JUNE 2007 READING

1. A BLUSH WITH DEATH by India Ink. #2 in the Persia Vanderbilt “Bath and Body” cozy mysteries set on an island in Puget Sound. Persia and her aunt Florence have suddenly been having fierce competition from Bebe’s Botique, as the ruthless owner, Bebe Wilcox, sets out to close down Venus Envy and make a real name for herself in the scent and cosmetic business. She’ll stop at nothing, pulling all sorts of dirty tricks and starting false, malicious rumors about Persia and Florence’s shop and products. When someone sprays insecticide all over their organic rose gardens, Persia and Florence stage a falling out so that Persia can accept a job offer she’s received from Bebe to infiltrate their company and find evidence about the dirty dealings. When one of Bebe’s top sales associates ends up dead, they wonder about how sensible their plan is. Still, with Persia on the suspect list, they know they need some evidence to save their struggling company, so they follow through with the plan. This was an okay, light read…I didn’t like it as well as the first one and judging from the ending of this book, the next one will be taking a turn for the romancey side. Ugh! Some of what took place just seemed a bit too fantastical and unrealistic and there seemed to be more focus on clothes, makeup, etc. in this one—which I suppose is only natural given the subject matter! But I think I may just stop here in the series and save myself some future agony. LOL B-.

2. IN THE COMPANY OF CHEERFUL LADIES by Alexander McCall Smith. #6 in the very cozy “No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series set in Botswana, Africa. Though this series is definitely not heavy on the ‘mystery’ I love it, and each visit to Precious Ramotswe’s world always leaves me feeling refreshed and hopeful. In this episode, there are issues with an intruder hiding under Mma Ramotswe’s bed, one of the apprentices at Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni’s garage quitting and getting involved with a rich older woman, Mma Ramotswe’s first husband Note, a cruel and abusive jazz musician who has been away in Johannesburg, making a return visit to Gabarone, and Mma Makutsi taking dancing lessons. Enjoyable as always and hard to put down once you start one. A.

3. A DARK NIGHT HIDDEN by Alys Clare. #6 in the Hawkenlye Abbey historical mystery series set in 1190’s Kent, England. Features Abbess Helewise of the aforementioned Abbey, as well as Sir Josse d’Acquin, knight and retainer to King Richard, who in this book has just been captured and imprisoned. When a woman who is near death is brought to the Abbey’s infirmary as a result of wounds inflicted during a flogging and branding, and the new, fanatical stand-in priest for the Abbey is found with his neck broken, Josse and Helewise both struggle with questions of loyalty to church, country and self, especially when it’s learned that the injured woman is a Cathar, a member of a heretical sect, who was punished by the aforementioned priest before he died. As usual, a great visit to 12^th century England and a good look into some of the issues at hand during that time. A.

4. THE BRIGHT SILVER STAR by David Handler. #3 in the Berger and Mitry mystery series featuring pudgy Jewish movie reviewer Mitch Berger and his girlfriend, black and bodacious cop and artist Desiree Mitry. Des and Mitch have settled into their relationship and Des is getting used to being a small-town resident trooper rather than a homicide detective. But murder visits Dorset again when Tito, the famous movie star son-in-law of one of the town’s founding fathers, is found dead at the base of a waterfall in a nearby state park. At first thought to be a suicide, it’s obvious from the crime scene that things just don’t add up. Tito had plenty of enemies, including many jealous husbands and boyfriends, and even Mitch makes a passing visit to the suspect list because Tito publicly attacked him after Mitch panned his latest film. So who dunnit? I actually didn’t guess til the end—there were plenty of plausible red herrings, but it wasn’t until a second killing that I began to lean towards one particular character and was right. I have enjoyed each entry in the series more than the last one. I get a kick out of this quirky couple and like both of them, and secondary characters also seem to be well-fleshed. A.

5. WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST by Gregory Maguire. Fairy tale retelling, interesting reading and silly at times, but like the other Maguire book I’ve read before (Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister) I found it to be a bit slow and draggy in spots, and my attention wandered. Definitely not as good as all the hype had me hoping for. Still, I found the speculation as to the origins of Glinda and Elphaba (and her dead sister and the ruby—actually silver—slippers) from L. Frank Baum’s tale quite interesting and amusing, as were the political machinations that got the Wizard where was. Maguire certainly has an imagination! I’d like to see the Broadway production of this, though—I bet that would be something! B-.

6. DEATH OF A GLUTTON by M.C. Beaton. #8 Hamish MacBeth cozy police series set in Lochdubh, Scotland. When the hotel run by Colonel Halburton-Smythe hosts a singles-looking-for-marriage group, things turn sour for Maria, the head of the group, when her mostly-silent partner Peta shows up. Peta is a glutton, eats huge amounts of food with loud slurping noises and puts everyone in the group off. When she turns up near the old gravel pit, dead with an apple stuffed in her mouth like a suckling pig, the problem becomes narrowing the suspect list down. Hamish, as usual, manages that feat and outshines his bosses who all want the ‘quick fix’ solution. Not quite as enjoyable as recent books in this series have been. B-

7. DREAMING OF THE BONES by Deborah Crombie. #5 Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Scotland Yard mystery. When Duncan receives a call from his ex-wife Victoria, whom he hasn’t seen in over ten years, he wonders what’s up. Vic is a Cambridge University professor and is also writing a biography of a semi-famous Cambridge poet, Lydia, who committed suicide five years previously. After examining Lydia’s papers, Vic begins to wonder if her death was indeed a suicide and has decided to contact Duncan to get his opinion and to see if he can gain access to the police reports from the time of her death. When Vic herself ends up dead a short time later, Duncan’s uneasy feeling about the earlier case are solidified and he vows to stop at nothing to find Vic’s killer, too—and Gemma steps in to assist. I can’t believe how much I’ve come to enjoy this series. Very rarely do I finish a book in a series and want to move immediately to the next one to see what happens next, but I do feel that way with this series. I generally hold myself back though—heaven forbid I make it through them all too quickly and then have to WAIT for the next one! LOL A+

8. THRONE OF JADE by Naomi Novik. #2 in the Temeraire fantasy series, which is sort of alternative history, too—set during the Napoleonic wars with the added feature of having dragons exist—as weapons of war! I have to say I didn’t like this book as well as the first in series—I suspect because I am not real big on naval battles/naval war history, and this book took place almost exclusively on a dragon transport ship as Laurence and Temeraire are being escorted back to China. Since Temeraire is a Chinese Celestial dragon, the Chinese Emperor has demanded his return to the native country and Laurence accompanies her, certain that he will be forcibly parted from his partner at voyage’s end. I still enjoyed the book—it’s rare that a book with dragons doesn’t enthrall me—and will definitely read the next in series…it’s just that the descriptions of the ship and all that sailor/naval stuff left me a bit cold. B+

9. VITAL LIES by Ellen Hart. Second in the Jane Lawless series. Jane is a restaurant owner and a lesbian, living in Minneapolis. When she’s invited to spend the Christmas holiday at an old Victorian inn owned by an old friend in a small town in the country, she’s looking forward to getting away from the hustle and bustle for a few days. Needless to say, that doesn’t happen! Someone wants the inn’s owner to sell up, and is playing malicious pranks to drive the customers away. When one of these leads to a death, Jane knows it’s gotten serious and does her best to find who is harassing her friend Leigh. I enjoyed this book more than the first one as the characters become more fleshed out, and I didn’t guess the bad guy either, though I did figure out some of the mini-mysteries that were embedded in the storyline. Excellent stuff, will be looking for more! A.

10. MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH by Ariana Franklin. I believe this is the first in a new series of historical mysteries featuring Adelia, a female physician trained at Salerno, where such things as autopsies and female doctors were allowed. She is sent by the King of Sicily to investigate the serial murders of several children in Cambridge UK in the year 1137 along with two companions—Simon, an expert investigator, and Mansur, a large Arab man who poses as the doctor (with Adelia as his assistant—which would have been acceptable in England at that time.) Henry II has also commissioned one of his tax collectors to find the murderer before the English people rise up and demand that all Jews be expelled from England, as they are presently being blamed for the deaths. King Henry needs the Jews’ income on his tax rolls and thus can’t let that happen. Adelia uses crude forensic techniques to discover clues and soon the suspect list is narrowed down. What she doesn’t count on is being attracted to one of her suspects—she, avowed to celibacy, sworn to be a doctor first and foremost above all. While the mystery itself wasn’t too hard to figure out, certain aspects of it were surprising. I really enjoyed this book, which is set my favorite time period, and I already feel like I know many of the characters—Adelia as well as the peripheral characters—and do hope it becomes a series! A.

11. CUT by Patricia McCormick. A slim little volume told from the POV of Callie, a teenage girl who’s been sent to Sea Pines, a mental health treatment facility because she cuts herself. At first, Callie doesn’t speak at all, to anyone, and the narrative describes flashbacks from her life ‘outside’ and descriptions of the facility and other guests there. It then moves into the part where she begins to ask for help and works things through with her psychiatrist and the staff. Having worked in an inpatient mental health unit, I have to say her observations are so spot-on that it’s easy to see that the author spent three years researching the book. Of course, I’ve never seen the inside of such a facility as a patient, so it would be interesting to know how it passes muster from THAT perspective. Still, this is an excellent book, although to say I “enjoyed” it would be not exactly accurate—it’s not a book meant for enjoying, really. A.

