So You Don't Get Lost in the Neighborhood by Patrick Modiano - a man with very little contact with others receives a phone call telling him his lost address book has been recovered. But the man who found it seems to want something. This begins a return to the past and dredging up old memories. I found this a little hard to follow, I couldn't always tell what was past and what was present. Didn't really get it.
1 stars
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Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin - Tessa Cartwright is the only survivor of a serial killer. Almost 20 years later she is pretty sure she helped convict the wrong man. The story goes back and forth between the present and the months leading up to the trial. Some good twists at the end.
4 stars
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Jan 31 - Feb 6, 2 2016
A Small Indiscretion by Denise Rudberg - billed as a mystery but that really plays a very small part. 486 pages full of the smallest detail about everything and some graphic sex. The actual mystery part is suddenly solved near the end and then we get even more details about the main characters.This is the beginning of a series, but the only book by the author translated from Swedish.
2 stars
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The Murder Wall by Mari Hannah - Kate Daniels gets her chance to be Senior Investigating Officer on a home invasion murder. But she knows something about the murder victim she doesn't reveal and that comes back to haunt her. Too much moaning by her to make this book enjoyable for me. I might not have been in the right mood. First in a series I won't be continuing.
2 stars
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Light in a Dark House by Jan Costin Wagner - another Nordic noir, this time set in Finland. An unidentified woman in a coma is murdered by someone who wept over her body. Kimmo Joentaa, already morose, has trouble with the case since the woman died in the hospital where his wife passed away. Also, his sometime girlfriend(?) has disappeared. The plot moves slowly but I like this author's writing. This is 4th in a series.
3 stars
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The Winter of the Lions by Jan Costin Wagner - how are the murders of a forensic pathologist and a puppet maker connected? There is absolutely nothing to go on until Kimmo Joentaa gets one of his strange ideas. The third in the series and another dark Nordic tale.
3.5 stars
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The Old Blue Line by J.A. Jance - this is billed as a Sheriff Joanna Brady mystery but she gets just a brief mention the end. This is the story of how Butch Dixon was a suspect in a murder case before the two of them married. And how a group of retired law enforcement men come to his rescue.
3 stars
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Code Blues by Melissa Yi - the beginning of a series about Dr. Hope Sze. She's just beginning her residency in a Montreal hospital when one of the teaching doctors is found dead. And she's attracted to bad boy Alex. I wasn't finding this especially well written and then it suddenly turned into Fifty Shades of Grey. I had to scroll past many pages, seeing things I didn't want to see. I regretted that much more than Hope. By then I was hooked on the mystery part and that was resolved soon. Won't be reading anymore of this series. Part of a bundle I bought for my Kindle.
1 stars
2 stars
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The Murder Wall by Mari Hannah - Kate Daniels gets her chance to be Senior Investigating Officer on a home invasion murder. But she knows something about the murder victim she doesn't reveal and that comes back to haunt her. Too much moaning by her to make this book enjoyable for me. I might not have been in the right mood. First in a series I won't be continuing.
2 stars
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Light in a Dark House by Jan Costin Wagner - another Nordic noir, this time set in Finland. An unidentified woman in a coma is murdered by someone who wept over her body. Kimmo Joentaa, already morose, has trouble with the case since the woman died in the hospital where his wife passed away. Also, his sometime girlfriend(?) has disappeared. The plot moves slowly but I like this author's writing. This is 4th in a series.
3 stars
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The Winter of the Lions by Jan Costin Wagner - how are the murders of a forensic pathologist and a puppet maker connected? There is absolutely nothing to go on until Kimmo Joentaa gets one of his strange ideas. The third in the series and another dark Nordic tale.
3.5 stars
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The Old Blue Line by J.A. Jance - this is billed as a Sheriff Joanna Brady mystery but she gets just a brief mention the end. This is the story of how Butch Dixon was a suspect in a murder case before the two of them married. And how a group of retired law enforcement men come to his rescue.
3 stars
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Code Blues by Melissa Yi - the beginning of a series about Dr. Hope Sze. She's just beginning her residency in a Montreal hospital when one of the teaching doctors is found dead. And she's attracted to bad boy Alex. I wasn't finding this especially well written and then it suddenly turned into Fifty Shades of Grey. I had to scroll past many pages, seeing things I didn't want to see. I regretted that much more than Hope. By then I was hooked on the mystery part and that was resolved soon. Won't be reading anymore of this series. Part of a bundle I bought for my Kindle.
1 stars
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Jan 24 - 30, 2016
Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen - Julia, a violinist, finds a piece of music that seems to affect her daughter adversely when she plays it. She tries to track down the composer, not knowing that someone will go to any lengths to stop her. This book is billed as suspense but it was almost more historical. Told from Julia's viewpoint and Lorenzo's, a violinist in Venice during WWII. The ending is anti-climatic.
2 stars
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The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce - this is the counter story of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. As he is walking towards her, Queenie is reliving her life and friendship with Harold. It seemed to take awhile for the story to get going. And probably not the best book to read while my mother is in a nursing home.
3 stars
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I read 3 of what I call .5 books, the short novellas authors seem to need to write these days to put between their previous and future books.
