THE RIGHT PATH by Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts'books are so easy to read. They're full of life and beautiful people and descriptive language. Once you get your teeth stuck into them you won't want to let go. Yes, they are women's books, and just perfect for a wonderful bit of escapism, any time of day.

Morgan James has just arrived on the island of Lesbos, in Greece, to spend some time on holiday with her old friend, Liz, who is married to a Greek millionaire businessman. Morgan hasn't had a holiday for how long, and is deterimined to relax completely and enjoy her stay, even if she has to tolerate Liz's attempts at matchmaking. Unable to sleep the first night, she goes for a midnight swim, and meets a stranger who at first appears to be a threat, then turns on the charm when he realises who she is. Morgan is furious at his treatment of her and promises to get even. Needless to say, when she meets him as a guest of her host and hostess in their house, she is shocked. She finds him to be a mystery, yet she is very attracted to him, much to her dismay. Because of the circumstances of their first meeting on the beach, she suspects him to be involved in smuggling, which is quite an active pastime in the area.

Then she finds a body on the beach, a villager, who has apparently been murdered. Drama follows drama and Morgan's hopes for a quiet, peaceful holiday are dashed.

Is Nick, the man on the beach, who makes her pulse race, a smuggler? And a murderer? How will she cope with that as she finds herself falling hopelessly in love with him?

Now I did say earlier that I love Nora Roberts books, and I do, but this one I must admit was a bit too Mills & Boon-ish for me. However, if you want a quick, light read to while away an evening, this book is perfect.

Happy reading!

REFUGE by Gillian White

Gillian White writes spooky, psychological thrillers that will have you turning pages eagerly to the end. And the ending will usually make you squirm. She very skillfully manipulates the normal and ordinary into something nightmarish.

Shelley is a single mom, struggling to raise six kids under the age of 12. When her oldest son, Joey, is believed to have committed a crime, the police come to question him. His friends all put the blame of the incident on him, and as the situation spirals out of control, Joey is detained by the police and Shelley and her remaining children are moved to a place of safety, away from the growing anger and hostility from the townsfolk towards her and her family.

Shelley steadfastly believes Joey to be innocent and that his friends are lying through their teeth and trying to shift the blame of what they did onto her son. She believes herself to be a good mother and that her kids are happy, well-adjusted children and she flatly refuses to believe that Joey is a problem child, in spite of all the mounting evidence against him. She cannot see herself the way other people see her.

Meanwhile her other children have been fostered out to a couple, the Boltons, who live on a quiet, secluded, remote farm. While they wait for their day in court, Shelley joins her children at the Boltons'farm. She is amazed at the difference already noticeable in her kids, they are happy, obedient, with none of their usual fussing, content in their new lifestyle, even though she herself doesn't really agree with Mrs Bolton's method of discipline and child-rearing, it seems to work.

But something about the kindly but simple Boltons'and their strictly routine way of life makes Shelley very uneasy. Little things, not easily dismissed, increase her uneasiness, and she comes to the realisation that her life is in danger.

Was she really such a bad mother?

The ending is frightening and inevitable but also, I felt, a little anti-climatic.

Happy reading!

THE WHOLE TRUTH by David Baldacci

In this book we meet for the first time Shaw, the enigmatic intelligence agent who works for a company the world knows nothing about, bringing the wicked to justice.

A shocking video featuring a tortured man is released worldwide on the Internet. The homemade video is shaky and grainy, but its message is shocking. It spreads around the world like wildfire and then is picked up by newspapers - the story is on everyone's lips. It is the beginning of a controversy.

What no one knows is that it was a hoax, a propaganda story started by one man, Nicolas Creel, a superrich arms dealer, who decides the best way to boost his business is to start another cold war.
Enter Shaw...

Shaw has spent 6 years risking life and limb for the agency. Now he wants to retire, get married and settle down. But his superior has made it very clear - no one retires from this line of work, they only die.
Shaw badly wants out of this dangerous job, but when his fiance and everyone she works with is massacred in their office building, because they are starting to investigate the people behind all the controversy in the news of the world, Shaw is determined to hunt down and kill the person or persons behind all these killings.

With the help of Katie James, a washed out, alcoholic news journalist who has hit rock bottom and is desperately trying to claw her way back up to the top via a good story, they embark on a breakneck race to find the people behind the conspiracy, and prevent World War III from breaking out, and to just stay alive along the way!

A really good, gripping, fast paced read.
Happy reading!

