Review: Evil at Heart by Chelsea Cain

I am a big fan of murder mystery series, thrillers, serial killers (in books), interesting and flawed detectives... basically the entire murder mystery genre. It's always been my favorite type of book and I've read a bunch of them. So when I say that this Heartsick series by Chelsea Cain has jumped to the top of the list of favorites, know that it bypassed quite a few great books!

I received Evil at Heart by Chelsea Cain from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. When I realized that it was the third in the series, I had to go back and read the first two. See my reviews of Heartsick and Sweetheart. The thing is... it gets better with every book!

Summary: Chelsea Cain’s novels featuring Portland detective Archie Sheridan and serial killer Gretchen Lowell have captivated fans through two nail-biting entries, Heartsick and Sweetheart, both of them multiweek bestsellers in The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly.

Gretchen Lowell is still on the loose. These days, she’s more of a cause célèbre than a feared killer, thanks to sensationalist news coverage that has made her a star. Her face graces magazine covers weekly and there have been sightings of her around the world. Most shocking of all, Portland Herald reporter Susan Ward has uncovered a bizarre kind of fan club, which celebrates the number of days she’s been free.

Archie Sheridan hunted her for a decade, and after his last ploy to catch her went spectacularly wrong, remains hospitalized months later. When they last spoke, they entered a détente of sorts---Archie agreed not to kill himself if she agreed not to kill anyone else. But when a new body is found accompanied by Gretchen’s trademark heart, all bets are off and Archie is forced back into action. Has the Beauty Killer returned to her gruesome ways, or has the cult surrounding her created a whole new evil?

Archie is so depleted after the first two books, he doesn't really know which end is up. He's not even sure he can 'be' in the real world. His head is all messed up and yet he's still obsessed with Gretchen. Susan, Henry, and Claire are all here again, working hard to continue on while Gretchen is still out there. Then the killings start that have to be hers....or do they?

The unique thing about this book and Ms. Cain's writing is that one of the characters doesn't really 'show their face' during this story and are more behind the scenes. Yet they truly are always there. I'm sure you can guess who it is, but if not I don't want to spoil it.

Now, I do need to provide a warning. These books, especially this one, discuss some unique methods of torture. While it's not all blood and guts, it does have some descriptions in it that will stick with you for awhile. But it's such an integral part of the psyche of the characters, the book wouldn't be as good or suspenseful without it.

Evil at Heart became available on September 2nd. You need a copy! You need all three books!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Review: Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

Last month, I received a copy of Chelsea Cain's newest book, Evil at Heart, from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. It's the third in a thriller/serial killer series that starts with Heartsick. Given my issues with reading books out of order, I just couldn't read the third without going back. So, back I went.

And I am SO glad I did!!!

Summary: Portland detective Archie Sheridan spent years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful and brutal serial killer. In the end, she was the one who caught him…and tortured him…and then let him go. Why did Gretchen spare Archie’s life and then turn herself in? This is the question that keeps him up all night—and the reason why he has visited Gretchen in prison every week since.

Meanwhile, another series of murders is tearing up the Portland streets. Archie seems to be getting closer to solving this high-profile case…until he finds himself in a fatal collision course with the killer—one that inevitably leads him back to his former captor. Gretchen may be the only one who can help do justice. The only thing she can’t do, this time, is save Archie’s life.

Serial killers/thrillers like this have got to be my favorite genre of books. I've read ALOT of them. So when I find a book that is different than anything I've read in the past, I am Hooked! That's the case with Heartsick.

The story is told in forms of current time with Gretchen in prison along with flashbacks from when she held Archie prisoner and tortured him. There's just enough detail of the torture to keep you on the edge of your seat but it's not too much to gross you out. The anguish Archie feels, on many levels, combined with the psycho Gretchen's weird emotions leads to lots of interesting moments!

Also in the story are Henry, Archie's partner and Susan Ward, a reporter. They are both very wrapped into the story, into Archie and catching the bad guys. Great characters all around.

Can you tell I really liked this book? I am so glad I read it. Look for my review on the second in the series, Sweetheart, tomorrow.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Review: Blood Bayou by Karen Young

I received Blood Bayou by Karen Young from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. I have not read any other of Karen Young's books but after reading Blood Bayou, I plan on searching them out. It was a unique twist on the 'clear the clueless fellow' plot - and a rather good one! There are a significant number of potential bad guys, a few good yet tarnished folks and a very interesting dead gal. The characters are quite well-defined and interesting, their interactions fun to participate in.

