Firestorm is another spinoff of the Eve Duncan series. Various characters have been introduced to have special psychic powers in other Iris Johansen books.
In Firestorm, Kerry Murphy is able to detect fires. She hides her ability by being an arson investigator with an "amazing" arson dog. Kerry "discovered" her ability after she woke up from a two year coma that was a result of being hit by an unknown man at the scene of a house fire that killed her mother. She continues to have nightmares about that night but is never able to "see" the man's face.
Brad Silver is a controller who knows her secret and needs her help. He, under the orders of the President, is after a pyromaniac. However, Brad also has a personal agenda. This pyromaniac, James Trask, is also responsible for the death of his brother, a US Senator, and his sister in law. Brad witnessed them being burned alive.
The US government needs to locate the unstable Trask. Trask had been in charge of a secret scientific project funded by the government. When the funding was pulled and the project terminated, Trask began targeting his enemies, those behind the end of his pet project.
Brad draws Kerry in to help to find Trask before he kills more people. As a controller, Brad is able to help Kerry with her nightmares and along the way, also teaches Kerry how to manipulate minds.
However in the meanwhile, Trask gets personal and targets Kerry's brother and his pregnant wife. Kerry's brother is burned and her sister in law loses her baby.
Not only does this not scare off Kerry, it motivates her even more to go after Trask. When Trask kidnaps Kerry's brother and father as an attempt to bring her to him, Kerry is ready for him. Kerry is able to use mind control to manipulate Trask into position so that Brad could take him out.
Kerry also learns the extent of her father's love for her brother when her father was willing to give up his life and hers for her brother. She had always known that her brother was the favored child and that there was a lack of a father daughter relationship. She did not begrudge her brother because she loved her brother as well.
Kerry finally gets a breakthrough and realizes that the unknown man and cause of the fire that killed her mother was her brother. Her father knew the fact and covered the fact. Knowing something was wrong her brother, her father spent his life trying to make it up by being a better father to him. Unfortunately, he did not have enough love to go around.
I have a little bit of trouble with the direction that Iris Johansen has taken this series. I think the main reason is that the Eve Duncan series starts out without any of these paranormal abilities. So I think I have difficulty transitioning from a normal forensic storyline to a paranormal one. Once I get past it, I begin to enjoy the story. I really enjoy the Iris Johansen books. I have to admit at first it did take a little bit getting used to the idea that Iris Johansen the romance writer was also a wonderful suspense writer.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
I vaguely remember seeing the movie, Practical Magic, with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, ages ago. So while reading the book, I kept trying to reconcile my memories with what I was reading right before me. It wasn't working too well. I didn't remember a whole lot. I think I just kept confusing myself. However, that didn't stop me from continuing to picture Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock as Gillian and Sally Owens.
Two young girls are orphaned and come to be raised by their elderly witch aunts. Gillian, the wild and vivacious one, embraces her differences. Whereas Sally just wants to be normal. Gillian who falls in love at the blink of an eye, runs away to elope and escape. Sally who has always shied away from love, believing that her family is cursed when it comes to love, stays behind, falls in love, marries and has two little girls.
Then tragedy strikes and Sally's husband dies. Devastated, Sally leaves with her two girls to start a new, normal life, to be as far away as possible from her aunts. She continues to correspond with Gillian who has a wanderlust life with numerous husbands.
One day, Gillian shows up at her doorstep with a dead body, her current beau. She really did nothing do with his death but they did not want to be linked with the dead body. The two sisters bury the man in Sally's backyard. Mysterious things begin to happen. And a detective, Gary, shows up, investigating the disappearance of a man he was tracking.
The aunts come to help Sally and Gillian with the spirit that is now haunting. Sally and Gillian convince Gary that they had nothing to do with the disappearance of the missing man. Sally and Gillian are in the clear for the missing man.
This is what I get for not keeping up with posting. I cannot remember the ending. Funny thing though, just the other night, Practical Magic just happened to be on cable....
