Review of Thread of Fear (Mass Market Paperback)

Laura Griffin strikes gold with her third book, Thread of Fear.Fiona Glass is a forensic artist, the best in the business.She no longer wants her job.The haunted faces of the killers and victims she's sketched over the years have taken their toll.But police chief Jack Bowman isn't an easy man to deny.Jack needs Fiona's expertise to help put a serial killer who's targeting young girls behind bars.He appeals to Fiona's sense of justice and successfully convinces her to help him.But as they work together, Fiona becomes more important to Jack than he ever imagined she could.~~~~~~~~~Thread of Fear is the first book I've ever read more than once.Yes, it is that good!The writing is tight, the story is explosive and the tension kept me turning pages long into the night.I had no choice.I had to find out what happened.Right from the start, Ms. Griffin's talent took me inside the story and gave me a front row seat to all the emotions Fiona and Jack experience while tracking the killer and fighting their attraction to each other.And I have to mention Fiona's sister, Courtney.Ms. Griffin created such a wonderfully complicated character in Courtney, I couldn't help liking her and I'm already looking forward to her story in Whisper of Warning. The next time you're in the bookstore, make sure to pick up Thread of Fear.I promise you won't be disappointed!


Product Description
Forensic artist Fiona Glass is the best in the business -- which is precisely why she's quitting. Her skill at mining victims' memories to re-create the faces of sadistic criminals has left her haunted and wary, and only Jack Bowman's dogged persistence convinces her to help him. The rugged police chief is hunting a serial killer who's targeting teenage girls. But what seems like a simple assignment is fraught with complications, including a searing attraction to Jack that's tempting Fiona to let her guard down in potentially dangerous ways.

Jack never intended for Fiona to become so deeply involved in the case -- or in his life. But every instinct tells him she's his best hope for finding a psychopath who's lurking in plain sight, growing more ruthless with each passing day. And now that Fiona is right in the killer's crosshairs, the only way to keep her safe is to unravel a small town's darkest secrets, one terrifying thread at a time....

About the Author
Laura Griffin started her career in journalism before venturing into the world of romantic suspense with her first three novels for Pocket Books -- One Last Breath, One Wrong Step, and Thread of Fear. Her articles have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines, and her fiction writing has garnered awards from writing competitions throughout the country. Laura currently lives in Austin, where she is currently working on Hot List, the first book in her new series for Pocket. Visit her web site at www.lauragriffin.com.



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Review of Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Generally I do not read a lot of narrative prose, but when I do my preferred genre is the murder mystery.My friend Mo recommended Kathy Reichs' Death du Jour to me because of my interest in the sciences and anthropology.I have to admit the book sat on my shelf for about 3 months before I finally got around to examining even the cover, but when I did the author's professional credentials engaged my attention.Dr Reichs is a forensic anthropologist trained at Northwestern University and employed by both the state of North Carolina and the Province of Quebec as an expert in forensics and by the University of North Carolina as a professor of anthropology.Her expertise is definitely reflected in the content of the novel.After reading the first few lines of the book I was hooked.So much was this the case that I finished it in the space of a single afternoon.

Each of the characters is a real person with a distinct personality.The heroine Tempe, a forensic anthropologist--who is much as I imagine Dr. Reichs to be herself--is clearly defined as an individual.She has a past and a present and family relationships and problems much as we all do.Her sister Harry is not simply a carbon copy of the heroine.She too is an individual.

The mise en scene of the action in both Quebec and North Carolina are vividly recreated for the reader.One can almost feel the damp bone-chilling cold of a Canadian winter and the balmy days of a southeastern coastline.Incorporating the little details of activity such as specific restaurants eaten at and things ordered there, specifics of the medical examiners' offices in Montreal and how the character proceeds with her work there addverisimilitude to the narrative.It is abundantly apparent that the author knows her setting and her topic with the thoroughness of the professional participant as opposed to the diligent journalist.To a certain extent, there is a rather more graphic description of each of the deceased than in many mysteries that I've read with a similar format, but there is no attempt to make the subject particularly sensational, just very, very real.

Dr. Reichs' writing style is engaging and carries the reader along swiftly.The central characters are likable and human, much as those of Rita Mae Brown who's mysteries I tend to read just to "visit" old friends.Dialogue is realistic and is not gratuitous and designed to fill space but forwards the story well.Furthermore, it is well tailored to each of the individual characters, contributing to their three dimensional quality.Their mannerisms in speaking, their use of dialect all create a sense of "real people."The rhythm of the words encourages the reader to keep moving smoothly to the denouement.

My one and only complaint would be that the conclusion of the story of Sister Elisabeth Nicolet, the threads of whose history is woven through the main theme, is not quite as interesting as it might have been and leaves one feeling rather more distracted than entertained.

Certainly a mystery worth reading.If nothing else, you'll learn a lot about what forensics.



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