A Chihuahua in Every Stocking by Waverly Curtis - a short ebook in a new to me series featuring P.I. Geri Sullivan and her talking(!) chihuahua, Pepe. When Pepe sees that a little girl's dog has been stolen on Christmas Eve, he convinces Geri to investigate. They find more than a missing dog. I might read more in this series when I want fluff.
3 stars
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Bruno and the Carol Singers by Martin Walker - Chief of Police Bruno is busy with Christmas duties - organizing carolers and playing Father Christmas. When there's a theft of charity money, he steps in with some kindness and mercy. Very short book with lots of food talk, it will make you want to go St. Denis in France.
3 stars
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The Wrong Side of Goodby by Michael Connelly - in the 21st Harry Bosch book, Harry is now a licensed pi and also working as an unpaid volunteer at the San Fernando police department. In his private capacity he's hired by a multi billionaire to see if the man has an heir. And in his police capacity he's tracking down a serial rapist. No, the two cases don't intertwine, and time spent on one is to the detriment of the other. We also learn a little bit more about Harry's time in Vietnam.
4 stars
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The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood - Ava joins a book club mostly for companionship after her marriage falls apart. Their theme for the year is the book that matters most and Ava chooses a book from her past that helped her get through a very difficult time. But she can't find a copy of the book or anything about the author. In the meantime, her daughter Maggie is making bad decisions in Paris. Told from several different viewpoints.
4.5 stars
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In the Pulps - 26 Short Stories by Rex Stout - published between 1912 and 1917, these short stories were written before Stout came up with his famous detective, Nero Wolfe. Most of these are not mysteries but more like quick character studies. My favorite was Pamfret and Peace, written in 1913. The main character comes back to life in 1970 and finds that the Peace Committee has taken over. No differences of opinion, no cheering for one side or the other, no comparisons, and even no talking in your sleep! At least no one can be offended.
3 stars
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As Dark as Christmas Gets by Lawrence Block - a short ebook. Chip Harrison and his Nero Wolfe wannabe employer are called to a bookstore on Christmas day to find out who stole a valuable manuscript. The author gets in a lot in these 33 pages - his opinion of deceased writers books being continued, collectors, and his fun with Nero Wolfe. But the big fun for me was when Mr. Block replied to my comment on his facebook page.
3 stars
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The Dreams of John Weaver by Josh Hanagarne - John wakes up from a coma and can see other people's dreams. I didn't really care for this book and yet had to keep reading to see what it was about. And then was sorry I did. I think it's a YA horror book.
1.5 stars
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Dec 4 - 10, 2016
Dog Run Moon by Callan Wink - a collection of short stories about sad, pathetic people. Some of the stories started out good and I liked the writing but then they just....petered out. Is this the new way to write? The story actually has no ending? Doesn't work for me.
1 star
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When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz - Charlotte can't contact her step-sister. Then she learns one of Jocelyn's friends has died, supposedly a suicide. She teams up with Max Cutler, a P.I., and their investigation leads to an investment club. But there are clues that lead to a dark event in the past, too. This is billed as a romance and it is somewhat Harelquin-y, with the obligatory sex scene. But it was much more of a mystery to me.
3 stars
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Kissing Christmas Goodby by M.C. Beaton - Agatha Raisin is bored with the mundane cases her detective agency is handling. So when she gets a letter from a woman claiming someone in her family is going to kill her she's intrigued. What follows is a rather boring mystery that is only solved with luck. Much of the book deals with Agatha's wish for a perfect Christmas dinner and the efforts she puts into that. I've read some of this series before, Agatha is not my favorite character.
2 stars
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A Most Novel Revenge by Ashley Weaver - Amory and Milo Ames are asked by her cousin to come to the estate of her friend, a place where there was a mysterious death several years ago. When they arrive, they learn everyone from that time is there, including the woman who wrote a scandalous account of the death. An atmospheric house, bad weather, and unlikeable people are a recipe for disaster. Written very much in the style of British mysteries of the '30's, where wealthy, sophisticated people weekend at strangers homes and talk wittily among themselves.
