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Title: The Edge of Nowhere

Author: Elizabeth George

Narrator: Erin Hunter

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-23-13

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Becca King and her mother are on the run from her stepfather who has used Becca's talent for hearing 'whispers' to make a large and illegal sum of money. Now their options for safety are running out.

In the town of Langley on Whidbey Island, Becca finds refuge in the home of her mother's childhood friend while her mother continues on to Canada in search of safety. But on her first day in town Becca meets 16-year-old Derric Mathieson, a Ugandan orphan who was adopted as a 10-year-old by the town's Deputy Sheriff. Derric has a secret that no one on Whidbey Island knows.

Derric and Becca form an unseverable bond. Becca is convinced that she's the only person who can truly help him, and just maybe Derric can convince Becca that life is too short to live on the run.

Critic Reviews:

"Action-packed, mysterious, and somewhat creepy... A combination of great characters and relationships have this novel raising the bar when it comes to today's YA fiction" (Suspense Magazine)

Members Reviews:

Surely not the writer of the Lynley stories

If this book wasnt for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

14 year old girls.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The story wasn't that bad although the author could have made more of the whispers.

How could the performance have been better?

The voices were truly awful. Is this how young people in America talk?

What character would you cut from The Edge of Nowhere?

I would just change the narration.

Any additional comments?

I'm 42 years too old for this story.

Great young teens book

If you could sum up The Edge of Nowhere in three words, what would they be?

Young, insightful, sequeal required!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Whispers tell more than behaviours

Any additional comments?

Even though I think this book was written for a youth market, I really enjoyed listening to it. I hope it developes into a series and we can see how the characters develope.

Disappointing

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No - it isn't up to Elizabeth George's usual high standard.

If youve listened to books by Elizabeth George before, how does this one compare?

Falls short of expectations but that could be because of the reader.

How could the performance have been better?

That's an understatement. The narrator should not try to do voices - they all sounded quite sick and rather unintelligent. Suggest a better narrator, or better still a male and a female narrator.

Could you see The Edge of Nowhere being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Yes - but you'd need a better ending. There was no resolution and the book went nowhere.

Hailee Steinfeld and Dominic Scott Kay

not her usual good story

If this book wasnt for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I found it very boring and quite hard to follow, not her usual gripping mystery.

Would you ever listen to anything by Elizabeth George again?

yes if it's like her previous stories I have heard

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

the narrator was not bad

What character would you cut from The Edge of Nowhere?

all of them

Great Story lousy narrator!

This was a fairly intriguing story, fine for the way I listen to them, doing a bit of work.

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Title: Unhappy Hooligan

Subtitle: Howie Rook, Book 1

Author: Stuart Palmer

Narrator: A. C. Fellner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-21-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

The Big Top in California is the background which Howie Rook, ex-newspaperman and collector of murder cases, takes on for protective coloring when he is tossed an impeccable suicide by the dead man's widow. Objectively observing, taking part in the clown acts, getting the walk around from two and four legged performers, he sweats it out to prove his verdict.

Members Reviews:

True Classic

Unhappy Hooligan (Howie Rook Series) & The Penguin Pool Murder (Hildegarde Wither Series) are my introduction to Stuart Palmer. I've read about Stuart Palmer's mystery series but never tried them. I came across these two during a break from suspense and thrillers. I needed a mystery that challenged me as a reader - without giving me nightmares. As luck would have it these two were offered as a review copies at NetGalley.

Unhappy Hooligan has Rook bantering with a Police Officer ordered to bring him downtown. Instead of being arrested - again - the Chief wants Rook to assist with a locked-door murder. Jame McFarley was murdered in his apartment. McFarley was dressed normal with the exception of wearing clown makeup. Rook discovers McFarley joined a local circus as a clown (Hooligan). He does the same with the hope of solving the case. Rook meets some unusual people in the circus as well as in McFarley's personal life. Rook is a likable know-it-all. It's best to have him on your side. This is definitely a locked-door mystery for the armchair sleuth in need of a challenge.