Two young girls are orphaned and come to be raised by their elderly witch aunts. Gillian, the wild and vivacious one, embraces her differences. Whereas Sally just wants to be normal. Gillian who falls in love at the blink of an eye, runs away to elope and escape. Sally who has always shied away from love, believing that her family is cursed when it comes to love, stays behind, falls in love, marries and has two little girls.
Then tragedy strikes and Sally's husband dies. Devastated, Sally leaves with her two girls to start a new, normal life, to be as far away as possible from her aunts. She continues to correspond with Gillian who has a wanderlust life with numerous husbands.
One day, Gillian shows up at her doorstep with a dead body, her current beau. She really did nothing do with his death but they did not want to be linked with the dead body. The two sisters bury the man in Sally's backyard. Mysterious things begin to happen. And a detective, Gary, shows up, investigating the disappearance of a man he was tracking.
The aunts come to help Sally and Gillian with the spirit that is now haunting. Sally and Gillian convince Gary that they had nothing to do with the disappearance of the missing man. Sally and Gillian are in the clear for the missing man.
This is what I get for not keeping up with posting. I cannot remember the ending. Funny thing though, just the other night, Practical Magic just happened to be on cable....
Friday, August 7, 2009
Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
This is another heartstring tugging book from Jodi Picoult. And I expect no less from her. I love her books because they make you think. I like to describe her as an author who writes about social issues. That's not totally accurate but it gives you a gist of what her stories are about. Without a doubt, after reading one of her books there will always be discussion and controversy. Change of Heart is no different.
June is the sole survivor of a fatal car accident that takes her husband and leaves her to care for their baby girl, Elizabeth, on her own. She eventually falls in love with and marries the police officer, Kurt, that rescues her. While heavily pregnant with her second daughter, June hires an itinerant, Shay Bourne, to help with some badly needed repairs. June returns one day from an ob-gyn appointment to find her husband, Kurt, and her daughter, Elizabeth, killed. Presumably by Shay. Shay is sent to death row, the first in over half a century. The jury deliberations were tough. There was one holdout by a young man, Michael. Michael's guilt in his part in this case leads him to a life in priesthood.
June, again, becomes a single parent to a baby girl, Claire. Under the circumstances, one can understand why June is very protective of her daughter. June is much more so with Claire due to a serious heart defect that requires a heart transplant for survival.
Years later, as Shay is facing execution, he sees a television segment showing a girl in need of a heart transplant and wants to donate his heart. June is ecstatic that someone wants to donate their heart. Moral dilemma, it belongs to the man that murdered her daughter and husband. June wants very much to deny the heart, hoping against all hope that there will be another donor. When she meets Shay face to face during a well supervised meeting, he tells her that Elizabeth was "better off dead." (My jaw dropped during this heart wrenching scene.)
Michael comes to the prison to befriend Shay and be his confessor. Michael and the other prisoners witness things that cannot be understood. Wine flows through the pipes of Shay's quadrant instead of water. A bird miraculously revives after Shay holds it. Shay pinpoints the cause of a guard's baby's severe illness to the peanut filling in her stuffed animal in her crib. Shay is able to share his one piece of gum with everyone in his ward. His HIV positive neighbor is seemingly cured the next day. A guard is fatally attacked by a prisoner and pronounced dead. While being removed by EMT, the guard revives, as Shay is seen huddled in a corner in prayer.
June refuses the heart but circumstances and time is not on Claire's side. June changes her mind when Claire ends up in the hospital. She accepts Shay's heart out of spite.
A trial is underway to determine whether Shay can donate his heart. A chamber has already been built to give him the lethal injection. Shay's lawyer helps him fight for the right to hang instead so that he can donate his heart.
Father Michael searches for ways to soothe Shay's soul, so that he may die in peace. Father Michael seeks out Shay's sister, Grace. He tries to convince her to forgive Shay for setting the fire that disfigures her face.
