Wednesday, February 24, 2010

ALTERED STATE by GREGG LUKE

From the back of the book:
Homer and Morgan Winegar believe they may have finally found happiness in the quiet college town in which they have settled. Perhaps now in their new life together with Morgan’s nine-year-old son, they can each leave a troubled past behind.

But when Morgan’s psychology students begin exhibiting bizarre behavior, the couple quickly becomes entangled in an experiment headed for catastrophe. Someone is illegally administering a mind-altering drug to unwitting students. With the potential for millions of dollars in profits on the line, the pharmaceutical designers are more than willing to set aside morals to test the limits of the subconscious and mind control.
As the growing ranks of test subjects fulfill increasingly disturbing commands, Homer and Morgan race to discover who’s pulling the strings — and how they are doing it. But as the final stages of research point to a deadly calamity, events from the past threaten to shatter the couple’s fragile trust — just as they need it most. Will they be able to overcome the forces that threaten to pull them apart and find a way to stop the impending tragedy?
I ordred this or my Dad on CD several months ago. After he listened to it he told me I might like it, so I borrowed it to listen too as I commute home from work.
I was interested at first because it was set at Utah State University. Since I attended there the setting was familiar. The story was fast moving and exciting. I got kind of lost when the scientists were talking about the chemicals they were developing. Once the trial started it was easier to understand what they had been talking about.
I was interested in how the son's asperger syndrome was handled.
This is a good  novel, I would recommend it to anyone who like suspense.
This book is available a Deseret Book, Seagull, and Amazon.com or check with your local library for inter Library loan.
To learn more about Gregg Luke and his other books CLICK HERE

Sunday, February 21, 2010

SECRET SISTERS BOOK LAUNCH CONTEST

Ida Mae Babbitt, president of the Omni 2nd ward Relief Society, didn't mean to become a spy. But when visiting teaching stats are low and she learns that one family under her care is in financial trouble, she'll do whatever it takes to make sure they have what they need. If that includes planting surveillance cameras in their home and watching them from a parked car in the woods, well, isn't that what any caring Relief Society president would do?

With the help of her counselors Arlette and Tansy, Ida Mae soon learns that there's more to the situation than meets the eye. It's all in a day's work for the Relief Society.

The book will be launched on March 16th up at the Gateway Barnes and Noble, and to count down the days, we're going to have a little fun!
First of all, there's an awesome prize. The winner of my contest will receive:

A bag of lavender-scented potpourri
A white lace doily
A copy of "Secret Sisters," autographed to them
A $25.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com
And ... and ...
The chance to read the sequel before anyone else on earth, except for my editor and critique group
How amazing is that??

What do you have to do to be entered?

1. If you have a Facebook account, click here and friend Ida Mae. Value: One point
2. If you have a Blogger account, go here and follow Ida Mae. Value: One point
3. If you have a Twitter account, follow Ida Mae @IdaMaeBabbitt. Value: One point
4. Go to my website and sign up for my newsletter. Value: Two points Note: If you have trouble getting on to the newsletter page, e-mail me at tristipinkston AT gmail.com and I can add you on directly.
5. Send Ida Mae a question to be featured in her weekly "Ask Ida Mae" segment. She will answer any question from politics to religion to cooking. Reach her at idamae@tristipinkston.com Value: Two points
6. Blog, retweet, or post this contest on Facebook. Value: Two points each. Do all three - triple points.
7. Tell your friends about this awesome new series. Value: One point for each friend you tell.

Add up all your points and send them to me at tristipinkston@gmail.com You will receive one entry per point. The more things you do on the above list, the more chances you have to win! The winner will be drawn the night before the launch party, so set your sights on March 15th. If the winner happens to come to the launch party, I will bring the prize to the event, have my picture taken with you, and I'll post that picture on my blog and Facebook accounts.

Have fun!

