#OMG-Thrilling : A Cry in The Night by Mary Higgins Clark

The blurb reads,

“Divorcee Jenny MacPartland’s struggle to support herself and her two small daughters is not helped by her irresponsible ex-husband. But suddenly a new man steps into her life. Rich, handsome Erich Krueger sweeps her off her feet and off to his mansion in the country.”

 

So the blurb nowhere begins to capture the complexity and brilliance of this book. I had read a Mary Higgins Clark sometime last year (not yet reviewed, much to my dismay) and there are a few authors you know you have to binge read. She is one of them.

This author, somehow succeeds in chilling you simply by the sheer brilliance of her writing alone. I am really looking forward to binging on her other books while I have a Scribd trial in place.

And while I write this review, I realise how grossly inadequate the blurb is to introduce the reader to what a brilliant book this is. Anyway, I hope I can convey that to the readers in the form of this review.

So I picked this book up, randomly among the others on Scribd and then jumped straight into it. Jenny MacPartland works in a gallery and is a divorced mother of two. She has an ordinary middle-class life for a New Yorker and while she isn’t greedy or fanciful, she does dream of a better life for her children.

The first thing she hears from Erik Krueger is,

“You look so much like HER!”

And thus starts the book. Erik is dashing, handsome, and the ‘artist of the century’. Critics cannot have enough of him and everyone wants to catch his eye. But Erik seems to have eyes for Jenny. He showers her with love and affection and indeed, they have a whirlwind courting before Erik decides to whisk Jenny to his farm.

This is where everything begins.

You know you have those books where you know that something that happens is the precipice of something more deeper and more important happening. And Jenny moving from New York is precisely that. Also, Jenny is a dead ringer for Erik’s mother.

I so fear I can’t write without revealing the plot away!! That is how brilliant this book is. Erik is one of the creepiest characters I have read about. When you read a book, some characters are so angelic that you know there is something beneath that veneer and Erik is one of those. Jenny finds herself and her daughters trapped in Erik’s house. His strange ways and the strange happenings in the house confound Jenny but she brushes it off as something which she imagined. And when Erik does the unthinkable, Jenny must act, or lose everything she lives for.

I read most of this book while coming home in a 50 minute flight. And I was so so engrossed in the book. I kept turning page after page after page. Erik and whatever he does simply stifled me. It did not help that I was sitting in an airplane which already has such a controlled environment. At some points in the book, I was positively spooked. I felt as helpless as Jenny and at some points, I really did want her to break away, and leave. But the next instant, Erik would have dashed all those hopes to the ground. And I felt as helpless as before. 

This is a great book. You are clothed in the despair and the helplessness that Jenny feels and also stunned by the confusions that keep coming up. You see yourself siding with Jenny and then questioning whether everything that happened in the book is as it seems. And that is where the book is brilliant.

I only have one fault, that the end is absurd. I didn’t feel the end was handled properly. I didn’t feel like the discovery of what Erik does to be as dramatic as the build up had been. And the end was rather cliche, much like it was suited for a film.

Notwithstanding all of this, it was a brilliant book which really deserves all the praise. I’m happy I read it! Definitely entertained me enough.

 

My Rating: 4/5

#Thrilling – The Shillingstone Witch (Fiona Frost #4) by Bon Blossman

The blurb reads,

“Fiona has no clue her bright summer vacation is about to darken. Children are disappearing from the small town of Shillingstone, and the townspeople blame a legendary nineteenth-century witch. Her world changes as she becomes the target of a depraved entity and finds herself drawn deep inside of a corrupt investigation involving supernatural beliefs she never knew existed.

 

OMG!! A slow internet connection means I lost my earlier review!!

Anyway, I absolutely loved this book. I crave for a good mystery novel and this one certainly fit the bill.

I sat curled one Saturday, with this book and then just kept reading it from cover to cover (well, ecover to ecover). AND I HAD TO! It was great!!

I literally left my work aside because I was so absorbed in the book. It didn’t take me that long to finish reading the book. But for the time I was reading the book, I was completely absorbed in it.

This book outlines Fiona’s fourth mystery (yet, the first book in the series that I am reading) and a quirky one at that. I’ve not seen many authors combine mystery and supernatural and I felt the author handled that well.

I think the reason that the book is intriguing is because all of us, at some level do not believe in the supernatural. We tend to disregard voices, ghosts or the like because it is not scientifically explained and Fiona is just like that.

