5 star books of 2017

Reading seemed somewhat of a struggle this year. Although I finished 161 books, I also quit more books than I ever have. It was hard to find a book that really pulled me in and had me thinking about it after I had read it. And I think some of these books got 5 stars just because I was thrilled to read something interesting. My first 5 star wasn't until April.

5. A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline - an imagining of the life of Christina Olson, the muse for Andrew Wyeth's painting, Christina's World. At a young age, Christina was struck with a painful, debilitating disease. She lived her entire life on the farm pictured in the painting always doing what was expected and not what she desired. I really liked the way this book flowed.
     From my blog post of May 28

4. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys - four young people, different nationalities, are thrown together in a desperate rush to get to a seaport ahead of the advancing Russian army. But even refuge on a ship doesn't bring safety. Told from all four viewpoints, you gradually get to know and care about them.
    From my blog post of April 9

3. Glass Houses by Louise Penny - the 13th Inspector Armand Gamache begins in a courtroom with the inspector on the witness stand. He is recounting the events that occurred in Three Pines a year ago, beginning with the appearance of a mysterious person clad in black who stands on the village green. We then go back and forth in time as things gradually unfold. The author handles the buildup in tension wonderfully, I couldn't wait to get to the end. Everything is on the line for Gamache including his career and family. Just a little bit of niggling irritation as the jumps in time were sometimes confusing. And I do get tired of the police corruption angle but that's not the focus.
    From my blog post of Nov 26

2. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - in 1922,  Count Alexander Rostov is condemned to house arrest at the Metropol, a luxury hotel, for being an unrepentant aristocrat. But he can't stay in his suite, he must live in a small room at top of the hotel. Here he lives as the decades pass and those in political power rise and fall. He begins to make friends with employees who previously had been acquaintances. And he makes friends with a young girl with a quick mind who will have a great impact on his life. Little bits of subtle humor and beautiful writing.
    From my blog post of July 16

 1. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - Eleanor Oliphant has very poor social skills and lives a solitary life, usually speaking to no one at all on the weekends. She has good reason for her lack of skills which is very gradually revealed. She suddenly develops a crush on a band singer and begins to take an interest in her appearance to be worthy of him. In the meantime, she develops a friendship with the sloppy IT person at her work when they witness the medical emergency of an elderly man. Funny, sad, hopeful, and angry were some of my feelings as I read this.
     From my blog post of July 30

Eleanor won out over Count Alexander because her story touched me more. I thought of her often. 

Dec 24 - 31, 2017

American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse - the true story of a series of 80 plus fires set in Accomack County, Va during 2012/13. An already impoverished area, the arsons and subsequent trials stretched resources thin. The author, a journalist, made the story read like fiction with a few facts thrown in, making for a compelling read.

4 stars
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Travels with Rachel: In Search of South America by George Mahood - George and Rachel's honeymoon trip to Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. With little preparation and minimal supplies they spent six weeks visiting ancient towns, the Amazon jungle, the pampas and salt flats using mostly local transportation. Told with his usual flair for comedy and willingness to poke fun at himself. A quick, fun read.

3 stars
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Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones - Liesl is a plain girl and lives her life in the shadow of her beautiful sister and talented brother. All her life she's heard stories of the Goblin King and his search for a bride. Then her sister is taken by the GK and in order to save her she agrees to marry him. I'm quite ambivalent about this book. The writing is lovely but it takes forever to get to the point. There's lots of writing music, talking about music, and playing music. And then Leisl wants the GK but he doesn't want her, then he does but she doesn't, then she does but he doesn't. It's a YA book, can you tell? And yet...the ending left me unsatisfied and I've put the second book on my TBR.

3 stars

Dec 17 - 23, 2017

Artemis by Andy Weir - Jazz Bashara lives on the moon. Sounds cool, but she's too poor to enjoy the lifestyle and makes her living as a porter and smuggler. Then she's hired to sabotage some equipment and finds herself in the middle of a fight to control Artemis, the city on the moon. I was really expecting to like this, I loved The Martian by the author. But this book is filled with a smart-mouth, snarky woman (she acts more like a teenager) who makes lots of sexual comments and thinks she's pretty cool. And there's lots of science and welding. Which I skimmed as fast as possible. I only finished because I wanted to know how Jazz got out of her mess.

2 stars

Dec 10 - 16. 2017

Final Girls by Riley Sager - Quincy Carpenter is a Final Girl, she's the only survivor of a brutal knife attack that left all her friends dead. Forcibly linked by media outlets with two other Final Girls, her world is rocked when the oldest Girl commits suicide and the second turns up on her doorstep. Quincy has no memories of her trauma and would like to keep it that way. Because she has a niggling doubt about her own role in it. I blazed through this one, it really kept my mind whirling. Dabs of language, sex, and violence.

4 stars
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A Royal Experiment: The Private Life of King George III by Janet Hadlow - Americans know this king as the one fought against in the Revolutionary War and for his madness. The author takes a look at his family life, one that he was determined would not be like previous generations, known for infidelity and coldness towards their children. He was very purposeful in the qualities he looked for in a wife as he wanted to form a warm family life. He and his wife, Caroline, had 15 children, 13 of whom lived to adulthood. Unfortunately, George wasn't quite able to live up to his own ideas, growing colder towards his children as they grew up and wanted to live their own lives. And his descent into madness altered the way the queen viewed him. This was a very long book and I was only able to read about 50 pages at a time. The writing was good but there were just so many people. I don't think I ever got all the princes figured out and which was the duke of what.

3.5 stars
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Reykjavik Nights by Arnaldur Indridason - a prequel to the Inspector Erlender novels. This goes back to the very beginning of his career as a policeman. He's working nights as a traffic cop and begins dwelling on the drowning death of a homeless man he's acquainted with. His unofficial investigation leads him to believe it was murder. This was rather a plodding book, Erlender goes through several suspects and there is some repetition. A low

3 stars
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Her Last Day by T.R. Ragan - Jessie Cole became a private investigator primarily so she could search for her sister, missing for the last ten years. When reporter Ben Morrison comes to her with the idea of doing a story about her search, she reluctantly agrees. Ben lost his memory in a fiery crash ten years ago and it may have something to do with her sister. Meanwhile, the whole city is on edge because the Heartless Killer has struck again. The book switches back and forth between these two stories with a couple of subplots in between. Too graphic when the Killer is the focus. And I didn't warm up to the two main characters. For me, the writing wasn't stellar. Once again, I'm in the minority on Goodreads.

2 stars

Dec 3 - 9, 2017

The Unicorn in the Barn by Jacqueline K. Ogburn - Eric Harper still resents the fact that his family had to sell his grandmother's house and part of their land to take care of her medical costs. But when he follows an injured unicorn to their barn his life changes. I loved the unicorn but I think my favorite character was the talking cat. A charming children's book with some illustrations.

4 stars

Nov 26 - Dec 2, 2017

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz - an homage to Agatha Christie and cozy English village mysteries. The story starts with Susan Ryeland reading the manuscript of author Alan Conway's latest book. She doesn't like the author much but does like his books featuring Atticus Pund, a German detective. We then read the book within the book, Magpie Murders. But that book ends suddenly just when Atticus is about to reveal all. And when Alan Conway is found dead it looks like there won't be an ending after all. I was really looking forward to this book but have to admit I was a little disappointed. I had a real problem with the book in the book, there were many characters introduced all at once and I found the story a little disjointed. I put the book down several times thinking I would quit. But things picked up about halfway when we get back to the"real" world. I guessed the murderer in the "real" book, but was quite surprised at the solution to Magpie Murders. Anthony Horowitz is the creator of Foyle's War and a writer for Midsomer Murders.

3.5 stars
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Glass Houses by Louise Penny - the 13th Inspector Armand Gamache begins in a courtroom with the inspector on the witness stand. He is recounting the events that occurred in Three Pines a year ago, beginning with the appearance of a mysterious person clad in black who stands on the village green. We then go back and forth in time as things gradually unfold. The author handles the buildup in tension wonderfully, I couldn't wait to get to the end. Everything is on the line for Gamache including his career and family. Just a little bit of niggling irritation as the jumps in time were sometimes confusing. And I do get tired of the police corruption angle but that's not the focus.

5 stars
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 Cast Iron by Peter May - the sixth in the Enzo Macleod series. Enzo is still working his way through a set of cold cases he took on as the result of a bet. This one is the murder of a young girl 20 years ago. Everyone thinks she was killed by a man in prison for other murders but he denies it. I don't find Enzo a likeable man, he seems to be a serial womanizer with a messy personal life. I think I may have started a previous book in the series and disliked him so much I quit. This is a series that definitely needs to be read in order. The mystery part was okay but I liked few of the people.

