No Mercy by John Gilstrap - Jonathan Grave is the man you want to call when you need discreet help with business espionage or worse. It helps that he's immensely wealthy and has a network of powerful friends in various businesses willing and able to help him. In the first book of the series, Jonathan rescues a college student, killing his three captors in the process. But that's just the tip of the iceberg when government secrets are about to be exposed. Lots of gun and military talk, there were whole pages I skimmed. Also lots of action but I felt the story was a bit too long and the firefight lasted forever. But I'll probably read the next in the series because I made the mistake of reading the opening chapter and will want to know what happens.
3 stars
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The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware - down on her luck Hal receives a letter that may prove to be her salvation. She has has received an inheritance from her grandmother. The only problem, she's not that person. Nevertheless, she embarks on a plan of deceit. She soon finds out she's not the only one lying. The author is touted as being a new voice in mystery but I've read versions of this plot many times. No real surprises here. Also, Hal is cold and damp for most of the book and I had to get a blanket in the summer in sympathy. I do like the author's writing.
3 stars
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For the Sins of My Father:A Mafia Killer, His Son, and the Legacy of a Mob Life by Albert Demeo, Mary Jane Ross - the author grew up adoring his father and wanting to be like him in every way. Even when he began to realize his father led a dangerous life. At a young age he would lie in bed until he heard his father come home, thankful that his father was still alive. Al's father began introducing him to his associates and work at a young age and yet didn't seem to want him to follow in his footsteps. When his father is killed by other Mafia members, Al is caught between the mob and law enforcement. The entire time I read this book I was horrified by the terrible pressure put on a boy too young to deal with it.
3 stars
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Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King - Mary Russell is asked by an old friend to look into the disappearance of her aunt, who is considered mad and has been residing in Bedlam for the past several years. Mary finds clues indicating the aunt may be in Venice so she and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, go there. Holmes has been asked by his brother Mycroft to be an unofficial spy regarding the rise of Mussolini and his Blackshirts. While in Venice, Mary joins the In crowd in her effort to find the aunt and Holmes makes the acquaintance of Cole Porter and his wife. Not quite as thrilling as some of the previous books but I did like the final solution. Not the best in the series but enjoyable.
4 stars
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Sunday, July 8, 2018
July 1 - 7, 2018
The Lonely Witness by William Boyle - Amy lives a quiet life working temporary jobs and serving as a Eucharist minister to the housebound. She's trying to be a "good" girl after her former life of partying. Then she witnesses a murder and begins to make some bad decisions. She takes the murder weapon and hides it .And then somehow becomes entangled with the murderer. This book is full of sad, lonely people. I only finished it to see if Amy redeems herself. She doesn't.
1 star
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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers - an LBGTQ/gun debate/immigration/eco-conservation/any other headline novel peopled with characters ripped straight from several sci-fi series. Rosemary is the new crew member on the Wayfarer, a ship that makes black holes by tunneling through space. On board she finds her fellow crew members are a mix of various species including a sentient AI. On the long journey to their latest job she finds a new family and purpose in her job. I liked this in spite of its preachiness.
3 stars
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Private Eyes by Rene Formby - Moose teams up with PI Tony to find evidence to free his pal who has been falsely accused of killing his girlfriend. What makes their partnership unusual is that Moose is an Australian terrier and Tony is a cat. When the real killer is also killed their only option is to break Moose's friend out of jail. This book tried way too hard to be hard-boiled noir and contemporary at the same time. The animals complain all the time about not having opposable thumbs and yet are able to operate computers and construct a bomb. And Moose, who id a breed known for it's loyalty, isn't even sure of the name of his owners. I like anthropomorphic animal stories but this didn't work for me.
2 stars
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Dead Angler by Victoria Houston - Doc Osbourne is fly fishing when he finds a body in the river. Fortuitously, he happens to be fishing with the town sheriff and she promptly deputizes him to do the dental forensics. The victim turns out to be the heir to a large fortune so suspects abound. I couldn't warm up to Doc and his deceased wife sounds horrendous. Too many subplots and way too much about fishing. This is the first book in a series and was published in 2000, so Doc is quite astonished that the sheriff is a woman and that she likes fishing. I won't continue this series. Also, this was a freebie on my Kindle and the editing was quite bad.
