Archive for the ‘Mystery’ Category

True Colors, Kristin Hannah

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

Kristin Hannah is becoming one of my favorite authors.  I really loved Firefly Lane.  Comfort and Joy was cute.  True Colors did not disappoint in the slightest.  One thing I admire about Ms. Hanna is that she will take on serious issues and that nobody is safe from death or tragedy.

True Colors is the story of three sisters, Winona, Aurora and Vivi Ann.  When we meet them, as teens, they are living together, close as can be on their father’s ranch.  Then their mother dies.  We follow the story, told through the eyes of Winona and ViviAnn, through early adulthood.  Typical for a middle child,  Aurora tends to be the peacemaker, and we don’t get her point of view.

The girls grow apart, fight, come back together again.  There are plot twists.  It’s a love story at heart, love between three sisters, and the men who love them.  It’s not easy, as Winona watches both of her sisters get married, while the love of her life leaves town after being in love with and engaged to Vivi (you see that coming).  Vivi ends up falling for Dallas Raintree and has a son with him.   Aurora is there too, married with children.  Trying to keep peace with the other two sisters who always seem to fighting.

But it’s not completely a love story.  There is also a murder mystery thrown in there!  I will not spoil it for you here.  There are other places that can do that for you.

The way Kristin weaves the stories together will leave you breathless, and keep  you turning the pages long after you had hoped to stop.

Highly recommended.

Posted in Crime, Family, Fiction, Literature, Mystery | No Comments »

Little Bee, Chris Cleve

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

When I walked into my local Border’s, I encountered a display with this book as one of their “Recommends” or whatever they call it.  Every time I have bought a book (and read it) from this collection, I have totally enjoyed the book.  Once again, I was not disappointed.

Here is what the jacket to this book says:

We don’t want to tell you what happens in this book.  It is a truly special story and we don’t want to spoil it.  Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say this: This is the story of two women.  Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face.  Two years later, they meet again — the story starts there ….

Once you have read it, you’ll want to tell your friends about it.  When you do, please don’t tell them what happens.  The magic is in how the story unfolds.

Let’s break this down:

This is the story of two women.  Yes, Little Bee and Sarah.  Little Bee’s age is not stated, but I don’t think she is of age yet, and Sarah is a young woman in her early 30’s.   Sarah’s son, Charlie a.k.a. Batman is also a central character.  There are two adult men who figure prominently in the book as well, Andrew and Lawrence.   But the central characters are Little Bee and Sarah, and they tell the story, in alternating chapters.  This is sometimes not done really well, but Chris pulls it off.  However, I did sometimes get confused on who was talking to me.

Their lives collide one fateful day, If you believe in fate, that is.  I was pleased that we find out what happened that day within the first third of the book.

and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. I can honestly say that for 99% of us, we will never have to make this choice.  I’d also like to think I would make the same decision Sarah made.

Two years later, they meet again — the story starts there …. Not quite.

The magic is in how the story unfolds. I think this might be an overstatement.

But I won’t tell you what happens either.  What I will tell you is to read this book.

The story of Little Bee and Sarah is a fantastic one.   It is mostly a dark tale, but like life, it has its moments of humor and brightness.   If this book was twice the length, I would have still enjoyed it.  Mr. Cleve could have started the book from the first meeting, instead of telling it through flashbacks and the book would not have lost one bit of its essence, but I think it had to end exactly the way it did, even though it left me wondering what will happen next.

I highly recommend this book and give it a 3 out of 4 stars.

Posted in Fiction, Literature, Mystery, Strong women | No Comments »

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish Film Version)

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Lisbeth Salander, the most complex female character in film in a very, very long time.   Mikael Blomkvist, an ambitious journalist for a monthly magazine called Millenium.   The Vanger family.    None of these people have much in common, but it all comes together brilliantly in the film.

Background of the movie.  Mikael Blomkvist had just been on trial for libel in the Wennerstrom Affair.    After he is sentenced to three months in jail, he resigns from Millenium.   During the time between his sentencing and serving his time, an eccentric old man, Mr. Vanger, hires Mikael to do some research on a long stale case, involving the disappearance of Mr. Vanger’s niece, Harriet.   It is believed that she is dead, and the murderer is never found.   Mikael’s job is to solve the murder.

Meanwhile, Lisbeth, is a 24 year old woman, who as a child underwent severe trauma and was deemed mentally unstable and hospitalized.   Lisbeth has trouble relating to and trusting people, and is considered an outcast of society.   While she has been released from the facility, she continues to be under guardianship.  Currently working freelance as a professional computer hacker, she lives independently, and has made a few friends.  Things change for Lisbeth when her guardian falls ill,  and is assigned a new guardian, who withholds her money and takes advantage of his position.

