The Gray Zone: A Novel. Daphna Edwards Ziman. Greenleaf Book Group Press. June 2011. 324 pp. hb. ISBN #: 9781608321100.
Kelly Jensen is one tough cookie, hiding her childhood and young adult abusive background and pain. She's fleeing with her two children but the reader won't know for sure precisely what she's attempting to escape for quite some time. It's well worth the wait!
At the same time, an aspiring State Senator, Congressman Porter Garrett has been found dead. It doesn't take very long for the police, FBI, and attorney, Jake Brooks, to link Kelly and another young woman to the grisly death. But now that evidence and private investigator activities are revealing even deeper connections among politicians, bankers, foster parents, and birth parents, Kelly disappears off the radar. It seems she has a much larger plan that will free her, if she can carry it out. However, luck isn't with her and the Court orders her placed under the supervision of Jake. Should she trust him with some or everything of what she knows? Is he truly trying to do the right thing by her or is he just pursuing something he can't have, a pattern he always followed in his younger years as a peer of the murdered congressman?
Kelly is an amazingly intriguing character. She elicits profuse sympathy, but that just as quickly turns to admiration and wonder about her intelligence and nerves of steel! The reader remains totally enthralled as Kelly carries out the ultimate plan to convict the guilty, remove the final chains blocking a free future, and embrace a different way of life that promises hope and perhaps even joy!
Daphna Edwards Ziman has penned an amazingly gripping, mysterious, and superb crime thriller that is a must read for anyone loving this genre!!!
The Guardian Angel's Journal: A Novel. Carolyn Jess-Cooke. Guideposts. April 2011. 304 pp. ISBN #: 9780824948795.
Margaret Delacroix has died. In a highly unusual and ironic twist, she has been assigned to be a guardian angel to herself but with the new name, Ruth. This, however, is no easy task as her job has four rules that must be followed in her mission. She must be a witness to everything Margot does, feels, and experiences. She must protect Margot from the forces attempting to interfering with the choices Margot makes. Third, she must keep a record, a journal, of all that happens; and fourth, she must "love Margot." The latter doesn't appear to be too daunting a task until the reader gets deeper into the story.
Margot has been born into a childhood of heart-rending suffering, abandonment, cruelty, and abominable experiences that make the reader cringe and sadly cause the divine light she was born with to gradually wane and almost disappear. Another way of saying this is that life's knocks have made Margot into a tough cookie who is extremely needy but who guards against any intrusion into the minute fragment of vulnerability left. So begins a life of alcohol, drugs, destructive relationships, and lack of vision that has been surrendered to the stronger elements around her.
What is particularly intriguing in this story is what one would call the proverbial battle between "good and evil," a stereotypical phrase this reviewer dislikes; but that is exactly what is transpiring between the guardian angels and demon angels surrounding most of the characters. This battle, for example, is depicted in the pattern of paralysis in a person's self-esteem that blocks freedom in any shape or form. Or perhaps it is an illness that takes hold and will not let go until death. These challenges form the fascinating part of this story, with some very frightening and very tender moments sure to touch every reader.
The Guardian Angel's Journal: A Novel is not light reading but is a tale that will remain with the reader, ultimately affecting the way he or she makes choices, connects to or disconnects from the divine, and loves or rejects love of all shades and variations appearing in one's day-to-day life. Thoughtful, provocative, horrific, and endearing - what a combination! Nice job, Ms. Jess-Cooke!
Ten Beach Road. Wendy Wax. Berkley Books/Trade Paperback. May 2011. ISNB #: 9780425240861. Includes Reader's Guide.
Three families' lives are shattered upon discovering that the money they thought was wisely invested is gone via Matthew Dyer's Ponzi scam. Maddie Singer's husband, Steve, loses his job because he has invested his client's money in Dyer's scam, and Steve simply quits mentally and spends his days wielding the remote control on the living room couch. Maggie is determined to find out if the mysterious "mansion" in Florida on the Gulf side has any potential as their last hope for financial survival.
Avery Lawford is a co-host on the popular TV home and garden show, "Hammer and Nails." Little by little, her role in that show is reduced to smiling and looking pretty, until the day comes when she is sacked and without any help from her ex-husband host, Trent. She also is absolutely stunned on realizing that what she thought was her nestegg is gone into Matthew Dyer's illegal financial dealings. All she has left, as well, is a share of ownership in this Florida "mansion."
Nikki Grant, a professional matchmaker, discovers that the brother she herself raised has turned out to be the man who has duped not only individuals but also charities and other needy institutions out of their principal funds as well as interest. In fact, he has even left his own sister nothing to grasp for living on a day to day basis except for a third of a share this unknown Florida residence, Bella Flora.
