Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs

audio book

Rating 4/5

As usual, I enjoyed Kathy Reichs newest mystery featuring doctor Temperence Brennan. The show Bones is loosely based off her character, but if you will be disappointed if you think the books are like the television show. I think they are better. I've always liked Reichs writing because she doesn't dumb down a lot of what she writes about. She uses technical jargon, but explains it in a way that is not insulting to an intelligent reader.

I did not find this book as good as her other novels, but it could be because I listened to it instead of read it. There wasn't as much action in this book as the others. It started with Brennan describing her childhood friend Evangeline who disappeared when she was 12 years old. Brennan never stopped wondering what happened to her friend even almost 30 years later. When a girl turns up dead in the river Brennan tries to find the girl's identity. She finds that there are a number of missing teenage girls and some who have turned up dead. It of course ties into the story of her missing friend. As Tempe solves the murder of what happened to the girls she also solves the mystery of Evangeline.

A Traitor to Memory by Elizabeth George

Rating 4/5

First Line "Fat Girls can do. Fat girls can do. Fat girls can do and do and do."

Elizabeth George is one of my favorite mystery writers. She knows how to keep the suspense going. The reason why I gave the book only a 4 out of 5 was because I found the subject matter a little bit too creepy. The book's premise was that a woman was intentionally killed by a hit and run driver. The woman, Eugenie, had a small child that was killed by her nanny and coincidentally the nanny was released from prison the same time as the hit and run. Detective Lynley and Constable Barbara Havers are on the case. Throughout the book, Eugenie's prodigal son lost his ability to play the violin and is seeking therapy to find out why. The therapist believes that his loss of music is somehow tied to his mother. As Gideon tries to get his talent back, he discovers that the memory of the murder of his sister has been repressed for decades, but cannot get anyone, particularly his father, to fill in the gaps for him. George weaves an intricate web of deceit and lies that leaves the reader wondering until the last page.

To the Nines by Janet Evanovich

audiobook

Rating: 3/5

Another Stephanie Plum book. I thought it was not as funny as the others, probably because Stephanie's family did not play a big role in the book, particularly Grandma Mazur. It mostly concentrated on Stephanie's case, but the parts including her very pregnant sister, Albert Claughn and Grandma Mazur were very funny. Stephanie also continued her relationship with Joe Morelli and let Ranger know that he was just a "friend." In this book, Stephanie and Lula have to travel to Las Vegas to find their guy. Lula decides she wants to look like a supermodel and goes on an all meat diet, but takes it to the extreme. Stephanie finds herself as a pawn in a sick person's killing game and must find out who it is before she and her friends are the next victim. As usual, Evanovich mixes humor with intrigue for a nice, easy, relaxing read.

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

audio book

Rating 2/5

I don't know why I keep reading Jodi Picoult. I really don't like her writing and somehow I guess if I keep reading I will see what all of the hype is about. Plain Truth was better than some of the other books of hers I've read, but I really just don't get it. All of her books involve a trial where the person on trial always gets off somehow. So, you know how the book is going to turn out before you start reading it. She also has large gaps in logic and inconsistencies in her writing. She leaves out information to add suspense and to keep the reader guessing, but in reality, it adds to the predictability of the story.

Plain Truth is about an Amish girl, Katie, who is on trial for murdering her baby. Right off the bat, you know she didn't do it. However, throughout the first part of the novel, Katie denies ever being pregnant. As the reader, you know she gave birth, so this denial seems ludicrous. I think it is there to make you think that maybe she wasn't pregnant. Picoult also puts some inconstancies in the book. One is that the baby was born at 32 weeks. A baby that premature would have lung development issues and need immediate medical attention. This was barely discussed. Also, she has an Amish family using an electrical machine to milk cows. I'm pretty sure this goes against the Amish belief system. Third (don't read this if you plan on reading the book), at the end we find out that it was Sarah, Katie's mother who killed the baby to save Katie from being cast out by her father for being pregnant and unmarried. Throughout the trial, she never speaks up even though Katie could be put in prison for life. So, a mother kills her child's baby, causing pain for her child for losing a bay and almost has her sent to prison for the rest of her life in order to hide the fact that she was pregnant from her father. If this was her reasoning, she didn't do a very good job of hiding the baby from anyone.

Again, I really need to stop reading books by Jodi Picoult, they just end up disappointing me.