Reviews By Charline

“Last Will”

Author: Liza Marklund

I’ve only just recently discovered the reading pleasure of Liza Marklund books. Marklund is a gifted writer who provides an interesting tale in a very well-written and intriguing manner. Marklund’s latest title “Last Will,” which is also my first experience with her, was a great read.

“Last Will” is set in Stockholm, Sweden. Annika Bengtzon, a reporter for the Evening Post, is attending a Nobel Prize Award Ceremony banquet in the hopes of finding a story worthy of a front page headline. She definitely winds up getting more than she bargained for because this night comes complete with a once in a lifetime story as well as a gag order that won’t allow Annika to share it.

A female assassin known only as “the Kitten” has been hired to kill Caroline von Behring, a member of the Nobel Prize committee at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony banquet. Moments before the Kitten ends her target’s life a clumsy dancer knocks the Kitten off balance and she comes face-to-face with Annika. Unable to stop it from happening, the Kitten and Annika make eye contact however, with nothing out of the ordinary, apart from yellow eyes and an injured foot, Annika resumes dancing with her own partner.

Moments later, hearing a muted pop; Annika looks up and sees the man currently dancing with Caroline fall to his knees. Annika hears another muffled pop and watches in stupefied silence as Caroline looks down at her fallen dance partner, then looks directly at Annika before looking down at her own chest. Annika follows Caroline’s gaze and is stunned and horrified when she realizes that Caroline is bleeding profusely. Caroline looks at Annika once more, almost as if trying to convey a message to her, before she too falls to the ground and dies seconds later.

I won’t give away any more of the story but from this point Marklund takes the reader on a winding road between Annika’s life and the Kitten’s. Marklund did a fantastic job with this tale and “Last Will” transitions seamlessly from scene to scene and country to country. An “edge of your seat” experience and a “must read” for anyone who enjoys fictional suspense / crime novels. Five stars…

“The Take Charge Patient: How YOU Can Get The Best Medical Care”

Author: Martine Ehrenclou

“The Take-Charge Patient: How YOU Can Get The Best Medical Care” is an extremely well-written, well thought out and well put together book. This isn’t author Martine Ehrenclou’s first go round with providing helpful and informative information in an easy to understand format; her first book “Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide To Get Your Loved One Out Alive” received high accolades as well as fifteen separate awards. Ehrenclou seems to have a true calling as a patient advocate not only for herself but also for those in the world around her.

In “The Take-Charge Patient: How YOU Can Get The Best Medical Care” Ehrenclou takes the reader by the hand and provides him/her with step by step instruction on how to become that oh so important “Take-Charge” patient. Rather than having her readers become medical victims due to their lack of medical knowledge and resources she provides them with the information and know how needed to take charge of their medical situations. Surely a higher level of knowledge and understanding will go a long way towards helping assuage a patient’s concern plus give him/her a needed sense of confidence that any medical condition has the possibility of completely stealing away or slowly eroding over time.

“The Take-Charge Patient: How YOU Can Get The Best Medical Care” is laid out in an easy to read, easy to emulate format. After the introduction, which is followed by Ehrenclou’s story, the author then provides an easily understood roadmap with important mile markers for her readers to use. She shows her readers how to become “Take-Charge” patients; how to choose the right doctor and how to understand when they have the right doctor for them. I won’t go over Ehrenclou’s entire formula here but I was impressed (and appreciative) that it was in a concise and logical order rather than helter-skelter and all over the place.

In summary, “The Take-Charge Patient: How YOU Can Get The Best Medical Care” is excellent resource material. It is written in layman’s terms rather than hard to understand medical jargon and it has a sincere and honest quality to it. Almost as if the author cares about each and every one of us as an individual…

“The Job”

Author: Cramer Louis Jackson

I finished reading my copy of “The Job” by author Cramer Louis Jackson and honestly once I was done I could do nothing but sit there in stunned and horrified silence. I don’t like having to be the bearer of bad news; I dislike having to write less than glowing reviews but even more importantly than that…I really and truly hate reading bad books! Wow! I almost don’t even know where to begin with this review…

Startlingly “The Job” was only forty-five pages long which…when reading a good book that’s depressingly short however, with regards to “The Job,” I found it to be a blessing in disguise. And truthfully? I couldn’t get to page forty-five fast enough!

“The Job” is classed as Science Fiction and focuses on Joe Jamison who is currently out of work with absolutely no job prospects anywhere on the horizon. This isn’t to say that Joe is unemployed due to lack of trying – there’s just nothing viable anywhere. Or is there? One afternoon Joe receives a “cloak and dagger” type letter giving him covert instructions on where to go and what to do in order to qualify for some “secret” job. Deciding he has nothing to lose Joe follows the instructions to a tee and what do you know? He, and he alone, qualifies for this job. What are the odds?

