Mrs.+Neumayer

December 15, 2010 I am reading the book Worst Case by James Patterson. The book begins with an unidentified man who is frustrated by the fact the upper class individuals are unwilling to help the poor throughout the world. He tries to get their attention through pamphlets but when that doesn't work he begins kidnapping and killing their kids. As I'm reading this book I'm wondering what his point is to killing the kids. He always asks the kids questions about world hunger before he kills them but he's not asking for money from their parents - he's just killing them. What kind of good does he think he's doing? How would killing kids of the rich help his cause? This book also has one of my favorite characters, Mike Bennett, paired up with an FBI agent named Emily. There's a bit of a love connection and some rivalry as Mike's nanny, Mary Catherine shows a bit of jealousy. I find this interesting because in the previous book Mary Catherine is portrayed as a very young nanny which would be inappropriate for Mike to be in a relationship with. Emily might be just the right woman for Mike - provided she's okay with taking care of 10 kids.

November 23, 2010 I am reading //Die Trying// by Lee Childs//.// Jack Reacher is a retired Marine who travels aimlessly throughout the country, never calling any place home for more than 2 days. When in Chicago he helps Holly pick up her dry cleaning she has dropped. Unfortunately for him a small group of militia had planned to take her hostage and decide to include him in the group. They kidnap the 2 of them and take them to a camp in Montana where the group plans to declare independence from the United States and become their own nation. Holly is an FBI agent whose father is the Joint Chiefs of Staff and her godfather is the president so the kidnapping is political. Thus far Reacher and Holly have deducted that one of Holly's team members must be working with the militia since they seem to have an inside source of information. They haven't killed Reacher yet but they are keeping Holly in a house full of dynamite. One of the themes is be careful who you trust. Holly trusted her team and one member apparently helped take her hostage. The militia trust their leader who is psychotic and has visions of being the president. Reacher trusts only himself which has kept him alive thus far. However he does appear to be falling in love with Holly.