Mar 20 - 26, 2-16

Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin - John Rebus is now retired and is bored, bored, bored. So he jumps at the chance to become involved when someone shoots at his old nemesis, Big Ger Cafferty. A convoluted tale of gangsters against gangsters, or maybe not. It could be something from the past. I thought this one cheated a little in the plot. Rebus is still as ornery as ever.

3 stars
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No Shred of Evidence by Charles Todd - 1920, four young women are accused of trying to drown a young man from their rowboat. They claim they were trying to rescue him. Inspector Rutledge is called to the case when the original inspector drops dead on his first day. There are only the conflicting stories of the one witness and the women. Thankfully, Hamish, the soldier ghost who haunts the mind of Rutledge is not heard from very much. I always like to see how Rutledge investigates his cases. I enjoyed this very much. Maybe not a total 5 but close enough.

5 stars
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Deep Blue by Randy Wayne White - Doc Ford has finally bungled one of his secretive missions and the mistake is going to affect everyone living at Dinkins Bay. He's made really bad people mad at him. I still don't like all the mystical Tomlinson stuff. Much better than some of the more recent books. 23rd in the series, and I've read them all.

4 stars

Mar 13 - 19, 2016

The Crossing by Michael Connelly - the 20th Harry Bosch novel finds Harry at loose ends after his abrupt retirement from the LAPD. When he's asked by his half-brother Mickey Haller to look into one of his cases he initially balks at crossing to the other side. But his obsession with the truth soon has him wondering if the police have it right. Almost too much detail for my taste.

3 stars

Mar 6 - 12, 2016

Into the Savage Country by Shannon Burke - an adventure story set in the 1820's era of fur trapping in the west. William Wyeth is determined to make something of himself and joining a fur brigade seems to be the way to do it. An unlikely group of men pull together to form a company of trappers who then have run-ins with Indians and the British of the Hudson Trading Company. Also a love story is intertwined. I really liked the way the author wrote.

4 stars
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The Further Adventures of Ebenezer Scrooge by Charlie Lovett - twenty years after Scrooge's turn around, he is annoying everyone around him with his relentless cheeriness and generosity. When Marley's ghost visits him again, he comes up with a scheme to help Marley rid himself of the last of his chains. Written in the style of Dickens and using many locales from his books. A slim book and quick read.

3 stars
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Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man by William Shatner and David Fisher - I didn't realize the two actors had so much in common. Only 4 days apart in age and raised in Jewish families. They didn't actually become good friends until Star Trek was over and they began attending conventions together. Mr Shatner seems a little more open than in previous books I've read by him. I think he probably narrated the stories and Mr. Fisher did the actual writing.

3 star
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Death Wears a Mask by Ashley Weaver - a mystery regarding stolen jewelry becomes a case of murder in this second Amory Ames book. It's set in the 1930's, but these elite English characters seem untouched by any financial worries. Amory is still having trouble with her husband and they both approach the problem with very British reserve. If the series continues I hope that part doesn't, I find it very irritating. I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series.

3.5 stars
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The Theory of Death by Faye Kellerman - the 23rd Peter and Lina Decker book. They've settled into their new life upstate New York after living in California for 21 books. A student suicide at one of the five colleges in the area begins an investigation into missing thesis notes. Way too much math talk and very repetitive too. Then there's a murder with a somewhat lame conclusion. The inside jacket blurb is wrong in it's description, did whoever wrote it read the book?

3 stars but barely
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Keller on the Spot by Lawrence Block - our favorite contract killer is casing his next job when something very unexpected happens. Not a book but a very short story that I probably read a long time ago. But I always enjoy Keller's inner musings as he goes about his work.

3 stars

Feb 28 - Mar 5, 2016

Locked In by Kerry Wilkinson - one of the first self-published successes on Amazon, it was a top seller in the UK. The first book in the Jessica Daniels series. Somehow a murderer is killing random people and leaving them in a locked house and the police have no idea how he's getting in and out. The mystery part was compelling. But like many self-published books, this could have used some good editing. Had to buy this from the UK as it's no longer available as an e-book. If anyone reading this would like it, first come, first served.

3 stars