3 stars

Nov 19 - 25, 2017

The Mapmaker's Children - the fictionalized story of Sarah Brown, daughter of John Brown, and the completely fictional Eden Anderson. Told in alternating chapters of characters and timelines, I found the switching back and forth a little jarring. The story is based on real facts pertaining to the Underground Railroad. The modern story has Eden finding a doll head that leads to a search for the history behind it. I found Eden unlikable at first, her desperation to have a child is ruining all her relationships.

3.5 stars

Nov 12 - 18, 2017

Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks - 17 short stories connected by typewriters. I found the first story the most humorous, friends decide to become lovers and then she begins to "improve" him. Some of the stories are in the past and some seem to take place in a near future. Nothing profound but enjoyable.

4 stars
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One Dead Dean by Bill Crider - a hated dean at a small denominational college is murdered. Carl Burns, a professor with a penchant for list-making, somehow keeps getting involved in the investigation. He thinks he can do a better job than the bumbling sheriff and, what a surprise, he can. This is the first in a short series started in 1988 by the author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series.

2 stars

Nov 5 - 11, 2017

The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones - in this dystopian thriller, humanity is living in zones behind a destructive salt line because miner ticks carry a deadly disease that kills quickly and horribly. A group of adventure seekers pay a lot of money to go on an excursion beyond the salt line to see what things used to look like. The story is told from the viewpoint of three of these people, all of whom have very different reasons for being there. But very soon in their journey they are taken captive by a group of people living in the wilderness who have very definite plans for their group. The ending was somewhat of a letdown. Some violence.

4 stars
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The Sorbonne Affair by Mark Pryor - the 7th Hugo Marston book has a wealth of suspects, false clues, many theories, and a touch of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. Marston is approached by a famous author who says she has found a hidden camera in her hotel room. Soon there's a murder, leaked videos, and more murders. And to top it off, a criminal with revenge on his mind has been released back in the states and may be on his way to Paris.

3.5 stars
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Secrets in Death by J.D.Robb - the 45th Lt. Eve Dallas book. Eve is meeting a colleague at a posh bar when a famous gossip monger staggers up the stairs and dies in her arms. It turns out many people had reason to wish Larinda Mars dead, she was blackmailing them. Eve and her team have almost too many suspects. People aren't dropping like flies as they often do in these books, this is pretty much a procedural. There are only two of the obligatory sex scenes, easily skipped.

3.5 stars
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House of Spies by Daniel Silva - the 17th Gabriel Allon book. At the end of the previous book, Allon had finally become the head of Israel's intelligence agency. But that doesn't stop him from becoming very involved in the hunt for Saladin, the terrorist responsible for attacks in America, London, and France. The whole team is back including one of my favorite's, Keller, who is a stone cold killer. The 544 page book is mostly the setting up and recruiting of the people necessary to reach Saladin but I didn't find it boring at all. Much of that is due to the author's smooth writing. Plus, I always wonder how much he really knows.

4.5 stars
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MatchUp edited by Lee Child - 22 authors, 11 stories featuring such diverse characters as Jack Reacher, Termperance Brennan, Joe Pickett, and Lucan Thorne. This introduced me to some new authors and characters, some of which I'll investigate further. Equally interesting to me was how the authors worked together on the stories, I'm glad that part was included.

3 stars
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Into Oblivion by Arnaldur Indridason - one of the books in the Inspector Erlendur series, which are not published in English in the order of their Icelandic publication. This is one of the prequels, taking place in 1979. A man's body is found in a lagoon but evidence shows that he fell from a great height onto a hard surface. Suspicion focuses on the American base that has caused a great difference of opinion in Iceland. At the same time, Erlendur is unofficially looking into the disappearance of a young girl that took place forty years ago. Both cases end quite climatically.

4 stars

Oct 30 - Nov 4, 2017

Let the Dead Speak by Jane Casey - 18 yo Chloe arrives home unexpectedly to find lots of blood and a missing mother. Maeve Kerrigan and her team find some of the neighbors odd and turn their attention to them. The very religious Norrises seem very tense but they accuse William Turner who has already beat an accusation of a knife attack. So many twists and turns, this really kept me interested. It would have been perfect if not for the cliched "Christians".

4 stars
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The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan - the ladies of Chilbury find they can be more than they thought when WWII empties their village of men and they must rely on themselves. Told in a series of letters and journals. It was interesting to watch the women change as the book went on.

3.5 stars
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Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan - Lydia leads a carefully constructed cautious life as a clerk in a bookstore. But when one of her favorite patrons commits suicide in the store things begin to fall apart. In the books he has left to her she discovers clues that lead her to her estranged father and a horrific night from her childhood. What I considered unnecessary crude language kept this from being a 5 star book.

4.5 stars
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Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf - an accident has left nurse Amelia Winn deaf. She doesn't handle the change well, losing her husband, stepdaughter, job, and friends to alcohol. She is just getting her life back together when she discovers the body of an old friend along the river where she is paddle boarding. She feels compelled to discover the murderer, putting herself and her service dog, Stitch, in danger. It was the element of deafness (and Stitch) that kept this mystery compelling to me. I didn't really care for Amelia, she jumped to conclusions rather quickly. The author is hearing impaired herself.

4 stars
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The Complete Father Brown Mysteries by G.K.Chesterton - 24 short stories that I read over a few months as they were the perfect length for "waiting". I found some of them so old fashioned that I just didn't get them. And it was very hard to get past racial caricatures of the times. I only found a few of the stories enjoyable.

2 stars

Oct. 22 - 28, 2017

Nothing read.

Oct 16 - 21, 2017

The Color of Fear by Marcia Muller - Sharon McCone's father, a famous Shoshone artist, is attacked by racist thugs while he visits her in San Francisco. When she begins to investigate it brings more attacks on her family and associates. All of whom, from all of the previous 31 books, have to be mentioned, along with almost every previous case. This seems to take the place of a plot but we do learn how the author feels about hate groups. And at the end, Sharon once again faces the baddies single handed. Will she ever learn? With the author in her 70's I'm wondering if this is the last in the series. I still remember so enjoying the first, Edwin of the Iron Shoes, in 1977. (Don't remember the plot but the enjoyment of a good mystery.)

2 stars
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The Dry by Jane Harper - Federal Agent Aaron Falk hadn't planned on attending the funeral of his old friend who has committed suicide after killing his wife and son. But when he receives a threatening note he reluctantly returns to Kiewwarra, an Australian farming town where it hasn't rained in two years and where tensions are high. Does the atrocity committed by his friend have something to do with the 20 year old secret Aaron and his friend have kept? I really enjoyed this debut novel.

4.5 stars
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Holding by Graham Norton - the quiet Irish town of Duneen is stunned when a body is found at a building site. Everyone immediately assumes it to be Tommy Burke, who supposedly left town after an entanglement with two women. Brid, who is now an alcoholic mother of two, and Evelyn whose life has passed her by. PJ Collins, the overweight Gardia sergeant if the town, suddenly finds his very dull life changing. The author is the host of a talk show in the UK full of double entendres and innuendo so I was very surprised to find I really liked his writing. There are a couple of sex scenes, one of them uncomfortable, but crucial to the plot.

4 stars

Oct 9 - 15, 2017

Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford - a twelve year old half Chinese boy finds himself being raffled off at the 1909 Seattle World's Fair. The winner is the madam of a brothel, a house where Ernest finally finds a sense of belonging. He also meets the two girls he will almost simultaneously fall in love with. In 1962, at the beginning of a new World's Fair, Ernest remembers his old life while his wife is forgetting him. We go back and forth between the two times, almost too much in my opinion. It made the story a little jerky. I almost quit this one but felt it got much better about half way through.

3 stars
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Cold in the Earth by Aline Templeton - set in a remote area of Scotland during the hoof and mouth disease catastrophe of 2001. DI Marjory Fleming is the wife of a farmer and so is caught between both sides as her officers must enforce the slaughter orders on the farms of her friends. And though the book spends a great deal of time on this it isn't what the mystery is about. Finally, halfway through, a body is found and a murderer from the past must be caught. The writing is nice but there is just too much extraneous plot. And Fleming's father is the kind I detest - bombastic, a misogynist, and thoroughly unimpressed with anything she does. This is the first in a series I won't continue.

2 stars
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Chasing Space by Leland Melvin - the author is the only man to be drafted into the NFL and go to outer space. Basically a book about overcoming obstacles and keeping on no matter what. I somehow ordered the young readers edition from the library but don't think I missed too much. I would have liked to know a little more about his personal life or if he sacrificed that for his career.

