The Left Hand of God - Paul Hoffman

I try every once in a while to step out of my comfort zone and read something that for me, is different.

The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman filled the bill. It's a dark fantasy, set in a dystopian past.

Cale is taken at a very young age to the Sanctuary of the Redeemer to be trained by warrior monks to fight a holy war against the outside world. The thousands of boys inside the wall of the fortress have no idea of the world outside the walls - they've been indoctrinated to believe in the monks' cause. But one day, Cale and two of his friends (although friendship is discouraged) discover a secret door. They find that there are others - females,plentiful food, music and more. When Cale acts against the monks, he and his friends must escape out into the unknown.

What follows is a great adventure. I was intrigued by what would be beyond the walls. Hoffman's world is an odd mix of the past, drawing upon biblical references, philosophical views and historical works. Yet, his description of the impending and continuing wars among the peoples of this world parallels many of the conflicts happening in our present day. One ruler's plans to take all of one race to a remote island and be rid of them calls the Holocaust to mind.

This book somewhat reminded me of a darker Princess Bride as well. Cale is drawn to a young woman of the ruling cast of Memphis and much of his path is dictated by his attraction to her. Battles, escapes, miscommunication and odd characters populate The Left Hand of God. Hoffman has a sly sense of humor, injecting offbeat comments when least expected.

It's hard to say who this book will appeal to. The publisher has touted it as a dark Harry Potter, the protagonists are in their teens, but the audio book version is listed as 18+. There is cruelty and violence, yet love and hope as well. Definitely one for fans of speculative fiction. This is the first of a planned trilogy and the ending has neatly set up the second book. As there were a few plot lines that were never fully explained in this first book, I predict they too will be part of the sequel. Not my usual fare, but I enjoyed it and am curious as to what Hoffman has planned for Cale.

Read an excerpt of The Left Hand of God.

Stolen - Lesley Pearse

I have a fondness for British authors, but hadn't read Lesley Pearse before. The premise of Stolen sounded good.

A beautiful young woman is found washed up on the shores of Sussex. Against all belief she is alive - but has no idea who she is. When her picture is put in the paper, two past co workers from a cruise ship recognize her as Lotte, a fellow hairdresser. They haven't spoken to her in the past two years - and neither has anyone else. Where has she been? What has happened to her?

Pearse seems to have a trademark style. She puts an innocent into a dangerous situation and against tremendous odds, they survive tragic events and triumph. To this end, she sponsors an award - The Lesley Pearse Women of Courage Award.

I was drawn into the plot immediately - I really wanted to find out what had happened to this girl. There is a good cast of supporting characters. They are all clearly drawn leaving no doubt as to who the 'bad' ones are, although they were a little over the the top. I had a hard time connecting with even the 'good' characters though. Lotte never became 'real' for me, despite the circumstances she goes through. It sometimes seemed like Pearse thought of every bad thing that could befall this girl and wove it into her plot. I found some of the storyline transitions a bit jarring - they didn't seem to flow naturally.

But - Stolen has lots of adventure, intrigue and romance to keep readers turning pages.

Sometimes a reader notices small things that really don't contribute to the overall picture, but stick in their head. For me I found myself counting the number of times the characters 'grinned' by the end of the book. (A lot...) And I found the use of exclamation marks somewhat overdone!

This was a good read - I'd give it a 3/5, but not really the one for me. Fans of Sandra Brown or Danielle Steele would really enjoy Lesley Pearse.

Hell Gate - Linda Fairstein

Linda Fairstein is firmly on my list of must read authors. She has a fantastic series featuring Alex Cooper of the New York P.D. Sex Crimes Unit and two homicide detectives - Mike and Mercer. Hell Gate is the 12th book in the series.

Alex, Mike and Mercer are called out to a shipwreck. Not usually their type of case - until the cargo is discovered to be human. Among the dead is a woman with connections to a prominent politician. The deeper the three dig, the more the past collides with the present. Human trafficking happened in New York City hundreds of years ago - but it looks like it's still happening.....