My only drawback, and thus the 4 instead of a 5 rating is that I figured out the 'whodunit' rather early in the book. I'm not sure why because it definitely wasn't obvious, but I would have prefered to be guessing until over halfway through. Even with that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and definitely recommend it to mystery lovers!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Review: Sweet Waters: An Otter Bay Novel by Julie Carobini

My latest book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program, Sweet Waters by Julie Carobini was okay.

Summary: There’s nothing left for Tara Sweet in landlocked Dexton, Missouri. Her fiancé called off their wedding, her sister is moving to Manhattan, and now her mother is marrying a much younger man with plans for a yearlong honeymoon in Europe. Tara believes a move back to her childhood home of Otter Bay, California, will help restore the fun and fearlessness she’s already missing in her twenties. Playing back memories of idyllic times spent there with her father along the majestic coast, a fairytale seems just around the corner.

Better make that a soap opera. After Tara finds a job in Otter Bay, makes friends at The Red Abalone Grill, and perhaps even a new flame in firefighter Josh, she begins to uncover shocking secrets about why her family left this heaven on earth all those years ago. And though she will have to question everything she has ever known, the faith that Tara must depend upon will be sweeter than ever before.

I am not much of a romance reader, but I do love a good story about women overcoming and women friendships. (And plenty of my mystery and other favorite books have romance in them.) This book had elements of both but didn't really make me 'feel' the connections. I enjoyed the characters and felt they were quite interesting and real. But the story just didn't compel me, if that makes sense.

The story has some Christian elements in it which do fit well with the story. The book is labeled in different spots as romance, christian fiction, and women's fiction. I think all those fit. The book will be available in August of this year.

If there are other opinions out there about this book, especially folks that enjoyed it more than I did, I'd love to link to them to give other perspectives. Let me know.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Review: Blown Coverage by Jason Elam

Blown Coverage by Jason Elam came to me via the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program. The book contains some of my favorite things: NFL football, mystery, intrigue and ties them together with Christian fiction elements.

Summary: Linebacker Riley Covington returns to another season of mini-camp for the Colorado Mustangs just as a wave of terrorist attacks begin to occur across the country. Sleeper cells are being awakened--likely by the leader of the Cause, who has recently escaped from captivity and is coordinating attacks not only on America but also on Riley and his loved ones. As Jim Hicks, Scott Ross, and the rest of the Counterterrorism Division follow leads in Europe, Riley goes on the offensive to draw out his attackers. But can the Cause be stopped before they're able to reach their ultimate goal?

I enjoyed this story. It was a good plot, interesting characters and some intensity. Not the best in any of those categories, however it's a good, solid book. This is the second in the series but I didn't feel like I was missing information. I am interested in going back and reading the first one. Sounds like it was a good story.

One thing I did not like about this book was it's treatment of Muslims. All but one Muslim in this book was a terrorist, mostly as a sleeper in the US. I realize these folks are needed for the story-line, but it leaves the reader (or at least me) with the impression the author thinks all Muslims in the US are sleepers. Which I know not to be the case and hope the author didn't mean to imply.

I recommend this book to folks who like a good mystery, intrigue story. It's not a preachy Christian book, but does talk about Christians and Muslims.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Review: Fault Line by Barry Eisler

I don't think I've mentioned lately how much I enjoy participating in LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. I have received quite a few very good books from that program and am always excited to get another one. I got Fault Line by Barry Eisler from the November batch of books. I received it quickly and definitely enjoyed reading it.

Summary: In Silicon Valley, the eccentric inventor of a new encryption application is murdered in an apparent carjacking. In Istanbul, a cynical undercover operative receives a frantic call from his estranged younger brother. When Alex Treven, a patent lawyer who has been working for the inventor, is attacked in his apartment, he is convinced he is the target of a conspiracy, and his brother, Ben, is his only hope. Setting aside their differences, Alex and Ben come together to find out who is behind the attacks. They soon learn that forces in America and abroad are involved in a high-stakes struggle to take hold of the technology, and now both of their lives are in danger.