3 stars
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Within Arm's Length:A Secret Service Agent's Definitive Account of Protecting the President by Dan Emmett - as an 8 year old, the author was so inspired by the actions of one Secret Service agent when President Kennedy was assassinated that he vowed to become one. We follow his career in the Marines and then as an agent eventually earning his place in the Presidential Protection Division. He's very careful not to spill any dirt about the people he protected. Lots of acronyms that dulled my enjoyment. A little bland but I did learn lots I didn't know about the Secret Service.

3 stars

Oct 1 - 7, 2017

The Blood Card by Elly Griffiths - it's 1953 and Britain is getting ready for the coronation of Elizabeth. DI Edgar Stephens and his friend, magician Max Mephisto, are called to the scene of the murder of their former commander. A playing card has been found on his body and Max knows the significance. It looks like there may be planned mayhem at the coronation or elsewhere. The case leads Stephens to America where an attempt is made on his life. Meanwhile, Max is about to appear on the new threat to variety shows, television.

3.5 stars
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The Painted Queen by Elizabeth Peters, Joan Hess - the last Amelia Peabody book which was unfinished at the time of the author's death. Not sure how much of the book was written by Peters and how much by Hess but it just didn't feel the same to me. The characters were not in character. The mystery is the bust of Nefertiti and how the Peabodys become involved in its discovery. I started and stopped this book 3 times before finishing it out of loyalty to Elizabeth Peters.

2 stars

Sept 24 - 30, 2017

The Late Show by Michael Connelly - a new series featuring Renee Ballard, a detective who works the night shift in the Hollywood division of the LAPD. Thus the title. She's working this shift as punishment for losing a sexual harassment case against her former supervisor and what she doesn't like is never being able to follow up on a case. Until one night when two separate cases cause her to start investigating on her time off. Way, way too much police jargon and details of paperwork as if the author wants to impress us with his inner knowledge. I found Renee not so much unlikable as I just didn't care. I feel the author is jumping on the woman is strong bandwagon without giving her much character. My opinion is not shared by the majority on Goodreads.

2 stars

Sept 17 - 23, 2017

The Paris Librarian by Mark Pryor - Hugo Marston's friend dies unexpectedly in a locked room in the American Library in Paris. Even though it looks like natural causes, Hugo has a feeling it's not and begins digging. When other people turn up dead, it looks like his suspicions are right. There's also a rumor that the papers of a famous actress recently donated to the library contain details of her work as a resistance fighter during WWII. Is there a connection? Not quite a s good as previous books in the series. A low

3 stars
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Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton - Kinsey Mullhone's latest case goes back in time 20 years when four boys commit manslaughter trying to recover a tape of an assault. Almost as soon as one boy is released from prison, his family receives a blackmail letter threatening release of the tape. That's where Kinsey comes in. In other bad news, the psycho who almost killed her in the last book is back. This was told from a few other viewpoints and from different time frames. Too much back and forth for me.

3 stars
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Sleeping in the Ground by Peter Robinson - a sniper takes out several people at a wedding and Inspector Banks team has no idea who did it or why. As they begin the painstaking digging trying to connect the dots they begin to think it has something to do with a murder fifty years ago. Banks has also just been to the funeral of his first love and is feeling morose. For a good detective he's rather obtuse when it comes to relationships.

3 stars

Sept 10 - 16, 2017

The Templar's Last Secret by Martin Walker - the 10th Chief of Police Bruno book starts with a dead woman at the bottom of a cliff and evolves into a hunt for terrorists. There's almost too much in this story. Bruno has a political observer shadowing him, there's a wedding, new discoveries in the famous Lascaux caves, and an old girlfriend shows up. And of course lots of cooking and eating, with the cooking portion very detailed.  I found this a little disappointing.

2 stars
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Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too: A Book by Jomny Sun - a lonely alien visits earth to learn about humans and meets many creatures (but no humans) with different perspectives on love, loneliness, and art. It's like a picture book for adults. Based on a Twitter account. I think I'm too old to "get" it.

2 stars
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Borne by Jeff VanderMeer - Rachel is a scavenger in some kind of post apocalyptic world dominated by a giant flying bear. The Company's biotech has gone horribly wrong and all sorts of creatures and humans(?) roam the city. When she finds a strange, plant type creature, she brings it home and that changes everything. What is Borne? Plant, animal? Rachel begins to care for him like a child but he is anything but. Graphic and disturbing sometimes as a world without hope would be.

4 stars

Sept 3 - 9, 2017

A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson - in 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 10 days and never spoke of what actually happened. This is an imagining of those days. Already distraught over her husband's infidelity, Agatha is at the train station when someone pushes her towards the tracks. Her rescuer turns out to be an odious man who blackmails her into murdering his wife. Told mostly in Agatha's voice with some chapters from other viewpoints. It's hard to imagine in this age of tell all the lengths people would go to avoid social embarrassment. I prefer the Doctor Who version of the missing 10 days.

3 stars
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All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker - I had some very ambivalent feelings reading this, it's quite graphic. Jenny is brutally attacked and then given a controversial drug to make her forget. When that doesn't work as planned she begins seeing a psychiatrist, the narrator of the story. Who turns out to be so unlikable that for a while I thought he was the perpetrator. I had to finish to see who the bad guy was but can't recommend this for it's graphic violence. Reese Witherspoon is supposedly making this into a movie.

2 stars
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The Last Mile by David Baldacci - Melvin Mars is just hours away from being executed for the murder of his parents when another man confesses, knowing details only the killer could know. That's when the newly formed FBI team with Amos Decker from Memory Man steps in. He has a feeling the confession is suspect but that Mars really is innocent. What follows is a tedious going over the steps again and again, lots of supposition, and a growing unbelievable plot line. Evidently Decker is the only one who can remember anything because the reader is not expected to remember things from page to page. Lots of repetition in this one. Think I'll give the series a rest.

2 stars

Aug 27 - Sept 2, 2017

The Search by Nora Roberts - Fiona Bristow runs a dog training business on Orcas Island and is also head of a search and rescue team. She's also the only survivor of the Red Scarf serial killer. Now it looks like there's a copycat coming to finish the job. Plus a romantic entanglement with her new neighbor, a hunky woodworker with a problem puppy. I should have known what I was getting into with a Nora Roberts book. The rapturous sex parts are easy to skip over, but sexual repartee not so much. I guess I'm really old, I have a hard time believing people talk like that when they barely know one another. Had to keep reading so they could catch the bad guy though. And the dog part was enjoyable.

2 stars
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Memory Man by David Baldacci - through an accident on a football field, Amos Decker can remember everything he sees. Including the scene of the murder of his family, so far an unsolved case. He falls into a deep hole, losing his job as a detective and his friends. When a man confesses to the murder of his family of course he's instantly interested. Then there's a massacre at the high school and somehow it's connected to something in his past and his family's murder. The first in a new to me series. A little gruesome and the last scene tied up a little too neatly but I'll be reading more in the series.

3 stars
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Swiss Vendetta by Tracee de Hahn - Swiss police detective Agnes Lughi is called to her first case after switching from financial crime to violent crimes. The body of a young woman has been found in front of a chateau in the middle of a snowstorm. Trapped with the taciturn family and servants in the chateau, she has trouble finding a reason for the murder, let alone who did it. There are a few sub-plots, with one of them suddenly becoming the focus. A good debut, the author really set the atmosphere. I was cold on a 90 degree day.

3 stars
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Arf by Spencer Quinn - the second in the Bowser and Birdie series. Someone has broken into Birdie's house, but why? The Gaux's have nothing valuable. Bowser is suspicious of a stranger who drives around with a cat in his car. And Birdie is suspicious of an unfriendly family in town. Told from Bowser's point of view.

3 stars

Aug 20 - 26, 2017

No Middle Name:The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Short Stories by Lee Child - just what the title says. From his teenage years, through his military career, and his ramblings around the country, Jack always manages to get himself out of a predicament.

3 stars
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The Right Side by Spencer Quinn - the author of the Chet and Bernie series takes a much more serious tone. LeAnne Hogan doesn't remember what happened during a military operation in Afghanistan that went wrong during which she suffered serious injuries and lost her right eye. Bitter and confused, she leaves the hospital after her roommate, Marcie, suddenly dies. Almost by accident she arrives in Marci's hometown where she learns Marci's daughter is missing. She's also adopted by a large stray dog, no one's idea of a pet. Her search for Mia becomes a search for herself. I don't know if this will become a series but I hope so.

4 stars
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Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley - a used bookshop has a section where the books aren't sold, instead they are used by people to leave letters and notes to others. And that's the most interesting part of the book. Otherwise it's a typical YA book with language, sex, and the always present love triangle.

2 stars

Aug 13 - 19, 2017

Still Dead by J.A. Jance - a J.P. Beaumont novella. J.P. is a little bit at loose ends since he retired and his wife became chief of police in Bellingham. So when a friend offers him a 30 year old cold case he's interested. A woman's empty car was found at Deception Pass Bridge but her body was never found. The case is pretty easily solved and I liked the way he got a confession. I enjoyed this because it takes place where I used to live. A fun, quick read.