The plotting is believable, combining political intrigue with crimes ripped from today's headlines. What I always find fascinating in Fairstein's novels is the level of historical detail used. New York City is always the background, but I would wager that even native New Yorkers would not be aware of the history behind many of the settings.

The camaraderie of 'Coop', Mike and Mercer is a major part of the success of this series. The banter between Alex and Mike is a source of amusement and the attraction between the two grows stronger with every book. (Linda - you're making me crazy - will they or won't they?!) Mercer provides the calm voice of reason.

Fairstein knows what she writes. She herself was chief of the sex crimes unit in Manhattan for over 25 years and is a noted expert on sexual assault and domestic violence. Her novels have the unmistakable ring of truth and authenticity to them.

Read the first chapter.

Hell Gate is a fantastic read on it's own - but I'm sure you'll be hunting down the rest of the series!

Winners - From Dead to Worse - Charlaine Harris

And the five lucky winners (chosen by random.org) of a copy of From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris, courtesy of Penquin Canada are:

1. Wanda
2. 409cope
3. Stephanie
4. Belinda M
5. Nicola

Congratulations! I've contacted you by email for your mailing addresses. Please respond within 72 hours.

Giveaway - From Dead to Worse - Charlaine Harris

Although I'd heard about the Sookie Stackhouse novels, it took me until last November to read my first Charlaine Harris book - A Touch of Dead. I loved Sookie and am impatiently waiting for my hold at the library to come in for True Blood - the HBO series based on the Sookie books.

The entire Sookie backlist in trade paperback is being reissued and here's your chance to own a copy of From Dead to Worse - the 8th novel in the series thanks to the generous folks at Penguin Canada.

"After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and the manmade horror of the explosion at the vampire summit, Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, yearning for things to get back to normal. But her boyfriend Quinn is among the missing. And things are changing, whether the Weres and vamps in her corner of Louisiana like it or not. In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death - and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood ceases flowing, her world will be forever altered ."

Whet your appetite? (Sorry, couldn't help it...) Leave a comment to be entered. An extra entry for followers - please leave a separate comment. Open to Canada only, ends Saturday Feb 27 at 6 pm EST. Check the sidebar for ongoing giveaways.

Snow Angels - James Thompson

I started Snow Angels on a lazy Sunday morning. I finished Snow Angels the same night. Yes, it was that good. And a genre I love - mystery thrillers. It's newly released today from Penguin Canada.

It is Kaamos in Finland - the darkest time of the year, just before Christmas. Inspector Kari Vaara is looking forward to Christmas with his newly pregnant, American wife. Instead, he is called out to a murder scene in the bitter cold. The victim is a beautiful Somali refugee who had become a minor movie star in Finland. The crime is horrific and seems both racially and sexually motivated. Vaara resists having another squad from Helsinki coming in to run the case. But has he bitten off more than he can handle?

And that's just the beginning. The plot twists and turns. What seemed to be an obvious solve took a sharp left turn more than once, keeping me guessing. Vaara himself is an interesting character. He is highly intelligent, but sometimes makes a call based on emotion, with repercussions. The subplot involving his wife's unhappiness with Finland lets us discover Vaara as a human, not just a cop. And his wife's unhappiness brings another character to the book - the dark, the bleakness, the isolation that is Finland in the dead of winter. Thompson writes what he knows. The descriptions of the cold and the lives of those enduring that cold made me shiver. (-40 degrees)

Read an excerpt of Snow Angels.

Caught up with Steig Larsson? Definitely read Snow Angels. Fans of Michael Connelly take note - he has provided a cover blurb for Snow Angels - "Masterful".

James Thompson's story is interesting as well. He was born and raised in Kentucky, but has lived in Finland for 10 years now. He is fluent in both Swedish and Finnish. Snow Angels is his first English book. An author who is now firmly on my must read list. Cannot wait for #2 in the Vaara series!

Red Snow - Michael Slade

Here's a timely new release from Penguin Canada.

Red Snow is set in Vancouver, Canada - now. The 2010 Winter Olympics are set to begin February 12, 2010. Slade's novel opens in December 2009. A celebrated snowboarder goes off the beaten trail, on a route he's known to take. Part of him finishes the run. His head doesn't. Additional crimes draw in the Special X investigation unit of the RCMP. (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) The 'X' unit are the 'psycho hunters." It seems an old nemesis is not done with the unit.

