Monthly Archives: May 2014

Ann Rule Presents- Final Exams: True Crime Cases by Cyril Wecht and Dawna Kaufmann

American Literature

Synopsis: An analysis of four notable cases by famed forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht. Review: While the cases in Final Exams aren’t as twisty and turny or psychologically intricate as the cases that Ann Rule chooses for her books, but that doesn’t mean they’re not interesting on their own terms. As a forensic pathologist, Cyril Wecht sees things in the human body that others don’t think to look for. In the first case in the book, he uses the particulars of some knife wounds to put…

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We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

American Literature

Synopsis: An unhappy heiress spends summers on her unhappy family’s private island, but after an accident gives her amnesia, she can’t remember how everything finally fell apart and what she may have had to do with it. Review: I was a big fan of Lockhart’s The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and We Were Liars showed the same deft hand with characterization. However, the author let the melodrama get the better of her by trying a bit too hard to capture the excesses of teenage…

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Authority by Jeff VanderMeer (The Southern Reach Trilogy)

American Literature

Synopsis: An operative is assigned to investigate an anomaly in the latest investigation into dangerous, mysterious, paradoxical Area X, but the truth seems to lie on the other side of insanity. Review: Authority is the second in the trilogy that began with Annihilation, a story that promises the kind of enigmatic secrets that make your skin crawl. We’re talking Blair Witch stuff. House of Leaves. I’m such a sucker for this genre and when it’s as well written as these books are, I do a…

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Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

American Literature

Synopsis: When her wealthy college roommate invites her for an idyllic summer at her family’s rustic compound, shy Mabel fears that the secret she’s hiding will destroy all her hopes for a lifetime of happiness and security. Review: Bittersweet was a thoroughly engrossing read and it just swept me away. The descriptive passages were so well done that I wanted to visit Winloch myself. I loved the depth and intricacy of the relationships between the characters, especially as communicated through Mabel’s limited point of view.…

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Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb (Fitz and the Fool, Book 1)

American Literature

Synopsis: After bringing dragons back to the world in the thrilling conclusion of the Tawny Man trilogy, past-haunted bastard Catalyst Fitz has now retired to a quiet life under an assumed name, but when his post-menopausal wife claims she is pregnant, and a pale messenger with an ominous message dies in his holdfast, Fitz wonders if the wheel of history is bringing his beloved Fool back into his life–for better or for worse. Review: Count me among those who had a major freakout upon realizing…

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