3.5 stars
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The Body in the Sleigh by Katherine Hall Page - this is the 18th Faith Fairchild book, wife of a minister and stumbler upon of bodies. I've read a few others many years ago. The family is spending the Christmas holidays on Sanpere Island in Maine while Tom Fairchild recovers from surgery. Faith finds a body in the sleigh of a holiday display. In the meantime, a baby has been left at a goat farmer's house. Somehow these intertwine. Almost more recipes than mystery. These books are good for a cozy read if you're looking for something to veg out on.
2.5 stars
1 star
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When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz - Charlotte can't contact her step-sister. Then she learns one of Jocelyn's friends has died, supposedly a suicide. She teams up with Max Cutler, a P.I., and their investigation leads to an investment club. But there are clues that lead to a dark event in the past, too. This is billed as a romance and it is somewhat Harelquin-y, with the obligatory sex scene. But it was much more of a mystery to me.
3 stars
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Kissing Christmas Goodby by M.C. Beaton - Agatha Raisin is bored with the mundane cases her detective agency is handling. So when she gets a letter from a woman claiming someone in her family is going to kill her she's intrigued. What follows is a rather boring mystery that is only solved with luck. Much of the book deals with Agatha's wish for a perfect Christmas dinner and the efforts she puts into that. I've read some of this series before, Agatha is not my favorite character.
2 stars
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A Most Novel Revenge by Ashley Weaver - Amory and Milo Ames are asked by her cousin to come to the estate of her friend, a place where there was a mysterious death several years ago. When they arrive, they learn everyone from that time is there, including the woman who wrote a scandalous account of the death. An atmospheric house, bad weather, and unlikeable people are a recipe for disaster. Written very much in the style of British mysteries of the '30's, where wealthy, sophisticated people weekend at strangers homes and talk wittily among themselves.
3.5 stars
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The Body in the Sleigh by Katherine Hall Page - this is the 18th Faith Fairchild book, wife of a minister and stumbler upon of bodies. I've read a few others many years ago. The family is spending the Christmas holidays on Sanpere Island in Maine while Tom Fairchild recovers from surgery. Faith finds a body in the sleigh of a holiday display. In the meantime, a baby has been left at a goat farmer's house. Somehow these intertwine. Almost more recipes than mystery. These books are good for a cozy read if you're looking for something to veg out on.
2.5 stars
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Nov 27 - Dec 3, 2016
Triple Jeopardy by Rex Stout - in this trio of short stories, Nero Wolfe deals with communism, a couple on the run, and a monkey.
3 stars
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The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis - Rose Lewin is going through a tough time personally and professionally when she stumbles on a story from the '50's that took place in the very building where she lives. The Barbizon was an exclusive hotel for women at the time, a safe place for aspiring models and secretaries. For most it was a stepping stone to nabbing a wealthy husband. Told in alternating chapters set in 1952 and 2016. Not billed as a mystery, but there is one.
4 stars
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A Last Goodbye by J.A. Jance - a novella in the Ali Reynolds series. Ali and B. Simpson are finally getting married in Las Vegas on Christmas Eve. While shopping, B. and Ali's grandkids rescue a dog thrown from a car. So now they have to search for the dog's owner while also getting ready for the wedding. This series is my least favorite by this author but this was a cute story.
3 stars
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The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines with Mark Dagostino - told mostly by Joanna with Chip chipping in, this is the story of their courtship and how they started doing the tv show Fixer Upper. They had many ups and downs and were at the lowest when they got the show offer. A very quick read.
3 stars
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The Mistletoe Murder: And Other by P.D. James - four short stories, all of them with a twist.
3 stars
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The Lighthouse by P.D. James - an island off the coast of England is used as a retreat by the rich and powerful. When a suspicious death occurs, Adam Dalgliesh and two of his team are sent to investigate. It would seem a small suspect pool would make it easy but everyone seems to have secrets. I've read a few in this series, not in order.
