Reviews: Mysteries & Thrillers

I've read a couple of good thrillers lately. First up is Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. I know a lot of people think that Dan Brown's writing isn't great, but I really enjoy his books. His plots are intricate and, for the most part, don't make me want to roll my eyes and toss the book at a wall (occasionally, especially in Angels & Demons, I lost the suspension of disbelief, but mostly I can hang in there with him). Anyway, in The Lost Symbol, Robert Langdon, the Harvard symbolist form The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons is back. This time, Langdon is called to our nation's capital to rescue his friend and mentor, Peter Solomon. In order to find his friend, Landon must unravel some of the country's hidden history, travel through secret tunnels and chambers buried beneath D. C., and decipher ancient Masonic symbols and rituals. It was a fun, fast, and fascinating read. I'd give it 3.5 roses (very good).

Next up was another fast moving thriller--1st to Die by James Patterson. 1st to Die is the first book in Patterson's Women's Murder Club series and it's been sitting around on my shelf for way too long. Like Brown, Patterson is a master break-neck plotting. The action never slows down and with Patterson's one to two page chapters, it's easy to stay up way too late and devour his books in a night or two. This book introduces a group of women--Lindsey Boxer, a San Francisco homicide detective; Claire, a medical examiner; Cindy, a reporter; and Jill, an assistant D.A.--who join forces to help stop a manic who is going around killing newlyweds. Unfortunately for them, the manic is famous which puts pressure on the police department to make sure they get it right (and they do, eventually). This one was certainly good enough for me to continue with the series. I gave this one 3 roses (good).

And, last but not least, I finished up the third installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Club Dead, written by Charlaine Harris. In Club Dead, Bill, Sookie's vampire boyfriend, is working on a secret project for the Queen of Louisiana. A secret project that winds up getting him kidnapped. Eric, Bill's bloodsucking boss, sends Sookie and a werewolf friend after him. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I liked the first two in this series. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't usually like vampire books. They just don't do much for me. I think part of my problem with this book was that Bill is just being a jerk. And, while Eric is okay, I don't really like him as a mate for Sookie either. In fact, the only character I really liked was the werewolf, Alcide. If I didn't already have the fourth book in this series on my shelf, I'm not sure I would continue but I have it so I'll give it a whirl and see if it gets any better. Ath this point, though, I'm not sure I'm going to stick it out through book #10. I'd give Club Dead 2.5 roses (okay).