Undone
by Karin Slaughter
Dell, a Division of Random House (2010 Paperback Edition)  $9.99 CAN.

Definitely, I was hooked by this suspenseful masterpiece from the minute I picked it up… I simply could not put it down.  Karin Slaughter brought together a few of the characters that we have met before in her previous novels.  In my opinion, Special Agent Will Trent is her most unforgettable character yet.  As I have mentioned twice before in posts on Book One “Triptych” and Book Two “Fractured”, I LOVE Will Trent!  I should start a fan club or something!

In this novel entitled “Undone”, Will has to deal with his usual problems PLUS an additional issue of having a wife who only wants him whenever it suits her.  This becomes difficult, when he meets a gorgeous widowed doctor, Sara Linton, during the investigation, who he can’t seem to get out of his head, no matter how hard he tries.  Sara has a soft spot for his adopted puppy, Betty. 

Will also has his quiet partner, Faith Mitchell, who is struggling with hiding her own personal issues all the while trying to help him uncover the madman who is collecting women and torturing them in an unground house of horror.  For many reasons, the local police force are not that cooperative with sharing information, and you start to wonder why, as you turn each page discovering new and exciting twists within the story.

Seriously, my eyes were reading at an alarming pace as I sat beside our campfire in Algonquin Park this week.  I was trying to race against the sun going down on me, and the fact that the red and orange flames really don’t give off enough light to continue to read… unless your children take turns lighting marshmellows on fire!  Then, I was able to steal a few moments here and there to read another paragraph! 

My husband wouldn’t let me have the flashlight, because it was suppose to be family time… reading doesn’t qualify, unless everyone has a book!  Therefore, I carried it with me everywhere, until it was finished!  Once that happened, I could not get these characters out of my mind… I needed the next book… sounds like I may be addicted… yep, for sure, I admit to my problem of “needing to know” what happens to the man I love and hate all at the same time!  I know what I want to happen, but will it?

On our way out of the Park, I demanded (yes, this is true… demanded would be the proper word here) that we stop at “The Bookcase” bookstore located in downtown Huntsville.  I pretty much ran to the store and inquired where I might find this book within their store.  I was horrified to find out they were all sold out of this book and all her other books as well!  I tried to remain calm, and ended up buying 6 other books while I was there, thanks to a wonderful gift certificate I received from attending the Muskoka Novel Marathon in July.  I was Top Fund-Raiser for the event and ended up with a $100 Gift Certificate!  Sweeeeet!  This was perfect considering that I am an avid fan of reading!

Anyway, I am still searching for “Broken”and hope to have it in my hand by nightfall even if I have to travel hours away from home to get it!  The library doesn’t have it, just in case you were wondering… I checked there first upon returning home from camping.

Bottom line… Karin Slaughter did a fantastic job creating complex characters who you love and hate and wonder why they are doing what they are doing, until the final piece falls into place… and she has you running for her next book!  Now, this is a talented women in Crime Fiction and I seriously recommend you getting your hands on one of her books right now!

This review was originally published on September 2, 2011 on my previous webpage that has since been deleted. ~ Lori Twining

Tough Customer
by Sandra Brown
Simon and Schuster (Paperback Edition – July 2011)  $12.99 CAN.

Every summer, I insist on reading at least one book a week that will be entertaining for me.  I prefer something light, not too heavy, meaning I really don’t want to have to think too much… a little bit of thinking is acceptable, but lots of thinking, where I have to make notes as I read, nope, not going to do it in the summer!

Well, I happened to find this book in a strange store… Wal-Mart, of all places!  I can’t help the fact that no matter what store I am in, if there are books for sale in it, I will sniff them out and of course purchase one or two.  It is an addiction, I totally admit, that I really have trouble controlling… but at least it is an addiction to books and not dog toys or 72″ vinyl records!  Some day, I hope to have as many books as the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library, which means I will need to build on an addition to the house, to keep them all in alphabetical order (I also admit to a little Obsessive Compulsive Disorder problem, as well – nothing to be ashamed of, we are just well organized and sometimes clean & always check our locks 2-7 times in a row, to be sure they are locked).  I hate to divulge the fact that I buy books at Wal-Mart, considering I am a huge supporter of the little independant bookstores in Downtown Owen Sound… but, I just couldn’t help it this time.  Wal-Mart was selling Sandra Brown’s “Tough Customer” in paperback for 30% off the cover price, which means I purchased it for $9.09.  Seriously, it was like I just found a $20 bill in the laundry!  I was pretty happy to purchase a book for under ten bucks.

