1. ANOTHER MAN’S MOCCASINS by Craig Johnson. #4 and most recent Walt Longmire mystery in which Walt and crew are back in Wyoming. Walt’s daughter Cady is also back at home doing physical therapy and recovering from the devastating head injury she received in the last book, but Walt is distracted from spending time with her because he’s trying to track down the killer of a young Vietnamese woman found on the side of the road. At first they think they have him in the form of Virgil White Buffalo, a hulking Native American found near her body with some of her belongings nearby. But things seem just a bit too pat to Walt, whose instincts take him elsewhere. First there is the girl’s grandfather—or at least another Vietnamese, a bit of a rare commodity in Absaroka County, who claims to be so. Then there’s the new bartender in town, who not only has a police record back in Chicago, but lies to Walt, albeit in a small way. And what about the hayseed ranching brothers who discovered the woman’s body while they were mowing hay along the roadside? They seem too uneasy to be completely blameless to Walt’s way of thinking. So who’s the culprit? While I’ve enjoyed all the books in this series, the last one was just a bit off-kilter with the setting having moved to Philadelphia; this one seemed to be back on track as Walt is on home turf, though he does flash back periodically throughout the book to his time in Vietnam during the war to a mystery he was chasing after then as a young Marine investigator. The answer to the old mystery was quite obvious to me, but the present-day one remained unsolved in my head until fairly close to the end as there were several plausible explanations and no ‘gut feeling bad guy’ jumped out at me. I really enjoyed this book, and it’s actually the first one I’ve read—I listened to all three of the first ones in audio, which were equally delightful. It was interesting seeing the names and places in writing and seeing how they’re spelled. ::grin:: I hope the author is home writing #5 because I’m going to be very impatient trying to wait for the next one…oh, the perils of being caught up with a good series! A.
2. ETHAN FROME by Edith Wharton (audiobook) One of those classics that I never had to read in high school, so didn’t, but when I noticed while browsing through my library’s selection of audio downloads that the audio version was narrated by George Guiddell, I couldn’t resist. Short and so NOT sweet, the story takes place in the bleak New England countryside of about a hundred years ago and was very depressing. This is the tale of Ethan Frome, a man unhappily married to a sickly shrew of a woman who falls in love with her cousin who comes to live with them to ‘do’ for her. It’s a story of longing and loss, a classic love triangle with a twist. I hated ALL the characters and wanted to slap them all silly, but I must admit it was a story skillfully told and wonderfully read. How to grade it? Hmmm….B.
3. GOBLIN WAR by Jim C. Hines. Third and final entry in the “Jig the Goblin” light fantasy series in which Jig heads off to war. Goblins, hobgoblins, humans, a tangled mix of political and personal grievances to be sorted out and settled, a cranky old female chief for Jig to please, not to mention trying to figure out the wishes and motives of his God, Tymalous Shadowstar. Poor Jig! All he wants to do is retire peacefully to his corner of the mountain with Smudge, his fire spider, with enough to eat and an extra loincloth or two. Instead he’s thrust into the midst of war with his busted-up knife, dwindling healing powers and a rag-tag group of what passes for loyal followers, which isn’t saying much among the goblins. And there he goes, headed towards the ultimate battle in which the goblins attempt to secure their little corner of the mountain. I really enjoyed this series; it’s not your typical fantasy at all, more humorous and lighter in tone, yet with some underlying deeper message, too. I’ll miss Jig now that his adventures appear to be done, but will definitely be looking for more from this author. A.
4. THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak. Powerful book set during the rise of Hitler in Germany and into the WWII years, told from the point of view of Death (he was a bit overworked during that time!) and about Liesl, a young German girl who is the Book Thief mentioned in the title. The book opens with Liesl at about age 10 when she steals her first book (at her brother’s funeral) and moves forward to her years with the Hubermanns, a foster family who has taken her in and who become her Mama and Papa. The Hubermanns give the outward appearance of following the Party line, but Hans tends to be a bit rebellious and they end up hiding a Jew in their basement for many months, the son of a friend of a friend that he was in the first world war with. Max and Liesl become good friends over those months and save each other from the despair that would have crushed many other people. This is the story of Liesl, her family and the neighborhood and it was a wonderful, powerful book with the main message being, I think, that words are very powerful and have the capacity to do not only great good, but also great harm. Considering the circumstances of the main characters, the time and place they lived in and the outcome, it should have been a depressing book, but it wasn’t. Brutal, yes. The narrator, Death, didn’t mince words nor sugarcoat anything. I did cry, but I also laughed. The way the author strung words together was positively magical—I’ve put this book on my keeper shelf as I’m sure I’ll be going back over it to glean quotations from it. As it was, the story was so compelling I couldn’t be bothered to stop and write any down! A++
5. NO DOMINION by Charlie Huston. #2 Joe Pitt ‘paranormal noir’ mystery series. Joe, a Rogue Vampyre not pledged to any of the vampyre clans in New York, is feeling a bit peaky these days. He’s down to his last 3 pints of blood in the fridge and two months behind on his rent. Ever since the incident in which he pissed off a couple of the major clan bosses, the work coming his way has been slim to none. He’s about to go begging for a job when one gets thrown his way by Terry, the Society boss. New vampyres are hitting on some new drug out there that’s making them go a bit crazy and Terry wants Joe to figure out what this drug is and who’s supplying it. It’s disrupting the tentative truce between the clans and no one wants an all-out war. Or do they? Joe treks across forbidden Coalition territory to the Hood to look up a guy whose name he got from another guy—yeah, the connection is slim but when you’re not sure where your next pint of blood is coming from, and your girlfriend (who, by the way, doesn’t even KNOW you’re a vampyre!) is needing some expensive medical treatments, you get a bit desperate. What ensues is a madcap couple of days with Joe nearly meeting an untimely end several times and the unveiling of plots within plots and much political scheming. Very dark and noir, lots of graphic violins (but very little sax! LOL) and many unsavory four-letter words. In other words, my kinda book. ::grin:: I love Joe’s rogue attitude, what I call his whole “eff you personality,” since I tend to have the same attitude to belonging to groups myself. I have the next Joe Pitt book here on my TBR and I know it won’t be too long before I get to it. A.
6. WHITER THAN THE LILY by Alys Clare. #7 Abbess Helewise/Sir Josse D’Acquin historical mystery series. Josse is contacted by a neighbor to provide an introduction at Hawkenlye for some friends of his who have attempted to conceive a child unsuccessfully. Galiena Ryemarsh is many years younger than her husband Ambrose, but she is a skilled herbalist and has tried every remedy she knows to help them—so now she is off to Hawkenlye Abbey to speak to the infirmarer there and to take the healing waters. She sets off a few days ahead of her husband as he has matters of estate to tend to, but upon his arrival, she drops dead of an apparent poisoning. Ambrose himself seems ill—confused, weak, dizzy and definitely not his usual robust self. Josse and Abbess Helewise begin investigating Galiena’s death independently, and it leads Josse to an isolated pagan community on the coast and much danger. I figured out part of the plot ahead of time, but it was rather complicated and some parts weren’t really solvable til later in the book when enough information was available. I enjoy this series, but this one seemed to be a bit of a weak entry with the plot going hither and yon and a bit too much improbable and unlikely events transpiring. B.
7. HOLMES ON THE RANGE by Steve Hockensmith. #1 in the ‘Holmes on the Range’ historical mysteries series, set in 1890’s Montana. Features “Big Red” Otto Amlingmeyer and his brother “Old Red” Gustav, who are wandering cowboys who take temporary jobs offered by different ranches, and in this book they’re hired by Uly MacPherson, manager of the Castlemere Ranche, commonly known as the Bar VR. It’s not an assignment they’d normally take, as the MacPherson brothers and the Bar VR don’t exactly have a great reputation, but Old Red takes the job for two reasons. One, the Amlingmeyer brothers are about out of money, and two, Old Red fancies himself a bit of a detective and he smells a mystery afoot. Though Old Red doesn’t read, Big Red does, having been the one member of their family sent off to school and having done some clerking in his time. And what Big Red reads to Old Red around the campfire are Sherlock Holmes mystery stories! Old Red loves ‘em and often uses Holmes’ ‘deducifyin methods’ and keen observation to ferret out the answers to questions that most folks haven’t even thought to ask. And he’s right about a mystery afoot, for as quick as you can say beans and bacon, there’s two dead bodies and a host of foreigners moving in to Castlemere, and Old Red aims to figure out whodunit. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and for once I can easily understand why it was a finalist for so many different mystery awards the year it was published. (It’s not all THAT often that I agree with the people who make those decisions. LOL) The characterizations felt real to me and I got to know Big and Old Red quite well early on, and the secondary characters were also diverse and well-fleshed. I also liked that the ‘voices’ of these cowboys seemed to be very realistic and no effort was made to pretty them up—for example, one of the characters in the book is a black man, and there is rather liberal use of the “n” word, which although not pleasant, was common at the time as a part of normal everyday speech. So I guess I should add the caveat that if such things offend you, it’s probably best to avoid this book. While I am not generally a fan of this time period nor a fan at all of so-called westerns (there I go again, jumping out of my niche! LOL) I loved this book and am glad that I’ve already got the second one in the series here on my shelf. A+
8. GRENDEL by John Gardner. (Audio book) Narrated by the incomparable George Guidell, this is the Beowulf story told from the point of view of Grendel, the monster. While it is, indeed, ‘just a story,’ it’s also a commentary on the basic nature of humankind, about the darkness (and the light) that resides within each of us. I listened to this on the heels of reading The Book Thief, so it was a very contemplative week at my house. ::grin:: Guidell does a stellar job with the narration (as always!) and the story provides a different, and quite interesting spin on the tale of Beowulf, Hrodgar, Grendel and the Dragon, although of course if you’ve read the original, you know from the get-go how this is going to end. Well worth the few hours of listening time! A.
9. NOW MAY YOU WEEP by Deborah Crombie. #9 Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James British police procedural mystery, this one set in the Highlands of Scotland where Gemma and her good friend Hazel are off to for a cookery weekend at a B&B. What Gemma doesn’t know is that Hazel is headed for an assignation with an old lover, Donald Brodie, who’s the head of a Scotch distillery, and she discovers just how little she really knows about her friend’s past. When Donald ends up murdered in cold blood on the second day of their weekend, Gemma is unable to stop the local Chief Inspector, a crass and unsympathetic old coot named Ross, from hauling Hazel into custody for questioning. Meanwhile, at home, trouble is also brewing in the form of Kit’s grandmother Eugenia, who has served Duncan with papers that she intends to sue for custody. Another excellent entry in the series, although I have to admit that the historical flashbacks in this one that date back more than a hundred years to one of the women who owned a local distillery, seemed to me to be a bit distracting rather than actually enhancing the story as these tie-ins Crombie uses sometimes are. But the story itself and the descriptions of the settings in the Highlands made up for the distraction and I devoured this book much as I have every single book in this series. A.
10. THE RABBIT FACTORY by Marshall Karp. First in a series featuring LA homicide detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs. When Eddie Elkins, the man inside the Rambunctions Rabbit costume at Familyland (a Disney wannabe) is found with his throat slit in the employees-only underbelly of the family-centered theme park, Lomax and Biggs are assigned to the case. When they discover that Eddie isn’t who he appears to be—that, indeed, he’s a convicted pedophile from back east—their obvious trail leads to who might have known this juicy tidbit of information and who had reason to whack him. However, the little cartoon flip-book that is left with the body screams “serial killer,” and sure enough, when another person with ties to the owners of Familyland, Lamaar Stuidos, is murdered with a similar flipbook left on the body, the boys know they’re going to be spending many sleepless nights trying to track down the killer. It seems to be someone with a grudge against Lamaar, but who? Their corporate people are less than cooperatve with our erstwhile detectives, as they’re busy trying to keep the whole thing shushed up so their stock doesn’t end take a nose dive into the basement. But Lomax and Biggs persevere, and there is a bit of a surprise twist at the end. I like Mike Lomax a lot—the book is told primarily from his POV, though that does change periodically. Karp handles the changing points of view well, though. Lomax is a recent widower, his wife Joanie having died of cancer about six months before. This book is almost like two stories, one detailing Lomax’s personal life and letting us get to know him and his family, and the other the murder case. I realize that a bit more detail is needed in introducing the main characters in the first book, but some judicious editing was definitely needed—the book was 632 pages in the hardcover edition! Granted, the author seems to write in the James Patterson style—very short chapters and lots of blank space—but still! Snip, snip, snip! LOL It took me a good 50 pages before I warmed to the mystery and the characters, but I am glad I stuck with it, because it ended up being a great debut novel. I have the next one here and it seems to be a bit shorter, so someone must’ve hit Karp with a cluestick. LOL And I have to honestly say that I’m really looking forward to it, too! A-.
11. NIGHTSHADE by Susan Wittig Albert. #17 China Bayles mystery, which finished off the thread started a couple of books ago dealing with China’s father’s death. This book focuses on the investigation that China’s recently-discovered half-brother Miles instigated by hiring McQuaid, China’s husband, to look into it. He believes that Robert Bayles’ death sixteen years ago in a firey car crash was no accident, but that he was murdered. Before he can do much work with McQuaid though, Miles Danforth ends up dead himself, the victim of a supposed hit-and-run in the parking ramp at his office building. All the heavy coincidences and bits and pieces of evidence come together in a totally not surprising ending. This book is different than others in the series, which are always told from China’s point of view. In this book, the author switches over to McQuaid’s point of view for several chapters and I must say it just does NOT work well at all! Everything from McQuaid’s point of view was written in the present tense and instead of using first person (I did this, I did that), it was written as “McQuaid does this, McQuaid does that.” I found that immensely annoying for some reason. It felt like the tale was being told by the proverbial turd in McQuaid’s pocket…someone who was right there with him, but not actually him. For example, one chapter opens with, “McQuaid has a long list of things to do this morning, but first things first.” Another starts with “McQuaid is on the road by nine thirty, heading southeast on…” Ack! Very distracting. This is, truthfully, the only book in this series that I out and out did not like. It was primarily due to that change in POV, but also many of the regular cast members weren’t much in evidence til the end of the book. I missed Ruby, I missed China’s musings in the herb garden and the shop and the folks around Pecan Springs. I’m glad that Ms. Albert has gotten the mystery of what happened to China’s father sewn up so she can move on now, and I sincerely hope she returns to the writing style she used in her previous books. I loved those, and I have already put Wormwood, the next-in-series, on my wishlist in anticipation of a GOOD return visit to Pecan Springs. C-.
12. DEATH OF AN ADDICT by M.C. Beaton. #15 Hamish MacBeth Scottish police cozy mystery. A young man who is renting a cottage in a remote part of Hamish’s patch ends up dead of a supposed overdose shortly after Hamish met him while visiting Parry MacSporran, the crofter who owns the place. The red-headed policeman is sure that the lad wasn’t on drugs and had kicked his habit, but the Strathbane usuals swarm in and close the case without so much as a by your leave and tell Hamish to mind his own business. Hamish promises the boy’s parents he’ll investigate on the QT and requests some time off—he always seems to have extra holiday time to spare so he can take a couple of weeks off! LOL He heads off to Strathbane to check out a rather cultish upstart church that Tommy was interested in—and starts out posing as a homeless man living in his car and willing to work in the church for minimal money…but somehow ends up instead in the middle of a big drug sting, wearing an Armani suit and a Rolex and posing as a drug kingpin with an attractive DI from Glasgow posing as his wife! The next thing you know, they’re off to Amsterdam. Holy whirling dervish, Batman—this book was all over the place and unlike Lewis Carroll’s Red Queen, it not only *believed* six impossible things before breakfast, it DID them. My goodness! Still, as I was scratching my head and rolling my eyes, I was reading on and mostly enjoying the story even though I knew most of it was purely improbable rubbish. I just like Hamish, even though Beaton’s plots seem to have gotten more and more bizarre as the series has gone on. The next up is A Highland Christmas, and even though I mostly enjoyed the book, I would say I’ve probably had my fill of Hamish until about that time of year. B-.
13. ONE LAST BREATH by Stephen Booth. #5 Ben Cooper/Diane Fry British police procedural set in the Peak District of the UK. When Mansell Quinn, a man who was convicted of the brutal murder of his mistress a number of years ago, is released from prison, those who knew him are a bit on edge. When he disappears just a few hours after his release and his ex-wife ends up murdered in similar fashion, a full-scale manhunt begins. But Quinn knows all the local haunts, the villages and even the caves that dot the countryside, and it’s noted in the prison library records that he took special interest in one of the caves in the area and checked out a particular book on it many times. Despite numerous sightings, he’s not an easy man to track down. When Cooper begins digging back to the original crime, he wonders if Quinn was really the guilty party after all, as he changed his story several times. Fry, frustrated at Cooper’s tangents and lack of focus, investigates the present-day case and urges Ben to do likewise, but it’s only when their two heads are put together with information about both cases that a clearer picture begins to emerge. Added to the mix is the fact that Cooper’s father Joe was the arresting officer of record, and he’s wondering if Quinn is bent on revenge against those he felt wronged him. I did figure the mystery out as to ‘whodunit’ but missed a couple of plot twists that made it even more interesting. As annoying as I personally find the character of Diane Fry, I still thoroughly enjoy these stories, love Booth’s writing style and his verbal painting of the Derbyshire countryside. Another winner! A.
14. THE GOOD HUSBAND OF ZEBRA DRIVE by Alexander McCall Smith. #8 in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, set in Botswana, Africa. In this book, a few stressful situations develop—Mma Makutsi resigns her job as assistant detective in a bit of a snit, Charlie the apprentice has decided to strike out on his own and open a taxi service, and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni decides to try his hand at detective work in addition to being a first-rate auto mechanic. Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe is hired to investigate some suspicious deaths at the Mochudi hospital—three patients have died at the same time on the same day of the week in the same bed! Now if you know Mma Ramotswe, you know she’s not a superstitious woman, and she feels there must be a logical explanation for these events, although interviews with the doctors and nurses involved turn up no clues. This was a typically light and wonderful entry in this series—Mma Ramotswe always manages to boil down life’s problems and ups and downs into a few simple truths that always leave me feeling better for her sharing them with me. Definitely one of my “feel good” series! A
15. CLAWS AND EFFECT by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. (audio book) #9 Mrs. Murphy mystery. Something fishy is happening at Crozet hospital. The head of maintenance is found dead in the boiler room—no doubt that it’s murder with his throat brutally slit as it was—and when Harry gets nosy and decides to make a late-night stop there to ‘check things out,’ she gets konked on the head, though not hard enough to do any serious damage. A long-time member of the supporting cast also ends up shot to death a few chapters later, and this leaves Sheriff Rick Shaw seeing red and pulling out all the stops to find the killer. It doesn’t make Harry (and her critters—cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and her Welsh Corgi Tucker) any less determined, either! I had a gut feeling about the killer early on, but really had nothing to support my thoughts. But once a few choice clues were dropped later in the book, it all came together. I really enjoy the narrator of this series—she brings all the different characters to life and gives them substance that might easily be missed in a print reading. I especially enjoy the ‘animal voices.’ Excellent listen—looking forward to more. A.
