Customer Reviews

Bad Moon Rising

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Too creepy, too rushed, too pat. Not enough romance, not enough development of the hero's relationship with others, and not enough exploration of the process of picking up the pieces of one's life after great loss and moving on. I am a big Katherine Sutcliffe fan (except for a couple of her books), and after Darkling I Listen, I was expecting great things from this one. Maybe I expected too much.

J.D. Damascus lost his wife and their two children several years ago, when they were brutally murdered. Although it's been a long time, he just can't seem to get himself past the devastation, and has gone from a prominent, on-the-rise attorney to bouts of depression, representing prostitutes and giving up on life in general.

Holly Jones is convinced something bad has happened to her best friend Melissa. Trouble is, no one will believe her, or bother too much over a missing streetwalker. But recent events in the seedier areas of the Quarter seem a little too familiar to J.D. Damascus, who agrees to help her look for her friend... and possibly trap a killer.

What worked in this book:
1) the use of New Orleans was very well done as a backdrop. It wasn't too "every day is Mardi Gras and everyone says chere in every sentence" overdone, and yet the personality of the city did color the work. It wasn't completely ignored after the first paragraph, as some authors are wont to do (I hate that).

2) Holly's past was very original in a romance novel, and I enjoyed the issues it raised as far as the dynamics of her relationship with J.D.

3) A rich cast of characters, so that the villain was not readily apparent (not to me, anyway).

Here are my problems with the story--The villain's crimes were just a little too graphic; I'm not squeamish, but there are certain mental images I DON'T want to have when I'm reading a romance novel. Also, J.D. has a sister-in-law who's clearly in love with him, and he acknowledges that he knows this, without ever putting his foot down and setting some boundaries--why??? His brother and he have a highly antagonistic relationship, and we were never really told why. Their father, who seemed to be the original impetus for some of their behavior, was completely absent as a character in the book. Also, although Holly and JD are great people separately, after reading Bad Moon Rising I still don't know why they're together--I don't think they know, either. Beyond the de rigueur sexual attraction, I think Holly was just happy not be alone, and JD was glad to have someone clean up his apartment, or something like that... Never mind that for the last several years he's been so overwrought with grief that he's barely able to function, he meets Holly and all of a sudden the loss is bearable!!!

Bottom line, there was too much focus on mystery, and too little on actual romance, a new trend in the genre that is beginning to worry me.

Before I buy a book, I usually check out what others have had to say about it. This time I feel that all the positive reviews are apt to lead potential readers a little astray, so I thought I'd add my two cents. If you want to read some of the best Katherine Sutcliffe has to offer, be sure to read My Only Love, Dream Fever and Devotion.

This is a very serious story of recovery from life's greatest tragedies and making new starts. It is a story of murder and
prostitution, drugs and a mentally deranged killer. It is a very well written book but make no mistake, it is a dark book. Hope shines in the end but not before. This is my second Katherine Sutcliffe book. I had read Darkling, I Listen prior to Bad Moon Rising and consider Darkling a better book although it was a dark book as well. Both of these novels tend to have a certain amount of grotesqueness and extreme evil. I found the graphic description of killings in Bad Moon Rising too much for comfort but it is still within the framework of a tender story.

J.D. Damascus at one time was an infamous Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans with a great reputation as a prosecutor and roots of a powerful political family. His father had been governor of Louisiana and his family is still immersed in politics. J.D., however, is no longer an active part of that family. He no longer is the powerful prosecutor and he has lost his own personal family. A few years previously his wife and two children were violently murdered and J.D. has since lived in a cloud of alcohol, guilt, and regret. He believes the wrong man was executed for his family's murders and still searches hopelessly for the real killer. J.D. now barely makes ends meet with a law practice representing the less desirable clients of New Orleans.

Holly Jones is a reformed New Orleans prostitute now living a normal life in Branson, Missouri and has no desire to ever return to New Orleans. She is one of the lucky ones and has been able to escape the horrors of her previous life. Holly had left the city after a number of prostitutes were murdered. She seems to know something that no one else knows and suspects the real killer was never apprehended although a man was executed for the murders. When Holly receives a frantic call from one of her close friends still living the life of a prostitute in New Orleans, Holly worries that the real murderer has returned and fears for her friend's life and returns to find her.

