I think The Language of Secrets rates five stars because it was a very good read which was hard to put down. The author skillfully weaves an intricate plot with alternating chapters told by well-defined characters over a period of time. The intriguing results of decisions made by these all too human people accompanied by unexpected twists of fate provide much for book group discussion.

I jumped at the chance to preview a book by an author of Margaret Atwood's stature. The Year of the Flood is my first Atwood reading and I'm new to the futuristic genre. It takes a while to get into the flow of the time periods, but narration by Toby and Ren is an effective style to develop the characters and the plot. By the end of the novel, I began to care more about them.

Atwood's scene descriptions are vividly picturesque and coupled with the The God's Gardeners Oral Hymnbook have great cinematic possibilities. I found the futuristic vocabulary more trite than humorous and didn't feel my mind had been expanded into future shock. My conclusion: Ms Atwood lives up to my expectations as a writer but I'd like a more intriguing plot.

The author's writing style, short chapters with attention grabbing first sentences and intriguing final lines,makes the story move right along. Private investigator Cape Weathers and his associates, trained by the Hong Kong Triad Sally and commitedly green Linda, comprise an oddly likable core trio.

This case is set primarily in San Francisco and Mexico. The plot revolves around current issues but is peppered with just the right amount of testosterone and old gumshoe style metaphors. Greasing the Pinata should appeal to readers who enjoy action mysteries. It might be interesting to see this author weave Cape and Sally into a more psychologically suspenseful who-dunnit in a future tale.