REVIEW for Long Gone

Thank you to HarperCollins UK for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:              Long Gone

AUTHOR:        Alafair Burke

GENRE:           Thriller

RATING:         4 Stars

I stopped reading thrillers a while ago because I was kind of tired of reading the same plotlines over and over again.  Fortunately, I have always enjoyed Alafair Burke's books and picked up Long Gone with a lot of "hope".

I was not disappointed.  First, I have to say that the plotline was completely original (at least I had never read anything similar) and worked very, very well to capture my interest and, more importantly, keep it!

Alice's life has not been going that well, until she meets Drew Campbell who hands her her dream job - running an art gallery where the anonymous owner promises to "stay out of the way".  Of course, to everyone but Alice this seems a little strange, but she is determined to make it work.

One day, as she arrives for work, she realizes that the gallery simply does not exist anymore.  In fact, it is as though it never actually existed in the first place and well - there is a body AND a missing girl that seem to be linked to Alice somehow.  Alice is innocent and sets out to prove it.

Yep, this book gave me the chills.  Can you imagine knowing that the place you worked at (and loved) has simply disappeared? For some reason, this freaked me out a little bit, which only enticed me to read on :)

What follows is a story with a perfect tone.  I loved the pacing (which is something that is incredibly important to me) and although I was pretty sure that Alice was innocent, at times, when confronted with the "reality" I found myself questionning it again and again.  I also loved the Alice character who finds herself in an extremely odd situation which might have sent somebody else over the bend - but she just keeps on investigating and is determined to fight on.

Some of the twists in this book were great - and it takes a lot to surprise me - so this was a great surprise.

Overall, a wonderful, wonderful thriller.

Visiting the US

As you all know, I am a huge fan of the US - I love the fact that I can visit so many stores that I don't normally get in Montreal which is weird because, other than bookstores I am not big on shopping at all.  Yet, when I get to the US, I can't wait to "hit" all those great stores.

It was a long weekend in Quebec because of our National Holiday - St-Jean Baptiste, which, frankly, I never celebrate.  However, I decided to go to Plattsburgh New York and left Friday by Amtrak.  The train ride was okay, except for the fact that the train was packed and our car had about 30 students coming back from a visit to Montreal (they were about 13 years old or so).  While they were not horrible, they were noisy so I was anxious to get off the train.

I arrived in Plattsburgh and tried a new hotel (there are tons of hotels to choose which is weird because Plattsburgh is tiny).  It was a great choice - here are some pictures:

My first stop on the shopping tour was, of course, Borders and while I was there, the cafe was preparing these beautiful looking "samples". I did not have any (too much sugar) but they looked wonderfully delicious


I did pick up a few books which I will list in my next In My Mailbox posting. - 

Also visited Target (love this store) and quite a few others. On the way back, I took a picture of this US postal truck. I guess I was just so excited to see mail delivery somewhere in the world! as you know, Canada Post has been on lock out for two weeks. The good news - they have been legislated back to work as of Tuesday morning yeah!

Loved my time in the US but, as always, it was too short.

REVIEW for Breaking Even

I am thrilled to be part of the Chicklitplus.com blog tour for Breaking Even written by Kathleen Kole.

TITLE:                   Breaking Even

AUTHOR:              Kathleen Kole

GENRE:                 Chick Lit

RATING:               4 Stars

I am so thrilled to have discovered a chick lit author - very exciting.

Breaking Even was a fun, fun read.  Penelope is living the "perfect dream" with her long term boyfriend, who has now asked her to marry him.  He is a nice, stable and safe man - so why is life not more interesting and fun?

As if fate could hear Penelope's deepest inner voice, enters a man who could very well end up turning Penelope's peaceful and uneventful life into a very busy one.

It is somewhat difficult to write this review without giving too much away, but suffice it to say that the author has done an excellent job of exploring that question that so many women have - you know the one that asks (nags?) at you - even when you think you are happily married (or in love).  Is there someone better out there? someone more dangerous who will make my heart palpitate?

Well, Breaking Even will answer that question and more by giving us an entertaining story that I found myself completely involved in - cheering for Penelope to truly find the love she deserves.  Perfect chick lit reading.

REVIEW for Click: An Online Love Story

Thank you so much to author Lisa Becker for sending me this great chick lit!

