KILL ALEX CROSS: A REVIEW AND BONUS GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

GIVEAWAY ENDED

KILL ALEX CROSS

BY JAMES PATTERSON

REMINDER ABOUT THE BOOK:

The President's son and daughter are abducted, and Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene. But someone very high-up is using the FBI, Secret Service, and CIA to keep him off the case and in the dark.

A deadly contagion in the water supply cripples half of the capital, and Alex discovers that someone may be about to unleash the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced.

As his window for solving both crimes narrows, Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes--one that may alter the fate of the entire country. KILL ALEX CROSS is faster, more exciting, and more tightly wound than any Alex Cross thriller James Patterson has ever written!  

REMINDER (IF YOU NEED ONE :) ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977, James Patterson's books have sold more than 230 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. Mr. Patterson also writes the bestselling Women's Murder Club novels, set in San Francisco, and the top-selling New York detective series of all time, featuring Detective Michael Bennett. He writes fulltime and lives in Florida with his family.

CRAZY ABOUT JAMES PATTERSON BOOKS? 

CHECK OUT WHAT'S COMING SOON!            

JANUARY 2, 2012

      MARCH 26, 2012        

    

  MAY 7, 2012

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
In James Patterson’s newest Alex Cross novel, KILL ALEX CROSS, what could the title mean to the millions of Alex Cross fans? Will this be the end of Alex? One thing is for sure and that is with Cross, you are in for a thrill ride with the fan favorite detective. Cross is THE James Patterson character we wait for each year. KILL ALEX CROSS is no exception and doesn‘t disappoint. There are no regrets for readers, as I quickly found out, because the characteristic short, cliff hanging chapters are in the book and give KILL ALEX CROSS a rock solid fast start!

While terrorists are planning and carrying out attacks all over Washington D.C., the President’s two teenage children are kidnapped from what was thought to be their high-security school. Patterson gives KILL ALEX CROSS the familiar characters normally surrounding Alex Cross as well as introducing readers to many new and cleverly developed, mesmerizing new characters. When Cross seems to be shut out of the kidnapping by FBI and Secret Service, he, as always, rises to the top when First Lady Regina Cole specifically asks for Alex to handle the case. This takes readers inside the White House and all that goes with it to see how security is handled when the President’s family is involved.

As this is going on, the terrorist storyline leads readers on another track that will eventually come together with the kidnapping story. The terrorists tell their story and as much as we want to hate them, one learns about their side of the story and how their lives came to be what they are. I found it personally fascinating. Tariq and his wife, Hala, seem to be part of a terrorist cell known as “The Family” and the plans they have for the capital are more than we could ever imagine. The way they carry out their plans is enough to shock readers and the thought that they may also be involved in the kidnapping eats away at the reader’s mind.

I found Alex Cross to be at his best thanks to Patterson’s character development and Cross’s interactions professionally as well as personally with his family and yes, even wife, Bree, and everyone’s favorite grandmother, Nana. Patterson has woven two main story lines with a couple of shorter ones to all come together in a way one never sees coming. How these terrorists work and what their final target is, becomes a captivating focal point of the book.  All of these parts add up to a spellbinding tale as we hang on to see what happens to the children and how Alex is somehow drawn into every aspect of each storyline. KILL ALEX CROSS may, or may not, be dangerous for Alex, but for sure, it is exhilarating but also exhausting to the reader as one just can not put this one down!  

   GIVEAWAY

THANK YOU TO ANNA AND THE GOOD
FRIENDS AT HACHETTE BOOKS FOR A 
COPY OF KILL ALEX CROSS THAT I AM
ABLE TO OFFER AS A GIVEAWAY TO
ONE LUCKY READER OF MY BLOG

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:
BONUS ENTRIES...
BE SURE AND ALSO ENTER HERE AT MY FIRST POST!

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT MY REVIEW AND WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT KILL ALEX CROSS THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A BOOK BY AUTHOR JAMES PATTERSON THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ BY CHECKING OUT HIS WEBSITE HERE! 
 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY ON EACH TO RECEIVE EXTRA ENTRIES

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, DECEMBER 31

GOOD LUCK!

SEE MIX DRINK: A GRAPHIC COCKTAIL GUIDE GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
SEE MIX DRINK

A Refreshing Simple Guide to Crafting 

the World's Most Popular Cocktails

BY BRIAN D. MURPHY

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Have you tried mixing a Mojito? What about a Rusty Nail? Or a Cosmopolitan? With See Mix Drink, the first-ever cocktail book to offer instruction through info-graphics, making the drinks you love at home is as easy as, well, See, Mix, Drink.

