Just for the record...August-December 2005

So, daily blogging is obviously not my strong suit. Ah, well. I do keep up with my trusty notebook, though, so all is not lost. Here's a huge catch up list....

August list:

Reginald Hill, The Stranger House, A
A standalone I reviewed for Library Journal – about two people who are both drawn to a small village in search of their family histories. Sort of a mystery, but much more.

Martha Grimes, Rainbow's End, A
Anyone else would just have a hunch, but Macalvie knows beyond a doubt that the deaths of three women must be connected. Jury heads off to New Mexico in search of clues.

Jack Kerley, The Hundredth Man, A-
Carson Ryder, a cop with a past, works for a special unit of the Mobile police. Lots of humor mixed in with the chase for a super-creepy serial killer.

Martha Grimes, The Case Has Altered, A
Picking up a loose end from the previous book, Jury and Plant investigate when chum Jenny Kennington is suspected of murder. Meanwhile, Agatha files another frivolous lawsuit.

Martha Grimes, The Stargazey, A
A case involving art fraud, murder, mistaken identity and more haunts Jury. More serious in tone, although the Cripps family is always a light touch.

Martha Grimes, The Lamorna Wink, B+
Jury spends most of this one off in Northern Ireland while Plant teams up with Macalvie to solve a rather gruesome murder of two children (no wonder Jury took off - to avoid dealing with this plot! :-)

John Connolly, The Black Angel, A
Charlie Parker returns in another creepy adventure, this time taking on a sect of murderous religious fanatics with a long history. Lots of historical detail in this one – maybe too much.

Perri O'Shaughnessy, Case of Lies, A-
Nina Reilly gets involved with a civil case stemming from an incident where a woman died during a robbery at a motel. Nina tries to find the three robbery victims/witnesses and finds herself at peril in a bizarre case. Some of the narrative meanders while it follows the young math geniuses who were robbed, but a pretty good mystery.

Martha Grimes, The Blue Last, A
The subplot with Plant running around Italy was a bit tiresome, when the main plot is so good here. Jury's memories of his childhood during the war are brought to the surface as he investigates a case that began during the Blitz.

Jonathon King, The Blue Edge of Midnight, A-
Max Freeman was a cop in Philadelphia, but after a bad shooting takes a retirement option and moves to Florida. When he finds a body near his cabin, he gets pulled in a serial killer case.

Jonathon King, A Visible Darkness, A-
Max helps his friend/lawyer Billy Sheridan with an insurance fraud case that turns ugly.

Jonathan Coe, The Rotters Club, A
Fiction – set in 1970s Britain, follows four young men through ages 14-18 or so. Excellent writing, lots of period detail in terms of music and politics, with a good mix of humor and sadness.

Elizabeth Bloom, See Isabelle Run, B
Standalone mystery by Beth Saulnier (who wrote the series about Alex somebody, a woman journalist in a thinly disguised Ithaca setting). Isabelle Leonard gets a job with a media conglomerate run by a domestic diva and uncovers a string of murders. Madcap at times, but not cozy. Entertaining but predictable.

Elaine Viets, Just Murdered, B
The latest in the “Dead End Job Mystery”series. A fun read, but not the best of series.

Grace Grant and PJ MacAllister, Flyover States, B
Authors (real names Allison Umminger and Dana Johnson) both went to graduate school at Indiana University (where I went). This is a light romantic comedy about their life as two women, one from New York, one from LA, who end up studying English at a big univresity in a small town in the midwest. If it wasn't for the particular connection I have to the setting, I probably never would have read this, but it was entertaining enough.

Laura Lippman, To the Power of Three, A
Regardless of what any reviewers say, Lippman again proves that she has much more to say than she does in her comic noir PI novels about Tess Monaghan (which I adore, don't get me wrong). As in her previous standalone Every Secret Thing, Lippman explores the psyche of adolescent girls. The novel opens with a shooting incident at a high school and then jumps back and forth in time as we meet three friends and trace the development of their friendship throughout the years and discover what led to the shooting.