3 stars
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Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffiths - Brighton, 1951. DI Stephens is looking for two missing children and not having much success. No one has seen anything and there are very little clues. When it becomes a case of murder, he's desperate for any help. His friend, Max Mephisto, performing in a Christmas pantomime, tells him of a possible link to an old murder many years ago. The very slow pace of the investigation wouldn't be tolerated now. Lots of red herrings with a surprise (to me) ending.

3 stars
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Flask of the Drunken Master by Susan Spann - samurai Hiro and Father Matteo are after justice again when their friend is accused of murdering a man outside his sake brewery. Given only a short time by the magistrate before Ginjiro is executed, they have many suspects to talk to. Lots of walking, as there would be in 16th century Japan, but I found it tiresome. I didn't enjoy this as much as the previous two in the series.

2 stars

Aug 6 - 12, 2017

The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths - it's Brighton in 1950 and parts of the body of a young woman have just been found. It reminds Edgar Stephens of a magician's act performed by Max Mephisto, an old friend from the war. The two of them join forces when it looks like someone has got their sights on their unit from WWII, the Magic Men. A new series by the author of the Ruth Galloway series, this didn't engage me quite as much. I'll still read the next in the series. A low

3 stars
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What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi - a collections of short stories with absolutely no meaning whatsoever as far as I could tell. The blurb said they interconnect but I didn't find it. Confession: I skipped the last two stories as I was exhausted from the tedium of trying to find an actual story.

1 star
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Wrath of the Furies by Steven Saylor - the third in the Ancient World Series, these are the stories of Gordianus the Finder when he was a young man. The ancient world is in upheaval with Mithidrates conquering Roman Asia, Italian states rebelling against Rome, and a coup in Egypt. Among all this, Gordianus sails to Ephesus to find his old tutor who may be in some trouble. He gets there just in time to be caught up in a plot to kill all the Romans in town. I first met Gordianus in the Roma Sub Rosa series and enjoyed this younger version of him.

3 stars

July 30 - Aug 5, 2017

Making Faces by Amy Harmon - plain girl Fern(except she's not really, is she?) has been in love with beautiful boy Ambrose for years. A story about what makes us actually beautiful. I found the characters too good to be true. A strange combination of bodice buster without sex, typical Harlequin romance, and religious overtones. Once again, I am very much in the minority on Goodreads.

2 stars
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Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - Eleanor Oliphant has very poor social skills and lives a solitary life, usually speaking to no one at all on the weekends. She has good reason for her lack of skills which is very gradually revealed. She suddenly develops a crush on a band singer and begins to take an interest in her appearance to be worthy of him. In the meantime, she develops a friendship with the sloppy IT person at her work when they witness the medical emergency of an elderly man. Funny, sad, hopeful, and angry were some of my feelings as I read this.

5 stars
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Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson - Kate has always been anxious and when an ex-boyfriend kidnaps her before ending his own life, hers is brought to a standstill by anxiety attacks. When her cousin suggests an apartment swap, his in Boston for hers in London, she takes it, hoping for a fresh starts. When she arrives, she learns the woman in the apt next to hers has just been found murdered. Clues point to her cousin, or is it the rather odd but interesting man in the building? Told from different viewpoints, I found it hard to relate to any of them. The suspense part was good.

3.5 stars

July 23 - 29, 2017

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles - a story of haves and have-nots in New York City during the late '30s. A woman at an art exhibition with her husband sees the picture of an old love and spends the rest of the book reminiscing about the year she met him. The writing was lovely but I didn't like many of the characters. I'm glad I read the author's latest book first or I probably would not have after this.

3 stars
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Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane - on the first page, Rachel shoots and kills her husband. Then we explore the reasons why. Rachel seemed to be on the road to recovery from her anxiety attacks. But then she sees something that rocks her world. We don't discover what's really going on until the last  fourth of the book and then it's a fast ride from there. Rather an abrupt ending.

4 stars
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Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII by Deborah Cadbury - beginning with the abdication of Edward VIII, the reluctance of George VI to take the throne and the rise of Churchill at a time when he was most needed. Not only was George VI worried about the Duke of Windsor's actions, he wasn't sure his two younger brothers would step up. Took me awhile to get into the book and figure out who all the royals were but I was glad I persevered.

3.5 stars
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In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear - war has just been declared when Maisie Dobbs is asked to look into the murder of a former Belgian refugee from WWI. Soon there's a similar murder and Maisie tries to make connections between the two. She has a feeling she's not getting the whole story from her client, a shadowy figure in the government. There's also a lesser mystery involving a little girl evacuated from London who is not speaking and no one knows where she belongs. Maisie does her usual job of not only finding the culprit but also why they acted as they did. All the while England is bracing for the war and families are changing rapidly. Characters and animals were introduced that I hope to see again.

4 stars

July 16 - 22, 2017

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - in 1922,  Count Alexander Rostov is condemned to house arrest at the Metropol, a luxury hotel, for being an unrepentant aristocrat. But he can't stay in his suite, he must live in a small room at top of the hotel. Here he lives as the decades pass and those in political power rise and fall. He begins to make friends with employees who previously had been acquaintances. And he makes friends with a young girl with a quick mind who will have a great impact on his life. Little bits of subtle humor and beautiful writing.

"By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration - and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion, until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour."

5 stars

July 9 - 15, 2017

He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly - Kit is an eclipse follower and when he and Laura become a couple she joins him in his obsession. At an eclipse festival in Cornwall, 1999, she witnesses a horrifying event that has ramifications for many years. Told from Laura and Kit's viewpoint in 2015, when Laura is finally pregnant with twins, and Laura's viewpoint in 1999/2000. Lot of twists and turns right up to the last sentence. I didn't find the characters sympathetic but the story was great.

4.5 stars
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The Devil Wins by Reed Farrel Coleman - this is a continuation for the Jesse Stone novels by Robert B. Parker. After a storm, a body is found in a collapsed building. And next to it are the skeletal remains of two girls who went missing 25 years ago. Now Jesse has to solve a current murder and two from the past. The villain was easy to figure out and Jesse seems more morose than ever. This one didn't hit the spot.

2 stars

July 2 - 8, 2017

Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson - in 2065, Adri has been chosen to be one of the lucky few to be a colonist on Mars. A loner, she has has trouble connecting to people but she really doesn't want to anyway. When she finds an old journal and some letters she is very curious about what happened in Kansas in 1934 and England in 1919. The story goes back and forth between these time periods. A YA book about family and connections.

4 stars
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I Found You by Lisa Jewell - a woman finds a man sitting in the rain on the beach in front of her house. He doesn't know who he is or how he got there. A young wife in London is reporting her husband of just a few weeks missing. And 23 years earlier a brother and sister find themselves in trouble. Told from different viewpoints and moving back and forth in time. Really had me guessing who the man on the beach was.

4 stars

June 25 - July 1, 2017

Woof by Spencer Quinn - the first in the author's Bowser and Birdie series for children. Told from the dog's point of view. Bowser has just been adopted from the animal shelter for Birdie's birthday present. He's already decided Birdie is the most wonderful human he's met so when she's determined to solve the mystery of a stolen heirloom he's ready to do anything she asks. I'm a big fan of the Chet and Bernie series and thought this was enjoyable for adults as well.

3 stars
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Say Nothing by Brad Parks - federal judge Scott Sampson seems to have it all, a prestigious job, beautiful wife, cute 6 yo twins. But his life begins to fall apart when his twins are kidnapped in an attempt to influence his ruling in a case. When he does as the kidnappers demand, only his son is returned and he learns his nightmare is just beginning. Because the first case isn't the one the kidnappers are really interested in. This book moved swiftly and at various points I suspected everyone in the book. Just a little too much legalese. And one disturbing video sent by the kidnappers.

4 stars

June 18 - 24, 2017

Gone to Sea in a Bucket by David Black - Harry Gilmour signs up for the English Navy at the beginning of WWII. He finds the class division on board disheartening and after an unpleasant incident transfers to begin training for submarine duty. Here he finds the common purpose more to his liking. There are secret missions, drunken commanders, and escapes from sinking submarines. The action parts are quite good but I found the book way too detailed in the actual operating of the submarine. Most readers on Goodreads disagree with me.

3 stars
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Black Mad Wheel by Josh Malerman - The Danes, a group of musicians from Detroit are asked by the government to find the location of a strange sound that drives men mad and can make weapons useless. Why them? Because they are musicians and were in the service during WWII. They travel to a desert in Africa and of course, things go downhill from there. This is all told in very short spurts as a man wakes up from a six month coma with every bone in his body broken. So we go back and forth in time getting little bits of information. The what is going on is very compelling. The end is ????? I had very high hopes for this book, I gave his first book, The Bird Box, 5 stars. I still don't know what the sound was.