2 stars
1 star
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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers - an LBGTQ/gun debate/immigration/eco-conservation/any other headline novel peopled with characters ripped straight from several sci-fi series. Rosemary is the new crew member on the Wayfarer, a ship that makes black holes by tunneling through space. On board she finds her fellow crew members are a mix of various species including a sentient AI. On the long journey to their latest job she finds a new family and purpose in her job. I liked this in spite of its preachiness.
3 stars
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Private Eyes by Rene Formby - Moose teams up with PI Tony to find evidence to free his pal who has been falsely accused of killing his girlfriend. What makes their partnership unusual is that Moose is an Australian terrier and Tony is a cat. When the real killer is also killed their only option is to break Moose's friend out of jail. This book tried way too hard to be hard-boiled noir and contemporary at the same time. The animals complain all the time about not having opposable thumbs and yet are able to operate computers and construct a bomb. And Moose, who id a breed known for it's loyalty, isn't even sure of the name of his owners. I like anthropomorphic animal stories but this didn't work for me.
2 stars
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Dead Angler by Victoria Houston - Doc Osbourne is fly fishing when he finds a body in the river. Fortuitously, he happens to be fishing with the town sheriff and she promptly deputizes him to do the dental forensics. The victim turns out to be the heir to a large fortune so suspects abound. I couldn't warm up to Doc and his deceased wife sounds horrendous. Too many subplots and way too much about fishing. This is the first book in a series and was published in 2000, so Doc is quite astonished that the sheriff is a woman and that she likes fishing. I won't continue this series. Also, this was a freebie on my Kindle and the editing was quite bad.
2 stars
Sunday, July 1, 2018
June 24 - 30, 2018
The Scarred Woman by Jussi Adler-Olsen - Carl Morck, head of the cold cases division in Copenhagen, has a 10 year old case brought to him by his now-retired mentor. It has many similarities to a current case involving the murder of an elderly woman. And there seems to be an odd connection to a series of hit and runs. But his worst problem is the mental breakdown of the department's secretary and the teams effort to find her before it's too late. I just couldn't get into this book. I think part of my problem is there is still too much mystery around the main characters, I don't feel like I know them. There's a lot going on in this book and the last quarter was quite good. It just took a long time to get there.
2 stars
2 stars
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Sunday, June 17, 2018
June 10 - 16, 2018
Milk!: A 10,000-Year Food Fracas by Mark Kurlansky - almost more than you want to know about all kinds of milk and the uses for it. Too many recipes in the first part of the book reaching back many years and impossible to duplicate now even if you wanted to. The book also discusses the constant debate between bottle-fed babies and breastfed and how the pendulum swings back and forth every few years. Also some talk about the merits of raw milk versus pasteurized and organic versus non organic. I've read a few of this author's books, Salt was one of my favorites. This isn't quite as interesting.
3 stars
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Outside the Jukebox: How I Turned my Vintage Music Obsession in My Dream Gig by Scott Bradlee - I love almost everything Postmodern Jukebox does so when I saw that Scott was writing a book I actually pre-ordered it. He tells about all the hard work it took to become an "overnight" YouTube success. He also gives lots of encouragement to artists pursuing their dreams.
4 stars
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The Boy, the Bird, and the Coffin Maker by Matilda Woods - a plague robs Alberto of his family and he becomes the coffin maker for his town of Allora. A town where fish fly out of the sea and all the houses are brightly colored. Thirty years later Alberto discovers someone is stealing food from him. It's a young boy all alone except for his brightly colored bird. As he gradually earns the boys trust, Alberto discovers he's terribly afraid of someone. This is a children's book that is full of the ordinary and the magical. The illustrations are wonderful.
4 stars
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Lost Creed by Alex Kava - Ryder Creed's sister disappeared from a truck stop 16 years ago and it's the main reason he runs a dog training facility. When he gets news there may be a clue to Brodie's disappearance he is quick to join the investigation. As so often when a writer gets on a soapbox, the story is somewhat neglected. This was also very disjointed with multiple viewpoints and plot lines. The clues were so heavy I knew what was going on long before the characters. The Kindle version was also poorly edited. Human trafficking is a huge and ongoing problem, I don't think weaving it into a book in a preachy way is the best way to educate the public.
2 stars
3 stars
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Outside the Jukebox: How I Turned my Vintage Music Obsession in My Dream Gig by Scott Bradlee - I love almost everything Postmodern Jukebox does so when I saw that Scott was writing a book I actually pre-ordered it. He tells about all the hard work it took to become an "overnight" YouTube success. He also gives lots of encouragement to artists pursuing their dreams.
