Jan 3 - 9, 2016

 I'm finally finished with this series by Kate Ellis. Of these last five, three ended with what was supposed to be a note of suspense but just irritated me. The characters in question are never mentioned again in later books. The 20th book in the series comes out in Feb. I certainly found her earlier books more satisfying.
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The Jackal Man - the 15th Wesley Peterson novel. A teen is attacked by a man with what looks like a dog head. Soon there are a series of more serious attacks and it looks like a killer with an Egyptian obsession is at large. Meanwhile, Neil is helping a castle owner evaluate her Egyptian collection. I thought the solution was a little unfair. As always, the historical excerpts at the beginning of each chapter are almost more interesting than the main story.

3 stars
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The Cadaver Game - an unidentified woman is found dead in her cottage. And two people are killed while playing the Game. How are they connected? Neil is doing some work for a pretentious artist when a skeleton is found. Not one of the best but still enjoyable.

3 stars
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The Shadow Collector - a woman rumored to be a witch has just returned to her home after serving 18 years for the murder of two teenage girls. Now a woman has been found in a neighboring field, killed in a similar manner. Wesley has to look into the original murders to find the truth. And Neil is dealing with witchcraft in the 17th century.

2.5 stars
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The Shroud Maker - it's Palkin Festival time in Tradmouth and the police are keeping a sharp eye out, especially since a young woman went missing the previous year. When a young woman is found murdered it looks like the two cases are connected. Neil makes some discoveries that make it look like history is inspiring the murderer. And I learned that shrouds are the ropes that hold the sails to the mast.

3 stars
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The Death Season - a very convoluted story involving dead men in hotel rooms and unsolved cold cases. Neil makes a grim discovery in an old ice house. Also, the author has started minutely describing very incidental characters, almost as if she can't think what to do with the story and is filling the book this way.

3 stars

Dec 27, 2015 - Jan 2, 2016

Almost Interesting by David Spade - the first half of the book is fairly interesting: his childhood in a financially strained household, getting started in comedy and what it was like to work on Saturday Night Live. But it's all told with lots of crude language and humor. I expected that, just not so much. The second half rambles a lot with disjointed stories and some outdated "advice" on relationships. I came away with the feeling he's not comfortable with intimate personal stories. He never mentions his daughter except in the acknowledgements.

2 stars

I ended the year with a downer but didn't want to end the week that way so splurged on a book for my Kindle by my most read author this year.
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The Flesh Tailor by Kate Ellis - the 14th Wesley Peterson book. A respected doctor is found murdered on his doorstep and there seems to be no reason. In the meantime, Wesley's friend Neil is uncovering ancient skeletons on a nearby farm. Then a more recent skeleton is found. Is it connected to the doctor's death?

3 stars

My 5 star books of 2015

I read 122 books in 2015 and only had 6 five star books. Some of these probably received 5 stars because I was so relieved to read a good book. I actually quit many books this year, something I rarely do. I included the dates in case you want to read a more detailed review on my blog.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - girl on a train sees something mysterious in a backyard. Lots of twists and turns. This is being made into a movie starring Emily Blunt. Feb 13

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Stein - a young girl with a different viewpoint than most loses her parents and finds a different sort of family. June 4

The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister - a magician tells her life story to the policeman who has arrested her for the murder of her husband. June 22

The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny - A boy goes missing in Three Pines and retired Inspector Gamache finds much more in the forest. Aug 27

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler - a young man becomes obsessed with finding the history of his family after learning many of the women in his family have drowned. Sept 11

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith ( J.K. Rowling) - the 3rd Cormoran Strike novel. A serial killer targets Cormoran and his assistant. Dec 14

Dec 20 - 26, 2015

No books this week. I'm in the process of reading S by J.J. Abrams. It's an interactive book with lots of writing in the margins and I have to keep two story lines straight. I might not finish it this year.

Dec 13 - 19, 2015

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym of J.K. Rowling) - Cormoran Strike is back and he and his assistant, Robin, become intimately involved with a serial killer when a package is sent to Robin containing a human limb. Cormoran is certain the killer is one of four men from his past. I absolutely had no clue until it was revealed at the very end. This is probably the darkest of the series.

5 stars - but that may be partly because I was thrilled to read a good book.

Dec 6 - 12, 2015

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly - Jo Montfort has it all: a comfortable life in a wealthy home, a loving family, and soon a fiance from a prominent family. But then her father is killed while cleaning his gun (or is he?) and her life rapidly changes. Set in the 1890's, this is full of the contrasts between affluent women and poor women all yearning for the same thing: freedom. I somehow missed that this is a YA book. The young heroine torn between heretofore unknown passion for an unsuitable man and the sensible choice should have been my clue. The mystery part is pretty good but I had most of it figured out long before our heroine.

2.5 stars

Nov 29 - Dec 5, 2015

I didn't read any books this week!