Phantom Evil by Heather Graham

 

This is a first book in a new series to me. Paranormal and ghosts. Adam has called Jackson in to tell him that he is going to head of crew that are very special. Jackson has had things happen to him and he has lost members of his last crew. He is skeptical when it comes to ghosts. He is told that he will meet with, Angela, Jake, Whitney, Jenna and Will. They were to find out what happened to Regina Holloway and why she was found laying on the ground of the house her and her senator husband had bought.

Jackson needed to find out everything he could about the house. Besides, while Angela was in the house by herself, she had found a Shelton buried in the basement. Angela knew there were ghosts in the house. She just didn't know how many. Being that they are in New Orleans the city of ghost stories. 

Angela had been in Redina's room laying on the bed with her eyes closed and the felt something. She opened her eyes and saw two kids, a boy and girl playing Jacks on the floor in front of her. Then, she saw the really bad guy that murdered many people in the house standing in front of the kids with an axe. Lets just say it was pretty and she screamed. 

Jackson needed to speak with senator Holloway and everyone that worked for him. He knew that there was more going on then, he was told. Even those conversations didn't completely pan out at first and he just sensed that the senator had been having an affair. The senator did try to explain that his wife really wasn't his wife any more and after their son had died, all she wanted was her son back and not him. 

There was a lot going on in this book and besides the ghosts and something evil in the house. Jackson and all of them, needed to find out the truth. I'll say this, the ending to this book was very good. Pick it up and find out how it ends. It's worth it even though it's a first book in a series. 

All that remains by Patricia Cornwell

 

This is the third book in the Kay Scarpetta series. First of all, I got to say that this women is a very smart, very human and really good at her job. 

There have been a total of 4 couples that have been murdered in the area of Richmond Virgina. Kay Scarpetta is the one doing the autopsies in the county. Marino is the head detective on the seen of the fifth murder and this time it's a high profile one. Debbie is the daughter of a high ranking person that works under the President. To Kay and Marino it isn't going to be easy. Then, Bentan shows up. What the hell is the FBI doing here. 

Kay knows that when he shows up things aren't going to go so will. She hates her job at times and when Bentan asks her to hold off on her reports, which is something she doesn't like doing. Something is up. 

Then, she gets a call from her friend Abby. She's a reporter and say she's got some information and could she meet her at a coffee shop not far from her apartment. Abby, tells Kay that she thinks she's being watched, followed and someone has broken into her apartment. Kay thinks Abby is just being paranoid. Is she? 

When the mother of Debbie, Pat. Calls Kay and asks her to come to her house. Kay knows this may not be a good idea. But, she goes. Pat, starts asking her all kinds of questions and Kay keeps trying to tell her that she can't answer those questions right now. Pat accuses her of hiding things. Kay walks out of that house asking her some of those questions as will. 

This book moves fast and you find out things about the killer. But, you'll have to read the book to know how it ends. I really don't like giving away the endings. That's why I say read the book. It's worth it. Every single page.  

On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah

Annie and Blake were taking their daughter to the airport, because she was going to London for spring. After dropping her off and they get home, he tells her that he wants a divorce. It sends her for a loop. She's loved him for almost 20 years. He also tells her that he's been sleeping with someone else. I think in a way she sort of new that he'd been doing that for awhile. 

So she cried for a few days, maybe a week. Then, decides to go back home and visit her dad in Mystic. It might help her or it might be worse. After a few more days of crying her dad is getting tired of it and tells her to do something. She says she might as will go get a make over. She meets a quickie women that gives her a short hair cut and changes everything she looks like. She also hears about Nick. Nick lost his wife about a year ago and he has a daughter Izzy. She doesn't talk. 

She decides to go out and see him. Ask him if she can help him out by watching his daughter. When he opens the door and sees her. He's surprised. He lets her in. He gets them something to drink and grabs a blanket. He heads to the lake. They both sit down and it becomes a little strange between them, tell he moves closer to her and kisses her and then the clothes come off. Pretty much they have crazy hot sex right there and afterwards, she thinks, what the hell did she do. He tells her not to feel bad and she runs for the car. He follows. How does Monday sound concerning Izzy. 

