Blood Work

Amazon.com

In Blood Work, Connelly introduces a new character, Terry McCaleb, who was a top man at the FBI until a heart ailment forced his early retirement. Now he lives a quiet life, nursing his new heart and restoring the boat on which he lives in Los Angeles Harbor. Although he isn't looking for any excitement, when Graciela Rivers asks him to investigate her sister Gloria's death, her story hooks him immediately: the new heart beating in McCaleb's chest is Gloria's.

As McCaleb investigates the evidence in the case, the suspected randomness of the crime gives way to an unsettling suspicion of a twisted intelligence behind the murder. Soon McCaleb finds himself on the trail of a killer more horrifying than anything he ever encountered before.

Book Description

Michael Connelly has been attracting fans by the droves with his hard-boiled, edgy thrillers. A former crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Connelly combines a poet's ear for language with a deep understanding of the criminal mind to create dark, dramatic stories that raise the thriller genre to a new level. In Blood Work, Connelly introduces a new character, Terry McCaleb, who was a top man at the FBI until a heart ailment forced his early retirement. Now he lives a quiet life, nursing his new heart and restoring the boat on which he lives in Los Angeles Harbor. Although he isn't looking for any excitement, when Graciela Rivers asks him to investigate her sister Gloria's death, her story hooks him immediately: the new heart beating in McCaleb's chest is Gloria's. As McCaleb investigates the evidence in the case, the suspected randomness of the crime gives way to an unsettling suspicion of a twisted intelligence behind the murder. Soon McCaleb finds himself on the trail of a killer more horrifying than anything he ever encountered before.

Download Description

Michael Connelly returns with a new character and a story that reaches new levels of intricacy and suspense-his most gripping work to date.Thanks to a heart transplant, retired Los Angeles-based FBI agent Terrell McCaleb has a new lease on life. Formerly a well-known media fixture as pointman for the bureau in the investigation of serial killers, he leads a quiet life now, spending his time renovating the fishing boat he lives on in the Los Angeles Harbor. His goal is simple-to finish restoring his houseboat and return to his home town on Catalina Island. But McCaleb's calm seas turn choppy when a story in the "What Happened To?" column of the L.A. Times brings him face to face with the sister of the woman whose heart now beats in his chest. From her McCaleb learns a terrible truth: that the donor of his heart was not killed in an accident as he'd been told, but was murdered. Racked with the guilt of having lived because of someone else's murder, McCaleb springs into action. Using his FBI connections and his expertise in crime scene interpretation, he embarks on a private investigation of his donor's murder-a search leading him to a crime far more complex, and far more dangerous than he'd imagined. In BLOOD WORK, Michael Connelly is at the top of his game-delivering his most ambitious thriller yet.

Customer Reviews:

Not catching..............2007-04-27

I could never really get into this book. I found it too monotone. Needed more action and versitlity. Disappointed.

what's up with the motive?.......2007-03-26

I've read most of Michael Connelly books and all have been great "4 star" reads, but most leave something to be desired, and thats a "cool ending". Blood Work falls into that same catagory for me, really great storytelling that resolves into the common TV police drama. Maybe the endings are intentional to satisfy the masses, I don't know?

I didn't like how this concluded very much (the motive), but OVERALL "Blood Work" is great reading entertainment, if that makes any sense.

Okay, but slow in spots........2007-03-05

This is the first book I have read by Michael Connelly and I would probably read another, despite this one dragging in places. It really never took off for me, but I kept reading, as it was kind of interesting. It was not great I didn't think, and the way the bad guy was ultimately located was pretty lame. I kind of liked the way the relationship between McCaleb and Graciela developed. Buddy was great. Buddy was also kind of a minor character as was Jaye Winston, who could have had a lot more to do with the ultimate resolution than she did. I've read lots of thrillers. This one wasn't one of the top notch thillers but it was a pretty good mystery. The end was awfully flat.

Bloodwork.......2007-01-10

I really enjoy this author and I can see Clint Eastwood easily as the star of the upcoming movie (did the author have him in mind beforehand?). Good mystery.

"As Subtle as a Rhinoceros Horn up the Backside".......2006-12-29

Thank you, Blackadder. I couldn't have said it better.

By the end of the first chapter, I had guessed almost all of the mysteries in the book. I might not have tagged the killer's exact identity -- too early for that -- but I had nailed everything else. Lest anyone think I'm patting myself on the back for being clever, I'm not. I feel this is Connelly's fault for a loud, ungainly premise that danced across the pages like an elephant in a tutu.

I considered giving the book three stars because I genuinely enjoyed the background information on how the FBI and local law enforcement works, as well as Connelly's direct style. However, the polished details of this book could easily mislead the reader into thinking there is actually something here. Don't be fooled: it's a cheat. What really mystifies me is that more people here didn't see through it. I even cringed at the character named "Noone." What the hell? Doesn't anyone here read Greek mythology and the story of the Cyclops? And what of the paper-thin romance? How could even the most cloistered, sexually stunted reader begin to believe it?

But I kept reading, despite the procedural bits feeling extremely tedious because of the obvious direction of the story. It was my first Connelly book, after all. I wanted it to prove me wrong.

It didn't.

No wonder Hollywood bought it.

Average customer rating:

Wow! And now for something completely different....
Loved it!
A series that actually sticks to the same characters
Why I love this book!
More Risks From Armintrout!

Possession (Blood Ties, Book 2)
Jennifer Armintrout
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0778324184

Book Description

My father always said fear was a weakness. Well, that's easy to say when you don't have to worry about vampire slayers or holy water. I hate fear, but undead life goes on. In the two months since I was attacked in the hospital morgue and turned into a vampire, I've killed my evil sire, Cyrus, fallen in love with my new sire, Nathan, and have even gotten used to drinking blood. Just when things are finally returning to normal--as normal as they can be when sunlight can kill you--Nathan becomes possessed. And then he slaughters an innocent human.