The Penguin Pool Murder has teacher Hildegarde at the New York Aquarium with her third graders. Hildegarde gets more than expected when the Penguins outplay the Aquarium Fish. It's Hildegarde and a student who spot a body in the Penguin pool. Hildegarde proves herself indispensable as she helps Detective Piper solve the Stockbroker's murder. Hildegarde is a teacher to be reckoned with. She and Piper make a great team. The Hildegarde series is one of my new favorites... New York and the 1930s, you just can't beat it.

Both eBooks offer an excerpt of the next title in the series.

eBooks have done more than expand our reading choices. eBooks are turning the Old into the New - giving us access to some wonderful classics. I really enjoyed reading Unhappy Hooligan and The Penguin Pool Murder.

Lots of fun, an interesting circus backdrop, and a laugh or two

Suicide? Or murder? A body in clown costume found in a locked room; the victim, a circus enthusiast, had just finished a guest spot as a clown; the police think, suicide, but Howard Rook, thorn in the police departmentâs side with his constant newspaper letters about their failures, thinks otherwise.

Join Rook as he joins the circus as a clown to find out the truth behind the death in the locked room â this mystery is lots of fun, with an intriguing circus backdrop, and a laugh or two as well.

Fine light reading

I thoroughly enjoyed Rook's personality and detective work. The other characters were also pleasant, in the highly theatrical way you would expect of a circus troop. The details of circus life and its economics add to the interest, as do the many literary references.

This isn't gritty detective fiction, though there are murders, near murders, and suspense.

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Title: The Crocus List

Author: Gavin Lyall

Narrator: Clinton Wade

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-15-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

The assassination attempt on the American president in London bore the hallmark of the KGB. But with Britain about to hold unilateral talks with the Russians over Berlin, why should Moscow Centre rock the boat? Major Harry Maxim smelled conspiracy. Trouble was, nobody wanted to believe him. So the Major goes hunting, taking with him his old mentor from Downing Street days, George Harbinger, and another colleague from former times, the not so old and much more attractive Agnes Algar, MIS. It's all highly unofficial. But that doesn't stop Maxim shooting and pistol-whipping his way from London to East Berlin via the Cotswolds, Eastbourne and Illinois, until he finally tracks down the Crocus List - a group of earnest patriots playing God and soldiers to open the country's eyes to the Russian menace.

Gavin Lyall (1932-2003) lived in Hampstead and enjoyed sailing on the Thames in his motor cruiser. From 1959 to 1962 he was a newspaper reporter and the aviation correspondent for the Sunday Times. His first novel, The Wrong Side of the Sky, was published in 1961, drawing from his personal experiences in the Libyan Desert and in Greece. Lyall left journalism in 1963 to become a full-time author, writing 17 novels before his death in 2003.

Members Reviews:

Humor amidst a "terrorist" sleeper cell - Who are the Good Guys

Major Maxim and his cohorts uncover an old and unfortunately new plot to discredit the KGB in Berlin just prior to the Wall's dismantling. Harry, George, and Agnes work to uncover a secret cell funded by Charlie's Indians at the end of WW2 and awakened in the late 80's... an English cell bent on embarrassing the KGB. Serious stuff! Eloquently plotted, this tale, like Lyall's other Major Maxim tales is rife with humour (sic). wonderfully written characters, enough action to appease the Spy vs. Spy vs. Spy crowd, and a bit of yet to be requited love. A truly enjoyable read.

Good read

I am a fan of Gavin Lyall. I have bought all of his books available and they always have provided a "good read".

Five Stars

Great author

Above Average Thriller

Gavin Lyall's books are now largely out of print. This is a pity because he produced a number of very good espionage thrillers, mainly set during the Cold War. This book, one of three whose protagonist is a British Army officer named Harry Maxim, is typical of Lyall's output with clever plotting, solid characterization, and decent writing. Well worth a few dollars in a used book store or looking up in your local library.

