Guest Review: Stolen by Daniel Palmer

Stolen by Daniel Palmer

From the website (http://www.danielpalmerbooks.com/):

“The future has never looked brighter for Boston couple John Bodine and Ruby Dawes. John’s online gaming business is growing, Ruby is pursuing her dream career, and they’re talking about starting a family.

Then Ruby receives a life-changing diagnosis, and their cut-rate insurance won’t cover the treatment she desperately needs. Faced with a ticking clock, John makes a risky move: he steals a customer’s identity and files a false claim for Ruby’s medication.

The plan works perfectly–until the customer in question contacts John with a startling proposition. If John and Ruby agree to play a little game he’s devised, he won’t report their fraud. The rules of ‘Criminal’ are simple: commit real crimes. Fail in their assigned tasks, and there will be deadly consequences.”

Michelle's Note:

Once again, I give you the best book pal a gal could ask for, Cheryl and her review for Stolen by Daniel Palmer.

Cheryl's Review:

Two years ago, Michelle asked me to review Daniel Palmer’s Delirious and last year I also reviewed Helpless. A couple months ago, Palmer asked his Facebook followers (of which I am one) what they would do to help promote his new book, Stolen, and he’d send advanced copies to the best ideas. Wonderfully, the publisher (Kensington Books) gave more than 70 copies to all those who commented, including me. My way of promoting his book was to write a review for Michelle’s blog.

After reading Delirious, I knew that Palmer was an author I’d follow. Although I was hooked from his first book, his third book solidified him as an author for which I will anxiously await his new book every year. In Stolen, I see not just how Palmer has grown as a writer, but how much he enjoys writing and not just for himself but for his readers. Stolen is an example of the desperate choices people will make for love. Palmer’s characters are relatable and you hope the best for them but also continually wonder what you would do in their situation. How would you choose between being the pawn in someone’s game to commit crimes or letting people die?

The book is a race to finish the “game.” Palmer’s thriller incorporates the consequences of how people misuse technology in their daily lives. John’s intentions behind stealing someone’s identity, which he planned to do for only a short time, spiralled out of control in ways neither he nor Ruby could imagine. Their manipulator used technology in a “Big Brother” way that made me feel like he was watching me too. It was hard to put Palmer’s book down and it only took me a few days to read. What I like about thrillers, and Palmer excels at this, is not knowing how the situation will be resolved or how people will survive the situations thrown at them. The suspense grows and as I neared the end, it was hard for me to not skip ahead to see what happens but I also enjoy the suspense and don’t always want it to end. Alas, it ended, I could relax agan, and now have to wait another year to find out again how my cell phone or laptop can be used in ways I never imagined.

Thanks Cheryl!!

Author's Website:

Daniel Palmer

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Guest Review: The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

From the website (http://www.carlosruizzafon.co.uk/):

It begins just before Christmas in Barcelona in 1957, one year after Daniel and Bea from THE SHADOW OF THE WIND have married. They now have a son, Julian, and are living with Daniel's father at Sempere & Sons. Fermin still works with them and is busy preparing for his wedding to Bernarda in the New Year. However something appears to be bothering him.

Daniel is alone in the shop one morning when a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters. He spots one of their most precious volumes that is kept locked in a glass cabinet, a beautiful and unique illustrated edition of The Count of Monte Cristo. Despite the fact that the stranger seems to care little for books, he wants to buy this expensive edition. Then, to Daniel's surprise, the man inscribes the book with the words 'To Fermin Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. This visit leads back to a story of imprisonment, betrayal and the return of a deadly rival.

Michelle's Note:

Please welcome my friend, Cheryl once again in another Guest Review.

Cheryl's review:

I read The Shadow of the Wind when it came out in 2004 and The Angel’s Game in 2009. So I was very excited when Michelle emailed me and asked if I’d like to review The Prisoner of Heaven. Prisoner has a caveat that notes each novel can be read as a stand-alone, but that they are all part of the Cemetary of Forgotten Books series and are connected through characters and storylines. As I read Prisoner, I kept the other two near me for reference because I seldom remember the details that help link stories together.

