"Prayers For Rain"

Dennis Lehane has written another winner in "Prayers For Rain" which may be my favorite so far in his Patrick Kenzie/Anegla Gennaro series. In this book he really fleshes out the character of Kenzie's friend, Bubba Rogowski as we learn more of why he is the way he is and who he is.

Kenzie and Gennaro have gone their separate ways but when Kenzie and his friend Bubba become involved in helping a young woman named Karen Nichols, she makes a lasting impression on Kenzie. When he forgets to call her back after receiving a phone call message from her then later hears she's committed suicide, his antenna go up and he sets out on a trail to find out why because it is so unlike the young woman he met. The path leads him back into the arms of Gennaro as well as attracting the attention of a lethal killer. The writing is stupendous and the twists and turns in this case kept me guessing to the very end.

pazt

"For The King"

"For The King" is a historical novel (full of intrigue) written by Catherine Delors and set in France in 1800. Chief Inspector Roch Miquel is a young man who seems to have everything going for him -- a future with the police, a beautiful mistress, and a loving father -- but all of that is jeopardized by an attempt on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. As he investigates the attempt on Bonaparte's life the case takes many twists and turns while his personal life begins to fall apart (as does his ability to decide who he can trust).

Delors was born and raised in France and she does an excellent job of writing about this era and bringing it alive even if it also reveals some of the gruesome events of the day - makes me glad I didn't live during the time of the revolution! Check out her web site at www.catherinedelors.com.
I definitely plan to read her other novel, "Mistress of the Revolution."

pazt

"Dead of Winter"

P. J. Parrish has written another winner in "Dead of Winter." Detective Louis Kincaid is starting over on the Loon Lake, Michigan, police force. As bodies begin to appear marked with coded death cards, Kincaid starts an investigation that uncovers a lot more than he or anyone else expected and compromises his romance with the new woman in his life. However, the new job has some benefits -- putting him closer to the foster parents who raised him with the added bonus of being able to spend time with them. This gives him an opportunity to reflect on what they taught him and his foster father inadvertently provides some clues for his investigation.

If I didn't have a full schedule for the next couple of weeks, I'd be off to find the next book in this series. Will Kincaid find a permanent base of operations? Will he find romance? Where will the next investigation lead him? I can hardly wait to find out! These are well written, insightful books giving them a depth not always found in mystery novels.

pazt

"Defending Your LIfe"

This DVD - "Defending Your Life" - written by and starring Albert Brooks is a great conversation starter. Some friends recommended this and I just got around to finding a copy at the library. It also stars Meryl Streep who (as always) does an incredible acting job and is able to portray her character with genuniness and believability.

Daniel Miller (played by Brooks) is celebrating his birthday in his brand new car when he's distracted and crashes head-on into a bus. The next thing we know Daniel is in heaven where he's defending the life (not too successfully) he lived. During his "free" time he meets Julia (played by Streep) who is successfully defending her life and everyone she encounters truly enjoys spending time with her.

What does "Defending Your Life" involve? It means showing you lived a full and fearless life and, if you can't, you return to earth and try again. After meeting Julia, Daniel doesn't want to return to earth but wants to go on spending time with her.

This is a humorous and thought-provoking movie and I do recommend it for everyone!

pazt

"Tragic Toppings"

Jessica Beck's 5th book in the Donut Shop Mystery series is "Tragic Toppings" and I think it's one of her best to date.

Although donut shop owner, Suzanne Hart, isn't directly linked to a murder after two of her friends go missing, she is one of the two people who discover the body. Suzanne's determination not to get involved in this investigation wanes when a friend asks her to do some sleuthing as a personal favor. The investigation gets some help from an unexpected source - her state investigator boyfriend, Jake, has been ordered to take some time off so he's in town to visit her and agrees to assist her and her friends George and Grace to see if they can figure out who did it!

pazt

"Kill and Tell"

Linda Howard's "Kill and Tell" is a mystery novel that kept me reading throughout one day to finish it. Although it's billed as a "romantic suspense" novel, I enjoyed the murder mystery, the thrill of the chase, the twists and turns of the case plus the hint of romance much more than the more explicit sex scenes.

Karen Whitlaw receives a package from her father (who has been absent from her life since she was a child) a few months after her mother's death. Still reeling from the loss of her mother and dealing with the changes that has brought to her life, Karen puts the package aside. When homicide detective, Marc Chastain, calls her from New Orleans to tell her that her father has been murdered, it sets them on a path that endangers both their lives as well as changing their futures.

Despite the explicit sex scenes (that I skimmed over to get back to what I considered the real meat of Howard's novel), I will look for another one of her suspense novels because her original stories are too good to miss.

pazt

"Saving Grace"

A friend loaned me the video, "Saving Grace," which I was unable to watch but she recommended it so highly that I was glad I was able to successfully locate a DVD copy at my local library. I've watched this humorous, heartwarming DVD twice and must now return it to the library!

Brenda Blethyn stars as Grace Trevethen whose husband jumped out of a plane without a parachute. After the funeral Grace discovers she is destitute as she meets with her banker and her attorney and the bills and bill collectors start pouring in! Her husband, it seems, had mortgaged their large country home to invest in some unsuccessful business ventures.

While grieving, Grace also confronts the woman her husband had been having an affair with in London - an affair she was aware of because her husband gave her letters to mail to the mistress -- which for some reason never arrived.

Craig Ferguson is great as Grace's caretaker who is also in a bit of a financial bind when Grace can no longer pay him. Since Grace is a great gardener, he seeks her help to nurse some plants to life that he's been keeping hidden near the vicarage. It turns out they're marijuana plants and Grace is quite successful in nursing them back to health so they hatch a plan to help them both out financially -- growing and selling pot.

It's a story of small community support, creativity, and successful conclusions but you'll have to check it out to see for yourself. There's a great supporting staff that makes this movie fun to watch.

pazt