I've read a total of two of Linda Fairstein's Alexandra Cooper novels previously and felt extremely let down by the poor character development and often boring chapters within the book. However, "Killer Heat" far outshined my minuscule expectations. The plot is fast-paced …more without the boring and unnecessary chapters mixed in.

There's also a plot within a plot that takes up what could have been used as filler space, making it an interesting and quick read.

"Killer Heat" was definitely worth the time to read it, with its interesting plot and thoroughly developed characters (even the "villain" was highly developed, and it was obvious in the writing). I'd definitely recommend this to someone who likes crime mysteries; and even a Fairstein reader who has been disappointed in the past. (less)

With short chapters and a flowing writing style, Murphy's newest novel is an easy read. I found myself instantly engaged with the life of Mata Hari, the German spy during World War II. It was interesting to read about Mata Hari's life before she became a spy. However, the …more novel becomes confusing because during the switch of chapters, the author changes the point of view from Mata Hari's first person, to third person and finally to "You," putting the reader into the story. I found this hard to follow at times during the beginning of the novel. Although, the end was a wonderful wrap-up to the story, showing stories from Anna Lintjens, Mata Hari's maid, her daughter, and one of the guards at the prison. Over all, it was definitely worth the read and I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in a fictional biography. (less)

Everyone's raving about this book. My mother read it, as she does with all of Picoult's novels, and insisted I read it. I was intrigued, originally, because it was about a school shooting. So I picked it up and found myself heavily engrossed right from the start.

Picoult …more uses third person narration, but she switches the character in which the focus is on. In doing this, you can be inside the mind of Judge Alex Cormier one minute, and then inside the mind of her confused teenage daughter, Josie, the next. I liked this switch because it gave you all sides of the same story. This is the first novel of Picoult's that I've read fully, but from what I understand this is her style because she doesn't give you the answers when you close the book after it's finished. It's up to you, the reader, to decide if the guilty were punished and the innocent were able to move on. Nineteen Minutes is no exception. Through the different perspectives, you were able to see why Peter went into his high school and starts to shoot at random. I, personally, felt horrible for the child. He was bullied everyday of his life for 12 years by horrible kids in his grade. However, Picoult also lets you see another side, through the eyes of Josie Cormier. One of the "popular" girls. However, she's fighting to keep that stance, afraid to backslide into anonymity, or worse, being tortured by the kids she used to call her friends. I found myself rooting for the Peter/Josie friendship throughout the book.

The story itself travels through time. It starts on the day of the shooting, March 6, 2007 and ends one year later. However, it Picoult uses the chapters to give you different points in time that allow the reader to understand what brought Peter, Josie, and even Lacey and Alex (the mothers, respectively) to where they were that day and five months down the line. Picoult goes back 17 years, to when Peter and Josie are born and then starts to move in time. You see Peter at six years old, in sixth grade, and finally a month before the shooting. I liked that she went through time like this so that you could understand where all of these characters were coming from. You could even relate to them, even if it was just a little bit.

The book ends with unanswered questions. When I sat with my mother to discuss the novel, she said she had a lot of questions about what happened between Alex and her new beau, why Josie acted how she did, and if Peter was right or not in doing what he did. However, I think that's what's supposed to happen. You're supposed to question whether these people ended up with what they deserved, or if they were let off easy. There are no easy answers given to you, and I think that's what adds to this book. You actually have to come up with your own opinions and force yourself to think about it. It's a great book group book and I'm hoping that one of the local bookgroups will pick it up so I can attend. (less)