tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43672084241924937562024-02-08T06:39:00.482-06:00Spuddie's Book BlogMonthly lists of what I've read and listened to, with my thoughts about the booksSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-59048743072152837202013-01-01T12:32:00.000-06:002013-01-01T12:32:14.911-06:00January 2013 Reading List<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Currently reading:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Audio: Reflecting the Sky by S.J. Rozan (#7 Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kindle: Writ in Stone by Cora Harrison (#4 Burren historical mystery)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Print: Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett (#17 Discworld <span style="font-size: small;">humorous fantasy)</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Happy New Year!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cheryl </span></span></span>Spuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-45435779373402296782012-12-23T12:21:00.001-06:002013-01-01T12:28:36.936-06:00December 2012<br />
Another short-ish reading list for December.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The One From the Other by Philip Kerr (#4 Bernie Gunther historical mystery) (audio) A </span></span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Learning to Swim by Sara Henry (Kindle) B+</span></span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The Moor by Laurie R. King (#4 Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes historical mystery) A</span></span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Dog Tags by David Rosenfelt (#8 Andy Carpenter mystery) (audio) B+</span></span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy (#2 White House Chef mystery) B+</span></span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">New Slain Knight by Deborah Grabien (#5 Haunted Ballads mystery) B</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Deadly Nightshade by Cynthia Riggs (#1 Martha's Vineyard mystery) (audio) C</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The Case is Closed by Patricia Wentworth (#2 Miss Silver mystery)<b><span style="color: darkgreen;"> </span></b><span style="color: darkgreen;"><span style="color: black;">(kindle)</span></span> B </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The Red Velvet Turnshoe by Cassandra Clark (#2 Abbess of Meaux historical mystery) A</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Seawitch by Kat Richardson (#7 Greywalker paranormal mystery) (audio) A</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> A Stranger in Mayfair by Charles Finch (#4 Charles Lenox historical mystery) A</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The Torso in the Town by Simon Brett (#3 Fethering mystery) (audio) A- </span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"></span></span><br />Spuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-33616330031850968582012-12-01T15:25:00.001-06:002012-12-01T15:25:51.491-06:00NOVEMBER 2012 readsAnd once again, here it is the first of the month and I'm doing a quick post of my previous month's reading. Have been rather unsettled lately, listening to a lot of audio books and not doing a whole lot of 'reading' reading. Hence the short list. Have started a lot of books and put them aside, unsure whether to DNF them or try again later...finding a lot of my favorite genre (mysteries) lately to be very formulaic and ho-hum, same old thing. A few exceptions of course but think I need to change things up a bit somehow--not sure just what I'm going to do yet. ANYWAY...on to the pitiful list. LOL<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>
An Uncertain Place by Fred Vargas (kindle) A</li>
<li>
Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie (audio) B</li>
<li>
Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis A+</li>
<li>
The Last Illusion by Rhys Bowen B</li>
<li>
There's Nothing to be Afraid Of by Marcia Muller (audio) A</li>
<li>
Soulless by Gail Carriger (kindle) B</li>
<li>
Stalking the Angel by Robert Crais (audio) B</li>
<li>
Getting Old is to Die For by Rita Lakin (kindle) A</li>
<li>
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien A+</li>
<li>
Tuck by Stephen R. Lawhead (audio) A</li>
</ol>
Currently reading:<br />
<br />
Audio: The One From the Other by Philip Kerr (Bernie Gunther historical #4)<br />
<br />
Kindle: Learning to Swim by Sara Henry<br />
<br />
Print: The Moor by Laurie R. King (Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes #4)<br />
<br />
Cheryl Spuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-65355863061844026102012-10-30T07:52:00.003-05:002012-10-30T07:52:42.940-05:00<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">OCTOBER <span style="font-size: small;">20<span style="font-size: small;">12</span></span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just realized I hadn't updated here at all, and it's almost month's end!<span style="font-size: small;"> I haven't done as much reading as I would have liked this month, been busy with other things. November will be <span style="font-size: small;">more productive, I'm sure. :)</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /><strong><span style="font-size: small;">1. A Door in the River by <span style="font-size: small;">Inger Ash Wolfe (#3 Hazel Micallef mystery) B<span style="font-size: small;">+</span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">2. The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart (AUDIO) A</span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">3. Frozen Assets by Quentin Bates (#1 Gunnhildur mystery) (KINDLE) A</span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">4. Farewell, Miss Zukas by Jo Dereske (<span style="font-size: small;">final</span> Miss Zukas mystery) A </span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">5. The Trinity Game by Sean Chercover (KINDLE)</span> B+</span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">6. Feed by Mira Grant (#1 Newsflesh <span style="font-size: small;">urban fantasy) (AUDIO) C</span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">7. Watching the Ghosts by Kate Ellis (#<span style="font-size: small;">4 Joe Plantagen<span style="font-size: small;">et mystery) B<span style="font-size: small;">+</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">8. Cut, Paste, Kill by Marshall Karp (#<span style="font-size: small;">4 Lomax <span style="font-size: small;">& Biggs mystery) <span style="font-size: small;">A</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Currently reading:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Audio: Hallow<span style="font-size: small;">e'en Pa<span style="font-size: small;">rty by Agatha Christie</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kindle: An Uncertain Place by Fred Vargas</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Print: Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis and The Last Illusion by Rhys Bowen</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cheryl </span></span> </span></span></span></span> </span></span></span> </span></span> </span> </span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></h2>
Spuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-77159007043118281712012-09-11T15:45:00.000-05:002012-10-01T15:07:17.481-05:00September 20121. An Evil Eye by Jason Goodwin (#4 Yashim the Eunuch historical mystery) (AUDIO) B<br />
<br />
2. Bamboo and Blood by James Church (#3 Inspector O mystery) B<br />
<br />
3. The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken by Tarquin Hall (#3 Vish Puri mystery) (AUDIO) A+<br />
<br />
4. Leave a Message for Willie by Marcia Muller (#5 Sharon McCone mystery) (AUDIO) A<br />
<br />
5. The Stolen Voice by Pat McIntosh (#6 Gil Cunningham historical mystery) (Kindle) C+<br />
<br />
6. The Serpents of Harbledown by Edward Marston (#5 Domesday historical mystery) B+<br />
<br />
7. Hammered by Kevin Hearne (#3 Iron Druid Chronicles urban fantasy) B<br />
<br />
8. Ragtime in Simla by Barbara Cleverly (#2 Joe Sandilands historical mystery) A<br />
<br />
9. The Memory of Blood by Christopher Fowler (#9 Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery) A+<br />
<br />
10. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (#8 Armand Gamache mystery) B<br />
<br />
11. The Age of Doubt by Andrea Camilleri (#13 Inspector Montalbano mystery) B+<br />
<br />
12. One Coffee With by Margaret Maron (#1 Sigrid Harald mystery) B-<br />
<br />
Currently reading:<br />
<br />
Audio: The Tower, The Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart <br />
<br />
Kindle: Frozen Assets by Quentin Bates (#1 Gunnhilder mystery) <br />
<br />
Print: A Door in the River by Inger Ash Wolfe (#3 Hazel Micallef mystery)<br />
<br />
CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-71769438333542665492012-08-14T12:24:00.003-05:002012-09-01T09:37:03.109-05:00AUGUST 2012 Reading List<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. The Fear Artist by Timothy Hallinan (#5 Poke Rafferty mystery) A+ </span><br />
<br />
<br />
2. Devices and Desires by P.D. James (#8 Adam Dalgleish mystery) (Kindle) B+ <br />
<br />
3. Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson (#4 Jackson Brodie mystery) (Audio) A <br />
<br />
4. Death on the Downs by Simon Brett (#2 Fethering mystery) (Audio) B+ <br />
<br />
5. Don't Die Under the Apple Tree by Amy Patricia Meade (#1 Rosie the Riveter mystery) (Kindle) C-<br />
<br />
6. The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths (#3 Ruth Galloway mystery) (Kindle) B-<br />
<br />
7. Death Along the Spirit Road by C.M. Wendelboe (#1 Manny Tanno mystery) (Kindle) C-<br />
<br />
8. The Tarnished Chalice by Susanna Gregory (#12 Matthew Bartholomew historical) B<br />
<br />
9. Borkmann's Point by Håkan Nesser (#2 Inspector Van Veeteren mystery) (Audio) A-<br />
<br />
10. Getting Old is Criminal by Rita Lakin (#3 Gladdy Gold mystery) B<br />
<br />
11. A German Requiem by Philip Kerr (#3 Bernie Gunther mystery) (AUDIO) A<br />
<br />
12. Blind Eye by Stuart MacBride (#5 Logan MacRae mystery) A<br />
<br />
13. Bad Boy by Peter Robinson (#19 DCI Alan Banks mystery) B+<br />
<br />
14. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann (#1 Newbury & Hobbes steampunk/fantasy adventure) B+ <br />
<br />
Currently reading:<br />
<br />
Kindle: The Stolen Voice by Pat McIntosh (#6 Gil Cunningham historical mystery) <br />
Audio:An Evil Eye by Jason Goodwin (#4 Yashim the Eunuch historical mystery)<br />
Print: Bamboo and Blood by James Church (#3 Inspector O mystery)<br />
<br />
Cheryl<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Spuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-28818006658693597692012-07-02T15:40:00.002-05:002012-07-31T12:22:33.218-05:00JULY 2012Finished so far in July 2012:<br />
<br />
1. THE LAST KASHMIRI ROSE by Barbara Cleverly (KINDLE) (#1 Joe Sandilands historical mystery) A<br />
<br />
2. GRANDDAD, THERE'S A HEAD ON THE BEACH by Colin Cotterill (#2 Jimm Juree mystery) A<br />
<br />
3. SHADOW PASS by Sam Eastland (AUDIO) (#2 Inspector Pekkala historical mystery) B+<br />
<br />
4. THE POTTER'S FIELD by Andrea Camilleri (#13 Inspector Montalbano mystery) A<br />
<br />
5. THE LAST COYOTE by Michael Connelly (AUDIO) (#4 Harry Bosch mystery) A<br />
<br />
6. THE HANGMAN'S DAUGHTER by Oliver Pötzsch (KINDLE) (#1 Hangman's Daughter historical mystery) C<br />
<br />
7. BLESSED ARE THE DEAD by Malla Nunn (#3 Emmanuel Cooper mystery) A+<br />
<br />
8. THE LAUGHING POLICEMAN by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (AUDIO) (#4 Martin Beck mystery) A <br />
<br />
9, INTO THE SHADOWS by Shirley Wells (#1 Jill Kennedy and DCI Max Trentham mystery) A<br />
<br />
10. GETTING OLD IS THE BEST REVENGE by Rita Lakin (#2 Gladdy Gold mystery) A<br />
<br />
11. DARK OF THE MOON by John Sandford (AUDIO) (#1 Virgil Flowers mystery) A<br />
<br />
12. KITTYHAWK DOWN by Garry Disher (KINDLE) (#2 Inspector Hal Challis mystery) B<br />
<br />
13. DREADNOUGHT by Cherie Priest (AUDIO) (#2 Clockwork Century fantasy/steampunk) A+<br />
<br />
14. TROUBLE IN PRIOR'S FORD by Eve Houston (#3 Prior's Ford series) A<br />
<br />
Currently reading:<br />
<br />
AUDIO: STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG by Kate Atkinson (#4 Jackson Brodie) <br />
PRINT: THE FEAR ARTIST by Timothy Hallinan (#5 Poke Rafferty mystery series) and THE TARNISHED CHALICE by Susanna Gregory (#12 Matthew Bartholomew historical mystery)<br />
KINDLE: DEVICES AND DESIRES by P.D. James (#8 Cmdr. Adam Dalgliesh mystery)Spuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-24850413937310275332012-06-19T12:00:00.003-05:002012-07-02T15:37:59.736-05:00JUNE 2012You may have noticed (or maybe not!) that I didn't post a list or reviews last month. I've decided (at least for now) to hang it up. I probably will eventually publish my monthly "What I've read" lists with just a grade for the book, but I have found that trying to do all the "stuff" associated with being an avid reader, like updating my lists at Goodreads and FictFact, trying to write reviews (whether for Amazon or for my own self) and keeping up with this blog, participating in book discussions in various places and the forums at Paperbackswap, etc. detracts from my enjoyment of and also the amount of time I have for the actual reading of books.<br />
<br />
Perhaps one day when my situation or my attitude or whatever changes I will come back to this, but for now it will likely be just a quick list of what I've read without any details about my thoughts.<br />
<br />
Okay, here is a list of what I have read in May and June 2012, just to catch up. Future months will use this same brief format...title, author, series, format (if no indication, it means it was a plain old print book) and overall grade.<br />
<br />
MAY 2012<br />
<br />
1. THE JANUS STONE by Elly Griffiths (Ruth Galloway mystery #2) (Kindle) B<br />
<br />
2. THE KILL CALL by Stephen Booth (Cooper & Fry #9) A<br />
<br />
3. HEAVEN PRESERVE US by Cricket McRae (Home Crafting mystery #2) (Kindle) B+<br />
<br />
4. FUN HOUSE by Chris Grabenstein (Ceepak mystery #7) A<br />
<br />
5. GETTING OLD IS MURDER by Rita Lakin (Gladdy Gold mystery #1) (Kindle) A<br />
<br />
6. V is for VENGEANCE by Sue Grafton (Kinsey Millhone #22) A<br />
<br />
7. UNHALLOWED GROUND by Mel Starr (Hugh de Singleton historical mystery #4) B<br />
<br />
8. THE VOWS OF SILENCE by Susan Hill (Simon Serrailler mystery #4) (Audio) A<br />
<br />
9. THE TYPHOON LOVER by Sujata Massey (Rei Shimura mystery #8) (Kindle) B<br />
<br />
10. A BITTER CHILL by Jane Finnis (Aurelia Marcella historical mystery #2) B+<br />
<br />
11. LAST RITUALS by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (Thora Gundmundsdottir mystery #1) (Kindle) B+<br />
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JUNE 2012<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">THE SNOW QUEEN'S SHADOW by Jim C. Hines (Princess fantasy series #4) A</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">DOUBLE DEXTER by Jeff Lindsay (Dexter Morgan mystery #6) (Audio) B+</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">SIREN OF THE WATERS by Michael Genelin (Jana Matinova mystery #1) (Kindle) B+</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">AS THE CROW FLIES by Craig Johnson (Walt Longmire mystery #8) A</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">GAMES TO KEEP THE DARK AWAY by Marcia Muller (Sharon McCone mystery #4) (Audio) A</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">THE STING OF JUSTICE by Cora Harrison (Brehon Mara historical mystery #3) B+</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A QUESTION OF BELIEF by Donna Leon (Commissario Brunetti mystery #19) (Audio) B+</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">DEEP WATERS by Barbara Nadel (Cetin Ikmen mystery #4) A</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">HEXED by Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid Chronicles urban fantasy #2) (Audio) A+</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">BRYANT & MAY OFF THE RAILS by Christopher Fowler (Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery #8) (Kindle) A+</span><br />
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11. STONE QUARRY by S.J. Rozan (Bill Smith/Lydia Chin #5) A<br />
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12. FACE DOWN O'ER THE BORDER by Kathy Lynn Emerson (#11 Lady Susanna Appleton historical mystery) C</div>
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</div>Spuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-10178523204730785422012-04-12T07:19:00.001-05:002012-04-30T21:40:22.886-05:00April 2012Happy spring! <br />
<br />
1. THE DRAGON MAN by Garry Disher (KINDLE) (#1 Inspector Hal Challis mystery) Grade: B+ First book in a series featuring Detective Inspector Hal Challis in the peninsula region southeast of Melbourne, Australia. A series of killings of teenaged girls first raped and then brutally killed, their bodies dumped in various locales near the Old Peninsula Highway has police baffled, and it's Challis's job to work with the local force to see the killer behind bars. The killer is also taunting them, sending letters to a local journalist denigrating the police. A good first entry in a promising-looking series, although I did find it a bit draggy in the middle with a rather abrupt ending. Too many different problems/issues with too many of the local cops were addressed, I think, making the midsection have a sort of scattered feel to it--and then some of those issues were sort of left hanging. I did figure out the killer well in advance so that wasn't a surprise. Still, it was a good story with some characters I liked very much and also very atmospheric--you definitely knew you were in Australia!<br />
The one issue I have with this Kindle version of the book was the horrible formatting. Often there were missing quotation marks around dialogue, words misspelled, lack of spacing between point of view changes--sometimes occuring without even a new paragraph! Lots of lack of spacing issues. VERY annoying, and if I had paid for this book rather than checking it out from the library, I would have complained loud and long to Amazon. It was really REALLY distracting! I've seen other books with an occasional formatting problem with the Kindle version, but this one takes the cake!<br />
<br />
2. SCARLET by Stephen R. Lawhead (#2 King Raven historical fantasy trilogy) Grade: A+ Second in this historical fantasy trilogy with the author's spin on the Robin Hood legend. This book focuses on Will Scatlock, aka Scarlet, who actually seeks to become a member of Rhy Bran's group. Told primarily from his point of view as he sits in prison awaiting execution dictating his memoirs and the tale of how he came to join the group of supposed outlaws to Odo, a monk-scribe who is writing them down. While telling this story to Odo, Will has a lightbulb moment when he realizes the significance of a chest with some pricey items--a jeweled gold ring, a pair of white leather gloves and a letter--that was in with other things that the group stole. Odo has been talking to him as well, and at the mention of the fact that there are two Popes at present, both vying for the recognized Papacy, Will's brain lights up. Now he must figure out a way to get this very useful information to Bran and the group--he figures even if he must swing from a rope, some good should come out of it. Excellent as was the first, this bears re-reading at some point and will stay on my Keeper shelf.<br />
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3. BLOOD OF THE WICKED by LEIGHTON GAGE (KINDLE) (#1 Chief Inspector Mario Silva mystery) Grade: C- First of a series set in Brazil and featuring Mario Silva, a chief inspector with the Federal police. He is sent into a remote area to investigate the assassination of a Catholic bishop and gets tangled up in several other investigations dealing with long-lived strife between the rich landowners and the Landless Majority. A violent, brutal book which doesn't bother me per se, but it felt like some of the violence was placed just for shock value. I wanted to like this book--I have heard good things about the series and South America is one of the world's areas that I haven't visited much so was hoping for a series based there that I could latch onto. Alas, it has taken me almost 2 weeks to read this book which is usually a good indicator of how much I like--or dislike--a book. I can't actually say I didn't like it...I can't think of anything really bad to say about it. It was okay, I guess. I just could not get interested in it. At all. I don't think I will be continuing the series. <br />
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4. NANNY OGG'S COOKBOOK by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs. Grade: A A hilarious compilation of recipes, Discworld gossip and folklore featuring Nanny Ogg, one of the Discworld's most notable witches. Most of the recipes actually look quite good, although I will need to do some conversions as they're written in UK measurements--which is only to be expected, and I will have to pick up some frogs so I can not add them to the Frog Pills. From the delectable sounding "Sticky Toffee Rat Onna Stick" to the "Knuckle Sandwich" and "Mrs. Gogol's Clairvoyant Gumbo," there's a good variety of sweet, savory, meat and meatless dishes, including my favorite simple recipes "Bread and Water" and "The Librarian's Recipe For Banana." This will be staying on my Keeper shelf with the rest of my Discworld collection--and I do intend to open it again and actually try some of this stuff. :)<br />
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5. THE DIVINE CIRCLE OF LADIES PLAYING WITH FIRE by Dolores Stewart Riccio (#5 Cass Shipton "Circle" mystery) Grade: A+ Fifth in a series featuring Cassandra Shipton and four of her friends who loosely form a Wiccan coven and get up to all sorts of adventures in Plymouth, Massachussetts. In this book, an arsonist is setting fires where animals are present--a stable, an animal shelter, etc.--and Heather, the rampant animal rights activist among them is on the brink of getting out her black candles if the firebug isn't found. Cass has some visions/dreams of the arsonist but not clear enough to narrow it down to one person, so the women set out to mundanely investigate two men whom Cass thinks are definite possibilities. When one of the circle members' husbands dies as a result of another fire, their mission turns hugely personal. I love this series and was dismayed when the author lost her publisher (I think that was the reason it stopped) after the first four books. I thought it was over. After an absence of several years, lo and behold, early last year I discovered that there were now three more, and another published since. I was ecstatic! Except that I was early on in my year-long "book buying ban" of 2011, so I had to wait til this year to buy this book--and it was the first one I purchased, too! These women--quite different in age, personality, the type of life they have, etc--have become my friends and it was wonderful to visit with them again, despite the pall of tragedy hanging over them. These are the most accurately depicted "real life Wiccan/Pagan" books I've read, not treating it as a 'paranormal' that also includes vampires or faeries and the ability of witches to twitch ones nose and have stuff happen. LOL Anyway, welcome back Cass, Fiona, Heather, Deirdre and Phillipa and their extended families.<br />
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6. THE END OF THE WASP SEASON by Denise Mina (AUDIO) (#2 Alex Morrow mystery.) Grade: A <span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview305169996">Second
book in Mina's trilogy featuring Alex Morrow, a DS with Strathclyde
police. Now five months pregnant with twins, Morrow struggles with
trying to keep an even keel at work lest anything she say or do be
written off as 'hormones talking.' A young woman is brutally murdered in
her home, found at the bottom of her stairs with her face stomped in
such that she's barely recognizable. In her kitchen, hundreds of
thousands of euros are found under a false bottom in the kitchen table
and Morrow and her team must not only solve her murder, but also figure
out where the money came from. During the initial
investigation, Morrow runs across a childhood friend, Kay Murray, who
was a caregiver for the young woman's mother in the home, and she and
her family come under suspicion, although Morrow herself doesn't believe
Kay had anything to do with it--it's her boss, DI Bannerman, who seems
anxious to wrap up the case in the most convenient way. Morrow also
struggles with her relationship with her brother Danny, a local tough
who followed in their father's footsteps as a gang boss. Another
excellent entry in this series, with lots of subplots and twists and
turns, and an ending that leaves you feeling unsettled and wondering
just what it was that really happened. Expertly read by Jane MacFarlane.
Looking forward to the next one!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview305169996">7. THIS NIGHT'S FOUL WORK by Fred Vargas. (#4 Commissaire Adamsberg mystery.) Grade: A </span></span><br />
Another excellent entry in this cerebral mystery series featuring Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg of the Serious Crimes Unit in Paris. Adamsberg is so far beyond the norm when it comes to policeman, I suspect he would resemble the bumbling Colombo of American TV fame. His mind is always wandering, off in the clouds, and yet his methods always get a result in the end. Half his crew worship and adore him and allow him free rein and obey his orders to the letter. The other half are just waiting for him to make a big mistake and they scoff at his preposterous suppositions. As per usual, two cases tie together--Adamsberg is called incidentally to a rural area where stags are being killed and their hearts cut out, meat left to rot. Meanwhile, murders are being done that make Adamsberg suspect an 'Angel of Mercy' serial killer, a visiting nurse who dispatched her patients so they would no longer suffer. Everyone thinks she's in prison, but Adamsberg drops the bombshell to his crew that she escaped a few months ago. Meanwhile, a New Recruit has joined the team, a young man who lived one village over from Adamsberg's birthplace in the Pyrenees. And Adamsberg is learning now to distance himself from Camille, the previous love of his life and who bore Adamsberg's son Tom. I thoroughly enjoy these very "different" sort of mysteries, although some of the things that happen in them are really unbelievable. As long as you can suspend your disbelief, they work fine. Very much looking forward to the next one!<br />
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8. CRUEL SISTER by Deborah Grabien. (#4 Haunted Ballad mystery) Grade: B+ <span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview317366768">The
origins of another folk ballad (Cruel Sister) come to light when Ringan
Laine and his girlfriend Penny Wintercraft-Hawkes greet Penny's long
absent brother Stephen and his wife, who are building a home on the Isle
of Dogs. Stephen wants Ringan to 'authenticate' the historical feeling
they want the home to have (besides being in a folk band, Ringan also
does period restorations on the side.) Ringan almost
immediately has a strange feeling at the property and sees and hears
things that apparently happened centuries earlier involving a brutal
murder--and it appears to be one twin killing her sister over the love
of a man. Getting the research team on the case, they discover that
these teenage girls were from Scotland, in London in advance of Henry
VIII's marriage to Ann of Cleves, and one of them was a goddaughter to
King Henry as well. As the mystery unfolds, Ringan gets drawn deeper and
deeper into the events of 1540 until Penny fears he is going to
disappear altogether. I really enjoy this series and find
Ringan, Penny and their circle to now be old friends. I will say that
this being the fourth one in the series, I've marked the grade a bit
lower as I'm finding the premise to be a bit formulaic with very similar
happenings in each book, lots of repeat descriptions of various
trance-like states that either Penny or Ringan go through which are
accompanied by much hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth until the ghosts
are dispatched. That said, I find the historical detail and the way
folk songs originate to be very interesting, and will happily read the
fifth and last in the series. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview317366768">9. SACRILEGE by S.J. Parris (AUDIO) (#3 Giordano Bruno historical mystery) Grade: B-/C+ </span></span><span class="readable reviewText">
<span id="freeTextreview313925677">Third in this series
featuring Giordano Bruno, an ex-monk with radical ideas who has been
pursued for heresy, he now works for the French ambassador and is
secretly an agent of Queen Elizabeth I's spymaster Sir Francis
Walsingham. Sophia Underhill, the young woman Bruno protected in the
last book and whom he was in love with, finds him and implores him to
clear her name, as she is accused of killing her magistrate husband. With
Sophia disguised as a boy, they are soon are off to Canterbury with
Walsingham's blessing--since he's going to have Bruno doing his own
investigation into a possible plot against the Queen, which leads to him
investigating a possible revival of the cult of Saint Thomas A. Becket,
who was himself murdered in the Canterbury Cathedral in the 12th
century. This book was probably better than I gave it credit
for...it's just that I seem to have stumbled upon a large number of
Elizabethan books lately, and everyone and his brother seem to be spies
for Walsingham, so I was not as enthralled as I might have been. It was
not really a "thrilling" book as advertised--the culprit was rather easy
to deduce, and I found Bruno's constant mooning romantically over
Sophia to be rather tiresome and a convenient excuse for his not picking
up on the rather obvious clues left by the author. The reader (John
Lee) was good though, and he did a variety of accents very well. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview313925677">10. NO GOOD DEEDS by Laura Lippman. (KINDLE) (#9 Tess Monaghan mystery series) Grade: A </span></span><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview311039382">Ninth
book in Lippmann's wonderful Tess Monaghan series in which we get to
know her boyfriend Crow a little better. Crow brings home a homeless
black teenager for dinner and invites him to stay the night and help him
find shelter the next day. Lloyd Jupiter thinks he's hit a gold mine
with the crazy white people who would let a common thief and scam artist
like him into their home. During dinner, Tess ascertains that Lloyd
seems to know something about the death of a prominent district attorney
a few weeks previously, but before she can get more information, Lloyd
tries to steal Tess's car and crashes it, running off into the night.Meanwhile,
Tess digs up some new information that leads her to believe Lloyd is in
danger and Crow, feeling guilty, tries to find him and help him. After
an interview Lloyd gives to one of Tess's journalist contacts, she is
visited by an odd mix of agents--FBI, DEA and one of the murdered
attorney's colleagues--who try to bully Tess into giving up her
'anonymous source' or face ruin.Another fast-paced ride
through Baltimore and environs as the author once again explores an
interesting side of life in that city, this time the disparity between
the mostly white "haves" and the mostly black "have nots." Only two more
to catch up to the most recent book--I shall be sad if there isn't
another waiting by the time I get there!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview311039382">11. THE CHESHIRE CAT'S EYE by Marcia Muller (AUDIO) (#3 Sharon McCone mystery) Grade: B+ </span></span><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview321792584">Third
in this series featuring San Francisco PI Sharon McCone. Sharon
discovers the body of a client and old friend who had asked to meet her
in a house he was in the process of restoring. She is then hired by the
man who owns the house in the hope that she can solve the crime and
clear the name of his business. The investigation then leads back to
another murder three years previously in the same house, and a missing
Tiffany lamp, a valuable stained glass featuring characters from Alice
in Wonderland. As Sharon starts digging up dirt on the people
involved with the Victorian preservation business, she discovers that
many people had a motive for one or another of the murders, and that she
likes a lot of the people and doesn't want to believe they had anything
to do with it. On a personal note, her relationship with Lt. Greg
Marcus also deepens, although as always during the investigation they
rankle each other mightily. Considering the age of this book,
it has stood the test of time surprisingly well and I look forward to
getting to know Sharon even better as I continue the series. The reader
(Laura Hicks) had a calming voice and read the book competently,
although her male voices all tend to sound somewhat the same.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview321792584">12. HUNTING THE WITCH by Ellen Hart (#9 Jane Lawless mystery) Grade: C+ </span></span><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview319170347">#9
in this series featuring Minneapolis restaurateur Jane Lawless. Jane,
still injured both physically and psychologically from the attack she
suffered in the last book, is trying to recover and make some decisions
about her relationship with Julia, who is still encouraging Jane to give
her another chance, despite the lies and secrets between them. Even
now, Julia speaks of "having a talk to clear the air" but it never seems
to happen--and when Jane is attacked by a man with a gun at Julia's
cabin, she's even less inclined to be forgiving. Meanwhile,
Patricia Kastner, a young woman who has shown an interest in Jane, gets
tangled up in a murder that happened at the Winter Garden, a hotel she
has purchased and is hoping to renovate. The murdered man also has ties
back to Julia, as Jane discovers when his wife (who had her husband
followed by a PI) seeks Julia out demanding answers. Jane begins turning
to alcohol more and more to help her sleep and also deal with the pain
from her injuries, and her friends are all concerned about her. This
was another book that I did not particularly like--another with too much stress on the "relationship drama"--it was okay, and I
know that in real life, people go through rough times, but seeing Jane
in this state is somewhat distressing, perhaps because I do think of her
as a friend. I hope she is on the mend soon and back to her old self.</span></span><br />
<br />
DNF: MURDER OFF THE BOOKS by Evelyn David (boring!) and MURDER PASSES THE BUCK by Deb Baker. Just...ugh.<br />
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CURRENT READS:<br />
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AUDIO:THE VOWS OF SILENCE by Susan Hill (#4 Simon Serrailler mystery)<br />
<br />
KINDLE:THE JANUS STONE by Elly Griffiths (#2 Ruth Galloway mystery)<br />
<br />
PRINT: THE KILL CALL by Stephen Booth (#9 Ben Cooper/Diane Fry mystery)<br />
<br />
CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-56467079455125642182012-03-13T07:12:00.006-05:002012-04-02T07:51:02.491-05:00March 20121. EYE OF THE RED TSAR by Sam Eastland. (AUDIO) (#1 Inspector Pekkala historical mystery) Grade: A Review pending at the Paperbackswap Blog.<br />
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2. NO MARK UPON HER by Deborah Crombie. (#14 Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery). Grade: A Fourteenth entry in this outstanding series featuring Scotland Yard detective Duncan Kincaid and DI Gemma James. With their lives officially blended now, Duncan had planned to take some family leave time to aid in assisting their new foster daughter Charlotte's adjustment. But when a major case involving the death of a ranking Metropolitan Police inspector comes up, his boss wants him on it. Rebecca Meredith was an Olympic calibre rower and her body is found in the Thames near her boat a few hours after she's reported missing by her ex-husband. Once it's determined to be murder, Duncan and Gemma both fear his leave may need to be put on the back burner. Teeming with potential suspects from Becca's personal, athletic and work life, Kincaid and his Sergeant, Doug Cullen, must first try to sort the massive amount of information. One piece of information from her work life leads to a secondary investigation conducted somewhat on the sly by Gemma with help from her former co-worker Melody, now an investigator with Project Sapphire, dealing with rape cases. This part of the investigation has the potential to get both Duncan and Gemma in their usual vat of hot water with their bosses. I hate when this happens, but as soon as the killer was introduced, I knew him for what he was. I had no idea why he had killed Becca Meredith, but I knew it was him. There were a few interesting plot twists that made me think for awhile that I might be wrong, but no. I love this series for its seamless blend of Duncan and Gemma's family and personal lives with their work and investigations. I also inevitably learn something from the books as the author picks a somewhat offbeat topic and researches it well--in this case, it's rowing, of course. The characters, even the secondary ones, are by now old friends and I look forward very eagerly to each new entry in the series, putting off the reading of it as long as I can, which usually isn't very long after release. And now I'm moaning that I have to wait for the next one to enjoy another visit. I can't recommend a series more highly than I do this one.<br />