Now it's my job to find Nathan before the Voluntary Vampire Extinction Movement does, because they're just waiting for an excuse to terminate him--and anyone foolish enough to help him. But it gets worse. It turns out that Nathan's been possessed by one of the most powerful and wicked vampires alive--the Soul Eater. And who knows what vile plan he's concocted?

With the Soul Eater and my possessed sire on the loose, I have a lot to fear. Including being killed. Again.

Customer Reviews:

Wow! And now for something completely different...........2007-09-23

The Possession, unlike its predecessor is a character study and it is very well done. Back again from The Turning (Blood Ties, Book 1) are Carrie, Nathan, Cyrus (yes, Cyrus) and Max. There have been a lot of complaints from other reviewers about the shift between Points of View in the book, but the view used here for Cyrus and Max allowed the author, Jennifer Armintrout, put us into their heads. Instead of getting just what the characters perceive about themselves, we really get to understand them in a way that Carrie's first person treatment doesn't allow.

The most appealing thread of the story follows Cyrus' personal transformation after his resurrection. He's human now and is initially ready to fall back into the evil and depravity that ruled his undead existence. From the previous book, we saw that along with his power, Cyrus had a vulnerability and neediness that made a somewhat sympathetic character despite the fact that he shouldn't have been at all likeable. The author puts us into Cyrus' head and exposes the thoughts that allow us to intimately view his journey toward recapturing his long lost humanity. We are made to understand the loss and seeking of love and approval that warped Cyrus in his previous life. We are privy to the beginning of his redemption because as he finally develops the ability to love, he finally gains the loves he has always sought.

A commonality between threads and characters in the Possession is the profound loss that most of them have experienced. They are all damaged and needy, looking for someone to fill the void of loneliness within them. None of them are healed here and even as Cyrus, Max and Carrie seem to have found the love that will heal them, it is stolen from them.

While the Possession carries the characters forward, it doesn't really move forward the background story. There is less of the scenes, just a few flash backs. that made the the Turning almost a horror story and only a few intimate scenes, some of which have nothing to do with love, so it is still not a romance. The Possession really just makes us truly understand the players and sets the stage for what it to come in the next book. I am anxious to read Ashes to Ashes (Blood Ties, Book 3)and see where Armintrout will take us next, for as different as the Possession was from the Turning, I just can't imagine what she has planned for Ashes to Ashes.

Loved it!.......2007-08-22

Wish I had started with the first book, but the 2nd explains everything pretty well. I didn't like the ending, but now that I know there is a book 3 I can't wait to get it!

A series that actually sticks to the same characters.......2007-07-20

I agree with the people here who've said that this book felt a little disorganized. In the precious Blood Ties novel, everything was written from Carrie's point of view in first person style. Though most of this book is also like that, the focus switches from Carrie to Max to Cyrus, and the later two points of view are written in a third person limited format, even when Carrie is there. The constant camera changes so to speak did annoy me.

However the story itself was still very well written. Usually a romance novel series, deals with a common world but each book focuses on a different couple in that world (ie Christine Feehan's Dar series). I feel like in books like that, we never really get to know the characters. Luckily Jennifer Armintrout not only expands the world she created in "The Turning" but also sticks with the same main cast plus a few new faces. Again I have to agree with everyone here who said that surprisingly Cyrus was the best part of this particular part of the series. He went through more character development than anyone else, though it was also good to see that his darker persona also surfaced once in a while.

So while it didn't have the best organization, I still think it's one of the best paranormal books out there. Just picked up "Ashes to Ashes" and can't wait to read it.

Why I love this book!.......2007-06-27

I love this book because you don't have any warm, fuzzy feelings when it's finished. In a world of romance writers who end everything with vampires having children, or marrying some human - it's absolutely refreshing to read a novel that doesn't have everything awash in white at the end. Congrats, Jennifer! You've definitely set yourself apart from the rest. I know that I, personally, stopped reading Sherrilyn Kenyon because you just blow her out of the water!

More Risks From Armintrout!.......2007-05-24

In The Possession - Armintrout is back taking risks again, something I admire so very much.

This time, Carrie is with Nathan, her new sire and Cyrus is dead. Only wait, he's not and Nathan is possessed and Carrie has to work with assasins to find Nathan before he's killed.

There's a lot of external action going on, but again, the focus is the internal world of the characters. Carrie's struggle to figure out where her place is with a man she loves but she knows can't let go of another woman and her old tie to Cyrus. There are some characters from The Turning who come back and Armintrout fleshes out like Max (who I hope gets more page time next book!)

Cyrus' new humanity and his understanding of his actions as a vampire - a seriously messed up, evil dude with major daddy issues - is for me, one of the high points of the story.

None of the characters are perfect. Carrie is a messed up woman but she should be. She was murdered and turned in the first book, assaulted, kidnapped and mentally messed with as well. It all continues here but she struggles with caring for a man who cannot let go of his love of a woman long dead. How can you compete with that? And yet, she would die for him and not just because of the blood tie. But Cyrus is back and she's conflicted. She makes big mistakes with everyone.

I like, so very much, characters who aren't perfect. It takes a lot to write morally gray people even though most humans are that way. There is much good about Carrie, but she betrays people too.

Anyway, these books are not romances. There are romantic elements but they are dark, moody books without an HEA. I think Armintrout has created a really fascinating world and I will definitely pick up Ashes to Ashes when it comes out later this year.

This book is *different* than The Turning. It's difficult to compare them but I will say one minor thing that yanked me out of the story over and over was the shift between Carrie's first person POV and the third person POV of Cyrus and Max. I'm very laid back about POV issues but I will say up front I don't think it worked. The shifts were extremely confusing and because first is so intimate, you really felt the distance from Carrie's character when you were in Max's head or Cyrus', etc. IMO, it was a risky move, bold even, but the book would have been served better in all third if Carrie was off scene so much (which she is).

