The Hypnotist by M. J. Rose

In The Hypnotist, Lucian Glass, working with the Art Crime Team (ACT), goes undercover to investigate the destruction of some very old and valuable paintings. While he's undercover he submits to being hypnotized. It's during these sessions that he travels back in time and learns of his past lives. As he does so, he learns new information that just might help him solve the mystery in his current life.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It grabbed me on the very first page, which doesn't usually happen. I usually need a few pages to warm up to a book. Not so with this one. The story remained compelling throughout the whole book and carried me right through to the very last page. There are many facets and plotlines to follow with this one; it's very intricately woven. I found the storytelling similar to that of James Rollins in that both of their stories jump around in time and follow different plotlines simultaneously. I love books written like this as it makes me work a little to follow the story, remember the characters and decipher the plot. In this case, the extra effort was well worth it.

This is the third book in The Reincarnationist Series by this author, but the first one I've read. From reading the outlines about the other books, the stories don't appear to be connected. However, more than a few times while reading this one, I felt like I was missing something in the story, as though something relating to this story had happened in a previous book. It didn't at all stop me from really enjoying this book, but perhaps I should have read the others first.

The book contains interesting information about reincarnation, art work and painting in general. I'm not sure I totally believe in reincarnation, but I do find the subject matter extremely fascinating. As for the art and artists featured in this book, I don't know a lot about it and can't say I'm a huge fan. I do, however, find the whole art scene very intriguing. Equally intriguing was the explanation of Hypnos's third eye and its potential connection to the pineal gland, "which produces melatonin, the hormone that affects the modulations of wake/sleep patterns and seasonal functions"(page 171), as well as other more elegant and mythical explanations. All fascinating stuff.

I love learning new words. This book contained a few that were new-to-me. Here's a sampling:
Persian satrap (page 20): a governor of a province in ancient Persia
partage (page 22): the act of portioning out or sharing
manse (page 57): rectory
ormolu (page 57): gold-coloured copper alloy
ephemera (page 66): something short-lived
aegis (page 88): guidance
oculus (page 128): circular architectural feature
rheostat (page 130): an adjustable resistor
métier (page 158): profession
shtetl (page 203): small Jewish community in Eastern Europe
miasma (page 221): haze
invectives (page 376): criticism

I read this book in eBook form on my Sony eReader.

Highly recommended. I already have The Memorist on my to-be-read bookshelf and can't wait to dig it out and read it. I'll keeping my eye out for The Reincarnationist so that I can read that one, too.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit Mira's website.

For more information about the author and her other books, please visit M.J. Rose's website and blog.

I'd like to thank Tracee Gleichner from Pump Up Your Book and the author for this review copy. Click here for information on the blog tour.

The Hypnotist by M. J. Rose, Mira Books, ©2010. ISBN 9780778329206(eBook), 412p.

Murder is a Family Business by Heather Haven

In Murder is a Family Business, Liana "Lee" Alvarez is a 34-year-old half-Latina and half-WASP private investigator. When the man she was following turns up dead, she sets out to find his killer while trying to convince the police that she had nothing to do with the crime. She's not alone in her tasks. There's also her mother, Lila, who's the CEO of Discretionary Inquiries Inc. and as feisty as they come and her slightly geeky and eccentric brother, Richard, who's employed by the company as the technical guy to help her out. Lee's lovable uncle Tio, an adorable kitten named Tugger and a handful of police officers round out the cast of characters.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun read with lots of humorous scenes. The mystery was pretty good and the characters were memorable. Haven does a lot of scene setting in this book as it's the first in a new series. She also spends lots of time introducing the characters and their relationships allowing the reader to get to know the characters really well. As far as the mystery goes, she kept me guessing right until the very end as to who the murder was.

As I said above the characters in the book are memorable. Liana/Lee is such a great character. She's not your typical PI either. She does her job while remaining glamorous in her high-priced wardrobe. For me, Tio and Tugger stole every scene they were in. Tio showed great compassion for both Liana and Tugger. I'd love to have him as my uncle. I also enjoyed reading about Lila, Liana's mother. She was feisty and fun to read about.

The only thing that bothered me about the book was the format in which I read it. The PDF format didn't enlarge well on my Sony Reader. The misaligned format threw off my reading rhythm. The book is quite short (183 pages), however it still took be awhile to read it because of this.

Recommended. I'd love to read the next book in the series.

For more information about this book or to purchase it, please visit the MuseItUp website. The book can also be purchased from Amazon.com.

For more information about the author and her book, please visit Heather's website or her her blog.

For more information about the virtual book tour, please visit the Pump Up Your Book website.

I'd like to thank Cheryl at Pump Up Your Book for this review copy.

Murder is a Family Business by Heather Haven, MuseItUp Publishing, ©2011. ISBN 9780986587597(eBook), 183p.

The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark

In The Sandalwood Tree Martin and Evie have come to India to witness the partition for Martin's thesis. One day Evie finds some old letters from the 1840s secreted away behind a brick in her kitchen. While turmoil and danger surrounds her and her family, Evie is compelled to find out what happened to the women, Adela and Felicity, mentioned in the letters. The more she learns, the more puzzling it becomes. Finally she's able to piece together the mystery, while trying to keep her own family together and safe.

