Hemlock Bay

Rating:
Summary: What a let-down!
Review: After reading most of Catherine Coulter's modern day suspence-romance novels, I was looking forward to this one. What a waste of time! I did not like this book at all. I kept thinking maybe a child wrote it under her name! The dialogue seemed too trite at times and did nothing to enhance character development. I also thought she couldn't quite decide which plot to develop, so the two of them just dragged along. It was tough for me to keep reading this book!

Rating:
Summary: A Real Stinker
Review: What a waste of time and money. This is one of maybe 5 books I've refused to finish in my life. It's disconnected, scenes are not realistic, feel completely false, and nothing about it kept my interest. The editing is very sloppy, in one place, after the evil Tammy has her arm amputated and escapes from the hospital to murder again, Ms. Coulter has her "rubbing her bloody hands together". Maybe it was a misprint, is should have had her "rubbing her bloody HAND together", being as she only had one. Immediately following was an unbelievable interaction between Savitch's sister, an art dealer, and an art forger. That did it. I closed it up.

Rating:
Summary: Terribly disappointing
Review: I agree with the others that criticized this book. What was her editor thinking!!! I had high hopes as I enjoyed Coulter's other thrillers. Beyond the fact that the story had no substance, her characters have gotten boring. I have a feeling that Coulter couldn't make up her mind for this book to be a romance or a thriller and it ends up being a romantic "try" at being a thriller. Doesn't she know that flaws are what make characters interesting? Her characters are sickeningly perfect (even the nanny is perfect). It is totally unbelievable that two intelligent people (like Savich and Sherlock are supposed to be)would put both themselves at risk when they have a child. It would have been far more interesting to feel Sherlock's stress at Savich being put in danger with her not there (or vice versa)--it would also have given Sherlock growth at knowing that she has to have limits when you have a child to consider. Also, during the story Savich wants Tammy to come to his house where he is ready and waiting--when they tried being ready and waiting before and it didn't work. Also, if Tammy wanted to strike a real blow to Savich, she wouldn't have gone after his sister, she would have gone after his son. And the book seemed to suddenly just end with everything wrapped up in a pretty little package with the villian getting shot. No further character insight of Tammy other than she was a talented illusionist and hypnotist. This book had great potential but sadly lacked in every area. I hope Ms. Coulter takes her time with her next "thriller".

Rating:
Summary: A good read, but not a great one
Review: I have always enjoyed the Savich and Sherlock adventures and Hemlock Bay is certainly better than the last two books she has written. The Maze and The Target are my two favorites. Hemlock Bay is good in that Svich and Sherlock are again main characters, but the supernatural storyline held no interest. The storyline with Lily was much more interesting and though not exactly suspensful. I would have liked to to see the characters of Lily and Simon fleshed out more so that I would feel that I had an investment in their story. But while disappointing, It did have its moments.

Rating:
Summary: One of her best yet...
Review: I've read every Catherine Coulter book since the first romance series which I believe was about 20 years ago. Having read her and hundreds of other "romance" novelists through the years, I find that I absolutely love the direction she and other so-called romance novelists are going in. After all, how many times can the Cinderella story be told? So, the addition of mystery and intrigue to her plots is great. Is the romance there? Of course! And its the enduring kind. Some of the best characters reappear from previous works. Was the romance between the new characters resolved? Not really, but does it have to be?
Keep up the great work Ms. Coulter, and I'll keep buying your books forever.

Rating:
Summary: TAKE A SUSPENSEFUL JOURNEY INTO HEMLOCK BAY!
Review: Overall, I would say that "Hemlock Bay" was an exciting, fast-paced, worthwile read. In some ways, I agree with other readers when they say that it wasn't as good as "The Edge" or a few of her previous novels, but it is still a must read for the fans of the Savich/Sherlock series. When FBI Agent Dillion Savich gets news that his sister was in a car accident and that there might have been foul play involved, he immediately travels to California to check on her and to investigate. Unfortunately, Savich and his wife, FBI Agent Lacey Sherlock, have to leave behind a current case he is working on that deals with two killers and ghouls. One escaped and is on the run. While there in California, (Hemlock Bay) is the name of the town, he starts to find a conspiracy between his sister's husband and his parents that deals with art fraud. The Savich's family had a lot of expensive art in their family and when the grandmother died the majority of the art went to Dillion's sister. This would be an interesting novel for you if you are an art dealer or gallery owner. This book is very exciting because it takes on two separate cases and it takes readers across the country and across the world. The conclusion is very satisfying and it leaves the reader feeling like they bought a good book. Catherine Coulter is one of my favorite female authors of suspense!
Brad Stonecipher

Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable read
Review: The other reviews tell you all you need to know about the plot. Here's why I liked it. The author is a leading writer in two genres, the other being romance. I found the plot (actually, plots as there are two, a primary and secondary) interesting. I found the character development outstanding. I tend to like books where the characters evolve in their relationship to each other and their careers (Faye Kellerman's Decker/Lazarus series, JA Jance's two detective series, Sandford's Davenport, any of the WEB Griffin series and many others). Here, Coulter has taken her two main characters, Savich and Sherlock and added a layer to their complexity. She has used her romance skills to bring out the beginnings of a romance between other characters in the book; perhaps we'll see them again, perhaps not.
I'm looking forward to her next work.
By the way, if you liked this book but would have preferred a stronger dose of romance, try Julie Garwood's Heartbreaker. I'm not usually a Romance fan, but my wife started playing it in the car one afternoon and I got hooked.

Rating:
Summary: Catherine Coulter, Where are you?
Review: After reading Coulter's other modern mysteries, I couldn't wait to read this one. Boy, was I ever disappointed! While I usually enjoy her characters, especially Dillon and Sherlock, no one had any depth in this poor excuse for a mystery. The characters appeared and then left without much ado. Frankly, after awhile I wished the book would magically disappear. I feel upset at myself for finishing her book because Coulter left her readers feeling unfulfilled right up to the last page. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME READING IT!

Rating:
Summary: NOT AS GOOD AS THE OTHERS IN THIS SERIES
Review: I really enjoyed "The Target", "The Cove", "The Maze", "The Edge" and "Riptide" but this latest addition is disappointing. The characters outside of Dillon and Lacey are boring and one dimensional. The development of an attraction between them is lacking. I still love Coulter's books and hope she continues to write modern stories, but this is only a three.

Rating:
Summary: Horribly Disappointing
Review: I am so disappointed, I waited with baited breath for this one. If I didn't know better, I'd say some novice writer wrote this book. It was awful! There are two stories being told, but only one you mildly care about, and the romance, please, it's non existent! This is one book of c. coulters you can avoid. Want to see how romantic suspense should be done, read her first two, "The Cove" & "The Maze".