It is ironic though, that a seemingly supernatural event draws Fiona to Shillingstone, to investigate the kidnappings happening there.

The rest of the book is chilling whenever the supernatural elements are involved. I try to solve every mystery that I read and I did not guess this one.

The reason I chopped one star off was the ending. Like the hit series, The Mentalist, this book spent a lot of time talking about the supernatural, the Shillingstone Witch, and the supernatural haunting Fiona. The actual kidnapper and his motive for the whole thing, was at best, weak.

It didn’t make sense for the culprit to have done what he did. And I felt the end was too abrupt. I could have used a little more.

I felt the explanation to the Supernatural was also weak and didn’t really tie up to the story. But it did provide interesting reading.

This book also provided a lot of food for thought in terms of a small town life. We always yearn for a small, easy going life but we don’t realise how integrated we are to the place we live in. It is only when we go and see an alternate lifestyle, that our own life looks a lot brighter.

But,but but!

I loved Fiona and Wolfe together. They make such a sweet couple. Wolfe reminded me of my special someone and that helped me warm up to the book a lot more.

I am definitely intrigued by Fiona and I do want to read more of her stories. So that is definitely a plus for me.

 

MY Rating: 3/5

Thrilling in Bits- The Wind Catcher (The Chosen #1) by Jeff Altabef and Erryn Altabef

The blurb reads,

Juliet Wildfire Stone hears voices and sees visions, but she can’t make out what they mean. Her eccentric grandfather tells her stories about the Great Wind Spirit and Coyote, but he might as well be speaking another language. None of it makes any sense.

When she stumbles upon a series of murders she can’t help but worry her grandfather might be involved. To discover the truth, Juliet must choose between her new life at an elite private school and her Native American heritage. Once she uncovers an ancient secret society formed over two hundred years ago to keep her safe, she starts to wonder whether there’s some truth to those old stories her grandfather has been telling her.

All she wants is to be an average sixteen-year-old girl, but she has never been average—could never be average.

Betrayed by those she loves, she must decide whether to run or risk everything by fulfilling her destiny as the Chosen.

 

 

There were several things which came into my mind as I read this book. I was very curious about the authors because Jeff Altabef’s teenage daughter helped co-author this one. I’m all about supporting child authors and authors in general. I didn’t have too great an opinion about Jeff Altabef’s other read, Shatter Point. I felt it was a great thriller with a lot of build up, but was muddled because there were too many different storylines pursued which could have been cut. And somehow, even though I approached this book with an open and fresh mind, that same thought gnawed on me. I wondered if all books had that as a distinct characteristic.

For one, I love reading Native American books. The first Indie Novel I had read, The Shadow of Time by Jen Minkman, was a Native American book. I have deep respect for the Native Americans and their beliefs. I find them to be very centered and somehow, I feel they know so much more about life than they let on.

Anyway, the theme about Juliet being a Chosen One, designated as such by the Wind Spirit was intriguing. I wanted to know how she would save the tribe and what or who the Wind Spirit was. But the book lacked details of the Native American twist. Just writing about a conundrum of whether to follow their culture or not is not enough when the book is advertised as a Native American book.

Juliet and her Sicheii ( or maternal grandfather) have to face many challenges because someone is after them. Or more specifically, after her. She is the Chosen. Someone who will help the tribe and look after their future interests. Juliet is in a typical set up. Stuck as an outcast in a school filled with people too rich or snooty to care, she is filled with angst and typically is confused whether to become part of the crowd or to stand out.

This part of the book was well written. I can imagine how it feels to stand out among many people and have the spotlight unnecessarily on you. All the time. And that is where I felt Jeff got keen insight from his co-author Erryn, bringing in the necessary emotions to make this realistic.

However, I felt Juliet was angry all the time. Really. Without a break. It felt like she had the world’s problems all on her as she went on ranting about everything. And feeling out of place. She was also unnecessarily rude about everything that happened to her. And to everyone in her life.

I felt the action started when Juliet (finally!) embraced that this trouble was on her. Someone was behind her. She needed to step up and take action. That is when the book picked up and started to move at a fast pace.

I appreciated the action scenes because they were involving. You wanted to read about what happened. You wanted the Seeker unmasked and you definitely wanted to cheer for Juliert. And find out how she would save all the Native Americans.

But!

There’s always a But!