12. PEONY IN LOVE by Lisa See. ARC of a soon-to-be released book, a historical fiction book cum ghost story set just after the fall of the Ming Dynasty in China. It’s the story of Peony, a teenage girl who is obsessed by a book that was made into an opera called The Peony Pavilion that was popular at the time in China. The book/opera is the story of a star-crossed young couple where the young girl dies and visits her love in a dream and he eventually brings her back to life from her ghost world. Peony becomes lovesick when she meets a young man the night of her sixteenth birthday when her father hosts a production of the opera at their home. Although she is betrothed to another, she schemes ways to get out of that arranged marriage and marry her mystery poet. She stops eating and literally becomes deathly ill, thinking that if she dies, her beloved, like the character in the opera, will bring her back to life and they’ll live happily ever after. I really wasn’t sure I’d like this book—it’s not “my kind” of book. I love historical fiction, but I’m not much into chick lit, love stories/romance and all that, but this book was much more than that. It was an excellent STORY, and it had elements from many different genres—paranormal, historical, fantasy, women’s literature, etc. but most of all the author’s captivating writing style kept me reading til the end. I enjoyed the foray into the beliefs about death/ancestors/afterlife from that time period in China—something I’d not read much about before.The ending, by the way, I thought a bit sappy and I was disappointed with it, but overall I’d say it’s another great book for this author. I give it an A-/B+ depending on my mood.

13. GOURDFELLAS by Maggie Bruce. Second in the Lili Marino, freelance PR writer and gourd artist cozy mystery. Set in upstate NY, where Lili has moved to get away from the hustle and bustle of big city life. She’s beginning to settle in to her new life there when a woman is found murdered a short distance from her cottage—and worse yet, the killer has stashed the rifle in Lili’s attic—until it falls onto her kitchen floor. The murdered woman was outspoken about her feelings about the hotly debated casino and she had a powerful personality and the organization skills to put together a strong campaign. Did someone on the opposing side silence her? Or was this personal? I figured out most of the mystery rather early on—the clues were just way too obvious—and like many cozy mystery heroines, Lili seems to have a smorgasbord of men to choose from and can’t make up her mind. *SIGH* Still, I rather enjoyed this, though not as much as I’d anticipated I would. I do give it a solid B, though. We’ll see how the next one plays out.

14. BURNING GARBO by Robert Eversz. #3 in the Nina Zero series, featuring ex-con and celebrity photographer Nina Zero, who lives in LA. While Nina is perched on a hill overlooking a reclusive celebrity’s home hoping for a chance at a photo, a man blunders past her and when he sees here there, attempts to kill her. When she comes to, moments later, a fire is raging down the hillside and has quickly engulfed the movie star’s home in an inferno that no one could survive. Because of Nina’s record and her being at the scene, a desperate arson investigator attempts to pin the blame for the fire on Nina and she begins her own investigation to clear her name of not only arson, but murder. Are the charred remains found inside those of Angela Doubleday? Another complication—a large Rottweiler with no teeth who comes bounding out of the smoke and ashes attaches himself to Nina and she very reluctantly takes him home and feeds him. Something about the pooch tugs at Nina’s heartstrings like no sad human story could. I like Nina a lot and like these books, too. Nina is not always an easy person to like and her life is so full of crap that it’s hard to say I “enjoyed” the book, because I’d be a sadist if I did. LOL But I find the writing style hard to put down and do find Nina a very viable and believable character. A.

15. ANTIDOTE FOR AVARICE by Caroline Roe. #3 in the Isaac of Girona historical mystery series set in 1534 Spain and featuring a blind Jewish physician and his family. In this book, Isaac has been ordered to accompany the Bishop to Tarragona, where he is attending a Council of Bishops. Since Judith (Isaac’s wife) has a sister in Tarragona that she wishes to visit, she and Raquel (Isaac’s daughter and assistant) also accompany the retinue. Much adventure awaits them on the trip, including the discovery of a badly beaten and tortured young man along the roadside, news of a murdered Friar, and the party themselves being set upon by bandits. Steeped in political and religious intrigue and plots, I found that aspect of the book rather wearying at times and couldn’t quite remember who was whom and what position they took on this or that issue. Despite that, I did figure out the mystery ahead of time. But I enjoy Isaac and his family and household and this book was a good entry in the series. B.

16. WYRD SISTERS by Terry Pratchett. Sixth (in publication order) of the Discworld books, this introduces The Witches—Nanny Ogg, Granny Weatherwax and Magrat Garlick—who happen to be my favorite characters. I read this a few years ago, but it was wonderful to be back in Lancre getting to know the three gals and their distinct and unique personalities all over again. When the king of Lancre is murdered, the new king starts doing things that just goes against the grain of the land. Finally, Granny Weatherwax and has enough and decides to very subtly (ha!) go against the age old policy of witches not interfering in politics and help to put the rightful heir to the throne where he belongs. Trouble is, he’s only a toddler! What to do, what do to? Much hilarity ensues as well as plenty of semi-buried dry English humor. An all-time favorite of mine. A+

17. THE BLACK VIOLIN by Maxence Fermine. Novella set in 1797 in Paris and Venice set in the backdrop of Napoleon’s war. A young man, Johannes, a violinist who was a child prodigy, becomes lost in the shuffle as he matures and leads a life of despondency and mere existence. When he is drafted into Napoleon’s army and injured, he is sent to Venice to shuffle papers and is billeted with an older man, Erasmus, who Johannes later finds out is a violin maker. This book tells each of their stories and also the story of Erasmus’ black violin, his masterpiece. A short but interesting story with an ending that I could live with though I suspect many will not like! A.

DNF: YEAR ZERO by Jeff Long. Plague fiction/post-apocalyptic thriller that wasn’t so thrilling. Character development was awful, and he kept bouncing back and forth between several groups of characters and times, and you felt like you only were seeing cardboard cutouts of people. Things were either explained not enough or in painful detail. The dialogue read like something out of a B movie. While the premise was fascinating, the writing style and characters just didn’t capture my interest, and I gave it more than double my usual 50-page rule.

DNF: TOUCH THE DARK by Karen Chance. First paranormal romance featuring Cassie someone or other…I can’t remember her last name. She can foretell the future, anyway. This book sported atrocious grammar and word usage and poor proofreading that really dragged me out of the story. (Example just in the first few pages: wondering how someone would “fair” as opposed to the correct “fare” and a typo that named a trash-carrying barge as a “garbage scowl.” If it weren’t so annoying it would be funny! That said, the story itself was boring, so it wouldn’t have taken much to distract me from it. The writing style was very blah and I could not get “into” the storyline nor bring myself to care at all about the main character after about 45 pages so I gave it up. NEXT!

Cheryl

MAY 2007 READING

1. MURDER GETS A LIFE by Anne George. #5 in the “Southern Sisters” mystery series set in Birmingham, AL. Enjoyable read as always—Sister discovers she has a new daughter-in-law, a Barbie doll lookalike who married her son Ray, a dive boat owner and captain in Bora Bora. When a man no one claims to know is stabbed in the chest in their trailer with Sunshine’s grandma’s hog-butchering knife and Sunshine disappears, Sister and Mouse fear the worst and start poking around looking for clues, and of course end up in a heap o’ trouble as usual. I love this author’s voice and have people who remind me exactly of Sister and Mouse that I know. Always a pleasant visit. A.

2. FROZEN by Richard Burke. Mystery/thriller about a man and his best friend, Verity, with whom he’s been in love (unrequited) for years. The story goes back and forth from their childhood and young adulthood to the present time where Verity has fallen from a cliff and crushed her skull—an apparent attempted suicide—and is now in a vegetative state with no hope of recovery, according to the medical staff. Harry can’t believe that Verity would kill herself and is determined to root out the truth. While the story is a compelling one, I figured out the solution to the mystery very early on—although that seems to happen about 90% of the time these days so that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I ultimately found Harry’s character to be quite depressing. I kept wanting to slap him upside the head; I guess I just found it hard to empathize with anyone whose self-esteem is low enough to put up with the stuff that Harry put up with over the years from his so-called ‘friends.’ The writing style was smooth and easy to read, and the author’s way of putting you right in the midst of the scene with vivid descriptions really captured and kept my attention—I now want to find that hornbeam tree and live in a treehouse there! I’ll definitely read more from this author. B+

3. DEATH OF RILEY by Rhys Bowen. #2 in the Molly Murphy historical series set in early 1900’s New York and featuring a recent Irish immigrant to the city. Molly can’t go back to Ireland because of a crime committed there, and she strives now to be a private investigator in her new country, which was an unheard of occupation for a woman at the time. A week after she finally convinces Paddy Riley to hire her as an assistant—more like cleaning woman and errand runner, really—he is murdered in his office and Molly surprises the killer. She makes up her mind to avenge Paddy’s death and find his murderer, and it’s not long before she’s embroiled with a whole host of people who may have had motive to wish him silent and learning her new profession the hard way—by making a lot of mistakes! Interesting characters and an easy-reading writing style made this book difficult to put down. A-

4. THE SECRET OF ANNEXE 3 by Colin Dexter. #7 Inspector Morse mystery. Morse and Lewis must figure out first, who the dead man in Annexe 3 at the Haworth Hotel is, and then why he was killed and of course by whom. Registered as Mr. & Mrs. Ballard at the hotel for their New Year’s bash, the dead man is dressed up as a Rastafarian, complete with dreadlocks and black stage paint, and his wife who has now disappeared, was dressed in a yashmak so no one got a look at her face. As the clues begin to pile up and bits of the mystery begin to unravel, Morse and Lewis take several detours until they head down the right path to solving the crime. Enjoyable as always! A.

