Library of the dead by Glenn Cooper - interesting plot!

 My rate: ☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠ (7/10 Skulls) 

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  Original Title: Library of the dead (Will Piper #1)

Norwegian Title: De dødes bibliotek

Written by: Glenn Cooper

Genre: Thriller, Conspiration

Written for: Adult

Pages: 462

Publisher: Arrow Books

Published: 2009

Published in Norway: 2009

My copy: 2009 (Hardcover)

Norwegian Publisher: Schibsted

I read it: April 11 - June 27, 2012

     Source: Bought

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(Goodreads)

The most shocking secret in the history of mankind is about to be revealed...A murderer is on the loose on the streets of New York City: nicknamed the Doomsday Killer, he's claimed six victims in just two weeks, and the city is terrified. Even worse, the police are mystified: the victims have nothing in common, defying all profiling, and all that connects them is that each received a sick postcard in the mail before they died - a postcard that announced their date of death. In desperation, the FBI assigns the case to maverick agent Will Piper, once the most accomplished serial killing expert in the bureau's history, now on a dissolute spiral to retirement. Battling his own demons, Will is soon drawn back into a world he both loves and hates, determined to catch the killer whatever it takes. But his search takes him in a direction he could never have predicted, uncovering a shocking secret that has been closely guarded for centuries. A secret that once lay buried in an underground library beneath an 8th Century monastery, but which has now been unearthed - with deadly consequences. A select few defend the secret of the library with their lives - and as Will closes in on the truth, they are determined to stop him, at any cost...

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My Review

I had been curious about this book in a long time and finally got to read it. I didn't knew much about it, what it was really about but some books has covers and titles that I just have to get the book only because of those two reasons. Sometimes a great cover and a good title is enough for me to buy a book.

Library of the dead is about some people in New York who recieve kind of a weird or maybe I should call it a grotesque postcard from a stranger. On their postcards there's written a date when they are going to die. Is it just a bad joke or is it for real?

I didn't know what to expect of this book before I started reading it. The book made me think of The Da Vinci - Code. After all the talk about that book and reading it I was kind of tired of books that was about conspiration and stuff like that. Thought they were all the same and needed to take a break. But after taking a break from that genre I was beginning to miss reading about it and after reading the synopsis of Library of the dead I really wanted to read it.

Library of the dead was really exciting and entertaining almost all the way through and sometimes hard to put down. Why I spent so long time before I finished it is because I mostly read it on the bus and at work during lunch. Sometimes I skipped lunch at work just to be alone and read a few pages.

If  you like murder mysteries, old secrets and pasts meeting modern times than Library of the dead  is a must read for you!

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The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan - finally a book with "real" vampires!

My rate: ☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠ (8/10 Skulls) 

  

Original Title: The Strain (The Strain Triology #1)

Norwegian Title: Trusselen

Written by: Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Genre: Thriller

Written for: Adult

Pages: 423

Publisher: William Morrow & Company

Published: 2009

Published in Norway: 2009

My copy: 2009 (Hardcover)

Norwegian Publisher: Versal Forlag

I read it: May 02 - May 28, 2012

     Source: Bought

(Goodreads)

A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Ephraim "Eph" Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.

In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing.

So begins a battle of mammoth proportions as the vampiric virus that has infected New York begins to spill out into the streets. Eph, who is joined by Setrakian and a motley crew of fighters, must now find a way to stop the contagion and save his city - a city that includes his wife and son - before it is too late.

My Review

Vampires doesn't excist ... or do they?

Something is horrible wrong when a plane lands on JFK Airport. Of course it's nothing reall special about it since planes lands there all day and night. But what's wrong with this plane is because it's completely quiet. Nobody seems to be inside. It's quiet as death and surrounded by darkness. Something terrible has happened but what?

Lately I've been a bit tired of vampirers in books and movies. The reason is Twilight. Because of Twilight, vampires has now become love sick stalkers. And they sparkle in the sun. It's stupid! I want vampires to be dangerous and violent. Like they used to be in the good old days!

After all the vampire hysteria lately about Twilight etc I needed a break from everything that had to do with vampires. And it did me good 'cause eventually I started to miss them again. And when I got to know about this book, The Strain, I just had to check it out. Especially since del Toro is one of the writers. I discovered his name the first time I saw Pan's Labyrinth which is one of my fave movies. 

