King Arthur Movie Tristan

title: A Question of Belief

author: Donna Leon

published: 2010

genre: mystery


pages: 262

source: sent by publisher for review

first line: When Inspettore Vianello came into his office, Brunetti had all but exhausted the powers of will keeping him at his desk.


rated:
3 out of 5 stars

Donna Leon’s sumptuous series of novels featuring the principled, warmhearted Venetian Commissario Guido Brunetti have won her countless fans, critical acclaim, and international renown as one of the world’s best crime writers. In A Question of Belief, the nineteenth novel in the best-selling series, Brunetti must contend with ingenious corruption, bureaucratic intransigence, and the stifling heat of a Venetian summer.

About:


A Question of Belief is the nineteenth book in Donna Leon's series featuring a Venetian police commissioner named Guido Brunetti.

Set against the stifling Venetian heat, there are two investigations going on in this installment.



A man named Araldo Fontana has been murdered and he is suspect of being involved with a corrupt judge who delays trials for bribes.
Guido was looking forward to a cool vacation in the Alps with is book loving wife Paola and their two children. He finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation instead.



Guido's sidekick is Ispettore Vianello. Vianello's aunt seems to be taken in by a corrupt psychic. Her bank account has been dwindling and she insists it is for charity. This is the second investigation.





My thoughts:


As I mentioned before, A Question of Belief is the nineteenth novel in this series. This can be read as a stand alone book.

The author sets the mood perfectly and as I read I could definitely imagine the stifling hot weather in Venice.
I think I would have enjoyed this one more if I had read a few of the others books first and gotten a better feel for the characters.
The story did start off a bit slow for me, but it picked up toward the middle, once the murder occurred and the investigation really took off. Author Donna Leon added a twist that I hadn't seen coming and the ending was not what I expected. I don't include spoilers in my reviews, so I'll leave it at that.



Guido and his family were my favorites in this story. I especially liked Paola's literary references.
Guido actually takes time out of his busy day to come home and sit down to lunch with his family. I found that a nice touch.

Overall, a nice, quick dose of mystery set in Venice with some memorable characters.





The first in this series is called Death at La Fenice and was published in 1992. I'll have to be on the lookout for other Guido Brunetti mysteries.






about the author:

Donna Leon is the author of the international best-selling Commissario Guido Brunetti series. The winner of the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, among other awards, Leon was born in New Jersey and has lived in Venice for thirty years.

title: A Bad Day For Pretty


author: Sophie Littlefield

genre: crime fiction


published: 2010


pages: 292


first line: Mama was already down in the cellar with Gracellen and Patches.


rated: 3 1/2 out of 5








A Bad Day For Pretty is Sophie Littlefield's second book featuring Stella Hardesty, a middle-aged widow who helps women who are suffering from marital abuse. Stella kind of takes the law into her own hands when it comes to abusive husbands. She also owns a sewing machine shop in town.



Stella has feelings for the local sheriff, "Goat" Jones, but as the two are having a romantic dinner, there is a knock on the door and it's no other than Goat's estranged (and trashy), soon to be ex-wife, Brandy. To top it all off, there is a tornado in town that unearths a woman's body. Stella's friend Nebuchadnezzar Donovan...a.k.a. Neb, is accused of murdering the woman.



Chrissy, a young single mom, is one of the women that Stella has helped escape an abusive husband. Chrissy now lives above Stella's sewing shop and works for her as well. She is helping Stella solve the mystery of the 'mummy' that has been unearthed by the tornado. As the story unfolds, there are twists and turns as Stella and Chrissy try to figure out 'who dunnit'.





I liked Stella from the start. She's exactly what you want in a heroine. She's smart, sassy and doesn't take crap from anyone. I also liked that Stella is your average, every day girl, with her own natural beauty. She doesn't look like a barbie doll, nor does she want to. I was rooting for her to win Goat's heart, solve the murder mystery and live happily ever after. I enjoyed the supporting characters as well. Chrissy amused me using her charms as the two women tried to get clues in solving the case. Goat was sweet and couldn't help always trying to save damsels in distress, meanwhile the women in his life are driving him nuts.
If you enjoy a good mystery with some humor and romance, grab a copy of A Bad Day For Pretty.

There was a level, deep below the surface, where women in need connected with each other, where they found out about solutions of last resort, where Stella's number was passed along in whispers and secrecy was guaranteed by all those terrible layers of fear and desperation.

Also by Sophie Littlefield :


A Bad Day For Sorry







special thanks to Tony over @ Blue Dot Literary for making this possible.

title: Undone

author: Karin Slaughter


genre: crime thriller

published: 2009

pages: 436

rated: 5 out of 5 stars







An older married couple is driving home when they hit what they think is a deer on the road. When they get out of the car to investigate further, they realize they have hit a woman. Once the dying woman is rushed to the emergency room, she is attented to by Dr. Sara Linton. They doctors soon realize this woman is on the brink of death, having not only just been hit by a car, but having been tortured for days. She is barely alive and Sara manages to get her name, the woman whispers 'Anna'.