After the initial interview Joe’s identity is changed; he’s provided with more money than he knows what to do with and then shortly thereafter he meets the woman of his dreams who just as miraculously falls head over heels in love with him. I don’t want to give any more of the story away but after completing the book I reread the back cover and idly wondered who had actually had the…audacity…to use the phrase “cinematic brilliance” with regards to this particular title. At best it read like a sub-standard “B” rated Sci-Fi movie that went directly to DVD because it was too corny to garner any interest at the box office.

In summary, I found “The Job” to be very poorly written; the plot bordered on ludicrous and inane and…that “sinister force” mentioned in the synopsis was laughable at best.

“Dreams Unveiled”

Author: Peggy Lara

I recently finished reading “Dreams Unveiled” by new author Peggy Lara. The premise of this fiction / romance / suspense novel is as follows: Holly McPhearson has finally met the man of her dreams. He’s charming, kind, great with her son and best of all? He’s a successful businessman and doesn’t need her to support him. Oh right! And he actually loves her for her! Sounds great and Holly too is definitely in love, the only problem is that Robert’s past is coming back to haunt her.

Three years prior to Holly, Robert was engaged to be married but his fiancée was murdered in his house the night before their wedding. After deciding that Robert was no longer a murder suspect the police finally settled on the belief that the killing was an unfortunate byproduct of a badly botched burglary. However, one of the detectives assigned to the case never completely bought into that theory.

With Holly and Robert’s big day fast approaching detective Melanie Sanders is more convinced than ever that some important piece of this investigation was overlooked. If Robert’s fiancée wasn’t murdered because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, then will Melanie be able to figure out what really happened with enough time left to save Holly’s life? I guess you will have to read “Dreams Unveiled” for yourself to find the answer to that question.

All in all, I found “Dreams Unveiled” to be an interesting read. I enjoyed the ironic twist of the book’s title and I would say that Lara has a gift for storytelling. I wasn’t completely fooled as to where the tale was going or even who the real culprit was but it made for an enjoyable airplane read on my way to Maui. It would have made a great beach read too if the flight itself wasn’t oh so long!

In summary, a good book; a fun read. The plot is believable; the dialogue between characters flows well and for the most part the book transitions seamlessly from one scene to the next. Anyone who enjoys reading fiction / romance / light suspense will probably appreciate this title and the author did a great job of keeping the grisly aspects out of this book making it age appropriate for young adults as well.

“Severed Threads”

Author: Kaylin McFarren

“Severed Threads” by new author Kaylin McFarren definitely lives up to its “Romantic Suspense” genre listing. At two hundred and eighty-three pages it’s a fairly quick read and I found it to be interesting and well-written. I would also hazard a guess and say that McFarren holds some level of scuba certification as her underwater scenes are portrayed both accurately and knowledgeably.

As I began reading my copy of “Severed Threads” I was happy to find that the first chapter was an adventuresome “prequel” of sorts. Personally, I always enjoy when authors provide their readers with an earlier stage of the tale they are about to share.

In “Severed Threads” Rachel Lyons, the book’s main female character, lost her father Sam in a diving accident four years ago. It seems that she has never been able to completely close that chapter of her life and it doesn’t help that the coroner could never provide a specific reason for Sam’s untimely demise. Ultimately Rachel feels responsible for his death and, not knowing how to properly cope with his loss, she has removed herself from the beauty of the underwater world; settling instead for a desk job at a foundation office.

Unfortunately for Rachel, museum director Dr. Ying and…old friend of her father’s schedules a meeting with her to discuss his grant request; the grant request focused on finding the mythical Chinese merchant ship the Wanlii II; the same ship that cost her father his life. Needless to say Rachel wants nothing to do with this obviously cockamamie and crazy endeavor especially since there isn’t any hard proof to substantiate the wreck’s supposed final resting place. During Rachel’s logical attempt to explain this to Dr. Ying she is stopped short when Chase Cohen, her old boyfriend and the man who was her father’s dive buddy that fateful day four years ago, walks through the door. What follows is an intriguing tale of mystery, deception and murder…

In summary, “Severed Threads” was a well-written compilation of convoluted plots, intrigue, and paranormal; I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys any of the above genres.

“Rebellion of Silence”

Author: Brittney Martin

Being an avid Science Fiction fan I really wanted to love “Rebellion of Silence” by new author Brittney Martin. Unfortunately what I wound up with at the book’s end was a rather dismal “it was okay” feeling.

In all fairness I found the jacket description of “Rebellion of Science” to be interesting; this was what prompted me to read it in the first place. Sadly Martin’s writing style / ability is what was lacking and consequently this book became a less than enjoyable read for me.

