BookOpinion

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You fill up your queue online, the books ship free, read as fast and as many as you like.

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BOOKOPINION REVIEW: Ayelet Waldman’s heroine in “The Cradle Robbers,” Juliet Applebaum, is a clever cross between Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone and Joanne Fluke’s likeable character, Hannah Swensen. An ex-criminal defense attorney and now a stay-at-home mom, Juliet has just embarked on a new career with colleague Al Hockey, a retired ex-cop. Completing this cast of intriguing characters is Peter, Juliet’s screenwriter husband, who expertly juggles cooking and child care with a flair that causes every wife’s mouth to water.

In this episode, Juliet is hired by Sandra Lorgeree to track down the lost son that she was forced to relinquish to foster care when she was sentenced to five years in prison for drug trafficking. But to Juliet’s surprise, she is touched by Sandra’s vulnerability and desperation and determines to find little Noah and restore him to the loving care of Sandra’s aunt or cousin. Before Juliet can do more than make a few cursory phone calls, she receives the unwelcome news that Sandra has been murdered, knifed by another inmate.

Appalled by this development, Juliet is fiercely determined to hunt down this baby and the killer of Sandra, as well. Her investigation takes her into the horrors of prison life for women who give birth while incarcerated as well as the mysterious “Lambs of God” organization that place their newborns into foster care of couples that quietly disappear into thin air.

What happened to little Noah? Will Juliet’s persistence produce the father of this baby? And will he even want to claim his own child?

“The Cradle Robbers” is an even paced, well written novel with characters that are likeable, quirky and, at times, hilarious. I found no flaws in this book and highly recommend “The Cradle Robbers” as a must read for anyone who loves a well thought out mystery. Juliet Applebaum is everyone’s sister or best friend, and you will easily identify with her insecurities and foibles.

But, “The Cradle Robbers” is the latest issue in the Mommy-Track mysteries. I highly recommend that you begin your journey with Juliet by reading “Nursery Crimes,” the first installment in this delightful series and continue with the stories in the correct sequence. You will find a great deal of information in the previous books that will give you a better understanding of Ayelet Waldman’s unique characters.

I really loved these books…not earthshaking, perhaps, but not fluff either. Ayelet Waldman pens a good story with a fascinating plot and beautifully rounded characters. I think you will enjoy them as much as I did.

– Elizabeth Channery

Alibris has given BookOpinion users a coupon for $5 off textbook purchases of $50 or more. This coupon lasts until Sept. 15, 2007.

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Listen to some of your favorite authors in these podcast interviews. BookOpinion has pulled together links to a few recent AOL interviews with authors.

All Aunt Hagar’s Children by Edward P. Jones

“Following the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Known World (2003), Jones offers a complex, sometimes somber collection of 14 short stories, four of which have appeared in the New Yorker,” writes Publisher’s Weekly.

Listen to AOL’s Interview With Edward P. Jones (10 minutes)

Knit 2 Together: Patterns and Stories for Serious Knitting Fun by Tracey Ullman, Mel Clark, and Eric Axene

“The multitalented Ullman now graces audiences with another gift: a funny and accessible book on knitting, co-written with the owner of her local Santa Monica, Calif., yarn store,” writes Publisher’s Weekly. “Ullman’s been knitting for three years, and Clark, a New Zealander, is her knitting mentor. The duo shares more than 30 original designs, accompanied by Ullman’s witticisms and Clark’s trustworthy advice.”

Listen to AOL’s Interview with Tracey Ullman and her co-author (13 minutes)

Paint It Black by Janet Fitch

“Fitch follows her bestselling debut, White Oleander, by revisiting the insidious effects of a powerful, narcissistic mother on an only child,” writes Publisher’s Weekly.

Listen to AOL’s Interview with Janet Fitch (11 minutes)

The Devil’s Guide to Hollywood by Joe Eszterhas

“After 31 years in the Hollywood trenches and 15 films including Flashdance, Basic Instinct and Showgirls, screenwriter Eszterhas delivers a dishy, catty mix of reminiscences and Hollywood trivia in the guise of a handbook for wannabe screenwriters,” writes Publisher’s Weekly.