1 star

June 11 - 17, 2017

The Thirst by Jo Nesbo - an odd murder in Oslo, the victim's wounds have rust and paint in them. When there is a second victim, the police chief asks Harry Hole to come back to the police force from his current job teaching at the police academy. Harry almost immediately suspects a former nemesis of the crimes and his hunch soon proves to be true. Lots of twists and turns and when it's seemingly all wrapped up you know there's more to come because there are several pages to go. A little too drawn out, not my favorite in the series.

3 stars
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The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett - Arthur Prescott loves to do research, especially about his beloved library in a British cathedral. He is secretly searching for the Holy Grail, inspired by his grandfather. When an American comes to the library to digitize the manuscripts he worries that she is also after the grail. Together they begin a search for a manuscript that may tell all. Lots of book references, witty repartee, and code solving.

3 stars
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Silent Scream by Angela Marsons - the 1st in the D.I. Kim Stone series. Two gruesome murders are found to have a link and that leads to buried bodies at an old children's home. Kim has a connection to  a similar institution and a burning desire to find the person responsible for the deaths. At times I found her character too abrasive but she has her reasons. There are four more books in the series but I don't think I'll continue, the subject matter is a little too dark for me.

3 stars

June 4 - 10, 2017

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz - a Sherlock Holmes story commissioned by the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is approached by an art dealer who fears he is being threatened by a member of an American gang. The dealer was instrumental in a police action that resulted in all the gang members being killed except one, the man he thinks is threatening him. But somehow this all becomes an investigation into the mysterious House of Silk, the very mention of which can find you threatened by high figures in the government. Holmes and Watson face some of their darkest moments. I thought the style very much like Doyle's.

4 stars
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The Three Monarchs by Anthony Horowitz - an elderly man shoots an intruder. When it is discovered the intruder had robbed three houses of the identical figurines of Queen Victoria, Abeltheny Jones calls in Sherlock Holmes. A short story, the solution of which leaves Jones very downhearted. Which is important to the next story....

3 stars
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Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz - directly after Sherlock and Moriarty's meeting at Reichenback Falls, Pinkerton detective Frederick Chase and Abeltheny Jones meet when they arrive to view the body of Moriarty. Chase is on the heels of three American bad guys wanting to partner with Moriarty. They find a clue that leads them all over London, trying to find the elusive criminal who rarely ventures outside. This story is told by Chase so it doesn't have the flavor of House of Silk.

3.5 stars
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An Apple Core, a Toilet:Misadventures and Memories of a 1970's Childhood by Tom Purcell - a collection of newspaper columns. Somewhat humorous but very repetitious. In real life, I suppose the columns would be spaced out a little more. Since these were collected to support his theme of kids need to be outside and parents only worry now because of 24 hour news, the stories got a little old.

2 stars

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I don't usually review books I haven't finished but this needs a warning label.
An Innocent Client by Scott Pratt - the language is crude, one character's attitude towards women is appalling and his sexual comments are awful. The plot is the all too familiar evil preacher who secretly goes to strip clubs and ends up murdered. Plus the main character is depressed. I quit after a couple of chapters.

May 28 - June 3, 2017

The Cold Cold Ground by Sean McKinty - Sean Duffy is a Catholic detective in a Protestant police force in Northern Ireland, 1981. Besides riot duty and violence from the troubles, he is investigating what looks like a homophobic double murder. There may be a serial killer on the loose. While I enjoyed the mystery portion and '80's references, the rest of the book was a little too depressing. This is the first book (6 so far) of a series I don't think I will continue.

3 stars
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A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline - an imagining of the life of Christina Olson, the muse for Andrew Wyeth's painting, Christina's World. At a young age, Christina was struck with a painful, debilitating disease. She lived her entire life on the farm pictured in the painting always doing what was expected and not what she desired. I really liked the way this book flowed. And because I was thrilled to enjoy a book.....

5 stars
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I See You by Clare MacIntosh - Zoe Walker finds her picture in the classifieds with the caption FindtheOne.com and becomes determined to find out what's behind it. Her family thinks it's not her but she becomes convinced it is. Soon, she and a police detective find links between the ads and assaults on women. Told from three perspectives - Zoe, in first person, the detective, and the person behind the website. I suspected everyone in the book at times. I thought Zoe's character was whiny and didn't really like her. But, I can't get the last two pages of the book out of my head.

4.5 stars
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The River at Night by Erica Ferencik - four friends, all with their own hangups, go on a rafting adventure on a river deep in the Maine woods. When an accident occurs they are suddenly forced to try to survive the wilderness. Some minor side issues never addressed, some language, and an uncomfortable sex scene (for the other three women).

3 stars

May 21 - 27, 2017

The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day - Anna Winger is a handwriting expert, often called on by the FBI to delve into a person's mind. She reluctantly agrees to help the local sheriff in a kidnapping case even though she doesn't like to draw attention to herself. Because Anna has secrets too. And they're starting to affect her son. I just didn't like the main character in this slow moving book. And then there are many impossible coincidences at the end to wrap everything up.

2 stars
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The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff - WWII, Germany and Noa is on the run after snatching a baby from a trainload car full of infants. She's already been forced to give up her own baby, the child of a Nazi soldier. She finds safety at the winter camp of a circus but in order to earn her keep is asked to train as a trapeze artist with Astrid. Astrid has her own secrets and resents having to teach someone an impossible task. Not based on but inspired by a circus owner who hid Jews in his circus. Told in the very annoying first person present, and even worse, alternating between the two women. Also, too much trapeze talking and not enough about the circus.

2 stars
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Man Overboard by J.A.Jance - an investigation into a suspicious death leads to a serial killer using the internet to encourage people to commit suicide. Hasn't this been done before? Too much time is spent with the killer and his AI who has become annoyingly self aware. This is the 12th Ali Reynolds book and she still has no personality to me. And as a subplot, the author has decided to get rid of the long time butler, almost as if the character is getting too old for the role.

2 stars
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Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry - Nora arrives at her sister's cottage and finds her brutally murdered. Because of a crime several years earlier, she doesn't trust the police to find the killer. In her haze of grief she is determined to find him herself. Told in first person, it's rather a disjointed read because Nora is not always sure what she's doing or why. A couple of good twists at the end.

3 stars
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Not Tonight, Josephine: A Road Trip Through Small-Town America by George Mahood - Josephine is the name of an untrustworthy car the author and a friend buy to tour America. I enjoy this author and it was fun to see the country through a foreigner's eyes. Especially since he (mostly) enjoyed his trip. And a nice, light read to end my rather dismal reading week.

3 stars

May 14 - 20, 2017

Every Day Is a Holiday by George Mahood - George begins to feel his life has become mundane and as a way to make things more interesting decides to celebrate the odd holidays on the calendar. He decides to devote six months to celebrating such days as Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, Inane Answering Machine Message Day, and National Curmudgeon Day. He's fortunate his wife mostly tolerates his experiment. Just the thing when you want a quick, humorous read.

3 stars
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Life's a Beach by George Mahood - George continues celebrating odd holidays the last six months of the year. But his family also moves to Devon and this book is much more about his family life and how much he enjoys them.

3 stars
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Harry Benson's America by Harry Benson - I watched a documentary about the photographer and wanted to see some of his pictures better. A large book with lots of photos. In the back is a thumbnail of each picture and the story of its being taken.

3 stars
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Fallout by Sara Paretsky - the 18th V.I.Warshawski book finds Vic out of Chicago for the first in Lawrence, Kansas. She's gone there to find an aging actress and the filmmaker who have gone there to make a movie. What she keeps finding instead are dead people and women in danger. Government secrets and race relations figure largely in a story that seems to go on just a little bit too long.

3 stars
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Operation Ironman: One Man's Four Month Journey from Hospital Bed to Ironman Triathalon by George Mahood - shortly after Life's a Beach, George began experiencing debilitating back pain. While recovering from surgery to remove a tumor from his spinal cord, he decided he would begin training for a triathalon to prove to himself he would get better. So he entered one that was only four months away, a detail that is mentioned many times. This book is all about his training. I will admit I got teary eyed when he crossed the finish line.

3 stars
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Golden Prey by John Sandford  - in the 27th Lucas Davenport book, Davenport is now working for the U.S.Marshall's office as a sort of special agent able to pick his own cases. Someone has robbed a drug runner's money handling operations, killing five people in the process and he decides to go after them. Unfortunately, the drug runner is after them too, using two people with no qualms about killing and torture to get information. Now it's going to be who can find the robbers first. Typical Prey book, lots of shooting and swearing.