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3. BURIED by Mark Billingham (KINDLE) (#6 DI Tom Thorne mystery) Grade: B Sixth in the DI Tom Thorne mystery series. The teenage son of a former cop is kidnapped, but oddly enough there's no ransom note and some question as to whether it was a true kidnapping or whether Luke Mullen voluntarily went off. Thorne, still in trouble with his boss and recovering from events in the last book, is seconded to a small team working with the kidnapping squad working on the case. As Thorne investigates and looks into the whereabouts of the list of people with grudges against Tony Mullen, Luke's father, he notices the conspicuous absence of a name mentioned by his old friend who works the cold case squad, and investigation into that person starts touching off some red flags. Why hadn't Mullen included the name on his list, and why hadn't his boss added the name when shown Mullen's list? Thorne thinks something is being covered up and is aiming to find out what. It has been a couple of years at least since I read the previous book in this series, mostly because I'd found Thorne's "bad boy rebel cop" persona to become mildly boring and predictable regardless of what stupid, outrageous things he did. He hasn't changed! LOL The book is well-written, well-plotted with some interesting twists that I didn't see coming at all, and while I actually like some of Thorne's secondary characters, I find Thorne hasn't changed much from his irritating old self. I absolutely loved the first couple of books in this series, but while I liked the rest of them, I think I will have to continue to leave months/years between reading each one.<br />
<br />
4. ASK THE CARDS A QUESTION by Marcia Muller (AUDIO) #2 Sharon McCone mystery) Grade: B Second in the series featuring San Francisco private investigator Sharon McCone. Sharon ends up investigating a killing that happens in her own building when her upstairs neighbor, elderly Mollie Antonio, is brutally strangled. Detective Greg Marcus asks her to identify the body since it seems everyone else in the building he's tried to question is either "drunk or crazy" and Sharon is horrified to note that a piece of drapery cord that possibly came from her own apartment is likely the murder weapon. As PI's are wont to do, she keeps mum about that tidbit of information and heads off into the neighborhood to question people close to Mollie, and as usual doesn't share her gleaned information with the police, putting herself and others in mortal danger. I guess since she ultimately solves the crime, that stuff doesn't matter though. Don't get me wrong, I like Sharon...it's just that I can't figure out how she's going to keep her PI license through umpteen books in the series if she keeps up that kind of behavior. LOL The reader was okay, but I have to admit that while she did okay with varying the female voices, most of the male voices sounded very similar. <br />
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5. DANCING WITH DEMONS by Peter Tremayne. (#18 Sister Fidelma historical mystery) Grade: B The High King of Eirann (Ireland) has been murdered, and while the killer isn't in question, his motives are--and since he killed himself after committing the crime, no one can ask him. The Assembly calls in Sister Fidelma to investigate as an impartial party, since they want no questions in the people's minds when the new High King is installed. So Fidelma and her husband, Brother Eadulf are once again off on a long journey to Tara, leaving their son Alchu behind in Cashel. These books are fairly formulaic, with the questioning of witnesses, the gleaning of interesting information and then the gathering at the end so Fidelma can do the big reveal. Obviously, the real killer was not who everyone asserted it was, and I didn't guess who until the end, but I had narrowed it down to one of three people. While I do enjoy these books, love the setting and the characters and the historical presence the author creates, one thing I am finding increasingly annoying is how the ancient language is incorporated into the books--a word from the ancient Irish (or Gaelic or whatever it is) is used and then it's briefly explained or defined. It's educational, but it detracts from the story and I seem to notice it more each time, which is probably why I leave so much time between them now.<br />
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6. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE NORTH by Philip Pullman. (AUDIO) Grade: A A quick prequel to Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, this features aeronaut Lee Scoresby as a much younger man on one of his first journeys in his hot air balloon. He puts down in a far arctic region to the island of Novy Odense where he meets two unexpected characters--the first an old enemy named Pierre McConville--a hired killer currently using a different name--and the second Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear who figures so prominently in Lyra's life in the later books. A very quick and easy listen--narration skillfully done by the author himself with a cast of other readers doing the character parts. Gives a little more insight into Scoresby's character as well as Iorek Byrnison's. Delightful! <br />
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7. SEASON OF DARKNESS by Maureen Jennings. (KINDLE) (#1 Inspector Tom Tyler historical mystery) Grade: C- First of a planned trilogy set in Shropshire, England in 1940. Inspector Tom Tyler is roused from his usual rather boring job in the small town of Whitchurch when one of the Land Army girls is found brutally murdered and posed. England is at war, and these girls are trucked in from the cities to help farmers with crops while most of the men are serving their country. The killing rouses suspicion that there may be a "Jerry" on the loose who possibly parachuted in, but Tyler believes the killer is much closer to home. When the post-mortem reveals that the girl was struck by a vehicle first and shot afterwards, he's almost certain of it. The question is whether it was a crime of chance or whether someone deliberately targeted the girl and why. Suspicion naturally falls first to the people of German descent interred at a local camp, although he's been assured that they are mostly harmless Jews who were also enemies of Hitler, having fled Germany for safer environs. Security also seems tight there, so it's unlikely that any of the men could have escaped--especially with use of a vehicle to have hit the girl with. The second death of another of the girls complicates the investigation even more. Tyler's investigation is further complicated by the return of his former lover, Clare, now married to a wealthy Swiss businessman. She is working as an interpreter and censor in the camp and seems interested in renewing their affair, even though Tyler is married too, albeit unhappily. Tyler is also worried about his son Jimmy, recently returned from the battle at Dunkirk with a bad case of shell shock, and with other family problems. I wanted to like this book more than I did, and I can't actually pinpoint exactly what it was that made me want to just get it finished by the time I got to the middle part. It seemed a bit put on if that makes any sense...like the author was trying TOO hard to make you think it was 1940, but you could still see the modern-day interpretation of things on the surface of it all. It didn't have the atmosphere of immersing you in the time and place like any good historical fiction or mystery book does, and I'm not sure just what the magic ingredient is but it was missing here. I won't be continuing this series if it does turn into a series.<br />
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8. GREY MASK by Patricia Wentworth (KINDLE) (#1 Miss Silver mystery) Grade: C This is the first in a long series of mysteries featuring an older woman named Miss Silver as the detective. It's a very old series, this book being written in 1928 and it did seem rather dated. Written in a rather different style from most modern detective stories, you really don't find out much of anything about Miss Silver nor get to read about her detecting techniques or anything. The story is told from the POV of several different characters involved. I was not overly crazy about the book. One of the main characters was a silly eighteen-year-old girl, recently left orphaned and she's just found out there is no legal paperwork showing that she is indeed her father's daughter, so she stands to lose a fortune. She's being protected from harm by several adults connected with the case, although she doesn't realize she's in danger. She is just...silly, giggly and I wanted to slap her into next week. I'm not sure yet if I am going to continue reading this series--others have said that some of the series books are much better than others, and I just don't think this was a good way to start. I want to know more about Miss Silver herself, otherwise why call them the "Miss Silver" mysteries?<br />
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9. THE PALE CRIMINAL by Philip Kerr (AUDIO) (#2 Bernie Gunther historical mystery) Grade: A- Second in this "Berlin noir" series set in 1930's Germany during the rise of Hitler. Bernie Gunther is a former cop, now private detective, who is approached by one of the higher-ups in the current police asking for help with a serial killer who is murdering young Aryan girls. Bernie is loathe to return to formal police work, but when the partner in his private detective agency is brutally murdered while on stakeout, he is a bit at loose ends and agrees to a short term reinstatement with a promotion to Commissar and control over the investigation. Of course, this gets up the noses of quite a few people and Bernie has never been good at toeing the Party line, so he's bound to get himself in hot water at least a few times before he figures out who the bad guy is. Fraught with political scheming and peril, Bernie knows that one wrong step could cause him to permanently disappear. Edgy and graphic, plenty of sax and violins (and I don't mean music! LOL) and much political incorrectness (as per the authenticity of the time) this would not be for the weak of stomach or lover of cozy mysteries. Definitely noir, and wonderfully read by John Lee. My only complaint is that some of the sex and violence seems to be there simply because it is expected and required and designed to shock...none of it was particularly inventive or interesting.<br />
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10. WORLD'S GREATEST SLEUTH! by Steve Hockensmith (#5 "Holmes on the Range" mystery.) Grade: A Another excellent entry in this series featuring the Amlingmeyer brothers, Big Red (Otto) and Old Red (Gustav) as they are off to Chicago to the World's Fair of 1893 to participate in a contest to determine (you guessed it!) the World's Greatest Sleuth. This is not something they volunteered for--Otto's publisher enrolled them to get publicity for his series of books and Old Red, still recovering from an incident that left him blinded for weeks, is NOT happy. Arriving at the last minute, they aren't sure exactly how the contest works, and they find themselves up against some awfully strange characters, the only friendly face being their old friend Diana Corvus. Both the brothers are hoping to impress her, but it's not exactly turning out that way...and when the man who was writing the contest clues ends up dead--smothered in a Mammoth Cheese--there are actually two contests going on...the sanctioned one, and the unofficial one to find who killed him. Hilarious and full of wry humor as well as some wonderful information and detail about the Chicago World's Fair, this was a great story and a well-plotted mystery with a bad guy that I didn't figure out nearly til the end. I do hope there will be more of these books forthcoming, although this is currently the last one.<br />
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11. MARTYR by Rory Clements (KINDLE) (#1 John Shakespeare historical mystery) Grade: C+ Did you know that William Shakespeare, the infamous playwright, had an older brother called John who was an intelligencer for Secretary Walsingham? Neither did I. LOL John begins investigating the death of a woman, a noblewoman distantly related to Queen Elizabeth. Her body is found in a burned out house, carved with profane religious symbols--and she was with child, the fetus having been sliced from her body before the fire, which only partly consumed her body. While he's investigating, he uncovers a plot to murder Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral of England's Royal Navy and their only hope to stave off a Spanish invasion, and must also try to foil that plot while still looking for the killer of Lady Blanche Howard. All the while, he's working at cross-purposes to one Richard Topcliffe, a trusted advisor to the Queen, who has it in for Shakespeare and always seems to be one step ahead of John's efforts. Walsingham, not wanting to incur the Queen's ire, tells Shakespeare he'll just have to put up with Topcliffe. Set during 1587 with the backdrop of the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots and the attempt by the government to hunt down and kill Catholic priests and arrest those found practicing Catholicism, this book was gripping at the same time as it felt tired and rehashed. The author used a lot of well-documented details to flesh out and authenticate parts of the story, but anyone who's read a bit of Elizabethan history will have heard most of it before. The story had an interesting beginning, but I found the intrigue to peter out a bit towards the middle and became rather predictable, even down to the romantic twist for Shakespeare. I'll probably read the next one in the series, although it won't be anytime soon.<br />
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12. THREE-DAY TOWN by Margaret Maron (AUDIO) (#17 Judge Deborah Knott mystery, also featuring the main character from her other series, Sigrid Harald.) Grade: B Deborah and Dwight are off to New York for a week for a much-postponed honeymoon with keys to their sister-in-law Kate's apartment where they'll stay. Deborah also totes a package for the daughter of a local woman, but discovers on arriving that she is out of the country on an extended holiday, so informed by Sigrid Harald, the woman's daughter. She asks Deborah to open the package--it's a rather obscene statuette--and makes arrangements to pick it up. But by the time she arrives, there's a dead body in the apartment (Deborah and Dwight being at a party down the hall) and the figurine is missing. I love the Judge Deborah books and the characters so much, I'm not sure I can write a really objective review as these are always like visits with old friends. But this one seemed a bit "off" to me, and perhaps it was the incorporation of Sigrid Harald--the main character in Maron's other series--that does it. I was disappointed at this on a personal level as I've not yet started reading that series and felt there were some things shared that will be spoilers for me when I do go back and start them. But the whole story seemed too scattered with an extra person's point of view in there. Possibly also the moving of the book from Deborah's home base of Colleton County. Whatever the reason, I didn't enjoy this production (although CJ Critt was fabulous as usual!) as much as previous ones. Still good, though!<br />
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13. SKIN DEEP by Timothy Hallinan (KINDLE) (#1 Simeon Grist mystery--although it was actually published third) Grade: C Simeon Grist is a private investigator in Hollywood, and one day while consuming beverages at a local tavern has the unfortunate experience of meeting Toby Vane, famous TV personality--although Simeon doesn't know at the time who he is. He starts knocking his date about in the pub, and Simeon intervenes--and quick as you can blink, he ends up hired by the star's manager with a job babysitting Toby and keeping him out of trouble. Not an easy task by anyone's estimation! And when the brutally murdered body of one of the nude dancers Toby was seen leaving her club with is found on the stage at the club, Simeon realizes his client could be in real hot water unless he takes the time to investigate. This book was...well, let me be honest. If I had not already read Timothy Hallinan's other series featuring Poke Rafferty, I would most likely have stopped reading this book well before my 50-page rule. It starts out...well, it's cheesy, rather amateurish and cliched, and I actually laughed in places I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to. However, I persevered, and it does actually get better by about mid-book although it is nowhere near the quality and calibre of the author's later writing. The author has said that this was the first book in the series, but it was passed over in favor of two other books in the series that ended up being published before this one. I can understand why, given my initial reaction to the book. I can only assume they get better, and I think Mr. Hallinan can certainly be very proud of how much his writing has improved and matured over time, as Poke Rafferty is one of my top ten favorite mystery series ever. I will look forward to watching Simeon develop! <br />
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14. THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD by John Le Carre. (AUDIO) Grade: A+ This audio version of the classic spy novel was a full-cast production with sound effects and it was wonderful! It features George Smiley (of Le Carre's spy series) but only peripherally and is primarily about Alec Leamas, one of Smiley's contemporaries, who goes in deep cover without support in another attempt to bring down Mundt, the notorious German spy. Excellent!!<br />
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DNF: THE ANATOMIST'S APPRENTICE by Tessa Harris. Read about 20% of it on my Kindle and just couldn't get interested in it. Also SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD by Robert McCammon--his minutely detailed descriptions of people and their clothing was so distracting from the story, I couldn't read more than 80 pages before wanting to hurl the book across the room.<br />
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CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-74542188165093119612012-02-07T15:39:00.003-06:002012-02-29T07:42:20.594-06:00FEBRUARY 2012A new month, and moved in to the new apartment, but still with lots to do to get really settled in. Hope to get a bit more reading done this month than last, though!<br />
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Oh...I wanted to add that I finally actually *bought* a book, the first since Dec. 30, 2010! There is a wonderful series by Dolores Stewart Riccio about a small group of Wiccan women, the lead character being Cass Shipton. I read what was then the "last" one a few years ago, but last year, discovered that since then she got a new publisher and there are now FOUR more for me to read! I had them all on my wishlist and if I was ever tempted to stray off my resolution for 2011 and buy, it was this book. But I held out til now. I ordered the fifth in the series (The Divine Circle of Ladies Playing With Fire) from Amazon and hope to be enjoying it very soon! :)<br />
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1. COOKING UP MURDER by Miranda Bliss (Kindle) (#1 Cooking Class Mystery) Grade: C-/D+ Trying to find a lighter, cozier series to read at bedtime so thought I would give this, the first "Cooking Class Mystery" a try. *sigh* Like so many cozy series, it ended up being mostly a romance with the main female character doing lots of fantasizing and drooling over the main male character. Very stereotypical characters--Annie (main character) has less-than-perfect looks and low self-esteem due to cheating hubby and recent divorce. Her best friend Eve is a vivacious drop dead gorgeous blonde, and the cooking instructor is a hot guy complete with a sexy Scottish accent. (Can you hear my eyes rolling? LOL) The plot and story just didn't have much depth, a cookie-cutter mystery, just boring and predictable...I didn't hate it or the main character, she was so devoid of character that I just didn't care one way or another what happened. I finished it, but I won't be continuing on in the series.<br />
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2. THE TWELVE by Stuart Neville (also published as "The Ghosts of Belfast" in the UK) Grade: A While this book is listed as the first in a series featuring Belfast cop Jack Lennon, he is really only introduced minimally here, and former enforcer for the IRA, Gerry Fegan, is the lead character. Haunted by the ghosts of those he killed during his "career," he has been drowning his sorrows in drink since being released from prison nine years previously. Now the twelve ghosts follow him, imploring him to seek justice for them on those who engineered their deaths, even if Gerry is the one who did the deed. As the Irish factions strive to (at least outwardly) settle things politically rather than with the violence of old, Gerry's destruction of some of the former IRA movers and shakers is very ill-timed, and Davy Campbell, an intelligence agent in deep cover close to the current top man, is tasked with finding and silencing Gerry--permanently. Who will find whom first? Stark, haunting and brutally violent, this is not a book for the weak of heart or stomach. But it is a very good book, sucking you into the story from the first paragraph until the surprising ending.<br />
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3. THE STATE OF THE ONION by Julie Hyzy (Kindle) (#1 White House Chef mystery) Grade: B In this first "White House Chef" mystery featuring Olivia "Ollie" Paras, assistant executive chef in the presidential residence, we're introduced to the world of not only cooking but also to the behind the scenes world of working at the White House in a normally lower profile job. Ollie, however, seems to have a knack for getting in trouble and begins the story by clobbering an intruder who got by the Secret Service and guards onto the White House grounds--with a silver frying pan she'd had engraved for her boss Henry, the executive chef who will soon be retiring. Things sort of skyrocket and go downhill for Ollie from there as it turns out the man she clobbered wasn't a real bad guy, but someone trying to warn the President of a plot against his life. Against the backdrop of diplomacy and trade/peace negotiations, Henry, Ollie and the rest of the small permanent staff are trying to plan an important state dinner as well as hosting Ollie's rival for the position of executive chef for her audition day. As usual when I start a new cozy series, I start out with a bit of trepidation, because I simply don't like so many of them. This was not bad--a little too much of Ollie's lamenting her rocky relationship with her sometime-boyfriend because I'm never impressed when a main character's mood or self-esteem is tied to a love interest. But the setting I think was unique enough that I quite enjoyed the story and learning about all the things that go into considering cooking for functions at the White House that you normally wouldn't think about. I will definitely read on in the series, and unless it gets to be too formulaic or too romance-bound, it sounds like a pretty good one.<br />
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4. A TRICK OF THE LIGHT by Louise Penny (AUDIO) #7 Armand Gamache "Three Pines" mystery) Grade: A+ Another wonderful visit to Three Pines, although there is much hurt and internal strife among Armand Gamache's homicide team with the Surete du Quebec as they all are still attempting to recover from the devastating attack that left both Armand and his second, Jean-Guy Beauvior, seriously injured. And another body found in Three Pines, in the garden of Clara and Peter Morrow the morning after a party celebrating Clara's solo art show in Montreal dampens things even further. Though not recognized immediately, it's later determined that the victim was a childhood friend of Clara's, which leaves her at the top of the suspect list, at least theoretically. I thoroughly enjoyed this audio production of the book which was well-read, and the story itself was interesting too. Most of all though, I love this series for the village of Three Pines itself and for the eccentric, well-defined characters, and for the ongoing development in the main characters' lives. Definitely among my top ten favorite series.<br />
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5. WHAT REMAINS OF HEAVEN by C.S. Harris #5 Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery. Grade: A+ Another excellent entry in this historical series set in the 1810's in London. A bishop is murdered, struck down in a crypt that had been blocked up 30 years previously--and when the bishop's body is discovered, another body--also murdered--is found nearby. The Archbishop of London, well aware of Viscount Devlin (Sebastian St. Cyr) and his knack for solving difficult murders, implores him (with the help of his aunt, whom he dotes on) to find the killer. Sebastian is intrigued by the case, given the older dead body too. As he investigates, he discovers some troubling things about his own past and also again encounters Miss Hero Jarvis nosing around the case too--she even had a meeting with the Bishop shortly before he went off to the village where he was killed. This series is well-written, well-plotted, and has engaging characters, as well as a real sense of place and time in history. It's fast becoming one of my favorite historical series although it falls much later in time than my main interest. Highly recommended!<br />
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6. THE BODY ON THE BEACH by Simon Brett (AUDIO) #1 "Fethering" mystery. Grade A- First in a series set in Fethering on the south coast of England, featuring Carole Seddon, a fifty-something retired woman. I wasn't sure I was going to finish this when I first started it--Carole started out as an insufferable prig, concerned only with 'what the neighbors think' but after a bit she started loosening up and by the end was almost human. Walking her dog along the beach early one morning, Carole discovers a dead body washed up on shore. She reports this to the police but when they go to check it out, it's disappeared and they obviously think her some hysterical menopausal freak. Together with her new neighbor Jude, a much more relaxed and easy-going person, they begin to investigate where the body might have gone--as well as who it was and whodunit, of course. As mentioned, at first I was dubious about this main character, but by about a third of the way through I actually started to enjoy the story and finished it up in one day. The mystery wasn't difficult to figure out ahead, but that is often the case for me, so not really an issue. The reader was excellent, which helped too. Definitely going to move forward in the series.<br />
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7. A DEADLY PENANCE by Maureen Ash (KINDLE) (#6 Bascot de Marins "Templar Knight" mystery) Grade: A Sir Bascot de Marins, Templar Knight, is back in the service of the Templars but not on fighting duty per se--he is the second in command at the Lincoln encampment, and works keeping books and stores in order. It's the slow time after Christ's Mass, when not much trade is occurring due to the weather, so when he is summoned by his former retainer, Nicolaa de la Haye, castellan of Lincoln Castle, to help with a murder investigation, he is happy for the distraction. A young servant of Nicolaa's sister, who has been visiting for some weeks, is shot with a crossbow bolt from a miniature crossbow gifted to Nicolaa by her father when she was a child. The man was quite a philanderer, so it's suspected that perhaps the husband of one of his conquests has murdered him, but further investigation opens up several other possibilities, even including possible suspects in Nicolaa or his sister's retinue. Another well-done entry in this series--it's odd, when I'm reading the book, I find the writing style a little dry at times, and Bascot himself not a very memorable or strong character, but when I'm done, I find I've enjoyed the book very much, loved the historical details, and am ready and eager to read the next in series.<br />
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8. OTHER GODS by Barbara Reichmuth Geisler. #1 Averillan Chronicles historical mystery. Grade: C- This is the first of a 2-book series set in mid 1100's England near Shaftesbury and features a convent with the main character being one Dame Averilla, the herbalist/healer for the convent and town. I don't know if she was meant to be the female counterpart of Brother Cadfael, but it certainly didn't come off that way. One of the nuns, Dame Agnes, has recently been having 'fits' where she seems to hear voices and respond to them, she screams, tears her clothing off, etc. and is believed by the sub-prioress, the self-righteous Dame Joan, to be possessed. Averilla believes there may be another explanation but before they can come to a conclusion, Dame Agnes disappears and is gone for several days before the Abbess gives Averilla leave to go searching, since the town bailiff has had no success. I really liked the author's writing style, the historical detail and ambiance...it was very easy to imagine yourself right "there" where the author put you...however, the whole undertone of the book ruined the story for me. It was preachy and churchy and had far too much of the mental self-flagellation and self-blame which Christians indulge in as an undertone....it felt a bit 'off' and despite the fact that I had this and the second in series on my wishlist for several years before acquiring it, I won't be bothering with the second one.<br />
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9. THE MIND'S EYE by Hakan Nesser. (#1 Inspector Van Veeteren mystery) (AUDIO) Grade: B.Another of those very oddly-written Scandinavian mysteries, this one featuring Inspector Van Veeteren, a toothpick-chewing, somewhat plodding man ten years from retirement and wishing it were sooner. When teacher Ava Ringmar is found drowned in her bathtub, her husband becomes the prime suspect--he found her when he woke from a drunken stupor in the morning and doesn't recall a thing, although he protests his innocence. Months go by, the jury finds him guilty of manslaughter by reason of insanity...and then he is murdered in the mental hospital where he's incarcerated. Van Veeteren, who had doubts in the first place about the man's guilt, must now go back and revisit the original crime. While I really enjoyed the reading of this book, I got the impression the author thought he was going to surprise everyone with the plot twist that revealed the killer. I had figured out who the bad guy was, why he killed Ava and the whole thing by about 1/3 of the way through. The only thing I didn't see coming was the killer getting into the hospital to kill Ava's husband. As many of the Scandinavian mysteries are, this one was a bit dark and gloomy, but I still liked it and I think as long as I don't read or listen to them too close together, I'll continue to enjoy them. <br />
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10. KISSING THE DEMONS by Kate Ellis (#3 Joe Plantagenet mystery) (KINDLE) Grade: B- A fast-paced mystery, the third featuring DI Joe Plantagenet and DCI Emily Thwaite in fictional Eborby, UK. When new DNA evidence comes to light, Joe and Emily are asked to look discreetly into a prominent politician's possible involvement in the disappearance of two girls a dozen years previously. The fresh murder of a college student keeps them headed in another direction until they realize the old case has ties to their current one--and possibly an even older murder committed decades ago in the house where the college girl lived. I like this series and the writing style is very easy to read, and I like the way the author generally ties an old historical case to something currently going on. But I am a lover of strong, interesting characters and the characters here seem a bit "stuck" at the moment, without much real development in their lives...they're sort of bland, and there really aren't any recurring secondary characters who get more than a passing mention either. The mystery wasn't difficult to figure out, and a bit of warning--there is a bit of the ghostly supernatural present here too, so if you're not a fan of that woo-woo, beware. I'll continue reading the series, but it's not what I would call a favorite.<br />
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11. HOUNDED by Kevin Hearne (#1 Iron Druid Chronicles urban fantasy) (AUDIO) Grade: A+ I listened to the audio version of this book and thought it was just excellent! Modern urban fantasy full of lots of old Celtic and Norse gods and legends, this opening entry introduces us to Atticus O'Sullivan (not his real name, ha ha!) a Druid who is more than 2100 years old. Living as a twenty-something occult bookstore owner and mixer of herbal teas and potions, Atticus lives in an Arizona college town, trying to blend in while more or less hiding out from an old Celtic God who wants his magical sword and to finally kick his butt to the next world, preferably Hell. He has some strange allies from the pages of myth and legend, as well as some pretty cool real-life characters, including his Irish Wolfhound Oberon, whom Atticus can communicate with telepathically. I really loved this book--the tone is similar to Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series, so yeah--smart alecky and wise cracking and decidedly irreverent, which means I'm probably going to like it. LOL Very smoothly written, easy to listen to with engaging and well-developed characters...definitely a winner and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. Also very well-read with Luke Daniels at the microphone.<br />
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12. HARD TIMES by Charles Dickens (classic) Grade: B Classic tale of Victorian England with all the social injustices occurring as the Industrial Revolution geared up and the class struggles between the haves and have-nots. It's told from the point of view of several people, some the factory owners and others the downtrodden workers and other inhabitants of Coketown, the fictional city Dickens bases his characters in. It took me about 30 pages or so to warm up to the book--once I realized it was meant to be sarcastic and humorous I did better with it, and actually quite enjoyed it in retrospect even though I "assigned" it to myself as sort of a have-to-read book--I'm trying to read more classic literature this year. There were some difficulties with the language at first but again, once reading it for awhile I got used to it and it was easier to understand.<br />
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13. SKINWALKERS by Tony Hillerman (#7 Leaphorn/Chee mysteries) (KINDLE) Grade: A I'm pretty sure I read most of these early books in the Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee mysteries, but it's been many years and I don't remember much for details. I enjoyed this one a lot! Leaphorn and Chee are just getting to know one another as they investigate several deaths that are somehow connected, but they can't quite get a handle on how or why. Leaphorn also believes the attempt on Chee's life--someone pumped three shotgun blasts into his trailer where he should have been sleeping--is tied in as well. As the pieces begin falling into place, Leaphorn realizes that he must track Chee down before he heads into a seemingly unrelated meeting about a Blessing Way sing that could end Chee's life. Great characters, wonderful sense of place and interesting mystery.<br />
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Currently reading: <br />
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NO MARK UPON HER by Deborah Crombie<br />
BURIED by Mark Billingham<br />
EYE OF THE RED TSAR by Sam Eastland<br />
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CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-86086467336161544532012-01-11T12:22:00.003-06:002012-02-03T22:24:16.759-06:00January 2012My gosh, it's the second week of January and I haven't updated yet! I have read a few books, but am packing to move at the end of the month, so reviews are going to be very sketchy if they are forthcoming at all.<br />
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Top news: I met my 2011 Book Resolution--not to purchase for money ANY books during the year! Yay me! And right now I'm so broke, I haven't bought any yet this year either. LOL My 2012 Book Resolution is to read one "classic" a month. Some are more recent classics, others older, but I'm just trying to expand my horizons a bit. I read mostly mysteries and sometimes get tired of the same old, same old...have gotten pickier in my dotage, too.<br />
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1. MURDER ON LEXINGTON AVENUE by Victoria Thompson. (#12 "Gaslight" historical mystery) B+<br />
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2. A GAME OF LIES by Rebecca Cantrell (#3 Hannah Vogel historical mystery) A+<br />
<br />
3. THE RISK OF DARKNESS by Susan Hill (#3 Simon Serrailler mystery) (AUDIO) A+<br />
<br />
4. DEVIL'S PEAK by Deon Meyer (#1 Benny Griessel mystery) (KINDLE) A+<br />
<br />
5. THE STRANGER by Albert Camus (my classic for the month) B+<br />
<br />
6. ABOUT FACE by Donna Leon (#18 Commissario Guido Brunetti) (AUDIO) B<br />
<br />
7. BLOODY MARY by J.A. Konrath #2 Jack Daniels mystery) (KINDLE) B+<br />
<br />
8. BRYANT & MAY ON THE LOOSE by Christopher Fowler (#7 Bryant & May mystery) A+<br />
<br />
9. I SHALL WEAR MIDNIGHT by Terry Pratchett (#38 Discworld, #4 Tiffany Aching sub-series) A+<br />
<br />
10. DRAGONSEYE by Anne McCaffrey (#4 Dragonriders of Pern fantasy) (KINDLE) A<br />
<br />
<br />
DNF: THE MERLOT MURDERS by Ellen Crosby (#1 Wine Country mystery) (AUDIO)<br />
<br />
CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-42347122211843711382011-12-23T07:30:00.002-06:002011-12-31T21:06:54.615-06:00TOPS n BOTTOMS 2011END OF YEAR SUMMARY<br />
<br />
Total Books Read: 214<br />
<br />
DNFs: 6<br />
<br />
Books in/books out (note that this is since Feb. 1, 2011 so is actually only 11 months worth:<br />
<br />
Books Acquired (all from Paperbackswap and Amazon Vine): 92<br />
<br />
Books Lost (traded, sold, donated) from physical TBR shelves: 543<br />
<br />
Net loss: 451 books<br />
<br />
Total left on TBR: To be announced--still compiling...<br />
<br />
TOPS n BOTTOMS:<br />
This was VERY difficult...but this is what I eventually settled on. Even with the honorable mentions listed, there were a LOT of excellent books that didn't make the list!<br />
<br />
TOP TEN MYSTERIES (in no particular order...but I did cheat a little, counting series books that I read this year in the same series as one entry)<br />
<br />
1. A TRACE OF SMOKE/A NIGHT OF LONG KNIVES by Rebecca Cantrell (#1 & 2 Hannah Vogel series)<br />
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2. BREATHING WATER/THE QUEEN OF PATPONG by Timothy Hallinan (#3 & 4 Poke Rafferty series)<br />
