The Footprints of God by Greg Iles

First sentence:

"'My name is David Tennant, M.D.'"

Description:

"In a secret government lab, America's top scientists work on Trinity -- a supercomputer that could surpass the power of the human mind. As the project's ethicist, Dr. David Tennant works in a firestorm of limitless science and ruthless ambition. After a fellow scientist is murdered, David uncovers who the killer is. Desperate, he turns to Rachel Weiss, the psychiatrist probing the nightmares that have plagued him since joining the project, and both are forced to flee for their lives.

Pursued around the globe, David and Rachel piece together the truth behind Project Trinity, and the apocalyptic power it possesses. But Trinity's countdown has already begun, and humanity is now held hostage by a form of life that cannot be destroyed. The only hope for survival lies in the shocking connection that exists between Trinity and David's tortured mind. Mankind's future hangs in the balance -- and the price of failure is extinction." -- from the back cover

My thoughts: 

This was a good, fast moving thriller. I liked how David and Rachel worked together to stop Project Trinity.

Date read: 2/28/2012
Book #: 9
Challenges: A-Z Challenge 2012, TBR Challenge 2012, Off the Shelf Challenge 2012, New Author Challenge 2012
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0743454146
ISBN-13: 9780743454148
Publisher: Pocket Star
Year: 2004
# of pages: 526
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi

First sentence:

In 1969, the year men landed on the moon, I spent an unforgettable summer in Italy.

Description:

Douglas Preston fulfilled a lifelong dream when he moved with his family to a farmhouse in Florence. Upon meeting the celebrated journalist, Mario Spezi, Preston was stunned to learn that the olive grove next to his home had been the scene of a horrific double murder committed by one of the most infamous figures in Italian history--the Monster of Florence. Fascinated, Preston began working with Spezi to uncover the serial killer who had ritually slain fourteen young lovers and was never caught. Here is the true story of their search and confront the man they believe is the Monster. And in an ironic twist of fate that echoes the city's bloody history, Preston and Spezi themselves became targets of a bizarre police investigation.

THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE is a remarkable chronicle of murder, mutilation, deceit, suicide, and vengeance. . .with Preston and Spezi caught in the middle." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a very good book about an elusive serial killer and about how a fixation on a particular theory and the importance of saving face can have serious consequences.

Date read: 2/23/2012
Book #: 8
Challenge: A-Z Challenge 2012
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Memoir

ISBN-10: 0446581275
ISBN-13: 9780446581271
Publisher: Grand Central
Year: 2008
# of pages: 328
Binding: Trade Paperback
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The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh

First sentence:

"There had been something loose about the station dock all morning, skulking in amongst the gantries and the lines and the canisters which were waiting to be moved, lurking wherever shadows fell among the rampway accesses of the many dock at Meetpoint."

Description:

"No one at Meetpoint Station had ever seen a creature like Outsider. Naked-hided, blunt-toothed and blunt-figured, Tully was the sole surviving member of his company -- a communicative, spacefaring species hitherto unknown -- and he was a prisoner of his discoverer/captors the sadistic, treacherous kif, and until his escape onto the hani ship THE PRIDE OF CHANUR.

Little did he know when he threw himself upon the mercy of THE PRIDE and her crew that he put the entire hani species in jeopardy and imperiled the peace of the Compact itself. For the information this fugitive held could be the ruin or glory of any of the species at Meetpoint Station.  -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I liked this first book of the Chanur series. I especially liked the way Pyanfar figured out how to deal with the kif and how knowing Tully can be useful. I look forward to reading the next book, Chanur's Venture.

Date read: 2/8/2012
Book #: 7
Series: Chanur, #1
Challenges: TBR Challenge 2012, Off the Shelf Challenge 2012
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: SF

Publisher: Daw Books
Year: 1981
# of pages: 224
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Upside Down by John Ramsey Miller

First sentence:


"From ground level, the automobile graveyard looked groundless."


