Taken At Dusk-C.C. Hunter

Taken At Dusk


C.C. Hunter

St. Martin’s Griffin, Apr 10 2012, $9.99

ISBN: 9780312624699



Sixteen years old orphan Kylie Galen desperately seeks understanding about her essence, which can only come from knowledge at a time when her adopted parents are divorcing. She needs to know her biological roots as she was adopted and learns more about her recently activated dormant powers in which she has a new one every few days or so. Even with the spirit of her biological dad Daniel cautioning her, euphoric because a source surfaced, her paternal grandparents, the Brightens thinks she is a troubled youth sight unseen.



Attending the Shadow Falls camp for teens with supernatural powers, she also likes the two campers, hunks Lucas and Derek. While she can’t make up her mind about the boys, Lucas’ werewolf pack makes it for them as she is declared taboo. Additionally an ancient vampire stalks her and her new ghost, suffering from amnesia, haunts her with warnings that death is coming.



The third Shadow Falls young adult urban fantasy (see Awake At Dawn and Born At Midnight) is an engaging thriller Kylie (and readers) begins to learn the shocking truth about her genealogy. The protagonist also finds out that true friendship as she has with her roommates Miranda the witch and Della the vampire enhances ones power by strengthening confidence and self-esteem. Paraphrasing Robin Ward’s song, this is the most wonderful (and frightening) summer of her life.



Harriet Klausner

Sins Of The Son-Linda Poitevin

Sins Of The Son


Linda Poitevin

Ace, Mar 27 2012, $7.99

ISBN: 9781937007379



Toronto Homicide Detective Alexandra Jarvis was a key player in ending the serial killing spree of Caim the fallen angel who had escaped from Limbo incarceration (see Sins of the Angels). However, victory came at an exorbitant price as she lost her soul mate. Seth Benjamin the angel, who insisted he is the appointed judge of mankind, saved Alex’s life.



To her shock, Alex sees Seth’s picture on a police bulletin. She knows something went terribly wrong as Seth was to prevent Armageddon but instead suffers from amnesia. Led by Lucifer, the Fallen come for Seth, as do the archangels. At the same time Caim’s exiled brother Aramael the Guardian Angel seeking divine redemption plans to kill the Appointed one before he destroys the Creator’s greatest creation. Alex plans to protect Seth from heaven, hell and anything in between.



The second Grigori Legacy is a great urban fantasy filled with twists, back stabbing and several terrific subplots that converge in Vancouver. Fast-paced from the onset, fans will relish this strong thriller as Lucifer and the Fallen hatch a diabolical plan to cause Armageddon.



Harriet Klausner

Dark River Road-Virginia Brown

Dark River Road


Virginia Brown

Bell Bridge, Nov 15 2011, $26.95

ISBN: 9781611940558



In 1987 in Cane Creek, Mississippi, fourteen year old Chantry Callahan lives with his mom, his stepfather, his younger brother Mikey and two older stepbrothers. He believes his biological father died in Viet Nam. His stepfather Rainey hated the two reminders that his spouse was married once before; especially Mike who needs heart surgery and walks with braces. Chantry turned to the family’s black neighbor Dempsey Rivers the gardener as a father figure while he played with the daughter Tansey whose mother was white.



The Quinton family owns the town as they have for generations. Bert is the patriarch who rules as a despot while his spoiled grandson Chris enjoys his status as a future heir by picking on other though he has one chick in his royal armor; his attraction to unacceptable Tansy. Chantry and Bert’s granddaughter Cinda begin dating until her mother ends their relationship and the town patriarch takes it out on the lad’s loved ones. Chantry leaves town, but vows to return to learn the truth. Fifteen years later he is back seeking justice.



This is an entertaining regional drama told in two distinct periods with both eras coming vividly to life as the Mississippi Delta having radically changed in many ways in the fifteen year gap; yet in key ways remain the same as Bert still owns the town. Character driven with several mysteries then and now, fans will enjoy Chantry’s return home that shakes decades of status quo.



Harriet Klausner

The Singles-Meredith Goldstein

The Singles


Meredith Goldstein

Plume, Apr 24 2012, $15.00

ISBN: 9780452298057



In Annapolis, bride to be Beth Eleanor “Bee” Evans works on placing the singles at a tables who are attending her wedding to Matt Fee. She considers where to seat Vicki, Hannah, Rob, Joe and Nancy.



New York based casting director Hannah is upset as she hoped her first lover Rob would help her through the weekend of seeing her second lover Tom for the first time since he dumped her. Instead she turns to Vicki as Rob is staying in Austin with his epileptic dog Liz. Bee’s divorced with child Uncle Joe knows his sister-in-law Donna does not want him at the wedding; when he sees Rochester based grocery store interior decorator Vicki, he thinks she is the woman he had sex with in Reno; while she carries a guitar case containing her social affective disorder lamp. Widow Nancy sends her son Camden Yards security chief Phil to attend the marriage. The dynamics of the Singles will shake the wedding weekend.