As noted in the above description, the book starts with Daniel’s encounter with a mysterious stranger. He follows him to try to learn what the stranger is up to. He picks up clues along the way that offer no answers but only raise more questions. He finally asks Fermin for an explanation, which is the crux of this book. With lyrical writing, Zafon’s Barcelona is easy to visualize and his characters are flawed and passionate. At times, one can almost smell the Barcelona air and feel the characters’ turmoil. I was so caught up in the story that I finished the book in a day.

Zafon is correct in that it isn’t necessary to remember the details and this book was enjoyable by itself. After reading Prisoner, I reread the book descriptions and epilogues of the first two books. This helped refresh my memory and also place Prisoner within context of the three novels. Prisoner is a story that connects characters, the “Cemetery of Forgotten Books,” and different eras of Barcelona to create a continually unfolding saga that left me hoping I don’t have to wait three years for the next chapter. But by waiting, it will give me a chance to reread all three and revisit a world where books are a reason for living.

Thank you to Cheryl for reviewing this for my blog.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Guest Review: Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die by Willie Nelson

This review is being brought to you by "The Husband". Though I am a fan of Willie Nelson's music, I was not very interested in reading about his "Musings from the Road".

I'll leave it up to the musician.

Guest Review:
This book is written in possibly the most down-to-earth, folksy verbage of any I have read. It reads like some stream of consciousness style poetry, crossed with an 'on the road' type journal. I think it offers a wonderful glimpse into the mind of an iconic American legend. His philosophy is the simple stuff of a folksy upbringing crossed with the hard scrabble reality of making it in the American dream; with a dash of what it is like being a mega-celebrity. Hearty and brash, this rambling memoir is worth a read from every fan, or even someone curious about the music biz. Highly recommended. 


Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road
Willie Nelson
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 192
Price: $22.99

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Guest Review: Helpless by Daniel Palmer

Format: Review Copy

Source: Author

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Purchase: Indie Bound

Michelle's Two Cents:

Last year I had my good friend, Cheryl, review on my site a few times. Much like with Sean (my husband), I enjoy sharing my opportunities with those that I care about, especially if they are huge book nerds like me. Cheryl is indeed that.

She reviewed Daniel Palmer's first novel last year and was thrilled to be able to read and review his follow up. Thank you Cheryl for taking the time to do this. She also had the wonderful opportunity to see Daniel at a book signing event in Atlanta along with his father, author Michael Palmer.

Cheryl's review:

Last year I reviewed Delirious by Daniel Palmer (http://www.redheadedbookchild.com/2011/01/delirious-by-daniel-palmer-guest-review.html) and I was excited to get the opportunity to review his new book, Helpless.

From the author's website:

Nine years after he left Shilo, New Hampshire, former Navy Seal Tom Hawkins has returned to raise his teenage daughter, Jill, following the murder of his ex-wife, Kelly. Despite Tom’s efforts to stay close to Jill by coaching her high school soccer team, Kelly’s bitterness fractured their relationship. But life in Shilo is gradually shaping up into something approaching normal. Normal doesn’t last long. Shilo’s police sergeant makes it clear that Tom is his chief suspect in Kelly’s death. Then an anonymous blog post alleges that Coach Hawkins is sleeping with one of his players. Internet rumors escalate, and incriminating evidence surfaces on Tom’s own computer and cell phone. To prove his innocence, Tom must unravel a tangle of lies about his past. For deep amid the secrets he’s been keeping—from a troubled tour of duty to the reason for his ex-wife’s death—is the truth that someone will gladly kill to protect.

