"The Extra Man"

I picked up the DVD, "The Extra Man," at the library and tried to watch it with my husband but he quickly lost interest. It stars Kevin Kline and features Katie Holmes so I decided to give it another try on my own before returning it to the library. I'm sorry to say the hype, "Kevin Kline's funniest role in years," by the New York Times didn't match my impression of the film. Long story short - I found it disappointing except for maybe the last 5-10 minutes so, if I hadn't fallen asleep a couple of times, I would have considered it a complete waste of my time. Thumbs down in my opinion!

pazt

Dark of the Moon

I don't think I can praise high enough P. J. Parrish's "Dark Of The Moon." This is the sister writing team's first novel in the Louis Kincaid series and it is very well written. I am impressed with their ability to weave historical facts into their novels to give them a realistic touch. I can't begin to imagine the amount of research that must go into their books. In addition, they have the ability to delve into the psychological meanings behind their character's actions.

Louis Kincaid is the son of a black woman and a white man who abandoned the family shortly after Louis was born. Eventually, the state took Louis and his half-siblings away from their drunken mom and Louis was placed in foster care with a family in Michigan. It's not until a friend of his mother's summons him home to Black Pool, MS, (because his mother is dying) that Louis has a chance to confront his past and its impact on the present.

Louis manages to land a job with the local police department as a detective through a phone interview so it's a bit of a shock to the department when a black man shows up. When the bones of a young man are discovered buried under a tree in a remote country location by a hunter, the locals want to bury the past along with the crimes against Negroes in the 1960's. Louis won't let it lie, though, because he feels compelled to find the answers to this long ago mystery and, in doing so, puts his life and those of others in peril. What appears to be a Ku Klux Klan "routine" hanging turns out to be much more and Louis ends up accused of murder himself. It's only with help from some unlikely sources that he's able to clear his name and solve a decades old mystery.

If you're a mystery lover, don't miss this one!

pazt

Barbara Delinsky

"Three Wishes" by Barbara Delinsky was recommended to me and, while I was waiting for it to arrive from the library, I picked up a paperback copy of her "Cardinal Rules." If I hadn't already ordered "Three Wishes," I might not have read another book by Delinsky. Although "Cardinal Rules" was light reading and somewhat fun, I decided I'd rather have spent my time reading a mystery.

When the hardback copy of "Three Wishes" arrived from the library, I decided to give it a try. Yes, it's a romance but the story seems a little more evolved than "Cardinal Rules."

It centers around Bree, a popular local girl and familiar waitress at the local diner, who is hit by a car on her way home from work in the midst of a blizzard. Tom Gates was driving the truck that was hit by a car which then caused him to hit Bree - a pedestrian. He makes it his personal mission to help her recover and is one of the few individuals who believe her story of dying in the operating room then coming back to life. She believes she's been granted 3 wishes but ponders what that might mean -- If she asks for all three wishes, will she die after the third wish is granted?

In the meantime, Bree and Tom fall in love and marry after her first impetuous wish for warmth leads to her home burning down -- or was it a fluke spark? Bree isn't quite sure and wonders if she should chance any more wishes.

Bree was raised by her father and rather stern grandparents -- all now deceased -- and really wants to know her mother so, after much mental debate, she decides to use her second wish to find the mother she never knew. However, when that doesn't turn out the way she expected, she's not sure whether the wishes are "real" or a figment of her imagination.

Bree's doctors told her that the accident left her unable to have children so Tom is concerned when she becomes pregnant and the doctors are surprised. Tom wonders if Bree made a foolish wish for a child and that impetuous wish might leave him alone to raise a child without the love of his life. Or...is it nonsense to worry about it?

This is a story of family relationships on a lot of levels and an enduring love story and (to me) a much more rewarding read than "Cardinal Rules." Although I'm glad I read it, I'm not sure I'll look for another of Delinsky's books. After all, my true love seems to be mysteries and suspense.

pazt

"Moonlight Mile" revisited

So, I just finished re-reading "Moonlight Mile" after reading what I thought were all the previous books in this series by Dennis Lehane. However, it appears I missed "Prayers for Rain" so it's time to go "back to the drawing board" and find this one.

Moonlight Mile made a lot more sense after reading the first ones in this series and, if the ending is any indication, it appears Patrick is going to hang up his private detective badge to lead a more sedentary life with his wife and daughter. Since I don't see any more books upcoming in this series, I have to conclude it's actually true! I'm disappointed but the book and the ending didn't disappoint. If it's going to end, this is as good a way as any.

There's a great scene on Pages 212-213 of the hardback copy when a woman "goes off" on Angie when she's questioning her about a runaway girl and that tirade ends with ..."Then one day she finds a lump in her breast. And it's not okay anymore, but nobody gives a shit, honey, because you made your fucking bed. So do us all a favor and fucking die." The paragraph that follows that tirade ends with "You asked a simple question lately or made an innocuous aside. We no longer understood how we'd gotten here. We couldn't grasp what had happened to us. We woke up one day and all the street signs had been stolen, all the navigation systems had shorted out. The car had no gas, the living room had no furniture, the imprint in the bed beside us had been smoothed over."

Ever feel that way in today's world -- like we've lost our ability to navigate this world? Peace,

pazt

"Lost In Shangri-La"

"Lost In Shangri-La" by Mitchell Zuckoff is a well researched and well written account of an event that occurred during World War II. It's a story about loss and survival, adventure and day to day struggles, and an incredible rescue mission doomed to fail for a lot of reasons but instead succeeding thanks to the perseverance of many working together.

