First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Originally reviewed 2/3/11

Synopsis: Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else
                                    entirely.

My Thoughts: The first book in what I hope is a long running series. Darynda Jones has put a new twist on the paranormal genre by having her main character, Charley Davidson, as the Grim Reaper. She's sassy and funny with a touch of ADD. At times I did feel that there were too many little sub-plots going on (a LOT happened in this first book!), but I didn't have trouble following along. I'm really excited about this "series" and can't wait to see what kind of trouble Charley can get into next book!

Naked in Death - J.D. Robb

Synopsis:

It is 2058. New York cop Eve Dallas doesn't have to confront gun crime anymore, no one does. Guns are simply relics. She is assisted in detection by instant communications and probability predictions from the all-pervasive computer network. But this latest homicide is an old-fashioned crime in many ways. Sharon DeBlass is a high-class hooker from a wealthy, powerful family. Her brutal, possibly sexually motivated shooting sends shockwaves through her family, the upper echelons of political society and police headquarters. From the note under her body, it seems that a serial killer with a penchant for antique weaponry and a grudge against prostitutes is on the loose. The killer gets uncomfortably close to Eve Dallas as she pieces together his identity, flying in the face of authority and risking her career. Naked in Death introduces the reader to Dallas: a fascinating heroine, complex and vulnerable, a great detective with an aeroplane hold full of baggage. In the course of this murder investigation she meets Roarke, a charming self-made billionaire, and passions are stirred.

My Thoughts:

I really loved this book! I thought it was a solid introduction to Eve Dallas and Roarke, with a good mystery/thriller story line that kept me guessing for most of the book. I thought that Robb did a great job of mixing mystery and crime with a start of a great romance that didn't feel forced, but really moved the story along. I'm looking foward to reading more in this series, and I know I have a lot more ahead of me, considering that there are about 35 books in this series :)

Rating: B+

In The Woods - Tana French

Synopsis:
When he was twelve years old, Adam Ryan went playing in the woods one sunny day with his two best friends. He never saw them again. Their bodies were never found, and Adam himself was discovered with his back pressed against an oak tree and his shoes filled with blood. He had no memory of what had happened. Twenty years later Adam -- now using his middle name of Rob -- is a detective with the Dublin police force. His colleagues don't know about his past. He works as a team with Cassie Maddox, a smart, tough cookie; they are best friends as well as partners. When the body of a young girl is found at the site of an archaeological dig, Rob and Cassie get the case. And when they reach the crime scene, Rob realises it is the exact site of his childhood trauma. They also find a hairclip that he recognises as having belonged to his friend. Could there be a connection between that old, unsolved crime and this? Knowing that he would be thrown off the case if his past were revealed, Rob takes a fateful decision to keep quiet. Rob and Cassie are investigating the murder of Katy Devlin, but they both hope that they might also solve the twenty-year-old mystery of the woods.



My Thoughts:

A solid murder mystery. I thought the character development was great, and the story was very interesting. I was a bit disappointed with a turn of events in a sub-plot, but I think that was because of a personal expectation of what I wanted to happen. I thought the writing style was fantastic and beautiful - French does a wonderful job of expressing feelings and thoughts in a way that is so wonderful. She really draws you in and you can really sympathize with the main character. I'm really looking foward to reading her second book, The Likeness.

Rating: B+

HUGE list!!

So, I decided to make a list of all the series that I've read or am currently reading. The ones I've read are in red...get it read=red....I know I'm lame :) I do have a bit of what I call "Author A.D.D." and I even though I like to read series in order, I skip around from series to series. I'll try and update this about every month or so :) Believe me, this list does not even include the series that I WANT to read and haven't read any of the books yet :)

The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews:
1. Magic Bites
2. Magic Burns
3. Magic Strikes
4. Magic Bleeds
5. Magic Slays
6. Gun Metal Magic
7. Magic Rises

