"Fourth Wing" (the Empyrian #1) by Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros got my attention right from the start and kept it all the way to the end!  What a fantastic read if you like fantasy with dragons mixed with relationships.  Violet is a great character, the youngest in her family who finds herself in war college for dragon riders when she had her heart set on being scribe like her father.  Her mother, the commanding general, ordered her to go in the dragon rider quadrant against her wishes.  This book is all about her first year at the war college.  Violet is small, weak, doesn't want to fight but is also smart and clever.  

I loved this book because of the characters, the action, and the dragons.  Violet is an underdog who tries to overcome her weaknesses and beat the odds stacked against her.  She soon finds a target on her back because of who her mother is.  Violet is so nice and vulnerable that it was easy to root for her.  At some points, I cheered out loud and laughed out loud.  It had a lot of humor too!  I really enjoyed the connection with the dragons and Xaden is awesome!  So glad I can jump right into the second book in this series.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review:
In Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Violet wants to be a scribe, but her mom has other plans for her and is running the show.  Consequently, Violet goes to school to be a dragon rider and help defend her country.  Her sister and friends tell her not to do this.  Violet goes anyway because she does not want to live with wondering what if she had made it.  

This book is very good from early on.  It has a great storyline and plenty of action.  I'll have to wait a few months for book 2, but looking forward to it!  (5++ stars)

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"The Becoming" (Dragon Heart Legacy Book 2) by Nora Roberts

I liked The Becoming (Dragon Heart Legacy Book 2) by Nora Roberts better than the first book in this series because it has a lot more action, the dog has a big role in it and Marco proves to be a very good friend--so much so that I like him in spite of his being gay.  There is also some romance in this one and actual battles! I hated to put this one down because it has lots of very cool scenes including when Breen actually gets her own dragon!  Riding on a dragon just sounds very cool!  The only downside to this book for me was the few sex scenes and gay guys kissing that I could do without.  Nevertheless, I look forward to reading the last book in this series and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to escape to another world for a while!  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 3/23/24:
The Becoming (Dragon Heart Legacy Book 2) by Nora Roberts finds Breen in the homeland training for the battle that is coming.  She brought her friend, Marco, and her faithful dog, Bollocks.  I thought this was even better than the first book of this series!  It has lots more action and the storyline kept me turning pages quickly.  I look forward to Book 3!  This is a GREAT series!!  I highly recommend it!!!  (5++ stars)

Book 1 review--The Awakening

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"Everyone Is Watching" by Heather Gudenkauf

Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf is a page turner thriller!  I was hooked right from the start and found it hard to put down.  It is about a reality TV show with a prize of $10,000,000 and five contestants got an email invitation saying they were nominated to be on the show.  Similar to the TV show Survivor, but the challenges are brutal and the audience decides who must leave, not the players.  As contestant's private secrets are revealed, it becomes clear that this is much more than just a show.  The background of the characters is gradually revealed as the book goes on.  

This was wild and entertaining.  I enjoyed the challenges best, and really couldn't figure out the connection to all the characters.  This was an entertaining and enjoyable read for me since I like Survivor and competition.  I never knew what was going to happen next since this is packed with surprises all along the way!  I recommend you read this one and see if you can guess who wins.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)  

Gerard's review 4/9/24:
If you like reality shows, Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf is the book for you!  Five people are playing for a chance to win ten million dollars!  You can pick a person and see if they win.  What do they have to do?  You will have to read the book to find out!  This book was pretty much action filled.  I LOVED IT!  It is wild from start to finish!  I highly recommend this one!  Even if you aren't big on reality TV shows (like me), you may still like this since I did!  (5++ stars)    

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"The Coworker" by Freida McFadden

The Coworker by Freida McFadden is about revenge and what a story it is!  It is told from two points of view--Natalie's and Dawn's.  These two women are co-workers.  When Dawn turns up missing, Natalie becomes the primary suspect.  This book has an amazing plot that kept my interest throughout.  It's quite the elaborate mystery with lots of surprises along the way and an amazing ending.  WOW!  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 3/16/24:
In The Coworker by Freida McFadden, you can always tell when Dawn is in the office because she arrives he same time every day and has no friends.  On day she is not at her desk.  Natalie, her co-worker, gets a phone call that changes everything.  