Average customer rating:

3.5 Stars -Take a 'turn' into dark fantasy, a horror story with sex, not a romance...
Yet another vampire series
This is an entertaining, fast read by an author with a unique, strong voice.
May I say...I loved it
Super Reader

The Turning (Blood Ties, Book 1)
Jennifer Armintrout
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 077832298X

Book Description

I'm no coward. I want to make that perfectly clear. But after my life turned into a horror movie, I take fear a lot more seriously now. I finally became Dr. Carrie Ames just eight months ago. Then I was attacked in the hospital morgue by a vampire. Just my luck.

So now I'm a vampire, and it turns out I have a blood tie to the monster who sired me. The tie works like an invisible leash and I'm bound to him no matter what I do. And of course he's one of the most evil vampires on earth. With my sire hell-bent on turning me into a soulless killer and his sworn enemy set to exterminate me, things couldn't get much worse -- except I'm attracted to them both.

Drinking blood, living as an immortal demon and being a pawn between two warring vampire factions isn't exactly how I'd imagined my future. But as my father used to say, the only way to conquer fear is to face it. So that's what I'll do. Fangs bared.

Customer Reviews:

3.5 Stars -Take a 'turn' into dark fantasy, a horror story with sex, not a romance..........2007-09-22

Don't read the Turning with the expectations that this is your typical vampire romance. There is no sweet young thing bringing light to some old undead guy's bleak existence, in fact I don't think that there is a single character in this story that even remotely qualifies as sweet. The Turning spends a great deal of time in the darker shades of gray, in both the characters and the events that are portrayed.

There is a triangle between the main characters: 'heroine' Carrie, Cyrus and Nathan. Carrie is accidentally is turned by an evil sadistic old vampire Cyrus who doesn't hang around to show her the ropes. When she starts to suspect what she has become, Carrie searches until she finds a contact offering her information. Barely escaping death at the beginning of this meeting, she ends up in Nathan's care. Nathan is also a vampire but he is hunts the evil members of his own kind and is bound to a strict code. Nathan is haunted by a past that forces him to keep others at an emotional distance, but he is tempted by Carrie. The last player is Cyrus, Carrie's maker, who has shed all traces of his humanity and revels in his bloody power but Cyrus hides a need for love behind his cruelty.

Drawn to Cyrus by the blood bond from sire to fledgling, Carrie make a choice to leave Nathan's protection and enter Cyrus' world - initially, she rationalizes, to save Nathan. But coming from a past where she was never able to find acceptance from her parents, she sees a neediness in Cyrus under all the layers of imperious cruelty that she can relate to. The tie between Cyrus and Carrie binds both ways and he doesn't kill her for challenging him because he needs he as much as she needs him. But even so I found it difficult to think that Carrie could rationalize being in a place where she knew all kinds of evil was being perpetrated.

There are layers to the emotions and the events in the Turning. There is the pull of darkness that lingers as humanity flees. There are scars from the past. The pain of both love sought but not found and of love found and then lost. The author does a good job of exposing both Nathan's and Cyrus' pain, and does even build a sympathy for Cyrus. But Cyrus is just so bad that you really can't root for him, and it was difficult to see how Carrie could have troubling choosing between Cyrus and Nathan.

While not action packed and with no happily ever after at the end, the Turning was interesting and thought provoking enough that I will definitely be reading the sequel.

Yet another vampire series.......2007-09-13

I picked this up based on a review I read somewhere which stated this was a strong new vampire series. Respectfully, I must disagree and say I find it a little weak.

The writer's style is good, and the characters are distinctive. However, I found myself wondering at how easily the main character let her normal life just slip away and yet at the same time, she keeps trying to act like a regular human. The first time time she tries to bite and drink from a victim is well described and, I felt, a very realistic depiction of how a person might react. But then, after that one time, it's just no big deal. She continues to have trouble with the biting, but just slugs down blood out of a glass as if she'd been doing it all her life.

Lots of little instances like this - only a quick token resistance to whatever her new life brings, and then she's off to the races. I did not find that this was realistic, nor did it truly fit the type of character the author was attempting to portray. There was a disconnect here.

However, despite these problems, the story is interesting. The hero is quite appealing and frankly, I couldn't understand why the heroine even hesitated - kind of Mr. Perfect, as vampires go.

I wouldn't call the vampire world the author created here totally original, nor would I call it a rip-off. It's kind of middle of the road in that respect. Perfectly acceptable, but not stunning.

For big vamp fans, this may be a good choice to feed the habit, but it doesn't inspire me to run out and get the sequel right away.

This is an entertaining, fast read by an author with a unique, strong voice........2007-09-01

What's really cool about this book, is it was written by someone in her twenties who writes like someone in her twenties--there is no attempt to imitate the sometimes ill-advised literary flourishes of authors like Anne Rice. But, amid the seemingly effortless fluidity of Armintrout's words, her descriptions of physical movement are often jarringly awkward. Despite that, overall, this is much, much better than a lot of what is and has been written in this genre. Fast, hip, escapist and fun.

May I say...I loved it.......2007-08-18

Without reviewing the entire subject matter, I can only say...for a vampire book...very nicely done. I love vampire stories and Jennifer did a great job with bringing a new twist to how one can come to find themselves in a blood lusting situation. Just the right amount of mystery, passion, horror, etc to keep me very interested.
I am off to purchase the sequel, even if the reviews are sketchy...
I will be back to tell ya the real story then.

Super Reader.......2007-08-04

A doctor, working in a hospital is attacked by a man who should be dead, given the injuries. It seems he was a vampire that came out on the wrong end of a fight. The attack changes her, as she slowly becomes a vampire.

She meets a man who tells her he is part of a movement of vampires dedicated to eradicating all those that don't follow their strict rules of non-violence towards human. She will also be judged, and if they are not merciful, he will kill her.

A tad stressed she ends up moving between the two, and finding out her original attacker has a father who is something much worse. The odd werewolf thing is involved, as well.

This started well, but drags a little bit in the back and forth between the two men.

