Review: Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson

James Patterson

Title: Confessions of a Murder Suspect (Confessions #1)

Author: James Patterson, Maxine Paetro

Published: 2012 by Little, Brown and Company

Pages: 372

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 3.5/5

Goodreads Blurb

James Patterson returns to the genre that made him famous with a thrilling teen detective series about the mysterious and magnificently wealthy Angel family... and the dark secrets they're keeping from one another.

On the night Malcolm and Maud Angel are murdered, Tandy Angel knows just three things: She was the last person to see her parents alive. The police have no suspects besides Tandy and her three siblings. She can't trust anyone -— maybe not even herself. 

Having grown up under Malcolm and Maud's intense perfectionist demands, no child comes away undamaged. Tandy decides that she will have to clear the family name, but digging deeper into her powerful parents' affairs is a dangerous -- and revealing -- game. Who knows what the Angels are truly capable of?

My Thoughts

I've read several James Patterson mysteries, but few have as exciting and intriguing a set up as the first book in the Confessions series has. The last book by the same author I read was called Invisible, and it turned out to be my favourite James Patterson so far. I had really high hopes on this one just as the story began, but it did not live up to those high expectations.

It's a good story, actually. The Angels have always been high achievers, above normal, exceedingly smart. Malcolm and Maud Angel are demanding, strict parents, but they have their children's best interests at heart. With their careful and calculated manner of parenting - watching strictly educational movies, learning foreign languages and geography, having exceedingly high IQ levels. The children excelled in their fields, but they didn't know what it was to be normal. What would happen when their ultimate support system is ruined? Are they strong enough to handle that?

Tandy Angel, the sixteen year old daughter of Malcolm and Maud, addresses the reader and gives the story from her perspective, beginning from the night her parents were found dead in their room. She realizes that apart from the Angel kids and Maud's personal assistant Samantha, no one was in the house. That is a terrorizing thought, and soon enough, the Angel kids, especially Tandy (Tandoori) Angel, are suspects in their parents' murder.

Among uncertainty and doubting each other, the kids grieve in their own ways, strange to an outsider but perfectly normal to each other. Uncle Peter, their guardian, arrives at the scene, now the sole owner of Angel Pharmaceuticals, previously co-owned by his brother, Malcolm. Maud was a high profile financial agent. Tandy is distrustful of everyone around her - her twin Harry, her younger brother Hugo, her elder brother and NFL superstar Matthew, Uncle Peter, Samantha, their neighbours, and even herself. She's been raised in a way that made her emotions nearly non-existent, a good thing according to Malcolm and Maud, for it improved focus. Her memory of certain events of the past is hazy, thanks to countless sessions with their counsellor.

The atrocity of her parents' deaths, the rude intrusion into their apartment, and their life, makes Tandy pledge that she would find out the killer, even if her siblings hate her for asking such questions. She begins her very own investigation, throwing into focus the dysfunctional manner of the Angel family, the past and many hidden secrets. She discovers her own secrets in the process, trying to figure out the identity of the real Tandoori Angel.

Even though the ending was a bummer, it was a good story with respect to a family driven into the quest for perfection, and going to any limit to achieve it. What was disappointing was the manner of narration and writing. Regular questions that seemed familiar, delaying information consistently by saying 'that's for later', hinting that the killer could be Tandy herself, are things that somewhat marred the fun of reading. I get that those hints were meant to keep the reader guessing, but because it happened very frequently, it succeeded in pissing me off instead. Not a very impressive tool, really. Perhaps it would have been more effective had it been used only a couple of times.

I liked how the story involves a personal history and development of the siblings along with solving the mystery. Even though for a crime thriller, it should have been more focused on solving the crime with lots of twists. There were twists, but very few of them. I would see this more as a mystery intertwined with emotions and family drama than a thriller. It is the first book in a thrilling teen detective series. At the end of the book, Tandy decides she wants to become a detective, so I guess more stories are in progress. I'm hoping they would be better and up to their potential. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining read for when you have nothing else. At least till the end, it keeps your heart pacing. 

“Anne Frank wrote, ‘How true Daddy’s words were when he said: all children must look after their own upbringing. Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.'” 

Thank you Random House publishers for this book. :)

Review: Invisible by James Patterson

Title: Invisible

Author: James Patterson and David Ellis

Published: 2014 by Century

Pages: 399

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 5/5

Goodreads Blurb!

