2008 Book 70: The Burnt House

Book #:	70
Book Title:	The Burnt House
Author:	Faye Kellerman
Publisher:	Harper
Pub. Date:	2007
Pages:	454
Started:	August 6, 2008
Finished:	August 11, 2008
Time to Read:	6 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"At 8:15 A.M., a small commuter plane carrying forty-seven passengers crashes into an apartment building in Granada Hills, California. Among the dead inside the plane's charred and twisted wreckage is a mystery. There's no sign of an airline employee whose name was on the passenger list. L.A.P.D. Detective Peter Decker and his wife, Rina, are profoundly shaken by this terrible "accident" that has occurred frighteningly close to their daughter's school. And an irate call from the unaccounted-for flight attendant's stepfather further tangles an already twisted mystery. The man insists twenty-eight-year-old Roseanne Dresden was never on the doomed flight, but was probably murdered by her abusive, unfaithful husband - a revelation that propels Decker down a path of tragic history and deadly lies toward an unimaginable evil that will challenge his and Rina's cherished beliefs about guilt and innocence and justice."
Stars:	***
Review:	I've been waiting a long time for a new Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus novel...and here it is. Unfortunately, I have to tell you that while I enjoyed this novel, I didn't find it to be on par with Kellerman's past editions. The underlying story became a bit much versus the main mystery of the story...and we didn't see nearly enough of the family. We did, however, see a mystery unfold in a very intriguing manner and got reintroduced to so many lovable characters. If you've followed Kellerman in the past, she's back and in good form...but when she offers her next edition, I'm hoping for a bit more out of the office stories to balance out her expertly written police drama.

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany

2008 Book 15: Capital Crimes

Book #:	15
Book Title:	Capital Crimes
Author:	Jonathan & Faye Kellerman
Publisher:	Ballatine Books
Pub. Date:	2007
Pages:	407
Started:	February 24, 2008
Finished:	February 27, 2008
Time to Read:	4 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"My Sister's Keeper: Berkeley When progressive state representative Davida Grayson is brutally murdered, homicide detectives Will Barnes and Amanda Isis investigate - and discover a labyrinth of dark secrets and bloody vengeance from which the only way out may be death. Music City Breakdown: Nashville Detective team Baker Southerby and Lamar Van Gundy understand the rhythms of the music biz as intimately as the streets they work. But when rock legend Jack Jeffries ends up in a ditch with his throat slashed, they find out just how high the price of success can be. Capital Crimes is page-turning, psychologically resonant suspense - just what we've come to expect from two of the world's most successful crime writers."
Stars:	***
Review:	These two novellas by the Kellermans are excellent! I have no former experience with Jonathan, but I'm an avid fan of Faye and her characters, Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. Her same uncanny sense of timing comes through in the first novella in this book, "My Sister's Keeper" - in a fast-paced plot, character depth is masterfully established while twists are introduced perfectly. Bravo! And as for Jonathan...I need to go find more of his works, because I thoroughly enjoyed my first foray into his writing.

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany