Book review: The Last Victim

Note: Updated 6/16/13 to add link to Weekend Update Linky Party

Dr. Charlotte Stone is an expert on serial killers. She's also the only survivor of the vicious Boardwalk Killer. When a series of family murders resembles the Boardwalk case, she's asked to consult on the case by the FBI.

Her adventures bring her into contact with a hunky FBI agent and his team, as well as the ghost of a man she tried to save. Charlie sees dead people, especially the recently departed, such as Michael Garland who was murdered in the hallway as she left the prison to join the FBI team. Her efforts to save him were futile, but they caused him to "attach" to her. This is where the story became too much for me.

From that point, Charlie juggles her attraction to the agent, Tony Bartoli, and Garland, the apparition, while at the same time trying to find the killer.

I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program on Library Thing. I cannot say I loved the book, but I was absorbed by it and finished it. I'd rate it 3 1/2 stars out of 5. It is well written and the characters are well-crafted, although cliched (Charlie is beautiful and smart; Bartoli is a hunk and  Garland is a seductive bad boy). There's a twist at the end that I didn't see coming that I found too too convenient. Maybe it's just me.

If you enjoy paranormal fiction, this may be the book for you. I have two copies to give away. Contact me by email and I'll send them on.

Details:
The Last Victim, by Karen Robards
Published by Ballantine Books
384 pages, paperback

I'm linking up to Weekend Update here.

Hello, World!

Well, I've done it.

I'm finally taking the plunge and making my first post to my blog. Wow. I've been thinking about this for some time and today seems like a good one to start. I thought about starting on a "significant" day, but when? I missed the New Year, my anniversary and my birthday, so I decided to just do it.

This will be a place for me to share what I'm working on, whether it's related to my quilting, knitting or other crafting. I also plan to talk about books I'm reading occasionally, since that's a huge part of who I am.

Right now I'm working on several quilting projects: Imperial Diamonds from Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting ( http://www.shopfonsandporter.com/product/Imperial-Diamonds-Digital-Quilt-Pattern/), Anita's Arrowhead from both Quiltmaker magazine and Anita Grossman Soloman's book (http://www.ctpub.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1509), and a Texas Braid quilt from Bonnie Hunter's pattern in her Leaders and Enders book. Today I began practice blocks from a block of the month from Homestead Hearth. It's a 60-degree diamond design from History Repeated by Betsy Chutchian and Carol Staehle. More on all that later.

On the knitting front, I'm close to finishing my Liesl sweater by Ysolda Teague and a pair of socks for a dear friend.

I'm reading The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon and The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie.

I'm amazed at how much I've learned just on this first post, and I'm sure I've a long way to go to be able to add all the goodies I see on other blogs that I read. Bear with me on this. I promise I'll learn what I need to know.