Book Review: Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton

Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton

A romance slowly develops between Mina, a single mother who works at an insurance company call center in Cambridge, England, and Peter, a Cambridge professor and a widower with two children. They meet by phone when Peter calls in to the insurance center to report an accident he has been in. The two continue to communicate by phone. In between their finally getting together and meeting each other's families in person, we have detailed accounts of their separate lives.

From the publisher's description:

" This is a story about the small joys and tribulations of parenthood, about one-ness and two-ness, about symmetry and coincidence, about the things that separate us and the things that bring us together."

For those who don't live in the U.K., the best thing about the book is following Mina and Peter's separate family lives and getting a close view of a section of daily living in Britain.

For the romance, however, I would have preferred a more stream lined approach, as the novel has material for at least two separate books, I thought. The extensive detail of family life detracts somewhat from the very clever romantic plot.

Nevertheless, I heartily recommend Crossed Wires for a nice romance and especially for a good look at two families in Cambridge and the ups and downs of parenting!

Book received from the author for review.

Book Review: Drawing in the Dust by Zoe Klein

Drawing in the Dust by Zoe Klein
is a fictional love story told by a young archaeologist in Israel who discovers the bones of the prophet Jeremiah surprisingly entwined with those of an historically unknown woman, Anatiya. The archaeologist Page Brookstone, a New Yorker, finds the bones and the scrolls of Anatiya in a cistern hidden under the house of an Arab couple who had begged her to excavate under the house. There were ghosts there - lovers, they claimed.

Page fights to bring Anatiya's scrolls to light, to be available to all scholars and not to just a few as happened with the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, and fights to have the remains of Jeremiah and Anatiya kept together.

The book, spiritual and Biblical, also focuses on the nature of love. From the publisher's description:

"Caught in a forbidden romance of her own, and under constant siege from religious zealots and ruthless critics, Page risks her life and professional reputation to deliver Anatiya's passionate message to the world."

Archaeologists, Biblical scholars, and lovers of historical fiction will enjoy this novel. Those who have never traveled to Israel will get a feel for the land and the people. Author Zoe Klein is a senior rabbi in the Los Angeles area and a writer of poetry and other works. More information about the book is available at www.zoeklein.com

Book received from the author/publisher for review.

Review: The Black Monastery by Stav Sherez

The Black Monastery: Paradise Can Be Murder by Stav Sherez


Forget Zorba the Greek, blue skies and white sandy beaches, dolphins cavorting off shore, bazouki music, locals playing backgammon and drinking ouzo, and dancing in the streets. The Black Monastery is a noir tale of a Greek island, the fictitious Palassos, where the murders of two boys in what seems like a cult sacrifice took place back in 1974, and where the same ritual murders are once again happening.

And why were the murders all near the Black Monastery, a structure in the interior of the island that has been closed for years and turned into a tourist venue?

The book brings police chief Nikos back to his hometown after years on the police force in Athens. He is haunted by the 1974 murders and cult suicides and wants to resolve the new cases that seem so similar to the ones in the past. Two other people are interested and delve into the mystery even at their own risk - two writers who meet on the island and become involved, Kitty and Jason.

Don't try this book unless you are really into noir. It seems very spooky throughout, but the ending and the mystery solved is very real and done by people with real motives.

You will like Nikos, the police chief, a sympathetic and well drawn character with angst about his home, his people, the visitors and tourists on a changed island, and an old crime. Compelling, gripping, and a little horrifying, Sherez has written a very different take on paradise in his novel, The Black Monastery: Paradise Can Be Murder.

Book provided by the author/publisher for my objective review.

Bought Books

Halleluja and pass the butter! Two new books from the bookstore!

I normally buy books from library book sales as I support my local library wholeheartedly, but I had to buy these new books!

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, for the Lost in Translation Challenge 2009, and Orange County: A Personal History by Gustavo Arellano, award winning author of the Los Angeles Press Club.

I wanted to read Barbery's book for its unique characters, and Arellano's memoir for its personal and "cultural history" of Orange County, California.

Looking forward to being challenged and informed!

Book Review: Deceptive Clarity by Betty Gordon

Deceptive Clarity by Betty Gordon


Houston private investigator Lisa Martin takes on a local missing person case, only to find the trail leading far afield - to Rome, London, and Cairo.

She also begins to investigate the man who hired her, a businessman named Don Sekoli. With her sidekick Guy and her significant other Tony, the three follow the trail of the missing import-export dealer, Ryan Lucas, and find information through a contact in Cairo.

Feature in some statues of King Tut and other Egyptian antiquities, add the elusive Ryan Lucas and the virtually unknown Don Sekoli, some threatening notes to Lisa, plus add a touch of romance into the mystery, and you have an enjoyable and entertaining mystery!

Tony grappled with how much he wanted to say. Then, he bit the bullet. "What does your feminine intuition tell you about Sekoli or are you too fascinated with the man?"

"I told you before not to go there..."

"Hold on. I'm only talking about business." (p. 141)

Though the novel is described by the publisher as a thriller/suspense novel, don't expect a lot of violence. The book is driven by the plot, the unfolding of the mystery behind the characters, and the personality of P.I. Lisa. I recommend it as an enjoyable summer read!

Book received from the author for review.

Deceptive Clarity, published by L&L Dreamspell, December 2008. Betty Gordon's first novel was Murder in the Third Person.

Born to Run by James Grippando: Teaser Tuesday review

Miami criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck finds "intrigue and murder" at the top levels of government. The vice president of the U.S. goes hunting for alligators in the Florida Everglades and doesn't survive. Jack becomes the lawyer for the new vice president and discovers dangerous secrets that go back fifty years.

Jack was seated in the chair that was normally for clients, his forearms tied tightly to the armrests with the cord that the Greek had yanked from the lamp. The Greek sat on the desk, his gun aimed at Jack's chest.

"You must be Anthony Quinn," said Jack. ( p. 176)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Choose two sentences from your current read, and add the author and title for readers.

More Awards! (updated)

Thanks to Tea at
Living Life and Reading Books for the Friendship/Let's Be Friends Award and also for the Heartfelt Award! Also thanks to Michael of A Few Minutes With Michael for the Kreativ Blogger Award and for the Let's Be Friends Award, and to Natalie of The Book Inn for the Proximidade Award. (See Awards, Awards, Awards below).
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From an older post: I am passing on the Friendship Award to some friendly bloggers who I don't think have this award as yet!

Sue at Book By Book
BookBitch (Don't let the name throw you; this site is very book friendly.)
Shannon at Confuzzled Books
Colleen at Foreign Service Library
Melissa at Shh I'm Reading
Nise at Under the Boardwalk
Kelly at The Novel Bookworm

Please check out these blogs!!