857. "Odd Partners" by Allison Brennan, Jeffery Deaver, William Kent Krueger – 4 Stars

Odd Partners  by Allison Brennan, Jeffery Deaver, William Kent Krueger – 4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing – Ballantine Books

ISBN: 9781524799359

Odd Partners is a collection of 19 short stories by established authors. Each has a mystery/suspense theme with a unique plot, setting, and characters. All have a bit of surprise at the end. There are thieves, murderers, animal heroes, political tricksters, and ordinary people. Even some of the supernatural is included. None are boring and the good guy usually wins. Each story is entertaining because of its diversity.

I usually prefer the depth of a novel, but chose this anthology to read because it contained stories by recognized authors whose books I read in the past. I was surprised how well each story was developed and completed the book in a few days. It is obvious that the authors included in this anthology are award winners and best sellers.

Reviewer: Nancy

856. Windows 10 Version 1809 *****

It was my turn to tackle Windows 10 Version 1809. Although it took almost 3.5 hours to this complete the installation beginning at download to fully configured on my 2010 Dell Inspiron 1440, it was nothing but smiles. When the Windows Update process kept trying to download the package and failing I went to the Windows Assistant installation option, downloaded it from the support site, and let her fly. without any interaction she did everything from check out the system, download version 1809, install it, and build it. The Windows Assistant prefaced its download with statement how Microsoft's AI application created a better process based on all the prior installation of Feature version installations. And, that it did! Kudos to Microsoft. I only had to do one extra step this time: Reinstall my old Microsoft Card Games which was a simple run of the installation package I already had. this time it even left my Registry hack alone that disabled the Caps Lock key that I would always hit instead of just the shift key and which now prevents me FROM YELLING. I have a few other hacks in the registry and hope I don't need to reapply those either. A word of caution, throw all the hacks in a folder to simplify the need of reinstalling them if you need to. The last version (1803) also destroyed my Start Menu, my Display Preference changes, and Taskbar Icons. NOT this time. Everything was re-Pinned automatically, even the icons after reinstalling the old card games to exactly the configuration I had.

So, if you are hedging to put on Version 1809, I hope this review will relieve some of that anxiety. Great job Microsoft.

855. "The Crooked Staircase" by Dean Koontz – 4 Stars

The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz – 4 Stars

Publisher: Bantam Books

ISBN: 9780525483427

I made it through this book 3 of 5 series and am moving on to 4. I am a reviewer for new books on Netgalley.com and book 5 is available for request. I’ll be finished with book 4 and praying for book 5.

As in the previous books in this series, Jane Hawk efficiently and effectively takes care of business to seek the Arcadian leader. The Arcadians are members of a corrupt group committed to control the world by controlling the minds of computer algorithm selected individuals using a “brain net” injected into the victims. In this book, Jane is up against an NSA Arcadian leader. However, before she gets to him she has to deal with the underlings and the total havoc to do so. Her focus is undiminished in finding all those involved who “adjusted” her husband and programmed him to commit suicide. New characters help her, but still more victims pile up. Jane is electrifying as usual!

The story is great and 80% through I was already yearning to put book 4 at the top of my reading queue. However, I was less than excited when I had to painfully forge through the remainder of the book --it appeared that extra words and pages were needed to get the total pages above 450. I was also not pleased with the abrupt end of this one which did not leave me with the hunger for book 4. Yet, the first 80% ruled and I’ll be starting book 4 in a couple of days and have already requested book 5 to find out how the whole story ends.

Reviewer: Rich

 

854. "Murder for Christmas" by Jo-Ann Carson

Murder for Christmas by Jo-Ann Carson – 3 Stars

Publisher: JRT Publications

ISBN: 9781989031155

I would say this book is a short story that is entertaining for the couple of hours needed to read it. Expect a tale similar to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, except for the reason why the victims are lured to the island. It was not a deep, enriching novel with well-crafted asides of moving, fulfilling literacy, nor did it yield a profound conclusion. I would classify it as an airplane or beach read to pass the time for one wanting some freedom from this complex world -- a let-me-alone-for-awhile moment. That itself provides a motive to read this.

