Michael Connelly: Void Moon

If you enjoy a good crime thriller, I'm sure you've read a Harry Bosch or Mikey Haller. We know Matthew McConaughey as the Lincoln Lawyer and soon to be Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch. Those are great characters and it should be an honor to be chosen to portray them (in my opinion anyway). But what about the other books written by Connelly? What about the ones that are one-timers? The ones that don't belong in a series? Do you get caught up on the series and only focus on those leaving other great stories on the shelves unread? I realized that sometimes I do that! I've started picking up some of my favorite author's books that are not part of a series or are older (older than me) that I wouldn't normally pick up.

I was searching thought my state's digital library and decided on Void Moon by Michael Connelly. I was looking through the reading list of the Harry Bosch series (I admit it, I'm behind a bit) when I came across Void Moon. I decided to give it a go knowing that when the book was over, it was over. The connection I lost with this character was going to be gone as soon as I read the last page. She was not coming back. With a sigh I hit the borrow button, downloaded it to my phone and set off for a long walk to start the audio book. Keep in mind I have about three books going at any given time. I have a book by my bed (currently Servant of the Bones by Ann Rice), I have a Kindle book (currently Home For The Holidays by Jeaniene Frost) and then my audio book which is now Void Moon. Wait, I just realized at this very moment I have a fourth book, it's The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler. That one is in my bag those goes back and forth to the car with me. You never know when you're going to need a book to read. I want to be prepared.

Anyway.... back to Void Moon. Even though Cassidy "Cassie" Black had driven off into the sunset to start her knew life, I'm okay with that. Let's start at the beginning. Cassie Black has been out of jail for just a short time when the novel starts. But it's not too long before she sucked back into her old life. The difference this time is that she just wants one bog score so she can take her daughter and run away and live happily ever after. Like that was going to happen! Cassie hooks up with her old pal Leo. Leo gets her a big job where they are going to strike it big. Cassie immediately sets out to get the job done. She hits some bumps along the way. Her other old pal Jersey tries to steal from her and let's just say he was a bit inappropriate as well. But this girl can kick some butt! With a kick to the groin and a gun to his head she's able to get the upper hand and tie up the dirt bag in the back of his own van, the one she uses for the job! What a dumbass this guy is. Anyway, there's a lot of suspense throughout, from the time she gets to Las Vegas to the time she's standing in the "mark's" room with $2.5M and a gun aimed at the man's head.... holy moly! But then Connelly cleverly cuts off Cassie story right at that point and brings in the next set of characters.

Now we've got the casino manager, Vincent, who gets a guy named Jack to find out what the hell happened to the money and why is the guy dead in the hotel room? You think you know everything. This is why I love mystery novels! Jack tracks Cassie to Los Angeles. Back up - he sees Jersey;s van outside the casino on cameras thus leading him to Jersey who gives up Cassie fairly quickly. Jack kills Jersey (duh! he's a bad guy!). Jack finds Leo but Leo won't give up the money or Cassie. Leo is dead. Jack finds Cassie's place. Unfortunately Cassie's parole officer is doing a home check and the poor fat woman is shot by Jack (don't worry, she doesn't die). Jack finds out about Cassie's daughter and kidnaps her. Now Cassie had given birth in prison and this child was adopted by a loving couple. The almost 6 year old girl has no idea who Cassie is, but Cassie had been planning to snatch her and run away with her. Jack gets there first and they all meet back in Vegas to exchange the money for the kid. Cassie is smarter than that. She knows that Jack won't ever let them out of it alive. She plays some tricks getting Vincent (the casino manager) involved. And then....

And then we have the what what? Holy moly! I didn't see that coming moment... Cassie never killed the "mark". In fact Vincent arranged the whole damn thing. There are so many parties involved that you just don't see this coming! But the other parties aren't really involved the way you think they are and so much of it Vincent made up. Cassie saves her daughter and starts driving back to Los Angeles. She now has a decision to make. Does she take the girl and the money she was able to salvage (over a million bucks) and blow out of the country? Nope. She delivers the girl back to her adoptive parents. She did the right thing. 