ALMA by H.B. MOORE

From the back of the book:
King Noah is thundering with rage. The former high priest Alma has vanished from the city of Nephi, and every night more of his believers manage to escape. The king blames Amulon and threatens certain punishment unless Amulon recaptures Alma—a seemingly impossible task. But Amulon has a plan. An equally valuable prisoner is at his fingertips: Noah’s wife, Maia, whose newfound faith means bitter humiliation for the king and an opportunity for Amulon to seize power.
Amulon’s disavowed daughter Raquel has plans of her own. Despite her grief, she is determined to begin a new life in the colony Alma and his followers are building. When Lamanites plunder and burn her settlement, Raquel and her young son are forced to flee to the waters of Mormon.
Drama and danger escalate as Alma the Elder organizes the Lord’s Church and baptizes its members, bringing an outpouring of divine grace and power. But even as they rejoice, the believers have profound and perilous trials to face, from the outward threat of Amulon’s treachery to the inward threat of pride and disobedience. With poignant emotion, gripping suspense, and rich inspiration, this new epic story from H.B. Moore vividly brings the Book of Mormon to life.
The Story of Alma is one of the most exciting stories in the Book of Mormon.
Heather Moore was able to take Alma's story and retell it, making it more exciting, while not loosing the historical accuracy so often sacrificed in novels based on the scripures.
Even though I have read the story of the Wicked King Noah and Alma in Mosiah many times, I still found myself anxious to see what would happen next.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes historial fiction, both LDS and Non LDS alike will find things to like in Alma.
You can find it at Seagull Book, Deseret Book, Amazon.com, and Barnes& Noble.com, and as always you can check with your library for inter library loan.
To learn more about H.B. Moore CLICK HERE

Sunday, February 7, 2010

MURDER BY THE BOOK by Betsy Brannon Green

From theback of the book:
Small-town librarian Kennedy Killingsworth thought that Midway, Georgia, was the dullest place on earth — until a fateful day that begins with a speeding ticket and ends with a suicide. The ticket comes from Kennedy’s ex-husband, Deputy Cade Burrell, who seems desperate to find any reason to talk to Kennedy ever since his scandalous affair. And the suicide victim is Foster Scoggins, the leathery- faced resident who applied for a library card just hours before his gruesome death.

Rumors fly that Foster took his life after being jilted by a mysterious love interest. But as the investigation unfolds, murder becomes the name of the game, and anyone might be a player — including the four men who recently started competing for Kennedy’s attention. Could the killer be Cade, who’s been more interested in her since the divorce than he ever was when they were married? Drake Langston, the dazzling billionaire who needed Foster’s cooperation to land a major development deal? Drake’s construction boss, Sloan, whose powerful build makes him a perfect suspect for the crime? Or could it be Luke Scoggins— Foster’s hazel-eyed nephew, the charming ex-Marine whom Kennedy just might be falling for?
In Murder by the Book, celebrated suspense novelist Betsy Brannon Green skillfully weaves a rich tale of intrigue and romance in a Southern town that — for the time being — is anything but dull.

Betsy Brannon Green has long been one of my favorite authors. Her best known series are the Haggerty Mysteries. Murder by the Book takes place in nearby Midway, GA and includes Haggerty favorites Miss Eugenia and Mark and Kate Iverson.
This was a wonderful fast moving mystery, with a lot of suspects and a lot of twists and turns. I didn't suspect who the real killer was until it was revealed in the story.
I recommend this to anyone that loves suspense, or who is hooked on the Haggerty Mysteries.
Murder By The Book was just annouced as a 2009 Whitney Award finalist. CONGRATULTIONS BETSY!
To learn more about the Whitney Awards CLICK HERE
It is avilable at Deseret Books, Seagull Books, amazon.com or inter library Loan.
To lear more about Betsy Brannon Green and her books CLICK HERE



Me with Betsy Brannon Green at Seagull Book in Mesa, AZ

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Announcing DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE by Josi Kilpack

Devil's Food Cake the, much anticipated, 3rd book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. is now in the stores.
From the Deseret Book Website:
It’s been years since author Thom Mortenson has been back to Garrison, Colorado. As part of the committee who invited the bestselling writer to speak at the library fundraising benefit, Sadie Hoffmiller wants everything to be perfect—right down to the homemade devil’s food cake she baked herself. Certainly, murder was not on the menu.
When Thom’s manager ends up dead on stage, Sadie jumps in to offer her guidance and expertise to investigators. But when the police refuse to take her seriously, Sadie has no choice but to pursue justice on her own. After all, is Sadie to blame if she keeps stumbling over information? Can Sadie turn her back when people intricately woven into the deception keep crossing her path? With her son, Shawn, at her side, her reputation on the line, and a full cast of suspicious characters, Sadie Hoffmiller is once again cooking her way through a case that offers far more questions than answers.
Paperback: 5½"x8", 320 pages
No doubt, we will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own. But such literary greatness will be achieved only by great souls. Our religion is capable of cultivating those great souls; and it shall.

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DISCLAIMER: I do not receive any money for my posts. I do however occasionally receive the review products at no charge to evaluate and express my opinion.

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