Playing Catch Up.

It has been months since I last posted and I don't have the time to go through all of the books that I have read since my last post. Let's just say that the rest of the Feehan Drake Sisters novels,  plus her Night series were read at various times. I am not so worried that they will never be reviewed here, as hers are ones that I read and re-read frequently. Since graduation I have started a re-read of Suzanne Brockmann's books. I did a quick read of her Team Ten books, but again they will have to be written up at a later time. These are ones that I own, not only in their original paperback but also on my kindle, so they joined me on my move to grad school. Once those were complete, I started on the Team Sixteen/Troubleshooters books. Since I arrived in San Antonio, I have completed 6 of her books. So I will start with the one I finished today.

Book Info All Through The Night: A Troubleshooter's Christmas (Troubleshooters Book 12), by Suzanne Brockmann. Published by Ballantine Books in 2007.

Suzanne Brockmann is yet another author that is on my auto-buy list. Regardless of the title, or series, or plot, I purchase every new book she publishes. Her Team Ten novels are my favorite, but I love the way her Team Sixteen novels involve so many different plot lines. 

Many of her early books also include a secondary story line that revolves around a WWII plot. From the french resistance to beginnings of the frog men her early books suck any history buff in. More than once, I have spent days researching something that I read about in her novels. The subplot in her novel The Defiant Hero sent me searching for more information on the miracle of Dunkirk. 

But this novel has nothing to do with any of that. While, this reading makes my third for this novel, I must admit it has nothing to do with history nor does it come up to par for her other action sequences. Not that this isn't a wonderful novel. It is just more of a dose of the reality back at home, instead of the heroes out saving the world. The terrorists of the world win and lose in this novel in a very short scene... and the crazies of the world lose their fight to remove the robotic aliens from the world. (You'll have to read it to understand that one.)

Yet, what makes this book so remarkable is the upfront way it handles the issues of today. I have loved Agent Jules Cassidy since he first walked into the trouble shooters world in The Defiant Hero. Cassidy was not a picture of perfection, though many might think of him that way. Yet, he reminds me of many of my friends who were *gasp* gay. He exudes an the attitude that "I am not going to hide who I am." Book after book, Cassidy tells us that he wants to live in the sunlight. He will not hide in a closet. Time and again readers understand that no one should be required to hide who they are. Robin Chadwick on the other hand, battles himself for years. Though he doesn't appear until Hot Target, it is quickly obvious that Chadwick is using alcohol and indiscriminate sex to blot out who he is. It is a long road for Robin to travel before he is comfortable with himself, let alone anyone else. Their relationship as well as their interactions with everyone else illuminates the struggles of the gay community. A community which would include every person who has a family member or friend who is gay. This book is the culmination of all of those interactions. We see the various reactions people have to gay marriage. This isn't a book seen through rose-colored glasses, nor is it just a slam on current society. It shows the gamut of emotions felt by society. I think my favorite moment which elucidates this point is when Sam Starrett (Jules formerly-homophobic best friend) meets Robin for the first time (page 24-32). 1 - It shows how far Robin had truly come. 2 - It shows how far Sam had come. 3 - It is an interesting look at the assumptions people can make on both sides. While this book is a touching love story, it is also a bold look at how society doesn't have the right to make assumptions about anyone. The reality of sexual orientation is that it is none of anyones business but those involved in the relationship. 

The second reality that this novel look at is the recovery process. This is not the first time that Alcoholics Anonymous meetings make an appearance in Brockmann's novels. Book 4, Out of Control, shows the battle of Sam Starrett's first wife Mary Lou. We see her a couple of years into her process. And at the end of the previous book, Force of Nature, we see Chadwick begin his process by entering rehab. This book is just a mere year later. So, though Robin is no longer in rehab, life is not easy. In a novel about a marriage, Brockmanm chooses not to gloss over the hard work that comes with being a recovering alcoholic. Each new struggle is accompanied attending meetings and a recognition of the difficulty. There is also time spent dealing with the reality of childhood trauma. Life is not easy for anyone, but dealing with the fallout from childhood is not an easy thing.  Though it isn't an excuse for the actions of the adult, it can be an explanation. Victims of child abuse must live with the reality they were raised in. As adults they battle with breaking the cycle of abuse as well as counter acting the beliefs that have been ingrained. We see the Robin work through his issues, and not just once but over and over again. I have seen some reviews that call Robin whiney, but in reality, you don't just work through an issue once. Those issues rear their ugly heads time an again and can even catch you completely by surprise. If an individual can't confront those issues when they do show up, they will just build up until they explode. Heaven forbid a man accept and understand his own issues before they turn into a violent outburst. 

I could probably ramble on this for a while longer but instead I am going to start her next book.