3.5 stars
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Crime for Christmas edited by Richard Dalby - a collection of short stories by suthors such as Agatha Christie, Ellis Peters, and others. Some of them were old even at the time of publication, 1991. I have to admit I couldn't read the story by Wilkie Collins, published in 1852, too much flowery language. I picked this up at the library, where they had a collection of Christmas mysteries.
2 stars
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Sorrow Road by Julia Keller - this is the 5th book about Bell Elkins, prosecuting attorney of a small county in West Virginia. A little different in that she's not prosecuting a crime but investigating to see if there has been a crime. An old friend contacts her with suspicions about the death of her father in a facility for Alzheimer's patients. There are chapters from her daughter Carla's viewpoint. And the story of three friends from before WWII.
4 stars
3 stars
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The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis - Rose Lewin is going through a tough time personally and professionally when she stumbles on a story from the '50's that took place in the very building where she lives. The Barbizon was an exclusive hotel for women at the time, a safe place for aspiring models and secretaries. For most it was a stepping stone to nabbing a wealthy husband. Told in alternating chapters set in 1952 and 2016. Not billed as a mystery, but there is one.
4 stars
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A Last Goodbye by J.A. Jance - a novella in the Ali Reynolds series. Ali and B. Simpson are finally getting married in Las Vegas on Christmas Eve. While shopping, B. and Ali's grandkids rescue a dog thrown from a car. So now they have to search for the dog's owner while also getting ready for the wedding. This series is my least favorite by this author but this was a cute story.
3 stars
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The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines with Mark Dagostino - told mostly by Joanna with Chip chipping in, this is the story of their courtship and how they started doing the tv show Fixer Upper. They had many ups and downs and were at the lowest when they got the show offer. A very quick read.
3 stars
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The Mistletoe Murder: And Other by P.D. James - four short stories, all of them with a twist.
3 stars
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The Lighthouse by P.D. James - an island off the coast of England is used as a retreat by the rich and powerful. When a suspicious death occurs, Adam Dalgliesh and two of his team are sent to investigate. It would seem a small suspect pool would make it easy but everyone seems to have secrets. I've read a few in this series, not in order.
3.5 stars
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Crime for Christmas edited by Richard Dalby - a collection of short stories by suthors such as Agatha Christie, Ellis Peters, and others. Some of them were old even at the time of publication, 1991. I have to admit I couldn't read the story by Wilkie Collins, published in 1852, too much flowery language. I picked this up at the library, where they had a collection of Christmas mysteries.
2 stars
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Sorrow Road by Julia Keller - this is the 5th book about Bell Elkins, prosecuting attorney of a small county in West Virginia. A little different in that she's not prosecuting a crime but investigating to see if there has been a crime. An old friend contacts her with suspicions about the death of her father in a facility for Alzheimer's patients. There are chapters from her daughter Carla's viewpoint. And the story of three friends from before WWII.
4 stars
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Nov 20 - 26, 2016
Murder in E Minor by Robert Goldsborough - a continuation of the Nero Wolfe mysteries by Rex Stout, this takes place two years after the last novel by Mr. Stout. Nero Wolfe has not taken a case for two years and the only thing that can bring him out of his self-imposed retirement is a case involving an old friend from his years in Montenegro as a freedom fighter. I thought the author did a good job capturing the flavor of the Stout novels, but they just missed having that little something special. This was published in 1986 and the author has written several more. I'll be happy to continue the series.
3 stars
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The Bloodied Ivy by Robert Goldsborough - a college professor is sure that his fellow professor's death is murder and not an accident. So much of the book is Archie trying to decide if it really is murder. Everyone is unlikeable and the conclusion was anticlimactic. The third in this new series. I read out of order because it was what I could get on my Kindle from the library.