These three woman, plus Avery's mother and Maddie's daughter, slowly arrive to discover their seaside Florida home is nowhere near sellable status. The story begins as they begin the grind of restoring this architectural masterpiece, disguised as a broken-down shack, with the hopes of thus recouping at least a small portion for their financial survival.
The story evolves with wonderful descriptions of restoring and decorating this beautiful home, with the assistance of many unexpected sources and experts. We share the strengths and weaknesses of these women, who carry unique stories of betrayals and secrets but manage to transcend them to complete the task at hand and forge friendships that are both priceless and eternal.
The Chinese call every challenge an opportunity, refusing to be daunted by the ferocity or formidable quality of any problem. That attitude becomes the lodestone guiding these women, as well as a sense of thankfulness. When the task is finally very near total completion, more dark revelations and storms threaten it all. That is when we see and come to love the feisty, caring characters of these women forging new lives and refusing to surrender to anything or anyone.
Funny, heart-breaking, romantic, and so much more, Ten Beach Road is a superb read that depicts all facets of women in distress and woman who exponentially grow as they learn to trust one another and reinvent the rest of their lives. This story about recovery and restoration on so many levels is just delightful!
Claude and Camille: A Novel of Monet. Stephanie Cowell. Crown Publishing Group (pb). April 2011. 352 pp. ISBN #: 9780307463210.
Claude Monet, an early 19th Century artist, refuses to take over his father's business and suffers from his passionate compulsion to become a renowned artist. Initially a mentor indicates to him that he lacks discipline, a fact to which he responds with openness. Forced to earn money because his family will not support him and lacking a patron, Monet moves to Paris where he forms a strong bond with other emerging artists such as Renoir, Cezanne, Pissarro, and Manet. Each artist's work is characterized by unique qualities such as Renoir's portrauts, but Monet is riveted by a desire to accurately depict the different variations of light and shadow he observes in city and suburban landscapes. He and his friends live, dine, and work together, inspiring and arguing with each other about the new forms of art they are trying to create and which they hope the public will acclaim.
It is only when Claude meets Camille that his painting begins to manifest the passion, mystery, and beauty she represents to him. Yet he is slow to realize that Camille has dreams and secrets of her own, although little by little she claims that he is all she desires. As they begin to live together and have children, Camille sacrifices her dreams of becoming a famous author, singer, and actress so that Claude will be free to immerse himself deeper in his art. Living in destitute conditions, they struggle to maintain that dignity and hope that for too long seems elusive. Misunderstandings with colleagues and secrets about clandestine relationships threaten to destroy what they have, beginning with the Great War which drives their colleagues to different parts of Europe for different reasons.
Finally, the public begins to accept the "Impressionists," as these artists label their group. It's a bittersweet victory as the years of loneliness and struggle take their toll on all, yet the deep love between Claude and Camille survives the vicissitudes of their own weakness and world affairs, revealing a momentous love story that remains for sure the greatest force behind Claude's creations.
If you're looking for a story that goes beyond the proverbial "struggling artist" stereotype, this is a superb novel. Claude and Camille evokes the powers of observation and emotional sensitivity vital to the creation of magnificent art. Stephanie Cowell is a master at slowly revealing the essence of central characters, depicting artistic pieces in a way that mekes one want to run to see the actual works and presenting the day-to-day ups and downs of endearing yet stormy relationships that totally engage readers. This novel is one more example of this author's immersion in great art and music that so easily emerges as a literate love story of a renowned artist and his muse. Wonderful!!!
Always the Vampire. Nancy Haddock. A Berkley Trade Paperback: Penguin Books. May 2011. 342 pp. ISBN #: 9780425240885.
Francesca Melisenda Alejandra Marinelli, St. Augustine, Florida's only vampire, is a competent woman who gives ghost tours and presently is sharpening her skills as her best friend, Maggie O'Halloran's maid of honor and organizer for an absolutely perfect wedding. Some initial challenges arise with an increased number of unexpected guests and other matters, but suddenly a more formidable threat to the peace and well-being of all appears.
A disease is spreading among vampires which seems in essence to be sucking the life out of them a little at a time, altering their physical condition in a most sickening manner that is only the precursor to a horrific death. The disease is known as the Void, explained to "Cesca," as she is known, as a nonphysical thought form, "a magical construct, likley created in a ritual that focused willpower, visualization, and life force energy," one that is directed by its Creator. Who is the Creator and what is the intent of such a destructive entity? Therein lies the challenge behind this paranormal romance that is also a well-developed mystery with just enough clues to keep the reader flipping the pages to reach the unexpected conclusion.
