April 22 - 28, 2018

Dog Tags by David Rosenfelt - this time around lawyer Andy Carpenter gets involved in a case because he tries to help a German Shepherd being held at the dog shelter that will be put down if his owner is convicted of murder. It turns out the dog has stolen something of importance and deadly people are trying to find it or the dog. This was told in different voices, a change from the norm.

3 stars
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This Fallen Prey by Kelley Armstrong - the 3rd Rockton book, a town hidden in the wilds of Canada, where people pay to disappear for awhile. The sheriff is one of the few born there and Casey Duncan becomes his deputy and his girlfriend. Unexpectedly, they're sent a serial killer and told they must keep him for six months to earn a big fee for the town. But the killer is a very charming young man and begins working to get the townspeople on his side. When he escapes to the woods death soon follows. There was lots of endless searching in the woods and worrying about a dog. Not quite enough plot. And then it ends on a cliffhanger.

3 stars
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Charlie Chan:The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous With American History by Yunte Huang - the author, a Chinese born naturalized citizen, traces the roots of Asian prejudice in America using Charlie Chan as the prime example. Although the character of Chan was invented by Earl Biggers, Biggers was also influenced by Chang Apana, a detective on the Hawaiian police force. That was the most interesting part of the book, plus the fact that Chan was always portrayed by a white man in the movies. Mr Huang comes to a somewhat surprising conclusion.

3.5 stars
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The Measure of a Man:A Spiritual Autobiography by Sidney Poiter - this is not a memoir but a journey of feelings and developing a philosophy of life. Quite rambling and repetitive, I feel I came to know his parents more than him.

1.5 stars
*RHC - an Oprah Book Club book