Hey, Folks — I’ve been MIA due to some family stuff going on. But I’ve kept reading! Coming up in the next week or so will be several short reviews on what I’ve been reading.
For Christmas I got the new Sue Grafton mystery: V is for Vengeance. I was quite excited as I’ve read all the other books in this series and really like them. This one was a bit complicated in terms of plot – I tend to read these books quickly and there were many characters and several subplots to keep straight. Long story short: our heroine Kinsey witnesses a shoplifting incident, and the thief ends up dead a short time later, which pulls her into a complicated series of events involving the Mob among other things.
I enjoyed this book a lot. As I said, it has a lot to keep straight in it, but overall, I found the pacing and plot excellent. I couldn’t stop reading! I managed to purchase a signed copy for my husband for Xmas through Ms. Grafton’s website, too – so now we have two copies.
I’ve read all of Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club books and was so glad to snatch this one up from the new release shelf at the library. As with the others, I found it a quick, fun read – I finished it the day after I got it.
In this installment, SF police detective Lindsay Boxer is getting married to her beloved Joe, but a serial rapist is loose in SF. “Babies” are also a theme in this book – with a victimized young girl who has apparently sold her baby and a high-profile murder case of a mother with young children who accused of killing her husband taking up Lindsay’s time, along with her own desire to be a mother. Lindsay gets involved in the murder trial and comes up against her dear friend Yuki, who is the prosecutor. At the same time, Lindsay is determined to uncover what happened to the teen’s baby. Cindy, the news reporter, gets a little too involved with chasing after the rapist as well.
There is a lot of tension in this novel, along with the camaraderie of the ladies. The events are non-stop action, and with Patterson’s short chapters, this was an easy read for me.
Looking for something scary/gory/thrilling to read this Halloween? Well, thanks to the folks at Net Galley, I received a free ARC of “The Pumpkin Man” by John Everson. In this 300+ page thriller, Jennica Murphy seeks to solve the mystery of her father’s gruesome death, while coming to know her aunt’s family by marriage and the strange and horrific legacy they left behind. Stories of the “pumpkin man” have left the small, Northern California town where Jennica is staying (at her aunt’s house which she inherited) on edge. Twenty years ago a man known for his incredible pumpkin carvings was accused of killing children and summarily lynched by the townsfolk. He was Jennica’s aunt’s husband. Now the murders are occurring again, each victim horribly dismembered and with pieces of pumpkin left at the scene of each crime. Using her aunt’s substantial library on the occult and magic, will Jenn solve the mystery of who is the killer before the pumpkin man gets her?
Well, I had my highs and lows on this book. For one thing, I kept reading because I wanted to know who was the murderer and why (though I had pretty much figured it out correctly). Also, so many people got whacked in this book that I kept wondering if the heroine was going to make it to the end! Also I of course love books that occur in Northern Cal as that’s where I’m from. And I like a strong female protagonist. It was creepy and scary and I can imagine it making a great made-for-tv movie around Halloween time. Those are all the good points.
That said, I had some things in this book that didn’t work for me. For instance, near the beginning, after her father’s murder (where pumpkin pieces had been found at the scene of the crime), Jennica finds pumpkin pieces in her bedroom left by an intruder. She doesn’t bother to tell not only the police, but her roommate (!) until much later. Also, as people start disappearing or turning up dead (beheaded, gutted, etc.) or bones/skeletons/skulls/jars of eyeballs are found in the basement, Jenn and her roommate and the two new boyfriends they picked up in a bar in San Francisco discuss several times how they shouldn’t call the police because, after all, who would believe them?? Finally, they involve the police, and figure out that the murders all tie into the family’s weird past and a whole series of subterranean passages, tombs, rooms, shrines, etc. located under the aunt’s house, that may just rival the catacombs of Paris.
Everson’s writing was inconsistent at times in my opinion. At times it was solid. At other times word choice or sentence construction pulled me out of reading or even made me laugh. The murder scenes were graphic and gory, which I personally never enjoy reading. I have to say, though, I kept reading to the end!
Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers at DP for my free kindle galley copy!
If you read my blog, you know I love William Martin’s historical mysteries, following an item throughout the years from past to present, while in alternate chapters modern day antique expert, Peter Fallon, and his girlfriend, Evangeline, risk life and limb searching for said object as well. This novel came out in the spring, but I just recently purchased it for my Kindle (after a recommendation from my brother-in-law).
In this installment, Peter and Evangeline are seeking some “New Emission Bonds” from the Revolutionary War – issued by Alexander Hamilton and with compounded interest worth millions and millions of dollars. Of course, others are racing against time to find the bonds as well (this time, the Russian mob), and Peter and Evangeline need to separate fact from fiction and puzzle out the clues to figure out just where the bonds are. Then it becomes a race to see who can get to them first.
As always, I love these novels! I enjoy the jumping back and forth from past to present, but particularly enjoy the historical fiction piece.
Fans of Martin will undoubtedly enjoy his latest novel, and the added bonus of how it ties into the issues our current government is having with controlling debt.
Through Net Galley, I received a free Kindle download of Jenny Valentine’s YA novel “Double” to review from Disney Publishing. This book was first published in Great Britain. “Double” tells the story of Chap – a young boy who is on the run and has been in and out of group homes for delinquents ever since his grandfather had an accident and was taken to a nursing home. The workers at the facility in which he is staying notice his incredible resemblance to a boy named Cassiel Roadnight – a boy who disappeared two years earlier during an evening celebration in his small town. Seeking to belong somewhere and to have a family, Chap tells them that he really is Cassiel – and so begins his attempt to take on the life on the missing boy, all the while worrying that the real Cassiel will show up and try to claim his life. However, as Chap settles into a routine with Cassiel’s family, he begins to discover that things may not be what they seem and that he is not the only one with secrets to hide.