This book had me hooked from the first line. It reads: "The last thing Richard Hilzoy thought before the bullet entered his brain was, Things are really looking up." I think that's a great opening line.

The scenario of software being the cause of 'murder and mayhem' is new to me. But the thing is, now that I've read this book and thought about it, I can easily see it happening. So much of our world today revolves around computers, data, internet, communication - if part of that gets shut down, it would be hard to get lots of things done.

The back story for Alex and Ben was a bit weak but I am envisioning this becoming a series where more of that will be fleshed out. However, I totally believed their characters, reactions, emotions. Good characters that I would enjoy seeing more of in future stories.

The only drawback was the ending. While it was okay, it was a bit underwhelming, happening quickly and not quite in line with the mystery and drama of the rest of the story.

Overall, good story, glad I read it. Fault Lines comes out in March. Check out other Barry Eisler books at his website. I've not read any of his before but looks like there is a great series out there that folks love. Time to start a new series for me!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Can't do it

I can't do it. I just cannot finish these books.

There are four books this time. I keep thinking I need to finish these books but I realized that I am just not going to do it. Each one is a bit different as to some of the 'why' but really, I don't completely know why some books don't grab me. Especially ones that other readers have really enjoyed.

I started The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski because my book club was going to be in the audience of Oprah when she discussed it. It is 562 pages and I pushed myself to get as much done as I could in the week we had between finding out we were going and when we had to be there, reading over 350 pages. I didn't get it done but Oprah never discussed it on the show. And ever since I keep thinking I should finish. But it's not calling me.

Edgar Sawtelle is a mute child who grows up on his parent's farm, working the family business of raising Sawtelle dogs. The story is very descriptive and character driven with not much actual plot. But the characters were not that compelling to me. After reading 350 pages about these characters, you'd think I'd want to know what happens to them. But I really don't. To me there was such potential with this story but I never engaged with the characters. Thus, I am not finishing.

I received Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland from the Early Reviewer program at LibraryThing. I can't get into the book. I made it 52 pages but have no idea really where it's going or what's the point. This surprises me as Ms. Handeland is not a new author and I expected great things from the book. I was very excited to get it but just cannot read it. I realize I am not much into the latest craze of books about the supernatural but I don't think this is why I don't like it. I just don't. There are too many other books out there that I want to read to spend my time reading this one.





For a book chat, Book Club Girl sent me a copy of The Safety of Secrets by Delaune Michel. I missed the chat but wanted to read the book.

I am about halfway through the book but am finding the people in the book very blah. I don't particularly care for the main character of Fiona. She's pregnant, has an okay husband, is an actress, has a couple of best friends and is just boring. There's some secret that underlies her relationship with her childhood best friend that so far is not yet revealed. But there are a ton of other secrets amongst Fi and her circle of people - some 'normal' and some just dumb. I am not intrigued enough by the hint of the BIG secret to keep reading about these people that I find very blah.

The thing is, tons of folks enjoyed this book. So I am definitely in the minority on my opinion. Go see Dar's thoughts at Peeking Between the Pages, Sheri's thoughts at A Novel Menagerie and Lisa's thoughts at RebeccasReads. And stop by Book Club Girl for the chat with author Delaune Michel.

Lisa Roe, the Online Publicist, sent me Legerdemain by James J. Heaphey. I was very intrigued by this book as I love a good spy story and this is a real one! I don't know if the reality of it is what kept me from getting involved or just the timing of reading it. Or maybe my aversion to learning history. I've picked it up two times and cannot get very far into it without stopping. This is one where I know if I just pushed through the beginning I would enjoy it. But I just can't seem to make myself do that. I am sorry for that.

For other reviews, go to see The Bookfool at Bookfoolery and Babble, an article at Old Musty books, and Curled Up with a good Book. And I'll probably try again because I KNOW I will like it if I do.

I encourage you to read the other reviews and thoughts on these books. Just because I didn't become involved with them doesn't mean you won't. In fact, maybe that means you will! If you do read one of them and want me to post your review, just let me know. I'd love to share other thoughts of these books.

The Oxford Project by Stephen G. Bloom and Peter Feldstein

The excitement I had about The Oxford Project by Stephen G. Bloom that I had when I first received and posted has not diminished! This book is just so fascinating!