Bitter Blood: A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder (Onyx)

Average customer rating:

The best crime book I have ever read
Southern Gothic Like You've Never Seen It
Excellent read
I still can't believe these really happend... but it did.
Family Madness and Murder

Bitter Blood: A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder (Onyx)
Jerry Bledsoe
Manufacturer: Onyx
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451402103

Customer Reviews:

The best crime book I have ever read.......2007-07-23

I would put "Bitter Blood" right up there with Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood." "Bitter Blood" and the murders it describes are an immensely more complicated scenario than the murders of the Clutters. Jerry Bledsoe managed to tidy up hundreds of loose ends, weave them together and create a coherent story so mind-boggling you will not put down the book until you've plowed through it. You'll be left gasping. A horrible miasma of madness permeates the book and you keep saying to yourself "this can't be happening" but it does. And Mr. Bledsoe proves it and carries you with him on a roller coaster ride.

My name is Sharp, which gave me an added interest in the book. But I am not related to the North Carolina Sharps.

The murders by Fritz and Susie are not the work of two serial killers. There is no sex fantasy here and serial killers don't kill people they know. These are revenge-killings, and Susie egged Fritz on to do them, although she killed Delores and her two boys herself. Delores she detested,and her boys were dispatched by cyanide pills and bullets so that her ex husband, Tom, couldn't have them. Fritz mutilated Susie's mother with a knife after shooting her because she had the audacity to disagree with her daughter and her almost incestual affair with her cousin Fritz. If you cross Susie you pay for it. You pay with your life.

Fritz was undoubtedly insane but Susie also went off the deep end. Her behavior became more and more bizarre as she and Fritz moved into a horrid paranoid world of their own. The killing of the little boys John and Jim by cyanide reminds me of Frau Goebbels in the Hitler bunker when she killed all six of her children with cyanide pellets. The mind-set between her and Susie is remarkably similar, and Fritz was, as was his father, an ardent Nazi.

The book goes into great detail about the actions and thoughts of the various detectives involved in the case of the Lynch and Newsom murders and again, Mr. Bledsoe seamlessly integrates the investigations of the police with the various goings on of the murderers, their families, friends and the victims and wraps it all up to make coherent sense of nine senseless crimes.

The havoc and grief that Fritz and Susie created will never go away as long as any of the involved parties are alive. Judge Susie has passed on and perhaps she finally realized the truth that her beloved niece and namesake, Susie, was a cold-blooded killer. The brutal murders happened almost twenty five years ago but the sordid story will never die and decent people will ponder the unbelievable truth and wonder how human beings could stoop so low.

Southern Gothic Like You've Never Seen It.......2007-06-25

I've been rereading a few classic true crime books this year. Some hold up well and deserve the "classic" term, others are too much a product of their times to resonate today. Bitter Blood is, thankfully, a true classic. Arguably Jerry Bledsoe's best book it is the result of newspaper articles he wrote at the time of the murders. His personal desire to explain the tragedy is evident on nearly every page as is his ultimate frustration at his inability to find finite answers to all that took place.

The story of Susie Sharp Newsome Lynch and Fred "Fritz" Klenner is troubling on many levels. Intelligent, privileged products of the new South, Susie and Fritz both go horribly off-track and yet their families fail to comprehend just how far off track. What is perceived as an embarrassment to the family strikes the reader as clear evidence of mental illness. Fritz is the son of a respected if unorthodox doctor; he fakes attending Duke medical school for years, talking about classes and lab experiments while wearing a white coat and stethoscope. And while constantly spinning fantasies about covert CIA operations, impending nuclear war and assorted conspiracies. When his family discovers he hasn't even graduated college let alone been accepted to medical school their first instinct is to cover it up, allowing Klenner to continue to pass himself off as a physician.

The Newsomes were equally resistant to seeing serious problems in their daughter Susie. Long after her behavior had veered from willful to downright bizarre they remained most deeply concerned about appearances. Susie's relationship with her first cousin Fritz scandalized them deeply yet they were afraid to confront her about the specifics.
As others have noted, this is a long book. Bledsoe starts the story from the perspective of the crimes, almost in whodunit fashion. The problem is that while the main suspects don't enter the stage until 200 pages into the book their names are evident to anyone who reads the back cover. Susie and Fritz's names aren't even mentioned in the first 200 pages yet you know that they are the murderers. For some readers that may be hard to take.

If, however, you're willing to let the story unfold as its leisurely pace you'll be rewarded with a tale of Southern Gothic like you've never seen it - with family ties that form a stranglehold.

Excellent read.......2007-04-04

This is definitely one of those "truth is stranger than fiction" stories. If you like to read lengthly background information on the pertinent characters and locations (like I do), this book is for you. Even though the book is long, I found it to be very interesting and so felt it moved at a good pace as it moved from different characters and locations. It was hard to put down. I found the family tree at the beginning of the book helpful to refer to, to keep track of all the family members. The book offers an interesting view of this family's dynamics.

I felt Mr. Bledsoe was very objective in the way he presented his information; he let the characters' observations of each other and the events tell the story. I think as an objective reader you understand that not all characters had the opportunity to tell their own stories (occasionally due to the fact they were not alive at the time the book was writte - sometimes due to they were murdered). As a huge fan of Ann Rule, I didn't think I could find another true crime writer I would like so well, but now I know I will seek out Mr. Bledsoe's other books. If you enjoy Ann Rule's books, I think you will really enjoy this one as well.

I still can't believe these really happend... but it did........2006-07-05

WHAT MAKES A COLD BLOODED SICKO DO THIS KIND OF ACT? WHAT KIND OF MOTHER THAT WOULD DELIBERATELY PUT HER KIDS IN OBVIOUS DANGER. WHY WOULDN'T THE POLICE REALLY DO NOTHING ABOUT IT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. THIS IS THE REALM OF... BITTER BLOOD. AND THIS SICKO PSYCHOTIC MOTHER HAD THAT. THIS BLOOD SUCKING WORTHLESS TRASH ALONG WITH HER INCEST COUSIN/BOYFRIEND BLEW A HAND GRANADE IN THAT NASTY JEEP CAUSING THE DEATH OF NOT ONLY THEM SELVES, BUT ALSO HER 2 BOYS. I SAW THE 4-HOUR MINI-SERIES, AND IT IS VERY DISTURBING AND SHOCKING. ON BEHALF OF THE FATHER AND HIS GIRLFRIEND AND HIS AND HER FAMILY. MAY THIS DECEASED WIFE AND HER DECEASED KILLER/INCEST/LOVER ROTT IN HELL FOREVER.

