Friday, August 26, 2016

A KILLING IN AMISH COUNTRY : SEX, BETRAYAL, AND A COLD-BLOODED MURDER
by Gregg Olsen and Rebecca Morris

Reading this book was a total waste of time. It's not exactly good literature, but more like tabloid trash. I certainly did not find it compelling as many reviewers did. 
The story is about an Amish man in Ohio who is bored with his life (he had left the Amish fold twice before) of being married with five children. He has many affairs with other women and with one in particular, he tells her that he wants his wife killed and will she do it. The two of them plan the murder by her researching different ways. The wife ends up being shot and killed. Who actually shot her? It ends up in court and these two are found guilty and incarcerated. Sorry to give the verdict here, but you can figure it out early on what's going to happen.
If you happen to see it in a store or the library, don't stop to look at the book. Just keep on walking.
Not recommended. 

Sunday, February 14, 2016

THE DEAD DUKE, HIS SECRET WIFE, AND THE MISSING CORPSE : AN EXTRAORDINARY EDWARDIAN CASE OF DECEPTION AND INTRIGUE
by Piu Marie Eatwell

You would think that just by the title, this book would be very intriguing and a great mystery. Well, it starts out that way. The first half definitely keeps your interest. Not the second half, though. The story is about this enormously wealthy 5th Duke of Portland who may or may not have had an alter ego by the name of T. C. Druce. Supposedly, Druce had died in 1864, but twenty-four years later, his elderly widow came to the British court requesting that Druce's coffin be exhumed. She was sure that it would be empty (the death was faked) and then her son could inherit the huge estate.
Edwardian tales, especially if they're true, can be really riveting. Not so in this case. There's a plethora of names that are hard to keep track of and some have no business being here in the first place and you get to a point where you really don't care. There's major editing problems here, plus it's badly in need of a proofreader. Many words are missing and on page 298, we are left hanging by a sentence that doesn't end.
It's really too bad that this book was not better written.
Not recommended.