Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House by MC Beaton

If you are interested in cozies, you might enjoy reading Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House by MC Beaton. The following link will take you to the summary I wrote about the book.
http://www.helium.com/knowledge/326621-book-summary-agatha-raisin-and-the-haunted-house-by-mc-beaton

The Last Juror by John Grisham

If you are looking for a great legal thriller to read, I would suggest you pick up a copy of The Last Juror by John Grisham. I started reading it and didn't want to put it down until I finished it.

The Last Juror is about a man named Willie Traynor, who accepted the job as the owner of the only newspaper in Ford County, which was in Clanton. He wrote an article about the murder of a young mother, who had two children. Her children witnessed the crime.

Racism and Christianity were the themes of the book. Willie Traynor was white, and he became friends with a black woman named Callie. Miss Callie was a Christian and wanted to invite Willie to church because she wanted to witness to him. She wanted to make sure that he was going to heaven. She also invited him over to her house to have dinner on Thursday evening with her family. Throughout the book, the author revealed their relationship and how she wanted to witness to Willie. Willie enjoyed spending time with Miss Callie and her family even though they were black.
 
You'll have to read the book to find out what happened to the jurors and the other characters.

Announcement

My computer was down since I last posted and article, but it is finally working. I have trouble when it shuts off, so I'm hoping it will stay on until I can afford to get a new one.

I'm starting again to post my articles as often as possible.

Thanks,

Janet

Beginning of Chaz Strebor - Or Is He?

Chapter One - Strange Voices


This is the beginning of a book I wrote titled Chaz Strebor -  Or Is He?

"Stop!" I yelled, as something pushed me backward and onto the ground. "Who pushed me?"

Nobody answered me, so I struggled to locate my flashlight since I couldn't see because of the dim light in the alley. I found it and turned it on, but when I moved it around to survey the area, I didn't notice anyone lurking in the alley. I decided that whoever hid in the alley disappeared when he knew I appeared because he didn't want to be seen, or maybe he hid somewhere in the alley waiting to do something else. After a few minutes, I felt something scurrying across my leg. "What was that? Who's there?" I asked, as fear started to swell up inside me.

I still didn't receive a response, so I cautiously stood up and proceeded to shine the flashlight back and forth to see if I spotted anyone waiting to attack me. I couldn't see anyone in the alley, so I decided that whoever hid from my view vanished quickly.

My books can be purchased through lulu.com.

Chapter One - Christina's Unexpected Events

This is the first part of chapter one of my book, Christina's Unexpected Events.

I'm Detective Christina Ranae Stewart, a detective in the River City police station, and my boss was Detective Michael Mallory, who was single and three years older than I was. He was average weight and about my height, which was 5’7”, and he had brown hair and brown glasses. Randy Lakes, who was slender and about the same height as Michael, had brown hair and was Michael’s assistant detective, so when Michael couldn’t work on a specific day, then Randy took charge of the other detectives and officers and gave them instructions.

Besides Michael, Randy, and me, the River City police station consisted of twelve uniform officers and some crime scene officers as well as other employees who have helped with the duties at the police station so we can succeed. There were cubicles for each pair of detectives or officers, so they could have their privacy, but Detective Mallory organized the cubicles so he could observe his team through his bulletproof window. He wanted to make sure they acted professionally, and he wanted them to grow spiritually. Every morning, he gathered the officers and detectives so they could pray together before they started the day.

My partner, Jessica Harris, and I were Christians, and we attended the same church as often as possible. We have worked together for Detective Michael Mallory for the last ten years and have been challenged everyday because of the difficult life women police officers encounter on the streets.

Book Review: The Street Lawyer by John Grisham

The Street Lawyer was intriguing and suspenseful in the first few chapters because a street bum confronted Michael and other lawyers in their conference room. He had dynamite hooked up to him and threatened to pull the wire that would set the bomb off. I wanted to continue reading because I wanted to find out what the street bum planned to do, and the lawyers were going to escape their dilemma.

