Mystery & Suspense, Audio Book, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: Falling Awake was a fun, escapist read...er, listen. It had a good amount of suspense, but the romance elements were definitely there, too. The climax was good, but there was almost a full CD of resolution afterwards. What I really did like about this audio book was how short the tracks were on the CD - it was so easy to go back if you missed something or wanted to hear something again.
Rating: 3 stars

Hornet's Nest

Title: Hornet's Nest
Author: Patricia Cornwell
Publisher: Berkley
ISBN: 0-425-16098-X
Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges: Mystery & Suspense, TBR Pile, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: For a suspense novel, the crime in Hornet's Nest really takes a back seat to the main characters' everyday problems. This reads more as a bad TV drama than a crime novel. Cornwell jumps between characters way too often and goes into too much depth for minor players. By the time the climax arrives, it seems rather anti-climatic, and the deus-ex-machina ending is very abrupt.
Rating: 1 stars

Most Wanted

Title: Most Wanted

Author: Michele Martinez

Publisher: Harper Torch

ISBN: 978-0-06-072399-6

Why Read?: For Fun

Challenges: Mystery & Suspense, TBR Pile, People of Color, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: This is a fast-paced novel that will keep the reader guessing. Martinez expertly draws the reader in and keeps them frantically turning the pages until the end with a tightly plotted suspense storyline. I really can't say more except go pick this gem up today!

Rating: 3 stars

The Crime Stories

Title: The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour Vol. 6: The Crime Stories

Author: Louis L'Amour

Publisher: Bantam

ISBN: 978-0-553-80531-4

Why Read?: For Fun

Challenges: Mystery & Suspense, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: The title of this collection is slightly misleading. While many of the stories do deal with crime, quite a few would fall under the category of sports better (especially boxing, which is the what the cover picture portrays). Actually, my favorite story in the whole collection, "Dream Fighter", was one of the boxing stories. I also really enjoyed the noir stories featuring Kip Morgan, the title character from "Dream Fighter". Some of the other stories, though, just were not up my alley, but all were very well-written, as one would expect from an author like L'Amour.

Rating: 3 stars

The Lovely Bones

Title: The Lovely Bones

Author: Alice Sebold

Publisher: Back Bay

ISBN: 0-316-16881-5

Why Read?: Book Club

Challenges: Mystery & Suspense, Off the Shelf, International, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: I can see why so many like this book. It was very well-written and Sebold definitely has a modern classic on her hands. I, personally, was not interested in reading it until I saw the trailer for the movie. The idea of Susie trying, at first, to get others to see who her murder was intrigued me. However, some parts of the story were way too character driven for me, and while Sebold's writing is lovely, I would find myself losing interest. The story was good and I do recommend it, I just wish it read a little faster.

Rating: 4 stars

Shutter Island

Title: Shutter Island

Author: Dennis Lehane

Publisher: Harper Perennial

ISBN: 9780061807404

Why Read?: For fun

Challenges: Mystery & Suspense, TBR Pile, Borrowed Books, International, Mini-Challenge, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: A superb psychological thriller. Lehane really warps your perception of reality as the plot twists and turns. Chapter 24 ends with a great ending, but then the last chapter, Chapter 25, opens it up to so many possibilities. I have not seen the movie, but I really want to (hopefully it will make the ending clearer).

Rating: 5 stars

Mystery & Suspense Challenge

Who doesn't love a mystery? I sure do. Book Chick City's Mystery & Suspense Challenge 2011 requires reading 12 mysteries - I think I can do that!

1. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

2. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

3. Montooth and the Canfield Witch by Robert Jay

4. Summer by Eden Maguire

5. The Crime Stories by Louis L'Amour

6. Most Wanted by Michele Martinez

7. You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin

8. The Cypress House by Michael Koryta

9. Missing Persons by Clare O'Donohue

10. Hornet's Nest by Patricia Cornwell

11. Falling Awake by Jayne Ann Krentz

12. Absolutely, Positively by Heather Webber