Title: Postmortem
Author: Patricia Cornwell
Publisher: Macmillan (January 9th, 1990)
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9780733477154
Genre: Mystery
A ringing phone wakes Dr. Kay Scarpetta in the middle of the night. She picks up the phone and Detective Pete Marino tells her there has been a murder and she is needed at the crime scene. It looks to be the latest in a series of unsolved murders in the Richmond, Virginia area. Dr. Scarpetta immediately leaves to meet Detective Marion at the scene of crime. The killer leaves very little behind and victims seem to be picked at random but one thing is the same. All of the victims have been brutally strangled.
Dr. Scarpetta is the chief medical examiner for the state of Virginia and she is one of only a few female chief medical examiners in the nation. She has a tense working relationship with local law enforcement and an even worse relationship with her boss. Dr. Scarpetta is very intelligent and strong willed. Her investigation of the case leads her to work with the police, FBI, lawyers, politicians, and newspaper reporters. Her high profile involvement in the case eventually puts her life in danger.
Not only does Dr. Scarpetta have a very demanding job, her ten-year-old niece is staying with her as well. She is a precocious ten-year-old who happens to be a computer whiz. This makes things much more complicated for Dr. Scarpetta with an already demanding workload and a serial killer on the streets. All of this does not stop her from becoming romantically involved with a local commonwealth attorney.
Even though this book is somewhat dated (1990), I thought it was an exciting story and an interesting mystery. This book had medical/biology jargon which was dated. For example, DNA testing was mentioned in the book and it was “new and had only gone to trial a couple of times in Virginia”. Of course the technology was also dated. Very few computers were around and very little information was available electronically. There was a lot of time in the book used to describe databases and computer networks. One thing that I thought was a little funny was the amount of smoking talked about in the book. Everyone was smoking in everyone’s office. I’m not sure why this caught me off guard considering when the story took place and the location but it did.
This is the first book of the Scarpetta series. There are 17 books in the series to date. I’ve never read books in a series but I do think the characters in the book were interesting and I would like to see what happens to them in the other books. Especially, the mouthy 10 year old niece! I do admit that someone I work with had read many of the books in this series and I had to ask what happens to her. I can see how people get attached to characters and continue to read about them.
I would like to read some more of the books in this series. I think this book’s best quality was the CSI like quality of the story. It did include very graphic descriptions of the murders and many autopsies, but I felt it added to the story. The strong female main character also made the story more interesting and could be something other readers would enjoy. The medical/technical details were dated but only because of the age of the book. This would improve with later books in the series. The story and the characters were very good. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good mystery with medical/technical investigation.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Annotation #3
Title: From a Buick 8
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Scribner (September 24th, 2002)
Pages: 356
ISBN: 0743228472
Genre: Horror
The Pennsylvania State Police of Troop D in rural Pennsylvania have kept a secret from the rest of the world since 1979. Troopers Ennis Rafferty and Curtis Wilcox respond to a call from a gas station not far from their barracks about an abandoned Buick Roadmaster. After arriving on the scene both troopers realize something isn’t right about this car. Curtis knew old cars and he knew something was wrong with this car. Something was strange about the car and the driver. He came into the gas station and disappeared, or so the clerk says. The driver is nowhere to be found and after a search of the surrounding area the troopers call for the Buick to be towed back to the barracks.
After inspecting the car back at the barracks the troopers found out they were right. This car was wrong and just a few hours after it arrived at the barracks Trooper Ennis Rafferty vanished. At that point the entire troop knew the Buick was not only wrong but dangerous. So dangerous that it would be best if the public never even knew about it. From that day on the old Buick sat in shed B just behind the barracks of Troop D.
In the fall of 2001 Trooper Wilcox was killed in a gruesome auto accident during a routine traffic stop. It wasn’t long after the accident when his 18 year old son, Ned began to show up at the barracks. He volunteered to do odd jobs around the barracks and after a few months he was hired on as summer help. It was at that time when Ned discovers the old Buick out in shed B. This stirs up the story of the Buick from the Troopers and it also stirs up the old Buick.