2 stars
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Black Orchids by Rex Stout - two short stories in one book, the first also the title of the book. Nero Wolfe actually leaves his office to a look at some rare black orchids. And of course a murder happens at the flower show when he's there. In the second, Cordially Invited to Meet Death, a professional party giver hires Wolfe to discover who is sending her nasty anonymous letters. I had read these before but still enjoyed them.
3 stars
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And Four to Go by Rex Stout - a collection of four Nero Wolfe short stories, three with a holiday theme. In Christmas Party, someone is killed right in front of Archie, Easter Parade starts out with orchid theft and ends with murder, Fourth of July Picnic has someone murdered at a picnic where Wolfe is giving a speech, and Murder is No Joke has Archie and Wolfe hearing a murder over the telephone. It's always a pleasure to see how Wolfe figures things out.
3 stars
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The Rubber Band by Rex Stout - an almost lynching forty years ago, an English marquis, and an accusation of theft. They all come together in one case for Nero Wolfe that finds some of the accused hiding out in his house. I've read this before but had no recollection of it, one of the benefits of getting older.
3 stars
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Dark Matter by Blake Crouch - Jason Dessen lives a happy but somewhat bland life. Walking home from a bar one night he is kidnapped and knocked unconscious. When he comes to it's to a life he doesn't know. He's in a lab being congratulated for a successful experiment. But his wife is not married to him and his son doesn't exist. Which reality is real? This was a great, fast read. (You must be willing to suspend disbelief in order to really enjoy this.)
5 stars
3 stars
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The Bloodied Ivy by Robert Goldsborough - a college professor is sure that his fellow professor's death is murder and not an accident. So much of the book is Archie trying to decide if it really is murder. Everyone is unlikeable and the conclusion was anticlimactic. The third in this new series. I read out of order because it was what I could get on my Kindle from the library.
2 stars
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Black Orchids by Rex Stout - two short stories in one book, the first also the title of the book. Nero Wolfe actually leaves his office to a look at some rare black orchids. And of course a murder happens at the flower show when he's there. In the second, Cordially Invited to Meet Death, a professional party giver hires Wolfe to discover who is sending her nasty anonymous letters. I had read these before but still enjoyed them.
3 stars
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And Four to Go by Rex Stout - a collection of four Nero Wolfe short stories, three with a holiday theme. In Christmas Party, someone is killed right in front of Archie, Easter Parade starts out with orchid theft and ends with murder, Fourth of July Picnic has someone murdered at a picnic where Wolfe is giving a speech, and Murder is No Joke has Archie and Wolfe hearing a murder over the telephone. It's always a pleasure to see how Wolfe figures things out.
3 stars
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The Rubber Band by Rex Stout - an almost lynching forty years ago, an English marquis, and an accusation of theft. They all come together in one case for Nero Wolfe that finds some of the accused hiding out in his house. I've read this before but had no recollection of it, one of the benefits of getting older.
3 stars
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Dark Matter by Blake Crouch - Jason Dessen lives a happy but somewhat bland life. Walking home from a bar one night he is kidnapped and knocked unconscious. When he comes to it's to a life he doesn't know. He's in a lab being congratulated for a successful experiment. But his wife is not married to him and his son doesn't exist. Which reality is real? This was a great, fast read. (You must be willing to suspend disbelief in order to really enjoy this.)
5 stars
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Nov 13 - 19, 2016
The Gunslinger by Stephen King - the first book the the Dark Tower series. Everyone quotes the first line when they talk about this book so I will too. "The Man in Black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed." And that about sums up the book. This takes place on our world in a different time, or another world like ours, or maybe we'll find out later. I read this because I wanted to have some background before the movie comes out. Not sure if it helped. And because I have to know, I'll read the second in the series.
3 stars
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Reckless Creed by Alex Kava - Ryder Creed and his K9 search and rescue dogs are called on for something different than the usual. Someone is trying to start a pandemic and the dogs are being trained to detect the virus. Although this is billed as the third Ryder Creed novel, Maggie O'Dell, the FBI agent from the author's other series features just as much. She's on the search for the rogue scientist that escaped her in the previous Creed book. I like these books because of the dogs.