Along the way, the reader meets a bevy of characters with unique personalities that are funny, fearsome, and possessed of magical powers well-needed as the complex plot unfurls and eventually ties together somewhat confusing loose ends. Passion in relationships abounds, with some remnants from the past resolved with some testy but funny banter.
Cesca's life is threatened frequently, although she seems to the only vamp immune to the encroaching power. Powers pass through various time and space patterns known as the Veil. Cesca, as well as the other characters, must be trained to tackle the devastating, new, and increasingly dangerous events that are kiling human beings as well.
Sometimes difficult to follow but ultimately a light, funny story, Always the Vampire is the third novel in this series that will delight all who love vampire stories, mysteries, the paranormal, and good romance tales. Cesca is a sassy, modern, and feisty vampire character for sure! Very cool story!
Sons and Princes: A Novel of Suspense. James LePore. The Story Plant. April 2011. 352 pp. ISBN #: 9780984190522.
Chris Massi is the son of a father who was absent and far from a true role model to Chris, at least that's what Chris thinks. But involvement in the Mafia and the acts that flow from there have ramifications that spread wide and far, beyond in fact one's very limited imagination. After making a life for himself in the so-called normal world as a lawyer on the side of justice, Chris finds that his father was responsible for the death of a friend's father, that man, now a dire enemy, who has spent his whole life trying to destroy Joe Black Massi's family.
Now, Chris is disbarred from practicing law, divorced, and watching one son acting like a wanna-be Mafia man and the other one drugging and womanizing himself to death. Not a happy family scenario for sure! Readers now enter the completely sordid world wherein secrets are revealed of who killed whom, of who was responsible for destroying Chris's career, and of the origins of a loss that completely spins Chris Massi's life in a different direction that will leave the reader flipping pages to find out what happens next.
The plot thickens with the introduction of a drug addict, Michele Mathias, who has lost her daughter to her addiction but who has a glimmer of hope that rises strongly when she meets Chris Massi. Ironically, it turns out that the bosses behind the drugs, porn, etc. have more to do with the Mafia Chris knows so well.
Who can be trusted? Is Chris being tested for a new crime career as he is offered the opportunity for revenge? What is it about Joe Black Massi, the father, and Joseph, Chris's brother, that Chris discovers and wishes he knew long before this cycle of confusion turns into a vortex of death and disaster leading only to prison or the grave?
To say more would spoil the suspense flying through so many pages of this crime drama that, given more public exposure, is sure to become a best seller.
James LePore, as in previous books, knows his subject well, including the gray rather than black and white world of the Mafia. Trust is the issue of honor that is the essence of Sons and Princes, a trust the redeems when one realizes that things are not what they truly appear to be! Thrilling read for all crime and mystery lovers!
To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Christy English. New American Library. April 2011. 400 pp. ISBN #: 9780451232304.
"As I sat alone in my tent, with only Amaria to attend me, I wondered. Perhaps it was time to build a new dream for myself." What is it like to be raised by a loving father who instilled a sense of equality and dignity in a daughter that would enable her to rule the Province of Aquitaine one day? How does one maintain that dream in a world of marriage to King Louis VII, the boy King who loves the Catholic Church more than his kingdom or wife, for the most part, who considers sexual relations to be a grievous sin for which he must constantly repent?
This is the story of Eleanor's early years when she is clinging to her independence in a world that sees woman as worthy of dalliance, piety, and childbirth. Correction - most woman are allowed dalliance, but the Queen of France is expected to be the model Christian Queen. At first she believes she can bring Louis around to be a close husband in all ways but gradually she knows it's a losing battle against Louis' confessors, one of whom will later reveal grievous crimes beyond one's comprehension.
Travel with Eleanor and Louis on their way to the Crusades in Jerusalem, experiencing the architecture, interior design, food, and styles of the citizens of Constantinople, Antioch, and more European cities that greet this royal couple with joy while their leaders reveal scintillating and devious motivations and acts that continue to shock and alarm the reader.
Know the brief joy that Eleanor finds with two men throughout these years and finally one,Henry of Normandy, to whom she will give her heart, mind and soul forever. Christy English has written a well-researched but quite realistic picture of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who "became" the renowned fiery, powerful leader during these younger years when life seemed fragile and yet glorious enough to grasp, live in fully, and celebrate with those who shared her dreams.
Ever provocative, unpredictable, humorous, and free in spirit, Eleanor will delight you through every page of this very, very enjoyable novel. Delightful, Christy English!