J.D. meets Holly when he receives a call to represent her for shooting New Orleans's chief of police. Holly had shot the chief in self-defense and J.D., knowing the chief's carnal weaknesses, threatens to expose him unless he drops the charges against Holly. Once Holly is out of jail, she discovers her car is stolen which contains all of her possessions. With no money and no place to go, J.D. invites her to his apartment for a temporary housing. He rationalizes that he is helping her out but realizes that he is strongly attracted to her.

Clearly Holly is beautiful and irresistible enough for J.D. to consider her former life unimportant. Or it could be that he honestly does not have a judgmental personality. J.D. is truly attractive as the hero both in body and personality as long as he isn't drinking. Holly is attracted to him as well but will not be seduced by him and will not entertain any thoughts that there could ever be anything real between the two of them. As the reader, I had to agree with her thoughts. Somehow, this romance does not ever seem real. It is a thing of fairy tales and doesn't ring true. We see very little of the leads together and certainly even a smaller percentage with them happy together and alone. Those times are mostly just during the sensual scenes. Those scenes rate about a 3.5 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). They are infrequent and since he is drunk a good part of the time and she is an ex-hooker, it is hard to envision this side of their relationship as meaningful. Perhaps if the leads had been given more pages in the book to grow their relationship, it may have seemed real.

As Holly and J.D.'s circumstances grow worse daily, we are drawn deeper and deeper into their lives. There are some surprises along the way. This is not predictable writing. It is a fine suspense story and although the leads' romance seems too good to be true, it is a story of tenderness and healing. It was not, however, a book that compelled me to keep reading to find out what happened next. In my opinion, it was not an exceptional book - rather an average book. But I do think it is worth your time to read Bad Moon Rising if you can accept the fact that the romance is actually secondary to several other aspects of the book. I have previously written a review on Darkling I Listen should you desire a comparison of the two books.

Had, Bad Moon Rising, by Katherine Sutcliffe, been a little more "romantic" and a little less "street," I would have rated this book 5 stars! This is a terrific story and I know most people will think the same after reading it.

Someone is determined to stop the prostitution in the French Quarter, unfortunately, they are going to extremes to do so, killing all the ladies of the night. The serial killer's style makes it apparent that when the state executed a killer, they killed the wrong man. A slayer who years ago terrorized the city is back, giving JD Damascus a new chance to avenge the wife and children he lost in the first spree.

This new rash of slayings also brings Holly Jones to town, determined to rescue her best friend from the night life she herself escaped. Her quest brings her and JD together, in more ways than one. It also threatens to reveal Holly's dangerous secret. She is on the run for her life, and her new lover is the man who can set her free to begin a new life... if she continues to live, that is.

***** From page one, you will be on the very edge of your seat. Thrilling is only a mild word to describle this one. Holly could easily be one of the top ten heroines of all time. Her scars have made her a force to be reckoned with, without detracting from her feminity. JD is the kind of man who makes you think of Harrison Ford or Mel Gibson. If BAD MOON RISING fails to be a best seller, the public will really be missing a bet. Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

Sutcliffe has been generally on target for many of her books and seems to improve with each one. This one has so much going for it, and yet...

A great locale, done well, New Orleans gives an eerie backdrop without too much of the "party-on-down, Cher". She has a gritty story (maybe a wee bit too gritty for romance) and unfortunately not enough romance to balance it. Everything felt forced, abrupt, not with her usual finesse. Some of the characters were a little trite, overdone. But where the book hurts mosts is the play between the leads. It's just a little too contrived, like forcing that square peg into a round hole. Something are never fully explained...

So this one leaves you with mixed feelings. Just a shame a few of these nagging problems could not have been ironed out for it is still a powerful read despite them.

J.D. Damascus lost his reason to live the night that his wife and children were murdered. Four years after he lost his family, J.D. is only going through the motions of living. Showing up in court to defend clients that can never pay him, and then going home and going to bed. After that he wakes up in the morning and does it all over again. When a series of murders begin that are an eerie reinactment of the serial killer that killed his wife, J.D. is convinced that they put the wrong man to death for the murder of his family. Then a woman comes into his life that forces him to live again.