<br />
3. AMONG THE MAD/THE MAPPING OF LOVE AND DEATH/A LESSON IN SECRETS by Jacqueline Winspear (#6, 7 & 8 Maisie Dobbs series)<br />
<br />
4. THE VICTORIA VANISHES by Christopher Fowler (#6 Bryant & May mysteries)<br />
<br />
5. A RED HERRING WITHOUT MUSTARD/I AM HALF SICK OF SHADOWS by Alan Bradley (audio) (#3/4 Flavia de Luce series)<br />
<br />
6. SNAKESKIN SHAMISEN/BLOOD HINA by Naomi Hirahara (#3/4 Mas Arai series)<br />
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7. LOVE SONGS FROM A SHALLOW GRAVE/SLASH AND BURN by Colin Cotterill (#7/8 Dr. Siri Paiboun series)<br />
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8. GUNSHOT ROAD by Adrian Hyland (#2 Emily Tempest mystery)<br />
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9. BURY YOUR DEAD by Louise Penny (#6 Three Pines mystery)<br />
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10. THE WEAVER AND THE FACTORY MAID/FAMOUS FLOWER OF SERVING MEN/MATTY GROVES by Deborah Grabien (#1/2/3 "Haunted Ballad" mysteries)<br />
<br />
Honorable mention:<br />
<br />
A FIELD OF DARKNESS by Cornelia Read (#1 Madeline Dare mystery)<br />
<br />
CHILD 44 by Tom Rob Smith (#1 Leo Demidov mystery--note: I didn't like the second one nearly as well)<br />
<br />
IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM by Stefanie Pintoff (#1 Simon Ziele historical mystery)<br />
<br />
THE LIONS OF THE NORTH by Edward Marston (#4 Domesday medieval mysteries)<br />
<br />
THE PURE IN HEART by Susan Hill (#2 Simon Serrailler mystery)<br />
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THE CASE OF THE MISSING SERVANT/THE CASE OF THE MAN WHO DIED LAUGHING by Tarquin Hall (audio) (#1/2 Vish Puri mysteries)<br />
<br />
FROM THE GROUNDS UP/A CUP OF JO by Sandra Balzo (#5/6 Maggy Thorsen mystery)<br />
<br />
TO FETCH A THIEF/THE DOG WHO KNEW TOO MUCH by Spencer Quinn (audio) (#3/4 Chet & Bernie)<br />
<br />
TOP "OTHER" GENRES<br />
<br />
1. THE WEE FREE MEN/A HAT FULL OF SKY/WINTERSMITH by Terry Pratchett (Discworld fantasy series, Tiffany Aching sub-series)<br />
<br />
2. THE LAST KINGDOM by Bernard Cornwell (#1 Saxon historical fiction series)<br />
<br />
3. THE LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS by Joe Abercrombie (#3 First Law fantasy trilogy)<br />
<br />
4. THE WARDED MAN by Peter V. Brett (#1 Demon Cycle trilogy, fantasy)<br />
<br />
5. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (audio)<br />
<br />
6. THE EAGLE'S BROOD by Jack Whyte (#3 Camulod Chronicles historical fantasy)<br />
<br />
7. DOWNPOUR by Kat Richardson (#6 Greywalker paranormal mystery)<br />
<br />
8. BLOODSHOT: CHESHIRE RED REPORTS by Cherie Priest (#1 Cheshire Red paranormal)<br />
<br />
BOTTOMS--WORST MYSTERIES (that I actually finished...DNF's not counted)<br />
<br />
MAMA RIDES SHOTGUN by Deborah Sharp<br />
<br />
CAT OF THE CENTURY by Rita Mae Brown<br />
<br />
CUT SHORT by Leigh Russell<br />
<br />
DEAD CONNECTION by Alafair Burke (audio)<br />
<br />
PRETTY GIRL GONE by David Housewright<br />
<br />
THE INDIAN BRIDE by Karin Fossum<br />
<br />
I will amend this post later to do a summary of my year's reading--# of books, the status of my TBR pile, etc. Roll on 2012...it's going to be a GREAT year! :)<br />
<br />
CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-54565033565175273582011-12-06T07:26:00.005-06:002011-12-31T20:51:10.223-06:00December 2011Well, here it is, the last month of my self-imposed book-buying ban. I can't say I've really suffered much--the Hennepin County Library System is wonderful, and I've still allowed myself books from Paperbackswap, so it's not like I've been totally bereft. There are lots of great books to read for Kindle that are free from the library and the Kindle Lending Library (free with my Prime account) so haven't needed to buy any even for that. I am going to do one last big TBR culling this month and then consolidate what's left on the bookshelves to see how I'm doing space-wise. I'll issue a final report after the first of the year on how I did with paring those TBR shelves down. AND to let you know the first books I actually buy in 2012. :) <br />
<br />
Now, on to the reading list for December!<br />
<br />
1. CHILDREN OF THE STREET by Kwei Quartey. (Kindle) B+ Second in the Darko Dawson series, with Darko being a police detective with CID in Accra, Ghana. A series of brutal murders of street children in Accra has Dawson chasing down an invisible killer, while he also has to deal with the deteriorating health of his seven-year-old son who has an atrial-septal defect. Very good second in series--I liked it better than the first, am finding Dawson's character more fleshed out in this book and getting to know the secondary characters better as well. I also did not figure out whodunit til nearly the end. Excellent immersion into a culture which is totally foreign to me, something I always enjoy.<br />
<br />
2. THE GRAVEYARD GAME by Kage Baker. B+ #4 Company fantasy series. It's really hard to describe this series, about an all-powerful Company from the future who makes orphaned children immortals and sends them into the past to save various relics, artifacts, works of art and the like. Sounds noble, but it's more for the financial benefit of the Company, run by Dr. Zeus. In this book, one of the characters we've met in the first three books, the Botanist Mendoza, has disappeared, and her recruiter, the Facilitator Joseph, as well as her dear friend Lewis (who is secretly in love with her) are determined to find her. Fearing that the Company has sent Mendoza to some unknown facility and deactivated her somehow, they must covertly search, as their actions and speech are monitored by The Company. Sometimes confusing with the forward and backward time frames, the series is otherwise brilliant--you just have to be sure to focus totally while you're reading as small bits of information end up being important later on.<br />
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3. THE DOG WHO KNEW TOO MUCH by Spencer Quinn. (AUDIO) A #4 Chet & Bernie mystery. Another great entry in this series set in Arizona, told from the point of view of Chet, a failed police academy dog and his partner Bernie Little. Together they are the sum total of the Little Detective Agency, which is always on precarious ground--not because of any failing in the private detection part, but because Bernie's a bit less than a stellar business manager and often too kind-hearted and generous with his time. So when big-time PI company owner Georgie Malouf offers Bernie a permanent job with a substantial increase in pay and benefits, it stands to reason that he'll accept. Right? Wrong. Bernie likes his independence and shows it by accepting a case to essentially bodyguard a woman who is picking up her son from a mountain camp and expects trouble from her ex-husband. And trouble there is, although not the kind they expected. Devon, her son, has disappeared, wandered off the trail, and Chet & Bernie are off to search, only to find the murdered body of the camp counselor who was on the hike with Devon's group. Crooked cops with something to hide end up shanghi-ing Bernie into jail where he finds himself accused of the murder.Meanwhile, Chet finds his way back home, hooks up with Bernie's girlfriend Suzie and...well, you'll have to read it. Or listen. I have listened to all this series in audio format and as long as they continue to be available, will continue to do so. The reader is absolutely brilliant in depicting Chet's "voice" and the tone of the books. I always enjoy these immensely--and then am sorry that I now have to wait so long for the next one.<br />
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4. BY A SPIDER'S THREAD by Laura Lippman (Kindle) A #8 Tess Monaghan series set in Baltimore. An Orthodox Jewish man seeks Tess on the recommendation of her uncle (Tess is, despite the name, half-Jewish herself) when his wife disappears without trace with their three children. Mark Rubin can think of no good reason for this, insisting that their marriage was happy, but the police refuse to investigate, finding no evidence of any foul play. Tess finds the going slow at first--Natalie Rubin used no credit cards to make her escape and she seems to have faded into the woodwork. Until the elder Rubin son, Isaac, aged nine, manages to phone Mark briefly leaving a caller ID of a pay phone at a McDonalds in a small town in Indiana. Then Tess's newfound online circle of female PI's known as SnoopSisters swings into action and Tess's digging begins to pay off. Another great entry in the series, which I like because there's just the right balance of personal and professional details and of action and introspection.<br />
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5. WASH THIS BLOOD CLEAN FROM MY HAND by Fred Vargas. A #4 Chief Inspector Adamsberg mystery set in France, although this one takes place partially in Quebec as Adamsberg and his close associates go there for a two-week training seminar on forensic advancements. Adamsberg is on the trail of a serial killer who has killed over decades, often spacing his kills by years and then vanishing from the area such that suspicion is not aroused. It's personal for Jean-Baptiste though, as one of the people whom this killer--also a powerful Judge--framed was his brother Raphael, when the boy was barely out of his teens. Now, after a long hiatus, he seems to have struck again--despite having died sixteen years ago! But the Judge knows Adamsberg is on his trail and sets him up for a fall much like his brother's and it will take every bit of the wily detective's cunning--and a little help from his friends--to nab the crafty killer. While this whole scenario seemed to me wholly implausible in many ways, it still sucked me in and kept me interested right through til the end, and I very much look forward to the next book in the series.<br />
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6. BLOODSHOT: CHESHIRE RED REPORTS by Cherie Priest. (AUDIO) A #1 in the Cheshire Red series, featuring vampire Raylene Pendle whose alias is Cheshire Red, a notorious thief who's been stealing valuables for decades and is presumed to be a man. Raylene is a lone vampire, not affiliated with any House, and seldom interacts with other vamps. Paranoid almost to a fault, she has several safe houses, multiple identities and almost no one except a couple of very discreet clients have her cell phone number, much less know where she lives. So when she is contacted at her home by Ian Stott, who wants to hire her to steal papers and medical records from a study he was involved in, she is intrigued--and horrified--because the experiments, which were done against his will, left Ian blind, and physical deformities are just not something that happen to vampires. To top it off, the studies were conducted by the U.S. Government which shocks Raylene, as she had no idea Uncle Sam was even aware of the existence of vampires. Raylene goes against all her usual tendencies--which include running and hiding at the first sign of trouble--and heads right into danger to find out what horrible things the government might be intending for vampires--including herself. If she's caught, that is--something Raylene is not going to allow to happen. Excellent first book in this paranormal series, not a cozy "but I'm a GOOD Vampire!" type series at all with plenty of off-color language, adult situations and...well, Raylene isn't exactly a good vampire. Audio version read perfectly by Natalie Ross. Looking forward to the next in series.<br />
<br />
7. DEAD CONNECTIONS by Alafair Burke (AUDIO) C- #1 Ellie Hatcher mystery. Singularly uninspired first in series about a NYC detective, pulled from general duty to the murder squad to help with a serial killer who's using an online dating site to choose victims. Ellie Hatcher has a haunted past herself, trying to convince the world that her father did not commit suicide but was the victim of the serial killer he was after and never could catch. While this book was competently written, and wasn't horrible, it felt sort of like an "instant mystery" where you add boiling water to a cup o'noodles and wait for 3 minutes. It is a story, but there's not much meat, the flavor's less than savory and the overall impression is one of "I'll only eat this stuff (read this series) again if there's nothing better." The characters were more like caricatures without any real substance, and I was never very interested in the case, finding it and the characters just blah--including Ellie herself. I believe I will pass on the rest of the series.<br />
<br />
8. THE LONE TRAVELLER by Susan Kelly. A #1 Supt. Gregory Summers mystery set in the Thames Valley. It's the summer solstice and the gypsies and New Age enthusiasts have come into town for the faire and celebration at a nearby stone circle. Tensions heat up between the two groups, and between the townsfolk and the travellers, and when a six-year-old girl goes missing, those tensions mount high, and explode once the inevitable happens and the girl's body is found. Summers has all he can do to try to keep the town under control and precious little time to actually work on investigating young Jordan's death. This book captured me right from the beginning, although at first, one aspect of the main character's personal life was a little off-putting--those of you who have read it will know what I mean. But by the end of the book, I felt I knew Greg Summers much better and although I figured out his mystery for him before he did, I am definitely going to be reading on in this series.<br />
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9. THE QUEEN OF PATPONG by Timothy Hallinan. A+ #4 Poke Rafferty mystery set in Bangkok, Thailand. In this fourth Poke Rafferty mystery, the story is all about Rose, Poke's wife. A man from her past recognizes her in a restaurant as Poke, Rose and their daughter Miaow are dining and threatens her. The usually unflappable Rose turns into an instant basket case, claiming she thought he was dead--and that she had killed him! Eventually she tells her story from the beginning to her family--from when she was Kwan, a seventeen-year-old village girl until she became Rose, a dancer, bar girl and prostitute. This is a very typical story for Thai girls from outlying villages who come to Bangkok and become workers in the booming sex trade industry. Poke knew of Rose's former occupation of course, but nothing about Howard Horner, whom Rose took up with years previously, thinking they were going to marry. There is not much to be said about this book that "WOW!" won't cover. This has quickly become one of my very favorite series for a whole lot of reasons and I had been hoarding this book for months before I couldn't take it any more and had to read it. Now I just hope the author has the next one in the wings for publication SOON...so I can hoard that one for awhile. LOL<br />
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10. INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS by Imogen Robertson. (Kindle) B+ First of a series set in 1780's Sussex, UK and featuring Gabriel Crowther, a gentleman who relinquished his title and is now mostly a recluse and a 'man of science' and Harriet Westerman, who runs the manor next door while her sea captain husband is away. Mrs. Westerman finds a murdered body on her land and having read a paper Mr. Crowther wrote about evidence at murder scenes, seeks him out immediately. This leads to an extensive investigation which is tied to the missing heir of Thornleigh Hall (another neighbor of theirs). Eventually a couple of other murders yield more clues as the pair investigate, since the local squire seems to be in Thornleigh Hall's pocket and isn't much interested in the truth. I freely admit that this is not my favorite historical time period, so I started the book with a bit of a jaundiced eye. The characters and the story were interesting enough to get me into it right away though, and the writing style is easy to read and well-constructed. The only reason I don't give it five stars is that it did bog down a bit in the middle and was a bit overlong--I'm not sure all the detail about Captain Thornleigh's past and flashbacks to years previous were really necessary. The mystery itself was fairly easy to figure out but I still really enjoyed the story and will definitely read on.<br />
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11.EDWIN OF THE IRON SHOES by Marcia Muller. (AUDIO) B+ First of the Sharon McCone series in San Francisco, this was published in 1977, which is the year I graduated from high school, so it's OLD. LOL The book has Sharon, a P.I. working for a law cooperative, looking into first a series of vandalism and property attacks in a small neighborhood to the murder of one of the proprietors, an older woman who ran an antique shop. Because Sharon had inside information about the locals from her investigation, she 'independently assists' the police with their inquiries. A little bit dated, which is only to be expected from a 35 year old book, but I enjoyed it anyway...in a time when detection meant going to the library for research, not turning on a computer, and when you didn't have a cell phone to ring the police when you were in trouble. This is the first time I've read this author and I will definitely be continuing on with the series--I like Sharon already and the tone of the writing is middle of the road--neither dark and gory nor sweetness-and-light cozy. It will be a LONG time until I can catch up, too...there are many many books in this series, so obviously a few other people liked it too. :)<br />
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12.DEATH OF THE MANTIS by Michael Stanley (Kindle) B. In this third mystery set in Botswana, Assistant Supt. David "Kubu" Bengu is settling into life as a new father when an old friend of his, a Bushman that he knew in childhood, calls him about a murder case in the Kalahari which has resulted in the arrest of three Bushmen for the crime. Bushmen are by nature non-violent and although Kubu is loathe to get involved, he feels that he owes his friend at least a look-see, so he leaves his struggling wife Joy and baby daughter for a trip to the desert country. He begins to see immediately that his friend is right--the detective in charge of the case has made up his mind that the Bushmen are responsible, and thus remains closed against other possible suspects. Kubu points out several inconsistencies and a lack of hard evidence results in the Bushmen being released--followed, of course, by more deaths. I love the characters in this series--it's more realistic and true-to-life than the super-cozy Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series, set in the same general locale. The immersion into the culture is very interesting, and the perspective changes generally enhance the storyline too. But this book was not quite up to par with the others, I didn't think. The bad guy was very obvious to me early on (those clues seemed almost circled in red!) and there was a lot of extraneous and repetitious prose; I really felt that a hundred pages could have been lopped off without losing the story at all.<br />
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13.THE ROUGH COLLIER by Pat McIntosh. B+ #5 Gil Cunningham mystery set in 15th century Glasgow and environs. Gil and his bride Alys are off to visit his mother in the country and while there his expertise is sought when a corpse is found in a peat bog by peat cutters. At first they think it's a local who's been missing for a few weeks, but later it's determined that the body has been there much longer. However, Gil is curious as to why the hue and cry hasn't been officially raised about the man who's been missing some five weeks, and further investigation uncovers a lot of different reasons why he may have disappeared. I really enjoy this series and the immersion into the culture of the place and time, the only drawback continuing to be the repeated use of the vernacular in the dialogue, which at times makes it difficult to understand since there isn't even much resemblance to modern-day Scots slang. I've had to stop and look up words that I'm not able to sort out even with context--which is distracting from the story itself. I don't mind learning new things, but most of the words I'll never have need of again so it seems a bit pointless. I complain about this every time and still I read on though--I do like the the characters and series otherwise and would give it 5 stars if it weren't for this one issue. <br />
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14. THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES by Agatha Christie. (AUDIO) A The very first Hercule Poirot mystery, narrated by the actor who does the TV character of Poirot, David Suchet. Reading Agatha Christie is always a treat for me--I love her characters, and she was a master at plotting, as I never can figure out whodunit. Well, rarely--and usually if I do, it's a guess at best. This one was no exception, even though I did read this book years ago. There are so many of them, the plots get mixed up in my head. Anyway, if you've never indulged in an audio version of one of these books, I would highly recommend them!<br />
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15. MOM, WILL THIS CHICKEN GIVE ME MAN BOOBS? by Robyn Harding. C- Autobiographical account of the struggles of a whiny Canadian woman with trying to be "green" and live an eco-friendly life. I guess I was just expecting more hints and tips--or even some real INFORMATION about living a green life rather than just a long-winded justification as to why she didn't/couldn't/wouldn't do certain 'green' things. She tried to be funny, but the humor was forced and most of the time didn't even elicit a smile from me. She mostly sounded like a spoiled brat whose sole purpose was to appear to be a certain way to people around her. It was guilt trip after guilt trip as she showed how she didn't keep up with the Greens in her efforts, followed by a big shrug and "Oh well, I did try, and at least I'm not a crazy nutball like the real tree huggers." Whatever. If this hadn't been my bathroom book, read in small chunks over many weeks, I doubt I would have finished it.<br />
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16.SLASH AND BURN by Colin Cotterill. A+ #7 Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery set in 1970's Laos. Dr. Siri really wants to retire from his post as the national coroner of Laos. He's only just recovered from near-death at the hands of the Khmer Rouge and since he's over seventy, he figures he deserves to spend a few years relaxing with his wife. But he gets roped into one last job on a junket to northern Laos looking for the remains of a missing American pilot. Accompanying Siri--at his insistence, via a little blackmail of Judge Haeng, his nemesis--will be his wife Madame Daeng, his nurse Dtui and her policeman husband Phosy, his morgue assistant Mr. Geung, his good friend Civiali, a few Lao officials and a bunch of American officials, including a delightful American girl who was raised in Laos by missionary parents who serves as their interpreter--since the Judge's nephew who is the 'official' interpreter doesn't actually speak English. When one of the American contingent ends up dead--a supposed accidental suicide--the niggling thought Siri's been having that the whole trip is a set-up comes to the fore as the pieces fall into place and he begins to sort things out. Another wonderful adventure filled with wry humor, outstanding characters and a unique perspective on life. Can't wait til the next one!<br />
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And here I am...3 hours and 10 minutes from the end of my self-imposed book buying moratorium. Happy New Year and roll on 2012!<br />
<br />
CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-14388470604315444342011-11-06T21:34:00.004-06:002011-11-30T21:45:09.787-06:00November 2011The year is fast drawing to a close--I'm still hanging in there and have not purchased any books this year. Still doing the occasional cull from my TBR stacks, and planning to do a bunch more this month in a last-ditch effort to close down a few of my bookshelves before we move in February.<br />
<br />
BUT...I've just ordered a Kindle Fire! Never thought I'd do it, as I really love "real" books, but I think it's almost a necessity with the limited space I'll have at the new place. Still not going to order any books for it til 2012, but I'll have to borrow a couple to try it out. :) Addendum: so far, so good! I think the Kindle Fire will be great! I am still fiddling with it and playing around...have read a few chapters in my borrowed book and it reads easy, I have to say. <br />
<br />
On to the reading list!<br />
<br />
1. DEATH WILL HELP YOU LEAVE HIM by Elizabeth Zelvin (#2 Bruce Kohler mystery) C+ Second (and so far last) book in the Bruce Kohler mystery series. Bruce is a recovering alcohol/drug addict living in New York and the story centers around him and his two best friends, Jimmy (also in recovery) and Barbara (Jimmy's girlfriend, and a counselor.) A friend of Barbara's is suspected of killing her drug-dealer boyfriend and the trio get involved with trying to figure out who else might have killed him so as to clear Luz's name. While I like these characters well enough, for me the book was just a little too heavy on recovery/addict jargon, and the whole recovery process was focused on much more than the mystery itself IMO. The first book was more interesting because it was different--Bruce woke up hungover in a detox unit in the Bowery, so was newly sober. Now he is 10 months out and his whole life centers around AA and staying sober. Perhaps for someone with addiction issues it would be more interesting, but it was just too much for me.<br />
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2. A TASTE FOR DEATH by P.D. James (#7 Cmdr. Adam Dalgliesh mystery) (AUDIO) C+ I normally enjoy the Adam Dalgliesh series very much, but this one seemed to drag on and on as the mystery into the murder of Sir Paul Barrone, a Minister of Parliament, and a tramp in the vestry of a church went onwards. There just seemed to be too much extraneous detail, too much wandering off into the lives of minor characters which left me often thinking, "Get ON with the story already!" It's also one of the few where I knew the bad guy almost straight away. I guess every author is allowed an 'off' book--it's certainly not enough to put me off reading more. Another consideration is that this book is the first audio production of a P.D. James book I've listened to rather than read in print, so perhaps that impacted my feeling about the book too. Although the reader was perfectly skillful, the excess of posh, snooty voices grew rather tiresome after awhile.<br />
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3. TERRA INCOGNITA by Ruth Downie (#2 Ruso the Medicus historical mystery) C+ This second book in the series sees Ruso, a medicus with the Twentieth legion, on the way north from Deva (modern-day Chester) to the border with the 'wild barbarians' of which his housekeeper Tilla is one. A near-fatal cart accident along the way necessitates an amputation and Ruso is conscripted to fill in for the local medic who's gone mad, and also to investigate the death of the trumpeter, who had an interesting sideline. I enjoyed the story, I really like Ruso and the other main characters, the humor, the period detail. BUT. It was just too long and convoluted, with too many characters to keep straight and too many little side plots distracting from the main mystery. I found myself skimming through the midsection of the book.<br />
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4. THE WARDED MAN by Peter V. Brett (#1 Demon trilogy) A WOW! An excellent first book of a planned trilogy set in a world 300 years after a great war left mankind struggling to stay alive against demons, which come out at sunset and fade with the dawn. The corelings as the demons are called, take various shapes and have different qualities but very few humans survive interaction with them, staying inside their heavily warded homes after dusk. Magic symbols make up the wardings that keep the demons from attacking, and only brave men like the Messengers who carry powerful portable warding circles, would be outdoors after dark. This story tells of three children--Arlen, Leesha and Rojer--who grow up in different isolated villages and have dreams of seeing the world one day. They all have different talents and the story takes place over several years as they grow into adulthood and their talents become more readily apparent. Excellent storytelling, great characters, looks like another wonderful series in the 'dark fantasy' subgenre. Yay!<br />
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5. A CUP OF JO by Sandra Balzo (#6 Maggy Thorsen mystery) See review on the Paperbackswap Mystery Monday blog here: http://blog.paperbackswap.com/mystery-monday-a-cup-of-jo/2011/11/<br />
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6. RIVER MARKED by Patricia Briggs (#6 Mercy Thompson paranormal) (AUDIO) C+ Sixth in this series about 'walker' Mercy Thompson (she shapeshifts to Coyote) and her mate, werewolf pack leader Adam Hauptmann. They are off on their honeymoon and get tangled in a web of Native American myths and legends as they are asked to help kill a vicious river monster. First one of these I've listened to rather than read, and I liked the reader's voice and reading style. However, the story itself was somewhat lacking for me. Okay, but not as good as the others.<br />
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7. WICKED GAMES by Ellen Hart (#8 Jane Lawless mystery) B- I like this series, and have liked recent ones more than early ones, but this book took a step backwards with Jane turning into a jellyfish, insecure and wibbling about her new love and seeming almost desperate when she suspects Julia is lying to her and is evasive about her life. This is not the Jane I have come to know and enjoy spending time with. On the mystery end of things, Jane gets involved in the family dynamics of the wealthy Kastner family when their son rents Jane's third-floor apartment and the daughter moves down the street and shows an inordinate amount of interest in Jane. Then a private detective contacts Jane to inform her of some of the family's colored past.<br />
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8. THE CROSSING PLACES by Elly Griffiths (#1 Ruth Galloway/Harry Nelson mystery) (AUDIO) B+ This first book in series featuring forensic archaeologist and professor Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson started off with a real bang and sucked me into the story right away. Bones have been found in the salt marsh near King's Lynn and Nelson has been led to Ruth to check them out. He believes they might be the bones of a young girl who went missing 10 years previously. They end up being about 2000 years old, but when another girl goes missing in similar circumstances, and Ruth's cat is brutally killed and left on her doorstep, Harry and Ruth's paths keep crossing. I have some serious plausibility issues with the thread dealing with Lucy, the missing girl from 10 years previously which is the only reason I marked the grade down a notch--can't say much without giving things away, but suffice it to say it just didn't seem very likely as written by the author. Other than that though--it was a great book! I have the second one on my library list already.<br />
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9. MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs B+ An interesting book about a strange boy who finds out the hard way why he's strange. All his life, he believed his grandfather's fanciful stories were just that--made-up stories about monsters and peculiar children living in a home where they were loved and accepted. Even the old photographs Jake suspected were altered--surely there is no girl who can levitate off the ground or another who can lift boulders with one hand?! When his grandfather dies, Jake finds things in his grandfather's belongings that lead him to ask for a trip to a small island off the Welsh coast, and his father, an avid ornithologist, agrees to accompany him to study birds. What Jake finds there astonishes him. A very interesting story, although I am not sure what I thought about the ending. It does seem to leave an opening for a possible sequel.<br />
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10. ANGELS PASSING by Graham Hurley (#3 Joe Faraday mystery) B+ Another interesting entry in this British police procedural series set in and around Portsmouth. DI Joe Faraday, once again being sought for promotion, is too busy investigating the death of a teenage girl who may or may not have thrown herself off the roof to even consider it. Meanwhile some of his team are seconded to Major Crimes to work on a hanging death. Faraday's personal life is also in an uproar and he tries to deal with that as well. As usual, quite a page turner, with a good balance of the police cases and personal details of the various characters.<br />
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11. THE POACHER'S SON by Paul Doiron (#1 Mike Bowditch mystery) B- Mike Bowditch, 24-year-old Maine Wildlife Ranger finds himself distracted from his job duties when a state-wide manhunt for the killer of two men takes over the whole north woods of Maine. The distraction comes because the man they are hunting is none other than his father, Jack Bowditch, an alcoholic tracker, woodsman and poacher, who is believed to have shot a deputy and the head of a land-development company in cold blood. Mike has never been close to his father, since he and his mother left when Mike was 9 years old--and in fact hadn't spoken to him at all for two years. But while Mike agrees that his dad is a first-class prick, he can't see a motive for his father behind this killing--'he's a bar-brawler, not a cold-blooded killer.' Intent on clearing his father's name, he risks his job, friendships and his life, often wondering why he's doing so. This was a decent first book in series, but I was rather surprised at the award nomination...although I often am, so that's nothing new. LOL For me it had one major flaw that permeated the whole book and undermined the believability of it and it was primarily this than sunk my opinion of it: unless Mike Bowditch was an alien with a vastly different lifespan, there is no way in hell he was 24 years old. It may have been partly the 'voice' the reader on the audio version gave him, but it was more than that--his attitudes, actions and his world-weary demeanor made him seem to be a man in (at the very least) his late 30's, more like someone in their 40's. To me, if you can't believe the character is who he is supposed to be, how can you believe the rest of the story?<br />
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12.INK FLAMINGOS by Karen E. Olson (#4 Tattoo Shop mystery) B- This is apparently the last book in the tattoo shop series featuring tattooist Brett Kavanaugh, and I for one am relieved. It sort of ended with a fizzle in my opinion. I like the author's writing style and really enjoyed her other series (which I wish she would have continued) but this one just never worked for me as well...but then, I am no fan of typical cozy mysteries, of which this is one. The tattoo shop setting is what made it unique and interesting for me. I did like the ending, though.<br />
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13. SERPENT IN THE THORNS by Jeri Westerson (#2 Crispin Guest medieval mystery) C+ Second in this medieval mystery series featuring Crispin Guest, a former knight who was stripped of lands, title and wealth but spared his life when caught in a treasonous plot seven years previously against young King Richard. Now he lives in the London slums and works as a Tracker, basically a private detective. In this book, he is hired by a scullion in an inn, whose mentally challenged sister keeps confessing to the killing of a French courier--who was carrying a relic that may be the genuine Crown of Thorns. When Crispin comes across the man who betrayed him--and who now happens to be Richard's Captain of the Archers--and he is tied to the case, he tries to find a way to solve the mystery as well as have his revenge. This book was somewhat disappointing, though I can't quite put my finger on exactly why. I know I was somewhat distracted by several typos I found--well, not typos that would have been found on spell check, but things like "that" instead of "than" or the wrong spelling of a word, for example, "make due with..." instead of "make do." So the proofreading/editing was somewhat less than professional. It's dubbed as "medieval noir" but I didn't find it particularly noir-ish. Certainly not a cozy, but noir? Not really. It also gets somewhat repetitious with frequent descriptions of the stink and dirtiness of medieval London. A good story, and I do like Crispin and Jack, but...a bit off the mark this time.<br />
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14. WHISKEY SOUR by J.A. Konrath (#1 Jack Daniels mystery) (KINDLE) A This book has the distinction of being the first book I read on my new Kindle Fire. It was easy to read, pages easy to turn, and on top of all that, it was actually a great story! It features Chicago police Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, who is in hot pursuit of a brutal, sadistic serial killer--who tortures women and dismembers them, then dumps them in garbage cans, leaving a shellacked Gingerbread cookie as his calling card. The Gingerbread Man sees Jack as a worthy foe and targets her personally to be one of his victims. Great introduction to this tough Chicago cop and looking forward to reading more in the series!<br />
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15. CROWNER ROYAL by Bernard Knight (#13 Crowner John medieval mystery) (AUDIO) B- Crowner John has moved from the Devon west country where he was the Coroner for the county of Devon, but now at the behest of his king has become Coroner of the Verge, dealing with cases within a 12-mile radius of the King's Court, wherever it might be. He's homesick (as is his assistant Gwyn) and bored, as there seems to be very little activity--and when a dead body or two do show up, his jurisdiction is questioned at every turn by the local sheriff. <br />
