Tag Archives: Book review

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Chrysalis

Book Reviews, , ,
Chrysalis by Lincoln Child

Chrysalis (Jeremy Logan #6) by Lincoln Child

Amy Caudill‘s review

This sixth book in the series by Lincoln Child features a virtual reality company being attacked through corporate sabotage, murder, and mayhem.

 While the technology in the world of Chrysalis is dazzling, the main plot of the novel lies outside in the “real” world, where inside sources seek to undermine the release of a new system that allows subscribers to experience shopping, sightseeing, etc., in a virtual format from the safety of their own home.   Unfortunately, if Jeremy Logan and the Chrysalis security team cannot find the saboteur, or deliver the ransom he/she/they are demanding, logging into the system just may prove deadly in real life.

Jeremy Logan calls himself an enigmaologist, someone who investigates incidents, coincidences, and events that cannot be easily explained.  Sometimes Jeremy finds a little bit of supernatural activity contributing to the subject of his cases, but often the solution lies in someone, or multiple persons, who have simply used unusually clever means to disguise their actions.

In this case, the reader is inundated with clues that point to a possible antagonist who has done something to the hardware, or software of the virtual world.  Intensive investigation proves these to be red herrings, and the culprit is much closer at hand than thought possible.  Jeremy races the clock to find the suspects before the ransom is due, only to discover they keep dropping dead, sometimes in front of the investigators. 

Someone is cleaning house, and the odds of finding the truth before the saboteurs release their killing machine is next to impossible.  Their only chance is a hail liberty journey into unexplored parts of the virtual system to track down compromised data before the deadline.

This book is an action-packed thriller that shows protagonist Jeremy Logan and author Lincoln Child doing what they do best, delving into the depths of the human mind to understand what motivates a murderer, a conspirator, or simply a devious plot.  I award this book five stars, and hope there will be more in the future.  Meanwhile, Lincoln Child is teaming up with frequent partner Douglas Preston in a new release of their joint series, The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, which I would love to get for Christmas!

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Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Blood of the Earth

Book Reviews, , , ,
Blood of the Earth by Faith Hunter
Blood of the Earth (Soulwood, #1) by

Faith Hunter (Goodreads Author)
50275498

Amy Caudill‘s review
Nell Ingram doesn’t think she’s special; actually she’s afraid that the strange “gifts” she has, if discovered by the God’s Cloud of Glory cult she escaped from as a child, would see her burned at the stake. So she lives alone, almost completely isolated save for her mystic connection to the forest that she barely understands. Being alone protects her; being alone is comfortable, but her quiet isolation is not meant to last. Forces meant to help and harm are both coming her way, and Nell will be forced to use her strange connection to the Earth to save lives.

This first book in a new series by author Faith Hunter revisits a world where “paranormals” live and work side by side with ordinary humans, and both groups are touched by good and evil. When Homeland Security’s special division for dealing with paranormal crimes, PsyLED, saves her life, Nell Ingram is forced out of her self-imposed isolation to assist in a case involving the kidnapping of multiple young girls, and work with a group of individuals whose gifts are just as unique as her own.

Nell’s insider knowledge of the God’s Cloud of Glory church, which is suspected to be involved in the kidnappings, makes her a valuable asset. In order to save the lives of the innocent girls, one of whom is her own sister, Nell will have to face her past, and push her strange powers in ways she’s never before imagined.

I picked up this book as a choice from my local book club, and I really wanted to like it simply because of the location; the setting is mainly in East Tennessee, in and around Knoxville, an area that is near and dear to my heart. While the descriptions of the region and are spot on, I had more difficultly with the plot.

The story seemingly meandered along for the first half of the book, before the pacing finally picked up somewhere along the last third of the text. Granted, some of this was necessary world-building, but it seemed to me to be a bit excessive in mass. Still, by the end I was fully invested in the action, and cheered Nell and her team on as they reached a very satisfying ending, and epilogue.

I offer this story three and a half stars, and would recommend that readers interested in paranormal and urban fantasy stories check out this series as well as other works by Faith Hunter.