Everyone thinks Emmy Dockery is crazy. Obsessed with finding the link between hundreds of unsolved cases, Emmy has taken leave from her job as an FBI researcher. Now all she has are the newspaper clippings that wallpaper her bedroom, and her recurring nightmares of an all-consuming fire.

Not even Emmy's ex-boyfriend, field agent Harrison "Books" Bookman, will believe her that hundreds of kidnappings, rapes, and murders are all connected. That is, until Emmy finds a piece of evidence he can't afford to ignore. More murders are reported by the day--and they're all inexplicable. No motives, no murder weapons, no suspects. Could one person really be responsible for these unthinkable crimes?

INVISIBLE is James Patterson's scariest, most chilling stand-alone thriller yet.

My Thoughts!

I don’t exactly remember why I wanted this book. I already had a few James Patterson mysteries lying unread, but the blurb sparked something and I wanted to read this as well. It’s one of the best decisions I made, when it comes to book choices. Not only was the mystery well plotted and narrated, it was presented and created in a way that would make you hide under the covers, especially if you’d be reading this book at night. Emmy Dockery is a researcher with FBI, on temporary leave, but totally consumed by information about fires breaking out in different homes across the country, the victims charred to death, just like her twin sister Marta. She was in an accidental house fire in January, and no one but Emmy was convinced that she was murdered. When she tries getting the FBI’s help, her boss, also known as the Dick, ensures that she isn’t taken seriously, not until Emmy manages to get Books, her ex-fiancé and ex-FBI agent, onto the case.

That’s when things gradually make sense and the team with minimum resources initially, study the data and try figuring out the serial killer, the one dangerous criminal who has killed more than seventy people across North America, and not very swiftly either. It’s a gradual chase, but let me tell you at the onset that it’s going to keep you hooked (for example, it took me a day and a half to complete it, forgoing sleep for hours and resuming it first thing in the morning). Be ready to be hoodwinked, both by the author as well as by the characters. The story catches pace gradually, introducing characters, but never goes away from the central plot. As the events unfold one by one, you are left grappling with facts and clinging on to someone as the killer, but it only gets worse, especially in the later half of the book. This book will make your hearts beat faster, make you breathless with fear and you’d probably mutter stuff like ‘no, shit!!’ or ‘ohmygod! How did that happen?’ or perhaps be speechless, but feel goosebumpy nevertheless. I’d give it a full star rating just for this effect; it’s been done so brilliantly.

The writing is fun: it’s quirky, yet serious. The characters seemed perfect in all their glory and flaws. I liked Emmy a lot, even though she’s been shown as someone with trust issues or thinking a bit too independently. But then, that’s who she is, and this story is about how she wants to find her sister’s killer, along with hundreds of other victims. It’s about facing so many obstacles, getting rejected, crushed, defeated numerous times, but with a little support and marvellous conviction that she’s right, Emmy goes forward even when she’s all alone. Other characters have their own stories as well, but thankfully those don’t interfere with the plot. I loved this book: for having a gut-wrenching, heart-racing, mind-blowing mystery, for being presented in a way that you wouldn’t know what’s coming in the next page, for making your jaw drop and crying out loud when you discover the killer and make sense of the story, for making you feel like calling up James Patterson and demand a longer explanation in the end. Seriously, I wish the end could have been wrapped up better, but I suspect this is a plot in itself – to make the reader go back and read the book again!

I’d recommend this book to every mystery lover but only to those who’re used to, or are ready to read gruesome details and gory murders. It’s not an easy book to digest, what with perfect detailing as to how the killer tortured his victims. So I’d ask the soft-hearted to be careful, but if you ever get the heart, read it! It’s brilliant.

“You’re your own worst enemy, Marta always said to me. You don’t need anyone to torment you because you do it to yourself.”

“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”

“You must do today what nobody else will do, so tomorrow you can accomplish what others can’t.” 

Thank you Random House publishers for this book! :)

Review: Private London by James Patterson

James Patterson

Mark Pearson

Title: Private London

Author: James Patterson and Mark Pearson

Genre: Thriller / Mystery

Published: In 2011 by Random House

Pages: 357

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 3.5/5!

Goodreads Blurb!

