While not exactly a thriller (or even the least bit suspenseful) and not without it's flaws, this book makes for a pretty interesting and quirky character read. The level of irony is pretty high and the author relies heavily on the 6-degrees-of-separation theory - although I could never figure out which one was in a movie with Kevin Bacon ;-)

It’s 1974 and two 14 year old girls are neighbors on Firefly Lane. Even though they are in the same grade and of the same age, they are different enough in personality and background that they are not friends. However one spring night, a personal tragedy bridges the gap between the girls and sparks the beginning of a life-long friendship. This book follows the girls as they grow older, go to high school, college, and then embark on careers and family.

Although a bit formulaic it is nonetheless a touching story of friendship through the decades. I found it particularly appealing because I'm of an age that is very similar to the main characters, so this story really brought back memories of high school in the 70's, college in the 80's, getting married, and the stresses of early motherhood. This is the third book I've read by this author and my favorite so far.

I enjoyed this book. Koontz kept the pressure on the whole way through the book. I was really rooting for this average-joe main character as he battles bad guys, good guys, and time itself to try to save his wife. And, unlike the previous couple of Koontz books I have read, this one even had a decent ending.

I unwittingly ended up reading the sequel to this, Faking It, before I read this one. Faking It was my first exposure to Jennifer Crusie's writing and I really enjoyed it. I like this one even better. Both books are chock-full of great characters, laugh out loud moments, believable dialog, and a fast and fun plot. I also love that this author allows her characters to experience intimate encounters that aren't always earth-shattering. I'll definitely be looking for more books by this author.

In the winter of 1811-1812 a series of earthquakes occurred in America’s heartland, near New Madrid, MO. These earthquakes are listed among the some of the largest earthquakes of known history and are credited with affecting the topography of the North American continent more than any other known earthquake. They were responsible for forming new lakes, changing the course of the Mississippi River, and destroying over 150,000 acres of forest. There are estimates that these earthquakes were felt strongly over an area of 50,000 square miles. Experts predict that there is a 90% chance of an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or greater occurring in the same area before the year 2040.

The author of 2027, New Madrid, Missouri takes us back in time to the winter of 1811-1812 and puts us down smack in the middle of the action. We get to meet several people who are living and/or working in the area and spend many anxious minutes with them as they fight for their lives in the middle of one of the major seismic events in known history. The action is tense and the book moves along quickly. At the end of the book, the author follows a descendent of one of those New Madrid pioneers into the year 2027 just when the New Madrid fault produces another great quake. We then get to see several predictions of what exactly could happen in the St. Louis area if an earthquake of the same intensity of the 1811-1812 earthquakes were to occur.

The author does a great job writing the action sequences while the earthquake is happening, however the dialog gets a bit stilted and his transitions are sometimes shaky. This one is another book that could have been helped by a decent editor.