3 stars
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The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith - it's near the end of WWII in Italy, and one night Cenzo, a fisherman, pulls into his boat a young girl on the run from the Nazis. He decides to help smuggle her out of the country. This is supposed to be a historical mystery with some romance but it didn't hit any of those for me. A little too slow paced until the very end.
2 stars
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In Big Trouble by Laura Lippman - Tess Monaghan is out of her comfort zone when she goes to Texas to find an old boyfriend. She gets dragged into a 20 year old murder and at the same time the boyfriend is being accused of a current murder. The fourth in the series and it ends with an interesting development that I'm curious to see played out in the next book.
3 stars
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A Walk in the Woods:Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson - almost on a whim, the author decides to walk the trail, seemingly with little preparation. And his traveling companion is even less prepared. Lots of history and geology lessons along the way, with very un-pc thoughts about the residents of Georgia. This wasn't as amusing as I expected.
2 stars
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Random Acts by J.A. Jance - a short e-book in which Sheriff Joanna Brady learns her mother and stepfather have been killed in a car accident. Or was it? I don't think it's fair to put important info in these short stories. Book 17 in the series started with Joanna dealing with their deaths and you're going when did this happen?
2 stars
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The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware - Lo Blacklock is not dealing well with a recent trauma. So when she thinks she's heard a woman thrown overboard while on a cruise she has trouble getting others to believe her. For one thing, no one is missing and no one saw the woman except Lo. But someone believes her and it's probably the murderer. Or is the whole thing her imagination?
4 stars
3 stars
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Reckless Creed by Alex Kava - Ryder Creed and his K9 search and rescue dogs are called on for something different than the usual. Someone is trying to start a pandemic and the dogs are being trained to detect the virus. Although this is billed as the third Ryder Creed novel, Maggie O'Dell, the FBI agent from the author's other series features just as much. She's on the search for the rogue scientist that escaped her in the previous Creed book. I like these books because of the dogs.
3 stars
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The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith - it's near the end of WWII in Italy, and one night Cenzo, a fisherman, pulls into his boat a young girl on the run from the Nazis. He decides to help smuggle her out of the country. This is supposed to be a historical mystery with some romance but it didn't hit any of those for me. A little too slow paced until the very end.
2 stars
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In Big Trouble by Laura Lippman - Tess Monaghan is out of her comfort zone when she goes to Texas to find an old boyfriend. She gets dragged into a 20 year old murder and at the same time the boyfriend is being accused of a current murder. The fourth in the series and it ends with an interesting development that I'm curious to see played out in the next book.
3 stars
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A Walk in the Woods:Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson - almost on a whim, the author decides to walk the trail, seemingly with little preparation. And his traveling companion is even less prepared. Lots of history and geology lessons along the way, with very un-pc thoughts about the residents of Georgia. This wasn't as amusing as I expected.
2 stars
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Random Acts by J.A. Jance - a short e-book in which Sheriff Joanna Brady learns her mother and stepfather have been killed in a car accident. Or was it? I don't think it's fair to put important info in these short stories. Book 17 in the series started with Joanna dealing with their deaths and you're going when did this happen?
2 stars
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The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware - Lo Blacklock is not dealing well with a recent trauma. So when she thinks she's heard a woman thrown overboard while on a cruise she has trouble getting others to believe her. For one thing, no one is missing and no one saw the woman except Lo. But someone believes her and it's probably the murderer. Or is the whole thing her imagination?
4 stars
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Nov 6 - 12, 2016
Butcher's Hill by Laura Lippman - the 3rd Tess Monaghan book. She's made it official and has opened her own office as a private investigator. Her first client is the notorious vigilante, Luther Beale, just out of prison for killing a young boy. He wants her to find the witnesses to the crime so that he can make retribution to them. But when they start turning up dead Tess wonders if she's helping him find them for another reason. Published in 1998, there are some interesting conversations about race that are relevant to today. Tess is starting to grow on me as she continues to become more mature.