My review:

The book opens with Tom Hawkins on the field coaching the high school girls soccer team, where he sees the police approaching him and he thinks, “They know what I did. They’re coming for me. The secret is out.” I’m a sucker for a story that starts with a secret. And I have to keep reading until I know what that secret is. And all the characters in Helpless are hiding something. As the book develops, you discover the secrets bit by bit. But one of the great things about this book is that as you discover the secrets, you still do not know how they all intersect until the very end.

Palmer’s theme of utilizing technology as a basis for his thriller works very well. While I’ve always been a fan of the Mission Impossible/James Bond type of technology and gadgets that are unbelievably (and unrealistically) fantastic, I like that Palmer instead uses everyday technology that we’re all familiar with, therefore easy to understand and relate to. That simplicity is what makes the story so scary. Seemingly innocent and private interactions can quickly spiral out of control, causing irreparable damage to people’s lives. Bad people with too much knowledge can manipulate technology in ways to benefit them. And you always think it won’t happen to you.

As with Delirious, I read this book in only a few days. Everytime I thought I was close to figuring it out, something happened to keep me guessing. Like Michelle, I want and expect twists and turns in my thrillers and this one delivered. Up until the very end, there were unexpected events that I did not see coming.

In Helpless, I see a tremendous amount of growth in Palmer’s writing since his first book last year. The story is more detailed and more suspenseful. The characters are likeable and relatable. As part of this thriller, Palmer explores the depths and bonds of multiple relationships – parent-child, adult friendship, teen friendship, colleague, adult-teenager, with a little romance thrown in. Palmer’s only written two novels but he has me hooked. I read a lot of suspense and mysteries and, but only have a few authors where I anxiously await the next book. Palmer is definitely one of those authors for me.

Author Website:

Daniel Palmer

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Guest Review: Ready, Player One by Ernest Cline

Genre: Fiction

Format: ARC

Source: Publisher (Random House)

Purchase: Indie Bound

Michelle's Two Cents:

This book came my way from the lovely Tom at Random House. I knew it would be on my list at some point to read but I really thought my husband would like it even more. I've heard rave reviews and even convinced a library co-worker to read it without having read it myself.We are children of the 80s so the subject matter is nostalgic for us.

Here is a description from Goodreads and Sean's review.

At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.

It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?

Sean's Review:

Many dystopian novels share predictable plot devices, and though this one did share a few; I felt the counterpoint of the past and current computer, video, and RPG gaming references set this book apart. This debut novel is a great read, and I think illustrates how the global network, while bringing us closer together, can in fact isolate us from each other in a uniquely 21st century way. I found the characters relatable and endearing, and the banter realistic. A few plot devices seemed unlikely, but the story revolves around a virtual world occupied by normal humans, seeking to live out extraordinary lives. One aspect of the book I enjoyed was how possible this grim future is, and how many of the references are drawn from actual history.

A fun read, I would refer any gamers past or present, computer programmers, or lovers of the '80's in general.

Author Website:

Ernest Cline

Thanks Sean for taking the time to read and review this!

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Guest Review: And So it Goes, Kurt Vonnegut: A Life by Charles J. Shields

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Format: Review Copy

Purchase: Indie Bound

Michelle's Notes:

My husband was kind enough to offer to read and review this one. It sounded interesting to me but honestly I could not see myself reading an entire bio of Kurt V. Not one of my favorite authors. I always like sharing my reading adventures with those that I love and this one suited my guy. Here are his thoughts on this book. Thanks for sharing!

Sean's review:

I remember first finding Kurt Vonnegut in middle school, and being somewhat confused, as he was touted as being a male-centric writer who championed the anti-establishment. After reading his stuff, I never did get the impression that he was some lefty, hippy, feel good guy;in fact, he seemed a tortured soul. His verbose and casual writing style was laced with acerbic wit and often uncomfortable lead characters, leading me to wonder "What kind of guy would write this craziness?" Well, this book sets out to answer that exact question.

I found the research end of it to be thorough, and the author stayed rather impartial; always nice in a memoir. This book laid to rest many of the misconceptions about Kurt, and provided a detailed history behind the man and his family. It puts a frame of reference around his books and even provides perspective into the heavily flawed characters he was so fond of using.