3 stars
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Harry Benson: The Beatles by Harry Benson - photographs from 1964-1966 by the author of the group as they began their world tour. Lots of casual photos he was able to get because he traveled with them. (Boy, did this make me feel old.)

3 stars

May 7 - 13, 2017

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins - two women die just a few months apart in a river that has claimed several lives over the decades. This revives mysteries, old and current. I found the writing style irritating, the story is told from every character's viewpoint, I suppose in an effort to build suspense. . I think the author is trying too hard to be different.

3 stars
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Death Comes for the Deconstructionist by Daniel Taylor - Joe Mote is struggling mentally and sinking fast when he's hired to look into the death of his former professor. He's aided in his investigation by his developmentally disabled sister who in some ways is the smarter of the two. This is not a typical mystery. It has lots to say about academic culture, Christianity, race relations, and who defines truth.

3.5 stars

April 30 - May 6, 2017

Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie - a nanny is found dead inside a private garden and somehow Gemma James is sucked into the investigation. Meanwhile, Duncan Kincaid is greatly distracted by meeting his former boss secretly. When the man is attacked and left for dead on his way home, it starts to look like something is very wrong on the police force. The author has an unfortunate habit of trying to weave everyone the main characters have ever met into subsequent stories so there were a lot of people to remember before finally getting down to the story. The plots don't intertwine at all except to keep Duncan and Gemma at cross purposes while they try to manage family and cases. And for some reason she even throws a heart attack in for Duncan's father that serves no purpose I can see but to set up a plot line for the next book.

3 stars
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Himself by Jess Kidd - Mahoney has always believed his mother abandoned him as a baby but when he is 26 he receives information telling him his real name and where he was born. So he returns to the town of Mulderrig to find out the truth. He causes quite a stir with his good looks and charm. But some people hate him because of his mother. She was so disliked she may have been murdered. Set in 1976 and the late '40s, this is an odd combination of ghost story/murder mystery/charming Irish tale. Lots of swearing, although for some reason I don't find Irish swearing as offensive. It gets very repetitious.

3 stars
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Earthly Remains by Donna Leon - the 26th Commissario Brunetti book finds him very much in need of a break from the bleakness of his job. His wife suggests he go to her aunt's villa on one of the islands near Venice. There he meets David Casati, the caretaker of the villa. They spend many hours rowing together while Casati travels to care for his bees. Then Casati goes missing and Brunetti once again steps into his professional role. Lots of nothing happened in this book and while the mystery is solved, there is not really a conclusion. One of the enjoyable things about Brunetti books is the home life and there's not enough of that in this book. This one was pretty blah.

2 stars

April 23 - 29, 2017

Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich - Stephanie is trying to catch a bail jumper when the ice cream truck he has stolen crashes. Out falls a frozen body covered in chocolate and nuts. Turns out there are mysterious goings on at an ice cream factory. And that's about as deep as the plot gets. I used to find this series funny but it's pretty tired now. And smutty.

2 stars
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Two Days Gone by Randall Silvas - a perfect family is found murdered and the professor/famous writer husband is on the run. And Sergeant Ryan DeMarco is beginning to wonder if the husband is actually guilty. He starts looking at the writer's book in progress for clues. Told from the husband's and DeMarco's viewpoint. This is a rather dark book; dark weather, dark thoughts, and dark pasts.

4 stars
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In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson - a very fun travelogue/history lesson of the very large country of Australia. The author loves the country and it shows. I learned lots of interesting things told in an amusing way. I do wonder how much things have changed since 2001. Movie and tv stars seem to have raised our Australian awareness somewhat. My favorite Bryson book so far.

4 stars

April 16 - 22, 2017

The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The Last Olympian all by Rick Riordan - Percy Jackson continues his battle against the Titans. All while dealing with teenage stuff. And trying to figure out what the prophecy really means about him. This all culminates in a battle for Olympus itself in New York. Lots of action and battles against mythical creatures. Loyalty, betrayal, courage, and steadfastness. I enjoyed these YA fantasy books but am going to end the series here where this story line wraps up.

3 stars
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Burning Bright by Nicholas Petrie - the second Peter Ash book starts with a bang and just keeps on going. June Cassidy is threatened by shadowy government agents (are they?) and runs for her life. Peter, still suffering from PTSD, and June meet in an improbable way and he is immediately attracted to her toughness. Evidently June has a computer program written by her mother that lots of people want and they're not picky about how they get it. Lots of running from danger, shooting, and language with some non-graphic sex scenes. It does get a little muddled near the end but by that point I didn't care. I liked this as much or more as the first in the series and would like to get to know Peter Ash more.

4.5 stars
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High Heat by Lee Child - it's 1977 and an almost 17 yo Jack Reacher hits New York City just in time to save an FBI agent and experience a total blackout. He also takes on a mob boss and gives a valuable clue to the identity of Son of Sam. All totally unbelievable, at 16 he's built like he is now and just as much a smart mouth. Still fun though. There is a soft porn sex scene. I'm disappointed the author is feeling the need to insert these and am wondering if he's being pushed by a publisher or going through a midlife crisis. Lots happening in this very short ebook.

3 stars
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The Waste Lands by Stephen King - Roland, the last Gunslinger is still searching for the Dark Tower. Now he has Susannah and Eddie with him, the people from our world he drew to him on the beach. But the fate of Jake, the boy he met in the first book,  is driving him mad. How can the boy be dead and not dead. And in our world Jake feels he is going insane too. He feels he should be dead but is not. Lots of magicky stuff happens until they're all together.When they reach a city, they meet insane people and insane computers. The book ends with them hurtling toward certain death as they try to stump Blaine the monorail with riddles. I feel the author didn't plot this book so much as ad lib it.

3 stars

April 9 - 15, 2017

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys - four young people, different nationalities, are thrown together in a desperate rush to get to a seaport ahead of the advancing Russian army. But even refuge on a ship doesn't bring safety. Told from all four viewpoints, you gradually get to know and care about them.

5 stars
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First Degree by David Rosenfelt - the second Andy Carpenter book and the smart mouth has been dialed down. Possibly because this time it's Andy's girlfriend who is being framed for decapitating and burning her former police boss. But before the framing even takes place, Andy is cleverly set up. Liked this better than the first, I think this will be a nice, casual series.

3 stars
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Bury the Lead by David Rosenfelt - a serial killer is taunting the police by using a newspaper writer to talk about his crimes. Until the police decide it's all a ruse by the writer and arrest him. That's where Andy Carpenter steps in. He thinks the case is hopeless but takes it because it's important to his friend. But then he becomes convinced of his client's innocence. A little twisty in the plot. But I'm enjoying the fact that Andy and his client from the first book have started a no-kill dog shelter named for his dog.

3 stars
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Sudden Death by David Rosenfelt - Andy Carpenter has just stepped off a plane when he's called to a police standoff at a pro football player's home. The player claims that when he got home he found the body of a friend in his closet and when the police arrived he panicked. Of course Andy takes the case. I always enjoy the courtroom scenes. Andy's girlfriend drops a bombshell and I'll have to read the next book soon to see what happens.

3 stars
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Dead Center by David Rosenfelt - Andy takes a case in Wisconsin involving one of my least favorite plot devices, the weird cult church group. A young man has been accused of murdering two girls from the group but of course Andy thinks there's been a mistake. Not enough court scenes and too much talking about his sex life. Also, don't become a new friend of Andy, it's like wearing a red shirt on Star Trek. I'm going to have to give this series a rest for awhile.

2.5 stars
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The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - Percy Jackson discovers one of the reasons he's always in so much trouble is that he's not an ordinary boy. He's a half-blood, offspring of one of the Greek gods. But which one is his father? Suddenly he's caught in a quest to prevent a war among the Olympian gods. I've read the author's Tres Navarre series, for adults, many years ago. Now I'll try some of his YA stuff.

3 stars

April 2 - 8, 2017

Fatal by John Lescroart - when her friend of 20 years confides to Beth that she's thinking of having an affair, Beth strongly discourages her. As a police detective she's seen first hand the fallout an affair has on more than just the two people involved. Six months later, Beth and her partner catch the homicide of a man found in San Francisco Bay. It takes awhile for her to discover he's the man her friend was attracted to. Lots of twists and turns with a somewhat unsatisfactory ending. I like the relationship Beth and her partner have. Also her relationship with her teenage daughter. I would like it if this became a series.

