(5) = Best; (4) = Better; (3) = Good; (2) = Fair; (1) = OK
These abstracts serve as reminders to myself; they serve to "jog" my memory on what a book was all about. That's all. This is not a literary critique, not a social commentary, and certainly nothing profound to warrant further discussion.
(5) = means that I really enjoyed this book; (1) = means I finished reading it but wonder if my time could have been better spent elsewhere.
A mirror that answers questions about the past and future, but the secret is that it only answers questions from virgins. The story mixes the flavor of a classic fairy tale in a modern love story. It is set in a town locked in the shadows of an abiding evil. Adam Montgomery is a beautiful, handsome multi-millionaire in search of his parent’s mysterious disappearance in this town. Through a medium, he hires Darci Monroe in his search for his parents. She is an ebullient spirit witha positive attitude and extraordinary determination. Darci devotes more than just professional attention to Adam; she possesses otherworldly gifts and abilities needed to help fight a terrifying witch (2).
Families and individuals can respond positively to tragedies, or they can respond negatively. Ford Newcombe’s wife and family had an idyllic life, so he thought, until he discovered the tragedies they experienced. This surprised him cause they were so positive, loving and caring; he thought they didn’t have a problem in the world. This is in contrast to his attitude with his dysfunctional family. His father was in prison for 40 years as a result of a failed bank robbery planned by his uncles. His family is basically illiterate; he describes his uncles, aunts and cousins in the most disparaging way. He disowns them and has avoided them for years. Ford was an aspiring writer when he met Pat. Soon after they married she decided to teach, so he can devote his full time to writing. Pat eventually becomes his agent and helped launch his career. He became a world famous Pulitzer Prize winner; he was very productive and earned a lot of money. Pat dies and Ford’s grief paralyzes him. He stops writing. The story has just begun.
Ford Newcombe had been reading about ghosts and he was at a university party where he heard that Jacki Maxwell, a graduate student, was a great story teller. Her friends urged her to tell a story, so this is what he heard: “A woman loved a man the townspeople believed was the devil. Why did they believe that? And they killed her. Not him. Her. Why didn’t they kill the man? Fear? Couldn’t find him? He’d gone back to hell? What happened after she was murdered? Any prosecutions?” This intrigued Newcombe as ghost and witch stories were abundant, but devil stories are rare. He decides to find out if this story had any merit to it. She says her mother told her this story as a child. He learns that Jacki had grown up in Cole Creek, North Carolina, so he calls the librarian in that town, introduces himself and asked about the devil story. She says, “that is all a lie!” and abruptly terminates the conversation. He decides to go to Cole Creek and do more digging. He buys an old, huge three story Victorian House in the center of town. It is in terrible condition. He hires Jacki as a research assistant but she becomes more than a researcher. Jackie’s first task was to get it fixed up. She is thoroughly occupied by that activity and enjoys it. Money is no problem so they go on a shopping spree. Soon, the house is filled with plumbers, electricians, carpenters.
The stories in each chapter are told separately by Ford and Jacki. You get to see their interpretation as events unfold. The characters from the village are introduced and eventually Ford’s father and cousin whom he had not seen in 40 odd years appear. Ford learns that since the murder a spell has been cast over the village and the eldest member of a Founding Family would never be allowed to leave town – invariably something happens and it appears there is a 50 mile barrier that has been set. As each person tells Ford what they know he concludes that Jacki may have been a witness to the murder when she was a very young child.
Ford and Jacki has an approach/avoidance relationship with one another. The Employer/Employee predicament keeps them apart. Ford is about 20 yrs older than Jacki, so she teases him when he is attracted to other women. She is jealous when this beautiful retired movie actress/sculptor invites Ford to her home to see some of her art work. Jacki decides to go on a hike when Ford goes to see the actress. She meets this strange handsome professor on her hike and becomes sexually obsessed with him. He turns out to be the devil.
You will have to read the book to find out what happens to his father and cousin, what happens to the whole village and the spell and what happens to Jacki (5).
This is a story of greed – the love of money and what it can do to people. Clay Carter was a brilliant, dedicated public defender, a graduate of Georgetown Law, hard working and good looking. He takes on the case of a young man charged with a random street killing. As he digs into the background of his client, Clay stumbles on to a conspiracy and he find himself in the middle of a complex class action case against one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. He is gradually introduced to the world of Torts - there is a whole network of attorneys who specializes on class action suits. The financial rewards are out of sight to the Public Defender. Clay is absorbed into that world; he is rewarded with 30 million dollars in his first case and from there it is downhill all the way. He expands his company, spends far more than he earns, his advertisements on TV attracts thousands of would-be clients in class action suits, the business expands so fast he cannot keep up with client needs. Counter suits arise and Clay finds himself being sued by former clients for misleading them and not delivering on promises. The reader doesn’t have to read everything to know where this is headed. Clay loses everything, but in the end manages to re-unite with the woman he had lost (3).
This book is a sequel to “When the Wind Blows.” It is a marvelous science fiction about a group of children who can fly. Created by mad scientists who treated them like rats in an experiment and discarded (killed) when no longer needed they manage to escape and find refuge with Frannie, a Veterinarian. The main theme is a custody battle in the courts in Colorado where the birth parents of these kids were originally told their children had died at childbirth. Frannie wants to adopt them and the kids love her as she had been the actual parent to them offering not only understanding, healing and security but lots of love and affection. There is a subplot. Dr. Ethan Kane, another mad scientist, had been killing young people, harvesting their organs for transplant to wealthy, powerful and important people. He had experimented on himself and managed to maintain his youth and vigor for more than 100 years. He wants to capture the kids and use their DNA for more experiments. Thus far, he has managed to excape detection. Max, the oldest of the children, had been witness to some of his killings and is a threat to the Dr. Kane. He is determined to capture Max.
You can probably complete this book in one sitting (4).
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