It was a super fast read of 487 pages.  I usually read an hour or two each night… well, this book only took two nights for me to finish!  I was definitely entertained – no question about it.  The prologue described a handsome small-town Deputy Sherriff, Ski Nyland coming to a gorgeous (almost naked) damsel’s distressed 911 call.  There had been a shooting, and she knew who it was that held the smoking gun… but of course, he was no longer at the scene, but he had promised to come back and kill her.  This was kind of disappointing for me, because I prefer the not-knowing of who it is that we are chasing throughout the book, until it is revealed in the end… but this book was different… very clever, with a twist or two at the end.  I was disappointed with the second-last twist, but the final one had me smiling again (possibly a little tear in my eye too).

I instantly fell in love with one of the main characters, Dodge Hanley.  This was very interesting for me, considering that he was a rather rough and tough-talking former cop who was now working as a Private Detective… AND he was a chain smoker!  I hate people who smoke.  I found myself smiling along with him even though I was disappointed in him, and at one or two points in the book, I was actually angry with him and threw the book to the floor in annoyance.  I couldn’t believe he would do that… but then again, I did understand.  It was a real LOVE and HATE relationship between me and him.  Ha!

The two women characters were both intriguing.  Caroline King, a real estate mogul was a savvy widower who was rolling in money and had a strong ambition to retain her successful career.  Her daughter, Berry Malone, was trying to shadow her mother’s competitive genes by working her way to the top, the old fashioned way (using whatever it took to get her there).  This is where the problem lay… a deranged stalker keeps attempting to kill Berry, not to mention, leaving a trail of other victims behind him, that were lethally pointing towards Berry.  Which man will risk his life and his heart to save her with his every last breath as the gun rests against her temple?  Will it be too late?

If you want to be entertained with a little romantic suspenseful thriller that has a little edge to it… Sandra Brown is your girl!  I guess you better run out and purchase this little summer sizzler… it is definitely worth the drive to your nearest bookstore.  I just went and bought two more of her books, and I’ll let you know what I think about them.  I just found out that Dodge Hanley, my favourite chain-smoker in the fiction world, actually stars in Sandra’s ”Smash Cut” novel as well! Oh-la-la, I’m off to LOVE and HATE him all over again! 

Enjoy reading your summer sizzler!

If you have any reading suggestions for me, please send me an email at lvt_writes[at]yahoo[dot]ca.

This review was originally published on August 8, 2011 on my previous webpage that has since been deleted. ~ Lori Twining

Yep, I have good news and bad news!  Always tough to make the decision on which one to tell first.  Usually you like to tell the bad news first, so that you can quickly recover with the hearing of the good news… but not in this case, unfortunately.

Well, the good news… I was published again.  Bad news… they missed an entire huge paragraph right in the middle of the story when they printed it, and now it doesn’t sound very good at all.  It is very disappointing, really.  I was hoping to impress my Mother at least, and now, I hope everyone who owns a copy of The Quilted Word, rips out page 17 and doesn’t actually read it.  I have decided NOT to send my mother a copy.  I can do without her showing the book to every person she meets, proud as a mother should be, but then that person looking at her, with their eyebrows raised, thinking that what they are reading really sucks!  It simply has no flow to it at all.  Ok, on second thought, I am just kidding on that ripping-out-the-page thing, the pictures of Agatha are quite nice, and if you could read the missing paragraph with it, it’s not so bad.  That was just my original disappointment on seeing the mistake in print.  I would imagine that most people who read the story, will skip right through it and not notice it at all… but unfortunately, Agatha and her family might.

The book entitled, The Quilted Word had its launch on the day after I returned from the Muskoka Novel Marathon, Tuesday, July 19th.  I was exhausted, only enjoying 5-1/2 hours sleep since the weekend had started.  I’m not complaining though, because I had to get to this big celebration.  I had promised the ladies that I would be there.

I was very excited to be asked to participate as a writer in The Quilted Word Project this past spring.  The Georgian Bay Folk Society initiated the project and partnered with a few local groups, such as The Grey Bruce Cultural Network, The Tempo Foundation and The Bluewater Quilters Guild to develop this project through the Creative Aging in Action Program.  Each quilter was paired with one of the volunteer writers.  Our job as the writer, was to capture the story that inspired our quilter to create their quilt block.