4 stars
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Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt - lawyer Andy Carpenter has been asked by his father, a former D.A., to take on the appeal of convicted murderer Willie. When his father dies soon afterward, Andy discovers an old secret that seems to have ties to the murder. I didn't like Andy at first, he's a little too smart mouth. But he really digs in for his clients and loves his golden retriever, Tara. I also enjoyed the courtroom scenes. There is too much sports talk for my taste so I just skipped over it. Published in 2003, this is the first in what is now a 16 book series. I'll read a few more to see if the dog appeal can overcome the smart mouth.

3 stars
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Coffin Road by Peter Mays - a man comes to on a beach in the Hebrides with no idea who he is or how he got there. His confusion is almost overcome by a feeling of dread. Has he done something horrible? A policeman investigates the death of a tourist at a lighthouse with it's own unexplained mystery. And a teenage girl is still struggling to come to grips with the suicide of her father two years ago. All of this melds together in a satisfying way with an exciting conclusion. I enjoyed trying to figure things out. A few unnecessary sex scenes. Language, especially from the teenager.

4 stars
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A Separation by Kate Kitamura - a young woman, separated secretly from her husband, is asked by his mother to go to Greece to find him. He's not answering his phone and his hotel doesn't know where he is. She agrees to look for him only because she has decided to ask for a divorce when she sees him. An oddly written book, an almost continual dialogue only by the woman. And with the modern lack of punctuation. I kept waiting for something to happen and when it finally did I didn't care by that point.

2 stars
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Mister Memory by Marcus Sedgwick - Marcel Despres can remember everything that he's ever seen or has happened to him. Not until he's an adult does he realize this is unusual. He manages to make a living working in a cabaret in 1899 Paris and marries Ondine, a dancer there. When he finds her with another lover, he shoots her and then falls into a catatonic state. He's sent to the hospital for the insane. But the policeman assigned to the case finds it odd that Marcel is sent there before he's even been assigned the case. Something seems to be going on at a higher level. I loved the writing of this. But the subject matter is sometimes brutal.

4.5 stars
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True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray by James Renner - the title says it all, this isn't about Maura Murray, it's about the author. He leaps from theory to theory. And one way he investigates is to set up a webpage and let people speculate on it. I'm frankly surprised he's still married and would love to hear this story from his wife's viewpoint.

1 star

March 26 - April 1, 2017

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - a re-imagining of a Russian fairy tale. Vasalisa lives in a remote part of Russia where winter lasts a long time. Even though her father is a wealthy man, winter is very hard for everyone. It becomes even harder when he brings home a stepmother who doesn't want to hear anything about the old fables. But the fables prove to be strong and Vasalisa fights to keep her family safe against forces they know nothing about. Beautiful storytelling, very atmospheric. I felt cold just reading this.

4.5 stars
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Echoes in Death by J.D. Robb - the 44th Eve Dallas book and the series is starting to feel it's longevity. It's only a couple of weeks since the last book when Eve and Roarke are on their way home from a party. A young woman stumbles in front of their car, obviously traumatized. She's been the victim of a home invasion and her husband lies dead. What follows is so rote I feel I could write one of these stories now. I used to like them for the character development but some of the people seem to be devolving. And the stories seem to get more violent. And I absolutely shouldn't feel this way but I'm so tired of Eve reliving the trauma of her childhood.

2 stars
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All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai - Tom lives in the 2016 that we imagined in the '50's - flying cars, no war, no financial worries and unlimited clean energy. But in a fit of teenage angst (and he's in his 30's), he destroys all that and wakes up in our 2016. As John. With kind of the same family, but not. With kind of the same girl he has a crush on, but not. Kind of himself, but not. Lots of sciency stuff about time travel which makes my eyes glaze over. And lots of foreshadowing. In fact it takes until about page 98 before things really get going. Tom/John is not actually very likeable. I wanted to like this book much more than I did.

2 stars

March 19 - 25, 2017

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan - Nina loses her job as a librarian and decides to take a chance. She buys a van and turns it into a bookmobile, instead of lending books she sells them. And she does it all in a small town in Scotland, way out of her comfort zone. This is basically a Harlequin romance book with better writing. I could predict every turn. It was a nice light read.

3 stars
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Racing the Devil by Charles Todd - seven officers meet by accident right before the Battle of the Somme. They agree that if they survive they will meet in Paris and race to Nice a year after the war is over. In 1920, the Rector of a small village is found dead in a motorcar accident. A motorcar that he borrowed from one of the seven officers. Inspector Ian Rutledge suspects it was not an accident and may be a case of mistaken identity. Lots of twists and turns, more murders, and a surprise (to me) culprit. I really enjoy this series.

4 stars
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Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton - Hamish Wolfe is a charismatic serial killer locked in prison. He has many followers claiming his innocence. Maggie Rose, a lawyer and best selling author may be his ticket out if he can persuade her to take his case. This one had lots of turns and twists and just when I would think I knew what was going on I didn't. A good surprise ending.

4 stars

March 12 - 18, 2017

The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney - desperate to find a new flat after a break in, Emma and her boyfriend apply to live in a house with very restrictive rules - no personal pictures, no books laying around, no possessions showing. A year later, Jane is applying for the same house despite the fact there has been a death there. Told in alternating chapters, then and now, this is a very fast read. And I started out really enjoying it. But by the end I pretty much hated everyone. I'm not sure if that was the author's intent. A couple of graphic sex scenes.

2 stars
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All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda -  10 years ago Nic walked away from her home town when her best friend disappeared. Now she's back to help her brother deal with their ailing father. Another girl disappears and the same cycle of suspicion begins. Told backwards, this was a little hard to wrap my head around. But you would know everything too soon if it was told in the conventional way. Once again, I found it hard to connect with the characters.

3.5 stars

March 5 - 11, 2017

Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathan Kellerman - the 32nd(!) Alex Delaware book. This time, instead of his usual pediatric cases, psychologist Alex is called by a nearly 100 year old woman living in a hotel. When she is found dead the day after their meeting natural causes are assumed. It proves to be murder and Alex and his friend, detective Milo Sturgis, search for who did it and why. Not the most exciting of plots but I really enjoy watching the two friends follow leads and gather clues.

3 stars
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Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made the McDonald's Fortune and the Woman Who Gave It All Away by Lisa Napoli - a fascinating read about Ray Kroc and his wife who both came from poor beginnings to have an unimaginable fortune. Told pretty briskly, with only a few unnecessary (to me) tangents. And she really did give it all away.

4.5 stars

Feb 26 - Mar 4, 2017

The Nowhere Man by Gregg Hurwitz - the second in the Orphan X series. Evan Smoak, trained as an elite assassin, now helps people with nowhere else to turn. But when he's kidnapped by a mysterious group he's the one who needs help. Much of the book is spent with Evan trying ways to escape. I was ready for him to get away and wreak havoc halfway through. A surprising plot twist leads to the next book. Quite a bit of violence.

3 stars
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Night School by Lee Child - in the 21st Jack Reacher novel, the author takes us back to 1996, when Reacher was still an MP. He's just received a medal and then is immediately sent to night school. In other words, buried for deniable plausibility if needed. An overheard conversation has several agencies looking for "the American" who is going to receive a hundred million dollars - for what no one knows. A couple of sex scenes more detailed than previous books (yuck). The usual Reacher level of violence.

4 stars
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A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong - Rockton is a hidden city, a place where people escape their past. But people aren't always who they say they are. In the second Casey Duncan book she and another deputy find a woman who has been held captive in a hole for over a year. She's a resident of Rockton that everyone presumed had died in the wilderness. It looks like there's a serial killer in Rockton when two bodies are found. Or is it one of the people living rough in the woods? I figured this one out too early, which took away some of the suspense. And it was dark. Not as good as the first in the series IMO.

3 stars

Feb 19 - 25, 2017

Ember Falls by S.D. Smith - the 2nd in the Green Ember series finds the rabbit resistance against Morbin Blackhawk in trouble. Pickett and Heather, the two rabbits from the first book are settling into their positions, with Pickett leading an elite fighting squad and Heather a healer. Treachery within their own family and from others seems to threaten the rabbits very existence. The book ends on a cliffhanger and I can't wait for the next installment.

4 stars
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Robert B. Parker's Debt to Pay by Reed Farrel Coleman - a Jesse Stone mystery authorized by the estate of Mr. Parker. Jesse's ex is getting married and a psycho is threatening to kill her. I don't feel this author got the character of Jesse quite right, he seemed a little whiny to me. Just internally of course, he's still macho on the outside. In fact, most of the characters seemed a little off.

2 stars
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The Old Man by Thomas Perry - Dan Chase seems like a bland retiree until the night someone sneaks into his house and tries to kill him. Then he seems a very capable fellow indeed. He's been waiting for this moment for 30 years. The book started with a bang but bogged down in the middle portion. I had a hard time liking Dan but was interested to see what would happen to him. I liked his dogs, Dave and Carol, the best.