This unique, illustrated guide graphically demonstrates how to make 100 of today's most popular cocktails. For each drink, color-coded ingredients are displayed in a line drawing of the appropriate glassware, alongside a pie chart that spells out the drink's composition by volume for intuitive mixing. No other cocktail book is this easy or fun. Instantly understandable 1-2-3 steps show exactly how each drink is prepared, and anecdotes, pronunciation guides, and photographs of the finished drinks will turn newbie bartenders into instant mixologists. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brian D. Murphy’s favorite mixed drink is the Old Fashioned, having been inspired to try it after watching Mad Men. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife Nicole and their three pets Kate, MeowMeow, and Maya.

MY REVIEW OF SEE MIX DRINK:

Brian D. Murphy has come out with a cocktail recipe book that anyone can follow. Not a drinker myself, it still intrigues me to hear the names and watch friends drink some cocktails that just look and sound yummy. Murphy has written a simple to follow graphic recipe book so even the bar tending challenged can master these drinks. With over 100 recipes, Murphy color codes and uses a minimal amount of text to show people how to make the drinks. Of course, one must “study” the first few pages of the book on “How to Use This Book” in order to make sense of what later one realizes are very simple graphic explanations. The amount of each ingredient with the proper ratio to the other ingredients is what appears to be the most important part. With the illustrations, I believe it is much easier to follow than a lengthy text explanation.

In the introduction of the book, Brian D. Murphy explains why he has written the guide this way. He writes:
“… Like most people, I am a visual learner, yet most cocktail books on today’s shelves are laden with text-based recipes and wordy instructions…

… See Mix Drink empowers readers to be come instant cocktail-making experts. This book brings intuitiveness and ease-of-use to cocktail making in an innovative visual format.”

I believe that this one book and the necessary liquors and supplies could make anyone an expert home mixologist in no time. I also think it makes for a GREAT gift as well as “coffee table book” to initiate conversation at any party.

Murphy’s favorite drink is the Old Fashioned and I have included some of the pictures and graphics from the guide for this and some other things to ILLUSTRATE what I mean in my review. A fun book and I am glad to have a copy to give away!

Below are some samples of the type of graphics used to make these drinks!

   

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO ANNA AND THE GOOD FOLKS

AT HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I HAVE ONE 

COPY OF THIS DELIGHTFUL BOOK TO

GIVE AWAY TO ONE OF MY READERS

 
--U.S. AND CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU READ ABOUT SEE MIX DRINK  THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 OR MORE ENTRIES: COMMENT ON HOW YOU WOULD USE THIS BOOK OR A DRINK YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO MAKE AT HOME

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY THAT YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY TO RECEIVE EXTRA ENTRIES

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, JANUARY 15

GOOD LUCK!

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT! (IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE WEDNESDAY!)

WELCOME TO
BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S
WINNERS' ANNOUNCEMENT!

 

THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED
BY EMAIL AND HAVE UNTIL NOON,
DECEMBER 31, TO REPLY WITH THEIR
INFORMATION OR A NEW WINNER
WILL HAVE TO BE CHOSEN!

***************************************

LIVER LET DIE

A CLUELESS COOK MYSTERY

BY LIZ LIPPERMAN

THANKS TO ALEXANDRA AND THE GOOD 

FOLKS AT BERKLEY AND PENGUIN, I HAVE

ONE COPY OF THIS DELIGHTFUL

MYSTERY, LIVER LET DIE,

TO GIVE AWAY

AND

IN THE COMMENT SECTION, 

AUTHOR LIZ LIPPERMAN ADDED,

"Hey, Bingo, someone suggested I visit this site,

and I love all the comments. So, I'm throwing

 in an autographed copy of LLD to add 

to the one you're giving away."
 SO THE TWO WINNER ARE:

AUTOGRAPHED COPY FOR

#96 Linda Kish

AND REGULAR COPY

#76 lag 123

************************************* 

 

#4 The Jury

#5 Sweet Revenge

#16 Deadly Deals

#17 Game Over

BY FERN MICHAELS

I HAVE ONE SET OF FOUR FERN MICHAELS

BOOKS TO GIVE AWAY TO ONE LUCKY WINNER

REMEMBER AS STATED IN THE DIRECTIONS:

YOU MUST COMMENT ON EACH BOOK & POST!

TO FIND A WINNER, I WILL CHOOSE 

FROM ALL FOUR POSTS SO BE SURE

AND ENTER EACH ONE! 