The escapades of the Singles at the wedding reception are fun to follow with an engaging rotating viewpoint. However, the prime ensemble cast is underdeveloped so some of their aberrant behavior like taking a pill from a stranger or jumping the bones of someone you just met is hard to gauge in full context of who they are and prevents readers from caring for the characters. Still the evolution of the Singles over that weekend is an enjoyable character driven tale as each of the quintet begins to move on with their lives.



Harriet Klausner

Enchantments-Kathryn Harrison

Enchantments


Kathryn Harrison

Random House, Mar 6 2012, $27.00

ISBN: 9781400063475



In 1917 hemophiliac Rasputin is found dead in the Neva River. Tsarina Alexandra worries about the health of her son Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov as the late Mad Monk was his healer in the lad’s on-going battle with hemophilia at a time when pressure mounts for her husband Tsar Nikoly to abdicate. Rasputin names the Tsar as guardian to his two teenage daughters. However, the Tsarina has a different reason to send for Rasputin’s oldest child, eighteen years old Masha, as she hopes the child inherited her father’s power so she can tend to her offspring.



Masha and her sister Varya take the train from St. Petersburg to Tsarskie Selo as they journey to The Alexander palace where the former Russian royal family resides. Masha lacks the legendary skills of her infamous sire, but she and Alyosha as she calls Alex become friends. Two months after the sisters arrive, the Tsar and his family is placed under house arrest. The pair shares tales to pass time, alleviate their fears, and not dwell on what is lost.



This is an interesting work of historical fiction that focuses on the last months of the Romanovs through the eyes of Rasputin’s daughter. The tidbits of Tsarist life in the early twentieth century is vivid and insightful as the audience get to know a lot about the family of the last Russian ruler and Rasputin. However, neither Masha nor Alyosha seem fully developed beyond their stories and friendship. Still this is an engaging look at the final days of the Romanov dynasty.



Harriet Klausner

Border Run-Simon Lewis

Border Run


Simon Lewis

Scribner, Apr 24 2012, $22.00

ISBN 9781416596059



Howard takes affluent British youngsters Will and Jake on a special tour of Yunan Province near the Chinese border with Burma. He promised to show them a special waterfall in the forest and introduce the visitors to tribal girls who enjoy sex with handsome young westerners.



However, their dream fantasy turns ugly nightmare when they reach the waterfall and the women. Howard has used the two morons as a cover to his smuggling operation; and the females are hired help. Increasingly in deepening trouble, a customs official challenges the Brits for being near the border. Jake uses a crossbow to kill him, but efforts to conceal the crime sends the pair into even more tsuris. As the BFFs become best enemies forever, their chances of escape seemingly diminishes to zero.



This tense thriller focuses on how easily civilization (and friendship) is stripped away from the affluent when removed from their familiar taken for granted safety net and left in a ferocious jungle to fend for themselves in a reality survival of the deadliest scenario. Fast-paced from the moment the foolish lads meet Howard, fans will enjoy the Border Run as the adage "if it's too good to be true, it probably is" proves lethally valid.



Harriet Klausner

The Ice Cream Girls-Dorothy Koomson

The Ice Cream Girls


Dorothy Koomson

Grand Central, Apr 24 2012, $14.99

ISBN: 9781455507139



The 1989 Daily News Chronicle contains an article about The Ice Cream Girls (teenagers Poppy Carlisle and Serena Gorringe) standing trial for the murder of their popular history teacher Marcus Halnsey. Both deny torturing and stabbing to death Halnsey who abused both of his students, warned them to remain silent or else; while also saying he loved them. Poppy was convicted of the homicide and went to prison while Serena was acquitted and set free.



Over two decades later, Poppy is released from prison. All this time behind bars she had one goal: to prove her innocence. Poppy seeks Serena to force her to tell the truth as to what happened in 1989, but the girl, who was never her friend in spite of the media lies to the contrary, vanished.



Serena is married to Dr. Evan Gillmaire. They have two children and though she is happy, Serena lives in fear that her notoriety will surface and cost her family as she has never been able to tell Evan the truth even while she believes Poppy was the killer.



Rotating perspective between the title characters in different time periods, The Ice Cream Girls is an exciting psychological suspense that grips the reader with a need to know what happened in the 1980s and what will occur as obsessed Poppy stalks family woman Serena. Both remains haunted by Marcus as neither fully moved on. The media hangs the two teens as Lolita while ignoring an adult in a mentoring position having sex with both of them and the court follows the news frenzied lead seems wrong but feels hypocritically honest. Fans will enjoy this taut thriller while wondering who killed the popular teacher.



Harriet Klausner