This was the first Michael Slade book I had read. (There are 14 others) Past crimes and criminals are explained, but in the beginning I felt like I was playing catch up as there are constant references to the past. I was able to get up to speed fairly quickly and got caught up in the tale. Slade incorporates lots of elements into his novels. The crimes are quite brutal, yet ingenious. Locked room mysteries and forensic techniques are effectively utilized. The weapons used are quite diabolical. Historical details are woven into the tale.

Lots and lots of action - quite frankly, I wondered if anyone would be left standing at the end. Without giving it away, the madman's plot is very, very plausible and quite frightening.

If you've read James Rollins' Sigma Force novels, you would enjoy Michael Slade.

Slade is the nom de plume of Vancouver lawyer Jay Clarke. Clarke specializes in cases involving the criminally insane. His novels draw upon that knowledge, Clarke's contacts within the RCMP and his own family history to give his novels a ring of authenticity.

The Brightest Star in the Sky - Marian Keyes

The Brightest Star in the Sky opens with an unknown entity, with an unnamed task, flying over the streets of Dublin, Ireland, hunting for an address - 66 Star Street. Once located the entity? fairy? spirit? enters through the roof and starts some reconnaissance.

There are four apartments at 66 Star Street. Through the eyes of the visitor we come to know the lives of each of the inhabitants intimately and the entity's task is slowly revealed. Clues are eked out if you pay attention.

Marion Keyes has done a phenomal job of creating characters you can actually believe in and care about - people you'd like to actually know. Not all are lovable and I changed my mind several times about each of them. Even the dog speaks his mind. (I'm actually quite taken by Grudge the dog - he's very funny) Strangers at first, the inhabitant's lives begin to intersect - new relationships are formed, old ones are cast aside. Secrets are kept and revealed, some good and some hurtful. I'd rather not detail the characters themselves as I think it's more fun to discover them yourself as you read.

Each chapter heading is a countdown of days, beginning at 60, leading me to wonder what happens at day one. Keyes takes seemingly disparate story lines, magically weaving them together.

When I first received this book for review, I thought 600 pages! But you know, I never got bogged down and was enthralled from start to finish, turning the last page with regret. Chick lit - yes - but with a little bit more. A magical tale that I truly enjoyed!

If you haven't discovered this Irish writer, what are you waiting for? A good one to curl up with over the holidays.

( You can read the first chapter of The Brightest Star in the Sky.)

A Touch of Dead - Charlaine Harris

Okay I fully admit it - I was a Sookie newbie. I'd heard so much about Charlaine Harris's series and placed a lot of holds for patrons, but hadn't gotten around to reading one.

A Touch of Dead , a short story collection, was the perfect 'starter' for me. Okay, for anyone else out there who hasn't read a Sookie story yet, here's the basics - Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress in small town Bon Temps, Louisiana. She just happens to be telepathic. Vampires have 'outed' themselves to the world; fairies and goblins, witches, shapeshifters and werewolves are part of the town's population as well.

Harris has an absolutely wicked sense of humour. In 'Dracula Night', an awe struck vamp hopes that Dracula himself will come to his party. Kind of like Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin as one character remarks.

How's this for an opening line in 'One Word Answer'? "Bubba the Vampire and I were raking up clippings from my newly trimmed bushes about midnight when the long black car pulled up."

The supernatural becomes part of the everyday landscape of life in Bon Temps. The stories are fun, but do contain an element of darkness as well. There's romance also, as Sookie is still looking for a boyfriend. Sookie is an engaging character, very likable. Harris seamlessly blends the everyday with the paranormal, creating charming, bewitching tales.

I honestly wasn't sure I would enjoy this as it isn't my usual style, but you know - I'm hooked. I'll be heading back to start at the beginning of this enchanting series. HBO has also based a hit series on Sookie called True Blood that I want to check out. You can read an excerpt of A Touch of Dead.

Anyone else spellbound?