Holly Jones has vowed to herself never to come back to New Orleans. Even though it could cost her her life, Holly returns when she receives a desperate call from her best friend. When she finds herself in need of a lawyer, she finds J.D.'s number on a stall in the women's restroom. Praying he doesn't recognize her, Holly convinces J.D. to help her find her friend. They had no idea that their search would bring them full circle.

Bad Moon Rising is an awesome suspense and a great romance. J.D. and Holly come together in a time of need for both of them. Both have pasts that they would rather put behind them, but until they forgive themselves, they will never be able to forgive themselves. Together they help each other and try to find a murderer.

Don't miss it!

"Darkling I Listen" intrigued me with its eery atmosphere and compelling characters, and now "Bad Moon Rising" has made me a loyal fan of Katherine Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe portrays her characters so passionately that the reader not only understands the forces that drive them but feels their hurt.

Holly Jones best friend is in trouble. Nothing else would draw her back to New Orleans. With noone left to turn to in the city from which she had barely escaped a few years ago Holly calls burnt out attorney J. D. Damascus. Damascus is fighting his own demons since the brutal murders of his wife and beloved children by the notorious French Quarter killer four years earlier. He reluctantly comes to the aid of this mysterious and beautiful former prostitute when he realizes that they might have a common goal- to find and stop the psychopath who murdered his family and several of Holly's former associates. The same person might now have abducted Holly's missing friend. Although a despicable child molester has been sentenced and put to death for the crime, Damascus is certain that for political purposes the wrong man has been punished. In the process of searching for a killer these two scarred souls find far more than they wanted to, but will their hidden secrets jeopardize their budding relationship as well as their lives?

Here is a story that is as well plotted as it is beautifully written. I was sorry to leave these characters. I certainly look forward to the next book by Katherine Sutcliffe.

After being left hanging and wanting more from Hot August Moon...I was soon knee deep in its continuation in Bad Moon Rising.This second instalment and conclusion of the story does not let one down with twists and turns that made me unable to put the book down until I had finished it...Another good read...

This was my first Katherine Sutcliffe book and boy did i love it. It had everything I look for in a book and the only problem was didn't want to put it down but I had to!

Holly Jones is back in New Orleans after four years of living on the run to help her best friend/foster sister Melissa escape a serial killer who was targeting prostitutues. Supposedly the serial killer was captured, tried and put to death for the killings but suddenly, two prositutes have turned up dead and the serial killer's signature style is to strong to dismiss.

[...]P>If you like romantic suspense and/or Katherine Sutcliffe you will love this book. The chemistry between Holly and J.D. absolutely sizzles. The mystery of the killer's true identity (and many other secrets) is kept until the very end--there were so many possibilities but not one clear choice. The secondary characters are well defined and written into the story. I highly recommend this book--hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I was fortunate enough to be able to read this book while in New Orleans. I really liked it overall.

The dynamic between the 2 protaganists is good. I found the scenes where John is dealing with his families death to be very real. I had a hard time beleiving that in New Orleans they would be buried below ground and not entombed, but other than that it was beleivable, and that is why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. There are very few places in the state where you can have a below ground grave, and I had just done several cemetary tours.

I also really liked the way they dealt w/the fact that Holly had been a prostitute. KS did not make it seem like it did not matter at all, and the way it was handled was great.

The murderer was obvious after they 1st interaction w/him. It was practically spelled out and delivered to you in the 1st 15 pages. This had some steamy love scenes, and I would consider it to be a romance and not a "mystery" or "romantic suspense".

I felt that it could have been longer and gone into more depth w/Patrick the nephew of John. He was set up by KS as a possible suspect and given a ton of mental and emotional problems that I did not feel were dealt with.

I would say overall it was a good book, and would read other books of hers, but it was not great. If you like this type of book, I would read Erica Spindler (alot more depth) and Helen Myers (also has things conveniently happen, but good reads)