Freida McFadden's books are very good and this is no exception.  It has plenty of twists and turns.  Good luck guessing how this one all plays out!  (5++ stars)

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"The Housemaid's Secret" by Freida McFadden

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden is a good mystery with twists and a great ending!  I enjoyed this book and liked the short chapters that flew by.  It's about a housekeeper who gets mixed up in trying to help a woman escape from her abusive husband, but finds out what she thought was all wrong.  This book is filled with deceit, relationships, and vengeance.  At one point, nothing made sense but as I kept on reading, it all became clear.    (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 1/5/24:
In The Housemaid's Secret by Frieda McFadden, Millie needs a job in the worst way.  When a very rich man offers her a job as a housekeeper, she takes it.  The only thing is that she cannot open the door of the room that his wife is in.  Will she open that door?  What would she find?  Millie has secrets of her own that better not get out.  This book is really, really good with a fantastic storyline!  It kept me turning pages right to the end.  Must read this one!  I loved it!  What a great book to start off the new year.  (5++ stars)

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"The Nature of Fragile Things" by Susan Meissner is Thrilling Historical Fiction

In The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner, an Irish woman comes to America to marry a man she has never met and knows nothing about.  That is just one of the multiple storylines in this book, all of which were interesting.  You will be engaged and get lost in this wonderful book.  There is lots of action and plenty of twists and turns.  Do not miss this one, it's a must read!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review Jan. 23, 2022:

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner is the story of a mail order bride from Ireland coming to San Francisco to marry a widower and become a mother to his 7-yr.-old daughter shortly before the great earthquake of 1906.  The full story unfolds slowly, but there is enough action along the way to keep the reader interested.  Sophie answers Martin Hocking's ad for a wife and mother because she is not happy living in bad conditions in New York and wants a home and a child to love.  Martin wants a wife to keep up appearances and to care for his daughter when he's away on business.  It is a loveless marriage purely of convenience.  This book is very good!  It is about family secrets, fraud, friendship and love.  (5 stars)

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"The Intern" by Michelle Campbell is a Fantastic Legal Thriller

The Intern by Michele Campbell is one of the best legal thrillers I ever read!  This is about a Harvard intern, Madison, to a crooked Judge, Kathryn Conroy.  Both women find themselves in compromising positions through no fault of their own.  I got into this book right from the start and kept turning pages very quickly!  The plot was well developed, the characters interesting and believable, suspense galore and a great ending!  The judge even had a cat that actually had a role in the book that I enjoyed very much. I loved this one and highly recommend it!  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 10/26/23:
In The Intern by Michele Campbell, Madison gets a dream job--an intern for a well-respected lady judge.  The judge likes her, and Madison feels she is on a fast track to where she wants to go.  However, soon her dream job turns into a nightmare!  This is a good read with good characters and an easy-to-follow storyline.  It has good action too in the second half of the book.  (5+ stars) 

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"The Only One Left" by Riley Sager is Amazing!

The Only One Left by Riley Sager, is the best book I've read this year by far!  It starts out a bit slow, but boy, does it pick up!  It's about Kit, a caregiver, who is hired to take care of a paralyzed person who was suspected of murder and lives in a big spooky house at the top of cliff.  Kit is hired soon after the previous caregiver mysteriously left.  This book has it all--mystery, suspense, action, devious characters, creepy fathers and lots of surprise twists with a great ending!  This was crazy good!  Loved it and highly recommend it.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)   

Gerard's review 10/2023:

In The Only One Left by Riley Sager, Kit becomes a caregiver for Lenora Hope.  It is believed Lenora killed her parents, but no proof was found.  Kit is afraid after a few days but needs the money so stays on the job.  She is soon to be a lot more frightened!  This book is amazing!  It has lots of twists and turns with an easy storyline to follow.  The characters are great too.  If you think you know how it all plays out, trust me, you do not!  Must read this one!  (5++ stars)

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"Five Survive" by Holly Jackson is so Good It's a Must Read!

