Rating: 
Summary: Action and Mystery with a Realistic Feel
Review: The Crowning Circle is a story which starts well and grows to fantastic. The apparently senseless murder of a local immigrant in the opening scene sets the stage for what is to come - more random deaths which may or may not be murders, and may or may not be connected. There are a lot of questions to be answered, and (thankfully) this is not a story which made me think "I knew that was coming."Lankford's greatest ability is to add real life touches to the story. The plot progressed in a linear fashion while being simultaneously blindsided by random acts of reality. Whenever I thought "Things can't get worse", they usually did. Human error and misjudgment played a strong hand in guiding the characters through the story. All the characters are well developed with enough idiosyncrasies to remind you of people you know. The main characters, Jake and Skeet, are something of an odd couple. An unusual crime-solving team, each complements the other's talents while simultaneously creating obstacles for his partner. There were only a couple of minor flaws in the book. After an intense buildup, the climax ended a bit abruptly. Also, a couple of scenes could have moved better with a less emphasis on surrounding details which did not contribute to the plot. Again, the flaws were minor - overall, the novel was definitely a good read creating a very solid platform for a newly emerging author.
Rating:
Summary: The Crowning Circle is no mean achievement.
Review: The test of a good book for me is fairly straightforward: would I buy it; and, would I buy it for friends. The answer to J.R. Lankford's The Crowning Circle is yes. While this is not a great book, it is a darn good book and clearly demonstrates how difficult it is to write a fictional piece: keeping the action on a consistent high and making the reader care about the actors. There are parts of this novel I would clearly rate A+. There are other parts I would grade C. But the pluses in this novel far outweigh the negatives. The author engaged me from beginning to end. I kept at this work until I finished it. The opening scene sets the stage for what appears to be a fairly random murder. The police however suspect it is a typical domestic squabble ending in the wife's rather violent death. That same day two other victims are found dead. A nine year old is accidentally shot by police; and a four year old falls from a tree. Jake, the computer whiz and Skeet, the police forensic psychologist combine their disparate talents to track what they ultimately discover to have been planned attacks on 24 citizens of the community over a six year period. They realize that they may be on to a serial killer. There is plenty of action and the novel rarely slows. The character development is pretty good. The research effort is outstanding. If there is a downside to the novel (or what may be a distraction) it is probably the inclusion of the Randy Wilkins character. The motivation for the killings is a little weak as well or maybe it is not put together tight enough for the reader to nod her head and say, "Oh I see; that makes sense". The villain isn't a Ted Bundy or a complex and disturbed mind like that of Dostoevsky's Raskolnikov: killers we will not soon forget. But it is always easy to pick on someone else's ambitious effort. In sum, Lankford is a good writer and is only going to get better. I am buying copies of this novel for friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Something for everyone
Review: This book had an intriguing plot, mystery, romance, friendship, technology--and a cast of characters so real I feel as if I know them. From forensic psychologist to computer nerd they were as ordinary as they were unique. At various times I feared for them, felt frustrated by their bad decisions, was impressed by their good ones--and when I reached the end of the story, I hated to tell them goodbye. At all times I cared about them. (I even find myself wondering what happened to these people after the book ended.) The Crowning Circle is a great read. I'd recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: This is one of the best books I have read so far. I look forward to reading more of Mrs. Lankford work.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: This is one of the best books I have read so far. I look forward to reading more of Mrs. Lankford work.
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