Not a Drill by Lee Child - Jack Reacher finds a secret in the woods when a hitchhiked ride takes him to Maine. 2 stars
Messenger by Craig Johnson - Walt and his friends find a ranger and a tourist on top of a PortaPotti, having been chased there by a bear and her two cubs. 2 stars
Ring in the Dead by J.A. Jance - New Year's Eve finds J.P. Beaumont reminiscing about one of his first cases. 3 stars
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After being thrilled with finishing a series, I discovered I had missed one.
A Perfect Death by Kate Ellis - the 13th Wesley Peterson book finds Wesley and his wife on vacation. Wesley is approached by an old friend hoping for help finding a missing person. When Wes returns to work he soon finds a connection to his friend and a murder by arson. This was pretty convoluted and the author had to keep reminding us of the facts.
3 stars
2 stars
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The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce - this is the counter story of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. As he is walking towards her, Queenie is reliving her life and friendship with Harold. It seemed to take awhile for the story to get going. And probably not the best book to read while my mother is in a nursing home.
3 stars
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I read 3 of what I call .5 books, the short novellas authors seem to need to write these days to put between their previous and future books.
Not a Drill by Lee Child - Jack Reacher finds a secret in the woods when a hitchhiked ride takes him to Maine. 2 stars
Messenger by Craig Johnson - Walt and his friends find a ranger and a tourist on top of a PortaPotti, having been chased there by a bear and her two cubs. 2 stars
Ring in the Dead by J.A. Jance - New Year's Eve finds J.P. Beaumont reminiscing about one of his first cases. 3 stars
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After being thrilled with finishing a series, I discovered I had missed one.
A Perfect Death by Kate Ellis - the 13th Wesley Peterson book finds Wesley and his wife on vacation. Wesley is approached by an old friend hoping for help finding a missing person. When Wes returns to work he soon finds a connection to his friend and a murder by arson. This was pretty convoluted and the author had to keep reminding us of the facts.
3 stars
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Jan 17 - 23, 2016
The Beat Goes On by Ian Rankin - 29 Detective Inspector Rebus short stories. All of them showing just how clever he is. Some of these I had read before but I found them all enjoyable.
3 stars
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Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces by Miles J Unger - the story of the artist focusing on what the author feels are his greatest works. A brilliant man with bad people skills fought for the right to make the art he wanted rather than what he was told. A little too much art talk for me (because I don't understand it).
3 stars
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The Explorers: A Story of Fearless Outcasts, Blundering Geniuses, and Impossible Success by Martin Dugard - through the story of Burton and Spekes search for the source of the Nile, the author studies the seven character traits of great explorers. Curiosity, hope, passion, courage, independence, self-discipline, and perseverance. He also writes about the history of exploration itself and other explorers. I will probably read some of his other books.
4 stars
3 stars
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Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces by Miles J Unger - the story of the artist focusing on what the author feels are his greatest works. A brilliant man with bad people skills fought for the right to make the art he wanted rather than what he was told. A little too much art talk for me (because I don't understand it).
3 stars
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The Explorers: A Story of Fearless Outcasts, Blundering Geniuses, and Impossible Success by Martin Dugard - through the story of Burton and Spekes search for the source of the Nile, the author studies the seven character traits of great explorers. Curiosity, hope, passion, courage, independence, self-discipline, and perseverance. He also writes about the history of exploration itself and other explorers. I will probably read some of his other books.
4 stars
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Jan 10 - 16, 2016
A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton - a Japanese woman opens her door to a strange man claiming to be her grandson. But she knows he and her daughter were killed when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Told using narrative, journal excerpts, and letters, the story slowly unfolds.
5 stars
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Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich - bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is looking for a college student accused of attacking the dean of his college. Somehow this ties into the deaths of two business partners. I don't remember the earlier books being quite so sexual.
3 stars
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Wait for Signs: Twelve Longmire Stories by Craig Johnson - just what it says, 12 short stories about Walt. They just flesh out the character a bit. Some of them I had read in another publication.
3 stars
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The Chess Men by Peter May - the third in the Isle of Lewis trilogy. Fin Mcleon is now living on the Isle of Lewis and working as head of security on an estate. A freak act of nature leads to the discovery of a plane that disappeared many years ago flown by an old friend. Fin delves into his past to uncover the mystery. While this is supposed to wrap up the stories begun in the first two books, lots of new characters are introduced. And Fin still seems unsure of what he really wants.
3 stars
5 stars
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Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich - bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is looking for a college student accused of attacking the dean of his college. Somehow this ties into the deaths of two business partners. I don't remember the earlier books being quite so sexual.
3 stars
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Wait for Signs: Twelve Longmire Stories by Craig Johnson - just what it says, 12 short stories about Walt. They just flesh out the character a bit. Some of them I had read in another publication.
3 stars
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The Chess Men by Peter May - the third in the Isle of Lewis trilogy. Fin Mcleon is now living on the Isle of Lewis and working as head of security on an estate. A freak act of nature leads to the discovery of a plane that disappeared many years ago flown by an old friend. Fin delves into his past to uncover the mystery. While this is supposed to wrap up the stories begun in the first two books, lots of new characters are introduced. And Fin still seems unsure of what he really wants.
3 stars
Sunday, January 10, 2016
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
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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
Sunday, January 3, 2016
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
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
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