"The Last Straw" by Ed Duncan is Full of Violence

The Last Straw by Ed Duncan is adult fiction with several story lines and several main characters.  First is the story line of why a Chicago crime boss is ordering a hit on a teenage girl who witnessed a car jacking in which the driver was killed.  The other is about the relationship between Paul (a well-respected lawyer and friend of the witness's family) and a hit man named Rico.  There is a lot of killing and action from the get-go in this dark adult fiction book.  It has racketeers, hit men, a prostitute, an inter-racial affair, murder and suicide.  

I got this book in exchange for a review and that's really the only reason I finished it.  There are a lot of characters in this, to which most I could not relate.  Rico was a hit man with a conscience which to me made him the most interesting character; however, this book is mostly about action and killing.  I felt the characters could have been developed more.  This book was just too dark for my taste with the only wholesome thing about it being the teenage eyewitness who was willing to testify.       
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

Teaser from page 13:  Jerry was the closest thing he had to a friend.  Yet when he found out about his death, he had felt nothing akin to grief.  Indeed, what he felt was almost nothing at all, except that he might be next.

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"A Gathering of Secrets" by Linda Castillo

A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo is a murder mystery that is extremely sad.  Right from the Prologue, this book blew me away!  It is downright gruesome at times with some suspense.  The Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder gets herself into a couple dicey situations in this book.  When she discovers what a slime bag the 18-yr-old Amish boy really was, it becomes a struggle for her to hunt down his killer.

This book had some surprises but I came close to figuring out who the murderer was.  I thought the plot was interesting and kept my attention throughout the book.  I finished this one in just two days.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review (3.5 stars):
In A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo, a teen-age boy is found burned to death in his own barn.  Foul play is suspected.  It is up to Kate to find out who did this and why.  This book is pretty much the same as her other books with it set in the Amish community, her in danger while trying to solve the case, and some of her personal life.  The names and incidents change, but pretty much follows the same pattern.  I thought it was okay.

Teaser from page 6:  Meet me in the barn at midnight.  I'll make it worth your while.

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"The Cabin at the End of the World" by Paul Tremblay

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay is one of the dumbest books I ever read! I should have known I wouldn’t like it when I saw Stephen King praising it. I just kept reading because I thought it must get better, but it never did. Two gay guys and their adopted Chinese daughter are at a cabin in New Hampshire on vacation when four strangers come to see them. Practically the entire book takes place inside the cabin. The only action in this book is killing people. The writing was annoying to me as well, very wordy. I was glad when it finally ended! It’s a stupid scenario and depressing. Maybe Stephen King fans would like it, but I really hated it. I give it zero stars if I can. It’s really the worst book I ever read and finished and feel like it was a big waste of my time. I should have quit on it from the start when I thought about it. I would not recommend this one to anybody.
(Karen's review)

Teaser from page 25: “We are not here to hurt you. We need your help to save the world.”


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"The Whispering Room" by Dean Koontz

The Whispering Room is the follow up to The Silent Corner.  Jane is still on the run to put an end to the madness of people killing themselves!  At over 500 pages, this will take you awhile.  However, there is good action with a bunch of different characters.  Jane is a really good character as she is always one step ahead of the people trying to stop her.  This is as good as the first book!

Teaser from page 11:  Considering what she knew about certain powerful people, the best she could hope for was a bullet in the head.  They had the means by which to do much worse to her, the ability to break her, to scrub her mind of memories, rob her of free will, and reduce her to docile slavery.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"In 27 Days" by Alison Gervais (YA about Suicide with a Twist)

In 27 Days by Alison Gervais, Hadley Jamison has it all.  Her parents are very well off so she lacks for nothing.  She is pretty with lots of friends and lives in a real nice apartment.  When she finds out a classmate of hers has died, someone she hardly knows, she wishes she could have done something.  Sometimes wishes come true, but it comes with a cost.  In this case, the cost is plenty!

I was into this book from page 1!  The characters are believable and the story line kept me turning pages.  What more do you want out of a book?  I LOVED It! Do not miss this one!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review, 8/11/17: 
I liked In 27 Days by Alison Gervais too.  This is about two high school students in a prep school who come from very different backgrounds but develop a friendship through very unusual circumstances.  When Hadley goes back in time 27 days to try to prevent Archer from committing suicide, both their lives change for the better!

I liked this book and would recommend it to teens.  It promotes the value of life and shows how just by making time for others can make a huge difference in their lives.  The only thing I didn't get about this book was the paranormal characters, Death and Havoc.  That's why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.  I almost finished this book in a day.

