Customer Reviews

The Other Extreme

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the first book I have read by TJ MacGregor. Frankly, I don't believe in past-life, tarot cards, and astrology. I never read horoscopes becuase it completley goes against my beliefs. Inspite of my feelings on these topics, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were a lot of good surprises and twists. Kit Parrish of course sticks to her guns and I like that in her. She is also a very devoted mother. She also goes to any length to protect her client who is a murder suspect being held in custody. The story portrays The Florida Keys as a beautiful area. I give TJ MacGregor tons of credit for a job well done. I will recommend this book to even those like myself who have no part of mystical spiritism.

I've been reading T. J. MacGregor since before she was even published! This novel, like all of hers, is compelling and interesting, keeping you on your toes throughout. I liked THE OTHER EXTREME especially because I love the setting, Tango Key, an imaginary island in the Florida Keys created in some of her earlier books (written under the name Alison Drake). This book is full of suspense and intrigue, but more than that, it's full of personality. Kit Parrish and her son Ryan are easy to like people you would enjoy knowing in real life, something absolutely necessary in a good novel. Even though this is a murder mystery, the mystery is solved almost immediately producing a unique twist to grab the reader's attention so that we must keep reading to find out if the real killer is discovered or if the innocent party ends up convicted and jailed. The subplots are equally good and all the stories come together in the end like a well-made meal. You will finish this book without being hungry for anything else than another T. J. MacGregor novel.

MacGregor's use of astrology and past life experiences is done well and with obvious knowledge. Many of her novels include this new age side to them which is now very popular, but MacGregor was ahead of her time, including it in her early novels nearly 20 years ago.

This is a great book to take to read on the airplane, at the beach, while waiting for the dentist, during your lunch hour, heck, any time is a good time for THE OTHER EXTREME.

Defense attorney Kit Parrish has her hands full with her new case -- a young doctor charged with the murder on Tango Key, Florida, of his lover, actress Diane Jackson. As she goes about her job of searching for evidence and planning a defense, Kit's troubles are compounded by bizarre episodes of nightmares and sleepwalking experienced by her young son, Ryan. Worse, he's hearing a voice which he calls The Other, causing Kit to fear he needs either a psychiatrist or a neurosurgeon. Thank goodness for the faithful retriever who looks out for him. What a great dog!

Although we know from the first chapter who the real killer is, the suspense mounts with each successive chapter as the killer covers his tracks and manipulates evidence, fully expecting the doctor to be convicted. And if Kit does her job too well, or troublesome witnesses turn up, why, he is not above killing again.

The sub-plot concerning the 10-year-old disappearance of Kit's brother is as compelling as the murder case, and while the reader just knows there has to be a connection, the author deftly keeps you guessing until the penultimate moment. This murder mystery/legal thriller is shrouded in supernatural overtones which in less skillful hands might have been over the top, but it works here to create a walloping good tale.

This is one of McGregor's more accessible and entertaining books. In Kit and Ryan Parrish, Abuelita and Ben Webster, she has given us some likeable and multi-faceted heroes. Jay Hutchins and his wife Isabel are also quite well drawn, and the wife's character takes on some strange dimensions by the end of the novel. There is a tragic undertone that McGregor maintains well, and overall the story's little twists and turns come just in time to save the novel from falling into a predictable pattern. I was a little concerned that when someone sets fire to Kit's office, she didn't have sprinklers? Also, I felt some closure would have been nice in the characters of the Hutchins and the accused Steve Poulton.
However, a fun read and recommended.

T.J. MacGregor has packed this tale with believable characters, suspense, murder, a hunky hero and the greatest dog! She makes you want to help the young boy who is going through some very scary experiences. I kept gritting my teeth until he would get through it. He also has a neat little girl who is a friend, a very smart and brave friend. As usual her good men in the story are very very good (where are they in real life?) and her bad men are well...very believable. The dog Oro has characteristics of many dogs I have known. She is superb at creating animals. Anyway it is just the neatest book I have read in a long time. Reminded me of her earlier works and what hooked me in to believing she is the best female mystery writer of our time. Stand up and take a bow!

This book was terrible. Honestly terrible. The best thing I can say about it is that the individual sentences are grammatically correct and mostly readable, though they're occasionally written badly enough to be unintentionally hysterical. I especially liked, "During the hours that Webster slept like the dead, he woke twice." Because, you know, the dead are known for their insomniac habits.

Then there's the plot. The characters manage to solve the mystery not by any real application of reasoning or effort, but mainly because all of them happen to be conveniently psychic in ways that bring them to the right places and the right conclusions at the right times. They also get a little help from the Amazing Scientific Power of Astrology. Oy. I don't think even people who actually believe in astrology credit it with the kind of all-seeing power it has here. And, you know, I'm hardly an expert in legal procedures, but even I am pretty darned sure that there's supposed to be a difference in the function of the police vs. the function of the defense attorney, and I find it hard to believe that any lawyer with half a brain would expect to be able to go disturbing a crime scene without permission, let her dog traipse around it, and secretly remove important evidence without experiencing some pretty serious negative consequences. And let's not even mention the colossal coincidences on which the entire plot hangs.

