BOOK REVIEW: Play Dead by Meryl Sawyer

When Newport Beach heiress Hayley Fordham heads to Costa Rica on an art commission, she has no idea she's narrowly escaped an assassin's car bomb. But before the paint's even dry on her mural, her stepsiblings have arranged her funeral and redivided the family trust. The fact that Hayley is still very much alive remains a secret to everyone but FBI investigator Ryan Hollister, who intercepts the "victim" returning home in the flesh.

Ryan has zero tolerance for the pampered elite. But there's something about the complex Hayley that sets his blood racing. With evidence pointing to a Fordham family associate, Ryan needs her cooperation—and her closeness—more than he dares admit. Because now, especially now, he's prepared to risk anything to stop Hayley from being killed...again.

'Play Dead' by Meryl Sawyer is a book I had read before but it had been a while.  It was very well written and even with having read it there was enough twists and turns that I was still guessing as I neared the end of the book.  I have to say I really enough reading mystery novels.  But I struggle with mystery novels due to the sheer number of characters that need to be introduced rather quickly if the book is to flow.  I find myself having to look back a lot to try to remember who is who. However, that is a me issue and not a writing issue.

Haylee Fordham's family thinks she is dead.  Her car was blown up in a local restaurant parking lot.  However, it's not long after the memorial and Haylee shows up alive and well.  But who wanted her dead?  And why?  Meryl Sawyer takes you through the twists and turns of figuring out just those questions while also developing strong side stories and engaging the reader into the actual lives of the characters.  I didn't feel like I was slogging through the story to find out who tried to murder the main character.  The story was engaging and added to the mystery instead of taking away from it.

The drawback for me was the romance.  It didn't feel natural or organic.  And instead of adding to the story it felt like an aside and actually took away from the story.  Don't get me wrong, I have read my fair share of romance novels.  But I didn't pick this up as a romance.  The cover had clothed people after all :S  The colliding of the characters with the romance felt forced and out of place.  It smoothed over towards the end though.

I did enjoy 'Play Dead'.  It was mostly well written and the story line and the characters were engaging and captivating.  The mystery wasn't wide open to be completely figured out before you got to the reveals.  And there were multiple reveals.  It was wrapped up a tad too neatly at the end but that did not detract from the overall story.

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About Meryl Sawyer

Responsible for more than 25 romantic novels (and still counting) Meryl Sawyer has quickly become one of the biggest names in romance fiction. A New York Times best-selling author (as well as an author that has won numerous other awards for her writing), Meryl Sawyer has established a track record of excellence not only in her writing, but also with her storytelling and ability to reel in new readers that might not have otherwise picked up a romantic piece of fiction.

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BOOK REVIEW: Promise You Won't Tell by John Locke

“I think something might have happened to me Saturday night. Something bad.”

Private Investigator Dani Ripper’s client list is nuttier than the Looney Tunes conga line, but she diligently solves one crazy case after another, waiting for a game-changer.

Enter Riley Freeman, 17-year-old honor student.

Saturday afternoon Riley quietly placed a little strawberry sticker on her private area and pretended it was a tattoo. She didn’t tell anyone about it. That night she went to a slumber party that featured drinking and boys. Riley fell asleep, woke up the next day with no reason to think anything happened…

…Until Monday, at school, when a classmate called her Strawberry.

Coincidence or crime? Dani agrees to investigate. And the roller coaster ride begins.

'Promise You Won't Tell?' had a good premise.  It had a lot of potential to be a good story.  And it was, mostly.  There was humor, a smidge of intrigue, and an interesting line up of characters and side stories.  However, I feel like the author fell a little short on the believability and the delivery of the potential the story had to offer. 

Dani Ripper, Private Eye, was witty in a often times juvenile way.  Her offbeat style of sarcasm made it harder to believe the times she tried to be serious.  Her partner is portrayed as a spoiled, overly smart, boy but he's not really fleshed out as a character that you can attach to.  And her nonexistent secretary with fantastical excuses shows up to save the day?  That's enough to wrap your head around until the clients are introduced.  The one that matters though is Riley Freeman.  A student at a local prep high school Riley thinks that maybe something inappropriate might have happened last weekend while she was staying at a friends home.  But she's not certain.

This is where the believability exits the storyline.  Some of the things that Dani and her cohorts do to try to solve this case are so unbelievable that it is almost laughable.  The level of self confidence that Dani has in herself and the extent to which things go the way she believes they will is just a tad beyond outrageous.  I think my biggest disappointment, though not as far stretched from a possible truth as the rest of the story, was the ending. 