This is finally a book about revengefull, blood thursty and dangerous vampires and that makes my heart melt. Reading this book reminded me a little about the tv-series X - files (My all time fave Tv-series!) It had kind of the same atmosphere, if you know what I mean and that made me happy. The book was pretty dark which I loved!

This is the first book in the The Strain - triology and of course I will get the next one as well! And the book made me like vampires again! Yay!

Booktrailer

Before I go to sleep by SJ Watson - one of the best books I've read this year!

My rate: ☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠ (10/10 Skulls) 

  

Original Title: Before I go to sleep 

Norwegian Title: Før jeg sovner

Written by: SJ Watson

Genre: Thriller

Written for: Adult

Pages: 379

Publisher:  Black Swan

Published: 2011

Published in Norway: 2012

My copy: 2011 (Paperback)

Norwegian Publisher: Bazar Forlag

I read it: April 04 - June 03, 2012

     Source: Bought

(Goodreads)

Christine wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man. She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar, middle- aged face. And every morning, the man she has woken up with must explain that he is Ben, he is her husband, she is forty-seven years old, and a terrible accident two decades earlier decimated her ability to form new memories.

But it’s the phone call from a Dr. Nash, a neurologist who claims to be working with Christine without her husband’s knowledge, that directs her to her journal, hidden in the back of her closet. For the past few weeks, Christine has been recording her daily activities—tearful mornings with Ben, sessions with Dr. Nash, flashes of scenes from her former life—and rereading past entries, relearning the facts of her life as retold by the husband she is completely dependent upon. As the entries build up, Christine asks many questions. What was life like before the accident? Why did she and Ben never have a child? What has happened to Christine’s best friend? And what exactly was the horrific accident that caused such a profound loss of memory?

Every day, Christine must begin again the reconstruction of her past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more un- believable it seems.

My Review

Do you really know who you are and the people around you?

First of all .... I don't know where to start but I'll try my best to tell a little about the story without overdramatazing it. Christine Lucas memory is totally gone after an accident. But her loss of memory is kind of rare and weird. Every time she goes to sleep, the next day she can't remember who she is and her husband, Ben, must tell her who he is, who she is, where she is and how they spend their lives together. Try to imagine living like that every day. I would've gone completely mad!

I first got to know about this book Before I got to sleep through Goodreads and I got very curious. It had gotten many great and positive reviews so I just had to read it myself. The plot itself sounded kind of special too. I love psychological thrillers! We get to know Christine well and her frustration.

I had never heard of SJ Watson before and I was certain it was a female writer until I saw him in an interview on youtube.Why I Watson was a female writer is because he describes Christine, her feminin thoughts, feelings and everything pretty darn well! So I was pretty certain this was written by a female.

Like I have already mentioned, the plot is kind of special but not completely original but it didn't matter at all 'cause Watson is a great writer and all the time I just had to find out what was going to happen next! Even though I had a feeling how this was going to end it didn't matter 'cause this book is a page turner! It's hard to imagine how it would be like to forget who you are every day when you wake up and try to figure out who to trust. I wouldn't stand it to be honest.

Before I go to sleep is a book that makes you think and gives you many thrills. It's a very exciting read and I hope I will get the chance to read similar books like this one in the future! I will definitely read more books by SJ Watson! 

Booktrailer 

You're next by Gregg Hurwitz - superexciting! If you are fan of books by Harlan Coben, you'll love this one!

My Rate: ☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠ (9/10 Skulls)

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Original Title: You're next

Norwegian Title:There is no Norwegian Edition

Written by: Gregg Hurwitz

Genre: Thriller

Written for: Adult

Pages: 437
Publisher: Sphere

Published: Jaunary 6, 2011

Published in Norway: -

My copy: 2011 (Paperback)
Norwegian Publisher: -

I read it: September 18 - September 24, 2011
Source: Bought

Challenge(s): 100 Books in a Year Challenge

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Back of the Book

‘Outstanding in every way’

LEE CHILD

‘Uniquely believable and sympathetic’

JAMES PATTERSON

‘Thriller writing at its best’

TESS GERRITSEN

Every family has its secrets. His might get them killed.

‘I know you, don’t I?’ Five words – that’s all it takes to plunge Mike Wingate and his family into mortal danger. Mike doesn’t recognize the crippled stranger who approaches him at a party … but the stranger seems to know all about him.