I wasn't as fond of this book as previous ones in the series...I liked the Devon setting as it's where my husband sister lives, so it was interesting reading about local history there. London and Winchester have been done to death, so to speak. LOL This book was also more fraught with political intrigue on the Royal level (as opposed to local political infighting as in previous books) which has never been a huge interest of mine. So far there's only one more book in this series, so perhaps the author also realizes that the series is growing a little lackluster and is stopping it. I'll certainly finish it off, but if Plague of Heretics is indeed the last, I think it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.<br />
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16. A LETTER OF MARY by Laurie R. King. #3 Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell historical mystery. A It seems to me that each book in this series gets better--after the first one, which I thought was too long and convoluted, I wasn't sure if I would continue reading the series, but the second and this, the third, were absolutely brilliant! Sherlock Holmes and his new wife, Mary Russell, work again to solve the suspicious death of an old acquaintance, an archaeologist who comes back to England from Palestine with a peculiar gift for Mary. A day later, Dorothy Ruskin is struck down in a London street by an unmarked black motorcar, and only a fool would not make a connection between the two--especially when the Holmes' home is ransacked a day later.Wonderful, multi-faceted mystery with red herrings all over the place and the deeply-layered characters becoming better known to the reader too. Very much looking forward to the next one!<br />
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17. I AM HALF SICK OF SHADOWS by Alan Bradley #4 Flavia de Luce historical mystery. (AUDIO) A. (Review pending)<br />
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Current reads:<br />
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Kindle: CHILDREN OF THE STREET by Kwei Quartey (#2 Darko Dawson mystery set in Ghana)<br />
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Audio: THE DOG WHO KNEW TOO MUCH by Spencer Quinn (#4 Chet and Bernie mystery)<br />
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Print: THE GRAVEYARD GAME by Kage Baker (#4 in The Company Sci-fi/fantasy series)<br />
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Cheryl<br />
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CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-45858614610159871892011-10-05T07:08:00.000-05:002011-11-01T06:16:27.184-05:00OCTOBER 20111. INDEX TO MURDER by Jo Dereske. (#11 Miss Zukas mystery) A<br /><br />2. GUNSHOT ROAD by Adrian Hyland (#2 Emily Tempest mystery) A+<br /><br />3. ALL THE COLOURS OF DARKNESS by Peter Robinson (#17 DCI Alan Banks mystery) (AUDIO) B<br /><br />4. AN ARTIFICIAL NIGHT by Seanan McGuire (#3 October Daye paranormal mystery) B+<br /><br />5. THE FLEET STREET MURDERS by Charles Finch (#3 Charles Lenox historical mystery) A<br /><br />6. WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS by Kate Atkinson (#3 Jackson Brodie mystery) (AUDIO) A<br /><br />7. KILLING KATE by Julie Kramer (#4 Riley Spartz mystery) C+<br /><br />8. SOUL MUSIC by Terry Pratchett (#16 Discworld fantasy) A<br /><br />9. THE GREEN MAN by Kate Sedley (#17 Roger the Chapman historical mystery) B<br /><br />10. THE PURE IN HEART by Susan Hill (#2 Simon Serrailler mystery) A<br /><br />11. A LESSON IN SECRETS by Jacqueline Winspear (# 8 Maisie Dobbs historical mystery) (AUDIO) A<br /><br />12. WHITE TOMBS by Christopher Valen (#1 John Santana mystery) C-<br /><br />13. IN A GILDED CAGE by Rhys Bowen (#8 Molly Murphy mystery) B<br /><br />14. BURY YOUR DEAD by Louise Penny (#6 Three Pines) A+<br /><br />15. KITTY'S BIG TROUBLE by Carrie Vaughn (#9 Kitty Norville paranormal) B+<br /><br />16. IN THE WIND by Barbara Fister (#1 Anni Koskinen mystery) B<br /><br />17. BEARERS OF THE BLACK STAFF by Terry Brooks ($1 Legends of Shannara) (AUDIO) A<br /><br />Current reads:<br /><br />TERRA INCOGNITO by Ruth Downie <br /><br />DEATH WILL HELP YOU LEAVE HIM by Elizabeth Zelvin<br /><br />THE WARDED MAN by Peter V. Brett<br /><br />A TASTE FOR DEATH by P.D. James (audio)<br /><br /><br />CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-69141642086005415852011-09-10T18:48:00.000-05:002011-09-29T21:36:17.136-05:00SEPTEMBER 2011Well, I'm maintaining my abstinence from book-buying, and am still getting rid of TBR books at a greater rate than I'm acquiring them, although I haven't made a culling run through my shelves for a month or so.<br /><br />Current numbers (from Feb. 1) are as follows:<br /><br />Books acquired: 78 (all from Paperbackswap except for 2 freebies from Amazon Vine)<br /><br />TBR books released: 347<br /><br />Net loss: 269 books gone<br /><br />Now, onto my September reading list:<br /><br />1. THE ENCHANTER'S FOREST by Alys Clare (Hawkenlye Abbey historical mystery #10) B<br /><br />2. TONIGHT I SAID GOODBYE by Michael Koryta (Lincoln Perry mystery #1) (AUDIO) B<br /><br />3. HEXES AND HEMLINES by Juliet Blackwell (#3 Lily Ivory 'witchcraft' mystery) B-<br /><br />4. RESOLUTION by Denise Mina (#3 Garnethill trilogy) A<br /><br />5. THE DAY WILL COME by Judy Clemens (#4 Stella Crown mystery) A<br /><br />6. A TRAIL OF INK by Mel Starr (#3 Hugh de Singleton historical mystery) B<br /><br />7. THE HERMIT OF EYTON FOREST by Ellis Peters (#14 Brother Cadfael mystery) (AUDIO) A<br /><br />8. ARTIFACTS by Mary Anna Evans (#1 Faye Longchamp mystery) B<br /><br />9. THE DEVIL'S COMPANY by David Liss (#3 Benjamin Weaver historical mystery) (AUDIO) A-<br /><br />10. READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline B<br /><br />11. WILD INFERNO by Sandi Ault (#2 Jamaica Wild mystery) C+<br /><br />12. THE PROTECTOR'S WAR by S.M. Stirling (#2 Change series) A<br /><br />13. THE SECRET SPEECH by Tom Rob Smith (#2 Leo Demidov mystery) (AUDIO) B<br /><br />14. HIDDEN MOON by James Church (#2 Inspector O mystery) B+<br /><br />CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-48406394083968611632011-08-07T08:44:00.001-05:002011-09-10T18:48:31.396-05:00AUGUST 2011Sorry, I'm just too busy and somewhat disinclined to take the time to write reviews, even brief ones. But here's a list of what I've read with grades. That'll have to do for now.<br /><br />1. A BITTER FEAST by S.J. Rozan. (#5 Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery) B+<br /><br />2. MATTY GROVES by Deborah Grabien (#3 Haunted Ballad mystery) A<br /><br />3. ENGLISH LESSONS by J.M. Hayes. (#6 Mad Dog & Englishman mystery) A<br /><br />4. CROSS by Ken Bruen (#6 Jack Taylor series) A<br /><br />5. THE BLACK CAT by Martha Grimes (audio) (#22 Richard Jury mystery) B+<br /><br />6. THE EAGLES' BROOD by Jack Whyte (#3 Camulod Chronicles historical fantasy series) A<br /><br />7. KILLED AT THE WHIM OF A HAT by Colin Cotterill (#1 Jimm Juree mystery) A<br /><br />8. THE MANOR OF DEATH by Bernard Knight (#12 Crowner John historical mystery) B<br /><br />9. NEW TRICKS by David Rosenfelt (audio) (#7 Andy Carpenter mystery) A<br /><br />10. AFTERTIME by Sophie Littlefield (#1 Aftertime fantasy) B<br /><br />11. THE VICTIM IN VICTORIA STATION by Jeanne M. Dams (#5 Dorothy Martin mystery) C<br /><br />12. A PIECE OF JUSTICE by Jill Paton Walsh (#2 Imogen Quy mystery) A<br /><br />13. THE MAPPING OF LOVE AND DEATH by Jacqueline Winspear (audio)(#7 Maisie Dobbs) A+<br /><br />14. MARCH VIOLETS by Philip Kerr (#1 Bernie Guenther historical mystery) B+<br /><br />15. THE GREAT TYPO HUNT by Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson (non-fiction) B<br /><br />16. THE KILLING WAY by Tony Hays (#1 Arthurian mystery) A<br /><br />17. THE CASE OF THE MAN WHO DIED LAUGHING by Tarquin Hall (audio) (#2 Vish Puri mystery) A<br /><br />18. THE TAKE by Graham Hurley (#2 Joe Faraday mystery) B+<br /><br />19. DOWNPOUR by Kat Richardson (#6 Greywalker paranormal mystery) A<br /><br />20. TIL DEATH by Ed McBain (#9 87th Precinct mystery) B<br /><br />21. THE BIG DIG by Linda Barnes (AUDIO)(#9 Carlotta Carlyle mystery) B+<br /><br />22. ARABESK by Barbara Nadel (#3 Cetin Ikmen mystery) B<br /><br />23. AN IRISH COUNTRY DOCTOR by Patrick Taylor (#1 Irish Country Doctor serial) A<br /><br />24. MOURNING GLORIA by Susan Wittig Albert (#19 China Bayles mystery)<br /><br /><br />CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-71430799750553200672011-07-10T18:26:00.000-05:002011-07-30T16:31:41.160-05:00JULY 2011 Reading List1. THE INDIAN BRIDE (APA: CALLING OUT FOR YOU) by Karin Fossum. (AUDIO) #4 Inspector Conrad Sejer mystery in Norway. An Indian woman is found beaten savagely to death near a remote Norwegian village, her face all but unrecognizable. Turns out to be the new bride of one of the villagers who had just returned from Mumbai. He had been unable to collect his wife from the airport because just as he was to leave, he got a call that his sister was very badly injured in a car crash and he had to go to hospital--the cab he'd sent to pick Poona up couldn't locate her, either. Who would do such a thing to a stranger, and why? I didn't like the reader for this book very much, but to be honest, the story itself was rather "meh" as well. Supposed to be a 'thriller' but I found nothing really thrilling about it. I ended up being very annoyed with the detail spent on unimportant things and the lack of actual police work. I wanted to smack Inspector Sejer upside the head, and was totally peeved at the ending, so I have decided this will be the last of this series for me. C-<br /><br />2. FLESH HOUSE by Stuart MacBride. #4 DS Logan McRae series set in Aberdeen, Scotland. Logan and his co-workers are on the trail of The Flesher, a serial killer who butchers his victims like cattle and dines on his work. He first surfaced nearly twenty years previously, when Logan's boss DI Insch was on the case and failed to successfully prosecute Ken Wiseman, the man everyone knew was guilty. So when human remains turn up at Wiseman's cousin's butcher shop, and several bloody murders ensue, the hounds are once again after Wiseman to exclusion of all others. But is he--was he, even then--the real killer? Gory and full of violence, blood and plenty of macabre humor, I very much enjoyed the book as I have the previous in series. The one problem I have with the series continues to be typos ('out' instead of 'our') misspellings ('wierd' rather than 'weird') and use of wrong word forms ('chord' instead of 'cord') and the like. The body count by the end of the book also (as always) seems excessive and almost ludicrous. But I still really liked the darn thing. Go figure! A<br /><br />3. THE SEPTEMBER SOCIETY by Charles Finch. #2 Charles Lenox historical mystery set in London in the 1860's. Charles, a peer of the realm as well as (to his family's dismay) a private investigator, is hired by a woman whose son has disappeared from Lincoln College at Oxford. Assured by everyone who knew George Payson that disappearing without notice is definitely out of character, Charles discovers clues that may lead back to the death of George's father in India some twenty years previously. Not my favorite time period, but I do enjoy this cozy historical series which has a good balance of personal character development, historical setting and a rollicking good mystery--which I didn't figure out til the end. Very enjoyable! A<br /><br />4. MADHOUSE by Rob Thurman. #3 Cal and Niko Leandros paranormal mystery series. Another fast-moving, action-packed read as Cal, Niko and their friends dash around New York battling another otherworldly beast who likes to dine on human flesh. Cal, half-human and half-Auphe (demon) and his all-human warrior brother Niko are on the trail of Sawney Beane with Niko's vampire girlfriend Promise, the puck Robin Goodfellow and a host of others. Dark and at times depressing, quite gory and explicitly violent, the action is also accompanied by plenty of snappy, witty and risque dialogue. This series is what I would call an R-rated Harry Dresden clone, which is probably why I enjoy it so much. Oh, there are differences of course but the tone is much the same--and like the Dresden series (and UNlike so many other paranormals) it's not just a sleazy, poorly-disguised romance. A<br /><br />5. BLOOD HINA by Naomi Hirahara. #4 Mas Arai mystery, featuring the seventy-something Japanese-American gardener in LA. Mas investigates the theft of some Hina dolls that belonged to his best friend's fiance Spoon--and their disappearance caused the bride-to-be to cancel the wedding on the big day itself. Then Haruo himself disappears and Mas is fraught with worry as he uses his harmless old man persona to overhear some interesting information that may lead back to the death of Spoon's first husband some twenty years previously and would mean his friend's life is in jeopardy. Another excellent entry in this series and I'm really, really hoping there will be more forthcoming. I've grown very fond of Mas and want to hear about the next chapter in his story. A+<br /><br />6. ROBBER'S WINE by Ellen Hart. #7 Jane Lawless mystery in which Jane and her friend Cordelia are heading north on vacation and agree to a slight detour to give a friend whose car is in the shop a ride to her mother's lake home near Grand Rapids to attend an 'important family meeting.' They arrive to find Belle (the mother) missing and the entire household in an uproar, as simply disappearing without notice is very unlike her. Of course she does turn up dead, and Jane and Cordelia forego the pleasure of a trip to the north shore of Lake Superior to stick around for the family and be nosy, which isn't a real comfortable thing since most of the suspects are family. I enjoyed this book quite a lot, although I'm not really that crazy about the popping between points of view often of some rather extraneous characters...sometimes it feels like Jane fades into the background too much. But still a good entry in the series and I look forward to the next. B+<br /><br />7. DEXTER IS DELICIOUS by Jeff Lindsay. (AUDIO) #5 Dexter mystery, in which the blood-spatter expert and secret serial killer also becomes Dex-Daddy, as his wife Rita gives birth to their daughter Lily Anne. Dex-Daddy is caught off guard by the strong actual human feelings he has for his new offspring and decides that he needs to reform his ways, pushing his 'Dark Passenger' down deep, not listening to its insistent stirrings. Meanwhile, Dexter and his sister, Sergeant Deborah, are on the trail of a coven of cannibals, which would normally be right up Dexter's alley--but leaves him feeling distinctly uncomfortable now that he's trying to lay off the killing, righteous or not. Enjoyable listen--narrated by the author himself, which often doesn't work at all, but in this case is very well done, and the author even sounds somewhat like the guy who plays Dexter on the TV series. The ending was a bit predictable, but I surely did enjoy the getting there, with plenty of dark humor as well as the usual blood and gore and the interesting commentary on normal human behavior from a psychopath. A<br /><br />8. A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN by Laurie R. King. #2 Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes mystery set in the early 1920's in London and Oxford. Mary becomes involved with an odd spiritualist who also is a suffragette championing the cause of women. When she learns of several deaths associated with the inner circle of Margery Childe's Temple, she investigates and her friend Sherlock Holmes assists peripherally, until Mary herself ends up in grave danger, and then Holmes' role intensifies. I wasn't sure I was going to continue reading this series after the first one, which I liked but found a bit cumbersome. This second entry, by contrast, was nearly impossible to put down. A<br /><br />9. A NIGHT OF LONG KNIVES by Rebecca Cantrell. #2 Hannah Vogel historical mystery set in 1930's Germany. Hannah and her son by default, Anton, are on a zeppelin from South America (where they have been hiding for 3 years) to Switzerland, covering a news story, when it is diverted to Germany. Ernst Rohm has found her and captures Hannah and Anton--who is supposedly his natural son--intending to force her to marry him to quash rumors of his (forbidden) homosexuality. Before that can happen, Rohm is snatched and executed by Hitler, and someone has kidnapped Anton. Hannah will not leave Germany until she gets him back and this leads her on a dangerous journey that puts her life in mortal danger many times as she struggles to figure out who she can trust. Excellent second entry in this series with immersion into the culture of Germany as the Nazi party is just coming into control of the country. Hannah is an interesting, well-fleshed character and I look forward to the next entry to see what she gets up to. Highly recommended! A+<br /><br />10. WHERE DEATH DELIGHTS by Bernard Knight. First of a series set in 1950's England that features Dr. Richard Pryor, a forensic pathologist just setting up his independent business after being given his notice at his former job in Singapore. He moves into a large house on the Welsh-English border that he inherited from his aunt and with business partner Dr. Angela Bray, who handles the lab side of things, sets out to make his mark. Working by word of mouth and referrals from colleagues, Dr. Pryor soon finds himself busier than a one-armed paperhanger with several cases. While this book is somewhat bland, I did enjoy it and was amazed how quickly I finished. It's an interesting historical perspective, both with forensic detail when that field was just beginning to bloom, and from the setting of England in 1955 just beginning the post-war boom. The characters were rather two-dimensional and somewhat stereotypical, but I enjoyed the book overall and will continue reading the series. B<br /><br />11. TURNSTONE by Graham Hurley. #1 DI Joe Faraday series set in Portsmouth, UK. This book introduces Faraday, a long-time widower about to become an empty-nester as his 22-year-old son JJ, who is deaf, finds love in France. Joe tends to be one of those cops who follows his gut instincts rather than 'just the facts, ma'am' and this often gets him in trouble with his superiors. A kind, sensitive soul who is an avid birdwatcher, Faraday chases vague clues about a man who is missing, reported so by his eight-year-old daughter, and believes him dead, but he's having a hard time convincing his boss to put serious effort into the investigation, which centers around the Fastnet yacht races. Meanwhile, there's also an ongoing drugs investigation, the owner of a high-end mall complex screaming bloody murder about vandalism done to luxury autos in their parking garage. Faraday himself is a well-fleshed, likable character, but the rest of his team were, to me, kind of cliched and not terribly interesting. I liked the author's writing style and the real sense of place with the beaches and shores around Portsmouth and environs, although the mystery wasn't terribly hard to figure out. A very enjoyable first entry in series. A-<br /><br />12. THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS by Donna Leon. (AUDIO) #17 Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery set in Venice. Brunetti investigates the drowning death of a young Rom (gypsy) girl, who apparently died during a home robbery. The question: did she fall or was she pushed into the canal? He also looks into the affairs of the leader of an odd cult, asked by a childhood friend of his brother's, now a priest. Is the man a charlatan, luring money away from gullible followers, or is he genuinely concerned with the welfare of his group? Guido also adjusts to life without his aged, demented mother who has passed away. Enjoyable, atmospheric visit to Venice, as always, but I have to say that I grow a bit weary of this same plot--the 'bad guys' being powerful people--or at least people with powerful friends--whom Guido and his fellow officers are not even allowed to question or investigate too closely and who will likely never see 'justice' in the sense of legal prosecution. This was the first time I have listened to an audio book of this series, and the narration was well done--I think it's just that these stories are getting a bit tired. B+<br /><br />13. THE THREE KINGS OF COLOGNE by Kate Sedley. #16 Roger the Chapman historical mystery set in the late 1400's England. A body discovered on a patch of land that had belonged to a nunnery, now being developed by the mayor-elect of Bristol as an almshouse and sanctuary proves to be a missing young woman who disappeared twenty years previously. The mayor pays Roger to investigate and hopes to find the girl's killer so he feels right about having the ground reconsecrated. This is the first time Roger has set his chapman's bag aside and accepted money for his investigations, and he's uneasy about doing so. As usual, he noses around, is attacked and warned off a few times before coming to the truth. Enjoyable as always. A<br /><br />14. WHITE NIGHTS by Ann Cleeves. #2 of the Shetland Island quartet featuring Inspector Jimmy Perez. At an art showing that features well-known Island matriarch Bella Sinclair as well as her nephew, famous fiddler Roddy Sinclair, and also the artwork of Perez's new girlfriend Fran Hunter, a stranger in black stops in front of a painting and begins sobbing hysterically, claiming he can't remember who he is and why he is there, or why he is so moved by the painting. He disappears into the night, but the next morning he's found hanging in a fishing shack not far from the gallery, but it's easily ascertained that he was murdered. The first step is to figure out who the guy is and also to isolate who had possible opportunity to do the deed. After the initial oddness of the story sucked me in, there were parts of the book that seemed rather washed out, as though they were filler in the book, and wandered a bit off track sometimes and lost focus. I was also not real keen on Perez's constant relationship angst and self-doubt, which gets old after a bit. I had the killer pegged from the get-go and had a good guess as to the reason once a few clues fell in place. Despite these flaws, the wonderful atmosphere of the Shetland Islands painted with the author's words made it a definite worthwhile read and I do intend to finish this series. B<br /><br />15. FLIPPING OUT by Marshall Karp. #3 Lomax and Biggs mystery in which the two detectives investigate the murder of several of their co-workers' wives. Eventually the potential pool of victims is narrowed to a few people involved with a 'house flipping' business where a home is purchased, made famous by one of the members--a mystery writer--and then renovated and sold at huge profit. Problem is, there doesn't seem to be a motive as the business is hugely successful and anyone associated with it is making money. Our savvy detectives eventually get there, though, flying under their boss's radar. A quick, fun read although I had figured out the bad guy way in advance, I didn't know exactly what the motive was until close to the end. I like the two detectives a lot and enjoy the sassy writing style. Looking forward to the next. A<br /><br />16. CATALOGUE OF DEATH by Jo Dereske. #10 Miss Zukas mystery in which a snowstorm hits the usually temperate Bellehaven and during the storm, an explosion kills an elderly man who was the library's benefactor, he having donated the land for the new library. Or did he? Miss Zukas finds out through her investigation that there was no written agreement and now his family are squabbling over the land which his brothers had wanted developed for condominiums. Enjoyable visit to Bellehaven with Helma, Ruth and the rest of the gang. A<br /><br />17. THE BOWL OF NIGHT by Rosemary Edghill. #3 and final Bast mystery set in mid 1990's New York. Karen Hightower, a Wiccan who thinks of herself as Bast, is headed out of the city for HallowFest, a Pagan festival set on a campground a couple hours' drive north of New York. Shortly after arriving, she discovers the murdered body of a preacher whom no one liked, with his vociferous rantings about the evils of paganism. When Bast looks closely at the body, he appears to have been ritually murdered, although she cannot imagine anyone she knows doing such a thing. Before long, she's working with one of the deputies as a sort of liaison between the police and the Pagans, many of whom are less than cooperative with law enforcement, given previous bad experiences they've had. Enjoyable ending to the series; I do like this character and wish the author had been able to continue on. B<br /><br />18. IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM by Stefanie Pintoff. #1 Simon Ziele historical mystery set in 1905 New York and also Dobson, a smaller town north of the city. The brutal murder of a young woman in Dobson leads Ziele back to the city, dealing with academics from Columbia University, criminologists who are studying the minds of criminals--and who suspect they know who committed this horrible crime. Of course, it's very rarely the first person suspected who is the actual killer, and this was a cat and mouse tale until the very end with plenty of action as well as character development so that by the end of the book I felt I had a pretty good idea of who Simon Ziele was--and he's someone I definitely want to read more about. Excellent first entry--hard to believe it was a first novel!--and glad to have the next here waiting for me. A<br /><br />19. HANGING CURVE by Troy Soos. (AUDIO) Final entry in the Mickey Rawlings historical baseball series. The books' settings are each spaced out by a few years, and this one takes place in 1922 St. Louis as Mickey, still a utility infielder, plays for the St. Louis Browns. Each of his books also deals with social issues of the day, and this one deals with the Negro baseball leagues, Jim Crow laws, the Ku Klux Klan and lynchings, and it was a very painful book to listen to. It was excellent--just made me mad as hell. I am sad, too, that there are no more books in this series. I've thoroughly enjoyed knowing Mickey and Margie, his friends and (the author's real strength) the historical settings and social issues happening in the different cities Mickey's played in. I've listened to all these in the audio format, read by Johnny Heller, who does an excellent job with the 'tone' of the books and has become Mickey's voice to me. Farewell, Mickey, and thanks for the entertainment! A.<br /><br /><br />Currently reading:<br /><br />A BITTER FEAST by S.J. Rozan<br />THE EAGLES' BROOD by Jack Whyte<br />MATTY GROVES by Deborah Grabien<br /><br />CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-54196051499485306292011-06-04T17:48:00.000-05:002011-06-25T19:30:53.504-05:00JUNE 2011 ReadingAnother month, and still holding fast with my pledge not to buy any books for money this year. I've been working at paring down my physical TBR stacks too, so far having a net loss of about 120 books that I've either read and gotten rid of or else removed and posted at Paperbackswap. I'm also continuing to remove books from my Wishlist and adding them to my library lists.<br /><br />I am also going to be paring down on my book reviews somewhat, and just making note of what I've read and give a grade and a few brief thoughts, with occasional exceptions. Writing reviews is getting to seem too much like a job, especially when I'm busy and get behind with a dozen or so to spit out...I'd rather spend my time actually reading than trying to coherently tell you what I thought of a book. <br /><br />So...here's my list for June:<br /><br />1. THE GHOSTWAY by Tony Hillerman. (AUDIO) #6 in the Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee "Navajo" mysteries, although this one featured just Jim Chee. Read by George Guidall, my favorite reader, so it was a delight to listen to. Chee begins to investigate a shooting death, mostly on his own since the FBI is involved and has warned the Navajo Tribal cops off. Lucky for him, he finds that the shooting is related to the disappearance of a Navajo girl that he's already been investigating. Excellent as always. A.<br /><br />2. THE OTTOMAN CAGE by Barbara Nadel. #2 Cetin Ikmen mystery set in modern Istanbul, Turkey. Ikman, Sgt. Suleyman and their team investigate the death of a young drug addict found in a bizarre locked room in an apartment next to the Topkapi Palace, and the autopsy brings up a number of irregularities that has everyone scratching their heads. Very atmospheric, with an interesting protagonist--how many police stories are written with the main character married with eight children?--and some strong secondary characters, but honestly the mystery itself was almost not a mystery the clues laid out so openly even a caveman could figure this one out. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it though! B+<br /><br />3. SPILLING THE BEANS by Clarissa Dickson Wright. Autobiography of the television personality who makes up half of the "Two Fat Ladies" which was one of my favorite cooking shows. While the stories and anecdotes themselves were very interesting and worth reading, I found that the book itself was not very well written/constructed with lots of jumping around, rambling, and a general lack of cohesiveness. I liked finding out more about this very amazing woman, but I wished the book had been a little easier to read. B.<br /><br />4. SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN by Donna Leon. #16 Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery set in Venice, Italy. Guido is called out in the middle of the night because the Carabinieri have done a raid on a prominent pediatrician's home and busted him for adopting a child illegally. The wife called the police since she had no idea what was happening, so Guido's team showed up only to find the invaders WERE the police...but they had not been pre-informed by the Carabinieri of the impending raid, as is standard procedure. The doctor was beaten, the story being that he attacked one of the officers (who had a minor injury) but the severity of the beating belies this. Guido then gets involved with the investigation into an illegal adoption ring, involving foreign women handing their babies over to brokers, who then place the child in homes of people with mega-moola to pay. Once again his superior has warned him off looking too deep, so most of Guido's investigating is on his own and of course ties into another legitimate investigation. Enjoyable visit to Venice as always, with another hot social topic addressed. A.<br /><br />5. THE FAMOUS FLOWER OF SERVING MEN by Deborah Grabien. #2 in the "Haunted Ballads" series featuring the couple Ringan Laine (folk singer and property restorer) and Penny Wintercraft-Hawkes (actress and theatre troupe leader.) Penny is left a bequest in a will--an abandoned theatre in London--from an eccentric great-aunt she met only once. The theatre is, of course, haunted and as they begin restoration on it and rehearsals for the first play, the troupe members and both Penny and Ringan begin hearing voices in French as well as a nasty stench. This means they need to research to find who the ghost is and how they can get rid of her. Sounds sort of simplistic, but it's really not--it's a very atmospheric, eerie, graphic ghost story tied to the folk song with the same title as the book. As the author owns in her forward to the book, some of the information is historically sound and other parts are made up--it IS fiction, after all. I thoroughly enjoyed and devoured this book, with the author's setting you down right in the midst of wherever she put you at the time and you becoming oblivious to the outside world. Wunnerful! A.<br /><br />6. BOOKMARKED TO DIE by Jo Dereske. #9 Helma Zukas mystery. Helma's forty-second birthday comes around and leaves her feeling a little out of sorts, especially when Chief of Police, Wayne Gallant, doesn't send a card or gift or even acknowledge the day. Distracted as she is, Helma still has time to investigate the deaths of a couple of Local Authors who have attended a meeting at the library to spotlight their works. She's also busy looking for her cat, whom Helma's friend Ruth managed to lose. Enjoyable visit to Bellehaven and the library as always. A.<br /><br />7. PROPHECY by S.J. Parris. (AUDIO) #2 in the Giordano Bruno historical series set in and around events at Queen Elizabeth's court in the 1580's. Bruno, an excommunicated Catholic monk, works for Elizabeth's spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham and has infiltrated the home of the French Ambassador to see if he can learn more about a Catholic plot against QE. Along the way, he hopes to do some consulting and studying with Dr. John Dee, Elizabeth's head astrologer, but ends up being too busy to do much work on his book, as the deaths of two of QE's court ladies keeps him hopping. Enjoyable enough read with John Lee doing the narrating, but I didn't like this as well as the first in series. This one was right at QE's court (whereas the first one was somewhat distanced) and I pretty much OD'd on the Good Queen Bess a few years ago, so it was less than enthralling. I do like Bruno as a central character though and will likely continue listening on when Sacrilege comes out next year. B.<br /><br />8. THE GODFATHER OF KATHMANDU by John Burdett. #4 Sonchai Jitpleecheep mystery set in Bangkok, Thailand (and also in part in Kathmandu, Nepal.) Sonchai is called to the scene of a brutal murder, an American film producer/director who was essentially gutted, with the top of his head sawed off and a few bites of his brains scooped onto a plate, partially consumed. (No...this is not a cozy. LOL) This murder mystery takes the back seat to the rest of the goings-on, with Sonchai becoming his boss Colonel Vikorn's consigliere (after Vikorn watches The Godfather) in his drug-running business, thus heading to Kathmandu and meeting an advanced Buddhist scholar who blows Sonchai's mind (or something like that.) I nearly gave up on the book, because at first it is very confusing and scattered. It then turned into a great story during the middle third, and then wandered again, with portions that are hard to understand (lots to do with Buddhist philosophy/belief) and some tangents that are just a little too far out there, even for me, who loves the weird and esoteric. Not sure yet if I will continue this series, but this certainly was a disappointment to me. C.<br /><br />9. A SECRET AND UNLAWFUL KILLING by Cora Harrison. #2 Burren historical mystery featuring the Brehon Mara. When the unpopular steward of clan MacNamara is found murdered in a churchyard the day after the Michealmas faire, it's up to Mara to determine who killed him and enforce the Brehon laws that have governed Ireland for centuries. A second death complicates matters, but the miller Aengus may actually have been killed before the steward. Mara can't help but believe they are somehow connected, but has difficulty figuring out who had motive, means and opportunity to commit both crimes. Enjoyable historical, very atmospheric and with a strong sense of place and time, although I must admit I felt a bit weary at the end of it all, with Mara having to traipse up and down the roads several times a day on her horse to gather information. I have to admit I wasn't sure who the killer was until close to the end. B+<br /><br />10. FRIEND OF THE DEVIL by Peter Robinson. (AUDIO) #17 DCI Alan Banks mystery set in Yorkshire, UK. An old case resurfaces when DI Annie Cabbot, on loan to a nearby constabulary, determines that the young, wheelchair-bound woman with her throat slashed was not Karen Drew, but none other than Lucy Payne, part of a notorious husband-and-wife team who kidnapped, tortured and brutally murdered several teenage girls six years previously. (The events taking place in Robinson's book Aftermath.) Meanwhile, Banks is working on the rape and strangulation murder of a college student in a dark and secluded maze in Eastvale, and a second murder in that case eventually ties together with Annie's case. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook version, although the reader (Simon Prebble) is a different one than previous books in the series, I've listened to him read before and had no problem with the transition. Skillfully plotted, although the solution to Annie's case was very obvious to me. I like Banks and Annie, and it was hard to watch Annie go through some difficult personal problems in this book. Only two more to catch up to current, so now the rationing comes in. LOL A.