SOMETIMES WHEN THE NIGHTMARE ENDS - THE TERROR IS ONLY JUST BEGINNING

For Hannah Shapiro, a beautiful young American student, this particular nightmare began eight years ago in Los Angeles, when Jack Morgan, owner of Private - the world's most exclusive detective agency - saved her from a horrific death. She has fled her country, but can't flee her past. The terror has followed her to London, and now it is down to former Royal Military Police Sergeant Dan Carter, head of Private London, to save her all over again.

In central London, young women are being abducted off the street. When the bodies are found, some days later, they have been mutilated in a particularly mysterious way. Dan Carter's ex-wife, DI Kirsty Webb, is involved in the investigation and it looks likely that the two cases are gruesomely linked.

Dan Carter draws on the whole resources of Private International in a desperate race against the odds. But the clock is ticking... Private may be the largest and most technologically advanced detection agency in the world, but the only thing they don't have is the one thing they need - time.

James Patterson's white-knuckle rollercoaster has just reached London. Buckle up, it's one hell of a ride!

My Thoughts!

The book is set in London, with the story revolving around the London arm of the world-famous detective agency, Private International. A client from US, a scientist and a millionaire, sends his daughter Hannah Shapiro to study at Chancellors in London. Dan Carter, an ex-war veteran is given the responsibility to take care of Hannah, but there's a lot going on in the city that he needs to keep his eye on. There're murders with weird mutilation and the police forces seem baffled too. Hannah gets into another problem which becomes the top-priority case for Private to deal with, but everything's strange and they're trying to figure out what to do.

Basically, I was kind of hooked to the plot when I started. It was a little disturbing, yes, but it seemed promising. It was also simple in the beginning and then as new characters were added and the story developed with new dimensions adding on to it, it became slightly confusing. I think it was because there were two crimes going parallel to each other, and both forces (police and Private) kept getting involved in both. You'd probably understand the book a lot better if you also understand that lingo badass cops use. The book's filled with those phrases. And I've noticed that James Patterson isn't much of a comma user. There are always full stops. Short sentences. Full-on detective style. 8|

Talking about the story, like I said, it got a bit confusing because of two simultaneous plots, but it was nonetheless quite gripping, especially because there are small cliffhangers at the end of almost every chapter, so you feel those goosebumps in varying degrees and can't just wait to move to the next one. There were moments in between when I was shocked or surprised over the twists. Some twists made my jaw drop, but once you get used to it and understand the awesome crafty way criminals' and detectives' minds work, you'd like it! I have to admit, though. I felt the ending scenes to be a bit rushed up and the major reason, the true reason for everything happening was either too big to believe or too ridiculous. Or maybe it's because I am not aware of facts pertaining to it, since it's war-related. (I kind of suck at history)

The writing is mostly easy to understand, if you ignore the cop-lingo. I like the way the characters are introduced, in parts and in twists. The story does have a lot to teach and is supplemented with knowledge and an interesting writing style. Since it's like a race against the odds and events that occur, we don't really have time to dwell on the past or experiences of people involved, but the book does take care of it and it works wonders because you don't only read about what is happening and how events are unfolding, you also implicitly get to understand why. That makes the reader get more empathetic to the characters, victims or criminals or detectives. The only thing that might hamper the reading experience would be if you have trouble guessing and understanding the characters' intuition, because there aren't explicit details as to what actually is the case. The writing style is deduction based, it assumes you'd know from the phrases the characters use what is happening, instead of putting it in plain words for the average reader to understand.

Overall, it is worth a read if you're into murder mysteries and care to read about terrorism/war related aspects. I'd suggest the book to mature readers since it can be a little hard to understand and the murders aren't exactly clean. 

Some phrases/sentences from the book I liked:

"Things happen for a reason. And when we understand why- then we can take steps to deal with them"

"Justice as far as the law was concerned was a matter of science. But people weren't machines. She didn't know what the other woman deserved. That was way beyond Kirsty's area of expertise. Police didn't get to make that call. Their job was to unearth the facts, and Kirsty didn't believe she had the moral compass to put these facts in order and make a judgment."  

Thank you Random House publishers for this book! :)

Review: Sail by James Patterson

Howard Roughan

James Patterson

Book Title: Sail

Author: James Patterson and Howard Roughan

Published: 2008 by Arrow Books (Random House)

Pages: 448

Find it at: Amazon

Genre: Crime thriller

My Rating: 4/5!

I was interested in reading Sail because one, it’s a story of a sea voyage. Even though I haven’t even seen any sea in real life, I’ve always enjoyed stories of voyagers and sailors and pirates! Two, it is a crime thriller by James Patterson, whose previous thrillers I’ve loved! This one has been the best so far! :D

Goodreads Blurb!