Faith Mitchell and Will Trent work for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and are assigned to the case. Soon enough, they discover another victim and discover an underground torture chamber. They realize that the killer keeps two women inside at a time. Shortly after, another woman is taken and Faith and Will realize that there is a serial killer on the loose and time is running out. Sara Linton winds up also getting involved in the case and as the story goes on you get to learn a bit about her past as well as Faith's and Will's.






Undone took off from page on and didn't stop. I love when i'm reading a book and it feels like the author is taking me for a wild ride. This is what this book was like, a rollercoaster ride, fast, surprising and thrilling. The suspense slowly builds and I found myself absolutely hooked.

The plot was great and the characters were well written. They were multi dimensional, and I enjoyed getting to know them as the story went along. The ending was really good, and all in all, it was a fantastic read. This is the book I was staying up late into the night reading and neglecting some of my household chores to read just one more chapter..... At just over 400 pages, I finished it in 4 days.






If you're a fan of fast paced crime fiction pick up a copy of Undone, you won't regret it.







About the author:

Karin Slaughter is the New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including Beyond Reach and A Faint Cold Fear, which was named an International Book of the Month selection; she contributed to and edited Like a Charm. She is a native of Georgia, where she currently lives and is working on her next novel, which Delacorte Press will publish in 2010.

Visit her on tour at:

UNDONE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '09






Special thanks to Jaime over at
http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/ for sending me this book.

title: Trust Me: The Last Stand Trilogy, Book 1

author: Brenda Novak

pages: 435

genre: romantic suspense, mystery

published: 2008

first line: “You already heard, right?”

rated: 4 out of 5

Four years ago...
Skye Kellerman was attacked in her own bed. She managed to fend off her knife-wielding assailant, but the trauma changed everything about her life. As a result of that night, she joined two friends--also survivors--in starting The Last Stand, an organization to help victims of crime.
But now...
Her would-be rapist is getting out of prison. Skye knows that Dr. Oliver Burke hasn t forgotten that her testimony cost him his reputation--and his freedom.
Sacramento detective David Willis, who investigated her case, believes Burke is a clear and present danger--and guilty of at least two unsolved murders.
And now Burke is free to terrorize Skye again. Unless David can stop him. Unless Skye can fight back. Because Oliver Burke has every intention of finishing what he started. And that s a promise. Trust me.

It took me a few chapters of reading Trust Me before I was good & hooked. Then I could not put it down.


Skye Kellerman was attacked by a man in her own home four years ago. She was able to fight him off. He was Dr. Oliver Burke, a prominent dentist with a wife and child.
Turns out he is responsible for murdering three other women and Skye would have been next if she hadn't stabbed him with a pair of scissors during the attack. Oliver was sent to prison, and is being released early for snitching on a fellow inmate to the police. Sadly enough, Olivers wife and family think he is innocent, his wife even sends Skye hate mail.


Skye met Detective David Willis when he worked on the case and the two form an attachment. When David hears that Oliver will be out of jail soon, he is worried for Skye's life. Skye and two other victims of attacks formed a group called 'The Last Stand'. TLS was created to help other victims of crime.

David is divorced and has a son, and although he doesn't love his wife any longer he is trying to get back together with his wife for his sons sake. He and Skye are in love but the two are torn, because of Davids situation. Davids wife is suffering from MS and he feels even more guilty knowing that she needs him to care for her.





I really enjoyed
Trust Me. The plot was good, full of suspense. The characters were well written, including the supporting characters. I liked Skye and David. I liked it that their relationship was complicated and these two are drawn to each other yet are trying to do the right thing. Thier characters were complex and interesting. Oliver was creepy and as the book goes on, you get to see things from his point of view, you get to see how twisted he really is. His jail scenes are pretty disturbing.



The plot was great, I enjoyed the twists and turns. There's a few moments where I was like O-M-G! And I like that in a book.




Even though it took me a few chapters in to get hooked, this was a great read and I recommend it. By the time I was halfway through, I could not put this book down. The suspense is great and so is the romance.

She wanted his help professionally, but working with him left her emotionally vulnerable. She couldn't seperate the two, not as easily as he seemed to do.


She wished they could go back to the early days, when their feelings were first developing, when everything was still so innocent and unexpected that it took them both unawares. Now that David knew that he had to guard against personal involvement, nothing was the same, which was shy she'd changed too- grown defensive.

One thing I didn't like about this book was that the ending was a bit anticlimactic. I would have liked more to happen when Skye finally comes face to face with Oliver. It felt like the author got the story so worked up, it was hard to put the book down, I needed to know what happened next, but then it all ended too fast.


All in all, it was a great read, and I do recommend it.







About the author:

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. She juggles her writing career with her children’s softball and soccer games, field trips, carpool runs and homework sessions.

visit the author's website: http://www.brendanovak.com/



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Special thanks to j.kaye for sending me this book to read and review :o)