Nick's a cop in the town. Once Annie starts watching Izzy she notices that she's wearing a black glove. Izzy thinks she disappearing like her mother disappeared. It will take some time to get Izzy to come around and it doesn't help that her dad comes home late and has been drinking. There are a lot of things wrong in this family. It's going to take awhile to help them, which is what she's good at. 

After getting angry at him and telling him he needs to be home for his daughter. It takes him getting into an accident to wake him up. He begs Annie to take him to a motel and watch his daughter while he deals with himself. He starts going to AA meetings and it will be a one day at a time thing. 

After having feelings for Nick and getting closer to him and his daughter, Blake shows up. She also finds out that she's pregnant with his child. It just about breaks Nicks's heart to see her go back home. 

Lets put it this way, with all the ups and downs in this book. I was wanting a happy ending. Love, real close, heart thumping love doesn't happen for everyone. This book had tore my heart out more then once. I couldn't put it down. Pick it up and read it if you haven't yet. 

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

 

This is the third book in the mortal instruments series. This was a page turner. 

Clary was needing to go to Alicante with Jace, Isabelle, Alec and everyone else that was going. Magnus was making the portal for everyone to go through. But, Jace didn't want Clary to go. Even though that she needed the potion to bring her mom back. She's been at the hospital for quite awhile. Jace thought it wasn't worth her coming with and he asked Simon to come to the institute to talk. Jace wanted Simon to tell Clary that she was to stay and Simon knew that wasn't going to go over will.

The next thing, Demons started to show up.  Simon wasn't prepared for what was going to happen and getting perry badly hurt. Jace has no choice but, to bring Simon through the portal to save his life. 

Luke was helping clary pack and get ready to go. At first he wasn't sure he wanted her to go. She had found out that they had already left and had been attacked by demons. Now, she needed to create her own way there. She knew she could create her own runes. So, she did and in the process, Luke ended up going with. The landed in a lake, when they go to the other side. She almost drowned, tell Luke saved her. But, now she was poisoned. He said that he knew someone that could save her but, she was going to see things and hear things tell they do. 

Amatis is Lukes sister and very good with herbs. When they showed up at her house, first she almost didn't let them in. Then, she did. Luke took Clary up to bed while his sister made what she needed to bring up to Clary to drink. 

Simon is a vampire and he can walk in the sunshine. The head of the vampires doesn't think it's a great idea him being able to do that. Alec, told Simon that the clave had a portal to send him back to New York. But, when they got up there, he ended up being imprisoned by them. He was getting a little weak from not eating and didn't know what was going to happen to him. 

In the cell next to him, was a guy that started talking to him. Told him, that he's been there awhile. He also knows that they will not let him go unless he tells the clave a lie ot two. Which Simon will never do. 

Clary meets Sebastian and right off the bat, there was something not quite right about him.

Well, I'm going to leave that there. If you haven't read the book yet. You will have to read it to find out how it ends. I'll just say this. I didn't expect what happens to happen. It was differently a page turner.  

A traitor to memory by Elizabeth George

 

This is part of a series DI Thomas Lynley and DC Barbara Havers series. Very good series and I've only read this book. 

Katie was walking to her car when out of know where a car came and hit her. It didn't stick around and she was left there all alone. 

Then, there's Gideon, he's writing in a journal to his doctor about things that has happened in his life. He doesn't understand why he can't play his violin any more. every time he picks it up he tries and he just can't. He was really good for a long time then something happened. Now, he's writing to figure it out with his doctor. 

His dad Robert, doesn't understand why he's having this problem and things between them just aren't the same. His dad has lived through Gideon since he was 6 years old. Making the money to pay for lessons and taking him all over the place to do concerts. They were making money and showing off his talent. Other then, that, nothing else seemed to be going on.