Somehow, the writers thought it fit to introduce some ET towards the end which completely blew the Wind Catcher and the Wind Spirit out of proportion. It blew open the build up that was happening and left me wondering why they would do that? Why would the Native American build up be substituted for

(spoilers ahead)

A threat to Earth?

I mean seriously? After all that we tolerated from Juliet and after all that Native American culture and Juliet being “The Chosen”, it is substituted for this?

The ending was a let down. If only the explanation or the fight sequence with the Seeker was much more cleverly done, I’d have appreciated this. But the end left me disappointed. Although, the epilogue or conclusion of sorts that there were more like Juliet, made me want to read the others.

You’d definitely be entertained by this book. You’d also definitely be frustrated with this book. And I’m not certain I will continue reading the series.

My Rating: 2.5/5

Addicted to Elae- The Paths of Alir (Pattern of Shadow and Light #3) by Melissa McPhail

The blurb reads,

In Melissa McPhail’s award-winning epic fantasy series, A Pattern of Shadow & Light, she introduces her readers to the realm of Alorin and a magical Adept race facing extinction. The race’s tragic decline is the result of Malorin’athgul, powerful beings from the fringes of Chaos, whose presence in Alorin has caused a shift in the cosmic Balance. Fate bends to their will, and this is set upon Alorin’s destruction. Alone in understanding the threat they pose, Alorin’s Fifth Vestal, Björn val Gelderan, has launched a desperate plan to stop them: a “great game” played upon the tapestry of mortal life. Now, in Paths of Alir, A Pattern of Shadow & Light Book 3, Björn’s Players have taken the field:
Along the lush Caladrian coast…the truthreader Tanis returns to the place of his birth and finds mysterious and wonderful workings waiting for him. But the zanthyr warns Tanis that ominous events lie ahead, and the lad soon wonders if even his mother’s magical lessons will be enough to keep him alive.
In the dungeons of Tal’Shira…held prisoner by the Adept Inquisitor Taliah hal’Jaitar, Prince Trell val Lorian is facing a life of enslavement. Only two paths lie open before him: one means an eternity of torture fighting Taliah’s attempts to break him; the other requires surrendering to her will. But can he really sacrifice everything he is to walk Taliah’s path of twisted magic known as mor’alir?
In the snow-bound Castle of Tyr’kharta…Prince Ean val Lorian must choose between saving his brother Sebastian or his loyal men. But to choose his men means leaving Sebastian to an eternity of enslavement; while rescuing Sebastian means abandoning his friends along with his honor. Either decision will test Ean’s newfound skills as well as his conviction, for as the prince soon learns: once a man becomes a Player in the First Lord’s game, not even death can give reprieve.

So I’d written a very nice and a long review for this. But wordpress and my internet decided to act like a bitch and delete my review which is why I must type this again!

This was definitely the pinnacle of the books in this series. I still remember. I had requested for a physical copy for Cephrael’s Hand, the first book in this series. I somehow managed to completely to completely forget about the book and missed the blog tour and made it up reading it for the second tour for Book 2. I remember being completely wowed by Melissa’s work.

This series, for some reason, I thought, ended with Book 3. And I was impatient. Everything felt all over the place after The Dagger of Adendigaeth. I wondered how everything could come together in Book 3. I could feel Bjorn slowly taking control of the game as the book progressed and I knew the story from the blurb didn’t look like it was coming together. I was so delighted when I realised this was just one book in the series. Melissa (the author) hadn’t even planned the number of books she intended to write. I asked her on Twitter.

So with my mind at rest, that one of my favourite series wasn’t ending, I started reading this one.

And I was completely enraptured. My life stood still because I just had to read this book ALL the time. And I kid you not. I HAD to read it ALL the time. I just couldn’t resist finding out what role Tanis had to play and how he would manage to sway Pelas, the Malorin’athgul who threatened to destroy Alorin.

I could feel for Ean you know. Haven’t we all had those times when we’ve been burdened by expectations? And not just everyone else’s expectations. Our own expectations have hurt a lot, often hindering us and pulling down our self esteem. He bore the burden of remembering all the journeys and learnings of his past lives so he could save the realm now. And indeed, you could see how far he had progressed, from being the hot-headed prince he was in Book 1 to the level headed and thinking prince he was now. You could see the impact of all the lessons that everyone had given him and the slow release of memories his subsconscience had permitted him.

I somehow was attracted to Trell. My special someone is exactly like him. Trell exemplifies all those qualities I find extremely desirable. He is devoted, he is strong and he carries honour like an armour. And my special someone is exactly like that.

