The Wrong Hostage

The Wrong Hostage
Author: Elizabeth Howell
Reader: Maria Tucci

When I'm at the library picking out books one of the first things I always try to look for with trying out out new authors is seeing the "New York Times Bestseller" note on the cover.  Reading the Dust Jacket of this book I was very excited to get started on this book...perhaps a little too excited.

I was disappointed with this one which is pretty rare that when I feel that I can't connect with any character in the book.  Grace Silva, the main character in the book is a Judge who is newly divorced from her billionaire husband.  They had a son together whom they shipped off to Mexico for boarding school which leads to him being held by Mexican officials who are owed money from the father who despite seeming as though he earned his money all legally we learn he has put his son in a situation where he could be killed by Mexican drug lords, what the drug lords don't know is that it really isn't his son....through DNA testing he found out a few years prior that this Grace had a fling before she got married and got pregnant and never knew who was the "for sure" father.  The only character I liked in this book was the son.....because as you read it you are empathetic to his situation...he isn't a big part of the book however, its more about trying to save him.

I would love to give this author another chance but it definately will not be near the top of my "To do" list

The Concrete Blonde

The Concrete Blonde
Author: Michael Connelly
Read by: Dick Hill
12 discs (13 hours)

The Dollmaker was the name of the serial killer who had stalked Los Angeles ruthlessly, leaving grisly calling cards on the faces of his victoms.  Now, with a single faultless shot, Detective Harry Bosch thinks he has ented the city's nightmare.

But the dead man's widow is suing Harry and the LAPD for killing the wrong man--an accusation that rings terrifyingly true when a new victim is discovered with the Dollmaker;s macabre signature.

So, for the second time, Harry must hunt down a death-dealer who is very much alive, before he strikes again.  It's a blood-tracked quest that will take Harry from the hard edges of the L.A. night to the last place he ever wanted to go--the darkness of his own heart.

Personal notes:
Harry Bosch the main character is a character in many of Michael Connelly's novels--Dick Hill (the reader) does a great job reading this character!  I love all the Harry Bosch series-One of the best detective series I have come across.

Killing Orders

Killing Orders
Author: Sara Paretsky
Read by Donada Peters
7 discs  (approx 8 hours)

It begins as a $3 million heist from a Dominican priory.  It spirals into a case of lethal complexity that may unite big corporate conspirators, Chicago's underworld bosses and the Church itself in a very unholy Trinity.  V.I. Warshawski's job is to find out for sure...even hough it's clear she might die trying. 

Personal Review:  I couldnt finish this book. I am a fan of the V.I. Warshawski novels, however both of the other novels I read were read by Sandra Burr-she did a great job!  This narrator isnt bad-its just She does have an English accent so after Listening to Sandra Burr read the other stories---and a BIG part of this character is that she was born/raised on the South side of Chicago it seemed odd that they would choose a reader with an English accent. 

The Kissing Game

The Kissing Game
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Read by: Donna Rawlins
5 discs ( 5 hrs 55 mins)
Romance/Suspense

Allowing Simon Hunt to play her partner on her latest assignment prabably wasn't Frankie Paresky's best idea ever, but the P.I. fount it just as hard  as most women did to tell him no.  When a chance to solve a long-ago mystery sparked a sizzling attraction between old friends, Frankie wavered between pleasure and panic.  Could ht ebest bad boy she'd ever known be the man she'd always love? Utterly seductive, irresistibly inventive, The kissing Game celebrates a lvoe as torrid as the Florida Sun-and as steamily passionate as a first kiss.

Cat & Mouse

Cat & Mouse
Author: James Patterson
Read by: George Guidall & Richard Ferrone
9 discs (10.5 hours)
Suspense fiction novel

Alex Cross — psychologist, single father, homicide detective — penetrated the criminal mind and solved some of the toughest cases ever.
Now comes the ultimate case of Cross's career.
In Cat & Mouse, things get too close to home. Two killers, one operating in America — one in Europe — believe Alex Cross is the only worthy opponent in the deadly game each has planned. And Alex must contend with something he hasn't known since the loss of his wife: he's falling deeply in love, and this romance will make him, and her, all the more vulnerable....
Gary Soneji is back. He vows his last act on earth will be taking the life of Alex Cross. But first he wants some fun, and Union Station, Washington, and Penn Station in New York are scenes of chaos as Soneji creates a train ride to hell. With time running out, Cross must predict Soneji's next move: the lives of thousands of innocent commuters hang in the balance.
Meanwhile, a second game of cat and mouse is being played. Thomas Augustine Pierce, referred to by the FBI and Interpol as "St. Augustine" for his uncanny ability to catch killers, has been chasing his demon, Mr. Smith, since his fiancee was brutally murdered, her heart cut out. Panic spreads through Europe when Mr. Smith strikes in London...then Paris.... But when the Soneji case takes a baffling new twist, Pierce must put the Mr. Smith case on hold to assist in a special investigation. Will Cross — or Pierce — figure out in time who is the cat and who is the mouse?