Description:

"In the rain-slick streets of New Orleans, a twelve-year-old girl is running out of time. Hours before, Faith Ann Porter hid under a desk while her attorney mother was murdered for photographs that could rock the city. Now Faith Ann is being hunted by a pair of killers with a very powerful boss. Because she has the negatives of the photos her mother died for, Faith Ann has only hours to live--and only one person can save her. . .

Winter Massey is an ex-U.S. marshal whose career pitted him against some of the world's most ruthless criminals. Now Massey is drawn by horrifying cycle of murder--and the plea of one terrified young girl. But awaiting Massey is a chilling surprise. . .and an assassin with a secret mission, a secret motive, and the perfect plan. . . ."-- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a very good thriller. I liked how Faith Ann figured out how to survive and how she and Winter worked together later. I look forward to reading the first book in the series, Inside Out.

Date read: 2/8/2012
Book #: 6
Series: Winter Massey, #2
Challenges: TBR Challenge 2012, A-Z Challenge 2012, Off the Shelf Challenge 2012, New Author Challenge
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0553583409
ISBN-13: 9780553583403
Publisher: Bantam Dell
Year: 2005
# of pages: 337
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Glass Soup by Jonathan Carroll

First sentence:

"Helen was in trouble again."

Description:

The realm of the dead is built from the dreams--and nightmares--of the living. Octopuses drive buses. God is a polar bear. And a crowded highway literally leads to Hell.

Once before, Vincent Ettrich and lover, Isabelle Neukor, crossed over from life to death and back again. Now Isabelle bears a very special child, who may someday restore the ever-changing mosaic that is reality. Unless the agents of Chaos can lure her back to the land of the dead--and trap her there forever." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed the magical realism in this book. I especially liked how Vincent, Isabelle, Simon and Leni learned to face their fears and how to defeat Chaos's plans.

Date read: 2/6/2012
Book #: 5
Challenges: Off the Shelf 2012, A-Z Challenge 2012
Rating: 3*/5
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0765311801
ISBN-13: 9780765311801
Publisher: Tor Books
Year: 2006
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Codex by Lev Grossman

First sentence:

"Edward Wozny stood squinting at the sun as crowds of people excused themselves past him in both directions."

Description:

"Edward Wozny, a hotshot young banker, is about to leave for vacation when he is sent to help an important yet mysterious client. His task: search the family library for a precious, centuries-old codex that may not even exist. Enlisting the expertise of medievalist Margaret Napier, Edward is determined to solve the mystery of the codes and to decipher the parallels between the codex legend a a computer game that absorbs him in the dark hours of the night.

Weaving the medieval and the modern aspects of its plot in a chilling twist, Codex is a thriller of the highest order." -- from the back cover


My thoughts:

This was a good thriller. I liked learning about medieval writing and how bookmakers often used old pages as book covers.

Date read: 2/3/2012
Book #: 4
Challenges: A-Z Challenge 2012, New Author Challenge
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 015602859X
ISBN-13: 9780156028592
Publisher: Harvest
Year: 2004
# of pages: 348
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Last Mountain by Robert C. Fleet

First sentence:

"How long it has since sunset he did not know."

Description:

Real World

Nancy del Rio is a teenager struggling to grow up in the gang-ridden streets of Los Angeles. But Immigration wants to send her away from the only home she's ever known.

Real Magic

For centuries the Unicorn has been hunted for the magic of his horn, but the call of beauty can still draw him from hiding. Now the chase is on for both Nancy and the Unicorn. They are each other's only hope. And only together can they hope to reach...

Last Mountain

My thoughts:

This was a good fantasy book. I liked the account of Cortes in Mexico from the Unicorn's point of view. I also liked Nancy's interactions with her family and Karus, the Rider.

Date read: 1/31/2012
Book #: 3
Challenges: TBR Challenge 2012; New Author Challenge, Whats in a Name 5 Challenge, Off the Shelf Challenge, A-Z Challenge 2012
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0441000622
ISBN-13: 9780441000623
Publisher: Ace Books
Year: 1994
# of pages: 288
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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