Five Survive by Holly Jackson is a teen thriller than kept my interest.  Six friends head to spring break in an RV and end up in a deserted area with a shooter shooting out their tires and gas tank!  He says one of them has a secret and he'll only let them go if they tell him what he wants to know.  What does he want to know?  He doesn't say!  He just says they know who they are.  They can't call for help because there is no cell service.  How will they get out?    

This has lots of suspense in it as the friends try to figure out ways to escape and send for help.  This is a really good book because all through it, I was trying to figure out who was the one going to die (based on the title), how they would get out of this predicament and what the secret was and who had it.  I agree with my husband about this one--it's a page-turner and a must read if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers.  Even the ending is a shocker!    (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 1/23/23:
In Five Survive by Holly Jackson, six friends pile into an RV for a fun weekend at a camp.  They get lost in the dark and go into the woods where their RV breaks down!  Just when they are about to go, someone makes sure that they are not going anywhere until they give him what he wants.

This was SO GOOD from the writing, to lots of action, the storyline, the believable characters, and a great ending!  This went really fast because I couldn't stop turning the pages!  Do not miss this one!  (5++ stars)

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We Both Liked "This Tender Land" by William Kent Krueger

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger takes place in 1932.  Four young children, brothers Albert and Odie, their Indian friend Mose and Emmy, escape from Lincoln Indian Training School in Montana where they were treated badly.  There has to be a better life for them!

I thought this book was really good.  I loved all four kids!  This book kept my attention throughout.  I never knew what was coming next and it has a great ending!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger is historical fiction during the depression.  Four orphans escape from the Lincoln Indian Training School in Montana and head down the river in a canoe to get to the two brothers' aunt who lives in St. Louis.  Odie is Albert's younger brother, almost 13, who narrates the story.  In the book, Odie is a storyteller who plays a harmonica--his most prize possession that his dad gave him.  Albert's purpose in life is to keep Odie safe, but also is a skillful mechanic.  Their best friend is Mose, a Soux Indian who is very big, strong and easy going.  Emmy, the daughter of one of the teachers at the school who loved Odie's stories and whose mother died in a tornado goes with them because the head of the school who took her in is mean.  

This was a great adventure story.  It reminded me sort of Huckleberry Finn since much of it involved traveling in a canoe down a river.  Along the way they encountered many different people and each grew in their own way.  I liked all the kids.  The author did a good job keeping me guessing how this would end.  (5 stars)

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"The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah is One We Both Liked a Lot!

You can count on Kristin Hannah books being good and The Four Winds is one of them!  In this one, she highlights the Great Depression and Dust Bowl era.  Elsa is kicked out by her family after she got knocked up by a farmer boy.  They got married and lived with his parents on their farm.  Elsa learned farming and loved her husband, but when the drought came with the dust storms, he couldn't handle it and left her and their two young children to try to find work in California.  

This book is really good!  I loved the character interaction all the way through.  Elsa was a great character who carried the book.  She had low self-esteem but turned out to be very brave for her children.  I would have liked a different ending, but still loved the book.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review 7/7/21:

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is historical fiction about the struggle of farmers in America during the Great Depression and the big dust storms in the plains.  Many farmers left their land to try to find jobs in California where they thought they could find work.  Elsa, Rafe and her two kids Loreida and Anthony work on a farm in Texas with Rafe's parents.  When a long drought comes causing the crops and animals to die, Rafe leaves on his own for California.  When circumstances get even worse, Elsa has no choice but to leave with her kids as well.  Will Elsa find work?  Will she and her kids make it to California?  Will she find Rafe one day?  Will Rafe's parents be able to save the farm?  

This is a good book that made me appreciate all I have and how easy my life is compared to what people had to deal with during the Great depression.  I felt the characters were real people and cared about them.  This is a sad story about what love is and its importance.  I couldn't help but wonder how this book would end and was satisfied with the ending.  This book certainly opened my eyes and heart to the poor people who live in poverty.  I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction dealing with survival. 

