TITLE: Cat's Cradle

AUTHOR: Kurt Vonnegut

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DESCRIPTION:

"With his trademark dry wit, Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle is an inventive science fiction satire that preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon - and, worse still, surviving it. This Penguin Modern Classics edition includes an introduction by Benjamin Kunkel. Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he is the inventor of ice-nine, a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. Writer Jonah's search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker's three eccentric children, to an island republic in the Caribbean where the religion of Bokononism is practised, to love and to insanity. Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction is a funny and frightening satire on the end of the world and the madness of mankind."

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REVIEW:

The author clearly knows how to write and the concept was interesting, but this novel was a bit silly, and not in an amusing way. This book just didn't appeal to me.

Sequels are a tricky business. They can enhance their predecessor or they can weaken it, especially if the first book was strong. Ideally, they demonstrate an improvement from prior books and offer more details about the characters and themes, depending on how the series is connected. This is one reason why I enjoy being able to begin a series at its inception and keep up with it as it grows. “The Inn at Hidden Run” opened the Tree of Life series and introduced readers to small-town Canyon Mines, Colorado, where Jillian and her father Nolan combine their professional talents to assimilate past and present.

 Olivia Newport’s “In the Cradle Lies” intensifies some of the elements from the first book in the series, making this a commendable sequel. Even so, this book could be read as a stand-alone, although I would recommend reading the series in order to better understand the characters’ backgrounds. In spite of the cozy milieu, “In the Cradle Lies” reads much like a suspense novel, and I found it difficult to put down. The mystery is more ominous in this book, and the winter setting augments this. Jillian and Nolan remain the main protagonists, but I was glad to meet different secondary characters this time around in Jillian’s best friend, Kris, and the mysterious vacationer, Tucker. For quite a while I was not sure what to make of Tucker, who is tight-lipped about his life and who is obviously hiding something, yet is incredibly generous, his savoir-faire attitude blending with his strange reserve. As he learns, you can’t outrun your past. However, for those who have accepted Christ, the past is just that—the past—and we can trust in the One who knows us, loves us, and breaks the chains that enslave us. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Intertwining the past and the present with her dual-timeline narrative, Newport demonstrates once again the substantial impact that our histories can have even decades later. Titling this series Tree of Life echoes with layers of meaning, particularly in this sequel. Aside from the obvious genealogical connection, I’m reminded of the eponymous tree in the Garden of Eden and how Adam and Eve’s disobedience led to their being denied its fruit yet also paved the way for the Savior. Also, cross-pollination serves as a metaphor in the narrative, alluding to the combination of the past and the present to form a stronger future and also to the subject of black-market baby snatching, taking a child from its original parents and transplanting them into another family. Although the faith element is very light, reconciliation is a solid subject, along with the realization that you cannot outrun either your past or God. Nolan observes that “[h]e couldn’t go back and change what he thought was right at a different point in time. But he could choose differently now.” The same is true for all of us, and because of Jesus’ sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection, no matter where we are in life’s journey or where we’ve come from, when we accept Jesus as Lord, He makes us new!

Recommended for those interested in genealogy, skiing, small-town life, father-daughter duos, and the criminal exploits of Georgia Tann, as well as fans of Liz Tolsma’s “The Pink Bonnet.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and CelebrateLit and was under no obligation to post a review. All opinions are my own.

This was my first time reading Rachel Amphlett and I wasn't sure what to expect—I'll cut to the chase now, I really enjoyed it, and Amphlett impressed me from the first chapter on.

The first chapter features some good character moments and a well-drawn figure for characters whose sole purpose is to find a dead body and get the police involved. A lot of authors wouldn't have bothered with making these characters so fleshed-out. Many wouldn't have bothered with showing the discovery of the dead body. I liked this touch.

When the police arrive and look at the dead body, almost impossible to identify, it looks like this could be a long investigation. But one of the instigators notices all the children's belongings in the vicinity and quickly realizes that a child should be at the scene. They have to make a quick decision, do they treat it as a homicide, or a kidnapping. They (wisely) decide to treat it as a kidnapping (while searching for signs of the former). Not only are they hunting for a murderer, they're probably trying to prevent any harm coming to the child.

Not that they'd be taking their time with a murder inquiry, but missing child adds n element of intensity and immediacy to their search for the killer. Which makes the whole novel more tense and fast-paced. As introductions to a series/author go, this was pretty intense.

One thing I appreciate about UK procedurals (in distinction from the US-based) is the trust for the method and procedure. With US procedurals, there's an urgency to an investigation—a strong sense that the longer the investigation takes, the less likely it is that they'll arrest anyone. It feels (at least to me) the opposite with good UK procedurals. There's a trust in the system, that the gears of police work will eventually establish the guilt of someone as long as the gears keep turning. It's almost like they longer things go on, the more certain they are that they'll catch the responsible party. That's certainly the case here, yet, it's well-balanced with the scramble to save the child.

