Blindman’s Bluff by Faye Kellerman
Published by Harper Collins
ISBN 978–06-170241-9
At the request of Bestsellersworld, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Review format at the request of Bestsellersworld.

Detective Lieutenant Peter Decker, LAPD Homicide, and his wife Rina Lazarus are awakened to a late night call. As Rina hands him the phone, knowing that this is going to bad for the force to call “The Loo” during the night. And she was right. Not only does he come upon a gruesome multiple homicide but it’s of a very well known, high profile and extremely wealthy family. The CEO and real estate tycoon, Guy Kaffey, his wife, Gilliam, and one of his son’s, Gil, are shot during what appears to be a robbery as they sat in the massive home’s living room. Bodyguards and staff have also been killed. But Gil, one son, is critically injured but has survived and gives the police a few things that he remembers from those awful seconds. But how could this have happened with so many types of security in place? Could this be an inside job? Guy has very strong family bonds and believes in giving some a second chance. Was that his downfall? Mace, his brother, and other son Grant, travel immediately to LA from the East Coast, where they oversee the family’s holdings there.

As Decker and members of his force are working around the clock to solve this murder, with a laundry list of suspects and growing, of what also resembles another type of family, his wife Rina is sitting on the jury of a local trial. Rina and some of the jurors notice a man, as they nickname him Mr. Tom (for Tom Cruise), in court everyday, smartly dressed, his dark tinted glasses and his bright smile. Who is he? Why is he in the courtroom? Why the glasses? A mystery in itself until he approaches Rina to ask her to describe two men that he has just overheard talking about a murder. Within days, he contacts Rina at her home because he feels he is being followed. And has he now put Rina in danger?

Can these two mysteries be connected? What constitutes family loyalty? Who is “the boss” of this operation? Who can be trusted within each family? And the biggest question, why? Can Detective Decker protect the innocent and locate the guilty in time before another attempt is made?
Another true to form, Decker and Lazarus Novel that will have you turning the pages.

Blindman’s Bluff by Faye Kellerman
Published by Harper Collins
ISBN 978–06-170241-9
At the request of Bestsellersworld, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Review format at the request of Bestsellersworld.

Detective Lieutenant Peter Decker, LAPD Homicide, and his wife Rina Lazarus are awakened to a late night call. As Rina hands him the phone, knowing that this is going to bad for the force to call “The Loo” during the night. And she was right. Not only does he come upon a gruesome multiple homicide but it’s of a very well known, high profile and extremely wealthy family. The CEO and real estate tycoon, Guy Kaffey, his wife, Gilliam, and one of his son’s, Gil, are shot during what appears to be a robbery as they sat in the massive home’s living room. Bodyguards and staff have also been killed. But Gil, one son, is critically injured but has survived and gives the police a few things that he remembers from those awful seconds. But how could this have happened with so many types of security in place? Could this be an inside job? Guy has very strong family bonds and believes in giving some a second chance. Was that his downfall? Mace, his brother, and other son Grant, travel immediately to LA from the East Coast, where they oversee the family’s holdings there.

As Decker and members of his force are working around the clock to solve this murder, with a laundry list of suspects and growing, of what also resembles another type of family, his wife Rina is sitting on the jury of a local trial. Rina and some of the jurors notice a man, as they nickname him Mr. Tom (for Tom Cruise), in court everyday, smartly dressed, his dark tinted glasses and his bright smile. Who is he? Why is he in the courtroom? Why the glasses? A mystery in itself until he approaches Rina to ask her to describe two men that he has just overheard talking about a murder. Within days, he contacts Rina at her home because he feels he is being followed. And has he now put Rina in danger?

Can these two mysteries be connected? What constitutes family loyalty? Who is “the boss” of this operation? Who can be trusted within each family? And the biggest question, why? Can Detective Decker protect the innocent and locate the guilty in time before another attempt is made?
Another true to form, Decker and Lazarus Novel that will have you turning the pages.

