Sex, Murder and a Double Latte

Title : Sex, Murder and a Double Latte

Author : Kyra Davis

Genre : Fiction, ChicLit

Summary : When a mystery writer cries bloody murder, everyone blames her overactive imagination . . .
Thriller scribe Sophie Katz is as hard-boiled as a woman who drinks Grande Caramel Brownie Frappuccinos can be — maybe it's from a lifetime of fielding dumb comments about her half-black, half-Jewish ethnicity. ("My sister married a Polynesian! I just love your culture!") So Sophie knows it's not paranoia, or post-divorce, living-alone-again jitters, when she becomes convinced that a crazed reader is sneaking into her apartment to reenact scenes from her books. The police, however, can't tell a good plot from an unmarked grave.
When a filmmaker friend is brutally murdered in the manner of a death scene in one of his movies, Sophie becomes convinced that a copycat killer is on the loose — and that she's the next target. If she doesn't solve the mystery, her own bestseller will spell out her doom. Cursing her imagination (why, oh, why did she have to pick the axe?), Sophie engages in some real-life gumshoe tactics. The man who swoops in to save her in dark alleys at night is mysterious new love interest Anatoly Darinsky. Of course, if this were fiction, Anatoly would be her prime suspect . . .

Finished: 4/7/09

Rate 3/5. I really enjoyed this novel. It was a fun read and quite an easy read as well. I love how each character had a different sense of personality, style and well occupation that really was fitting for who they were. It was great following Sophie on this path to find the killer and it really had a good twist in the end. Although its April, it would've made for a great beach read.

Post-Mortem by Patricia Cornwell

Title - Post-Mortem

Author - Patricia Cornwell

Genre - Fiction/Series/Mystery

Summary - Under the leafy cover of night in Richmond, Virginia, a human monster moves undetected, leaving a gruesome trail of stranglings that has paralyzed the city. Medical Examiner, Kay Scarpetta senses the worst: a deliberate campaign by a brilliant serial killer - a "Mr. Nobody" - whose signatures offer precious few clues. With an unerring eye, she must call on the latest advances of forensic research to have a chance at unmasking the maniac. But this investigation will test Kay like no other, because its being sabotaged from within - and someone wants her dead.

Finished - 3/26/09

Rate 3/5. This is the first of the Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series. With that said, I have read quite a few of the Scarpetta series and I've liked them all, a lot. This particular books was very heavy in the detail and goes into a lot of the medical practices and research which will set the stage for the books to come, but it was a lot to grasp and read for a "first time" book. I loved the story line and I loved how it kept you guessing until the very end. One would think this book is predictable, but it has a fantastic twist at the end. I loved it! I do understand more of the relationship Scarpetta has with wing man cop - Marino and a few other characters a lot better now than the other novels. This set the stage for the rest of her series very well.

Musing Mondays

How many bookstores do you frequent? Do you have a favourite? If so, which one and what makes it so?

I only frequent the mall bookstores which tend to be Borders Express and there's a beautiful Barnes and Noble about 10 min from home which I tend to frequent a lot. My favorite would be this Barnes and Noble because its never too crowded and the Starbucks inside make it quite welcoming to sit down with a new book and chill out for awhile. There is a used bookstore that I saw on my way to class one night that I definitely want to visit and check out. That may be on my list of bookstores, we shall see.

Friday Fill-ins

1. Why do we have to be so judgemental?

2. Eating breakfast and drinking coffee are now habits.

3. I have a half day today!.

4. I had never heard the phrase "?" and it has no meaning to me

5. I'll do things the way I always do.

6. How as I to know that stone walls don't budge when you hit them :).

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to happy hour w/ my roomies, tomorrow my plans include a run and getting my passport and Sunday, I want to spend time with family!

Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell

Title - The Rule of Four

Author - Ian Caldwell

Genre - Fiction

Summary - Princeton. Good Friday, 1999. On the eve of graduation, two students are a hairsbreadth from solving the mysteries of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. Famous for its hypnotic power over those who study it, the five-hundred-year-old Hypnerotomachia may finally reveal its secrets — to Tom Sullivan, whose father was obsessed with the book, and Paul Harris, whose future depends on it. As the deadline looms, research has stalled — until an ancient diary surfaces. What Tom and Paul discover inside shocks even them: proof that the location of a hidden crypt has been ciphered within the pages of the obscure Renaissance text. Armed with this final clue, the two friends delve into the bizarre world of the Hypnerotomachia — a world of forgotten erudition, strange sexual appetites, and terrible violence. But just as they begin to realize the magnitude of their discovery, Princeton's snowy campus is rocked: a longtime student of the book is murdered, shot dead in the hushed halls of the history department. A tale of timeless intrigue, dazzling scholarship, and great imaginative power, The Rule of Four is the story of a young man divided between the future's promise and the past's allure, guided only by friendship and love.

Finished - 3/18/09

Rate - 3/5. This book requires a lot of attention and is not one that someone can breeze right through; however, I liked it. I liked the adventure and the treasure-hunting aspect to this novel all while this guys are in college. Talk about one heck of a thesis. The end was a little predictable, but I did like mystery to it. I felt like I was at Princeton when all these things were going on so the author did a fantastic job getting the reader to join right in on these hunts. I found myself trying to decipher the riddles and read into the pictures, but apparently I don't know much :) I'm a big fan of the Renaissance period with Michelangelo and such and so I enjoyed reading about some of the paintings and mystery's of the artwork. If you have time to throughly read this book and pay attention to the detail, then this was quite good, just don't expect to breeze right through it.

Musing Mondays

We were all warned as children to 'never talk to strangers', but how do you feel about book-talk with random people? When you see people reading, do you ask what it is? Do you talk to people in the book store or the library? Why or why not? What do you do if people talk to you? (question courtesy of Dena)

It really all depends. I'm a pretty good judge of character and space so if I see someone reading that wouldn't mind someone coming up to them, I may. I usually do all my book chatty stuff with people in bookstores. If they're looking at a book, that I read, I usually let them know that I enjoyed it and stuff. I rarely talk in a library b/c well haha we're all supposed to be quiet. We usually bring books to the place I waitress for slow times and usually then I'll talk to my other coworkers about what they're reading and such.

Friday Fill-ins

1. When I look to the left, I see a shelf with a picture of the sun setting over the Chesapeake.
2. None of the rooms is the room that has the best view in my home.
3. Let it work swiftly.
4. Lending a hand is done dirt cheap!
5. Maturity is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share.
6. If you have any free time feel free to help me move.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to pizza, tomorrow my plans include St. Patty's Day festivities and Sunday, I want to enjoy a nice big glass of wine after my move!