Books I read this week...

Cat's Cradle
by William W. Johnstone
Synopsis:  For years, Johnstone fans have been clamoring for his horror novels. This novel surrounds the discovery of a little lost girl clinging to a black cat with eerie yellow eyes. All of a sudden, strange things begin to happen in Rugar County--bizarre killings and horrifying accidents.
My take:  Wow.  My father-in-law warned me that Johnstone's writings was graphic and disturbed.  He wasn't kidding.  This story of the devil's minions fighting for their time on earth has some really messed up parts.  It does also have a good storyline, with characters developed so that you care for them and are really rooting for good to triumph.  

John 3:16
By Nancy Moser
Synopsis: Five people looking for a reason to keep living are about to find it in the last place they expected. After the loss of his wife, Roman Paulson's life revolves around his son Billy. As a football hero at the University of Nebraska, Billy has a promising life ahead of him. As Billy's coach begins encroaching on Roman's relationship with his son--especially when he brings God into Billy's life--Roman starts to fear he'll lose Billy forever. Nothing could prepare Roman for what is about to happen. Roman isn't the only one whose life has been turned upside down. He's one of five people whose lives are about to intersect on a bright, fall day, when one of them will hold up a sign at a football game with a short message: John 3:16. This simple act of faith will have the power to change lives forever.
My take:  Will you believe me if I say it was preachier than I expected?  Overall, it is a very uplifting story about faith and difficult times.  It was a very easy read that choked me up in multiple spots.  It's a good book if you're looking to get re-energized about your faith or looking for the courage to talk to others about your faith.

Say Goodbye
By Lisa Gardner
Synopsis:  For Kimberly Quincy, FBI Special Agent, it all starts with a pregnant hooker. The story Delilah Rose tells Kimberly about her johns is too horrifying to be true-but prostitutes are disappearing, one by one, with no explanation, and no one but Kimberly seems to care.
As a member of the Evidence Response Team, dead hookers aren't exactly Kimberly's specialty. The young agent is five months pregnant-she has other things to worry about than an alleged lunatic who uses spiders to do his dirty work. But Kimberly's own mother and sister were victims of a serial killer. And now, without any bodies and with precious few clues, it's all too clear that a serial killer has found the key to the perfect murder...or Kimberly is chasing a crime that never happened.
Kimberly's caught in a web more lethal than any spider's, and the more she fights for answers, the more tightly she's trapped. What she doesn't know is that she's close-too close-to a psychopath who makes women's nightmares come alive, and if he has his twisted way, it won't be long before it's time for Kimberly to...Say Goodbye.  
My take:  I loved this book!  It was full of suspense and a horrible bad guy who was himself the victim of a horrible crime once.  This was one of the best mystery novels I've read in a long time.  I raced through it and was actually sad when it was done.