The premise for “Rebellion of Silence” is good: A bloodthirsty race of inhuman creatures known as the Rahion are bent on destroying everything the city of Kirave holds dear. Avarah, a main character in this tale, is one of the many who have joined the rebellion known only as “Silence.” These rebels are determined to free their city and bring both justice and truth back to the people. In order to succeed Avarah must place her trust in a man who himself is part Rahion and the story that follows sets the stage for what is apparently meant to be the first book in “The Adon Series.”

With that said, what wasn’t good about “Rebellion of Silence” was the writing… Martin obviously has a great imagination but her writing was neither clear nor concise. There were a lot of inconsistencies; loose ends that were never explained and major flaws with grammar that left me subconsciously scratching my head while trying to piece together what Martin was trying to say. For example: “Sier dropped his arms to his side and smirked when even the group of criminally oriented men, standing around a cluttered table, glimpsed over them.” I literally had to reread that sentence three times to figure out what I think Martin meant. Maybe it was supposed to read: “Sier dropped his arms to his sides and smirked when the group of criminally oriented men standing around a cluttered table glanced over at them.”

For just the grammatical reasons alone “Rebellion of Silence” was a difficult read; I had to slog through two hundred and seventy five pages that were disjointed; did not flow well and…did not always make sense. I hope that Martin will be able to take something constructive and helpful from this review because I do understand that what makes a book great, whether fact or fiction, is the writer’s ability to successfully grab and hold the reader’s attention. Martin – keep using your imagination and continue forward with the “Adon” series but think about taking some classes to help with your writing skills. Also, finding a professional editor to help you wouldn’t be a bad idea either…

“Passage to Hiroshima”

Author: Gordonn T. Allred

I’ve just finished reading “Passage to Hiroshima” by Gordon T. Allred. This book is the first volume of the “Rising Sun” series and in “Passage to Hiroshima” Allred has definitely set the stage for future novels. At only one hundred and forty-seven pages I did find “Passage to Hiroshima” to be too quick of a read for me but…at least it was an enjoyable one.

Moving on to the story… It’s late 1941 and Zenji Yamato is a twenty year old Japanese American who currently resides in Utah. His parents moved to the United States when he was just eight so that his father, Masahisa Yamato, could embrace his personal dream of being a successful restaurateur rather than sharing the success of his brother’s dream: the shipping industry.

For the last several years Zenji has been saving up; intending to return to Japan, the land of his birth, to visit his relatives. The date for his departure is almost upon him and while Zenji is ecstatic his mother is not. She understands her son; knows that he is a bit of a dare-devil and she worries that he will get himself into trouble. While she cannot convince him to forego his trip she does manage to extract a promise from him that he will not intentionally seek out danger. Having read that Zenji threw common sense and caution to the winds; almost dying of hypothermia days before his leaving, I idly wondered how effectual that obligatory promise would really be.

“Passage to Hiroshima” is an interesting variation of current happenings followed by recollections of Zenji’s past memories and childhood experiences before finally remaining anchored in the present. There’s even an interesting interaction with a plane from a Japanese aircraft carrier that had me holding my breath for a moment or two…

While I’m not going to give away any more of the story I will say that “Passage to Hiroshima” was a good read although not quite what I had been expecting. (In a good way.) Allred is a great writer; extremely descriptive in a direct and to the point manner which is appreciated. I do look forward to reading future books from this series and I would recommend “Passage to Hiroshima” to anyone who enjoys the “Action” or “Adventure” reading genres.

“Defending A King – His Life & Legacy”

Author: Dr. Karen Moriarty

“Defending A King – His Life & Legacy…” what a powerful story; especially to someone like myself who never followed the media frenzy that constantly surrounded Michael Jackson. I loved the majority of his music; I was impressed by the humanitarian work he provided globally but…I was uninterested in the rumor and speculation that continuously followed him around. Consequently, most of my knowledge about Jackson ended with whichever song of his wound up being played on the radio.

That’s not to say I was unaware of the many years of drama; it just means that I preferred not to speculate about that which I had no knowledge. I will admit, I did take pause when Jackson agreed to settle a sexual misconduct case outside of court in the early nineties. However, I wasn’t privy to the details of the case so I chose to shrug it off. In retrospect, settling probably wasn’t the smartest move on Jackson’s part but after reading “Defending A King – His Life & Legacy” I have a much better understanding of why he made that choice. I would even go so far as to say that Jackson’s true personality would never have allowed him to do anything but what he did even had he known then how it would make him a much easier target in future.

