"The Da Vinci Code"

The second book in the Robert Langdon series, "The Da Vinci Code", by Dan Brown, is arguably better than the first. They are probably an exact tie in my book. This book takes you on another incredible adventure through Paris after the curator of the Louvre is murdered in his own museum. Although not before leaving a message for whoever found his body. Encoded in his message is a second message that only his granddaughter, Sophie, and Robert Langdon can decipher.

This particular curator just so happens to be the leader of a secret society that keeps the secret of the Holy Grail. He, along with three other men, are the only ones that know it's exact location. Right before he is shot, his killer reveals that the other three are already dead, which means that if he dies, the secret dies with him. So he leaves a code that leads to a trail of encrypted messages that take Langdon and Sophie across Paris and London.

This book is a very intelligent thriller, and the intensity goes from the very start and doesn't stop until the last page. Dan Brown adds so much detail to his books. It's obvious that he knows his stuff, which really makes you feel like you are living in the pages. While it's not exactly an 'easy read' because of the thickness of the book and the intelligence of the writing, I can think of no reason for you to not pick this book up right now. After you have read "Angels and Demons" of course. This is the type of book that you will want to pick up as soon as you get home from work, try to squeeze in a few pages before work, and maybe even pull it out at stop lights because you just have to find out what happens next. Let me know what you think!  

"Angels and Demons"

I had this book sitting on my desk at work and one of my coworkers saw it and said, "Geeze, that's an old book". I laughed and said, "Yea, but it's SO good!" With all of the new books coming out all the time, sometimes we forget that there are already a lot of really good books out there. So, even though "Angels and Demons", by Dan Brown, is 'old', I want to make sure you know about it because it's a good one.

This is actually the first book of a series that follows the character of Robert Langdon, who is a well known symbologist at Harvard. When it comes to symbolism, Langdon is one of the most knowledgeable people in the world. Which is why, when a man turns up dead with an ancient symbol branded into his chest, Langdon is the first person called to the scene. He gets whisked away on a private jet to a Swiss research facility where he discovers more than he could have ever dreamed of. Not only is the dead guy branded with an ancient symbol that is so secret that most people don't believe it exists, but he was also a scientist that had just made a discovery that would completely change the world.

This world-changing work was stolen from his lab however, so Langdon travels to Rome to track it down. He has the brilliant and beautiful Vittoria Vetra (the dead scientist's daughter) in tow. The two of them get thrown into a whirlwind of uncontrollable events as they try to locate the device while also catching the killer. To make matters worse, the killer has kidnapped 4 cardinals and has threatened to kill one of them every hour. Landon and Vittoria have to translate an old map written in code that will lead them to the next murder location. They break laws, visit forbidden libraries and crypts, and uncover one of the best kept secrets on earth: the Illuminati lair.

This book will keep you on your toes the entire time! Dan Brown has obviously done his research and the details he adds truly makes his books come to life. The coolest part is that while the story is fiction, all of the places and details are factual! This is a thriller at it's best, and you feel like you are right there running through the churches of Rome with the characters. It's a very educated book, so it might not hold the attention of young readers, plus the material is probably pg-13 so I would keep this one for older readers. It does describe some of the bodies, and there is a part where the killer visits a high-class whore house, but it doesn't give any details. Nothing that I would consider innappropriate, but you are the best judge of that. It is a thick one too, so don't plan on only giving this book a day or two. It will take a little longer than that to get through. It is time well spent in my opinion. Check it out!  Oh, and I will have the next books in the series on here soon!

"Switchback"

Wow, did it take me long enough to get this book on here or what? As soon as I finished reading "Switchback", by Clair M. Poulson, I started "Angels and Demons", by Dan Brown. I got so swept up in that book that I didn't make time to write about "Switchback". My apologies because "Switchback" is a really good book, and I should have told you about it sooner.

An expensive roping horse goes missing and private investigator Rocky Revada is asked to take the case. Having a special love for horses himself, and a soft spot for Shanice Gridley (the beautiful daughter of the horse's owner) Rocky accepts. When he starts his investigation he realizes that not one but two horses have been stolen from the ranch and have been replaced with cheap look-alikes. Now he has two expensive horses to find. Shortly after this discovery the case gets even more complicated when a man is found dead on the Gridley ranch. What started out as a theft is now a murder, and the closer Rocky gets to the killer, the more his life is in danger.  With every new lead Rocky gets, he realizes that he has to solve this case if he wants to save his life, as well as the life of the amazing woman that he is falling in love with.

