For my second book which was under the "Current" catagory, I decided to read "Just One Look" by Farlan Coben. I figured that because his books were two of our seven choices that he must be at least a fairly good writer and the books had something in them that impressed Mr. Vasquez and made him decide to use them for us to read. I started reading the book and the beggining of it was really quite confusing. I didn't quite understand what was going on so hopefully everything ties together more clearly as I read. It started out with a man named Scott Duncan, an assistant US Attorney, meeting a killer on death row. The killer confesses everything, he even tells Scott that he killed his sister. Soon I also read about a woman named Grace Lawson. I am guessing that somehow these two people will meet each other later on in the book and their stories will tie together.
Up until chapter 5 we had met many characters and the book seemed to jump around between all of them telling each of their stories. So far we had Scott Duncan, the attorney, Grace Lawson and her husband Jack, Eric Wu who is some physco chinese man, Freddy Sykes who is a fat pervert, Rocky Conwell who is killed by Wu, and Josh who is also known as Fuzz Pellet. I figured will all these characters I would have met them all by now but there keeps getting more people involved. In chapters 6-11 we meet Charlaine Swain who is Freddy's nieghbor, Dan who is Jack's friend, Officers Daley and Perlmutter, and Sandra Koval who is Jack's sister. I think the author needs to stop adding in all these characters and settle down a bit. I am enjoying the story so far though and I think the plot is building up well. Even though we have met all these characters I am guessing that a lot of them aren't very important and that Grace will find her husband and save him without the help of the others. Also, I think that Eric is somehow connected to the killer that Duncan was talking to at the beggining of the book because they are both cold hearted killers.
As I continued to read through chapter 12 the conflicts picked up in pace and the whole story began to get set into action. We are introduced to a new character, Carl Vespa. He was a father who's son died at the Jimmy X concert that Grace was trampled at. He didn't really do much accept say he would help her but instead takes her to see Jimmy X which makes her mad. We also get to hear about Cora, Grace's best friend. She tries to help Grace find her husband and babysits her kids while Grace is out with Carl. Also in these chapters we see Charlaine go to Freddy's house to see if he's ok. When Eric gets back to the house he sees the empty key holder and thinks someones in the house. Charlaine didn't actual go in the house but waited for Eric to and then she called the cops. When the cops came Eric knocks him out and then leaves the house. Charlaineand her husband Mike decide to follow him. We also heard about Bob Dodd because Jack had called him earlier in the month. They find out that Bob was murdered a few days after the call so they get confused and it makes them think even more. This book is really quite confusing but it is pretty interesting so far and I'm anxious to find out how everything ties together.
Reading on through chapter 25 the book slowly began to piece together. The officers start putting all the stories that have happened in the last two days together and they see that somehow they all connect. Rocky had been called in missing and he had passed through the toll booth at the same time as Jack so they figured they were both connected. Also, Freddy Sykes and Mike Swain were obviously connected because of the chinese man that had hurt them. The only clue of how both of these groups were connected to each other was that the chinese man was driving a Ford Windstar which was the same kind of car and color that Jack had been driving in. Also, Grace finds out that Jack talked to his sister for a long time but Sandra won't say what it was about. Grace visits Bobby Dodd Senior and finds out that Bob Junior's wife didn't go to his funeral which is really odd. Another thing that happened was Grace got a call from Carl and he asked if Jack has a sister named Sandra and then he hung up. Finally, the police find Rocky's body and Grace runs into Scott Duncan and learns that the blond girl in the picture was his sister.
In chapter 26 I read about Perlmutter giving the news to Lorraine Conwell about her ex-husbands death. She was very devistated by this and said it was all her fault. She also told him that Rocky had been working a side job for a woman named Indira Khariwalla. Perlmutter knew her because he used to be good friends with her husband. After this scene I read about Grace and Scott talking about the photograph. They had figured out who three of the five people were. Jack, Scott's sister Geri, and her boyfriend Shane Alworth. Shane had disappeared after the death of Geri too. Grace and Scott then went to the Photomat to talk to Josh and when they found him they started questioning him. Scott then asked Grace if anyone else could have put in the photo and she said Cora but she doubted it. Finally, Grace is shopping and she sees a man who threatens her daughter but she can't do anything about it because the police already think she is crazy.
