Cult Crazy

Last Days by Adam Nevill

I have to say, not in a very long time have I picked up a book like Last Days and not put it down until I finished it. I think it was very well written, very well researched, and the author did his job. He got my attention in the first chapter and he kept it. I love a good horror story and I got it. Not to mention, I’m fascinated with cults, which is why I think he did a good job with his research. He created one that was believable enough to exist during that time, and have the beliefs that they did. I loved the idea of trying to do a documentary on a former cult, and all of the crazy paranormal obstacles that seemed to get in the director, Kyle’s, way, and I kept wondering, how much of that French History is true? Maybe the book was starting to get into my head too…

Crime History...but keep your personal politics out!

Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence… by Bill James

I enjoyed the book. I think he did a good job highlighting many of the cases and made his point how the media drives the popularity of a case and can in some cases taint it in the criminal justice system. My only problem with James is he should keep his personal view on politics to himself.

Please let me join the Vidocq Society!!!!

The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold Cases… by Michael Capuzzo

I actually liked this book. I have always been very interested in the Vidocq Society and found the history of how the organization was formed very interesting. I was familiar with most of the cases presented in the book, through other reading I had done in the past, the the macabre details were not shocking to me but might be to some. I read the book, not to focus on the cases, but on the people in the organization. I found it an interesting point of view by the author and I thought that the life stories of the three original members (Walter, Fleisher, and Bender) were fascinating. They have always been portrayed very differently in the media and it was great that they offered to participate in having the stories of their life made public. There are many books that contradict the work of the Vidocq Society, but I am glad that this book was written and portrays them as an organization that does help families and law enforcement organization, and that their work should not go unrecognized.

I am a Kip Yarber Fan!

Corpses and Canyons by Don Yarber

Corpses and Canyons was an exciting page turner by Don Yarber. Rarely, do I have the time to sit down and read a book from cover to cover in one evening. This book was the second in the “Kip Yardley Mystery” series. I was a bit nervous about reading a second book in a series, because I had not read the first, but as soon as I had started to read it, it did not matter. Kip Yardley, P.I., is a likeable character, helping out an old friend Jeremy, as they try to solve the murder of Jeremy’s friend. The book has lots of plot twists and turns, much like driving through a canyon road, and I enjoyed the unpredictability of the story up until the very end. The characters were interesting, and you never knew who to trust. It had all of the makings of a good mystery.

Cold Cold Sea

I had a love/hate relationship with this book.  It was a thriller and and and like a bad addiction, I could not stop reading until I finished the book. As sick and twisted as some of the characters were, I wanted more and the author delivered!  I read this book over the weekend with my three year old at my beach house...I will be keeping a closer eye on my kids now!