This is Stephen King’s second novel featuring a supernatural car (Christine). He got the idea for the book while traveling through Western Pennsylvania. He stopped at a gas station and almost slipped and into a stream of water. He thought about how long it would have been before he would have been discovered and this led to the plot of the book. There is currently a movie adaptation of the book in development due in 2011.
The book is well written with vivid details and well developed characters. There is strong language throughout the book and the pacing is erratic. The book does not have a great amount of violence but there are some very graphic gruesome details. I really struggled to get through this book. This is the first book I have read in this genre and for me the first three quarters of the book were very slow. However, the ending was pretty good including some twists. Overall, I thought this book was just ok.
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Scribner (September 24th, 2002)
Pages: 356
ISBN: 0743228472
Genre: Horror
The Pennsylvania State Police of Troop D in rural Pennsylvania have kept a secret from the rest of the world since 1979. Troopers Ennis Rafferty and Curtis Wilcox respond to a call from a gas station not far from their barracks about an abandoned Buick Roadmaster. After arriving on the scene both troopers realize something isn’t right about this car. Curtis knew old cars and he knew something was wrong with this car. Something was strange about the car and the driver. He came into the gas station and disappeared, or so the clerk says. The driver is nowhere to be found and after a search of the surrounding area the troopers call for the Buick to be towed back to the barracks.
After inspecting the car back at the barracks the troopers found out they were right. This car was wrong and just a few hours after it arrived at the barracks Trooper Ennis Rafferty vanished. At that point the entire troop knew the Buick was not only wrong but dangerous. So dangerous that it would be best if the public never even knew about it. From that day on the old Buick sat in shed B just behind the barracks of Troop D.
In the fall of 2001 Trooper Wilcox was killed in a gruesome auto accident during a routine traffic stop. It wasn’t long after the accident when his 18 year old son, Ned began to show up at the barracks. He volunteered to do odd jobs around the barracks and after a few months he was hired on as summer help. It was at that time when Ned discovers the old Buick out in shed B. This stirs up the story of the Buick from the Troopers and it also stirs up the old Buick.
This is Stephen King’s second novel featuring a supernatural car (Christine). He got the idea for the book while traveling through Western Pennsylvania. He stopped at a gas station and almost slipped and into a stream of water. He thought about how long it would have been before he would have been discovered and this led to the plot of the book. There is currently a movie adaptation of the book in development due in 2011.
The book is well written with vivid details and well developed characters. There is strong language throughout the book and the pacing is erratic. The book does not have a great amount of violence but there are some very graphic gruesome details. I really struggled to get through this book. This is the first book I have read in this genre and for me the first three quarters of the book were very slow. However, the ending was pretty good including some twists. Overall, I thought this book was just ok.
Annotation #2
Title: The DaVinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Doubleday, New York (January 1st, 2003)
Pages: 454
ISBN: 0385504209
Genre: Adventure/Thriller
Robert Langdon, a professor of symbology at Harvard University is awakened in the middle of the night in his Paris hotel room. Jacques Saunieve, curator of the Louvre has been murdered and police detective Jerome Collet wants Robert Langdon to interpret the scene but he is not told and is not yet aware he is a suspect in the murder. Langdon discovers Jacuques Saunieve’s body is surrounded by strange clues and meets Jacque’s granddaughter Sophie, a cryptologist with the French Judicial Police.
The murder scene sets off a chain of events that has Robert and Sophie follow the trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo DaVinci. They must solve a series of ciphers and riddles to find the secret location of the Holy Grail. This takes them on a grueling two day adventure through Paris and France and ultimately England. Not only do they have to solve ciphers and riddles but also stay ahead of the French police as well as the Priory of Sion, a one thousand year old secret society and a conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. Both groups do not want the Grail found. The Priory of Sion will stop at no cost to ensure it isn’t found and Opus Dei may be close to destroying the Grail.
I had heard both good and bad things about the book. I thought the movie was just ok and I wanted to read the book. I thought the book was very good. It was fast paced and had many twists and turns. I wish I would have read the book before watching the movie! I really enjoyed the book and thought it was much better than the movie. I guess it would impossible to pack this book into a two and a half hour movie but I guess this isn’t supposed to be a comparison of the book and movie.
