TOO LATE TO SAY GOODBYE, by Ann Rule

All Anne Rule books are well researched, written, and interesting. Name one that took you longer than 3 days. This one is no different. While it is great, and the story deserved to be told for the purpose of the memories of the victims, it is not the same intensity as Death By Sunset, 'Stranger..", or Everything She Ever Wanted. This is not due to the writing or research, merely due to the fact that Bart Corbin was just not a very interesting person. He was an egotisical, self-centered man, who thought he could get away with anything. This profile is not rare in true crime novels. Nevertheless, the story is interesting and worth reading.

TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL: FALLOUT, by David Michaels

Let me clarify that the Splinter Cell books are not written by Tom Clancy, they are just an idea of his. Be careful, spoilers are listed. This book was well written in my opinion and the author of the book portrayed Sam Fisher's personality well. The book starts out with Sam being tested for a new type of spy work, one that would put him out in the open, in daylight. Of course Sam passes the training phase with flying colors. Shortly after his graduation he finds out that his brother has contracted a deadly chemical, from which there is no cure. Sam's brother dies within days of being exposed to the deadly chemical. With Sam's brother dying at the hands of a very rare and very deadly chemical, the development of this chemical has just become very personal to him. He, Sam, sets out to find who developed the new chemical and for what. During his search for the chemical he comes across a much larger scheme. He, Sam, discovers that the chemical allows a fungas to enhance its ability to absorb the minerals around it, rendering them useless. Sam finds out that this fungas is soon to be released on a large portion of the worlds oil supply. The production of the new chemical, and its potential enhancement of a particular fungas can send the planet back to the dark ages within just a few weeks time.

TREASURE OF KHAN, by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler

Ever since it was first published, "Raise the Titanic" has ranked among my favorite heart-pounding action/adventure novels. Now, Clive and Dirk Cussler present the nineteenth Dirk Pitt endurance test, "Treasure of Khan." Like Superman and other fictional heroes, Pitt never leaves behind someone in need or danger, is always gallant to gentleladies (but not necessarily to women up to no good), quips while suffering, and possesses the ingenuity to solve puzzles that stump others. Joining him in "Khan" is the whole gang. Happily, faithful sidekick, Giordino, and Pitt get most of the book space allocated to TFGG (the familiar good guys). The young Pitts -- Summer and Dirk Jr. -- do play a notable role, but aren't as prominently featured as in "Black Wind." That satisfies this reader who wasn't thrilled when these fraternal twins were conjured up a few outings ago, but who is willing to afford them a place in the Dirk Pitt scheme of things as long as they don't usurp their elders. It was also great to see Rudi Gunn have more to do this time around. Too bad Admiral (Vice President) Sandecker got only a cameo. Like all Dirk Pitt novels, "Treasure" follows the proven formula of our heroes tracking down and confronting a wildly rich private citizen of some country (in this case, Mongolia) whose megalomania and perverted use of cutting-edge science and technology are threatening the world's security. Had my druthers, the Cusslers would make their villains two-dimensional at least. It would add some character robustness. But we're talking action/adventure, so I won't quibble too much. As usual, the book begins in the past; in this case, when Kublai Khan ruled. Then we are whisked to China in 1937, where a British Museum representative tries to safeguard some treasures before the invading Japanese arrive. Thereafter the time is just a bit ahead of present day and our minds can buzz about how these blasts from the past will challenge our heroes. The first time we see Dirk Pitt he is aboard a survey ship on Lake Baikal in Russia. This portion of the book is, to my mind, the most engrossing part of the adventure. Not only is there some superduper action (with a very sharp save by Giordino), but the Cusslers manage to pack in a lot of fascinating facts about the real pristine-water lake without losing plot momentum. "Treasure of Khan" isn't great literature (and I doubt anyone would think that's its goal), but it is rousing, adrenaline-pumping fun. Especially since we readers can sit back comfortably and only vicariously chew our nails over 30-feet water walls, Gobi Desert death marches, or ramming drill ships! Enjoy.

THE THIRTEENTH TALE, by Diane Setterfield

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is a rich story about secrets, ghosts, winter, books and family. The Thirteenth Tale is a book lover's book, with much of the action taking place in libraries and book stores, and the line between fact and fiction constantly blurred. It is hard to believe this is Setterfield's debut novel, for she makes the words come to life with such skill that some passages even gave me chills. With a mug of cocoa and The Thirteenth Tale, contentment isn't far away.

Pros
The writing is poetic.
The characters are unique.
The story is interesting, imaginative, exciting.
Cons
You will want to drink lots of cocoa while reading (this is only a con for the weight conscious).
Description
Margaret Lea works in her father's book store and is haunted by a loss in her past.
One night Margaret is summoned to the home of the most famous author in England's house to record her autobiography.
Vida Winter, the author, tells a layered tale, with stories within stories, keeping Margaret (and readers) curious.
Guide Review - The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - Book Review
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is reminiscent of classic British novels, like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. It has tragedy, romance, moors, and dark, stormy nights. In a way, The Thirteenth Tale is a homage to these and all other great works of literature. The power of books and stories is foremost in the novel, and as the main character gets lost in one story, you'll find yourself lost with her in the story within a story (as well as the story surrounding the character's story).
This is not a realistic book. It isn't meant to be. The aura of fairytale lends power and mystery to the writing. While place is utterly important to the book, time is not. I did not try to figure out when the novel was supposed to take place, but it could just as easily have been now as a hundred years ago.
Perhaps all this talk about place, time and story seems roundabout to you. Perhaps you want a synopsis of plot and a straightforward review that tells you what to expect so that you can decide whether to read this book. For those of you who want that from this review...here's what to expect: A good story written by a very good writer about a good story told by a very good writer. Not clear enough? Pick up the book. Setterfield can tell it much better than I can.

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, by Khaled Hosseini.

After 103 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and with four million copies of The Kite Runner shipped, Khaled Hosseini returns with a beautiful, riveting, and haunting novel that confirms his place as one of the most important literary writers today. Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love. Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival. A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.
Entertainment Weekly
Hosseini's depiction of Mariam and Laila's plight would seem cartoonishly crude if it were not, by all accounts, a sadly accurate version of what many Afghan women have experienced. The romantic twists and fairy-tale turns are not so accurate. But, as in The Kite Runner, they are precisely what make the novel such a stirring read. Childhood promises are sacred; true love never dies; justice will be done; sisterhood is powerful. It's unrealistic, and almost impossible to resist. B+.

THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Three Cups of Tea is a truly inspiring story and also a very readable action-adventure! Many climbers have passed through the same areas of Pakistan as Mortenson, and made the same promises to the local people - to help them in some way or another; but the difference between Greg and so many others is that he followed through. He didn't set out to be a hero, he didn't even set out to 'make a difference' - he just set out to fulfill a promise that would have been so easy to forget. Despite the many obstacles in his way he raised the money and returned to Pakistan, but it took a further two-years, more money and many road-blocks, to build that first school.