I read three later books in this series when I received advance reader copies and I finally decided to read the first. This was a creepy book, with a I read three later books in this series when I received advance reader copies and I finally decided to read the first. This was a creepy book, with a murderer who wants to do autopsies and so kills people for that purpose.
Yeah, so. Susan Hill is a good writer, but her main character is just a blank. More than enigmatic, Simon Serrailler is just not there. The character who seems to be the main character in this book is (view spoiler)[brutally murdered (hide spoiler)] toward the end. O-kay. Looking at the descriptions of the next few books, I think I will end here with Simon Serrailler.
Good intro to a series. Lots of characters introduced. A mysterious blue-eyed coyote appears multiple times without much explanation. Maybe in a futurGood intro to a series. Lots of characters introduced. A mysterious blue-eyed coyote appears multiple times without much explanation. Maybe in a future book.
I'm interested to see if, in a sequel, the main character (1) gets a cat; (2) sees more of the coyote; (3) reconciles with his wife.
I liked the setting and the realities of small town life. I am interested in reading a sequel.
A pretty good thriller. It kept my attention and I wanted to know how it would end.
The resolution was a little tidy? coincidental? incestuous? None ofA pretty good thriller. It kept my attention and I wanted to know how it would end.
The resolution was a little tidy? coincidental? incestuous? None of those is quite right, but everything wrapped up. I would read more books by the author. Maybe this will become the first in the series. The main character is interesting.
I read a print advance reader copy of The Return of Ellie Black. ...more
This is a paint-by-numbers police procedural, pretty interesting but not particularly original. Some awkward phrasing and a little too much reliance oThis is a paint-by-numbers police procedural, pretty interesting but not particularly original. Some awkward phrasing and a little too much reliance on thesaurus words. Too many unhinged suspects, and the main character dated the sister of one of the murder victims who is also a suspect? No.
The worst part was the awkward romance and even more awkward sex scenes. I find many series get better as they go along and the author gets comfortable with their characters. However, these books are only available for purchase and right now anyway I'm not inclined to buy book two.
The book ended very abruptly. I would have liked a more definitive answer on who was leaving the dead animals on the girlfriend's porch. Clearly the aftermath of the murder of the main character's sister as a teenager is going to run through multiple books....more
I’m always looking for good books set in Italy, and I’ve found an enjoyable series in the Tuscan Mysteries by Camilla Trinchieri. I have an Italian frI’m always looking for good books set in Italy, and I’ve found an enjoyable series in the Tuscan Mysteries by Camilla Trinchieri. I have an Italian friend who tells me I need to read books by actual Italians, and I think Trinchieri fits the bill. Her father was an Italian diplomat and her mother an American, and she has lived in Italy and the United States.
The Road to Murder is due out in March and is the fourth book in the series. I’ve also read the first three books. I think that each book has gotten stronger, as is often the case with long-running series. The main character, Nico Doyle, is a widower who moved to his dead wife’s hometown. He’s also an ex-detective from New York. When a murder occurs in book 1, the local maresciallo asks for his help, since they don’t have many murders in idyllic Tuscany and Nico has a lot of experience. This pattern continues in each of the books. (Nico is evidently not good luck, since murders occur with regularity now that he’s a local!)
I love the Italian setting, the Italian words, the descriptions of the Italian landscapes and the Italian food. As I’ve gotten to know each recurring character, I like them better. There is one character who quotes a lot of Dante and a cute little rescue dog who’ll be a lot of fun if this ever becomes a TV series. I do find it a little odd that an American civilian is allowed to participate so fully in solving murders in an Italian city; maybe at some point he’ll actually get a job on the force.
This series is a fun cozy police procedural. If you enjoy Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series, you might like it. I read an advance reader copy of The Road to Murder.
Note: this book wrapped up as if it could be the end of the series. I hope not. ...more
I stumbled on and watched the first three episodes of the series Will Trent. They were good, if pretty violent, and they intrigued me enough to read tI stumbled on and watched the first three episodes of the series Will Trent. They were good, if pretty violent, and they intrigued me enough to read the first book in the series by Karin Slaughter.
If you know about the TV series, the book is a little odd. It opens as if the main character is not Will Trent but someone else. The TV series must take place before the events of the book? 'Cause *spoilers.*
The book is in the three parts, and the middle part, about someone convicted of murdering a teenaged girl when he himself was a teenager who is now out of jail 20 years later, was incredibly sexually violent and also pretty boring.