3.5 stars
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Downfall by J.A. Jance - Sheriff Joanna Brady is planning the funeral of her mother and stepfather when she receives word there has been a murder/suicide or double homicide. Two women have been found at the bottom of a cliff. When it becomes apparent there was no connection between the two women, Joanna finds herself in the middle of a complex investigation while also grieving. And oh yes, she's also expecting a baby girl and in the middle of a reelection campaign.
4.5 stars
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Blind Sight by Carol O'Connell - the 12th Kathleen Mallory book. A nun and a blind boy disappear from a busy street and no one sees it happen. Mallory becomes involved because of the nun and the clues lead to the mayor of New York. This book is written in a (to me) disjointed style that makes it almost necessary to have read at least some of the previous books. The books are dark, Mallory is not likeable, and this book is no exception. I find them strangely compelling.
4 stars
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A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny - the 12th Armand Gamache book and the author is still going strong. The books starts with little tidbits of hints of what's to come and just keeps building. Gamache has come out of retirement to become head of the Surete police academy. The corruption he's been fighting has settled even here and he plans to dig it out. But a murder may lay those plans to rest. There's also an old found map, sullen cadets and a mysterious girl woven in.
5 stars
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An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison - the author's story of her struggle with manic depression beginning in her teen years. She has gone on to become a leading authority on the disease.
4 stars
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Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris - Jack and Grace are the perfect couple. He's handsome and oh so attentive to her every thought. She pulls off dinner parties with ease. But what happens when everyone leaves? It's not a spoiler to say not everything is as it seems. It's the why that's horrifying.
3 stars
3.5 stars
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Downfall by J.A. Jance - Sheriff Joanna Brady is planning the funeral of her mother and stepfather when she receives word there has been a murder/suicide or double homicide. Two women have been found at the bottom of a cliff. When it becomes apparent there was no connection between the two women, Joanna finds herself in the middle of a complex investigation while also grieving. And oh yes, she's also expecting a baby girl and in the middle of a reelection campaign.
4.5 stars
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Blind Sight by Carol O'Connell - the 12th Kathleen Mallory book. A nun and a blind boy disappear from a busy street and no one sees it happen. Mallory becomes involved because of the nun and the clues lead to the mayor of New York. This book is written in a (to me) disjointed style that makes it almost necessary to have read at least some of the previous books. The books are dark, Mallory is not likeable, and this book is no exception. I find them strangely compelling.
4 stars
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A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny - the 12th Armand Gamache book and the author is still going strong. The books starts with little tidbits of hints of what's to come and just keeps building. Gamache has come out of retirement to become head of the Surete police academy. The corruption he's been fighting has settled even here and he plans to dig it out. But a murder may lay those plans to rest. There's also an old found map, sullen cadets and a mysterious girl woven in.
5 stars
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An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison - the author's story of her struggle with manic depression beginning in her teen years. She has gone on to become a leading authority on the disease.
4 stars
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Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris - Jack and Grace are the perfect couple. He's handsome and oh so attentive to her every thought. She pulls off dinner parties with ease. But what happens when everyone leaves? It's not a spoiler to say not everything is as it seems. It's the why that's horrifying.
3 stars
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Oct 30 - Nov 5, 2016
The White Mirror by Elsa Hart - Li Du, an exiled librarian and now independent traveler, is traveling with a caravan in the mountains leading to Lhasa. A storm forces them to seek shelter in a secluded valley where they come upon a dead monk on a bridge. There are many undercurrents swirling among the travelers and their hosts and Li Du begins to suspect the death of the monk was not really suicide. I found this second in the series a little disappointing. There were almost too many legends and suspicions woven into the main story.
3 stars
3 stars
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