Overall I enjoyed this . It was fast paced and for me at least it was quite the page turner. When I first started it, I didn't realize it was his first novel. I went just on the fact that the summary sounded like something I would enjoy. After realizing though, I can tell it is a first novel. Certain aspects of the novel are not as overly polished and a few plot points seem way too convenient, which is my main issue with the novel in general. Several plot points throughout the story are exciting while reading and then when I was finished and had time to mull them over, several events didn't really make sense or add up. I more than fine reading books where I can turn off my brain for awhile. Where it is a book that doesn't have any big meaning it needs to get across or impact to make. A book that that is just supposed to be entertainment for awhile. Even so there is a line a book crosses where even though it is enjoyable, and I did actually enjoy this book, the characters or the writing throw common sense out the window. A few times here and there is not an issue . Hell real people even with the best of intentions do it from time to time. We are all human and just even though we knew better we still fuck up. I can give benefit of the doubt to a few things, but when you add all the infractions together is when I start to have an issue.
For instance I can forgiven the first common sense abuse since in summary on the back cover, I knew going in that Ben fucked up by telling a court decision to someone he shouldn't. I can sort of buy that he let excitement of the position go to his head even though he probably signed a million legal documents stating what you can or can not say to family and friends.That and even though he shouldn't trust some random person that called, he got wrapped up in the moment and blabbed. Fine ok. Things I have more issue is that even though Ben and a few others are sure that the house may be bugged they continue to say things they shouldn't and then are shocked when things get out. Get that moving to different places every time they thought the place might be bugged is a bit obsessive , but don't get why they couldn't have stayed in the house and just been more careful about what they said. I do get having characters pass notes could get a tad clunky to read instead of spoken dialogue. Even so they could have developed a code. Just something.
Honestly too just thought there were too many twists in this. I don't have an issue with books that have twists in them. They can be fun to guess along with but do feel there should be either one big twist that is revealed toward the en or if there are a few, that they are used with a purpose in mind and that there are not so many that they start to clutter the story. This book for me falls into the latter category. I do think the twists were trying to serve a purpose but overall they came off as a mess. For instance one of the twists that just felt personally unnecessary and just didn't make sense is that it is revealed that one of the men working for Rick, the villain of the story, is actually a marshal trying to help Ben. What doesn't make sense to me is that he is supposed to an one of the higher ups for one of the companies whose law suits to Court is deciding. on. Just would think it would be somewhat public knowledge of what someone higher up would look like. So am confused why Rick was fooled by this. It just came off as a way to get someone close to Rick who could save Ben toward the end of the book. I was also not the biggest fan of Eric being a double agent. Not saying am not a fan of the concept and believe it can be done well, just feel in this book it was executed poorly.
The end of the book was the other issue for me. It felt slightly lack luster. Things are not totally wrapped up nicely since there are thankfully consequences for what happened. Still felt overall things turned out mostly ok. Rick has his typical villain moments where he threatens to kill someone but never acts on it by instead letting everyone live and just beats them. Though am a bit shocked that he got to live at the end given how so much media loves killing villains. He was overall an ok villain but for sure could have been better. Ben does lose his job, as he should . Course he has a way better one by the end of the novel so he still wins out in the end. Nathan is pissed with good reason given that because of Ben's actions one of their friends committed suicide . A detail that seems to really matter in the moment but only Nathan seems to feel any real mourning over. That and the fact that the mother of said friend is so possessive and obsessive over her son's life that in one scene she is jumping down her son's throat to get back the job he is fired from and yet is not beating down the roommates door to explain why her son is dead, which really makes no sense. That and just a personal pet peeve of having the book end with the unnecessary romance angle. I am not against romance being in any sort of book but I am against forced romance and for sure felt that the romance between Ben is and Lisa is so damn forced . It was unneeded and personally had Ben not fucked up by spilling the beans about the case outcome both of them would have been fired or least spoken to about their romance. Having the book end on that aspect was just super cringy. Would have honestly preferred if it turned out that Lisa was a lesbian as one of the guys thought in the beginning. Granted still would have had issued given that their assumptions are based on old stereotypes. More though would just preferred if the romance was just not part of the novel to begin with.