As for the characters, the above-mentioned attorney is supposed to be a paragon of loving motherhood, but anyone who declines to take her kid to the doctor when he's showing signs of serious mental illness just because he says he doesn't want to go immediately loses my vote for Parent of the Year. The "heroic" FBI agent spends most of the book conducting intrusive illegal surveillance on people he has absolutely no logical reason to suspect of any wrongdoing whatsoever, thus making me regard him as, well, not a good guy. The killer at least had the potential to be interesting, but ultimately his actions and his feelings about them just don't seem to connect up in any sensible way with the other things we know about him. I find it utterly impossible to believe that, even in a fit of massive denial, someone who has been involved with the legal system for most of his life could have such incredibly naive ideas about the nature of crime and punishment. (And, no, I'm not giving anything away there. This is one of those whodunnits where the identity of the killer is revealed in the first chapter.)

To cap it all off, I have the distinct suspicion that the title was just used because it sounded like something that would sell books, because it has nothing whatsoever to do with the story, and it appears only once in the text, shoehorned into a sentence in which it makes no sense at all.

All of that having been said, I can't entirely say I didn't enjoy this book. But most of its entertainment value came out of the way I kept imagining snarky robots sitting in front of the pages making sarcastic comments.

THE OTHER EXTREME by author T.J. MacGregor is a novel swelling with suspense, intense action, a bit of romance, and bizzare twists. A truly compelling story, this book will keep the reader on the edge of thier seat till the last word. THE OTHER EXTREME consists of two egregious murder mysteries, one happening ten years earlier, that tie together in a heart pounding search for answers and truths.
T.J. MacGregor immediatly unmasks the virulent crime of murder committed by Jay Hutchin to the reader at the beginning of the book. Some readers may find this upsetting, but they will soon discover an interesting twist! MacGregor allows the reader to be deceived by the incomplete parts of the known crime, as the main characters, Kit Parrish and her son Ryan, work to unveil the mystery. Midway in the story, MacGregor throws in an unexpected turn and the reader discovers that there is more to the first crime then was revealed. The two mysteries become an enigma to the reader, and newly unearthed evidence accumulates into a confusing pile. Nearing the end of the book however, bits and pieces of the two mysteries eventually coalesce and the puzzle comes together to reveal a thrilling end to both mysteries!

Jay Hutchin is a circuit court judge assigned to the criminal division of Tango County in the Florida Keys. He dresses right, makes the right kind of marriage, goes to society social events to see and be seen by the elite, and acts like a man who is totally in charge of his life. That is a false image because Jay is totally obsessed by Hollywood actress Diane Jackson, who is buying property in the area.
When he spots her stepping out on him, he becomes so enraged and jealous he strangles her to death. Jay tries to go on his way as if nothing happened, but two things stand in his way. He is on the short list to be the Attorney General of the United States and an innocent man is going to trial for the actress's murder. The defense council is Kit Parish who has only lost one case in her years practicing law. Jay was the one to mentor and train her. In a spooky turn of events, Kit's son seems to know too much about the murder and having killed one person, Jay will not hesitate to do so again if he feels his life is in danger, even Kit's son.

Although readers know from the very beginning who the killer is and that the jailed suspect is innocent of any crime, this work of psychological suspense fascinates the audience into making it a one slippery ride. The paranormal elements circling around Kit's son serve to enhance the feeling of believability in the plot and adds dimension to the story line. T.J. MacGregor has written another winner.

Harriet Klausner

T.J. MacGregor has given us another engaging thriller set on Tango Key, the charming island she created for her earlier Tango Key Mystery Series (published under the pen name, Alison Drake). The Other Extreme is a skillfully woven tale of lawyer Kit Parrish's difficulties with her sleepwalking son Ryan, and the mysterious connection between Ryan's nightmares and nocturnal forays, a recent murder, and the 10-year old unexplained disappearance of Kit's brother. The story is further enriched by the presence of Ryan's wonderful Golden Retriever, Oro, and the author's deft use of astrology, past life experiences, and psychic detecting. Highly recommended.

It's been GREAT to find T>J> MacGregor again! The book is excellent. Wonderful character development. My two favorites are Ben and and the older psychic. I enjoyed the intertwining of murder mystery and psychic past life concepts. All fell into its "cosmic" place in the end. I would love to see this group of characters again on another psychic crime solving mission. Everything Ms. MacGregor writes is unusual, daring, and captivating. I anxiously await more.