The mood was dark and menacing. The pace was very fast. The story took place over a period of a couple of days. There were many twists and turns and the story moved from Paris to London. Both are places I would love to visit which made the story a little more exciting. The plot is complicated and the author does a good job of providing background information. The trail of clues and puzzles to decipher with danger around every corner to uncover an ancient secret made for a very exciting story.
A lot of people told me they didn’t like this book and it was not well written but I really enjoyed it. Maybe in a few years after I have read more books I will look back and have a different opinion of the book and the writing. However, as of right now I consider this a good read. I would recommed this to anyone I thought there was no danger of starting a holy war with.
Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Doubleday, New York (January 1st, 2003)
Pages: 454
ISBN: 0385504209
Genre: Adventure/Thriller
Robert Langdon, a professor of symbology at Harvard University is awakened in the middle of the night in his Paris hotel room. Jacques Saunieve, curator of the Louvre has been murdered and police detective Jerome Collet wants Robert Langdon to interpret the scene but he is not told and is not yet aware he is a suspect in the murder. Langdon discovers Jacuques Saunieve’s body is surrounded by strange clues and meets Jacque’s granddaughter Sophie, a cryptologist with the French Judicial Police.
The murder scene sets off a chain of events that has Robert and Sophie follow the trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo DaVinci. They must solve a series of ciphers and riddles to find the secret location of the Holy Grail. This takes them on a grueling two day adventure through Paris and France and ultimately England. Not only do they have to solve ciphers and riddles but also stay ahead of the French police as well as the Priory of Sion, a one thousand year old secret society and a conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. Both groups do not want the Grail found. The Priory of Sion will stop at no cost to ensure it isn’t found and Opus Dei may be close to destroying the Grail.
I had heard both good and bad things about the book. I thought the movie was just ok and I wanted to read the book. I thought the book was very good. It was fast paced and had many twists and turns. I wish I would have read the book before watching the movie! I really enjoyed the book and thought it was much better than the movie. I guess it would impossible to pack this book into a two and a half hour movie but I guess this isn’t supposed to be a comparison of the book and movie.
The mood was dark and menacing. The pace was very fast. The story took place over a period of a couple of days. There were many twists and turns and the story moved from Paris to London. Both are places I would love to visit which made the story a little more exciting. The plot is complicated and the author does a good job of providing background information. The trail of clues and puzzles to decipher with danger around every corner to uncover an ancient secret made for a very exciting story.
A lot of people told me they didn’t like this book and it was not well written but I really enjoyed it. Maybe in a few years after I have read more books I will look back and have a different opinion of the book and the writing. However, as of right now I consider this a good read. I would recommed this to anyone I thought there was no danger of starting a holy war with.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Dave Gray - First Book Annotation - Marine One
Title: Marine One
Author: James W. Huston
Publisher: St. Martin’s, May 2009, $24.99
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780312364311
Genre: Legal Thriller
The President leaves the White House in Marine One during a terrible thunderstorm. He must fly to Camp David for a top secret meeting. Marine One crashes in a ravine in Maryland, killing everyone aboard.
Politicians immediately blame WorldCopter, the French manufacturer of Marine One. The shocked Country hears the politician’s accusations on every media outlet and convicts WorldCopter of murdering the President in the court of public opinion before any investigations have begun. Afraid of criminal charges, WorldCopter hires attorney Mike Nolen to defend the WorldCopter and its executives. Even though Mike is a small time lawyer in Annapolis, he was a helicopter pilot in the Marines and has experience flying the same model helicopter as Marine One.
Mike is quickly swept up in the circus atmosphere and investigations from multiple Government agencies. He builds his own team of experts to investigate the crash and finds the possibility that other parties may be at fault. Along the way the first lady and widows of the helicopter crew hire a high powered, very aggressive attorney to file a wrongful death lawsuit. All signs point to faulty equipment on Marine One and no one knows why the President would fly the short distance to Camp David instead of drive. Also, no one knows who the President was meeting at Camp David.