As Peter Carlyle, a smooth-talking, super-successful lawyer, waved his family off on a sailing holiday, all they had in mind was lying back and relaxing. But as a violent storm broke out, an explosion caused the boat to vanish without a trace and the family were lost, presumed dead.

Until now. When a message in a bottle is washed up on a shore, it becomes apparent that there must have been at least one survivor.

But all is not as it seems. The race is on to rescue the Carlyles, but does everyone looking for the family really want to find them alive? Survival may be the least of their concerns. In fact, being found may be the last thing they should be hoping for.

My thoughts!

Sail is a thriller that thrills at so many levels! It begins with Katherine Dunne, a heart surgeon planning a family trip that involves setting sail on their boat, The Family Dunne with her three kids, Carrie, Mark and Ernie along with her brother-in-law Jake. The Dunne family, after the death of the father, Stuart, was falling apart. The kids turned even more bratty, Katherine spent most of her waking moments at the hospital, and provided the kids Peter Carlyle, a wealthy lawyer, as their stepdad. As they set sail, with Jake as captain (whom the kids like!), no one is particularly very happy. The story goes on to describe the suspenseful and heart-racing events that take place in the sea. More like tragic, action-filled and scary that keeps you on edge.

The story has been narrated in first person from Katherine’s point of view in the chapters that talk about the sea voyage and wherever Katherine’s role falls, while the rest of the chapters describe in third person narrative, all that goes on back home, the killers, the conspirators, their allies, the police, the coast guard, Peter Carlyle, etc. This is a method James Patterson frequently adopts and surprisingly, it feels comfortable enough; gives you clarity on the protagonists and other characters. Talking about the story, I loved it for the most part! Specially the scenes depicting the sea and the series of events that take place: storms, disruptions, how the family handles them and how they come out being better and understanding (and loving, too) human beings. I liked the way when the real crime conspirator is revealed (though a bit too early in the book, I think), it made me shudder and left me shocked!

 The descriptive part is amazing. Even if the chapters alternate between the sea scenes and the scenes back home, it was so picturesque and clear! I give 5/5 to the writing style, for being such an easy read and having such a flow that I actually finished the book in a day! :D Coming to what makes Sail the thriller that it is, there is action and suspense, it will keep the reader feeling on edge, which in reality isn’t a very good feeling, but works insanely well in thrillers! It’ll keep you hooked onto it. You would get thrown overboard or get hungry and hot with the characters, feel anger and hatred towards the criminals, you would egg on the mystery-solvers, feel hopeful or helpless with the characters and would be hoping for the best. It’s so engaging. :’)

Another aspect important to the book being a thriller is the predictability. It’s actually not much predictable. When you get attuned to a certain way of thinking about a character, on the next page there’s a surprise waiting for you! Some such twists were oh-so-heart-stopping! I love it when books control how you’re supposed to feel, making you shift your emotions just as it’s going. The ending was satisfactory. I wouldn’t say amazing because one, I somehow don’t like how characters kill each other off so easily. I know it’s not like it doesn’t happen in real life, but still. And two, even though it was all okay at the end, and Katherine’s initial wish of the family being close is fulfilled, I still didn’t think it was 100% fair. Still, it was worth it.

"How is it that the more life throws at us, the stronger we become?"

Recommended for: If you like crime fiction, thrillers, and mysteries, I’d highly recommend this book! There are some ‘that’ kind of scenes as well, so I’d suggest if you’re not comfortable with adult stuff, leave it out!

Thank you Random House India for this amazing book!

Review: Witch and Wizard!

Gabrielle Charbonnet

James Patterson

Title: Witch and Wizard

Author: James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Pages: 329

Published: 2009 by Century (Random House)

My Rating: 3.5/5!

The first time I came to know about this book was when a friend was buying a copy, saying she had heard it’s a good one. Now when someone says that, that too the friend whose reading taste somewhat matches mine, my expectations from the book turn incredibly high. Now that I’ve read it, I think she was right, it is indeed a good story, but it didn’t reach my extended level of expectations exactly.

Goodreads Blurb!

The world is changing - the government has seized control of every aspect of society, and now kids are disappearing. For fifteen-year-old Wisty and her older brother Whit, life turns upside-down when they are hauled out of bed one night, separated from their parents, and thrown into a secret compound for no reason they can comprehend. The new government is clearly trying to suppress life, liberty ... and the pursuit of being a normal teenager.