Another thing about UK procedurals is the way the whole team is involved in the investigation—it's not (for example) Det. Bosch, and maybe his partner, barreling through things, with the occasional assist from someone else in the office or a forensic specialist. There are all sorts of officers, of all ranks and assignments running around, making contributions to the overall effort. It's probably a whole lot more realistic, a whole lot more believable—but it comes at a cost. There are so many people running around, that it's hard to keep track of them all, hard to get to the point where you can get a feel for most of the characters—and it's likely that you'll confuse a couple with each other. This isn't a criticism of Amphlett, I've had the same problem when it comes to other UK procedurals that I've read. Maybe it's just me. It just takes a few novels before I can get a feel for anyone beyond the character the series is named after. That's definitely the case here. I have a decent sense for Kay Hunter, and the beginnings of a sense for one or two others on the team, but that's all. Ask me again when book 10 comes around (or if I get to some of the backlist), and that'll disappear.

I did like the characters, and think I could grow to be fans of a few of them—but that'll take time (and the ability to differentiate them easily). I could tell they weren't just interchangeable names, that there were individual characteristics and drives behind them. And none of them served as Detective Exposition or Detective Comic Relief—which is a big plus to me.

Now, when it comes to the witnesses, family of the victims, and suspects? I thought Amphlett did a good job with them all—colorful in the right ways, believable, and did a good job of moving the plot forward (also, police interactions and reaction to the witnesses were handled very nicely).

One thing I truly appreciated about this is just how wrong the police frequently were—and not in little ways, either. Justifiably wrong given the information they had, I should stress. But as soon as they realized they were heading down the wrong path, they quickly fixed it. They didn't spend a few dozen pages in self-recrimination, they didn't get a time-consuming talking to from their superior, or anything like that (although that might be forthcoming...). Instead, they regrouped, shook off the error and acted on the correct information right away. Sure, most procedurals (mystery novels in general) feature some wrong theories, some half-baked notions that have to be discarded. But this seemed to have a larger than usual—and more believable—quantity and quality of errors. But they dealt with them appropriately. I wish I saw more like that.

Was this a perfect book? No, in fact, I was annoyed more than once or twice with either the writing or the plot. But they were all minor annoyances, and nothing worth listing and nothing really took me out of the moment while I read. Better yet, the strengths quickly canceled out the problems/doubts I had. This was a quick, compelling read that did all the right things for a procedural. Entertaining, twisty, and engaging. This won't be my last Amphlett.

My thanks to Tracy Fenton for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the novel) provided.

So, I finished this a while ago. Several weeks ago. I couldn't figure out where to start the review.

IN THE PREFACE:

So far, so good. Book 1, "The Companion," tackled the underlying dynamics of a BDSM relationship. Book 2, "The Reluctant Leader, " took on the censorship and legal issues and introduced the dominant side of the D/s dynamic. Now, book 3 takes you through another aspect of BDSM relationships that never crosses many people's minds.

It seems that whenever people talking about the subject of BDSM relationships, they somehow forget that the little woed, "relationship," is part of the sentence.

In the first book we were introduced to Mark and Susan (later known also as simply "L," the name given to her by her master). Mark had a scarred past and Susan needed someone to help guide her towards building a life where she would grow as a person she was com for table being. Together they entered in a BDSM relationship. The first book was focused on their budding love aND partnership . This book we get their "happily ever after," a look at what happens when their relationship buds into more than bargained for when they began their lives together.

I did not foresee any of the events in this book happening to Mark and L. I did enjoy the ride though. I never once thought of what it would be like for a couple who had a BDSM relationship to juggle the same curveballs that traditional couples experience. 

After reading this I see so many similarities between what people consider to be normal relationships and that of a couple practising a BDSM lifestyle. When it comes to the topic of BDSM people's minds automatically think of violent, leather dressed men beating their females until they experience earth moving painful orgasms. That's not what you get with this book. What you get is a couple being a bit more honest with themselves about where they stand I their relationship and embracing their roles.

What was all his dominance actually worth in a sphere where he didn't have any authority? How could he control anything when it wasn't his hands on the steering wheel?

I completely understand why erotic BDSM literature is popular. In people's minds it is an adventure on the wildside. Those books give people wrong impressions though, and sometimes bad ideas and stereotypes. I like that the author of this, Michelle Knight, wrote a realistic story. I have found this entire series to be very eye opening on the subject. This is very well written and obviously well researched and told from personal life experiences. Compared to the first two books this feels to be written with more emotion included in the story. Knight skills as a writer have really grown. This is not erotic fiction but is definitely intended for adults.

Lots going on with Mark and L... lots. Mark feels as if his head may explode, I can completely understand why he feels that way.