A few days later, Gideon finds out from his father that his mother was murdered by a hit and run driver and the coppers are looking and talking to everyone that knew her. Robert isn't an easy person to talk too. It always seems he cares to much for his son then the girlfriend he's now having a baby with. 

They start looking at the past of the Davis family and what happened to the two year old girl that drowned in the bath tub. The nanny went to prison for 20 years for it. What the father did and the mother and the son, pretty much everyone in the whole house was looked at. 

When, Gideon starts to remember things that happened back then, he decides to talk to his father. His father likes to change the subject and it takes a lot of hammering at him to get him to answer. 

I'll say this, the book kept me wanting to know what and who was killing people using a car. When I did find out, I was quite surprised of the whole reason why. Secrets are a bad thing in a family and with Gideon doing all the writing and trying to find answers for himself, you get the answers you never thought was going to be the answer. 

This is one of those books that you'll have to pick up and read. It was surprising and did answer some of my questions but, not all. There are plenty of other characters in the book that fill in some things too. It was worth reading.   

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

 

This is the first book in the secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flamel. Nicholas is a bookstore owner and has hired a 15 year old boy named Josh. His wife Perry is Nicholas's wife and she owns a coffee shop across the street. She hired Josh's twin sister Sophie. Josh was downstairs looking for books when all hell breaks out upstairs. He makes his way upstairs and there's a strange guy with some weird walking creatures attacking Nicholas. Josh, wants to help him but, he sees what looks like green smoke and the smell, smells like rotten eggs. 

Mr. John Dee isn't a really nice guy. But, he's on a mission to bring back the Dark Elders that were some of the one's that ruled this world a long time ago. Mr. Dee wants the Codex that will help him do just that and Nicholas has it. With fighting going on inside the bookstore, Josh is getting pushed bac down the stairs. Then, Perry comes into the bookstore to help her husband and in the process one of those monsters grabs Perry and poles her outside. With the fighting, Nicholas Is trying to stop those monsters from taking her but, it only makes it worse.

Sophie and Josh are twins and they are standing in the bookstore wanting to ask Nicholas what the hell happened. When Nicholas tells them that is was magic. Both, of the twins start to question what he's saying. They start thinking about magic shows, but not real magic, in which is what Nicholas is say is very much real. 

He loses the Codex but, Josh ends up with two pages. He tells the twins that they need to come with him because he need to go see a friend. Scatty as she goes by. Lives above a Dojo. She's considered one of the best warriors that Nichloas knows and also a vampire. She's a second generation Elder. When her Dojo is attacked by Mr. Dee because he wants those last two pages. Nicholas tells the twins that they need to head to one of the high Elders that will help then awaken there magic powers. 

It's a whole journey and many, many more things happen. Full of adventure, fighting and trying to understand all the different Elders all over the world and how magic came into the world. The book moves quite fast and you just want to know what happens next. I'm not going to give to much away. You should pick up the book and read it, if you want to know what happens in the end. 

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

 

This is the first book in the Robert Langdon series. I'll say, this was very, very good. Short chapters and fast paced. 

Robert Langdon was getting ready to get up and the phone rang. He answered and the person on the other side told him a story and then, Robert hung up the phone. Thinking that it was a crank call from some of his students. He went about making coffee, when the phone rang again. He heard what the person said. As soon as the word, Illuminati was said, he quickly picked up the phone. He listened to everything that this person was saying and then, asked if he would come and take a look for himself. 

He got to the airport, noticed the plane and was worried. It was only going to take about a hour to get there. When he got off the plane, the pilot said,' welcome to Switzerland." What the hell, Robert thought. Why the hell was he here. 

Kohler, the head of Cern was waiting for him at the door. Robert is a professor of symbology and he's studies many different kinds of symbols and this one he thinks, has to be a joke. The Illuminati hasn't been around for a very long time. When Kohler takes him to a very cold room and lying on the floor is a dead person with the word, Illuminati burned into his chest. He almost gets sick. He's never seen anything like this before. He tried to explain to Kohler about the symbolism of this and what it could mean. But, Kohler just keeps cutting him off. 