The third part finally sort of focused on Will Trent and his old friend/girlfriend/lover Angie. Aside from the middle section, the book was well written and I wanted to keep reading but also didn't want to keep reading because there is soooo much sexual violence. I may watch the series again, not sure I'll pick up any more books. ...more
Liz Moore has become a favorite author, even though I’ve only read three books by her. I loved Heft and Long Bright River, and now The God of the WoodLiz Moore has become a favorite author, even though I’ve only read three books by her. I loved Heft and Long Bright River, and now The God of the Woods. (I own The Unseen World and need to move it to the top of my TBR pile.)
I loved many things about The God of the Woods. The author jumps around in time and employs multiple points of view, but she doesn’t make us guess. The chapters tell us whose viewpoint we are getting and when. She weaves together the threads very skillfully, advancing the story, making the reader want more, spinning out the relationship between the characters and clues to what happened in the past and the present.
Chapter narrators include a camp counselor who dropped out of college, has a rich boyfriend who is taking advantage of her, and doesn’t know how to move forward; an insecure 12-year-old camper astonishingly befriended by the missing girl; the drug-addled mother of the missing children; an escaped serial killer; a kind man under a cloud of suspicion; and a female cop trying to make it in a man’s world. The characters are so well drawn I think I could have identified the narrators even without the labels at the beginning of each chapter.
This is not a tense, action-filled psychological thriller. This is a character study. The author has a gift for creating real people. Several times I thought this is a bad person. And then they turned out not to be a bad person but a flawed person. Our impressions are formed by what characters say about other characters, but just like in the real world, what people say is not always the truth (or not always the whole truth).
I love the way Moore puts together words and conveys truth, as in this passage about the insecure camper: “Her father once told her casually that she was built like a plum on toothpicks, and the phrase was at once so cruel and so poetic that it clicked into place around her like a harness.” (p. 19 of the advance reader copy)
In this book, we see the super rich and the working class, and their worlds do indeed collide over and over. The author throws in casual information that really helped me as a reader understand people and family dynamics. Judyta, a middle child who never exceled at anything, is part of the “Nation’s First Class of Female State Troopers” according to a local newspaper article, and her brother begins referring to her as “The Nation’s First” instead of her name. Jokingly, affectionately, proudly – that little fact alone tells me a lot about her family.
Part mystery, part police procedural, part literary fiction – I find it hard to categorize The God of the Woods, but I loved it. I was in suspense until the end.
I read an advance reader copy of The God of the Woods from Netgalley....more
I loved the setting and enjoyed the characters. The details of the murder were a little, I don't know - incestuous? - but it Rounded up from 3.5 stars
I loved the setting and enjoyed the characters. The details of the murder were a little, I don't know - incestuous? - but it was fine. I liked all the references to Italian food.
One thing that did annoy me - main character Nico got together with Nelli at the end of the last book. They had been together and broken up (badly) by the start of this one. That seems like a lazy way to add drama to your story without doing the work.
Still, I will read book four when it comes out. ...more
Is this series entertaining? It is, highly. The main character is unusual - a double amputee who is also missing an eye and who has amazing mathematicIs this series entertaining? It is, highly. The main character is unusual - a double amputee who is also missing an eye and who has amazing mathematical abilities. His wife is a doctor, and they have five adopted kids. He is no longer official in the FBI but has a good relationship with a sort of FBI partner, a strong, competent woman.
I guessed the big mystery very early on, and it's a little hard to believe that Dr. Lucas Page wouldn't have figured it out as well. (Big spoiler: (view spoiler)[think Strangers on a Train on a massive scale (hide spoiler)].) I'm pretty sure I've seen this plot on CSI or Law and Order. Plus, 30ish murders that no one realizes are murders? Ok, possible, even though the victims are doctors and a plot point explains some of the oversight, but still, it's a lot.
I guessed the second big mystery - who is behind all this? - pretty early too. But you know what? It was still a great read.
Pobi really enjoys describing people dying, and he really likes fire and explosions. I hope that's from doing research and writing Hollywood style, and not because he a pyro himself or something.
There was one thing about the book I really did not like. There is a running joke about cars being driven by Page's partner getting destroyed, in a few cases by falling bodies (people who were as much victims as bad guys). Pobi seemed to find this hilarious, and he is no doubt hoping to see this in a screen adaptation, but the joke was in poor taste and went on too long.
I did enjoy the part where a bad guy mistook one double amputee for another double amputee and paid for it with his life.