In 1984, Peter Feldstein decided to photograph everyone in his town of Oxford, Iowa. He thought it would be interesting and over time was able to get all 676 people photographed. He took all full-length photos with equal lights on each side. These pictures were not great artistically. What was interesting was the variety of the townsfolk, their similarities and differences. He had a few gallery shows at the time.

In 2005, Mr. Feldstein again photographed these folks - or at least as many of the original 676 he could find. Can you imagine those phone calls? He again took full-length photos, this time outside next to a gray wall.

What is the most fascinating about this book and the project is the stories of the people photographed. Mr. Feldstein asked writer Stephen Bloom to talk with about 100 of the people after they were photographed. He got them to tell their life story since 1984, summarized their stories; wrote in first person and made sure each person was okay with what he wrote.

These people are ordinary people yet they are so interesting! Each one has a unique story that is all their own. It is just fascinating to read life stories in short snippets, to see how their bodies have changed over time, and to see how the families have combined and divided.

What struck me is thinking about applying this project in any town or city. Would we find the same uniqueness in each individual's story? I think the answer is 'Of course'! I mean, this is a small town! And yet each person has made different choices, had different life events that shaped them into unique individuals which make up such an interesting town! Just imagine how bigger towns or ones with different life options would provide other unique stories.

But I also noted how similar these folks are to ones I know here or grew up with. Or went to college with. Maybe they look different or have different life options, but the similarities are there across the nation.

Again, it's fascinating to study this book, these people. To delve into a life story told in words and pictures. I will be sharing this book with everyone who comes to my house. You need to get a copy!

Thank you to LibraryThing and their Early Reviewer program for providing the opportunity to review this book. A big thanks to publisher Welcome Books for providing me with a copy of The Oxford Project.

Rating: 5/5 stars

I have my first coffee table book!

I got a HUGE package in the mail today. It was my latest snag from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. The book is The Oxford Project. It's HUGE!!! A big thanks to publisher Welcome Books. I was amazed that I got a photography book but I am already in love!

In 1984, photographer Peter Feldstein photographed all 676 members of his hometown of Oxford, Iowa. Twenty years later he photographed as many of those 676 that he could find. It is amazing to see the changes in the people over that time. Mr. Feldstein then asked writer Stephen Bloom to take down the stories of these people. Mr. Bloom wrote their stories in the first person, so it sounds like these folks are talking to me.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the package is that the front cover is a hologram! It's one of the people of the town from 1984 mixed with the current picture. It was very fun to just sit there for a minute switching him back and forth! LOL

I am only about 20 pages into the book so I am not going to give a complete review now. But I wanted to share my fun. But I am already struck that this is not a photography book. This is a book about people. How time changes everyone. How fun it is getting to know people.

Again, a big thanks to LibraryThing and Welcome Books!

Hell Bent by William G. Tapply

I received a copy of Hell Bent by William G. Tapply from the Early Reviewers program at LibraryThing. As I am studying the book before I read it, I realize that it's the latest in a LONG series of books with lawyer Brady Coyne as the protagonist. And when I say LONG, I mean this is the 24th!!!!

Even with my issue with reading a series in order, I realized that I would not be able to read all 23 prior books before reading Hell Bent. So, I chucked caution to the wind and jumped right into book 24.

In this 'episode', lawyer Brady Coyne meets up (again, I am assuming) with former girlfriend Alex Sinclair. Alex asks Brady to represent her brother, Gus, in his divorce. Gus is a photojournalist who went to Iraq freelance. He returned home a different man both physically - missing a hand - and mentally - depressed, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The changes made for a dangerous situation at home and his wife is asking for a divorce.

Before Brady can get very far in working through the divorce, Gus is found dead in his apartment of an apparent suicide. But Brady and Alex are not convinced it was a suicide so Brady does some investigating on his own to figure out what really happened.

I definitely enjoyed this book and am looking forward to 'starting' the series back at the beginning. It will be interesting to read the earlier books knowing a little bit about the future. The main characters were not fully developed in this book but I wouldn't expect them to be in an individual book in a long running series such as this.

If you are a fan of mystery series, this is one that you will want to get started on. If you already know William Tapply and Brady Coyne, you will definitely enjoy this book.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Guest review: Drinking Problems at the Fountain of Youth

You may recall I posted that I couldn't finish the book Drinking Problems at the Fountain of Youth by Beth Teitell. I received this book as an Early Reviewer ARC from Library Thing and thought it was a novel - it wasn't. Thus, with my aversion to non-fiction (and fashion!) I couldn't finish it.