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Title: Rook Takes Knight

Subtitle: Howie Rook, Book 2

Author: Stuart Palmer

Narrator: A. C. Fellner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-15-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Howard Rook fancies himself to be the knight protecting dear Deirdre, an ex-movie hopeful who manages to look sweetly sensational on (or off) screen. Deirdre is in deep as prime suspect for the murder of her husband, a sado-masochistic man about town. But she seems to have other protectors....

Members Reviews:

"Unhappy Hooligan" was even better.

Also good, but did not enjoy this much later sequel as much as its predecessor.

Well written, well plotted, satisfying detection

Palmer is a good writer, full of apt literary references. PI Rook is logical and credible, with just enough humor in the mix to keep it light and not to spill over into farce.

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Title: After Clare

Author: Marjorie Eccles

Narrator: Julia Franklin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 05-01-13

Publisher: Soundings

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

1922. Lady Emily Fitzallan has returned to the country house where she spent her childhood for a family wedding. Leysmorton Manor brings back many memories, especially of her elder sister Clare, who vanished one day after going for a walk, never to return.

But the disturbing discovery of a soldier's skeleton at the base of an ancient Yew tree brings the past shockingly into the present. Could the man's untimely death have its roots in Clare's disappearance, which occurred almost half a century ago?

Members Reviews:

After Clare...you'll need a shot of caffeine

yawn!!...a drab lackluster mystery populated with a vast Agatha Christie-an collection of dull, insipid, 1-dimensional uppercrust characters (was Eccles hoping for British charm?). With nothing remotely interesting about the characters, the narrative is far from crisp--instead Eccles volleys from character to character & their POV/reminiscences ultimately resulting in contrivances to solve 2 intertwined mysteries for which the reader cares little.

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Title: The Conduct of Major Maxim

Author: Gavin Lyall

Narrator: Clinton Wade

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-27-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Major Harry Maxim is drawn into the shadowy and deadly world of East-West intrigue. A deserting English corporal, a cabinet convulsion in East Germany, a double murder in a small West German town, a widowed piano teacher in Yorkshire: they're all somehow related by a deep, dark secret from the past. And it's up to Harry Maxim to uncover the secret-before it's too late.

Gavin Lyall (1932-2003) lived in Hampstead and enjoyed sailing on the Thames in his motor cruiser. From 1959 to 1962 he was a newspaper reporter and the aviation correspondent for the Sunday Times. His first novel, The Wrong Side of the Sky, was published in 1961, drawing from his personal experiences in the Libyan Desert and in Greece. Lyall left journalism in 1963 to become a full-time author, writing 17 novels before his death in 2003.

Members Reviews:

Terrible audio reading, though story is OK

How could the performance have been better?

This was one of the worst audio readings I have heard. It is clearly inappropriate to have an American reading a story that is set in Britain with British characters, as this inevitably jars especially when place names are mispronounced. However, even worse is that the story is read with a 'Vincent Price horror' tone and delivery that is totally at odds with the story.

Do you think The Conduct of Major Maxim needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It already has a follow up

Any additional comments?

Not the best of Gavin Lyall's books, but it is a short, brisk thriller

Wrong Accent!

Brilliant story - wanted to replace my old often-listened-to chewed up cassette tapes with CDs but it's never been available in that format. So I was pleased to find it at last on Audible - but oh dear! They've changed the reader!

It's an ENGLISH STORY! The British Secret Service and Westminster and the Corridors of Power. So they've got an American to do it!!! He'd be perfectly good for a James Lee Burke, Lee Child or a Tom Clancy, but NOT this.

Please, please, please, replace the reader with the original Robin Browne version, or at least make the original available too!