The dead guys daughter, Vittoria shows up from a flight she takes back home. She wants to know what happened. When she asks to see her father, she's told it wouldn't be a good idea. When the phone rings on Kohler's device and he answers it. The things said, scares him so he hits the speaker button. All three listen, finding out that four Cardinals will be murdered and branded with air, wind, fire and water in very special places all over Rome. Robert and Vittoria are headed to Rome to stop the from happening. There is more but, think you should pick up the book if you haven't read it yet. OMG, its' really good and the ending will surprise you.  

The Killing Game by Iris Johansen

 This is book two in the Eve Duncan series. Joe Quinn heads over seas to get Eve. Logan has had her for a little over a year and Joe's made the decision to bring her back home. If he has to lie to her he will. Logan's not happy and accuses Joe of using her daughter Bonnie to bring her home. Logan tells her that he's head back himself. 

Joe takes them to his cabin on the lake when they get home. He needs to call Spiro and find out when she's going to get the girls skull. After Joe leaves to make the call, another call comes on her phone. It's a guy and he tells her to call him Dom. He also says that he wants me to get a ten year old girl by the name of Jane. She has red hair and green eyes. I'm to protect her and get to know her, tell he comes and get her. He's planning on killing me and the girl together. 

I will say that the banter between Eve and Joe are good. Yes, he's jealous of Logan and he wants her all to himself. He also knows the Eve and Logan are more then friends. Logan is a billionaire. He knows how to use people and for awhile there he used Eve. Reading the conversations between Joe and Eve you know he's in love with her and she doing everything she can to fight him an every way she can. I just had to laugh out loud a few times. 

Getting Jane wasn't going to be easy. Its a felony to kidnap a child. She needed help and the only person she knew was Logan. She also didn't want joe to know. But, he's good at what he does and ends up finding her with the kid. 

I don't want to give to much away. The ending was good. You'll never guess who the serial killer is as Dom calls himself. Read the book. It was so damn good. Need the third book now.   

Redeemed by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast

 This is the final and 12th book in the house of night series. Zoey Redbird is in trouble. She turned herself in thinking that she killed two guys in the park. But, it wasn't true. It took a few days for Detective Marx to find out what really happened. Neferet is back and stronger then ever, after her snake like dark things killed as will as her all these people in a church so she can get stronger. She has completely lost her mind and decides to take control of the hotel she had been staying in. 

With all the craziness, Zoey and her friends need to try a figure out how to kill or contain her. Thanatos is the high Priestess of the school and also death. She helps those that have passed on to go where their supposed to go. She also comes up with an idea to contain Neferet in the hotel. To create a spell that will burn all evil doing things. It will take a lot of power and Shaunee who has the fire element she can control. 

When people start falling off the top of the hotel. Kalona is the winged immortal and he tries to save some of them, it ends up having those snake like evil things coming after him. With him being who he is, it will take him some time to heal. Thanatos, Shaunee, Zoey and all the rest of her circle all go to the special tree. Grandma Redbird is Indian and has to remind Zoey that the ground is ancient. Only old magic can stop really evil magic and a good chance it will contain Neferet. 

This is one of the best books and a great ending to the series. Lots of things happening and does Zoey and her friends really take care of Neferet. I hope you pick up the book and read the series. It was worth it.  

The Hiding Place by David Bell

 

Twenty-five years ago, Justin's 4 year old body was in the woods of a park in Dove point, Ohio. They thought they knew who the killer was and he spent 22 years in prison for it. Janet and her friend Micheal were in the park because her mom sent her and Justin to play. 

Janet now has a daughter Ashleigh, 15 and her and her friend Kevin hang out together. They moved back into her grandfather's house because he lost his job. Janet never wanted to but, she had no choice. 