I loved this book. Newmark is a fantastic storyteller. This story was well conceived and well written. I especially loved that it was historical fiction set in India. The book features two time periods, which were critical in the history of India: 1840s and the 1940s. Newmark does a remarkable job in marrying the two story lines. The story jumps back and forth between the two time periods. The author has written one part in the first person; the other in the third person, so it's easy to follow. I've read a number of books revolving around India or Indians: Indians in America, Indians in India, but this is the first book I read that had Americans/Brits living in India. It was extremely interesting.

The characters were convincing and likeable. I particularly like the women: Adela, Felicity and Evie. They were all strong willed went against the accepted norms of the times. I loved the watching Evie uncover different parts of the long ago mystery, but she found parts of the story in such odd and out-of-way places that at times it felt a little unbelievable. Maybe it was supposed to feel fatalistic, but that didn't really come across for me. I still loved how she pieced it all together.

Newmark transports the reader to India with her lush details of the area and descriptions of the people and the culture. Some of the details of one particular custom was disturbing, but interesting nevertheless.
The parts about the India/Pakistan partition was particularly enlightening. I've read a few books that mentioned the partition, but either didn't explain it at all or didn't explain it in a way that I could understand it. Newmark doesn't spend a lot of time going into the nitty-gritty details of it, but she does a good job of explaining it within the context of this story.

I've also read The Book of Unholy Mischief by Newmark. I loved it a little more than this one. I liked the characters a bit more and it seemed a bit more magical.

Favourite quotes:

I think that when you create borders based on ideology you create a reason to fight. When you live side by side, you create a reason to get along. (page 129)

It's not that the past doesn't matter, it's that the future matters more, and the present matters most of all. (page 355)

New words: Here are a few of the words that were new to me (I only recorded a few of the Indian words used in the book):
godowns (many references): warehouse (South Asia)
suppurating (page 1): to produce pus
pogroms (page 9): organized killing of a minority
calendula (page 15): plant of the daisy family
almirah (page 65): wardrobe or chest of drawers (South Asia)
sartorially (page 111): relating to tailoring or clothing in general

Highly recommended. I hope to read many more books by this author.

For more information about this book, please visit Simon & Schuster's website.

For more information about the author and her other book, please visit Elle Newmark's website.

I'd like to thank Tracee from Pump Up Your Book and the author for this review copy. Click here for information on the blog tour.

The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark, Atria (Simon & Schuster), ©2011. ISBN 9781416590590(Advance Reading Copy), 357p.

The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark

The Book of Unholy Mischief takes place at the dawn of the Renaissance. In it, a book with immense power and many secrets is said to exist and people are dying to get their hands on it. When Chef Ferrero takes in young Luciano as an apprentice, Luciano not only learns his way around the kitchen, he also becomes aware that his mentor might know more about the book than he's letting on. He soon gets caught up in the mystery of it all. As Luciano performs his assigned duties, he witnesses a murder that leaves him unsettled as well as wary about whom to trust. Still, he does his best to unravel what's going on while protecting and helping those he cares about.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was presented in a perfect format for such a story. The adult Luciano related his childhood memories, which allowed for some interesting foreshadowing. I just adored how it all unfolded. The story grabbed me at the beginning and didn't let go until the very last page. I even thought about the characters when I wasn't reading the book.

I found it almost comical at times that the mysterious book caused such intense emotions even though there were many rumours about its contents and not many details. It didn't come across as unbelievable, though, considering the story took place a time when people were thirsty for knowledge and ready for change.

One very interesting (and controversial) part of the book was the suggestion that there was corruption at the root of Christianity. The book offered other ways to look at some of the stories in its history. I'm not going to get into those theories, but I will say that I found it extremely fascinating.

I was totally taken in by Luciano. He was naive at first, yet loveable. He didn't always do right the right thing (eavesdropping and stealing were among his transgressions), but he tried to remain loyal to Chef Ferrero, his friends on the street, and his love, Francesca. I also really liked Chef Ferrero. He took in and mentored Luciano and stood by his principles. I didn't care that much for Francesca, Marco or Domingo. They all seemed to want something from Luciano. Nevertheless, all of the characters were fun to read about.

The book is filled with great descriptions of food. They made my mouth water. Many of them sounded a bit modern, though; very much like dishes we'd eat now. I thought I heard/read somewhere that the food of that time was more rustic and very heavily seasoned because the meat/ingredients were so rank. Having said that, Newmark explains in the author's note that her Chef Ferrero is no ordinary chef and possessed knowledge that his contemporaries did not. Perhaps that why his food was so extraordinary.

Favourite quotes:

Much of life is waiting. It helps if you can do it with grace. (page 278).

New words:
doge (page 1): chief magistrate
imbroglios (page 12): mess, embarrassment
ignominious (page 27): humiliating
erudite (page 61): learned, knowledgeable
avuncular (page 68): resembling an uncle
tisanes (page 75): herbal beverage or tea
salubrious (page 190): healthy
pugnacious (page 201): aggressive
hirsute (page 201): hairy
obeisance (page 287): bob, genuflection
doublet (page 315): man's jacket with or without sleeves
halberds (page 315): long-handled medieval weapon

Highly recommended. I'd love to read another book by this author.

For more stops on this blog tour (reviews and interviews), please visit the Pump Up Your Book! website.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit Simon & Schuster's website.

For more information about the author, please visit Elle Newmark's website.

I'd like to thank the author and Tracee at Pump up Your Book! for this review copy.

The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark, Washington Square Press (Simon & Schuster), ©2008. ISBN 9781416590576(format), 367p.