TH1RT3EN (Thriteen) by Steve Cavanagh

Hello everyone.

Are you one of those people that watches all the latest shows deemed cool? Do you binge watch Netflix, Prime or Hulu? Obviously, my husband missed the cool train. He is a huge Perry Mason fan. So many tv channels are now showing retro shows. If Dick Van Dyke, Twilight Zone or Perry Mason is on, good luck on getting his attention. You could send a marching band through our living room and he wouldn't notice. Funny that he likes Perry Mason so much but prefers to read books about spies instead of mysteries. Just for the record, Columbo is way better than Perry Mason...I mean there is the raincoat and the basset hound named "dog", nothing can compete with that!  If you haven't seen any of these tv shows from the past you are really missing out.

I just finished the new book Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh, actually spelled TH1RT3EN on the cover. This is an interesting story of a serial killer. We know who the killer is from the beginning, Joshua Kane. A young starlet and her bodyguard are murdered.  Mr. Kane, the real killer, appears in a courtroom not as the person on trial but as a member of the jury! Diabolical huh? The murdered woman's husband, also a major movie star, is the man on trial, fighting for his freedom and the truth. For the defense is attorney Eddie Flynn, the lawyer in charge of making sense of the rock-solid case against his innocent client.

This book moves quickly from high point to high point. There is absolutely no bric-a-brac here. No time is wasted on thinking in the shower or ordering a pizza. If the author writes it, you better pay attention because it is critical to the story and often either action packed or quite shocking. This book is a mystery in that the reader is wondering if the serial killer will be discovered and still a thriller with its breakneck pacing. In addition, there is a large amount of courtroom drama here, if that is not your favorite rest assured it is completely engaging and never EVER dry. This is by far the best legal thriller I've ever read. Filled with flawed characters that the author seems to spend little time developing yet the reader ends up knowing them well. Filled with action, yet lots of behind-the-scenes investigation. Thirteen or TH1RT3EN, is unputdownable from the first sentence to the last.

Wait until I tell hubby, this book puts Perry Mason to shame.

A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

Hello everyone.

Ever see the movie Young Frankenstein, by Mel Brooks? If you say no, I'll gasp loudly. What is wrong with you? In the movie, Gene Wilder playing Dr. Frankenstein, sends his assistant Igor (played by Marty Feldman) to get a brain. After the brain is "installed," and the monster starts behaving oddly, Dr. Frankenstein asks Igor what brain he brought him. Igor responds, "Abby somebody....Abby normal."  So the abnormal brain has just been put into the body of a huge and sometimes aggravated monster. Honestly, if you haven't seen it, you are missing out.

That brings up the term normal. What is normal? I would say it is average. Not too far off from center.  Do you want to be normal if normal is average?

I recently read A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson. This story is about a mother who is an attorney, a father who is a pastor and their daughter. They appear to be a normal family, until the daughter is accused of murder. The novel is divided into three sections, each told from one of the main character's perspectives, giving the reader more insight as the story progresses. Things you think you know in the beginning, and how things outwardly appear, turn out to not necessarily be true. On your way to discovering if the daughter is guilty or innocent  you realize how dysfunctional this normal family really is. The other major issue explored is what would a parent do for their child? What did these parents do, and the morality given one is a lawyer and the other a pastor.

This book is well written and nicely paced, but is definitely a slow burn. If you want an interesting mystery you'll like this, however, if you are after a heart pounding thriller this may not be for you.  A Nearly Normal Family will especially appeal to those that like a little legal procedure in their story.

If you decide to give this book a go, on the way to your reading chair remember to "walk this way." (From the movie, go watch it!)