TITLE:                          Click  An Online Love Story

AUTHOR:                    Lisa Becker

GENRE:                       Chick Lit

RATING:                     4 Stars

I am a huge lover of chick lit and once in a very, very long while, I discover a chick lit book that I somehow overlooked and this is exactly what happened with Click: An Online Love Story.

Firstly, I was a tad hesitant because of the format - this entire novel is "told" in emails which is a tactic that was employed in another series of chick lit novels which, for some reason, left me cold.

Having said that however, I absolutely loved it with this novel. I think it all depends on the contents of the emails, but also on the construction of the characters (relationships) as well as the writing. Fortunately, Click is extremely well written. Very down to earth writing, which all women can easily identify with. Of course, the subject matter - online dating is extremely topical AND is a subject matter/field that is loaded with possibilities for both the author and the reader.

This book is entertaining and fun and the characters are, for the most part, likeable and living everyone's fears - finding the right person. I thought that all of the characters were very relatable except for Shelley who felt a little too much "over the top for me". I did like the little twist that can be found towards the end of the novel and frankly, the main character does not end up with the guy I would have hoped for!

Loved, loved this one.

IN MY MAILBOX - Week Ending June 24, 2011

This is going to be a short post.  Since Canada Post and their ridiculous postal workers still have not negotiated a new contract (bunch of babies), we have had NO mail delivery.  The Canadian government is sitting in Parliament today to vote on a "back to work" legislation, but even if this happens, the posties won't be back to work until at least Monday or Tuesday - and that is if the law passes.  Welcome to Canada folks - where EVERYTHING damn thing is up for endless debate!

REVIEW for Never Sit Down in a Hoopskirt and Other Things I Learned in Southern Belle Hell

Thank you to Jennifer from Goodman Media for sending me this book.

TITLE:           Never Sit Down in a Hoopskirt and Other Things I Learned in Southern Belle Hell   

AUTHOR:      Crickett Rumley

GENRE:         Novel (chick litty)

RATING:       3.5 Stars
      

I have to admit that one of the reasons I wanted to read this book was because of its interesting cover and its interesting (if a little long) title.

I think what I loved most about this story was the sheer sillyness of it all - in that world of excesses - too much money and too much time to think.  Of course, the main character Jane is alot of fun and is the perfect protanogist to help us "poke"fun at just how silly those with money can be.

She brings us into the world of the "well off" who live by tradition, all the while completely losing touch with the real world and, as I read some of these passages, I found myself laughing but also shaking my head at the sheer stupidity of some of it.  Yet, the author does a great job of writing a novel that takes a very honest and clear look at a world that very few of us actually ever get to witness, much less live in.

Funny, silly and completely engaging, I did like this novel.  So, why the 3.5 stars?  At times, I found myself skipping passages because I thought there was a tad too much detail - which is something that I truly hate in my novels.  Otherwise, a great read.

REVIEW for A Conflict of Interest

Thank you goes out to FSB Associates for sending me this book.

TITLE:                      A Conflict of Interest

AUTHOR:                 Adam Mitzner

GENRE:                    Thriller

RATING:                  4 Stars

What first atrracted me to this book is the cover - yep, I am one of those people who does judge a book partly on its cover and I loved, loved, this one.

Fortunately, the storyline was just as great and I found myself coompletely engrossed in A Conflict of Interest.

Alex, the main character was a very interesting one to me. A lawyer, with a great reputation, a loving wife and a daughter he adores. Yet, something is missing and, while at his father's funeral, he meets an "old family" friend who asks for his help.

This is where the storyline really starts moving as we are privy to the petty (and not so petty) details of what can easily happen in the legal world and, in particular, when it comes to the dark little secrets of the corporate world.

Of course, throughout the entire storyline, I could always feel Alex's strengths, but also his weaknesses as he finds himself immersed in a situation that is quickly growing beyond his capacity. Is he living the truth or a lie?

The writing is fast paced, the characters are likeable but flawed and the attention to detail are obvious.

Loved this legal thriller.

BLOG TOUR STOP FOR: You are not your Brain

I am thrilled to be taking part in the TLC Book Tour for You are not your Brain - the 4 Step Solution.

TITLE:                           You are not your Brain

AUTHORS:                   Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. and Rebecca Gladding, M.D.

GENRE:                        Non fiction

RATING:                      4 Stars

Let's face it, for most of us the brain is a mystery and it becomes an even greater ? when we try to figure out how the brain AND the body work together.