You might had decided that I didn't like this book.  But I did rate it 3 stars.  The truth is I wanted to rate it higher.  I did enjoy reading it.  It was a light, fast, interesting read.  Sarcasm doesn't phase me, I tend to use it a lot myself. Outrageous story lines and crazy off the wall happenings are normal for me.  Perhaps not to the extent that Dani experienced but I have my own level of genteel insanity to deal with daily.  The entire story just never 'clicked' for me.  It was interesting. It was good.  But there was just too much over the top.  I would definitely say it is not a story for just anyone.  But as a quick lazy day read it definitely fits.


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About John Locke

New York Times best-selling author John Locke is the international best-selling author of sixteen books in four different genres. He is the 8th author in history to have sold one million eBooks on Kindle. Locke has had four books in the top ten at the same time, including #1 and #2. His Donovan Creed thriller series has sold more than 1,700,000 copies since January, 2011, and foreign rights have been acquired by six major publishers for Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Hungarian, and Lithuanian translations.

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BOOK REVIEW: Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent

 Jessilyn Lassiter never knew that hatred could lurk in the human heart until the summer of 1932 when she turned 13. When her best friend, Gemma, loses her parents in a tragic fire, Jessilyn's father vows to care for her as one of his own, despite the fact that Gemma is black and prejudice is prevalent in their southern Virginia town. Violence springs up as a ragtag band of Ku Klux Klan members unite and decide to take matters into their own hands. As tensions mount in the small community, loyalties are tested and Jessilyn is forced to say good-bye to the carefree days of her youth. Fireflies in December is the 2007 winner of the Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest, and a 2010 Christy Award winner.

I have read 'Fireflies in December' by Jennifer Erin Valent a couple of times now.  Each time I find something different that I love about it. Each time I read it something new sticks out to me and really makes me re-examine my own impact on my community.  A well written account of southern prejudice in the 1930's and how the choices of one family impacted an entire community, for better and for worse.  Jessilyn Lassiter is convinced she killed a man, accidentally. Her family had taken in a 'colored' girl after her family had died in a house fire.  Never mind that the family who died lived and worked on Jessilyn's family farm.  Never mind that the two girls felt like sisters and spent the weekends, afternoons, and summers together.  never mind a lot of things.  The whites had a problem with the Lassiter family taking in Gemma because she wasn't white.  The black community had a problem with the Lassiter family taking in Gemma because they weren't black.  The family did what they believed was right. The family did what they believed was best for all concerned.  And they took Gemma into their home and treated her like a daughter.  Like they always had, only in their own home.  Somehow that residence thing changed everything.  Changed the family, changed the community.  I read the Kindle edition and for the first time I can remember I added highlights to the story.  Reminders of passages, thoughts, observations that I wanted to be able to return to again.  In lieu of a typical me review I'm going to share a couple of them here. 

'That light is bright enough to light up a little speck of the night sky so a man can see it a ways away.  That's what God expects us to do.  Were to be lights in the dark, cold days that are this world.  Like fireflies in December?"
Jessilyn was talking with her Daddy about the troubles they were facing and had faced.  The section goes on to talk about how one firefly doesn't put out a lot of light but when you get several together they can create a light in the dark.  A lot like people.  One person can make some noise and try to make a change but it when more people join the change it makes a bigger impact.  But change has to start somewhere, even with one lone firefly to brighten the darkness.

"Mr. Stokes, ain't nothin' bad ever changed to good without startin' a little commotion' she replied. 

But God taught me a lesson about angels that day.  They don't always wear wings and carry harps.

We best be on our guard and keep our minds on what's right and true so we don't become things we'll regret.

Good did come, slowly. But not completely.  Friendships were lost.  Respect was lost and gained.  Love was lost and gained.  But self respect always grows when you do the right thing.  Even when it's hard.  Even when it feels like everyone is against you, from both sides.  I highly recommend this book to anyone.  Though the spoken slang is difficult at times it flows well so it doesn't annoy me as much as it typically does.  This book is very well written but also written simply enough that a middle age reader would do well with it.

Jennifer Erin Valent created something that has the potential to speak to anyone.  No matter your faith, no matter your feeling on race, there is something here for everyone to take away from it.  If only you take the time to look at yourself in the process.

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About Jennifer Erin Valent

Jennifer Erin Valent is the 2007 winner of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest and 2010 Christy Award winner for Fireflies in December. She lives in central Virginia, where she has worked as a nanny for over fifteen years. A lifelong resident of the South, her surroundings help to color the scenes and characters she writes.

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