"Guilty" by Karen Robards

In Guilty by Karen Robards, Kate a single mom of a 9-yr-old boy, Ben, has finally built a good life for herself and now works as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia DA's office.  Unfortunately, her past comes back to haunt her and she finds her and Ben in great danger.  Fortunately for her, the cop who questioned her about the courtroom shooting is attracted to her and gives her some added protection even though he knows she is lying to him.

I enjoyed this romantic suspense novel but felt the ending was a bit too tidy and very unbelievable.  I did like the progression of Kate and Tom's relationship and the kid was an interesting character.  I liked how the mother was always thinking what would be best for him and wanted to protect him at all costs.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Corrupted" by Lisa Scottoline - Inspired by Kids for Cash Scandal!

In Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline, lawyer Bennie Rosato takes on a murder case to defend Jason who she feels she let down when he was sent to Juvie 19 years ago. She also finds romance with Declan, the uncle of the Ritchie, the guy who her defendant is accused of killing. This book was inspired by kids-for-cash scandal in the judicial system in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

This book got my attention right away with the glimpse into the juvenile detention system and following two 12-yr-old boys. I found it to be very interesting and the story moved along quickly. I like Bennie and felt bad for her when she and Declan had to put a hold on their relationship. I liked how the reader was kept informed all along the way of what Bennie was thinking and feeling and how she prepared her case. This book delves into what justice is in a very readable way. If you like to read about trials and enjoy seeing things from a lawyer’s point of view, I highly recommend this book.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Link to the real kids-for-cash scandal: http://jlc.org/luzerne-county-kids-cash-scandal

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 Both Liked "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier (Updated)

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is a sad story about an all-boy Catholic high school that has a “secret” organization called the Vigils who actually rule the school while the teachers look the other way. Archie is a master con who manipulates not only students, but also the teachers. He is the one who assigns tasks to students he chooses. When Jerry gets mixed up with the Vigils, his “assignment” gets out of hand and he realizes too late the participation in the chocolate sale for the school really wasn’t voluntary after all. Can Jerry really go against the Vigils and survive?

This is a quick YA read that I liked because of all the group dynamics involved. It is not only about bullying, but also about manipulation and being true to oneself. This is a powerful book that shows how devastating peer pressure can be. What started as an innocent prank mushroomed into much, much more! I plan to read more books by this author. The sequel is Beyond the Chocolate War.
(Karen's review, 8/20/15, 5 stars)


The Chocolate War by Robert Comier is about an all-boys Catholic school that sells chocolate bars as a fund raiser.   It is a tradition, but this year one boy refuses to do it!  Will this catch on with the other boys?  What will the consequences be for his refusal?

I lived this book in real life so it brought back lots of memories for me.  The author is spot on with his telling of it.  The characters were brought out very well and I enjoyed it.  It is a quick read that you can do in a day or two at the most.
(Gerard's review 8/10/15, 5 stars)

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!

"Behind the Beautiful Forevers" by Katherine Boo

Behind the Beautiful Forevers--Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo is the true story of people who live in the slums of India. The book focuses on Abdul who makes a living by sorting through garbage the rich people throw away. One day he is falsely accused of killing a disabled woman and must stand trial. This was an eye opening book for me. I did not know about the slums of India. It's not pretty.

Most of the story was very good but it bogged down some in parts so I give it 4 stars. I think it is worth reading! (Gerard's review)

 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. Happy Reading!

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"Alone" by Lisa Gardner

Alone by Lisa Gardner is a page turner that had my attention from the first page all the way to the end. It's about Bobby, a police sniper who responded to a domestic violence hostage situation and killed the husband who had his finger on the trigger of a gun pointed at his wife, Catherine, and 4-yr-old son, Nathan. Afterwards, he felt terrible about killing a man. His life got complicated when the man turned out to be a high court judge's son and learned he may be charged with murder! The judge files for custody of his grandson, claiming Catherine is a bad mother who is out to kill him by starving him to death. Catherine feels alone as she tries to protect her son, Bobby feels alone as he deals with his career problems and chooses to help Catherine when she tells him there was an intruder in her house.

