An unexpected Delight

Dangerous games DB 48901

Aiken, Joan. Reading time 7 hours, 46 minutes. Read by Patricia Kilgarriff. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. Subjects: Adventure ; Fantasy Fiction Series: Wolves chronicles volume: 10 Description: Dido Twite has been ordered to find Lord Herodsfoot, King James III’s roving ambassador who looks for new games for the king. She is headed to Aratu, but she must be careful, because the area is inhabited by dangerous creatures. Sequel to Wolves of Willoughby Chase (DB 30653). For grades 5-8.

 

A friend recently chastised me for dismissing a book because of its categorization, and this book makes me glad she did! I am not likely to dismiss a book, if the subject matter sounds interesting again, even if it is classified as YA, or seemingly recommended for certain grade levels.

 

Even though the elements drawn from the world with which we are familiar used as inspiration for the fantasy world of this book are easily recognizable, and even though the conflict between the nontechnological “forest people” and the “foreigners” are a bit clichéd, the author combines all of these elements to create a lovely, delightfully unique world, and imbues her characters with unique and entirely believable personalities, giving each of them depth and complexity.

 

The writing ranges between excellent and exquisite, making this “juvenile” adventure a pure joy to read.

 

Patricia Kilgarriff provided an excellent narration, and her reading style enhanced this book charmingly.

 

A Really Cold Case

Justice Delayed: The Catherine Janet Walsh Story (Unabridged)

Author: Steve Hallock Date: 2015 Narrator: Kevin Pierce Provider: The Artists’ Orchard, LLC Running Time: 7 h 06 min Audible Enhanced Audio An estranged husband who was a former high school sweetheart…. A suitor spurned after a night of boozing and dancing…. A secret early-morning lover…. These were three of the five viable suspects police were investigating after 23-year-old Catherine Janet Walsh’s parents discovered her half-nude body in her bed that Saturday morning of a sultry Labor Day weekend in 1979. But there was not enough evidence to convict any of them. Thirty-two years later, thanks to the emerging science of DNA forensics, Detective Andrew Gall, who was the initial responding officer to the murder scene, had a prime suspect in this cold case. Sperm left on the stored evidence – a nightgown, a robe tie to bind the young secretary’s hands, and a bandana used to strangle her – pointed to one of the five men who had motive and/or opportunity to kill her. But this true saga of liquor- and sex-tinged murder that disrupted a small riverside blue-collar town where crime was rare and everybody was related or friends, was only beginning. Now came the trial – no prosecutorial slam dunk, despite the scientific and forensic evidence – as the story of the murder was told in a courtroom drama involving internationally renowned forensics and DNA experts, conflicting character testimony, questionable alibis, and compromised memories of one long night and early morning of dancing, drinking, partying, and death.

 

The events of this True Crime book are related carefully, and the reader is guided through this complicated case.  In addition, the author provides the background context that make the people interesting, believable and multi-dimensional.

 

The book is beautifully documented, too, with extensive transcripts from testimony, police interviews and forensic reports.  This documentation adds to the interest, and deepens the understanding of what happened over a very long period of time.

 

However, this book is more than the story of a crime.  It presents significant information on the science behind the use of DNA evidence in criminal investigation, and also presents some of the issues surrounding this relatively new forensic tool, including political, ethical and moral issues that are being considered, and the potential effects the use of DNA information could have on criminal investigation and prosecution, both positive and negative.

 

Although reading some of this material required concentration, which removes this from escape reading, I found this book both interesting and thought provoking, and I was impressed with its meticulous attention to detail.

 

Kevin Pierce provided his always superb narration.  He reads nonfiction in a low key style, but he is never bland, monotone or lacking in expression.  He never dramatizes, but doing so would be inappropriate and distracting in this kind of book, and he always finds, and stays in, just the right “key”.

 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for this unbiased review via the courtesy of AudioBookBlast dot com.

Love, danger and rain forests

The edge DB 48769

Coulter, Catherine. Reading time 9 hours, 54 minutes. Read by David Hartley-Margolin. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. Subjects: Romantic suspense fiction Series: FBI thriller volume: 04 Description: Recovering from a car bomb, FBI agent Ford MacDougal experiences a drowning sensation. The next morning he learns his sister Jilly is in a coma from driving her car over an Oregon oceanside cliff. As Jilly awakens and disappears, Ford begins tracking down clues. Strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller.

 

This is, I believe, a Harlequin Romance, and while reading it, I was struck by the thought that Harlequin Romances had certainly grown up since I was introduced to them in my teens. If this series is an example of the quality of what they are now producing, they have matured, too.

 

Yes, the romantic elements are all pervasive in this book. Everyone seems to be involved with someone, and those involvements, both positive and destructive, are treated in loving detail by the author, but the Romantic elements do not distract from the story, because the author is skillful enough to weave them into her main plot and make them seem natural developments of that plot.

 

But this is also a thriller, and here, the author shines. We are taken from a small town in Washington State to a rain forest In Costa Rica, and along the way, the characters (most of whom are very well drawn) are subjected to more dangers than any life should hold in its entirety. However, the characters have the skills to deal with them, and what they do is usually credible both within the context of the story and human capabilities.