What started out as a celebration/reward for WACs in Dutch New Guinea turned deadly when the plane taking them on a sightseeing trip crashed on a remote New Guinea jungle mountainside. There were five survivors but two died shortly after and two more were seriously injured leaving one to lead them to safety while mourning the loss of his twin brother in the crash. One of the survivors is a beautiful WAC who is late for a date when the plane crashes. The story weaves in their private lives with their military lives and the lives of the families waiting for their rescue.

When the survivors encountered natives, they didn't know what to expect as they'd heard stories of cannibalism. The natives became a central part of their survival even though they might not discover this for years to come.

They manage to get to a clearing where they are spotted by a military plane searching for survivors so supplies are dropped to them and rescue plans made. The first step in the rescue was to send in a small paratrooper team to assess the situation and to include a couple of medics to treat the wounded. Once they were stabilized and well enough to travel the complexity of rescuing them and their paratrooper assistance team became a full time job for those looking at how to do that. By now they're the subject of many highly published news stories so it wouldn't look too good to have them die in a rescue attempt!

This book reads like a novel and kept me engaged throughout. It doesn't end with the story but also goes on to tell what happened to those involved after their rescue and/or military service as well as the fate of the natives in that area. Their lives changed dramatically, too, when missionaries and the Indonesian government moved in to "civilize" them. I'm not sure they did them any favors, though.

There is a quote on page 130 of the hardback copy of the book by Albert Einstein: "I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Zuckoff commented that "Viewed in that light, the people of Shangri-La were the most advanced warriors on earth."

pazt

"Death Takes The Cake"

"Death Takes The Cake" by Melinda Wells is the second in her Della Carmichael series. Della is the owner of a Santa Monica, CA, cooking school plus she stars on a cable cooking show so it's another mystery novel that includes recipes.

Della has been entered in a televised cake competition to promote her show but gets more than competition when one of the contestants is murdered and her best friend's husband becomes the prime suspect. Della sets out to find out who the real killer is while working through her off-again, on-again semi-romance with crime reporter, Nicholas D'Martino - or NDM as Della has nicknamed him.

This is another easy,fun to read mystery and I'm ready to look for the third one in the series. If you're looking for a quick, easy, light read, this is it! pazt

"The Lincoln Lawyer"

After seeing a preview for the movie, "The Lincoln Lawyer," with Matthew McConaughey, I decided I must see this movie. McConaughey plays Mickey Haller, a top criminal defense attorney in L.A., who is not very highly respected by other attorneys and law enforcement officers because of his ability to use his knowledge of the legal system to his clients' advantage. When he is asked to defend the son of a wealthy family on a rape and murder charge, the inducements are too enticing to refuse. However, that case puts him in the middle of an ethical and personal dilemma that changes his life as well as threatens not only his personal safety but the safety of those near and dear to him. This is a thriller that is fascinating to watch and the ethical dilemmas led to lengthy discussions with my spouse after the movie had ended.

If you enjoy fast paced thrillers with twists and turns, I highly recommend this movie showcasing not only McConaughey's acting skills but also those of the supporting cast.

pazt

Cutting For Stone

This month I read Abraham Verghese's novel, "Cutting For Stone." It's a national bestseller that a friend recommended to me last year but I'd put off picking it up so I was glad when my book club chose it to read for February. It's the story of twin brothers whose father was a gifted surgeon and whose mother was a nun who died giving birth to them in Ethiopia at the hospital where their parents had worked as a surgical team. When their mother died, their father disappeared and they were raised by two surgeons at that hospital.

It's a tale of complex relationships that revolve around medical settings plus it's historical fiction -- perhaps with a little bit of liberty taken. It also delves into how death is viewed in different cultures - a particularly telling description of the differences between how it is viewed in Ethiopia and Nairobi as opposed to America is recounted on pages 708-710 of the large print edition. It is so well written that I felt immersed in and part of the lives of the main characters. There are also some great quotes throughout the book.

Some of my favorites:

Page 148 in the large print edition: "Wasn't that the definition of home? Not where you are from, but where you are wanted?"

Page 515: "The key to your happiness is to own your slippers, own who you are, own how you look, own your family, own the talents you have, and own the ones you don't. If you keep saying your slippers aren't yours, then you'll die searching, you'll die bitter, always feeling you were promised more. Not only our actions, but also our omissions, become our destiny." (The author on page 963 states this last sentence is a line from Heinrich Zimmer's "The King and the Corpse," edited by Joseph Campbell.)

Although this is a fairly large book, I was able to read it in about 2 1/2 days on vacation. Happy reading - pazt

"The Killing Song"

"The Killing Song" is the first book I've read by P. J. Parrish. Parrish turns out to actually be two sisters (Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols) who co-author books. They have a series of books whose lead character is a South Florida detective, Louis Kincaid. One of the books in this series was nominated for a 2009 Anthony Award for Best Novel and another one won the Shamus Award as well as the International Thriller Writers Award.

"The Killing Song" introduces what I hope will be a new series. Their new hero is Matt Owens, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist. At a time when investigative reporters are being let go at most newspapers, Matt Owens is reevaluating his future. He's restless and wondering if he should finally finish that novel he hasn't really been working on lately. However, when his younger sister is murdered while visiting him to celebrate her birthday, he turns his investigative skills to finding her killer. It leads him to France and a woman police officer willing to listen to his theories. Together they uncover a serial killer that no one had a clue about previously.

Not only is this a great thriller it's a story about relationships -- Matt's with his American ex-fiance police detective and the woman detective he works with in France and her niece. Although it would have been easy for the authors to set up a romance with Matt and his French cohort, I loved that the authors didn't follow that "predictable" route but used it to help him work through his past with his ex-fiance and bring some resolution to that relationship.

I liked this book well enough that I want to read more by Parrish and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery.

pazt