Review: Cotton Malone, John Rain, and Jack Reacher all "In Session" with Dr. Morgan Snow
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 29, 2011
I do not usually read books like this.  However, I love Steve Berry's Cotton Malone character, so I thought I'd try it out.  MJ Rose's character Dr. Morgan Snow is a sex therapist.  The premise for this book is that these 3 strong male characters are being analyzed by her, or come into her life, for various reasons.The first story is Cotton's ("Extenuating Circumstances").  If you haven't read any of Steve Berry's books, I would definitely recommend them.  I think they are fabulous books of adventure and finding things.  They aren't your usual intrigue/adventure story.  Cotton has to be one of my favorite characters.  That being said, I was a little disappointed in his story.  I know that it was written with Mr. Berry's consent and review, but it didn't have the feel of a Cotton story to me.  Dr. Snow is approached by a woman about problems with her boyfriend.  She counsels her, and then on a trip to Europe, makes a stop in Demark to visit Cotton's rare book store.  Over the perusal of an old erotic book, she gets Cotton's story.  This was one of the shorter stories in the book and I don't know that it really gave me any insight into Cotton's character.In the second story ("Decisions, Decisions"), Barry Eisler's character John Rains makes an appearance.  Dr. Snow is threatened by the husband of one of her patients.  She makes a connection with a former patient's friend who "makes things go away" and sets up an appointment.  Though she initially wants to hire John for a task, it ends up that she just needs to talk the situation through with someone.  John's interesting viewpoints and thoughts help her make a decision as to her final action.  I haven't read any of Mr. Eisler's books, so I can't speak to how true to life the portrayal of John Rains is.In the last story ("Knowing Your Alive", Lee Child's Jack Reacher arrives on scene after a bomb has exploded in Dr. Snow's building.  He isn't able to pull her from the rubble, but he sits with her until the rescue crews arrive.  In order to distract her from the pain, he tells her a story about "his friend" who had a life-changing experience.  This was one of my favorite stories, even though I have never read any of the Jack Reacher books.  I thought this one was very personal, in a way that the other two weren't.I think I will definitely pick up more books like this.  I know I like the other books MJ Rose has written (The Reincarnationist, The Memorist).  I haven't read any of the Dr. Snow books, but I may pick one up now and see what I think.I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions are my own.