Yes, I've Changed the Template (Again)

I like to fidget with things. My most recent favorite thing to play with is the template/background of my blog. It's been a constant source of dissatisfaction for me since I've somewhat changed the format. As it turns out, I prefer to have a book-based template. Go figure.

And so, I've gone back to my Lost in Austen background from Shabby Blogs. It's not exactly the same, though, since Blogger changed the template designer they offer. I like the look of this one so this is the way it shall stay. I promise. I may tweak it here and there but it will be minor changes so dear readers, if and when you come back, it'll be a familiar place.

Book Review: Deadly Sins by Kylie Brant

An unknown assassin has appointed himself judge, jury, and executioner, brutally taking out high-level human targets citywide. It's just the kind of case that will test the resolve of a tough FBI agent like Jaid Marlowe. Especially when her new partner is Adam Raiker, Jaid's former colleague-and ex-lover.

As a life-long fan of CSI-type television shows and the like, finding a book series that satisfies that particular itch for me is a pleasure. Kylie Brant's Mindhunters fills all the requirements: brilliant minds solving heinous crimes along with enough romance to entertain but not so much that it takes the focus away from the plot.

Deadly Sins is a book that I have most certainly been looking forward to as it delves into the mystery that is Adam Raiker, former FBI agent and owner of Raiker Forensics, home of the Mindhunters. In each book, enigmatic Adam is dangled in front of the reader without divulging many (if any) of his secrets. How did he lose that eye and why does he walk with a cane? Why did he leave the FBI and start his own company? Who will be the lucky woman to catch his eye and steal his heart? And most importantly, does he wear boxers or briefs? Do tell.

In the interest of keeping this review as spoiler-free as possible, though, there shall unfortunately be no real telling. However, I do have some opinions to share. For instance, I liked Deadly Sins and was quickly wrapped up in the story. Deadly Sins wraps up a multi-book arc involving the aftermath caused by the man who led Adam to leave the FBI and a killer who is enacting revenge against people who have wronged him using a theme from the movie "Seven." Is the killer sending them on a wild goose chase or is the mastermind behind everything seemingly beyond their reach? I was happy to see that the killer wasn't painfully obvious but if I had been using my "There are no extra characters" rule, I probably would have figured it out early on.

As for the romance part, considering the type of man that Adam Raiker is - clever, close-mouthed, and driven - I thought it wise of Brant to have a love interest reenter his life now, rather than having him meet someone new. Adam had been gravely injured and is still recovering; the only way I could see him letting someone close would be if he knew her (and was vulnerable to) when he was still whole. Jaid Marlowe is a good match for him as she has enough spine to stand up to his bullying nature and a big enough heart to not hold it against him (for long). I was relieved when the mystery of her son's father was revealed; I had hoped that Brant wouldn't go there and was pleased when it went in another direction than the obvious.

When's the next book? Hopefully, not too far away. (B)


Kylie Brant's website

Other reviews:
Errant Dreams Reviews
Smexy Books
Love to Read For Fun
Fiction Vixen Book Reviews

Tune in Tuesdays (2)

Tune in Tuesdays at GReads! is a weekly feature hosted by Ginger from GReads! that showcases music - her other passion in life besides books! Each week she posts a new or old song in hopes to gain more interest. Lets help Ginger in spreading the love of music!

Today, my selection is in honor of Freddy Mercury from Queen, one of the coolest things to come out of England. Yesterday would have been his sixty-fifth birthday. This is my favorite song by Queen and it's extra cool because David Bowie is in it too.

Tune in Tuesday

Tune in Tuesdays at GReads! is a weekly feature hosted by Ginger from GReads! that showcases music - her other passion in life besides books! Each week she posts a new or old song in hopes to gain more interest. Lets help Ginger in spreading the love of music!

I'm pretty slow on the uptake, people. I don't pay attention to what's going on unless somebody comes over and pokes me HARD. When I saw Jen at Not Now I'm Reading's picks for the last Tune In Tuesday '90s edition, I smacked myself on the forehead and then started mining through that crazy decade for music I liked. Here's what I've come up with today. You get four since it's the last one and all.

Book Review: Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Devastated by the discovery that his wife, Helen, was murdered, Special Agent Pendergast must have retribution. But revenge is not simple. As he stalks his wife's betrayers-a chase that takes him from the wild moors of Scotland to the bustling streets of New York City and the darkest bayous of Louisiana-he is also forced to dig further into Helen's past. And he is stunned to learn that Helen may have been a collaborator in her own murder.

Peeling back the layers of deception, Pendergast realizes that the conspiracy is deeper, goes back generations, and is more monstrous than he could have ever imagined-and everything he's believed, everything he's trusted, everything he's understood . . . may be a horrific lie.

In this second of three books of Pendergast hunting down the truth of what happened to his "late" (is she or isn't she) wife, Preston and Child take a little detour from their usual Pendergast novel. Cold Vengeance is mostly Pendergast on his own, doing his thing without his usual cast of friends, not even all-purpose Proctor, though they do bring back Corrie Swanson from Still Life with Crows. (I was happy to see her again.) He goes a bit off the reservation; obsessed with finding his wife, Pendergast leaves no stone unturned and does things I, as a ravenous devourer of this series, would never expect. (He plays golf. How mundane.)

Cold Vengeance begins where Fever Dream left off and in similar fashion, leaves the reader with another cliffhanger and all sorts of dangling plot-lines to be concluded in the next book. In all honesty, it took me much longer to get through this book than other Preston and Child's novels; perhaps it's because I knew that there would be no real resolution? In any case, seeing Pendergast go off on his own, actively telling D'Agosta and Corrie to essentially butt out was weird if not understandable, even for him. Also, some of the details bothered me, like this one from page 307-308, where he is trying to flush out bad guys in a situation where stealth is key:

   Pendergast crept along the slanting wall until he was just below the level of the toe rail, where sliding glass doors opened from the sky lounge to the sky deck.
   He reached into his pocket, took out a coin, and tossed it so that it clanked against the glass doors.

My main thought when I read this passage was, You mean to tell me that Pendergast has been sneaking around a boat like Spider-man with loose change in his pockets? The man is good but not that good. Perhaps he only had the one coin? Maybe he stuck a single quarter into his pocket for just such an occasion? Not impossible for Pendergast but certainly improbable.

Overall though, I liked what happened in this book. It moved somewhat slowly in places, with disposable characters who didn't fit in the puzzle that is the main plot, but by the end, I was riveted. As is usually the case, I want the next book NOW, but at this time, I can't find any info concerning publication or even a title. Preston and Child's next book, Gideon's Corpse, will be out January 10, 2012.

Other reviews:
A Walrus Darkly
The Mystery Reader
The Speed of Write

Preston & Child website