5. MOON CALLED by Patricia Briggs. #1 Mercy Thompson paranormal mystery. Mercy is an auto mechanic running her own repair shop for foreign cars in Richland, WA. She’s also a ‘walker’ (short for ‘skinwalker’) who can shapeshift into a coyote, and as far as she knows, she’s the only one of her kind in the area. She exists in a world where werewolves, vampires, fae and humans more or less co-exist, though not easily, and not totally openly. Not yet, anyway. When a new werewolf shows up at her garage looking lost and hungry and asking for work, Mercy (short for Mercedes) agrees and decides to keep an eye on “Mac,” since she knows that he is not one of the local pack—her neighbor Adam is the local Alpha and she knows their scent. Little does she know that this frightened young man/werewolf will lead her into a dangerous intrigue involving pack business, deadly politics, and a trip to Montana to the town where she was raised. Excellent first book in series with a pleasant, likable (yet not sappy) main character, an interesting premise for the paranormal world, and a very easy-reading writing style. Got the next one lined up already! A.

6. TILT-A-WHIRL by Chris Grabenstein. #1 John Ceepak police procedural set in a resort town in New Jersey. Although the books are listed as “Ceepak” series, the story is actually told from the POV of Ceepak’s young partner, Danny Boyle. Ceepak is a veteran of Iraqi Freedom, where he was an MP and given his first civilian cop job by his old military friend the chief of police. He doesn’t know the area—but Danny, who grew up in the town, does. Ceepak is a by-the-book kind of guy, or as Danny says, “by The Code.” Squeaky clean, obsessed with forensic detail and meticulously thorough, Ceepak seems almost innocent in some ways. One summer day, Ceepak and Danny start the day with their breakfast interrupted by a screaming, blood-covered twelve-year-old girl who manages to shriek out that her father was shot on the Tilt-a-Whirl over at the seaside park by a crazy looking man. While I did figure this mystery out almost from the get-go, it didn’t matter much—the ride was worth it! Great story, excellent, easy-going writing style and interesting characters that I feel like I’m already getting to know. A+

7. AGATHA RAISIN AND THE LOVE FROM HELL by M.C. Beaton. #11 in this cozy British “village” mystery featuring the curmudgeonly, incorrigible Agatha Raisin. In this book, Agatha and her beloved James settle down to married life, but they’re finding it not so smooth going after they return from their honeymoon. When James forbids Agatha to take the temporary PR job she’s accepted promoting a new line of boots for a local company, it’s the last straw and she moves back full-time to her cottage next door and throws herself into her job. Meanwhile, James is seen out and about with Melissa Shepperd, a woman that he had ‘relations’ with before marrying Agatha. When Melissa turns up dead and James goes missing, he becomes the first suspect in her death. When days and then weeks go by with no word from James, Agatha and her friend Sir Charles set out to find the killer. Enjoyable, typical book in the series, a light and predictable read. A-

8. A MASTERLY MURDER by Susanna Gregory. #6 in the Matthew Bartholomew medieval mystery series set in Cambridge, UK. The Master of Michaelhouse, Kenyngham, decides to resign and throws the entire College into an uproar. When a very unpleasant and control-mad Runham is made Master, the college is steeped in depression. He sacks the servants, doesn’t pay bills to the grocers, drives away several Fellows, refuses to pay for wood to heat the halls and then suddenly comes up with money to do a major building project. Where is the money coming from? And why is Runham trying to get rid of all the Michaelhouse fellows? It’s no wonder he ends up dead—the problem is finding someone who does NOT have a motive! Matthew and Brother Michael set out to find not only Runham’s killer, but also the murderer of three (or is it four?) other dead fellows from other colleges. One killer? Or more? Enjoyable medieval jaunt as usual, though the streets and hallowed halls of post-plague Cambridge. A.

9. DESERT WIVES by Betty Webb. #2 Lena Jones mystery set in Arizona, this one featuring a plot revolving around polygamist conclaves in Utah. Lena is hired by a woman to rescue her 13-year-old daughter, who is to be married off to a 68-year-old man in one such conclave. When she stumbles upon the murdered body of the man in question (who also happens to be the group’s leader) Lena knows they’re headed for trouble—and sure enough, the girl’s mother is arrested for the murder. This is a book about a real problem that almost made me physically sick to read. While polygamy has officially been banned and outlawed, it still takes place and scores of women and girls lead lives of virtual slavery. The mystery was almost secondary for me to the educational aspects of the book—Ms. Webb apparently researched this fairly extensively, so while it IS fiction, it’s based on reality. I strongly urge everyone to read this—it’s a real eye-opener. And gut-wrencher. A.

10. THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL by Philippa Gregory. Historical fiction centering around and told from the POV of Mary Boleyn, younger sister of Queen Anne Boleyn, and King Henry’s mistress before he even looked at Anne. I enjoyed this book for the most part, but I have to say that the endless court intrigues and continual backstabbing and plotting got a little old after awhile. The story is told from the time Mary is just a 13-year-old bride to the time of Queen Anne’s beheading, so that’s a lot of plotting! LOL I imagine that’s how it was, or similar to it, but it’s not a life I would have enjoyed being a part of very much, rich and opulent surroundings or no. I would’ve been happier with more about Mary’s quiet life in the country. Still, a good read with a lot of interesting details and ideas about ‘how it might have been.’ A-.

11. CAT’S EYE by Margaret Atwood. Told from the POV of a middle-aged Canadian painter as she waffles back and forth in time, digging up memories from her childhood and young adulthood in Toronto to ‘now,’ when she has returned to the city for a showing of her paintings at a local gallery. A poignant and sometimes painful book about childhood and about life; about living and loving and loss, and how it’s possible indeed to miss what never was. Atwood has a magical way with words and despite the childhood part of the book being set in post-WWII Canada, I could easily relate to much of what she described. Excellent read, highly recommended. A+

12. THE MAN WHO SMILED by Henning Mankell. #5 in series order of the Swedish police detective series featuring Kurt Wallander and his cronies at the Ystad police department. The book opens with Wallander having been on medical leave from the police force for many months, having gone through a serious depression after shooting a man in the previous book. He’s gone on some drunken toots and is resting at a beach resort in Denmark when he’s approached by a lawyer friend who wants him to investigate his elderly father’s death. It was a road accident and was ruled as such but the son doesn’t believe it. Wallander has already decided to retire permanently when the son ends up murdered—shot to death in his office late at night. It’s enough to spur Kurt back into action and it’s not long before he’s back in old form. I didn’t care for this book as much as I have some of the others in series—it seems to me that Wallander got away with an awful lot of sloppy police work in this one. Still, it was hard to put down and I definitely will read more in the series. B+.

13. PRAIRIE GOTHIC by J.M. Hayes. #2 in the Mad Dog & Englishman police mystery series set in small-town Kansas. Sheriff English has two dead bodies to deal with at the Sunshine Rest Home one cold winter morning—the first, a resident of the home who was dying of cancer, is missing. The second is a recently-born dead infant being toted around by one of the Alzheimer’s patients in place of her usual “baby doll.” Where did she get it, and to whom does it belong? Add the worst blizzard in a decade to the mix, and now the Sheriff has REAL problems! This book almost reads like a Guy Ritchie movie—a series of vignettes with different characters, quite violent yet funny as hell, all unknowingly connected, and all hurtling towards each other for one big messy climactic scene. I feel that Hayes is a much-overlooked author, and I enjoyed this book even more than I did the first one…the whole thing was quite fantastical…and yet, you can see it happening because you know people as stupid as some of the baddies. It won’t be too long til I head on back to Buffalo Springs for another visit. The only thing I find annoying about this series of books is the total lack of chapters…sections are delineated with spaces between paragraphs or little icons…but that’s minor. A+.

DNF: THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING by T.H. White. Fantasy Arthurian classic that I'd been looking forward to reading. Unfortunately, I could not get interested in it, though I did get to about page 150 before I gave up. I tried for a week to get into it, but found myself always looking for something else to read, or stopping after reading a chapter at a time, relieved to break from it. For me, these are all signs that, for whatever reason, a book is just not going to do “do” it for me, so classic or not, I finally gave up and put it aside. I kept waiting for the ‘magic’ to happen and it just never did.

DNF: GHOSTS IN THE SNOW by Tamara Siler Jones. This is a sort of historical fantasy cum forensic paranormal mystery, but unfortunately it’s also got a lot of “romancey” elements to it which caused me to DNF it. It has a very interesting premise (an investigator in a medieval-like castle setting who can see ghosts and who uses primitive forensic techniques to solve crimes) but the (IMO anyway) badly done romance bits (rapidly beating hearts, blushes, stirring groins, etc) drove me away.