Imprisoned together and condemned to death, Wisty and Whit begin exhibiting strange abilities and powers they never dreamed of. Maybe there is a reason they were singled out. Can this newly discovered witch and a wizard master their skills in time to save themselves, their parents - and maybe the world?

My Thoughts!

Witch and Wizard is fantasy, magic, humor, surprise and innovative too! I really like the story, the concept of different worlds and half-lights and curves. The New Order and all “The One”s was what I found were something new and refreshing. Creative, more like. Gradually the New Order has been accumulating power and control of the world(s), banning all sorts of books, movies, art forms, etc which seem to be too 'liberal' according to their new standards. Wisteria (Wisty) and Whitford Allgood (Whit) are siblings, 15 and 17 (almost 18) respectively, who wake up to find that they’re getting arrested by a total bunch of lunatic-like people. There’s something wrong, as their parents seemed to know what was happening, scared faces not being much of a help, except that they give both their kids one thing each: Wisty gets a drumstick and Whit an empty journal. They’re confused and aggressive and trying to break free of restraints while they’re carried into a criminal court in the New World, and later on dumped into a Hospital, which has been modified to restrain magic.

The rest of the events are surprising, fast-paced and it’s not predictable. You can’t know what’s happening, which is good as it makes a reader want to read further more. The sequencing was also well planned, as it did not feel like jumping from one scene to the next, even though the book alternates between Whit and Wisty’s viewpoints. This can get a little bit confusing, though. Because when you’re totally into that reading flow (which would happen easily here, thanks to the fast pace), you don’t want to stop at each chapter and condition your mind to think about whose POV it is.

What I think made the book seem lower than what I had expected is the writing style. It is too plain, there are very little descriptions in parts, so that in some places you don’t even know what is being talked about. Yes, there was some kind of a flow that made me read the book in less than two days (and it can be read in a day as well. It’s that fast), but I would attribute that quality to the continuous storyline. It’s engaging, it makes a reader curious, it can be read in a breeze! The only trouble was the clumsy way it was written. I have read a few other James Patterson books and those were lovely, maybe that’s why I had high expectations? If just there would have been more descriptions, I’m sure it’d have been much better.

The other thing I had a tiny trouble with was the way Whit and Wisty didn’t seem to be 18 and 15! Wisty, especially. She’s a smart-mouthed girl, and on top when it comes to wit and humorous dialogues. I loved that quality, but she seemed more like a young teenager, not even 15. That’s just my perception, though. That might not even be the case for everyone else. Overall, it’s a good, light read. It’s fast, engaging, innovative and yes, I think original too. I loved the parts where they discover and use their magical powers. I liked even more the connection and love between Whit and his ‘girlfriend-who-went-missing’, Celia. I’d recommend this book to young adults, teenagers and maybe even kids. It’d be a fun read for them! :)

Some note-worthy quotes from the book!

‘Sometimes people are afraid of those who’re different. Being afraid makes them angry and unreasonable.’

‘Funny thing about concentration- you don’t realize how little you do it until you finally do it.’

I found this one really funny. It’d give you an idea about Wisty’s POV narration:

‘I didn’t like it one bit inside Whit’s pocket, especially once he started to run. It was like being on a boat in a tough sea: up and down and up and down. Within a block I felt myself going green and I half wondered if there was a spell I could mutter for mouse-size motion-sickness pills. It would not be cool to barf in my brother’s trousers.’

Thank you Random House publishers for this book! :)

Review: Private Games by James Patterson

Author James Patterson

Title: Private Games

Author: James Patterson, Mark Sullivan

Published: 2012 by Arrow Books

Pages: 479

Find it at: Amazon

My rating: 4.5/5!

From the book's cover

The Olympic Games are under attack. Only Private, the world's most exclusive detective agency, can save them. 

July 2012: The Games have arrived in London and the stage is set for one of the greatest ever showcases of sporting excellence.

When Sir Denton Marshall, a key member of the London Olympic organizing committee, is found brutally murdered, Peter Knight, head of Private London, is called to the scene. Private are working with the organizing committee on security for the Games, so Denton Marshall was a valuable client. But there is a more personal link: Denton was also the fiance of Knight's mother.

