Shelved: Pretend You Don't See Here by Mary Higgins Clark

Synopsis
Real estate agent Lacey Farrell bears witness to the murder of Isabelle Waring, mother of the late actress Heather Landi. She was placed in a witness protection program but her emotional state led the killer of Isabelle to her newfound home. She must now flee from new identity and  take control of her life.


What do I think?
Another gripping novel from Mary Higgins. I have always enjoyed her stories and this one is no different. It's an easy read; no complicated legal or real estate stuff to digest. Plus, you also get drawn to the whodunit game, which is very easy by the way. I figured early on who the mastermind was.

The good thing about this book is that you can watch it brought to life! A TV movie was released in January 2002 and it starred Emma Samms as Lacey Farrell. You can find out more about the TV movie at IMDB.




Other reviews:
Amazon Reviews
AllReaders.com


Where did I buy my copy?
Booksale for 35 pesos

Synopsis:
A Yale-educated Korean aristocrat finds herself disinherited and neck-deep in debt. To pay off her creditors, she joins a Russian ogresse's international harem of blue blooded courtesans and sinks into more debt. Irritable bowel syndrome caused her to fall out of favor with her rich lover but more in love with her penniless boyfriend. But soon her boyfriend discovered her secret life as a courtesan and she is forced to return to Korea with the impending death of her cousin. There she discovers a dark family secret that questions her nobility.




What do I think?
This book reminds me of Gossip Girl, though the plot has no similarity at all with the series. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the characters in the book find it so easy to lie and deceive other people to get what they want. Spinoza reminds me so much of Dan Humphrey -- brooding and intelligent.  




As other reviewers have commented, the book's got no lovable characters. But it does have an interesting plot and I learned a few trivial things. Here they are:

1. Never scratch or pick your nose in public.
2. Courtesans do not ask for money. They wait to be given.
3. You're never really an aristocrat if you do not know to play at least one instrument and  do not speak a foreign language other than English.
4. Egyptians like to keep in the family, i.e. sisters and brothers have a go at each other to keep the bloodline pure.

One more comment: Author Y. Euny Hong just can't resist giving our heroine a happy ending.

Other Reviews:

Amazon Customer Reviews

Where did I buy it?

Booksale in Festival Mall for 20 pesos

Shelved: Therapy by Jonathan Kellerman

Synopsis:
What do you get  when you combine self righteous psychologists and ex-cons? Medi-Cal fraud and body count. To uncover the fraud, Detective Milo Sturgis and Dr. Alex Delaware had to make sense of the family dynamics of the Quicks and untangle Dr. Mary Lou Koppel's relationships with the men in her life.




What do I think?
This is probably one of his boring books. It took me a week to finish this one, when I would have normally finished an Alex Delaware novel in less than two days. It's like watching a talkies film -- too many talk and not many action. But it's a great testament to the bond between Sturgis and Delaware.


It has an interesting twist, though. Former snipers make good mercenaries and lovers, but poor husbands. Speaking of husbands, Delaware's former live-in partner makes a cameo appearance which unnerves his current lady love, Allyson.


If you're interested in committing Medi-Cal fraud or just running a scam with ex-cons, here's a book for you.




Quotes:
"That's what I love about my job. I get to make sense . Then when I get home, I'm an idiot." 
- Detective Arnold Mattingly


"Flexibility is the hallmark of maturity."
-Detective Milo Sturgis




Other Reviews:
Joe Hartlaub's Review
Amazon Customer Reviews




Where did I buy it? 
Booksale for only 35 pesos.