Melissa Bank, The Wonder Spot, A
Second book from the author of The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing, which I adored. It’s similar in plot to Girls Guide, that is, it’s a series of chapters that trace a woman’s life from adolescence onward without being complete in chronology (large chunks of time are missing, new characters in one chapter are actually old friends), but I thought this one was even better than the first. Strong writing, good characters and a mix of humor and poignancy.

September list:

Jonathon King - Shadow Men - A-
3rd in the Max Freeman series, with Max and Billy uncovering a case linked to the time of the building of the Tamiami Road across Florida.

Maggie Sefton - Knit One, Kill Two - A-
A young woman returns home to Fort Conner, CO (a thinly disguised Fort Collins) after her beloved aunt is killed during a robbery. She doesn't believe the police explanation and begins investigating the case. Very well done for a first novel/cozy/paperback only!

Marcia Muller - Cape Perdido - A-
Another in the series set in Soledad County. In this one, an environmental group is trying to save the water and an old crime comes back to haunt them. Short chapters told from different characters' point of view made this very choppy for my taste, but still an enjoyable read.

Giles Blunt - Black Fly Season - A-
3rd in the John Cardinal/Lise Delorme series. A psycho killer is on the loose in northern Ontario. Great characters, including a flawed hero, and strong writing make this one of my favorite series.

Cassandra Chan - The Young Widow - A-
Hope this is the first in a series! Gibbons and Carmichael of Scotland Yard (who have apparently been featured in short stories she has published) often solve crimes with the help of Gibbons' aristocratic friend Bethancourt. In this one, a woman whose third older husband has died is charged with his murder. Gibbons falls for her...is she really innocent or using him?

Jonathan Coe - The Closed Circle - A-
Sequel to the Rotters Club, less funny but well done. Set during 1999-2003, the story tells of what happened to the four young men and their families that we met in the 1970s in the first novel.

John Harvey - Flesh and Blood - A
Retired DI Frank Elder has tried to escape his past but he gets involved in a case that ties into an unsolved disappearance 14 years prior. Excellent. Will look for more of his.

Adriana Trigliani - Rococo - B
Set in 1970 in New Jersey, features an interior designer named Bartolomeo di Crespi, his extended family and friends. Some humor, but I got tired of the characters. Lucia Lucia was so much better.

Anne Bartlett - Knitting - A
Australian fiction. A widow who teaches textile history and a woman with a passion for knitting meet by chance when they are the only two people to stop and help a man who collapsed in the street. They become friends of sorts. I enjoyed this story of friendship, coping with grief and creating a life. Not a frothy chicklit; rather serious in tone.

Jeffery Deaver - The Twelfth Card - A+
Latest in the Lincoln Rhyme series, a roller coaster of shifting suspects and motives, including a puzzling family history, constitutional law, and a modern day contract killer. Good stuff.

Jhumpa Lahiri - The Namesake - A-
Story begins in 1967, as a young Bengali woman who has come to America with her husband awaits the birth of her first child. The focus shifts over time to this son as he becomes an adult. Fascinating look at Indian culture and culture clashes through the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Dana Cameron - Site Unseen - A-
First in the Emma Fielding series, Emma is an archaelogy professor who has uncovered an important site, which sets off a series of murders. Good use of humor and accurate accounting of academia.

October list

Tess Gerritsen, Vanish, A
Latest in the Jane Rizzoli/Maura Isles series. A drowning victim unexpectedly wakes up in the morgue and later takes hostages at the hospital. Jane becomes embroiled in the case, which involves trafficking of women from eastern Europe. One of my favorite series.

Lee Harris, The Silver Anniversary Murder, B
I still like the characters and this plot is pretty interesting, but the writing is not the strongest. Sometimes I don't care, but often weak sloppy writing bugs me.

Margaret Maron, Rituals of the Season, A
Latest in the Deborah Knott series. Set a few weeks before Christmas and and the big wedding, she gets involved in a case involving the death of an attorney that may link to an earlier case.

Karin Slaughter, Faithless, A+
Latest in the Sara Linton series. While on a walk Sara and Jeffrey stumble over a pipe that leads to a chamber with a body. Another complex, complicated, creepy book.

Ed McBain, Fiddlers, A
Can't believe this is (probably) the last 87th Precinct novel. A series of seemingly unrelated murders turns out to have a rather surprising connection.

