A championship ballroom dancer falls dead during a competition. Is it accidental suicide or very intentional murder? The young cop who'd been having aA championship ballroom dancer falls dead during a competition. Is it accidental suicide or very intentional murder? The young cop who'd been having an affair with the older woman asks his P.I. brother, a former FBI agent, to investigate undercover as a new dance student....more
Stephanie finds herself engaged to both Morelli and Ranger. While dealing with this quandary, she also has a number of FTAs to track down, as she has Stephanie finds herself engaged to both Morelli and Ranger. While dealing with this quandary, she also has a number of FTAs to track down, as she has a cash-flow problem and needs the fees. One person she's after, Zoran the (possible) vampire, also seems to be after her.
(Unlike several other reviewers, I think Stephanie made the right choice at the end.)...more
J. P. Beaumont takes on a pro bono investigation that leads him to an unexpected pattern of over twenty serial killings by a surprising villain. Set iJ. P. Beaumont takes on a pro bono investigation that leads him to an unexpected pattern of over twenty serial killings by a surprising villain. Set in February and March of 2020, the book also vividly recreates the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and consequent shutdown, interweaving it with a family crisis....more
This was an absolutely fascinating book for one whose elementary school looked out on the river three blocks away, even though it did throw more shadeThis was an absolutely fascinating book for one whose elementary school looked out on the river three blocks away, even though it did throw more shade on one of my childhood heroes, Thomas Jefferson, and attributed some deeply regretful acts to another, George Rogers Clark. It did provide a new hero though, the self-educated engineer James Buchanan Eads, whose St. Louis bridge was the first major steel structure in the world. The information about Cahokia was actually more enlightening than my visit there, and the current quandary about the mouth of the river and imperiled New Orleans is another view of the climate crisis. Definitely worth reading!...more
This funny and feminist just-post-Regency romance has interesting characters and a clever, complex plot that makes it hard to put down. Cassandra PomfThis funny and feminist just-post-Regency romance has interesting characters and a clever, complex plot that makes it hard to put down. Cassandra Pomfret and Lucius Beckingham, Duke of Ashmont, met several times in childhood but clashed spectacularly when meeting in London as adults....more
This climate change novel is rather like The Ministry for the Future, minus about 65% of the documentary or lecture-type content and plus a good few tThis climate change novel is rather like The Ministry for the Future, minus about 65% of the documentary or lecture-type content and plus a good few thriller scenes. It too ranges all over the world. The outcome is very satisfactory, but sadly could not really be done.
The author can certainly turn a phrase. Her prose is amazing, and the banter she writes for her well-developed characters is very clever indeed. Her wThe author can certainly turn a phrase. Her prose is amazing, and the banter she writes for her well-developed characters is very clever indeed. Her world-building is also top-notch. However, the unsatisfactory ending was a big disappointment. A much earlier detraction was starting the book with characters she quickly kills off, after the reader is tricked into investing interest there....more
This is an amazing book, a science fiction novel about climate change in the very near future. The chapters are told from different points of view, seThis is an amazing book, a science fiction novel about climate change in the very near future. The chapters are told from different points of view, several recurring throughout the book, others one-offs. Some chapters read like non-fiction, showing very substantial research into what is happening and what the possibilities are to save ourselves and the rest of the biosphere. One of the main recurring characters is Irish-born Mary Murphy, the head of the international ministry of the title, which is headquartered in Zurich. A number of chapters are set there, but the story ranges all over the world, with several very interesting chapters set in Antarctica....more
A unique vintage rifle is found at the site of Sheriff Walt Longmire's late grandfather's elk camp, apparently hidden around the time of a "hunting acA unique vintage rifle is found at the site of Sheriff Walt Longmire's late grandfather's elk camp, apparently hidden around the time of a "hunting accident" that took the life of a state financial officer. Walt pursues the cold case to determine had committed murder, but current incidents show that someone still alive doesn't want the case solved....more
