Strangers

Strangers by Dean Koontz

All over the country are suffering from fear. Bone-chilling terror strikes them. And they don't know where the fear came from. Some of them suffer in their dreams, some while awake. Some are triggered by harmless objects, and some become obsessed with the moon. But slowly, hidden memories are beginning to leak through and lead them all to the Arizona desert. But finding the truth doesn't bring peace.

Sci fi disguised with suspense. Really cool. It's a big book, but the suspense keeps the pages turning.

Born to be Wild

Born to be Wild by Catherine Coulter

Born to be Wild is a very lightweight mystery. Mary Lisa Beverly is a soap opera star who someone is trying to kill. She is almost run over by a car and goes to her Oregon hometown. With no interesting men in L.A. she is pleased to find two at home. The town's D.A. and Chief of Police both get involved in the L.A. crime while they are also investigating a local murder.

Mary Lisa also has drama with her family. And scenes from her soap opera are played out. All-in-all, this story is all over the place. Nice time-killer, but no deduction skills are needed.

Cloudsplitter

Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks

"Cloudsplitter" is the story of abolitionist John Brown as told from his son Owen's point of view. Owen is writing a letter to a reporter who had tried to interview him about his father. Feeling remorse for being rude, Owen decides to cooperate with a written statement. He follows his life with John Brown through childhood through the raid on Harper's Ferry.

The book is very long-winded. Owen repeatedly spends pages writing about his fathers philosophy and influence on other people. He comes across as a little awestruck by John.

Banks straight-out tells you it's a work of fiction. He changes facts, adds events and changes the sequence of events to fit his literary needs. Personally, I felt there was too much fiction. I think you should be able to learn a little something with books. But with "Cloudsplitter" you need to read the book with an encyclopedia nearby to separate fact from fiction. I've read too many fictionalized stories to think you have to rewrite someones life so completely. Either use the life as a basis for a fictional book or write a fictitious original character. Don't try to mix the two.