Reviewer: Rich

 

853. "Where Monsters Hide" by M. William Phelps – 4 Stars

Where Monsters Hide  by M. William Phelps – 4 Stars

Publisher: Kensington Books

ISBN: 9781496720818

I have not read other books in the True Crime category, so had nothing to compare this to and no preconceived expectations. It is an exhaustive, but compelling story of a woman who is described as “the worse female serial killer in modern America.” She was convicted of two murders and suspected of nine more.

The interviews with Kelly Cochran became tedious. Several times I set the book aside to switch to another book. The length of this book becomes understandable considering the hundreds of interviews and investigation over many years. The pictures at the end put a face to the people I spent hours getting to know. I developed great respect for Sheriff Laura Frizzo and Detective Jeremy Ogden for their persistence dealing with a narcissistic psychopath who was a master of manipulation.

Where Monsters Hide was a disturbing account. The insight into the evil mind of Kelly Cochran was fascinating and frightening. The courage of those in law enforcement who did not quit until she was convicted and imprisoned was inspiring. I thank Netgalley.com and Kensington Books for the opportunity to preview this book and introducing me to True Crime stories.

Reviewer: Nancy

852. "Secret Agent Brainteasers" by Sinclair McKay -- 2-Stars

Secret Agent Brainteasers by Sinclair McKay – 2 Stars

Publisher: Quercus

ISBN: 9781635061352

I debated whether I should even review and rate this book. Let me start that I enjoyed the historical narratives and real spy tales. However, being an avid puzzler, particularly doing extremely difficult logic problems, I encountered so many puzzles that had multiple solutions or had errors. This is an UNCORRECTED COPY I am reviewing, so maybe the fallacies I report to the publisher will be corrected.

My expectation though was to find puzzles used directly in determining spy capabilities. Instead I found puzzles that were common folk teasers and had no relevance to determining spy capabilities. If you are reading this book to evaluate yourself and boost your hopes of being a spy, intelligence employee, detective, or investigator, drop that idea. However, if you just enjoy teaser games, enjoy this book. So many of the puzzles I found are simply word manipulation challenges. Likewise, many are or similar to puzzles already published in the let-me-trick-you category.

So, how do I rate this book? It did not meet MY expectations as set by the book’s description that imagined that these puzzles could test for spy candidates. The typographic errors, such as Chapter 2 puzzle #6 where two underscores are missing before “AR/” , can be overlooked in an UNCORRECTED copy. However, when at least 10+% of the puzzles I did have at least one alternate solution, such as Chapter 1 puzzle 4 where one could use the logic that the sector with 11 and 22 in outside circle and 20 on inside should be the numbers of the combination because it’s the only sector where the three numbers increase from left to right, then it already presents only a 50-50 chance of success -- one no spy would take. I’d like to rate this 3 or 4 because these word-teasers (most not really testing one’s logic) together with the good narrative history and tales would be enjoyed by many people. However, I’m being asked what my opinion is, and that has to be based on my expectations from its description versus what I discovered. Also, I couldn’t commit myself to doing more than the approximately 30-40 puzzles because of the issues I found! Thus, I can only rate this 2-star.

Reviewer: Rich

 

851. "The Whispering Room" by Dean Koontz -- 5-Stars

The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz – 5 Stars

Publisher: Bantam Books

ISBN: 9780345546807

Jane Hawk evades “Them” again in a masterful, suspenseful victory towards eliminating the evil mind control brain net. I enjoy reading a novel where not only is the story great, but the use of words excels, the portraying of environmental situations and locations perfectly put you right there, and the construction and organization of the novel enhances without confusing the reader.

The “Whispering Room” is an interesting concept that everybody can relate to at times when a tinge of paranoia raises its ugly head. Plus, this whispering room adds even more evil elements. Jane learns the secrets and utilizes them to her advantage. How she does it, with a commitment to bring down the evil-doers who sacrificed her husband, is what makes this story intense and captivating throughout. But, this is only the second book of five and book three is on its way. Great job Mr. Koontz.