I would recommend this book for anyone curious about Kurt Vonnegut and his past, and how a person can become the unwilling face of a generation. Much like Jack Kerouac with the "Beat generation", Kurt was assimilated into the "Hippy" movement even though neither wanted their respective label. A very good read, if a little dry at parts.

Author Website:

Kurt Vonnegut

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey (Guest Review)

Title: The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes

Author: Marcus Sakey

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Format: Review Copy

Michelle's Two Cents:

I am a big fan of Marcus Sakey so when the opportunity came up to take a peak at his latest thriller, I said yes. However, I had already read The Amateurs by him for my Mystery Challenge. Not that I didn't or don't want to read this one, I really wanted to focus on reading different authors for my challenge before the year was up. That is where my good friend and fellow mystery lover, Cheryl, came in. I knew she would like him a lot so I asked if she would be willing to give it a shot and review. Luckily she said yes!!! So here you have it folks, Cheryl is back ready to tell us what she thought of this new thriller.

Description from book jacket:

A Man wakes naked and cold, half-drowned on an abandoned beach.

The only sign of life for miles is an empty BMW. Inside the expensive car he finds clothes that fit perfectly, shoes for his tattered feet, a Rolex, and an auto registration in the name of Daniel Hayes, resident of Malibu, California.

None of it is familiar.

How did he get here? Who is he? Who was he? While he searches for answers, the world searches for him-beginning with the cops that kick in the door of his dingy motel with guns drawn. Lost and alone, the man who might be Daniel Hayes flees into the night.

All he remembers is a woman's face, so he sets off for the only place he might find her. The fantasy of her becomes his home, his world, his hope. And maybe, just maybe, the way back to himself.

But that raises the most chilling questions of all: What will he find when he gets there?

Cheryl's review:

When Michelle asked me to review this book, I had no idea it was about one of my favorite premises-

someone with amnesia on the run.

LIke See Jane Run by Joy Fielding and Masquerade by Gail Lynds, The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes grips you from the beginning. I can't imagine what it would be like to awaken in a desperate situation without any idea of who you are.

After waking on the beach, the man who thinks himself to be Daniel Hayes goes on a desperate quest to find out who he really is and why he found himself not in Malibu but on a beach in Maine. He goes to a hotel room and somehow knows to turn on a television show where he is drawn to the main character, Emily Sweet. But how and why?

Without knowing who he is, he doesn't know who to trust. The police are after him, but so are others for reasons he does not know. Bit by bit, pieces of his memory return but as they do, more

questions are raised about who he is and what happened. Upon his return to California, he finds some things are in his memory-such as what route to take through Malibu - yet his complete life remains out of his grasp.

Is he really Daniel Hayes? Who is Emily Sweet and why does he obsess about her? And what happened to make him drive across the country? Most of all, what tragedy caused him to lose his memory in the first place?

Sakey weaves a good thriller. Though there were a few things I figured out before they happened, it mostly kept me guessing the whole time and the end had twists I did not see coming.

His writing style is similar to Harlan Coben and though he's not quite as refined as Coben, he will be.

He keeps the pace fast and when a question is answered, he continually adds unexpected layers to the story and characters to keep the story moving. I read the book in only a few days and it made me want to read his other books.

Thanks Cheryl!

Author Website:

Marcus Sakey

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller (GUEST REVIEW) BLOG TOUR

Title: Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness

Author: Alexandra Fuller

Genre: Memoir

Publisher: Penguin

Format: Review copy for TLC Book Tours

I don't think there is a bookseller from the past decade that hasn't heard of Alexandra Fuller's first memoir, Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight. It was one of those sleeper hit sellers that catches us bookselling folks by surprise. No one ever knew what the correct title was and continued to screw it up for years to come. But it sold like hotcakes, to lovers of memoirs, literary fiction and to a whole host of book clubs. Her newest memoir has another uniquely fumbled upon title which, if backed by another well told story, should cement it in readers minds again.