Family Madness and Murder.......2006-06-06

This is a true crime story that you can't believe is real but it did happen. It's a book you can't put down. I will say no more to avoid spoilers just read it!!

Average customer rating:

Vampire Series
Love, Loss. Second chances and common ground.
HoT Read!
Lover or vampire romance!!!
Pretty Nice

Ashes to Ashes (Blood Ties, Book 3)
Jennifer Armintrout
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 077832494X

Book Description

Being a vampire is a life-or-death situation. When I was first turned, I had only my survival to worry about. Now I'm locked in a battle for the existence of the entire human race—and the cards are definitely stacked against me.

The Voluntary Vampire Extinction Movement headquarters are destroyed, and their pet horror, the Oracle, is on the loose. She'll stop at nothing to turn the world into a vampire's paradise, even if it means helping the Soul Eater become a god and harnessing his power for her own evil ends.

An ancient vampire, a blood-sucking near deity and oh, yeah, my presently human former sire thrown into the mix. I say bring it on. May the best monster win.

Customer Reviews:

Vampire Series.......2007-09-30

There are three books in this series. I already had the other two. My daughter was the one who likes vampire books and had read everything by Anne Rice and was looking for something new. This is a more detective type thing, not just vampires and really was good fun and interesting to read!

Love, Loss. Second chances and common ground........2007-09-26

Quite a bit of Ashes to Ashes is about second chances. The characters from the previous books return here and if you are new to the series you will really want to start at the beginning with The Turning (Blood Ties, Book 1) and Possession (Blood Ties, Book 2) because a lot of time was spent in those books developing the characters and their convoluted relationships. If you start here you will get that fact that Carrie, Nathan, Cyrus, Max and Bella are all damaged in some way, but it is more of a superficial understanding than you'd have if you'd watched the events unfold.

All are needy and in search of love, but not all of them are truly ready for it. The triangle with Carrie, Nathan and Cyrus continues, in fact the author even indulges in a menage dream sequence. But the dynamics between them shift as events take the three of them through changes. Reasons holding back not just those three, but Max and Bella too, from giving their love disappear. Events occur between Cyrus and Carrie that allow Cyrus/Carrie and Nathan/Carrie to approach each other from common ground. Max and Bella especially find a new beginning, as they undertake what looks like a fatal journey, when they acknowledge love inspite of their fear of rejection or loss. All these changes make for second chances for those that can survive.

Ashes to Ashes carries forward the plot and the relationships from the previous books, but offers only a little in resolution. It turns out that there will be a fourth book in the series, All Soul's Night, out in June of next year. There's some setup for that here, as a character from the past reappears. One enemy is vanquished and another remains to be defeated next time. I couldn't find the page to quote it exactly but in this book, Bella says that every one has scars, and it is how one goes about trying to heal that matters. It will be interesting to see how the Bella, Max, Nathan and Carrie move toward healing in the next book.

HoT Read!.......2007-09-17

Great read! I liked the first book, the second book was even better.
BUT DAMN! the third book was amazing i normally dont go for first person books but the first book sucks you in and you just have to keep on reading to see what happens, the secondary characters are GREAT to. Max and bella rock!! You cant help but like carrie and Nolan though and hell even cyrus is a good character!

Lover or vampire romance!!!.......2007-09-16

Just to let the readers of my reviews know that I do not give out information about the book. Why write a spoiler? I only tell what I like and why I did not like the book. I do not go into details.

Carrie's infatuation with Cyrus and being in love Nathan had me wondering would she ever make up her mind. The book had a good twist, once a fledgling now Cyrus' sir, made it a good book. I like suspense, not really knowing whom or what you want in a book, but this did go back and forth so much that I got tired of reading it.

I am a big Nathan fan, even though he does not want to let go of his dead wife, still is my favorite character.

I will read her next book. I want to see Nathan and Carrie together.

Pretty Nice.......2007-09-02

SO before I move on I will state this is a good series...........book one was one of the BEST books I have ever read in the genre, book two great not nearly as impressive, this book worth reading but not half as impressive as two, couldnt compare to one. Long story short worth the read, fun and exciting but with each book it seems to get progressivly "worst"...or should I say less impressive hate to say worst as I am a fan.
3 1/2 stars. pains me to give it that. I did read it in 2 sittings though.

Average customer rating:

Predator: Flesh And Blood
Michael Jan Friedman , and Robert Greenberger
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1595820477

Book Description

In 1987, the first Predator movie was released, garnering an Oscar, huge audiences, and an instantly loyal fan base. Five years later came the first of the best-selling Predator novels. What accounted for the success of the series? It combined seemingly disparate genres — science fiction, action, and horror — with unforgettable characters for a fresh experience. In this novel by New York Times bestsellers Michael Friedman and frequent writing partner Robert Greenberger, humans have all but destroyed the earth, creating an opportunity for unscrupulous moneymakers to take advantage of the destruction. One family, the Ciejek clan, have made their fortune exploiting Earth’s misfortunes. But with power comes corruption. The members of the Ciejek clan are at each other’s throats, enlisting the help of the fearsome Predators to settle the score . . . When the Predators arrive, however, the brutality they unleash is far beyond what the Ciejek family could have imagined.