Hollywood Savage by Kristin McCloy
Published by Washington Square Press
A division of Simon & Schuster
ISBN 978-0-7432-8647-3
At the request of Simon & Schuster, a TPB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from back of book): “Meet me at five,” the voice said on the answering machine, Four ordinary words yet, when heard by the wrong person, enough to change the course of a marriage.
  Marooned in Hollywood while writing a screenplay based on his latest bestselling novel, Miles King, records in his journals his escalating conviction that his glamorous wife, a New York-based journalist named Maggie, his having an affair.
  Amidst the un-buffed egos and the longing for connection and fame he encounters at every cocktail party and no-name bar in Hollywood, Miles finds unexpected comfort in an affair if his own with Lucy, a young mother whose open, eager mind sparks an irresistible passion in him. Miles’s constantly shifting emotional state-a potent brew of lust, guilt, anger and betrayal- is only one of the perils he must navigate as his fantasies become increasingly hard to distinguish from reality.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: When I first accepted this book for review, I thought it was going to be the typical Hollywood life style that is the basis of many books, the gossip in magazines and on entertainment TV shows. The following opinion is mine and only mine. I read 50+ pages, and at that point, I still had not been pulled into the story. I found the narrative of first-person very wordy, that at times, I would have to reread sentences to process what was really being said. I felt that the storyline was slow paced in the pages read. Unfortunately, this book had to be put aside in the DNF pile.

Hollywood Savage by Kristin McCloy
Published by Washington Square Press
A division of Simon & Schuster
ISBN 978-0-7432-8647-3
At the request of Simon & Schuster, a TPB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from back of book): “Meet me at five,” the voice said on the answering machine, Four ordinary words yet, when heard by the wrong person, enough to change the course of a marriage.
  Marooned in Hollywood while writing a screenplay based on his latest bestselling novel, Miles King, records in his journals his escalating conviction that his glamorous wife, a New York-based journalist named Maggie, his having an affair.
  Amidst the un-buffed egos and the longing for connection and fame he encounters at every cocktail party and no-name bar in Hollywood, Miles finds unexpected comfort in an affair if his own with Lucy, a young mother whose open, eager mind sparks an irresistible passion in him. Miles’s constantly shifting emotional state-a potent brew of lust, guilt, anger and betrayal- is only one of the perils he must navigate as his fantasies become increasingly hard to distinguish from reality.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: When I first accepted this book for review, I thought it was going to be the typical Hollywood life style that is the basis of many books, the gossip in magazines and on entertainment TV shows. The following opinion is mine and only mine. I read 50+ pages, and at that point, I still had not been pulled into the story. I found the narrative of first-person very wordy, that at times, I would have to reread sentences to process what was really being said. I felt that the storyline was slow paced in the pages read. Unfortunately, this book had to be put aside in the DNF pile.

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
Published by Atria Books (Division of Simon & Schuster)
ISBN 978-0-7432-9427-0
At the request of Simon & Schuster, a HC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from book’s jacket): Sometimes all you can do is fly away home… When Sylvia Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician’s wife-her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator.
  Lizzie, the Woodruffs’ younger daughter is at twenty-four a recovering addict, whose mantra HALT (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) helps her keep her life under control Still, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve-a husband, a young son, the perfect home-and yet she’s trapped in a loveless marriage. With temptation waiting in one of the ER’s exam rooms, she finds herself craving more.
  After Richard’s extramarital affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she is meant to be.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: This storyline was written with the old adage, “No one knows what goes on behind closed doors”. But then taken a step further since the family behind those closed doors could not see what was happening. The Woodruffs were the ideal family to outsiders but each family member was living their own solitary life, each with their own secrets. The plot was relatable since it mirrored what we frequently see on the news with politicians and sports figures. I was also able to identify with the characters in this family because of a general age recognition within my family. The writing style was smooth and descriptive. Even with a serious and emotional theme, the author was able to add some humor into some of the scenes. Without including any spoilers, I found it to even include personal thought provoking questions, such as, “what would I do in this situation”?, “are we true to our self”?, are we really who we think we are”?, “who or what makes us happy”?, “are we true to our self”? This book could be put down, but not for long, because this reader wanted to know how it ends.

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
Published by Atria Books (Division of Simon & Schuster)
ISBN 978-0-7432-9427-0
At the request of Simon & Schuster, a HC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from book’s jacket): Sometimes all you can do is fly away home… When Sylvia Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician’s wife-her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator.
  Lizzie, the Woodruffs’ younger daughter is at twenty-four a recovering addict, whose mantra HALT (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) helps her keep her life under control Still, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve-a husband, a young son, the perfect home-and yet she’s trapped in a loveless marriage. With temptation waiting in one of the ER’s exam rooms, she finds herself craving more.
  After Richard’s extramarital affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she is meant to be.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: This storyline was written with the old adage, “No one knows what goes on behind closed doors”. But then taken a step further since the family behind those closed doors could not see what was happening. The Woodruffs were the ideal family to outsiders but each family member was living their own solitary life, each with their own secrets. The plot was relatable since it mirrored what we frequently see on the news with politicians and sports figures. I was also able to identify with the characters in this family because of a general age recognition within my family. The writing style was smooth and descriptive. Even with a serious and emotional theme, the author was able to add some humor into some of the scenes. Without including any spoilers, I found it to even include personal thought provoking questions, such as, “what would I do in this situation”?, “are we true to our self”?, are we really who we think we are”?, “who or what makes us happy”?, “are we true to our self”? This book could be put down, but not for long, because this reader wanted to know how it ends.

