Book Review – A Place of Execution by Val McDermid

A Place of ExecutionA Place of Execution by Val McDermid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Place of Execution is the best book I have read in quite a while. After reading the first few pages, I had to check to make sure it was indeed a novel and not a true crime story. It’s journalistic style heightens the suspense. While not a cozy, the author pays similar attention to details of setting and character as you would find in the best cozies. The plot is convoluted but believable, and truly horrifying because it is believable. I will surely have to read the rest of Val McDermid’s books.

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Book Review – Stormy Kind of Love by Tia Lee

Stormy Kind of LoveStormy Kind of Love by Tia Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Stormy Kind of Love is a book with potential. Unfortunately, it did not reach its potential, because it’s really unfinished. It’s a story about a young woman who has affairs with two men–one, a handsome bad boy and the other, your all-around good guy. These characters are well-thought out and have some depth, as do the important secondary characters. The plot is somewhat predictable, but this is a romance, so that is to be expected. The book falls down in two areas. It was obviously not professionally edited, as there are numerous typos, grammatical errors and formatting glitches. Also, it has two endings, one of them labeled the alternate ending. The alternate ending actually led to a Hitchcockian plot that could have really rocked, but I got the feeling that at that point, the author wanted to be done with book. I wish she had chosen one ending (the alternate had the best potential) and then spent the time to really polish the story. She could have had a five star book. As it is, I have to give it 2.5 stars, rounded up.

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