Review: Hardcore Twenty-Four

Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Zombies have invaded Trenton!

Bail bond enforcer Stephanie Plum has heard all kinds of crazy excuses as to why FTAs missed their court dates but zombies is definitely a new one for her. After all, zombies are a thing of fiction - or are they? While caring for the 50-lb snake of one of her FTAs, Stephanie and sidekick Lula start to see what appear to be zombies - as Morelli lands a case in which funeral parlor and morgue corpses and murder victims are being decapitated and their missing heads are turning up without their brains.

As hokey as this sounds, it was actually pretty well done, with classic Evanovich humor and themes spread throughout the book. On one side, you had the believers, such as Lula; on the other side, the non-believers such as Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger who, as the book goes on, are forced to accept that zombies truly do appear to be roaming around Trenton searching for new brains. Adding to the supernatural aspect was the reappearance of recurring character Diesel, who seems to be a bit unreal in his own right, and his apparently being somehow connected to the zombies.

This was not great literature but it was one of the better books in the series. The resolution of the zombies was interesting and not entirely far-fetched, though definitely a little gross. The series does have some tired plot points after 24 books, primarily Stephanie's constant inability to keep a car for more than a few days before something happens to it, but at the same time, they are also the comforting blanket that makes this series feel a bit like coming home to visit family.

Overall, a quick, entertaining and at times engrossing book that ultimately touches upon a social issue without being preachy.

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Review: A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars This was chosen as our December book club selection for this year. The premise is interesting: In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to live out his life under house arrest at the Metropol Hotel with the promise that if he leaves the hotel, he will be shot to death.

From that day in 1922, we are told the story of Rostov's life as it then unfolded, from his friendships with the hotel's staff, guests and fellow resident, Nina, a young girl of nine when they first meet.

I found I had a really hard time getting into this book. I liked the premise but did not care for the author's whimsical writing style. I found myself wondering quite often why no one questioned why Rostov, a grown man, was spending so much time with a little girl. I also found the lengthy footnotes annoying - why not just include them as part of the story if you are going to go to that much effort to write them?

I will say that Rostov did have a pretty good life throughout the years while living at the hotel as a "former person." I had read there was a major twist at the end and some tear-jerking moments but I didn't find the book to have either - though I did feel the ending was a bit abrupt and left some unanswered questions. Overall, it wasn't a bad book; I did enjoy learning some tidbits about Russia's history and probably would have enjoyed it a lot more had it been written in another style.

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Review: A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars This was chosen as our December book club selection for this year. The premise is interesting: In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to live out his life under house arrest at the Metropol Hotel with the promise that if he leaves the hotel, he will be shot to death.

From that day in 1922, we are told the story of Rostov's life as it then unfolded, from his friendships with the hotel's staff, guests and fellow resident, Nina, a young girl of nine when they first meet.

I found I had a really hard time getting into this book. I liked the premise but did not care for the author's whimsical writing style. I found myself wondering quite often why no one questioned why Rostov, a grown man, was spending so much time with a little girl. I also found the lengthy footnotes annoying - why not just include them as part of the story if you are going to go to that much effort to write them?

I will say that Rostov did have a pretty good life throughout the years while living at the hotel as a "former person." I had read there was a major twist at the end and some tear-jerking moments but I didn't find the book to have either - though I did feel the ending was a bit abrupt and left some unanswered questions. Overall, it wasn't a bad book; I did enjoy learning some tidbits about Russia's history and probably would have enjoyed it a lot more had it been written in another style.

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Review: Private Gold

Private Gold by James Patterson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 Stars. This is another one of the "book shot" novella length books in this series. Set in Johannesburg, the Private office is in shambles and on the verge of closing following the apparent suicide of the office head. Despondent over the death of his boss and friend, investigator Joey Montague agrees to take on one last client: an American woman who has arrived in South Africa to discover her body guard detail has been cancelled.

This book is part mystery novel and part really bad romance novel as Montague helps his client, Isobel Collins, get to the bottom of what is really going on with her husband's company, which she has learned is on the verge of financial ruin. But it quickly becomes apparent someone doesn't appreciate their snooping around!