I would suggest picking up this book and giving it a read for yourself. I know I give a lot away, but there's a lot I didn't cover. So if you have a favorite author and you've been ignoring some of their other works, give them a try. You never know what you might find.

Enjoy! Read often!

Vampires

Vampires are different from author to author. What do you like about them that makes you coming back for more?

If you haven't been living under a rock, you know about Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. You don't have to read the books or watch the movies to know there are vampires in it (or that they sparkle for that matter). It's a young adult fiction series that blew the heck up. Good for her. I liked it, both the movies and the books. I really liked Edward's family more than the daunting love triangle of Bella, Edward and Jacob. The family and their struggles as a family is why I went back book after book. Plus I found this great movie theater in Portsmouth, NH where I can eat breakfast and watch a 9am showing. Who else besides me is going to do that? I can tell you, it's only a handful of people. 

How many read Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series? An action packed series that does one thing that I love the most: character development across the series. Anita is so different now compared to the early novels. I love seeing the the changes that take place and the reasons why. It's not just her relationships with her lovers (although I do enjoy Jean Claude moments), but it's also her relationship with Edward/Ted. I think I enjoy that because he too has changed so much. It's an unlikely bond that works. This is one series that I haven't gotten bored with. Honestly, sometimes when you're looking at 20 or so in a series... you might lose people. I'm still hooked as ever. Have you ever looked at the list of characters n wikipedia? Holy sh!t.

Ann Rice. You just can't go wrong with Ann Rice. I think a lot of people were first introduced to her and her amazing stories when Interview With A Vampire hit the theaters. Who wouldn't go see Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt? Rice is a great story teller. I haven't read as much of her as some other vampire focused authors, but her ability to tell a story within a story gets me every time. No one does that as good as Rice does (and not completely lose the reader). 

How about the Cat and Bones series aka (Night Huntress) from Jeaniene Frost. Now this one is making me a little sad. I'm waiting to read the very last book of the series. I've loved the characters and love affair. I'm anxious to see how the end turns out (even if it makes me sad). In the series we were introduced to Vlad. Yes, the one and only Dracula. It's become a spin off series that's equally as action packed and sexy as the Cat and Bones series is/was. But I digress... what's keeping me coming back to this series? Nothing ever goes like you think it will! Cat becomes a vampire so she can be with bones and keep the ghouls at bay, but as simple as that sounds... not! She drinks vampire blood and can take on some of their powers. Oh and sometimes has a heartbeat. What the heck is that? The unpredictability is pretty awesome.

I've been saving my latest infatuation for last. Christopher Farnsworth you have now given me a new vampire to love. Nathaniel Cade is a brooding ruthless vampire that belongs to the President of the United States. He does the dirty work and of course is a big, giant secret. He was turned into a vampire while on a ship bound to America in 1867. With the blood from Abraham Lincoln (taken from the bullet that he was shot with) and the witchy connections of then President Andrew Johnson, Cade was bound to serve whomever the president was. This vampire is saving lives by killing the violent. I'm in love with this series all around. I love Cade's story of course, but he has a handler named Zach. The relationship ads a humor to the series that's otherwise serious, action packed and bloody. I keep coming back for many reasons and that's one of them. But I also need to know what the heck is going to happen next. The last book left me with a giant cliffhanger. 

There are a lot of different choices out there for the vampire lover. Some of them involve other supernatural beings and others are just about vampires. If you like this sort of thing I suggest branching out. Try other types of vampire novels. If you like the young adult fiction, take a look at The Morganville Vampires series. It's a different take on the vampire world than my above mentioned. I will leave you to look that one up on your own. Find what you like and read it, but don't be afraid to branch out! 

Enjoy! Read often!