This book reminded me of The Children's Blizzard because both dealt with children trying to survive the elements, but I liked this one better because of the writing and because there is more action in it.  (5 stars)

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"A Vow so Bold and Deadly" by Brigid Kemmerer (The End of a GREAT series!)

A Vow so Bold and Deadly is the third and final book in the Cursebreaker series.  I loved this series very much!  It is fantasy with some magic but also very relatable characters and lots of character development and interaction among them.  This last book centers mostly on Grey, Harper, Rhen and Lilith.  There is lots of action, and relationship developments.  I hated to see this series end, but loved the ending!  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

 

A Vow so Bold and Deadly is the third and final book in the Cursebreaker series.  Both my wife and I enjoyed this entire series very much!  Rhen and Gray are getting ready to go to battle against each other.  I do not want to give any spoilers, but I will tell you that the women have a lot to say and do in this book, especially Harper.  The ending kept me turning pages as quickly as I could!  This book is a great finish to an awesome series!  (Gerard 1/25/21, 5++ stars) 

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Books We Loved in 2019

This video is made up of three parts:  the first is books we both loved, the second is ten more that Gerard loved in addition to the first nine, and the third is ten more that Karen loved in addition to the first nine.  For links to reviews of the first nine, see previous post.  To find our reviews, just enter the title of the book in the search box at upper left of our blog.

Books Read in 2019 That We Both Loved and Highly Recommend

It's that time of year to review what we read last year and give you our top recommendations.  All year I keep a Word document of the books we read with our reviews printed so at the end of the year, we can just go through the list and circle our favorites.  I also have a photo album of the pictures of our favorite reads for each year which helps a lot when doing this blog post!  We use the library.  I read 81 books in 2019 and Gerard beat me again with 91.  Below is the list of nine books that we both loved including the links to our reviews of them for your convenience.

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (Fantasy)

Queen of Sorrow by Sarah Beth Durst (Third book in Queens of Renthia Series)  (Fantasy)

The Deepest Blue by Sarah Beth Durst (Fantasy/romance)

The Chain by Adrian McKinty (Thriller/Mystery)

  

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin (Thriller/Mystery)

No Exit by Taylor Adams (Thriller)

We, the Jury by Robert Rotstein  (Mystery)

The Institute by Stephen King (Horror)

The Pale-Faced Lie by David Crow (Autobiography--child abuse)

The way we review books is totally subjective.  We strictly go by how much it draws us in and makes us want to get back to it.  As you can see, we read different genres.  The fact that we have only 9 books that we both loved out of 172 proves we have fairly different tastes when it comes to books.  We don't always read the same books though, so be sure to see our other posts we do coming soon that gives you each of our individual top 10 reads besides these.  

Happy Reading in the New Year!

"The Pale-Faced Lie" by David Crow (True Story)

The Pale-Faced Lie by David Crow is about his terrible childhood, his abusive parents, and his struggle to be free from his father’s control and the guilt and shame he felt most of his life. He also had an older sister and a younger brother and sister. This is a sad story and one that is hard to believe families like his actually exist. It sheds light about life on an Indian reservation and how much damage can be caused by abusive parents. His dad was an ex-con who got away with murder and expected David to help him in his criminal activities. The only times David’s father was pleased with David was when he did mean things to people that his father thought was hilarious. Although David had a lot of obstacles to overcome, including his upbringing, hearing loss, poverty and dyslexia, he had a lot of determination and mental toughness. He barely graduated high school and went on to graduate college, majoring in political science. This book made me want to keep reading to see what was going to happen next and how he succeeded (I knew he did since he wrote the book). This was heartbreaking, but at the same time, extremely interesting.
 (Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 9/25/19:
The Pale-Faced Lie by David Crow is the true story about his family.  He had three siblings and they idolized their dad who told them stories about his World War II feats.  But, there was another side to Thurston Crow, the dad.  David tells the story of growing up with his dad and his mentally ill mother including plenty of action!What I enjoyed most about this book is that I really never knew what was going to happen next.
(5++ stars)