Cheryl

APRIL 2007 READS

1. THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS by John Connolly. Not sure how to classify this book, I guess dark fantasy/fairy tale would suit it best. While the protagonist is a 12-year-old boy, the book itself is a bit gruesome to be considered children’s fiction. Perhaps for mature YA it would be okay. There are quite a few gory, bloody scenes and a lot of unhappy endings to the stories within stories—bit like Hans Christian Andersen meets Quentin Tarantino. David, a young boy who lives in London during WWII, loved his mother very much and watched her die a slow and painful death from what sounds like cancer. When his father remarries a short time later and they relocate to his new wife’s home, a large rambling house on the edge of the city, David seeks solace in his second love—books. His small bedroom on the top floor of the house is full of books—some are David’s and some old, leather-bound volumes that once belonged to an ancestor of his stepmother. Soon David becomes lost in his world of books and even hears the books whispering to him, has blackouts where he cannot remember being gone. Once medical reasons are ruled out, David’s father has him see a psychiatrist and things begin falling apart from there. Very intriguing tale of adventure, but also of life, love and loss. Although the ending to me was a bit of a sappy cop-out, when looked at from another perspective, I guess it works. The story itself though makes it totally worth it. A.

2. THE WICKED WINTER by Kate Sedley. #6 in the Roger the Chapman medieval mystery series, in which Roger becomes restless and sets out on a late winter selling spree and becomes trapped by a snowstorm at a country manor many miles from his home in Bristol. When not one but two murders occur, he naturally assumes that God has led him there to solve the murders and sets down to study the interested parties and puzzle out who could have and would have committed the murders. In this case, I didn’t even guess the killer ahead of time though I picked up on a couple of important clues—just misinterpreted who they actually pointed to.Very enjoyable light read as always; I have enjoyed each and every one of Roger’s tales, told to the reader in first person form as he recollects his younger days of travel though now an old man. Looking forward to the next—I’m having to rely mostly on my library for these as some of them seem to be only available in hardcover and quite expensive, even used. A.

3. DEATH OF A PRANKSTER by M.C. Beaton. #7 Hamish MacBeth series in which a notorious elderly practical joker is murdered in his home when he tells all his relatives he’s dying and invites them to his country home. Most of them avoid him like the plague because his jokes just aren’t funny—they’re mostly mean-spirited and cruel. Apparently someone has had enough and it’s up to Hamish to figure out who, since as usual DI Blair has his head up his bum. :o) Enjoyable, quick read as always; a visit with Hamish can always be counted on to make me smile. B+.

4. THE TROUBLE WITH MAGIC by Madelyn Alt. First in a series featuring Maggie O’Neill, a young woman in a small-town Indiana “northern Bible belt” town who finds herself out of one job but fallen into another—as an assistant in Enchantments, a mystical antique shop. She takes the job despite her new boss, Felicity, confessing to Maggie that she’s a practicing witch. Maggie’s Catholic upbringing makes her skeptical and uneasy at first, but after getting to know Felicity and her friends, comes to discover that there’s nothing evil about them, though Felicity becomes the number one suspect when her sister is brutally murdered. I really enjoyed this book, though I was dubious before starting it—these cozy mysteries with a mystical lean to them seem to be something I either really like or really can’t stand. This series seems to be getting off on a good foot—I liked Maggie and Felicity a lot, the author’s writing style was smooth and easy to read, and the ‘witchy’ bits were realistically portrayed. Looking for the next one! A.

5. THE OLD CONTEMPTIBLES by Martha Grimes. #11 in the Richard Jury/Melrose Plant series, in which a woman Jury has been dating is found dead, at first believed a suicide, but upon further investigation, it’s found that there were a few people with motive to see her dead. Jury is suspended and even a suspect for a while, and he enlists his friend Melrose Plant to go undercover at the country manor home of the dead woman’s in-laws as a librarian and to keep his ears to the ground for vital information. Grimes was back on track with this entry in the series after the previous effort (The Old Silent) which was quite bloated and convoluted. I enjoyed this one a lot and it was good to see Plant and Jury back in form. A.

6. THE RAVEN IN THE FOREGATE by Ellis Peters. #12 in Brother Cadfael’s medieval mystery series, in which Abbot Rodolphus returns from a conference in Winchester with a new priest in tow to head up the church in Shrewsbury. Much more harsh and rigid than his predecessor, who was well-loved and forgiving, Father Ailnoth is found dead in the mill-pond on Christmas morning with at least half a dozen parishioners with good cause to have murdered him. Hugh Beringar is off at King Stephen’s court to pay homage to his leader now that Stephen has dealt soundly with the upstart Empress Maud and is back on the throne, where Hugh hopes to find out if he will become the official sheriff of the county or if Stephen will appoint someone more influential. Cadfael pokes around in his usual wise yet unofficial manner to solve the mystery. Enjoyable, as always. A.

7. SHANTARAM by Gregory David Roberts. I’ve had this book on my TBR stack for over a year—the size of it itself is very daunting: nearly a thousand pages of small print. Once I started it, I could see that it was a very dense, rich novel, and it did take me about 2 ½ weeks to finish it, which is longer than any other novel in recent history has taken me. I guess you’d call it a literary novel in some respects—the author certainly has a way with words, and I found myself grabbing my journal and scribbling down quotations from it very frequently. Some flowery and wordy, others simple yet very profound, and still others that sucker-punched me right in the guts and quite literally took my breath away. It’s a semi-autobiographical novel about an Australian man who is a convicted criminal (armed robbery and heroin dealing) who escapes from an Australian prison and is a fugitive for many years, living most of them in Bombay, India. He becomes immersed in the Indian culture, learning two of their languages, living in their slums and eventually becoming a member of the Bombay mafia. While there, he lives, loves, and has a series of very wild and interesting adventures, including becoming involved in the Russian-Afghani war near Kandahar. This is a long, long book but a very good one, too. It’s about India, yes—but it’s also about life, the universe and everything. At some point after the events in the book take place, he is recaptured and serves out the remainder of his prison term and he wrote this book while in prison. I’m very glad I finally got to reading this book, though I know it’s not for everyone—there’s lots of graphic violence, and in parts gets long-winded and slows down. Not everyone will love it, though I do recommend everyone at least give it a try. A+

8. MIDNIGHT HOUR by Mary Saums. First Willi Taft mystery. Willi is a backup singer in Nashville, a young widow who is becoming fed up with her current life. On her 40th birthday, she discovers that someone is following her—turns out to be a PI who is actually following her current beau—who is (Willi discovers) married. Willi then becomes involved with Sam, the PI. There were some things that just didn’t ring true with the book and main character—hard to put my finger on, but one example is that Willi and Sam had only been dating a week, yet when he is murdered, his Uncle Ralph gives her his classic ’68 Chevy Malibu (“he’d want you to have it”) and they all (including Willi) act as though they’d been dating for months or years and that she’s part of the family! She’s also doing work in his office (“closing cases, sending invoices”) which Uncle Ralph also eventually lets her use rent free. After dating a guy for a week? Um…okay. Regardless of how benevolent and kind Uncle Ralph is, I found it all very hard to believe. There were just too many ‘holes’ and coincidences for me. (Stumbling upon a secret hiding place in Sam’s bathroom the first time she was in it?) I do like the writing style and I think Willi could develop into someone I like, but this first book is just too ragged for me to rate it very highly. C+

9. THE PRACTICAL PAGAN by Dana Eilers. I found this book to be kind of a bore and rather insulting in places. Eilers starts out by defining what a Pagan is, and then begins to lecture Pagans on how they should behave (after saying that there are no hard and fast rules to what it means to be a Pagan!) And the things she mentions are really silly—like, “bathe daily, dress neatly, say please and thank you, obey the laws of the land” and the like. Huh? Those are commonsense things for ANYONE and at age 48, I’m sorry, if I haven’t learned them by now, I’m not going to. Glad I didn’t pay money for this book. I admit to only skimming the last half of it, thinking maybe it would get more advanced or somehow better, but I can’t say that I really found much to be gained from it as a Pagan nor as a human being! I sent it along via PBS to someone else who wanted it. Hope they get more out of it than I did! D+

10. BLOODRING by Faith Hunter. First of a post-apocalyptic fantasy series that features Thorn, an unlicensed stone mage living in a small Appalachian town. As far as she knows, she is the ONLY mage out there living outside of an Enclave, and to be found out means certain death for her. She, along with several friends, owns and operates a gem and jewelry store while trying to hide the fact that she is indeed mage, and not human. When her ex-husband is kidnapped, she gets involved in trying to find him and realizes after a time that he was taken by forces of Darkness. I really like the post-apocalyptic ‘world’ of this book and the premise for it, but a couple of things were quite annoying. The first is that mages, while able to have sex and mate with humans, actually go “into heat” around other races (kylens and seraphs) and the author described this mage-heat at great length and in many places. I guess she thought it really sexed the book up, but to me, someone in heat without control over their sexual urges and instincts is just plain not sexy. There were also several other things that just didn’t add up. For example, as soon as one of her business partners sees these certain scars she has, and gets a good look at the amulets she wears under and within her clothing to disguise her glowing mage appearance, he recognizes her as a mage. How is it that she was able to hide that fact from her ex-husband when he saw every inch of her many times over and surely encountered the amulets during physical contact? Etc. I will read more in this series because, as I said, the premise is great and I like the main character and the writing style, but less of the going into heat thing would not go amiss. B.