NASTY HABITS by Gillian White

Here is another one by Gillian White who has become my new favourite author. She tingle's one's spine.

Desmond is an immature mommy's boy, a young man who lives with his domineering mother and doesn't have any real friends. On holiday by himself at the coast, while exploring a cave, he stumbles upon a skeleton, and not just any old skeleton, this one is wearing a nun's habit.

Here also we meet the Pilkingtons, an upper crust family in their holiday home, the three sons, their wives and children, the Grandmother, and one mystery guest.

A second incident lands Desmond in the heart of this complex family. As the author explores the minds of each of these people, we learn of the past, things that happened, how each one of them came to be in his or her present circumstances, the secrets and lies and sins that have long laid hidden and are about to come to light.

Who is the skeleton? How did this person die and come to be in the cave on a deserted stretch of beach, undiscovered for so long?

Some members of the family knew about the skeleton and think they know who it once was, and continual wrong assumptions bring this story to its horrifying conclusion, as revenge is sought on the assumed perpetrators.

Gillian White is one of those writers who relies upon the strangest coincidences to bring chills to the reader as they suddenly realise what the story is all about.

Happy reading!

SAVE ME by Lisa Scottoline

 What do you do when your child is bullied heartlessly, endlessly, by her schoolmates? Would you do anything to protect her in the face of danger? Rose McKenna's young daughter, Melly, was born with a portwine birthmark on her face, and this has made her the target of ceaseless teasing and bullying from her peers. Rose and her husband even moved Melly to a different school to try and escape the bullying. But it follows them.

Working as a lunch mom in the cafeteria of Melly's school, Rose witnesses the bullying first hand, and tries to reason with the guilty party to make them see the error of their ways. In the midst of this, a catastrophe happens, and Rose is torn between saving her own child, or these other children who are tormenting her child. Her decision is made in a split second, but is it the right one?

Finding herself shunned from all sides because of her actions, and with mounting hostility against her, Rose begins to investigate by herself, and uncovers a conspiracy.

This story starts out as a simple family drama and slowly turns into something much more sinister, as murders and plans to murder are uncovered. A gripping read by a good storyteller.
Happy reading!

DELIVER US FROM EVIL by David Baldacci

I love David Baldacci's books, they are gripping and easy reading action thrillers. I also love books that are a series of different stories that feature the same characters. Mr Baldacci has a couple of these series, there is the "Camel Club" series, and the "Sean King and Michelle Maxwell" series. "Deliver us from Evil"is the 2nd book in the "Shaw"series.

Shaw is a type of an agent: "I work for something loosely called an agency that doesn't officially exist, doing things around the world that no one will ever know I did".

Regina 'Reggie' Campion is one of a small but elite secret vigilante group of people whose mission is to rid the world of monsters - people who over the years have brought about the deaths of millions of innocent people. Reggie, who travels the world in pursuit of evil, was instrumental in eliminating a soldier and general in Hitler's army. Now her group of agents have set  their sights on a new target. However, the enigmatic Shaw is also on the trail of this particular monster.

Evan Waller, an evil and depraved man who has made a fortune through his willingness to buy and sell anything - or anyone, is now being targetted by not 1 but 2 groups of people who are determined to put a stop to his business dealings once and for all.

A  thrilling book which delves into the mind of a purely evil man who has no feelings, emotions or compassion.

Happy reading!

THE SLEEPER by Gillian White

Once again in Gillian White's world, where nothing is quite as it seems, we open with a seance. a group of elderly, lonely people gather in a cottage in a wintery seaside resort town to see who Violet Moon, the medium, will conjure up.

Among those gathered is Miss Bates, a quiet, grey woman who keeps to herself and flits about as silently as a moth. The group breaks up at the end of the evening - it is a week from Christmas, and Violet is going to visit her son Fergus and daughter in law, Clover, on their farm.

Clover's best friend, Diana, her husband and twin sons are coming as well for Christmas so it will be a full house.

But Clover hates her mother in law. She is dissatisfied with her life but can't explain why. And Violet is not who she seems to be, there are dark secrets in her past that are about to come to light, ad she disapproves of her daughter in law.

 But there is a presence in the farmhouse this Christmas time, and the spirits are trying to communicate. And Clover becomes more and more convinced that Violet is trying to kill her as a series of strange accidents occur.

As the story unravels and we discover the circumstances that brought all these people to this point in time, terrible events take place.

This very disturbing and gripping book gave me goosebumps as the story races to its horrific conclusion. Don't read it alone at night!

Happy reading!