Here is a description from Goodreads:

In this sequel to Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller returns to Africa and the story of her unforgettable family.

In Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness Alexandra Fuller braids a multilayered narrative around the perfectly lit, Happy Valley-era Africa of her mother's childhood; the boiled cabbage grimness of her father's English childhood; and the darker, civil war- torn Africa of her own childhood. At its heart, this is the story of Fuller's mother, Nicola. Born on the Scottish Isle of Skye and raised in Kenya, Nicola holds dear the kinds of values most likely to get you hurt or killed in Africa: loyalty to blood, passion for land, and a holy belief in the restorative power of all animals. Fuller interviewed her mother at length and has captured her inimitable voice with remarkable precision. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is as funny, terrifying, exotic, and unselfconscious as Nicola herself.

We see Nicola and Tim Fuller in their lavender-colored honeymoon period, when east Africa lies before them with all the promise of its liquid equatorial light, even as the British empire in which they both believe wanes. But in short order, an accumulation of mishaps and tragedies bump up against history until the couple finds themselves in a world they hardly recognize. We follow the Fullers as they hopscotch the continent, running from war and unspeakable heartbreak, from Kenya to Rhodesia to Zambia, even returning to England briefly. But just when it seems that Nicola has been broken entirely by Africa, it is the African earth itself that revives her.

A story of survival and madness, love and war, loyalty and forgiveness,Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is an intimate exploration of the author's family. In the end we find Nicola and Tim at a coffee table under their Tree of Forgetfulness on the banana and fish farm where they plan to spend their final days. In local custom, the Tree of Forgetfulness is where villagers meet to resolve disputes and it is here that the Fullers at last find an African kind of peace. Following the ghosts and dreams of memory, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness is Alexandra Fuller at her very best.

So, I don't plan on having Guest Reviewers be too frequent on my blog but with my reading being a bit behind and having an interested party, I let my husband have a go at this one first. He was looking for something new and had some down time to fill during his lunch breaks. He is such an insightful reader, I thought this would be a good pick for him.

Here are his thoughts:

Having never read anything about colonial Africa, this book was eye-opening in that it tells the story of day to day life as colored by the recollections of the author's mother "Nicola Fuller of Central Africa"; meaning that the facts are often overshadowed by the stories accompanying. A recurring theme is the mother's near constant reference to "that awful book"(Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight) as a travesty for lacking the glorification she had always assumed book writing entailed. This bittersweet yet humorous tale of family in the face of adversity is refreshing; as many books have been written on the subject, few happen in Kenya, South Africa, Zambia or Zimbabwe. I enjoyed the narrative as being genuine, and representative of an honest memoir. I thought this book was a fun read, despite some of the harsh realities present. A great study of British occupied Africa before Zimbabwean independence, through the eyes of a daughter of one such settler. I would recommend this for any student of African History, or any reader interested in this era of History.

Once again, thank you Sean for your thoughtful review. When the copy of this book finally falls in my lap, I look forward to discussing it further with him.

Here are the other stops on the tour:

Tuesday, August 16th: Jenn’s Bookshelves

Wednesday, August 17th: Luxury Reading

Thursday, August 18th: StephTheBookworm

Monday, August 22nd: Rundpinne

Tuesday, August 23rd: Lit and Life

Wednesday, August 24th: Jenny Loves to Read

Thursday, August 25th: Silver’s Reviews

Friday, August 26th: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

Monday, August 29th: An English Major’s Junk Food

Tuesday, August 30th: Unabridged Chick

Wednesday, August 31st: BookNAround

Author Website:

Alexandra Fuller was born in England in 1969. In 1972, she moved with her family to a farm in southern Africa. She lived in Africa until her midtwenties. In 1994, she moved to Wyoming with her husband. They have three children.

Visit Alexandra at her website.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child