Michael was a lawyer at Drake and Sweeney. Madam Devier was the receptionist, and Polly was Michael's own secretary.

When Michael saw Madam Devier, he saw the street bum pointing a gun at her, and then he pointed it at Michael. Michael attempted to talk to him, but the street bum gathered the men into the conference room, and then he took off his coat. The lawyers saw sticks of dynamite and wires underneath his coat.

Mister, the street bum, demanded their wallets, cash, and jewelry. Then, he had Michael put them in a briefcase. After that, Michael had to call someone in the foyer and tell them he was going to set out a briefcase. He also had to call someone to send them some faxes on last year's taxes of the lawyers who were in the conference room.

The suspense continued to build, and then after an officer had the perfect shot at Mister, he fired, and Mister went down. The lawyers scrambled out of the building, but Michael thought he was injured. He left by another exit, and the ambulance attendants took him downstairs to the gym area to examine him. He was all right, but his blood pressure was high, so one attendant gave him a pill to lower it.

Michael thought about Mister and why he wanted to see their tax sheets and how much money they made as well as gave to the homeless people. He decided to drive to a rough area of the city. He located the law offices in the area and walked inside. The placed was run down, but he was fascinated with the environment. He wanted to help the homeless people, so he started working in the food line where the homeless people could get a meal.

You'll have to read the book to find out what happened to Michael, and what types of things confronted him as a street lawyer.

I have enjoyed reading books by John Grisham as well as the movies that have been based on his books. The Street Lawyer was well-written, and I wanted to find out what Michael decided to do with his life as a lawyer for a well-known law firm or if he decided to become a lawyer for the homeless. They were two different lifestyles that he had to decide between.

The next day he returned to his office because he wanted to work. However, he couldn't settle down to the files that he had on his desk. He left the building and sat in his car for awhile.

One False Move by Harlan Coben

One False Move features Myron Bolitar, who is Brenda Slaughter's bodyguard. Brenda is a basketball start and doesn't think she needs a bodyguard because she is twenty-five-years-old, but she agrees to it. Her father is missing, and she wants Myron to locate him. Myron also finds out that Brenda's mother left her when Brenda was five-years-old. Brenda's mother had written her some letters during the past years that she disappeared.

One day, Brenda and Myron drove to her father's apartment, but when they arrived, they saw that someone had been there because of the way the room looked. After a few minutes, Brenda realized that her mother's letters disappeared, and she had received threatening phone calls.

After Myron did some investigating concerning Brenda's father, Horace, he found out that someone had broken into Horace's apartment. He also found out that Horace had cleared out his bank account before he disappeared. Brenda told Myron that her aunt Mabel Edwards, Horace's sister, might know where her father relocated, so Myron decided to visit with her to see what he could find out.

During his visit with Mabel, he didn't find out much, except that she had her from Brenda's mother, and Horace didn't want to reveal his location because he thought it would be safer for her.

Later on, Brenda and Myron went to where her dad worked before he disappeared. They found her dad's locker and removed the contents because the security guard needed to have the locker available for the new worker. They found some trash plus some important papers that contained names of two men Horace had contacted a few times. They also found a shirt with a bloodstain on it. That shocked Brenda, and Myron asked her if she knew the men, but she didn't know either of them.

Myron and Brenda were in his car, and he called Lisa, his friend at the phone company who is doing some investigation to find out who else is involved. After he found out a few things, he pondered over his clues to the case of what has happened with Brenda, her father, and her mother. He found out that someone put a tap on her phone, but he didn't know who or why. Myron thought about their conversation and wondered if someone was looking for Horace or his wife, Anita, who was Brenda's mother. He hung up and told Brenda what Lisa told him.

Later that night, Myron and Brenda went to Win's place to discuss their situation. Win invited them to stay with him in his apartment as long as they needed to so they would be safe.

Throughout the book, Myron and Brenda are confronted with different obstacles such as people who want to harm them or locate Brenda's mother and father. The plot and suspense continues to build until the end of the book. Now, you'll have to read the book to find out what happens.