The Xanth Series by Piers Anthony:
1. A Spell for Chameleon - Reviewed
2. Source of Magic
3. Castle Roogna
4. Centaur Aisle
5. Ogre, Ogre
6. Night Mare
7. Dragon on a Pedestal
8. Crewel Lye
9. Golem in the Gears
10. Vale of the Vole
11. Heaven Cent
12. Man from Mundania
13. Isle of View
14. Question Quest
15. The Color of her Panties
16. Demons Don't Dream
17. Harpy Thyme
18. Geis of the Gargoyle
19. Roc and a Hard Place
20. Yon Ill Wind
21. Faun & Games
22. Zombie Lover
23. Xone of Contention
24. The Dastard
25. Up in Heaval
26. Swell Foop
27. Cube Route
28. Currant Events
29. Pet Peeve
30. Stork Naked
31. Air Apparent
32. Two to the Fifth

The Lightworld/Darkworld Series by Jennifer Armintrout:
1. Queene of Light
2. Child of Darkness
3. Veil of Shadows

The Women of the Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong:
1. Bitten - Reviewed
2. Stolen - Reviewed
3. Dime Store Magic - Reviewed
4. Industrial Magic
5. Haunted
6. Broken
7. No Humans Involved
8. Personal Demon
9. Living with the Dead
10. Frostbitten
11. Walking the Witch
12. Spellbound

The Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist Series by Jenna Black
1. The Devil Inside
2. The Devil You Know
3. The Devil's Due
4. Speak of the Devil
5. The Devil's Playground

The Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs:
1. Moon Called
2. Blood Bound
3. Iron Crossed
4. Silver Borne
5. River Marked

The Troubleshooter Series by Susanne Brockmann:
1. The Unsung Hero
2. The Defiant Hero
3. Over the Edge
4. Out of Control
5. Into the Night
6. Gone Too Far
7. Flashpoint
8. Hot Target
9. Breaking Point
10. Into the Storm
11. Force of Nature
12. All Through the Night
13. Into the Fire
14. Dark of Night
15. Hot Pursuit
16. Breaking the Rules

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher:
1. Storm Front
2. Fool Moon
3. Grave Peril
4. Summer Knight
5. Death Masks
6. Blood Rites
7. Dead Beat
8. Proven Guilty
9. White Night
10. Small Favor
11. Turn Coat
12. Changes
13. Ghost Story

The Revivalist Series by Rachel Caine:
1. Working Stiff
2. Two Weeks Notice
3. Terminated

The Weather Warden Series by Rachel Caine:
1. Ill Wind
2. Heat Stroke
3. Chill Factor
4. Windfall
5. Firestorm
6. Thin Air
7. Gale Force
8. Cape Storm
9. Total Eclipse

The Cassandra Palmer Series by Karen Chance:
1. Touch the Dark
2. Claimed by Shadow
3. Embrace the Night
4. Curse the Dawn
5. Hunt the Moon

The Dragonfire Series by Deborah Cooke:
1. Kiss of Fire
2. Kiss of Fury
3. Kiss of Fate
4. Winter Kiss
5. Whisper Kiss
6. Darkfire Kiss

The Kay Scarpetta Series by Patricia Cornwell:
1. Postmordem
2. Body of Evidence
3. All That Remains
4. Cruel and Unusual
5. The Body Farm
6. From Potter's Field
7. Cause of Death
8. Unnatural Exposure
9. Point of Origin
10. Black Notice
11. The Last Precinct
12. Blow Fly
13. Trace
14. Predator
15. Book of the Dead
16. Scarpetta
17. The Scarpetta Factor
18. Port Mortuary

The Queen Betsy Series (aka The Undead Series) by Mary Janice Davidson:
1. Undead and Unwed
2. Undead and Unemployed
3. Undead and Unappreciated
4. Undead and Unreturnable
5. Undead and Unpopular
6. Undead and Uneasy
7. Undead and Unworthy
8. Undead and Unwelcome

The Elemental Assassin Series by Jennifer Estep:
1. Spider's Bite
2. Web of Lies
3. Venom
4. Tangled Threads
5. Spider's Revenge
6. By a Thread
7. Widow's Web
8. Deadly Sting
9. Heart of Venom
10. The Spider
11. Poison Promise
12. Black Widow

