Karebear Central

“Count to Ten” by Karen Rose was a very exciting book.  This is a continuation of the prior stories I have read by Karen Rose.  This book is about Mia Mitchell, a homicide detective who has just recently returned back to work after her and her partner had shot and injured.  Her partner is still on disability, therefore, she is assigned to a new partner, Reed Solliday, a fire marshal.  There have been a rash of fires, in which the occupants of the homes have been killed prior to the fire.  Together they start working on the case, getting closer to each other the closer they get to the killer.  

I did figure out who the killer pretty much from the beginning.  But the reason the book is so good, it really hooks you onto wanting to find out the motivation behind the killer.  Plus, it is very intriguing to see the love story pan out between Reed and Mia.  It is a longer book, 550 pages, but hard to put down once you start.  I had to force myself to set it down and go to sleep.  

Sense of Evil by Kay Hooper is another one of the Bishop Trilogies.  This book revolves around Rafe Sullivan, a small town sheriff and Isabel Adams, a blond psychic.  The reason her being blond is so important is Rafe calls in the feds to help with a serial killer.  Again, this book is all about secrets and explaining evil.  This book takes an interesting approach to evil having a face.  Isabel and her partner, Hollis, have both been touched by evil which has made them psychic.  This story really didn’t introduce to many other people in the Special Investigations Unit that Bishop heads.  There is mystery with a big twist at the end.  It a bit of a love story, but not too much.  I thought it was okay.  I don’t know why, but it just didn’t hold my attention that well

I don’t know if I have been expected too much out the books I have been reading lately, but this book Once a Thief by Kay Hooper was okay.  The back of the book was really deceiving.  The book was seemingly supposed to be about Morgan, a museum curator, and Quinn, an art thief.  There was more of a love/lust story between Storm, the undercover Interpol agent, and Wolfe, the Lloyd’s of London investigator. It sounds like Morgan and Quinn continue their story in the next book, Always a Thief.  I was not very interested in this book.  But I wouldn’t say it was hard to read. 

I am going to be brutally honest.  I hated this book by Mariah Stewart.  This is very surprising because she is one of my favorite authors right now.  I think the reason I hated this book so much is because the main character was really whiny and not smart for an FBI agent.  I know she’s only human, and she had a lot to deal with on her plate, but I do not read a book to listen to someone whine.  There really was no love story, basically just a mystery, which could also be why I did not like the book as much.   I was expecting so much more.  Maybe I need to lower my expectations a bit.  I think part of the problem was that the book I read prior by Karen Rose was so good.  I think I was expecting the same caliber. 

Mariah continued on with the Shield’s saga in this book.  One thing I noticed though, if you hadn’t read the books prior, you may have been a bit lost with the story behind.  Maybe I have to give it a better chance some other time. 

“You Can’t Hide” by Karen Rose was a surprise.  I bought the book at a second hand book store and it was a great find.  There was actual character development and it was very hard to put down.  I think she really has a knack at inventing characters.  Even though she introduced a ton of characters (and killed a bunch off), it didn’t seem to be too many.  The other thing I liked is who the killer ended up being.  There were subtle clues to who the killer was, but it still was a bit of a surprise.  It was very interesting how calculating and deceitful and hateful, but you kind of have to admire the determination of crazy people.   I had a hard time putting this book down.  I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery and a little romance and a lot of murder.  

Chill of Fear by Kay Hooper was the book that I finished reading this weekend. That is one thing I like about visiting Andy’s parents, I always seem to finish a book. This book sounded like it was going to be all about Special Agent Quentin Hayes, part of the Special Crimes Unit (a.k.a. the paranormal unit). It had some of his story and why he spent his vacations at a place called The Lodge for the last 10-14 years. When he was 12, a girl who he looked at as a little sister was murdered at the Lodge. He’d been looking into what killed her for years, but never finding anything. But this year, it was going to be different.Enter Diana. Diana is at the Lodge for a therapeutic art workshop. Basically since she was young, she has been told she was abnormal, hearing voices, blacking out, etc. Quentin recognizes immediately that she is a medium and it is his job to convince her that she is not crazy and is a medium to the other world. The book mostly revolves around Diana and her role in helping to figure out what happened so many years ago at the lodge.This is the most paranormal of Kay Hooper’s books that I have read. I believe in psychics; I just do not know if I really believe in mediums and maybe that is why this book seems a bit far fetched to me. I wanted to finish it to see who the killer was, but even that for me was a bit of a let down. But It was entertaining, I will give it that. And again, Kay throws in a little surprise that you never would have guessed. That I do like about her writing. Even if it is just a little thing, nothing important to the story, it just adds to the story, she will throw it in and see if the reader notices.

I just finished Whispers of Evil by Kay Hooper, another one of her Evil series books.  This book focuses on Nell Gallagher and her psychic visions.  She comes back to her hometown after being away for 12 years on the pretense of settling her fathers estate.  In all actuality, she is there to solve the serial murders of seemingly upstanding citizens in the town of Silence.  It is only after these men’s deaths, that the dirty little secrets that these men are hiding come to light. 

One Nell returns to town, she immediately runs into a man from her past, Max Tanner.  They were in love when she ran away.  He know of her psychic visions and becomes her own personal watch dog.   The one thing I like about Kay Hooper books is that the killer is always introduced in the beginning of the book.  When you get to the end of the book you want to start reading it again to see what clues you missed. 

I would say this book is okay.  Not too much of a love story, a lot of psychic mumbo jumbo, but a fast read.  I enjoyed it.  I couldn’t put it down either once I started reading. 

Last night, I finished the first installment of the Enright’s saga by reading Devlin’s Light by Mariah Stewart.  This book focuses on Nick Enright and India Devlin, two souls brought together by the loss of her brother Ry and trying to figure out what exactly happened the night he died.  India never believed it was an accident. The funny thing is that in the other two books they mention who killed him, but for some reason it seemed to never cross my mind.  It was interesting reading the books in this order because I noticed the lead ins to the other books.  This book was believable with the pace of the love story.  It really had all the history that would have maybe been helpful if reading this book first.  I look forward to reading so much more from Mariah!  She keeps me interested.

Hunting Fear by Kay Hooper was a pleasant surprise. It has been a long time since I have read a book that the killer surprises me.  I can tell this is part of a series and makes me want to read more.  The book jacket leads you to believe the book is mostly from FBI agent Lucas Jordan’s point of view.  In all actuality, it seems to be more from carnival psychic Samantha Moore’s point of view.  This book has a lot supernatural characters trying to stop killings and change the future.  The race to save people’s lives leaves the reader on edge and not wanting to put the book down.  And yes, there is a love story between Samantha and Lucas.  They had history, he walked away from her and now they are forced in a situation where they need to work together to stop a killer.  You know, the average, everyday love story!  I know I look forward to readinig another one of Kay Hooper’s books. 

I just finished ready “A Different Light” by Mariah Stewart.  This book also took me awhile to get into.  It took me awhile to get into book.  It doesn’t help that I didn’t really like how weak the main character was.  I understand that her husband was killed 7 months earlier, but it just made her seem so dumb.  And what city would elect a mayor with no experience?  The book also seemed like it was implying that her father’s stroke was caused by someone.  The love story between Athen and Quentin was believable.  They started to become friends, something came between them, then they came together, a classic love story.  I liked this one more than the books I have read in the last few weeks by Mariah.  I look forward to the next one from Booksfree.