16. HIDDEN WARRIOR by Lynn Flewelling. Second in the Tamir Trilogy fantasy series. Tobin, the young prince of Skala, begins to come into his own as he becomes a teenager, trains in the city of Edo at the palace with his cousin Korin (the heir to the throne) and the rest of the Companions, whose task it is to guard the royals. What no one else (save for a few wizards) knows is that Tobin is actually a girl who has been given a glamour of sorts, a binding at birth which has allowed him to look and live as a boy—specifically, as the male twin who died at birth—in order to protect his prophesied status as the next warrior queen. Tobin just found this out himself at the end of the last book and is still having difficulties dealing with this knowledge throughout this book and still thinks of himself as male even though he has seen his ‘true face.’ Brother, the ghost of this twin, is becoming more solid and can now be heard by Ki, Tobin’s squire, and Tobin remains leery of Brother’s motives and doesn’t know if he can trust him since he has a history of violence, even against Tobin. The present king, Tobin’s uncle, and his top wizard Niryn are doing all they can to stamp out the ‘fringe religions’ including the one which believes that the country’s leaders should be female and foretell of a warrior queen coming to save them. So naturally, keeping Tobin’s true nature quiet is tantamount. Meanwhile, Tobin’s wizard friends Iya and Arkoniel, use his ancestral home in the country to harbor and train up ‘rogue’ wizards who don’t join the Harriers, the ruling wizard class who have taken to burning wizards who don’t join them. They see that the time for revealing Tobin’s true nature is coming faster than they would like and are preparing as much as they can. Excellent entry in the series and I’m greatly looking forward to the conclusion. I love this author’s writing style and her intricate plotting and storytelling ability. A+
17. DIVIDED BY A COMMON LANGUAGE: A GUIDE TO BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH by Christopher Davies. Interesting book that talks about the differences between the “English” spoken by Americans and by those in the UK. Some of it is simply lists of translations, other parts talk about how some of these differences evolved, including the spelling differences and all those extra U’s that the Brits are known for. (Blame Nathaniel Webster for that one!) I enjoyed it as did my husband (who is from England) but there were a few phrases and words that left both of us scratching our heads as we’d never heard them used. Some were obviously regional colloquialisms. The thing I found funny was that often when a less-than-savory phrase or word was used, the author didn’t really *explain* what it meant…he just put something like, “Don’t use this phrase in the UK (or America)—vulgar phrase” and then would tell you what you should say instead. Well…THAT was real helpful to those not in the know. LOL I enjoyed this but would have liked even more about the history and evolution of the language differences and less of the listings. B+
18. THE ALEHOUSE MURDERS by Maureen Ash. #1 in the Templar Knight medieval historical mystery series featuring ex-Templar, Bascot de Marins, who was held captive in the Middle East for eight years before escaping. Now employed by Lady Nicolaa de la Haye and living in the household of Nicolaa and her husband Gerard Camville, sheriff of Lincoln, he is called upon to investigate four murders, the bodies being found in the local alehouse, but with three of them having obviously been killed elsewhere and dumped there. Some people obviously know more than they’re telling, and old rivalries, court intrigues and questions of parentage come into play as Bascot delves deeper into the lives of those involved. I liked this mystery, but I didn’t love it, with whatever magic ingredient that makes a good book a great one being missing, at least for me. It took me a long time to warm up to the main character and the writing style I found to be a little dry. However, it seems to be very well-researched and the author does an excellent job of painting the not-often-romantic realities of medieval life. By mid-book, I found I had come to like the wounded ex-Templar and his mute assistant Gianni and the mystery was an intriguing and well-plotted one, though I did spot the clues and figured out the mystery fairly early. Despite the slow start, by the end I found that I had enjoyed the book. I have the second-in-series here and will definitely continue to read on. B.
19. BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE MUSEUM by Kate Atkinson. This is the story of Ruby Lennox, from her inauspicious conception in a flat above a Pet Shop in 1952 in York, UK to the present day. It also delves into the lives of many of Ruby’s female ancestors in her mother’s line and ties them all together with interesting threads and themes—some minor, some major, and all very interesting. Bopping back and forth between present-day, World War I era and World War II, the author skillfully weaves the story of just how Ruby came to be and gives us some insight as to why she is the way she is—although Ruby is the last to figure this out. I did glean the major plot twist well ahead of time (as indeed, I think the author meant the reader to do) but it in no way spoiled the story. Chock full of the realities of each of the times the story lands in, I loved this book and thoroughly enjoyed the imagery, the voices of the different people and once again being reminded that what we do today can have far-reaching ripples of effect for years and years. Wonderful!! A+
DNF: MURDER AT WITCH’S BLUFF by Silver RavenWolf. I have read and enjoyed some of this author’s non-fiction pagan reference books, but OMG…this attempt at fiction was just. So. Bad. Poorly written, full of cheesy clichés, and enough typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors to have me double checking the book to see if I’d accidentally picked up an ARC or uncorrected proof. (I hadn’t.) I simply couldn’t make it to 50 pages, the usual length I try to give any book. Baaaaaaad.
THE PLAYER’S BOY IS DEAD by Leonard Tourney. Historical mystery featuring a newly appointed constable (Matthew Stock) and clothing merchant in Elizabethan England. Boring. Couldn’t get into it at all, wasn’t interested in the main character or the mystery. Did give it the full fifty pages, but it just wasn’t happenin’ for me.
And that wraps up August!
Cheryl
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
JULY 2008 READING LIST
1. THE CON MAN by Ed McBain. #4 in the 87th Precinct mystery series, written way back in 1957! I’m on my way through the whole series from the beginning—have read many of the later books, but not read these before. Since they are so old, they are rather ‘dated’ but I enjoy McBain’s writing style and getting the ‘backstory’ of all the detectives I came to know and love in the later books is very interesting too. In this book, various con men and their ‘dirty tricks’ from simple graft, fraud and up to and including murder, are investigated and tracked down by several of the 87th’s detectives. Enjoyable, quick read. B+
2. MAD MOUSE by Chris Grabenstein. #2 John Ceepak mystery, featuring the Sea Haven, NJ ex-military MP, now policeman and his young partner, Danny Boyle. The books are actually told from the POV of Danny, who has just been promoted from part-time cop to full-time. When Danny and his friends become the target of a paintball shooter—who sometimes shoots real bullets as well—Ceepak works with him to try to figure out who might hold a grudge against the small group of friends. When Danny’s girlfriend Katie is critically injured by the shooter, the stakes become much higher and Danny thinks the trail leads to their sometime friend Mook—until Mook ends up dead. The new police chief wants the case wrapped up ASAP so that the beach town’s Labor Day celebration isn’t compromised, so Danny and Ceepak don’t have much time. I really like this series, love the characters, love the author’s writing style—it’s easy reading and somewhat humorous, yet the humor isn’t cheesy or forced. I have to admit I spotted the baddie when they were first introduced—wasn’t sure about the motivation or how it would tie in, but my ‘gut feeling’ kicked in and was right. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book, though—this one was as hard to put down as the first one. I’m glad I’ve got the next on my TBR—I don’t think it will be sitting there too long! A+
3. EXCURSION TO TINDARI by Andrea Camilleri. Fifth in the Italian police procedural series set in Sicily and featuring Salvo Montalbano, epitome of the grumpy inspector. But you gotta love the guy despite his less-than-sweet disposition. In this episode, Montalbano and crew are investigating two crimes—the disappearance of a reserved, quiet elderly couple, reported missing by their son, and the murder of a young twenty-something man with no visible means of support, yet who manages to live in relative style. Drug money? Or something else? And as he lives in the same apartment building as the elderly couple, is there some connection between them despite all evidence to the contrary? I absolutely love this series and hope the author keeps writing them for a long, long time. Montalbano is a complex character and the supporting cast is also well-fleshed and interesting. Catarella’s goofy speech never fails to make me laugh, and I think I want to marry Montalbano’s mostly-absent housekeeper, who prepares the most mouth-watering meals for him! LOL Anyway, another stellar entry in a wonderful series. A+
4. CARVED IN BONE by Jefferson Bass. First in the “Body Farm” mystery/thriller series, co-written by the real-life founder of that notable forensic institution. Set in Knoxville, TN and featuring fictional forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton, this series opens up with a case in which Brockton is contacted by a rural sheriff regarding a long-dead body found in a cave. The body has formed an almost-perfect coating of adipocere, a soapy/fatty substance formed in certain damp conditions over time. Dr. Brockton must remove this coating to get down the story that will be told by the body’s bones, and once back in his lab, the tale of a young, pregnant Caucasian woman dead for about 30 years begins to unfold. Meanwhile, Brockton is also testifying in a court case in which he was contacted by a sleazy defense attorney to refute testimony by the local medical examiner that the cause of death was the defendant stabbing the victim to death. While loathe to work with the defender of slimeballs, when Brockton sees the evidence, he realizes that this time the defendant really is innocent and steps over to the other side, hoping that his testimony is enough to finally get the aging, incompetent medical examiner removed from office. I really enjoyed the professional aspects of this book and the mysteries themselves were very interesting. However, I’m honestly not so struck on the character of Dr. Brockton, as he seems a bit of a wreck in his personal life in this opening book. Widowed two years ago, he seems unable to move on and does some pretty stupid things, from alienating his only child to sucking face with one of his undergraduate students. He also seemed to pass out a whole lot in this book, which seemed rather odd, but he seemed to be pulling himself together a bit by the end of the book so I hope his personal life stabilizes some as we go onward. I grade this book a little lower only because I found his constant grief and both physical and emotional weakness a bit annoying—the story itself was wonderful! B+
5. SILENT IN THE GRAVE by Deanna Raybourn. First in the Lady Julia Grey and Nicholas Brisbane mystery series set in 1880’s London. Victorian England is really not among my favorite time periods, so I was almost expecting to dislike this book. But oddly enough I found it quite compelling, despite the “romancey” undertone that was threaded all throughout the book. I actually wanted to hate the main character as I tend to find most Victorian “Ladies” just silly, and there *were* times I wanted to smack Julia upside the head. But I found that by the end of the book, I actually liked her and was rooting for her. The book opens with the death of Lady Julia’s husband Edward—which is not seen as a surprise as he’s suffered for years from a congenital heart defect. But when a mysterious stranger, Nicholas Brisbane—who happened to be present when Edward went into a convulsion and died—calls on Lady Julia and says he believes Edward was murdered. When she learns that Edward had hired him to investigate some threatening letters that he’d received, Julia is aghast and at first unbelieving. It doesn’t take long to convince her, though, and soon she and Mr. Brisbane are investigating, both separately and together. The romantic/sexual undertone in their relationship left me a little vexed at times (as you know, I am NOT a fan of romance novels, nor of books classified as ‘mystery’ or ‘fantasy’ or some other genre but are really just romances in disguise) but this book didn’t really fall into that category--the mystery itself and the unfolding story kept me reading on undaunted. I have the next book in series here, and look forward to the continuation of the story and getting to know not only Lady Julia and Nicholas better, but the supporting characters too. A-.
6. BLACK POWDER WAR by Naomi Novik. #3 in the Temeraire historical fantasy series that mingles the Napoleonic wars with fantasy and the inclusion of dragons into the mix. Laurence and Temeraire are dispatched to retrieve three dragon eggs from Istanbul, and must go overland due to a devastating fire aboard their ship while it was docked in China. The journey is fraught with peril, and when they finally arrive, it’s to discover that the ambassador is dead and his main assistant has apparently scarpered with the money that was to be paid to the Sultan for the dragon eggs. Virtually held prisoner while the city is obviously preparing for war, Laurence attempts to investigate as much as he can while under guard, and eventually the whole company is in for a huge surprise when they finally meet the Sultan only to find that Lien, the Chinese dragon whose rider was killed in the last book, sitting behind the Sultan’s throne. This is not good news, as she harbors much hatred for Laurence and Temeraire and indeed all things British. The small company then decides to abscond with the eggs that had been purchased and escape and much more adventure ensues. I enjoyed this book more than the last one—which was almost entirely at sea—because I really do prefer solid ground to “naval stuff.” Looking forward to the next in series, which is sitting on my TBR making quiet noises to be read already. LOL A.
7. ERIC by Terry Pratchett. Ninth book in publication order of the Discworld humorous fantasy series, published in 1990, so I’m only 18 years behind now. LOL Once again featuring Rincewind, the Luggage and a thirteen-year-old demonologist named Eric—who has summoned a demon and got Rincewind instead—as they travel through time and space trying to grant Eric the three wishes he’s demanded. (Yes, he’s a bit confused…Rincewind is a wizard, not a demon NOR a genie! LOL) Somehow he manages to be well on the way to granting those wishes for the boy, although Eric soon finds out that it wasn’t *quite* what he was expecting or wanting after all. Great, rollicking LOL fun in the land of Discworld. A.
8. INTO THE FOREST by Jean Hegland. Although this sometimes classified as “post apocalyptic fiction” I would say it deals more with the collapse of our modern USA civilization rather than an actual apocalypse. The fall of an empire as seen from one small corner of the country. This book was very thought-provoking and in some ways disturbing, I think because the way society collapsed was so plausible. It happened slowly, over many months—and didn’t reach the people in the story until weeks after it actually happened because they were rather isolated. You could easily see that indeed this COULD happen just as the author outlined. Eva and Nell, eighteen and seventeen year old girls and their father, a school principal, live in a country home five miles from their nearest neighbor and thirty miles from town. Their mother died of cancer just before the worst of these problems started, so their grief is still new and raw. They’ve always been somewhat isolated, the girls having been home-schooled, their mother working at home as a spinner and weaver. The problems start with occasional interruption in electrical and phone service, with internet news talking about shortages and cutbacks. Soon those outages become part of everyday life. A trip to town for groceries and supplies a few weeks later shocks them when they realize that most businesses are boarded up, gas stations closed, everyone they know dead of some deadly flu or they simply left, homes abandoned, and they are eyed suspiciously by everyone. The few groceries they manage to find at the local warehouse store cost them most of their savings, and the few people who will talk to them have only bad news. Economic collapse. No government services. No power, no water, no medical care. At home, their computer and telephone are now useless--dusty, chilling reminders of their old lives. They are now out of gasoline save enough for the chainsaw, so another trip to town is impractical. They work their garden, chop wood for fuel, ration their goods and plan to preserve and can the fruit of the orchard and garden for the winter months ahead, looking forward to spring for the time when ‘things get back to normal,’ when Eva can resume her ballet lessons and Nell can make her application to Harvard. Until it becomes apparent that things are not getting back to normal. What a powerful and wonderful book! While the whole setting ‘makes’ the story, as with all stories, it’s really about the people and their interactions. I highly recommend this book. If it doesn’t make my top ten list of the year, whatever books supplant it will have to be uber-super-great. A++
9. THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy (audio) Very skillfully read by the same guy who read No Country For Old Men, another of McCarthy's books that I listened to earlier in the year. It seems to be the month for end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it type books. This one is much darker and edgier than the above-mentioned book, and certainly no less powerful. Rather than being isolated in one small area, this book actually takes us with a father and his young son southward down “The Road,” where they hope to eventually come to the sea, somewhere warm, somewhere they can find a place with a little safety and food and shelter. The earth is scorched and scarred, polluted and burnt and almost devoid of life, save for small wandering bands of humans who scavenge what little remains of the former lives of the human race, including, sometimes, the humans themselves. Pushing a shopping cart with a few dented cans of food retrieved from who knows where along the way, a tarp for shelter and a few other odds and ends, The Man and The Boy traverse The Road, encountering few others—and those they do encounter are seldom benevolent. Near-starving, with the man wracked with a worsening bloody cough, the pistol with two bullets in it that The Man carries in his pocket weighs heavily on his heart and mind. Suicide is contemplated often, as well as the question of whether he’ll be able to put the boy out of his misery when the time comes as well. He doesn’t really see any point to it, but they keep plodding onward. The book is, in many ways, raw pain and hurt and really should be more depressing than it ultimately ends up being. I expected to weep, whatever the ending might be, but I didn’t. Another definite possibility for my top ten of the year list. A+
10. WEDNESDAY’S CHILD by Peter Robinson. Sixth DCI Alan Banks British police procedural mystery set in Yorkshire. A seven-year-old girl is abducted from her mother’s Eastvale home by a man and a woman posing as social workers, and the race is on for Banks and his crew to find her before she turns up dead. Having two people in on such an abduction is unusual, since pedophiles generally work alone, so Jenny Fuller, psychologist, is once again called in on the case to advise the police on what they might be looking for. A couple of days later, an ex-con working as a gardener to one of the local ‘country estate’ owners turns up dead in an old mine, disemboweled and slit stem to stern and Alan must take his attention away from Gemma Scupham’s case to find Carl Johnson’s murderer. When some odd coincidences make it seem that the two cases are somehow related, the clues start stacking up and it’s a furious race to the finish. Excellent entry in this series, possibly the best one so far. None of the things that sometimes annoy me about Alan did in this book. Whether that was just my mood or whether the author had actually toned down those things (for one thing, the constant and repeated descriptions of Alan and his co-workers smoking and drinking) enough that I didn’t notice them, I don’t know, but I enjoyed it! A.
11. MORE THAN PETTICOATS: REMARKABLE MINNESOTA WOMEN by Bonnye E. Stuart. Brief biographies of a dozen or so women who were important in the history of Minnesota, beginning back in the 1840’s when it was just a frontier territory to more ‘modern’ post-WWII history. I was vaguely familiar with about half the women in the book, the others I’d never heard of, so certainly a lot of knowledge was gleaned and absorbed, but I did find this book a bit dry; it felt like recitations of the women’s accomplishments and didn’t really allow you to get to ‘know’ the women. This is one reason I prefer historical fiction to historical ‘non-fiction’ books—more speculation is allowed into people’s motivations, more insight into their character rather than just ‘this is what they did when.’ This is the second book in this series I’ve read, and I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous one, which was about Washington state. C+
12. FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE by Rhys Bowen. Third in the Molly Murphy historical mystery series featuring a young Irish immigrant in early 1900’s New York. Molly is struggling to make it as a private investigator, having appropriated her former boss’s business—since he’s dead, he really can’t complain about it, and no family has stepped forward to claim the business or his money. She’s finding it difficult, since women don’t have the same freedoms men do, and she’s dragged off to jail several times by constables who are often bribed off and just as corrupt as the criminals they’re supposed to be arresting. Molly takes a job as a garment worker to try to ferret out for the boss of the company who’s stealing designs from him and selling them to another company, and the horrible working conditions she experiences sparks a desire to help organize the workers. She also takes on a missing persons case, a young English woman who ran off with her father’s stable worker, a charming Irish fellow, and sailed to America. The two cases soon intersect, and Molly finds herself in the middle of the fray, getting noticed by the Eastman gang, being rescued from jail by Captain Daniel Sullivan, the policeman she’s fallen in love with but cannot have as he’s betrothed to a young lady of ‘good birth’ and will not break the engagement for fear of hurting his chances of promotion in his job. Molly also meets another interesting young man, a photographer who is working on the side of organizing trade unions. Jacob, a young Jewish man, seems interested in her, and she is caught between the two trying to decide what to do. (Typical! This ‘torn between two lovers’ thing better not carry on book after book or I’m going to be steamed. LOL) I do enjoy this series, though Molly seems to do some awfully stupid things at times, ‘fiercely independent woman’ or no. I enjoy her supporting characters as well, and the settings and mysteries are also interesting. Looking forward to the next in series. A.