What has Mike done? Do they have the wrong man? Overnight, the threats become attacks, and Mike, his wife and their young daughter learn they aren’t safe anywhere – especially not in their own home. But there’s no time for Mike to figure it out, because his enemies have killed before – and he’s next.

Gripping from its first lines to its extraordinary twist ending, YOU’RE NEXT is a heart-pounding thriller to rival the very best of Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben.

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What would you do to protect your family?

Mike Wingate is a happy man who has a fantastic wife and a fantastic daughter. He is proud of who he has become despite his sad childhood. As a boy he got abandoned at a playground in an unfamiliar place. His father left him there without knowing why. But he do knows and remembers that his dad acted weird that day and if he remembers correctly, his dad also got a red spot on his shirt.

But despite that sad and not understanding why his dad left him, Mike has become a strong and loving guy, which his wife and daughter can confirm. But at a party to honour Mike through his job , a guy stumble across him and claims to recognize Mike. Mike is pretty sure that the man is mistaking him for someone else. He has never seen that man before. And he understands that the guy is having spooky plans for him for some reason with some other guys. They want Mike but why? And what does Mike have to do to protect his family? And how is he gonna protect himself and his family from that guys without knowing who they are and what they want?

I had never heard about Gregg Hurwitz before. It was just a coincidence that I came across his book. The synopsis sounded really cool and exciting and the cover wanted me to go into that house and see what would happen. I wanted to know more about the book so I just had to get it. The title also made me very curious. You're next ... the title gives me shivers and makes me think that's bad news. So, I couldn't resist and I'm glad I got the book. I wanted to know what would happen with Mike and his family.

You're next is a thrilling and exciting book that keeps you awake night after night as you are reading it. There were nights I was going to read just a few pages but the pages just kept flying by. I didn't get a lot of sleep the nights I was reading this book 'cause I had hard times putting it down. You’re next is a thrilling an exciting book. So like I said, I didn't get much sleep the nights I was reading it but that's ok. I rarely sleep before 3-4 am anyway. Probably not a good idea to read before sleeping 'cause I'm addicted to reading, especially just before going to sleep. It's a weird "habit". But what's great about books is that we can read them whenever we want to. And I always read before sleeping 'cause then I don't get distracted by my TV and PC.I get to read more at night than during the day. But enough about that.

This is a wild and crazy thriller with exploding characters and concept. I pretty much liked everyone but not a fan of the daughter Kat. I think she was acting a bit older than her real age and she really annoyed me somehow. But I did like Shep a lot. A friend of Mike who is trying to help him to get out of the mess. I liked their friendship. They've been friends in many years and they are good friends even though it takes years before they see each other again. It's moving how they support each other.

You're next is definitely a book for you if you like books by Harlan Coben and fast paced thrillers.

Hightlights: Fast paced, fun thriller that keeps your attention all the way!

Downhill: Didn't like Kat much. Annoying and a bit whiny. I don't know why but I just couldn't like her.

The Crystal Skull by Manda Scott - interesting concept but kind of a boring read

 My Rate: ☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠ (2/10 Skulls)

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Original Title: The Crystal Skull

Norwegian Title: Krystallhodeskallen

Written by: Manda Scott

Genre: Concpiracy, thriller

Written for: Adult

Pages: 475
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Published: 2008

Published in Norway: 2008

My copy: 2008 (Hardcover)
Norwegian Publisher: Vega Forlag

I read it: August 17 -August 27, 2011
Source: Bought

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(Goodreads)

In a spellbinding blend of history, myth, and science, bestselling novelist Manda Scott unleashes a thriller that sweeps from the secrets of the Mayans to the court of a sixteenth-century queen to a shattering end-times prophecy.

“It’s a lump of rock, Stella; nothing more. No stone is worth dying for.”
Except it’s not just a lump of rock. It’s a blue crystal skull made by the Maya to save the world from ruin; a sapphire so perfect, so powerful that for centuries men have killed to own or destroy it.

Ancient prophecies say that if the thirteen skulls already in existence are not reunited, the world will end on December 21, 2012. Cedric Owen, the skull’s last Keeper, died so that it might keep its secret for the next four centuries. Now Stella Cody has found it, and someone has already tried to kill her. Like Owen, she’s being hunted—but by whom?