Reviewer: Rich

850. Black & Decker...Plumbing...Edition 7" by Cool Spring Press -- 4 Stars

Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Plumbing Updated 7^th Edition  by Editors of Cool Spring Press – 4 Stars

Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group – Cool Spring Press

ISBN: 9780760362815

If one can’t use the Internet, then a hard copy book is essential, particularly for emergencies or minor repairs. Several DIY books are on the market with some like this one dedicated specifically for Plumbing, while some others cover topics more completely and add troubleshooting and repair for key appliances in the plumbing system. My father was a plumber and I did pipe fitting during the summers while attending school. Therefore, I know the basics and more. Yet, I am challenged by the many weird things that occur in a plumbing system, such as pipes hammering only after a toilet flushing, popping noises from the hot water heater, hard water destroying shut off valves, water filtering solutions, cleaning vents, and periodic toilet stoppage in cold months to name a few. So, I’m looking for something that UP FRONT alerts me to any potentially misbehaving components of my plumbing system; then gives me the remedies and repair procedures.

I like that Black & Decker did nicely cover plumbing materials, fittings, repair materials, and tools. I found the information on the use of more skilled tools needed in some cases complete enough for the layman to begin to tackle. The book is reasonably well organized and provides clear step-by-step pictures to aid the user in performing the job. Yet, unlike the Internet a book does not provide videos of a repair being done and is limited to repairs in general.

I’m here to evaluate the book though, not how to best get all the information I need for a plumbing job. Thus, I would rate it better than average. If at all possible, and maybe I missed it, a reference to repair videos and websites would be a nice touch, as would actual videos on the Black & Decker Website that could be downloaded.

 

Reviewer: Rich

 

849. "The Future is Asian" by Parag Khanna -- 2-Stars

The Future is Asian by Parag Khanna – 2 Stars

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

ISBN: 9781501196263

This book provides a lot of incentive to think beyond the box; the box in this case is what is presented. Who’s the audience? This is a dump of everything learned by everybody imaginable without clearly separating fact from findings or observations. It is obvious that much research has gone into this to collect and report all the information. A PhD in Asian History may like the beginning chapter to refresh him/her with details of an era he desired; you get the author’s attempt to list all the “Asian” events from the beginning of time. I, on the other hand, was anticipating only something discussing how recent events and actions throughout Asia affect the goal of globalization. Instead, I was presented with a case study, somewhat biased, pitting the Western blunders vs. Non-Western successes. I wanted to know what plans the Asian countries have already initiated and are planning to employ to enhance globalized, worldwide relationships. This would have given me insight to private business changes, my investments, and America’s efforts to synchronize relationships towards a successful global integration.

A consultant needs to analyze ALL the findings relevant to predefined hypotheses of conclusions. Many of the findings in this book are bias toward Asian thinking which distorts the formulation of facts needed by the individual seeking global unity. Conclusions are sketchy against a synchronized global plan.

Despite the struggle I had to get through this book, it did make me think ALOT. The knowledge before reading this book was already adequate to understand the issues hindering the efforts of globalization. The last thing I needed was that the West is still trying to colonize the world while the non-west is opening it up (but, not to the West) with THEIR only objectives in mind.

Sorry, I’m not impressed with the pain-staking effort that apparently went into the research of this book when the message is ambiguous and conflicting at times. Way too many words and pages to get what should be a message to the West to pay ample attention to the world, seek ideas coming from the non-West, and together formulate plans for successful globalization. I certainly wasn’t the audience in mind for this book.

Reviewer: Rich

 

848. "The Pandora Room" by Christopher Golden -- 5-Stars

The Pandora Room by Christopher Golden – 5 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 9781250192103

The Pandora Room has all the elements of a scary horror adventure. The setting is a dark claustrophobic cave system where a deadly plague with evil phantoms leaks from a jar. Seeking the jar are nasty ISIS replacement soldiers who want to use it as a weapon. And what’s a tale without ancient mythology as background? There are characters that heroically fight to protect the jar and survive against overwhelming odds.

This is the second book with Ben Walker as the main character, but is fine as a stand-alone novel. The relationship between Ben and Kim introduced in the first book is sufficiently covered in this book.

There is tension throughout. Overused comments like “wild ride” and “can’t put down” come to mind to describe its intensity – and all both true. I have not read anything by Christopher Golden in a few years, but will return to read Arafat and other books I have missed.

Reviewer: Nancy