Nov 9 - 15, 2014

Festive in Death by J.D. Robb - hard to believe this is the 39th Eve Dallas book and I've read them all. It's Christmas and Detective Dallas is trying to run a murder investigation and have a party at the same time. The victim is despicable and there is a wealth of suspects. I like these light mysteries set in the near future, 2060, and featuring all the people Eve has come to know over the past few years. There are usually three or so sex scenes but because they're so routine you know to just skip two pages ahead. I thought this book had more language than usual.

3 stars
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The Farm by Tom Rob Smith - Daniel receives a call from his father saying his mother has been put in a mental facility and is making some outrageous claims. Before he can get to Sweden, his mother calls and says not to believe anything he's heard, it's all a conspiracy. Who is telling the truth? Just the kind of quirky book I like.

4 stars
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The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey - written in 1929. I thought I wasn't going to like this at first, but once I got used to the writing I really enjoyed it. A man is stabbed while standing in line to go to a play and no one knows who he is or who did it. A much slower pace of investigating than modern times. The public and newspapers are eager to help and there seems to be a large staff of able policemen. And quite a turn at the end!

4 stars
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Trespasser by Paul Doiron - this was a really fast skim-read, I just couldn't get into it. Game warden Mike Bowditch is convinced there's something more to a deer/car accident, especially when the driver can't be found. Once again, he's the only one fighting for justice and everyone is against him. A plot I've read many times.

2 stars
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A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler - another oldie, published in 1939. This is a very convoluted story of a mystery writer getting caught up in a real life mystery due to his naivete. It takes place in a lot of countries that have changed names and there are a lot of foreign phrases not translated which adds to the confusion. None of the characters are very likeable. And I read quite a lot of it in unfavorable circumstances (dr. offices with lots of interruptions) so that didn't help.

1 star
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Personal by Lee Child - the 19th Jack Reacher novel. An assassin has tried to shoot the French president from a distance that only a very few men could have made. And one is a man Jack Reacher put in prison. Jack travels to Paris and London and is helped by people who may be on his side or not. As usual, he's one step ahead of everyone. Some violence, Jack's quite a fighter. I enjoyed the first few pages quite a bit, they take place in Seattle and Tacoma and Jack boards a plane at the air force base just a few miles west of my house.

4.5 stars
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The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar by Martin Windrow - it took the author 20 years before he could write about his relationship with Mumble, her death was a great blow to him. Lots of info about owls woven in with his observations and diary entries about Mumble.

3 stars
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First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austin by Charlie Lovett - Sophie Collingwood finds herself the heroine in a story of possible plagiarism by Jane Austen and the mystery of her uncle's death. Told in alternating chapters between the present time and the 18th century, it has quite a thrilling climax.

4 stars