Desperate to unravel the mystery of the crystal skull, Stella must decode Cedric Owen’s coded writings, sketches and ciphers no scholar has been able to unravel. What she discovers is astounding: a shocking secret prophecy…and the staggering puzzle of four terrifying creatures, thirteen precious stones, and what will happen if Cedric Owen’s crystal skull falls into the wrong hands. But time is against Stella. She has only days—hours—left to uncover the only secret that may yet save the world.

12.21.12
The date is set. Time is running out.
The end of the world starts now.

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Will the world go under next year or is it all just a joke?

Prophecy is something I've always been interested in even though I don't know how it works or anything like that. It's just fascinating to read about that kind of stuff. It's an interesting phenomena to put it in that way. I've always been interested in Nostradamus. He has among with the Mayan Indians claimed that the world will go under December 21, 2012. So ... I guess we'll see what happens. Anyway, I thought this would be an exciting read or at least it sounded like to be a good read.

It's a book about Stella and Kit who is exploring a cave. Stella and her loving man, Kit, got married about a month ago. Stella is an expert when it comes to caves and her husband is an academic historian. Together they are exploring a cave in Yorkshire. Together they find a skull but not any kind of skull. It's an extraordinary skull. It's one of the 13th skulls that can stop the world of going under in 2012. On the way out of the cave Stella and Kit way separate and Kit wants Stella to bring the skull with her. Later she gets to know that the skull she is having is the same one that Cedric Owen, who had great contact with the Nostradamus, was the last keeper/guard of the very same skull. Now it's Stella's turn to keep it and she soon notice she is risking her life for it ...

Sounds really exciting, huh? That's why I had big expectations. The beginning was really captivating and promising but then it went downhill. The one story happens in 2007 and the other one sometime in 1500. When there is two stories in a book I usually like the part from the old time better than the modern but this time it was opposite. This time I preferred the modern story.

The reason why I didn't really cared so much about the book is 'cause it was very easy to see what was going to happen and the characters were very flat (I didn't get to know them good enough to care about them) and the ending wasn't surprising or interesting. When I was done reading I was more relieved than excited. It was an ok read but it's a book that I probably will forget very fast. The book didn't give me anything special. Not other than some entertainment at the start but later I was struggling to get through it.

The Crystal Skull had a great and interesting cover but that's almost the only good thing about the book. Other than that it was kind of a boring read. It has 200 pages too much! And I was always waiting for the exciting parts that never showed up! All in all it was an ok but at times a very boring read. If you decided not to read it, you won't miss a thing. Trust me!

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Whispers and lies by Joy Fielding - surprising twist, but too much unnecessary talk.

 My Rate: ☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠ (4/10 Skulls)

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Original Title: Whispers and lies

Norwegian Title: Løgner fra fortiden

Written by: Joy Fielding

Genre: thriller, suspense

Written for: Adult

Pages: 294
Publisher: ?
Published: 2002

Published in Norway: 

My copy: 2011 (Paperback)
Norwegian Publisher: Cappelen Damm

I read it: June 30 - July 4, 2011
Source: From my own personal "library"

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(Goodreads)

Terry Painter lives a quiet life in picturesque Delray, Florida. Forty, single, and a nurse at a home for the elderly and disabled, she enjoys a solitary existence in the cozy house she inherited from her mother five years ago.

Terry's tranquil life takes a turn, however, when young, vibrant Alison Simms rents the cottage behind her home. Upon their First meeting, Alison blows into Terry's life like a tropical storm, bringing with her friendship and excitement. Together they dine out, shop in the village square, and indulge in luxurious at-home makeovers. Alison even helps Terry charm the handsome son of one of her dear, ailing patients. For Terry, life couldn't be more perfect.

But after the initial euphoric wave has settled, Terry slowly begins to learn more about her wondrous companion. She becomes acquainted with the small but peculiar circle of friends Alison has accumulated since her arrival in Delray and meets her brother, who unwittingly reveals bits and pieces of Alison's closely guarded past. Terry soon finds that the friendship that once brightened her life has now crashed down upon her, leaving her trapped in Alison's mysterious world and the whispers and lies that fuel it.

Diving deeply into the psyches of her most captivating characters to date, Joy Fielding has emerged with a riveting tale that challenges our most basic assumptions regarding love, friendship, and obsession. Filled with the suspense and intimacy readers have grown to love in her previous bestselling novels, Whispers and Lies is an unforgettable drama of one woman's fight to reclaim her life. 

