THE ABBEY by Chris Culver

The Abbey by Chris Culver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There was something about this book I liked. I'm not sure if it was the Midwest sensibility because I'm from the that part of the country, but I like the main character of Ash a lot. He had faults as well as a intense since of what was right and wrong.

One of the things I didn't like that the writer did was make everyone so negative to Ash. From his law professor to the Lieutenant investigating his niece's death. Everyone seemed out to get him and not willing to give the guy a break for what would or should be a very difficult time in someone's life. Losing a very young family member in a violent way. But, it added to the momentum of the story. He was a long time employee of the police department, they should have spent more time on the case and taken his misgivings into consideration

I knew very early who was the department snitch. I also felt like the story didn't really explain why that person was working with Karen Rae. Also, the explanation for Karen becoming a drug dealer was a little far fetched. But I guess that is true for many people who come up with their reasons for doing illegal things.

I felt like Ash was the best character of the entire book, everyone else was lacking in dimension as well as depth. The fact that he drove the story is what made it work. Solid characterization.


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THE LAST GOOD MAN by A.J. Kazinski

The Last Good Man by A.J. Kazinski

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book started off really slowly. I almost gave up, but wanted to read because books coming from this part of the world are getting a lot of attention. I felt lost within the first couple of chapters jumping from person and subject. I couldn't get a clearly defined hold on who where the main characters of the book until reading quite far into the story.

But, once I got into the story of Niels and Hannah, the story moved along quickly. I have to say that I realized Niels place in the story as soon as I understood what he was investigating. That wasn't much of a reveal. At also read very much like a Dan Brown novel. A little too much for me. The one thing I can say is that the ending was much more satisfying than any Dan Brown novel I've read.

The science and mystery intermingle well. I wanted more to happen between Niels and Hannah, but can say that the teasing of their relationship worked well.

I would recommend this to read for anyone who likes the Dan Brown style.

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THE STRANGER YOU SEEK by Amanda Kyle Williams

The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really liked the characters of Keye and Rauser. They played off each other well. I really wanted them to be together. I thought there could have been a little more intensity in how they really felt about each other earlier on. You felt a little bit of it when Keye becomes jealous of Jo, but it's not quite there. I also loved the interpersonal relationships between Keye and her family. The idea of a Chinese girl and African-American boy being raised by very southern white Baptists and how they interact was met with hysterical results. I really liked that part of the book. I found myself laughing until I cried.

I have to say that although the story kept me guessing, I figured out the culprits pretty early, yet I didn't understand why until it was spelled out. There were a few twists and turns that kept me second guessing my original instincts. But it turns out I was right all along.

I read a NetGalley arc, therefore I hope there are some changes that are made. There were descriptions of things, like Keye's apartment that happen so late in the story after she's been inside her place several times. Explanations for things that have happened earlier in the story, that came across a little disjointed to me, but for the most part, I liked the book and thought I would like to read about these characters again.


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