Star Wars-Crimson Empire: Council of Blood, Volume 2

Average customer rating:

Save Your Money and Reread the Original
They screwed up in the transistion
Good
Too much

Star Wars-Crimson Empire: Council of Blood, Volume 2
Mike Richardson , Randy Stradley , Paul Gulacy , and Randy Emberli
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 156971410X
Release Date: 1999-12-13

Customer Reviews:

Save Your Money and Reread the Original.......2004-04-13

Crimson Empire was amazing, the sequel was anything but.

After finishing the original, I was anxious to pick up the sequel. As soon as I did, it looked like the writer, artist, everyone was different. That was my first clue that something was wrong. "Council of Blood" gets it all wrong. And I'm sad to say that this book, despite it's appearence, is indeed by the same writer/artist team of the first book! Kir Kanos, the anti-hero from the original is hardly even in the story. Sinn doesn't look or act like she did at all. You'll be flipping the pages looking for our two protagonists, wondering where the hell they are. Instead we get an annoying Hutt and even more annoying council filled with the least interesting characters every written. The Empire was filled with merciless and decisive Admirals and Generals. Now it's been magically replaced by stereotypical politicians who do nothing but argue. There's about 3 imperials actually on the Imperial Council! The end of the first book left us hanging, Kir Kanos leaving to assassinate the unseen ruling council. Now that I've see them, I couldn't care less about them. All the characters of power are supposed to be sinister plotters, but instead they come off as bumbling idiots. The art's pretty bad too, except for Dorman's covers, which are wonderful, practically the only redeeming aspect of the book. The only other good thing I can say about this is that it was easy to get through, as bad as it was.

The potential here was amazing, instead we got one of the worst Star Wars books ever written. Avoid it like the plague and pray they redo it properly.

They screwed up in the transistion.......2001-11-05

I'm afraid the makers of CE botched their attempt to go from a simply, direct revenge-type story to a complex tale of woven intrigue. The art, while still somewhat cinematic in stlye, suffers from highly unstable character depictions and cartoony inconsistencies. The change of Sinn's character and appearance is equally as annoying. While she was quite a bother in the original, its even more bothersome when they switch character personalities and appearance.

As for the story, Mastadge's title puts it well. Way too much. Masters of intrigue and complex plots like Stackpole and Zahn should stake their claim as such, as other writers' attempts at such tales are consistently going astray. Carivus is an annoying, bloated dolt, and my interest in Nom Anor dropped about the same time NJO began coming out and butchering 'Star Wars'.

And the Council. While some of the talks seemed to be only well-done examples of intrigue in the whole bloody thing, I still found that it was overdone at times. And why the aliens? I can understand a move toward a more inclusive Empire, but why add Whiphids, Givin, Defel, and other such races that have no real status in the overall galactic community? If they were going to add alien reps they would have at least added ones from species that had actual power in galactic affairs.

Oh, well. If you want to learn a bit more about what happens after CE you can do so, but I can't say I reccomend the book.

Good.......2000-07-01

This addition to the Crimson Empire may not be as good as the first, but it still packs a punch and delivers to Star Wars fans.

Too much.......2000-02-05

While the first Crimson Empire tale was very good and effective, this one fails in many areas.

The main problem with this issues is that they had so many subplots and characters, it was like they were trying to compress a thick novel into a comic book series. There was so much going on they couldn't focus enough on any one theme and develop it.

Also, as much as I didn't like Sinn, heroic rebel commander, being portrayed as a complete slut in the first one, I hate it even worse when they change how a character looks from one comic to another, in the same way that it annoys me when different actors play the same character in different movies.

This book did have pretty good renditions of ships, and it was cool how they introduced mysterious Nom Anor, one of the main baddies in the New Jedi Order series. Unfortunately, although the ship and landscape art was mostly very well done, the people were badly rendered and disproportianate. The Hutt was tiny sometimes, normal sized at others, Sinn's face was a complete disaster, none of the carry-overs from the first issue looked right, and most of the time the faces were just too thick and disgusting.

Another thing, the alien races on the Imp Council! Not only were several of those species known to be sided with the New Republic, plus the fact that the Empire is all anti-aliens, makes this not work. Plus several of those species are so obscure I'm not sure why'd they'd have a member on the council. Oh well.

Still, I am definitely looking forward to CE III, as it is going to tie in pretty heavily to NJO...

Book Description

Detective Mac Taylor is a dedicated crime scene investigator who believes that everything is connected and everyone has a story. He and Detective Stella Bonasera lead a team of crack forensic experts through the gritty and kinetic world of New York City as they piece together clues and eliminate doubt to ultimately crack their cases.

A modest home in a suburban Queens neighborhood is the unlikely site of a grisly crime scene: a married couple and their daughter are found brutally murdered. Missing from the scene is the couple's young son, and Mac Taylor and Danny Messer soon uncover signs of a possible kidnapping. Can they find him before it's too late?

In a heavily Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, the body of a devoutly religious man is found ritually displayed on the floor of his synagogue. Stella Bonasera and Aiden Burn initially suspect a fringe fundamentalist group that has had run-ins with the victim's congregation, but the group is led by a charismatic and antagonistic man who does everything he can to stonewall the team's investigation.

Two very different crimes, with one thing in common: CSI investigators who won't stop until they uncover the truth.

Customer Reviews:

Drug on for just a little too long...........2006-11-02

I liked this book, don't get me wrong! I just felt like the last 60 or so pages were completely pointless and served only to drag the storyline out. It almost seemed like Kaminsky thought he gave too much away too soon and then tried to come back and fix it.

I did enjoy the book, particularly the themes concerning the Jewish faith that weaved their way throughout. The stalker theme seemed a little forced to me, and I would have liked to see the mystery last a little longer on that front.

Overall, this was a good book. There are some inconsistencies with the characters that viewers of CSI: NY may or may not pick up on. The timeframe for when this book is set is also a little inconsistent with character developments that viewers will be aware of, if, of course, they catch the timing indicators.

I enjoyed this book and read it in a matter of a few days (if it was bad, I wouldn't have finished it quickly). It's a good story, though, as I said, it feels a little forced toward the end.