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"If I'm Found" by Terri Blackstock

If I'm Found by Terri Blackstock is the follow-up book to If I Run.  Casey is on the run for a murder she did not commit and Dylan is looking for her to help her.  But, does Casey trust him?  Meanwhile, Casey gets involved in an injustice that she sees.

This book kept me engaged for sure!  Casey and Dylan are really good characters and it has a good ending.  Although not quite as good as the first book, I think you will still like it as I did.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"The Watcher in the Wall" by Owen Laukkanen

In The Watcher in the Wall by Owen Laukkanen, there is a website that young teens are going to.  It's a suicide how to and somebody is encouraging them to do it!  The detectives are on it and it's a race to stop this person before more kids die.  But they will need all their skill to stop it.

I thought this action-packed book was really good; the pages flew by!  The characters were developed well and very believable.  The ending was kind of drawn out, but that is a minor point.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Always Watching" by Chevy Stevens

Always Watching by Chevy Stevens is about a Psychiatrist, Nadine, whose bad childhood memories are stirred up when she gets a patient who left the same commune she was in, although it has a new name and advertises as a spiritual retreat place. Nadine feels the need to report what happened to her in the commune and hope the cops will arrest the leaders and get “The River of Life Spiritual Center” shut down to keep others from being hurt. Nadine also has a teenage daughter who ran away, got into drugs, and lives on the streets. All Nadine wants is for her daughter, Lisa, to be happy and longs for her to come back home. Her biggest fear is that the cult-like commune will get her daughter comes true.

I liked this book okay, but not as much as I liked this author’s other books. It just moved a little slow for my taste and was pretty predictable. Mostly was sad with what I thought was an unrealistic ending. It has a lot of flashbacks showing the memories Nadine had buried from her past. Nadine’s relationship with her daughter was heartbreaking. The last quarter of the book has the most action and suspense which I liked the most.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

See my reviews of her other books:
That Night - great, both liked!
Those Girls - both liked
Never Knowing - great! (In both of our top favorites for 2011)
Still Missing - both liked! (One of Gerard's top favorites in 2011)

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"The Silence of Six" by E. C. Myers

In The Silence of Six by E. C. Myers, you will meet Max, a young teen boy who knows how to hack into computers, phones and anything else.  He is very good at it!  When a close friend of his contacts him and then kills himself during a Presidential debate, Max wants to get to the bottom of it.

I enjoyed this book because there is lots of action and Max is a great character.  The ending was really good too!  If you liked Ready Player One, you will most likely enjoy this book too!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Beyond the Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

Beyond the Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is the sequel to The Chocolate War and continues on with the Vigils and their shenanigans at the Trinity High School. Obie and Carter join forces to bring down Archie. Obie becomes distracted with a girl and Archie doesn’t like it. Jerry lived in Canada after recovering from the beating he took last fall, but returns and Goober feels guilty and very protective of him. This story becomes one of life and death as the year takes its toll on the boys. With one suicide and two attempted murders, this book shows a dark side of high school.

I didn’t care as much for this book as I did the first. It covered many different boys, which was a little hard to keep straight at first. If possible, it even got darker than the first one in my opinion. It too though is a quick read.

SPOILER ALERT – STOP IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS BOOK YET. I was shocked really to see how Obie got so caught up in revenge that he became as bad as Archie. Once again, Archie is in control and even after he graduates, keeps his control over the school. It’s pretty amazing how he manages it. (Karen's review, 4 stars)


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"More Happy Than Not" by Adam Silvera

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera is a YA novel told by a young teen boy named Aaron.  He is having problems figuring out who he is exactly and he does not have his dad to go to because his dad committed suicide.  Poor Aaron thinks he is the cause of that!

I enjoyed this book.  It covers a lot of modern-day issues and all the characters were very well developed. 
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"I Was Here" by Gayle Forman

When Cody receives an email from her best friend, Meg, informing her that she is dead, Cody is shocked and decides to investigate.  What she finds frightens her and she wants to stop it!  But is she in danger?

I Was Here kept my interest and is a quick read.  I cared about Cody and wanted the best for her.  It's a good read, give it a chance!
(Gerard's review, 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. Happy Reading!

"All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven is told by Finch, a young boy and Violet, a young girl.  They have something in common and to find out what that is, you will have to read the book.  I'm not saying.  They form a relationship and that is the basis for this YA novel.  I LOVED IT!  It was something to read as these two kids got to know each other.  It goes quick; I finished it in just two days.  Give it a chance, you will be glad you did.
(Gerard's review, 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. Happy Reading!