Knight is devastated by Denton's murder, but it soon becomes clear that this is no isolated incident. The killer is targeting the Games itself, and the lives of everyone involved are under threat.

My thoughts!

Private Games is a story based in London, Olympics 2012 to be precise. There’s a maniac, who worships the ancient Olympics where according to him, the games were played with true spirit, while the modern Olympics are marred with corruption. He identifies himself as Cronus, who was actually that Greek god who ate his children! Two stories run parallel through the book, one of Cronus and three women whom he recruited as his ‘Furies’. The women were sisters from the Balkan war around 1995 and had turned into savages with incredibly high killing instincts. Cronus himself is a mystery resolved only towards the end. With the Olympics taking place at a large scale in London, the moment Cronus and his Furies have waited and planned for since the past seven years, it’s going to be a bumpy ride! The other story is that of Private London’s investigator, Peter Knight, single father of two year old twins Luke and Isabel, lost his wife Kate during childbirth. Peter plays a major role in the investigations about Cronus and his activities.

The story is thrilling (of course, it’s a thriller!), events cleverly planned and I must say, surprises turn up every now and then. Maybe because I read the first half bit by bit spanning a few days (thank you college), and the second half in a couple of days, the later part seemed to be more fast paced. Really, you know that wonderful feeling of being on a great ride? That feeling coupled with the thud thud of my frantic heart was how I can describe what I felt while reading it! I've mentally hit myself for not having read James Patterson earlier (don't kill me, but it's true), he's an amazing writer! Great story, well defined characters, wonderful descriptions of places, people and events (you know how I'm such a big fan of good descriptions!). The book took two different POVs. One was that of Cronus and the other was written in second person, the story about what was happening, with Knight and Private at the center.

Even though I did not fully understand why Knight's family and his story was the focus, along with the killings at the Olympics, I definitely admire the way they've been projected. A man with a responsible job and babies no nanny can control, no wife, his mother's love murdered, torn between work and home. I like realistic stuff and this was a great example. I also admire Karen Pope, a reporter who plays a key role as she gets sent letters from Cronus relating to the murders. She's a smart woman, with a quick tongue, but a good heart. The Olympic part of the story is also very interesting, especially considering that the actual Olympics happened after this book was written and published! The descriptions!! Love them. Cronus seems like a maniac but you get to understand an important aspect of life. Those who suffer, unfairly and subjected to all that isn't humane, can easily turn into people full of hatred and feelings of vengeance. See? Another solid reason why everyone is to be loved, or made to feel that they're loved. Anyway, when the reality about Cronus was finally out in the open, I swear I could not believe it! Told you, surprises everywhere! 

There was just one thing I wished could have been made better. At some places, like when the Furies executed the triple Chinese murders, the precise role of one of them (Marta) wasn't there anywhere. That made it confusing. Similarly, when Luke 'saves' his dad by biting the assailant (not getting into details, it might spoil the thing!), it seems unrealistic. Seriously? A three year old? And if it's so important to keep Knight captive, the captor would go and take a three year old to the washroom? Seems kind of silly. The way it all ended was good, though. Everything fell back into place gradually, not like in some books where the ending is cramped in a single chapter. All possible questions from a reader's perspective seemed answered. I did not enjoy one aspect of the ending, which I've mentioned in the spoiler, but then, that's a completely personal perspective. A story is a story, however it ends. :)

Too many murders, I would say, but it was still okay. One thing I really liked was the way it concluded saying that the theory about modern Olympics being driven by corruption doesn't really hold true. Consider these lines from the book:

' You see that Cronus? You can't snuff out the Olympic spirit because it doesn't exist in any one place; it's carried in the hearts of every athlete who's ever striven for greatness, and it always will be.'

To summarize, a great book with a well narrated plot, well defined characters and seriously, new techniques to cause damage! :P 

Recommended for readers who like thrillers and mysteries, young adult and adult readers!

Now the spoiler. Read only if you don't mind knowing bits of the story. 

**Spoiler** 

Okay, what about Karen Pope? I so wished she'd be the one Knight would go for! But when she gets with someone else, I felt like stopping it right there. I had already expected that they'd get together. As for what finally happens with Knight when it comes to 'a-mother-for-his-kids', it seemed just okay, nothing very exciting, especially since it was described in just a page. True, we could now connect how Knight was drawn to her when she performed, but it could have been more. Something more solid, maybe?

**End**

Thank you Random House publishers for this book! :)