The Sinner (Book #3) by Tess Gerritsen

Synopsis :

Within the walls of a cloistered convent, a scene of unspeakable carnage is discovered. On the snow lie two nuns, one dead, one critically injured - victims of a seemingly motiveless, brutally savage attack.

Medical examiner Maura Isles' autopsy of the murder victim yields a shocking surprise, but the case takes a disturbing twist. The body of another woman has been found. And someone has gone to a lot trouble to remove her face, hands and feet.

As long buried secrets are revealed so Dr Isles and homicide detective Jane Rizzoli, find themselves part of an investigation that leads to an awful, dawning realisation of the killer's identity.

I bought this book here and I brought to it with me to our holiday here although I was initially supposed to bring other titles, I changed my mind at the last minuter as The Sinner seems to be more appealing.

Indeed, while it wasn't really as good the the first book that I read, it was good nevertheless.  Because I have been watching the series adaptation entitled Rizzoli and Isles, the characters are all very familiar to me and such it was very easy to get right into the story.

The character focus in this title was more on Maura Isles.  As I understand it, it's the third title in the series and the earlier two titles were focus more on Rizzoli.

Overall, the story was quite thrilling and enjoyable as fillers of time during the downtime of my holiday.

When Sparrows Fall by Meg Moseley

Synopsis :

A widow and mother of six, Miranda Hanford leads a quiet, private life.  When the pastor of her close-knit church announces his plans to move the entire congregation to another state, Miranda jumps at the opportunity to dissolve ties with Mason Chandler and his controlling method of ruling his flock.  But then Mason threatens to unearth secrets from his past, and Miranda feels trapped, terrified she'll be unable to protect her children.

College professor Jack Hanford is more than surprised when he gets a call from his estranged sister-in-law's oldest son, Timonty, informing him that Miranda has taken a serious fall and he has been named legal guardian of his children while she recovers.  Quickly charmed by Miranda's children, Jack brings some much-needed life into the sheltered household.  But his constant challenging of the family's conservative lifestyle makes the recovering mother uneasy and defensive - despite Jack's unnerving appeal.

As Jack tries to make sense of the mysterious Miranda and the secrets she holds so tightly, Mason's pressure on her increases.  with her emotions stirring and freedom calling, can Miranda find a way to unshackle her family without losing everything?

I started this book expecting it to be very spiritual but surprisingly it wasn't so.  It was more a bout a woman's courage and love for her family but also at the same time trying to break free from the threats of the secrets of her past.

It's a very pleasant read and Miranda's children were very adorable although the focus was more on the eldest son Timothy and the character of the rest were not really developed as it's not really their story but more of the mum.

Jack was initially the brother in law of Miranda being her husband's half brother but he develops to being a friend to her and as the story it, there's more potential there.

It's a sweet and encouraging story.

Ape House by Sara Gruen

Synopsis :

Sam, Bonzi, Lola, Mbongo, Jelani, and Makena are no ordinary apes. These bonobos, like others of their species, are capable of reason and carrying on deep relationships - but unlike most bonobos, they also know American Sign Language.

Isabel Duncan, a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab, doesn’t understand people, but animals she gets - especially the bonobos. Isabel feels more comfortable in their world than she’s ever felt among humans... until she meets John Thigpen, a very married reporter who braves the ever-present animal rights protesters outside the lab to see what’s really going on inside.

When an explosion rocks the lab, severely injuring Isabel and “liberating” the apes, John’s human interest piece turns into the story of a lifetime, one he’ll risk his career and his marriage to follow. Then a reality TV show featuring the missing apes debuts under mysterious circumstances, and it immediately becomes the biggest - and unlikeliest - phenomenon in the history of modern media. Millions of fans are glued to their screens watching the apes order greasy take-out, have generous amounts of sex, and sign for Isabel to come get them. Now, to save her family of apes from this parody of human life, Isabel must connect with her own kind, including John; a green-haired vegan; and a retired porn star with her own agenda.

I was initially rather confused and rather uncertain on what I would expect from this title.  However, I love the cover of the book and the feel of it and against all instinct, I decided to gave Ape House a try.

It wasn't a bad book.  Not difficult to read at all. Rather entertaining at times but rather annoying at times too.

It's a strange experience reading a book on ape and I am still feeling pretty undecided if I actually enjoy it.  I must have cos I read it cover to cover and it took me less than a week so at least the captivating power in there.

Isabel Duncan is character you can grow quite fond of. I grew quite fond of her.  John Thigpen is another character that I quite like too but to be honest, I was actually rather sorry for him.  Perhaps it was that sympathy towards him and Isabel and all that they lost within a short time and their determination to pick themselves up that made me cheer them on.

Ya, I have decided after writing that last sentence that I rather like Ape House.