This is another amazing book by Clair Poulson. He really knows how to whip up the perfect mixture of suspense, mystery, and romance. This book takes so many twists and turns, you will be on the edge of your seat until the very end. Just when you think you have everything figured out, something new pops up and your completely lost again. If you like books that are unpredictable, then you will love this one. It's about 275 pages, so it might take a few days to get through, but it's clean and very enjoyable. Time definitely well spent. Check it out!

"Relentless"

So you already know that Clair M. Poulson is my favorite author, which means that I love to share his books. "Relentless" is one of his that I really relate to because my over active imagination loves to think about what I would do if I were kidnapped. I like to think that most people have thought about how they would act in that kind of situation, but maybe I am just weird.

"Relentless" is about Erika, a young girl that is on a camping trip in Colorado with her family and, after deciding that she is tired of campfire food, she goes into the small town near her campsite to pick up some groceries. The town is buzzing with the news of how local boy Butch Snyder escaped prison and is coming back to exact revenge. The townsfolk are a little on edge and a friendly police officer warns Erika to hurry back up to her family in case Butch were to decide to come back.

Erika stops by a little gas station to grab her groceries and then get out of there, but her quick stop turns into a living nightmare as a handsome young man pulls a gun on the old man behind the cash register and tells nobody to move. Butch isn't stupid, he knows that he has to have hostages for the cops to let him leave alive. For different reasons though it seems like his hostages are slipping through his fingers. All but one. He is not letting Erika go. He knows she is too frightened to try and run, plus she is very attractive so she wouldn't be too bad to have around through all of this. With a gun in her ribs and a knife to her throught he manages to escape the gas station where the cops had him cornered. Once they leave town though the cops are hot on their trail and Butch, with Erika in tow, flees to the mountains. This leads to an intense game of cat-and-mouse between the cops and Butch, all the while Erika is wondering if she will make it out of this alive.

This book is gripping right from the start and will keep you on the edge of your seat with it's fast-moving story line and plot twists. You won't be able to put it down because you are afraid of what will happen to Erika if you're not there to keep reading the story. Poulson sucks you in and makes you feel like you are right there in Butch's clutches. It also has a kind of coming-of-age story intertwined as young and immature Erika grows during her time with Butch and realizes that there are more important things than her own safety. If you are looking for a book that is not very long but will completely take over your life while you are reading it, then this is it. It's fun, it's clean, and it's thrilling. Go get your copy right now!
And then, of course, let me know what you think!

"The Crown Rose"

I discovered this book at my local library when I was in high school. Since then I have read this book at least once a year, I just finished it again for the umpteenth time and it's just as good as the first time I picked it up. I've put off sharing "The Crown Rose", by Fiona Avery, because I didn't know what to say about it. It kind of makes me nervous to put this book on here because it's almost like putting my own child out there for the world to criticize. "The Crown Rose" follows the true story of princess Isabelle of France, but the author takes some creative liberty of course. Isabelle is an amazing young woman who decides that the life of a princess is not the life she really wants. She doesn't want to get married off to whoever her mother chooses and play the part of a proper royal. She has bigger plans. She wants to help people, and do good. She wants to take people off the streets, help them get back on their feet, and start a new better life.

Her family doesn't take her seriously. To show them just how serious she is, she decides to join the church. This puts her family in an uproar, but there is one person she knows who would understand and possibly be proud of her. Him. The man that saved her from a rabid dog when she was a child. He had so much raw power about him, yet seemed so in control and at peace. Neci, her governess, knew about Him, yet she had made Isabelle promise never to speak of him. Just because she can't tell anyone, doesn't mean that she doesn't think about him. No man in her eyes could ever live up to that. He made her feel so safe.

Then, years later, Jean Adaret Benariel comes into the royal family's lives. There is something about him that is so familiar to Isabelle. It couldn't be Him, could it? He wouldn't have aged a day. Yet he has that same peaceful power to him. Jean stays with the royal family and helps them through many trials, including the war with England. He has a great influence on the royal family, especially Isabelle.

This book has some religious content in it, which is part of why it's so dear to my heart. This is the type of book that makes me want to be a better person. The characters are inspiring and they will stick with you for a long time after you have finished the book. I'm not saying what is in this book is true, that's for the reader to decide. Whether it's true or not doesn't change the fact that this is an absolutely amazing book. It is written incredibly well and will suck you in and won't spit you out until you have finished it and pondered it for a few days. It is a thicker book and will take a few days to get through, and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone younger than high school age simply because some of it is hard to understand. All in all this is an amazing book and I very highly recommend that you read it.