The story is densely and intelligently plotted, with a wonderful turn of phrase and a dry wit, subtle and elegant. It makes more famous spy characters look like a Sumo Wrestler. But so much is lost in this version. The reader valiantly attempts after a while to employ an approximation of an English accent, but with so many of the characters - especially the Cockney ones, it just doesn't work.

Sorry Clinton, not getting at you, it's not your fault. But someone has made a very wrong choice and it's done the excellent Gavin Lyall no favours.

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Title: The Tower

Author: Simon Toyne

Narrator: Jonathan Keeble

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-13-13

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

The much anticipated final instalment in the apocalyptic trilogy by Simon Toyne, best-selling author of Sanctus.

A cyber-attack on NASAs deep space search for the origins of the universe destroys the program and delivers a grave warning: Mankind Must Look No Further. Rookie FBI Agent Joseph Shepherd has the unique skills needed to investigate the breach. But hes also hiding a secret of his own.

Former New York crime reporter Liv Adamsens life has led her from the Turkish city of Ruin to an abandoned oil field in the Syrian Desert. An oasis grows around her new home but the desert is a hostile place, and danger draws ever closer.

Charity worker Gabriel Mann abandoned Liv to protect her from the disease that is killing him. But this terrible plague, born in Ruins ancient Citadel, has already started to spread.

Across the globe, strange weather phenomena and mass migrations are a sign that some great event is upon us. Revelation is coming: But will it be a new beginning or the End of Days?

Critic Reviews:

Praise for Sanctus: "A cool, confident debutwith pace, grace, and a keen eye for cinematic effect." (Daily Telegraph)

"Intriguing and engagingrelentless pace. An exciting and interesting read. I look forward to returning to Ruin, where there are plenty of stories waiting to be told." (The Sun)

"High-concept, debut conspiracy thrillers dont come with higher expectations than this. Hard to think of it as a debut, better to think of it as the beginning of a massive new adventure, and a so-long to Dan Brown." (Mirror)

Members Reviews:

Excellent third book of trilogy.

I have really enjoyed listening to all three books, I found the story imaginative, different, well written. The narrator is superb and I shall be looking for other books read by Mr Keeble. I am sorry that it has come to an end and will definitely listen to it again. Thank you To Mr Toyne and Mr Kebble..

So good I went looking for more....

This is a fitting climax to the trilogy. I listened to the very last part on a long 4 hour car journey late at night arriving with 30 minutes still left. Just had to listen to the end before finally turning the lights out! Jonathan Keeble is absolutely amazing. We now search for him as narrator as much as by author (which is how we found Simon Toyne). Was so disappointed that there isn't anything else by Simon Toyne yet.

Caveat Emptor

I have been eagerly awaiting the last book in the author's Citadel trilogy, and I have not been disappointed in any way.

The main characters around whom the story winds are all there, no one has been omitted or moved into the background. This book brings all the remaining threads of the story so far, together with the mysteries left hanging at the climaxes if the first two parts.

My only criticisms, if they can be referred to as such, are the absence of the Goth pathologist and the voice of Athenasius. The latter is my main gripe as the narrator has read all three of the books and all the voices of all the other main characters are exactly same, leading to a seamless continuation. This isn't really a criticism, however, just my own "taste and fancy" coming to the fore.

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Title: Rabbi Gabrielle's Scandal

Author: Roger Herst

Narrator: Dina Pearlman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-10-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Rabbi Gabrielle, a young female rabbi in Washington, DC, is called upon to defend an accused rapist in court, imperiling her career. She must negotiate a hostile climate both in her synagogue and in the community, while attempting to live a normal life as an attractive, unmarried woman. Here is a chance to have an internal look at the life of a clergywoman in a profession that has long been a man's proprietary domain.

