MORGAN ST. JAMES . . . . . AUTHOR
Mysteries, Thrillers and Just Plain Good Reads! 
ENTER
MORGAN'S REVIEWS
***** FIVE STAR
The Butterfly Garden by, Chip St. Clair
(Surviving Chldhood on the Run With
One of America's Most Wanted)
June 2, 2008. I was supposed to meet Chip St. Clair in the HCI Booth last week at the Book Expo America just to say "Hi." When I got there, he was busy and I didn't want to interrupt. My regret is that I didn't get back to that booth and missed the opportunity to meet him in person.
I started to read The Butterfly Garden on the day after the Expo and couldn't put it down. Every time I did, I was compelled to pick it up and read more. As I became lost in Chip’s tale about abuse, deception and near death, I thanked the Gods above for the type of childhood I had, and my loving parents. I will not detail more than this about the essence because that would take away the discovery of an incredible novel as the story unfolds. I highly recommend this heartfelt story and can assure readers that once they open the book they won't put it down.
The story is one that tugs at your heartstrings and it makes one wonder how he came through everything. But his dedication to literature and his escape into poetry is reflected on every page. Chip takes the reader on a journey narrated in a voice that makes the horror beyond imagination that was his childhood, extending into his young adult years, a story written so beautifully that even the squeamish of heart can read and understand what went into making Chip the person he is.
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***** FIVE STAR
THE QUICKIE
by, James Patterson & Michael Lewidgey
WHAT WICKED WEBS WE WEAVE WHEN WE PRACTICE TO DECEIVE!,
November 3, 2008 With her beautiful home, great job and good looks, Lauren Stillwell was one of those women who looked like she had it all. The woman other women wanted to be. Until the fateful day she got a brilliant idea and decided to pop in on her husband Paul for lunch. That's when it all started to fall apart.
After she spots him walking into a hotel with a beautiful woman, Lauren jump to conclusions, and although she doesn't want to believe it she's certain he's having an affair. So she decides what's good for the goose is good for the gander and gives into a suppressed desire to have an affair with a fellow who has been after her. Sex with no strings. Payback. But that's not what it turns out to be.
Instead, as the evening progresses, nothing is as she thought it would be and Lauren witnesses a murder. Because of the circumstances, she is thrust into a situation that gets more treacherous at every turn. Everything she has valued in life is at risk now and one wrong move can cost her everything. That's the problem. She's making lots of wrong moves and time is running out. As she tries to keep her life from exploding, she starts to doubt everything and everyone. What's real and what isn't. Well, you'll have to read it to find out, because I'm not going to be the one to give it away.
The book is chock full of surprises, twists and turns. A definite page turner. Don't miss it.
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***THREE STAR Annie O'Hara is in a real fix. She is just about making ends meet, dealing with Claudius, the dog her soon to be ex sister-in-law dumped on her, and now on the slippery slope of being accused of murder, and of one of her roomers no less. What in the devil is Annie going to do? The dog is destroying everything and eating her out of house and home, he's chasing away customers of the antique shop on the first floor of her house and now the victim's nasty brother is bossing her around like he owns the place. Like I said, lots of fun elements. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I listen to audio books very frequently during commutes from a home in California to one in Las Vegas. “Obsession,” an eleven CD book by Karen Robards, narrated by Julia Bean, kept me entertained but I wasn’t quite sure about some of the plot devices. In a chilling scene, Katherine Lawrence is assaulted and nearly killed in her townhouse in Alexandria, Va. And her friend is murdered. She wakes up in a hospital bed, doesn’t recognize herself in the mirror and is tormented by fleeting flashbacks that terrify her. Memory loss is attributed to post traumatic stress syndrome, but she suspects it is something more. Katherine is highly suspicious of her manipulative, controlling boyfriend Ed Barnes who is a mover/shaker in the CIA, but there is really nothing to justify her fear of him in the beginning scenes. I personally would have liked to see some sort of a clue dropped, even if it was heavily veiled because otherwise it seems implausible that she distrusts the man she supposedly loves with such unsupported fear. Carefully crafted subliminal clues would have given the reader a “head slap” moment when the truth is revealed. But then, that’s me and it’s for you to figure out if that bothers you when you read or listen to the book. After reading some of the other reviews, I am not sure what my reaction would have been if I read the print version. Julia Bean is an excellent narrator and brought many of the situations to the brink of tension…scenes that might have seemed otherwise without all of the character voices. Because I listen to so many audio books, I am acutely aware of the quality of the narrator. They can scintillate the listener, put them to sleep, or make a good book seem bad or vice versa. My sister and I are adamant that the narrator must be skillful with the voices, tone and passion when chosen to record books in our Silver Sisters mystery series. Particularly, I don’t like it when the men’s voices are higher than the women’s, as frequently happens. I feel Julia Bean is excellent and brings the characters to life. So, what is it about the sexy Dr. Dan who lives in the townhouse next door? Katherine fears he is not what he appears to be. She is extremely attracted to him and distrustful at the same time. Something familiar lurks in the recesses of her impaired memory, but she can’t grab on to it. Dan is her savior as they run for her life, but does he have other plans? Can he really be trusted? He reminds her more of someone in one of the alphabet soup federal agencies than a doctor. All in all, Karen Robards takes the reader on an challenging but sometimes unbelievable chase. In the end there is one thing I always like…an unexpected twist ending. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
by, Ann Campbell
(Annie O'Hara and Claudius)
Here's where I had some problems. First of all, as an author of funny mysteries myself, some basic elements that will cause agents and publishers to go into cardiac arrest are painfully present. The point of view is very muddled. Ann Campbell jumps from one head to another fast enough to make your own head spin. Sometimes even in the same paragraph. That's a no no. Also we are constantly put into the dog's inner monologue. I would rather have had his expression causing Annie to ponder about what he's thinking.
Next, per my title, that dog would have either been in the hands of a trainer or back to his real owner, willing or not, if I had one that acted like that. My god. The animal is a destruction derby and Annie lets him constantly get away with it. But then she does that with almost everyone she comes in contact with. They run all over her and she lets them. By the end of the book it seems like she's finally finding a bit of her backbone, and I hope it materializes in the next book.
The other thing I noticed is that occasionally it seems like Claudius is trying to warn Annie about something, but she never pays any attention to him and puts him in the bathroom. Okay, he's a pain in the you know what, but if I was as on edge as Annie and my temporary dog was barking at the door or some other typical doggie warning behaviour, I think I would check it out. But then, I'm me and Annie is Annie.
Despite all of this, the twist at the end is a pretty good one although I'd already figured out part of it about half way into the book. Still, the rest of it rounded out the plot. I give it three stars for a fun, quick cozy read by the fireplace. You want to find out what finally happens and hope Annie will survive to star in another novel in the series. Think I'll read the next one.
*** THREE STARS
OBSESSION by, Karen Robards
