The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay - an odd and also oddly compelling book that I'm still not sure what to think about it. Wen and her two dads are on vacation at a remote cabin when four strangers appear and force themselves into the cabin. The end of the world is coming and only Wen and her parents can stop it. I probably would not have read this if I had realized it was in the horror genre. But once I started reading I could not quit. Lots of blood and other horrors. Strong hearts and stomachs are needed for this one. I can't recommend this to most readers and yet ...
4 stars
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The Mystery of the Blue Train - stolen jewels, the scandal of divorce, and murder on an exclusive train traveling through France. This is a Hercules Poirot story but he's in the background at first. I didn't like the way this one started and for some reason I couldn't keep all the characters straight.
2 stars
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Scorpion Strike by John Gilstrap - Jonathan Graves and his sometimes girlfriend, Gail, are on vacation at an exclusive resort. It's on a private island 100 miles off the coast of Mexico and under no nation's jurisdiction. The peace is shattered when terrorists invade and round up all the tourists. Jonathan and Gail evade capture and then must try to survive until help arrives in the form of their friends pulling off an unauthorized rescue. Lots of bloodshed, shooting, and mayhem. So.many.acronyms. I'm done with this series now.
2 stars
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Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie - a nurse accepts a job at an archaeological dig as a companion/nurse to the very anxious wife of the director. She has been getting anonymous letters and seeing things and her nerves are getting on everyone else's. When she is found dead in her room, a room that it seems no on could have entered, it is fortunate for everyone that Hercule Poirot is in the area. The story is told from the viewpoint of the nurse so it's fun seeing Poirot in another light.
4 stars
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The Golden Ball and Other Stories by Agatha Christie - a collection of early short stories, none of them mysteries as such. Quite a bit of people daring to break out of their molds.
2 stars
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The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie - another collection of short stories, some of them featuring Poirot, Miss Marple, and Parker Pyne.
3 stars
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Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie - this is the first Miss Marple book and I wonder if Christie even liked her since she's described in such uncomplimentary words. I'm ambivalent about Miss Marple myself. The village blowhard is killed in the vicar's study and there are several suspects, including the vicar himself, who is narrating the story. There are false confessions, anonymous notes, and suspect phone calls. And all the while, Miss Marple is watching and coming to conclusions.
4 stars
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Lethal White by Robert Galbraith(J.K. Rowling) - a mentally unstable man bursts into Cormoran Stirke's office and claims that he saw a child killed when he was a child himself. Then he runs out, leaving Strike with an question he can't get out of his head. Soon after, Strike is hired to stop a politician's blackmailers from ruining him. And this ends up relating to the maybe murder of years ago. First, this book is way too long. A mystery should not be 656 pages. Way too many words, it's as if the author is more in love with how the story reads than the story itself. Second, way too much angst with the Cormoran/Robin relationship. Robin's husband is a jerk and we all knew that in the first book. And just when we thought we were safe, Cormoran's psychotic ex-girlfriend reappears. The mystery itself is convoluted. Not the best in the series, longer doesn't equal better.
3 stars
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