“Defending A King – His Life & Legacy” was a great book. It was thoughtful, honest, well-written and contained substantiated information from people close to Jackson / reliable sources. “Defending A King – His Life & Legacy” provides the reader with a heartbreaking look at the last few years of Jackson’s life. After a devastating five month trial where Jackson’s entire life was put on public display; where he was ridiculed, belittled, scorned and more is it any wonder that Jackson lost his usual “spark” and possibly even his faith in humanity?

Millennia ago someone with Jackson’s message would have been hailed as a prophet… He would have traveled the globe; spreading his message of love and acquiring followers wherever he went through the power of his charisma, words and actions. In today’s world of fast paced living coupled with incredible technological advances can we really say that’s not what he was? During his short life Michael provided countless messages of love, hope and peace and shared them with everyone. He frequently traveled the world in an attempt to raise our awareness; he had his “followers” aka fans and he acquired more with each country he visited.

I only hope that the people and companies currently capitalizing from Michael Jackson’s fame also remember to “give something back.” While I doubt that Michael would ever begrudge anyone the happiness that can be borne from their successes I do think he would feel disappointment if his ever present lessons of love, compassion and caring were overlooked and ignored.

In closing, a phenomenal and eye-opening read. A huge thank you to Moriarty for having taken the time to write “Defending A King – His Life & Legacy” as well as a big thank you to all who came forward and shared their remembrances with her.

“The Duke Don’t Dance”

Author: Richard Sharp

I have to be honest and state that in reading “The Duke Don’t Dance” I didn’t really “get” it at first. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was born quite a few decades after the “Greatest Generation,” the “Baby Boomers” and the “Silent Generation” and therefore am unable to fully understand the angst that this last “Silent Generation” endured. Who knew that the “Greatest Generation” and the “Baby Boomers” were the “it” of eras to be born into? With that said I’m guessing I should also feel cheated…I didn’t grow up listening to dinner table conversations that revolved around the “good ol’ days” of any of these apparently spectacular generations. Everything I know about them was discovered in books, pictures, movies, songs or museums.

So, armed with absolutely no point of reference I continued to slog my way through “The Duke Don’t Dance.” In all fairness it was a really good read. Author Richard Sharp has a unique writing style that at first I didn’t enjoy but as I got farther along in the story the words seemed to flow better. Maybe as Sharp became more engrossed in the writing of “The Duke Don’t Dance” his words became less stilted and freer or…maybe I was beginning to finally understand some aspect of each character’s life and why they did the crazy, outlandish things that they did. Whatever the reason it allowed me to read and successfully enjoy the last two thirds of “The Duke Don’t Dance.” While I couldn’t necessarily understand the thought processes behind some of their actions at least I was now able to empathize with each character to some extent.

In summary I would say that “The Duke Don’t Dance” is solid book; a good read. There isn’t a lot of “fluff” within the story and for the most part Sharp transitions seamlessly through the various timelines. And…the fact that I was able to finish “The Duke Don’t Dance” with a smile on my face rather than a frown speaks volumes for Sharp’s writing ability. While I didn’t connect with “The Duke Don’t Dance” as easily as I would have liked to…it was still a darn good read.

“My Top 40 at 40”

Author: Kari Loya

A few years ago when I was still a “newbie” writer I remember doing some “suggested” reading so that I would have a better understanding of the “Industry.” My first mistake was listening to this “helpful” advice; my second was actually following through with it. When you’re just starting out as a writer, working on getting your books out and published, the last thing you really want, or need, to hear is all the over-the-top and dramatically negative comments about how difficult this industry is. I mean really…don’t we already know that? If it were easy I daresay there would be a lot more books lining library shelves.

Anyway, I remember coming upon this three or four page rant written by a woman with a very high opinion of herself; a self-decided expert in the “Industry” who was providing tips on what people should and shouldn’t write. One of her suggestions was: “Don’t write your own biography; everyone does it and unless you’re someone interesting like Mick Jagger no one really cares.” I wasn’t writing a biography but I did file those words away for future reference because…I guess I could see her point.

However, after reading “My Top 40 at 40” I will most definitely need to forget this woman’s haughty suggestion because “My Top 40 at 40” is one of the most interesting books I’ve read so far this year. I will admit it helps that author Kari Loya has led such an interesting life. He has been unafraid to live life to the fullest and he writes his story with just the right amount of humor and sarcasm to make the experiences he chooses to share fun to read. Finding a book that makes me smile, much less laugh out loud, doesn’t happen very often so when I’m lucky enough to happen across one of these rare finds I definitely keep, and treasure, the book.

In summary, “My Top 40 at 40” was an amazingly fun read. This memoir / biography is well-written and an easy read for all as it is a compilation of very short stories. Great as a gift, a great pick me up on a bad day, a great coffee table conversation starter or…great bathroom reading material for all your dinner party guests. Just make sure it doesn’t walk out the door with them when they say good night…