11. FIRESTORM by Nevada Barr. #4 Anna Pigeon (national park ranger) mystery, this one is set in the mountains of California where Anna is serving as a medic at a firefighting station. With the wildfire under control and the various teams about to disband, a sudden front with excessive winds reignites the fire and sends a firestorm down the mountain, trapping Anna and a dozen others. Everyone survives the firestorm—except one man, who is found stabbed to death in his fire shelter. The man was not well-liked—in fact, he was positively obnoxious. But who among them had all of The Big Three—Motive, Means and Opportunity? It’s up to Anna, with minimal communication with the outside world, to figure it out. I enjoyed this much more than the previous Anna Pigeon book, which I read several months ago and which almost caused me to give up on this series. I’m glad now that I didn’t! The only thing missing from this book is Anna’s usual phone conversation with her sister Molly, a gruff, chain-smoking psychiatrist in New York. It still gets an A.

12. THE LAW OF THREE by M.R. Sellars. #4 Rowan Gant investigation, in which Rowan is once again stalked and terrorized by religious nut Eldon Porter. Eldon thinks of himself as God’s helper and is on a witch-hunt, and Gant is a self-professed Witch. When a member of Rowan and Felicity’s coven is found dead—tortured and disemboweled with a personal note for Rowan, he once again goes into high gear to try to figure out Porter’s next move and prevent any more loss of life. With the help of his good friend Ben Storm, a St. Louis detective on the Major Crimes Squad, Rowan has a leg up—however, Ben is teetering on the edge of respectability himself, especially with his new boss, “Bible Barb,” a right-wing Christian who, like the crazy Mr. Porter, has no knowledge of Pagan beliefs and thinks Rowan is a devil worshiper. With plenty of fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat action, this book definitely classifies as a thriller and was hard to put down. Where it falls down is with believable dialogue and character development and a certain repetitiveness of themes. Much of the conflict and dialogue seems to be a re-hash of previous books and the dialogue always manages to sound somewhat stilted to my ear. And the constant and frequent descriptions of Rowan’s migraines and ‘seizures’ wore thin after awhile. I was a little confused (as a nurse) as to why no one suggested Rowan have a CT scan and get himself on some anti-seizure medication at some point. That, coupled with his crippling headaches, could easily signal a brain tumor or other serious physical abnormality—yet it’s always written off as just part of his psychic abilities manifesting itself. Still, it is refreshing to find at least a somewhat realistic picture of Pagan belief and practice portrayed. I give this one a B and will continue to read on in the series, because I already have the next one here waiting.

13. WEIRD CURES: THE MOST HILARIOUS, DISGUSTING, AND DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS MEDICAL TREATMENTS EVER by Dandra Dalmans and Joel Fram. A quick little book that’s just what the title says, albeit not a very detailed one. My nursey-self wanted more details, and the book was short on those—mostly a collection of blurbs and mini-stories about a whole host of bizarre medical treatments—from trepanation (making holes in your skull) to various things you can do with urine. Interesting, but just didn’t go far enough for me to feel it a really worthwhile read…it served its’ purpose as the bathroom book of the week, though. C+

14. THE JANISSARY TREE by Jason Goodwin. First in a new historical mystery series featuring Yashim, a eunuch living in Istanbul in the 1830’s. The Janissaries were an elite band of soldiers who let power go to their heads and eventually became more like the mafia than anything else—they provided public safety—to those who could pay for it—but they also provided the public menace. The Janissaries were attacked and disbanded by the Sultan in 1826, but a series of murders of the current city guard and mysterious poems left on the Janissary Tree (where they used to hang their criminals when they were in power) leads Yashim the investigator to believe that they may be attempting to make a comeback. While working on that case for the seraskier, the head of the current city guards/soldiers, the sultan’s mother has also asked him to look into the murder of a young girl in the harem—she was a virgin, ready to bed the Sultan and was killed in her bed before the deed could take place. Also missing are the sultan’s mother’s jewels, a gift from Napoleon Bonaparte, and she wants them back! Yashim scurries hither and yon trying to investigate all the crimes on his plate and like many good sleuths, ends up tired, sore and short on sleep. Excellent book that lands you in the heart of the times and the culture. And oh my…the man can cook, too! Make sure you don’t read on an empty stomach, as the descriptions of Yashim’s meal preparations are enough to make your mouth water! Definitely will be following this series…this first one is as rich as a good cup of Turkish coffee! A.

Cheryl

March 2007 Reading

1. A FEAST FOR CROWS by George R.R. Martin. #4 in the Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy series. I had pre-ordered this book when it became available because this is without a doubt one of my very favorite fantasy series. Then I heard a lot of fans saying it wasn’t as good as the others because Martin “split” the book—this one and the next were originally intended to be one book but it was too cumbersome. So this book only deals with about half the characters. Some are ignored completely and others only briefly mentioned. I still loved the book, though I can’t wait to see what the other characters have been up to, and I’m mightily sick of Cersei Lannister! I love Martin’s writing style and his “world” and will likely pre-order A Dance With Dragons when it comes out too, but I don’t think I’ll be waiting as long to read it! A.

2. THE TIDAL POOLE by Karen Harper. #2 in the Elizabeth I historical mystery series, this one set during the days immediately after Elizabeth’s coronation as Queen of England. A young woman acquainted with some of Elizabeth’s friends is found murdered, with the deed apparently occurring during Her Majesty’s coronation parade. When beseeched to protect her foster son, who is being accused of the crime by Elizabeth’s cousin the Duchess of Suffolk, the queen gathers together her “privy council” and sets out to investigate the crime. While I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I admit that the idea of the Queen of England dressed in male servant’s clothes and sneaking around, breaking and entering with her cohorts in the dead of night is a bit silly. The author certainly has a vivid imagination—and as it’s fiction, I reckon she’s allowed. A.

3. S IS FOR SILENCE by Sue Grafton. #19 in the Kinsey Millhone mystery series set in 1980’s California. I keep waiting to get tired of this series, but so far it just hasn’t happened. There were a few books that were better than others, but this one I enjoyed as much as any of them. Kinsey is hired by a friend of a friend to attempt to locate her mother, who left without a trace when she was seven years old. Much speculation ensued in the small town where they lives—was Violet Sullivan murdered by her violent husband? Had she run away with a lover, never looking back even once at Daisy, her daughter and only child? Daisy needs some closure and hopes Kinsey can provide that. Kinsey doesn’t hold much hope in uncovering much in a 34-year-old case, but once she begins to interview people and ask questions, she finds all four tires slashed on her car and takes that as a hopeful sign that someone has something to hide. A.

4. KNIGHT LIFE by Peter David. Fantasy parody of the Arthurian myths/books in which King Arthur appears in modern-day New York in the guise of one Arthur Penn, and decides to run for mayor of the city. With his refreshing and bold new ideas, he quickly gains notoriety with the help (?) of Merlin, now in the form of an eight-year-old boy, Gwen DeVere, his secretary, and Percy Vale, his accountant as well as a host of other familiar characters. I thought the humor was a bit forced at times, but it was quite funny in other places. Full of puns and wordplay, but not as skillfully written as the author’s later fantasy parodies featuring Sir Apropos of Nothing, which I REALLY enjoyed. This one was good, but not great. B.

5. THE SNACK THIEF by Andrea Camilleri. #3 in the Salvo Montalbano Italian police procedural series. Once again Salvo manages to be offensive to almost everyone while investigating the murder of an elderly man in an elevator. When he learns it is (at least peripherally) related to an international case in which a man was shot on a fishing boat, he’s like a pit bull that won’t let go as he manipulates the stupid secret service and his superiors into dropping the answers he needs into his lap. Also with some serious personal conflicts and things to go through, Salvo spends time soul searching and consuming various gustatory delights along the way as well. Enjoyable as always—don’t know how such an ornery cuss manages to be so likable, but like him I do! A.

6. QUARANTINE by Jim Crace. This is one man’s version of Jesus’ forty days and forty nights (or his ‘quarantine’) in the desert. I expected to DNF this book and cull it from my TBR pile before I started it, but it was actually very interesting and difficult to put down. It’s told from not only the perspective of Jesus, but also at different times from the POV of several other interesting characters who are doing their own version of ‘quarantine’ in nearby caves. I’m not a Christian and don’t believe in “Jesus as the son of God” thing but I still found the whole story very interesting. Looking for more of Crace's work. A-.

7. A SPECTACLE OF CORRUPTION by David Liss. #2 in the Benjamin Weaver historical mystery series set in 1720’s London. Weaver is a Jewish thief-taker who is wrongly convicted of a murder and hauled off to Newgate prison. With the help of some unknown benefactor, he makes his escape and sets out to prove his innocence. What seems a simple plot to get him off the street ends up being a complicated political machination to the point where nothing is what it seems and there are multiple and varied possible explanations for every action. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the first in the series too, but found it sloggy and slow-going at times. This one moved at a much faster pace and held my interest all the way through. Looking forward to the next Weaver book in 2008 and will definitely be moving Liss’s other non-series books up the TBR stacks. A.

8. SHOOTING AT LOONS by Margaret Maron. #3 in the Judge Deborah Knott series, this one taking place on the Crystal Shore of North Carolina where Deborah has gone to sit in for a judge in another county while she spends time at her cousins’ seaside island cottage. Before she knows what’s going on, Judge Knott is standing over the dead body of a neighbor who’s been shot. Though determined not to get embroiled in the investigation, it isn’t long before Deborah is hearing far too much local gossip and finds her interest piqued. When she discovers a *second* body a few days later and uncovers some other illegal goings-on, she begins to wonder what information is connected to what, and which are red herrings. Enjoyable, light read though all the southern dialogue with the “ya’lling” and “Daddying” gets old after a bit. I still like this series, though! A-.