Anyway, it's a good series and could in fact make a good series of movies or a TV show. I hope there will be more books in the series, and I really want one of them to address the Event where Page was injured. ...more
Deadly Tides is book 2 in the Misty Pines mystery series. I enjoyed reading it, although I don’t think it was quite as good as book 1. In the early tiDeadly Tides is book 2 in the Misty Pines mystery series. I enjoyed reading it, although I don’t think it was quite as good as book 1. In the early titles in long-running series, you can see the author working things out, and I feel like that’s happening here. The series has promise for a long run of its own.
The author has sprinkled her stories with a number of interesting side characters, and in this book we even get a dog! The character interactions are good, and the setting is intriguing.
The sheriff’s FBI ex-wife gets herself into a bad situation at one point, and I was so relieved that she did not require rescuing but extricated herself. I didn't love the (big spoiler (view spoiler)[overused crazed grief-stricken female murderer (hide spoiler)]), but I will definitely be on the lookout for book 3.
I read an advance reader copy of Deadly Tides from Netgalley....more
Not as good as book one, but still a fast-paced thriller. The body count and brutality are high in this one - almost 800 victims of a mad bomber. The Not as good as book one, but still a fast-paced thriller. The body count and brutality are high in this one - almost 800 victims of a mad bomber. The author goes to great lengths to describe the victims before they get blown up.
The author really likes to put his protagonist in danger, although I had a hard time believing one scene. Two minions try to kill Dr. Page and his special agent partner after a car chase. The bad actor in this book is very very meticulous and has been planning the crimes for years. I cannot believe the baddie would send minions after Page and Whitaker in such a public way, when so many possible things could go wrong. (Which they do.) Also, Page is in a major traumatic event, but shakes it off and goes about his business? Right. Maybe the author is hoping to see these made into Hollywood-esque movies or a limited series.
Still, it's a good series that keeps my attention, and the main character has prosthetics, which you don't see often. On to book three.
(Still waiting to hear more about The Event though, where Dr. Page lost his arm, leg, and eye.)...more
My Italian friend says I need read more books by Italians, and so I read another Inspector Montalbano mystery.
It was okay. There was an awful lot abouMy Italian friend says I need read more books by Italians, and so I read another Inspector Montalbano mystery.
It was okay. There was an awful lot about the inspector's affair with a young colleague, and his behavior was wildly inappropriate. One of the characters speaks in mangled English and I assume in the original it is mangled Italian. It comes off as very funny in a translated Italian novel.
I very much enjoyed the Italian setting, and oh boy did reading this book make me want some authentic Italian dishes! ...more
I started listening to the Inspector Banks novels because the audiobooks were read by the incomparable Simon Prebble. He no longer reads them - it's SI started listening to the Inspector Banks novels because the audiobooks were read by the incomparable Simon Prebble. He no longer reads them - it's Simon Vance now, who is fine but no Simon Prebble - and Peter Robinson has died so I assume this is last book authored by Robinson. If someone decides to keep the series going with a different author, I don't think I'll read the new books. It is too bad we didn't have a better wrap up for Banks and his crew. The book just sort of ends.
The mystery in this one was more than one mystery, with two timelines. I found it pretty interesting, but the end is a bit eyeroll-y (view spoiler)[(the killer was left-handed and so are you!) (hide spoiler)]
I did start in the middle of the series, so maybe at some point I'll go back and listen to the books I missed. If not - it's been fun, Inspector Banks. ...more
A pretty good follow-up to book 1. I wish there had been more Tannahill Khan, but the overall vibe is creepy and tense. I had to put the book down a fA pretty good follow-up to book 1. I wish there had been more Tannahill Khan, but the overall vibe is creepy and tense. I had to put the book down a few times. I'm not sure why Khan was sidelined - so we can see Laughton as a strong capable woman without him? But unfortunately she showed a too stupid to live side. She is followed and frightened, then blithely seems to forget all about that as she continues to be followed - and threatened.
The author successfully misled me in one of the major plot points, but there is another "coincidence" plot point that I found a bit of a cheat. But the author does successfully explain away why two people who suffered trauma and changed their names are still in the area where they are known.
I enjoyed the Forest of Dean setting, as my only other experience with it is in the Harry Potter books and movies. The book contains some revolting graphic violence. The mythical Cinderman is a looming presence, but at no point did I think it was real and behind the disappearances (perhaps because of Laughton's no nonsense scientific investigation).