THE WINNER OF ALL 4 BOOKS IS:

#84 (in last post, and she did enter all 4!) Carol N Wong

***************************************** 

TO CATCH A LEAF

A FLOWER SHOP MYSTERY 

BY KATE COLLINS 

THANKS TO KAYLEIGH AND THE GOOD 

FOLKS AT BERKLEY/NAL, I HAVE ONE

COPY OF THIS EXCITING MYSTERY,

TO CATCH A LEAF,TO GIVE AWAY

THE WINNER IS:

#223 (#23 ON SECOND PAGE) rubynreba

******************************************* 

WHO DO, VOODOO?

A Mind for Murder, New Series

BY ROCHELLE STAAB 

THANKS TO KAYLEIGH AND THE GOOD 
FOLKS AT BERKLEY/NAL, I HAVE ONE

COPY OF THIS NEW SERIES MYSTERY,

WHO DO, VOODOO?,TO GIVE AWAY 

THE WINNER IS:

#196 Pat L.

*************************************************  

THE BEST OF ME 

BY NICHOLAS SPARKS

THANK YOU TO BRAD AND THE GOOD
FRIENDS AT HACHETTE BOOKS FOR A 
COPY OF THE BEST OF ME THAT I
AM ABLE TO OFFER AS A GIVEAWAY TO
ONE LUCKY READER OF MY BLOG

THE WINNER IS:

#299 (#99 ON SECOND PAGE) Jeryl M.

*********************************************

1225 CHRISTMAS TREE LANE

A Cedar Cove Novel

BY DEBBIE MACOMBER

 I HAVE ONE NEW, HARD BACK COPY OF

1225 CHRISTMAS TREE LANE TO GIVE

AWAY TO A LUCKY HOLIDAY READER!

THE WINNER IS:

#80 Karen B

********************************************

DEAD BOLT

#2 in the Haunted Home Renovation Mystery Series 

BY JULIET BLACKWELL

THANKS TO THE GOOD FOLKS AT PENGUIN
AND BERKLEY/NAL, I HAVE ONE COPY
OF THIS DELIGHTFUL COZY MYSTERY,

DEAD BOLT, TO GIVE AWAY

THE WINNER IS:

#104 mammabunny13

************************************

LIDIA'S ITALY IN AMERICA

150 Fun, Flavorful Recipes from All Parts of America

BY LIDIA MATTICCHIO BASTIANICH

I AM THRILLED TO FINALLY HAVE A

LIDIA BASTIANICH COOKBOOK TO GIVE

AWAY TO A LUCKY FOLLOWER

THE WINNER IS:

#118 Tina

***************************************  

 THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING

BY JAMES PATTERSON
with RICHARD DILALLO

THANKS TO ANNA AND MY GOOD FRIENDS

AT HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I HAVE ONE

COPY OF THIS DELIGHTFUL HOLIDAY

TALE BY BEST SELLING AUTHOR,

JAMES PATTERSON, FOR YOU TO WIN!

THE WINNER IS:

#87 Misusedinnocence

*************************************************

HEAD OVER HEELS

A Lucky Harbor Novel

BY JILL SHALVIS

THANKS TO JILLIAN AND THE GOOD 

FOLKS AT HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I HAVE

ONE COPY OF HEAD OVER HEELS TO GIVE

AWAY TO ONE LUCKY READER OF MY BLOG

THE WINNER IS:

#2 Debbie

**************************************

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DRESS

Savvy Secrets, Priceless Advice, and 

Inspiring Stories to Help you Find "The One"

BY RANDY FENOLI

THANKS TO BRIANNE AND THE LOVELY

FOLKS AT HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I 

HAVE ONE COPY OF THIS GORGEOUS

BOOK TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY FAN

THE WINNER IS:

#19 (DOUBLE WINNER!) Misusedinnocence

************************************* 

ARE YOU LISTENING? LOVE IN A NUTSHELL- AUDIO BOOK PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" 

ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY" 

I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S

AUDIO BOOK CHOICE.....

GIVEAWAY ENDED
LOVE IN A NUTSHELL

BY JANET EVANOVICH 

& DORIEN KELLY

ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK:

Number one bestselling author Janet Evanovich teams up with award-winning author Dorien Kelly to deliver a sparkling novel of romantic suspense, small-town antics, secretive sabotage, and lots and lots of beer

Kate Appleton needs a job. Her husband has left her, she’s been fired from her position as a magazine editor, and the only place she wants to go is to her parents’ summer house, The Nutshell, in Keene’s Harbor, Michigan. Kate’s plan is to turn The Nutshell into a Bed and Breakfast. Problem is, she needs cash, and the only job she can land is less than savory.

