Redemption

Rating:
Summary: Terrific beginning to a series
Review: I have to admit that I've gone back to write this after finishing all three books in this trilogy, but that's because Beck has managed to write such a compeling series that it made me want to write a review. Redemption is about two women who meet in prison, the only real resemblance to The Shawshank Redemption that another reviewer mentioned. Angel is in the Bog for killing her husband. She doesn't deny doing the crime, although he was in the process of raping and abusing her when it happened and she only intended to "stop" him with the bat. She comes into contact with an amazing cast of characters, from Corinne the librarian, known as the "Black Widow" for the several husbands she quite joyfully murdered, and the Amazons, a group of women who live by a code of honor and try to keep the peace in the prison between the gangs and the guards. Then one day, the founder of the Amazons is brought back to the prison. Ice is an amazing collection of characteristics. Raised by artistic parents until their untimely deaths, she has been turned by life into a cold blooded killer with a highly developed sense of honor. She can snap your neck with the same talent that she uses to cultivate bonzai trees. Prison life runs in her veins while she reads books in the original Chinese and Russian. She is feared, admired and worshipped by convicts and guards alike. Framed for a murder she did not commit, Ice has allowed herself to be convicted because of the murders she has committed and can't be convicted for. Ice has to be one of the most complex characters created in modern literature. And she and Angel love each other with a passion that is frequently breathless. Beck has a real ability for writing erotic love scenes that are realistic and not crude. The book is a fascinating vision of prison life, not something that I originally thought I would find interesting. You can read just this book for a terrific story, but the entire trilogy (Retribution and Restitution are the other volumes) tells a compelling story. These characters seem like real people. You'll wish they were just so you could meet them.

Rating:
Summary: An awfully familiar story
Review: I won't lie. I definitely enjoyed reading this. It was well written, well-paced and a real page-turner. Unfortunately, from about the second sentence on, I was painfully aware of just how similar this story was to "The Shawshank Redemption." Especially the Stephen King novella version. The characters, the situations, the plot twists. Just like Shawshank, it's written in first-person flashback that catches up to present day.

And of course, there's the title. I've got to think that all this is more than coincidence, that it's more like some kind of variation on a theme. But I'm surprised that none of the online reviews that I've read seemed to pick up the clear similarities between the two stories.

As a result, the 80% of me that really enjoyed reading this was constantly warring with the 20% of me that cringed at the blatant similarities. It's worth a read, though. And I am looking forward to reading the sequel, Retribution. Unfettered by the comparisons to Shawshank, I really think her talent will shine.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional debut
Review: Set in a modern-day women's prison known as the Bog, this is a phenomenal, gut-wrenching story marking the debut of an exceptional writer. Told from the perspective of a young woman named Angel serving a sentence for murder, the story follows the daily drama of life in a setting where violence is the predominant state of affairs, the struggle for survival consumes most of the hours in a day, and despair holds the soul in a vice like grip. Bright, friendly and determined not to give in to that despair, Angel carves a niche for herself within the prison, surviving some initial encounters with its most violent denizens to become a respected inmate known for her skills at procuring things for the prisoners. It's a skill that will bring her to the attention of infamous repeat offender Morgan Steele when the legendary prisoner better known as "Ice" returns to the Bog. The minute Angel looks into the woman's icy blue eyes, she is drawn like a moth to a flame, sensing a connection she cannot explain and is not particularly interested in denying. Amused by the young woman's nervousness and charmed by her innocence, Ice takes the girl up on a dare that will forever change their lives as the two start down a road together they've never traveled before - fueling a passion that will rock them to the very core and nurturing a love that will make them stronger together...and so much more vulnerable apart. Joining Ice and Angel in this fascinating action-drama is a colorful cast of characters who add both to the novel's uber feel and the contemporary setting with some of the friendliest faces serving double duty as vicious killers. Susanne delivers here a story that pulls no punches, vividly describing the more harrowing aspects of prison life and making an important statement as well about the social ills that drive human beings into that life. Beautifully written and edited, the novel is both troubling and reaffirming - the type of memorable read that will stay with you for a while. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Rating:
Summary: Great book in bad cover
Review: Susanne Beck superbly changed the generally accepted view of inmates. The author success in making the inmates and their cause look good. Even though, the plot is hard to believe, when it is carefully considered, I was struck until the final scene. The only drawback is its cover. The publisher should give more energy into it. It looks like a cheap porno.

Rating:
Summary: Edgy Uber Fiction
Review: There are now a plethora of commercially produced uber based books, so many that I'm sort of getting weary of the older dark-haired woman (Xena) and the younger talkative blonde (Gabrielle) and their perfection. In some books, the events are the same as those in the TV show, just in a different setting. It's starting to annoy me that the jacket copy and publicity don't mention clearly "Xena Uber Fiction" so I know I'm not getting original character conceptions.
This book is a cut above in that is has a futuristic, edgy feel that avoids sentimentality. Beck is not afraid to transform the the Xena/Gabrielle characters as she builds her world. I really enjoyed it, so much so that I was able to forget its uber roots.

Rating:
Summary: Redemption
Review: This book has it all. Sexy protagonists, murder, intrigue & erotica. Set in jail, two women find themselves drawn to each other despite the abhorrence that surrounds them. Very well written by this new, up and coming writer. Recommended highly.

Rating:
Summary: Read it, Read it Now!
Review: Wow. I have no words for the feast my eyes have just dined on. It's got to be the single most amazing and beautiful love story I've read. Suzanne has crafted a masterpiece in this one. Her words are well thought out and flow together like nothing before. The story carries a realisticism and so make the characters more believable.

It is the story of Ice and Angel (cute names eh?), two women who have fought long and hard to come to terms with their respective lives in a women's penitentiary in Pittsburgh, called The Bog (named for the many acres of swamp land that surrounds the prison). Both women come from broken families and so find theirs within each other. Oh yeah, and there's a couple mobsters and crooked officials running around making trouble to ensure your full attention.

Make sure y0ou have a whole night free when you sit down to read this one. Trust me, there's no putting this one down for anything- sleep included. I particularly recommend this one for people who enjoy drawing out the first time experience (mmm...yum, seeeexxxx...) well into the story.