My close friend and fellow LOLA (one of my book clubs) member, Amy, offered to read it instead. She claimed she wasn't great at writing a review so we did a little question and answer session.

What did you think of the book?
It was good for that type of book...sometimes I think she was trying too hard to be funny; some of it sounded like how Carrie writes in Sex in the City. It looks like she has a summary - but most of the book has been around - "You're aging and there's nothing you can do about it"...we'll see what the summary says. First chapter was hard but it did get better in the later chapters - would switch it around or something, because some readers wouldn't trudge on through it. (M: Like ME!)

Did you find anything helpful in it?
Something helpful - more expensive doesn't mean it helps better.

Is it good for our age (late 30's) or would it be better for someone a bit older?
No, it's probably good for our age too.

What do you think the purpose of the book was? Just to commiserate on the aging issues in a humorous manner?
It sounded like she jumped from product to product and never gave any of them time to work....so it's more like "light/comical reading" rather than a "self-help" book.

What else do we need to know about the book?
There's a summary at the end that was excellent and maybe should have been at the front of the book. #3 Put on your face. #4 Do something about your hair. #6 Don't leave the house in that. You know Michele, you should read the book so you'd do those things and others. Ah, but Amy, you've been telling me these things for years and I still don't do them. What makes you think reading this book will change that for me???

Thanks Amy for the guest review! It's wonderful to get another viewpoint on a book, especially one that is new. If anyone else reads this book, I'd love to include here. If you blog about it, let me know and I'll link to it. If you don't blog and want to write something up, I'll post it here.

I can't DO it!

I can't do it. I just cannot finish these books. They haven't grabbed me, haven't even looked to be interesting enough to keep trying and I am done.

I received Drinking Problems at the Fountain of Youth by Beth Teitell from the Early Reviewers Program at Library Thing. I have had wonderful books from that program and so was excited to read this one.

I thought it was a novel. Based on the description (which I cannot find now) I thought it was fiction. Kind of a laugh at the reality of aging while telling a story. However, it is not fiction. It is a collection of essays on aging.

Which is one strike against the book as I am not a non-fiction reader. However, I read a Nora Ephron book for LOLAs and told myself I could read it for LT. But it wasn't funny. I think she's trying to be funny. Maybe too much. Strike two. The third strike came as I realized there were just as many references in the text as there were words straight from the author. Maybe footnotes would have been better for me, but that was the last chance. I am done with it.

I did give it to a friend and am waiting to hear what she says. I do know there are other folks out there that liked the book so don't just go on what I say.

I have read many great reviews about Matters of Faith by Kristy Kiernan and was excited to find it in my library already.

Here's the summary from Amazon: In this tense, well-paced novel about belief, Kiernan explores what happens when faith and love test the limits of family fealty. In southwest Florida, college student Marshall Tobias is in search of something to believe in. He thinks he's found God and the woman he's always dreamed of when he falls in love with fundamentalist believer Ada Sparks. But Ada's against medical intervention for illness, and tragedy results when she sets out to help Marshall's 12-year-old sister, Meghan, overcome her life-threatening allergies. Switching points-of-view between Marshall and his mother, Chloe, Kiernan (Catching Genius) movingly portrays a 20-year-old marriage gone flat and torn apart by crisis, a troubled son, a daughter hovering between life and death, and the hard-to-discern boundaries between true faith and unhealthy fanaticism. She handles her difficult material respectfully. Most interesting is her portrayal of the well-meaning traps parents fall into when encouraging open-ended exploration of faith without context, or choosing to remain silent. The thoughtful themes, interesting characters and page-turning drama of this novel will likely make it a book club favorite.

I think what turned me off almost immediately about this book was that this college student just walked in, met the family, and spouted off how they are doing things wrong and need to do it her way. No ifs, ands, or buts. Maybe that's how teens are now and I'll have to figure out how to deal with it in a few years. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt and keep reading but I just couldn't get past it.

Again, I know there are many folks out there that love this book as I've read multiple review of it, so it's probably just me. And I decided there are too many other books out there that I think I will like so why waste time on ones that I don't now.