When I started reading again I learned that Perlmutter had figured out that Eric Wu was Conwell's murderer and that he was most likely connected to everything that has happened so far. He had also learned that Wu was using a fake name on the web to lure people in that he wanted to attack, just like he did to Sykes using the name Al Singer. After that the author switched back to Grace's story. Cram had just got to her house and she told him everything that had happened. He told her there were cameras in her house and they had to of been placed and monitored by somebody with access to the house. This made her think of Cora but she pushed the thought away. We then meet up with Scott Duncan again and find out that his sister was pregnant when she died. Later I read about Grace looking up the names of the people in the photo. After a lot of searching she found a hit about them being in a band named Allaw and she later finds out that they had played at a Still Night concert staring Jimmy X. Vespa soon shows up to Grace's house and they takl about the Boston Massacre again. Grace finds out that her sister in law is representing Larue, the man who shot the gun at this Massacre. Sandra says that it wasn't his fault because he was scared and high. Finally, we see Duncan go to Khariwalla's office and talk with her about Jack and Rocky. Scott says he'll take care of it then leaves. This is confusing to me as is the whole book so I am looking forward to finishing it tommorow and finding out what all happens and how everything connects.
Today I finished reading the book and I was kind of disappointed. The ending could have been better because it just ends on a random sentence. It also leaves you making conjunctures for yourself instead of telling you what really happened. I was hoping the author would clear everything up but he didn't. In short, the last hundred pages was full of action but ended terribly. First, Wu kidnaps Grace and breaks her ribs. Later with the help of her husband Jack, who turns out to really be Shane Alworth, she shoots Wu and kills him. Larue gets out of jail and is all peaceful but he soon gets killed by Sandra. This is because he knew what really happened the night of the Boston Massacre. John Lawson went to the back room with his friends and complained to Jimmy for stealing their song Invisible Ink (Pale Ink). They start to fight and then MacKenzie shoots John. Sandra doesn't want anybody to know her brother is dead because then her company would not be in her favor any more. Because of this she threatens everyone from their band not to tell anyone the story. She also forces Shane to change his name to Jack and say he is her brother so she can keep her fortune in the company. Grace later finds out that she was probably the fifth person in the picture, which by the way was put in her pictures by Josh after Scott paid him to do so. She also finds out that she had went to the concert with Shane that night and that was why he wasn't backstage when the shooting went off. Because of this it was really no coincidence that Grace and "Jack" had met in France. As you can see the book was very action packed, but it ends with Grace painting a picture and walking out the door. I had turned the page because it made no sense to end like that but there was nothing left. The book overall though was good and I am glad that I had read it.
Didn't the passage of background information say that Antigone was a victim of Creon's hubris? Some of you are suggesting that Antigone is the tragic hero. Thoughts on that.
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Just One Look Ch. 1-5
For my second book which was under the "Current" catagory, I decided to read "Just One Look" by Farlan Coben. I figured that because his books were two of our seven choices that he must be at least a fairly good writer and the books had something in them that impressed Mr. Vasquez and made him decide to use them for us to read. I started reading the book and the beggining of it was really quite confusing. I didn't quite understand what was going on so hopefully everything ties together more clearly as I read. It started out with a man named Scott Duncan, an assistant US Attorney, meeting a killer on death row. The killer confesses everything, he even tells Scott that he killed his sister. Soon I also read about a woman named Grace Lawson. I am guessing that somehow these two people will meet each other later on in the book and their stories will tie together.
Just One Look Ch. 6-11
Up until chapter 5 we had met many characters and the book seemed to jump around between all of them telling each of their stories. So far we had Scott Duncan, the attorney, Grace Lawson and her husband Jack, Eric Wu who is some physco chinese man, Freddy Sykes who is a fat pervert, Rocky Conwell who is killed by Wu, and Josh who is also known as Fuzz Pellet. I figured will all these characters I would have met them all by now but there keeps getting more people involved. In chapters 6-11 we meet Charlaine Swain who is Freddy's nieghbor, Dan who is Jack's friend, Officers Daley and Perlmutter, and Sandra Koval who is Jack's sister. I think the author needs to stop adding in all these characters and settle down a bit. I am enjoying the story so far though and I think the plot is building up well. Even though we have met all these characters I am guessing that a lot of them aren't very important and that Grace will find her husband and save him without the help of the others. Also, I think that Eric is somehow connected to the killer that Duncan was talking to at the beggining of the book because they are both cold hearted killers.
Just One Look Ch. 12-18
As I continued to read through chapter 12 the conflicts picked up in pace and the whole story began to get set into action. We are introduced to a new character, Carl Vespa. He was a father who's son died at the Jimmy X concert that Grace was trampled at. He didn't really do much accept say he would help her but instead takes her to see Jimmy X which makes her mad. We also get to hear about Cora, Grace's best friend. She tries to help Grace find her husband and babysits her kids while Grace is out with Carl. Also in these chapters we see Charlaine go to Freddy's house to see if he's ok. When Eric gets back to the house he sees the empty key holder and thinks someones in the house. Charlaine didn't actual go in the house but waited for Eric to and then she called the cops. When the cops came Eric knocks him out and then leaves the house. Charlaineand her husband Mike decide to follow him. We also heard about Bob Dodd because Jack had called him earlier in the month. They find out that Bob was murdered a few days after the call so they get confused and it makes them think even more. This book is really quite confusing but it is pretty interesting so far and I'm anxious to find out how everything ties together.
