The Heist by Daniel Silva - Israeli spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon is on the trail of a lost Caravaggio masterpiece. Somehow this turns into a plot to relieve a Middle East president of his ill-gotten gains. This was pretty slow getting started but I'm glad I stuck with it.
3 stars
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I Shall Be Near To You by Erin Lindsay McCabe - when her new husband joins the Union army, Rosetta disguises herself as a man and joins his regiment. It's a love story about a woman determined to think and act for herself. Some war scenes.
4.5 stars
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Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekback - 1717 in Sweden and Maija and her family are trying a fresh start in the mountains. Soon after they arrive, her daughter finds a dead man in the woods. Neighbors say he was killed by a wolf or bear but Maija is sure it was a person. Religion, superstition, and mysticism all swirl together during a very cold winter while everyone is just trying to survive.
4.5 stars
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The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - Rachel peers into the same backyard everyday on the train and makes up an idealistic story about the couple living there. Then one day she sees something shocking that makes her revise everything. She makes a rash move and entangles herself in their lives. Everyone in this book has flaws, some larger than others. Very suspenseful, kept me guessing most of the time, and the end is quite exciting. Read it straight through.
5 stars
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Breaking Creed by Alex Kava - Ryder Creed trains dogs to do all kinds of searches. On one of his searches he finds something unexpected and invokes the wrath of a drug lord. This read kind of like a tv pilot where everyone is introduced but you don't learn anything of depth. A second book is in the works.
3 stars
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I've decided as a public service to start listing some of the books I start but don't finish.
Unbecoming by Rebecca Sherm - I kept picking this up and putting it down and actually got more than two thirds through before deciding to quit. It starts in Paris with a young girl living a meager life as a gem-restorer. Gradually you learn she's dreading the release from prison of some friends in her hometown in America. But the mystery is revealed so slowly that you spend too much time with the girl and find she's not very likeable. I decided I didn't care.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
Feb 1-7, 2015
Shotgun Saturday Night by Bill Crider - the 2nd of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes that I've become quite hooked on. This time the sheriff has a dope and motorcycle problem in the county. There's always something kooky going on too.
3 stars
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Cursed to Death by Bill Crider - I seem to be hooked on these books right now and they're always an easy read. In the 3rd of the series, a dentist has disappeared but it's his wife who is found murdered.
3 stars
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Photo Finished by Laura Childs - the 2nd in the scrapbook mystery series. The antique dealer from the store next to Carmela's scrapbook store is found murdered in the alley. Only a little bit of "investigating" by Carmela but lots of running around all over New Orleans. I'll probably read the latest in the series and then be done with it.
2 stars
3 stars
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Cursed to Death by Bill Crider - I seem to be hooked on these books right now and they're always an easy read. In the 3rd of the series, a dentist has disappeared but it's his wife who is found murdered.
3 stars
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Photo Finished by Laura Childs - the 2nd in the scrapbook mystery series. The antique dealer from the store next to Carmela's scrapbook store is found murdered in the alley. Only a little bit of "investigating" by Carmela but lots of running around all over New Orleans. I'll probably read the latest in the series and then be done with it.
2 stars
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Jan 25-31, 2015
The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson - it's 1909 in Paris. Maud is studying painting at the LaFond Acadamie and finding it hard to survive on her meager savings. Then she's offered a position as a companion to a young woman by the woman's older brother. She discovers things aren't quite as idyllic as they seem on the surface. The first book I've really enjoyed this year.
4.5 stars
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A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison - a short-lived affair comes back to haunt a woman and her family 20 years later. Things are revealed slowly in a letter written by her to her son. Can a marriage built on a lie survive? Some sex scenes.
4 stars
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A Breach of Security by Susan Hill - a very short Simon Serrailler e-book. A racist group attacks members of a gay pride parade and then threaten major damage at a troop welcome home. Not much to this story, I don't know if parts of it will be in the next book.
2 stars
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Switchblade by Michael Connelly - a very, very short Harry Bosch e-book. Harry finds a prisoner also has ties to an unsolved murder. Not really resolved and a little disappointing.
2 stars
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Too Late to Die by Bill Crider - the 1st of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes books. Having read the last four of the series, I'm starting at the beginning. It's election year and the sheriff has a murder on his hands that could cost him the election. A little twist at the end. It will be interesting to watch the character development in future books, I thought they started out strong in this first book.
3 stars
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The Soul of Discretion by Susan Hill - very disappointed in this book and I got more than halfway through before I couldn't finish it. Her books are always dark but this was just too much. Sex crimes against children and a separate case against a woman. I find the main character cold. I've never liked his father and in this book he's heinous. I think I'm done with this series. And this is one of the few books I paid for.
4.5 stars
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A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison - a short-lived affair comes back to haunt a woman and her family 20 years later. Things are revealed slowly in a letter written by her to her son. Can a marriage built on a lie survive? Some sex scenes.
4 stars
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A Breach of Security by Susan Hill - a very short Simon Serrailler e-book. A racist group attacks members of a gay pride parade and then threaten major damage at a troop welcome home. Not much to this story, I don't know if parts of it will be in the next book.
2 stars
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Switchblade by Michael Connelly - a very, very short Harry Bosch e-book. Harry finds a prisoner also has ties to an unsolved murder. Not really resolved and a little disappointing.
2 stars
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Too Late to Die by Bill Crider - the 1st of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes books. Having read the last four of the series, I'm starting at the beginning. It's election year and the sheriff has a murder on his hands that could cost him the election. A little twist at the end. It will be interesting to watch the character development in future books, I thought they started out strong in this first book.
