North by Roger Hubank

First sentence:

"In Washington, towards the end of the nineteenth century, in one of the fine town houses that lined three sides of an elegant square, six men were sitting down to dinner."

Description:

"In the fading years of the nineteenth century, five men meet in one of Washington's most elegant townhouses . They are all powerful men - with one exception. For Washington's finest have gathered to plan an expedition to the North Pole and they have chosen William Parish, a studious and quietly spoken Lieutenant, to be its leader.

As Lt Parish sets off into the unknown, he leaves behind him a young wife, Martha. Isolated and at first oblivious to the political machinations of those backing the expedition. Martha soon discovers the treachery of those in whom she has placed her trust. Meanwhile, as Parish struggles to hold his party together, each man is confronted with the darker side of his instinct to survive.

Based on a true story and winner of a Special Jury Award at the Banff festival, this is a powerful novel about what has been called 'one of the most shameful episodes in American Arctic history.'" -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

Polar exploration is one of my favorite historical topics. So, I found this fictional account of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition very moving. Parish, the fictional version of Adolphus Washington Greeley, and his men were brave as they faced struggles that could have been partly avoided except for some people back home not understanding what the expedition was going through.

Date read: 6/172011
Book #: 17
Rating: 3*5 = good
Genre: Historical Fiction

ISBN-10: 0753817691
ISBN-13: 9780753817698
Publisher: Phoenix
Year: 2004
# of pages: 344
Binding: Trade Paperback
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End in Tears by Ruth Rendell

First sentence:

"When he lifted it off the seat the backpack felt heavier than when he put it into the car."

Description:


"Chief Inspector Wexford has never before known a case of a father finding the murdered body of his daughter, never thought to see a bereaved parent prone over his child's corpse. He has daughters of his own, but he can barely imagine himself in George Marshalson's position.

Wexford needs to discover if there is any connection between two apparently unrelated deaths. But he is soon accused in the local press of old-fashioned police methods.

However,with his old friend and partner, Mike Burden, and two new recruits to the Kingsmarkham team, Wexford pursues his inquiries with a diligence and humanity that makes Ruth Rendell's detective stories enthralling, exciting and very touching." -- from the back cover


My thoughts:

I liked this mystery featuring Chief Inspector Wexford. I liked how he and the rest of the Kingsmarkham team figure out the cause of the murders and catch the actual killer. I look forward to reading the first book in the series, From Doon with Death.

Date read: 5/28/2011
Book #: 16
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Series: Inspector Wexford, #20
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Mystery

ISBN-10: 0099491141
ISBN-13: 9780099491149
Publisher: Arrow
Year: 2006
# of pages: 376
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Shattered World by Michael Reaves

First sentence:

"He was running, had always been running."

Description:

"A millennium ago, the Necromancer unleashed cataclysm upon the world. Shattered into a thousand pieces, the fragmented planet is held together only by the great spells of the ancient sorcerers. But in a thousand years even spells grow old. . .

Beorn, a shape changer who is half man, half bear, has fallen into the sinister clutches of Ardatha the sorceress, whose mission requires his skills as a master thief. Her goal: to make Earth whole again. And she will stop at nothing--even the resurrection of the Necromancer--to fulfill her destiny. . ." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

Normally, quest fantasies have the characters trying to save the village or region or their world. With multiple worlds orbiting each other, I found this fantasy novel that much more compelling. I look forward to reading the sequel, The Burning Realm.

Date read: 3/29/2011
Book #: 15
Series: Shattered World, #1
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0708881718
ISBN-13: 9780708881712
Publisher: Futura
Year: 1984
# of pages: 413
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Restless Dead by Hugh B. Cave

First sentence:

"Aboard Barracuda II, inbound off the east coast of Florida, a small white man with a pimply face thrusts his head up from the boat's engine room and says in a whine, 'Joe--jeez--I can't find out what's wrong with this thing!'"