The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich
1. One for the Money
2. Two for the Dough
3. Three to Get Deadly
4. Four to Score
5. High Five
6. Hot Six
7. Seven Up
8. Hard Eight
9. To the Nines
10. Ten Big Ons
11. Eleven on Top
12. Twelve Sharp
13. Lean Mean Thirteen
14. Fearless Fourteen
15. Finger Lickin' Fifteen
16. Sizzling Sixteen
17. Smoking Seventeen

The Carpathian Series (aka the Dark Series) by Christine Feehan:
1. Dark Prince - Reviewed
2. Dark Desire
3. Dark Gold
4. Dark Magic
5. Dark Challenge
6. Dark Fire
7.Dark Dreamers
8. Dark Legend
9. Dark Guardian
10. Dark Symphony
11. Dark Descent
12. Dark Melody
13. Dark Destiny
14. Dark Secret
15. Dark Demon
16. Dark Celebration
17. Dark Possession
18. Dark Curse

The Drake Sisters Series by Christine Feehan:
1. Magic in the Wind
2. Twilight before Christmas
3. Oceans of Fire
4. Dangerous Tides
5. Safe Harbor
6. Turbulent Sea
7. Hidden Currents

The Nightwalkers Series by Jacquelyn Frank:
1. Jacob - Reviewed
2. Gideon
3. Elijah
4. Damien
5. Noah

The Shadowdwellers Series by Jacquelyn Frank
1. Ecstacy
2. Rapture
3. Pleasure

The Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost:
1. Halfway to the Grave
2. One Foot in the Grave
3. At Grave's End
4. Destined for an Early Grave
5. This Side of the Grave

The Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke:
1. Inkheart
2. Inkspell
3. Inkdeath

The Sisters of Moon Series by Yasmine Galenorn:
1. Witchling - Reviewed
2. Changeling - Reviewed
3. Darkling
4. Dragon Wytch
5. Night Huntress
6. Demon Mistress
7. Bone Magic
8. Harvest Hunting
9. Blood Wyne

The Anita Blake Series by Laurell K. Hamilton:
1. Guilty Pleasures - Reviewed
2. The Laughing Corpse
3. Circus of the Damned
4. Lunatic Cafe
5. Bloody Bones
6. The Killing Dance
7. Burnt Offerings
8. Blue Moon
9. Obsidian Butterfly
10. Narcissus in Chains
11. Cerulean Sins
12. Incubus Dreams
13. Micah
14. Danse Macabre
15. The Harlequin
16. Blood Noir
17. Skin Trade

The Nightcreature Series by Lori Handeland:
1. Blue Moon - Reviewed
2. Hunter's Moon
3. Dark Moon
4. Crescent Moon
5. Midnight Moon
6. Rising Moon
7. Hidden Moon
8. Thunder Moon

The Southern Vampire Mysteries (aka Sookie Stackhouse Series) by Charlaine Harris:
1. Dead Until Dark - Reviewed
2. Living Dead in Dallas - Reviewed
3. Club Dead - Reviewed
4. Dead to the World - Reviewed
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone
10. Dead in the Family
11. Dead Reckoning
12. Deadlocked
13. Dead Ever After

The Rachel Morgan Series by Kim Harrison:
1. Dead Witch Walking - Reviewed
2. The Good, The Bad, and the Undead
3. Every Which Way but Dead
4. A Fistful of Charms
5. For a Few Demons More
6. The Outlaw Demon Wails
7. White Witch, Black Curse
8. Black Magic Sanction
9. Pale Demon
10. A Perfect Blood
11. Into the Woods
12. Ever After
13.The Undead Pool
14. The Witch with No Name

The Dark-Hunter/Dream-Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon:
1. Fantasy Lover - Reviewed
2. The Beginning
3. Dragonswan
4. Night Pleasures
5. Night Embrace
6. Phantom Lover
7. Dance with the Devil
8. Dark Hunter Christmas
9. Kiss of the Night
10. Night Play
11. Winter Born
12. Seize the Night
13. Sins of the Night
14. Second Chances
15. Unleash the Night
16. Dark Side of the Moon
17. Hard Days Night-Searcher
18. Until Death We Do Part
19. Fear the Darkness
20. The Dream-Hunter
21. Devil May Cry
22. Upon the Midnight Clear
23. Dark Hunter Companion
24. Dream Chaser
25. Acheron
26. One Silent Night
27. Dream Warrior
28. Bad Moon Rising
29. No Mercy
30. Retribution

The Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye Series by Victoria Laurie:
1. Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye
2. Better Read than Dead
3. A Vision of Murder
4. Killer Insight
5. Crime Seen
6. Death Perception
7. Doom With a View
8. A Glimpse of Evil
9. Vision Impossible

The Breeds Series by Lora Leigh:
1. Tempting the Beast - Reviewed
2. The Man Within
3. Elizabeth's Wolf
4. Kiss of Heat
5. Soul Deep
6. Hot Spell
7. Megan's Mark
8. Harmony's Way
9. Tanner's Scheme
10. Primal Heat
11. Jacob's Faith
12. Aiden's Charity
13. Beyond the Dark
14. Dawn's Awakening
15. Shifter
16. Mercy's War
17. The Magical Christmas Cat
18. Coyote's Mate
19. Bengal's Heart

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis:
1. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the Dawn4. The Silver Chair
5. The Magician's Nephew
6. A Horse and his Boy
7. The Last Battle

The Aisling Grey Series by Katie MacAlister:
1. You Slay Me
2. Fire Me Up
3. Light My Fire
4. Holy Smokes

The Night Tracker Series by Cheyenne McCray:
1. Demons Not Included
2. No Werewolves Allowed
3. Vampires Not Invited
4. Zombies Sold Separately
5. Vampires Dead Ahead

The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning:
1. Darkfever
2. Bloodfever
3. Faefever
4. Dreamfever
5. Shadowfever
6. Iced
7. Burned

The Chicagoland Vampire Series by Chloe Neill:
1. Some Girls Bite
2. Friday Night Bites
3. Twice Bitten
4. Hard Bitten
5. Drink Deep
6. Biting Cold
7. House Rules
8. Biting Bad
9. Wild Things
10. Blood Games
11. Dark Debt

The Inheritence Series by Christopher Paolini:
1. Eragon
2. Eldest
3. Brisingr

The Alex Cross Series by James Patterson:
1. Along Came a Spider
2. Kiss the Girls
3. Jack & Jill
4. Cat & Mouse
5. Pop Goes the Weasel
6. Roses are Red
7. Violets are Blue
8. Four Blind Mice
9. Big Bad Wolf
10. London Bridges
11. Mary Mary
12. Cross
13. Double Cross
14. Cross Country

The Women's Murder Club Series by James Patterson:
1. 1st to Die
2. 2nd Chance
3. 3rd Degree
4. 4th of July
5. 5th Horseman
6. 6th Target
7. 7th Heaven
8. 8th Confession

The Amelia Peabody Series by Elizabeth Peters:
1. The Crocodile on the Sandbank
2. The Curse of the Pharohs
3. The Mummy Case
4. Lion in the Valley
5. The Deeds of the Disturber
6. The Last Camel Died at Noon
7. The Snake, The Crocodile and the Dog
8. The Hippopotamus Pool
9. Seeing a Large Cat
10. The Ape Who Guards the Balance
11. The Falcon at the Portal
12. Thunder in the Sky
13. Lord of the Silent
14. The Golden One
15. Children of the Storm
16. Guardian on the Horizon
17. The Serpent on the Crown
18. Tomb of the Golden Bird
19. A River in the Sky

The Jaz Parks Series by Jennifer Rardin:
1. Once Bitten, Twice Shy - Reviewed
2. Another One Bites the Dust
3. Biting the Bullet
4. Bitten to Death
5. One More Bite

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan
1. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
2. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters
3. Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse
4. Percy Jackson and The Battle of Labrynth
5. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian

The In Death Series by J.D. Robb:
1. Naked in Death
2. Glory in Death
3. Immortal in Death
4. Rapture in Death
5. Ceremony in Death
6. Vengence in Death
7. Holiday in Death
8. Conspiracy in Death
9. Loyalty in Death
10. Witness in Death
11. Judgement in Death
12. Betrayal in Death
13. Seduction in Death
14. Reunion in Death
15. Purity in Death
16. Portrait in Death
17. Imitation in Death
18. Divided in Death
19. Visions in Death
20. Survivor in Death
21. Origin in Death
22. Memory in Death
23. Born in Death
24. Innocent in Death
25. Creation in Death
26. Strangers in Death
27. Salvation in Death
28. Ritual in Death
29. Promises in Death
30. Kindred in Death