Anyway, back to the story. Alyneri was someone who reminded me of myself in a way. The part when she met Trell made me cry. I bawled. I literally did.

The point I am trying to make is that this book surpassed all of my expectations. It switched focus completely away from what the first two books focused on and in that sense, gave me a new angle to look at Alorin from. This made me aware of more details about Alorin which I am sure will be useful to me as I read the next few books.

Pelas and Tanis and their dance around each other took center piece in this book and I did not mind because their discussions and their talks especially centered around one issue which made me ponder deeply about my life. We often go through life playing the victim card and Tanis, in his uncharacteristic wisdom, believes that “We Always Have A Choice”. Deep words to live life by. Indeed, they shift the momentum of the book.

The end of the book was something I did not expect at all. I was completely stumped. My mind immediately went over everything in the book and the previous 2, making new connections and feeling absolutely awed about how Bjorn and indeed how Melissa had played it all. It was sheer brilliance.

I am miffed about the fact that the next book comes out only next year. I absolutely cannot wait for it. From my vantage point here, 2016 seems like decades away. But I suppose perfection cannot be rushed.

I CANT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK ENOUGH. I’VE DROPPED MY JAW ENOUGH! JUST PICK IT UP AND READ IT ALREADY!

C for Chilling, C for Commendable- Too Dark to Sleep by Dianne Gallagher

The blurb reads,

Time to wake up…

Maggie Quinn was the top homicide detective in Chicago’s Area One before she suffered a devastating loss. Now Quinn is damaged… perhaps beyond repair. Once the best detective in Chicago, she is haunted by dreams of a faceless man she could never catch. When the killer returns, Quinn agrees to serve as a consultant, but most cops in Area One tag her as a hazard. Except rookie detective Nick Dublowski who quickly realizes the only way the Chicago Police will catch this elusive killer is with the help of Maggie Quinn.

Back on the job, Quinn becomes as tenacious and sharp as ever. But as the investigation closes in on a suspect, the escalating murders hit dangerously close to home. Quinn’s sanity again begins to fray and her judgment is questioned. Did the suspect really do it? Or is Maggie’s tormented mind pushing her to ruin the life of an innocent man?

Avid readers of crime fiction, noir or psychological thrillers will find Too Dark to Sleep a fresh take on their favorite genre. This is the first book in a gripping new series and not to be missed.

So I opted for a Making Connections tour after a long time and I wondered how this thriller would be. I admit, the blurb really attracted me to it, and I haven’t read a great thriller for a long time. I have been excited with the Noir genre and one of my goals in 2015 was to explore genres I had only skirted the boundaries of.

When the author sent me the book, I admit, I lost it in my Yahoo mail. I admit, I’m a total GMAIL convert. I’ve lost countless emails in my Yahoo and without the systematic categorising on Gmail, I lose track of the books. Anyway, a simple reminder that the blog tour was coming, got me into action and I started.

Maggie Quinn is not your typical hero. She is sharp. She is merciless. She has a past. And it is catching up on her. When a serial killer lets loose, Maggie returns to face her demons and to exhume the past. Maggie has had a traumatic life. Her daughter died and that pushed her off the edge. This new job does nothing to help her sanity. It borders on the edge and darkness claws, waiting for the perfect opportunity to consume her.

This is not a book which is a race against time. No clocks ticking, no bodies falling. Cold, calculated attacks from both sides. Maggie has a skilled opponent. We are sucked into the world, much like how Harry Potter is sucked into the Pensieve (I’m sorry for the Harry Potter reference, I just saw Goblet of Fire before I write this!!) We see the world like mere spectators. We call out but it is not heard. We want to hold Maggie and comfort her when she tethers on the edge. But we can’t. And we just watch as things crumble.

What I love about this book is the oddly twisted form of redemption stored towards the end. You think that the stage is set only to realise it never was. Closure comes in the most different way and  you are left wondering over its brilliance or left lamenting over its tragedy. That is what this book was about.

I can’t ignore the other characters. I don’t want to talk about the serial killer at all. It would take away all the delight when you finally come to read it. And I can’t talk about the other characters who end up feeling so much like home after the book ends. Maggie is a brilliant character supported on the back of so many characters who end up becoming like people you’ve known for a long time. As you complete the pages, there seems to be some familiarity with the characters and a need to know them much better.

