Pondering the pages ~ Twilight of a Queen by Susan Carroll; The Shimmer by David Morrell; Attorney’s Run by R.J. Jagger
Title: Twilight of a Queen (5th and final book in the Daughter of the Earth/Cheney of Faire Isle series)
Author/website: Susan Carroll (Random House)
480 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication date: July ’09
Genre: Fiction w/historical aspects
Would I recommend it: Yes
I enjoyed Twilight of a Queen but then I’ve enjoyed every book in this series. A touch of magic, romance and sinister plotting weave a tale around The Dark Queen’s need to destroy those who wish to see her evil doings come to an end. I’m a bit sad that Twilight of a Queen is the last book in this entertaining series though there is plenty of the story line left to start another based on the individual Ariane has chosen to succeed her as the Lady of Faire Isle. Interestingly this is the 2nd book this month I’ve read where Catherine de’ Medici is featured. While she is by no means the central character of this story she is the focal point around which this story is based. Admittedly I did much better this time around finishing this book whereas I DNFd The Devil’s Queen by Jeanne Kalogridis.
Set during the Renaissance in 1588, this sweeping historical novel takes readers back to the home of Ariane, the Lady of Faire Isle, who must choose a successor to her throne. While the Faire Isle is beset by warring factions that have sprung up around the three rivals for the throne, her arch enemy Catherine de Medici is working desperately to retain her power in France. When Ariane names Lady Jane Danvers as the successor to her throne she instantly becomes the enemy of the Dark Queen herself, Catherine de Medici. The tables are turned on the Dark Queen, however, when the one man she believes can help her retain her powers in France, Louis Xavier, falls in love with Jane.
The once peaceful Faire Isle must prepare itself for The Dark Queen’s fury and her search for revenge.
Title: The Shimmer
Author/website: David Morrell / The Shimmer book
326 pages
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Publication date: July ’09
Genre: Suspense/thriller/action w/touches of paranormal
Would I recommend it: Yes
OK so we’re back in familiar reading territory and of course it’s really difficult for me not to like a suspense/thriller/action style story line. I gobble up these type of books and even though David Morrell is a new-to-me author I’m sure this won’t be the last one of his books I read. What I loved most about The Shimmer is Mr. Morrell took documented phenomena known as the The Marfa Lights (Wikipedia link) and wove a story line that kept me entertained start to finish. You have the requisite good guys, the bad guys and then there’s mystery of what’s really going on the with the ‘lights’ and the effect they have on people. Some see the lights while others don’t. The lights bring a music all their own. They give you taste of your desires or your evils. The lights can set you free or make you bleed to dead. The lights can drive you mad or bring a miracle. It all depends on what you believe the lights bring, what you need in your life. And what exactly is the military’s part in all this? Well you need to read The Shimmer and decide for yourself. One of the his characters, James Deacon(?), is a veiled reference to James Dean. The Afterword written by Mr. Morrell is fascinating and yes I did what he did and typed Marfa lights into a search engine and he’s right you get all sort of hits. To read more about Mr. Morrell’s research for The Shimmer check out his post, Rising Above it All: How Rambo’s Creator Earned His Pilot’s License.
When a high-speed chase goes terribly wrong, Santa Fe police officer Dan Page watches in horror as a car and gas tanker explode into flames. Torn with guilt that he may be responsible, Page returns home to discover that his wife, Tori, has disappeared.
Frantic, Page follows her trail to Rostov, a remote town in Texas famous for a massive astronomical observatory, a long-abandoned military base, and unexplained nighttime phenomena that draw onlookers from every corner of the globe. Many of these gawkers—Tori among them—are compelled to visit this tiny community to witness the mysterious Rostov Lights.
Without warning, a gunman begins firing on the lights, screaming “Go back to hell where you came from,” then turns his rifle on the bystanders. A bloodbath ensues, and events quickly spiral out of control, setting the stage for even greater violence and death.
Page must solve the mystery of the Rostov Lights to save his wife. In the process, he learns that the decaying military base may not be abandoned at all, and that the government may have known about the lights for decades. Could these phenomena be more dangerous than anyone could have possibly imagined?
Title: Attorney’s Run (Kindle edition) / Attorney’s Run (Print edition)
Author/website: R.J. Jagger
File size: 379 KB/Print: 418 pages
Publication date: May ’09
Genre: Legal mystery
Would I recommend it: Yes with some reservations
The reason I recommend Attorney’s Run with some reservations is because I felt some of the story line was far fetched and a bit unrealistic. That said I ended up thinking Attorney’s Run was a decent book and would read more from this author. There are several story lines and characters introduced within a very short time of starting Attorney’s Run – the murder of an executive pilot, the white slavery trade in Bangkok involving American women, a rock climbing hit man and and P.I. willing to hire an inexperienced lawyer to take on a possible high stakes case. I wasn’t sure exactly how the author was going to tie the various story lines together as at times they didn’t seem to mesh but like a jigsaw puzzle all the pieces fit. I was disappointed by the male/female detective team as they spent more time worrying about his relationship with the female P.I. then actually working to solve the pilot’s murder. Of course I’ll make sure to have my imagine turned up on high and not worry about where the story line is headed the next time I read a book by R.J. Jagger.
Fresh out of law school, London Vaughn discovers there’s no room in Denver’s prominent law firms for a middle-of-the-class graduate. While barely making ends meet as a waitress, she encounters a beautiful woman who engages her services irrespective that she has no experience, no office and no reputation. Almost immediately, London and her client are thrust into the deadly throes of a high-stakes international thriller of unimaginable scope.