One late night, there's a knock on the door and when she answers it, It's a guy with short cropped hair and says he knows about what happened to Justin so many years ago. Then, he leaves. Janet starts to wonder if he is Justin. 

Detective Stynes shows up at the Manning house to Speak to Janet and her father about an interview concerning the twenty-five year anniversary of the murder, but her dad wants nothing to do with it. The young reporter mentions something about Dante being innocent. Janet just doesn't know what to say. In a way it is interesting that she would mention something like that. Stynes really wasn't quite sure himself about Dante. His next stop would be to go speak to Dante. 

Janet runs into Micheal and he asks her a really weird question, ' do you remember what happen that day.' Janet just tells him that she remembers enough. That's when that comment keeps going around in her head. Micheal has never liked his father for some reason and Janet has never figured it out. 

There's some interesting truths that come out in this book. It doesn't move real fast, but it does move and makes you want to know what is going to happen next. You start to want to know if Dante really killed that little boy. What Micheal remembers, what the heck that guy wants with her. The answers do come towards the end.   You'll have to pick up the book to find out what happens. 

Crave by Tracy Wolff

 

This is the first book in the Crave series and oh my god it was really, really good. Fast paced and very dark in many ways. 

Grace, comes to Alaska to live because she lost her parent in an accident. Being sad, doesn't quite fit with all the feelings she is having. Her cousin Macy shows up at the airport with a snow mobile and they ride it to the most interesting castle that's the school and her home for awhile, with her uncle Finn. The altitude is getting to her and it doesn't help that she's feeling sick to her stomach as will as having a headache that's killing her. 

When Macy leaves her alone to go get her uncle. A very handsome guy steps really close to her and tells her to leave. Her thought are what kind of gull does he have. So, she begins to have an attitude with him. She isn't going to let him get away with telling her what to do. She explains that she has no other place to go and she not going any where. He just seems to get into her face. Which just makes it hard to her to breath even more.

What she doesn't know yet is that there are werewolves, vampires witches and dragons all in the school with her. She does learn who the guy is, he's Jaxon and he's a very sexy, stunning boy and a vampire. That just makes her a little nervous and fascinated all rolled up into one. 

When, things start to happen to her and she starts to get hurt. Jaxon knows that he needs to protect her in any way he can. He's part of an order that looks out over him as will. The very first time Jaxon bites her, she melts into him. Its way more then she can handle tell he looses control and she gets really hurt. 

Over the course of meeting Jaxon, she also meets Flint and Lia. Lia tries to be her friend as will as Flint but, Jaxon tells her not to trust him. 

Jaxon tells Grace the some of the other want to kill her and he doesn't quite know why yet. 

The story gets real interesting and you'll have to pick up the book to see what happens. Myself, I'm wanting to see what happens in the next book. But, I'll wait.  

    

Deeper than the dead by Tami Hoag

 

A small town in California where bad things hardly ever happen. Tommy and Wendy were heading home with a couple of other boys start chancing them through the park. They aren't running to fast and the end up jumping off a hill and Tommy lands on a dead woman. Wendy starts screaming. Dennis, one of the kids that was chancing them, started touching the woman. 

When the cops were called, Dennis's dad was one of the cops, Frank. Tony and Hicks were there to talk to the two other kids and other cops were taking pictures. The two kids don't know the women and their teacher Anne shows up to help them get home. 

Vince in a FBI profiler. Something new that they are trying out. He gets a call from Tony and asks to go to the small town where the murder was. He thinks he can help them out. He meets Frank and the sheriff Cal. 

The women was part of a group that helps out other women get their life back on track. Meeting Mr. Crane and a few other people that work with the women. Vince doesn't know what to make of Frank letting his son walk off with a finger of the dead women. Frank is also not such a good person. He beats his son and will go after his wife. Maybe, Frank is loosing it some. 