While it has been said that we only use a tiny part of our brain, it is obvious that modern science has chosen to focus intently on this part of the "human condition", which makes reading You are not your Brain a "must" in order to gain a better understanding of all it all "connects".

The authors have obviously researched the subject matter in great detail and have established that there are 4 basic steps that need to be taken in order to a)  better understand our brain and b) gain a better understanding of the fact that "we" are not our brains - meaning that the messages that are sent out by the brain do not necessarily have to be "the end all" for us.  Yes, we can replace those negative or harmful messages with positive ones by working on our relationship with our brain.

The authors advocate a strong belief in relabelling, reframing, refocusing as well as revaluating all the messages that are transmitted from our brain.  While this may sound confusing to some, You are not your Brain does a wonderful job of clearly explaining the processes involved and shies away from using a bunch of medical jargon that, frankly, nobody can understand.

I thought this book was educational, entertaining and on some level hopeful - telling me that I can definitely rework my relationship with a part of "me" that is often getting me in wayyyy too much trouble.

Great read.

REVIEW for Switch

A big thank you goes out to Harper Collins Canada for sending me this book to read and review.

TITLE:              Switch

AUTHOR:        Tish Cohen

GENRE:           YA

RATING:          4 Stars

From page 63 of "Switch" - "I would give anything - anything- to have wapped places with Joules in that music room.

To me, this is pretty much the sentence that says it all (not to mention starts it all).

Switch, by Tish Cohen is a fun and engaging book that challenges its readers to FINALLY, once and for all discover whether the "grass really is greener on the other side". 

The main characters - good girl Andrea and Joules, rule breaker and spoiled daughter of a rock star are two entertaining characters, both young adults who both have alot to learn about themselves, each other and life in general.

Although this type of storyline has been "used" before and they have, in fact, even made movies about this, what sets Cohen's book apart from others is the honest way she portrays her characters - all of them. I also truly enjoyed the great job the author does on setting up the plot, so that we get a much clearer understanding of just why these two young girls would want to switch places with each other.

Switch was fun to read, but also delivers a strong message - to find joy in everyday life - in YOUR life, because everyone has a destiny and, if you had the chance to live someone else's life - you might just discover that it ain't all that great when you get up front and personal with it.

The writing was down to earth and did not include a bunch of useless details that would simply drag the storyline down.  The author knows how to create and build a story that stands up on its own, through strong characters and a strong end message.

One side note, I absolutely hated Andrea's mother in this book.  I found her annoying, silly and so obviously over the top in many ways, which completely made me understand where Andrea was coming from :)

REVIEW for Chamber of Five

Thank you to the wonderful Jess at Random House Canada for sending me this book.

TITLE:               Chamber of Five

AUTHOR:         Michael Harmon

GENRE:            YA

RATING:          4 Stars

One of the things I love best about YA is the huge variety of genres that are available.  Specifically, there seems to be a "sub genre" which include plotlines where students end up together in a group, while having to deal with difficult situations.

Chamber of Five is exactly this type of book and, while it is not about "us" against natural catastrophes (my favorite), it does team up a bunch of incredibly wicked and horrible boys who, have way too much money, power and time on their hands, all the while being completely devoid of any integrity or character.

Of course, this makes for some intense reading and if I had to use one adjective to describe this wonderful book it would be intense.  As soon as the author introduces us to the list of characters, we are immediately drawn into their dark little world, where everything is evil and seems possible.  Can there really be such groups simply existing in all those private schools?  I believe there could be, which, of course, simply makes this story even more compelling.

Jason, the main character who tries to find the right way out of a scary and sordid situation, as a member of the "five" is written in a refreshing and fun way.  While he does have a conscience, the author has chosen to give him some interesting flaws, which can be built on to increase the degree of intensity of the story.

Of course, writing this review is difficult because I do not want to give away any spoilers, but suffice it to say that this was a satisfying read (although it felt a little short to me).

REVIEW for Killer Stuff and Tons of Money

Thank you, thank you to The Penguin Press for sending me this wonderful book.

TITLE:               Killer Stuff and Tons of Money

AUTHOR:         Maureen Stanton

GENRE:            Non fiction

RATING:          5 Stars

Killer Stuff and Tons of Money is a highly informative AND entertaining read - a book that I could not seem to put down as I was always excited to discover which "next" flea market experience I would be reading about.

