Darth Reader

Missing You by Harlan Coben

7:30 pm 18 September 2015

Missing You depicts the familiar yearning of once young hearts to reunite, with the ever-so-present-day dangers of internet dating; gone wrong.........gone deadly. Kat is a 40 something, boldly going, New York City detective, who is enticed (enrolled) by her BFF, to find love on the internet. Her curiosity soon becomes twisted into a tale of rekindled love; love gone wrong via an emotional-hijacking criminal enterprise. Kat's search for love is complicated by the search for her father's killer. Soon, Kat's father's (and Kat's) friends at the precinct are found to carry secrets; a hidden past that impacts her search for love and, ultimately, justice for Henry.

The element of suspense is woven throughout Missing You, while engaging the reader in the current day true-to-life horrors of internet exposure. Nearly all who dare read this novel will be captivated, and yet stiffened with fear, over this exposee of our Ashley-Madison-like culture. Text messaging, voice mail, and phone conversations are threads connecting us all to the ones we love; or are they disordered connections to the sinful, deadly side of human existence. Lock your doors, secure your passwords, look over your shoulder, can you be certain you are secure. Read this novel and you may never communicate with anyone again, albeit unless they are square, dead in front of you.

Missing You takes you on a modern day journey through the insecurity of our "secure" connections of the 21st century. I would highly recommend this read to everyone, cepin maybe those that are seeking love online. Complex, interwoven, deadly plot is expertly depicted by Harlem Coben to make you feel ...........securely insecure of your online presence in the Internet generation.

Art In The Blood by Bonnie MacBird

7:17 pm 18 September 2015

Art in the Blood: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure (Sherlock Holmes Adventures) - 'Bonnie MacBird'

Art In The Blood is a masterfully written adventure into the world of Sherlock Holmes, set in the era of Jack the Ripper; in London as it should be. Written from the perspective of Dr. John Watson, the pair are summoned to the assistance of a Parisian Mademoiselle. They are soon swept up into a web of infidelity, royalty, and a maliciously dark culture of Old England. The plot unfolds in a rich, undulating texture of colorful characters, stately settings, and histoirre de l'art; detailed through sculptures, paintings and their respective art masters. La Culture Francaise is laced throughout the novel, while grim shadows of death and despair unfold in the English countryside.

As one expects with any Sherlock portrayal, plot twists are rich and aptly mysterious. Page turns as well as Chapter progression will grab the readers attention, right to the final paragraph. The final chapter neatly tidies up loose plot elements that may artfully leave questions hanging 'til the end. Polish up on your French, 'oui', but don't forget Watson is a Brit with like syntax and Grammar; all superbly languishing the reader in the culture of circa 1880's Europe.

As an avid lover of Sherlock-esque novels and movies, I would of course (bien sur) recommend this read with great acclaim. Riveting, heart wrenching, conflicts abound, leaving you edge-sitting up to the next plot twist. Rich characters; true to Sherlock characters; original plot line; cannot wait 'til the next one.

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for a review.

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The Confession by Robert Whitlow

6:25 pm 19 August 2015

The Confession artfully develops a duplicitous conflict between an accidental teen death, solely witnessed by Holt, a District Attorney to be, that later unearths an unrelated cold-case cover up. Holt risks exposure of his secret past in his quest to unearth buried truths, as he finds a murder investigation was falsified by associates of his own public service arena. Holt risks his career along with his heart of dedication. While he pursues exposure of the truth, he grows closer to living the truth; ultimately forcing him to face his own secret past.

A gripping conflict that gradually erodes Holt's strongholds, a concurrent love triangle as a sidebar, and a thought provoking spiritual journey are all woven together with plenty of intrigue. While the development of conflict is really powerful, the anticipation was overshadowed by a lacklustre denouement. The love story carries significant depth, yet the female characters represent flimsy backdrops against a lengthy list of motive-rich perpetrators. Most profound is the infusion of heartfelt spiritual awakening in Holt that feels natural, methodical, and refreshing in the midst of murder and mayhem.

