Pulse

Rating:
Summary: VERY COMFORTABLE BOOK TO READ.
Review: At first I too was disappointed that this was't a Britt Montero book and at the very begining I thought - oh no not a heart transplant. But I got over these reservations very quickly. Buchanan writes so well that before you could say Miami I was hooked! I love all the secondary characters- especially Shandi, Casey, Lucca, Billy, and Sue Ann and her grandbabies and I really love Rory. I was so caught up in what was happening that it was like I was watching a movie (Geena Davis and Harrison Ford maybe?) and I didn't want it to end. Terrific book!

Rating:
Summary: Nice premise, annoying characters
Review: I liked PULSE, but I didn't love it. The novel moved at a quick enough pace, and the plot was both original and engaging. Frank Douglas is a main character who intrigues the reader with his various emotions - paranoia, suspicion, lust, anger, concern, and more. The more minor characters in PULSE, however, are a different story.

Frank's wife, Kathleen (who Buchanan intends to portray as the suffering wife), is in reality manipulative, annoying, and whiny. Rory, Frank's heart donor's widow, comes off as being nothing more than a fliratious, helpless ditz who is constantly is need of a male provider. Even Detective Lucca, who shows so much promise in the beginning of PULSE, is nothing more than a shallow character who has a minute role in the story itself. He seems more a character of convenience than anything else.

Don't get me wrong - PULSE was a compelling, satisfying read. But there is much to be desired, and Buchanan definitely leaves room for improvement.

Rating:
Summary: Pulse is a Flatliner
Review: I love a great mystery, and although this book has a decent storyline, the presentation leaves much to be desired. I found myself annoyed by entirely too much detail-from descriptions of characters to gratuitous sex scenes. This will be my first and LAST Edna Buchanan book. If you are a John Grisham fan, you will be irritated by her writing style.

Now, if I can just figure out how to get her books off my recommendations page...

Rating:
Summary: A great non-series Edna Buchanan thriller
Review: Miami CPA Frank Douglas is the classic yuppie, always trying to make a buck at the opportunity cost of spending no time with his family. However, Frank's business world crashes when he becomes desperately in need of a heart transplant. He is fortunate that a donor is found and he vows to change his lifestyle by spending quality time with his wife and children with this second chance.

When Frank learns that his donor was a suicide victim, he decides to help the surviving family members (wife and son) by insuring their financial well-being. However, the widow Rory tells Frank that her husband did not kill himself. Frank does some preliminary investigation and realizes that some strange occurrences, including a missing fortune, do not add up to suicide. Frank and Rory begin to look deeply into the death of her spouse.

Edna Buchannan is a highly regarded mystery writer due to her brilliant Montero who-done-its. However, PULSE may be her best novel to date. Besides an intriguing amateur sleuth story, Ms. Buchannan digs deep into the heart (no pun intended) of what makes a person tick. A frustrated and obsessive Frank, in spite of his efforts to radically change, remains the same work till you drop individual, though he toils in a different and more dangerous arena. It is Frank's inner war that makes PULSE beat at a level of excellence that few amateur sleuth tales obtain.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Pulse
Review: Slow starting and kind of depressing. However, as the plot unfolds, Buchanan traps you into not wanting to put it down. Although a little bizarre and unbelievable, the reader does manage to get caught up in the plot and this well written novel adds stars as it progresses.

Rating:
Summary: Pulse
Review: Slow starting and kind of depressing. However, as the plot unfolds, Buchanan traps you into not wanting to put it down. Although a little bizarre and unbelievable, the reader does manage to get caught up in the plot and this well written novel adds stars as it progresses.

Rating:
Summary: long way to go for great ending
Review: this book had an interesting concept. it was a bit long but the ending was definitely worth the wait. great paperback book to sit an veg out with on vacation. if you don't expect much and have the time, I recommend it. Also recommend the movie "Return to Me" which has a similiar concept.

Rating:
Summary: The Ending Is Worth It
Review: This was a good story, although I felt as if I'd read it or one similar to it previously. The main character, Frank was a likeable guy but I agree with another reviewer who said most of the characters were somewhat annoying. The widow, Rory, was just too pitiful to be believed. The story is a little plodding early on but finally takes off when the hunt for answers begins. An action packed ending saves this one from being ordinary.