Just One Look Ch. 19-25
Reading on through chapter 25 the book slowly began to piece together. The officers start putting all the stories that have happened in the last two days together and they see that somehow they all connect. Rocky had been called in missing and he had passed through the toll booth at the same time as Jack so they figured they were both connected. Also, Freddy Sykes and Mike Swain were obviously connected because of the chinese man that had hurt them. The only clue of how both of these groups were connected to each other was that the chinese man was driving a Ford Windstar which was the same kind of car and color that Jack had been driving in. Also, Grace finds out that Jack talked to his sister for a long time but Sandra won't say what it was about. Grace visits Bobby Dodd Senior and finds out that Bob Junior's wife didn't go to his funeral which is really odd. Another thing that happened was Grace got a call from Carl and he asked if Jack has a sister named Sandra and then he hung up. Finally, the police find Rocky's body and Grace runs into Scott Duncan and learns that the blond girl in the picture was his sister.
Just One Look Ch. 26-30
In chapter 26 I read about Perlmutter giving the news to Lorraine Conwell about her ex-husbands death. She was very devistated by this and said it was all her fault. She also told him that Rocky had been working a side job for a woman named Indira Khariwalla. Perlmutter knew her because he used to be good friends with her husband. After this scene I read about Grace and Scott talking about the photograph. They had figured out who three of the five people were. Jack, Scott's sister Geri, and her boyfriend Shane Alworth. Shane had disappeared after the death of Geri too. Grace and Scott then went to the Photomat to talk to Josh and when they found him they started questioning him. Scott then asked Grace if anyone else could have put in the photo and she said Cora but she doubted it. Finally, Grace is shopping and she sees a man who threatens her daughter but she can't do anything about it because the police already think she is crazy.
Just One Look Ch. 31-38
When I started reading again I learned that Perlmutter had figured out that Eric Wu was Conwell's murderer and that he was most likely connected to everything that has happened so far. He had also learned that Wu was using a fake name on the web to lure people in that he wanted to attack, just like he did to Sykes using the name Al Singer. After that the author switched back to Grace's story. Cram had just got to her house and she told him everything that had happened. He told her there were cameras in her house and they had to of been placed and monitored by somebody with access to the house. This made her think of Cora but she pushed the thought away. We then meet up with Scott Duncan again and find out that his sister was pregnant when she died. Later I read about Grace looking up the names of the people in the photo. After a lot of searching she found a hit about them being in a band named Allaw and she later finds out that they had played at a Still Night concert staring Jimmy X. Vespa soon shows up to Grace's house and they takl about the Boston Massacre again. Grace finds out that her sister in law is representing Larue, the man who shot the gun at this Massacre. Sandra says that it wasn't his fault because he was scared and high. Finally, we see Duncan go to Khariwalla's office and talk with her about Jack and Rocky. Scott says he'll take care of it then leaves. This is confusing to me as is the whole book so I am looking forward to finishing it tommorow and finding out what all happens and how everything connects.
Just One Look Ch. 39-54
Today I finished reading the book and I was kind of disappointed. The ending could have been better because it just ends on a random sentence. It also leaves you making conjunctures for yourself instead of telling you what really happened. I was hoping the author would clear everything up but he didn't. In short, the last hundred pages was full of action but ended terribly. First, Wu kidnaps Grace and breaks her ribs. Later with the help of her husband Jack, who turns out to really be Shane Alworth, she shoots Wu and kills him. Larue gets out of jail and is all peaceful but he soon gets killed by Sandra. This is because he knew what really happened the night of the Boston Massacre. John Lawson went to the back room with his friends and complained to Jimmy for stealing their song Invisible Ink (Pale Ink). They start to fight and then MacKenzie shoots John. Sandra doesn't want anybody to know her brother is dead because then her company would not be in her favor any more. Because of this she threatens everyone from their band not to tell anyone the story. She also forces Shane to change his name to Jack and say he is her brother so she can keep her fortune in the company. Grace later finds out that she was probably the fifth person in the picture, which by the way was put in her pictures by Josh after Scott paid him to do so. She also finds out that she had went to the concert with Shane that night and that was why he wasn't backstage when the shooting went off. Because of this it was really no coincidence that Grace and "Jack" had met in France. As you can see the book was very action packed, but it ends with Grace painting a picture and walking out the door. I had turned the page because it made no sense to end like that but there was nothing left. The book overall though was good and I am glad that I had read it.
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