Teaser from page 8:  Other days, Dad tied me to the pine tree in our front yard.  He'd wrap a thick, scratchy rope around my chest and ankles and tug on it hard to make a tight know.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"No Exit" by Taylor Adams

In No Exit by Taylor Adams, Darby Thorne gets caught up in a blizzard.  She is able to get to a rest stop and once there, will find out that the snow will become the least of her problems!  This book is a real page turner.  Darby and the other characters were developed very well.  The action was good and I loved the ending!
(Gerard's review, 5++ Stars)

Karen's review:
No Exit by Taylor Adams is a thrilling suspense about Darby, a college girl who has been a big pain to her mother all her life. Darby gets caught in a blizzard in Colorado on her way to see her mother and make things right before she dies. When Darby stops at a rest stop, there are only four people inside—a creepy guy named Lars, a guy about her age named Ashley who was a chatter box, an older alcoholic veterinarian named Ed and his cousin, Sandi. Once Darby discovers Jay, a 9-yr-old girl locked in a cage in back of a van in the parking lot, she decides to help save the girl.

The suspense gradually builds as this book slowly moves along while the four at the rest stop wait for the snow plow to arrive in the morning. Wow, what a thriller this is! Darby comes up with plan after plan as one fails and she has to think of something else. This winds up with Darby giving the kidnapper a lot of trouble and almost getting herself killed on several occasions. I liked this book and although a couple things were really far-fetched and didn’t quite add up, I would recommend it to anyone who likes suspense. (5 stars)

Gerard's Teaser from page 22:  She stepped away, leaving a handprint on the door, feeling her heartbeat pounding in her neck.  An intensifying rhythm.

Karen's Teaser from page 23: Oh my God, there’s a kid outside in that van.
Locked in a cage or something.


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"A Curse so Dark and Lonely" by Brigid Kemmerer

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer is a great mix of contemporary fiction and fantasy. The main character, Harper, a girl born with Cerebral Palsy and her brother, Jake, struggle to care for their mother who is dying of Cancer and paying debts to the hoodlums their father was mixed up with before he died. Then one day, she was magically transported to another world called Emberfall where she was taken to break a curse that was on the prince and the castle.

I really liked this book because of the interesting characters, an amazing adventure, and the humor throughout the book. Some parts even made me laugh out loud! This was a page-turner for me that I could get lost in. Harper is a very strong girl and I enjoyed her interactions with Prince Rhen and Gray, his royal guard. This was a very entertaining, fun read that did not end quite the way I had hoped, but pretty close. I highly recommend this if you want a good escape from reality for a while. Loved it! (5 stars)

Karen’s teaser from page 147: “You would dare threaten the first daughter to the King of Disi?” Without waiting for an answer, I turn to face Rhen, who’s looking at me like I’ve grown a second head.

Gerard's review 3/30/19:
In A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, Harper and her brother do their best to take care of their mom who is very sick.  One night while Harper tries to save a young girl, she is taken and discovers a magical kingdom! A young prince needs her help!  Will she give it?  Can she ever return home? The story is told by Harper and Prince Rhen.

I thought this was pretty good.  I got involved with both of the characters early on.  I liked the story with some surprises.  The last part of the book is action packed!  I am hoping for a book 2. This is well worth reading.  I enjoyed it!
(5 stars)

Teaser from page 11:  Grey grabs his sword from the chair, pulling it free from the scabbard with a fierceness I haven't seen in . . . in ages.  "Have no worries, my lord.  This may be the shortest season yet."

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Deepest Blue" by Sarah Beth Durst (Fantasy) We Both Loved This One!

The Deepest Blue by Sarah Beth Durst is a fantasy about bloodthirsty nature spirits, love, adventure, sea monsters and politics on the Belene Islands south of Renthia.  Mayara successfully kept her spirit power a secret for years, only confiding in her best friend, Kelo who is now her fiance.  Unfortunately, on her wedding day, she used her special power to stop the big spirit storm from destroying her island.  That is when her adventure starts and she finds out what she is truly made of.  When the "Silent Ones" eventually find her, she is faced with a difficult choice:  denounce her family, leave her home forever and don't talk to join the Silent Ones or take her chances at trying to survive for a month on an island that is home to many nature spirits who are hungry and then become heir to the queen of Belene with the opportunity to visit her loved ones again.

