Harlan Coben - Deal Breaker

Myron Bolitar is officially my favourite character from all the mystery novels out there. Harlan Coben has created such a fascinating character: he's charming and dashing; has a great sense of humour with those witty one-liners; but also very vulnerable and injured in a very attractive way and just makes you want to hug him and say that everything will be okay. There is also a great supporting cast: his best mate, Win, whom I must say is a little scary and creepy (but still oh so cool); Esperanza, a fiercely protective friend; and Jessica, who is the love of his life. Everything just works so well in this book -- the combination of humour (great banter between characters!), mystery and suspense -- they just come together perfectly and make this such an entertaining read. There are also some classic moments that made me laugh so hard. For example, Win getting a mobster to drop the hit on Myron by offering him the opportunity to play at prestigious golf courses -- priceless! I was first introduced to Myron and his gang in Drop Shot and now that I've read the first in the series, this is one that I will continue to follow. I would love to know more about Jessica and Myron; Coben never explains why the two broke up and he makes it clear that they both still are very much in love with each other. Overall, a fantastic book; I say, give me more!

Gillian Flynn - Sharp Objects

This sure was an impressive debut effort from Gillian Flynn, albeit a very dark and twisted one. Flynn crafted a psychological thriller that was extremely intense and there was no let-up from the intensity at anytime; it was uncomfortable, creepy and bone-chilling at times. Camille, the protagonist in the novel, was a damaged soul from her childhood and emerged broken, still unable to shake off her demons. The author built a palpable suspense in revealing the horrors that Camille went through, and what she unveiled in her investigation of the two murders in her hometown. I was kinda expecting the ending but Flynn had me hook, line and sinker for the mother, so I was still horrified when I read it and it blew me away. This was a page-turning thriller that had me hooked on every page and I look forward to more of Gillian Flynn's work.

Michael Crichton - A Case of Need

I am a fan of medical thrillers but A Case of Need by Michael Crichton isn't very good. Firstly, the medical footnotes annoyed the hell out of me. I get that they are useful in explaining the medical jargon, but I think it was used way too much in the book that it lost its effectiveness. Even then, it wasn't consistent! He explained some obvious terms but then did not for 'D & C', which was used regularly throughout the book. It felt like Crichton was trying too hard to impress -- hey, look at me, I know all these fancy medical terms -- and just peppered everything with all the medical jargon he had ever picked up. This was overkill, a subtle touch would have been better. Secondly, I don't think the suspense of the plot was built well at all. Discoveries that I deemed as major plot developments just vanished or turned out to be inconsequential. A prime example was the possibility that Karen Randall might not have been pregnant at all. It felt like the protagonist was pursuing this truth relentlessly but when a certain point in the book was reached, it was completely unimportant. To a reader, this was a huge letdown and ruined the tension. I guess considering that this was Crichton's debut effort I shouldn't be so critical, but I think if this was the first time we were introduced to Michael Crichton, this book would not have done well at all. I think for future medical thriller fixes, I will stick to Tess Gerritsen's novels!

Agatha Christie - And Then There Were None

Strangely enough, I have never read any novels by Agatha Christie despite my mother being a fan of her work and myself an avid reader of the mystery genre. I sought out this book to read as a video game based on this particular novel was recently released and I wanted to read it before playing the game. Unfortunately, in trying to find out more about the video game, the cat was let out of the bag and I stumbled upon the true identity of the killer. This dampened my reading experience slightly since there was no guessing on my part to try to figure out who the killer was, but still, the suspense and tension that Agatha Christie built is remarkable, and I can see how a reader without any prior knowledge would find this book very exciting to read and extremely difficult to pick the killer. I did find the old-fashioned writing a little odd at times but this was truly a great mystery novel, and I'm glad I made the decision to get a copy of this book to read. I do have another Agatha Christie novel in my possession; let's see if that one will be just as good!

Sue Walker - The Reunion

I actually finished reading this a while ago but didn't feel compelled to write down what I thought about the book -- I guess that's pretty indicative what I felt about it. It's a decent attempt for a first novel, but in most parts, it gets rather draggy and moves too slowly to truly engage readers. The flashbacks were fairly interesting but I didn't think those sections flowed well with the present moments. I also found it hard to care about most of the characters, especially after learning about the big secret towards the end. I think better editing could have helped to produce a more tightly-knit story, which would be more effective in leading up to the truly shocking climax at the end. Overall, an okay read but not one that I will choose to read again.