A murder in post-pandemic Venice leads to Brunetti's solution of a famous disappearance in the 1980s. As usual in this excellent series, the mystery iA murder in post-pandemic Venice leads to Brunetti's solution of a famous disappearance in the 1980s. As usual in this excellent series, the mystery is interwoven with family meals and literature, Venetian sights and bookshops, philosophy and computer hacking into an amazing and delightful tapestry....more
Memorable first sentence: "There were angel feathers in the dead woman's bed,"
This is a fascinating start to what promises to be an impressive fantasyMemorable first sentence: "There were angel feathers in the dead woman's bed,"
This is a fascinating start to what promises to be an impressive fantasy series. Detective Zaniel "Havoc" Havelock is in the Metaphysical Coordination Unit of the city police department, which deals with situations in which angels, demons, etc. interface with humans in ways that cause serious problems. He also has a very interesting backstory, plus some unique friends and co-workers....more
This cold case from WWII stirs up unhappy memories for Supt. Jury, who lost his father in the fighting of the war and his mother in the Blitz. HoweverThis cold case from WWII stirs up unhappy memories for Supt. Jury, who lost his father in the fighting of the war and his mother in the Blitz. However, there are also some lovely light moments: Christmas shopping and parties, encounters with children Benny (and his dog Sparky) and Gemma (and her doll Richard), but the ending is shocking....more
This was an exciting book, although I found protagonist Jack Reacher more MacGyverish and less ethical than in earlier books in the series. This time This was an exciting book, although I found protagonist Jack Reacher more MacGyverish and less ethical than in earlier books in the series. This time the nomadic Reacher starts in Colorado and ends up in Mississippi, after a road trip that includes a stop in Texas. Other characters have a bus trip from L.A. to Texas, then MS, or show up in Savannah, Chicago, and St. Louis. There is no indication of what Reacher might have been up to during the COVID lockdown--or if that even exists in his world....more
Neither the protagonist nor the plot was as convincing as in most of the author's Joe Pickett mysteries. Also, I felt vaguely uncomfortable to find JoNeither the protagonist nor the plot was as convincing as in most of the author's Joe Pickett mysteries. Also, I felt vaguely uncomfortable to find Joe's daughter April as a character in this book. Both the missing person case (homing in on the mining town Anaconda) and the treasure hunt subplot relate to Montana's "Treasure State"...more
The blurbs inside the front cover call this "gritty." I'd go with "gruesome." I found the treatment of the Wisconsin setting interesting, though. WhilThe blurbs inside the front cover call this "gritty." I'd go with "gruesome." I found the treatment of the Wisconsin setting interesting, though. While investigating the disappearances of homeless men and at least one murder, Sheriff Heidi Kick also has to deal with welfare checks during a searing heat wave, parenting challenges, and a bitter re-election campaign....more
It eventually becomes clear to Tempe Brennan that most of the cases she is encountering lately seem to echo cases she has handled years before. An oldIt eventually becomes clear to Tempe Brennan that most of the cases she is encountering lately seem to echo cases she has handled years before. An old friend is murdered, and then her daughter Katy disappears. Tempe's lover Andrew Ryan, now a P. I., returns from a case in the Caribbean in time to help....more
Exquisitely written and creatively plotted, this was an amazing book, yet a harder slog to get through than the reviews had prepared me for. Also, I hExquisitely written and creatively plotted, this was an amazing book, yet a harder slog to get through than the reviews had prepared me for. Also, I had some trouble with confusing Julian's lover Penelope, Daniel's girlfriend Beatriz, and Nuria, who loved Julian....more
Set mostly in a seaside English village from September to Christmas, this has a lot of charm, conflict, and romance, as well as heroics and danger, alSet mostly in a seaside English village from September to Christmas, this has a lot of charm, conflict, and romance, as well as heroics and danger, all wrapped in the story of a well-known chef whose womanizing husband finally provides the last straw. Annie leaves for a new life, empowered by her book group and her grown twin sons....more
It's interesting that Joe Pickett, hero of this interesting and exciting mystery, and Armand Gamache, the Quebec police superintendent in Louise PennyIt's interesting that Joe Pickett, hero of this interesting and exciting mystery, and Armand Gamache, the Quebec police superintendent in Louise Penny's superb Three Pines series, are both married to librarians. One of the villains in this post-pandemic tale uses antifa and BLM for his own nefarious purposes....more
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