3 stars
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The Soul of Discretion by Susan Hill - very disappointed in this book and I got more than halfway through before I couldn't finish it. Her books are always dark but this was just too much. Sex crimes against children and a separate case against a woman. I find the main character cold. I've never liked his father and in this book he's heinous. I think I'm done with this series. And this is one of the few books I paid for.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Jan 18 - 24, 2015
Half in Love With Artful Death by Bill Crider - Sheriff Dan Rhodes investigates the death of a chronic complainer in this latest book. He also has trouble with donkeys, a nude woman at a rest stop, and meth dealers. All with a twist of humor.
3 stars
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The Body Snatchers Affair by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronini - number three in the Carpenter and Quincannon series by this husband and wife team. This time they're both investigating the disappearance of bodies - one in Chinatown and one in wealthy San Francisco. Although the conclusions were not a surprise, I found some of the investigating confusing.
2 stars
3 stars
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The Body Snatchers Affair by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronini - number three in the Carpenter and Quincannon series by this husband and wife team. This time they're both investigating the disappearance of bodies - one in Chinatown and one in wealthy San Francisco. Although the conclusions were not a surprise, I found some of the investigating confusing.
2 stars
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Jan 11 - 17, 2015
Compound Murder by Bill Crider - a Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery. A professor has been found dead on the local college campus and the suspect is the son of a survivalist living at a well fortified compound. As usual, there are also some minor disturbances for the sheriff to deal with, including a pig in someone's home. I like this series, it's a quick read with some humor, but the sheriff always gets his suspect.
3 stars
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The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sin-Mi Hwang - the story of a brave hen who dares to not accept her circumstances and dream of a different life. A little sad.
3 stars
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Woman With a Gun by Phillip Margolin - an aspiring writer sees a picture of a woman in a wedding dress standing on a beach holding a gun. She finds it was taken very shortly after a murder and decides to write a novel about it. This leads to the solution of a 10 year old case. This book was written in a very odd style, going back in time to old cases. As a result I never felt connected to any of the characters and only finished because I wanted to know what had happened.
3 stars
3 stars
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The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sin-Mi Hwang - the story of a brave hen who dares to not accept her circumstances and dream of a different life. A little sad.
3 stars
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Woman With a Gun by Phillip Margolin - an aspiring writer sees a picture of a woman in a wedding dress standing on a beach holding a gun. She finds it was taken very shortly after a murder and decides to write a novel about it. This leads to the solution of a 10 year old case. This book was written in a very odd style, going back in time to old cases. As a result I never felt connected to any of the characters and only finished because I wanted to know what had happened.
3 stars
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Jan 4 - 10, 2015
Easy Street: The Hard Way by Ron Perlman - I thought this would be a witty memoir of the author's life and career. It starts that way but became a diatribe on what's wrong today and how to fix it. He also talks a lot about his therapy of many years. It was at times humorous but those were few and far between. Lots of language but I knew that from a review. I think this was lots of rambling talk and the poor ghost writer was left trying to put it together.
1 star
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The Forgers by Bradford Morrow -" They never found his hands" are the opening words for this story of forgery in the world of rare books. The narrator is a convicted forger caught up in the death of his girlfriend's brother, who he suspects may have been a forger too. A feeling of dread begins almost with the first page and builds until the end. The main character is not completely sympathetic but I really liked the way this was written. Just a little anticlimactic.
4 stars
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The Stranger You Know by Jane Casey - the 4th Maeve Kerrigan book. A serial killer is somehow gaining the trust of women, possibly by posing as a policeman. Maeve's partner comes under suspicion because of something in his past. Lots of twists and turns. The one thing I don't like about these books is there is always some conflict between various police officers.
4 stars
1 star
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The Forgers by Bradford Morrow -" They never found his hands" are the opening words for this story of forgery in the world of rare books. The narrator is a convicted forger caught up in the death of his girlfriend's brother, who he suspects may have been a forger too. A feeling of dread begins almost with the first page and builds until the end. The main character is not completely sympathetic but I really liked the way this was written. Just a little anticlimactic.
4 stars
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The Stranger You Know by Jane Casey - the 4th Maeve Kerrigan book. A serial killer is somehow gaining the trust of women, possibly by posing as a policeman. Maeve's partner comes under suspicion because of something in his past. Lots of twists and turns. The one thing I don't like about these books is there is always some conflict between various police officers.
4 stars
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Dec 28, 2014 - Jan 3, 2015
Reason to Believe: Answering the Toughest Questions About God by HR Huntsman - an apologetics book beginning with creation and going through to the historicity of Jesus. Disclaimer - the author is my pastor. This book is the result of a sermon series a few years ago and that I really enjoyed at the time. This would have received 4 stars, mostly because the book layout style is not my favorite, but because of extreme prejudice and loyalty...
5 stars
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Black Skies by Arnaldur Indridason - this is called an Inspector Erlander book, but his colleague, Sigurdur Oli, is the focus of this one. I don't find him a very sympathetic character. He's asked to help in a case of blackmail by an old school friend. It becomes murder and financial fraud.
3 stars
5 stars
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Black Skies by Arnaldur Indridason - this is called an Inspector Erlander book, but his colleague, Sigurdur Oli, is the focus of this one. I don't find him a very sympathetic character. He's asked to help in a case of blackmail by an old school friend. It becomes murder and financial fraud.
3 stars
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