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Reviewed
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Reviewed
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows

The Argeneau Series by Lynsay Sands:
1. A Quick Bite
2. Love Bites
3. Single, White Vampire
4. Tall Dark and Hungry
5. A Bite to Remember
6. Bite Me If You Can
7. The Accidental Vampire
8. Vampires are Forever
9. Vampires, Interrupted
10. The Rogue Hunter
11. The Immortal Hunter

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flemel Series by Michael Scott:
1. The Alchemyst
2. The Magician
3. The Sorceress
4. The Necromancer
5. The Warlock

The Knitting Mystery Series by Maggie Sefton:
1. Knit One, Kill Two
2. Needled to Death
3. A Deadly Yarn
4. A Killer Stitch
5. Dyer Consequences
6. Fleece Navidad
7. Dropped Dead Stitch
8. Skein of the Crime
9. Unraveled

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith:
1. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Reviewed
2. Tears of the Giraffe
3. Morality for Beautiful Girls
4. The Kalahari Typing School for Men
5. The Full Cupboard of Life
6. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
7. Blue Shoes and Happiness
8. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
9. The Miracle at Speedy Motors
10. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
11. The Double Comfort Safari Club
12. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Pary

Dies the Fire Series by S.M. Stirling:
1. Dies the Fire - Reviewed
2. The Protector's War
3. A Meeting at Corvallis

The Kitty Norville Series by Carrie Vaughn:
1.Kitty and the Midnight Hour
2. Kitty Goes to Washington
3. Kitty Takes a Holiday
4. Kitty and the Silver Bullet
5. Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand
6. Kitty Raises Hell
7. Kitty's House of Horrors
8. Kitty Goes to War
9. Kitty's Big Trouble

Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward:
1. Dark Lover - Reviewed
2. Lover Eternal - Reviewed
3. Lover Awakened
4. Lover Revealed
5. Lover Unbound
6. Lover Enshrined
7. Lover Avenged
8. Lover Mine
9. Lover Unleashed
10. Lover Reborn
11. Lover at Last
12. The King
13. The Shadows

The Fallen Angel Series by J.R. Ward
1. Covet
2. Crave
3. Envy

The World of the Lupi Series by Eileen Wilkes:
1. Tempting Danger - Reviewed
2. Mortal Danger
3. Blood Lines
4. Night Season
5. Mortal Sins

The Moon Series by Rebecca York:
1. Killing Moon
2. Edge of the Moon
3. Witching Moon
4. Crimson Moon
5. Shadow of the Moon
6. New Moon
7. Ghost Moon
8. Eternal Moon
9. Dragon Moon


Last Updated 5/31/14

Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris

Synopsis:
Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of bad luck. First, her coworker is murdered and no one seems to care. Then she's face-to-face with a beastly creature that gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it).
Point is, they saved her life. So when one of the blood-suckers asks for a favor, she complies. And soon, Sookie's in Dallas using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She's supposed to interview certain humans involved. There's just one condition: The vampires must promise to behave - and let the humans go unharmed. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly...

My Thoughts:
How much more danger and adventure can Sookie Stackhouse get into?? Apparently quite a bit! I'm not sure I enjoyed this book quite as much as the first one, Dead Until Dark, but it still was entertaining. The whole issue with the fanatical fellowship was really interesting, and was left a little open for further mention in other books. I did feel that the murder that occured in Bon Temps was wraped up too quickly and not really given much development. I also didn't think the introduction of the maenad was very developed as well, but hopefully that will be brought up in future books. Despite these flaws, I'm just loving Sookie and Bill and all the other characters and am looking foward to reading the rest of the series.