<br /><br />11. THE MERCHANT'S HOUSE by Kate Ellis. #1 DS Wesley Peterson mystery. Wesley is newly installed as a DS in Tradmouth, South Devon after working for several years in London. He's greeted on his first day with a murder when a dog-walker finds a body of an unidentified woman, her face bashed in. While he's soon busy jumping right in with the investigation, Wesley has a few personal things to deal with too--his wife's depression over her continued infertility and being a minority in a predominantly white population. There's also a missing toddler case, and Wesley's archaeologist friend Neil's dig, in which they find a centuries-old murdered corpse as well. I found this book to be rather choppy, scattered and somewhat amateurishly written, but that may be because I've read some of the author's later work (her second series) and it's quite obvious that she's matured as a writer over the years. It's a decent introduction, but there seemed to be too much going on in such a short book, and it was definitely not up to par with her later work. If I weren't aware of the later improvement, I'm not sure I'd continue reading this series. C+<br /><br />12. DEATH OF AN EXPERT WITNESS by P.D. James. #6 Cmdr. Adam Dalgliesh mystery in which he heads north to a rather remote village to investigate the death of the Director of a crime lab. Dr. Lorrimer was much-disliked, with many suspects with motive, but means and opportunity are problematic as he was in the lab building after hours and access was much restricted. As usual, James spends about the first third of the book setting the scene before Dalgliesh even enters the picture, and as usual, the story was brilliantly, intricately plotted with all the clues there, but well-hidden. Enjoyable classic mystery read! A<br /><br />13. THE FOURTH ASSASSIN by Matt Beynon Rees. #4 Omar Yussef mystery. These are usually set in Bethlehem, where Omar works as a teacher, but he is in New York this time to give a talk to the UN about education in the refugee camps. Upon arrival, he goes to visit his son, but finds a decapitated body at Ala's apartment, a body that turns out to be Ala's roommate and Omar's former student. Ala is subsequently arrested and Omar is frantic to get him released. Bethlehem's police chief is also in NY providing security for their President at the UN conference, and the two of them set out to investigate, encountering the usual political corruption and violence along the way. I'm not usually fond of series books that send the main character on a road trip away from their home base, but this one works pretty well, putting Omar Yussef in the Little Palestine area of New York. The story is well-told, but it's hard to read these without feeling a great sense of sadness and anger at the mess we've made of our world. I do hope the author plans to continue the series--Omar is a strong character with flaws that make him very believable and I've come to be very fond of him. A<br /><br />14. STILL MIDNIGHT by Denise Mina. (AUDIO) #1 Alex Morrow mystery set in Glasgow, Scotland. Alex is a Detective Sergeant who ends up working a botched kidnapping case in which the sixty-year-old Amir Anwar is taken rom his comfortable suburban home by an amateurish group of thugs. Problem is, the kidnappers seem to have gotten the wrong guy--they were after some guy named Bob. Mr. Anwar is a Ugandan political refugee who owns a small corner shop, not someone you'd expect to have a two million quid ransom lying around. The case looks to be a big one and Morrow is disappointed when her rival of the same rank, golden boy Grant Bannerman, is given SIO for the case and she has to take orders from him. Morrow also deals with personal demons that make just doing the day-to-day of her job none too easy. Wonderfully read by Jane MacFarlane, this book kept me listening for hours at a time and not wanting to stop. Gritty and fast-paced with interesting twists and turns, and I look forward to seeing what Alex gets up to in her next adventure. A<br /><br />15. FLASHPOINT by Linda Barnes. #8 Carlotta Carlyle mystery set in Boston. Carlotta, a licensed PI, is hired by an elderly woman in a rent-controlled property--one of the few remaining in the Fens neighborhood--as a security consultant. When the seemingly paranoid and batty woman is found dead by Carlotta upon returning with her new locks and equipment, Carlotta is then hired by a wealthy music-business owner to see if the woman was his great-grandmother. Interesting, fast-paced read with snappy dialogue and the always-interesting characters, although with a fairly obvious murderer. Enjoyable. B<br /><br />16. HAVE MERCY ON US ALL by Fred Vargas. #3 Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg mystery set in Paris. In this atmospheric thriller, a history scholar reports to the police that someone may be about to unleash the plague on Paris. Someone has been anonymously posting messages via a town crier in one of the neighborhoods, and the scholar finally pieces together where the messages are taken from. This news coupled with someone painting bizarre-looking 4's on doors in a few neighborhoods has Adamsberg worried, and sure enough, it's not long before their first victim turns up--not dead of plague, although they are meant to look like it. More bodies begins to incite widespread panic as Adamsberg and his team hunt down leads. A very interesting mystery with a very interesting main character. A<br /><br />17. WINTERSMITH by Terry Pratchett. (AUDIO) #3 in the Tiffany Aching sub-series of the Discworld fantasy novels, in which Tiffany, a witch-in-training, attends the Black Morris dance (signaling the beginning of winter) and accidentally dances with the Wintersmith who subsequently thinks she is the Summer Lady and sets out to make himself human so he can woo her. Tiffany, meanwhile, also has to deal with her current tutor, Miss Treason, dying and having her sort-of friend and fellow trainee Annagramma take over Miss Treason's cottage as a full-fledged witch, displacing Tiffany to the tutelage of Nanny Ogg up Lancre way. And of course all the while the Nac Mac Feegle are in the thick of things protecting their 'wee big hag,' with Tiffany's blue cheese wheel Horace donning a kilt and joining them. Brilliant is about all I can say, though it's not nearly enough. A+<br /><br />18. HELL IS EMPTY by Craig Johnson. #7 Walt Longmire mystery in which Walt ends up mostly alone in the high reaches of the Bighorn Mountains as he plods after a prisoner, a ruthless psychopath who escaped in a prisoner transfer gone horribly wrong. Alone with his thoughts, fears, and possibly some strange Native American spirits, Walt isn't sure what's real and what's not. I will say that so far this is my least favorite of the series--not because of the large amount of so-called 'woo woo' ('paranormal/spirit activity') but because one of the big strengths of this series--the wonderful secondary characters--were largely missing, as was the banter and interaction between Walt and his friends, family and co-workers. I fully respect the author's right to fiddle around and make each book unique in its own right, I'm just saying I didn't like this one as much. I rather felt the same way about the one that took Walt out of Wyoming to Philadelphia, as that one was missing another important character in the series--the Wyoming setting. What can I say--I likes what I likes! B<br /><br />Current reads:<br /><br />19. AMONG THE MAD by Jacqueline Winspear<br />20. THE INDIAN BRIDE by Karin Fossum (APA CALLING OUT FOR YOU) (AUDIO)<br /><br /><br />CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-23862925115617857042011-05-08T21:52:00.000-05:002011-06-03T21:55:17.297-05:00May 20111. THE SATURDY BIG-TENT WEDDING PARTY by Alexander McCall Smith (AUDIO) #12 No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series in which Mma Kutsi and her fiance Phuti Radiphuti finally are planning their wedding, and in which Mma Ramotswe has heard rumors that someone has fixed her (former) tiny white van and thinks she may have spotted it around Gabarone. While her new blue van is fine, she still has feelings for that tiny white van and would like nothing more than to be able to drive it again. She also deals with a case in which someone has killed a couple of cattle belonging to a farmer out near Lobatse--and not just killed, but sliced the tendons in their legs so that their death was slow and painful, which is totally unacceptable to Mma Ramotswe, whose father the late Obed Ramotswe was a cattle man. The lady detectives also have problems with Charlie, one of the apprentices at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors--he is apparently the father of twins and is not owning up to his responsibility as their father. As with all of these books, there isn't much of a mystery, it's more a visit with friends to hear the continuing saga of their lives and spend a few hours in a totally different culture. As always, I enjoyed this visit even if it is a somewhat syrupy-sweet view through rose-colored glasses. The reader for the audio versions is great and does a wonderful job with the voices, accents and nuances of the stories. A<br /><br />2. THE PRODIGAL SON by Kate Sedley. #15 Roger the Chapman medieval mystery set in the UK. Roger is in the Green Lattis pub savoring an ale when a stranger approaches several people including the chapman, asking after news of his brother's ship that sailed from Bristol several weeks previously. There has been no news, but Roger thinks he's met the young man somewhere before, but can't quite place John Wedmore. Until a day later when the sheriff comes calling, stating he's got young Mr. Wedmore in his jail, accused of being a thief and murderer, implicated by a countrywoman who named him her page six years ago. And he's asked to speak to Roger--who subsequently learns that John Wedmore is his previously unknown half-brother and he realizes he 'recognized' his father's facial features in the young man. Roger ends up journeying out to Wells, where he was born and grew up, to the country manor of his brother's accuser to see what he can learn about this six-year-old murder in hopes of exonerating him. Meanwhile, a long lost son returns to that manor at the same time as Roger and begins stirring up a hornet's nest. Enjoyable visit as always to 14th century England. The mysteries are not terribly difficult to figure out, but the writing style, the characters and historical ambience make all the difference. A<br /><br />3. GARDEN SPELLS by Sarah Addison Allen. Not sure how to categorize this book...I guess a combination of magical realism (comparable to Alice Hoffman, perhaps)...and a hefty dose of chick lit would be about right. It's the story of the Waverley sisters, Claire and Sydney, and how they each come to find themselves and some basic truths about their family. Everyone in the small town they live in knows the Waverley women have always been a little strange, and the present generation has also inherited some of the Waverley magic. Claire now lives in the old Waverley house, working as a caterer who does 'special' work--meals concocted from edible flowers and herbs from the Waverley garden that affect people certain ways depending on the ingredients. There's also an apple tree in the garden that throws apples at people. Sydney, who's been absent for ten years without a word, flitting around the country much as their mother did, Claire imagines, shows up one day with her daughter Bay in tow, seeking refuge. As they learn to become sisters again and deal with their strange elderly Aunt Evanelle and the unwanted attentions of a couple of local men, both women begin to find where they fit into the grand scheme of things. An interesting, though easily read book without any real surprises, predictable in many ways, and yet this author has such a wonderful way of weaving words together that it has moments of absolute brilliance and was very difficult to put down, although the neatly wrapped up ending was rather anti-climactic. When looking back on the whole package though...it was okay, though not spectacular. B+<br /><br />4. A FIELD OF DARKNESS by Cornelia Read. #1 Madeline Dare mystery set in 1980's Syracuse, NY. Madeline is a reporter--well, she writes mostly filler pieces for the local newspaper in Syracuse, NY where she moved with her husband Dean who is an engineer, a designer, mostly roughing it working on railroads while on the side working on a device that will save a lot of time and money. Madeline comes from old money, as in Mayflower old money--but her parents fell out of the money loop--her mother having divorced and remarried several times and her father a paranoid aging hippy living in a trailer in California. Madeline longs to be part of that inner circle again, but she's not a whiner--she just does what she has to do to get by, including living in butt-ugly Syracuse in a dismal apartment. Then one day Dean's uncle--his family are farmers in the area near Syracuse--brings up an old unsolved mystery in which two girls who were never identified were brutally murdered, their bodies posed--and hands Madeline a set of dog tags that just happen to belong to her cousin Lapthorne--one of the moneyed set. They were found by a local farmer not far from where the girls were found but never reported to the police--and Madeline is instantly intrigued and sets out to clear her cousin's name--even though she hasn't seen him in more than ten years, he's always been one of the good guys in her eyes and she doesn't want to go to the police yet. Her searches lead her down some dark and scary paths, with suspects suddenly falling out of the trees, and when it's obvious the killer realizes she's investigating, she begins to fear for her own safety--but is her fear misplaced? Someone close to her is leaking information, but who? Great read! I am not a big fan of frou-frou books about people with money, but I really like Madeline, and this story was a doozie! The author also is a very dynamic writer, with certain phrases and descriptions that leap out at you and give such a sense of place and...I don't know...feeling, I guess. Definitely not a cozy, and probably not the best choice for my "bedtime" read, but a great one nonetheless. A+<br /><br />5.HUNTING A DETROIT TIGER by Troy Soos. (AUDIO) #4 Mickey Rawlings historical baseball mystery series, this one set mostly in Detroit in 1920, where Mickey is currently playing ball as a utility infielder. Mickey, at a union organizing rally, ends up accused of shooting one of the principals, Emmet Siever, although he's not charged as it's termed self-defense. Trouble is, Mickey didn't shoot him at all, and he wants to know who's set him up so conveniently--and who the real killer is. The publicity has turned his Tiger teammates against him, and a union-busting 'personnel manager' with the backing of the Tigers owner wants him to badmouth the union--when what Mickey wants is not to be involved at all. Add in a mysterious fake policeman (whom Mickey later learns is actually a federal agent in the organization that was the predecessor of the FBI) and Marguerite Turner, an actress that Mickey had a relationship with a couple of books ago and the story gets really interesting. Karl Landfors, Mickey's socialist newspaper reporter friend also makes an appearance to help Mickey navigate his way through all the different radical groups trying to organize workers. Very enjoyable listen as always. The reader does a great job at setting the tone and with the various voices throughout the book. The author picks a social issue of the times in each book, one that intersects somehow with baseball. In this book, it's the birth of the unions, the attempts to organize baseball players and the beginnings of the FBI and the power they wield over those whom they target as radicals, regardless of the truth. Great sense of time and place, infused with the spirit of baseball when it was young. A<br /><br />6. WALKING A PERFECT SQUARE by Reed Farrel Coleman. #1 Moe Prager mystery set in New York City in the late 1970s--and in the late 1990's as well. Moe is an ex-cop, farmed out on disability from an on the job injury. In 1978, one of his cop buddies asks him to look privately into the disappearance of a college student, Patrick Maloney, even though Moe isn't officially a PI. He's been missing about 2 months when Moe first encounters the case, which the boy's father is 'paying' him in favors to look into...expediting the liquor license Moe and his brother Aaron will need for their planned wine shop--and some help in getting the wine shop itself going. After just a short time, Moe senses something is decidedly askew with the Maloney's disappearance--and with his father's efforts to find him. For example, the photo used for the 'have you seen this person?' flyers is from his high school prom--a couple of years old, and Maloney had drastically changed his appearance since then. Why would Mr. Maloney not use the up-to-date likeness of his son instead? In talking with friends and family of Patrick, Moe gets very different vibes as to what he was like--and he definitely had some sort of mental condition, possibly obsessive-compulsive disorder. As Moe continues investigating, he is first warned anonymously and then paid off by the father to drop it. However, Patrick's sister Katy hires Moe to continue, and he finds himself falling for her. He knows there must be something fishy going on because he's attacked and his car is blown up--which just makes him more curious. The story intermittently pops ahead into 1998, with Moe going to the bedside of a dying man in a hospice who has asked his nurse to summon Moe--he has no idea who he is, but he's uttered the magic words, "Patrick Maloney." I really enjoyed this story, and I like Moe a lot. There were a few typos or misspelled words/wrong homophones used ('sight' instead of 'site' is one I recall off the top of my head) that I found a bit distracting, but the writing style is very readable and the story itself sucked me in right from the get-go and I found it difficult to put down. I'll definitely be continuing on in this series! A-<br /><br />7. PIECE OF MY HEART by Peter Robinson (AUDIO) #16 DCI Alan Banks mystery set in Yorkshire, UK. Nick Barber, a music journalist, ends up murdered in a holiday cottage in a Yorkshire village with no apparent motive for the killing. The story line bounces back and forth between present day and 1969 and the murder of a young woman at a local rock festival, whose death is (of course!) related to Barber's. Barber was doing an investigative piece on rock band The Mad Hatters, as there is an upcoming reunion planned. The Hatters were just getting started in 1969 and played at the Brimley Festival where young Linda Lofthouse died. Had Barber found something out about the murder, despite the fact that someone went to prison for Linda's murder--or perhaps it was the death of Robin Merchant, the Hatters bass player, which had been deemed an accidental drowning in the pool at a local Lord's country estate. Despite Banks' ambitious new boss trying to steer him in other directions, he's convinced that the past ties to Nick Barber's murder and sets out to find the connection. Well-narrated, interesting story, and although I didn't figure out the killer til close to the end, the pieces fell into place for me before they did for Banks. Strong characterizations, with plenty of fully-fleshed characters besides Banks himself, interesting story and plot, and the historical part provided an interesting cornerstone in time to weave together with the present-day story. Enjoyable as always...and scary to realize I'm fast approaching being caught up with this series. A<br /><br />8. FROM THE GROUNDS UP by Sandra Balzo. #5 Maggy Thorsen coffee shop mystery set in fictional Brookhills, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. Maggy is looking for somewhere to house Uncommon Grounds, since the coffee shop burned down along with the rest of the small strip mall it was located in during events in the last book. On an almost non-existent budget and now sans Caron, her business partner, who must bow out due to financial strains, Maggy is wondering what to do. Then her moody friend Sarah, a real estate agent, offers to take Caron's place as her partner AND provide a building--an old railroad depot that (unknown to many) is about to become active again when Brookhills once again becomes a train stop. Sarah owns the building, as it was willed to her by her recently-deceased aunt, and her cousin Ronny is a contractor/developer, so it would seem that things are looking up. However, as soon as the papers are signed and they begin making plans, accidents start happening at the depot site, including the death of Sarah's crabby step-uncle, whose car was t-boned by a passing train when it stalled on the tracks. Maggy senses that someone doesn't want her to re-open Uncommon Grounds--at least not at the depot--but who? Of course she begins poking her nose in and with a few dropped clues from her boyfriend the Sheriff, discovers that Uncle Kornell's 'accident' was actually a murder. Love this series with its edgy, slightly irreverent humor, relaxed atmosphere and easy reading style. Maggy is a breath of fresh air compared to most of the cookie-cutter cozy heroines, and her friends are fully-fleshed, great characters too--including her gassy sheepdog, Frank. (She really ought to be nominated for a Watson award for the best sidekick! LOL) Very much looking forward to the next book in the series. A<br /><br />9. MURDER ON WAVERLY PLACE by Victoria Thompson. #11 Gaslight mystery featuring midwife Sarah Brandt in early 1900's New York. Sarah is persuaded to attend a seance hosted by spiritualist Madame Serafina by her mother, the society matron Mrs. Peter Decker. Mrs. Decker hopes to contact Sarah's dead sister to seek her forgiveness for the terrible way they treated her. Sarah of course is certain the people conducting the seance are charlatans and hopes to show her mother that she's being ripped off. But after the very convincing performance, a few niggling doubts find their way into Sarah's mind, too. A few days later, she is summoned to the home where Madame Serafina holds her seances by Det. Sgt. Frank Molloy--it seems someone at a seance was murdered, and Mrs. Decker was in attendance. Sarah takes Madame Serafina into her home to keep her safe, and as she and Molloy investigate, the secrets of the seances start revealing themselves slowly, as do the suspects since those who would benefit from Mrs. Gittings' murder (she hosted the seances and was Mme. Serafina's patroness). Enjoyable enough, but rather predictable as I figured out the bad guy well in advance and there's very few surprises in these books--I think the author needs to shake herself out of the formula a bit and do something 'different' although not sure just what that means. The continued 'romantic tension' between Sarah and Molloy has gotten a bit old, although it's never as pervasive in this series as in some others. B<br /><br />10. BOOK OF MOONS by Rosemary Edghill #2 Bast mystery. Second in the "Bast" mystery series featuring Karen Hightower, a Wiccan and member of Changings coven in New York, and whose witch name is Bast. It's set in contemporary New York--although this was written at least 15 years ago--and deals with the life of contemporary Pagans. In this book, Bast's friend Glitter calls her, distraught, because her BoS (Book of Shadows--a witch's own personal self-written "Bible" and spellbook as it were) has disappeared. Since Glitter tends to be a bit absent-minded, Bast helps her search but doesn't find the book. Life goes on, Bast assists Belle, her High Priestess, in informally interviewing a prospective new member. And then she starts hearing snippets of conversation at a communal picnic about other people missing their BoS as well, although most are simply writing it off to misplacing it. And when the prospective new member, Ned, makes a fool of himself by claiming to have an 'original' BoS from ancient times, he is laughed out of the picnic by skeptical Pagans who've heard it all before. When Ilona, the owner of a local Pagan bookstore, is found murdered, her assistant--none other than the aforementioned Ned--contacts Bast and gives her a package to hold for him. And when he turns up dead and she opens the package, to no one's surprise (or at least not mine!) it contains several stolen BoS and a very old book that claims to be the BoS of Mary, Queen of Scots. This book wasn't as good as the first one--for one thing, the bad guy stood out like a sore thumb almost from the time of introduction into the book, and for another, it just seemed full of melancholy and angst. I do find this series refreshing because it's about the life of normal everyday Pagans and isn't treated as a "paranormal" mystery just because of the beliefs and practices the main character has. I enjoyed it though and look forward to seeing how the author ties up the trilogy with the next one. B<br /><br />11. THE BRUTAL TELLING by Louise Penny. In this fifth "Three Pines" mystery featuring the head of the Surete du Quebec, Armand Gamache, he and his team of homicide detectives are once again off to the quiet village nestled in the countryside. And yet again, the idyllic setting is marred by a dead body, this one lying on the floor of the bistro owned by Olivier and Gabri. Olivier is in absolute shock as he recognizes the man as a hermit who lives in a well-hidden cottage some distance from the village--and in fact he's just visited him that very night, but he can't tell the police that. Gamache picks up on the fact that something is bothering Olivier right from the beginning and knows something is being kept from him, but as to what it is or why, he has no idea. Once the team begins their ferreting, and the autopsy is complete, much information comes to light, including the location of his cabin--which is full of antique treasures, long lost to the world. Olivier begins revealing his involvement in bits and pieces, frustrating Gamache and his team to no end with each tidbit. I have a confession to make, that I have read comments from some of my reading buddies about this book and their dislike of it, and also their further comments about the NEXT book, where some unresolved issues from this one are sorted out. Without that knowledge, I would have very likely marked down this book as it just seemed to leave things hanging without a real final 'close the book/end of story' ending. As it is, I enjoyed the book itself with the cozy village atmosphere, the odd collection of characters, the wonderful foods and the literary references and the like. But the ending did NOT make me happy! It won't be long until I get to that next one, let me tell you! A-<br /><br />12. THE CASE OF THE MISSING SERVANT by Tarquin Hall. (AUDIO) In this thoroughly enjoyable first in series featuring PI Vish Puri in Delhi, India, you are not only introduced to a whole cache of fun and interesting characters but given a cultural tour of a middle-class Indian household as well. Puri is contacted by an old friend, a prominent lawyer who is being set up to take the fall for doing away with one of his former maidservants who disappeared a couple of months previously. <br />Puri and his crack team--whom he's given hilarious nicknames like Facecream, Handbrake, and Tubelight--begin digging, surveilling and infiltrating the home of the lawyer to find out all the things that they aren't being told. As the investigation is underway, a body is actually discovered and suddenly witnesses are coming out of the woodwork who saw the lawyer disposing of it. Given the corruption in the Indian police force and political system, it's entirely possible that someone has it in for the lawyer and is framing him--and it's Puri's job to find out who and why. The reader was excellent, handling a variety of voices and accents well, with a pace and tone that captures the essence of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, both the reader and the story itself, and the cultural immersion as well. There was a good mix of humor--the tone was light, but some serious issues were also addressed. The main mystery was fairly easy to figure out, as were the side mysteries but it didn't keep me from enjoying the story. A<br /><br />13. MALICE IN MINIATURE by Jeanne M. Dams. #4 Dorothy Martin mystery. Dorothy, an American widow now re-married to Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt and living in Sherebury, UK has been asked by her friend/house cleaner Ada Finch to help clear her son Bob's name. Bob's a drunk, admittedly, but he appreciates his job as maintenance and odd-job man at Brocklesby Hall, and there's no way he stole some miniature doll house pieces from the museum housed there. Dorothy heads out to the museum to have a look around and meets the owner, Sir Mordred Brocklesby, a man much obsessed with doll house miniatures. There she learns that the issue over the missing pieces Bob is accused of stealing has been resolved, but she meets some strange characters and a nice woman named Meg Cunningham who is the curator and it sounds like something is definitely 'off.' A couple of days later, Ada summons her again--this time Bob's been set up for murder, as the old battleaxe of a housekeeper has been found dead of poisoning. Dorothy, cognizant of her new position as the CC's wife, tries to investigate inconspicuously so word won't get back to Alan, but of course that backfires. I didn't like this entry in the series as much as the previous ones, partly because so many words in the book were devoted to Dorothy's angst over not making Alan look bad if she did something wrong., and also to her thoughts about possibly moving to a different area, since Alan was offered a promotion elsewhere. She's just a bit too prissy for my taste. Also, there were some fairly preposterous coincidences involved in this story that made me snort and roll my eyes. I think I'll give the series a rest for awhile, but it's likely that I will come back to it later at some point. C<br /><br />14. PRETTY GIRL GONE by David Housewright. #3 Rushmore "Mac" MacKenzie mystery set in and around St. Paul, MN. Mac is an unlicensed PI who works essentially doing favors for friends, given that he inherited a bundle of money a few years ago, left the police force and now lives a life of leisure most of the time. In this book, he's contacted by an old girlfriend from high school, who now just happens to be the first lady of Minnesota. The Governor has apparently been threatened although he doesn't know it--an e-mail to his wife says that he murdered his high-school sweetheart back in Victoria, MN, a crime that had never been solved. Lindsey wants Mac to look into it and so he sends out his tendrils of query and almost immediately he's captured at gunpoint and brought to an office building to meet a circle of powerful men who, between them, own much of the Twin Cities and control most of the running of the state behind the scenes. They want Governor Barrett's little problem to go away so he can become a US Senator and perhaps even go beyond that and they want Mac to know they can assist him in his quest to help Mrs. Barrett. Meanwhile, another faction threatens Mac and states that Barrett must NOT run for Senate. Caught in the middle, Mac figures the present problems are buried in the past so he heads to Victoria to try to figure out what happened those many years ago when Barrett's girlfriend was killed. Okay--I like Mac well enough; he's a tough, smart-alecky, independent kind of guy. But I find these stories to be nigh on unbelievable, with the perfect circumstances he's in where he has no work timetable, no one to answer to, no money issues, dozens of people who owe him big favors that he calls in at every turn, etc. to be a detriment to the story. ANYONE could solve crimes under those circumstances unless he was an idiot. Give me a story with the hero stuck in a dead-end job with a mortgage, back taxes to pay and a car that barely stays on the road who's stuck in a dead-end job. This story was worse than previous ones with the political shenanigans and conspiracy theories thrown in. The mystery of who killed the girl was obvious with a trail of clues marked with big red circles around them--or at least that's how I saw them--and I admit I skimmed to the end just to be sure I was right. I have to say that at this point, the ONLY reason I continue reading this series is the author's capturing the sense of place of the Twin Cities so well and it's fun to read about Mac driving down roads I drive down, past scenes I see with my own eyes. But at this point, I'm not sure it's enough to keep me reading. I'm taking a break for awhile, at least. C-<br /><br />15. MEN AT ARMS by Terry Pratchett. #15 Discworld novel (in order of publication), this one following the 'Night Watch' sub-series, as might be guessed by the title. Captain Sam Vimes is about to retire--since he is getting married to a wealthy noblewoman. As he contemplates life without his job on the Night Watch, he's wondering if it's really worth it, but doesn't have time to think about it very long because a big case has fallen in their laps with a string of corpses from the various Guilds. Corporal Carrot is attempting to get his latest batch of recruits trained in, and a motley mix they are, with a dwarf, a troll and a female werewolf. Green as they are, Carrot uses them to investigate the series of deaths despite being 'warned off the case' by the higher-ups and informed by the various Guild masters that they are handling their own investigations as usual. Hilarious romp through Ankh-Morpork as Pratchett pokes fun at affirmative action, political correctness and police forces everywhere. The Night Watch string of books isn't my favorite Discworld sub-series, but still an enjoyable, light read with laugh out loud funny dialogue and wordplay. A<br /> <br />16. A LOCAL HABITATION by Seanan McGuire. #2 October "Toby" Daye paranormal mystery. Toby is sent on an errand by her liege lord Sylvester to check on his niece whom he's been fairly close to, but hasn't been returning his calls for several weeks. So Toby and Quentin, one of Sylvester's knights-in-training, head off to Fremont, CA--the real world place where the small duchy of Tamed Lightning is, which is where January O'Leary resides. And since it's right between two larger faerie counties, both with political aspirations to greatness, there is cause for worry. Once they arrive and see that January is okay, Toby is somewhat relieved, but puzzled when she insists that it is her uncle who has not been available--that she's left many voicemails for him with no response. Something seems 'off' to Toby, and once she begins poking around, it's not long before a dead body turns up, and Toby discovers that there have been two other mysterious deaths over the past month, both employees of the computer company that January runs. The mystery to "who dunnit" was very easily figured out very far in advance but the particulars as to how and why were still interesting to read about. I like this series and Toby's an interesting character. Much of it is based on Celtic myth and lore and seems pretty accurately researched, although there is something just slightly "off" about it and about Toby that keeps me from really loving the series--not sure yet what that is. I do intend to read on, but it's not one of those 'must read as soon as I get the next book' type things. B<br /><br />17. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. (AUDIO). I've never been much of a Jane Austen fan, so I have to say I LOVE what they've done with the book with 'the manky unmentionables' added to the mix. Oh, it's the same story, basically...but much more fun with zombies and ninjas. And that's all I'm gonna say. Hehehe. I loved the narration of the book by this reader, who managed every voice from the quintessential Regency hoity-toity posh "Lady" voices, to one of the characters who was infected with the zombie plague and had almost totally turned and could barely speak. There were some LOL moments and of course when she was prattling on in the voice of Mrs. Bennet or her airhead youngest daughter Lydia, she did such a great job that it set my teeth on edge--as it was meant to. Looking forward to reading the continuation of the series--a sequel and then a prequel, both written by Steve Hockensmith, one of my favorite writers. A<br /><br />18. THE PALE BLUE EYE by Louis Bayard. Historical mystery set at West Point Academy in 1830, when none other than Edgar Allan Poe was briefly a cadet there. This story weaves Poe nicely into the mix as he becomes an informant for retired detective Gus Landor, who was asked to investigate the heinous death of cadet Leroy Fry. He had apparently hung himself, but afterward, while the officers were being summoned, his body was stolen and his heart cut out. Believing it to be the work of Satanists--or at least the possibility--Landor convinces the lead officer that he's working with to let Poe assist him by infiltrating the most likely group of cadets. Eventually this leads to trouble when Poe finds himself falling for the lead suspect's sister, but his letters/reports to Landor are a delight to read. Rich with historical detail and weighty, twisty prose redolent of the times, with bits of Poe's poetry tossed in for good measure, an interesting mystery and a freaky plot twist at the end, this is an great example of a Gothic horror/suspense novel with one of my favorite writers brought to life. I will say it did get a bit boggy in places and you need some patience to get through those sections--if you're used to reading light, easily resolved mysteries you may have a hard time with this. But I quite enjoyed it. B+<br /><br />DNF: RUNNING ON EMPTY by Sandra Balzo--first entry in a new series that was a big disappointment for me since I love her coffee shop series so much. I just couldn't get interested.<br /><br />CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-1618617417104743402011-04-03T08:25:00.000-05:002011-05-01T12:30:16.188-05:00APRIL 2011Thought I would post an update on how I'm doing in my year-long quest to not acquire books. Well, I have made it through the first quarter without purchasing any books for money...(takes a bow)...I can do this! <br /><br />I've also joined a challenge over at one of the Paperbackswap forums called "The Biggest Book Loser." Basically, the winner is the person who pares the most books from their physical TBR (To Be Read) pile--that is to say, books that are in your possession that you haven't yet read, those on a library list or wish list not counting. I know I probably won't win the challenge as I am still acquiring books fairly regularly from my PBS wishlist, but as we are moving next year to a smaller apartment and thus will have less room, I am determined to have my physical TBR down to 400 or under by 2/1/2012. (This started on Feb. 1 of this year.) <br /><br />Progress so far: I have acquired 27 books and removed 80 from the TBR stacks, with a net loss of 53 books. The acquisitions were all from my PBS wishlist except for one freebie ARC from Amazon Vine. The removals were either those I read and posted to PBS or donated or those I culled without reading, deciding I'm no longer interested in reading them now or in the near future. I also pared my PBS wishlist down considerably, eliminating many titles that are readily available at my local (superb!) library system...my wishlist is down to about 160 now, and it hasn't been that low in years. Will do a quarterly update--this wasn't too bad considering I didn't join in til Feb. 1 so only 2 months worth of work. :)<br /><br />Now, on to my April reading adventures!<br /><br />1. MURDER AT WRIGLEY FIELD by Troy Soos (AUDIO) #3 Mickey Rawlings historical mystery. It's now 1918 and WWI is in full swing. Mickey and his fellow major league baseball players await word from the top whether they will be allowed to continue the season without fear of being drafted, or whether baseball will be deemed 'non-essential' entertainment. Because of all the other players who've enlisted, Mickey now has a starting role playing second base for the Chicago Cubs. While marching in the 4th of July parade entering the stadium, Mickey's friend and roommate, shortstop Willie Kaiser, is shot dead, and Mickey vows to find out who killed him and why, even if Willie's sister hadn't asked him to. He's also supposed to be looking into the matter of who has been sabotaging things at the ballpark, making things difficult for his boss. Mickey wonders if Willie's death was random or if his German heritage had something to do with his demise--anti-German sentiment runs strong, so much so that things like eating pretzels and owning dachshunds are seen as 'un-patriotic' and one must watch what they say lest someone have them arrested for treason according to the new anti-sedition laws which forbid any sort of criticism of the United States Government. Vigilante groups like the Patriotic Knights of Liberty are running rampant, and when Mickey learns that Willie worked part time in a munitions plant where several of the bosses are members of that group, he gets hired there to snoop around and soon finds himself being targeted for injury or death too. Although this book seemed a bit slower-moving than previous ones, I still enjoyed the reading of it immensely--the reader (Johnny Heller) is perfect for the series and there was a lot of interesting historical information passed along through the course of the story, woven skillfully into the plot itself so that it didn't feel like a lecture at all. Very enjoyable and very much looking forward to the next in series--and sorry to see that the series isn't longer. A.