9. MOURN NOT YOUR DEAD by Deborah Crombie. #4 in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Scotland Yard police procedural. A commander in the police force who lives in a remote village is found with his head bashed in in his kitchen. Was the motive personal, professional, or purely a random act of violence brought about as part of an attempted burglary? Duncan and Gemma, both feeling decidedly awkward after their tumble in the sack at the end of the last book, set out to find the answers, and find much more than they’d bargained for. I really enjoy this series and marvel that I just discovered it last year. I did guess accurately at ‘whodunit’ very early in the game and even got the ‘whydunit’ right, but of course had no proof til closer to the end. But it really didn’t spoil the book for me at all and I don’t think the next in series will be on my TBR stacks for too long! Seems to get better with each book in the series. A+

10. THE BONE DOLL’S TWIN by Lynn Flewelling. #1 in the Tamir Trilogy fantasy series. Wow! What a gripping story! Young Tobin is a Prince of Skalar, a haunted and strange prince. Kept isolated by his father at their country keep, Tobin and their household are ‘haunted’ by a demon, who is actually Tobin’s twin who died at birth. His mother has been mad and unhinged since the night of his birth and his father often absent away fighting one war or another for his brother-in-law the King, so Tobin’s only friends are the household servants and Nari, his nurse. A strange and somewhat gruesome tale at times, the whole storyline fascinated me and the author’s writing style made the book VERY difficult to put down. It certainly read much ‘quicker’ than its 500+ pages would have you think. A+

11. GREYWALKER by Kat Richardson. First in the Greywalker paranormal mystery series featuring P.I. Harper Blaine, a young woman in Seattle who died briefly during a scuffle with an unruly client and woke up a new person. Or rather, one who can go into the Grey, that murky area between life and death where ghosts, vampires, and all manner of strange beings exist. Harper thinks at first that she’s having some lingering effects from her head injury or hallucinating, but when an open-minded doctor gives her the business card of a couple who deal in the paranormal, she seeks them out and begins to learn about her new ability—or is it a curse? Very intriguing storyline coupled with a comfortable, easy-to-read writing style made this book hard to put down. I like Harper, but I don’t feel like I really *know* her very well yet and am looking forward to seeing her character grow as the series progresses. The only detrimental thing I can say is that the frequently repeated descriptions of the foggy, swirling mists and Harper’s dizziness, nausea, pain, racing heart, etc. as she went ‘into’ the Grey got to be…well, repetitive, after awhile. Will definitely be reading more in this series, though—well done! A-

12. EVERYDAY MAGIC: SPELLS AND RITUALS FOR MODERN LIVING by Dorothy Morrison. I’ve actually been working my way through this one for a couple of months and finally finished it. I did find a few useful potions and herbal combinations and scribbled a few things into my journal, but parts of this book struck me as just sort of silly, especially some of the incantations where the author forced the lines to rhyme. I got the giggles a few times reading those! Mostly I write my own spells anyway for the little bit of ritual/spellwork I do and it’s more the “spirit” of the thing that counts, IMO, not making things rhyme! I’m keeping this on my bookshelf, but it probably won’t be one of those books I refer to regularly. B-

13. THE GUILT OF INNOCENTS by Candace Robb. Most recent (#9) in the Owen Archer historical mystery series set in 1300’s York, UK. When tensions mount between bargemen and students, accusations begin to fly when a barge man named Drogo is murdered. First the students are blamed, as it was known that Drogo took the scrip of a student, so it’s felt they were bent on revenge. Then a priest who runs a grammar school near the Abbey falls under suspicion. Owen is charged by the Archbishop to get to the bottom of the murder, which sends him off to the country in search of clues as winter approaches and his wife Lucie’s delivery date draws near. A second murder complicates the plot, but as Owen and his helpers investigate, it’s clear that the two are tied together. I just love this series, although I can’t really say it’s for the strong plotlines. The mystery was fairly obvious rather early on. I kept waiting for the author to spring a surprise on me, but it didn’t happen. The characters, the author’s writing style and the immersion into the time period are what keep me coming back to this series. This one did not disappoint. A.

14. EVAN’S GATE by Rhys Bowen. #8 in the Evan Evans cozy police procedural series set in the fictional Welsh town of Llanfair. Evan is now a plainclothes Detective Constable just out of training, and his first case involves a missing little girl. The child and her mother are visitors to the area and it is feared that she was abducted by her Russian father, who has been estranged from the mother. But when Evan is digging up the sewer and water lines at the country cottage he’s bought and finds the skeleton of a child, speculation runs rampant about the possibility of a serial killer. When it’s determined that the skeleton is probably that of a young girl that Evan played with as a child 25 years previous, and that her whole family is in the area for a relative’s 80th birthday party, Evan remembers that his old playmate looked very much like the missing girl and wonders if one of the family members is the culprit in both cases. Love this series also—I figured out the mystery way ahead on this one too, but enjoy the setting and the characters so much that it doesn’t really matter. Excellent as always, in fact, even better. A+

15. SUMMER OF THE BIG BACHI by Naomi Hirahara. #1 Mas Arai series, featuring an older Japanese-American gardener in Southern California who is a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Mas’s past has always haunted him. He lives in a run-down old house, alone, his wife having died of stomach cancer a few years previously and his lone daughter living in New York. Mas mows lawns, trims hedges, plays cards and loves his old 1956 Ford pickup. When strangers come to town asking about Joji Haneda, an old friend of Mas’s from Hiroshima, he knows that the past is coming back to take vengeance. This will be a summer of bachi (karma) for him. When the grandson of an old friend shows up asking questions and then is arrested for murder, Mas does his best to free the young man though he wants to take the path he has always taken—the path of non-involvement. Very unique writing, dialogue…you felt immersed in the culture and yet at the same time struggled to understand just what was happening and why certain things were so relevant. I really liked this book and will be looking for the next in series. A.

16. MURDER…NOW AND THEN by Jill McGown. #6 Lloyd/Hill British police procedural mystery. I had a heck of a time getting into this book and very nearly didn’t finish it. I couldn’t believe it, as I’ve absolutely loved all the previous ones in the series, but this one felt terribly slow, draggy, and kept bopping back and forth between present time and 15 years previously—looking at crimes and murder cases during both time frames, obviously—and how the one from the past affected the present-day situation. It just was NOT interesting to me—aside from Lloyd and Hill, I couldn’t give a hill of beans about any of the main characters or their stupid lives, and wished they’d all be killed off! LOL I admit to skimming the last quarter of this book just to get it over with…I have not given a book this low of a grade in ages—I think it may be partially that I marked down just because I expected the usual stellar performance from McGown and didn’t get it! C-.

17. JAR CITY by Arnaldur Indridason. Icelandic police procedural featuring detective named Erlandur—that’s his first name, since most Icelanders go only by their first names, even in the phone book, apparently! An elderly man is found bludgeoned to death in his basement flat and that begins to unravel a whole parcel of strange facts that set Erlandur off on several different tangents. Apparently his detective’s nose is accurate though because his instincts prove right. A sad, heartbreaking tale set in a very interesting backdrop of Iceland, which I know next to nothing about before reading this book. Excellently written, difficult to put down, with a new character to love. I felt that Ernaldur was very well fleshed out, but I hope the author plumps up his co-workers and his family members more next time around. Looking for the next one! A.

18. THE WHITE MARE by Jules Watson. First in the Dalriada Trilogy, an epic historical saga that begins in the first century A.D. Scotland. This is the story of Rhiann, the Ban Cré of the Epiidi tribe, who dwell in the highlands of Alba, as Scotland was referred to then. It is also the story of Eremon, a Prince of Eire (Ireland) who washed up on the shores of Alba with a small band of his men after a battle with his own uncle for the right to the throne. Coincidentally, they arrive during the funeral of the Epiidi King, who is Rhiann’s uncle. Since the Epiidi are without an heir, it is now Rhiann’s job as last female survivor with royal blood to produce one. After Eremon spends some time with the Epiidi, the scheming leader of their Druid council names Eremon as their war chief and arranges a marriage between him and Rhiann and the saga begins. I really enjoyed the book despite it having definite “romantic” plot twists at times. It is set during the time of the Roman invasion of Scotland and apparently the next two books in the trilogy span a couple of centuries, so I’m looking forward to those as well. Watson knows how to tell a story, that’s for certain, and this one is staying on my Keeper shelf. A.

DNF: THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS by Jasper Fforde. #3 in the Thursday Next series, I tried several times to read this book and finally gave up. I did enjoy the others in the series but in small doses. The humor is very “busy” and intense and a little goes a long way. Since I’d already read the fourth in this series, I think that may have partly spoiled this book for me since I knew what eventually happened. But mostly, it just became too annoying.
DNF: THE ANTIPOPE by Robert Rankin. First in the Brentford Trilogy (which has something like 9 books in it now), I was very disappointed in this book. I’ve read some of Rankin’s newer books and really enjoyed them—found them howlingly funny, in fact. Reading this book was like dragging a dead body through sludge. It dragged and dragged, the humor was forced—in spite of that, I gave it about 75 pages and it just didn’t get better. Obviously Mr. Rankin has learned some things over the years since his more recent work is much, much better.