13. HEN’S TEETH by Manda Scott. First in the Kellen Stewart mystery series set in Glasgow, Scotland and surrounding countryside, with our protagonist being a doctor, a therapist and a lesbian. This book is one of my TBR Challenge Books that’s been sitting on my shelf for a long time, at least a couple of years. When Kellen is called in the middle of the night by an old friend to inform her that Bridget, her former lover, has been found dead, supposedly of a heart attack at the age of forty-one, Kellen reluctantly drives to their farm to sit with her friend and support her during the police questioning. There she learns that not only is Bridget dead, but her brother Malcolm, who had been Kellen’s mentor in medical school, died of the (apparent) same cause a couple of months previously while Kellen was out of the country. Malcolm had turned from doing medical work to genetic research and soon the mystery surrounding what he was working on with Bantam chickens seems to be at the center of the mystery. Kellen calls on her old friend Lee Adams, a thoroughly free spirited rebel who also happens to be a pathologist at the local hospital, to help investigate. I enjoyed the book and really like the main character and her cronies, but I was a little puzzled at first, as there seemed to be some backstory that I just wasn’t getting or that was possibly edited out or something, and it left me feeling a bit scattered, though that settled down eventually. Quite an interesting mystery as well as a thriller as Kellen and Lee finally learn just who is behind the whole chicken caper and nearly get themselves killed in the process. Very enjoyable read, and I’ve already ordered the next book in the series. B+
14. THE FAITHFUL SPY by Alex Berenson. Modern-day thriller/spy novel, I believe it’s first in a series and features rogue CIA agent John Wells. John was sent to Iran to attempt to turn spies for work infiltrating the Taliban and al Quaeda, and ended up a terrible failure at recruitment, but he did manage to become a member of al Quaeda himself. Living abroad in the rough for years, speaking mainly Arabic but fluent in several other languages, initially going through the motions of the Muslim religion and eventually even converting, John is outraged at the way the fundamentalist extremists have twisted what he sees as a beautiful religion for their own purposes. He has not been able to get a message ‘home’ in a long, long time and is assumed by many to be dead, and is even forgotten by all but a few. Eventually he is accepted by the people he lives and works with as a leader of a small band of guerillas, and is even summoned to meet Sheikh bin Laden, though nothing important seems to come of it. He learned about 9/11 well after the fact, not having a clue that it was coming to pass, and seems to have not done anything really ‘useful’ for his agency or country, living a meager subsistence sort of life fighting minor skirmishes in the mountains. That is, until one day he is summoned from his group, sent back to the United States on a false passport and told to wait for contact. He travels to Montana to see his family, and his ex-wife alerts the CIA, who haul him in and treat him like a traitor. He knows that al Quaeda has been planning something. Something big. But he has no idea what and has no useful information. Eventually he escapes—or is allowed to escape?—and disappears, waiting for contact from Omar Khadri, the ‘big cheese’ of al Quaeda’s North American operations. It’s been a long time since I read a real honest-to-goodness spy novel, and most of those that I read in the past were seriously outdated…Russian spies, Cold War type of stuff. This was waaaaaay too real and plausible and kept me right on the edge of my seat up til the end. Very well written with a believable main character, I will definitely continue reading in this series. Quite different from anything I’ve read in recent months, a nice change of pace. A.
15. THE DEAD SURVIVORS by K.J. Erickson. Second in the Marshall “Mars” Bahr police procedural series set in Minneapolis. Mars is a Special Investigator assigned to a unique task force that only handles homicides not gang- or drug-related. Business has been a little slow and there are concerns that the creation of the group is a waste of time and money. This book starts with Mars being asked by a patrolman that he’d had contact with on a previous case to look at a death that was written off as a suicide by the patrolman’s Sergeant. Some things just didn’t ‘sit right’ and after only a short time investigating, Mars’ infamous gut feelings are leading him to the same conclusion, and a homicide investigation is opened fairly shortly afterwards. The investigation leads to connections to another murder in Wisconsin, and a possible serial killer who seems to be killing people who had ancestors who were tied to a Civil War battle, but just how they’re connected, how the killer is choosing them and of course who the killer is remain unanswered questions. How to investigate properly without alarming millions of people is a big consideration, and the whole investigation is complicated by the fact that Mars ends up in hospital with appendicitis and has surgery and by the fact that it’s the Christmas holidays. Who can be expected to evoke much cooperation with other agencies during the holidays? As some of you know, the Civil War is not one of my favorite time periods but while there was a strong tie-in to the Battle of Gettysburg, most of the action was firmly in the present time and the storyline kept me thoroughly enthralled. I liked this book better than the first in series and am looking forward to the next one. A.
16. DEATH AND RESTORATION by Iain Pears. Sixth (and second to last) in the Jonathan Argyll “art history” mysteries. Big changes are afoot at the Art Theft Squad and Flavia needs to choose whether to join her boss Bottando on an international task force or to take over the day-to-day running of the Art Theft Squad. She’s a hands-on type of person and doesn’t relish sitting behind a desk, though the more regular hours would make it possible to spend more time with Jonathan. The Squad gets a tip that there is to be a theft at a local Abbey, but that particular institution has nothing of real value so they are puzzled as to what a thief would want. But when a rather notorious thief named Mary Verney is spotted entering Rome, Flavia assigns her to be watched closely. But that doesn’t stop a small icon at the abbey from being stolen right out from under their noses—and the head of the abbey is clonked on the head and severely injured as well. Is the loud-mouthed American restorer working on another picture in the abbey to blame? Or did Mary Verney slip out of their surveillance? Or is an unknown factor involved? I really enjoy this series—I always learn a bit about the art world, and enjoy both Jonathan and Flavia and their relationship and the supporting cast, too. The author also often will manage to surprise me a bit and this book was no exception. One more left in the series, then that’s it! Bummer! A.
17. BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Jacqueline Winspear. Second in the Maisie Dobbs historical mystery series, set in post-WWI England. It’s been over a year since I read the first in series, which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I don’t know why I put off reading this one for so long. Maisie is hired to find a young woman who’s left her home without notice—she is over thirty years old and has a history of doing such things, so no one is terribly worried, but her controlling father wants her back. When Maisie learns that Charlotte Waite is connected to another young woman recently murdered, she begins investigating in earnest. Meanwhile, she also must deal with the cocaine addiction of her beloved assistant, Billy Beale, and the recuperation of her father from a serious accident in which he is severely injured during the foaling of Lady Rowan’s favorite horse. I enjoyed the book a lot and certainly was compelled to keep on reading, though I did figure out the culprit about midway through when a couple of major clues were dropped in our laps. One thing I did find annoying though was that Maisie didn’t share some important details with Detective Inspector Stratton but then in her own mind chided him for taking a wrong turn in the investigation. Perhaps if he had all the information he may have actually listened to you, silly girl! Also annoying was the appearance of another possible love interest for Maisie (to offset Stratton) and which one she chose to dine with was left dangling as a cliffhanger for the next book. Perhaps I’ve just had my fill of female historical fiction characters semi-smitten with their policemen or something, but when I read the next book, it won’t be because I want to know which it was. I could care less! I love the way Winspear is able to set the historical scene (although, again, this is NOT my favorite time period! LOL) and I enjoy Maisie and the supporting cast of interesting characters, so despite the minor annoyances I most certainly enjoyed the book and will be reading onward. A-.
18, TAKEOVER by Lisa Black. ARC for review, due for release next month (August) I believe. This is a thriller featuring forensic scientist Teresa McLean, who lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio. Teresa is processing a crime scene in the wee hours of the morning, a man found dead outside his home with his head bashed in. No one likes being up in the middle of the night, but at least Teresa gets to work with her fiancé, Paul, who’s a detective with the Cleveland police force. But how quickly things can change. A few hours later, Teresa is called and told that Paul is one of the hostages in a stand-off at the Federal Reserve Bank—where he had gone to question the co-workers of the murdered man only to be accosted by a couple of would-be bank robbers. Coincidence? Not very likely. Tess arrives at the scene—or where the negotiations will be conducted, in a building across the street—and must maintain her professional demeanor in a very stressful situation—a situation that only becomes more stressful as the hours wear on. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like the book; we were virtually thrown into the story almost immediately with very little backstory or explanation. But this was indeed quite a ‘thrilling’ book—I was compelled to read it almost in one sitting. The writing style is very appealing; it’s clear and easy to read. However, I did figure out the plot twist way ahead of time—the clues were way too clearly broadcast so that when the entire situation was finally revealed, it was very much of a relief—I was certain that everyone who was ‘investigating’ in the book must be really stupid or something! Figuring out the mystery ahead of time in a cozy mystery isn’t really such a big deal, but in a “thriller,” it certainly works better if there is a big surprise at the end. Aside from making the solution too obvious, the other flaw I saw was lack of character development. I tend to be a reader of series books, and depth of character is even more important in those type of books than plotting—at least for me. I’m not sure if the author is intending to make this into a series or if it’s a ‘one-off’ book, but if there are more books with Tess to come, I would advise spending a bit more time on getting the reader to care about her, to let us really know her. Despite everything she went through in this book, I still found her to be a bit two-dimensional, even at the end. That was part of the problem I had with being thrown headfirst into the story—I really didn’t care at all about Teresa at that point. The forensic bits were interesting, certainly. And it was a good story. It would’ve been better with a bit more flesh on its bones, though. There is much promise here and I hope the author continues to write--I will be looking for more from her for certain. B.
19. THE ST. JOHN’S FERN by Kate Sedley. #9 Roger the Chapman medieval mystery in which a newly-married Roger heads off to Plymouth, directed there by one of his dreams, and sure enough, finds a mystery that needs solving. Oliver Capstick was murdered in his home about five months ago, and everyone knows the culprit—his nephew, Beric Gifford. They had argued heatedly the day before and he was seen both coming and going from the uncle’s home, even to the point of having a dark stain on his tunic on his way out. But no one, including the Sheriff’s posse, can find him, despite searching not only the countryside, known haunts and his manor estate. Everyone thinks he took St. John’s Fern, a flower that legend says can make a person disappear. Roger is a bit skeptical of course, though isn’t one to totally discount the supernatural. His travels lead him over the countryside to several villages and to Beric’s home of Villetort Manor in search of the young man or at least a search for some clue as to w here he’s gone. I always enjoy this series, even though I thought the solution to the mystery in this one was quite obvious right from the beginning. In fact, I wanted to clunk Roger over the head with the oh-so-simple clues, but I let him off easily since he was a newlywed and likely to be a bit muddled. LOL Anyway, another wonderful foray into 1400’s England; I wish these weren’t so difficult to find—I always have to order them from my library and I hate giving them back. A
20. ACQUA ALTA by Donna Leon #5 Commissario Guido Brunetti police procedural set in Venice, Italy. Guido starts out investigating the assault of Brett Lynch, an American archaeologist/pottery expert who is in Venice visiting her lover, one of the opera singers who was featured in Leon’s first book, Death at La Fenice. Brett is threatened and told not to attend a meeting she had set up with a local museum director to discuss some antiquities that had been in a display from China that she’d spearheaded a couple of years earlier—which she now discovers are fake. There are also some derogatory comments made about her lesbianism by the thugs who beat her up, so she isn’t sure just why she was attacked. When the museum director ends up dead, the necessity of finding the connection intensifies, and Guido digs and investigates while out of doors, Mother Nature provides the usual annual onslaught of ‘acqua alta’ or the torrential winter rains that cause severe flooding throughout the city. I love this series—the characters, the setting, the food, the poetic prose…the only part of these books that sometimes annoys me is the constant background presence of the Mafia, and this book that featured rather heavily. It seems sometimes that it’s just too convenient and too pat a solution to whatever problem is presented. But I still loved it! A
DNF: MAGICAL HEARTH: HOME FOR THE MODERN PAGAN by Janet Thompson. I struggled through about 20 pages, but there were numerous typographical and/or spelling and word form/grammatical errors that made it impossible for me to read. In addition, the information that was provided in the little that I read was poorly organized and widely scattered. Perhaps someone else will find it useful--I'll be passing it along via PBS.
Up next: I'm making my way through PAGAN EVERY DAY: FINDING THE EXTRAORDINARY IN OUR ORDINARY LIVES by Barbara Ardinger. This will likely take me several weeks or months as it's a daily meditative type thing filled with short, page-long essays about different topics. I'll be starting August off with ANOTHER MAN'S MOCCASINS by Craig Johnson.
Cheryl
2. MAD MOUSE by Chris Grabenstein. #2 John Ceepak mystery, featuring the Sea Haven, NJ ex-military MP, now policeman and his young partner, Danny Boyle. The books are actually told from the POV of Danny, who has just been promoted from part-time cop to full-time. When Danny and his friends become the target of a paintball shooter—who sometimes shoots real bullets as well—Ceepak works with him to try to figure out who might hold a grudge against the small group of friends. When Danny’s girlfriend Katie is critically injured by the shooter, the stakes become much higher and Danny thinks the trail leads to their sometime friend Mook—until Mook ends up dead. The new police chief wants the case wrapped up ASAP so that the beach town’s Labor Day celebration isn’t compromised, so Danny and Ceepak don’t have much time. I really like this series, love the characters, love the author’s writing style—it’s easy reading and somewhat humorous, yet the humor isn’t cheesy or forced. I have to admit I spotted the baddie when they were first introduced—wasn’t sure about the motivation or how it would tie in, but my ‘gut feeling’ kicked in and was right. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book, though—this one was as hard to put down as the first one. I’m glad I’ve got the next on my TBR—I don’t think it will be sitting there too long! A+
3. EXCURSION TO TINDARI by Andrea Camilleri. Fifth in the Italian police procedural series set in Sicily and featuring Salvo Montalbano, epitome of the grumpy inspector. But you gotta love the guy despite his less-than-sweet disposition. In this episode, Montalbano and crew are investigating two crimes—the disappearance of a reserved, quiet elderly couple, reported missing by their son, and the murder of a young twenty-something man with no visible means of support, yet who manages to live in relative style. Drug money? Or something else? And as he lives in the same apartment building as the elderly couple, is there some connection between them despite all evidence to the contrary? I absolutely love this series and hope the author keeps writing them for a long, long time. Montalbano is a complex character and the supporting cast is also well-fleshed and interesting. Catarella’s goofy speech never fails to make me laugh, and I think I want to marry Montalbano’s mostly-absent housekeeper, who prepares the most mouth-watering meals for him! LOL Anyway, another stellar entry in a wonderful series. A+
4. CARVED IN BONE by Jefferson Bass. First in the “Body Farm” mystery/thriller series, co-written by the real-life founder of that notable forensic institution. Set in Knoxville, TN and featuring fictional forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton, this series opens up with a case in which Brockton is contacted by a rural sheriff regarding a long-dead body found in a cave. The body has formed an almost-perfect coating of adipocere, a soapy/fatty substance formed in certain damp conditions over time. Dr. Brockton must remove this coating to get down the story that will be told by the body’s bones, and once back in his lab, the tale of a young, pregnant Caucasian woman dead for about 30 years begins to unfold. Meanwhile, Brockton is also testifying in a court case in which he was contacted by a sleazy defense attorney to refute testimony by the local medical examiner that the cause of death was the defendant stabbing the victim to death. While loathe to work with the defender of slimeballs, when Brockton sees the evidence, he realizes that this time the defendant really is innocent and steps over to the other side, hoping that his testimony is enough to finally get the aging, incompetent medical examiner removed from office. I really enjoyed the professional aspects of this book and the mysteries themselves were very interesting. However, I’m honestly not so struck on the character of Dr. Brockton, as he seems a bit of a wreck in his personal life in this opening book. Widowed two years ago, he seems unable to move on and does some pretty stupid things, from alienating his only child to sucking face with one of his undergraduate students. He also seemed to pass out a whole lot in this book, which seemed rather odd, but he seemed to be pulling himself together a bit by the end of the book so I hope his personal life stabilizes some as we go onward. I grade this book a little lower only because I found his constant grief and both physical and emotional weakness a bit annoying—the story itself was wonderful! B+
5. SILENT IN THE GRAVE by Deanna Raybourn. First in the Lady Julia Grey and Nicholas Brisbane mystery series set in 1880’s London. Victorian England is really not among my favorite time periods, so I was almost expecting to dislike this book. But oddly enough I found it quite compelling, despite the “romancey” undertone that was threaded all throughout the book. I actually wanted to hate the main character as I tend to find most Victorian “Ladies” just silly, and there *were* times I wanted to smack Julia upside the head. But I found that by the end of the book, I actually liked her and was rooting for her. The book opens with the death of Lady Julia’s husband Edward—which is not seen as a surprise as he’s suffered for years from a congenital heart defect. But when a mysterious stranger, Nicholas Brisbane—who happened to be present when Edward went into a convulsion and died—calls on Lady Julia and says he believes Edward was murdered. When she learns that Edward had hired him to investigate some threatening letters that he’d received, Julia is aghast and at first unbelieving. It doesn’t take long to convince her, though, and soon she and Mr. Brisbane are investigating, both separately and together. The romantic/sexual undertone in their relationship left me a little vexed at times (as you know, I am NOT a fan of romance novels, nor of books classified as ‘mystery’ or ‘fantasy’ or some other genre but are really just romances in disguise) but this book didn’t really fall into that category--the mystery itself and the unfolding story kept me reading on undaunted. I have the next book in series here, and look forward to the continuation of the story and getting to know not only Lady Julia and Nicholas better, but the supporting characters too. A-.
6. BLACK POWDER WAR by Naomi Novik. #3 in the Temeraire historical fantasy series that mingles the Napoleonic wars with fantasy and the inclusion of dragons into the mix. Laurence and Temeraire are dispatched to retrieve three dragon eggs from Istanbul, and must go overland due to a devastating fire aboard their ship while it was docked in China. The journey is fraught with peril, and when they finally arrive, it’s to discover that the ambassador is dead and his main assistant has apparently scarpered with the money that was to be paid to the Sultan for the dragon eggs. Virtually held prisoner while the city is obviously preparing for war, Laurence attempts to investigate as much as he can while under guard, and eventually the whole company is in for a huge surprise when they finally meet the Sultan only to find that Lien, the Chinese dragon whose rider was killed in the last book, sitting behind the Sultan’s throne. This is not good news, as she harbors much hatred for Laurence and Temeraire and indeed all things British. The small company then decides to abscond with the eggs that had been purchased and escape and much more adventure ensues. I enjoyed this book more than the last one—which was almost entirely at sea—because I really do prefer solid ground to “naval stuff.” Looking forward to the next in series, which is sitting on my TBR making quiet noises to be read already. LOL A.
