The List

Rating:
Summary: A Slow-burn that... sizzles !!!!!!
Review: "The List" by Patti Flinn, I found to be a great work of fiction.
The characters and story line are different and out of the norm which made it surprising refreshing and exciting as nothing and no one is as expected. As the story unfolded, I found it hard to put down. I tried to "guess" at what happens next and found myself "pleased" to be wrong. I was delighted with the authors ability to build a sizzling storyline and have me indenitifying with some of the characters and infuriated with others and then laughing out loud at the humor in it all. The ending was "icing" on the cake !!!!! Sequel???? I am ready !!!!

Rating:
Summary: Great Story
Review: A small-town story of evil that stretches through generations of history. Patti Finn's The List is a dark and dangerous suspense novel and the story of four African-American brothers who must marry women chosen from a list left by their late father, and stay married for at least three years, or else forfeit a $100 million dollar inheritance. Troubles, conflict, and life-threatening tension mark this unusual, powerful and compelling tale.

Rating:
Summary: superb, excellent, wonderful
Review: first off i like to say that this book is worth your while and it is the best book i have ever read.
The Beauvilles are running scared. The List is the story of a small town rife with history and misery, and the family that embodies all that is good and evil within that town. A must-read for anyone who loves a good suspense with an unbelievable ending, i encourage you to read her book.you wont be disapointed and kudos on your next novel

Rating:
Summary: All That Glitters Is Not Gold
Review: Imagine opening the pages of a book and being instantly transported to the small southern town of Sugartree. A town steeped in the traditions of yesteryear. A town whose pacing, ideals, and mindsets have not changed over the last one hundred years. Untouched by progress, Sugartree is no stranger to the invisible caste system that separates the arrogance of the wealthy from its hapless victims who are forced to do their bidding.

Enter the Beauvilles, four sons of an eccentric millionaire whose controlling nature reaches beyond the grave to direct a future that he cannot attend. The terms of Pierre Beauville's will can be construed as the machinations of a sick, twisted, demented mind, depending on your point of view, but it is also ironclad and legally binding.

In order to secure their thirty million dollar inheritance each son must marry a woman whose name is on the list one month after the youngest son's twenty first birthday. In addition the marriage must last a minimum of three years to fulfill Pierre's bizarre contractual stipulations.

The promise of such a bounty is not the only reason for acquiescing to Pierre's indomitable will. For Shell Davis, it is her ticket to legitimacy as an unwed soon-to-be-mother. Backwoods Tammy Duyden will earn the respectability that her teaching profession cannot give her. Another casualty of being born on the wrong side of Sugartree, Yvette Collins will earn the status of becoming a much feared and respected Beauville. While Dominique Poussant, the only legitimate contender to the throne will be getting what has always been expected of someone of her own means and stature within the community.

All that glitters is not gold. When all of the "contracts" have been signed and the pre-ordained ceremonies take place, secrets from the past rise up to threaten not only their new lives together as husbands and wives, but their previously taken for granted sanity is also at risk of being extinguished.

Small town gossip, fear and loathing, curses on the estate and its inhabitants are just a few of the calamities that befall those who are willing to profane the sanctity of marriage for the price of a king's ransom. The only question left to be answered in the end is, will it be worth it?

Patti Flinn's debut novel sets her firmly on the path to literary greatness. Filled with suspense, murder, and mayhem, "The List" boldly announces Patti Flinn as a writer for the new millennium.

Rosalind Stormer, author of "Healing The Breach"
Flavah Reviewers

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Read
Review: Patti Flinn offers a fresh who-dunnit with amazing characterizations and plot. It's definitely one of the most refreshing stories about the bayou that this reader has savored in quite a while.

Rating:
Summary: The Sins of the Father
Review: The Beauville family and its land were cursed by the actions of its ancestors and the unfortunate descendants bear that burden up into modern times. The Beauville brothers are left with a list by their sadistic father. From it they must choose wives and stay married to them for three years or lose a mega million dollar inheritance. The list and the selection process alone is enough plot for an entire story but is just the beginning of a long-ago and modern-day saga of a very disturbed family and the people who find themselves close enough to be touched by the tragedy.

Twists and turns, plots and subplots tell the story of the people joined by this list, their motivations and eventually each of their salvation. Murder, mystery and history make this a story hard to put down. Ms. Flinn skillfully leads the reader to the point where the pieces seem to fall into place only to be drawn deeper into another layer of intrigue. She does a wonderful job of laying the groundwork of the family's cursed beginnings through the historical reality of black slave owners and the world of blacks who pass for white. The added element of magic made the story even more appealing. I applaud Ms. Flinn for her exceptional debut.

NDavis
APOOO BookClub

Rating:
Summary: Are You On The List?
Review: The Beauvilles are an old, powerful and rich family who controls the town of Sugartree. The power that the family has over the town is like a toxic chemical cloud. The late patriarch of the Beauville family, Pierre, was a millionaire and a very hard and vindictive man who liked to see people suffer. After Pierre's death his sons expected to inherit his fortune, and they would but it would not be easy.

There are four Beauville sons:Francois, Gerard, Rene and Leonard. Their father's will had very specific stipulations. These stipulations were: all of the sons had to be married by the time the youngest son, Leonard turned 21. They had to marry a woman who was on the list that was created when they were children. And the weddings had to be in the family wedding chapel and there could be no guests. The women's parents were paid a lump sum of money so that their daughters would marry Beauville men. Each son would inherit over 20 million dollars as long as they remained married for 3 years.

The women chosen from the list are: Yvette Collins, a smart headstrong attorney, she will marry Gerard. Shell Davis a shy, timid young woman with a secret, she will marry Rene. Tammy Duyden the towns school teacher will marry Francois. Each of these women have their own reasons for marrying one of the Beauville sons. Leornard is so enamored with one of his brother's fiancee's that who he would marry is in question.

The List is a constant rollarcoaster ride with the story rocking you from page to page. On the RAW scale The List is a 5.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read!
Review: This book had my attention from begining to end! Can't wait until the next one!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Story with good character development
Review: This story was truly captivating with good character development and dialogue. By the end of the story you will sympathise with most of the characters. The story, in my opinion, would be a great screen play for a fantastic movie with Black actors. Read it and you will see why. A small nitpick of mine though, there were some gramatical errors here and there that an editor should have been able to filter out very quickly. Otherwise, THE LIST is an excellent firstentry from Ms.Flinn. Bravo!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Story with good character development
Review: This story was truly captivating with good character development and dialogue. By the end of the story you will sympathise with most of the characters. The story, in my opinion, would be a great screen play for a fantastic movie with Black actors. Read it and you will see why. A small nitpick of mine though, there were some gramatical errors here and there that an editor should have been able to filter out very quickly. Otherwise, THE LIST is an excellent firstentry from Ms.Flinn. Bravo!