Cheryl

February Reading

1. DEATH MASKS by Jim Butcher. #5 Harry Dresden paranormal series. Once again Harry races through the book on 20 minutes sleep chasing bad guys, trying to earn enough money to stay out of the poorhouse, and to keep one step ahead of the White Council. In this book, Harry is challenged to a duel to the death by a warlord vampire of the Red Court, is hired by a Vatican official to recover the Shroud of Turin, which has been stolen by an international mob of religious artifacts thieves known as the Churchmice, and must deal with the return of Susan, his girlfriend who has been turned into a sort of ‘half a vampire’ and who has been away from Chicago for a year. Quick-paced, full of Harry’s usual wit and wisdom, and enjoyable as always. A.

2. AMAGANSETT by Mark Mills. Historical mystery set in coastal NY after WWII. This book was a slow starter; I nearly gave up after 40 or 50 pages, but I’m glad I didn’t because at some point I found myself totally sucked in and the book got very difficult to put down. Story of a young socialite found drowned off the coast of Long Island, hauled in by two fishermen when her body became tangled in their nets. The medical examiner lists it as an accidental drowning, but Deputy Hollis has a ‘feeling’ that she didn’t die of natural causes although there are no overt signs of foul play. He’s ordered to leave the case alone but investigates on his own. Told from the perspective of Hollis as well as Conrad Labarde, one of the fishermen who found the body. Lots of flashbacking and backstory explanations which did get a little tedious over time but also helped to really flesh out the main characters. It’s only this extensive flashbacking that caused me to lower the grade slightly. Otherwise, excellent story! B+

3. BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD by Sean Chercover. I started reading this book and after just a few pages, thought to myself, “Oh no! It’s a MOB book!” Mob books and movies are definitely not my favorites. As in, I would not knowingly pick one up. LOL But I kept reading for a few more pages, and the next thing you know, I was coming up for air at the end of chapter nine. This is the best hardboiled PI mystery that I’ve read in a long time, mob book or no. PI Ray Dudgeon is a likable, if doomed character with a set of very interesting friends and acquaintances, some of whom are affiliated with the Chicago “Outfit” as we’re told the Mafia are referred to there. Excellent book. Fast-paced, well-plotted and with well-fleshed characters, it’s hard to believe that it’s a first novel. A+

4. THE LAST JUDGEMENT by Iain Pears. #4 Jonathan Argyll “art history” mystery in which ghosts of the past float up to haunt Flavia and Jonathan as they try to figure out how a painting that Jonathan bought figures into two murders and a multitude of other curious incidents. Enjoyable read as always, as our two intrepid heroes jaunt across Europe chasing answers about an obscure and unimportant painting, The Death of Socrates, and the people who owned it in the past. Tied in with Nazi war criminals, Resistance members, and people who aren’t what they seem, the painting is causing Jonathan more trouble than he ever dreamed possible. A.

5. FROM TIME TO TIME by Jack Finney. Sequel to Finney’s time-travel classic, Time and Again, this book begins with Simon Morley, our intrepid hero, back in the 1880’s, the time he chose to stay in at the end of the first book. But something happens that spurs him to temporarily leave his wife Julia and their son Willy in 1882 and head back to modern times—and then again to another time altogether! While I mostly enjoyed this book, I felt it got a bit draggy and repetitive in spots and it wasn’t quite as compelling a read as Time and Again. The book raises some interesting questions: if you could go back in time and change a few small things that would ultimately change the course of history (would that be the future?) and affect the world you live in today in unfathomable ways, would you? I give this one a B.

6. THE MAGICIAN’S GUILD by Trudi Canavan. Black Magician trilogy Book 1, about a teenage girl named Sonea, a commoner who gets caught up in a protest against the Magicians on Purge day. When she becomes very angry and throws a rock that breaches the Magicians’ magical barrier, it’s obvious that Sonea must have latent magical power. Soon everyone is searching for her—from the Guild itself to fellow slum-dwellers, eager for the reward that turning her in would bring. Sonea is shuttled from hiding place to hiding place by a small group of friends while trying to make sense of her new-found magic power—only to discover just how dangerous it can be when she has no idea how to control it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The writing style kept you reading on and on, and while it contains many of the elements that make up other fantasy books and is not a terribly unique story-line, I thought it was a very well-told story and the author was able to make her characters and settings come to life. A.

7. THE MUGGER by Ed McBain. #2 in the 87th Precinct police procedural series, this book is an oldy moldy! It’s older than I am, and that’s pretty darned old. LOL I’ve read many of these years ago and am now in the process of re-reading them all and will eventually catch up with the newer ones. This book features a mugger who wears sunglasses at night, robs women of their money, slugs them in the face and then bows at the waist and says, “Clifford thanks you” before running off. It’s a foregone conclusion that things are going to go beyond mugging at some point, and they do. The book is a bit dated (this WAS written in 1956 after all!) so there were some things I had a good chuckle about, like a Detective 2nd Grade making just over $5k a year, and other things that were sort of annoying—like a stool pigeon who talks constantly in that 50’s hip slang, daddy-o, you dig? (I kept thinking of him as Maynard G. Krebs! LOL) But it was a quick, enjoyable read and I look forward to the rest of the series. B+

8. THIRTY-THREE TEETH by Colin Cotterill. #2 Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery, set in 1970’s Laos. Dr. Siri is the reluctant 72-year-old national coroner in post-Vietnam war Laos, as well as the current embodiment of an ancient Hmong shaman. Thus, he sees ghosts and hears spirits which help him in his mystery-solving. With his devil-may-care attitude, he is often bordering on running afoul of the new Communist regime in Laos, mostly because he would love nothing more than for his superiors to remove him from office and let him retire in peace. As with the last book, several mysteries and sub-plots join forces to make this a full and interesting book. Full of ‘woo woo’ (supernatural stuff) so if you don’t like that sort of thing, you may as well just stay away from this one. Except that Dr. Siri is such a delightful character I would recommend him to anyone! A.

9. DEAD SOULS by Ian Rankin. #10 Inspector Rebus British police procedural. For some reason, I had a hard time getting into and getting through this book. Rebus investigates the disappearance of the 19-year-old son of some old school friends from Fife, and the whole issue of “MisPers” (missing persons) is explored. While that is happening, he also contemplates the suicide death of a fellow officer who seemed to have it all going for him, and Rebus believes he was murdered for some reason. Then the subject of paedophiles and childhood abuse comes up, with that theme running through several cases, old and new. The book seemed a bit ‘bloated’ though, the storylines getting sidetracked from time to time, and this detracted from the story rather than enhancing it as sometimes is the case. Usually when I pick up a Rebus book, it’s hard for me to put it down and I’m done in a day or two. This one, I would read a couple dozen pages and become distracted, set it aside to go read something else for awhile and it took me nearly a week to get through it. C+

10. THE LAST JEW by Noah Gordon. Historical fiction taking place in 1480’s to early 1500’s during the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. Many converted to Catholicism rather than leave, but many who converted (‘conversos’) were later hunted down by the Inquisition, persecuted and burned at the stake. This is the story of Yonah Toledano, teenage son of a master silversmith who is separated from his family during their hasty flight from their home. His father is killed, his younger brother, aunt and uncle flee to who knows where, and Yonah finds himself totally alone, to the point where he feels like the last Jew in Spain. As he wanders from town to town, farm to farm, working manual labor jobs and staying in each place for only a few seasons (occasionally a few years until trouble managed to find him again) and eventually apprenticing himself to a physician in Saragossa, pretending outwardly to be Christian but inside still trying to stay true to the memory of his father and remain a Jew, Yonah meets many fascinating people and has many adventures. Absolutely wonderful story, very atmospheric and moving, and with an appropriate ending. A+

11. AGATHA RAISIN AND THE FAIRIES OF FRYFAM by M.C. Beaton. #10 Agatha Raisin mystery in which Agatha (once again fleeing Carsely to try to escape the memory of her beloved James who is still “away”) ventures off to rent a cottage in the little Norfolk village of Fryfam. It’s not long before Agatha’s out of sorts, a murder has occurred and she’s tangled up right in the midst of it. Meanwhile, little mysterious lights keep appearing in her garden, and the neighbors, a superstitious lot, attribute them to ‘the fairies’ since this is such an ‘old country’ and all. A typical, light enjoyable Agatha Raisin book. B+

12. CROWNER’S QUEST by Bernard Knight. #3 in the Crowner John historical mystery series set in 1190’s Devon, UK. A priest is found hanged in the privy behind his home, at first presumed a suicide but upon further investigation, it’s obvious someone else did the deed. Why would anyone kill such a quiet, mousy little man who was happiest in the church library poring over history books, especially on a holy day such as the Eve of Christ’s Mass? When a second murder takes place a few days later, Crowner John de Wolfe begins to see the connections though of course his brother-in-law the Sheriff would disagree and seems to be deliberately trying to keep the coroner from investigating fully. Political intrigues and women troubles plague the Crowner in this book and a simple little murder is never quite what it seems. Enjoyable historical mystery with refreshingly realistic characters. A.

13. GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE by Susan Vreeland. Historical fiction, actually a book of short stories that follow a painting from modern times back to the painter and the subject of the painting. It's many different stories and varied lives woven into one tale. I like stories like this that follow an object (a painting, a house, a place) through history, and Vreeland did this one very well, able to narrate a story from the perspective of a wide variety of characters, from a modern-day math professor in the USA to a French Lady in the time of Louis XIV, to a Dutch farm wife. I enjoyed it very much and will be looking for more from this author. A.