7. ERIC by Terry Pratchett. Ninth book in publication order of the Discworld humorous fantasy series, published in 1990, so I’m only 18 years behind now. LOL Once again featuring Rincewind, the Luggage and a thirteen-year-old demonologist named Eric—who has summoned a demon and got Rincewind instead—as they travel through time and space trying to grant Eric the three wishes he’s demanded. (Yes, he’s a bit confused…Rincewind is a wizard, not a demon NOR a genie! LOL) Somehow he manages to be well on the way to granting those wishes for the boy, although Eric soon finds out that it wasn’t *quite* what he was expecting or wanting after all. Great, rollicking LOL fun in the land of Discworld. A.
8. INTO THE FOREST by Jean Hegland. Although this sometimes classified as “post apocalyptic fiction” I would say it deals more with the collapse of our modern USA civilization rather than an actual apocalypse. The fall of an empire as seen from one small corner of the country. This book was very thought-provoking and in some ways disturbing, I think because the way society collapsed was so plausible. It happened slowly, over many months—and didn’t reach the people in the story until weeks after it actually happened because they were rather isolated. You could easily see that indeed this COULD happen just as the author outlined. Eva and Nell, eighteen and seventeen year old girls and their father, a school principal, live in a country home five miles from their nearest neighbor and thirty miles from town. Their mother died of cancer just before the worst of these problems started, so their grief is still new and raw. They’ve always been somewhat isolated, the girls having been home-schooled, their mother working at home as a spinner and weaver. The problems start with occasional interruption in electrical and phone service, with internet news talking about shortages and cutbacks. Soon those outages become part of everyday life. A trip to town for groceries and supplies a few weeks later shocks them when they realize that most businesses are boarded up, gas stations closed, everyone they know dead of some deadly flu or they simply left, homes abandoned, and they are eyed suspiciously by everyone. The few groceries they manage to find at the local warehouse store cost them most of their savings, and the few people who will talk to them have only bad news. Economic collapse. No government services. No power, no water, no medical care. At home, their computer and telephone are now useless--dusty, chilling reminders of their old lives. They are now out of gasoline save enough for the chainsaw, so another trip to town is impractical. They work their garden, chop wood for fuel, ration their goods and plan to preserve and can the fruit of the orchard and garden for the winter months ahead, looking forward to spring for the time when ‘things get back to normal,’ when Eva can resume her ballet lessons and Nell can make her application to Harvard. Until it becomes apparent that things are not getting back to normal. What a powerful and wonderful book! While the whole setting ‘makes’ the story, as with all stories, it’s really about the people and their interactions. I highly recommend this book. If it doesn’t make my top ten list of the year, whatever books supplant it will have to be uber-super-great. A++
9. THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy (audio) Very skillfully read by the same guy who read No Country For Old Men, another of McCarthy's books that I listened to earlier in the year. It seems to be the month for end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it type books. This one is much darker and edgier than the above-mentioned book, and certainly no less powerful. Rather than being isolated in one small area, this book actually takes us with a father and his young son southward down “The Road,” where they hope to eventually come to the sea, somewhere warm, somewhere they can find a place with a little safety and food and shelter. The earth is scorched and scarred, polluted and burnt and almost devoid of life, save for small wandering bands of humans who scavenge what little remains of the former lives of the human race, including, sometimes, the humans themselves. Pushing a shopping cart with a few dented cans of food retrieved from who knows where along the way, a tarp for shelter and a few other odds and ends, The Man and The Boy traverse The Road, encountering few others—and those they do encounter are seldom benevolent. Near-starving, with the man wracked with a worsening bloody cough, the pistol with two bullets in it that The Man carries in his pocket weighs heavily on his heart and mind. Suicide is contemplated often, as well as the question of whether he’ll be able to put the boy out of his misery when the time comes as well. He doesn’t really see any point to it, but they keep plodding onward. The book is, in many ways, raw pain and hurt and really should be more depressing than it ultimately ends up being. I expected to weep, whatever the ending might be, but I didn’t. Another definite possibility for my top ten of the year list. A+
10. WEDNESDAY’S CHILD by Peter Robinson. Sixth DCI Alan Banks British police procedural mystery set in Yorkshire. A seven-year-old girl is abducted from her mother’s Eastvale home by a man and a woman posing as social workers, and the race is on for Banks and his crew to find her before she turns up dead. Having two people in on such an abduction is unusual, since pedophiles generally work alone, so Jenny Fuller, psychologist, is once again called in on the case to advise the police on what they might be looking for. A couple of days later, an ex-con working as a gardener to one of the local ‘country estate’ owners turns up dead in an old mine, disemboweled and slit stem to stern and Alan must take his attention away from Gemma Scupham’s case to find Carl Johnson’s murderer. When some odd coincidences make it seem that the two cases are somehow related, the clues start stacking up and it’s a furious race to the finish. Excellent entry in this series, possibly the best one so far. None of the things that sometimes annoy me about Alan did in this book. Whether that was just my mood or whether the author had actually toned down those things (for one thing, the constant and repeated descriptions of Alan and his co-workers smoking and drinking) enough that I didn’t notice them, I don’t know, but I enjoyed it! A.
11. MORE THAN PETTICOATS: REMARKABLE MINNESOTA WOMEN by Bonnye E. Stuart. Brief biographies of a dozen or so women who were important in the history of Minnesota, beginning back in the 1840’s when it was just a frontier territory to more ‘modern’ post-WWII history. I was vaguely familiar with about half the women in the book, the others I’d never heard of, so certainly a lot of knowledge was gleaned and absorbed, but I did find this book a bit dry; it felt like recitations of the women’s accomplishments and didn’t really allow you to get to ‘know’ the women. This is one reason I prefer historical fiction to historical ‘non-fiction’ books—more speculation is allowed into people’s motivations, more insight into their character rather than just ‘this is what they did when.’ This is the second book in this series I’ve read, and I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous one, which was about Washington state. C+
12. FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE by Rhys Bowen. Third in the Molly Murphy historical mystery series featuring a young Irish immigrant in early 1900’s New York. Molly is struggling to make it as a private investigator, having appropriated her former boss’s business—since he’s dead, he really can’t complain about it, and no family has stepped forward to claim the business or his money. She’s finding it difficult, since women don’t have the same freedoms men do, and she’s dragged off to jail several times by constables who are often bribed off and just as corrupt as the criminals they’re supposed to be arresting. Molly takes a job as a garment worker to try to ferret out for the boss of the company who’s stealing designs from him and selling them to another company, and the horrible working conditions she experiences sparks a desire to help organize the workers. She also takes on a missing persons case, a young English woman who ran off with her father’s stable worker, a charming Irish fellow, and sailed to America. The two cases soon intersect, and Molly finds herself in the middle of the fray, getting noticed by the Eastman gang, being rescued from jail by Captain Daniel Sullivan, the policeman she’s fallen in love with but cannot have as he’s betrothed to a young lady of ‘good birth’ and will not break the engagement for fear of hurting his chances of promotion in his job. Molly also meets another interesting young man, a photographer who is working on the side of organizing trade unions. Jacob, a young Jewish man, seems interested in her, and she is caught between the two trying to decide what to do. (Typical! This ‘torn between two lovers’ thing better not carry on book after book or I’m going to be steamed. LOL) I do enjoy this series, though Molly seems to do some awfully stupid things at times, ‘fiercely independent woman’ or no. I enjoy her supporting characters as well, and the settings and mysteries are also interesting. Looking forward to the next in series. A.
13. HEN’S TEETH by Manda Scott. First in the Kellen Stewart mystery series set in Glasgow, Scotland and surrounding countryside, with our protagonist being a doctor, a therapist and a lesbian. This book is one of my TBR Challenge Books that’s been sitting on my shelf for a long time, at least a couple of years. When Kellen is called in the middle of the night by an old friend to inform her that Bridget, her former lover, has been found dead, supposedly of a heart attack at the age of forty-one, Kellen reluctantly drives to their farm to sit with her friend and support her during the police questioning. There she learns that not only is Bridget dead, but her brother Malcolm, who had been Kellen’s mentor in medical school, died of the (apparent) same cause a couple of months previously while Kellen was out of the country. Malcolm had turned from doing medical work to genetic research and soon the mystery surrounding what he was working on with Bantam chickens seems to be at the center of the mystery. Kellen calls on her old friend Lee Adams, a thoroughly free spirited rebel who also happens to be a pathologist at the local hospital, to help investigate. I enjoyed the book and really like the main character and her cronies, but I was a little puzzled at first, as there seemed to be some backstory that I just wasn’t getting or that was possibly edited out or something, and it left me feeling a bit scattered, though that settled down eventually. Quite an interesting mystery as well as a thriller as Kellen and Lee finally learn just who is behind the whole chicken caper and nearly get themselves killed in the process. Very enjoyable read, and I’ve already ordered the next book in the series. B+
14. THE FAITHFUL SPY by Alex Berenson. Modern-day thriller/spy novel, I believe it’s first in a series and features rogue CIA agent John Wells. John was sent to Iran to attempt to turn spies for work infiltrating the Taliban and al Quaeda, and ended up a terrible failure at recruitment, but he did manage to become a member of al Quaeda himself. Living abroad in the rough for years, speaking mainly Arabic but fluent in several other languages, initially going through the motions of the Muslim religion and eventually even converting, John is outraged at the way the fundamentalist extremists have twisted what he sees as a beautiful religion for their own purposes. He has not been able to get a message ‘home’ in a long, long time and is assumed by many to be dead, and is even forgotten by all but a few. Eventually he is accepted by the people he lives and works with as a leader of a small band of guerillas, and is even summoned to meet Sheikh bin Laden, though nothing important seems to come of it. He learned about 9/11 well after the fact, not having a clue that it was coming to pass, and seems to have not done anything really ‘useful’ for his agency or country, living a meager subsistence sort of life fighting minor skirmishes in the mountains. That is, until one day he is summoned from his group, sent back to the United States on a false passport and told to wait for contact. He travels to Montana to see his family, and his ex-wife alerts the CIA, who haul him in and treat him like a traitor. He knows that al Quaeda has been planning something. Something big. But he has no idea what and has no useful information. Eventually he escapes—or is allowed to escape?—and disappears, waiting for contact from Omar Khadri, the ‘big cheese’ of al Quaeda’s North American operations. It’s been a long time since I read a real honest-to-goodness spy novel, and most of those that I read in the past were seriously outdated…Russian spies, Cold War type of stuff. This was waaaaaay too real and plausible and kept me right on the edge of my seat up til the end. Very well written with a believable main character, I will definitely continue reading in this series. Quite different from anything I’ve read in recent months, a nice change of pace. A.
15. THE DEAD SURVIVORS by K.J. Erickson. Second in the Marshall “Mars” Bahr police procedural series set in Minneapolis. Mars is a Special Investigator assigned to a unique task force that only handles homicides not gang- or drug-related. Business has been a little slow and there are concerns that the creation of the group is a waste of time and money. This book starts with Mars being asked by a patrolman that he’d had contact with on a previous case to look at a death that was written off as a suicide by the patrolman’s Sergeant. Some things just didn’t ‘sit right’ and after only a short time investigating, Mars’ infamous gut feelings are leading him to the same conclusion, and a homicide investigation is opened fairly shortly afterwards. The investigation leads to connections to another murder in Wisconsin, and a possible serial killer who seems to be killing people who had ancestors who were tied to a Civil War battle, but just how they’re connected, how the killer is choosing them and of course who the killer is remain unanswered questions. How to investigate properly without alarming millions of people is a big consideration, and the whole investigation is complicated by the fact that Mars ends up in hospital with appendicitis and has surgery and by the fact that it’s the Christmas holidays. Who can be expected to evoke much cooperation with other agencies during the holidays? As some of you know, the Civil War is not one of my favorite time periods but while there was a strong tie-in to the Battle of Gettysburg, most of the action was firmly in the present time and the storyline kept me thoroughly enthralled. I liked this book better than the first in series and am looking forward to the next one. A.
16. DEATH AND RESTORATION by Iain Pears. Sixth (and second to last) in the Jonathan Argyll “art history” mysteries. Big changes are afoot at the Art Theft Squad and Flavia needs to choose whether to join her boss Bottando on an international task force or to take over the day-to-day running of the Art Theft Squad. She’s a hands-on type of person and doesn’t relish sitting behind a desk, though the more regular hours would make it possible to spend more time with Jonathan. The Squad gets a tip that there is to be a theft at a local Abbey, but that particular institution has nothing of real value so they are puzzled as to what a thief would want. But when a rather notorious thief named Mary Verney is spotted entering Rome, Flavia assigns her to be watched closely. But that doesn’t stop a small icon at the abbey from being stolen right out from under their noses—and the head of the abbey is clonked on the head and severely injured as well. Is the loud-mouthed American restorer working on another picture in the abbey to blame? Or did Mary Verney slip out of their surveillance? Or is an unknown factor involved? I really enjoy this series—I always learn a bit about the art world, and enjoy both Jonathan and Flavia and their relationship and the supporting cast, too. The author also often will manage to surprise me a bit and this book was no exception. One more left in the series, then that’s it! Bummer! A.
17. BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Jacqueline Winspear. Second in the Maisie Dobbs historical mystery series, set in post-WWI England. It’s been over a year since I read the first in series, which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I don’t know why I put off reading this one for so long. Maisie is hired to find a young woman who’s left her home without notice—she is over thirty years old and has a history of doing such things, so no one is terribly worried, but her controlling father wants her back. When Maisie learns that Charlotte Waite is connected to another young woman recently murdered, she begins investigating in earnest. Meanwhile, she also must deal with the cocaine addiction of her beloved assistant, Billy Beale, and the recuperation of her father from a serious accident in which he is severely injured during the foaling of Lady Rowan’s favorite horse. I enjoyed the book a lot and certainly was compelled to keep on reading, though I did figure out the culprit about midway through when a couple of major clues were dropped in our laps. One thing I did find annoying though was that Maisie didn’t share some important details with Detective Inspector Stratton but then in her own mind chided him for taking a wrong turn in the investigation. Perhaps if he had all the information he may have actually listened to you, silly girl! Also annoying was the appearance of another possible love interest for Maisie (to offset Stratton) and which one she chose to dine with was left dangling as a cliffhanger for the next book. Perhaps I’ve just had my fill of female historical fiction characters semi-smitten with their policemen or something, but when I read the next book, it won’t be because I want to know which it was. I could care less! I love the way Winspear is able to set the historical scene (although, again, this is NOT my favorite time period! LOL) and I enjoy Maisie and the supporting cast of interesting characters, so despite the minor annoyances I most certainly enjoyed the book and will be reading onward. A-.
18, TAKEOVER by Lisa Black. ARC for review, due for release next month (August) I believe. This is a thriller featuring forensic scientist Teresa McLean, who lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio. Teresa is processing a crime scene in the wee hours of the morning, a man found dead outside his home with his head bashed in. No one likes being up in the middle of the night, but at least Teresa gets to work with her fiancé, Paul, who’s a detective with the Cleveland police force. But how quickly things can change. A few hours later, Teresa is called and told that Paul is one of the hostages in a stand-off at the Federal Reserve Bank—where he had gone to question the co-workers of the murdered man only to be accosted by a couple of would-be bank robbers. Coincidence? Not very likely. Tess arrives at the scene—or where the negotiations will be conducted, in a building across the street—and must maintain her professional demeanor in a very stressful situation—a situation that only becomes more stressful as the hours wear on. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like the book; we were virtually thrown into the story almost immediately with very little backstory or explanation. But this was indeed quite a ‘thrilling’ book—I was compelled to read it almost in one sitting. The writing style is very appealing; it’s clear and easy to read. However, I did figure out the plot twist way ahead of time—the clues were way too clearly broadcast so that when the entire situation was finally revealed, it was very much of a relief—I was certain that everyone who was ‘investigating’ in the book must be really stupid or something! Figuring out the mystery ahead of time in a cozy mystery isn’t really such a big deal, but in a “thriller,” it certainly works better if there is a big surprise at the end. Aside from making the solution too obvious, the other flaw I saw was lack of character development. I tend to be a reader of series books, and depth of character is even more important in those type of books than plotting—at least for me. I’m not sure if the author is intending to make this into a series or if it’s a ‘one-off’ book, but if there are more books with Tess to come, I would advise spending a bit more time on getting the reader to care about her, to let us really know her. Despite everything she went through in this book, I still found her to be a bit two-dimensional, even at the end. That was part of the problem I had with being thrown headfirst into the story—I really didn’t care at all about Teresa at that point. The forensic bits were interesting, certainly. And it was a good story. It would’ve been better with a bit more flesh on its bones, though. There is much promise here and I hope the author continues to write--I will be looking for more from her for certain. B.
19. THE ST. JOHN’S FERN by Kate Sedley. #9 Roger the Chapman medieval mystery in which a newly-married Roger heads off to Plymouth, directed there by one of his dreams, and sure enough, finds a mystery that needs solving. Oliver Capstick was murdered in his home about five months ago, and everyone knows the culprit—his nephew, Beric Gifford. They had argued heatedly the day before and he was seen both coming and going from the uncle’s home, even to the point of having a dark stain on his tunic on his way out. But no one, including the Sheriff’s posse, can find him, despite searching not only the countryside, known haunts and his manor estate. Everyone thinks he took St. John’s Fern, a flower that legend says can make a person disappear. Roger is a bit skeptical of course, though isn’t one to totally discount the supernatural. His travels lead him over the countryside to several villages and to Beric’s home of Villetort Manor in search of the young man or at least a search for some clue as to w here he’s gone. I always enjoy this series, even though I thought the solution to the mystery in this one was quite obvious right from the beginning. In fact, I wanted to clunk Roger over the head with the oh-so-simple clues, but I let him off easily since he was a newlywed and likely to be a bit muddled. LOL Anyway, another wonderful foray into 1400’s England; I wish these weren’t so difficult to find—I always have to order them from my library and I hate giving them back. A
20. ACQUA ALTA by Donna Leon #5 Commissario Guido Brunetti police procedural set in Venice, Italy. Guido starts out investigating the assault of Brett Lynch, an American archaeologist/pottery expert who is in Venice visiting her lover, one of the opera singers who was featured in Leon’s first book, Death at La Fenice. Brett is threatened and told not to attend a meeting she had set up with a local museum director to discuss some antiquities that had been in a display from China that she’d spearheaded a couple of years earlier—which she now discovers are fake. There are also some derogatory comments made about her lesbianism by the thugs who beat her up, so she isn’t sure just why she was attacked. When the museum director ends up dead, the necessity of finding the connection intensifies, and Guido digs and investigates while out of doors, Mother Nature provides the usual annual onslaught of ‘acqua alta’ or the torrential winter rains that cause severe flooding throughout the city. I love this series—the characters, the setting, the food, the poetic prose…the only part of these books that sometimes annoys me is the constant background presence of the Mafia, and this book that featured rather heavily. It seems sometimes that it’s just too convenient and too pat a solution to whatever problem is presented. But I still loved it! A
DNF: MAGICAL HEARTH: HOME FOR THE MODERN PAGAN by Janet Thompson. I struggled through about 20 pages, but there were numerous typographical and/or spelling and word form/grammatical errors that made it impossible for me to read. In addition, the information that was provided in the little that I read was poorly organized and widely scattered. Perhaps someone else will find it useful--I'll be passing it along via PBS.