<br /><br />2. THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD by Agatha Christie. One of the Hercule Poirot mysteries told from the point of view of Dr. Sheppard, the physician in a fictional rural UK village. When the wealthy lord of the manor is found stabbed to death in his study, it's determined that many people had motive to kill him. Dr. Sheppard relates the story from his diary notes, including his surprise when the mysterious neighbor next door turns out to be none other than Hercule Poirot, now mostly retired and living somewhat reclusively. Using Dr. Sheppard as his Hastings, Poirot--who's been asked by the victim's niece to investigate alongside the police--gathers evidence in his usual meticulous fashion and then applies his little grey cells, of course comes up with the solution by the end of the book--an interesting plot twist that (having read the book before) I did anticipate. A charming visit to the English countryside of the 1920's, including a dip below the surface to reveal all the usual baser human emotions of hate, greed, jealousy and fear under the idyllic appearance. A+<br /><br />3. A HAT FULL OF SKY by Terry Pratchett. (AUDIO) #32 overall Discworld, #2 in the Tiffany Aching mini-series. Something is after Tiffany Aching--a witch, aged 11. She's off to the mountains to be an apprentice witch and helper for Miss Level, who lives in two bodies at once. What is after Tiffany is the Hiver--an existential mindless nightmare parasite that takes over a host and twists its mind and actions, and not for the better. The Nac Mac Feegle note this catastrophe and even though Rob Anybody Mac Feegle is about to become a father, his new bride the Keldar tells him he must save Tiffany, so the troop of six-inch-tall blue men are off to help their 'big wee hag' out of her dilemma. Granny Weatherwax, senior witch from Lancre also makes an appearance and assists Tiffany in getting rid of her pest. Another great entry in this series within a series--great fun, plenty of wisdom, and Pratchett's usual well-drawn characters. A<br /><br />4. THE WEAVER AND THE FACTORY MAID by Deborah Grabien. #1 Haunted Ballad mystery set in the UK. Is it a mystery? A gothic ghost story? A charming English story? Yes, yes and yes. Ringan Laine is the guitarist and vocalist in a traditional folk band, which doesn't often pay enough of a living wage to subsist on. So he also does home restorations. When the owner of the manor home he's nearly finished restoring explains that he isn't able to pay him in cash due to a problem with the courts tying up his liquid assets, Ringan is livid--until the man offers him the title to a plot of land with a cottage and old tithe barn instead. Worth much more than the few thousand quid he was owing, Ringan accepts, and then finds out that the house and barn are both haunted. When his longtime girlfriend Penny arrives to check out his new home, they both have chilling experiences that unsettle them to the core, each with a different ghost. Eventually, they feel they must figure out the mystery of just who is haunting the property, and why. And they do discover it, but then the question becomes how to banish the spirits so that they can carry on living in the cottage? What an interesting story! Not a lot of 'action' per se, and not even that much of a mystery in that you discover whodunit right along with the protagonists. Very atmospheric, with a sense of place that puts you right in the middle of things without being overtly 'descriptive'--that is to say, it's not a bunch of adjectives strung together, but a true multi-dimensional picture woven together with words. If you don't like a paranormal element to your books, you probably should pass on this. If you've an open mind or like ghost stories, I highly recommend it. The writing is wonderful and I already feel as though Ringan and Penny and their circle are my friends--and I can't wait for another visit! A.<br /><br />5. TELL ME, PRETTY MAIDEN by Rhys Bowen. #7 Molly Murphy historical mystery set in 1902 in New York. In one of those 'be careful what you wish for' scenarios, Molly--a private detective--finds herself suddenly overrun with cases and struggles to keep up. She decides to ask her beau--Daniel Sullivan, a police captain who is still on suspension--to help her out. This doesn't sit well with Daniel, somewhat of a traditionalist, but if he's actually going to wed Molly someday, he'd better get used to her independent spirit! He's bored, so he agrees and works at following a young man whom Molly was asked to investigate by his fiance's parents while Molly takes a non-speaking part in a Broadway musical in an attempt to ferret out who is trying to ruin the show--and the lead actress, former vaudeville performer Blanche Lovejoy--by pretending to be an angry ghost, causing some quite dangerous accidents. Meanwhile, Molly and Daniel stumble on a well-dressed young woman in a snow bank in Central Park, near frozen, who doesn't respond verbally or appear to even understand what's being said, despite several different languages being tried. Molly takes steps to prevent her from being sent to the insane asylum since no one claims her--and on top of all that, Mrs. Van Woekem, a society matron whom Molly has become friends with wants her nephew found--he's apparently on the run, having gone beyond his usual hijinks into robbery and murder, according to his friend and the New Haven police. Still, it's all in a day's work for Molly. The plot was somewhat predictable as I did figure out how several of the cases strung together and the ending wasn't much of a surprise. Still, I enjoy the author's writing style and Molly, Daniel and their circle of friends as well as the historical ambiance. Looking forward to the next one. B+<br /><br />6. A THOUSAND CUTS by Simon Lelic. The book was originally published with the title "Rupture" in the UK--a much more appropriate title, I thought. Blast publishers who feel the need to tweak titles in different countries! This is a first novel, a police mystery about a school shooting in London where the perpetrator was a teacher who shot several students, a fellow teacher, and then himself. The teacher, Samuel Szajkowski, was the new history teacher at an exclusive prep school and had apparently endured unremitting bullying and pranks from everyone from the headmaster down to the students almost from his first moments at the school. The investigation is conducted by DI Lucia May, who is unwilling to glide through her investigation--which on the surface, seems cut and dried. We know whodunit--does it really matter why? Eventually, Lucia wonders if the shooting was connected somehow to the vicious beating of another student that had already been under investigation. She also wonders why her boss is so eager to put the 'closed' stamp on the case and is attempting to rein Lucia and her investigation in well before she thinks it's time. The story is told partially in first-person as Lucia listens to the various witnesses, and partially in third-person narrative from Lucia's point of view, alternating chapters. It's a very effective and interesting tool, and the author skillfully brings each witness into focus without ever naming who they are. A very timely piece of fiction, focusing on bullying, which has been so much in the news of late. I can't say I really enjoyed the story itself--the whole scenario is just plain gut-wrenchingly horrible. But I did very much enjoy the author's thought-provoking telling of the story. Going to be looking for more from Mr. Lelic, to be sure! A.<br /><br />7. MISS ZUKAS SHELVES THE EVIDENCE by Jo Dereske. #8 in the Helma Zukas mystery series set in fictional Bellehaven, WA. Helma, a librarian, is meeting her "friend" Wayne Gallant's teenage children for the first time. Before they can spend much time together, Wayne--who is also the chief of police--is seriously injured when he falls or was pushed off a cliff, sustaining a serious head injury. He was investigating the death of a professor from a local university, at first thought to be a heart attack until an injection site and unusually high levels of insulin in his blood were found. The professor's much-younger wife is the daughter of Helma's new neighbor, the former wrestler known as TNT. The professor was not diabetic, but after nosing around a bit at the behest of TNT--who can't stand his daughter's crying and carrying on--she discovers that the wife's cat WAS diabetic and on insulin. Mary Jane becomes the primary suspect then, but Helma doesn't believe her guilty and she carries on investigating--also hoping to find out who injured Wayne Gallant--all while trying to keep up with his two teenaged children. As Helma tends to be rather set in her ways and somewhat rigid, she needs some help and she gets by with assistance from her colorful friend Ruth and her mother and aged Aunt Em and ventures rather far outside her usual behavior. I have still not been able to pinpoint exactly why I enjoy this series so much--cozies have become far from my favorites, but I look forward eagerly to each of these, and also am dreading the end of the series as there's only three left. A.<br /><br />8.LOVE SONGS FROM A SHALLOW GRAVE by Colin Cotterill. #7 Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery set in 1970's Laos. Dr. Siri, the national coroner, has a serial killer on his hands--a killer who has brutally murdered three young women with a fencing epee, something that's not exactly lying around on every corner in Laos. Most people don't even have a clue what it is. So tracking this killer should be simple, right? Tell that to Siri's policeman friend Phosy, who thinks he has it all figured out until he reads a note with some very pointed questions from Siri--who has gone off on an all-expense-paid political junket to Cambodia with his friend Civilai and ends up as guests of the Khmer Rouge--who are not quite the benign entity they were believed to be before their reign of terror started. Siri ends up separated from Civilai, accused of being a spy and imprisoned and comes close to meeting his ghostly friends up close and personal. Another wonderful story that reads much too quickly. These characters have truly become friends over the course of the series and I've learned a lot about this time and place that I don't think any amount of factual lecturing could impart. I was very relieved to see there is already a next in series due for release next year. A+<br /><br />9.THE MIRROR CRACK'D FROM SIDE TO SIDE by Agatha Christie (AUDIO) One of the later Miss Marple mysteries in which an American movie star, Marina Gregg, and her husband buy Gossington Hall, a local manor house near St. Mary Mead. As they hold a fete to welcome the village to their home, Heather Badcock, one of the organizers, dies--first thought a fit of some sort, later determined to be poison, or at the very least, a massive overdose of a fairly common anti-anxiety medicine that's all the rage among the movie set. But was the dose meant for Mrs. Badcock--or for Marina Gregg? Miss Marple's friend who attended the do, said that she had seen a look of abject horror on Miss Gregg's face shortly before the death took place. Miss Marple's Scotland Yard friend, Inspector Craddock, makes an appearance and once again enlists her to assist, by using her knowledge of the village itself and of human nature--since she is now quite elderly and almost confined to home, she must rely on others' eyes and observations to solve the crime. Delightfully read by Rosemary Leach, very much enjoyed. I'd read the print version years ago and vaguely remembered about halfway through 'whodunit' but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the reading at all. A<br /><br />10. THE HOB'S BARGAIN by Patricia Briggs. Stand-alone fantasy novel featuring a young woman, Aren of Fallbrook, who hides in a crawl space under her home as her husband of one night and her entire family are killed by roving bandits. She is besieged with guilt as she had a vision of something horrible but didn't say anything to warn them--she has magic that has long been kept secret and not many in their small village know about it. Now it seems magic is awakening again and Aren's visions become stronger and more frequent--and then a violent earthquake destroys much of the area around their home. Traveling to Hob's Mountain with a traveling minstrel and Kith, longtime friend of Aren's dead brother, they encounter several magical creatures, including the Hob himself--last of his kind. He is willing to help the villagers with the bandits--who are visiting more frequently and becoming more violent--but he will need to strike a bargain for something he needs as well--and Aren is likely the one who will pay the price. Enjoyable read, quite different from Briggs' current paranormal 'urban' fantasies. I wouldn't mind seeing more books set in this realm actually. There is a certain amateurishness about the book--it doesn't seem fully developed--but there is a lot of promise here. B<br /><br />11. THE LAST KINGDOM by Bernard Cornwell. #1 Saxon Chronicles historical fiction series. This book, set in the ninth century A.D. in England introduces Uhtred who is just a boy when the Danes come calling at Bebbanburg--now Bamburgh--for the first time. His father is the lord there, and the Danes end up killing him and his elder brother, which leaves Uhtred the lord...but he is captured by the Danes and essentially raised by them. He comes to love Earl Ragnar, who treats him more like a son than his blood father ever did, such that when he is a young man and is returned to the English, his loyalties are seriously divided. He does want to regain his father's lands from his uncle though, determined to become Uhtred of Bebbanburg in more than just name. But which allegiance can get him there? Fight with the Danish Vikings who have already captured most of England, or back King Alfred, who holds the last kingdom on the island for the English? Well, what can I say? It's Bernard Cornwell, so the storytelling is brilliant, the descriptions of battle are horrendously evocative, and the characters are very well-fleshed and complete, especially Uhtred, whose voice tells this story. I very much look forward to continuing on to read the other books in the series, and like the rest of Cornwell's books, these will remain on my Keeper shelf in hardcover. A+<br /><br />12. CHILD 44 by Tom Rob Smith. #1 Leo Demidov mystery set in 1950's Russia. Leo is a State Security agent--one of those who arrests the people who are guilty of traitorous actions, who are to be "questioned" (read: tortured) and then either sent to the Gulags or executed. Of course not all these people are actually guilty--but Leo is so indoctrinated into the "party line" that he just doesn't see it that way. If you are accused, then you MUST be guilty and deserve whatever you get. Until a vicious, ambitious co-worker who has it in for him inserts Leo's wife's name into another prisoner's confession and thus Leo is asked to investigate his own wife and then denounce her. He refuses, and he and Raisa are sent to do the lowest of lowly jobs in a remote manufacturing community. Shortly after their arrival, Leo finds the body of a child in the snow--stripped, its stomach cut out and soil stuffed in its mouth. Horrified, Leo realizes that this crime must have been committed by the same person who killed the son of another agent back in Moscow months earlier--a crime that he helped to cover up and officially called 'an accident' without ever actually seeing the body or crime scene. Suddenly he is gripped by the need to solve this crime and to his dismay as he secretly begins an investigation, discovers dozens of other similar murders occurring in small towns along the railroad line, all having been covered up by the State and never formally acknowledged as murder. With the help of some others willing to risk their skins, Leo and Raisa gather information and knowing full well it means execution at the end of the line if they are caught, set out to stop the monster preying on Russia's children. What a wonderful book! Not the details of the story, mind you--those were nothing short of horrible. It seems very well-researched and also well-written; the author manages to make you somehow take Leo's side even though at the beginning he is a high-ranking officer in a machine that systematically terrorized and destroyed the whole vastness of the Soviet Union. I was able to figure out the plot twist well ahead of time with the carefully laid down clues the author left, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story. Dark, graphically violent and deeply philosophical, this book won't appeal to everyone, but I personally am very much looking forward to the next entry in the series. A+<br /><br />13. FAINT PRAISE by Ellen Hart. #6 Jane Lawless mystery set in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. Jane is asked by her friend Roz to move into a vacant loft in her building, Linden Lofts, to see if she can figure out what is going on there. The previous renter, Arno Heywood (a well-known local television personality) recently committed suicide by jumping out a window on the Foshay Tower--in drag, no less--and since then, a number of apartments in the historic building have been broken into with strange goings-on. Jane, ever curious--not only about the goings on, but about what it would be like to live in an expensive historic building--agrees, despite the Christmas season and things being very busy at Jane's restaurant, Lyme House. Then her aunt Beryl falls ill and is hospitalized and Jane finds she has her hands more than full. But when she herself witnesses some of the strange events at Linden House, she is determined to find who is behind them and even possibly who drove Arno Heywood to his death. Of course she ends up in trouble herself a few times along the way, but also meets a possible love interest, the daughter of one of the other tenants. I really enjoyed this entry in the series--some of the others have been just so-so, but this one felt to me like it was clicking on all cylinders. I was relieved especially to have Jane back as the focus of the book--the last one with Cordelia, her theatre-producer friend at the helm and as the focus, I didn't much like at all. The local flavor in this series is especially wonderful for those who live in the area. A<br /><br />14. DYING TO SIN by Stephen Booth. #8 DC Ben Cooper/DS Diane Fry mystery set in the Peak District of England. A body has been found at Pity Wood Farm, an old family farm recently sold off when the last remaining Sutton brother, Raymond, goes into a care home. Developers are digging and re-doing much of the farmstead when a college student unearths a hand while digging--which soon proves to be attached to a body, estimated to have been in the ground for about a year. While the forensic and pathology departments try to determine cause of death, Cooper and Fry begin interviewing neighbors and old Mr. Sutton, whose mind isn't very sharp anymore. No one has been reported missing in the area, although the villagers and people living on the surrounding farms are decidedly reticent in dealings with the police, so they're stumped as to who the body might have been. They're surmising that it may have been one of the many seasonal workers, often foreign help provided by agencies when another body turns up wrapped in the same plastic, only estimated to have died about four years previously. As Christmas approaches, the whole of the police force groans with the knowledge that celebrations with family and friends may be in short supply, and a new Det. Superintendent seems hell bent on making some major changes--one that may see Diane Fry transferring out. Cooper, meanwhile, struggles with his deepening relationship with SOCO Liz Petty. I picked up on many of the clues as to 'what was going on' fairly early on (and am surprised that the cops didn't!) but didn't figure out the whole package until just before the reveal. Another enjoyable visit to Edendale and surrounding area. The relationship between Cooper and Fry still irks me and the dialogue still at times feels somewhat unnatural, but the stories themselves are wonderful. Fry bugs the heck out of me, and sometimes I want to smack Cooper upside the head, too, but something about the books keeps drawing me back to the series and they never disappoint. A<br /><br />15. MOONSHINE by Rob Thurman. #2 in the Cal and Niko Leandros paranormal mystery series. Having defeated the big bad Auphe in the last book, Cal and Niko are now somewhat settled in New York, doing investigative and security work for hire with Niko's girlfriend, the vampire named Promise as business partner. They're asked to investigate a lower-level member of The Kin, a werewolf mafia gang, by a fellow member who thinks he's going to be taken down as part of his co-gang member's aspirations to rise to the top. Not particularly wanting to get involved in a gang war, they're set to refuse when a $50,000 fee is dangled in front of them--and money is always in short supply, especially now that Niko is back in college, pursuing his dream of studying history. They end up at a gambling parlor for non-humans called Moonshine and there the story takes off with loads of plot twists, plenty of action and surprises. Meanwhile, Cal (who is only half human) is relentlessly pursued (romantically that is) by Georgina ("George") a seer whom Cal is trying to fend off because he doesn't want to get involved with anyone given his monster half, figuring it can only lead to bad things. I really enjoyed this book--I liked the first one, but it was kind of slow moving at first to set the backstory down. This one was action almost from the get-go, and yet it wasn't ALL action...you get to know Cal & Niko better, and several of the secondary characters really have some flesh added to their bare bones in this one, too. I like the writing style, the author's refusal to shy away from a bit of raunchiness and 'language' and adult themes, and Cal's irreverent sense of humor has me laughing throughout. Glad I have the next one available here--I think this could become another of my favorite paranormal series. A<br /><br />16. THE MARK OF A MURDERER by Susanna Gregory. #11 Matthew Bartholomew medieval mystery set in Cambridge in the mid-1300's. Matthew and Brother Michael investigate a series of murders in Cambridge that begin after the town/gown riots in Oxford resulting in dozens of deaths. Some Oxford scholars run to Cambridge, and almost immediately, two of them end up dead, followed by several others, who appear to have been ravaged by a wolf, or something with sharp teeth that ripped their throats out. The Oxford people think that the Cambridge scholars had something to do with it, and one of Cambridge's own people who was attacked but survived saw one of Michaelhouse's scholars, Clippesby--known for his rather crazy and eccentric ways--near him, and thinks he is the one who did it. Matthew, who is Clippesby's doctor, hospitalizes him to keep an eye on him, but the killings continue. I must admit I was surprised by the ending and the bad guy in this one, unlike most of the books in this series which are rather easy to figure out. I notice that I am leaving longer and longer spaces between reading books in this series, because they are getting to be somewhat wearying and formulaic with the constant scrapping between the scholars and the townspeople, Matthew's constant harping at Michael about his weight and frequent descriptions of Michael's piggy eating style, etc. They also tend to re-hash details and ask the same questions over and over throughout the course of the book, much of which could be cut out and not be detrimental to the story at all. I like these characters and the setting, and I think as long as I continue to leave many months between readings, I will continue them, but they are no longer a favorite series as they used to be. B- <br /><br />DNF: THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY by Charles Lilliford, FALCONER'S CRUSADE by Ian Morson.<br /><br /><br />CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-78980699322647412112011-03-09T06:10:00.000-06:002011-03-31T20:59:53.520-05:00March 20111.CUT SHORT by Leigh Russell. #1 DI Geraldine Steel mystery set near fictional Woolsmarsh, a small town in the UK. Geraldine has just relocated to this area after ending a relationship and right off the bat, there's a young woman strangled in a local park. With little time to get settled into her new flat, she must acquaint herself with her new co-workers and dive right in to interviews and evidence, trying to track down the killer. Several suspects spring to light without much to actually connect them and a second body a few days later eliminates most of those. Then it is the proverbial race against the killer's inner need, trying to prevent a third victim. I quite frankly didn't enjoy this book much. It was a rather obvious first book, with almost all aspects of it being very superficial. DI Steel herself was a cliche--the thirty-something single woman, her career causing the break-up of her relationship which drives her further into workaholism, spending evenings poring over case notes with a glass of wine at her elbow. There was nothing different or even very likable about her, mostly because there just wasn't much substance to her character. Equally banal were the tough-as-nails female DCI in charge and the affable newly promoted Sergeant, DS Peterson, that Geraldine primarily works with. The dialogue was often unnatural sounding and stilted and there were frequent little forays off into moments of peripheral characters lives that left me scratching my head as to the intent or relevance. There were these odd changes in point of view that sometimes happened mid-paragraph. It was just awkward to read and I admit I skimmed the last 50 or so pages, but there really were no surprises. I won't be reading further in this series. D+<br /><br />2.THE VICTORIA VANISHES by Christopher Fowler. #6 Bryant & May "Peculiar Crimes Unit" mystery set in London. When a middle-aged woman dies in suspicious circumstances in a London street, Arthur Bryant recognizes her, having seen her entering a pub the evening before as he was walking home half-souses from Oswald Finch's wake. The problem comes when he and his partner John May go to find the pub and find that not only is it not there, but it hadn't been there since sometime in the 1800's. When several other middle aged-women die in similar circumstances in various pubs around town, they know there's a connection--but what? Of course the PCU employs all their usual offbeat methods to piece things together, even with their newest member--former nemesis from the Met, Sgt. Jack Renfield--now a member of the team and set to watch them like hawks for rules violations. When the eventually find the killer, they're relieved, but Bryant still isn't satisfied because he knows the killer--while capable of killing--couldn't possibly have masterminded such a complicated scheme and thus he knows they need to seek out the brains behind the young man's actions. But how, when the PCU is once again set to be disbanded since they've lost the tenancy on their office building through a loophole in the paperwork process discovered by their arch-nemesis Kasavian at the Home Office. Another delightfully quirky mystery with the octogenarian duo and their younger cohorts brilliantly sniffing out crime through the use of decidedly unconventional methods. Looking forward to the next! A+<br /><br />3. LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS by Joe Abercrombie. #3 in the First Law fantasy trilogy. The conclusion of this epic fantasy series takes up where the second left off, with the weary travelers who went to the edge of the world with Bayaz, First of the Magi seeking The Seed--a powerful magical artifact--now back in Adua and dispersing to other parts in an attempt to resume their former lives. Not an easy task when all have been profoundly changed by their adventures. Loren Ninefingers is off to the north to help Dogman, Grim, Black Dow and the other Named Men fight the self-proclaimed King of the North, Bethod. They hope to join forces with Collum West and the Union army. Meanwhile, back in Adua, Ferro Maljinn sticks around and hopes to figure out what Bayaz is really up to, and Jezal dan Luthar, once somewhat of a dandy and now an almost-seasoned warrior, seeks out Collum West's sister Ardee, once the love of his life, but Bayaz has other plans for him. And my own personal hero, Sand dan Glokta, crippled and bitter from his years of torture in a Gurkish prison, continues as lead Inquisitor with only Arch Lector Sult above him in power. They are busy trying to machinate the votes for the next King, as the old one has died and his son has been killed in battle. All of these internal battles pale when it is learned that the Gurkish are heading for Adua en force at just the time when the Union army is scattered. Excellent conclusion to this series, although there is some wiggle room for the possibility of additional books or spin-offs with some of the characters. Dark and depressing at times with a none-too-hopeful take on humanity and with its brutal and broken protagonists, I daresay this series won't be to everyone's liking, but I thoroughly enjoyed all three books. Got a couple of stand-alones by this author and look forward to reading them as well. A+<br /><br />4. HOLY TERROR IN THE HEBRIDES by Jeanne M. Dams. #3 Dorothy Martin mystery, this one set on the island of Iona off Scotland's coast. Dorothy is planning to join friends who are renting a cottage on Iona for a couple of weeks, only to have her friend's husband have a mild heart attack just before so they are unable to go. Since the cottage is paid for, they urge Dorothy to go on ahead, and as her policeman friend Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt is out of the country at a conference, she decides to do just that. She unwittingly forgets the key to the rented cottage back in Sherebury and thus spends a couple of days at a hotel along with an ecumenical church group from the Chicago area--but they certainly seem to be having some problems with getting along together! A diverse group from several Christian sects and a Jewish Rabbi, their number dwindles by one when Robert Williams--whom none of the others liked--dies in front of Dorothy's eyes, slipping off a cliff inside Fingal's Cave, bouncing off rocks and into the water. But the more Dorothy thinks about it, the more she thinks his death wasn't entirely accidental. Then a major storm with hurricane-force winds besieges the island and she doesn't have much time to consider it--without phone or electricity working in her cottage, Dorothy once again takes refuge in the hotel where they have a generator, and where she can observe the members of the religious party more closely and look for clues as to who might have sabotaged Bob Williams, causing him to fall. This was a pleasant, light cozy read--another of these series that I inexplicably enjoy. I learned a lot of interesting things about Iona and its history, and despite Dorothy sometimes being a silly twit, I do like her and find the author's writing style easy to read and enjoyable. Not earth-shatteringly wonderful, but a certainly enjoyable read, and a series I'll continue to read through. B.<br /><br />5. DUST by Martha Grimes. (AUDIO) #21 Supt. Richard Jury mystery. Jury is called to the scene of a murder by young Benny Keegan--Benny is working (illegally, as he's only 13) in a hotel and had delivered some coffee to a patron's room and found him shot dead on the balcony. Billy Maples lived part of the time at Lamb House in Rye, the one-time home of author Henry James (and later, E.F. Benson). He was also the grandson of Jury's old acquaintance, Oswald Maples, who was a code-breaker during WWII. Jury fears he is treading on the Islington police patch but the DI in charge, Lu Aguilar, invites him to assist her because of his acquaintance with Oswald Maples--and Jury inexplicably ends up in bed with her, even though he's seeing Dr. Phyllis Nancy, one of the pathologists. Poor Jury. He goes through books and books without "getting any" and then he's drowning in it. ROFL! At any rate, trying to discover just who Billy Maples was isn't easy--he was apparently bi-polar and untreated, so what he was like depends on whom you spoke to about him and when. Is there a connection back to Billy's grandfather's code-breaking days? Or something to do with his philanthropic efforts in the art world? Or something more personal? Melrose Plant comes into the story as he volunteers to take up the tenancy at Lamb House since the National Trust are in urgent need of someone to move in with Billy's death, and he can get the feel of things in Rye while Jury is working on the London connection. This book was okay, but definitely not one of the best in series. Too cobbled together with a lot of weird coincidences, and Jury's behavior was just--I don't know. I think he was possessed. It was read by John Lee, who sometimes does a stellar job, but sometimes all his voices sound the same, which was pretty much the case here. C.<br /><br />6. MISS ZUKAS IN DEATH'S SHADOW by Jo Dereske. #7 Helma Zukas mystery. Helma once again is around when a dead body is discovered--this time at the local men's shelter/soup kitchen where she's been sentenced to serve community service for refusing to pay a ticket that she feels was not deserved. The body is that of Quinton Boyd, a local financier and property developer who served on the Mission's board of directors and was at the Mission for a meeting. A young man who stays at the mission occasionally confesses to killing Boyd, but he is a simpleton and no one believes he actually did it. Tony's friend "Skitz" begins tailing Helma and wants her to prove that Tony didn't do it. Then someone starts implicating Helma herself, sending an anonymous letter to the police and planting the gun that was used in her car. Helma does (on the surface) have a motive, given that Boyd also served on the library board of directors and he and Helma had crossed horns there. To make matters worse, an old beau of Helma's from high school shows up courting her, just as police chief Wayne Gallant seems finally poised to make his move on Helma himself. Another light, enjoyable read in fictional Bellehaven, WA with Helma, Ruth and some interesting characters from the shelter. A.<br /><br />7. SILVER BORNE by Patricia Briggs. #5 Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson paranormal mystery set in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State. Mercy is a coyote shapeshifter whose mate is the Alpha werewolf of the local pack. Not everyone in Adam's pack is happy about Mercy, a non-wolf, being mated to their leader, as she discovers when one or more of them get inside her head and attempt to influence her behavior while she and Adam are out on a date. Mercy hadn't realized that the pack could have that much influence, and it takes her awhile to figure out what had happened--but then, she's got other problems, including her roommate Sam 'going wolf' after a botched suicide attempt and a missing friend, owner of a bookstore who left a strange looking book with her before he disappeared--only to have some very powerful fae looking for the book and for Phin. Another enjoyable visit with Mercy, Adam, and the gang as Mercy continues to feel her way around trying to make her life situation work within pack laws. Because of all the different elements to the book (various storylines) it did feel a bit scattered at times, but the author did a nice job of tying many of those threads together into a somewhat cohesive plot. Looking forward to River Marked! B+<br /><br />8. DAUGHTER OF TIME by Josephine Tey. #5 Inspector Alan Grant mystery--I hadn't realized when I chose it that it was part of a series. I thought it was a standalone as I hear this book mentioned all the time but had never heard of the other books in the series even once. I've even seen other books modeled after this plot--a police detective hospitalized and physically incapacitated who uses his mental muscles to solve a crime--in this case, one that is centuries old. Attempting to snap him out of the rut of boredom, Alan's friend Marta brings him a sheaf of photos and prints of interesting faces (Alan's weakness!) of people throughout history--and the one that intrigues him is that of King Richard III, the one who was accused of killing off his two nephews, 'the princes in the Tower.' The portrait Alan sees makes him think that the man could not be a murderer, so he sets a young friend of Marta's to doing some research to see what proof exists to convict Richard--and finds, to his amazement, that far from proving his guilt, much evidence exists to exonerate him. He certainly comes up with a lot of interesting evidence, and by the end of the story managed to convince me, and I guess a lot of other people over time too, that history books sometimes have got a lot to answer for. (The book is a classic, written in 1951--the author died the following year and never got to see just how revered it became.) It's not your standard whodunit by any stretch of the imagination and of course is quite dated, but a very interesting and well-done book. A-.