DNF: SHADOWMANCER by G.P. Taylor. Fantasy book that was (to me) childishly and amateurishly written. Gave it a good 40 pages but couldn’t get interested in the story or the characters and the author’s writing style I just found annoying.

Cheryl

JANUARY READING:

1. THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hossieni. Story of a young man from Afghanistan, what it was like growing up there in the 70’s and then fleeing to America during the turmoil and wars. Also a story of love, betrayal, forgiveness and hope. I enjoyed the book for its richness of cultural detail and because I felt totally immersed in Amir’s world, although I have to admit that his constant reference to his ‘shame’ and ‘cowardliness’ etc. grew old and wearying after awhile. The ending was actually good (I was worried I’d be disappointed, as so many books seem to do at the ending lately) and I enjoyed the book. Not as “outstanding” as the hype would have you believe, but still a great read. B+

2. JACK, KNAVE & FOOL by Bruce Alexander. #5 Sir John Fielding historical mystery set in 1770’s London and centering on the Bow Street Court. As usual with this series, several mysteries entwine to make an interesting mix. Annie, the cook, is learning to read and also joins a local choir. Jeremy begins reading his law books as his responsibilities for Sir John grow greater, and he feels much shame when he lets a prisoner escape. When it is brought to light later that the prisoner has a 12-year-old daughter, Jeremy gets involved with trying to help them. Meanwhile, Sir John is certain that the nephew of a prominent citizen has killed him off, but is unable to prove it—yet. As always, an excellent entry in the series. A.

3. THE RIDDLE OF THE THIRD MILE by Colin Dexter. #6 in the Chief Inspector Morse series set in Oxford. In this book, an Oxford don goes missing and Morse is contacted by the Vice-Headmaster. A body later turns up, of course, but how did it get to where it was found and who would so savagely mutilate it? And is it really Dr. Browne-Smith’s body after all? Enjoyable read, as all the Morse books have ever been for me. One of my favorite series. A.

4. THE WINTER KING by Bernard Cornwell. #1 in the Arthurian trilogy. Told from the point of view of Derfel, a servant of Merlin—actually a captured Saxon slave freed by the powerful Druid. Derfel later becomes one of Arthur’s warrior captains. Set in 480 A.D., the story tells of the wars and strife of the times—various British tribes against one another, against the Saxons, against the Franks, Christians against the Pagans, etc. and weaves Cornwell’s own brand of history with legend as his unique story of Arthur, Mordred, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the like is painted on the canvas. I quite enjoyed his telling of the first part of the tale and plan to collect this set in hardcover for my Keeper shelf. A.

5. BIRDMAN by Mo Hayder. Serial killer/ thriller set in London, about a necrophiliac who kills and mutilates prostitutes. Not for the faint of heart, but quite a riveting tale with the usual angst-driven police inspector with a tormented past that colors his way of thinking and doing things. (Is there not a ‘normal’ detective anywhere on the planet, I ask? LOL) Very difficult to put down. A.

6. ALL SHE WAS WORTH by Miyuki Miyabe. Japanese mystery about a police detective currently on medical leave and a private investigation he undertakes for his nephew, whose fiancée has disappeared after an argument they had. The investigation leads Honma into the murky world of excessive credit card debt, bankruptcy, identity theft and murder. Very enjoyable read—I always like getting immersed in the culture of a different country and enjoy the authenticity that an author who is a native of that country provides. The mystery was also very intriguing, and I liked the main character a lot. Unfortunately, I believe the author doesn’t write series books, just stand-alones, but I enjoyed this enough to seek out more by the same author even though I probably won’t be meeting the main character again. A-.

7. THE FIELD GUIDE (SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES BOOK 1) by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. Children’s fantasy about 3 kids who move into their great-aunt’s old house with their mother and discover a secret room, a riddle that leads to a book and ‘something in the walls’ that turns out to be something not quite of this world and seems determined to get them in trouble. A bit ‘young’ for my taste (I read it in less than an hour) but still enjoyable tale. B.

8. SABRIEL by Garth Nix. #1 in the Abhorsen fantasy series, and…WOW! I absolutely loved this book and found it very difficult to put down. This book has been on my shelf for months if not years. My daughter recommended it to me at least a year ago. Why did I not listen?? LOL Sabriel, daughter of The Abhorsen, a powerful necromancer who fights the dead, finishes high school in Anglesierre on the other side of the magical wall and is summoned to her birthplace, The Old Kingdom, by the spirit of her father. She has become the Abhorsen until she can free his spirit from Death…IF indeed she can do so. Under-trained, unknowledgeable about what’s been happening in her homeland, she sets out on a journey to save her father and meets some interesting characters and creatures along the way. A+

9. CROWN IN DARKNESS by Paul C. Doherty. #2 in the Hugh Corbett medieval mystery series, in which the Chancellor sends Corbett north to Scotland to investigate the death of their King Alexander. An accident? Or a carefully plotted murder? This is a short book (under 200 pages) and yet it seemed to take me quite awhile to read. I find the writing style a bit plodding and difficult to get through, and my mind wandered a lot. The subject matter and detail did keep me interested enough to complete it, though. There are certainly many historical mystery series that I enjoy more and I’m not sure when I will get back to this one. C+

10. BLIND TO THE BONES by Stephen Booth. #4 in the Ben Cooper/Diane Fry British police procedural series set in the Peak District. The disappearance of a college student two years ago ties in with a present-day murder as Ben and Diane investigate (mostly separately) the goings-on in the tiny village of Withens. Ben and Diane continue to each deal with their own demons as well. I really do not like Diane Fry as a character, but I am beginning to understand her more with each book. I love this series and this book was no exception. This one is, IMO, the best so far. A+

11. SOURCERY by Terry Pratchett. #5 in publication order of the Discworld fantasy books, this one again features Rincewind, the Luggage, Librarian, etc. as they speed away from Ankh-Morpork with the Archchancellor’s wizard hat. The hat asked to be stolen, you see, to keep young Coin, a true Sorcerer who walked into the Univesity and proclaimed himself Archchancellor, from putting it on. As always, Pratchett’s books make me laugh out loud, and also make me read slowly because sometimes one of his puns or jokes won’t hit me til several pages later—then I have to go back and read it again to make sure I got it! LOL A.

12. THIRD PERSON SINGULAR by K.J. Erickson. #1 in the Marshall “Mars” Bahr mystery series set in Minneapolis. When a high school senior from the wealthy suburb of Edina is found murdered in an unlikely area of Minneapolis, Mars looks desperately for suspects, but none are forthcoming. Several months later, new clues come to light and the investigation takes off once again. I enjoyed this first entry in the series, getting to know “Mars” and the supporting cast of characters. Erickson paints a vivid picture of Minneapolis and from what I can tell (I’m not a native of the city but I do live in the ‘burbs now) fairly accurate, too. There were a few little bits and bobs here and there that grated on my nerves, and I did figure out the bad guy well ahead of time, but still enjoyed it and will read more. B+.

13. WIT’CH FIRE by James Clemens. First in the “Banned and the Banished” fantasy series in which Elena, a young farm girl in Alasea discovers (with the help of her Uncle Bol) that she is the Wit’ch long prophesied to help the world slip out from under the dark rule of Lord Gul’gotha. She ends up banded together with a bunch of people and creatures of legend, they sworn to protect her and she only longing for the simple farm life she once had. Quite enjoyable and while there are some clichéd plotlines similar to many epic fantasy tales, it’s also sufficiently different to keep it interesting for the most part. There’s a fair bit of graphic violence and gory creatures and such, so best not for those prone to nightmares. LOL B+.

14. THE EVE OF ST. HYACINTH by Kate Sedley. #5 Roger the Chapman mystery set in 1270’s England in which Roger once again gets involved with the Plantagenet brothers: King Edward, George of Clarence and most especially Duke Richard, whose life is found to be in danger once again. Roger is enlisted to join the Duke’s household by Timothy Plummer to help find the mastermind behind a plan to assassinate Richard and the trail leads them to France and potentially another war. As always, enjoyable read with enough historical detail but a writing style that doesn’t get bogged down in minutiae. A.

15. DEATH OF A SNOB by M.C. Beaton. #6 in the Hamish MacBeth cozy Scottish police procedural series, in which Hamish, bereft of plans for the Christmas holiday, takes up the invite of a friend of Priscilla’s and joins her at her health farm on a lonely island to investigate whether or not someone is trying to kill her. Someone DOES die, but it’s not Jane—it’s Heather, one of her houseguests. Was Heather murdered because she was Heather or because someone thought she was Jane? Supt. Blair writes off the murder as an accident but Hamish knows better and eventually gets his man. As usual, a quick, light and enjoyable read. B+

16. NO MAN STANDING by Barbara Seranella. #5 Munch Mancini mystery, read this month in honor of the author at her untimely passing. Not that I need my arm twisted to pick up a Munch book!! In this installment, Munch’s friend Ellen’s mother and step-father are brutally murdered the day before Ellen is released from prison. Is this a message to Ellen? And will Ellen get the message or will Munch be dragged into yet another intrigue? And with Detective Rico Chacón investigating the murders, will Munch really mind being involved in the investigation? Another great read in this series, smack full of authenticity and a down-to-earth protagonist that you’re pulling for all the way. A.


DNF: BAD MOVE by Linwood Barclay. You know when you’re only in chapter 3 and already skimming, it’s not a good sign.

Cheryl