Marine One is a fast paced legal suspense that starts from the first sentence “If my radio alarm would have gone off, I would have known the president was dead.” The book does not get too technical and the pace doesn’t slow until the end. This book has plenty of political conspiracy and legal drama. What it doesn’t have is character development. From beginning to end there are many characters but you learn very little about any of them. You always feel an air of danger but there is very little violence and no gory details when it happens.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the combination of military, political, and legal action. The lack of character development did not bother me. It was fast paced, believable, had the twists and turns and a satisfying surprise ending. I’ve heard some complaints about the how realistic the aviation facts are but I don’t have enough knowledge of the aviation to know the difference. However, areas of the book referring to computer technology information lacked detail but were correct and believable when applied.
Overall, this is a fast paced book that keeps you guessing until the end. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys legal and political thrillers.
Author: James W. Huston
Publisher: St. Martin’s, May 2009, $24.99
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780312364311
Genre: Legal Thriller
The President leaves the White House in Marine One during a terrible thunderstorm. He must fly to Camp David for a top secret meeting. Marine One crashes in a ravine in Maryland, killing everyone aboard.
Politicians immediately blame WorldCopter, the French manufacturer of Marine One. The shocked Country hears the politician’s accusations on every media outlet and convicts WorldCopter of murdering the President in the court of public opinion before any investigations have begun. Afraid of criminal charges, WorldCopter hires attorney Mike Nolen to defend the WorldCopter and its executives. Even though Mike is a small time lawyer in Annapolis, he was a helicopter pilot in the Marines and has experience flying the same model helicopter as Marine One.
Mike is quickly swept up in the circus atmosphere and investigations from multiple Government agencies. He builds his own team of experts to investigate the crash and finds the possibility that other parties may be at fault. Along the way the first lady and widows of the helicopter crew hire a high powered, very aggressive attorney to file a wrongful death lawsuit. All signs point to faulty equipment on Marine One and no one knows why the President would fly the short distance to Camp David instead of drive. Also, no one knows who the President was meeting at Camp David.
Marine One is a fast paced legal suspense that starts from the first sentence “If my radio alarm would have gone off, I would have known the president was dead.” The book does not get too technical and the pace doesn’t slow until the end. This book has plenty of political conspiracy and legal drama. What it doesn’t have is character development. From beginning to end there are many characters but you learn very little about any of them. You always feel an air of danger but there is very little violence and no gory details when it happens.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the combination of military, political, and legal action. The lack of character development did not bother me. It was fast paced, believable, had the twists and turns and a satisfying surprise ending. I’ve heard some complaints about the how realistic the aviation facts are but I don’t have enough knowledge of the aviation to know the difference. However, areas of the book referring to computer technology information lacked detail but were correct and believable when applied.
Overall, this is a fast paced book that keeps you guessing until the end. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys legal and political thrillers.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
S524 Intro
About Me
I’m Dave Gray and S524 is my fourth class in the SLIS program. I grew up about 15 minutes east of Indianapolis. I have a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Computer Technology specifically telecommunications and networking technology. I also have multiple IT certifications and am a Microsoft Certified System Engineer.
After I graduated from Purdue I never imagined I would work in a library or in the same town I grew up in but I have worked as the IT manager for the Hancock County Public Library for 8 years now. I have enjoyed working in a public library and that is the main reason I decided to begin taking classes in the SLIS program.
I am married and have two young children. I don’t have a lot of free time. I enjoy spending time with my family, sports, and of course computers, gadgets and electronics. I also help coach sports the kids are involved in. Some seasons are busier than others and I usually don't have a lot of time to read.
What I Read
Working in IT requires reading many manuals and guides. I read a lot of books on new technology related products and services. When I do get a chance to read what I want I usually read nonfiction. I especially like biographies. I don’t read a lot of fiction but I do read many children’s books! I wasn’t sure about S524 but I am looking forward to the class and to have the chance to pick what I want to read. I’m way outside of my comfort zone and I know I will learn a lot in the class.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)