July 28, 2005
Today I am going to do something a bit different: I am going to review a novella written by self-published author, Vitae Bergman. Mr. Bergman asked me to read one of his books, and he sent me a copy of this one so that I could read and review it.
His website is: http://www.vitaebergman.com
He has several published books for sale by Burkeshire Press from Lulu.com. I was sent "Take Sylvia's Case", which is not quite the genre of books that I usually read, but was nonetheless interesting. I need to branch out more, but human nature being what it is, I gravitate toward my tried and true books.
"Take Sylvia's Case" by Vitae Bergman *** stars
(134 pages) Burkeshire Press c. 2005
This novella goes into infrequently traveled territory, being told almost exclusively from the main character' s point of view as Sylvia's musings are related to an unseen and unnamed counselor.
The text is like reading from Sylvia's personal journal, so you feel compelled to keep reading and find out what happened to bring her to this place in her life. She is disfigured from a war-related attack, confused about whether to continue her career as an international correspondent and searching for her soulmate.
The premise of the tale is how Sylvia examines her life to see where she has been and where she is going in every sense of the word. She realizes the impact her friend Helen had on her, and even though Helen is passed on, she still feels Helen is with her, guiding her along.
This book might not be for everyone, but for its target audience of those who look beyond the accepted mode of society and question how (and why), this tale will be enjoyed!
Suspense Review:
"Deep Freeze" by Lisa Jackson **** stars
( 507 pages) Zebra Books, issued Mar. 2005
Lisa Jackson shows why she is such a popular and prolific author, with this suspense thriller released in paperback this year. "Deep Freeze" is set in Oregon during one of the coldest stretches of ice, snow and low temperatures in recorded history. I purposely picked this one, so we can pretend we are chilly in this heat wave!
Jenna Hughes is a retired actress who is hiding out with her two kids in an isolated cabin on acreage by a raging gorge in the hills. She has recently been divorced and lost her sister, and she needs time to unwind and think about what she wants to do in the future. For the time being, she is just being a parent and doing volunteer work for the local town community theater group. Then items of hers are stolen, it appears someone is stalking her, a few women go missing, and everyone she meets just might be the one who wants to make her the next victim. Who can she trust? Can she even trust the local sheriff whom she is attracted to? There are some slightly gruesome scenes related to the disturbed criminal's fascination with the actress, but they weren't bad enough for me to turn away.
Ms. Jackson has written a very suspenseful and fast-paced story, but she does tend to throw out multiple red herrings to fool the reader. This can be fun, but can be distracting when you start to eliminate suspectsin your mind because they are too obvious, and also because they are not obvious enough! Just keep reading and you will be satisfied with the way things turn out, though I doubt you will correctly guess the who and why of the murders. The only complaint that I know will come up with readers is that this is part 1 of a two part series and the ending is not the final word on the case. You will just have to wait until next year for closure on this story, which will shift in locale to San Francisco, with several of the book's characters returning.
I, for one, will pick it up!
Sequel:
"Fatal Burn" coming March of 2006, sequel to "Deep Freeze"
New Release for the author:
"Final Scream" by Lisa Jackson
(544 pages) Zebra Books issued July 26, 2005
http://www.lisajackson.com
Keep cool, and as always, happy reading...
His website is: http://www.vitaebergman.com
He has several published books for sale by Burkeshire Press from Lulu.com. I was sent "Take Sylvia's Case", which is not quite the genre of books that I usually read, but was nonetheless interesting. I need to branch out more, but human nature being what it is, I gravitate toward my tried and true books.
"Take Sylvia's Case" by Vitae Bergman *** stars
(134 pages) Burkeshire Press c. 2005
This novella goes into infrequently traveled territory, being told almost exclusively from the main character' s point of view as Sylvia's musings are related to an unseen and unnamed counselor.
The text is like reading from Sylvia's personal journal, so you feel compelled to keep reading and find out what happened to bring her to this place in her life. She is disfigured from a war-related attack, confused about whether to continue her career as an international correspondent and searching for her soulmate.
The premise of the tale is how Sylvia examines her life to see where she has been and where she is going in every sense of the word. She realizes the impact her friend Helen had on her, and even though Helen is passed on, she still feels Helen is with her, guiding her along.
This book might not be for everyone, but for its target audience of those who look beyond the accepted mode of society and question how (and why), this tale will be enjoyed!
Suspense Review:
"Deep Freeze" by Lisa Jackson **** stars
( 507 pages) Zebra Books, issued Mar. 2005
Lisa Jackson shows why she is such a popular and prolific author, with this suspense thriller released in paperback this year. "Deep Freeze" is set in Oregon during one of the coldest stretches of ice, snow and low temperatures in recorded history. I purposely picked this one, so we can pretend we are chilly in this heat wave!
Jenna Hughes is a retired actress who is hiding out with her two kids in an isolated cabin on acreage by a raging gorge in the hills. She has recently been divorced and lost her sister, and she needs time to unwind and think about what she wants to do in the future. For the time being, she is just being a parent and doing volunteer work for the local town community theater group. Then items of hers are stolen, it appears someone is stalking her, a few women go missing, and everyone she meets just might be the one who wants to make her the next victim. Who can she trust? Can she even trust the local sheriff whom she is attracted to? There are some slightly gruesome scenes related to the disturbed criminal's fascination with the actress, but they weren't bad enough for me to turn away.
Ms. Jackson has written a very suspenseful and fast-paced story, but she does tend to throw out multiple red herrings to fool the reader. This can be fun, but can be distracting when you start to eliminate suspectsin your mind because they are too obvious, and also because they are not obvious enough! Just keep reading and you will be satisfied with the way things turn out, though I doubt you will correctly guess the who and why of the murders. The only complaint that I know will come up with readers is that this is part 1 of a two part series and the ending is not the final word on the case. You will just have to wait until next year for closure on this story, which will shift in locale to San Francisco, with several of the book's characters returning.
I, for one, will pick it up!
Sequel:
"Fatal Burn" coming March of 2006, sequel to "Deep Freeze"
New Release for the author:
"Final Scream" by Lisa Jackson
(544 pages) Zebra Books issued July 26, 2005
http://www.lisajackson.com
Keep cool, and as always, happy reading...
posted by Riann @ 7:00 AM
1 Comments:
At 6:58 AM,
Vitae said…
Thank you, Rita, for your encouraging appraisal of my novel, "Take Sylvia's Case."
Even though Sylvia is not the kind of story you generally read, you evidently enjoyed it, and that's a plus for me!
And for other reasons, I like your blog.
Best wishes and a good remaing summer to you.
Vitae
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