Good Kaminsky--overlook the TV aspect.......2006-04-25

When I first heard about this book, I said, "Oh, no; Kaminsky's whoring himself out to the TV people." He has, of course, written TV material before, but I always thought his Lew Fonesca and Abe Lieberman books were far superior. (I was in Sarasota a while back, and I went to Fonesca's corner late one night and saw the Dairy Queen. Very spooky!).
As it turns out, Kaminsky wrote this "CSI" book with his usual aplomb, and it's a good one. But it's a lot more gory than his usual stuff--in keeping with the theme of the show--with lots of forensic details, etc.
There's a Jewish theme--which is Kaminsky's home turf--running through the story, and it makes for an interesting crime scenario.
This book is more formulaic than usual, due to requisite demands of a TV series, but Kaminsky is a still a great storyteller.

Blood and Fog (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Average customer rating:

Super Reader
Enjoyable
Cool
This makes my teeth hurt
This book has it all!

Blood and Fog (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Nancy Holder
Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743400399

Book Description

The strongest magick ever distilled, and the deadliest butcher England has ever known...

Buffy Summers is on the trail of a killer demon in Sunnydale, and reluctantly accepts the help of Spike. Anything's better than his moping around. But Spike -- as usual -- has his own agenda, and it involves something the demon is carrying: a vial of pure magickal power. Spike knows plenty of people and demons who will pay top dollar for this vial: Doc, Rack...and an ancient evil known as The First.

Spike has encountered The First before. In the good old days in Victorian London, when Spike, Drusilla, Angelus, and Darla ran through the night in pursuit of dark fun, another evil being was stalking the streets, dispatching young women with brutal efficiency. But when the so-called "Jack the Ripper" struck too close to their twisted "family," the vampires found themselves on the same side as the Slayer of that time. Working to bring down Jack, and running afoul of The First, Spike and the Slayer formed an uneasy alliance, which followed Spike all through the twentieth century to present day Sunnydale, now blanketed in a mysterious fog....

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-06

This one is pretty full on. Quite a bit more of the horror feel about this. Jack the Ripper is actually a Sidhe half-breed, son of a Tuatha de Danan and a Fohmoire. Jack himself is crazy, and wants to be a god. Spike has run into him before, and seen a Slayer die, when Jack was involved. There are more flashbacks here to the 'bad' vampire quartet roaming around London.

All sorts of crazy stuff happens in a battle at the end where Buffy goes all blind monk warrior.

A few good quips, too :-

..."it was a tall, thin man, bluish white, with blond hair and blue yes.
"Look. It's Elric," Buffy quipped, then looked at Tara's puzzled expression and said, "Xander loved those books in high school."

and

"...row upon row of Tuathan warriors yodeled high and shrill, a cross between Xena and something scary, fierece, and deadly--okay, like Xena--..."

Enjoyable.......2006-01-01

The story was interesting, escapist fiction. It was a treat to read a book with Spike as a main force. Less depressing than Spark and Burn. I couldn't put it down. I should have put 5 stars. For some reason, when I edit my reviews the stars change.

Cool.......2005-03-31

Well the book was interesting and I liked how they used Jack the Ripper. I think that making the old slayer a coward was the most interesting part of it. I think that it wasn't Elizabeth's fault that she was a coward and that she was smart for being scared. Most slayers are afraid but they just don't show it.

This makes my teeth hurt.......2004-12-27

I confess. I only read the excerpts. Well, not all of it, my stomach wasn't up to it. I can't speak to plot (although I have dark suspicions), but the writing style is so bad that I would be ashamed of it if I had written it, and I'm not a published author.

I know I sound like a literary snob, but honestly, I'm not. I mostly read science fiction, a genre not exactly known for its great literary merit (though I think people do undersell that aspect of it). The book -- make that the excerpts, suffer from three serious flaws.

The first is the sheer quantity of "saidisms." Saidisms (prounounced said-is-emss) are modifying the word said. "she said, grumpily" or "he said, honestly" or "she said, wearily." Saidisms have two problems. In the first place, they make the prose clunky. In something like Buffy, the prose should be snappy, quick and funny. You can't get that effect if every sentence contains a saidism, it slows down the dialolg. The other problem is that is insults the reader -- or demonstrates a lack of skill on the part of the writer. In almost every case, the reader should know how the speaker is speaking. If a character is grumpy, it's really not necessary to say, "she said, grumpily." There are rare cases where saidisms are useful, but just look at the sheer number of them in the Sunnydale section.

As long as we're dialog, allow me to mention the second issue which is just wrong. The writer does not have the characters voices. We know and love these characters, and one of the characteristics we know and treasure is their unique "voice," the way in which they speak. In a Buffy episode, you could read a script without attributions, and be able to pick out which characters speak which lines. One of the extras on the DVDs has an author talking about this issue of unique voices. She had a line that she'd written for Willow, which she rewrote to give to Xander because she thought that Xander didn't have enough to do. When Joss saw he script. he pointed to that line and asked her if that line hadn't originally been for Willow. They put it back in Willow's lines.

The third problem is manifests is tthat the author has no gift for exposition. Exposition is explaining the back story, explaining the things that the characters already know but that the audience doesn't. Exposition is really hard. One of BtVS exceptional strengths, in fact, is the grace and economy with which they work exposition into episodes. Without ever feeling like you've been lectured, whole worlds have been laid out for you, credible and interesting, and you never get bored. That whole Whitechapel beginning is a vast lump of exposition that is indigestible. There's no story for what seems like forever. Buffy episodes don't start slow, they start with action and move fast. Large expositional lumps are exactly contrary to the style of BtVS. Even if it weren't, large expositional lumps are still a bad idea. They encourage the reader to put down the book. How many times do you really want Lonodon fog to be described? How necessary is it to describe the poverty of Whitechapel? At minimum, exposition should move the story forward, not cause it to break suddenly to clue you into something.

in the end, I want to justify reviewing a book based on excerpts. The flaws I saw in the excerpts are so identifiable, and so basic, that it makes me want to stay a mile away. At best, this is extremely amateur prose. The plot might be very good, but the effort of reading that prose makes even the most brilliant plot uninteresting.