<br /><br />9. TO FETCH A THIEF by Spencer Quinn. (AUDIO) #3 Chet and Bernie mystery. Bernie Little and his dog, Chet, really dislike doing divorce work. But when money's tight, it does pay the bills. Of course, when the woman they are following ends up at a motel with none other than Bernie's ex-wife's boyfriend Malcolm, things get decidedly more complicated--at least for Bernie. Chet's not sure what all the fuss is about. The client gives them some tickets to the circus as a bonus, so Bernie, Chet and Charlie, Bernie's six-year-old son, are off to see Peanut the elephant and all the other circus acts. Only they discover upon arrival that the circus is closed because Peanut and her trainer have disappeared overnight. The story going around says that Uri DeLeath, known as a humanitarian trainer, finally felt the pressure of the animal rights groups and stole off with Peanut in the night. Bernie, who arrives when his cop friend Rick is beginning his interviews and sits in, isn't so sure--and is glad when Popo the Clown hires him to find Uri (who is his life partner) and Peanut when the police aren't able to give more time and resources to the hunt for them. Anything to take his mind off the problem with Lita and Malcolm. So Chet and Bernie are off on another wild adventure across country (and even across borders) on the trail of wild animals, smugglers and all-around bad guys. Told from Chet's point of view, I worried after the first book that the whole novelty of stories told by a dog would fade and the series would lose its luster, but I have continued to enjoy each of the audio versions as much as the first. Very well-read with just the right "tone" by Jim Frangione. Looking forward to the next one! A<br /><br />10. SHROUD OF DISHONOR by Maureen Ash. #5 Bascot de Marins "Templar Knight" mystery set in 1194 Lincoln UK and surrounding area. When a local prostitute is murdered and stashed in a chest in the Templar's chapel, everyone is firstly aghast that someone could get into the enclave unobserved and commit such a heinous crime under the Templars noses, and also that anyone would want to. Bascot de Marins, set to leave Lincoln for Portugal in just a few days, is asked to undertake the investigation for the Templars, working with the Sheriff on the secular side since the victim was a Lincoln citizen. A second body with the Templar sigil carved on the whore's belly confirms that there is a serial killer about with a grudge against the Templars--or perhaps it's one of the Templars themselves? Bascot works with the Sheriff's men--whom he'd investigated earlier cases with when he was a retainer of castellan Nicolaa de la Haye before rejoining the Templars--and even a little help from Gianni, his former servant now training as a scribe in de la Haye's household. I enjoyed this entry in the series with the historical detail, although I still don't feel that Bascot is a fully developed character yet. Characterization seems to be this author's weakness, as well as a somewhat pedestrian writing style, and yet the books read quickly and tell an interesting story. B<br /><br />11. NO COLDER PLACE by S.J. Rozan. #4 Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery set in New York City. This series is somewhat unique in that it alternates points of view every other book. This one is told from Bill's point of view. Both are private investigators with separate agencies who work together. Bill would like their relationship to be more than it is, and I think Lydia would as well, except that her family is traditional Chinese and her mother dislikes Bill--or the idea that any Caucasian would woo her daughter. Bill is contacted by an old cop friend who now runs his own much larger and more sophisticated PI agency. A construction company boss has hired him to discover who's stealing from his company--and also if possible to find a worker who disappeared a few days ago, seemingly without a trace. They have an idea who the thief might be, but proving it and dismissing him without the Union raising a fuss is another matter--and as Joe Romeo is also suspected of being a bookie and possibly running other kinds of illegal activities on site, even trickier. Bill goes undercover as a mason working with the company--not so far-fetched as he did construction work when he was younger. First day on the job, there is an 'accident' that puts one of Bill's co-workers in the hospital in a coma, and the second day, they dig up the body of the missing guy in an elevator pit that needed to be redone due to water seepage. The situation deteriorates from there, when Bill discovers (via Lydia, whom the client has agreed to putting in the office as a temporary 'secretary' to keeping an eye out there) that the company is having financial problems, that the architect has her own agenda, and that there may well be a mob connection somewhere in the works. I enjoy this series and find that the switching back and forth from Bill's and Lydia's point of view in every other book works great--much better, IMO, than swapping about within the same book. It gives the story more cohesiveness. Although I had figured out most aspects of the actual mystery and figured out the murderer well in advance, I still enjoyed this book immensely. Looking forward very much to the next one! A.<br /><br />12. ROLLING THUNDER by Chris Grabenstein. #6 John Ceepak/Danny Boyle mystery set in fictional Sea Haven on the Jersey Shore. Ceepak and Danny are working at the opening of the new boardwalk amusement, the Rolling Thunder, a gigantic wooden roller coaster. Excitement ensues when the wife of the owner has a heart attack during the inaugural ride, and even Ceepak performing CPR after climbing up the roller coaster tracks can't save her. Although some members of the dysfunctional O'Malley family don't seem to be too grief-stricken, there's no evidence that it was anything other than a natural death--although, admittedly, not exactly good advertisement for the ride. Later, when a local woman, a waitress at a local dive that Ceepak and Danny stop for speeding and issue a warning to ends up hacked to death and packaged in two suitcases just hours later, it seems there may be a link back to the heart attack death as the young woman was apparently the mistress of Paddy O'Malley. Suddenly evidence pointing at O'Malley starts turning up left and right, and it's rather obvious even to the still-green Danny that someone really wants him implicated not only in the young woman's death but his wife's as well. Ceepak of course sees through this ruse from the beginning and digs to the heart of the matter by the end of the case, which ends with more heart-stopping moments up on the Rolling Thunder. Another great visit to Sea Haven, with Danny, Ceepak, Rita and the rest of the regular crew--although some of the peripheral characters change regularly, including Danny's girlfriend-of-the-month. Poor guy--he'll find the right one someday, I have no doubt! Easy reading style, great story and wonderful characters--a perfect light summer beach read if you're into that sort of thing--me, I couldn't hold out that long. Reading this catches me up to the current end of the series--now I'm stuck waiting a whole year til the next one comes out. Boo hoo! A.<br /><br />13.STARVATION LAKE by Bryan Gruley. First in a (I think) series set in the small fictional resort town of Starvation Lake, Michigan. (There is a lake named 'Starvation Lake' but no town by that name.) Starvation Lake, where they eat, sleep and breathe hockey, and where Gus Carpenter grew up. Gus has to spend every day of his life living down the humiliation of letting the winning goal past him in the one state championship game that the River Rats ever made it to. His coach, Jack Blackburn, never spoke to him after that game. Gus moved away, became a reporter in Detroit, and then ended up returning to his hometown in shame after his newspaper was sued over an investigative story that he wrote with a primary source that was later shown to have an ulterior motive for blowing the whistle. So now he lives with the double humiliation (although no one knows about the exact reason why he came back from Detroit--that shame is mostly Gus's alone) and leads a mostly quiet life as a small town newspaperman--until the snowmobile that Coach Jack Blackburn was driving when it went through the ice on Starvation Lake ten years previously washes up on shore on Walleye Lake, five miles away. New questions about Blackburn's death begin to be raised, and Gus and his young reporter Joanie McCarthy start digging and find some very disturbing information about the much-loved Coach. This was an excellent read with a story that hooked me in right from the beginning, even though I'm not a huge hockey fan. While the initial mystery about Coach wasn't too hard to untangle fairly early on, the other plot twists at the end of the book were quite unexpected and increased my respect for the author's plotting skills. He also does a great job of providing a sense of place in the small, isolated town. It will be interesting to see what he does with the second book in the series. Highly recommended! A.<br /><br />14.A RED HERRING WITHOUT MUSTARD by Alan Bradley. (AUDIO) #3 Flavia de Luce mystery set in 1950's England. At the church fete in Bishop's Lacey, Flavia encounters a gypsy fortuneteller who makes allusions to her dead mother Harriet. Although a very smart cookie for an eleven-year-old, and a chemistry whiz, Flavia tends to have a blind spot when it comes to the mother she never knew and is intrigued by the gypsy--enough to upset a candle which causes a fire in her tent. Feeling remorseful, Flavia invites her to park her caravan on a secluded corner of her family's estate and accompanies the woman there. When she returns the next day, finds that the woman has been attacked, beaten and near death. She summons help, and only a few hours later discovers the body of local ne'er-do-well hanging from a fountain with a lobster pick from her own family home stuffed up his nostril. Later, when the police come 'round, the lobster pick isn't there. As Flavia noses around and tries to connect the strange middle-of-the-night goings on at her home, the puzzle of an almost-extinct religious group, and the odd behavior of the gypsy's granddaughter with the seemingly unrelated beating of the gypsy woman and Brookie's death, she of course must deal with her two annoying and mean older sisters, her distant father--who has financial problems and is starting to sell off the family silver--and the ever-watchful police inspector who encountered Flavia's meddlesome self on earlier cases. Thoroughly enjoyable book as read by Jayne Entwistle--light, entertaining and charming without being sappy. Looking forward to the next! A.<br /><br />15. THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY by Donna Leon. #15 in the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series set in Venice. Brunetti is asked by Vianello, recently promoted to Inspector, to see what can be done about a friend of his family who was arrested in an environmental protest. While this doesn't have much to do with the eventual mystery, it does lead to another personal entreaty by the environmentalist's wife to determine whether her father, the owner of a glass factory on the island of Murano, is serious when he makes crazy threats against his son-in-law. During the course of that visit to Murano, he meets a night worker who assumes Brunetti has come to visit him about the letters he's been writing to the police and several other agencies protesting the unsafe conditions in the fornaci on Murano and how they caused birth defects in one of his children. The man seems obsessed and nearly crazy, but when he turns up dead of an apparent accident a few days later, Brunetti begins to give more weight to his rantings and investigates--even though he's been told to leave it alone by Vice-Questore Patta. (As usual!) One wonders whether the police are ever allowed to actually be police in Italy given that Brunetti is almost always called off of cases by his political-minded superior. As always, though, despite some of the repetitive themes, this was an enjoyable visit to Venice with Guido, Paola and her cooking and the city itself. A.<br /><br />16. WHERE SERPENTS SLEEP by C.S. Harris. #4 Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery set in Regency-era London. Sebastian is approached by Hero Jarvis, daughter of his mortal enemy Lord Jarvis, to ask his assistance in solving a crime that the Bow Street Runners have been ordered--by her father--not to investigate. The Magdalene House--a Quaker refuge for prostitutes trying to get out of the life--is burned down while Miss Jarvis was there interviewing one of the girls, a wellborn young woman going by the name of Rose. From what Hero observed, Rose herself was targeted specifically and was actually shot to death, and Hero wants to know why, and also wants to see justice done for those whom no one else will speak. Sebastian is not eager to work with Miss Jarvis, but the case is intriguing enough to pique his interest and get him out of the doldrums of drink and gambling where he's spent the last many months since his relationship with Kat Boleyn ended. They pursue different avenues, using decidedly different methods, first trying to determine who Rose was, and then why someone would target her for death. As they begin to uncover answers, both find themselves followed and attacked, so they know that the person whom they seek must be someone in a place of power with an explosive secret to keep. Enjoyable read as always, although the ending on this one was a bit predictable. Interesting characters, easy-reading style and great historical detail--physical as well as social--make these books a treat to read. A.<br /><br />17. COLD CASE by Linda Barnes. #8 Carlotta Carlyle mystery set in Boston and environs. Carlotta is approached by an older man who gives her the first chapter of a manuscript to read--he believes that Thea Janis is alive. She had written a brilliant, seductive novel that read well beyond her fifteen years--and then disappeared. She wrote using a particular paper and ink in a certain style and this manuscript certainly reads a lot like Nightmare's Dawn. But a little digging makes Carlotta wonder what her client is playing at--when it's revealed that Thea--whose real name was Dorothy Cameron, one of the politically rich and powerful Cameron family--was actually dead, the killer having confessed and her body being buried. Suddenly, the client--who also is not whom he claims to be--wants the manuscript back and to un-hire Carlotta, but by then the old, cold case has got her intrigued and she's not likely to give up so quickly. Leaving most of the laws and ethics of a good private investigator behind, she plunges ahead anyway--otherwise, there would probably be no story here. LOL Meanwhile, the drug lord natural father of Carlotta's "little sister" Paolina has disappeared and she engages her dispatcher pal Gloria to harass his lawyer until she knows where he is--and she's being followed by someone she suspects is either one of Carlos' thugs or else a DEA agent. Or is it someone connected with the Cameron family who don't want her digging too deeply into Thea's death? Every time I read one of these books, I'm amazed how the series flew under my radar for so many years, and that the author isn't more well-known. Great main character, interesting secondary characters, very atmospheric with plenty of action and realistic dialogue. Another winner! A.<br /><br />18. SNAKESKIN SHAMISEN by Naomi Hirahara. #3 Mas Arai mystery set in LA. Mas, a seventy-something-year-old Japanese-American gardener who is also a Hiroshima bomb survivor, gets sucked into another mystery when a party he's coerced into attending by his friend GI Hasuike to celebrate the Vegas jackpot GI's friend Randy won sports an interesting ending--Randy being murdered in the parking lot, next to him a broken antique shamisen--an Okinawan musical instrument. Once again, history plays a role in the case, which Mas works on with Juanita Gushiken, a licensed PI and GI's girlfriend. As he begins to trace the shamisen, he finds out some interesting details about Randy that even GI didn't know, and the murder could tie into the disappearance of a Japanese national some fifty years previously. Mas must set aside his naturally reticent nature to go knocking on doors and be persistent about asking questions. I always learn something when I read this series and this book was no exception. Although the story can be a little difficult to follow at times, with the use of some Japanese terms as well as the strange sort of combination English-Japanese speech that many of Mas's generation use, I've gotten somewhat used to it now by this third book. I really like Mas and look forward to reading his next adventure. A<br /><br />19.SILENCING SAM by Julie Kramer (AUDIO) #3 Riley Spartz mystery set in the Twin Cities, MN. Riley, a TV reporter, is herself a suspect in the shooting death of a newspaper gossip columnist who had thrown some nasty tidbits about her in his column. They'd been seen arguing--she threw wine at him--and she had no alibi. To make matters worse, a new reporter from Texas was stealing all the good stories and annoying Riley to death with his condescending attitude, calling her "little lady" even after she'd requested that he stop. Since she isn't allowed near the Sam Pierce case, Riley is determined to scoop Clay by solving the headless murder story. She also continues working on the story of someone sabotaging wind turbines on a wind farm to the south of the Twin Cities near where her parents live. I'm going to be blunt and say that I was very disappointed with this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in the series--one read in print, the other listened to--but the reader for this book was horrible. I had to double check because I remember liking the reader for the last one, and sure enough, this was a different audio company that produced it and a different reader. Besides her narrative voice being somewhat annoying, the reader's dialogue voices--male and female--were almost enough alike to be interchangeable, except for Clay--the Texan--who had a decidedly fake accent. The timing was also off, with lots of inappropriately placed pauses. Not sure if it was the director of the piece or the reader, but I nearly stopped listening at one point. I kept on only because it's a relatively short book. The story itself wasn't too bad, but it didn't capture my attention nearly as much as the first two books in the series did. There also seemed to be a lot of re-hashing of events in previous books and at times the narrative explaining various procedures with news production seemed more like a dry lecture than being woven in as part of the story. The local flavor was still there, and I did enjoy that familiarity, and I like the way the author picks an interesting topic to focus on (in this case, wind power) that I get to learn a little something about. I'm planning to continue reading the series, but I will definitely read the print version if the same reader is used next time. C+<br /><br />20. THE TIME MACHINE by HG WELLS (AUDIO) Classic sci-fi story written in 1895 about a group of men who meet at their club in London. They witness a little machine made by one of their number--they refer to him only as The Time Traveller--disappear. And the following week, the machine's owner shows up late to their dinner and has a fantastic tale of traveling to the year 802, 701 A.D. where he meets a people called the Eloi--humanoid, but very different from the humans he knows from Victorian London. Before long, he also meets another set of creatures whom he christens the Morlocks, who live in the dark subterranean depths of the planet and who make the effortless lives of the Eloi possible--or so he thinks. He develops several theories about how humans evolved to this state, some of which are disproved by himself over what feels like just a few days. He also travels briefly on his way 'home' to other times and sees interesting and often horrific things. When he returns, he's only been gone a few hours and of course no one believes he's figured out how to traverse the fourth dimension. Enjoyably read by Simon Puttock, it was good to return to a bit of classic literature. Better than either of the movie versions, that's for sure! Going to try to listen to a little more of this classic stuff. A.<br /><br />21. #2 Stella Hardesty mystery set in rural Missouri. Stella is still recovering from the events at the end of book one, so her 'activities' (persuading the county's abusive men to be a little friendlier to their wives) have been curtailed. Until a tornado plows through Prosper, bringing back a lot of bad memories for Stella--her uncle was killed in a tornado when she was a little girl and she's always gotten a little panicky in bad weather since then. This one rips the snack shack at the local fairgrounds out of the ground, exposing the mummified body of a woman, and a friend of Stella's who was working on the shack when it was built three years previously is arrested for the murder. Stella tries to get Sheriff Goat Jones to reveal what they have against Neb Donovan, but he's being closemouthed--especially since the night of the tornado when he was in the midst of serving Stella dinner when his ex-wife Brandy showed up on his doorstep. Stella's trying to figure out if he still has the hots for the ex or if she should keep trying to snag him for herself. Strangely, Brandy's appearance ends up tying into Stella's case (she's being paid by Neb's wife to clear his name--mostly nosing around, no real physical action just yet) as the clues lead back to some mighty strange goings-on, even resulting in Stella and Brandy having some quality girl-time. Another wild and wacky romp across rural Missouri with a whole parcel of eccentric characters and a strange and twisty plot that tugs equally at your heartstrings and your funny bone. Very enjoyable, and I'm very much looking forward to the next in series. A.<br /><br />DNF: THE GOLDEN ORANGE by Joseph Wambaugh. Just...argh<br /><br />Currently reading: MURDER AT WRIGLEY FIELD by Troy Soos (audio), TELL ME, PRETTY MAIDEN by Rhys Bowen, THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD by Agatha Christie and THE LAST KINGDOM by Bernard Cornwell.<br /><br />CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-19301189793565404092011-02-04T22:31:00.000-06:002011-03-01T19:13:06.507-06:00February 2011Well, I made it through January with my New Years Resolution intact...no books were purchased for money this month...now, on to February!<br /><br />1.WILD INDIGO by Sandi Ault. #1 Jamaica Wild mystery. Jamaica Wild is a resource protection agent for the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) in northern New Mexico. She's also sort of adopted a Pueblo Indian woman whom she calls Momma Anna as her surrogate mother, learning something of the Pueblo ways, which doesn't sit well with all the clan, as maintaining the secrets of the tribe is a big part of the tradition. Jamaica lives in a cabin in the middle of nowhere without a phone and with her wolf pup, Mountain. When she witnesses what looks like a suicide--a young Pueblo man standing in the middle of a buffalo stampede--she feels traumatized as the young man was Jerome Santana, Momma Anna's son. It only gets worse when the leaders of the local Pueblo government make it known that they believe Jamaica was the one who started the stampede that killed Jerome. Her boss wants her to play down her involvement and stay quiet, but every bone in Jamaica's body won't let her stay out of it and leads her to find out the truth about Jerome's death. Steeped in the culture and lore and mysticism of the Pueblo Indians, this was quite an interesting story, easy to read (if occasionally a little...I don't know....clumsy or awkward, maybe) with a somewhat unique and engaging lead character. I picked this book up to fulfill a requirement in a mystery reading challenge (something with the word Indigo in the title) and am very glad I did so. I'd not heard of this author until this title popped up in a search--coincidentally, the next day I noticed when the Left Coast Crime awards were announced that the latest book in the series is nominated for a Watson (best sidekick) and a Hillerman Sky Award for a book that captures the landscape of the Southwest. This book certainly did a great job with that, too. Looking forward to more! B+<br /><br />2.THE DARK WIND by Tony Hillerman. (AUDIO) #5 in the Navajo mysteries, this one featuring only Sgt. Jim Chee, who works for the Navajo Tribal Police. Chee is out on a stakeout, watching a new windmill that has twice been vandalized to try to catch the culprit in the act, when he witnesses a small plane crash not far away. It's a small plane, and very shortly after he arrives on the scene, the pilot dies. While he's briefly inspecting the site, he hears a gunshot not far off, and then a car driving away. The plane ends up being part of a smuggling ring, carting loads of drugs into the country under cover of darkness, and an arrogant, annoying DEA officer gets involved, as well as the FBI. Chee is supposed to just drop that case and concentrate on finding the windmill vandals, and then a body appears on the scene, obviously dead for quite some time. Of course the cases all eventually tie together as Chee bends and twists the rules and follows the clues while disobeying orders to find the solution. Atmospheric and educational, mystical and steeped in Navajo and Hopi tradition, this series is wonderfully read by George Guidall, whom I would happily listen to reciting the phone book. LOL Anyway, this was another enjoyable entry in the series, although I do like the books that have both Leaphorn and Chee in them a little better. A<br /><br />3.MAMA RIDES SHOTGUN by Deborah Sharp. #2 Mace Bauer mystery, set in central Florida. Mace and her Mama are trying to do a little bonding by camping and riding the 120-mile Cracker Trail--the week-long ride an educational trek celebrating the ways of the old-time Florida cattlemen. On the first day of the ride, Lawton Bramble, one of the ranchers who was allowing them to camp on his land and providing vats of his famous Cow Hunter Chili, dies. His much-younger wife comes upon him as he was presumably stirring up his chili and had a heart attack. (He was well-known to have a bad heart.) But Mace is suspicious--especially when she notices Lawton's gun which appeared to have dropped out of his hand when he died. Why would he have it so close to hand? But old Doc, who treated Lawton, declares it a heart attack and that's that--until Lawton's kids start pointing fingers at their new stepmother and making noises that his death wasn't natural. Lawton, being a rich cattleman, has plenty of enemies. Mace's questioning Doc's diagnosis gets around of course and causes the expected attacks and attempted attacks on her person, but she's persistent (like many amateur sleuths, almost stupidly so) and eventually she solves the (very predictable) case. In between, there was a lot of romancey hogwash--Mace's love interest from the last book who had moved back to Miami some time ago "just happens" to be on trail as well, and of course there's Lawton's son Trey, who was a big high school football star at Mace's high school, whom she ends up smooching with as well. It was just...silly. Lots of eye rolling on my part. Mace is supposedly thirty-something years old, but she sure didn't act like she was much out of her teens. The first book was kind of cute despite all the Southern talk and Mace's annoying, nosy, preachy, interfering Mama. This time it was just over the top. I actually liked Mace in the first book, but she seemed almost like a different person in this book. I skimmed the last hundred pages or so, but I won't be continuing on with the series. The dialogue, as with the first in series, doesn't sound very natural and the plot was scattered all over the place with just too many unbelievable coincidences needed to make it come together. C.<br /><br />4. THE BURGUNDIAN'S TALE by Kate Sedley. #14 Roger the Chapman medieval mystery. Roger is once again off from Bristol as his cobbled-together family begins to wear on his nerves and after more than a year, he decides to hit the open road selling his wares. Before he can leave, Master Timothy Plummer, agent and spy for Duke Richard of Gloucester comes to Bristol and finds Roger with a summons from Richard himself. It seems the son of one of his sister's (Margaret of York, now the Dowager Duchess of Burgundy) favorite ladies has been murdered and he wishes the crime to be solved before Margaret must go back to Burgundy. Fulk Quantrell was just eighteen but much wiser than his years, having learned to charm the ladies, including his aunt who changed her will for him, leaving him not only her home, but the embroidery shop she'd inherited from her husband. Supposedly coshed on the head by a footpad and robbed, Roger discovers that death scenario for Fulk unlikely as the killer left his purse and jewels on him--they were taken, but by two beggars who moved his body from in front of their patch after they found him dead. Despite all the women Fulk came into contact with singing his praises, Roger soon discovers that he wasn't such a charming young man underneath it all, and that there are plenty of people who were not sorry he was dead. Roger's astute powers of observation and refusal to give up eventually have him solving the crime. I really enjoyed this installment in the series--the easy-reading style of writing, the historical detail and sense of place, and the interesting characters, including plenty of real historical people as well. A.<br /><br />5. MURDER IN BELLEVILLE by Cara Black. #2 Aimee Leduc mystery set in Paris. Aimee, a private investigator who apparently usually deals in computer investigations, once again gets caught up in more physical pursuits when she attempts to help a friend of hers whose husband is a diplomat dealing with some touchy foreign negotiations with Algeria. Anais leaves Aimee a cryptic message telling her where to meet, and when she arrives, she sees Anais talking with a woman whose car blows up right in front of them as the woman gets in it to leave--and then some thugs begin chasing them as they make a harried getaway on Aimee's moped down the subway tunnel. Shaken to the core, Aimee learns that the woman was Anais' husband's mistress, who has some possible connection to arms dealing and also possibly to the negotiations that Philippe is involved in. As she careens from one improbable situation to another, the story seems to get more and more out of control. That said--if it weren't for some of these silly situations--I like Aimee for the most part, and her circle of friends, including her business partner, her dog named Miles Davis, and the haunting clues about her past. I do get a bit tired of all the designer clothes and accessories mentioned (not my thing) but there are enough strong points about this book to keep me wanting to read on and to just take some parts with a grain of salt. B.<br /><br />6. STRANGE AFFAIR by Peter Robinson. #15 DCI Alan Banks police procedural set in Yorkshire, UK. Banks, still recovering from the devastating fire at his cottage that almost cost him his life, is on holiday and wondering what to do with his time when he receives a couple of cryptic voicemails from his brother Roy, a wheeling-and-dealing financier in London. Alan and his younger brother are not close and never have been, and they rarely speak on the phone unless there's a problem, so the message--which sounds almost desperate though gives no details--intrigues him. When he tries to reach Roy in response, he's nowhere to be found, so Alan is off to London, where he discovers that Roy has all but disappeared. Knowing that his brother sometimes skated close to the edge of the law in his dealings, Banks decides to try to locate him first through "unofficial" channels lest he get little brother in trouble with the law by opening a missing persons case. Meanwhile, back in Eastvale, DI Annie Cabbot is dealing with a murder--a young woman shot execution style in the head, left in her car in a ditch along a deserted roadway--and surprise of surprises, she has Alan Banks' name and address scribbled on a piece of paper in her back jeans pocket--but even more intriguingly, it's the address to his burned-out cottage where he hasn't lived for several months. As Annie and Supt. Gristhorpe try to track Banks down (he's left his mobile on the kitchen table at his temporary apartment) and find the connection, Banks investigates Roy's life and begins to finally get to know his little brother. Robinson's series seems to just get better and better with each entry! I thoroughly enjoyed this one, found it hard to put down with a twisty plot (and even some surprises!), great characters and just the right balance between visceral and cerebral moments. Can't wait to read the next one! A.<br /><br />7. LADY KILLER by Ed McBain. #8 in publication order of the 87th Precinct mysteries, this one features a case without a killer--at least to begin with. A young boy is sent into the precinct house with an envelope which contains a letter pieced together with cut out letters from the newspaper threatening to kill The Lady if they police can't stop him by 8 pm. First they must figure out if it's a crank letter, and then determine who 'The Lady' is. It's quite a hoot reading these old mysteries that are very dated because they mention the cost of items and salaries of policemen and where the only forensic evidence are fingerprints, which take a very long time to process. Of course, this means the detectives actually have to detect, and not just push a few buttons on a computer or phone to get the answers they need. Usually these books mention all the detectives at least in passing, and then tend to feature a couple of them as primary protagonists. In this one we get to know Cotton Hawes a little better, and it was an enjoyable quick read looking at police work back in the years when I was born. B.<br /><br />8. MURDER AT EBBETS FIELD BY Troy Soos. (AUDIO) #2 in the Mickey Rawlings historical mystery series featuring the utility infielder who currently plays for the New York Giants. Mickey is told by his manager, the cranky, no-nonsense John McGraw, that he will have to go to a movie studio on his time off. He's had a request from a local movie producer making a baseball movie to provide a player for a bit part, and since he can't spare any of his more well-known starting players, Mickey it is. As he gets involved in the production and attends a party that evening, he meets Marguerite Turner, an actress he knows from seeing in "jungle movies." She has a bit part in this movie, taking a back seat to her friend, the much more famous and classically beautiful Florence Hampton. Mickey tries champagne for the first time and of course overindulges so ends up booking a room at the hotel where the party is held. Imagine his surprise when he finds the naked body of Miss Hampton under the boardwalk near the hotel early the next morning! There's no outward evidence of foul play, but Mickey is asked by his reporter friend Carl and then by Miss Turner to look into Florence's death--which Mickey does, all while trying not to aggravate the movie people, a vindictive newspaper reporter for a scandal rag, or the Brooklyn Dodgers players, several of whom seemed to have been involved with her. I have come to really enjoy this series, although the mystery was easy to figure out. I particularly like listening to the audio version with the story being well-told and with just the right mix of humor and seriousness. Looking forward to listening to the next one. A<br /><br />9. HEART OF ICE by Alys Clare. #9 in the Hawkenlye Abbey historical mystery series set in 1194 England. A young man seeks care at the healing waters of Hawkenlye Abbey, but before he reaches them, he is struck on the head and killed by an unknown assailant and shoved into a pond that freezes over. A couple of days later, his body is discovered and at first he's believed to be the victim of some type of wasting disease--until the knot on his head is discovered. Soon, more sick people arrive at Hawkenlye and Abbess Helewise and the sisters and brothers have a full-fledged plague on their hands. Sir Josse d'Acquin is off to Tonbridge and even further afield trying to find out the young man's identity and where he had traveled to try to locate the source of the illness or at least the path so it can be contained and stopped. Meanwhile, Abbess Helewise is troubled and as she watches people die and even some of her beloved sisters and brothers fall ill, considers making a journey into the forest to find the Pagan healer Joanna, one-time lover of Sir Josse. The story then swtiches to Joanna's story, telling of the last few months and how she is brought to an island to learn the healing ways and learn the true identity of her mother and other mysteries. I enjoy this series, although the continued romantic tension between Josse and Helewise does get old after awhile. The author does a good job of incorporating historical events and people into the plots of the books and this one was no exception, although I'm not sure how well the overly-long section about Joanna worked here. Don't get me wrong--as a Pagan myself, I found it quite interesting and a good story in and of itself, but I think an abbreviated version of it would have worked better for the purpose of this book. All in all, a satisfying read and I look forward to continuing on in the series. B+<br /><br />10. DRIVEN TO INK by Karen E. Olson. #3 in the Tattoo shop mysteries featuring Brett Kavanaugh, owner of the Painted Lady tattoo salon in Las Vegas. Brett kindly loans her red Mustang convertible to an elderly friend who is getting married--they are using one of the drive-through wedding chapels in Vegas and wanted something more classy than Sylvia's battered Gremlin. The morning after, Brett returns from a trip to Red Rocks where she does some hiking--only to discover a body in the trunk--dead as a doornail, with a dead rat underneath it. The body looks, at first glance, like Dean Martin, but ends up being one of the impersonators who worked at the wedding chapel. When she tries to reach Sylvia and Bernie, they can't be found either by herself, Sylvia's son or the police--Brett calls her brother Tim, a detective with LVPD, but because of her involvement in the case, it must be handled by another detective. Brett and Jeff Coleman, rival tattoo shop owner, sort-of friend and son of Sylvia, put their heads together to try to locate the newlyweds and find out who the body in her trunk is and who put him there, and of course this gets them in trouble (several times) with the law as well as with the killer. While the storyline here sounds good, I have to say that this book and I got off on the wrong foot on page 3, when the wrong form of a word was used--'incidence' being used instead of simply the plural of 'incident.' Argh! It's one of those mistakes you need a human proofreader for and the kind I find more annoying than a simple typo. I enjoy the information about tattoos and the real sense of place that Olson gives to the Vegas venue. Brett's character is likable enough in general, it just seems that she continues to become dumb and dumber as she goes off on her own pursuing leads, withholding valuable information from the police, and doing otherwise unbelievable things. I like a story where the protagonist might be defiant and high-spirited, yet I like to be able to insert myself into the story, thinking "I might do the same thing if I were in her shoes." But I rarely feel that way with Brett. And again, it's another case where almost every eligible man she comes across, she 'checks out' and is ready to follow with puppy eyes after just a few minutes. It gets old, and my eye muscles get a good workout from all the eye-rolling I do. I have to admit I really miss the author's much-feistier, less cozy character from her previous series--as much as I like the author's writing style, this series is fast drifting back into the pack of cookie-cutter cozy series. Not bad, just not worth crowing about. C+ <br /><br />11. THE LAST KING OF TEXAS by Rick Riordan. (AUDIO) #3 Tres Navarre series set in San Antonio TX. A few months ago, Tres Navarre--private investigator and PhD in English lit--turned down a professorship at a local university to pursue the necessary training for his official PI license. Now that the guy who took the job has been shot--after the university receives multiple threatening letters regarding racist statements made by another former professor--he's offered the job again in a dual role: he'll also get to keep his PI hat on. The first day on the job, a package with a homemade bomb explodes as it's delivered to Dr. Aaron Brandon's (or rather, Tres's) office, which clinches the deal: he's interested now! Soon after beginning his investigation--at the protestation of the local police, including the very attractive Det. Anna DeLeon--Tres discovers a dark history about Dr. Brandon and his family that may signal other motives for his death other than just his role as an Anglo professor. Connected to a powerful local family known for their oppression and mistreatment of their Hispanic employees, there are dozens of people who may have wanted revenge. When it's known that Zeta Sanchez, the drug-running gang boss suspected of killing Dr. Brandon's father several years ago is back in the area, he becomes the obvious suspect and the target of the police investigation. Tres, however, isn't so sure and pursues other avenues, only to end up in a heap of trouble several times, with other murders and attacks along the way before he figures out who's behind all the killings. I do enjoy this series, and especially enjoy the reading by Tom Stechshulte who does a great job with the voices and the whole tone of the book. I like Tres a lot, and the author is able to provide a real sense of place which serves to make the city itself one of the characters in the book. There is a lot of violence in these books, as with many mysteries, a rather inordinate amount such that in real life, one would, I think, hesitate to be friends with someone like Tres who has dead bodies falling everywhere around him. I did figure out the mystery ahead of time, but not too early, just picking up on a couple of deftly-placed clues that made me sure I was right. Very much looking forward to the next book in the series. A.