What are the odds...(that I can somehow tie this whole post into St. Patrick's Day?)

...that I have read THREE excellent books in a row?

Slim to none, I'd say.  Normally, you get one book out of a dozen (or more) that are pure perfection.  But there you go, I have somehow hit a magic streak (here's hoping the next one is just as amazing).

It started out with Her Fearful Symmetry (reviewed here) - which I loved, loved, LOVED (and, FYI, I am currently on the prowl for anything else she has written, so any suggestions you may have; feel free) and is rounded out with Eyes Wide Open by Andrew Gross and Night Road by Kristin Hannah.

We'll start with Eyes Wide Open.  Let's see what some of the blurbs have to say...

"Should be read with the lights on and the door closed.  A rare and menacing psychological thriller that works on every level." - Nelson DeMille (love him)

"I think this book is fantastic - it has all the obvious virtues plus that elusive X factor that really made me resent the times I had to put it down...." - Lee Child (him too)

And if that wasn't enough to make your rush out to beg/steal/borrow/buy it how about the opening paragraphs of the front flap?

A horrible family tragedy that may not be what it seems....A past encounter with an infamous killer turns deadly today...an ordinary man must risk his own family to find the truth.

Jay Erlich's nephew has been found at the bottom of a cliff at Morrow Bay.  It's all just a tragic suicide, until secrets from the past begin to rear up again.  Did a notorious killer, jailed for many decades, have his hand in this?

This book was sheer perfection, I tell you.  I practically read it one sitting, it was that good.  Throughout I kept thinking of Charles Manson and...the ending?  Well, I'll leave you to find that out for yourselves.

Moving on to Night Road - what can I say?  I loved this one too.

The blurbs -

"A searing story with a breathtaking, beautiful ending." - The Seattle Times

"The author of Firefly Lane and True Colors has written another powerful story of misunderstanding, family, love, and strong women...A fascinating story that weaves fairy tales into reality, fairy tales that don't always have the expected endings." - The Herald News.

From the front flap -

For a mother, life comes down to a series of choices.  To hold on...to let go...to forget...to forgive...Which road will you take?

...Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm's way.  It has always been easy - until senior year of high school.  Suddenly she is at a loss.  Nothing feels safe anymore...On a hot summer's night her worst fears are realized..."

Kristin Hannah absolutely nailed it when describing what it is like having a senior in high school (believe me, I remember - all to clearly).  The pressure. The stress.  The not knowing of how much to let go and how much to hold tight.  The constant angst.  She got it ALL.

Not only did I read this book in one sitting; it also had me sobbing...over and over and over again.  So much so, that Man-Child said to me at one point - while handing me a tissue,  "You know these characters aren't real, right?"

But of course he knows, as well as I do, that when the book is written this well that those characters ARE real.

And, obviously, I am now ready for everything these authors have ever written.

So there you have it.  I have experienced the perfect trifecta (am I even using that term correctly?) in terms of book reading.  For non-book lovers, I can only compare it to finding that rare, four-leaf clover (see what I did there?)