Shay admits to Father Michael that on the night of the murders, he discovered Kurt molesting his stepdaughter Elizabeth and in the struggle for the gun, Elizabeth was accidentally killed. Shay in turn killed Kurt for what he did. Although he finally admitted the truth, Shay refused to allow his lawyer to use the information to delay the trial. Shay wants to donate his heart. And time is running out.
When Claire finds out about the upcoming transplant, she convinces her mother to let her die.
Grace comes to visit June and shares the story of abuse from her foster father. She also tells June how she set the fire that killed her stepfather and how Shay took the blame. Grace plants the seed that Kurt might have been abusing Elizabeth. June decides that she will accept Shay's heart for Claire. The transplant is a success.
A few weeks later, while at home, Claire sees that her dog, Dudley has died. As she holds him in her arms, his heart starts beating again.
June is the sole survivor of a fatal car accident that takes her husband and leaves her to care for their baby girl, Elizabeth, on her own. She eventually falls in love with and marries the police officer, Kurt, that rescues her. While heavily pregnant with her second daughter, June hires an itinerant, Shay Bourne, to help with some badly needed repairs. June returns one day from an ob-gyn appointment to find her husband, Kurt, and her daughter, Elizabeth, killed. Presumably by Shay. Shay is sent to death row, the first in over half a century. The jury deliberations were tough. There was one holdout by a young man, Michael. Michael's guilt in his part in this case leads him to a life in priesthood.
June, again, becomes a single parent to a baby girl, Claire. Under the circumstances, one can understand why June is very protective of her daughter. June is much more so with Claire due to a serious heart defect that requires a heart transplant for survival.
Years later, as Shay is facing execution, he sees a television segment showing a girl in need of a heart transplant and wants to donate his heart. June is ecstatic that someone wants to donate their heart. Moral dilemma, it belongs to the man that murdered her daughter and husband. June wants very much to deny the heart, hoping against all hope that there will be another donor. When she meets Shay face to face during a well supervised meeting, he tells her that Elizabeth was "better off dead." (My jaw dropped during this heart wrenching scene.)
Michael comes to the prison to befriend Shay and be his confessor. Michael and the other prisoners witness things that cannot be understood. Wine flows through the pipes of Shay's quadrant instead of water. A bird miraculously revives after Shay holds it. Shay pinpoints the cause of a guard's baby's severe illness to the peanut filling in her stuffed animal in her crib. Shay is able to share his one piece of gum with everyone in his ward. His HIV positive neighbor is seemingly cured the next day. A guard is fatally attacked by a prisoner and pronounced dead. While being removed by EMT, the guard revives, as Shay is seen huddled in a corner in prayer.
June refuses the heart but circumstances and time is not on Claire's side. June changes her mind when Claire ends up in the hospital. She accepts Shay's heart out of spite.
A trial is underway to determine whether Shay can donate his heart. A chamber has already been built to give him the lethal injection. Shay's lawyer helps him fight for the right to hang instead so that he can donate his heart.
Father Michael searches for ways to soothe Shay's soul, so that he may die in peace. Father Michael seeks out Shay's sister, Grace. He tries to convince her to forgive Shay for setting the fire that disfigures her face.
Shay admits to Father Michael that on the night of the murders, he discovered Kurt molesting his stepdaughter Elizabeth and in the struggle for the gun, Elizabeth was accidentally killed. Shay in turn killed Kurt for what he did. Although he finally admitted the truth, Shay refused to allow his lawyer to use the information to delay the trial. Shay wants to donate his heart. And time is running out.
When Claire finds out about the upcoming transplant, she convinces her mother to let her die.
Grace comes to visit June and shares the story of abuse from her foster father. She also tells June how she set the fire that killed her stepfather and how Shay took the blame. Grace plants the seed that Kurt might have been abusing Elizabeth. June decides that she will accept Shay's heart for Claire. The transplant is a success.
A few weeks later, while at home, Claire sees that her dog, Dudley has died. As she holds him in her arms, his heart starts beating again.
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