Members Reviews:

a blast from the past

i enjoyed the first chapter until rape was brought up and the rabbi said she couldn't envision the male character raping a woman since he had so many attractive women available. i audibly groaned, got mad and said aloud in a bar "rape is about power, not sex." the men around me said "yeah everyone knows that." i had to explain that the author of this book did not know that fact. i would have thrown my kindle down there and then----but i wanted to know if the author could make amends. the rest of the book was even worse. every rapist's fantasy is here:it was her fault, an authority figure beds him and although the jury convicts him--the judge believes him. the rape survivor is portrayed as an icy,cold feminist "b@#ch" greedy for business, money and fame. a reductionist view of feminism. a betrayal of Judaism, feminism and moral authority.

what a travesty!!!!! o yes our rabbi sleeps with the rapist who is married. the commandments are not so easily broken by a rabbi. this book was free, but i paid for it with agita.

Great premise â woman in a male-dominated field

Gabrielle Lewyn is a 30-ish rabbi living in Washington, DC. One of her congregants is accused of rape and she assists with his defense. While dating him.

Great premise â woman in a male-dominated field, in a scandal-filled town, facing crazy church politics, and the struggle inherent in being a woman, being a religious leader, and having a private life â I thought I might learn something about Judaism, as I did with the Fay Kellerman series, or about Catholicism, as I did with the William X. Kienzle books.

However, I almost put this book down at least three times. The first was when the author included âverbatimâ the reading of a police report; the second time was when the author included, again verbatim, a story the Rabbi was writing for one of the church celebrations; and the third time when she slept with the accused rapist/congregant. Oh, wait, there was a fourth time, when the author described Gabrielle as âshaving her groin.â I donât know any woman who uses that term when ladyscaping. (And, really, that was just a leeetle too much detail for me anyway.)

I ended up paging past the police report recitation, the bulk of the story, and most of the court testimony (from which the Rabbi was largely absent). I was curious to see how the story turned out, so I soldiered on. I was troubled by the way the rape was handled, I was troubled by the whole groin-shaving episode, and I was really horrified that a Rabbi would sleep with one of her congregants, much less sleep with an accused rapist. Really? Hereâs a tip, find dates outside of your own church, and at least wait until the rape is adjudicated before jumping into the sack.

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but in the end, I was sort of sorry I spent the time reading it.

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Title: The Rage

Author: Gene Kerrigan

Narrator: John Cormack

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-04-13

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Vincent Naylor is a professional thief; just 10 days out of jail and he's preparing his next robbery. But his plan is already unraveling. Maura Coady, a retired nun, calls Detective Sergeant Bob Tidey believing there's something suspicious happening in her Dublin backstreet.

Maura's call inadvertently unleashes a storm of violence that will engulf Naylor and force Tidey to make a deadly choice.

Members Reviews:

Dirty Old Town

I loved Kerrigan's two previous crime books (Little Criminals, The Midnight Choir), so I picked this up with great anticipation. Set amidst the aftermath of Ireland's real estate bust, the story follows two main storylines. One protagonist is Vincent Taylor, just out of jail for having beaten someone on the street over some childish name calling. Determined to never again take any stupid risks with the law without adequate reward, he's busy planning an intricate armored car heist. Meanwhile, on the other side of the law is D.S. Tidey, who's been assigned to assist with investigating the murder of a wealthy Dublin property developer. As one would expect, the course of the book leads the to the paths of the two protagonists crossing (if not quite literally) via a retired nun. The story flits back and forth between the two men in a way that maintains a brisk pace, but at the expense of a little choppiness. The chapters are only 5-6 pages long, so no sooner have you settled in with one situation than you are teleported to a another.

My favorite part of the book was the heist plotline, which is packed with fascinating details (like GPS chips in shirt-collars). However, after it goes somewhat south, it all gets a bit messy in a somewhat predictable way. Similarly, the investigation into the murdered property developer leads to some very connected people who have the power to shut the investigation down once a semi-plausible culprit has been identified. D.S. Tidey faces the classic dilemma of disobeying his orders or walking away to fight crime another day. The social justice aspect of the book (crooked developers, and even the nun has a dark backstory) probably strays a touch over the line into being heavy-handed, but it's a well-crafted and well-told book stocked with fully-realized characters. Definitely worth reading if you like crime with a procedural bent, or have a particular interest in Ireland.