3.5 stars

Feb 12 - 18, 2017

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman - a retelling of the Norse tales starting with the creation of the gods and ending with Ragnarok. I'm giving this a lower rating not because of the writing, which was good, but because I discovered I don't like Norse mythology.

2 stars
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Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin - in the 21st John Rebus novel, Rebus is retired and is having health issues despite giving up smoking and drinking. He begins thinking of an unsolved case from 40 years ago when a beautiful woman was murdered in an upscale hotel where a rock star was also staying. In the present, a rising gangster has been found beaten in his driveway. Do these cases actually have something in common?

3 stars

Feb 5 - 11, 2017

The Book Jumper by Mechthild Glaser - Amy Lennox and her mother abruptly leave Germany and return to an island off Scotland where the grandmother she's never seen lives. Amy abruptly learns she has the ability to enter books and interact with the characters. Amy abruptly learns who her father is. Lots of things happen to Amy abruptly and while it keeps the drama going there's not much room for anything else. Someone is stealing plot ideas from books and it's up to Amy to stop them. I didn't like this as much as I anticipated. This is a YA book.

2 stars
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The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King - the 2nd in the Dark Tower series. The gunslinger is still trying to get to the tower and on his way he comes across three doors which take him to the New York City of our world. In each world he meets a person who may help him on his quest. Even though there is lots of endless walking I found this very compelling. I'm anxious to know what happens next. Lots of violence and language and some humor too.

4 stars
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Where it Hurts by Reed Farrell Coleman - Gus Murphy had a good life as a Suffolk County cop until his son died unexpectedly. Now he spends drives a hotel courtesy van and drifts in a cloud of grief. When a criminal from his past asks him to look into the murder of his son Gus finds himself interested in spite of himself. But his old friends from the force keep warning him off, which makes him even more interested. Lots of shooting in this one and a fairly typical plot. But the character of Gus is interesting. The beginning of a new series.

3 stars

Jan 29 - Feb 4, 2017

The Piper by Charles Todd - a short story about Hamish MacLeod, the voice in Inspector Ian Rutledges's head. Before WWI, Hamish was a sheep farmer on his grandmother's farm. One stormy night he finds a young man with a head wound and tends to him. When the boy disappears, Hamish has his own mystery to solve.

3 stars
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The Drifter by Nicholas Petrie - Peter Ash has been at war too long and now that he's home he finds himself unable to stay indoors for any length of time. He lives outdoors, roaming the Cascades. But when a Marine friend commits suicide, Peter goes to Milwaukee to help the widow. While replacing the porch, he finds a suitcase containing a great deal of money and some plastic explosives.  Also, a very large, angry dog. A fast paced thriller, somewhat predictable, with lots of action and violence. And a stinky dog.

4 stars
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Heir to the Sky by Amanda Sun - Kali is heir to a kingdom that floats above an earth inhabited by monsters. Loyal to her father and her people, she is also betrothed to a man she doesn't love but will marry out of duty. Except... one day she falls off her island and discovers that there is more to earth than she's been told. And things aren't quite right in the kingdom either. I was glad to see this wasn't the beginning of a trilogy but felt the story could have been more developed. Told in first person present tense, which is like fingernails on chalk to me.

3 stars
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The Mermaid's Scream by Kate Ellis - the 21st Wesley Peterson story has so many interwoven plots it was a little confusing to me. That was partly the fault of the very poor formatting of the ebook, some portions ran into each other without benefit of spacing, so that you don't realize you're at a completely different scene. A couple found dead leads to other murders and old suicides. And of course there's an old tale coinciding with the present with Neil working on a dig for an obsessive landowner. And I'm a little concerned about the path Wesley and Pam's son will take as he approaches the teen years. But it was nice to get back to this series.

3.5 stars

Jan 22 - 28, 2017

When the Music's Over by Peter Robinson - newly promoted Detective Superintendent Alan Banks is given a decades old case when a woman claims she was assaulted by a man considered a national treasure. While Banks tries to uncover old facts, DI Annie Cabot is trying to find the people responsible for beating a young woman to death on a lonely road. Historical sexual abuse, grooming of young women, and racial tension made this a gloomy read. Certainly not one of my favorites in this 23 book series.

3 stars
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Kill the Next One by Federico Axat - Ted McKay has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Just when he is about to commit suicide, a stranger knocks on his door and knows what he's about to do. He has a proposition: if Ted kills a "bad guy" and another man also wanting to commit suicide, then someone will murder him, which will supposedly be easier for his children. Ted agrees and then things start to fall apart. He has strange memories and his targets seem to know him. And then the book goes in a completely different direction. Not everyone will like this book but I read it straight through. It would have received 5 stars but at the very end I was subjected to a yucky scene with an animal that my shocked eyes didn't jump over fast enough.

4.75 stars
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The Tempest by James Lilliefors - Pastor Luke Bowers and homicide detective Amy Hunter team up to investigate the death of a summer visitor to their town. Only the day before she had visited Luke to say she was afraid of her husband and something he was entangled in. So-so mystery that includes stolen art, the FBI, jealous and chauvinistic police officers, bungling reporters, baby making (wink wink), and many other cliches. Second in a series and I haven't read the first. Could have used some editing, rather long for an ebook, over 400 pages. A low

3 stars

Jan 15 - 21, 2017

The Lost Boy by Camilla Lackberg - a well-liked man has been found murdered and no one has any idea why anyone would want to kill him. Patrik Hedstrom and his team slowly try to come up with a motive and a suspect. This is seventh in a series set in Fjallbacka, Sweden, and we're just thrown into the story supposing that we've read the previous books. Many characters with just snippets of their stories told at a time. The biggest mystery for me was trying to connect all the dots of the storyline. There's also a bit of supernatural element to this and the Scandinavian matter of factness about sex. I've read two others in this series and don't remember either. I'm ambivalent about this one.

3 stars
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Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson - the child actress from Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street, and Matilda writes a not quite memoir. Mostly she talks about how anxious she was from a really young age and her eventual diagnosis of OCD. Not a good thing to have if you want to be an actress. Eventually she decided she'd rather be a writer. The book was all over the place time wise and there was much talking about yearning for boyfriends. I wanted to like this a lot more.

2 stars

Jan 8 - 14, 2017

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell - how Lafayette and the French won the Revolutionary War. Well, they were quite helpful. It took me awhile to get used to the author's style - the book isn't divided into chapters and I though it meandered some. But I found her asides humorous and a bit acidic.
3.5 stars
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Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan - part fable/fantasy and historical, this is a story of how music can lift us out of our circumstances. The story moves from Germany to Philadelphia and California, connecting the lives of four children, all through a harmonica. My dad had a harmonica from the factory in the book so I thought of him often when I read this. Written for 5-9th grades.

4.5 stars
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Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary J. McLleod - in 1970, Mary and her husband decided to leave London to lead a simpler life. They settled on an island in the Hebrides off the coast of Scotland where Mary would be the district nurse. The book is really a collection of stories about the locals and their way of life at a time when electricity had just come into common usage. There's lots of talk about the weather and the scenery. This was written when Mary was 80 so I suppose a little disjointedness can be overlooked.

2 stars

Jan 1 - 7, 2017

Notwithstanding by Louis de Berniers - a collection of short stories that take place in the English village of Notwithstanding, a fictional stand-in for the village of the author's youth. The village is full of eccentrics and their equally eccentric animals. I don't know if such villages ever actually existed but I like to think that they did. My favorite was the story of the ill-fated dinner party.

4 stars
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The Black Tower by P.D. James - Inspector Adam Dagliesh is recovering from a serious illness when he is asked to come visit an old friend hoping for some advice. But he arrives too late, not long after the death of the elderly chaplain. There's something not quite right at Toynton Grange, a home for the disabled. Poison pen letters, attempted murders and actual murders take place before Dagliesh discovers what's going on. Too many characters were introduced all at once and I had trouble keeping them straight. Also, I thought the conclusion was slightly unfair as it went in a completely different direction.

3 stars
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The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman - Irene is a junior librarian in a very unusual library. It exists between parallel worlds and it's sole purpose is the retrieval of books by any means necessary. Irene and her new assistant are sent to a steampunk-like London filled with vampires, werewolves and the Fae to retrieve a book that is the only one in existence. I enjoyed the story but there is a lot of information and introduction of characters to take in. I never did quite understand chaos-infestation. This is the first book in a series and I'm anxious to read the second now that I know the characters.

3 stars
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The Sugar House by Laura Lippman - the 5th Tess Monaghan book finds her doing a favor for her father. A woman thinks her brother was targeted for murder while serving a sentence for the manslaughter of a young woman. But Tess must first find out the identity of the young woman who was killed. Lots of jogs and turns in this one and the whole thing felt not very cohesive to me.

2 stars