I highly recommend this novel for lovers of murder mysteries, legal dramas, and conflict accentuated through lies and deceit. Those seeking a strong Christian message will find solace in the seamless blending of characters with strong Biblical foundations; I felt it fresh and innate to this tale of deceit. A crescendo of anticipation is palpable throughout, yet in the supposed day of reckoning; the collision of opposing forces seems to disintegrate like two trains passing in the night. Relative to the build, I felt empty; hungry for the crash and burn; secretly desiring a conflict riddled resolution; disappointed yet devoted to an extraordinary plot line summoned up by Robert Whitlow.

I would recommend this novel to murder mystery lovers and Christians alike. Well written, gripping, modest characters, and the mastery of conflict building kept me turning pages.

I provided this review in exchange for a free copy of the novel.

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The Forgotten Girl by David Bell

5:36 pm 16 August 2015

The Forgotten Girl depicts a familiar theme in the American experience; that of a high school mishap that turns deadly. Years go by, personal memories morph into an experience of regret and guilt, and a vow of silence promises to keep the secret buried in the woods. Teenage friends mature into adulthood, and what was once a tightly bound secret unravels into a conflict of social class, misdeeds of young hearts, and teenage alliances gone wrong.

This story strikes familiarity in the hearts of all who endured, and survived, the troubled teens. Yet the familiar departs beyond class differences, jealousy, friendships, and broken hearts. Death results not from one bad decision but many ill-fated turns of events. As times change, so do the characters; interesting and distinctive, yet not in the most vivid depth or detail. Characters were set against a recognizable backdrop of small town America; one which pulls the reader in easily, then unfolds with heart-wrenching plot twists, a single 'accidental' murder that sends shock-waves of guilt and blame through many generations; ultimately more lives are pulled into the vortex of ruin. Not surprisingly, this tale reveals that deceptions invade along multiple generational and social boundaries. As the plotline progresses, the truth is exposed gradually, plot twists are plentiful, and the final reveal at the end does not disappoint.

I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a murder mystery. It is adventurous and does a fantastic job in capturing one's attention from chapter 1 to finale. Character development is somewhat simplified and yet aptly captivating to carry the plot. Teenage readers will identify with their age-like characters, as adults will likely engage a recall of teen tragedy befallen to someone in their past. Overall The Forgotten Girl is an engaging mystery that won't disappoint. It is a captivating read, carrying many good elements of a great mystery, while realistically melding the intrigue of a fictional journey with teenage nostalgia: something most readers will easily identify with.

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for the review.

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Orphan Number Eight by Kim van Alkemade - Review

6:44 pm 15 August 2015

Orphan Number Eight presents a stunning backdrop of the evil horrors unveiled in the early years of medical experimentation with x-rays; devoid of morals, federal regulation, or any semblance of human dignity. How important it is to have fictional accounts of vitally important yet devastating consequences of people in power making immoral decisions over children, no less children cast into orphanages as a result of life's tragic turns. Who could speak to orphans human rights other than government that is inadequate or has poorly regulated resources? Are we better off today than a century ago?

Radiologic experimentation on orphans was carried out by Dr Mildred Solomon both for the advancement of medical knowledge and, more so, to forward her ambition to make a name for her through historical medical discoveries. Ambition in this novel is interwoven with the struggle of female physicians, as has been known to occur through most of the 20th century, to make their mark while striving to prove that they are worthy of the title, Doctor. Not the least of the struggles, a young orphan, Rachel, who struggles with family, interpersonal, human aesthetic, and sexual identities throughout the novel. Rachel learns to thrive despite the many oppositional forces she encounters.

Rachel forms friends and enemies in the Orphaned Hebrews Home, amongst the staff and her fellow orphans. There are tender moments depicted between Dr Solomon and Rachel, primarily during their interactions in experiments; painting an endearing canvas of the nurturing mother in Mildred, contrasted with a childlike trust imbued by Rachel; all done in the name of “justified” research. As a nurse in her 40's, Rachel later learns that the physical maladies from which she suffers, aesthetically and medically, were the result of experiment; not necessary intervention. Medically speaking, this novel is abundant in accurate descriptions, historical landmark events, and realistic staff-patient interactions; all engrained by and for institutions of medicine.