JUST TAKE MY HEART by Mary Higgins Clark

I have been reading Mary Higgins Clark books forever. Her books are mystery thrillers, and are predictable in that they all have plenty of characters, any one of whom could be the "bad guy".

This latest offering tells the story of Gregg Aldrich, who has just been charged with murdering his wife, Natalie, a famous Broadway actress.

The case is handed to Emily Wallace, an assistant prosecutor who has been recently widowed.

Thrown into the mix is the unsolved case of the murder of Natalie's best friend, Jamie, 15 years earlier, as well as Emily's new neighbour, who is obesessed with her and tries to get close to her at every opportunity, but who also makes her feel distinctly uneasy.

Gregg continuously swears he is innocent, and there is not a lot of evidence against him, but what there is, is damning.

No one connects Jamie's murder, all those years ago, to Natalie's, until Emily starts to review the case once more, from the very beginning, and makes a startling discovery.

There is always that sense of racing towards the ending in Ms Clark's books, as all the loose ends start to tie up.

Typically in these stories, the lead female character always becomes romantically attached to the male lead character, but that doesn't happen in this book. The reason for that is ... well, you'll have to read the book yourself to find out why.

Happy reading!

VEIL OF DARKNESS by Gillian White

Gillian White is a first-time read for me. In Gillian White's dark and disturbing world, nothing is quite as it seems, where the most ordinary things turn into nightmares.

Here we meet Kirsty, a battered wife who seeks sanctuary from her abusive husband, Trevor. She is provided with a job and a place to stay, and on the train ride there, she meets two other young women, Avril and Bernadette, who all have the same destination. They become room mates and friends, all working in a hotel in Cornwall. Each one has her own agenda, Avril, the overweight, self-conscious, overprotected girl who desperately seeks independence from her well- meaning parents, and Bernadette, who is beautiful, the one that men always notice, running away from the heartbreak of a love affair gone wrong.

Kirsty has a passion for books, and while looking for something to read in the hotel library, finds an old book which enthralls her. The book seems to promise Kirsty new and better things - a better life for her and her children, money, a decent house. She devises a plan to make all these things happen.

But suddenly things start to go wrong. Their personalities begin to change. They start acting differently and doing things they would never normally dream of doing. A darker side to each of them begins to emerge. Can a book really be influencing them this way? And what of the author of this strange book? Who was she and how did she come to write such a dark, terrible tale of murder and death?

There is a slight touch of the supernatural to the story, as very ordinary, everyday events take on a more sinister appearance.

This is quite a dark psychological thriller with a good mix of black humour that made me want to read more from this author.
Happy reading!

THE SECRET BETWEEN US by Barbara Delinsky

When Deborah Monroe picks up her daughter, Grace, from her friend's house one dark rainy night, the drive home turns
into a nightmare.

Grace, who only has a learners license, asks to drive and Deborah allows her, but regrets it as the rain intensifies.
They live quite a way out of town on a long dark road, and catch a glimpse of something only seconds before they hit.
The something turns out to be Calvin Mckenna, Grace's History teacher. He appears to be not seriously hurt, but unconscious, and what on earth was he doing out there, on foot, in the rain, late at night?

The police and paramedics arrive and take the injured man to hospital and it seems only natural to let the police believe
that she, Deborah, was driving the car. She doesn't lie, just omits the truth. Grace is traumatized and appears to be
hiding the truth about what really went on at her friend's house earlier that night. The the hospital calls to tell Deborah
that Calvin McKenna has died.

As the situation spirals out of control, Deborah allows every opportunity to tell the truth, that Grace was driving, not her, to slip away. She has to protect her daughter. But is she making things worse by keeping it a secret?

The lie changes everything, her relationships with Grace, her father, even her ex-husband. It affects Grace, too, in that she cannot communicate with anyone anymore, her mother, her best friend, her schoolwork suffers, she starts to crave punishment for a man's death, which she perceives as her fault. She needs to tell the truth, but to whom?

A poignant story of a mother struggling to protect and hold on to her family.
Happy reading!

VEIL OF NIGHT by Linda Howard

Linda Howard writes romantic thrillers and this book is no exception.

The story revolves around Jaclyn Wilde, a very successful Wedding Planner with an absolutely crushing schedule - 6 weddings lined up in the week to come - and then there's Carrie Edwards, a bride to be still in the planning stages - and a total nightmare. Carrie, engaged to be married to the son of a State Senator, is a bride from hell, nothing is good enough for her, she fights with everyone, Jaclyn, the dressmaker, the florist, the caterer, her demands are horrific, she changes her mind constantly, everyone hates her, even her bridesmaids.