Takes awhile to get going

But once all the pieces are in place, almost impossible to put down. As the title says, The Rage is very noir. No one, from the cops to the nuns to the murderers, is altogether a good person or a bad one: just human, trying to assemble the pieces of the picture in a way that illustrates their own worldview. Once the puzzle is finished, it will keep you thinking about which pieces fit your own, a good takeaway from any book.

The Rage

I have too long limited myself to women mystery writers and to writers of the United States. I tried several suggestions from NPR but am drawn to the complexity that is Ireland and the life of the Irish especially in dealing with all the complexities of pro-Irish and pro-English. This is not a plot driven, dialogue driven story. I need something this complex to help me build my own skills.

Appealing lead character, engrossing plot

What drew me to this book initially was the Dublin setting. We'd just been there, and I enjoy fiction set in places I know first-hand.

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Title: Bluff

Author: Lenore Skomal

Narrator: Carly Robins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-03-13

Publisher: Lenore Skomal

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

"To the medical world, I was a host body, surviving only to bring a new life into the world. And while I wanted to die more than anything in the world, I never wanted this. No, I never wanted to cease to exist. This was the worst death of all."

Jude Black lives in that in-between, twilight place teetering on death but clinging to life in order to bring her baby into this world. Only she knows the circumstances surrounding her mysterious fall off the bluff that landed her in the hospital being kept alive by medical intervention. Only she knows who the father of her baby is. In this poignantly crafted literary novel, the mystery unfolds and the suspense builds as the consequences of Jude's decisions threaten to reveal everyone's deceptions, even her own. Bluff offers a sensitive look at essential questions such as the value of human life, the consciousness of those in a coma and the morality of terminating life support. At the core is the story of a tragically misunderstood woman who finds peace, acceptance, understanding, and even love on her deathbed.

Members Reviews:

Mighty 'Bluff' offers a stunning view of life and death

In her author's profile, Lenore Skomal says she wants you to "eat her books," and gobble I surely did as I read her latest book, Bluff. This intriguing novel will keep you on the edge until the very last sentence. Skomal is a master at the cliff-hanger (or shall I say, bluff-hanger?) -- I finished each chapter only to be left begging for the next. Word to the wise: Don't deprive yourself of the thrill of getting to the end by skipping ahead or you'll miss the intricacies of the plot and the depth of the superbly crafted and complex characters.

Skomal's non-apologetic portrayals of those characters are sometimes unflattering, but they do allow for empathy. Unlike in real life, we are privy to each character's inner-most thoughts, which allows us to best understand the motives behind the behaviors. At the heart of the story is Jude, five-months pregnant and left in a vegetative state following a tragic fall from the steep bluff behind her house. She is kept alive only to bring her baby to term, fully cognizant of conversations around her but without a means to communicate. Frances, Jude's best and only friend, suffers at her bedside, full of questions but no answers to the mystery of what happened and why. Frances too has secrets, as does her lawyer, Paul, and his wife, Mary Shannon, Jude's primary nurse, who finds an unlikely confidant in her dying patient. Jude's alcoholic mother, Gay, torments her from the grave, while her estranged sister April returns home after twenty years to tie up loose ends.

Skomal jumps squarely into some of the tough questions pertaining to life and death. She examines relationship dynamics, the ethics of choices and how actions can -- intentional or not -- ultimately affect others. This is an intelligent read -- the pages fly by, but the impact of the story continues long after the final scene.

Worth the trouble

As with other reviewers, I agree that the editing is problematic. But it has been quite some time since I have come across a story so intriguing that I literally could not put it down. This was my experience of Bluff. The use of different viewpoints made for rich and complex characters. This, I believe, is Ms. Skomal's greatest feat.