i know i am, but what are you? by Samantha Bee
Published by Gallery Books/A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-4391-4273-8
At the request of Gallery Books, a HC was sent, at no charge to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (borrowed from book’s jacket): Critics have called her “sweet, adorable, and vicious.” But there is so much more to be said about Samantha Bee. For one, she’s Canadian. Whatever that means. And now, she opens up for the very first time about her checkered Canadian past. With Charming candor, she admits to her Lennie from Of Mice and Men-style love of a baby animals, her teenage crime spree as one half of a car-thieving couple (Bonnie and Clyde in Bermuda shorts and braces:, and the fact that strangers seem compelled to show her their genitals. She also details her intriguing career history, which includes stints working in a fame store, at a penis clinic, and as a Japanese anime character in a touring children’s show.
  Samantha delves into all these topics and many more in this thoroughly hilarious, unabashedly frank collection of personal essays. Whether detailing the creepiness that ensues when strangers assume that your mom is your lesbian lover or recalling her girlhood crush on Jesus (who looked like Kris Kristofferson and sang like Kenny Loggins), Samantha turns the spotlight on her own imperfect yet highly entertaining life as relentlessly as she skewers hapless interview subjects on The Daily Show. She shares her unique point of view on a variety of subjects as wide-ranging as her deep affinity for old people and her hatred of hot ham. It’s all here, in irresistible prose that will leave you in stitches and eager for more.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I have stated many times that I am not a TV watcher, so I need to confess, I have never watched the The Daily Show. But, after reading this book and knowing that the author, Samantha Bee is a senior correspondent of that show, there is a good chance I will be watching. The author writes about her dysfunctional family, her childhood antics and even some when she was a bit older. I found myself laughing out loud, chuckling and even at time saying “me too, me too!!!!” Each chapter was equally funny, whereas I couldn’t even pick one as my favorite. However, there was one that really had me laughing and that I could really relate to, myself being of the same religion, was Man-Witch. She relates her story of being in a Catholic elementary school and having a “crush” on God. Reading this book now was the best remedy, to escape from “real life” and just laugh. Have this book on hand for when you just need to read something funny and totally entertaining.

i know i am, but what are you? by Samantha Bee
Published by Gallery Books/A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-4391-4273-8
At the request of Gallery Books, a HC was sent, at no charge to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (borrowed from book’s jacket): Critics have called her “sweet, adorable, and vicious.” But there is so much more to be said about Samantha Bee. For one, she’s Canadian. Whatever that means. And now, she opens up for the very first time about her checkered Canadian past. With Charming candor, she admits to her Lennie from Of Mice and Men-style love of a baby animals, her teenage crime spree as one half of a car-thieving couple (Bonnie and Clyde in Bermuda shorts and braces:, and the fact that strangers seem compelled to show her their genitals. She also details her intriguing career history, which includes stints working in a fame store, at a penis clinic, and as a Japanese anime character in a touring children’s show.
  Samantha delves into all these topics and many more in this thoroughly hilarious, unabashedly frank collection of personal essays. Whether detailing the creepiness that ensues when strangers assume that your mom is your lesbian lover or recalling her girlhood crush on Jesus (who looked like Kris Kristofferson and sang like Kenny Loggins), Samantha turns the spotlight on her own imperfect yet highly entertaining life as relentlessly as she skewers hapless interview subjects on The Daily Show. She shares her unique point of view on a variety of subjects as wide-ranging as her deep affinity for old people and her hatred of hot ham. It’s all here, in irresistible prose that will leave you in stitches and eager for more.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I have stated many times that I am not a TV watcher, so I need to confess, I have never watched the The Daily Show. But, after reading this book and knowing that the author, Samantha Bee is a senior correspondent of that show, there is a good chance I will be watching. The author writes about her dysfunctional family, her childhood antics and even some when she was a bit older. I found myself laughing out loud, chuckling and even at time saying “me too, me too!!!!” Each chapter was equally funny, whereas I couldn’t even pick one as my favorite. However, there was one that really had me laughing and that I could really relate to, myself being of the same religion, was Man-Witch. She relates her story of being in a Catholic elementary school and having a “crush” on God. Reading this book now was the best remedy, to escape from “real life” and just laugh. Have this book on hand for when you just need to read something funny and totally entertaining.