When Carrie is murdered, the detective assigned to the case is Eric Wilder - and he and Jaclyn just happened to have a one night stand the night before! Jaclyn is both astonished and insulted to find herself a prime suspect, along with about a hundred other people, and the budding relationship she thought she might possibly be starting with Eric takes a nosedive!

Determined to do everything strictly by the book Eric can only stand by helplessly as Jaclyn gives him icy attitude to be considered a suspect, and what wouldn't the poor guy do for a decent cup of coffee - Jaclyn makes lousy coffee in his opinion, and every time he stops for takeout he manages to find himself in a "situation" where he has to intercept a robbery.

When Jaclyn suddenly finds the killer has set his sights on her and is determined to eliminate her before she can identify him, or her, things get serious!

A light-hearted approach to a serious subject, with some really funny bits.

Happy reading!

THE DIETER by Susan Sussman

Although quite an old book, written in 1989, I have never come across this particular author before.

This was an easy read, very lighthearted and smooth flowing text with plenty of humour.

The story centres around Barbara Avers, a 105 pd, heavy smoking mother of 2, whose best friend dies of lung cancer. As a tribute to her friend, she makes a pledge to quit smoking.
Suddely she finds herself addicted to and obsessed with food, something that never really attracted her before. She can't seem to stop herself cramming everything that she lays her eyes on into her mouth and almost overnight, the pounds begin to pile on...

At first the extra 10 pds are just a trifling nuisance, she'll soon get rid of them, her clothes are a bit tighter than before, but she's not concerned, she'll just cut down on dessert... Her husband, a lawyer who is running for Congress and is increasingly busy with his campaigning is home less and less and pays her less and less attention, her children treat her with disdain and then downright embarrassment as her weight increases, she feels less and less attractive as she flits from Weightwatchers and consequent diet and exercise programmes with no success and all the time fighting that all consuming craving for a cigarette.

Her old boss asks her to come back to work, she is a Journalist who previously had a very successful column in a newspaper, and she agrees, not very willingly, and there she meets Mac, a crime reporter who does'nt seem to notice or care about the fact that she now weighs 150 pds.

As she struggles to regain her husband's attention, she begins to realise that all is not well in their
marriage, also, she starts to find discrepancies in the way her husband is running his campaign.

This is a book for everyone who has ever struggled to loose a few extra pounds, who has felt that sinking depression when they can't find anything in their wardrobe that fits or isn't too tight, who knows the temptation of an extra helping of food, who steps on the scale every morning hoping for a miracle. So the big question is... is their life after size 8?

You will feel every step of Barbara's pain and anguish as you read this book, and laugh with her as she copes with these problems and more, all the way to the very satisfying ending.

Happy reading!

CHASING FIRE by Nora Roberts

If you have never read a Nora Roberts book before, now is a good time to start. She has a unique style that is exciting and sophisticated, her plotlines well thought out and executed, she is immensely readable.

This is chicklit at its best!

Her heroines are all strong, gutsy, kick ass women determined to make their own way in life without the help of any man, and her heroes are manly, sensitive and good looking (obviously).

"Chasing Fire" is about the incredibly brave men and women who fight forest fires in the Montana Mountains and surrounding areas, putting their lives on the line on a daily basis, jumping from planes and working 18 or more hours straight battling raging forest fires, then cleaning up the burn areas before heading back to base camp to sleep, eat, train and wait for the next siren to sound.

The main character, Rowan Tripp, is one of these abovementioned strong, gutsy women who is still suffering nightmares after witnessing the death of her jump partner, Jim, the previous season. Although she has made it a rule not to get involved with anyone she works with, she finds herself strongly attracted to one of the new season's recruits, Gulliver Curry.

It soon becomes apparent that someone blames Rowan for Jim's death, and after several incidents occur, including some more deaths, Rowan finds herself becoming a suspect as well as a victim.
Having to deal with her own guilt over Jim's death and the ever growing danger she finds herself in,
as well as her growing attraction to the sexy Gull, is a distraction she does not welcome in her day to day life and the ever present danger of her job.

Suspicion turns to one of their own after the equipment for a jump is sabotaged, and things come to a head in a showdown between Rowan, the killer and a raging inferno that is determined to wipe out everyone and everything in its path.
Although quite a hefty read at 472 pages, the book is unputdownable - I promise you will not be bored!

Happy reading!