Book Review: Zero Day by David Baldacci

Another solid Baldacci thriller.

Zero Day

by David Baldacci

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1St Edition edition (October 31, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446573019
• ISBN-13: 978-0446573016

Genre:  Mystery
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: October 31, 2011
From David Baldacci-the modern master of the thriller and #1 worldwide bestselling novelist-comes a new hero: a lone Army Special Agent taking on the toughest crimes facing the nation.

And Zero Day is where it all begins....

John Puller is a combat veteran and the best military investigator in the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigative Division. His father was an Army fighting legend, and his brother is serving a life sentence for treason in a federal military prison. Puller has an indomitable spirit and an unstoppable drive to find the truth.

Now, Puller is called out on a case in a remote, rural area in West Virginia coal country far from any military outpost. Someone has stumbled onto a brutal crime scene, a family slaughtered. The local homicide detective, a headstrong woman with personal demons of her own, joins forces with Puller in the investigation. As Puller digs through deception after deception, he realizes that absolutely nothing he's seen in this small town, and no one in it, are what they seem. Facing a potential conspiracy that reaches far beyond the hills of West Virginia, he is one man on the hunt for justice against an overwhelming force.

David Baldacci is one of the world's favorite storytellers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 110 million copies in print. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at www.DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at www.WishYouWellFoundation.org, and to look into its program to spread books across America at www.FeedingBodyandMind.com. 

Review:
John Puller is an army man from a family of famous and infamous military men. Puller could have advanced in rank but instead served as a combat soldier and now serves as a dedicated Army investigator. He is sent to a small coal town in West Virginia to investigate the brutal slaying of a visiting family. The father of the family was a military officer with high clearance and possible sensitive information.

Puller teams up with the local sheriff, “Sam”, a strong minded woman who is making her way in a man’s field of work and authority. Sam knows the community but the investigation is clearly beyond her small town deputies and resources. Puller is able to bring expert skills and access to government resources.

Puller thinks it is odd when his superiors indicate that there are a lot of eyes on the investigation but they won’t allocate more assistance. Then he is told of some terrorist threats to the area that were picked up on air waves. As Puller pushes he discovers the threat and secrets are much larger than anyone expected.

There are several suspects to consider as you try to puzzle all the known clues and the hidden secrets. Sheriff Sam brings along her tenacious character but she is burdened with family issues including a brother-in-law who is the main wealth and employer in the community and a brother who drinks to drown his depression. I really liked Puller’s strong, intense, character and his interaction with Sam. I wasn’t thrilled with Baldacci’s handling of all of the characters but you have to remember that he is a mystery writer, not a romance author so don’t be looking for a HEA. The mystery is a good twister with layers to dig through. I would like to read more stories with Puller as the main protagonist.

