Book Review: Life of the Party: A Political Press Tart Bares All by Lisa Baron

Life of the Party: A Political Press Tart Bares All by Lisa Baron
Genre: Politics, Memoirs
Pages: 272
Acquired: 08/23/11
Book of Your Shelf? No
Why I read it: Review Copy
Series: None

Lisa explores her life as a spokeswoman for several politicians, namely the head of the Christian Coalition. Her voice is humorous and insightful, immersing the reader in the chaotic life she led. But as scandal rocks the organization she is forced to realize that her mentor may not be as honest as she thinks he is. When a series of bad decisions attracts bad press like a magnet, Lisa's skills are put to the test.

A great and entertaining read full of very memorable quotes.

4/5

Book Review: The Incumbent by Alton Gansky

The Incumbent by Alton Gansky

Genre: Political Thriller
Pages: 336
Acquired: 04/16/10
Book of Your Shelf? Yes (Nook shelf)
Why I read it: Free Fridays
Series: The Madison Glenn Series (1)

Maddy Glenn is the mayor of a small town, Santa Rita, in California. Small town politics are her daily business until her campaign treasurer is abducted. The only clue is a Madison Glenn business card with 4 drops of blood on it. And of course that's not all. As the crimes continue with more and more clues linking Maddy to the case, things begin to get dangerous. Police escorts, private investigators, angry fathers, and a van that seems to be following her all add up to lots of stress.

I really enjoyed Maddy as a character. She was a strong woman, but was had a deeper side to her than your stereotypical "strong female lead" role. She was compassionate to others effected by the crimes, and regularly complained about how over protective her parents could act, even though she had been out on her own for years. The characters surrounding Maddy were also very fun to read about. My only complaint were the main police characters seemed a little over the top. The disgruntled (and highly agitated) ex-husband of the first victim was an interesting addition to the story, but he almost played too large a part. However, since this is a series, they could just be setting the players for the second book.

The book was quite enjoyable, but I had the mystery figured out way too early to get excited about the big revelation near the end.

3/5

Book Review: Last Snow by Eric Van Lustbader

Last Snow by Eric Van Lustbader
Genre: Crime/Political Suspense
Pages: 414
Acquired: 2/27/2010
Book of Your Shelf? Yes
Why I have/read it: Contest Winning
Series: Jack McClure (2)

Special advisor to the President, Jack McClure, finds himself in Moscow with the president and his family working on an important treaty when word comes that a senator has died in Capri. Strange thing is, this senator was supposed to be in the Ukraine. Sensing something is wrong, the president sends Jack McClure off to investigate. Before he can leave, a strange run in with a Russian woman named Annika stirs the pot and gives him a partner. Throw in the first daughter, Alli, deciding to tag along as well, and you have quite a mixed up group.

Jack just didn't seem to do much for me. Perhaps it was the magical way his dyslexia gave him special thinking powers (not sure if that's possible or not, but it seemed an easy way out). Or perhaps how he always just seemed to get lucky. He really didn't seem to be making any headway on his own. It was all the work of Annika and Alli until the final mystery which he pulls a solution out of thin air.

Annika is hard to describe. I didnt seem to get to know her very well at all. And what I did get to know about her always seemed to be changing.

Alli was by far my favorite character. SHe was stronger than she thought she was. After being through a traumtic kidnapping (the first book) she has a lot of emotional baggage that she is working through throughout the entire story. I couldn't help but admire her tenacity as she tried to find herself again.

The story itself was decent, but there was so much going on behind the scenes that without many strokes of luck our characters would have been dead several times over. I'm still trying to figure out how the ending really was the best solution to anything. I'm all for the surprise twist to keep the reader guessing, but there were a few too many this time.

3/5

Book Review: The Clouds Beneath the Sun by Mackenzie Ford

The Clouds Beneath the Sun: A Novel by Mackenzie Ford

You can find quite an interesting group of people at an archeological dig in Kenya in 1961. This is where Natalie Nelson finds herself as part of a remote dig site in the Serengeti. Things are going great until the team runs into grave robbing and a murder that Natalie becomes a key witness of. But of course, that is not all. Natalie finds herself in a battle between two brothers - a competition that has been around for their entire lives.

I don't think anything I say can really do justice to this book. I feel as I was in Kenya, I felt the heat, I heard the animals, I smelled the Serengeti. There was a lot going on in Kenya in the early 60's and I was able to experience a little bit of all of it by reading this book.

The characters were engaging and dynamic, the setting was beautiful. My only complaint is that the author lingered over the political aspects of what was going on in the country in a way that I didn't understand at first.

4/5

Book Review: I, Alex Cross by James Patterson

I, Alex Cross by James Patterson


This book was received as a contest winning from Hachette Book Group hosted on Bookin With Bingo.

Alex Cross is a well known detective, known for solving difficult cases, but when the phone rings at his birthday party, he finds himself in the midst of his wildest case ever. A case that involves the grisly murder (I'm glad they didn't give more detail than they did) of his estranged niece. The investigation is full of loops and twists and eventually leads him into the highest profile case he's ever had, with ties that see to go all the way to the White House.


This is my first Alex Cross book, and I really enjoyed reading it. He is a fantastic character that many will be able to relate to. The death of his niece isn't the only tragedy he faces in this book, and the way he handles all the blows that come his way was very touching. He is the type of person I would want to have as a friend.

The only complaint I have about the mystery solving itself was there were a couple "hand of God" moments. Things seemed to break in the case at just the right time without any action on Alex's part. This held true especially in the case of the ending, where all leads seemed to die out when miraculously something happened. Up until that point, the crime solving was done quite nicely...calling in old friends, dropping words in the ears of the right people, and good old fashioned foot work.

There were a couple times the story dragged, and this coupled with the final clue, caused it to lose the 1/2 star. I would still recommend the story to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

3.5/5