Jeff Lindsay - Dexter in the Dark

I am extremely disappointed with this latest offering by Jeff Lindsay in the Dexter series. Personally, I feel it is shockingly written and just so completely out of tune with the first two books, and strikingly so in comparison with Dearly Devoted Dexter that I've only just read. I think it was completely the wrong move to suddenly plonk in a supernatural aspect to Dexter -- it was utterly ludicrous and so contradictory to the psychological tones of its predecessors. I mean, suddenly, Dexter's Dark Passenger is another being all together, and it just runs away?! Puh-leeze! Plus, those passages about IT were really annoying and bizarre. If they were supposed to send chills down my back, that certainly didn't happen.

When Lindsay introduced the concept of Rita's children turning into mini Dexters in the previous book, that never sat well with me and I detest that bit of the storyline even more so in Dexter in the Dark. As an Amazon reviewer pointed out, not all children with a traumatic past grow up to be sociopaths (and while Astor and Cody had an abusive father, Lindsay never really portrayed any truly horrific experiences for them, as opposed to Dexter, who witnessed his mother's murder and was caked in inches of blood for days) but Dexter somehow ends up becoming a stepfather to not one, but two of them? Not very believable, and also makes for uncomfortable reading - one Dexter really is quite enough.

The character of Rita is also incredibly annoying in the books. On the TV show, Rita is scarred and vulnerable but acquires quiet inner strength for her children, and is most definitely a sensible Susan. On paper, she's whiny and frivolous, and turns into Bridezilla with unreasonable demands for the wedding, which just seems so out of character, considering her past. Maybe it's just that the TV series has shaped Rita so well, but Rita never seems to quite fit in the books.

Ultimately, this was a major disappointment for me. I flew through the second book and could not get enough; with this, I plodded my way through it and came out unsatisfied. Now that Dexter's Dark Passenger has "returned" (in another ridiculous manner), I hope that Jeff Lindsay can focus on getting Dexter right and bring back the Dexter that readers love. The TV series has been brilliant so far, here's hoping that streak continues into the third season!

Jeff Lindsay - Dearly Devoted Dexter

I love the TV show, Dexter, which then brought me to the book, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, when I found out that the TV show was based on Jeff Lindsay's novel. As much as I enjoyed the first book in the series, because I had watched the TV show first, there was a lack of anticipation since I already knew the major plotlines. However, for Dearly Devoted Dexter, I could really sink my teeth into this one as the TV series veered off into a completely different direction for its second season. With this book, I could just fully throw myself into the storyline as I had no idea what was coming and could just go along with it. In this one, there is yet another horrible serial killer that Dexter has to track down, with some truly gruesome and graphic scenes included in the book. Yet -- as ironic as this sounds -- while the subject matter can be heavy (such as murder and pedophilia), the book itself always has a humorous tone from the way Dexter is portrayed. He may be a murderer himself, but somehow, he gets the readers on his side. I enjoyed the second outing with Dexter, although I'm not too keen on the Cody storyline, and the engagement with Rita feels pretty forced as well. I also pity Doakes with the treatment he received in the book -- at least on the show he didn't have to suffer. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, which I already have in my hot little hands. Aren't libraries just wonderful?!

Kerry Greenwood - Trick or Treat

Devil's Food was brilliant, a remarkable improvement over the second book with the sparkle and magic from the first book in the series. In my opinion, Trick or Treat wasn't quite as bad as Heavenly Pleasures but it didn't quite capture me as the third book did. I felt that it was a haphazard plot involving drugs, ancient treasure, unpleasant history and a gathering of witches. These were all weaved together that only just barely held up as a coherent narrative. As much as I love the character of Meroe, I think there was a bit too much of her and the magic in this book. Meroe is great in small doses and when sprinkled throughout the book (for example, the healing of Kepler's hand) makes it digestible and accepting of the magical and unexplained. However, when there's too much, it just borders on the bizarre (like the over-dramatic scene with Barnabas) and makes the skeptic in me pooh-pooh it away. I still love Corinna, Daniel and the whole cast of characters (Meroe included) so it is easy to press on with the story even if it's not drawing me in completely. While this may not be the best of the lot, I'm glad I discovered this series (thanks to BookCrossing!) and I look forward to more Corinna Chapman adventures.

