Reading for Me

I discovered Lisa Scottoline’s work in 2010 when I first read Look Again. Somehow I never got around to reading another of her books. I decided that needed to change when I picked up this week’s audio book. I was not disappointed at all!

Think Twice is the story of Alice and Bennie, identical twins separated at birth. The two are reunited when Bennie, a successful lawyer, successfully defends her sister in a murder case. It appears that Alice has turned her life around when she suddenly quits her job. While at dinner at Alice’s home, Bennie finds herself extremely drowsy and wakes in a dark box with the sounds of an angry animal scratching in hopes of getting inside. While Bennie is coming to grips with the fact that she has been buried alive, Alice is taking over Bennie’s life and plans to steal the $3 million in her bank accounts. When Bennie escapes from her underground prison, the excitement really gets underway. Bennie’s friends attempt to sort out which “Bennie” is authentic. Lives are on the line and the thrills keep coming on every page. Whether reading the pages or listening on CDs, Think Twice is a novel that you are certain to enjoy.

Since my work as a traveling minstrel musician is in full swing again, I returned to audio books to help the miles pass a little faster. Gone was an exciting story featuring Detective Michael Bennett. Bennett and his large family are in the witness protection program because of threats from the criminal that Michael had helped to apprehend. The crime boss escaped custody and has declared war on southern California…..and hopes to annihilate Bennett in the process. This thriller is packed from beginning to end with scandal, intrigue, mystery, and pulse-raising suspense.

I especially enjoyed the descriptions of familiar locales from my days in southern California; Patterson’s words vividly paint with broad, colorful strokes. Because of the genre, the thriller contained a lot of violent scenes as well. Normally I’m not of fan of these scenes, but Patterson had me by the throat with his story. Perhaps I was just intrigued by the story, but I never felt as though the violence was overly graphic. The use of vulgarity was minimal; when foul language was employed, its impact was undeniable and appropriate for the scene. Once again, we see the power and artistry of Patterson’s use of words.

All in all, I was surprised that I enjoyed the book as much as I did. I don’t know that I would have enjoyed “reading” the book itself, but I found myself looking forward to my time in the car to find out how this tangled plot line was ultimately going to work out.