And the DARK! My gosh, if there ever was a character so chilling in the book, it would have to be the Darkness. Never thought it would be so chilling. I’m not scared of the dark usually, but I admit it can get creepy and dangerous. And in this book, darkness played its part to the hilt. It was perfect. It crawled on your skin too when it tortured Maggie and I was happy to be in a lit room when I was reading the book. Absolutely ironically brilliant that an abstract forms the strongest part of the book.

I have loved this journey and this book. I truly recommend this. I am so glad 2015 turned out this gem right at the very beginning.

My Rating: 4.5/5

Page Turning Novel – Shatter Point by Jeff Altabef

The Blurb Reads,

Evolved Publishing presents the psychological thriller “Shatter Point” by Jeff Altabef. This stand-alone follow-up to “Fourteenth Colony” features political intrigue and gruesome crime in the near future. Maggie met Cooper at a young age, but even then she sensed something was wrong with him. His charm, good looks, and wealth could not hide the danger that burned in his sapphire eyes. Some nightmares don’t go away. He’d been haunting her from a distance for as long as she could remember.

Now things have changed. When her sons Jack and Tom discover she’s been taken, they set out to rescue her and uncover nefarious family secrets, explosive government conspiracies, and a series of horrific murders along the way. Only their colorful great aunt and a covert resistance group can help them navigate the dark underworld full of political subterfuge and class warfare. All the while, Maggie struggles to outwit her tormentor in a life and death psychological battle of tense desperation. Will Jack and Tom arrive before Cooper reaches his shatter point?

Midwest Book Review has described Jeff Altabef as an “articulate and engaging storyteller” and “a contemporary novelist of considerable merit and imagination.

 

I read the blurb and the excerpt and for some odd reason, I didn’t sign up for this tour. When I read some of the reviews, I realised this was a psychological thriller set in the future. It seemed like a great read so I edged into the blog tour and here is my review!!

My first thoughts were, I wonder where the futuristic part comes in? The book starts off with Dr. Darian Beck, who is working on an experimental drug which would help to reverse brain shrinkage and brain damage. The book then shifts to Maggie and her sons, a normal family. But Maggie hides behind her smile, a terrible secret. She has spent her life hounded by a man Cooper, who has daunted and intimidated her. He is a psychologically disturbed person who is trapped within a maze created in his mind.

I had different views about this book and then I happened to read a review which brought out a few insecurities I had with this book. Hence the delay in writing the review because I wanted to be sure my review objectively reflected my thoughts and feelings.

The book’s genre isn’t particular. The story is set in the future, in a world where the chasm between the rich and the poor is wide. So it isn’t a dystopian one by a long mile, even though it has a few taints.

The book isn’t a mystery, although the book’s main focus is on finding Maggie. The book is a spin off from the earlier novel ‘Fourteenth Colony’ by Jeff Altabef and although I didn’t find this connection influencing the book, I wish I had read the earlier book.

I don’t really know why I am so disturbed as I write the review. Usually, I have very clear points about what I liked or what I thought about the book.

So, let me write about the highlights.

Cooper is a wonderful villain. The initial glimpses we get of his sick mind and how he intends to twist Maggie to suit one impression he had of her, is terrifying. It scares me sometimes, to think that there are people who think like this, and are serial killers because of their obsession with one person. Cooper was maniacal, a megalomaniac and had zero emotions. His eccentricities made him a wonderful read.

But, as the title goes, Shatter Point describes that state of mind where our mind gets so enraptured in its own misgivings, that it cannot find a way out. In the ancient Indian Book, Mahabharata, a character, Abhimanyu gets stuck in a chakravyuh (= a circle which cannot be broken) and he does not have the knowledge to get out of it. I could draw parallels from this to Cooper.

What I also enjoyed, was looking at Maggie from Cooper’s eyes. Also, how creepy Cooper was, as a child. That was exceptionally well done.

When Cooper reaches Shatter Point, or which is the crucial point of this book, the book plummets in terms of keeping up reader interest. Cooper’s degeneration is not at all interesting. It happens so fast that I was trying to get my mind wrapped around it and I couldn’t.

I’ve written time and again about how writers have this perfect build up and then for some absurd reason, derail ALL their efforts while concluding the book.

I’m alright if the ending isn’t happy, but here, I feel in the effort to make the book end on a happy note, several points or several storylines were compromised.

There were several points which I wasn’t very happy with.