Up next: I'm making my way through PAGAN EVERY DAY: FINDING THE EXTRAORDINARY IN OUR ORDINARY LIVES by Barbara Ardinger. This will likely take me several weeks or months as it's a daily meditative type thing filled with short, page-long essays about different topics. I'll be starting August off with ANOTHER MAN'S MOCCASINS by Craig Johnson.
Cheryl
Monday, June 9, 2008
JUNE 2008 READS
1. THE ELVES OF CINTRA by Terry Brooks. Middle book in the Genesis of Shannara fantasy trilogy that merges the two worlds of Shannara and the modern-day world of his Word and the Void trilogy. The two groups begin their journeys to meet up together and resolve the end-of-world conflicts facing both of them. One group is a ragtag group of street kids, a family called The Ghosts led by Knight of the Word Logan Tom, heading south from Seattle in search of Hawk, now known to be the incarnation of The Gypsy Morph, The earth is a polluted, dead scar, with roving bands of demons and once-men preying on those who are still human and still alive. The other group, a small band of Elves led by the other known live Knight of the Word, Angel Perez, sets to leave the Cintra and save their mystical tree, the Ellcrys, by finding the Elfstones and the Loden, lost millennia ago. Their journey is dangerous because of two powerful demons tracking them as well as the King’s soldiers, as they are believed to have killed the King’s daughter, when indeed the demons are responsible. As the two groups make their journeys, each learns some things about their traveling companions (and themselves!) that surprises them. This book wasn’t *quite* as good as the first in series (nor, I suspect, as good as the third in the trilogy will be—it seems to suffer a mild case of the typical malady that middle books in trilogies are cursed with) but I did still enjoy it much and was enthralled with the world Brooks has created. Looking forward to The Gypsy Morph! A-
2. THE COLOR OF DEATH by Bruce Alexander. Seventh book in the Sir John Fielding historical mysteries featuring the blind Bow Street Magistrate in 1770’s London. Sir John and Jeremy set out to solve a series of robberies and murders that involve a group of black men. Racism and the whole slavery issue come into play here and Jeremy and Sir John must use their wits to solve the case. Sir John is injured shortly after the first robbery, so Jeremy is forced to do much of the sleuthing on his own, though when he tells Sir John the things he’s discovered, Sir John inevitably ‘sees’ more than his young protégé despite his blindness. There are some growing pains in their relationship as well, as Jeremy heads toward manhood. Enjoyable as always—knowing there are only four more of these books due to the author’s death saddens me greatly. A.
3. PRETTIES by Scott Westerfeld. Second in the “Uglies” young adult fantasy trilogy in which Tally Youngblood, the rebellious girl from the first book, is experiencing her dream and is now a Pretty. However, things aren’t as idyllic as she thought they’d be as disturbing memories begin to creep in and she and a small group of her clique, the Crims, begin making little rebellious gestures that turn into bigger breaches of ‘the rules.’ When Tally and her new boyfriend, Zane, are given a chance to ‘cure’ the brain lesions that are induced when people are “turned Pretty” at age sixteen, they do so and Tally’s memories then begin to flood back in and she’s once again trying to stay one step ahead of the government and Special Circumstances. Life becomes more difficult when Tally’s friend Shay remembers Tally’s betrayal and a small group of the Crims decides to run away from the city. I enjoyed the continuation of the story but I have to say that the first part of the book was just plain annoying, when Tally was being “pretty minded” which basically means being a total airhead only concerned about looking good, popularity and conformity. The language kind of reminded me of a Valley Girl convention! LOL I realize it was necessary to make the point, but it was still annoying. But that calmed down once Tally started remembering and got “herself” back and I’m looking forward to the next in series. A.
4. THE DAUGHTERS OF CAIN by Colin Dexter. Eleventh in the Inspector Morse British police procedural series in which a college professor is brutally stabbed to death in his home early one Sunday morning. The suspects are many and the tale is complex, revealed bit by bit so that you can guess parts of what’s happened but not all of it until close to the end. An enjoyable read as always with Morse and Lewis on the case, and again a series I’m sad that will be ending after just another couple of books. I’ve read these all before but they are comfort reads for me and I doubt I’ll ever stop enjoying them. A.
5. KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED by Craig Johnson (audio book) Third Sheriff Walt Longmire mystery. I finally managed to finish listening to this one and it was just as enjoyable as the first two, with the stellar writing of the author and the wonderful reader who seems to really capture the essence of the characters. Sheriff Longmire heads east from his home in Absaroka County, Wyoming to Philadelphia, accompanying his best friend Henry Standing Bear as he is set to make a presentation on Native American culture at a museum there. Walt’s also visiting his daughter Cady, a promising young lawyer, and is set to meet her boyfriend of several months, and plans to visit his deputy Vic Morelli’s parents there as well. Before the sheriff is ever able to get together with Cady, she is brutally attacked and suffers a devastating head injury, and lies in a coma while Walt and Henry investigate—somewhat stealthily, since the sheriff has no jurisdiction—to try to determine who attacked her. When their prime suspect, Cady’s new boyfriend, ends up dead, they don’t know which way to turn next. Adding to the confusion for Walt is Vic’s very attractive mother, Lena. As I said, it’s just another excellent entry in the series and I look forward to the next. A+
6. GARNETHILL by Denise Mina. First in a mystery series featuring Maureen O’Donnell, a rather unlikely sleuth who lives in Glasgow, Scotland. Maureen is a woman with a rather checkered past, having been hospitalized for mental illness due to a breakdown brought on by memories of childhood sexual abuse by her father. The rest of her family is just as unsavory, with an abusive, alcoholic mother and a drug-dealing brother, although Maureen is very close to Liam, her brother. But one thing Maureen does have is good friends, and she needs them when her boyfriend is brutally murdered in her apartment. Maureen is cast as the prime suspect because she had recently discovered that Douglas was married, and there’s pressure to get the case solved because Douglas’s mother is a prominent government official. When the police don’t seem interested in answering questions that Maureen has, she investigates on her own, sometimes with the unknowing aid of her friends. Maureen is trying to not only overcome the suspicion of the police but her own doubts about her sanity. Could she have killed Douglas in a drunken stupor and not remembered it? Excellently written, well-plotted and with wonderful, in-depth characterizations. I felt like I knew Maureen quite well after only a few pages, and despite her foibles, I liked her a lot. I will definitely be reading more of Mina’s work! A+
7. CURSED IN THE BLOOD by Sharan Newman. Fifth in the Catherine LeVendeur mystery series set in 12th century France, although this book moves our main characters over to Scotland. When two of Catherine’s husband Edgar’s brothers are brutally murdered in what is thought to be a revenge killing, his father Waldeve sends Edgar’s brother Robert to France to track him down and bring him home to help sort out the mystery and take revenge on the culprits. Robert’s arrival in Paris coincides with Catherine’s father’s being questioned by the Bishop regarding his seemingly excessive dealings with Jews. Hubert is secretly a Jew, having been adopted at a young age by a Christian family and practicing Christianity on the surface, but always living in fear of discovery of the true religion of his birth and his heart. He doesn’t tell Catherine about the enquiry (although she is well aware of his religion) but urges her to travel to Scotland with Edgar ostensibly to finally meet his family but actually putting her safely out of the way if anything solid should come of the Bishop’s questionings. So they trek out with James, the couple’s infant son, Willa, a young girl who helps with the baby as well as Solomon, Catherine’s cousin, as a guard/escort. Catherine finds Edgar’s home, Wedderlie, to be a cold and barbaric place after the comforts of Paris, but she endures and carries on and does become friends with Edgar’s stepmother Adalisa who speaks French. Waldeve, Edgar’s father, is a cold and cruel man that Catherine finds hard to believe is related to her beloved. As Edgar and Catherine are separated during the solving of the mystery, each on their own adventures, each discovers certain facts that don’t really add up until they are together again and can compare notes. Very well done—I have enjoyed each of these books and the characters in them as well. Interestingly, the timeline sort of parallels that of my all-time favorite historical mystery series, Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael books, although in a different place. A.
8. ONE FOR SORROW by Mary Reed and Eric Mayer. First in the John the Eunuch historical series. John is Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian in 6th Century Constantinople. This mystery centers around the murder of his friend Leukos, another of Justinian’s court officials. It appears to be a simple case of a man cut down and attacked in a back alley, but John doesn’t believe it and conducts his own investigations. When a young prostitute is murdered a few days later in her Madam’s house near where the first murder occurred, John feels they are connected and the mystery deepens. I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed with this book, as it sounded very interesting and it took me a long time to track it down. I’m not really sure exactly why I wasn’t overly fond of the book. There’s nothing overtly ‘bad’ about it, and I did like the way the authors didn’t cover up the dark side of history—the cruelty, class struggles, slavery, the realities of living in a stinking city. But I couldn’t really connect with the main character for some reason and for me, that is paramount to enjoyment of a series. I don’t necessarily have to LIKE the main character but I do have to feel some connection. Part of my problem with the book was the writing style, I think. I felt that there were way too many adjectives and adverbs being used to describe every little detail of the surroundings, of the people and their clothing, the food they ate, their actions, etc and it was quite distracting rather than enhancing the story. You know, it sort of felt like when you wrote a report in school and after doing the word count, had to go back and insert another hundred words somewhere to make up the difference. (If that makes any sense! LOL) A lot of superfluous words that didn’t really enhance the story. Moreover, I didn’t really care about the mystery. I did finish it (and yes, I guessed the bad guy fairly early on, too LOL) but I think I will set the series aside, at least for now. It took me much longer than it should have to read this book, as I would read a couple of chapters (which were rather short) and lose interest, so it was completed in very piecemeal fashion. Not a good sign. I was interested in the parts about John’s religion, Mithraism. Being a Pagan myself, I am always interested in other Pagan religious practices and seeing how they fit into society in general in differing time periods. But for me, that interest isn’t enough to carry me into the next book in the series. Another thing that factored into my decision is that these books are very difficult to come by for me, and again, this one didn’t hold my interest enough to make me continue to pursue them. C.
9. KILLER MARKET by Margaret Maron. Fifth book in the Judge Deborah Knott mystery series set in North Carolina. Judge Knott is off to High Point to fill in for a colleague on vacation, not realizing that she is arriving during Market Week when an international furniture show has taken over the town. While trying to find somewhere to stay (who knew she’d need a hotel reservation in the usually sleepy little town?) she stumbles into a murder mystery centering around the furniture industry and many of the top players in the furniture market. Oddly enough, the murdered man is someone she met briefly in her youth and her tote bag ends up beside his body—and it was an allergic reaction to her penicillin pills that killed him! For an even bigger dose of coincidence, Chan, the murdered fellow, is the son-in-law of a former college classmate of Deborah’s—so at least she does find a place to lay her weary head. LOL Admonished to ‘stay out of it’ and not get involved by both the local police and her police friend back home in Colleton County, Deborah really tries to do just that, but of course doesn’t succeed and is very much in the thick of things as potential suspects start coming out of the woodwork. I love this series, whether I’m reading it or listening in audio, and look forward to continuing ahead. This mystery I didn’t figure out until close to the end of the book which is always an added bonus. I don’t always follow the red herrings, but I did this time! A.
10. COVER HER FACE by P.D. James. #1 Chief Inspector Adam Dalgleish mystery. This is one of my TBR Challenge books which has been on my shelf almost 2 years! I never got to it simply because I’m in the midst of so many other British police mystery series. Who killed Sally Jupp? A maid at Martingale, the local country manor home, Sally is found in her (locked) bedroom peacefully in bed, dead as a doornail with obvious strangulation marks around her neck and her infant son wailing in his cot next to her. She had been given her position at the recommendation of the matron of the local home for unwed mothers a few months past and seemed to sow dissent among the Maxie family and their help from the time of her arrival, culminating with the announcement earlier that day that their son Stephen had asked her to marry him! With so many possible suspects, will CI Dalgleish and his trusty note-taking sidekick be able to sort out the problem? Of course! Classic British mystery written in 1962, this was a very engaging book despite the lack of detail into the main character’s (Dalgleish) life and psyche—in fact, he doesn’t even make an appearance until almost page 60 and we are not privy to the machinations of his obviously very superior brain. As with most mysteries of that era, the focus is on plotting rather than character development, and James does that VERY well. I had no idea who the murderer was until the reveal, though I did pick up on many clues—some of them red herrings—along the way. In that sense, I enjoyed the book very much, but I do hope we are given more insight and details of the Chief Inspector’s life in later books. A-
11. PAWING THROUGH THE PAST by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. (audio) Eighth book in the Mrs. Murphy cat mysteries featuring Mary Minor Harristeen, postmistress of small-town Crozet, Virginia and her troupe of animal friends. I enjoy the reader for this series so have started listening to them, although I’ve enjoyed them in print, too. While they do feature animals that communicate, it’s not really a cozy series as there’s definitely too much cussing and details about the sordid secrets of small-town life. But that bit of an edge makes it interesting and I think the animal bits are very well done. In this book, Harry (as MMH is referred to) and her friends are preparing for their twenty-year class reunion when they all receive a mysterious letter saying, “You Will Never Grow Old.” At first it’s taken as a joke. But when first one, then a second of her classmates ends up shot between the eyes, no one’s laughing. Are the murders the result of something happening now, or rooted in the decades-old past? Even though admonished to ‘stay out of it’ and let the police investigate, Harry and her furry friends are determined that no more of their classmates should perish and are on the scent. Delightful as usual with the excellent reader and the wonderful characterizations the author brings out. I had a good idea who the killer was fairly early, but it was one of those ‘gut feelings’ and I was by no means sure. A
12. IRON KISSED by Patricia Briggs. Third in the Mercy Thompson paranormal series featuring shape-shifter Mercy and her circle of paranormal friends—werewolves, vampires and the like. When Mercy’s mentor Zee, a fae, is arrested for the murder of a man who was a guard on the fae reservation, Mercy must augment the police’s investigation to prove her friend’s innocence. How to do that, though, without betraying Zee’s (and indeed the whole fae community’s) secrets? Can she get Zee released without getting into major trouble herself, or without owing the fae her heart and soul? Mercy’s romantic life also comes to a head when she realizes she must FINALLY choose between Adam, the local werewolf pack leader who has claimed her as his mate, and Samuel, her first love—also a werewolf, a doctor, and the son of the Marrok—the ruler over all North American werewolves. As you probably know, I am not a big fan of “romance” per se in books, so it was a relief to get the sexual tension over with when she chooses and get on with it, as it were. I enjoy this series and really like Mercy and hope additional books will be forthcoming soon! B+
13. COLD DAY IN HELL by Richard Hawke. Second in the Fritz Malone mystery series set in New York. With a popular late-night television star on trial for the brutal murders of two of his ex-girlfriends, the city is shocked when a third, and then a fourth murder using the same MO are discovered with the main suspect in custody. Fritz gets involved because the first of the post-arrest victims was a woman he’d unofficially consulted with about security concerns. Now, I loved the first book in this series, but this one I’d have to demote to “liked a lot.” Part of the reason is that Charlie, Fritz’s girlfriend’s father and his mentor, doesn’t appear in the book at all. He’s a wonderful character, so that was a shame. Plus, he and Margo are on the ‘outs’ and their relationship in the first one was a big part of the book, and an enjoyable, refreshing part at that. The humor was also a bit flat this time. I figured out the bad guy almost from the moment he was introduced, too—even with all the intriguing red herrings, I just knew who it was. And though some of the side plots were quite interesting, it seemed like they took us too far afield and some of the doings were quite implausible, too. Don’t get me wrong—I like Fritz a lot, and will happily read anything this author puts forth. (Including anything featuring Hitchcock Sewell, the main character of a series he writes in his other guise—hint, hint!!) I just hope Fritz is more on form again by the next book. This one left me feeling a bit dissatisfied on the whole--but I still love this author, his writing style and his characters. Maybe that means I hold him to a higher standard, I don't know. B.
DNF: MURDER IN MINIATURE by Margaret Grace. First of a mystery series about a retired woman (Gerry something—I’ve forgotten already) who builds miniature doll house things. Apparently the author is a miniaturist (if that’s what they’re called) in real life and the parts about that type of crafting were, I’m sure, very accurate. I have to say (as with plenty of other books I’ve read written by an expert in the field of ‘whatever’) that the expertise doesn’t necessarily transfer over into writing an engaging work of fiction, though. I slogged through to page 70 before giving up, but I would have quit much earlier and carried on because it was the only book I had with me at work. It read like a recitation rather than a story and the main character, nor indeed any of her friends/family, just didn’t spark my interest at all. Next!
Cheryl
2. THE COLOR OF DEATH by Bruce Alexander. Seventh book in the Sir John Fielding historical mysteries featuring the blind Bow Street Magistrate in 1770’s London. Sir John and Jeremy set out to solve a series of robberies and murders that involve a group of black men. Racism and the whole slavery issue come into play here and Jeremy and Sir John must use their wits to solve the case. Sir John is injured shortly after the first robbery, so Jeremy is forced to do much of the sleuthing on his own, though when he tells Sir John the things he’s discovered, Sir John inevitably ‘sees’ more than his young protégé despite his blindness. There are some growing pains in their relationship as well, as Jeremy heads toward manhood. Enjoyable as always—knowing there are only four more of these books due to the author’s death saddens me greatly. A.
3. PRETTIES by Scott Westerfeld. Second in the “Uglies” young adult fantasy trilogy in which Tally Youngblood, the rebellious girl from the first book, is experiencing her dream and is now a Pretty. However, things aren’t as idyllic as she thought they’d be as disturbing memories begin to creep in and she and a small group of her clique, the Crims, begin making little rebellious gestures that turn into bigger breaches of ‘the rules.’ When Tally and her new boyfriend, Zane, are given a chance to ‘cure’ the brain lesions that are induced when people are “turned Pretty” at age sixteen, they do so and Tally’s memories then begin to flood back in and she’s once again trying to stay one step ahead of the government and Special Circumstances. Life becomes more difficult when Tally’s friend Shay remembers Tally’s betrayal and a small group of the Crims decides to run away from the city. I enjoyed the continuation of the story but I have to say that the first part of the book was just plain annoying, when Tally was being “pretty minded” which basically means being a total airhead only concerned about looking good, popularity and conformity. The language kind of reminded me of a Valley Girl convention! LOL I realize it was necessary to make the point, but it was still annoying. But that calmed down once Tally started remembering and got “herself” back and I’m looking forward to the next in series. A.
4. THE DAUGHTERS OF CAIN by Colin Dexter. Eleventh in the Inspector Morse British police procedural series in which a college professor is brutally stabbed to death in his home early one Sunday morning. The suspects are many and the tale is complex, revealed bit by bit so that you can guess parts of what’s happened but not all of it until close to the end. An enjoyable read as always with Morse and Lewis on the case, and again a series I’m sad that will be ending after just another couple of books. I’ve read these all before but they are comfort reads for me and I doubt I’ll ever stop enjoying them. A.
5. KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED by Craig Johnson (audio book) Third Sheriff Walt Longmire mystery. I finally managed to finish listening to this one and it was just as enjoyable as the first two, with the stellar writing of the author and the wonderful reader who seems to really capture the essence of the characters. Sheriff Longmire heads east from his home in Absaroka County, Wyoming to Philadelphia, accompanying his best friend Henry Standing Bear as he is set to make a presentation on Native American culture at a museum there. Walt’s also visiting his daughter Cady, a promising young lawyer, and is set to meet her boyfriend of several months, and plans to visit his deputy Vic Morelli’s parents there as well. Before the sheriff is ever able to get together with Cady, she is brutally attacked and suffers a devastating head injury, and lies in a coma while Walt and Henry investigate—somewhat stealthily, since the sheriff has no jurisdiction—to try to determine who attacked her. When their prime suspect, Cady’s new boyfriend, ends up dead, they don’t know which way to turn next. Adding to the confusion for Walt is Vic’s very attractive mother, Lena. As I said, it’s just another excellent entry in the series and I look forward to the next. A+
6. GARNETHILL by Denise Mina. First in a mystery series featuring Maureen O’Donnell, a rather unlikely sleuth who lives in Glasgow, Scotland. Maureen is a woman with a rather checkered past, having been hospitalized for mental illness due to a breakdown brought on by memories of childhood sexual abuse by her father. The rest of her family is just as unsavory, with an abusive, alcoholic mother and a drug-dealing brother, although Maureen is very close to Liam, her brother. But one thing Maureen does have is good friends, and she needs them when her boyfriend is brutally murdered in her apartment. Maureen is cast as the prime suspect because she had recently discovered that Douglas was married, and there’s pressure to get the case solved because Douglas’s mother is a prominent government official. When the police don’t seem interested in answering questions that Maureen has, she investigates on her own, sometimes with the unknowing aid of her friends. Maureen is trying to not only overcome the suspicion of the police but her own doubts about her sanity. Could she have killed Douglas in a drunken stupor and not remembered it? Excellently written, well-plotted and with wonderful, in-depth characterizations. I felt like I knew Maureen quite well after only a few pages, and despite her foibles, I liked her a lot. I will definitely be reading more of Mina’s work! A+
7. CURSED IN THE BLOOD by Sharan Newman. Fifth in the Catherine LeVendeur mystery series set in 12th century France, although this book moves our main characters over to Scotland. When two of Catherine’s husband Edgar’s brothers are brutally murdered in what is thought to be a revenge killing, his father Waldeve sends Edgar’s brother Robert to France to track him down and bring him home to help sort out the mystery and take revenge on the culprits. Robert’s arrival in Paris coincides with Catherine’s father’s being questioned by the Bishop regarding his seemingly excessive dealings with Jews. Hubert is secretly a Jew, having been adopted at a young age by a Christian family and practicing Christianity on the surface, but always living in fear of discovery of the true religion of his birth and his heart. He doesn’t tell Catherine about the enquiry (although she is well aware of his religion) but urges her to travel to Scotland with Edgar ostensibly to finally meet his family but actually putting her safely out of the way if anything solid should come of the Bishop’s questionings. So they trek out with James, the couple’s infant son, Willa, a young girl who helps with the baby as well as Solomon, Catherine’s cousin, as a guard/escort. Catherine finds Edgar’s home, Wedderlie, to be a cold and barbaric place after the comforts of Paris, but she endures and carries on and does become friends with Edgar’s stepmother Adalisa who speaks French. Waldeve, Edgar’s father, is a cold and cruel man that Catherine finds hard to believe is related to her beloved. As Edgar and Catherine are separated during the solving of the mystery, each on their own adventures, each discovers certain facts that don’t really add up until they are together again and can compare notes. Very well done—I have enjoyed each of these books and the characters in them as well. Interestingly, the timeline sort of parallels that of my all-time favorite historical mystery series, Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael books, although in a different place. A.
8. ONE FOR SORROW by Mary Reed and Eric Mayer. First in the John the Eunuch historical series. John is Lord Chamberlain to the Emperor Justinian in 6th Century Constantinople. This mystery centers around the murder of his friend Leukos, another of Justinian’s court officials. It appears to be a simple case of a man cut down and attacked in a back alley, but John doesn’t believe it and conducts his own investigations. When a young prostitute is murdered a few days later in her Madam’s house near where the first murder occurred, John feels they are connected and the mystery deepens. I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed with this book, as it sounded very interesting and it took me a long time to track it down. I’m not really sure exactly why I wasn’t overly fond of the book. There’s nothing overtly ‘bad’ about it, and I did like the way the authors didn’t cover up the dark side of history—the cruelty, class struggles, slavery, the realities of living in a stinking city. But I couldn’t really connect with the main character for some reason and for me, that is paramount to enjoyment of a series. I don’t necessarily have to LIKE the main character but I do have to feel some connection. Part of my problem with the book was the writing style, I think. I felt that there were way too many adjectives and adverbs being used to describe every little detail of the surroundings, of the people and their clothing, the food they ate, their actions, etc and it was quite distracting rather than enhancing the story. You know, it sort of felt like when you wrote a report in school and after doing the word count, had to go back and insert another hundred words somewhere to make up the difference. (If that makes any sense! LOL) A lot of superfluous words that didn’t really enhance the story. Moreover, I didn’t really care about the mystery. I did finish it (and yes, I guessed the bad guy fairly early on, too LOL) but I think I will set the series aside, at least for now. It took me much longer than it should have to read this book, as I would read a couple of chapters (which were rather short) and lose interest, so it was completed in very piecemeal fashion. Not a good sign. I was interested in the parts about John’s religion, Mithraism. Being a Pagan myself, I am always interested in other Pagan religious practices and seeing how they fit into society in general in differing time periods. But for me, that interest isn’t enough to carry me into the next book in the series. Another thing that factored into my decision is that these books are very difficult to come by for me, and again, this one didn’t hold my interest enough to make me continue to pursue them. C.
9. KILLER MARKET by Margaret Maron. Fifth book in the Judge Deborah Knott mystery series set in North Carolina. Judge Knott is off to High Point to fill in for a colleague on vacation, not realizing that she is arriving during Market Week when an international furniture show has taken over the town. While trying to find somewhere to stay (who knew she’d need a hotel reservation in the usually sleepy little town?) she stumbles into a murder mystery centering around the furniture industry and many of the top players in the furniture market. Oddly enough, the murdered man is someone she met briefly in her youth and her tote bag ends up beside his body—and it was an allergic reaction to her penicillin pills that killed him! For an even bigger dose of coincidence, Chan, the murdered fellow, is the son-in-law of a former college classmate of Deborah’s—so at least she does find a place to lay her weary head. LOL Admonished to ‘stay out of it’ and not get involved by both the local police and her police friend back home in Colleton County, Deborah really tries to do just that, but of course doesn’t succeed and is very much in the thick of things as potential suspects start coming out of the woodwork. I love this series, whether I’m reading it or listening in audio, and look forward to continuing ahead. This mystery I didn’t figure out until close to the end of the book which is always an added bonus. I don’t always follow the red herrings, but I did this time! A.
10. COVER HER FACE by P.D. James. #1 Chief Inspector Adam Dalgleish mystery. This is one of my TBR Challenge books which has been on my shelf almost 2 years! I never got to it simply because I’m in the midst of so many other British police mystery series. Who killed Sally Jupp? A maid at Martingale, the local country manor home, Sally is found in her (locked) bedroom peacefully in bed, dead as a doornail with obvious strangulation marks around her neck and her infant son wailing in his cot next to her. She had been given her position at the recommendation of the matron of the local home for unwed mothers a few months past and seemed to sow dissent among the Maxie family and their help from the time of her arrival, culminating with the announcement earlier that day that their son Stephen had asked her to marry him! With so many possible suspects, will CI Dalgleish and his trusty note-taking sidekick be able to sort out the problem? Of course! Classic British mystery written in 1962, this was a very engaging book despite the lack of detail into the main character’s (Dalgleish) life and psyche—in fact, he doesn’t even make an appearance until almost page 60 and we are not privy to the machinations of his obviously very superior brain. As with most mysteries of that era, the focus is on plotting rather than character development, and James does that VERY well. I had no idea who the murderer was until the reveal, though I did pick up on many clues—some of them red herrings—along the way. In that sense, I enjoyed the book very much, but I do hope we are given more insight and details of the Chief Inspector’s life in later books. A-
11. PAWING THROUGH THE PAST by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. (audio) Eighth book in the Mrs. Murphy cat mysteries featuring Mary Minor Harristeen, postmistress of small-town Crozet, Virginia and her troupe of animal friends. I enjoy the reader for this series so have started listening to them, although I’ve enjoyed them in print, too. While they do feature animals that communicate, it’s not really a cozy series as there’s definitely too much cussing and details about the sordid secrets of small-town life. But that bit of an edge makes it interesting and I think the animal bits are very well done. In this book, Harry (as MMH is referred to) and her friends are preparing for their twenty-year class reunion when they all receive a mysterious letter saying, “You Will Never Grow Old.” At first it’s taken as a joke. But when first one, then a second of her classmates ends up shot between the eyes, no one’s laughing. Are the murders the result of something happening now, or rooted in the decades-old past? Even though admonished to ‘stay out of it’ and let the police investigate, Harry and her furry friends are determined that no more of their classmates should perish and are on the scent. Delightful as usual with the excellent reader and the wonderful characterizations the author brings out. I had a good idea who the killer was fairly early, but it was one of those ‘gut feelings’ and I was by no means sure. A
12. IRON KISSED by Patricia Briggs. Third in the Mercy Thompson paranormal series featuring shape-shifter Mercy and her circle of paranormal friends—werewolves, vampires and the like. When Mercy’s mentor Zee, a fae, is arrested for the murder of a man who was a guard on the fae reservation, Mercy must augment the police’s investigation to prove her friend’s innocence. How to do that, though, without betraying Zee’s (and indeed the whole fae community’s) secrets? Can she get Zee released without getting into major trouble herself, or without owing the fae her heart and soul? Mercy’s romantic life also comes to a head when she realizes she must FINALLY choose between Adam, the local werewolf pack leader who has claimed her as his mate, and Samuel, her first love—also a werewolf, a doctor, and the son of the Marrok—the ruler over all North American werewolves. As you probably know, I am not a big fan of “romance” per se in books, so it was a relief to get the sexual tension over with when she chooses and get on with it, as it were. I enjoy this series and really like Mercy and hope additional books will be forthcoming soon! B+
13. COLD DAY IN HELL by Richard Hawke. Second in the Fritz Malone mystery series set in New York. With a popular late-night television star on trial for the brutal murders of two of his ex-girlfriends, the city is shocked when a third, and then a fourth murder using the same MO are discovered with the main suspect in custody. Fritz gets involved because the first of the post-arrest victims was a woman he’d unofficially consulted with about security concerns. Now, I loved the first book in this series, but this one I’d have to demote to “liked a lot.” Part of the reason is that Charlie, Fritz’s girlfriend’s father and his mentor, doesn’t appear in the book at all. He’s a wonderful character, so that was a shame. Plus, he and Margo are on the ‘outs’ and their relationship in the first one was a big part of the book, and an enjoyable, refreshing part at that. The humor was also a bit flat this time. I figured out the bad guy almost from the moment he was introduced, too—even with all the intriguing red herrings, I just knew who it was. And though some of the side plots were quite interesting, it seemed like they took us too far afield and some of the doings were quite implausible, too. Don’t get me wrong—I like Fritz a lot, and will happily read anything this author puts forth. (Including anything featuring Hitchcock Sewell, the main character of a series he writes in his other guise—hint, hint!!) I just hope Fritz is more on form again by the next book. This one left me feeling a bit dissatisfied on the whole--but I still love this author, his writing style and his characters. Maybe that means I hold him to a higher standard, I don't know. B.
DNF: MURDER IN MINIATURE by Margaret Grace. First of a mystery series about a retired woman (Gerry something—I’ve forgotten already) who builds miniature doll house things. Apparently the author is a miniaturist (if that’s what they’re called) in real life and the parts about that type of crafting were, I’m sure, very accurate. I have to say (as with plenty of other books I’ve read written by an expert in the field of ‘whatever’) that the expertise doesn’t necessarily transfer over into writing an engaging work of fiction, though. I slogged through to page 70 before giving up, but I would have quit much earlier and carried on because it was the only book I had with me at work. It read like a recitation rather than a story and the main character, nor indeed any of her friends/family, just didn’t spark my interest at all. Next!
Cheryl
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
May 2008 Reads
1. THE PATRON SAINT OF PLAGUES by Barth Anderson. Plague fiction set in the year 2061, mostly in the city of Ascension, Mexico (once Mexico City.) It’s a vastly different world than we know today. Mexico and the US are at war, with Mexico being headed by a religious group, an offshoot of the Catholic church that rules with a fascist furor. And someone has unleashed a deadly plague in the city, a combination of a couple of different plagues and set to attack only those with a certain genetic background and who are connected to the pilone network—basically ‘internet in your head’ so that the government can keep track of everyone. The main character is a scientist known as ‘the Patron Saint of Plagues’ who is summoned by the Mexican government to help them get this plague under control, and yet they won’t give Stark the vital information he needs, so he must accumulate that knowledge by other means. Ironically, a renegade nun named Sister Domenica, who predicted the plague, is also referred to by the same title, and inevitably Stark and Domenica’s paths do eventually cross. An interesting book, with what seemed to be a plausible storyline, with one major annoyance—that the main character spoke in a shorthand type language that drove me mad! B+
2. KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR by Carrie Vaughn. #1 in the Kitty Norville paranormal series. Kitty is a midnight shift DJ at a local Denver radio station who accidentally starts a talk show about the paranormal and supernatural—a discussion of these topics brought up by a caller spawns high ratings and her boss asks her to continue once a week on that topic. Since Kitty is herself a lycanthrope—a werewolf—who is simply trying to maintain her humanity, these topics are near and dear to her heart. When the show takes off with amazing success and is syndicated six months later, her pack leader Carl asks Kitty to leave the show as he feels it is drawing too much attention to the ‘other’ world they live in. For the first time since becoming werewolf three years previously, Kitty disobeys her pack leader and reacts to the order as a human—a human who has found her niche and is at last coming into her own. Of course, conflict ensues. LOL The conflict steps up a notch when Kitty “comes out” to the world about being a werewolf and is asked by the police to consult on a brutal murder that is quite obviously the work of a werewolf. I really enjoyed this book and practically devoured it and have put the next couple on my PBS wishlist. A+
3. ROSEANNA by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. #1 in the Swedish police series featuring detective Martin Beck, this book is an oldie, published in 1967. It’s also one of my TBR Challenge Books and has been on my shelf patiently waiting for me for almost 2 years. When a dead, naked body turns up in the bucket of a dredging machine on Lake Vatten, national detective Beck is consulted by the local police to aid the investigation. The case consumes him and he becomes somewhat obsessed with it over the course of months, when finally there is a break in the case. It’s learned that the woman was a tourist, a librarian named Roseanna McGraw from Lincoln, Nebraska—which, back in the pre-internet days, most people in Sweden (including the police on the case) had never heard of! The mystery held me in thrall—and really, the way the book was plotted, it wasn’t possible to guess the killer beforehand. And I guess it wasn’t even a ‘mystery’ technically, more a testimonial to police procedure. The book was a bit dry, which I’m not sure is the result of the author’s writing style or the translation of the book from Swedish, and even perhaps a bit of the time the book was written in, 40+ years ago. Beck is a very melancholy person (not unlike another Swedish detective I read about) and the prose is often just—I don’t know, slow and plodding. And yet the story itself was very interesting and I read this rather quickly because the author made me truly interested in it, and in Roseanna, the dead woman. I can’t say this will become a favorite series, as Beck was just too much of a blah character for me, but in a strange way, I did enjoy this book (at the same time as I was pointing out its faults to myself, I was eager to read on) so if I can lay hands on the next one, I probably will give it a go. The strength of this book was definitely in the story of the dead woman. B-.
4. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: ORIGIN by Christopher Golden. Graphic novel that tells the ‘backstory’ of how Buffy came to be the Slayer—the story at her previous school/town before she came to Sunnydale. I hadn’t realized when I wishlisted this at PBS that it was indeed a graphic novel so was a little surprised when I got it, and obviously it was a very quick read. It was entertaining and a good read for what it was, but not something I’ll order more from in the series. B.
5. HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE by Diana Wynne Jones. First in the fantasy series for young adults, this is the story of Sophie, a young woman apprenticed in a millinery shop owned by her stepmother. When The Witch of the Waste becomes angry with Sophie because none of her hats suits her, she puts a spell on the young girl, making her look and feel like an old crone. Sophie sets out on her own and ends up in the magical, moving castle inhabited by Howl, professed evil wizard of the land who feeds on the hearts and souls of young girls—or so the stories say. Sophie, who makes a deal with Calcifer, the fire demon inhabiting Howl’s hearth—finds him to be just a horrible slob, and she sets herself up as his new cleaning lady while trying to figure out how to hold up her end of the bargain with the demon so that the spell on her can be lifted. Things take several twisty turns until the story comes to its inevitable conclusion. Enjoyable, light fantasy—now I need to see the movie! B+
6. FORTUNE’S DAUGHTER by Alice Hoffman. Another of my TBR Challenge books that’s beeen sitting here on my shelf for ages. This is the story of two women, Lila—an older woman who was forced to give up her baby for adoption as a teenager, and Rae, a young woman who would be about Lila’s daughter’s age and has recently found herself to be pregnant, though her live-in boyfriend has recently left her. Rae comes to Lila for a ‘fortune telling’ as Lila reads tea leaves. But what Lila sees in Rae’s teacup leaves her distraught and brings back many unpleasant memories for her and begins to entwine their stories together. This was an interesting story, with some of Hoffman’s usual mystical element to it, Also present is her theme of women ‘finding themselves’ which is fine for an occasional story, but I couldn’t read steady doses of this stuff without pulling my hair out. In short, it was okay but really nothing memorable. In fact, I forgot to add this to my review list and in going back to write this three weeks later, I had a hard time remembering the characters’ names or the plot. LOL C
7. THIS GAMING LIFE by Jim Rossignol. ARC for review from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program. Rossignol lost his job as a journalist due to his disinterest and basically played online games full time for a few years—this book details his experiences, talks about the people he’s met doing this, and goes into the big business of online gaming a bit as well. He talks about some of the more popular games out there, the history and rapid evolution of the whole gaming culture, too. Unfortunately, the book isn’t very readable in my opinion. The information is too scattered and there isn’t really a cohesive story or theme to it, and there is quite a lot of repetition as well—saying the same things in several different ways in later chapters. I myself am a novice gamer when I can be, so I was hoping for more than was there. I admit that I skimmed the last few chapters and this wouldn’t be a book I’d recommend to either the general public nor to gamers. C-
8. THE WICCAN WEB: SURFING THE MAGIC ON THE INTERNET by Patricia Telesco and Sirona Knight. A book about not only how and where witches and pagans can find support and information online, but how to make your computer space into a sacred altar and work magick over the ‘net, how to protect your computer from viruses and other attacks magickally as well. There was, as always, ‘some’ good information here to be gleaned, but much of it was outdated in that the book is several years old—though admittedly the authors do list that as a caveat right at the beginning. The magickal information is pertinent, though most of it wasn’t really practical in my own case since I’m not the only one using the computer. I’ve decided to trade the book off after taking a few notes from it. B-.