I just couldn't do it. Let me know if you can and what you think of them.

Review: Lookin' Back, Texas by Leanna Ellis

I was grateful to have received Lookin' Back Texas by Leanna Ellis from the Early Reviewer program at Library Thing.

From the back of the book:
Betty Lynne Davidson is planning her husband’s funeral while overlooking one thing: he’s not dead.

When Suzanne Mullins, forty-two, gets the call from her father to come back home to Texas because her mother has gone off the deep end, she knows it will mean having to look at the faulty foundations of their marriage as well as her own. Betty Lynne has always upheld a perfect facade of home and family, and Suzanne has followed suit. But her life with husband Mike and son Oliver is cracking under the pressure of its own unspoken history.

Looking her past in the eye once and for all, Suzanne hopes that trusting in God’s love and mercy will set all of this craziness straight—even if it does mean having to watch her father give the eulogy at his own funeral.

My thoughts and reaction to this book are varied. I felt some of the situations were very contrived and did not feel remotely real. But some - including the non-dead husband's funeral planning - were quite funny and I could easily imagine it. The writing style took a while to get used to, but eventually I was able to lose myself in the book.

The main characters - Suzanne, her mother Betty and her husband Mike - were fairly well developed. I did get involved in their lives and got emotional a few times for them. However some of the other characters and their reactions left me feeling like I was missing a big part of their personality, they were very flat when they could have been quite colorful.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I think it was a good story and am glad I got a chance to read it.

Check out the book's website for an interview with author Leanna Ellis.

You can find other reviews on Lookin' Back, Texas:
Brittanie at A Book Lover.
Allison at On My Bookshelf.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

No One You Know by Michelle Redmond

I had read her first book The Year of Fog last year and rated it 4 stars. So I was very excited to get an advance copy of her next book, No One you Know, from the Early Reviewers at Library Thing. I brought it with me on vacation and it was the first book I read.

The story centers on Ellie and her sister, Lila. Or, rather, Ellie’s life before and after her sister’s death. 20 years after her sister’s murder, Ellie is looking back at her sister’s life, finally facing who might have killed Lila and working through her own personal issues.

I was not fond of this book. Ellie’s sister, Lila, was a mathematician and was working to prove a famous theory. A lot of the language in the book was very ‘mathy’, meaning only a small group of folks have every heard of these terms and theories before. I am not fond of reading detailed descriptive information in any book as my book club can attest. I am more of a ‘just give me the plot information’ and not all the flowery descriptions of the location or the people. So all this information about the high level math, the theories and proofs, was too much for me.

The characters were believable and likable. I liked the plot and the fact that Ellie had to reconsider the 'truths' of her life. The story had lots of potential

I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, especially with math and technical items. But I felt dumb reading this book when she talked math. And it was too much for me to get over and enjoy the rest of the book.

Takeover by Lisa Black

This book was my first book in the Early Reviewer program at Library Thing. It totally got me hooked on the program. Because I absolutely loved author Lisa Black's first novel, Takeover! I couldn't put it down!

It has a great female character in a forensic role that is thrust into a bank robbery and hostage situation where she is out of her element. But she is able to use her instincts and her experience to help resolve the situation. I look forward to reading more of this author and hopefully this character. Definitely one of the best 'first novel' mysteries I've read in a long time.

Home Girl: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block by Judith Matloff

I received this book as an advanced copy through
Library Thing and their Early Reviewer program.

I was a little leary at first as I am not one to read much non-fiction and memoirs I've read run the gamut from boring to extremely engaging and fun. I am pleased to say that Judith Matloff's story of her family's experience was very interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Judith worked for years as a foreign correspondent living in a variety of other countries. After getting married in her late 30's and having two miscarriages, she starts longing to put down roots closer to her family. While her Dutch husband waits back in Russia for his visa, she moves into her mother's basement in New York and starts looking for a house. She ends up finding a 'home with potential' in West Harlem among the dealers and the crack addicts. This story tells of their journey with contractors, the neighbors, the dealers and many others.

Her history of being a foreign correspondent blended well into relating the experience of moving into a 'lawless block' in New York. I worried for her, shook my head at her foolishness and how naive she was. But I also smiled with her choices on friends, the workers, and as she became a mom. And also as the 'lawless block' turned into something great. I recommend this book to all.