I've appreciated the work of Meltzer (comics only, haven't tried a novel) and Tod Goldberg in the past, so I was intrigued by the idea of them working together, but the book itself just didn't seem like my cup of tea. Then I heard them interviewed on The Writers Panel podcast and I changed my mind (give it a listen, it's fun).

Boy was that a mistake. Mostly.

So, the host of a Ripley's Believe it or Not-esque show all about the crazy conspiracies, hidden stories, and unexplained throughout history is about to retire but is killed in an auto accident. His son and daughter are in the car with him -- Junior survives with minor bumps and bruises, Hazel is seriously injured and suffers a traumatic brain injury.

She pretty much forgets who she is. She starts investigating her own background and starts finding questions about her father and his show -- there seems to be more than just a TV show afoot. And...yeah, I just can't care enough to do more than this, I've already spent more time on this than I wanted to.

It was fun, potboiler-y book that was entertaining enough to justify the ten hours -- and then the ending, the explanation for everything, and the denouement were horrible. Not just disappointing, but worse. It really made me mad.

I typically like Scott Brick's narration -- but something about the approach he used this time just didn't work for me. I can't put my finger on why -- maybe it was a bit too aggressive sounding? Like I said, I really don't know. I did find LaVoy's work interesting and engaging, however. Maybe it was the contrast between the two that left Brick's performance wanting (I don't think so, but it's a thought that occurs).

As frustrating as I found the story (eventually beyond frustrating), it was an entertaining, gripping book. Structurally sound, moved along at a good pace -- everything you want in escapist fiction. But man . . . the ending (and really all of it, therefore, as it is a mystery) was plain ol' bad. The first 9-ish (maybe 8-ish) hours were good enough that I can't rate this too low (but man, the ending made me want to).

Here we go for DC!

1. Black Canary: Kicking and Screaming.   I didn't buy some of this, like how no one knew Dinah was Black Canary.   Even with its faults, though, it's a fun read and a little bit of a girl group/girl power read.   Fun times, with Dinah as the lead singer in a  girl band.   Surprise Hero, Grrrl Power, and Newsworthy would all fit this series. 

2. Deadshot: Bulletproof.   Fascinating look at one of the Suicide Squad members in a solo jaunt.   Awful things happen to children, though, so if that makes you squeamish...  Family Ties, Surprise Hero, Parental Issues, Dead Parents, and Not Dead Anymore would all work for this volume. 

3. Batgirl: The Batgirl of Burnside.   Fun, fun take on Batgirl, despite her hipster costume that could be so much more effective if it was more armored.   Complications with school life and balancing that with Batgirl become issues in Babs' life.   Grrrl Power, School, City Boy, Diversity and and Family Ties are all appropriate squares here. 

4. Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals.  Nuanced reboot of Wonder Woman.  I couldn't stop reading this volume, and I was cheering Diana on as she adjusted to Man's World.   Grrl Power, School, Newsworthy, Parental Issues, and Not Dead Anymore would all be appropriate squares for this volume.   You could argue Kink with her, y'know, tying people up and forcing them to tell her the truth...

5. Justice League of America: The Tornado's Path.   A focus on one of my favorite characters, the JLA's resident android.   Family Ties, Not Dead Anymore, and even Kink would work here. If you're me.   Human/robot relationships are my thing, although I take them more seriously than Kink.

6. Batman: Hush.   An epic mindfuck of a story.   I don't want to give too much away, but, yes, this?  You should read it if you can get your hands on it.   Glasses Confuse Everyone, City Boy or Evil Genius are the squares I'd use for this volume. 

7. Batman: A Death in the Family.   Epic tale of how everyone voted for Robin to die, and then they killed him off in the most brutal way possible.   Teens, Insanity, City Boy and Family Ties would all work for this square.    And of course, Batman is always Dead Parents.   

8. Suicide Squad: Trial By Fire.   Villains do good to get less prison time, and so they don't get parts blown off.   it's pretty epic watching them get corralled into this and having to try to figure out how to work together.   Surprise Hero, Insanity, and Romance Gone Wrong would all work, since there is not only therapy but also a therapist falling for her patient.   And all before Harley Quinn, I believe!