Matt Culhane wants Kate to spy on his brewery employees. Someone has been sabotaging his company, and Kate is just new enough in town that she can insert herself into Culhane’s business and snoop around for him. If Kate finds the culprit, Matt will pay her a $20,000 bonus. Needless to say, Kate is highly motivated. But several problems present themselves. Kate despises beer. No one seems to trust her. And she is falling hard for her boss.

Can these two smoke out a saboteur, save Kate’s family home, and keep a killer from closing in…all while resisting their undeniable attraction to one another? Filled with humor, heart, and loveable characters, Love in a Nutshell is delicious fun.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Janet Evanovich is the author of the Stephanie Plum books, including One for the Money and Sizzling Sixteen, and the Diesel & Tucker series, including Wicked Appetite. Janet studied painting at Douglass College, but that art form never quite fit, and she soon moved on to writing stories. She didn’t have instant success: she collected a big box of rejection letters. As she puts it, “When the box was full I burned the whole damn thing, crammed myself into pantyhose and went to work for a temp agency.” But after a few months of secretarial work, she managed to sell her first novel for $2,000. She immediately quit her job and started working full-time as a writer. After 12 romance novels, she switched to mystery, and created Stephanie Plum. The rest is history. Janet’s favorite exercise is shopping, and her drug of choice is Cheeze Doodles.

Dorien Kelly, President of Romance Writers of America, lives in Michigan with one or more of her three children, two very spoiled West Highland White Terriers, and a handicapped Coonhound named Bubba.

AN EXCERPT FROM LOVE IN A NUTSHELL:

Kate Appleton needed a job. Again.

Actually, need didn’t come close to describing the hunger and sharp bite of desperation speeding her steps across Depot Brewing Company’s parking lot on that crisp October afternoon. Just as the town marina to the right of the microbrewery was growing empty of boats, Keene’s Harbor, Michigan, was growing empty of tourists and their cash. And, at this moment, Kate needed cash. She had moved to Keene’s Harbor a couple of weeks ago, eager to change her parents’ dilapidated lake house into a thriving bed-and-breakfast. They had moved to Naples, Florida, and the harsh reality was that it hadn’t been used in years, except as a nut storage facility by a family of industrious squirrels. Ironic, since a homemade plaque proclaiming the house “The Nutshell” had adorned the front entrance since before she could remember.

In any event, the house needed a lot of work, and her parents were less than enthusiastic about pumping tens of thousands of dollars into a home that was already underwater on its mortgage. To make matters worse, they’d gotten a letter from some lawyer last week that the bank had gone into bankruptcy and the mortgage had been sold to some private investor. He’d offered to release Kate’s parents from the debt in exchange for the property. It was actually a fairly generous offer, considering the market, but Kate was trying to build a life for herself in Keene’s Harbor. And dammit, her family home wasn’t for sale. Depot Brewing wasn’t just Kate’s last shot at employment. It was the last shot at her dreams.

To finish reading this excerpt, visit the Macmillan Audio Books website HERE. You can also visit the Macmillan Audio Book website HERE to listen to an audio excerpt of LOVE IN A NUTSHELL.

MY THOUGHTS ON LOVE IN A NUTSHELL: 

As a fan of Janet Evanovich and having read and enjoyed one of Dorien Kelly's books, I am looking forward to this one. I actually have taken it with me on my Christmas family vacation and hope to read/listen to it when I have time. I am not ready to review it but will say that it has not disappointed me in the beginning part so far. Being read by Lorelei King also adds to the quality of the experience. A bit different from what an Evanovich fan may be used to, it still won't disappoint if you are looking for a novel of romantic suspense and scads of fun along the way. I look forward to finishing this and am sure after a fun and exhausting holiday, will cherish the down time to do so. Hope you all get the same chance...especially those of you who enter and win!

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO ESTHER AND FRIENDS AT

MACMILLAN AUDIO BOOKS , I HAVE TWO

COPIES OF THIS FUN AUDIO BOOK TO

GIVE AWAY TO TWO LUCKY READERS

 

--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST BE
SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: READ ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK ABOVE AND COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT LOVE IN A NUTSHELL THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS AUDIO BOOK

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT JANET EVANOVICH'S WEBSITE HERE, OR DORIEN KELLY'S WEBSITE HERE (IF YOU DO BOTH, AND ENTER IT SEPARATELY, THEY WILL COUNT AS EXTRA ENTRIES)

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE CURRENT GIVEAWAY OF MINE YOU HAVE ENTERED. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH AND YOU WILL GET AN ENTRY FOR EACH ONE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, JANUARY 12

GOOD LUCK!