9. THE LAST WITCHFINDER by James Morrow. Historical fiction that begins in 1680’s England and then moves to America, this is a book ‘written’ by a book and is the story of Jennet, the daughter of a witchfinder. The father is a zealot and seeks to be the first in an office called the Witchfinder Royal, and does all he can to put forth his case to the king and other government officials, but the tides are changing and witch trials are no longer so popular as they once were so he finds it rough going, eventually exiled to America with a supposedly grand title but in reality being thrown to the wolves. The daughter, on the other hand, is very interested in science, the teachings of Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton, etc., and is aghast when her father accuses her aunt (sister to her father’s long-dead wife) of being a witch, as Isobel is the one who has been her tutor for several years. The story is interesting and it’s written with a background of dry humor that makes it all the more appealing; it’s easy sometimes to miss the bits of humor dropped into the book at first, as I was expecting more of a ‘straight’ historical fiction but was delighted with the voice of ‘the book’ who authored this book once I figured out that he/she/it was trying to be funny and slip one by me. LOL It was interesting how the author incorporated real historical figures into the story; he certainly took a lot of liberties there—but as I always say, it IS historical FICTION after all, but he did make some real leaps out into “far out!” land. LOL It also got rather slow and draggy in spots and took me almost 2 weeks to finish—yeah, it was a long book, but it felt much longer, and there were times I just wanted it to be done with. And finally, it was. B+
10. THE GLASS FACTORY by k.j.a. Wishnia. Fourth in the Filomena Buscarsela mystery series. I enjoyed this book, except that Fil seemed a bit like a super-hero, jumping from scene to scene in her cape and tights to the point where it crossed the border into fantasy-land. Just a whole lot of implausible stuff going on. Definitely surreal. Fil ends up moving in with her “sister-in-law” (the sister of her daughter’s father) when she discovers that she has lung cancer from the exposure to the chemicals from the last book. She goes on a crusade to nail the head of the company and scuttles here, there and everywhere gathering evidence against him, and generally being, as I said, superhuman. That said, I do really like Filomena and her ‘voice,’ so it rather irked me that the story was so disjointed and frenetic. There’s two more left in the series (with none added since 2002) so I will finish it out, just because I care about Fil and what happens to her—but I do hope the author settles down a little and makes the next story a bit more realistic. B-.
11. RAIN STORM by Barry Eisler. Third in the John Rain thriller/mystery series about a half-American, half-Japanese assassin, who is now living in Brazil after his last caper, needing to disappear. He melds into the Asian community there until he gets a call out of the blue from the CIA (or some unofficial branch thereof) to take out a middle-eastern arms dealer. Of course several monkey wrenches get thrown into the stew along the way, making for an interesting, exciting story spanning continents and cultures. The only thing I have a hard time with regarding Eisler’s series is the detailed descriptions of the martial arts/fight scenes, which are done in such detail that they pull me out of the story because I have to work to visualize the scenes and it reads like a slow-motion video clip. The elbow going here, knee there, arm twisted this way—then he does this and I do that, and yadda yadda. I tend to skim those parts, to be honest. Otherwise, I love the main character, the cultural details and Eisler does write a good thriller! B+
12. DEATH OF A SCRIPTWRITER by M.C. Beaton. #14 Hamish MacBeth mystery set in the Scottish Highlands in which a TV production company comes to nearby Drim to film the adaptation of a local mystery writer’s book. The writer, Patricia, is a stuffy, class-concious older woman who is horrified when she learns that her protagonist, Lady Harriet, has been turned into a commune-running, drug-taking, boob-bearing slut in the adaptation. When the scriptwriter, and then the lead actress are both murdered within a few months of each other, the writer is one of many suspects who float to the surface and it’s only Hamish’s shrewd thinking and plodding police work that sort out the truth. Typical visit to Lochdubh with Hamish and the gang—enjoyable but not spectacular. B.
13. DISCO FOR THE DEPARTED by Colin Cotterill. Third in the Laotian mystery series featuring 73-year-old national coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun. Dr. Siri and his nurse Dtui travel north to investigate the case of a body trapped in cement for approximately five months. How did it come to be there, and was it murder? They (or rather, the young head of security, Lit, at the compound where they’re headed) need to solve the case before the president arrives there for a concert the following week. The body was that of a Cuban, and it seems he was alive when he went into the cement. Dr. Siri’s mystical bent continues, when he hears and feels a nightly disco dance in the concert hall—when he investigates, he sees it as well, with many spirits participating. Meanwhile, Mr. Geung, Dr. Siri’s morgue assistant who has Down’s Syndrome and was left behind to mind the morgue, is kidnapped by a Communist Party official (“it doesn’t look good having a retard working in such an important post’) and removed to a labor camp. While Siri and Dtui are laboring up north, Mr. Geung escapes his captors makes the 300-kilometer trek back home, quite an interesting feat for someone who can’t read and has limited mental capability. But he promised Dr. Siri to look after the morgue in his absence and he means to keep the promise! What a lovely series and a great way to end the month! A+
I'm almost done with THE ELVES OF CINTRA by Terry Brooks, but the report will need to go on next month's list as I've still got about 100 pages to go and I always reserve review til I get to the ending, which can make or break a book. LOL
Cheryl
2. KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR by Carrie Vaughn. #1 in the Kitty Norville paranormal series. Kitty is a midnight shift DJ at a local Denver radio station who accidentally starts a talk show about the paranormal and supernatural—a discussion of these topics brought up by a caller spawns high ratings and her boss asks her to continue once a week on that topic. Since Kitty is herself a lycanthrope—a werewolf—who is simply trying to maintain her humanity, these topics are near and dear to her heart. When the show takes off with amazing success and is syndicated six months later, her pack leader Carl asks Kitty to leave the show as he feels it is drawing too much attention to the ‘other’ world they live in. For the first time since becoming werewolf three years previously, Kitty disobeys her pack leader and reacts to the order as a human—a human who has found her niche and is at last coming into her own. Of course, conflict ensues. LOL The conflict steps up a notch when Kitty “comes out” to the world about being a werewolf and is asked by the police to consult on a brutal murder that is quite obviously the work of a werewolf. I really enjoyed this book and practically devoured it and have put the next couple on my PBS wishlist. A+
3. ROSEANNA by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. #1 in the Swedish police series featuring detective Martin Beck, this book is an oldie, published in 1967. It’s also one of my TBR Challenge Books and has been on my shelf patiently waiting for me for almost 2 years. When a dead, naked body turns up in the bucket of a dredging machine on Lake Vatten, national detective Beck is consulted by the local police to aid the investigation. The case consumes him and he becomes somewhat obsessed with it over the course of months, when finally there is a break in the case. It’s learned that the woman was a tourist, a librarian named Roseanna McGraw from Lincoln, Nebraska—which, back in the pre-internet days, most people in Sweden (including the police on the case) had never heard of! The mystery held me in thrall—and really, the way the book was plotted, it wasn’t possible to guess the killer beforehand. And I guess it wasn’t even a ‘mystery’ technically, more a testimonial to police procedure. The book was a bit dry, which I’m not sure is the result of the author’s writing style or the translation of the book from Swedish, and even perhaps a bit of the time the book was written in, 40+ years ago. Beck is a very melancholy person (not unlike another Swedish detective I read about) and the prose is often just—I don’t know, slow and plodding. And yet the story itself was very interesting and I read this rather quickly because the author made me truly interested in it, and in Roseanna, the dead woman. I can’t say this will become a favorite series, as Beck was just too much of a blah character for me, but in a strange way, I did enjoy this book (at the same time as I was pointing out its faults to myself, I was eager to read on) so if I can lay hands on the next one, I probably will give it a go. The strength of this book was definitely in the story of the dead woman. B-.
4. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: ORIGIN by Christopher Golden. Graphic novel that tells the ‘backstory’ of how Buffy came to be the Slayer—the story at her previous school/town before she came to Sunnydale. I hadn’t realized when I wishlisted this at PBS that it was indeed a graphic novel so was a little surprised when I got it, and obviously it was a very quick read. It was entertaining and a good read for what it was, but not something I’ll order more from in the series. B.
5. HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE by Diana Wynne Jones. First in the fantasy series for young adults, this is the story of Sophie, a young woman apprenticed in a millinery shop owned by her stepmother. When The Witch of the Waste becomes angry with Sophie because none of her hats suits her, she puts a spell on the young girl, making her look and feel like an old crone. Sophie sets out on her own and ends up in the magical, moving castle inhabited by Howl, professed evil wizard of the land who feeds on the hearts and souls of young girls—or so the stories say. Sophie, who makes a deal with Calcifer, the fire demon inhabiting Howl’s hearth—finds him to be just a horrible slob, and she sets herself up as his new cleaning lady while trying to figure out how to hold up her end of the bargain with the demon so that the spell on her can be lifted. Things take several twisty turns until the story comes to its inevitable conclusion. Enjoyable, light fantasy—now I need to see the movie! B+
6. FORTUNE’S DAUGHTER by Alice Hoffman. Another of my TBR Challenge books that’s beeen sitting here on my shelf for ages. This is the story of two women, Lila—an older woman who was forced to give up her baby for adoption as a teenager, and Rae, a young woman who would be about Lila’s daughter’s age and has recently found herself to be pregnant, though her live-in boyfriend has recently left her. Rae comes to Lila for a ‘fortune telling’ as Lila reads tea leaves. But what Lila sees in Rae’s teacup leaves her distraught and brings back many unpleasant memories for her and begins to entwine their stories together. This was an interesting story, with some of Hoffman’s usual mystical element to it, Also present is her theme of women ‘finding themselves’ which is fine for an occasional story, but I couldn’t read steady doses of this stuff without pulling my hair out. In short, it was okay but really nothing memorable. In fact, I forgot to add this to my review list and in going back to write this three weeks later, I had a hard time remembering the characters’ names or the plot. LOL C
7. THIS GAMING LIFE by Jim Rossignol. ARC for review from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program. Rossignol lost his job as a journalist due to his disinterest and basically played online games full time for a few years—this book details his experiences, talks about the people he’s met doing this, and goes into the big business of online gaming a bit as well. He talks about some of the more popular games out there, the history and rapid evolution of the whole gaming culture, too. Unfortunately, the book isn’t very readable in my opinion. The information is too scattered and there isn’t really a cohesive story or theme to it, and there is quite a lot of repetition as well—saying the same things in several different ways in later chapters. I myself am a novice gamer when I can be, so I was hoping for more than was there. I admit that I skimmed the last few chapters and this wouldn’t be a book I’d recommend to either the general public nor to gamers. C-
8. THE WICCAN WEB: SURFING THE MAGIC ON THE INTERNET by Patricia Telesco and Sirona Knight. A book about not only how and where witches and pagans can find support and information online, but how to make your computer space into a sacred altar and work magick over the ‘net, how to protect your computer from viruses and other attacks magickally as well. There was, as always, ‘some’ good information here to be gleaned, but much of it was outdated in that the book is several years old—though admittedly the authors do list that as a caveat right at the beginning. The magickal information is pertinent, though most of it wasn’t really practical in my own case since I’m not the only one using the computer. I’ve decided to trade the book off after taking a few notes from it. B-.
9. THE LAST WITCHFINDER by James Morrow. Historical fiction that begins in 1680’s England and then moves to America, this is a book ‘written’ by a book and is the story of Jennet, the daughter of a witchfinder. The father is a zealot and seeks to be the first in an office called the Witchfinder Royal, and does all he can to put forth his case to the king and other government officials, but the tides are changing and witch trials are no longer so popular as they once were so he finds it rough going, eventually exiled to America with a supposedly grand title but in reality being thrown to the wolves. The daughter, on the other hand, is very interested in science, the teachings of Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton, etc., and is aghast when her father accuses her aunt (sister to her father’s long-dead wife) of being a witch, as Isobel is the one who has been her tutor for several years. The story is interesting and it’s written with a background of dry humor that makes it all the more appealing; it’s easy sometimes to miss the bits of humor dropped into the book at first, as I was expecting more of a ‘straight’ historical fiction but was delighted with the voice of ‘the book’ who authored this book once I figured out that he/she/it was trying to be funny and slip one by me. LOL It was interesting how the author incorporated real historical figures into the story; he certainly took a lot of liberties there—but as I always say, it IS historical FICTION after all, but he did make some real leaps out into “far out!” land. LOL It also got rather slow and draggy in spots and took me almost 2 weeks to finish—yeah, it was a long book, but it felt much longer, and there were times I just wanted it to be done with. And finally, it was. B+
10. THE GLASS FACTORY by k.j.a. Wishnia. Fourth in the Filomena Buscarsela mystery series. I enjoyed this book, except that Fil seemed a bit like a super-hero, jumping from scene to scene in her cape and tights to the point where it crossed the border into fantasy-land. Just a whole lot of implausible stuff going on. Definitely surreal. Fil ends up moving in with her “sister-in-law” (the sister of her daughter’s father) when she discovers that she has lung cancer from the exposure to the chemicals from the last book. She goes on a crusade to nail the head of the company and scuttles here, there and everywhere gathering evidence against him, and generally being, as I said, superhuman. That said, I do really like Filomena and her ‘voice,’ so it rather irked me that the story was so disjointed and frenetic. There’s two more left in the series (with none added since 2002) so I will finish it out, just because I care about Fil and what happens to her—but I do hope the author settles down a little and makes the next story a bit more realistic. B-.
11. RAIN STORM by Barry Eisler. Third in the John Rain thriller/mystery series about a half-American, half-Japanese assassin, who is now living in Brazil after his last caper, needing to disappear. He melds into the Asian community there until he gets a call out of the blue from the CIA (or some unofficial branch thereof) to take out a middle-eastern arms dealer. Of course several monkey wrenches get thrown into the stew along the way, making for an interesting, exciting story spanning continents and cultures. The only thing I have a hard time with regarding Eisler’s series is the detailed descriptions of the martial arts/fight scenes, which are done in such detail that they pull me out of the story because I have to work to visualize the scenes and it reads like a slow-motion video clip. The elbow going here, knee there, arm twisted this way—then he does this and I do that, and yadda yadda. I tend to skim those parts, to be honest. Otherwise, I love the main character, the cultural details and Eisler does write a good thriller! B+
12. DEATH OF A SCRIPTWRITER by M.C. Beaton. #14 Hamish MacBeth mystery set in the Scottish Highlands in which a TV production company comes to nearby Drim to film the adaptation of a local mystery writer’s book. The writer, Patricia, is a stuffy, class-concious older woman who is horrified when she learns that her protagonist, Lady Harriet, has been turned into a commune-running, drug-taking, boob-bearing slut in the adaptation. When the scriptwriter, and then the lead actress are both murdered within a few months of each other, the writer is one of many suspects who float to the surface and it’s only Hamish’s shrewd thinking and plodding police work that sort out the truth. Typical visit to Lochdubh with Hamish and the gang—enjoyable but not spectacular. B.
13. DISCO FOR THE DEPARTED by Colin Cotterill. Third in the Laotian mystery series featuring 73-year-old national coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun. Dr. Siri and his nurse Dtui travel north to investigate the case of a body trapped in cement for approximately five months. How did it come to be there, and was it murder? They (or rather, the young head of security, Lit, at the compound where they’re headed) need to solve the case before the president arrives there for a concert the following week. The body was that of a Cuban, and it seems he was alive when he went into the cement. Dr. Siri’s mystical bent continues, when he hears and feels a nightly disco dance in the concert hall—when he investigates, he sees it as well, with many spirits participating. Meanwhile, Mr. Geung, Dr. Siri’s morgue assistant who has Down’s Syndrome and was left behind to mind the morgue, is kidnapped by a Communist Party official (“it doesn’t look good having a retard working in such an important post’) and removed to a labor camp. While Siri and Dtui are laboring up north, Mr. Geung escapes his captors makes the 300-kilometer trek back home, quite an interesting feat for someone who can’t read and has limited mental capability. But he promised Dr. Siri to look after the morgue in his absence and he means to keep the promise! What a lovely series and a great way to end the month! A+
I'm almost done with THE ELVES OF CINTRA by Terry Brooks, but the report will need to go on next month's list as I've still got about 100 pages to go and I always reserve review til I get to the ending, which can make or break a book. LOL
Cheryl
Monday, April 14, 2008
APRIL 2008 READS
1. THE TINNER’S CORPSE by Bernard Knight. Fifth in the “Crowner John” medieval mystery series featuring Sir John de Wolfe, the King’s Coroner of Devon UK in the 1190’s. This episode features the tin mining industry and spotlights the importance of tin to the county and the realm at that time. When a foreman-type is brutally beheaded in a stream near the tin works he oversaw in Cragmoor and discovered next morning by his workers, Crowner John is called in to investigate, even though the Stannery (sort of like the tin workers union) has their own governing body and laws. Those laws don’t cover things like murder, so John leaves his ever-grumbling wife for yet another trip into the countryside with his two faithful assistants and soon he, Gwyn and Thomas find out just how fraught with competition and malice the guild can be. In side plots, John’s wife Matilda and her brother the Sheriff plot to hire another coroner (the county is supposed to have three, but for the time being, John is it!) so John needn’t be away from home so much. And John’s longtime mistress and main squeeze Nesta has gone cold on him as well, realizing just how hopeless her situation is, being with a man she can never marry and in a relationship that will never be more than what it is. This book was okay, but I found myself cringing occasionally because the author was constantly making known just how “grumpy” our Crowner is, using phrases/words like “John barked,” or “the Crowner growled,” or “he snapped,” etc. and it got repetitive enough that each time one of those (or similar) words was used, I cringed. LOL I also wasn’t terribly fond of the ending, but can’t say more lest I give too much away. B.
2. FIRETHORN by Sarah Micklem. Fantasy set in a medieval-like world, featuring a young girl with bright red hair and unknown origins, originally called Luck by her adoptive family but renamed Firethorn after surviving self-inflicted poisoning with berries from a firethorn tree. She ends up going off to war with Sire Galan as his ‘sheath’ (read: mistress) and meets many interesting people along the way, enduring some horrible conditions and never being quite sure of her place. I really loved this author’s writing style—very evocative and mood-setting—and the story itself also held me in thrall. I hope I can locate the second in the series—it seems to be out of print already until a new version is released later next year. I hope to see more from this author in the future! A.
3. A FINER END by Deborah Crombie. Seventh in the Duncan Kinkaid/Gemma James British police procedural series, this one centering around Glastonbury with a lot of woo-woo and mysterious goings on. Duncan is summoned to Glastonbury by his cousin Jack Montfort when Jack’s girlfriend is the victim of a hit and run driver and he suspects there’s more to it than just an accident. Gemma, now an Inspector and working with a regular police force out of Notting Hill, accompanies Duncan for a weekend getaway to Glastonbury and ends up thoroughly tangled in the mystery too. I absolutely love this series, and this book was no exception. Now, there are likely some folks who won’t like the mystical bent this particular book took, but it *was* set in Glastonbury, after all! This series has fast jumped into one of my top five favorites ever, and I’m going to prove it by moving on to the next one in series as my next ‘read at work’ choice. LOL A+
4. STAGE FRIGHT by Ellen Hart. Third in the Jane Lawless, lesbian restaurateur mystery series set in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. When a prominent local theatre actor, Torald Werness, dies impaled on the fork of one of the stage props, Jane is put into the thick of things because not only was she in the theatre at the time, but the dead guy is who she suspects attempted to burgle her garage a couple of days previously. One of Jane’s houseguests is most likely his nephew, which is just now coming to light, and Torald was looking for proof in some papers that were stored by the young man in the garage. Inspector Trevelyan once again pursues Jane as a possible suspect so Jane must solve the crime to clear herself. I’m enjoying this series more as I read on in it—the characters are fleshing out a bit, though there is still room for improvement there, as there is with the plotting—I figured out most of the mystery fairly early on, and had to wait ages for everyone else to catch up with me. One thing I do love is the local setting—since Hart is a local author, she does that part very well and captures the spirit of the area flawlessly. Looking forward to the next in series! B.