Listen to AOL’s Interview with Joe Eszterhas (12 minutes)

Piece of Work by Laura Zigman

Publisher’s Weekly writes: “Zigman (Animal Husbandry) visits the popular chick lit landscape of Manhattan public relations, but with a less glamorous twist. The publicist is 36-year-old Julia Einstein, a Connecticut housewife who has been relishing her life as a stay-at-home mom to toddler son Leo. When her husband, Peter, loses his job, Julia is thrust back into the world she left behind. After calling on a savvy and successful friend for advice, Julia ends up at John Glom Public Relations, a ‘firm that handles desperate has-beens,’ where she must work with actress Mary Ford, billed as a ‘client, paying for the right to suck the life out of us.’”

Listen to AOL’s Interview with Laura Zigman (9 minutes)

After hours of reading, staying up late, and more reading, Harry Potter fans are hitting the net with reviews of the book. BookOpinion has compiled a range of these reviews. If you don’t want to hear anything about the plot, then don’t listen to these because they are filled with spoilers.

First, however, we start with J.K. Rowling reading the first chapter:

Watch and listen to Part 2 here.

We start of the reviews with this superbly done critique:

Want to talk about the first 10 Chapters only:

In response to another review listed below:

Turn up the volume for this listen (but remember to turn it down for then next one)

More full reviews:

Watch and listen to Part 2 of this review.

Want more:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4QaDp2d_ws4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jm9_zllLgyk
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Iz8jxhpGi3w
http://youtube.com/watch?v=S3747oRA8cg (1 of 3)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1sC7b4jXR4A (2 of 3)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yOMGzkM9ugE (3 of 3)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=e_KT9QNOpto
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wExpDMUxTHY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=s0YUIiapklU

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: When I began reading “Jack Bauer’s Having a Bad Day,” I was not sure exactly what I expected with such an enticing title. Tim Wesemann explicitely states in the first chapter that it is his desire “to investigate twenty-four unexpected faith truths, using a bridge point from each of the twenty-four episodes from the first season of the hit TV show 24.” In other words, “learn more about what it means to live a life of faith in God in the process.” Okay, so far, so good.

The reader is taken on a journey with a brief review of each individual episode of 24 illustrating the similarities or the differences between what Jack Bauer is experiencing and walking through the Christian life. Tim Wesemann explores the turmoils of compassion, greed, healthy ambition, fear, etc., etc., etc. and attempts to relate Jack’s emotional situations to what we encounter in our own rather humdrum existence.

Frankly, I think this entire endeavor was a rather dismal failure. “Jack Bauer’s Having a Bad Day” read on its own philosophical merits, minus the Jack Bauer connection, is enlightening and relates well to the confusing, and sometimes frightening confrontations that we meet on a daily basis. The sincerity of Tim Wesemann is obvious and the idea is highly original but frankly, I do not believe that the intended goal was met.

If you choose to read “Jack Bauer’s Having a Bad Day,” I suggest you check out your local library first. The lack of cohesiveness and the disjointed connections make this book a disappointing purchase.

– Elizabeth Channery

Author Gregg Hurwitz changes gears with his latest thriller “The Crime Writer.” While the novel is a departure from Hurwitz’s previous series featuring tough, but tormented U.S. Marshall Tim Rackley, readers can expect the same fast-paced storytelling they enjoyed in the author’s other Los Angeles Times bestsellers. BookOpinion has compiled reviews, a video on the book and an excerpt.

Publishers Weekly summarizes the plot and provides a review: “When Drew Danner, a crime novelist, is tried for the murder of his ex-fiancée, Genevieve Bertrand, beside whose body he was found holding a bloody knife, he pleads not guilty. He has no memory of how he got to the crime scene because of a breakdown caused by a recently removed brain tumor. Once he’s found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity, Danner sets out to find the real killer—or discover some very nasty things about himself. A tense, page-turning first act leads to disappointing explanations involving the police and a misinterpreted phone message. Still, the fast pace and ingenious setup provide considerable tension. Hurwitz (Last Shot) may not have written a California classic, but it’s a worthy effort.”

“Danner’s anguish is compellingly described, and the plot has more twists and turns than Mulholland Drive,” quips Thomas Gaughan of Booklist. “At least half a dozen characters are vividly drawn, and nearly all are like Danner–struggling to recover from some tragic and life-altering event. Hurwitz’s insights about L.A. life sound knowing and are often ruefully funny, e.g., ‘L.A., where a porn star runs for governor and an action figure wins.’”

The Deseret News recently wrote a feature article on Hurwitz, talking about “The Crime Writer” and discussing the writing process:

…Hurwitz — a 34-year-old native of San Francisco with degrees from Harvard and Oxford, who now lives in Los Angeles — said by phone from his home that “The Crime Writer” developed as he wondered what it would be like if he personally were to “end up in a situation like one of my own thrillers.

