BOOK REVIEW: Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl with April Henry

This is a story about three women, working in criminal investigative jobs in Portland, Oregon. Federal prosecutor Allison Pierce, FBI Agent Nicole Hedges, and television crime reporter Cassidy Shaw, long-time friends from school, team up to find a cold-hearted killer before more lives are lost. Time becomes more critical when the killer threatens to harm them and their loved ones.

This is the third book in a series called Triple Threat, named for the three main characters. In my opinion it is the best yet. As usual, it is suspenseful, full of action, and about interesting characters. I like the way the reader is given insights the three women don't have yet. This adds to the suspense.

Although each book in the series stands alone, I felt the characters in this one had grown emotionally since the last book. Each had gone through life events that would make anyone stop and evaluate their situation. Or, perhaps the authors have grown. I say that because I also felt the other characters, the criminal ones, were more real to me than in past books.

There is a subtle message about how different people react to God, but it does not take away from an enjoyable read. I strongly recommend Heart of Ice!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” After reading the book, I donated it to a church library.

BOOK REVIEW: Hand of Fate by Lis Wiehl and April Henry

I purchased the CD edition of the book, read by Pam Turlow, for a long automobile trip and enjoyed it so much I bought the first in the series when I got back.

Hand of Fate is the second book in the Triple Threat series, so named because of the three main characters, Allison Pierce, a federal prosecutor, Nicole Hedges, an FBI special agent, and Cassidy Shaw, a TV crime reporter. These three are friends and have a history of being in college together.

The story begins with the murder of a radio talk show host in Portland, Oregon, and the main goal is to find the killer, or killers. One of the trio is a close friend of the victim and the other two had scheduled a meeting with him before he was killed because he was receiving threats. Unfortunately for Jim Fate, he was killed before the meeting.

The story moves along quickly with suspense, action, and realistic characters. Each of the triple threat women have subplots going on in their lives not directly related to solving the mystery, but these subplots did not distract from the story. There were many twists and turns along the way, just like in any good book.

I would recommend Hand of Fate to anyone interested in a good mystery.

Audible Books -- Great for Long Road Trips

Celeste and I attended the Berkshire Choral Festival this year, and decided to drive to Sheffield, Massachusetts so we could visit friends and family on the way. We had a wonderful time at the Festival, met some new friends, enjoyed learning new music, and participated in a powerful performance.

The visiting was great, too. I saw where she lived and met more of her friends, revisited with family. She met or revisited my friends and family. We stayed with friends and family most of the way.

I wondered if sitting next to each other in the confines of an automobile for 4,400 plus miles could take its toll on a marriage of four months.

But we made it.

Just before we left, my dentist suggested books on CD. She said it saved her marriage. I wasn't really worried about my marriage, but it sounded like a great idea. To be able to "read" while driving intrigued me. I bought two books, John Grisham's Playing for Pizza and Lis Wiehl's Hand of Fate, before Celeste mentioned CD books were probably available at the library.

So, I went to the Georgetown Library and found two more books, Marley and Me, by John Grogan and Starburst: A Novel by Robin Pilcher.

When we got home, we had only the second half of Pilcher's book remaining. So, I bought it in the Kindle edition to read the rest. We donated the purchased books to the library.

What I learned is that it is fun to listen to books on the road and it definitely makes the time go by faster. You have to be careful driving and be willing to hit the off button when driving requires your full attention.

Another thing I learned was that the readers are quite talented. I could feel gender, ethnicity, dialect, and mood all from a single person reading the book. By the time I started reading Pilcher's book on the Kindle, I could still hear the Scottish accents vs. the English and French accents of characters. It was amazing.

However, I also learned I don't want to listen to a book on CD at home or during short trips in the car. I need at least an hour to listen and then I can't wait too long before the next part.

How about you? Have you ever listened to a book?

For more information, see:

http://audible.com/
http://www.audiobookstand.com/
http://www.weread4you.com/
http://www.bookrix.com/