This book has it all!.......2004-07-11

This book has it all: action-mystery-flash backs and more! It's about Jack the Ripper wanting to get back to this dimension, and maybe it will work! Spike has a big role in this book. When you begin reading, you don't wanna stop till the last page!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 6: Blood of Carthage

Average customer rating:

A poem from me to the world...
Even Slayers Make Mistakes
Xander and Willow flashbacks. . .a great trade!
A bloody good read
Great Artwork

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 6: Blood of Carthage
Christopher Golden , Cliff Richards , and Joe Pimente
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1569715343
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Book Description

The gang is off to college and Buffy`s whole world is changing. How much education does a girl who`s destined to kill monsters her whole life really need? To quell her confusion, Buffy throws herself into Slaying with wild abandon and disastrous results. Her killing of Sunnydale`s answer to big foot may just bring about the rising of the demon Ky-Laag, and the end of the world. And the only group who know what`s going on and who want to stop it, the mysterious Blood of Carthage, also want to kill Buffy for starting it all. What`s a gal to do? This trade paperback collects issues #21-25 of the monthly series and is its longest and most involved storyline to date. The events in this story will have repercussions in the Buffy-verse for years to come, so do not miss it!

Customer Reviews:

A poem from me to the world..........2005-04-08

Some beach...somewhere
Some city....out there
Some cat....out where?
Some mother...to embrace
Some dad...with a backbrace
Someone...with an empty face
some heart...with no place
Some rocker...with no identity
Some babysitter...without a cent for me
Some boy...becoming a man
Some man...named dan
Some milk....gone sour
Some girl...is a coward
Some whore...left undone
some steak...cooked well done
Some girl...with no soul
Some fish...with a bowl
Some leaf...turning green
some girl...becoming a teen
Some granpda...dying
some hooker...lying

some father...writing a poem
Some people...reading his poem

Even Slayers Make Mistakes.......2002-09-25

This trade paperback presents a serial story that originally appeared in issues 21 through 25 of the BTVS comics. Officially it occurs at the end of the third season, but is more of a bridge into season four, presenting Buffy as a new freshman in college, desperately trying to balance the pressures of real scholastic work with her night job - slaying. When an old, scary legend of 'Mad Jack' comes back to life, Buffy over-reacts and kills the first suspect demon without a thorough investigation. The result is a major crisis when it turns out that Mad Jack was just the guardian over something much worse.

Originally released during the Roman conquest of Carthage, Ky-Laag is major badness. He was only brought under control at that time by the wiles of Vraka, another demon, who led a cult called 'The Blood of Carthage.' Several thousand years later Buffy has let the rabbit out of the hate, and Vraka heads for Sunnydale to try to stop Ky-Laag and, in his spare time, kill the offending slayer. Buffy feels the same way about Vraka, but, if they don't work something out, they will be dead and the rest of us will be worshipping Ky-Laag.

One of the other key story arcs is Willow's need for emancipation from a Xander who still treats her like a childhood sidekick. As a young woman with significant magical and intellectual skills this has become more than a little irritating. In a series of flashbacks we see the developing relationship between the two as children. One in which Xander often took the lead. The other piece of history is a series of pieces about Vraka and reason for his bad feelings towards Spike. It should be no surprise that these do not paint the vampire with a chip in his head in a very good light.

One has to think of 'The Blood of Carthage' as more than a trade paperback rehashing the contents of a series of comic books. The story itself is larger than its media, and the trade paperback or graphic novel suits it best. Part of this is due to the efforts of Christopher Golden as writer, and the rest is due to editor Scott Allie's decision to deviate from the story telling style in the previous comic series - 'Bad Blood.' This is not intended to be a criticism of Andi Watson's rambling nine-issue series. Instead, Allie decided it was time for a change of pace and then turned to Golden, a proven Buffy novelist, to implement the idea.

Golden's story line is structured much like a novel, with a focused major story arc and rising levels of complexity and intensity. To break up the pacing a bit we are treated with flashbacks to Willow's childhood with Xander and Spike's first encounter with Vraka. Another thing that makes this series special is the carefully managed creative artwork. While Cliff Richards is the artist for the main story, Chynna Clugston-Major and the team of Paul Lee and Brian Horton each get one of the flashback series. This is cleverly orchestrated to provide different moods and contexts. The art really is excellent, and a separate article on what went into it is included in this volume.

If you have been wondering which trade paperback to buy first, this should be high on your list.

Xander and Willow flashbacks. . .a great trade!.......2001-12-23

I think this trade has issues 21-25 of the series, I can't be sure but the info I got is from the Dark Horse comics website. The issues aren't sectioned in the trade (the blood of carthage), they run together to form a really good story with rather good artwork. We even get to see Xander and Willow as kids! Its a good stand alone trade, I really recommend it. Spike and Dru make an appearance and Giles makes scones! The coolest thing about the trade is the Xander/Willow storyline because it really examines their relationship and who is the sidekick (or not). Christopher Golden is a great Buffy writer, I suggest you pick this one up.

A bloody good read.......2001-07-19

The only problem with this excellent graphic novel is that it isn't a full length book. A plot so complex and characters so rich they deserve 300 pages. Christopher Golden never disappoints.

The art work is exciting and colorful. I think the actors are well drawn. Their voices are true.

Set in the fourth season, Buffy is at college. The pressures weigh heavy on her slayer duties. When she kills the wrong demon all Hell breaks loose which forces deadly enemies to work together. I recommend this to all Buffy fans

Great Artwork.......2001-06-17

I thought this graphic novel was very good because it stayed true to the characters. The only problems were that the story takes place in season four but at the beginning of the book it says it takes during season three. The other problem (which is only minor) was that willow had longer hair in the book than she actually did at that time during the show. Sounds nitpicky I know but what can I say I know my Buffy stuff.

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