Plot summary (with spoilers): The night after celebrating her 12th birthday at the Camp David presidential retreat, Willa Dutton is abducted from her home in nearby Virginia. Her two siblings and father Tuck are unharmed, but her mother Pam had her throat slit and died at the scene. Willa is the president’s niece, so [...]
Plot summary (with spoilers): The Amber Room is a collection of amber panels that used to adorn the walls of Peter the Great. The gift of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia, the room was of singular beauty and craftsmanship, as each panel was carved with intricate designs and inlaid with precious gems in [...]
Plot summary (with spoilers): Jack Reacher is an ex-MP who just got his walking papers six months ago after living abroad in the Army for 14 years. As he’s passing through the sleepy town of Margrave, GA, he’s picked up as a murder suspect. Someone matching his description was seen near a warehouse where [...]
Plot summary (with possible spoilers): The Shack begins like any other fiction novel might. It is told from the point of view of Mackenzie “Mack” Phillips, a man living what seems to be an ideal life. He has a terrific wife and wonderful children, and he appears to be truly happy and content with [...]
I’ve read two Harlan Coben books before, Deal Breaker, which was pretty good, and Hold Tight which was just okay. While neither novel would be called a work of literary genius, they were at least entertaining page-turners that kept me interested most of the way through. So when I found the audio version of [...]
As I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions, one of my goals as a reader is to tackle every book listed on the Observer’s list of the 100 Greatest Novels of all-time. I’m about 65% of the way towards my goal, and plan to read one or two books from the list each month this year. [...]
As I’ve mentioned before, one of my goals as a reader is to read (or at least attempt to read) all of the books listed by The Observer (UK) as the 100 Greatest Novels of All Time. With the completion of Philip Roth’s American Pastoral, which was No. 99 on the list, I’ve now [...]
When I was in high school, I had to read a lot of Hawthorne in my American Lit class. I clearly remember tackling The Scarlet Letter, as well as a whole bunch of his short stories. Since I liked those works, I always meant to go back and read more Hawthorne when I had [...]