<br /><br />12.THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE by Laurie R. King. #1 Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes mystery. Set during WWI, Mary Russell is a young woman who is neighbor to Sherlock Holmes in the countryside, he having retired to live a quiet life. She stumbles upon him watching his bees and after a brief conversation, figures out who he is--and he recognizes that he's met a superior mind as well. That chance meeting begins a friendship and Miss Russell spends much time with Holmes, learning his methods of deduction, conducting scientific experiments and the like. Her 'home' life with an aunt who seeks only to criticize--her guardian since her parents died, but essentially dependent on Mary as she has the trust fund--Mary spends as much time away from there as she can. Soon she's enrolled at Oxford, coming home to visit Holmes on breaks, and they embark on several cases using his technique of disguise and employing various forensic techniques that were way ahead of their time. When Holmes is sought indirectly by an American Senator whose daughter has been kidnapped, he takes Mary along and they work their magic to get the six-year-old Jessica Simpson (ha ha!) back--and only then realize that they are working against a foe who has targeted Holmes specifically--someone who is as brilliant as Holmes himself with far-reaching plans. I enjoyed this take on the whole Holmes character and I liked Mary Russell too, but at times the book was just...I don't know...too wordy, too explanatory, too long-winded, too detailed and I wished she'd just get on with it already. Lots and lots of prose and not a whole lot of dialogue--sometimes it just got sloggy, as interesting as the story was. I also figured quite far in advance who the baddie was, which surprised me. I do intend to read on in the series but probably will space these out quite a lot. B<br /><br />13. MURDER IN A COLD CLIMATE by Scott Young. #1 of a series set in the Northwest Territories of Canada, featuring Matthew "Matteesie" Kitologitak, an Inuk (singular of Inuit) Inspector for the RCMP. Actually, he's been primarily working for Northern Affairs, not doing much police work but attending conferences living mostly in Toronto. We know from the get-go that Matteesie is not your everyday hero--the opening pages see him with his long-time mistress in the northern town of Inuvik, waiting to fly out to Leningrad for a conference. (His wife, a white woman, is back in Toronto.) He's also not your typical burly-brawny tough guy--at 5'6" with a brown, round face, he doesn't exactly scare many folks, even bundled up in his parka. His RCMP boss, Buster, calls and asks him to look into something for him as a favor (it's been several years since he did any police work)--the disappearance of a small plane that had a well-known government official's son as the pilot. Meanwhile though, a murder happens right in front of Matteesie and he feels his inspector's instincts kick into gear as he puts that incident first--and of course after digging a bit, figures the two incidents are actually connected. Off he goes across the wild northern wilderness trying to track down a killer and find the connection to the missing plane. This book provided a great sense of place and a immersion into a culture that I didn't know all that much about. The author brought home in a very real way just how isolated things are up near the Arctic Circle, and how things most of us 'down here' (and even in southern Canada) take for granted--including the usual police procedures--which just aren't the same there. I liked Matteesie but the story itself was kind of all over the place, especially at first; it was hard to keep people and places straight in part because of the strange names, and it wasn't until the middle third of the book that I finally started 'getting' it enough so that the storyline made more sense. All in all, though, an enjoyable book and I will at some point continue reading on if I can lay hands on the second in the series. B.<br /> <br />14. CAT OF THE CENTURY by Rita Mae Brown (AUDIO) #18 Mrs. Murphy mystery also featuring Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen in Crozet, Virginia. Harry is off on a road trip with her pets to help Aunt Tally celebrate her 100th birthday at her college alma mater back in Missouri. One of the organizers disappears, and another lets "slip" that the missing woman has probably done a runner since she knows of some shady business practices that have gone on. Once back in Virginia, the accuser ends up dead, believed killed by the missing woman. Harry, who of course has her nose in the middle of it, isn't so sure. I'm not sure why I chose this book, except I needed something very quick and light, since I have two other audio books I'm #1 in line for at the library and I didn't want to get stuck in the midst of something more meaty. It's part of a series I really used to enjoy. I'm not a fan of cozy mysteries as a rule, but have always liked listening to this series, even though some of the main characters are animals. The reader does them well and they aren't too sappy. However, the last few have been not much more than soapboxes for the author to spout various political and social opinions and this one was no different. I did finish it, as the reader does a good job and I do like to visit with Harry and the gang now and then, but even that aspect was minimal this time as the story was told from the point of view of so many different characters that we hardly even spent any time with Harry and the pets. No more. D.<br /><br />15. THE WEE FREE MEN by Terry Pratchett. (AUDIO) #30 in publication order of the Discworld fantasy novels but #1 in the Tiffany Aching 'mini series' and the second DW novel aimed at younger readers. Tiffany is interested in becoming a witch--and she has a visit from Miss Tick--a witch who's surprised to have detected Tiffany's natural talent on 'the Chalk' which is 'much too soft to grow a proper witch.' Tiffany explains about some strange things she's seen and Miss Tick recognizes trouble and goes off to find more witches to help fight it. Tiffany conveniently forgets to mention the little bluish men with red hair she's seen as well, but when her annoying and perpetually sticky little brother Wentworth goes missing, these creatures come to her aid. The Nac Mac Feegle, she learns later. Not Pixies, but Pictsies...the Wee Free Men, known as thieves, drinkers and fighters and rarely a help to anyone. They're certain that the wee lad has been stolen and taken to a magical land by 'the Quin' who loves wee bairns, they lead Tiffany--who now wishes she'd gotten to know her grandmother, Granny Aching, better as she is learning that she was probably a witch herself. Once I started listening to this, I simply couldn't stop--it was hilarious and yet somewhat profound at the same time if that makes any sense. (Pretty much like most of the Discworld books, actually.) The reader was excellent and did a great job with the Scottish burr of the Nac Mac Feegle, such that I laughed out loud many times. Can't wait to see what interesting things Tiffany gets up to next. A+<br /><br /><br />DNF: GREAT HOUSE by Nicole Krauss (audio) I listened to a couple hours of this before finally deciding it was a load of whiny, pretentious twaddle. The premise sounded interesting--the story of a writing desk and the people who owned it over time--but it was just...bleh.<br /><br />Currently reading: <br /><br />1. LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS by Joe Abercrombie (#3 of the First Law fantasy trilogy)<br />2. THE VICTORIA VANISHES by Christopher Fowler (#6 Bryant & May mystery)<br />3. DUST by Martha Grimes (AUDIO)<br /><br />CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367208424192493756.post-19344163750748345902011-01-05T07:40:00.000-06:002011-01-30T21:07:14.167-06:00JANUARY 2011It's a brand new year! My New Year's Resolution this year is not to purchase (with money) ANY books this year! PBS trading is okay and library borrowing will be a must, but no money-for-books exchanges. It's not going to be easy, but I know I can do it. :)<br /><br />1. A TRACE OF SMOKE by Rebecca Cantrell. #1 Hannah Vogel mystery set in 1931 Germany. Hannah, a thirty-something independent woman who has resigned herself to life alone after her fiance died in the Great War, is now working as a newspaper reporter (but writing under a man's name.) She is at the police station to get some information for a story from her friend Fritz, but is instead horrified to see a photograph of her younger brother Ernst on the "Hall of the Unnamed Dead," a series of images put up on the wall so that citizens can help the police identify unnamed corpses that are found. Ernst led a reckless life as a cross-dressing homosexual, singing burlesque in one of Berlin's 'queer clubs' in the days before the Nazis took complete power and shut such things down. Hannah, who cared for the decade-younger Ernst after her parents had both died, is devastated and sets out to find out who killed him and why. Using her guise as a reporter, she numbly goes through several days asking questions of his known friends, co-workers at his club, even following some of them into rather seedy places and even uses her police friend, never letting on to anyone that Ernst is dead. While she had reconciled herself to Ernst's lifestyle and loved him fiercely, what she discovers shocks her to the core, as it involves some very senior level people in the up-and-coming Nazi party. What an excellent way to start the new year! This is definitely not my favorite time in history, but the author does a great job of putting you in the time and place and describing life from the point of view of an average non-Nazi citizen as they watch the Party slowly take over the country. The story and the mystery were also intriguing, and I found myself really liking Hannah a lot. She seems to be, to me, the 'opposite woman' to Maisie Dobbs, whose story takes place in about the same time over in England. Interesting looking at things from the German viewpoint. Very difficult to put down and definitely looking forward to the next one! A+<br /><br />2. THE LAST PLACE by Laura Lippman. (AUDIO) #7 Tess Monaghan mystery set in Baltimore. Whitney, Tess's good friend, sends some work her way from a consortium of non-profits that she is on the board of. They're researching police techniques in the rural areas around the city in hopes of finding some fuel for their fire: more funding for domestic violence prevention. If they can prove that the rural police messed up and need more education, they hope to lobby the legislature for the funding. They hand Tess five unrelated, unsolved homicides from the outlying areas and ask her to see how they were investigated. What ends up happening is that the cases aren't quite as unrelated as they thought. Tess hooks up with a former cop out on disability who had obsessed over one of the cases, and they are allowed to assist the state police peripherally when they bring the evidence of the serial killer to them. I have to admit that the mystery itself was rather easy to figure out--the clues were just dangled in front of you and I kept wanting to smack Tess because she didn't see certain things. Then again, she was a bit distracted--having had to go into court-ordered anger-management therapy after she (and Whitney, although Tess never implicated her friend) tracked down a guy who seduced Whitney's teenage niece in an internet chat room. (Apparently the use of Nair on the entire body warrants assault. LOL) Still a very enjoyable visit with Tess and Crow, the dogs and her friends, even though I was at least two steps ahead of them all the way. And I think I'm finally getting used to the narrator's (Barbara Rosenblatt) voice, which I found annoying as hell at first. A<br /><br />3. FART PROUDLY: WRITINGS OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN YOU NEVER READ IN SCHOOL by Carl Japiske. A collection of stories, newspaper articles and letters written by the esteemed Mr. Franklin, which, as the subtitle indicates, are not likely to be included in school curriculums. The book opens with the quote, "He who lives on hope dies farting" which was published in Poor Richard's almanac in 1736. The other pieces run in a similar vein, with Franklin leaving his guise as diplomat, statesman, inventor and wise, respected philosopher behind--he gets downright bawdy at times, other times inciting rebellion and scandal. Which is probably why I enjoyed it so much--it made an excellent 'bathroom book' for the past few weeks. LOL A.<br /><br />4. LORDS AND LADIES by Terry Pratchett. #14 in publication order in the humorous fantasy Discworld series. We're once again back in Lancre with Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and...well, Magrat Garlick used to be the third member of their witches' coven until King Verence proposed. Now she's Queen-in-waiting, planning her wedding and bored silly, so not able to help much when Granny and Nanny make their plans to take on the Lords and Ladies--the elves--who are trying to get through to this dimension through a stone circle in the Ramtops. They know how truly nasty elves are--nothing like the sweet, beautiful creatures they project themselves to be. As the Bursar, Archchancellor and Librarian of Unseen University make their way to Lancre for the wedding (picking up the dwarf Casanunda--an old friend of Nanny Ogg's--on the way) and the rest of the town prepare, a series of events unfolds--in at least one dimension--that makes the whole town want to crawl under their beds. Very enjoyable--I had forgotten how much I love this book (read it years ago) and had totally forgotten Casanunda--he's now emerged again as one of my favorite Discworld characters. A+<br /><br />5. THE TRACK OF SAND by Andrea Camilleri. #12 Inspector Montalbano mystery set in Sicily. What are the odds that you would look out your window one morning and see a dead horse lying on the beach? This is how Salvo Montalbano's day begins, and things continue to stay weird for several days. By the time he follows the horse's tracks and locates where he was killed--a victim of a brutal beating--the corpse has disappeared. When a beautiful woman comes into the police station to report her horse missing, things get even weirder, and as usual the case intersects with another and gets all muddled up before the lightbulb goes off over Montalbano's head. Meanwhile, he deals with people breaking into his home, women trouble, consumes much yummy food, has his share of grumpy and melancholy thoughts, buffaloes his superiors and baffles his staff, but eventually gets to where he's going in the end, solving both cases--once he starts following the right track. Enjoyable visit to Montelusa and surrounding area with my favorite Italian curmudgeon, as usual and expected. Keep them coming, Mr. Camilleri! A.<br /><br />6. SARAH'S KEY by Tatiana de Rosnay. (AUDIO) This book is part historical fiction, set in 1942 Paris, and part modern. The first part tells the story of Sarah Starcyzinski, a young French Jewish girl born of Polish parents. The events take place during July of that year, when the "Vel Dhiv" roundup took place--with thousands of Jewish families arrested (by French police, not the Gestapo) and initially held in a cycling velodrome, then moved first to interment camps within France and eventually on to Auschwitz. Sarah has her own particular horror to live through that involves her young brother Michel, who gets left behind when the family is arrested. Meanwhile, in modern-day Paris, Julia Jarmond, a middle-aged American now living in Paris (and married to a Frenchman) is set to move into the apartment where Sarah's family lived in 1942. Julia discovers this connection when she begins researching the "Vel Dhiv" roundup for a newspaper article she's writing and then, when she learns that her hsuband's family took the apartment when a Jewish family was arrested, becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to that family, which eventually leads her to Sarah's trail. The two stories intersect, of course. This book sounded a lot better than it was. I didn't like the main character in the modern part very much, and there was a point in the last third of the book where Sarah's voice goes away and her story is left dangling--and that's when I really lost interest, not really wanting to put up with the whiny Julia's ramblings. I enjoyed the story overall, and learning about an event in history that I really had no knowledge of, but it could have done with a lot less of the minutiae of Julia's life. C+<br /><br />7. THE CORPSE IN THE KORYO by James Church. #1 Inspector O mystery, set in modern day North Korea, mostly in the capital Pyongyang, but O also travels out to several outlying areas. The story begins with him on a stakeout to take a picture of a car going by on a road in a rural area outside the city. Those are his orders, but of course the camera fails due to dead batteries and the story moves along to a tale of intrigue and espionage between one Ministry and another, sort of a Spy vs. Spy kind of thing with a friend of O's boss named Kang directing much of the action as he tries to evade the Military Security branch run by Colonel Kim. Many deaths occurred along the way, and O is never quite sure who to trust, so mostly he doesn't trust anyone. It was confusing at first, since I had virtually no knowledge of how things are in North Korea, or what life is like. But I quickly came to like Inspector O, and once I stopped trying to figure everything out and sat back to enjoy the story, it was fine, the details fell into place and I really enjoyed getting to know the country and the main character. The writing style is hard to describe--somewhat of a literary, lyrical side to it, and a definite dry sense of humor there in the background too. I have to read the next book just to find out if O ever gets his cup of tea! A.<br /><br />8.FINAL NOTICE by Jo Dereske. #6 Miss Zukas mystery set in fictional Bellehaven, WA. Helma has her elderly, somewhat eccentric Aunt Emily come to stay with her after she has a 'brain incident' and isn't able to stay alone just yet. Shortly after her arrival, a man is killed outside Helma's apartment, and Aunt Em is shocked to recognize him as the man who tried to steal her purse in the airport--she had poked him good with her hatpin, and he fled, but she's sure it's the same man. Further investigation and Helma's looking into her aunt's checkered past leads her to believe that her aunt may well be in danger because of things that happened years ago. Enlisting the help of her 'friend,' police chief Wayne Gallant, Helma narrows down the search--although she's uneasy asking for Chief Gallant's help, as rumor has it that he is seeing his ex-wife again. I really like Helma and do enjoy this series very much, and got a kick out of Aunt Em, who is about as polar opposite of Helma as you can get. And yet they 'work well' together. Interesting story, although the mystery wasn't too mysterious, and looking forward to the next one. A.<br /><br />9. THE LIONS OF THE NORTH by Edward Marston. #4 in the Domesday historical mystery series, this time the Royal Commissioners are off to York, once again settling land disputes at the behest of the King. Ralph Delchard, Gervase Bret, Canon Hubert and Brother Simon the scribe are joined by a northern noble, Tanchelm of Ghent, who is joining their group at King William's order. There are many disputes to investigate, and it's complicated by the rovings of outlaw bands, including the notorious Olaf Evil Child, who actually has the temerity to steal the group's sumpter horses at an overnight stop along the way. Insulted to the core, Ralph Delchard makes his displeasure known to his old friend, Aubrey Maminot, with whom the party will be lodging at York Castle. Aubrey allows that Olaf is already a thorn in his side, and if caught, he'll be fed to his pets--two ferocious African lions that prowl the ditches around the castle at night, and whom their trainer Ludovico and Aubrey are the only two allowed to handle. Another wonderful story full of history and a sense of time and place that is unrivaled by other writers of historical fiction and mystery. The characters are also wonderful and varied and after only four books have almost become old friends. This has fast become one of my favorite historical series--it's too bad the books are out of print and are so difficult to come by. But I eagerly look forward to the next. A+<br /><br />10. BIGGIE AND THE POISONED POLITICIAN by Nancy Bell. (AUDIO) #1 in the Biggie Weatherford cozy mystery series set in fictional small-town Texas. The story is told through the eyes of Biggie's 12-year-old grandson J.R., and is a light, humorous mystery mostly focusing on small-town Texas life. Biggie is a wealthy widow and one of the movers and shakers in tiny Job's Crossing, and she pretty much does as she pleases and usually gets her way. So when a new landfill is built next to her family's cemetery, she doesn't have a hissyfit--she gets moving, marshalling her supporters to get rid of it. When the mayor--an overweight, blustery man with a heart conditions--keels over in his whipped cream at a table in the local diner, with Biggie and J.R. looking on, it's first thought he just had the inevitable heart attack. But Biggie thinks he was poisoned and sets out to prove it, although she's not sure why just yet. It must have something to do with her lodger's car blowing up though, don'tchathinkhoney? Two such bizarre events would just have to be linked, since nothing much exciting happens in Job's Crossing. I downloaded this from the library because I needed something quick and light (and of course, the first in a series) and distracting, and it was a rather fun listen. However, not sure I will continue on--there is way too much sticky-sweet southern humor for my usual taste, and if I do listen further (I believe the library has most of the series available as audio download) it will be with plenty of space between the books. B.<br /><br />11. THE FABULOUS RIVERBOAT by Philip Jose Farmer. #2 in the Riverworld Saga. This book, the second in a series that features a sort of repository for the dead--basically, everyone ever born on earth is resurrected in the Riverworld--focuses on Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain. His big dream on Earth was to build and captain a Riverboat, and now that he's basically got all eternity, he's determined to do it. This life-after-death place isn't exactly what you'd call heaven, though--the same cliques, clans and territorial battles still break out, and as some resources are in short supply, Sam knows he will have to do battle or barter to get the materials he needs. As with the previous book, a host of different characters from history--ancient and recent--show up, often in unlikely roles. Quite entertaining and an interesting concept of what 'life after death' could be like. B+<br /><br />12. THE TAKEN by Inger Ash Wolfe #2 Hazel Micallef mystery set in rural Ontario in fictional Port Dundas, although Hazel and her second, James Wingate, do spend time ruffling feathers in Toronto on his old stomping grounds when a case takes them there. A supposed body dredged up from the bottom of a local lake ends up being nothing but a mannequin--but one that someone wants the police to find--it's been weighted to stay in place and an IP address on the back of the mannequin leads them to a website showing a live feed with the merest of hints that someone is being held captive. Oddly, the case is unfolding like the serial story appearing in the local newspaper, and Micallef must butt heads with the press as she attempts to find the writer of the story. Hazel, recovering from major back surgery and dependent on the care of her ex-husband and his new wife as well as powerful painkillers, shouldn't even be back to work yet, but something about this case has yanked her chain and she is determined to find out who is manipulating the police--and her in particular--for their nefarious purposes. A very strange story, and a very interesting one, although I have to admit at first I was really tired of Hazel's pity party. It did get better and by the time I hit the halfway point had a heck of a time putting it down. I really do like Hazel--she's very human, very flawed and vulnerable for all her blustering. Eagerly awaiting the next. A.<br /><br />13. IGNORANCE IS BLITZ by Anders Henrikssen. A collection of bloopers from college term papers, specifically dealing with history, from ancient times to near-modern history. Spelling errors, grammatical errors, misuse of words, punctuation and especially concepts--all things that drive me right up a tree. So a whole book of them? Made me laugh my butt off. I learned rather quickly that I could not read it while eating lunch. LOL I like the "Anguished English' books as those are examples taken from high school and the world at large. The people writing these papers actually made it into college. Though heaven only knows how! A couple of my favorites: "Judyism was the first monolithic religion. It had one big god named Yahoo." "The wholey Roman Empire amazed many when it was found in Germany." "The invention of the sex tent helped to determine place and orientation at sea." It's best read in small bits, otherwise it can tend to get overwhelming. Plus, you'll strain something laughing too much for too long if you read it all at once. :o) A.<br /><br />14. AN UNACCEPTABLE DEATH by Barbara Seranella. #8 and final Munch Mancini mystery. Munch, now clean and sober for nine years and living a stable life with her adopted daughter Asia, is enjoying planning her wedding to police detective Rico Chacon, when he is shot to death by other cops in a drug bust gone wrong. Among allegations that Rico was a dirty cop, Munch stuffs her grief and despair to the back of her soul while she lets her practical side take over and sets out to prove that he wasn't. She believes Rico was killed because of her--she had just learned that there is a bounty on her head, put there by the former head of an outlaw biker gang that she all but dismantled when she went straight. Now the gang is re-forming and their first order of business is to take Munch down, and she wonders if he somehow got in the middle of that. She makes deals as a confidential informant with a couple of groups of cops and then essentially does what she needs to do anyway to figure out why Rico was killed. An excellent ending to this series, very sad and poignant, yet hopeful too. I am going to miss Munch a lot. A.<br /><br />15. PLAYING WITH BONES by Kate Ellis. #2 DI Joe Plantagenet mystery set in fictional Eborby, UK--modeled after the city of York. A young girl is found dead in a dark close, strangled and then with a strange mutilation--her big toe of her left foot is severed, and an old porcelain doll is laid next to her with its toe also removed. When one of the constables brings to Joe and his boss DCI Emily Thwaite's attention a book he's reading about historical murders that contains an excerpt about the Doll Strangler of Singmass Close, they realize the strong similarity to the strangulation of four women back in the 1950's. The toe mutilation was never reported anywhere, so whoever is doing this now must have some connection to the first killer. Another case involving a missing girl intersects with the murder case. I enjoyed this second entry in this series although there seemed to be way too many red herrings and a lot of huge coincidences happening in order for things to fall into place as they do. Still, I am looking forward to the next in series and also to trying the author's other long-standing mystery series. A-<br /><br />16. CASTLE IN THE AIR by Diana Wynne Jones. (AUDIO) Second in the "Castle" YA fantasy series (the first was Howl's Moving Castle) although we don't actually run into characters from the first book until about the last third of the story. Not really a series, they're just sort of loosely connected. Most of it is about Abdullah, a young carpet-seller in the desert country called Zanzib who daydreams about a life much unlike his own--with himself a prince stolen by evil men and who ends up married to a beautiful princess, and not a seller of carpets besieged by his late father's first wife's nosy family. Meanwhile, Abdullah is sold a magic carpet by a mysterious stranger, and he finds that when he sleeps on it, many of his daydreams seem to come true as he travels to far-off places--and he ends up in Ingary (the country in the first book) with a magic genie in a bottle and a disenfranchised Strangian soldier and a couple of cats, trying to chase down the Princess Flower-in-the-Night, who was stolen by an evil djinn. Full of good humor, a good story and some great characters, and very well-read also by Jenny Sterlin. Going to look for the next one in this sort-of series. B+<br /><br />17. BREATHING WATER by Timothy Hallinan. #3 Poke Rafferty mystery set in Bangkok, Thailand. Poke gets into big trouble when he wins a poker game and the 'prize' is writing the autobiography of the loser--a rich, important man in Thailand, somewhat of a folk hero from the poor northwest of the country who rudely thumbs his nose at the rich, 'noble' class who have ruled the country for centuries. However, powerful people don't want the book written--and others want it written, but only the version they want to be told. Poke and his family are threatened, followed, menaced, attacked--and they don't even know by whom. Probably several parties, all with very powerful friends. Poke tries to figure out how to maintain his status quo without tipping off any of the warring parties what he's doing. Meanwhile, Poke's best friend Arthit, a policeman, is going through hell as he discovers that his beloved wife Noi is probably planning her own suicide as her progressive muscular degenerative disease leaves her with increasing pain that no one can help. And Miaow, Poke's adopted daughter, is having growing pains of her own, trying to figure out where she fits into the world. Another excellent, complex story of Bangkok, from the mean streets to the mansions of the powerful. I absolutely love Poke and his family and friends and was glad to see Boo back in the picture. I've just received the latest in the series, The Queen of Patpong, and it's not very likely that it will gather much dust on my TBR pile! A+<br /><br />18. A CORPSE AT ST. ANDREW'S CHAPEL by Mel Starr. #2 Hugh de Singleton medieval mystery set in 1360's in the town of Bampton, UK. Still recovering from the plague two decades previously, a spate of lawlessness seems to have taken over the countryside as Hugh, a surgeon, settles into his double role as Bailiff of Bampton Castle for Lord Gilbert Talbot. When Alan the beadle is found dead--first presumed attacked by a wolf, later noted to have been shot with an arrow--Hugh must investigate the death and is attacked several times himself for his trouble. As he follows several twisty, tenuous threads trying to solve several small mysteries that come together in a somewhat pedestrian, obvious conclusion. That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy the book--I did, very much. The sense of time and place provided by the author is outstanding and indeed is the strong point of this series so far. I do like Hugh, but he seems to be just developing as a character. The writing style is at times a bit off-putting and doesn't always flow smoothly, and also with several repetitive phrases that seemed to stand out sometimes. But the entire package was quite enjoyable and I look forward to getting to know Hugh better in the next book. B+<br /><br />19. A CAST-OFF COVEN by Juliet Blackwell. #2 in the so-called "Witchcraft" series featuring Lily Ivory, a witch and vintage clothing shop owner in San Francisco. Lily is asked by her employee Maya, who is also a student at the San Francisco School of Fine Arts, to come to the school and look around on behalf of the woman who runs the school. She's offered a chest full of vintage clothing they found in an old trunk in a closet, but hopes Lily can use her powers to find out about a visitation by a suspected ghost in the bell tower of the school and perhaps do something about it. The noises and ghostly presence has ramped up recently and become disruptive. While at the school, a man falls--or is pushed--down the bell tower steps on the exact site of a suicide several decades earlier. The natural conclusion drawn by many is that the ghost killed Jerry Becker--a rich big-wig with lots of money invested in the school, as well as a daughter, Andromeda, who attends there. Lily is pretty sure that Becker's killer was human, and since he wasn't well-liked and had lots of money, there are plenty of people with motive. Further investigation leads her to believe there is indeed an evil presence at the school, but not from a ghost--rather, from a demon that someone has summoned. Along the way, Lily has to deal once again with Aidan Rhodes, a powerful witch who makes her uncomfortable on several levels, and Max Carmichael, a journalist whom she went out with once and who definitely interests her (and vice versa) but who is a bit of an enigma and who finds her whole witchiness very discomfiting. She also encounters several other men who briefly caught Lily's attention as the story progressed. I enjoyed the book for the most part, although at times I'm not sure if the author is trying to pass Lily off as a witch...I mean, a real witch, or if she's got her living in some type of a paranormal world. I suppose given that she has a goblin familiar who disguises himself as her pet potbellied pig, I really shouldn't take any of it too seriously, right? This should probably be classified as light urban fantasy rather than mystery. There are things that were semi-accurate, though--and some of it just accurate enough to perhaps confuse people who aren't familiar with *actual* witch/Pagan practice and belief. The one other gripe I have is that the author's propensity to make every man Lily met or came across a potential love interest, however briefly, was really annoying. And of course there are at least a couple of permanent romantic interests to keep Lily pulled in two directions, which is one thing that has put me off many so-called mystery series that started with promise and then devolve into romantic baloney, with the mysteries taking a back seat--no, more like being hogtied in the trunk while the romance and sexual tension steer the series. (The whodunit in this one was sort of a no-brainer.) That said, I like the writing style, I like Lily and her shop and her circle of friends for the most part, and Blackwell really is able to provide a wonderful sense of place, making the city of San Francisco one of the main characters in the book. I also love Oscar to pieces! LOL I'll give the series one more read, and if the next book is obviously continuing down the romance road, as much as I like the other parts of the book, I'll probably stop there. B <br /><br />CURRENT READS: THE DARK WIND by Tony Hillerman in audio, MAMA RIDES SHOTGUN by Deborah Sharp and Wild Indigo by Sandi Ault in print. <br /><br />CherylSpuddiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07074722775455899912noreply@blogger.com