“Not all my skills are totally useless. I know something about interrogation techniques. I’ve talked with forensics experts. I’ve been at crime scenes. I’ve gone along on ride-alongs. But a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”

Essentially, Hurwitz wrote a crime novel in which he imagined himself the alleged perpetrator. “It’s the most personal book I’ve written — and the first one I’ve written in the first person. In some ways, it’s harder to do it that way. I wanted to write a book in which a crime writer has to use all his skills as a crime writer to solve the crime.

“I’ve done tons of research for most of my books — you know, like going up in helicopters and going to demolition ranges, I spent time with Navy SEALS, familiarized myself with firearms and hand-to-hand techniques. So I didn’t do those things for this book — I thought the most important thing was to get the characters right.”

Hurwitz also intended “The Crime Writerer” to be “a tip of the hat to the great city of Los Angeles.” Which is a tradition that other crime writers, such as Raymond Chandler, have also done in their work. “Mine is a different take or a new slant on that tradition, a sort of love song to the city. I didn’t try to come up with pretentious descriptions — the city just inspired what I wrote.”

In fact, Hurwitz’s writing vocabulary is substantially richer than most crime novelists — and when he’s talking about Los Angeles, he waxes poetic: “L.A., for the most part is in on the joke that is itself. It’s superficial as hell, sure, but it also knows how to enjoy it. … Here, superficiality is our business, and we all — all — believe we’re in on the show.

“Some visitors find L.A. an insider’s city. The contrary is in fact true. … Shallow it is, but also captivating, if you can just hold on to your sense of humor. Every now and then, an earthquake will crack the city open, just to ensure that things stay interesting, or someone will threaten to blow up LAX, or raging fires will sweep through the West Valley and everyone will lionize firemen for a week. Santa Monica waters will turn toxic. A mercury scare will put everyone off sushi. Carbs will be vilified, or Pilates, or the caloric content of Jamba Juice.”

Hurwitz portrays L.A. in “dirty poetics in some sequences and a terse tone in the dialogue.”

He has wanted to be a writer since he was in the first grade, when he wrote books with cardboard covers — such as “Willie, Julie and the Case of the Buried Treasure.” Today he keeps that one on the same shelf as his published novels….

Read Full Story

BookOpinion has also found a trailer for the new novel:

The following is an excerpt from Hurwitz’s “The Crime Writer.”

I woke up with IVs taped to my arms, a feeding tube shoved through my nose, and my tongue pushed against my teeth, dead and thick as a sock. My mouth was hot and tasted of copper, and my molars felt loose, jogged in their beds from grinding. I blinked against the strong light, and squinted into a haze of face, too close for casual‹a man straddling a backward chair, thick forearms overlapped, a sheet of paper drooping from one square fist. Another guy behind him, dressed the same‹rumpled sport coat, loose tie offset from open collar, glint at the hip. Downgraded to bystander, a doctor stood by the door, ignoring the electronic blips and bleeps. I was in a hospital room.

With consciousness came pain. No tunnels of light, no bursts or fireworks or other page-worn clichés, just pain, mindless and dedicated, a rottweiler working a bone. A creak of air moved through my throat.

“He’s up,” said the doctor from faraway. A nurse materialized and fed a needle into the joint in my IV. A second later the warmth rode through my veins and the rottweiler paused to catch his breath.

I raised an arm trailing IV lines and fingered my head where it tingled. Instead of hair, a seam of stubble and stitches cactused my palm. Lightheadedness and nausea compounded my confusion. As my hand drifted back to my chest, I noticed dark crescents caking the undersides of my nails.

I’d dug myself out of somewhere?

The cop in the chair flipped the piece of paper over and I saw that it was an 8 x 10.

A crime-scene photo.

A close-up of a woman’s midsection, the pan of the abdomen caked with dark blood. A narrow puncture below the ribs faded into blackness, as if a stronger flashbulb were required to sound its depths.

I raised a hand as if to push away the image and in the dead blue fluorescence I saw that the grime under my nails carried a tinge of crimson. Whether from the drugs or the pain, I felt my gorge rise and push at the back of my throat. It took two tries and still my voice came out a rasp, barely audible around the plastic tube. “Who is that?”

“Your ex-fiancée.”

“Who-who did that to her?”

The detective’s jaw shifted once, slowly, left to right. “You did.”