I felt I couldn’t connect to Maggie at all as a person. She was just someone who was a part of the book, someone who had to be rescued. I couldn’t connect with her thoughts, her journey and all I gleaned is her fear of Cooper’s volcanic anger. And her love for her family.

The angle of the drug and bringing it in, I am in two minds about it, because, in a way, it helped to reveal who Cooper was and to sort of create a back story for the characters. But it was UNNECESSARY. It wasn’t really required, the drug and its effects on Jack. Again, maybe my response would have been better, had the ending not been as such. It is an experimental drug. Who knows how long it might take to turn out right. For it to turn out right, just in time to save Jack, was a little bit far fetched. My suspension of disbelief stopped right there.

I found Aunt Jackie to be a feisty character. Her past intrigued me and it made me wish I had an insight into her mind and maybe that I could read her own story. Even though she is a small part of the book, but she captured my imagination.

I also wondered about how it all started. How was the world in 2041? How and what made the ghettos what they were and how did the Government become as it was. I suspect the answer to these questions lies in Fourteenth Colony and I’ll probably have to read that to make sure all my questions are answered.

I didn’t like the part where Jack gets powers because of the drug. Headaches and vision problems, I understand. But him developing powers like gleaning memories and having electricity flow when he touched Cooper and for the author to say something like “it felt like Cooper was a part of Jack” and somehow Jack’s touch transferred Cooper’s memories and feelings to him was a little bit too much. That portion definitely was a let down

I also had an unanswered question about what happened to Darian Beck when he was held for interrogation.

What I did enjoy though, is discovering who Cooper was and how Maggie escaped. That portion, the thrill when I was involved in finding where Maggie was kept and how she was rescued, was very interesting.

All in all, there were some parts which were brilliant. They kept me hooked to the book and I wanted to find out what happened next. But having said that, I felt the parts that weighed this book down, definitely could have been avoided.

 

My Rating: 2.5/5

My First Low Rating for a Novel Publicity Book but the things that pulled it down fought with what made the book shine!

Sound of Music meets Paranormal – The Lady in Yellow by Alyne De Winter

The Blurb Reads,

Tonight will be a howling night, when the wolves will not be still…

You’ve heard of the Woman in White and the Woman in Black, now meet The Lady in Yellow

From an early age, Veronica Everly has had a hard life. After the deaths of her actor parents, left at age five with an alcoholic aunt, she ends up in a the Catholic orphanage of Saint Mary’s to be cared for by the nuns. Now, approaching her nineteenth birthday, she is a hired as governess to two motherless children living in a stately home in the wilds of Yorkshire. Identical twins, Jacques and Jacqueline are also androgynous, magical, and clever enough to spook Veronica with their macabre fascinations.

When she meets their gorgeous father, Rafe de Grimston, Veronica is both attracted and repulsed by him. A mixture of tenderness and menace, dark secrets shadow his eyes, torment, and dread of his own nature.

Belden House proves to be wilder than Veronica could have dreamed. A mysterious bell tolls, wolves prowl the grounds, and under the full moon, a lady appears in an antique yellow gown whose eyes run red at the sight of Veronica.

What is the nature of the curse on Belden House? What is the source of the anguish that drives Rafe de Grimston away? What of the old church, Saint Lupine’s, with its wolfish shrine? Who is the lady in yellow?

Veronica is faced with choices no one as young and inexperienced as her should ever have to make. Shall she do what she must to save those she has grown to love, and destroy her own soul?
Or does she flee, and allow evil to devour them all?

Formerly a well-received Novella, this Victorian Gothic Thriller is now revised and expanded to a full length Novel
Revised and Expanded 2013

There are some books which absolutely knock you over your head. Some which make you wish you never had any other work so you could just read that book all day.

This is one of those books. I can’t begin to say how much I have loved this book. Every bit of it.

The story starts off in a very Sound of Music like scene where Veronica, who never fits in with the nuns, is looking out for a job and is sent to Belden House.

Now, this house is a place where lot of misgivings happen. Old and ancient spirits roam and secrets are rife. And there are no answers. Why are the children so weird? What is that unexplained tolling bell? Why does Veronica have blackouts? What is the mystery surrounding Sovay, the twins’ mother? Amidst all this maelstrom, can Veronica stop her heart from doing something foolish? When nobody gives her answers, can she find out the secret to the twins’ eccentricities and uncover the secret of the Lady in Yellow?

So many questions! And a brilliant book full of thrilling and spooky events happening. It felt like reading an extended version of R.L Stine again from childhood.