Overall, The Clearing kept me reading. I missed Kahn, and many of the plot points don't bear close scrutiny, but the overall vibe was compelling. I look forward to book three (hopefully, with more Tannahill Khan in it).
I read an advance reader copy of The Clearing from Netgalley....more
Game of Lies reacquainted me with the characters in The Last Party, and it was fun to spend time with them again. This entry in the series takes on reGame of Lies reacquainted me with the characters in The Last Party, and it was fun to spend time with them again. This entry in the series takes on reality TV shows like Survivor. The author did a good job introducing the contestants and the people behind the scenes of the show Exposure and kept me guessing as to who the murderer was.
I didn't enjoy this entry quite as much as the first book. I get that main character Ffion Morgan is supposed to be a flawed character, but I was disappointed that she makes some too-stupid-to-live decisions in this book (view spoiler)[and has to be rescued (hide spoiler)]. I found her behavior hard to believe given her training.
I enjoyed the bits of Welsh thrown in and the impossible rescue dog Dave. I look forward to book three and I hope that Ffion shows some growth.
I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley....more
I read the first two books in the series and liked the first much better than the second. This one comes along a few books later and is better than thI read the first two books in the series and liked the first much better than the second. This one comes along a few books later and is better than the second. Good interactions between characters, snappy dialog, an interesting plot. Some dated language, but it was written in the 1930s. A good read. Maybe I'll return to the series and keep reading when I have more leisure time. ...more
My first mystery by Ngaio Marsh, but surely not my last. She has a nice light touch, reminiscent of Agatha Christie (though Chief Detective Inspector My first mystery by Ngaio Marsh, but surely not my last. She has a nice light touch, reminiscent of Agatha Christie (though Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn is a lot more bearable than Hercule Poirot).
Alleyn reveals his ignorance about something that is a thing, not a place (Tunbridge), and a young woman involved with the case bursts out laughing. "My poor pet," gasped Angela annoyingly, "and did you think you ought to go to Tunbridge, and were you all muddledy-puddledy?" "Miss Angela," said Alleyne, "it is not fitting that you should address a limb of the law as your poor pet on such a short acquaintance." (p. 219)
I learned a new world - Oxonian, which I assumed had something to do with Oxford and it does ("relating to Oxford in England, or to Oxford University").
This book was published in the 1930s and contains the n word in reference to a man covered in soot. Ouch. I wonder if that is changed in newer editions; I read a copy from 1972. ...more
I’ve read about half of the Charles Todd Inspector Rutledge novels. I started in the middle, with book 12, listening to the audiobook narrated by the I’ve read about half of the Charles Todd Inspector Rutledge novels. I started in the middle, with book 12, listening to the audiobook narrated by the incomparable Simon Prebble. He unfortunately no longer seems to be narrating, and the audiobooks in the series have switched to Simon Vance. He’s not bad, but he’s no Simon Prebble.
I decided to read the earlier books in the series. I very much enjoyed the first, which I read in print. Wings of Fire is the second, and I started listening to the audio narrated by Samuel Gillies. He may be a fine narrator, but I intently disliked his reading of Wings of Fire. Prebble reads Rutledge as a member of the upper class: I’m no expert on accents, but Gillies’ Rutledge sounds more like he has a Cockney accent. It sounded all wrong, and I bailed on the audiobook after about a third of the book.
In my opinion this is one of the worst books in the series. The plot is ridiculous. Many parts of the plot are ridiculous. A small boy disappeared on the Moors after a family picnic 20+ years ago, and Rutledge sends the local law enforcement out to search the Moors again. Really? A large party searching for a live boy couldn’t find him, but years later Rutledge thinks the boy’s remains can be found? Give me a break. Rutledge behaves like an idiot and is obsessed with the case because one of the people who died was a poet he likes. No one in the village realized how many members of the family had been murdered? I’m still not sure if the final poet and her half brother killed themselves or were murdered, and I honestly do not care anymore. And the timeline seems all wrong.
I agree with another reviewer, Sudha Murali: (view spoiler)[“Why doesn’t anyone speak up through all the years? Isn’t Cormac just a kid when he kills Anne and Richard? So he’s planning to MARRY Rosamund? And he kills his own father????? What the hell!” And of course the murderer had to be an illegitimate bastard. He couldn’t just be the rotten son of one of the husbands. (hide spoiler)]
If I listen to any of the other earlier titles, I will only listen to ones narrated by Simon Prebble. Even if they are as bad as this one, I'll enjoy listening to them. ...more
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