Been a while since my last book review (St. Pat's Day), and Greg was reminding me to post.
So here goes....
You actually get a "deal" this time, 3 for the price of one. Hence the name; yes it 's a trifecta, 3 reviews in one. I finished reading 3 books since March.
The 1st is...
The Lincoln Lawyer
by Michael Connelly, Published 2005
My 1st time reading this author of many novels.
It was a very enjoyable read; witty, smart, entertaining, exciting. The title represents the fact that the lawyer actually practices law in his Lincoln towncar! He hires a full-time driver and conducts about all of his business in his vehicle; what a riot! He's always on the road and has tight connections with a bail bondsman who supplies him with the latest thug on his way to jail. This time, the lawyer (Mick) gets a nasty case of defending a supposedly kosher real estate agent who's on rap for murder one. This seemingly upstanding, wealthy law-abiding character has some very hidden dark secrets and reveals his unscrupulous, evil self and challenges Mick's ethical decency.
Jeff read this one before I did and we both enjoyed it.
It's a 3-star.
My 2nd read...
RIPTIDE
by Preston/Childs, Published 1999
Yes, Greg has been pushing me for a long time to read these 2 guys and I finally did. Don't know what took me so long & I'm sorry I did because it was a fantastic book! I can't compare it to any other books they've written, obviously, so in my opinion I found it to be clever, exciting, thrilling and engaging. It's about centuries old pirates and lots of ancient "bling", gold coins, dazzling jewels, in fact an entire treasure chest that's been hidden deep in the bowels of a pit on an island in New England. For centuries, treasure seekers have been risking life & limb to get to the treasure but no one's succeeded 'til now, present day. This is when they finally have modern technology to make the most successful dig yet to capture the multi-million dollar treasure. But it's cursed and lives are lost and greed takes over. There's a storm and all chaos reigns supreme as people start slowly dying off in the quest for riches. The hero (the one who owns the island) is the only sane one with intelligence and isn't interested in the treasure at all. He's a likeable guy and wins the heart of a French archeologist who's hired by the mission overseer (a greedy guy who gets what he deserves in the end) to help in the quest.
It was a thrill to read and is worth of 3.5 stars
THE STOLEN CHILD
by Keith Donohue
Published May 9, 2006
This was absolutely my favorite of the 3 for sure. Amazingly, it was this man's 1st novel which makes it even more remarkable. It was published just last year and was on loan to me from my mom & step-dad who both read it & loved it, for good reason. It's based on a myth and children's fairytale and interweaves reality and fantasy. If you saw the incredible film "Pan's Labyrinth" last year (which I loved), then you would like this book a lot. The Stolen Child is about lost, disillusioned unhappy children who are stolen by fairies who live in the woods. The fairy, once he/she steals a child, is actually a "changeling", meaning he changes into the child. He becomes that child, inhabits his life in all ways except their mind/soul. He looks like the child, moves like the child and speaks like the child. But he never thinks or emotes like the child. The stolen child is taken to live amongst the other lost children/fairies in the dark, harsh wood for eons, sometimes for eternity. He may live that way for centuries until it is his turn to "change" back into a real child whence he steals another child's life.
This particular novel focuses on one child, Henry Day, who is stolen and becomes "Aniday" of the forest and is replaced by a changling who was originally born in the 19th century in Germany and was a child prodigy of the piano. The new Henry Day grows up and marries and has a child of his own and one day the fake "Henry Day" and Aniday end up meeting very briefly, but only once. Aniday forever spends his life not as his former human self, but struggling to survive in a perpetual state of childhood (in body only, for his spirit and soul do mature) which makes it torturous for him to see his mind maturing but seeing his physical being permanently in a state of eight years old. It's magical, sad and illuminating. This is an adult fairytale and would make a fantastic film.
Five stars without a doubt.
