Thunder Point

Author:  Jack Higgins

Publisher: Penguin Books
Publish Date: 1998
Pages: 384
ISBN No.: 978-0140280319
Genre: Adventure
Sub Genre: Thriller
Reader’s Annotation:
After almost 50 years, a sunken u-boat is uncovered in the deepest waters of the Caribbean.
Summary:
Rapidly unfolding across two continents, Jack Higgins combines World War II espionage with contemporary politics. It is Higgins theory that Nazi lieutenant Martin Bormann escaped Allied forces in 1945 and traveled in a U-boat to South America, taking with him a notebook listing U.S. and British Nazi sympathizers. One of the names in the notebook happens to be the Duke of Windsor. Fast forward to 1992 when a diver in the Caribbean finds the wreck of the vessel, and British authorities are informed that the notebook is still on board. Irish terrorist Sean Dillon is recruited to retrieve the item, but he's not the only one interested for a notorious drug dealer with Parliamentary connections is also in on the hunt. In a stunning conclusion, the rivals race to secure the coveted prize before it falls into the wrong hands.
Evaluation:
Overall, this was a very good read.  While I have not ventured into the adventure genre previously, the thriller aspect caught my attention. It has lots of excitement and the historical aspect was a definite plus.
Why I Would Include It: 
I included this book because I have known of Jack Higgins and his popularity among male readers but that is not to say that some women will not enjoy his work as well.  He has been writing in this genre for many years and his style has withstood the test of time.
Rating: 3

        First Lady


 


Author:  Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Pages: 376
ISBN No.:  0-380-80807-2
Publisher: Avon Books
Publish Date: 2000
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sub Genre: Chick Lit
Reader’s Annotation: 
A book the reader will find is rich with emotion, self-discovery, celebrity, love and family. 
Summary:
The beautiful young widow of the President of the United States, Cornelia Litchfield Case, has decided to take a break from the confines of the White House.  She decides to make a run for it for just a few days, taking on a perfect disguise.  However, when the most famous woman in the world goes missing, an entire nation joins in the search, but she manages to allude them.  How can she hide in plain sight? The last place anybody would think to look is in the company of a infuriatingly secretive and quietly stranger whose charm, good looks, and sensuous appeal are awakening the forgotten woman within the dignitary. Add to this  two adorable little orphaned girls in need of a family along for the ride, and we join them as they head out across the heartland on a wild journey of love, adventure, and glorious new beginning.
Evaluation:
I searched for a romantic, chick lit sort of book in Genreflecting and discovered much to my delight Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I selected this particular one as in reviewing it, I immediately liked the scenario.
Why I Would Include It: This is the type of contemporary romance and chick lit that would appeal to a wide range of women looking for this genre but not wanting anything too sensual.  It is just right.
Rating: 4

Chromosome 6

Author:  Robin Cook

Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Publish Date: 1997
Pages: 461
ISBN No.: 0-399-14207-X
Genre: Science Fiction
Sub Genre: Thriller
Reader’s Annotation:
Chromosome 6 is a visionary thriller that challenges the medical ethics of genetic manipulation and cloning in the jungles of equatorial Africa. 
Summary:
Robin Cook sets this medical thriller in Equatorial Guinea, Africa where Dr. Kevin Marshall worries that he has traded his ethics for a gleaming futuristic lab. Meanwhile, stateside, Dr. Jack Stapleton, a forensic pathologist, is deeply troubled by an unidentified body that is missing various parts. Jack and his colleague, Laurie, identify the corpse as that of a Mafia kingpin, and their investigation leads them to Africa where they find that one mistake could bridge the gap between man and ape, forever changing the genetic map of our existence.a
Evaluation:
For a science fiction/thriller this is one I would recommend. The science is not hard or too intricate for a non-science person to understand. The characters are interesting, well developed and Cook does an excellent job of transporting the reader to the wilds of Africa for I felt I was right there with the characters experiencing every terrifying moment with them.

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Why I Would Include It:

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I included this book for a couple of reasons.  First, I previously read all of Cook’s books as they were published and for some reason I got away from reading his fiction.  Secondly, this book has been on my shelf for ages and I thought I would give it a try.  It is a worthwhile read that is a combination of science fiction and thriller that would appeal to readers of both genres. It was not too far out there and I enjoyed it. 
Rating: 4

The Great Betrayal

 

Author:  Millenia Black

Publisher: CreateSpace
Publish Date: 2010
Pages: 334
ISBN No.:  978-1-4537733-3
Genre: Romance
Sub Genre: Chick Lit
Reader’s Annotation:
The Great Betrayal is a powerful family drama, gripping readers from the moment that Leslie realizes her world is imploding, never slowing down until the end.
Summary:
In West Palm, Florida Leslie Cavanaugh lives a great life. Her husband Luke, an award winning architect loves her and she loves him. Their daughter Kathryn is a delight whom both her parents cherish and spoil. Leslie's career is booming and nothing could go wrong for her or her family.  However, her past in 1985 Clearwater emerges for she was then married to Jeff Phillips who died suddenly leaving her eight months pregnant. Grace was born in Memphis, but Leslie was unable to cope so she ran away. Now her secret that she never told Luke or Kathryn has come home to roost at a time when she believes Luke is cheating on her and Kathryn is chasing after unscrupulous men. However, she has her own troubles to deal with starting in a cemetery she has avoided for two decades, having never moved forward with her life. 
Evaluation:
I actually stumbled upon this book while looking for other romance/chick lit books.  I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised that Black, whom I had not heard of, had written her characters with such depth.  I really felt like I knew Leslie Cavanaugh and could feel her frustration and angst as she moves towards a startling revelation.  However, what surprised me was that the book bordered on the erotic romance genre for Black brought in more sexual content that I had expected.  Granted, it is not outstanding writing but good escapism.
Why I Would Include It: 
Overall The Great Betrayal is a good enough read that I would recommend as a good, fast beach read. 

