I have three books that I have finished this week. The first is by Jennifer Chiaverrini. The Lost Quilter is another edition in the Elm Creek Quilter's series and it did not disappoint. Once again we visit the evils of slavery and how quilts help lead the way on the Underground Railroad but this time we got a look primarily from the view of one slave. These books are like candy once you start you cannot put it down. Definitely a keeper and I think this is a series that I do need to purchase for my collection.

The next was another book in the China Bayles series by Susan Wittig Albert. Wormwood lacked the input of China's usual cast of characters but found a place close to my heart anyway. This book takes place in a fictional Shaker community in Northern Kentucky (!). The Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill is one of my absolute favorite places to visit in Kentucky and I have been there many times. The fictional village of Mt. Zion is very much like that and took care to depict the Shaker community very much as it was in the 1800's. I read it straight through and loved every minute. I just wish Ms. Albert could write as quickly as I can read! I cannot wait for the next one.

The last book was an audio book. The 37th Hour by Jodi Compton. Out of the three books, this is the only one I would not recommend. While I chose this because because it is a mystery/thiller with a woman as the main character I was very disappointed in the way the story was handled. There were so many sub-themes and flash backs that I found myself going back to re-listen several times to see just what I had missed that kept me from understanding what I was listening to. The ending was awful. I suspected that there would be a sequel (which I have since found out is true, there is) but I won't be reading it. I won't go into the themes since I don't want to give away any spoilers but I would only read this if there is nothing else at hand.

I don't know guys, I kind of liked this one because I listened to it rather than reading it and it was kind of fun but...I think if I had been reading it, I may never have finished. I cannot for the life of me understand how someone could tie the world's first murder (Cain and Abel) to the birth of Superman. I liked that there was a lot of research done on both of those aspects of the story but I felt it turned the solemnity of the bible story into gruel for comic book readers. Yes I got the parallels but I have to say, it didn't do much for me. I read one review that suggested the Meltzer "got so excited (about his themes) he forgot to write a book that made sense." LOL What could have been a great historical mystery got lost.

I will give it three stars for the effort but sorry, no recommended status.

Bestseller Meltzer (The Book of Fate) deserves credit for an audacious conceit—wedding the biblical fratricide of Abel by his brother Cain with the unsolved 1932 homicide of the father of Jerry Siegel, the creator of iconic comic book hero Superman—but the results are less than convincing. A highly tenuous link between the two murders revolves around the mysterious weapon Cain (the world's greatest villain) used to kill his brother. One of numerous theories is that the weapon was a divine book containing the secrets of immortality. After coming to the aid of a shooting victim, Calvin Harper, a homeless volunteer working in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., soon finds himself hopelessly caught up in a life-and-death quest for the ancient artifact that includes the obligatory secret societies, Nazi conspiracies, enigmatic villains and cryptographic riddles à la The Da Vinci Code.

from Publisher's Weekly

Set against a backdrop of Oval Office corruption, bestseller Meltzer's overblown thriller opens with a frantic assassination attempt on President Leland Manning, who manages to elude the gunfire. Manning's deputy chief of staff, Ron Boyle, is killed, and his top aide, the cocky, ambitious Wes Holloway, is left facially disfigured. Eight years later, his motivation and confidence drained by his handicap, Holloway still toils away for the out-of-office Manning, fetching refreshments and handling the daily social calendar. On a goodwill junket to Malaysia, however, Holloway spots Boyle, surgically altered, but unmistakably the same man who was supposed to be dead and gone. From this turning point, Meltzer (The Zero Game) follows Holloway step by excruciatingly slow step as he tries to find out what really happened eight years earlier.

I have to say I loved this book. I did not read any of the reviews before hand (I rarely do) and I have to say I was really shocked at the reviews on Amazon. To be truthful, I did expect something a little more along the lines of The Davinci Code or National Treasure but I was not disappointed in what I got. I enjoyed the book immensely. I found myself listening even at lunch. I did do the audio version of this book and maybe that made a difference. It was funny to find myself hoping that someone would make a particular decision and getting exciteed when they did. While I probably wouldn't give this book 5 stars I would probably rate it at least a 4. It sure brought up some frightening thoughts on just how easily the government has been corrupted.

Book of Lies is next in my aduio queue.

Here are a couple of review options other than Amazon.
The Book Reporter
Who Dunnit?