Rachel befriends Naomi in the Orphanage. Their relationship becomes a focus throughout the book, subtly morphing from childhood sexual experimentation into an unmistakable love relationship. The novel ends (not on the collision of medical conflicts built up by page 376; not on the social ramifications of orphanages on their inhabitants; not on the deadly fallout of adultery on the family unit; nor on the conflict of Jewish funding of institutions engaged in legalized abuse of children) but on the development of a lesbian relationship that is never mentioned on the cover synopsis. It becomes THE focus of this novel, thereby negating the true significance of the horrors of abuse that pervaded New York orphanages in the early 1900's; nor to the honor of the Author’s grandfather, for whom the novel is meant to be 'historical' and personal.

Overall the novel is set in two timelines and presents an interesting read. I recommend it to those with medical backgrounds, as I am a physician and felt the medical descriptions, and therefore the research, to be pretty spot on and captivating. I felt both a letdown for the reader, with respect to the ending, and for those whose suffering was aptly validated by exposure of the greed and egregious mistakes of professionals entrusted to care of children, barren of alternatives to home. I would recommend this novel to anyone who both loves historical fiction and can tolerate derailing of a great story onto separable social agendas.

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

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8:02 pm 13 June 2015

This novel takes you on an terrifying journey through history, detailing a fictional account of ethnic cleansing in the Bosnian prison camps. Generations of unabated religious tensions culminate in a storm of events that leaves thousands of Christians and Muslims dead, a country ripped apart, and survivors mourning for decades on end.

The novel intertwines the background of existing ethnic tensions with the blending of a Yugoslav American family. The plot roars down the tracks toward the reveal of long-kept family secrets, mortal danger through the generations, and an irony of retribution that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The scene alternates between American locales and Yugoslavian territories, effectively pinning your interest on multiple merging plots and plot twists, often revealed in true-to-life cliff hangers.

Realism is undenyable in the torture and murder depicted in the death camps, through brutal rapes (depicted in the precedent terror only) carried out at the hands of the Serb guards, and the demoralization of opposing ethnic groups; acts grounded by injustices to their ancestors generations before, yet unabated in their intensity over the centuries. The intensity of this conflict is expertly woven through the fabric of palpable scene depiction with characters painted from both the American and Eastern European canvas of life. One will easily feel a sense of DejaVu as the vibrancy of the scenes clearly reverberate with those that experienced the Nazi death camps of WWII. This modern day war scene transports the reader through a life path that is not only uncertain, but brimming with the gut-wrenching terror of war. Overall I highly recommend this novel to adult readers of all ages. One caution is that the descriptions can be gruesome and appropriately detailed, which effectively conveys the atrocities inflicted on those who endured the horrors of this Yugoslavian conflict.

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3:59 pm 5 March 2015

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Join The Book Club

1:21 pm 5 March 2015

What are top reasons to join the book club? First of all they motivate readers to read more, it's usually one or two extra books in a month. In the book club you'll discover new genres and books you wouldn't otherwise read. The best book is the one which evokes emotions and discussions, after exchanging the views with other readers, you'll have a feeling you understand the book much better. Finally, book clubs are great to make and keep friends, after all, the discussions aren't only about books. That's how a friendship among books is born.

Convinced to love book clubs? We bet you are! Now it's high time to create and join a book club on BookLikes.

The main menu has received a new spot - Book Clubs. The main page is adjusted to your language version and presents book clubs set in this language.

To set up your own book club, choose Book Clubs from the main menu and press Create a Book Club. Then fill up a blog club's name, description, your book club's logo, personalized background and rules. You can also decide whether the club should be private or public.

Book Club works the best when you schedule the reads for the upcoming weeks and months. When you add a next read, a book club page will present the currently reading book with the reading dates and members who joined. When you hover over the member's name, you'll see more information about this reader, including his/her reading progress.

The book club page has also a Club tab (with club information, here the admin can edit the club info), list of members tab, previous and next books (if selected).

With the Book Club the Discussion room is created. Discussions are linked with the book club and are visible on the book club page along with posts and reviews published by the book club's members.

You can also enter the book club from the discussion room.

It's enough to manage all books and reading schedules on your Book Club page - the discussions in the discussion group will be created automatically. Each new discussion will present a new challenge - a book you've selected to read in the book club in a given week or month. The main page of the book club will present the most recent title and it's reading session or discussion time.

The first Book Club is already on BookLikes. [PL] DKK was created by Polish members and has already completed the first reading and discussion session. It was great!

Hint: If you'd like to convert your discussion room into a book club, let us know at contact@booklikes.com

More book club's features are coming soon, of course :)

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