This book psychological thriller is filled with suspense, manipulation, murder, family secrets, domestic violence and interesting characters. I had a hard time putting this one down and recommend it. (Karen's review) 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. Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Lethal" by Sandra Brown (UPDATED)

Wow!  Oh WOW! What a thrill ride Lethal by Sandra Brown is!  Honor and her 4-yr.-old, Emily, are taken hostage by Lee Coburn.  Later on you think that might be a good thing, or is it?  I never knew who the good guys and who the bad guys were in this book.  After awhile, I just decided to quit trying to figure it out and went along with an outstanding read.  If you want a page turner, this is it!  I really enjoyed it a lot, including the ending.  It has many twists and turns.  I LOVED everything about Lethal:  the characters were outstanding, the writing well done and the plot riveting!
(Gerard's review)

Lethal by Sandra Brown is full of surprises!  It is a thriller mystery with romance too and kept my interest.  Honor, a widow of a cop, and her 4-yr.-old daughter have the adventure of their lives when they see a man lying in their yard while baking cupcakes for the upcoming birthday party.   This book has suspense, adventure, mystery, organized crime and family ties all wrapped up in it to produce a fantastic read.  The relationship between Emily, the 4-yr-old daughter and the mean man is humorous and very entertaining.  The FBI has its work cut out for them when they are brought in to help catch a mass murderer and track down the leader of a crime ring when no one knows who they can trust.  I liked the ending although it is a bit open-ended for the reader to decide what happens next.  I highly recommend this book—it’s definitely a page turner that you get drawn into right away.

(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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"The Appeal" by John Grisham

The Appeal by John Grisham is a very good novel about the corruption of our justice system and how politics influence verdicts. It is certainly thought provoking and forces us to really question if we know for what and for whom we are voting. It was very interesting to see how devious and manipulative powerful people can be and how easily decent people can be duped and used when they focus on money and pride.

There are many different characters, but really only the main ones were well developed. I really liked the plaintiff's attorneys, Wes and Mary Grace Peyton from start to finish. I also liked Judge Sheila McCarthy from the start and felt sorry for her when the political campaign by her opponents could portray her as something she wasn't. It was enlightening to see how much money played a role in the election of the candidates. Again, if this is true, and I'm afraid it is, our country is in serious trouble!

Ron Fisk, although he was presented in a good light, I didn't like him because he went along with a plan he suspected was shady, even after seeking Godly wisdom and guidance. I was astounded at the way he voted once he became an Appellate Judge.

The only thing I really did not like about this book is that Christians are portrayed as being gullible, stupid and easily manipulated. Again, I hope this is fiction, but unfortunately, I'm afraid it's more truth than fiction. Great book!

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"False Convictions" by Tim Green

Whew, I'm glad I'm dne with this one!  False Convictions by Tim Green is one of the dumbest books I ever read.  I thought it would be good because it was about the Freedom Project but in this case the guy that was set free after 20 years was actually guilty after all.   This book just dragged along for me. 

The book was confusing to me and I had a hard time following what was going on.  Graham is a very wealthy man who is a well-known philanthropist who turns out to be a big crook who is on the board of The Freedom Project.  He was out to discredit a judge who refused to be "bought."  I was kind of lost throughout the book and really only liked the reporter, Jake, and the attorney, Casey.  It was very complicated with mafia connections tossed in.  

Once Dwayne, the guilty guy, was freed and Casey realized that she helped free a guilty man who killed again, because Graham set her up by managing to switch the DNA that would have proved he was guilty, she tried to correct the wrong.   


The book ends with a big chase which made no sense at all.  If you read this, I'd really be interested to see what you thought of it. 

I stuck it out but I should have quit after the first few chapters.  I did not like it at all and do not recommend this one.  There are so many better books to read! 

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?