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Who can you trust?

Nurse Terry is a middel aged woman who lives by herself after her mom died. After her mom has been sick a while, her life eventually takes an end and Terry is on her own. Since then she has had a tenant living in the cottage by the house, in that way Terry is less lonely. After Eric, the tenant one night escaped without paying the rent the past few months, Terry has been very sceptical about seeking after another tenant. She doesn't want to do the same mistake. She wants a tenant that she can trust. So she takes the chance to seek after a another tenant. She gets contacted by Alison Simms and Terry thinks she is a young and nice woman, and the two of them becomes friends immediately. They do things together all the time. But Terry gets worried when friends of Alison suddenly shows up. She hasn't even heard of some of them, and why did Alison move to Florida? Can Terry trust her?

I don't actually know for sure what I expected from this book before I read it. It seemed interesting and the cover was tempting and creepy. It made me curious about the book. Everytime I come across books that says on the cover that it's a page-turner and has a surprising ending, I have to admit that I always get suspicious 'cause that's not always true. But I still thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

Something about this story got me really interested and even though there were dialogues that didn't really belong in the book in some way I really did like the main character, Terry a lot. Terry was exciting and fascinating to read about. And when it comes to twists and turns in most books I am not easily fooled, I see that sort of things happen before we get to know the whole story I was really fooled this time! I didn't see that coming! And it happens very, very rarely! Believe me! Instead of being mad for not having it right this time I was pleased. 'Cause it's boring to know what already is going on way before we get to know how it all will turn out. I mean, it's good to have right too but it's fun to get fooled as well!

Even though the book had a very surprising twist, the book didn't live up to my expectations. I wish the story was a little tighter and that I got to know few of the persons better who always popped up but most of them was sort of flat and it was a bit hard to imagine them.

But ... all in all Whispers and lies was very interesting and entertaining and it was fun as long as it lasted. Reading it was like watching a TV-produced movie (by Lifetime/Hallmark, but that's not a bad thing). I like those kind of movies too. The book gave me several entertaining hours, no more, no less ...

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All the pretty dead girls by John Manning - things are not always what they seem to be.

My rate: ☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠☠ (4/10 Skulls)

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Original Title: All the pretty dead girls

Norwegian Title: Ondskapens elev

Written by: John Manning

Genre: horror/conspiricy

Written for: Adult

Pages: 516
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
Published: 2008

Published in Norway: 2009

My copy: 2009 (Paperback)
Norwegian Publisher: Cappelendamm

I read it: 24th Jan – 12th Feb, 2011
Source: Bought

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I didn't buy many books in December 'cause I was saving money for Christmas presents...I always buy a lot of books each month but in December I only bought one. All the pretty dead girls by John Manning. I had promised myself not to buy something for me, but I did when I saw this one cause the plot sounded exciting and the title was pretty catchy if you ask me. So even though I hadn't heard of this writer before I decided to take a chance. It's fun to discover new writer and try something new. 

I didn't have a lot of expectations for this book other than I hoped it was a okay read. I wanted a book to read for Christmas Vacation even though I have many unread books on my bookshelves from before...But hey, buying books is fun, right?

All the pretty dead girls is about a girl named Sue. After being raised by her grandparents after her parents death...she can finally enjoy freedom when she arrives Wilbourne College in her brand new car. She can finally live her own life. She is excited to make things on her own and begin with the studies at Wilbourne College. But her dreams start to change to a nightmare when she time to time discover a screaming face from one of the windows when she walks across the campus. Who does that screaming face belong to and why doesn't anyone else see it? Strange things happen soon in the small town where she attends College. And why does she feels like the strange things involves her? Soon she discovers dark and awful secrets about herself. Who can she trust? 

I spent a few lazy days this Christmas with reading this book. It wasn't all that, but enjoyable read if you want something easy and a book you can relax with. I really liked the Sue character a lot. Very fun and a girl with guts. Someone who knows what to do in different situations. And I also liked Manning's writing style a lot so I'm going to check out more about his books later. 

All the pretty dead girls is nothing special but a good and relaxing read. It didn't take many days to read either, only five days. So this is the first book I've read in 2011. Not bad *lol* 1 of 100. I'm in 100 books in a year reading challenge hosted by Book Chick City. So I have many more books to go but one book so far is better than nothing...And All the pretty dead girls was a good start of 2011.

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