Rating: 4

Midnight Voices
 

Author:  John Saul

Publisher: Ballantine
Publish Date: 2002

Pages: 375

ISBN No.: 0-449-00653-0
Genre: Horror
Sub Genre: Thriller
Reader’s Annotation:

Carolyn Evans' life as a new widow and single parent of two takes a frightening turn when she meets then marries the seemingly ideal widower, Anthony Fleming.
Summary:

Caroline Evans’ husband dies a sudden and tragic death leaving her with little money and two children to raise in New York City. She suddenly meets the handsome and wealthy Anthony Fleming.  Believing he is the man of her dreams, they marry and she and her children move into her new husband’s spacious apartment located in the legendary Rockwell on Central Park West. Disregarding her son’s intuitive suspicions about the Rockwell and its residents, Caroline dismisses the odd behavior of her eccentric but pleasant neighbors.  When her daughter begins to experience horrifying nightmares and a shocking secret comes to light, Caroline comes to the realization that the magnificence of her new home is a façade for unbelievable horror.

Evaluation:
When I discovered this book I did not think it would be as spooky as it is so I was in for a surprise.  The author has written a number of books and I think I picked the best one. It is an overall good read and one of those that you cannot put down.  Saul gives the reader good character development and the setting could not be better.  He sets the tone but it surprises the reader when it changes to a dark and sinister one. 

Why I Would Include It:

I would include this book because as a horror story it is even a bit of a thriller and gives the reader a good ride.  I could recommend this book because it is not too extreme and the protagonist and her children you learn to care about what happens to them.

Rating: 5

Consequences


Author:  Penelope Lively
Publisher:  Viking
Publish Date:2007
Pages: 258
ISBN No.: 978-0-670-03856-5
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Sub Genre: Romance
Reader’s Annotation:  A penetrating look at how the major and minor events of the twentieth century changed the lives of three generations of women.
Summary: A chance meeting in St. James’s Park begins the intense relationship between young Lorna and Matt. Completely in love, they leave London for a cottage in a rural Somerset village. The arrival of World War II shatters their life together, Matt’s woodcarving, Lorna’s self-discovery, and their new baby, Molly. In 1960s London, Molly discovers a forgotten newspaper, a seemingly small moment that leads to her first job and, eventually, a pregnancy by a wealthy man who wants to marry her but whom she does not love. Thirty years later, Ruth, who has always questioned her existence as a peculiar accident, questions her own marriage, as she  journeys her back to 1941, redefining herself and her perception of love.  
Evaluation:
Overall, a terrific read although squeezing in the three generations makes the book at 258 pages a bit on the short side.  I would have preferred more pages and more character development. 
Why I Would lnclude It:
Good overall story that would appeal to a wide range of women readers.  There is nothing offensive in the story and it moves along at a nice pace so the reader does not get bored.
Rating: 4

The Surgeon

Author:  Tess Gerritsen

Publisher: Ballantine/Random House

Publish Date:  2001

Pages: 370

ISBN No.: 978-0-345-44787-S

Genre: Medical Thriller

Sub Genre: Horror
Reader's Annotation:
A serial killer is loose in Boston, torturing and mutilating women in a very methodical way and then viciously killing them.
Summary:
Tess Gerritsen's authentic medical expertise does not disappoint in this creepy medical thriller that makes one think of Hannibal Lecter.  A beyond clever, sinister serial killer stalks  a charismatic female doctor in this thoroughly satisfying thriller. While Gerritsen provides the usual surgical setting it is no less intense but balances out nicely with what we have come to expect with the requisite romantic subplot and familiar, spirited police professionals, confirming the authenticity of  Gerritsen's medical expertise as a former physician. Dr. Catherine Cordell, the main character in this spine tingling story, thought she was done with her rapist and would-be murderer having shot him two years earlier in hot and sultry Savannah, where he was a surgery intern at her hospital. Another summer is about to begin and the killler seems to have  miraculously returned and embarked once again on his grisly missions of raping women, surgically removing their wombs. As two gutsy detectives Thomas Moore and Jane Rizzoli investigate, Cordell begins to doubt her recollection of what had happened and  discovers that she is not even safe in her OR.
Evaluation: 
I meet Tess Gerritsen at a book signing at my local bookstore, having not already seen her Rizzoli and Isles on TV when I read her first book I really liked the pace and writing style.  This book did not disappoint and I loved it.  It starts out quickly and the reader does not need to read 100 pages or so to get into the story - really like that.  Gerritsen always keeps me guessing as to "who did it" and this book was no exception.
Why I Would Include It:
The Surgeon is an excellent example of a medical thriller and I would recommend it to any mystery reader.  Tess Gerritsen as a former physician writes with medical expertise which lends itself to the credibility of the novel.
Rating: 5
Read Alikes:

Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli & Isles Detective Series

At Risk by Patricia Cornwell
Blow Fly by Patricia Cornwell
Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell