Archive for April, 2008
Sean Bell–31 bullets shot by a single man NOT right
I’m so sorry but there is definitely something wrong when one police officer/detective/whatever his title, shot 31 times!!!
What on earth would ever make you shoot a gun 31 times? It’s not like it was an automatic machine gun–the kind that just keeps shooting if you leave your finger on the trigger.
He had to shoot a few times, stop, eject clip, reload clip and shoot again–several times. This gave him plenty of time to recoup his thoughts and at some point realize he was NOT doing the right thing.
I’m not a technical expert so I’m not really sure how that all works. There were many more shots fired by two other officers but I was just taken aback by the fact that ONE officer alone could possibly shoot 31 times. How can that happen and it be right? This wasn’t about race. This wasn’t about the fact that some or all had prior criminal records. This is about the fact that a person (or maybe all 3) that we all count on to protect us went a little overboard when faced with pressure.
I know that officers put their lives on the line every time they put on that uniform and I am thankful; but they should also be very self-aware. If you feel you can’t handle the pressure, let someone know. Take care of it–BEFORE you go shooting 31 times!
Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein
This was the first time I have ever read a book by Linda Fairstein and I have been missing out!
This book is the most recent installment in a long-standing series featuring the character of Alexandra Cooper. “Coop,” as she is lovingly referred to by Mike, a detective she works closely with, is an assistant district attorney in NYC. In Killer Heat, Coop, Mike and Mercer (another detective), are on a race to stop a serial killer who has a penchant for women in uniform. In the meantime, Coop is also busy trying a case of rape that is 35 years old and finally solvable through DNA testing. And as if that weren’t enough, a group of gang-bangers whose leader she prosecuted and put away previously, is out to get her.
I enjoyed this book tremendously. The characters are immediately captivating. Fairstein describes Coop in such a way that the reader becomes immediately invested in what happens to her. In this book, we learn that Coop has just met a Frenchman and she could be falling for him. However, we also learn that her fiance was murdered and she is still dealing with the repercussions. There also seems to be some undercurrent of a love interest between her and Mike.
I read a lot of suspense/thrillers and I found a couple of things in Killer Heat that make Fairstein stand out. First of all, the heroine is involved in many different things at one time. There isn’t just one storyline but several and they intertwine. Another thing that is different (again I don’t know if she does it in all her books) is how she uses history and her description of places to teach us all sorts of trivia.
In this book, we learn all about Governor’s Island and Bannerman Island. These are real places off the coast of NY. I really enjoyed reading the history, especially since I’m pretty close to NYC.
I definitely enjoyed everything about this book and have just added another author to my favorites’ list.
5 Tattered Pages
Lucky by Alice Sebold
This novel is an autobiographical account of Alice Sebold’s rape when she was a college freshman. In this novel, Sebold shares with her reader intimate details about being raped and how her life changed afterward. She describes the violence in such detail that you “see” it vividly occur as you read. Alice’s life was tainted by this rape. How could it not be? She returns to school and eventually graduates but not before more trauma and tragedy occur. She does win the case against her rapist which is extremely difficult to do, but this doesn’t really do anything for her emotionally. In some ways, I think it may have hurt her because it seems that after winning the case, she became somewhat of a celebrity and this damaged many of her relationships with peers and may have caused other problems.
However, she manages to finish her classes and obtain an education. She eventually becomes a college professor. She travels quite a bit. She also ends up with a nasty little heroin habit.
All in all it was an interesting read, meaning that you as the reader do want to know more about her life, so Sebold does capture her reader’s attention. However, I did feel a little bit cheated at the end because the last couple of chapters dealing with her drug habit and adult life, seem to have been written in a rush. It was like she needed a few more pages or something. There was not as much detail in these final chapters as there could have been. Her soul was not written into those final pages.
I am left wanting to know more about the man she was living with and how she happened to get involved with him. I also wanted to know exactly how big a drug habit she got into–when and how did she take her first hit? Did she like it? How did she feel? Why quit?
I also know she managed to find a great man, who she is married to and I would have liked to know more about that. I guess what I wanted was a happy ending but I could see why she would not put that part of her life in this book. This was more her own personal journey into an abyss and her struggle out of it. It was like a journal she decided to share with the world about a very bad part of her life.
It’s really difficult to rate an autobiographical account of someone’s life especially when it’s infused with such trauma. Please understand that this is my own personal opinion about the “story” not her life.
This book gets 4 tattered pages!
The Ex-Factor by Tu-Shonda Whitaker
If you want to read a book that you just cannot put down and makes you drown out the noise of the train engine on your commute to work–this is one of those. Admittedly, the storyline probably has more appeal to women than it will to men but this is a great read! It’s a soap opera style drama.
This story revolves around three sisters and the very different lives they live.
One sister, the youngest, has to learn the very hard lesson of letting go of a man that’s just not good, even if he is her baby’s daddy!!
The oldest sister has to learn that words can sometimes cut like a knife. She also has to learn that letting herself go is not the way to keep her family together.
The middle sister has to learn that no matter what, blood is thicker than water, and that you never ever ever, and I do mean never, no matter how fine he may be, go after your sister’s husband.
Oh yea! Did I say drama?? I meant it!! Could not put this book down. You aren’t going to find any of life’s mysteries revealed in this book but you will find some great entertainment. LOL
4 TATTERED PAGES!
“I Heard That Song Before” by Mary Higgins Clark
Mary Higgins Clark hardly ever lets me down. The last book I read of hers was “Two Little Girls in Blue” and although it was OK, I found it lacking something. This book did not lack in anything at all!! This was a fabulous read. The characters were immediately captivating!
The main character–Kay Lansing–is a librarian, so at first I thought maybe I just like her because she likes books like I do! 
But no, it turns out I liked everything about the character. This was a strong heroine. She marries a rich man–Peter Carrington (and I’m talking millions and millions rich!!) and shortly after arriving from their honeymoon, he is arrested for murder!!
Of course she refuses to believe that her new husband is a murderer but as things keep coming up, she starts to doubt his innocence, especially since her own husband really believes he committed the crimes! Then there are twist and turns and honestly, they are all good!
I am not going to give anything away (you’ll have to read it!) but Mary Higgins Clark did it again with this one. She kept me wanting more and more and guessing right until the last page!!
This gets 5 tattered pages!!