I listened to part of this on Audible, narrated by Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy.  They did a very good job portraying the intensity of the characters. The background sounds added to the suspense of the story. I would recommend this as a good audio listen if you enjoy audio books.

~~~~~~~

I received this book from Hachette Grand Central Publishing for an unbiased review.

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Hot Zone by Catherine Mann

Great book for action!

Hot Zone (Elite Force: That Others May Live)

by Catherine Mann

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (December 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402244983
• ISBN-13: 978-1402244988

Genre:  Romantic Suspense
My Rating:  4.5 of 5.0

Product Description
"Catherine Mann delivers an emotional and action-packed story that leaves you wanting more."
— Sherrilyn Kenyon, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

HE'LL TAKE ANY MISSION, THE RISKIER THE BETTER...

The haunted eyes of pararescueman Hugh Franco should have been her first clue that deep pain roiled beneath the surface. But if Amelia couldn't see the damage, how could she be expected to know he'd break her heart?

SHE'LL PROVE TO BE HIS BIGGEST RISK YET...

Amelia Bailey's not the kind of girl who usually needs rescuing...but there are anything but usual circumstances.

Review:  I love how this author jumps into action from the get go!
Amelia is a no-nonsense prosecuting attorney. She came to the Bahamas to help her brother and sister-in-law adopt a young boy, Joshua. Amelia and Joshua are trapped under a building that collapsed during an earthquake. She manages to remain calm and focused on staying alive and saving Joshua.

Hugh is one of a team of special heroes who spend their days stepping, diving or crawling - whatever it takes - to help others in perilous situations. Hugh is the one who takes the risks almost to extreme since he believes he has nothing else to live for. After losing his wife and young daughter a few years back, Hugh has lived only for his job.

Hugh crawls down a tunnel of concrete debris to find and stabilize Amelia. He isn’t convinced that she knows the extent of her injuries nor is he convinced the little boy is still alive. But there is no doubting the determination and strength of character that this woman displays during the crisis as another tremor closes off the tunnel.

Hugh and Amelia begin to bond as survivors while waiting to be dug out. That is only the first crisis they share.  Amelia stumbles upon a ‘nurse’ taking Joshua out of the hospital and soon they are both being kidnapped. Hugh happens along just in time to grab hold of the back of the van. 

That is how this story goes - with crisis and danger taking Amelia, Hugh and the reader on one heck of an action  ride.  I relate to Amelia’s strong minded character. Even though she had come through an unpleasant divorce it doesn’t take her long to realize that her feelings for Hugh exceed those she had with her ex. Hugh is a strong, resourceful and reassuring hero.  It just takes him a bit longer to work through the pain and fear from his loss to accept that he might get a second chance at love and a future ... if they can live long enough.

I liked how the attraction developed as Amelia says ‘...[not] flirting exactly, but ...engaging in a dance of sorts...’.  Some might think it is just the adrenaline but their respect for each other flares into a sizzling affirmation of life.  There are several sexual encounters between this couple and two other couples who are interesting characters and part of the overall story. The encounters are pretty intense and in interesting locations considering the restricted facilities during the earthquake.  There might have been a bit more of this than needed but it fit the extreme emotions of the situation and it didn’t detract from the primary suspenseful plot.  I am hoping that a future book will continue the story between Liam (the head honcho of the PJ team) and Rachel, a search and rescue dog handler.

If you like a full out action suspense romance, you won’t want to miss this series and this author.  I definitely am keeping this series on my TBR list.
Follow the title link if you'd like to check my review of the first book in this series, Cover Me.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for this book to read and review.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for the ARC Copy:
1. Visit the author's website and tell me something of interest you found there.  This is required for entry.

2.  For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

3. For two entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Four total entries possible.)

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.

* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on December 23, 2011.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
The WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on December 24. 
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Winners of Books and Calendars from Flash Giveaway!

CONGRATULATIONS

TO ALL THE WINNERS FROM

December 7 - 10, 2011

Thanks to everyone who entered. It made me wish I had more calendars!

Don't forget you can order the four square calendars from The Hunger Site/The Greater Good Network and help others with your purchases. :-)

Keep you eyes open as I will have at least one more Flash Giveaway this month. 

2 Book Winners:
#12   Marybelle --- Sins of a Highland Devil (Highland Warriors 1)
#23   Aik --- A Black Tie Affair

10 Calendar Winners:
#2    Meg ---  Pink Pig
#5    Na  ---  Dogma
#4    PRS --- Scenic Ireland
#21  Mare --- Classic Cats
#6    Sarah --- Northern Ireland
#16  Michelle --- Book of Kells
#13  Flo --- Live, Laugh, Love
#9   Ricki --- Maud Lewis
#7   Cheryl --- Long Dogs
#1   BuddyT (Carol) --- Long Cats

NOTE: Most of the calendar choices worked out pretty close. However, if any winner doesn't want the calendar they ended up with, please let me know when you fill out the form and I'll select another winner.

 

ALL WINNERS please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form so I can mail the books and calendars out to winners.  Please reply within 72 hours! 

Book Feature with eBook Giveaway: Creative Spirit by Scott Nicholson

"Scott Nicholson is a writer who always surprises and always entertains."- Jonathan Maberry, Dust & Decay

CREATIVE SPIRIT

A paranormal thriller by Scott Nicholson

After parapsychologist Anna Galloway is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she has a recurring dream in which she sees her own ghost at Korban Manor. She’s compelled to visit the historic estate to face her destiny and the fate of her soul.

Sculptor Mason Jackson has come to the manor to make a final, all-or-nothing attempt at success before giving up his dreams. When he becomes obsessed with carving Ephram Korban's form out of wood, he is swept into a destructive frenzy that even Anna can’t pull him from.

The manor itself has secrets, with fires that blaze constantly in the hearths, portraits of Korban in every room, and deceptive mirrors on the walls. With an October blue moon looming, both the living and the dead learn the true power of their dreams.

View or sample Creative Spirit at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Kobo, Smashwords, BN.com, or Goodreads. Look for Liquid Fear and Chronic Fear from Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer imprint.

--------------

CREATIVE SPIRIT is Scott Nicholson’s revised edition of the 2004 U.S. paperback THE MANOR. Scott is Kindle bestselling author of 12 novels, including THE RED CHURCH, DISINTEGRATION, LIQUID FEAR, and SPEED DATING WITH THE DEAD. Connect with Scott on Facebook, Goodreads, LibraryThing, Twitter, blogspot, website or Amazon page

I won't get to review the book until next year but Scott is providing one ecopy of Creative Spirit for giveaway now, so check out the book details and the giveaway rules and good luck!
 TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for the ARC Copy:
1. Visit the author's website and tell me something of interest you found there.  This is required for entry.

2.  For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

3. For two entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Four total entries possible.)

* This contest is only open WORLDWIDE

* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on December 21, 2011.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
The WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on December 22. 
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement. 

Romance At Random Loveswept Holiday Hop 12/12 - 1/8/2012

Happy Holidays to everyone - Romance At Random is celebrating their Loveswept line with a random e-book Giveaway to 25 winners plus an opportunity to win one Grand Prize from www.romanceatrandom.com. 

Enter the form below to be included in the FREE random e-book drawing (25 winners will pick up their FREE book from Net Galley) and then stop on by www.romanceatrandom.com and comment to enter the drawing to be the ''ONE” Grand Prize winner,to win a selection of great books! Good Luck & Happy Holidays to all!

INCREASE your chances to win by visiting all of the participating 'Loveswept - Holiday Hop' sites! Winners will be contacted after 1/10/12.

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OR You can visit the Romance at Random site link for readers to see the participating sites and also enter for the Grand Prize.