Summer of Storms

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Summary: Captivating characters, intense suspense
Review: A JonBenét Ramsey-like case forms the backdrop for this intense novel about Anna Jameson's search to make sense of and identify the murderer of her sister, Julie, 30 years ago. This fast-paced book has Kelman's typically extraordinarily interesting main characters including Anna's family, her blustering editor Stuart Burlingame and her colleague, Dixon Drake. Even more fascinating are a host of supporting characters such as her landlord and a particularly loathsome customer at her photography studio. Perhaps the most unusual and engaging is the Arcanum, an elite group of criminal science and behavior experts dedicated to solving cold murder cases. I absolutely recommend Summer of Storms for all fans of fast-moving well-crafted suspense.

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Summary: Kelman's best yet!
Review: Devotees of Mary Higgins Clark and Stephen White's recent bestseller COLD CASE will want to stay up all night to finish Judith Kelman's gripping read SUMMER OF STORMS.

This book will appeal to myriad audiences -- the followers of the Lindbergh kidnapping, the torn readers of the Jon Benet case, the cognoscenti who know how the famous Vidocq Society operates, and fans of Lisa Gardner, Kay Hooper and other writers of heroine-centered suspense.

From the initial setup, where the reader is thrown into a raging hurricane and the grisly murder of a little child, to the shocking, surprising denouement, the story packs a wallop and provides the reader with a disturbing but entertaining page-turner. With this her twelfth novel Kelman hits a new high.

Rating:
Summary: Summer of Storms
Review: I thought that this was a really good book. The author keeps you in the dark about the killer until the very end. The suspence at the end of the chapters keeps you intrigued and makes it really hard to put the book down. Over all, I thought this was an excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: Summer of Storms
Review: I thought that this was a really good book. The author keeps you in the dark about the killer until the very end. The suspence at the end of the chapters keeps you intrigued and makes it really hard to put the book down. Over all, I thought this was an excellent book.

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Summary: Character and plot both hard to buy
Review: Lightning dances across the night sky. Thunder claps, drowning out the desperate screams of five-year-old Julie Jamieson.

Nobody heard Julie's cries for help. Nobody saw Julie's life slipping away. Nobody but Julie's three-year-old sister, Anna.

For thirty years, Anna's repressed her memories. Images of that vicious night remain muddy and distant, especially since the Jamieson family fled New York for North Carolina and a new start.

Now, Anna's headed back to the Big Apple to pursue her photojournalism dreams. But she finds the city to be moving at a cutthroat pace. And her work's exposing her to the stereotypical dark side of New York.

In a secret project to enhance her career, Anna shoots some very revealing photos of a highly-public figure and finds herself at the center of controversy. The integrity of her work's in question, she's feeling the wicked bite of the city first-hand and a killer's closing in.

Meanwhile, a volunteer group of forensic experts, exclusively dedicated to investigating long unsolved homicides, receives a mysterious call regarding Julie's case, better known as the Sleeping Beauty murder. The Arcanum's investigation intensifies when they discover the killer's target is one of their own.

The "Summer of Storms" follows Anna Jamieson's career from a lowly portrait studio employee to a photojournalist for a top magazine conglomerate. At the same time, the Arcanum's investigation leads the group down a spiraling path of confusion as they desperately try to solve the Sleeping Beauty case.

Rating:
Summary: Another fine novel from Judith Kelman.
Review: SUMMER OF STORMS is a vividly imagined, suspenseful story peopled with quirky, interesting characters. This is a book that only Judith Kelman could write!

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Summary: Fabulous supense
Review: This book was full of surprising twists and unforgettable characters. I loved the authors sense of place and her sense of humor. I will surely pick up all her other books.

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Summary: Not what I thought It would be
Review: this book was not at all what it promised to be: "shadowy and sinister... a pate turner"? i think not. it was tedious and somewhat boring, even, and i only finished it to get it over with. the ending was inconclusive, as though there should have been more, and Kelman failed to wrap up the plot satisfactorily. it seemed... rushed, as though she threw it on there so she could say it was over, rather than having searched and planned for the perfect ending. it was an alright book but still not the thriller i've been looking for, and it was definitely not what i'd expect from a Mary Higgins Clark award winner. it was bland to say the least, but perhaps that's just from my thriller-seeking point of view.

Rating:
Summary: absolutely boring
Review: This was the hardest book I've tried to read in a very long time. The characters were unappealing (even the heroine), the plot was boring, and there was absolutely no suspense. Don't waste your time or money on this one!