Book Review: Gone Girl

I decided to read this book after watching a movie trailer on Youtube.  The movie trailer's footage somehow reminded me of the Scott Peterson murder case years ago and all that media frenzy that came with it.  After knowing that the movie was based on a novel of the same title, I wanted to read it to find out what was so interesting about the novel that made Ben Affleck pick it up to produce it into a movie.

Just as I originally suspected, the first part of the book, which took up almost half of the total pages, was almost like a detailed story re-telling of the Scott Peterson murder case;  that put all the news releases, the footage and the stories that we read and watched at the time into words, and detailed descriptions.  It was quite boring to me because I didn't need to read pages of words that described the news crew from the media storming Scott Peterson's home, or crowding the venue of the news conference room...  It was all Dejavu to me and I had to take many breaks so I could continue reading.  To me, the first part was just a mundane reenactment of the Scott Peterson murder case with the throw-in of the diary of the mundane life of the girl who was gone. I was bored and I wasn't interested in knowing the heroine's mundane life through her diary in the first part.

Then the story started to get good in the second part. So after I spent over a week, painstakingly forcing myself to continue with the book, I finally got to a point where all the good stuff started pouring in.  It was from there I couldn't put the book down.  After reading the whole book, I realize how smart it was for the author to tell the story from both the husband's side and the wife's side.  The parallel stories brilliantly explained and unfolded to me the "whats" and "whys" behind the twisty plots.  It's definitely a story that is inspired by the Lacy Peterson murder, but it was provoking in a way that it made me think if the truth of that case was really what I saw and heard from the media.  After all, there is always two sides of a story.  There is always more to the surface of everything we see.   The book is brilliantly written, and it's very entertaining.  But the readers have to read the entire book before they can fully enjoy it.  Now I can't wait to see the movie.    

Book Review: The Lincoln Lawyer

As someone who had never watched (not interested in watching) any legal dramas like "Law & Order", I find this book very entertaining. This novel is about a defense lawyer who rides around town and conducts a lot of his business in his Lincoln car. I found the concept rather smart because I can see the character and his car are going to be developed into a franchise just like "Batman" and his bat mobile.

This book had taught me a lot about the judicial system in the United States. It provides in detail the intricate workings of America's legal system in dealing with criminals. As a new immigrant and someone who is not familiar with the justice system in this country, this book totally opened my eyes. (or should I not believe in anything this book says about the court system and the criminal defense proceedings?). After reading this book, I finally understand how OJ Simpson was able to walk free. ( we were following the news in Hong Kong and we were shocked he was found not guilty, we told each other, "this only happens in America").

Besides the interesting defense strategies, this book has all the twists that surprised me to the very end. Just when I thought the suspense was over, the next climax has yet to come. There were twists within the twists. I enjoyed reading the book because it was twisty.

By the way, this book is now being made into a movie, with Matthew McConaughey casted as "The Lincoln Lawyer". I really think he should be casted as the client of the Lincoln Lawyer though. I think Richard Gere should be the lawyer. When I was reading the book, I was visioning Richard Gere riding the Lincoln, plotting and strategizing. May be because he played the lawyer role so well in the moive "Chicago". Matthew McConaughey on the other hand looks so much like that other major character in this book, the client. You should read the book and you will see why I think Matthew McConaughey should be the client.

Worst Case

Book review submitted by Billy Burgess

Detective Michael Bennett is back in his third outing. This time he is up against a crazed serial killer, who is kidnapping and killing collage-age kids from New York’s wealthiest families. Michael has ten children of his own to think about, as he tracks down the killer.
To complicate things worse, an Abduction Specialist, Agent Emily Parker is assigned to Michael’s case. As they move in closer, the killer changes his routine.

Once again, James Patterson uses short chapters to keep you turning the pages. You’ll easily connect with the main character, Michael - a loving, single father and a devoted cop. I like that the authors spiced things up by adding a possible love interests, Emily - a single mother. It’s a well-developed plot that is fast-paced. I recommend “Worst Case” to other James Patterson’s fans or anyone who wants to read a good thriller.