Book of Shadows By Alexandra Sokoloff

Every time I pick up a book by Alexandra Sokoloff, I know I'm in for a good treat. I was not disappointed with this her last supernatural thriller: Book of Shadows kept me reading late into the night and I ended up gobbling it in two days.

The story begins with a horrible ritualistic murder: a teenaged girl is found in a garbage dump, strange markings on her chest, her head and hand missing. Detective Garret and his partner are called into the case. Not too long after that they have a strong suspect, a Goth band member who seems to have been dating the victim. As evidence mounts and all points to the young musician, Garret is able to make an arrest. But things get complicated when Tanith Cabarrus, a beautiful woman who not only claims to be a psychic but also a witch shows up at Garret's office and tells him the murderer is still at large and getting ready to kill again. It is her belief that the killer is a Satan worshipper with the intention to summon a powerful demon... and that the final killing will take place on Halloween, only a few weeks away.

Garret feels incredibly attracted to Tanith, but, a sceptic by nature, he refuses to believe in what he can only describe as mumbo jumbo. As the case progresses, however, he begins to doubt the nature of reality and eventually must put all of what he's ever believed in to the test.

Is Tanith correct? Is the killer still at large-or is she trying to manipulate the investigation for her own purposes? Is there, in fact, a supernatural aspect to this case, or does it only looks that way?

I kept asking myself this last question over and over as I kept turning the pages. Just when you're certain there's something supernatural, something else happens that makes you wonder: is it-or isn't it? I love how the author teases the reader in this way.

Alexandra Sokoloff has penned another page turner. The protagonist is a sympathetic cop with a sceptic nature and a dark Catholic upbringing, making him a perfect character for the story. The pace is quick, the dialogue sharp and natural. Sokoloff doesn't waste time with long description or narration. Action and dialogue dominate this story, so if you're looking for a fast suspenseful read, this is the book for you. I also found all of the myth fascinating. Book of Shadows combines the excitement of a supernatural thriller, the chills of a horror novel, and the mystery of a crime story. Add to that a sprinkle of romance and how can you go wrong?

Book Review of Six Suspects

Booksroundup.blogspot.Com - Several authors in the past have shown urban India in different spectrum, most of it being seemingly superficial, but as fascinating as one could ever imagine. From the likes of Shobhaa De and Salman Rushdie, who are popularly famous for transforming simple urban events into fabulous drama, follows Vikas Swarup, the author of “Six Suspects”, a book which sneaks into the tabloid world of Indian elite society.

Book Review of Six Suspects, The son of an affluent politician, Vicky Rai is gunned down amidst large crowd in a party. Thus making everybody in the room a probable suspect, out of which six individuals with a weapon in their possession are made the prime suspects, when caught red handed. The six suspects comprise a corrupt bureaucrat, who calls himself reincarnation of Mahatma Gandhi, a U.S tourist who has come down to get married to a pen friend, a tribesman, on a mission to recover a stolen relic, a Bollywood vamp, who boasts about her not so worth accomplishments, an ambitious young man who involves in small time thievery, and a politician.

Vikas managed to portray something of high importance in today’s news channels and newspapers, crime. He paints the picture of crime infiltrated India, the people involved in it and the aftermath affects. By quoting real examples which took place in India across last few years, the story intertwines several instances which bind the characters together. The book also brings forth the condition of crime inflicted scenario in India, the environment that surrounds it, from which only the common man is affected, while the felon walks free. Six Suspects serves as a drug, as it succeeds in keeping the reader high on anticipation for the most part, and hooked on for the rest of it. Can “Six Suspects” be called a perfect follow up to “Q & A”? Yes most definitely; because just like the last book, this book poignantly narrates yet another culture that is sweeping through independent India. Few foreign writers have already bought the rights to rewrite the story for Hollywood, and it is believed that, if not for sure, Danny Boyle, who made “Slumdog Millionaire” from Vikas’s last book, might be roped in to make this film.

Bottom-line:

The characters at some point feel recursive and tetchy, nevertheless the plot keeps everything intact