Peter De Jonge (1)

Nineteen year old Francesca Pena is an NYU sophomore on a track and cross-country scholarship. A talented and motivated student, she has risen from a socially disadvataged background. On Thanksgiving Eve she disappears after meeting some friends for drinks at a bar near Rivington, New York. Her disappearance is reported two days later by a former boyfriend who has been staying with her. A week after her disappearance her violated body is found in a toilet by the East River and the former show more boyfriend becomes the primary suspect.

The story that Detective Darlene O'Hara from New York's 7th Precinct and her partner Serge Krekorian eventually unearth clearly demonstrates that no-one knew who Francesca Pena really was. The revelation owes much to Darlene's persistence and determination, and her inner ability to sense when she is not being told the truth. There are things that Darlene learns about Pena that just don't add up, timelines that just don't work out. The case becomes high-profile one, with plenty of red herrings, and mis-judgements. Darlene is eventually suspended, and she and Serge complete their investigation under threat of severe disciplinary measures. The chance sighting of a distinctive tattoo eventually sends Darlene hurtling along the path that results in the arrest of Francesca's murderer.

I changed my mind about SHADOWS STILL REMAIN many times. It is noir, revealing a criminal underbelly in New York's city life that we always suspected was there, but hoped wasn't. I really don't think I enjoyed reading it, but on the other hand it was cleverly written. I wanted to know the final outcome, but wanted it to be over. I really like the character of Darlene O'Hara, and hope that I have the chance to meet her again. It is a novel that will mean much more to New York readers than it did to me. show less

Why do I keep reading James Patterson? Is it because I keep hoping that among the books of his I get in hand me downs or from Little Free Libraries, there will be one decent book?

Ok. This was one of his better books... but not by much. There's the usual Patterson style with short, choppy chapters, and a ending that is quickly wrapped up. One thing I really had to wonder here, given what was revealed at the ending, is how the main character didn't end up with HIV. For real, given how long the show more main antagonist had had HIV, it didn't take me long to connect the dots. show less

I am an avid golfer and picked up this book when I forgot to pack the one I was reading.

First, this is not a novel and not even a novella. It is little more than a short story, that can be read in roughly one hour. Forget about the page count. It is a very small book with roughly 50 2-4 page chapters.

The story revolves around a fifty year old ad executive, unhappy in his job and struggling with his marriage. When he is laid off from his job, he decides to try and qualify for the Senior PGA show more Tour. The story follows him through qualifying (SPOILER), then a rain shortened Tour victory, as he attempts to save his marriage. We end up at the Senior U. S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Now, this is a perfectly sweet story, but suffers from some silly, sloppy , lazy mistakes. Pebble Beach is a very famous golf course. For reason I will never understand, the author misidentifies many features of the golf course, including the pars and physical characteristics of many of the holes (at least they got #17 correct). How hard would it be to get these very simple facts correct?

In addition, the protagonist has a four year old child, which he labels “The Philosopher King”, imbuing this four year old with the maturity, intelligence and vocabulary of a ten year old child.

If things like this don’t bother you, you might enjoy the hour of reading that this work provides. show less

How does Patterson do it? How does he never let me down?

I needed to read a book set on a beach for my summer reading challenge, and I happened to have this one on the shelf. I started it in the morning and didn't put it down until I had read the last word at almost midnight. I did very little the rest of the day. I even shooed my husband away when he came to sit next to me on the sofa.

The tale of rich vs working-class hits right on the nose, with feelings of the hit TV series "Revenge" show more throughout. You can see the smug, self-satisfied looks on the rich faces as they know their sins will not catch up with them; you can feel the defeat and frustration of the blue-collar population who realize the law is NOT on their side.

And when justice finally DOES prevail, it is sweet, indeed. This is a page-turner, very fast-paced and intriguing. Recommended. show less