9. Batman: Killing Joke.   The Joker tries to prove one bad day can send anyone to the nuthouse.   Insanity, Evil Genius and Family Ties would work here.   

10. Batman: Under the Red Hood.  Is Jason Todd really dead?  (Joker killed him in Death in the Family.)  Or is it more mindfuckery?  Family Ties, Parental Issues, and Not Dead Anymore could be used for this volume.   And of course, Batman still has Dead Parents.  

I'm hitting the beach.   I'll do general comics later tonight or even tomorrow.      

* Review copy provided by NetGalley *

A host of a popular TV show about conspiracies and famous mysteries is perhaps mixed up in a conspiracy himself.

When Hazel is six years old her father Jack Nash tells her a story.  It’s a riddle really, or is it?  About a frozen dead man and a bible originally belonging to Benedict Arnold.

Hazel wakes up in a hospital with injuries from a car accident.  She has issues with her memory, including those about people.

She notices there's a man with a gun who stands outside her room.  She doesn't know who he is or why he is there.

Her brother Skip asks her if she remembers Darren Nixon.  She doesn't, and her brother then refuses to enlighten her.

"You brought him up for a reason, Skip.  Tell me who Darren Nixon is."

"Skip, there's a computer in the waiting room.  Plus every nurse on the floor has a phone with a Web browser on it.  You can tell me now or I can go out there and look him up myself."

Then she proceeds to yell at the guy with the gun, who clearly is trying to remain aloof, at least from her.

'"I know you heard me!" she added, louder than ever. "I'll keep yelling until someone puts it into Google! Darren Nixon! Darren Nixon! Spelled D-A-R-R-E-N-!"

This is where I found I already liked Hazel.  

Hazel is an interesting character, and I did really like her.  There are big gaps in her memory, which is part of her own personal mystery to solve.  She's complex, and not all sunshine and roses.

But after coming to in the hospital she realizes there are things going on, mysteries to solve, that have a lot to do with her father.  How much does her brother Skip know?  She can’t even remember if she trusts Skip, or how she felt about him.

The blurb explains the basic plot, so I won’t rehash that.  What I will say is I stayed up way too late reading this book because I really wanted to know the answers to the mysteries.  It kept me engrossed and interested.  It’s a twisty story with some surprises, and people aren’t always what they appear at first.

It’s well written and well-paced.  I never felt it was dragging.

Political thrillers really aren’t my cup of tea, but this book isn’t really a political thriller.  It’s definitely in the Suspense/Mystery/Thriller category, but it’s more about a family, a daughter learning her father may have been mixed up in something mysterious and needing to find out what it was and what is going on.  A brother who may have secrets of his own.

I really enjoyed this one.

“Just because something seemed implausible didn’t mean it wasn’t true.”

Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DESCRIPTION

When Hazel Nash was six years old, her father taught her: mysteries need to be solved. He should know. Hazel's father is Jack Nash, the host of America's favorite conspiracy TV show, The House of Secrets.

Even as a child, she loved hearing her dad's tall tales, especially the one about a leather book belonging to Benedict Arnold that was hidden in a corpse.

Now, years later, Hazel wakes up in the hospital and remembers nothing, not even her own name. She's told she's been in a car accident that killed her father and injured her brother. But she can't remember any of it, because of her own traumatic brain injury. Then a man from the FBI shows up, asking questions about her dad-and about his connection to the corpse of a man found with an object stuffed into his chest: a priceless book that belonged to Benedict Arnold.

Back at her house, Hazel finds guns that she doesn't remember owning. On her forehead, she sees scars from fights she can't recall. Most important, the more Hazel digs, the less she likes the person she seems to have been.

Trying to put together the puzzle pieces of her past and present, Hazel Nash needs to figure out who killed this man-and how the book wound up in his chest. The answer will tell her the truth about her father, what he was really doing for the government-and who Hazel really is. Mysteries need to be solved. Especially the ones about yourself.

The House of Secrets by Brad Meltzer