I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down. It had suspense and mystery, yet it read quickly (less than 300 pages) and easily. I would recommend it for older YA readers due to intense themes. I would think that reluctant readers would enjoy it.
Thank you, Disney Hyperion, for sending me my copy!
My brother-in-law (who reads more than anyone I know) recommended this book to me as he thought I would like it. And I have to confess – I listened to it last month and am only just now getting around to reviewing it. Why? Well, first we went on vacation; but that’s really not an excuse. If truth be told, I couldn’t think of much to say.
Here’s the scoop: it’s 1865 and several notable Bostonians gather to discuss literature and Dante in particular, forming “the Dante Club”. I loved this part – I always like books where historical characters come to life (as long as they are done appropriately). A serial killer starts terrorizing the city and the clues are linked to Dante’s Inferno, so the club must put their heads together to solve the mystery and stop the killer.
Here’s where I started to have problems. I love mysteries, but I do not like really graphic stories. Some of the descriptions of the murders were so vivid and graphic (the word ‘disgusting’ comes to mind) that I had to turn off the CD player. I also couldn’t have it playing while I drove the kids places as I felt it was too graphic. It reminded me of “Angels and Demons” which I found vividly repulsive.
Here’s my other problem with the story: I kept zoning out. Now perhaps we can blame the suburban Boston traffic, or my general fatigue, or the fact that I was mentally composing what I needed to get at the grocery store, but bottom line: I missed a lot of this story as I wasn’t riveted.
At first I loved the narrator, John Siedman, and was impressed in how he could change his voice to make each main character unique (Oliver Wendall Holmes, Lowell, H.W. Longfellow, J. T. Fields, etc.). However, as with every book I listen to that takes place in Boston, I always cringe when they do the accent. Here’s the scoop people: the Boston Brahmins did not – nor will they ever – pronounce “Harvard” as “Hah – vid” . “Haw – vud” is much closer. That’s all I’ll say, but just trust me on it.
I’d be curious as to whether any of my readers have read Pearl’s books and if you liked/disliked them. I am wondering whether I should try another.
During the 1990’s, I read several cozy mysteries by the female writer K. K. Beck. I particularly liked her novels set in the 20’s with alliterative titles (e.g. “Death in a Deckchair”; “Peril under the Palms”). I hadn’t seen anything by her at the library in a long while and was pleased to come across this novel in a library in a nearby town (yes, I frequent several different libraries!).
“The Revenge of Kali-Ra” is a bit of a parody of pulp fiction. A beautiful but somewhat witless Hollywood actress, Nadia Wentworth, has discovered the Kali-Ra novels by Valerian Ricardo from the 1920’s. She wants to turn them into a movie with herself as the star. A copyright battle ensues, Ricardo’s wacky widow gets into the middle of things, his estranged great nephew becomes involved, and a strange and ethereal young woman links herself to this unlikely group. Antics ensue at Nadia’s Hollywood manor, where a few more memorable characters are included (including a binge-drinking British writer and a wanna-be mafioso).
All ends happily in this light and enjoyable read
While I enjoyed this quick read, I do enjoy some of K. K. Beck’s other cozy mysteries (set in the 1920’s) more.
This one was published in 1999. I’ll continue to look for more by her!
I enjoy James Patterson mysteries. When I saw “Tick Tock”, his latest Michael Bennett novel, on the new release shelf at the library I could not help but grab it. This is typical Patterson fare: quick-moving and easy to read. I read my copy in one evening.
This, I believe, is the fourth Michael Bennett mystery. Bennett is a tough NY police detective, widower, and father to a diverse brood of ten adopted children. His grandfather, Seamus – an Irish priest, and Mary Catherine, his attractive Irish nanny, round out the adult regulars in these novels. Bennett’s family and personal life form a back story to the crime that is the center of the novel. In this installment, a copy cat killer is loose in NYC, planting bombs and brutally murdering people. Bennett must figure out the connection between crimes and victims and then stop the killer.
As always, a quick read. Glad I got it from the library, though. Fans of Patterson will probably enjoy it. I’d love to see a movie made of this character as I’d find the family situation interesting and fun on-screen.
I’m always on the lookout for a good Kindle freebie, so I was excited to find this cozy on Kindle for *free*! This is the first of the Nell Sweeney historical mysteries by P B Ryan. Nell is a feisty young Irish woman, living in Boston just after the Civil War. Nell becomes the governess to the wealthy Hewitt family and helps their opium-addicted eldest son – once believed dead but now accused of murder.
I liked this historical cozy – though I felt it dragged at times in the middle of the novel. I always like a strong heroine and, living near to Boston, I enjoy reading about the city. This is the first in a series (formerly called the “Gilded Age Mysteries”).
I came across the Ivy Malone cozy mysteries series on the Kindle Top 100 Free Downloads listing, and ordered the first book, “Invisible”, for free. I just loved the story of this spunky senior citizen who gets pulled into solving crimes! Ivy is a widow, whose only child has died as well. When she loses her best friend, too, she determines to figure out who is desecrating a nearby cemetery. Then when a young neighbor woman disappears and is found murdered, Ivy decides to figure out who is to blame.
Ivy is perky and funny and reminds me of a new age Miss Marple. She has a strong faith in God and this is a theme woven throughout the stories.
I liked Ivy so much I purchased her next story through Kindle, too. There are two more, I believe, that I plan to get in time.
Beth's Book-Nook Blog 