Fast paced as all the Book Shots seem to be, this was engaging to an extent. Then the cheesiness took over and it sounded more like a bad romance novel. The ending was a bit predictable though it did play out satisfactorily. I would have given this three start if it weren't for the romance angle taking up as much page time as it did, but to be fair, I am not a fan of romance novels. At least this one doesn't have the token widowed person so there's that. And Jack Morgan is barely mentioned so this one can be read as a standalone for those who are curious but don't want to invest in the entire series.

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Review: Princess: A Private Novel

Princess: A Private Novel by James Patterson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars. Six years after the London games, Jack Morgan is back in England, having been summoned by Princess Caroline to help find her missing friend, Sophie Edwards. Meanwhile, another client of Private's refuses to believe her father committed suicide and asks Private to investigate his death.

This part of the book was good as secrets about all those involved in the two investigations were revealed - and ultimately, intertwined, even if it was a bit predictable and wrapped up about halfway through the book. And then the story shifted gears.

**Spoiler alert** Following the death of employee/former lover Jane Cook at the hands of someone who was introduced in "Royals" (Book Shot, book 12.5 in the series) who I don't remember, Jack's sole focus in life becomes a rage filled quest to "seek justice" for her death, causing Jack to act completely out of character (which was at least acknowledged at one point).

Perhaps if Jack didn't fall in love so dang easily, his life would be a lot less painful. And the female characters in this series would have much longer life expectancies. I find it hard to believe Jane was the love of his life, however, given how easily he believed that in the time since he'd last seen her, she'd started dating someone else. But once she died, it was BAM! Love of his life who he must avenge at all costs. Um, okay.

So that made up the last half of the book: Jack and London PI agency owner Michael "Flex" Gibbon going head to head, leaving a bunch of dead bodies in their wake as they tried to seek out and kill each other: Jack wanting to kill Flex for Jane; Flex wanting to kill Jack for ruining his reputation and therefore his business. It was fast paced and at times exciting, I will give the authors that, but it really seemed out of place unless Patterson has plans to turn Jack into a much grittier character in future books.

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Review: Private Delhi

Private Delhi by James Patterson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**The version of this book I listened to was "Private: Count to Ten."***

Book 13 in the "Private" series, and yet another one published with two titles, I really just could not get into this one. I assumed a bigger deal would have been made over Santosh having quit his job as head of Private Mumbai and being convinced by Jack to come back and start Private Delhi but it was barely even mentioned.

There were sections of this book I had to go back and listen to more than once because I realized I hadn't been paying attention. And then after awhile, I stopped doing that because I realized I just didn't care. As with the first book set in India, there were too many characters to try to keep track of and the narrator did a horrible job with the women's voices - they were way over-exaggerated (based on my experience of having both male and female friends who are from India), which made them almost cringe-worthy to listen to.

The plot had something to do with organ harvesting and bodies being dissolved in acid, which I believe were two separate story arcs (as I said, I stopped caring/really listening) and were of course resolved by the Private team.

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Review: The Testaments

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. This was this year's dystopian novel selection for book club and though it wasn't that long ago that we read "The Handmaid's Tale," it was long enough I didn't remember how it ended.

The alternating voices of narration annoyed the hell out of me at first because I had no idea who these narrators were or why I was supposed to care about them. I generally don't read what a book is about in-depth before I start to read it, but in this case, refreshing my memory as to how "The Handmaid's Tale" ended and reading the synopsis of this book did help me to start to enjoy it more - especially after I figured out who Agnes really was before it was revealed.

The story does tie up "The Handmaid's Tale" nicely with the history of Gilead came to be and how the various roles of the women were established, primarily the aunts. There were aspects of the story, however, I thought were happening simultaneously so it was a bit jarring to me to learn they were happening at different points in time (particularly Agnes's path to becoming an aunt and Jade's infiltration of Gilead). I also thought the symposium at the end of the book would have made more sense at the beginning but that's just a matter of preference.

Good book overall, but one it took me longer than I would have liked to get into.

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