Does a Serial Killer Keep a Diary?

Duncan's Diary: Birth of a Serial Killer- by Christopher Payne

So I was VERY excited to read this book! I mean, with my background in forensic psychology, I was excited to see how this author could capture the transformation of a budding serial killer and the book sounded cool. Well, Payne did a good a good job in the beginning, but other than redundant gore and sex...not that it offended me in any way, but just bored me...I found the book hard to read because it seemed so repetitive and predictable. The main character Duncan, was a smooth operator, like most serial killers, and did an excellent job of eluding friends and family. I was also disappointed that it wasn't in “diary” format”. The author did a good job doing his research on serial killers, but the book wasn't that exciting. Although, it did teach a valuable lesson on internet dating!

The Anatomy Of Ghosts-Andrew Taylor...Must Read!!!

The Anatomy of Ghosts-by Andrew Taylor

Well usually it is a bit early to say this, but I am excited to say that I have started off the year reading a book that appears to have great promise! The book is about a man named Holdsworth, who has completely lost everything, wrote a book hypothesizing the theory that ghosts did not exist. During the late 1700s, this theory was extremely controversial and created much debate. He was then offered a once an a lifetime opportunity to prove this theory by a rich and powerful woman. Andrew Taylor's, The Anatomy of Ghosts, is one of those rare books that is able to capture historical fiction in such a way and combine it with so many other exciting features, such as scandals, secret societies, and even manage to through in a love story. The story was captivating until the last page, ...and can Mr. Holdsworth prove his theory?

Hater by David Moody

As great as some people's reviews were for this book, I found it very predictable and unoriginal. I liked the book, but it seemed like the author took ideas from other people's books and movies, and made them into his own story. As you read the book, I always felt like "this reminds me of something I've read, or seen, or heard about." I still enjoyed the book. It was fast paced and kept me interested, though no shocker. I am interested, since this is the first in a trilogy, how the next two will compare. Hopefully they will be more original.

The Burning Girl by Mark Billingham

I had never heard of this book or author before, so I jumped into book four of this series. It was nothing like I had predicted it would be! I expected your predictable detective chases serial killer, in this case over burning bodies, and then the detective becomes victim at the end and ends up a hero blah blah blah... that is so typical of detective series books. I was in for a treat. It did not matter if I had ever read a book in this series, the main detective was just one of many characters that this story revolved around. There were several sub-plots that went on in the story...were they linked? Or how many? And did this book have to do with serial killers burning girls at all? Thats what I probably liked best, I was completely proved wrong about so many things and kept guessing and coming up with new theories that I couldn't put the book down.

Ghost Trackers: The Unreal World of Ghosts, Ghost-Hunting, and the Paranormal… by Chris Gudgeon

This book is geared for children from ages 9-12. It is informative, well written, and covers a variety of topics, ranging from historical ghost stories to how to carry out your own “ghost-hunting” (even though no kid in the world would have the equipment to do this). I liked the fact that it gave both a scientific basis and other...possibility for what possibly may be a paranormal experience. It also gave excellent definitions and examples that were appropriate for a child between the ages of 9-12 to understand. It was engaging and quite fun to read. I actually had my 9 year old check it out around Halloween with her friends to see what they thought of it. I was a little nervous that it might be a little scary, but it the writing was humorous at times and interesting, that it took any “scare” out of ghosts and paranormal away. We were actually able to have some interesting conversations about haunted houses, possible ghost sightings (I grew up in Boston and lots of people's houses are “haunted”...or are they?), and visiting some of the places mentioned in the book that were nearby. She and her friends carried that book around for a good couple of weeks before I could get it back from her to actually review it myself. If a book can engage a nine year old girl in to science of any type (who has no interest in science what so ever), then there has to be something good about it. As a former teacher, I think these types of books are great. They are not to long, they are appealing to children, and they are not to complected to read so that a “non-science” person is bored. They also encourage conversation between parents and children about belief systems, experiences, and who knows, maybe exploring new places together.