Author Maureen Stanton tags along with the highly knowledgeable Curt Avery on a variety of "antique" shows and describes the experiences in detail. Because the author has been able to actually get up and personal with the action, this book reads like a novel (although it is not) complete with fun characters, interesting dialogue and, of course, a wealth of information about antiques (i.e. what to look for and what NOT to look for).

I found myself completely mesmerized by the myriad of details that you need to remember in order to figure out which antiques are fake and, of course, more importantly, I found myself being completely blown away by the dollar amounts paid (and made) for antiques.

It seems I would make a pretty bad antique seeker as everytime I thought I had figure oud that a purchase was "a find", it turned out NOT to be.

Fortunately, while this book has a ton of details and descriptives, the author has managed to weave it into a story, making the entire book a fun, fun read that I hated to see end. Frankly, I could have kept reading more and more.

The only negative, for me, was the horrible cover of the book, which I worry might deter some people from purchasing this book. Everything else was perfect and valuable!

BEA BOUND 2012



I was over at our local Salvation Army today (I visit there periodically to check out the books) and I found this great little "kitty" bank where I can put all the $$$$ I am saving for BEA 2012.  It is a real "girls girls" bank that says "Girls just want to have fun!" - the perfect little bank.

REVIEW for The Perfect Hero

Thank you, thank you to the wonderful people at Harper Collins UK for sending me this great chick lit!

TITLE:               The Perfect Hero

AUTHOR:          Victoria Connelly

GENRE:             Brit Chick Lit

RATING:            4 Stars

I have been reading chick lit for years - and it all started with Bridget Jones Diary.  This being said, I have said and continue to say that nobody does chick lit quite as well as the Brits - and The Perfect Hero has simply validated my thinking for me.

I loved, loved this novel and the word that comes to me is quaint - with a lot of humor, a cast of crazy characters and, of course, a wonderful main character in Kay.

This novel is baed in Lyme Regis (which is completely unfamiliar to me) but this is hardly a problem for me since it simply means that I get to discover a new spot, which in turn, means that I can use my imagination to make it "look" exactly the way I think it should look - in my mind at least :)

I also love the fact that e basis for this novel is a B&B which is owned and operated by Kay - which, as you can imagine, opens up a great slew of storyline and plotlines, all confined to the B&B giving the entire novel a cozy, up close feeling that I thoroughly enjoyed.

There is a lot of humor thrown in.  I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times, which is quite rare for me.  The Oli/Kay relationship (or is there really a relationship?) was interesting but I have to say that the Adam and Gemma plotline was more interesting to me.

Honestly, there is nothing new here, but somehow the author has taken all of these ingredients and managed to create an absolutely delightful and wonderful read that I would recommend for any chick lit fan :)

IN MY MAILBOX - Week Ending June 12, 2011

Another week has gone by - its been a little crazy because the Canada Post mailmen are playing their stupid games and are on strike!

From the publisher (for review):

• Paris Baby by Kirsten Lobe (for review)
• All the Things you Are by Courtney Sheinmel (for review)

From the author (for review):

• Confessions of a Call Center Gal  by Lisa Lim(for review)

Purchased at Chapters Bookstore:

• Kissing Kate by Laurent Myracle
• Exes & Ohs by Shallon Lester

A quiet week!

REVIEW for The Summer of Firsts and Lasts

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending this book to me :)

TITLE:             The Summer of Firsts and Lasts

AUTHOR:        Terra Elan McVoy

GENRE:           YA

RATING:         4 Stars

For those of you (like me) who somehow thought The Summer of Firsts and Lasts was more of a chick lit type book, you are in for a bit of a disappointment. In reality, this book is more of a search for identity, it is more of a look at family dymanics and the entire friendship/sisterhood thing.

Having said that, I enjoyed this read because the author does an absolutely wonderful job of "taping into" the mindset of 3 young women who also happen to be sisters. While they spend their summer (what appears to be their last one there) at a camp they have visted their entire lives, the summer turns into a "walk down memory lane" while the sisters explore their views, feelings and thoughts about the past, the present, the future and each other.

This book is engaging and it takes an honest look into the world of young girls who have their entire lives ahead of them - all the while being petrified and excited about the future - leaving little girl things behind.