Because there is a women that has disappeared and they are trying to trace all the places she's been. Some things aren't messing out to Vince. He isn't a very heathy person, he had gotten shot in the head. He does start to care for Anne who is the kids teacher. He asks Anne to talk to the kids and hopes that she can get a few questions answered for him. That doesn't quite work out for her when one of the mothers goes off on her. 

This whole town, has some real works of people in it. People getting killed with nothing to prove who did it. The end of the story will surprise you. It was really good. I love the story. Pick up the book for yourself. You won't want to put it down tell you know what happens.  

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

 

Book one of The Raven Cycle series. A mixture of supernatural and mystery. 

Blue Sargent isn't like most girls. To her she considers herself different from the others around her. Her mother, Maura is a physic and keeps warning Blue to stay away from the Raven boys. She keeps telling her mom, that it's not a problem. She isn't crazy about them anyways because they are all rich. Every year, her and her mom sit at an abandon church watching the dead which right off she can't see. This night her and Neeve are there first and while just looking around, Blue sees a ghost of a teenage boy. She asks his name and he says, Gansey. 

Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah are at the church and Gansey is listening to a recording he did and he can hear his voice and a girls voice. He's not sure what to make of this. He's been trying to find the ley lines so he can find Glendower. He's some kind of king. He wants to bring him back so he can get some kind of special power. Gansey, doesn't know much about Blue tell they take a trip to see her mother. He has questions and needs to ask a physic for some answers. Once Blue's mother finds out what his name is and the boys that are with him, she becomes quite rude. Which doesn't give them many answers at all.

Mr. Whelks is one of their teachers and what they don't know is he knows all about the ley lines. Noah was with him and he's a ghost now because of it. Things are said, to him one early even about Gansey talking about ley lines and it intrigues him to want to find out more. Snoopy, snoopy, he becomes. 

After meeting Blue, the Rave boys and her begin to start hanging out together. Blue is still remembering something her mother said, about not kissing a boy because she might kill him. Adam likes her and Blue is getting used to Gansey. He can be a little intimidating. Ronan ends up finding a baby raven and starts taking care of it. 

Over all, things start to get a little weird, finding certain things they didn't think they would find and Gansey getting more excited about those new things. He can't wait to meet the king. Mr. Whelks may have another opinion of the whole think. 

You'll have to pick up the book to see what happens. I loved how this book turned out. Tell the next time, pick up a good book you never know you might like it too.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

 

This book one in a series and I'll say this wasn't a bad start. Elin and her boyfriend are heading to the Hotel Le Sommet in the Swiss Alps. The place used to be a Sanatorium at one time for people with TB. It's very isolated and has been snowing like crazy. What Elin is dealing with seems to bother her in many ways. She hasn't seen her brother Isaac in many years and can't get her youngest brother Sam's death out of her mind. She is a cop on leave in the UK. 

Isaac and Laure are engaged to get married and she hasn't seen her in a very long time as will. It becomes very strange when they first meet. Nice things are said and that's about it. Then, a murder happens and Elin is not sure what to do. She isn't really a cop and she has no say here. When she does talk to the cops, she is told that they won't be able to get up there because there is an avalanche possible and the roads would be blocked. They ask her to do what she can and send them any information she finds. 

There are a lot of secrets going on at the hotel. The owner Lucus and his sister run the place. They don't tell her everything tell she finds out the Lucus's partner Daniel was missing and later on she finds out the he was murdered. There are many things and not having the police being able to get there is making her have fits of anxiety.  She has problems breathing and carries an inhaler. 

When Laure turns up missing in the hotel. Elin starts to wonder who is doing this. Many things really don't start to add up. There is a lot of a mystery and the owners don't seem to want to help her but, they have no choice. 

There aren't many people left at the hotel and keeping everyone safe might be easier if they stick to just certain areas of the hotel. 

I'll tell you this, the killer its who Elin suspects at first. You'll just have to read the book to find out. Its a pretty good thriller, mystery story in itself. I liked it. Short chapters did help move the story forward too.