I enjoyed reading this book very much, it is so good!  I liked the humorous parts and the characters.  The plot had twists I did not see coming at all and I was turning pages quickly eager to find out what would happen next.  My emotions were all over the place with this one--amusement, sadness, joy and curiosity.  This is a stand alone with a great ending!  I finished reading this one in just two days and recommend to anyone who enjoys uncomplicated fantasy.  (I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review--this book comes out March 19, 2019.)
(Karen's review 3/15/19, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 3/18/19:
In The Deepest Blue by Sarah Beth Durst, it starts off with Mayara's wedding day--a day to celebrate. But even before the vows are said, Mayara makes a decision that puts her future in doubt!  Can she get her and her husband's plans back on track, or is their future doomed?  The pacing of this book is very well done.  The best thing about this book to me was the interaction between all of the characters.  I really cared about what was going to happen.  The ending of the book was a wild ride to say the least!  Great job, Sarah!  (5++ stars) 

Teaser from page 73:  "Because you've arrived, we all get to die that much sooner.  Hurray.  So happy to meet you."

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Dream Daughter" by Diane Chamberlain was a Big Hit for Both of Us!

In The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain, Carly is going to give birth, but the doctor tells her it does not look good for the long run.  Her brother-in-law comes up with a wild solution, but will Carly go for it?  If she does, will it work?  This is a wild book to say the least!  Carly is a great character and you have to pull for her.  Some good twists and turns that I did not see coming kept me involved!  I especially loved the last part of the book!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

Karen's review, 11-30-18:
In The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain, shortly after Carly gets news that her husband was killed in Vietnam only weeks after he left in 1970, she learn she is pregnant.  Early in her pregnancy, she receives bad news that there is something wrong with her baby's heart and that it is fatal!  Carly is so devastated by the news, that she is willing to do anything to save her child--including time travel to the year 2001 so she can try fetal surgery!  Her brother-in-law, Hunter, who she met when she was his physical therapist was a time traveler from 2013 and talks her into giving it a try.

I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it to women.  It's a combination of contemporary and science fiction.  I don't think men would enjoy it as much.  It certainly has adventure but centers around Carly's fight to save and get to know her child, Johanna.  It has touching scenes and lots of unexpected twists along the way.  I was a little disappointed when it ended.  It even has two dogs in it and some funny parts as well.  I found it to be thought-provoking too and had trouble putting this down.  I really looked forward to getting back to it!
(5 stars)

Teaser from page 25:  "It doesn't matter.  What matters is that during her studies, she discovered it's possible to travel forward and backward in time."

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"We, the Jury" by Robert Rotstein

We the Jury by Robert Rotstein is about a trial where a husband killed his wife. The question is, was it premeditated or was he a battered spouse who killed in self-defense? We hear from everyone involved in the trial, especially the jury! I enjoyed this book very much! The characters were really good and I liked the judge and the fore person the most. If you can figure out how this one ends, you are smarter than me. This is my book of the month so far!
Gerard’s review, 5++ stars)

Karen’s review:
We the Jury by Robert Rotstein reminded me of the play, 12 Angry Men because instead of taking us through the trial, the entire book centers upon the 8-member jury and its deliberations. I think anyone who has been called for jury duty would find this book interesting. We find out about the trial through transcripts that the jury requests read back to them. My favorite characters were the messenger/”actor”, the student, the grandma and the jury consultant who was part of this jury! I felt sorry for the judge and was surprised by the ending. I really liked the unique way this book was written. Each new chapter was really commentary by one of the many different characters. I loved it! (5 stars)

Teaser from page 22: The jurors look at each other and shake their heads. The Clergyman doesn’t look at anyone. He just keeps his head bowed, as if in prayer.


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!