Every Tuesday afternoon from early April until the end of June, a group of seniors gathered at the MacQuay’s Senior Centre to tell their story and create their masterpiece that would be added together to make a large quilt showing the amazing visual images of their story.  I went many times to visit with them, ask a few questions, and basically just to be part of their “fun time” together.  They laughed so hard they cried, and you could see that each of them were enjoying each others company and the time away from their residences. 

My quilter’s name was Agatha Robertson.  She has an amazing sense of humour and loved to giggle at all my saracastic jokes, as did a few of her friends.  I seemed to fit right in there, and wished I was a senior so that I could be part of “making history” with them.  Agatha did something unique with her square, dividing it up into four tiny squares, each with a different little story of her love for flowers, water and her family.  Too bad the giant paragraph telling about her dozen red roses didn’t actually get in the book.  It was a great romantic story about her and her husband, Harold, and the arrival of each of their children… it went something like this…

“Agatha loves the tulips that remind her of her homeland, but her favourite of all flowers is the red rose.  When she was pregnant for the fifth and final time, 6-1/2 years after already having three girls and one boy, she was told by her husband, Harold, that he would give her a dozen red roses if they had a boy… she had a girl.  He then proceeded to send her twelve red roses with one pink rose accompanied by a witty smile and a kiss.  Truth be known, Harold sent Agatha a dozen red roses each and every time she gave birth, no matter whether it was a girl or boy, with one additional rose signifying the difference between them (a baker’s dozen).  As far as Agatha was concerned, it didn’t matter the colour of flowers, as long as they were roses, they would make her smile.  In the lower left hand square Agatha has placed one red rose with two green leaves to symbolize her love for roses and her love for her husband’s wit.” 

So, if you have a copy of the book, you will have to insert this third paragraph, so you will understand her love for flowers (as the title of the piece indicates) and her love for for husband, Harold and all five of her beautiful children.  Oh well, I need to stop crying pouting about it now and get on with life.  I just hope Agatha and her family will forgive me for the error. 

Alice Blaine sat beside Agatha, quilting an entire farmyard full of cherry trees and animals wandering about the house.  Pearl Moreau grew up in Alberta, twenty-five miles from the Canadian Rockies, so of course, she wanted to depict the mountains in her quilt square.  Orma Brown and Gloria Smith (writer) worked on old black and white photographs of family weddings and reunions.  Orma told me the story of growing up as a child and living with her family on Flowerpot Island, where her father was the Lighthouse Keeper.  The story was so interesting, that I found my two hours past very quickly.  One of my favourite stories was about a little black hen, named Lucy.  The quilter, Norma Black made her entire square full of Lucy, the hen laying one egg.  It was adorable. 

The overall volunteering experience was terrific.  I made so many new friends with the senior quilters, the volunteers and the writers.  If you ever get a chance to volunteer for something like this, I say, raise your hand in a heart beat!  Yes, there’s a possibility that your story may be the one that is ruined in the end (accidents do happen), but the adventure you get to have while creating the final masterpiece is well worth it!  I heard that the final quilt and the book is going to travel around South-Western Ontario to various events, starting with Summerfolk Festival, August 19, 20 & 21 in Owen Sound at Kelso Beach before coming to rest at the Grey Roots Museum. 

Here’s a picture of me and my favourite new friend, Agatha Robertson… bless her little heart for putting up with me all spring!  Sorry, that I didn’t get a chance to proof-read my own story again, before it went to press… but hey, at least you are the most famous lady in your building now!

This review was originally published on August 5, 2011 on my previous webpage that has since been deleted. ~ Lori Twining

Amazing Stories For Summer Reading

I’ve been on vacation and therefore neglected to do any blogging.  You would think that when you are not working you would have oodles of time to write – not so much!!  I was so busy camping, canoeing, hiking and exploring the many lakes, trails and bluffs in Algonquin Park, that I didn’t realize my time was slipping away from me… and suddenly I am back to work with half of July already missing!  But, I had an amazing time with the hubby and the kids – very memorable.  The most precious moment was getting a glimpse of my son’s face when he came within ten feet of a black bear wandering right close to our campsite – his eyes were sparkling with excitement… wish I would have had a camera at that moment – NOT!  Who goes to the bathroom with your camera?  I guess I should, because that’s when all the good stuff happens!! 