Kerry Greenwood - Devil's Food

Absolutely fabulous! This is a great addition to the Corinna Chapman series. The previous book, Heavenly Pleasures, was a bit of a letdown, in my opinion, but boy oh boy, has Kerry Greenwood made a comeback with this one. It was a perfect mixture of a few plot lines that came together so well and made Devil's Food brilliant. Although the climatic peaks in the novel weren't really all that dramatic, it flowed really smoothly and it was such a joy to read. As infuriating as Starshine was, the appearance of Corinna's parents made for some interesting dynamics and provided greater insight to her past. The usual cast of characters are tight-knit as ever and they give a real warmth to the story. Especially when everyone comes together to care for Jason when he falls ill, that is really touching and makes me wish for neighbours like that! I loved the familiarity of the Melbourne setting; I'm not sure if the Insula is a real building in Melbourne but if it is, I sure would love to live there! I hope Kerry Greenwood will keep going with this series as Corinna Chapman is a wonderful character and it will be such a shame if readers don't get to see more of her. On to Book 4, which will be the last book in the series so far. After that, I think I will need to bake some of Jason's chocolate orgasmic muffins till my next Corinna Chapman fix...

Charlaine Harris - A Secret Rage

This was first written in 1984 and was published again in 2007 as a mass-market paperback edition. I stumbled upon a copy in the library and I borrowed it as I had always enjoyed Charlaine's novels. This was a fast-paced mystery-thriller, which flowed more like a TV show with abrupt change of scenes rather than a natural progression of chapters. While it wasn't a bad read, I felt it was quite ordinary with a predictable ending. As I had picked the killer quite early, the book didn't have that climax for me as most thrillers usually would. I also found it extremely weird that the protagonist immediately developed a sexual relationship with her childhood crush after her rape. Not that I would have any understanding how a rape victim copes with the aftermath, but surely jumping straight into a sexual relationship wouldn't be it? I understand that the comfort and warmth from the relationship itself will be very much wanted and needed after such a traumatic experience, but I definitely don't get the sex bits. If presented with the opportunity, I will never turn down crime fiction from Charlaine Harris, but her Sookie Stackhouse series -- as fluffy as the books are -- is still more appealing to me than her other novels.

Sue Grafton - S is for Silence

Read on 7 January 2008:
This was surprisingly engaging and I found myself drawn into the story, wanting to know more. Considering that Kinsey was following up on such an old case, I thought it would be a book that I would ditch pretty quickly as I didn't think much would happen. This turned out to be the case -- apart from slashed tyres and a bar fight -- but I was proven wrong. The author did a great job in builing the tension and I enjoyed the flashback chapters as Kinsey investigated the case, and her "interviews" with the various characters gave greater insight into the bigger picture. What was disappointing though was the abrupt ending, which didn't make much sense either. Apart from the obvious that the killer was after Violet's money, but still, there didn't seem to be much else of a motive. I know that money is as good as any other motive, but throw in the clue highlighted by the author about the dog being significant, it just didn't make sense in the overall scheme of things. It almost felt like Sue Grafton got tired of writing the book and decided to wrap things up and just picked a character out of a hat to be the perp. An otherwise good read marred by an unsatisfactory ending, which is most unfortunate.

Kerry Greenwood - Heavenly Pleasures

Not a bad follow-up to Earthly Delights, but I think its predecessor was better. The first book was "clean", with one main plot as its central focus and great character development. In Heavenly Pleasures, it was far messier and rather convoluted with several stories happening at the same time. One was the case to solve at the chocolate store, which then broke off to another case involving a runaway. There was also the mystery of the new face to Insula, resulting in bombs and break-ins, while also having to deal with a nutcase before he self-destructed and got himself killed in prison. There were just far too many things going on for each to be developed properly, so it was very much touch-and-go for the various stories. The great cast of characters helped to keep me going through the messy plot lines, and all in all, it was a competent follow-up, but just didn't turn out as good as I hoped it would be.

Kerry Greenwood - Earthly Delights

I had heard of Kerry Greenwood and her popular Phyrne Fisher series but had never read any of her books. Earthly Delights is the first novel that I've read from her and it was a delightful book. I had no expectations whatsoever when I started reading and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Corinna Chapman is a refreshing protagonist -- a full-figured leading lady, accepting of herself and takes crap from nobody. And she does all this with a wicked sense of humour. There is also a great supporting cast of characters, like the dominatrix, Miss Dread; Meroe, your friendly neighbourhood witch; and especially the divine Daniel, who sounds positively gorgeous and very swoon-worthy. I was hoping for more sparks between Corinna and Daniel, but alas, there wasn't much happening but I expect the relationship will develop further in the next book. Oh, and I didn't mind the cats either as they were very entertaining in their own right. I wished that Corinna was more of a dog person but I must admit the only dog to feature in the book was one of those little annoying yappy ones, not endearing even to a dog lover. I'm still not a hundred per cent sure about the Phryne Fisher series as the 1920s setting in Melbourne doesn't quite fully appeal to me, but I will be sure to read the follow-up to Earthly Delights and try to track down the other books in the series.