Swimsuit

Swimsuit
Authors: James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
Read by: Christian Rummel
6 compact discs
Fiction

A breathtakingly beautiful supermodel disappears from a swimsuit photo shoot at the most glamorous hotel in Hawaii. Only hours after she goes missing, Kim McDaniels's parents receive a terrifying phone call. Fearing the worst, they board the first flight to Maui and begin the hunt for their daughter.

Ex-cop Ben Hawkins, now a reporter for the L.A. Times, gets the McDaniels assignment. The ineptitude of the local police force defies belief—Ben has to start his own investigation for Kim McDaniels to have a prayer. And for Ben to have the story of his life.

All the while, the killer sets the stage for his next production. His audience expects the best—and they won't be disappointed. Swimsuit is a heart-pounding story of fear and desire, transporting you to a place where beauty and murder collide and unspeakable horrors are hidden within paradise.

Review

"Patterson never, and I mean never, disappoints." (USA TODAY Larry King )

"James Patterson is king of the bestseller hill." (Publishers Weekly )

"Patterson has mastered the art of writing page-turning bestsellers." (Chicago Sun-Times )

"The Man Who Can't Miss." (Time Lev Grossman )

"When it comes to construction a harrowing plot, author James Patterson can turn a screw all right." (New York Daily News )

"America's #1 storyteller." (Forbes )

Reccomendations if you liked this Book:

More James Patterson audio books:
Search Amazon.com for James patterson audiobook

More Maxine Paetro audio books:
Search Amazon.com for maxine paetro audiobook

More Christian Rummel(narrator) audio books:
Search Amazon.com for christian rummel audiobook

Fire Sale

Fire Sale
Author: Sara Paretsky
Read by: Sandra Burr
General Fiction
15 hours -12 discs

V.I. Warshawski may have left her old South Chicago neighborhood, but she learns that she cannot escape it.  When V.I. takes over coaching duties of the girls' basketball team at her former high school, she faces an ill-equipped, ragtag group of gangbangers, fundamentalists, and teenage moms, who inevitably draw the detective into their family woes.

Through young Josie Dorrado, V.I. meets the girl's mother, who voices her worries about sabotage in the little flag manufacturing plant where she works.  The biggest employer on the South Side, discount-store behemoth By-Smart, pays even less, and Ms. Dorrado doesn't know how she'll support her four children if the flag plant shuts down.

The elder Dorrado's fears are realized when the plant explodes; V.I. is injured and the owner is killed.  As V.I.  beings to investigate, she finds herself confronting the Bysen family, who own the By-Smart company.  When Billy Bysen runs away with Josie Dorrado, V.I. is squeezed between the needs of two very different families.  As she tries to find the errant teenages, and to track down a particularly cruel murderer, her own life is almost forfeit in the swamps that lie under the city of Chicago.



Reccomendations if you like this book:

V.I. Warshawski is  a character in a Series of Sara Paretsky's Novels; if you check this one out you might like these others also.

Search Amazon.com for v.i. warshawski audio cd

More Sara Paretsky's Novels:

Search Amazon.com for sara paretsky audio book

More audio books with Sandra Burr (narrator):

Search Amazon.com for sandra burr audio book

The Pelican Brief

The Pelican Brief
By John Grisham
(2999-CD) 9 compact Discs
Read by Alexander Adams

Late one October night, Justice Abe Rosenberg, at 91 the Supreme Court's liberal legend, is gunned down in his Georgetown home. Two hours later Myron Jensen, the court's youngest and most conservative justice, is strangled.  The country is stunned.  The FBI has no clues.

But Darby Shaw, a brilliant young law student and Tulane University, thinks she has the answer, She prepares a meticulous though very speculative brief that builds a strong case against a surprise suspect --  a suspect with very powerful friends who want Darby and "the pelican brief" she wrote out of the way for good!

"Takes suspense past the legal limit." (The New York Times)