Description:

"A curse lingers over the Everol mansion--a voodoo curse, born of evil, steeped in blood. The tormented family who lives in this house of horrors is beset by insanity, visions. . .and death. They have shut themselves off from the world, allowing no one to trespass on their blighted property. No one except Jeff Gordon, a university professor with a special knowledge of voodoo and the occult. Reluctantly, in desperation, the Everol family has permitted Gordon to enter the mansion. But all Gordon's experience could never prepare him for the unearthly creatures that await him thee--or the ultimate terror of the mysterious caves beneath the house." -- from the back cover


My thoughts:

I liked this voodoo horror story. I especially liked how Jeff helped the Everol family get rid of the creatures that were haunting there home.

Date read: 3/26/2011
Book #: 14
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Horror

ISBN-10: 0843950832X
ISBN-13: 9780843950823
Publisher: Leisure Books
Year: 2003
# of pages: 339
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Desperate Measures by Robert Tine

First sentence:

"They didn't come along all that often but this was one of those stories that the news directors of television stations just loved to get their hooks into--one of those stories that had just about everything, a story tailor-made for television news."

Description:


"Desperate: 1. Rash or violent out of despair. 2. Almost hopeless, grave. 3. Overpowering, intense.

Frank Connor's nine-year-old son has a rare form of leukemia. Without a bone marrow transplant, he will die--and time is running out. After no suitable donors are found, Frank risks his career as a San Francisco cop by illegally hacking into a Federal law enforcement computer. But he finds what he is looking for...

His name is Pete McCabe, a murderer incarcerated in America's toughest prison. His DNA is the closest match. If Frank can get him to do the transplant, his son's life will be saved--and he has a plan to get McCabe to do just that.

But McCabe also is no ordinary killer. He is a pure sociopath with a genius IQ who has spent too many years behind bars. And he has a plan of his own..." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this "cat-and-mouse" thriller with both the cop and con manipulating each other. After I read the book, I saw the movie that the book was based on. I noticed that some scenes that were briefly described in the book was shown in the movie, and that the book had a few extra scenes the movie didn't have.

Date read: March 18, 2011
Book #: 13
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 1572973498
ISBN-13: 9781572973497
Publisher: Boulevard Books
Year: 1997
# of pages: 213
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Fisherman's Son by Michael Koepf

First sentence:

"In a life raft, in the night, pushed by wind, Neil Kruger drifts on."

Description:

"Drifting in a life raft off the northern California coast after a horrifying shipwreck, Neil Kruger retreats from his fear by recalling scenes from his childhood as the son of a commercial fisherman out of Half Moon Bay. Lost at sea, he finds his truest self in his vivid memories: his powerful attachment to his father, a man who can predict storms by looking at the stars; his painful estrangement from his mother, who works at the local cannery; his fascination with the hard lives and warm wit of a host of fellow fishermen. From its arresting first paragraphs to its shattering ending, this enthralling tale combines the lyrical storytelling of The English Patient with the muscular excitement of The Perfect Storm, Michael Koepf has created a triumphant novel about our lifelines to childhood and the pull of the sea." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a gripping book about family and self-discovery. I liked how Neil learned that while his father had flaws, he still had important lessons to impart.

Date read: 3/17/2011
Book #: 12
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0767902440
ISBN-13: 9780767902441
Publisher: Broadway Books
Year: 1998
# of pages: 289
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Knight of the Black Rose by James Lowder

First sentence:

"One name recorded here, in these scrolls that make up my history of Krynn, has become a byword for corruption and monumental evil throughout the continent of Ansalon: Lord Soth of Dargaard Keep."

Description:

"On the fabled world of Krynn, Lord Soth finally learns that there is a price to pay for his long history of evil deeds, a price even an undead warrior might find horrifying.

Dark powers transport Soth to Barovia, and there the death knight must face the dread minions of Count Strahd Von Zarovich, the vampire lord of the nightmare land. But with only a captive Vistani woman and an untrustworthy ghost for allies, Lord Soth soon discovers that he may have to join forces with the powerful vampire if he is ever to escape the realm of terror." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I liked this dark fantasy in which even the evil Lord Soth can, at times, have some redeeming qualities. I look forward to reading the next book, The Spectre of the Dark Rose.


Date read: 3/6/2011
Book #: 11
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Series: Terror of Lord Soth, #1
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Dark Fantasy

ISBN-10: 1560761563ISBN-13: 9781560761563
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Year: 1991
# of pages: 313
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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