Feb 9-15, 2014

Tell No Lies by Gregg Huritz - a counselor for violent ex-offenders accidentally receives a death threat in his office mail. But it's too late and someone is dead. He gets caught up in the case and finds himself under threat. Pretty exciting in parts but I had a little trouble seeing the hero as indomitable as he apparently was.

3 stars
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This Dark Road to Mercy by Riley Cash - two sisters are in the foster system when the father they haven't seen in years comes looking for him. When he takes them from their bedroom at night and they go on the run, their court appointed guardian begins looking for them. Also searching is a scary person from the past. The story is told from 3 viewpoints and moves right along.

4 stars
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Double Double: A Dual Memoir of Alcoholism by Martha and Ken Grimes - a mother and son account of alcoholism. I expected the chapters by Martha to be better since she is the author ( the Richard Jury novels) of the duo but I thought her chapters were very rambling. And she seems to think her way - rehab - is better than the 12-step program her son went through.

2 stars
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Before I Burn: A Novel by Gaute Heivoll - this is written as fiction but is based on a true story. A pyromaniac is setting fires in Norway and the author grew up hearing the stories and decides to write about it. I was totally confused by the way the story goes back in forth in time. It is never explained why the fires were set.

1 star
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Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - a 16 yo boy discovers the stories his grandfather has been telling him may be true after all. He travels to Wales to find out. The book is interspersed with pictures of very odd children. Fairly exciting at the end. First book in a series.

3 stars
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Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith - the authors decided to quit their jobs and visit all 58 National Parks. They tell their story in a series of emails to their friends. Not a park travelogue, but a description of their feelings about the parks, other visitors and each other. I laughed out loud several times.

4 stars
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The Martian by Andy Weir - an astronaut has an accident and is left behind on Mars by his crewmates because they believe him dead. Now he must survive 4 years before the next mission. In spite of all the techy talk, this is quite action packed. Surprisingly humorous in spots. Some language.

5 stars