When Veronica wouldn’t get the answers she wanted, I would be confused too. The housekeeper Mrs. Twig displayed the classic signs of how to NOT deal with a problem. We all HATE dealing with problems, or getting into arguments. And so we AVOID. And that only exacerbates the original problem. I am glad Veronica persisted in her quest for the truth.

The other point I liked was that Veronica kept her faith. Science has argued for centuries about the non-existence of God. Yet miracles happen and we continue to experience atleast a small modicum of grace in our lives. I felt it was so nice that Veronica stuck to her faith in her God. It was great.

Indeed, like the book itself makes an analogy, Rafe de Grimston reminded me of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast with his brilliant blue eyes.

What do I even say about Sovay? What a character!!! Sent shivers down my spine every time she entered the picture.

I have absolutely enjoyed this book. I really recommend anyone and everyone to go for it!

 

My Rating: 4/5

#Synopsis Reveal- A Patriot’s Act by Kenneth G Eade

IT’S TIME TO REPEAL THE PATRIOT ACT

 

On May 6, 2004, American born attorney Brandon Mayfield was arrested and held, without being charged, for two weeks, as a suspect in the Madrid terrorist bombings, based on a faulty fingerprint match and evidence concocted by the FBI.  The FBI broke into his house, without a warrant, and searched it several times, as well as using national security letters to wiretap his phones, and bug the house.  Mayfield sued the government for damages and declaratory relief and in the lower court, District Court Judge Aiken threw out two sections of the Patriot Act that modified the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in Mayfield v. United States, 504 F. Supp. 1023.  Unfortunately, Judge Aiken’s decision was rendered moot on appeal when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal decided that Mayfield could not pursue his declaratory relief claim after he had settled with the government for a reported $2 million settlement and letter of apology.  See Mayfield v. United States, 599 F. 3d 964.

Less than one month after the horrendous terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, the United States Congress rushed through both houses and President George W. Bush signed into law, the “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, better known by its acronym, The USA PATRIOT ACT.  Originally designed to be a temporary measure, this Act was reauthorized by Congress in July 2005.  Some of the most controversial measures of the Act that were to expire in 2009 were temporarily extended when President Barack Obama signed extension legislation on February 27, 2010, and on March 26, 2011, Obama signed a four year extension of three key provisions of the Act that have been criticized as unconstitutional.  These relate to roving wiretaps, searches of business and library records, and “lone wolf” surveillance, authorizing surveillance of individuals suspected of terrorist activities who do not belong to any recognized terrorist group.

What’s wrong with the Patriot Act?  Plenty-it is the most pervasive joint attack by the Executive and Legislative branches of our government on the United States Constitution in history.  The Patriot Act expanded the executive’s power to practical omnipotence, allowing the FBI and other government enforcement agencies to use“enhanced surveillance procedures,” which included roving wiretaps, which follow the suspect and encompass any communication technology used at any time, “sneak and peek” searches, for which the search can be conducted before the suspect is informed of the search warrant, and the production of books, records papers, documents and other items to be ordered not by a court of law, but by the FBI, the CIA or the Department of Defense in a “national security letter.”The Act also authorizes the forfeiture of assets of those suspected of money laundering, detention of up to two weeks of suspected terrorists who are United States citizens, and indefinite renewable detention of aliens from 90 days to six months.

The “War on Terror” is still on, and is still being used as an excuse to broaden or extend the broad brush of governmental power.  Such power is being used to violate the Fourth Amendment Constitutional guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures and is unacceptable.James Madison said, “The means of defense against foreign danger have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people.” Madison, also known as the “father of the Constitution,” along with other notable statesmen such as Thomas Jefferson, the draftsman of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin, intended that the government to answer to the people, not the other way around.  When they set up three branches of government with checks and balances, they did this so that no one branch would get any more powerful than the other.  The first ten amendments to the Constitution were designed to guarantee that the government not be able to take away the personal freedoms that all people have.

The people of this country need to stand up for and defend the inalienable rights that we all have and send a clear message to their Congressman and Senators that if he or she does not vote to repeal the Patriot Act, or votes in favor of any further extension, they will not be getting your vote at the next election.  We should not forget who said, “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peace makers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” It was Hermann Goering.

Kenneth Eade is an attorney and the best-selling author of A Patriot’s Act, the fictional story of a naturalized U.S. citizen, captured in Iraq and held indefinitely at Guantanamo.