The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver

Investigating a late night emergency call that came from a Wisconsin vacation home, deputy Brynn McKenzie narrowly escapes an encounter with two professional criminals, and flees into the woods with Michelle, the city-girl who rented the house for the weekend, but if the women want to survive, they will have to learn to trust one another.

What a great mystery adventure book. I have read most of Jeffery Deaver's books and I know he has strange plot twists what always surprise me....this book was no exception. I was certainly looking in the wrong direction most of the time! I liked this book so much that I almost forgot to be sad that it wasn't a Lincoln Rhyme novel. Loved it!

Rating: 9 of 10.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

By winning the annual Hunger Games, District 12 tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have secured a life of safety and plenty for themselves and their families, but because they won by defying the rules, they unwittingly become the faces of an impending rebellion.

What a great book! The only problem with this book is that the third one isn't out yet...waiting is SO hard! I would never watch reality TV, but I sure enjoy this series of books.

Rating: 9+ of 10.

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

A young woman who has endured unspeakable cruelties is magically granted a safe haven apart from the real world and allowed to raise her two daughters in this alternate reality, until the barrier between her world and the real one begins to break down.

This book started out fine, but just seemed to keep getting stranger. I only made it about half way through when I decided I just didn't care enough about it to keep reading.

Rating: 4 of 10.

Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith

When Miranda's guardian angel Zachary recklessly saves her from falling into an open grave and dying, the result is that she turns into a vampire and he is left to try to reinstate his reputation by finally doing the right thing.

One thing about vampires...every author makes them different. This book includes an angel and vampires and they aren't like the angels and vampires I usually imagine. This story is dark and the vampires are nasty creatures! Very intriguing reading.

Rating: 8 of 10.

Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver

Body language expert Kathryn Dance and deputy Michael O'Neil investigate attacks on and murders of individuals who have posted messages about the deaths of two high school students on a local blog and suspect the driver in the fatal accident may be leaving roadside crosses as warnings about who his next victim will be.

I love Jeffery Deaver! His books are the kind I stay up late to read. This was no exception. It was full of twists & turns. Very well-done. Although the Lincoln Rhyme books are my favorites, this will do until he comes out with another Rhyme book.

Rating: 8+ of 10.

The Naming by Alison Croggon

Maerad lives a miserable existence as a slave in Gilman's Cot, until her "Gift" is discovered by Cadvan, a Bard/Mage who stumbles upon her while passing through. Cadvan coordinates her escape. They journey to one of the Barding Schools so that Maerad can be recognized as a Minor Bard and begin proper training in magic. Minions of the Nameless One repeatedly stalk and attack them. Through these encounters, Cadvan realizes the extent of Maerad's powers and comes to believe that she is the Foretold who will fulfill an ancient prophecy and triumph over the Dark.

I liked this story; however, I didn't rush out to read the sequels so I guess I didn't like it enough to care about the results.

Rating: 8 of 10.

The Night Country: a Novel by Stewart O'Nan

Tim, the only one not injured in an automobile accident that killed three of his friends and left another brain damaged, plots to re-create the crash exactly one year later on Halloween night in hopes of putting himself out of his misery.

The aftermath of a Halloween tragedy haunts a New England town on the one-year anniversary of a typical teen joyride that ended with a car wrapped around a tree. Toe, Marco, and Danielle were instantly killed. Kyle lives on, sort of; a severe brain injury obliterates the rebel in him, the accident leaving him with the mind of a child. Tim, "the lucky one" in the backseat, his arms around Danielle, survived but now has a death wish. Officer Brooks, the first on the scene, was terribly altered by the event, and his life is in shambles. Now, on Halloween, he fears that Tim is going to do something horrible. Travis and Greg, buds of Toe, don't want the day to go by without memorializing their dear departed friends. At times this was confusing, it was hard to tell what was current or in the past. The shifting points of view is not my favorite type of writing; however, the story was a good one and I enjoyed reading it.
Rating: 8 of 10.