The Brethren

“The Brethren” are three former judges serving time in a Florida Federal Prison, each being convicted felons. These guys get bored in Trumble, the minimum security prison (more like a country club). Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop. They devise a clever scam where they pen pal with middle-aged closeted gay men, who have status in their communities, marriages, and money. Then they blackmail them to keep quiet. By placing a small add in the classifieds of an “alternative” magazine, the plan works like a charm, and they start having a lot of money rolling in. That is, until they hook the wrong fish. They were just lucky enough, or un-lucky enough, to threaten someone with unlimited funds and an unlimited reach.

John Grisham came up with an interesting plot for the book, and his writing style is quite excellent. One of the quotes on the back cover…….from the New York Post, reads: “Gripping..Will hook you from the first page and won’t let you go.” I would agree as I read the 440 page novel in two days. I wouldn’t say that there were any huge plot twists, but the story is well written and a super enjoyable read. I’ve seen most of the movies made based on Grisham novels, yet this is the first of his books I’ve actually read. I do plan to read more of his work in the future.

Forever Odd

Forever Odd is the follow up to Odd Thomas. The character,Odd Thomas, has been an extremely interesting character to read about. He’s a loner, but possesses a supernatural gift that he doesn’t tell people about, aside from the trusted few. He likes to keep his life as simple and quiet as possible. Although that’s almost impossible as he can see the dead, whose spirits have yet to move on past this life. The cool thing is, Odd is not completely serious. There’s a quirkiness and humor about him that shouldn’t, but somehow fits his character perfectly. Dean Koontz is very good at combining frightening moments with very funny statements. For me, that’s part of what I liked most about the character. Also, the appearances by the ghost of Elvis in this book and the last, place an extra comedic feel to the story.

In Forever Odd, Odd is on a “leave of absence” from his job as a short order cook at the Pico Mundo Grille to try and deal with the events of the last book, Odd Thomas. After his best friend’s father is murdered, and his friend is missing, Odd goes on a search for the murderer/abductor. This book, while very entertaining, is not as complex as Odd Thomas. The author doesn’t delve down as deep with this one, which probably helps the story move along at a faster pace. It was a super-fast read as I was done before I felt I got started good. Never-the-less, I would highly recommend both of these books.

Transfer of Power

Transfer of Power is the second novel by Vince Flynn, and it’s the first featuring secret operative Mitch Rapp, who appears in later books as well. Many of the government characters that appeared inTerm Limits show up in this one. I have to say, that I’m extremely impressed with Vince Flynn, who has also done some consulting on the scripts and plot lines for FOX’s hit series “24”. Flynn obviously does his research, and delivers a lot of details. This can be a little monotonous in the first few chapters of the book. I would probably attribute the monotony to my lack of reading skill rather than Flynn’s writing, however that was my impression.

After the first few chapters, the action starts. The book is a very fast read despite it’s 550 pages. One of the things that impresses me about the author, is the fact that this book deals with a lot of themes that the world is facing now with Extreme Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorism……….and this book came out in 1999. I realize that those things were around before September 11,2001, but I don’t remember them being on the forefront.

In this book, a group of terrorists take over the White House. Mitch Rapp finds a way to secretly enter the building to gather intelligence. Without givng away the story line, I’ll say that the book is top notch if you like the spy, espionage, stealth type of stories. The action is exciting, yet ultra-realistic. I’m seriously looking forward to the next book in the series, The Third Option.

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So you love to read. You mostly read paperbacks because, frankly, who can afford to buy a new hardcover every week or two? Reading can be done for free if you don’t mind checking your books out at the library. The only downside to that is, your limited to what their selection is and which books aren’t already checked out by someone else. Then you have that date to have the book read by and get it returned. The Library thing definitely won’t work if your the “collector” type.

Angels & Demons

Wow! This was a good book. The main character is the same Robert Langdon from the Da Vinci Code, but this was actually the prior novel. So this is Robert Langdon’s so-called “first adventure”. Robert Langdon, being the world-renowned symbologist that he is, is called to a scientific research facility in Sweden to judge the authenticity of an ambigram branded to the chest of a murdered scientist. What he finds is startling. The branded word, Illuminati, is not only authentic but the ancient secret brotherhood is apparently still around and very active today. Their plot is to destroy Vatican City and Catholicism altogether in the name of science with a newly discovered weapon of mass destruction. Langdon and the murdered scientists’ daughter head to Rome to try and save the Vatican.

The story certainly has an Indiana Jones flare, with all the ancient ruins that are searched. The story moves along at a nice, steady pace……..keeping the reader’s interest in tact. Many plot twists that will keep you guessing till the end. Several times, I thought I had the story figured out only to find a new twist that threw my whole theory aside. All the shifting of the story line is a crescendo that slowly builds to a strong ending.

I’ve read quite a bit of criticism of Author Dan Brown’s use of so many similarities in plot between this book and The Da Vinci Code. I haven’t read The Da Vinci Code, so I’m looking at this book on it’s own merits. Besides, this book was written first, so I would say it’s the original.