5. CAT ON THE SCENT by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. (audio) Seventh in the Mrs. Murphy and Tucker “pet” mysteries set in small-town Crozet, Virginia and also featuring Mary Minor “Harry” Harristeen, the town’s post mistress. This one featured Civil War re-enactment stuff, which dropped it down a bit on my enjoyment scale, as the Civil War is one topic/time period that I just have never been interested in, nor enjoyed much. A prominent local is shot for real during a re-enactment battle and of course there are numerous folks who wouldn’t have minded him dead. This was a typical book in the series, a light mystery “listen” although the series isn’t really ‘cozy’ per se—it certainly touches on many of the sordid bits of small-town life. I do enjoy the characters in the series and certainly will be carrying on, probably listening to them, mostly. The reader for this series seems to be particularly delightful so I’m hoping she continues to read all the books. B.
6. THE MISTRESS OF SPICES by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. One of my TBR Challenge Alternate selections that’s been on my shelf for a couple of years—finally getting to it! This is the story of a woman named Tilo and her journey to become a Mistress of Spices, and how she came to be in a spice store in Oakland, CA. Mystical and magical, the book is almost a series of short stories about the different spices and the people Tilo deals with associated with each spice, but the stories are all woven together to make it Tilo’s story too. I quite enjoyed the book aside from the frequent usage of various Indian phrases and words that I wasn’t familiar with. I’ve read a few books by Indian authors so have some knowledge of it, and I’m quite familiar with Indian foods and spices, but this using of foreign words happened way too often and it was enough to pull me out of the story occasionally. Aside from that, I would recommend the book for those who enjoy mystical/Goddess stories and who aren’t put off by the woo-woo. ::Grin:: B.
7. AND JUSTICE THERE IS NONE by Deborah Crombie. Eighth Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery/Brit police procedural in which Duncan and Gemma’s paths cross with two similar murders causing the appearance of a serial killer loose in London. There seems to be a connection with not only the similarities in the way they were killed, but the two victims are both connected in some way with the antiques trade. When their main suspect ends up dead himself, Duncan and Gemma must root out further clues to the culprit—although, in this book, it was fairly clear to me early on who that was. On a personal note, Duncan and Gemma move in together because of Gemma’s pregnancy and there are some adjustments with that, particularly as Kit, Duncan’s thirteen-year-old son, moves in with them as well. I really enjoy the way the author ties the past to the present in her novels—sometimes, as in the previous book, it’s a past that is centuries distant, and other times, as in this book, it’s only as far back as the childhood of some of the characters. There’s only a few books left in the series before I’m caught up—I’m going to have to start hoarding them, I think! A.
8. WITCH HUNT by Shirley Damsgaard. #4 in the Ophelia and Abby paranormal mystery series featuring Ophelia Jensen, a librarian in small-town Iowa who has pre-cognitive abilities and her grandmother Abby, a witch. When a biker gang starts hanging out in their small town and essentially taking over a bar there, Ophelia begins to have feelings of unease that something bad is going to happen. And sure enough, one of the bikers ends up dead, and the accused is none other than her good friend and co-worker Darci’s cousin Becca who is visiting from California. Ophelia herself is distracted, trying to be a good parent to Tink, the thirteen-year-old girl she’s taken into her home as a foster child—from their last book’s escapades—and not finding it a very easy task. This book just seemed ‘off’ to me. I’ve enjoyed the previous ones in the series, though it did take me til the middle of the second book before I really began to warm to Ophelia. I found plenty to be annoyed with in this book though—much repetitive text and phrases, too many scenarios that were extremely unlikely, and Ophelia needed slapping upside the head way too often. I did finish it—if it weren’t such a quick, easy read I probably wouldn’t have—but I admit that I skimmed the last couple of chapters, and I’ve decided to hang up the spurs on this series since I can’t honestly say I much care what happens to Ophelia any longer. I do have the next one in series here, but I’m going to trade it off. C-.
9. THISTLE AND TWIGG by Mary Saums. First in a new series featuring Jane Thistle and Phoebe Twigg, two ladies living in their sixties in small-town Alabama. Sound familiar? LOL Well, it’s not the ‘southern sisters,’ that’s for sure. Both these ladies are widows and have just met. Jane moved to a house outside of town and Phoebe has lived there all her life. Jane is a Brit who has lived in the States for almost 50 years, as she was a military war bride; Phoebe is Southern through and through. I enjoyed this first book in the series, though there is a lot of woo-woo so if you don’t like that sort of thing, best avoid it. This was a good, but not great, first in series. The story alternates chapter to chapter, told partly from Jane’s POV and partly from Phoebe’s, and Saums does do a wonderful job with speaking through two characters with totally different personalities/life experiences, etc. But as with the first book I read in Saums’ other series, some things just didn’t ring true and seemed very implausible, like Jane’s ornery old coot of a neighbor Cal agreeing to sell her his land after meeting her ONE time when he had refused many, many offers for large amounts of money over the years. Huh? Intuition and sixth sense aside (and woo-woo doesn’t bother me—that part I had no problem believing)—that’s just insane. There is also something about Jane’s past that I found hard to buy into, but I can’t say more about that without doing a major spoiler. The mystery wasn’t much of a mystery—I figured it out fairly early on. Jane and Phoebe stumble upon a dead body after taking a walk and doing some target practice on neighbor Cal’s land. Cal’s been known to shoot at folks who ignore his trespassing signs, so he’s the obvious suspect, but Jane doesn’t believe it after meeting him, even though he even shot at her and her real estate agent when she had come to initially look at the property. I have the second in the series on my wishlist at PBS, and I will read it, but it’s not one that I’ll run right out and buy. B.
10. MURDER ON MULBERRY BEND by Victoria Thompson. #5 Gaslight historical mystery featuring midwife Sarah Brandt in turn-of-the-20th century New York. When a young woman who’s a reforming prostitute who was staying at a Christian Mission for girls on Mulberry Bend is murdered wearing Sarah’s donated clothing, Det. Sgt. Frank Malloy gets the scare of his life, first thinking the dead woman is Sarah. And of course Mrs. Brandt is pulled into the investigation in an attempt to find out who killed Emilia, venturing into the dangerous Italian neighborhood to speak with her family and acquaintances and volunteering at the Mission to gather more facts and to soothe her soul, feeling that she doesn’t do enough to help her fellow man. Meanwhile, Malloy continuing investigating the long-cold case of the murder of Sarah’s husband, Dr. Tom Brandt and makes a startling discovery. The mystery of the dead ex-prostitute wasn’t much of a mystery at all as I spotted the baddie very early on, and there were many obvious clues put forth. I do enjoy this series though, which is just a bit of an oddity as this is definitely not my favorite historical time period. The characters are wonderful, though, and Thompson does a great job of setting the atmosphere of the times as well. A.
11. BLOOD RITES by Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden paranormal series #6 in which Harry ends up with an undercover job as a production assistant for the producer of pornographic movies in order to find out who’s putting a dark curse on the women surrounding the producer. He also ends up in the middle of a war between the White and Black vampire courts and nearly gets his nuts roasted a few times in the process. LOL Harry learns more information about his past, his mother, and also finds out he’s got family he never knew about. Great, fast-paced entry in the series with Harry at his best (and worst!) I don’t know why I don’t read these faster, because I sure enjoy them when I do! A
DNF (Tried to read, but Did Not Finish):
THE BLACK CHALICE by Marie Jakober. I love medieval monks, generally, but this one just failed to capture my attention and seemed much like a sensationalist attempt to focus on sex and ‘the dark side.’ Which I don’t mind if it’s interesting and well-done. This one wasn’t--very scattered, just couldn't seem to pull a coherent storyline together.
THE MOBILE LIBRARY: THE CASE OF THE MISSING BOOKS by Ian Sansom. A mystery about a library/librarian—sounds great, right? Um…not. I read about 50 pages hoping that eventually I’d get interested, but I didn’t. The humor (if you can call it that) seemed forced and while I don’t necessarily have to *like* the protagonist in a series, neither should I feel outright contempt! What a moron he was! I’ve got better things to do with my time—like clean the bathrooms. Next!
Cheryl
2. FIRETHORN by Sarah Micklem. Fantasy set in a medieval-like world, featuring a young girl with bright red hair and unknown origins, originally called Luck by her adoptive family but renamed Firethorn after surviving self-inflicted poisoning with berries from a firethorn tree. She ends up going off to war with Sire Galan as his ‘sheath’ (read: mistress) and meets many interesting people along the way, enduring some horrible conditions and never being quite sure of her place. I really loved this author’s writing style—very evocative and mood-setting—and the story itself also held me in thrall. I hope I can locate the second in the series—it seems to be out of print already until a new version is released later next year. I hope to see more from this author in the future! A.
3. A FINER END by Deborah Crombie. Seventh in the Duncan Kinkaid/Gemma James British police procedural series, this one centering around Glastonbury with a lot of woo-woo and mysterious goings on. Duncan is summoned to Glastonbury by his cousin Jack Montfort when Jack’s girlfriend is the victim of a hit and run driver and he suspects there’s more to it than just an accident. Gemma, now an Inspector and working with a regular police force out of Notting Hill, accompanies Duncan for a weekend getaway to Glastonbury and ends up thoroughly tangled in the mystery too. I absolutely love this series, and this book was no exception. Now, there are likely some folks who won’t like the mystical bent this particular book took, but it *was* set in Glastonbury, after all! This series has fast jumped into one of my top five favorites ever, and I’m going to prove it by moving on to the next one in series as my next ‘read at work’ choice. LOL A+
4. STAGE FRIGHT by Ellen Hart. Third in the Jane Lawless, lesbian restaurateur mystery series set in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. When a prominent local theatre actor, Torald Werness, dies impaled on the fork of one of the stage props, Jane is put into the thick of things because not only was she in the theatre at the time, but the dead guy is who she suspects attempted to burgle her garage a couple of days previously. One of Jane’s houseguests is most likely his nephew, which is just now coming to light, and Torald was looking for proof in some papers that were stored by the young man in the garage. Inspector Trevelyan once again pursues Jane as a possible suspect so Jane must solve the crime to clear herself. I’m enjoying this series more as I read on in it—the characters are fleshing out a bit, though there is still room for improvement there, as there is with the plotting—I figured out most of the mystery fairly early on, and had to wait ages for everyone else to catch up with me. One thing I do love is the local setting—since Hart is a local author, she does that part very well and captures the spirit of the area flawlessly. Looking forward to the next in series! B.
5. CAT ON THE SCENT by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. (audio) Seventh in the Mrs. Murphy and Tucker “pet” mysteries set in small-town Crozet, Virginia and also featuring Mary Minor “Harry” Harristeen, the town’s post mistress. This one featured Civil War re-enactment stuff, which dropped it down a bit on my enjoyment scale, as the Civil War is one topic/time period that I just have never been interested in, nor enjoyed much. A prominent local is shot for real during a re-enactment battle and of course there are numerous folks who wouldn’t have minded him dead. This was a typical book in the series, a light mystery “listen” although the series isn’t really ‘cozy’ per se—it certainly touches on many of the sordid bits of small-town life. I do enjoy the characters in the series and certainly will be carrying on, probably listening to them, mostly. The reader for this series seems to be particularly delightful so I’m hoping she continues to read all the books. B.
6. THE MISTRESS OF SPICES by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. One of my TBR Challenge Alternate selections that’s been on my shelf for a couple of years—finally getting to it! This is the story of a woman named Tilo and her journey to become a Mistress of Spices, and how she came to be in a spice store in Oakland, CA. Mystical and magical, the book is almost a series of short stories about the different spices and the people Tilo deals with associated with each spice, but the stories are all woven together to make it Tilo’s story too. I quite enjoyed the book aside from the frequent usage of various Indian phrases and words that I wasn’t familiar with. I’ve read a few books by Indian authors so have some knowledge of it, and I’m quite familiar with Indian foods and spices, but this using of foreign words happened way too often and it was enough to pull me out of the story occasionally. Aside from that, I would recommend the book for those who enjoy mystical/Goddess stories and who aren’t put off by the woo-woo. ::Grin:: B.
7. AND JUSTICE THERE IS NONE by Deborah Crombie. Eighth Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery/Brit police procedural in which Duncan and Gemma’s paths cross with two similar murders causing the appearance of a serial killer loose in London. There seems to be a connection with not only the similarities in the way they were killed, but the two victims are both connected in some way with the antiques trade. When their main suspect ends up dead himself, Duncan and Gemma must root out further clues to the culprit—although, in this book, it was fairly clear to me early on who that was. On a personal note, Duncan and Gemma move in together because of Gemma’s pregnancy and there are some adjustments with that, particularly as Kit, Duncan’s thirteen-year-old son, moves in with them as well. I really enjoy the way the author ties the past to the present in her novels—sometimes, as in the previous book, it’s a past that is centuries distant, and other times, as in this book, it’s only as far back as the childhood of some of the characters. There’s only a few books left in the series before I’m caught up—I’m going to have to start hoarding them, I think! A.
8. WITCH HUNT by Shirley Damsgaard. #4 in the Ophelia and Abby paranormal mystery series featuring Ophelia Jensen, a librarian in small-town Iowa who has pre-cognitive abilities and her grandmother Abby, a witch. When a biker gang starts hanging out in their small town and essentially taking over a bar there, Ophelia begins to have feelings of unease that something bad is going to happen. And sure enough, one of the bikers ends up dead, and the accused is none other than her good friend and co-worker Darci’s cousin Becca who is visiting from California. Ophelia herself is distracted, trying to be a good parent to Tink, the thirteen-year-old girl she’s taken into her home as a foster child—from their last book’s escapades—and not finding it a very easy task. This book just seemed ‘off’ to me. I’ve enjoyed the previous ones in the series, though it did take me til the middle of the second book before I really began to warm to Ophelia. I found plenty to be annoyed with in this book though—much repetitive text and phrases, too many scenarios that were extremely unlikely, and Ophelia needed slapping upside the head way too often. I did finish it—if it weren’t such a quick, easy read I probably wouldn’t have—but I admit that I skimmed the last couple of chapters, and I’ve decided to hang up the spurs on this series since I can’t honestly say I much care what happens to Ophelia any longer. I do have the next one in series here, but I’m going to trade it off. C-.
9. THISTLE AND TWIGG by Mary Saums. First in a new series featuring Jane Thistle and Phoebe Twigg, two ladies living in their sixties in small-town Alabama. Sound familiar? LOL Well, it’s not the ‘southern sisters,’ that’s for sure. Both these ladies are widows and have just met. Jane moved to a house outside of town and Phoebe has lived there all her life. Jane is a Brit who has lived in the States for almost 50 years, as she was a military war bride; Phoebe is Southern through and through. I enjoyed this first book in the series, though there is a lot of woo-woo so if you don’t like that sort of thing, best avoid it. This was a good, but not great, first in series. The story alternates chapter to chapter, told partly from Jane’s POV and partly from Phoebe’s, and Saums does do a wonderful job with speaking through two characters with totally different personalities/life experiences, etc. But as with the first book I read in Saums’ other series, some things just didn’t ring true and seemed very implausible, like Jane’s ornery old coot of a neighbor Cal agreeing to sell her his land after meeting her ONE time when he had refused many, many offers for large amounts of money over the years. Huh? Intuition and sixth sense aside (and woo-woo doesn’t bother me—that part I had no problem believing)—that’s just insane. There is also something about Jane’s past that I found hard to buy into, but I can’t say more about that without doing a major spoiler. The mystery wasn’t much of a mystery—I figured it out fairly early on. Jane and Phoebe stumble upon a dead body after taking a walk and doing some target practice on neighbor Cal’s land. Cal’s been known to shoot at folks who ignore his trespassing signs, so he’s the obvious suspect, but Jane doesn’t believe it after meeting him, even though he even shot at her and her real estate agent when she had come to initially look at the property. I have the second in the series on my wishlist at PBS, and I will read it, but it’s not one that I’ll run right out and buy. B.
10. MURDER ON MULBERRY BEND by Victoria Thompson. #5 Gaslight historical mystery featuring midwife Sarah Brandt in turn-of-the-20th century New York. When a young woman who’s a reforming prostitute who was staying at a Christian Mission for girls on Mulberry Bend is murdered wearing Sarah’s donated clothing, Det. Sgt. Frank Malloy gets the scare of his life, first thinking the dead woman is Sarah. And of course Mrs. Brandt is pulled into the investigation in an attempt to find out who killed Emilia, venturing into the dangerous Italian neighborhood to speak with her family and acquaintances and volunteering at the Mission to gather more facts and to soothe her soul, feeling that she doesn’t do enough to help her fellow man. Meanwhile, Malloy continuing investigating the long-cold case of the murder of Sarah’s husband, Dr. Tom Brandt and makes a startling discovery. The mystery of the dead ex-prostitute wasn’t much of a mystery at all as I spotted the baddie very early on, and there were many obvious clues put forth. I do enjoy this series though, which is just a bit of an oddity as this is definitely not my favorite historical time period. The characters are wonderful, though, and Thompson does a great job of setting the atmosphere of the times as well. A.
11. BLOOD RITES by Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden paranormal series #6 in which Harry ends up with an undercover job as a production assistant for the producer of pornographic movies in order to find out who’s putting a dark curse on the women surrounding the producer. He also ends up in the middle of a war between the White and Black vampire courts and nearly gets his nuts roasted a few times in the process. LOL Harry learns more information about his past, his mother, and also finds out he’s got family he never knew about. Great, fast-paced entry in the series with Harry at his best (and worst!) I don’t know why I don’t read these faster, because I sure enjoy them when I do! A
DNF (Tried to read, but Did Not Finish):
THE BLACK CHALICE by Marie Jakober. I love medieval monks, generally, but this one just failed to capture my attention and seemed much like a sensationalist attempt to focus on sex and ‘the dark side.’ Which I don’t mind if it’s interesting and well-done. This one wasn’t--very scattered, just couldn't seem to pull a coherent storyline together.
THE MOBILE LIBRARY: THE CASE OF THE MISSING BOOKS by Ian Sansom. A mystery about a library/librarian—sounds great, right? Um…not. I read about 50 pages hoping that eventually I’d get interested, but I didn’t. The humor (if you can call it that) seemed forced and while I don’t necessarily have to *like* the protagonist in a series, neither should I feel outright contempt! What a moron he was! I’ve got better things to do with my time—like clean the bathrooms. Next!
Cheryl
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)