Monday, February 22, 2010

Worst Case by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge



Detective Michael Bennett already has his hands full, being a single dad with ten kids, when wealthy teenagers start to go missing throughout New York City. Detective Bennett, along with FBI agent Emily Parker, are put in charge of the task force to find the kidnapper and attempt to bring the teenagers to safety. The kidnapper, Francis X. Mooney, believes that by his actions he is serving a greater cause and leads the two cops on a wild goose chase throughout New York City.

Worst Case was my first James Patterson book. While many have raved about his works before, I have not been able to bring myself to pick up one of his books. When having trouble finding something to read, I tend to check out the New York Times best seller list and his new book happened to be at the top of the list. That being said, I decided to give James Patterson a try. Overall I thought that Worse Case was a decent mystery. I was not on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading the book but there were enough twists and turns throughout the novel to make me want to finish. I enjoyed how Patterson and Ledwidge used third person narrative while also showing the individual perspectives of the characters throughout. It was very interesting to be able to see into the mind of the kidnapper and then be able to go right back into the minds of the two cops working to find him. I don't think that Worst Case has made me a true James Patterson fan, but I do have to say that it was worth reading.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory



At the age of fourteen, Mary Boleyn is forced by her unscrupulous family to seduce the king of England. As the queen was unable to give the king his only desire, a son, he takes Mary as his mistress. Infatuated by Henry VIII and the power of his kingdom Mary is shocked to learn that her family has decided to throw her sister, Anne, into the ring as well. Mary must step aside and help her aspiring sister steal the heart of the king and eventually become the Queen of England. The Other Boleyn girl is the story of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn and all the deceit and desire that came along with it, told from the eyes of the little known Boleyn sister.

Philippa Gregory takes historical fiction and makes it sizzle. The Other Boleyn Girl is captivating. I was surprised to find that even though I already knew the outcome of the story, I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. I simply could not put this book down.

Researched in painstaking detail, The Other Boleyn Girl is a portrait of life in the Tudor period of England. It shows a drastic contrast between the life of a courtier and that of a commoner. It also takes an interesting look at the life of women of that time and what was expected of them. As a woman in the twenty-first century I was appalled at the low value that was placed on women in the 1500’s, especially women of high ranking families.

This book is about intrigue, sex, selfishness, ambition, and finally the power of love. I’m adding this to my must-read list immediately, and maybe even to my must-read again list.