I did, at times, find this book to be a little bit cloying which did remove some of the fun for me. I usually like my storylines to be a little bit less serious and more breezy, but this is a good read for everyone who is looking to get deep into the mind of a young adult.

NEW YORK - BEA 2012 BOUND

I was really disappointed not to be able to make BEA this year, so, Cindy from Cindysloveofbooks and I have decided to start "saving" now for BEA 2012!!!!


I thought it would be fun to set up a financial tracker to see just how much money I can save up before the trip.  Please note I AM NOT ASKING FOR DONATIONS!!! I just thought that a visual reminder on my blog would help me add to my "kitty" on a regular basis and might encourage some of you to add your own "tracker" so that we can meet up in New York next year :) As you can see I have a ways to go, fortunately, I also have 12 months to do it in :)

REVIEW for: Your Retirement Income Blueprint

Thank you, thank you to Wiley for sending me this great book.  It is thanks to them that I may actually have a good idea of what my retirement should look like - they have THE best books in the personal finance (and other areas) of our every day lives!

TITLE:           Your Retirement Income Blueprint

AUTHOR:      Daryl Diamond

GENRE:         Personal Finance

RATING:       4 Stars       

For those who read my blog regularly, you know that, although I am not a "real" baby boomer, I am actually at the tail end of the movement.  While the boomers have managed to benefit greatly from a ton of things (including employer pension plans), those of us at the tail end have not, in many cases, been so lucky.

This means that I have had to really run around and do alot of homework in order to determine what will work best for me and what are my best "game moves".  Thankfully, as I mentioned in the heading of this blog,  the publishing house Wiley has been a huge help in this area.  They have THE best personal finance books and, as a bonus, many of them are actually Canadian based, which means that all of the information is pertinent to me :)

Your Retirement Income Blueprint is another entry that I have found to be excellent.  While I did find it a tad more oriented towards people who have some knowledge of the finance world, it is still a book that is well suited for just about anyone who is interested in building their retirement plan.

In fact, this book is actually pretty much a blueprint - a guide that allows you to look at many various aspects of retirement and finance that you may not have thought of before.  For example, there is a repeated focus on the difference between the $$$ you are saving/bringing into retirement and the monies paid out by the government.  I know that from my own experience with my mother's retirement, we had a lot of questions about how this money should be used in order to minimize the taxes, etc.  - this book covers this topic in great detail and explains it all very clearly.

I also thought this book focused more on estate planning which is something that I had not really thought about very much.  While, of course, this is NOT the fun part of retirement, it is something that needs to be considered.

I think the true value of this book is just that - the fact that the author brings up subject matters and aspects of retirement that you probably have not thought of and should.

As I mentioned, the book is written more to an intermediate reader with some knowledge of the industry, but can also be read by people who are just starting out - the learning curve might be a bit longer, but it is worth it.

REVIEW for Alice Bliss

A big thank you goes out to Penguin Group for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:                 Alice Bliss
AUTHOR:            Laura Harrington
GENRE:               YA
RATING:             4 Stars

I have to be honest and start off my review by saying that this book was very difficult to read.  For anyone who has had to grow up without their dad, this book will surely bring back a lot of emotions.

Alice loves her dad and one of her most vivid memories is that of dancing with him and while her family is not perfect, she is relatively happy.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of her parents who both view their lives (and relationship) in quite different terms.  While mom wants fancy meals, dad is aching to "be" more than he is and therefore enlists in the reserves where he will be sent to Iraq.

Of course, this premise sets up an emotional storyline that the author has done a fine job of writing in a very touching and raw manner. 

As a reader, we feel as though we have been brought into the very personal world of these characters and are privy to their emotions, fears and love for each other.  We also see how dysfunctional a family can be, as each member views an act or an event in a completely different manner.

The author does a wonderful job of showing us the issues that arise in a family unit, as everyone tries to find their own personal bliss, while trying to live happily within the family.  Of course, we also get a close up view of what the perils of war can do to a family- as everyone confronts their own demons, which, of course, include dealing with their fear of losing their beloved father and husband.

I loved that the concept of this book was "diary entries".  This is a precise and effective method of making us understand exactly what Alice and her family are living with (and through).

Having said all of this, I have to say that this book could be a tad heavy at times and I found myself having to read it by pacing myself.