Lisbeth had formerly conducted some research on Mikael Blomkvist and continued to have an interest in the man.  She finds him out at the Vanger complex and helps him to solve (or not) the murder/disappearance of Harriet Vanger.
Of course, there are villians a plenty in the movie, and plenty of suspense.  The movie is over two hours long, but it just flies by keeping you in suspense.  You root for this unlikely pair of heroes.  Lisbeth is not a very likable person, but you like her and root for her none the less.

The movie is not upbeat or uplifting.  It doesn’t provide a message to society.  It’s dark.  It’s intense.  The time flies by however, as you are held riveted to the screen at every possible moment.

Currently, the movie is no longer playing in theaters, but is available to rent.   Renters have the choice of watching it subtitled or dubbed.  Your choice.  Doesn’t matter.  Just see it.

For those of you who have read the book but have not seen the movie, shame on you!  Seriously.  :)   The book does simplify the storyline, but it will not bother you.

For those of you who have NOT read the book, you will still enjoy this movie.  And if you are a reader, I recommend you read the book.  It will add so much to the movie.  Read it first or second, it doesn’t matter.

This is the RARE movie that adapts a book and keeps it just as good as the book is.

VERDICT:  See this movie NOW!

*I will not be reviewing the books that that this movie and the subsequent movies are based on, due to the time lapse since I have read the books and my beginning this blog.  I can only say … read them all!  And read them soon.  You will not be disappointed!

Posted in Adventure, Crime, Drama, Films, Mystery | No Comments »

The Book of Eli

Monday, February 8th, 2010

I didn’t expect much from this movie, what with the horrible review from Entertainment Weekly and Rotten Tomatoes.com.

However, the movie exceeded my expectations and I really liked the movie.

Simple plot:  Post-apocalyptic America.  Denzel Washington is the lead as Eli.  Eli has a King James Bible in his possession that he reads every night on his way across the US to deliver it to the right person.  He doesn’t know who that person is, he is going on faith that he is heading the right way.  The Bible is supposed to help save the world, or something and there is another guy looking for it.  He runs a small town that, of course, Eli walks through.

The way the book is discovered by evil man is a whole different plotline, but eventually it is found out that Eli has this book and is planning to take it out West.  So the evil man gets his henchmen and they go out and follow Eli.

I won’t say more, as I fear that I will give away the entire storyline.  There is a nice little plot twist in the end.  The movie is a thriller, and thrill it does.  It is very well written and directed.  All the actors are fabulous.  Mila Kunis is great in this movie, deviating from the characters she usually plays.  You can read her face and know what the character she is portraying is thinking.  The cinematography (I believe its called) is great.   I imagine a world like this to look a lot like it does in the film.

Doesn’t matter if you are a person of faith or not, the movie does not offend, and don’t look for plot holes, just go with the story.   The only plot hole I can think of is that it took Eli 30 years to make his journey.  It does not take 30 years to walk across the US.  Maybe he was where he started from for many years before heading out, I don’t know.  But I let that go and just went with the story.

Verdict:  A-    See it sometime, DVD or Blu-Ray is fine

Posted in Drama, Films, Mystery | No Comments »

Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving

Monday, February 8th, 2010

There is nothing I like more than a long novel, with a good plot.   Add in a multi-generational story, and I am hooked in.  In that regard, this book did not disappoint.

The simple storyline is about a father, Dominic, and his son, Daniel, and their friend Ketchum.  One night, Daniel mistakes the local town’s sheriff’s girlfriend for a bear and kills her.  The rest of the story deals with the actions they take immediately afterwards and for the next 50 years as they flee from Twisted River.  Irving takes us on a journey, from New Hampshire, to Boston, to Iowa, to finally, Toronto.  Along the way, we meet many interesting characters who played a part in Dominic and Daniel’s lives in all of the cities.

A friend of mine once told me that all of John Irving’s books had a bear and wrestling in them.  Now, I don’t know if that is true, as the only books I’ve read prior to Twisted River was A Cider House Rules, The Hotel New Hampshire, The Fourth Hand and A Widow for One Year.  I loved the first two of those books and I was fairly disappointed in the latter two, although they weren’t horrible.   There is wrestling in this book, but the bear is more metaphorical.

Twisted River is definitely more on par with Cider House and Hotel, though.   One of my main criticisms of the book was the lack of development of the female characters.  I would have loved to have gotten to know Carmella better, for instance.  It’s true, yes, that the women weren’t in the story line for long, but they could have been developed further.  And why the obsession on size?  Don’t we get enough of that in the media?

The other problems for me were the extensive use of both names, the 9/11 and political ranting, Lady Sky’s storyline was a bit contrived and there was unnecessary dog killing.   Irving used the name Dominic Baciagalupo many, many times instead of just one or the other.  Let’s face it, that name doesn’t just roll off the tongue as easily as John Smith.   And as the characters changed names it got worse.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book and I recommend to anyone who has ever read John Irving.  If you haven’t then don’t start with this one.

Verdict:  B;  borrow or buy in paperback unless you are a die-hard Irving fan

Posted in Family, Fiction, Mystery | No Comments »