Tonight I had time to check my Facebook account and I found something new on the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library web site.  You can join an on-line Summer Adult Reading Program that lets you read books, write a quick review and then possibly rake in some weekly prizes by doing it, with a grand prize being drawn at the end of August for a gift certificate to a local book store of your choice.  It sounds very appealing to me because I love to read.  If you do too, then head on over to http://www.owensound.library.on.ca/page.php?PageID=343 to search the on-line catalogue for a title or author that you like.  It is very easy to sign up – then sit back and enjoy your reading time.

My first selection to review was a History/Biography of a local man I wish I had the chance of meeting back in the early 1900’s.   Last week, as I strolled through the Visitors Centre in Algonquin Park, I picked up this book on a whim, and I thought “What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon during a thunderstorm, while I was camping in the woods… reading about the mysterious life of a painter from the town I actually live in (Owen Sound) who also loved to frequent Algonquin Park, as much as I do.”

I personally have a strong gravitational pull towards learning all I can about one of Canada’s most amazing artists.  His focus on the Park and the Georgian Bay area have had me intrigued for the past 22 years, which is equally to the amount of time I have lived here in Owen Sound.  I have visited the Tom Thomson Art Gallery many times, and each time I get this creative stirring within me to go pick up my paintbrush again… wouldn’t it be great to leave behind something (artwork in this case) that could reflect beauty and possibly change the views of people for centuries later?  That’s what I think Tom Thomson did for me.  I have the same love as he did for Algonquin Park and wish I could give up my day job and just canoe or kayak the northern lakes, painting and sketching for a living.  What a dream come true that would be!

The author, Jim Poling Sr. does a great job combining fascinating facts and elaborate scenerio’s that could have played out, as to what happened to the famous Tom Thomson… was it an accident, or was it murder?  It is a short 118 pages that will only take you a couple of hours to read, therefore making it a definite “MUST READ” for your summer reading list.  Don’t forget to let me know what you thought of it… as always, I’m a curious cat!

This review was originally published on July 15, 2010 on my previous webpage that has since been deleted. ~ Lori Twining

NEVER LOOK AWAY

Linwood Barclay

Fiction - CAN $29.95

Instead of a day of fun, a man’s life turns from perfect to an unthinkable nightmare in a matter of minutes with a trip to the amusement park with his family.  With an unexplainable disappearance, he finally turns to the police for help, and the facts start to turn suspiciously towards something completely different, indicating that he may be the one not telling the truth.  Being a small town reporter he must dig deep into the past, which may reveal something that puts his entire life as he knows it, at risk to be destroyed.  He discovers that sometimes the biggest secrets are the ones being kept by the ones who are closest to you.

I requested this book for my birthday this year, after previously reading 3 of his other books.  I had it read within two days.  It is one of those books that you simply cannot put down, and the time flew by.  It was a fantastic birthday gift!

Linwood Barclay is fairly new to me, having discovered him completely by accident one day at my favourite store “Chapters”.  I was Christmas break and I was attending the Mississauga Hockey Tournament with my oldest daughter and I had just finished a book, so I was looking for a quick paperback to read between games.  I'm one of those people who carry a book with her every place she goes.  If I have 5 minutes to spare I feel lost if I don't have a book to open in front of me... kind of like a time wasted feeling.  That is when I stumbled across “No Time For Good-bye”, which was sitting on the best-seller list.  It looked like a good quick read about a 14-year-old girl waking up to find her entire family had went missing.  So when I realized he was Canadian, being from Toronto, and that he was a former newspaper columnist for the Toronto Star, then I had to give him a chance.  I’m all about supporting my fellow Ontario writers!  I was not disappointed and went quickly in pursuit of a few of his other books as well, which have now been added to my collection of “Must Keeps” on my bookshelf.

Linwood Barclay’s last four books are stand-alone books, with each novel featuring a whole different set of characters.  I've read all 4 since Christmas, so they must be pretty good, right?  The one thing that I noticed that stands out about his books, are that he writes the domestic paranoia masterfully!  You can easily step into the main characters shoes and feel what they are feeling, just as if it was a normal event that could happen to you on any given day when you least expect it.

I highly recommend this book be added to your summer reading list.  Visit Linwood Barclay’s web site at www.linwoodbarclay.com for more information on all his best sellers.

This review was originally published on May 31, 2010 on my previous webpage that has since been deleted. ~ Lori Twining