First Family Review

Title: First Family
Author: David Baldacci
Published: 2009
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN:9780330463560
Pages:659
Summary:Camp David, USA. A birthday party turns into a
nightmare when a child is snatched after the celebrations.
Jane cox, the First Lady, enlists the services of private detectives
Sean King and Michelle Maxwell to find her young niece Willa, and bring her safely home. For she and King share a past....
But Sean and Michelle's investigations run far from smoothly and when their leads are exposed as dead ends and Willa's kidnapper finally makes contact, it becomes apparent that the First Lady has not been entirely honest with the pair...
As drama builds to an explosive crescendo, King and Maxwell find themselves pushed to the limit. With th forces aligned on all sides against them, the boundary between friend and foe becomes impossible to define... or defend.

Review:
First Family is the sequel to David Baldacci's No#1 bestseller, Simple Genius.
So, the First Lady's much-loved niece Willa is kidnapped. Lady Jane Cox asks Sean King, a former Secret Service agent to find and bring her home. Sean along with partner Michelle Maxwell investigate the case with the reluctant help of the FBI (cliché?).

The antagonist, Quarry, in my opinion is more fascinating than the protagonists. Baldacci writes in such a way that you have no option but to feel something for him, whether its hatred or sympathy. The reader is given an insight into the antagonists mind, who deep down is portrayed to have a heart of gold. ( I won't expand on that)

The subplot in the story focuses on Maxwell's return to her childhood home after the unexpected death of her mother. It later turns out that she was murdered. Michelle's father, an ex cop, is the main suspect. Maxwell digs deep into her past and her mothers to unravel this mystery. The subplot however didn't have a link to the main plot. Seemed like I was reading two totally different story lines.

This political thriller starts of very fast paced however halfway through it slows down dramatically and the plot is dragged on so much that I was struggling to finish the book. Many questions were left unanswered at the end and there were some plot holes.

Overall, I was quite disappointed with this book, I expected it to be a sensational book, considering it is written by Baldacci.

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Blood Vines Review

Title: Blood Vines
Author: Erica Spindler
Published: 2010
Publisher: Sphere
Pages:512
ISBN: 9780751541281
Summary: Alex Clarkson knows very little about her childhood or who she really is – her only family an absent, emotionally fragile mother. Alex has always felt something was missing and has spent most of her life searching for what that could be. When an infant’s remains are unearthed, Alex realises she has a connection to the case. Suddenly long-lost memories start flooding in, leading her back to a small town in California and to dark and terrifying nightmares that haunt her every waking moment. Greeted with silence and suspicion, Alex is determined to get to the heart of a secret no one wants to see uncovered. As violent deaths and a series of pagan rituals terrify the tightly-knit community, Alex is forced to confront the terrible truth about a single night that changed her family’s lives for ever…
Review:
Spindler has outdone herself once again! Blood Vines is an exhilarating read. The story is set in California’s wine country and Spindler does a great job of bringing the vibrant vineyards to life. There aren’t pages and pages of descriptions of the atmosphere of Sonoma, but there is enough for the me to visualise it and feel like I was actually there.
The mystery itself in Blood Vines was really intoxicating. Spindler places twists and turns in every chapter, which kept me guessing. I couldn’t have predicted what happened. The plot contains a psychological twist and the whole story is webbed with lies, deception, mystery and romance.
Alex Clarkson’s ‘romance’ with Detective Danny Reed is somewhat lacking romance and trust. Sex merely makes it a romantic relationship, however I will have to say the blazing hormones and steaminess add to the story.
Overall in my opinion Blood Vines is a fast paced mystery, a real page turner. Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. So much so, that I was sitting in my University lectures reading Blood Vines rather than listening to what was being said. I would recommend everyone to read it. And if you’re a mystery lover, this book is a must!