4 stars
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The Boy, the Bird, and the Coffin Maker by Matilda Woods - a plague robs Alberto of his family and he becomes the coffin maker for his town of Allora. A town where fish fly out of the sea and all the houses are brightly colored. Thirty years later Alberto discovers someone is stealing food from him. It's a young boy all alone except for his brightly colored bird. As he gradually earns the boys trust, Alberto discovers he's terribly afraid of someone. This is a children's book that is full of the ordinary and the magical. The illustrations are wonderful.
4 stars
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Lost Creed by Alex Kava - Ryder Creed's sister disappeared from a truck stop 16 years ago and it's the main reason he runs a dog training facility. When he gets news there may be a clue to Brodie's disappearance he is quick to join the investigation. As so often when a writer gets on a soapbox, the story is somewhat neglected. This was also very disjointed with multiple viewpoints and plot lines. The clues were so heavy I knew what was going on long before the characters. The Kindle version was also poorly edited. Human trafficking is a huge and ongoing problem, I don't think weaving it into a book in a preachy way is the best way to educate the public.
2 stars
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Sunday, June 3, 2018
May 27 - June 2, 2018
Plotted: A Literary Atlas by Andrew DeGraff/Daniel G. Harmon - actual maps of 19 books drawn by DeGraff with a short essay about the book by Harmon. These seemed more like illustrations than maps. I really just skimmed the essays, especially the ones about books I hadn't read. Still a pleasant way to pass the time.
2 stars
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To Die but Once by Jacqueline Winspear - England is at war in 1940 but still, Maisie Dobbs is busy with clients. But a case somewhat personal begins when a local boy's father asks her to look for him. He's been working as an apprentice painter on secret business at the airfields. Maisie is also concerned about her good friend's son who wishes to be involved in the war effort even though he's underage. (Btw, is Priscilla's apparent alcoholism ever going to be addressed?) And there's still the question of Anna, Maisie's young ward living with her father.
3.5 stars
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Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars by Miranda Emmerson - Anna Treadway is the dresser for Iolanthe Green, star of screen and stage. When Green disappears after a performance there is a hue and cry but the search for her is soon pushed back by other matters. Anna is determined to find her and is joined by a young accountant from Jamaica. They begin a parallel investigation alongside the detective assigned to the case. This book is labeled a mystery but seemed more character driven and a social commentary on the times. It takes place in 1965, England, but some of the scenes could come straight from our news. This one left me vaguely unsatisfied.
2.5 stars
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Dead, to Begin With by Bill Crider - Sheriff Dan Rhodes is dealing with the usual crimes in Clearview, Texas. A woman taking a sledgehammer to the beauty salon because she's upset about her haircut, a chicken crossing the road and causing a four car pileup, and a road rage incident in the Walmart parking lot. Things get serious when the body of a wealthy recluse is found on the stage of the opera house he had just bought. It looks like more than an accident to the sheriff. This is the 24th book in the series. Sadly, there will be no more since the author passed away earlier this year.
3 stars
2 stars
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To Die but Once by Jacqueline Winspear - England is at war in 1940 but still, Maisie Dobbs is busy with clients. But a case somewhat personal begins when a local boy's father asks her to look for him. He's been working as an apprentice painter on secret business at the airfields. Maisie is also concerned about her good friend's son who wishes to be involved in the war effort even though he's underage. (Btw, is Priscilla's apparent alcoholism ever going to be addressed?) And there's still the question of Anna, Maisie's young ward living with her father.
3.5 stars
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Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars by Miranda Emmerson - Anna Treadway is the dresser for Iolanthe Green, star of screen and stage. When Green disappears after a performance there is a hue and cry but the search for her is soon pushed back by other matters. Anna is determined to find her and is joined by a young accountant from Jamaica. They begin a parallel investigation alongside the detective assigned to the case. This book is labeled a mystery but seemed more character driven and a social commentary on the times. It takes place in 1965, England, but some of the scenes could come straight from our news. This one left me vaguely unsatisfied.
2.5 stars
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Dead, to Begin With by Bill Crider - Sheriff Dan Rhodes is dealing with the usual crimes in Clearview, Texas. A woman taking a sledgehammer to the beauty salon because she's upset about her haircut, a chicken crossing the road and causing a four car pileup, and a road rage incident in the Walmart parking lot. Things get serious when the body of a wealthy recluse is found on the stage of the opera house he had just bought. It looks like more than an accident to the sheriff. This is the 24th book in the series. Sadly, there will be no more since the author passed away earlier this year.
3 stars
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