Review: Hot Water by Erin Brockovich with CJ Lyons

Hot Water
Author:  Erin Brockovich with CJ Lyons
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Published:  November 2011
Pages: 288
Genre:  Thriller
ISBN 978-1593156848


Source:  I was provided a copy of Hot Water by Leyane Jerejian of FSB Associates for review on this blog.  This does not influence my opinion nor this review.

From the publicity company:  No stranger to balancing an intensely demanding work schedule with the stresses of keeping her family together, AJ Palladino now faces another challenge: she is leaving her young son home with her ailing parents so that she can travel to the site of a new case involving a nuclear power plant in peril. And it will take all her skills to keep her cool while the action and tension build to a fever pitch.

Colleton River, a new, one-of-a-kind nuclear facility designed to create medical isotopes with the potential to save millions of lives, has recently been plagued by a series of unexplained mishaps. The accidents have caused the locals to protest the plant, drawing the attention of an anti-nuclear protest group as well as several home-grown terrorists who sense an opportunity to sow fear and chaos. The plant’s owner, Owen Grandel, has traveled from South Carolina to West Virginia to personally ask AJ for help. AJ knows she’s going to have her hands full investigating the accidents and calming the situation at the plant. What she doesn’t foresee is her simple business trip turning into disaster, with her family coming apart at the seams in her absence—and her young son disappearing. While AJ tries to find her missing child, she also discovers what caused the “accidents.” Soon the plant begins hurtling towards nuclear catastrophe, with AJ stranded at ground zero. But can she save her son, herself, and the community—and prevent a nuclear meltdown before it’s too late?

My Review:  I reviewed Erin Brockovich's (with CJ Lyons) previously published book Rock Bottom, in July of this year and loved it; so when I was offered the opportunity to review the second book by Erin Brockovich with CJ Lyons I didn't hesitate and it didn't disappoint!  

As you can tell when you read my preview post, Hot Water moves quickly, capturing the reader's attention from the very beginning.  Erin Brockovich is a master at writing a quick paced thriller.  

The author's attention to detail in research is evident as, in Hot Water, Colletin River, a nuclear facility, is in dispute with the people of the area and a religious group.  AJ is hired to quiet the storm (pun intended, see further into the book), so the owners might attract investors from Japan and abroad.  But they cannot court these investors with the protestors so visible in the news and around the facility.  Though this isn't typical work for AJ and her business partner Elizabeth, the proceeds from success would be sufficient to supply financial stability for AJ and her son David and for the business she and Elizabeth run.  Feeling like she is selling out, AJ reluctantly accepts the job which, in a short period of time, not only endangers her but could be the death of several thousands of people, a modern day apocalypse.  

I couldn't put this book down!  As the hours of the night drew late, I reluctantly had to set it aside so I could function the next day at work but the moment I was able to I delved in again.  The only complaint I have is that the author writes in the first person, in AJ's voice, and then in the third person as well.  It is not always a smooth transition as at one point in the novel, the narrator speaks of AJ while just before AJ was narrating.  Though there is a break in the chapter, signified by a symbol, I found it rather odd to read it that way.  Other than that, I absolutely loved it!  Hopefully Erin and CJ are fast at work on the next AJ Palladino novel, so their avid fans, me included, will have their thirst for adventure satisfied soon!

Rated 4.5/5

Book Review: Rock Bottom by Erin Brockovich

Rock Bottom
Author:  Erin Brockovich with CJ Lyons
Publisher:  Vanguard Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group
Copyright:  2011
Pages:  260
Also contains a Conversation with Erin Brockovich, author
Genre:  Thriller/Environment/Fiction
ISBN 978-1-59315-625-1
Source:  FSB Associates provided a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

From the book jacket:  From New York Times bestselling author and internationally renowned environmental and consumer advocate Erin Brockovich comes Rock Bottom, a debut thriller and first in a series of novels that introduces one of the most fascinating and memorable characters in suspense fiction.

...When AJ is offered a job with a lawyer who is crusading against mountaintop removal mining, she is torn  As a single mother of a special needs nine-year-old boy, AJ can use any work she can get.  But doing so will mean returning to the West Virginia hometown she left in disgrace so long ago.

Upon arriving in Scotia, AJ learns of the sudden death of the lawyer who hired her.  Soon after joining forces with is daughter, Elizabeth, threats begin to surface, bodies begin to pile up, and AJ discovers that her own secrets aren't the only ones her mountain hometown has kept buried.  Hitting rock bottom, AJ must face the betrayal of those once closest to her and confront the harrowing past she thought she had left behind.

In Rock Bottom, Erin Brockovich combines passionate intensity, first-rate storytelling, and her real life experiences in a novel that will leave you breathless.

Review:   From page one of Rock Bottom, the reader is drawn into a world of environmental ravaging, as AJ returns to her hometown to work with a lawyer set out to stop the pillaging and raping of the mountains the town of Scotia calls home.  When AJ discovers her boss has suddenly died, before she has even arrived to begin her new job, her suspicions are aroused.  Zach, her boss, is laid to rest the day after AJ's return to her hometown, and AJ finds herself protectively escorting his daughter, Elizabeth, from the cemetery.  Elizabeth takes up her father's cause and things begin to escalate.  What AJ discovers in Scotia, she has seen semblances of before.  Children attending the local school have a myriad of health problems; there's an odd activist group in town, drumming up attention for the environmental cause; and death threats are made and acted upon.  

Erin Brockovich (and CJ Lyons) has a gift for captivating the reading audience, drawing you in, until you feel a part of the story; making Rock Bottom an excellent read that is difficult to put down.  You'll laugh, yes; you'll cry, perhaps; and you will definitely be on the edge of your seat as you become immersed in this thriller!  

Highly recommended for a nail-biting, page turning experience!  Rated:  4.5/5 (some deity expletives)

About the author (s):  Erin Brockovich is the real life inspiration behind the Oscar-winning movie that bears her name.  Today she continues to perform legal work as a director of environmental research and is involved in consulting on numerous toxic waste investigations.  Brockovich is active on the motivational speaking circuit, with a thriving lecture series and a television talk show in development.  She lives in Los Angeles, California.  Visit Erin Brockovich at www.brockovich.com.

CJ Lyons is an award-winning medical suspense author of such books as Lifelines, Warning Signs, and Urgent Care.  Trained in pediatric emergency medicine, she has assisted police and prosecutors with cases involving child abuse, homicide, and more.  She has also worked as a crisis counselor and victim advocate.  Visit CJ Lyons at www.cjlyons.net.