IN MY MAILBOX - Week Ending June 5, 2011

Here is what came into my home this week:

From the publisher for review:

• Switch by Tish Cohen (for review and a blog tour)
• Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (for review)
• Pretend you Love Me by Julie Anne Peters (for review)
• Due Diligence by Jonathan Rush (for review)
• He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott (for review)
• The Faculty Club by Danny Tobey (for review)

From Abe books:

• What Would my Cell Phone Do? by Micol Ostow
• Upper Cut by Carrie White

From the author (for review):

• Click An Online Love Story by Lisa Becker (for review)

From my friend Sharon who was visiting Scoland and checked out the chick lit section of one of their major bookstores:

• Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan

I met up with two Montreal bloggers today and I came home with some goodies:

• From Linda at Better with Books I got:  Knitting under the Influence by Claire Lazebnik
• From Avis at She Reads and Reads I got: 6 Ascent Yoga magazines

Thanks guys!

Looks like Canada Post is going on rotating strikes.  Ridiculous, but there you have it.  Not sure how this will affect my next IMM posting.  I guess I will have to wait and see along with everyone else in Canada.

HONORING WILLIAM SHATNER

I was lucky enough to be invited, by a friend and McGill Alumni to the breakfast honoring William Shatner this morning.

Shatner is a McGill graduate and he was honored with a doctorate in literature yesterday by McGill University.

A breakfast was given this morning, in his honour and they presented this very, very funny video.  McGill cleverly created and presented the first part of the video (up to where the girl enters the ballroom) and filmed her getting his autograph live.  It was great!

I sat about 3 feet behind Shatner and his wife for the entire breakfast but thankfully, I was not filmed!!!!  Here is the presentation (it is about 5 minutes long).

I am not a HUGE fan of Shatner, but it was fun to see him live.  Random comments.  He is 80 and looks younger. He also looks shorter than on TV, although I always think this when I meet a celebrity.  He looks exactly as he does on TV, but I am not loving the sunglasses he wore, for most of the breakfast, although he did say that he is jet lagged and had buggy, red eyes.

FEELING EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF MY YEARS

I have to admit that so far, this week, has been basically CRAPPY!  Actually, life has been difficult for a while now and I am pretty clueless about how to change any of it.


The good news?  I spent my morning having breakfast with Stephanie and her (not yet) one month son Benjamin.


Now, you may ask how this relates to books?  Well, I first met Stephanie when she was a young 12 year old girl who breathlessly ran into my bookstore (I use to own a bookstore) one day and did not leave until I sold it 5 years later. 


This means that I pretty well saw her grow up and we always kept in touch over the years.  Well, now she is 22 and has just given birth to this beautiful baby boy - he IS ADORABLE!!!!  and I HAD to take a few pictures.


So, life sucks right now, but when I look at this beautiful baby, I feel that things will get better someday (right???).

Cutie Pie BENJAMIN sleeping with his "cool" baseball hat

Holding Benjamin while he sleeps (this is me!)



Still sleeping through our gossip session



REVIEW for White Sleeper

Thank you to PhenixPublicity.com for sending me this book.

TITLE:                      White Sleeper

AUTHORS:               David R. Fett & Stephen Langford

GENRE:                    Thriller

RATING:                   4 Stars

Okay, I have basically stopped reading thrillers because I found them to be boring and slow.  Well, with White Sleeper I need not worry.

This storyline moves at warp speed and I really enjoyed every minute of it.

One of our main characters is having a rough time and his career may all but be over.  However, he has a chance to redeem himself when the CDC sends him to Arkansas to look into some mysterious developments - which could possibly involve some bio terrorism.  He quickly teams up with FBI Paula Mushari and together, they are desperate to track down these diseases and prevent them from their deadly spread.

The author has chosen a white supremacist and bio terrorism, two extremely topical subjects that work very well in setting up a storyline that, frankly, at times, made my hair stand on end. I think what is the most appealing (and scary) aspect of this story is that it is completely plausible in "real life". 

As the "good guys" fight for control of the situation, the action gets more crazy and I found myself completely engaged in the "one upmanship" that was going on.  I was so frustrated, at times, with Paula and Dave who always seemed to be one step behind the "unsub".  Of course, this also means that I was completely clueless as to how this book would end - which is something I SIMPLY ADORE when I am reading a thriller.

White Sleeper is a keeper - I loved it because it is a wild ride and you have no idea where you will be getting of (or if!).