Rating: B

Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton

Synopsis:
Anita Blake may be small and young, but vampires call her the Executioner. Anita is a necromancer and vampire hunter in a time when vampires are protected by law--as long as they don't get too nasty. Now someone's killing innocent vampires and Anita agrees--with a bit of vampiric arm-twisting--to help figure out who and why.
Trust is a luxury Anita can't afford when her allies aren't human. The city's most powerful vampire, Nikolaos, is 1,000 years old and looks like a 10-year-old girl. The second most powerful vampire, Jean-Claude, is interested in more than just Anita's professional talents, but the feisty necromancer isn't playing along--yet. This popular series has a wild energy and humor, and some very appealing characters--both dead and alive.

My Thoughts:
A nice introduction to the Anita Blake Series. I have been reading a bit of paranormal romance lately, and I was suprised that this read more like a detective story involving paranormal creatures. Anita Blake is a tough lady that can definitely hold her own with the boys (and the vampires, zombies, and ghouls!) I'm anxious to see what my reaction is to Hamilton's newer books in the series, because there is so much controversy surrounding them, and I wonder what side of the fence I'm gonna be on :)

Rating: A

Tempting Danger - Eileen Wilks

 

Synopsis:

Lily Yu is a San Diego police detective investigating a series of grisly murders that appear to be the work of a werewolf. To hunt down the killer, she must infiltrate the clans. Only one man can help her - a werewolf named Rule Turner, a prince of the lupi, whose charismatic presence disturbs Lily. Rule has his own reasons for helping the investigation - reasons he doesn't want to share with Lily. Logic and honor demand she keep her distance, but the attraction between them is immediate and devastating - and beyond human reason. Now in a race to fend off evil, Lily finds herself in uncharted territory, tested as never before, and, at her back, a man she's not sure she can trust.

My Thoughts:

An excellent start to a series!! This was such a fast paced and intense story that it definitely held my attention. There is a lot of paranormal and magic in this story along with some great characters - my personal favorite is Grandmother Yu; I really hope they do more with her character in future books. Even though this is categorized as a "paranormal romance" I consider it to be more of a paranormal murder/mystery.

My one complaint about the book was that the big battle at the end was very anticlimactic. The battle starts and then cuts away to a time period later where everyone is recovering, and Lily explains what happened at the battle. I was disappointed, but I thought it was done well, and didn't upset me too much.

Rating: B+

The Alienist - Caleb Carr

 

Description:

The year is 1896, the place, New York City. On a cold March night New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or "alienist." On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan's infamous brothels.

The newly appointed police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, in a highly unorthodox move, enlists the two men in the murder investigation, counting on the reserved Kreizler's intellect and Moore's knowledge of New York's vast criminal underworld. Laboring in secret (for alienists, and the emerging discipline of psychology, are viewed by the public with skepticism at best), the unlikely team embarks on what is a revolutionary effort in criminology-- amassing a psychological profile of the man they're looking for based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who has killed before. and will kill again before the hunt is over.

My Thoughts (Orginally Reviewed July 31st, 2006):
I really enjoyed this book! I found it interesting that whole concept of criminal profiling and forensic science was just being discovered and tried out. I felt that the book dragged just a little, but it was pretty action packed throughout the whole thing. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a mystery and who is interested in criminology and psychology.

Rating: B

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

 

Originally Reviewed 6/18/09

Description:
Dead to the World continues the story of telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who has fallen out with her undead lover, Bill. Bill has no sooner departed for Peru, than Sookie finds the head vampire, Eric, running naked and terrified through the rural night. She helps Eric, and discovers his memory has been destroyed by a coven of unscrupulous, astonishingly powerful witches, newly arrived in her small Louisiana town, and offering a huge reward for Eric. Sookie tries to hide Eric, but her brother sees him--and immediately disappears. And Sookie finds herself caught in a war among witches, vampires, and werewolves.

My Thoughts:
This is probably my favorite Sookie Stackhouse novel so far in the series. With each book in the series, I feel that Harris is getting more elaborate in her mysteries and her characters, which I love. As far as characters go, I think this book really does have them all, vampires, werewolves, shap shifters, witches, were-witches, and even a fairy. I'm really looking foward to her next book, and to see what these characters are up to, and what sort of trouble Sookie gets into next time.

Rating: A-