"The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone" by Adele Griffin is Riveting

The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin tells the story of part of Addison Stone's life.  She was a young girl who was a very talented painter whose life was way too short.  It is told by her family, her friends and other people with whom she came in contact.  I was "wowed" by it and found it to be a riveting page turner! 
(Gerard's review, 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. Happy Reading!

"Five Days Left" by Julie Lawson Timmer is one We Both Liked! (UPDATED)

Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer contains two story lines:  the first one is about a woman named Mara who is battling severe health problems; the second one is about Scott, a teacher, who takes in a younger brother of a star pupil of his.  When the boy's mom wants her son back, Scott has a hard time letting go.  Although the Scott story line is good, the Mara story line is gripping!  The endings of both are stunning.  It doesn't get much better than this!  I found this book very hard to put down, finishing it in just two days.  LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review 10/11/14, 5 stars:
I liked Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer for the following reasons:
(1)  I learned about Huntington's disease, one I had never even heard of before;
(2)  Since I am a legal secretary, I could identify with the career aspect of Mara and her secretary;
(3)  The story line about Scott, a teacher, having temporary guardianship of Curtis was very interesting to me;
(4)  It brought out a lot of emotions for me:  sadness, anger, sympathy, empathy and
(5)  I wasn't sure how either story lines would end.

I felt very sad for Mara and her family and could easily understand why she planned to commit suicide.  I loved how Scott took in Curtis while his mom was in jail and was so upset at the thought of losing him.  It was kind of an interesting sideline how the author brought Mara and Scott together through an online forum that they both used for support.  This book shows how sometimes people need strangers who they can open up to as Mara did with her cab driver, Harry, a recovering alcoholic and with the online forum.

I was more interested in Scott's story line than Mara's because Mara's was just so sad.  In Scott's, I at least had hope!  I think this would make for a good book club read!  

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!

"League of Denial" by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru--Must Read for NFL Fans

League of Denial by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru tells the story about the lasting effects that constantly getting hit in the head have on NFL players and how the NFL continues to ignore this problem.  The best parts of this book are the ones that center on specific players.

Being a diehard NFL fan, I knew this stuff but this book gives great background on why these players took their own lives in some cases.  I waited a long time to read this book, but it was worth the wait!  If you love football, you should read this book.  You might get a new outlook next time you see a player get knocked out!  
(Gerard's review, 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. Happy Reading!

"The Good Sister" by Wendy Corsi Staub (UPDATED)

The Good Sister by Wendy Corsi Staub certainly kept my interest.  This is a good story about revenge which incorporates the dangers of social media.  The murderer is so clever and so mean!  Although I figured out who it was, the twist at the end was shocking!  Carly is the older sister who tries so hard to do what is right and be nice but finds herself being bullied at her Catholic school.  Her mother is worried about her when Carly’s ex-best friend commits suicide and then another girl from her school also commits suicide.  This is a creepy mystery I won’t soon forget.  I look forward to reading more books by this author!  We highly recommend this one if you like a good murder mystery. 

(Karen's review posted 12/6/13)

Good Sister by Wendy Corsi Staub is about a young girl who goes to a private girls school and is bullied.  She finds a friend on the Internet and that is when this book really takes off.  I liked the plot but you will have to read it all the way to the end to figure out what's what!  I enjoyed it very much--kept me turning pages.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"The Program" by Suzanne Young (UPDATED)--We Both Liked This One!

In The Program by Suzanne Young, teen suicide is on the rise so the government starts "The Program" designed to help teens, but at what cost?  The story is told by a young teen girl and does it very well.  It had my interest from page 1 all the way to the end.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Updated 10/18/13:
The Program by Suzanne Young is a combination of teen romance and adventure.  The premise is to prevent teen suicide by capturing high risk teens that show signs of depression or loneliness and by using drugs, erase their memories that led to their depression.  They are institutionalized for 6-8 weeks and then released under the watchful eye of handlers. 

I really liked this book because Sloane, the main character, is strong and tries to keep her memories.  It's an interesting novel that I had trouble putting down.  It's a book I was eager to get back to reading. 
(Karen's review, 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. Happy Reading!

"Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock" by Matthew Quick

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick is a really good quick read YA novel! It's Leonard Peacock's 18th birthday and he has something special in mind. He plans to kill his former best friend, and then himself!

I enjoyed this book very much, it has a good story line that kept me turning the pages. I finished it in just two days! I liked the ending too. If you are looking for a good quick read, this is it.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Why of Things" by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop

The Why of Things by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop is a quick read about a family that is dealing with the loss of a member.  When they go to their summer cottage, they find they have to deal with another tragedy which kept me interested.  I would have liked a little more action though!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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