Lowen Clausen, First Avenue, C
Really wanted to like this but just couldn't get into the characters. It went on a bit too long.

Elinor Lipman, Isabel's Bed, A
A woman fleeing a floundering career and a failed relationship escapes Manhattan to take on a ghostwriting job on Cape Cod. I like Lipman's sense of humor.
Diana O'Hehir, Murder Never Forgets, B
First in a series about a young woman whose father is in early stage Alzheimers. He claims he witnessed a murder and she isn't sure what to think, but gets drawn into the case.

Denise Mina, Field of Blood, A+
First in the Patricia "Paddy" Meehan series. Set in Glasgow in 1981, Paddy is a gofer at the newspaper and dreams of being a journalist. She has a connection to a case that has captured the country's attention, and she gets involved in the investigation, with tragic results. Another strong anti-hero from Mina.
Jeff Abbott, Panic, A-
I've enjoyed both of his earlier series (Jordan Poteet, Whit Mosley). This is a standalone thriller about a young man whose life is not what he has thought. A bit stretched at times, but kept me turning pages.

Martha Grimes, The Grave Maurice, A
While recuperating from injuries, Jury begins wondering about his doctor's missing daughter. Shortly after he begins to investigate in earnest, she returns. An interesting case linked to horse racing.

Laurie R. King, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, A+
Why did I wait so long to try this series? (Well, probably because I was never much of a Sherlock Holmes fan, but anyway....) A delightful read!

Beth Gutcheon, Leeway Cottage, A
Spanning several generations, tells the story of a family. Particular attention is paid to the WWII era. Very well written, nice mix of humor and poignancy.


November list


Jacqueline Winspear, Pardonable Lies, A-
#3 Maisie Dobbs - Maisie has two interlocking cases that force her to return to France and face her memories

Laurie R King, A Monstrous Regiment of Women, A- #2 Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes - After reading the first in October, was glad to continue with this one

Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer, A
Mickey Haller #1? (according to the article on Connelly in the latest Mystery News, Mickey will appear again but maybe in a Bosch) - A really well done legal thriller with a flawed hero

Laurie R King - A Letter of Mary, A
#3 Russell/Holmes - I liked this one, with Russ tracing the clues in the letter that lead to the murderer of a friend

David Handler - Bright Orange Sunrise, A
#4 Mitch Berger and Des Mitry series - Mitch and Des are snowed in at an estate when murders begin occurring

Jonathon King, A Killing Night, B+
#4 Max Freeman - a number of cases intertwine here, including Max helping some immigrants who were injured on the job and a string of murders of young women

Martha Grimes, Winds of Change, A
How sad! All caught up with the Jury series. This was a good one, although dark, with Jury investigating the death of a child, a possible pedophilia ring and an old kidnapping case that may connect.

Lily King, The English Teacher, B
Non-mystery, an oddly paced novel about a woman who reluctantly marries and merges her son in with her new husband's children. It begins right before the Iran hostage crisis and ends when that does; the news of the events underpins some of the character development and interaction. Interesting but odd.

Peter Lovesey, The Circle, A+
I love Lovesey. Although the cover says Peter Diamond makes an appearance, it is little more than this. Henrietta Mallin, who collaborated with Diamond in the previous novel, is the central sleuth here. The plot involves murder among a writing circle. Excellent.

Jo Bannister, Breaking Faith - A-
#5 Brodie Farrell - This one involves a rock star who moves to the area and then things get interesting when a body is found buried on the grounds. Tricky plot although the hard rock music elements seem a little cheezy or dated.

Martha Grimes, Belle Ruin, A
Ah, Emma Graham returns, Emma being the 12 year old protagonist of Hotel Paradise and Cold Flat Junction, who sees a mystery every where she turns (she says this in the new book). A bit slow paced, but charming.
Patricia Hall, Deep Freeze, A
#8 Thackeray and Ackroyd - when a girl is shot outside a women's clinic, it is unclear whether she was the intended victim or what the motive was, as they uncover a number of shady doings at the clinic


Patricia Hall, Death in Dark Waters - A
#9 Thackeray and Ackroyd - in this one, Michael and Laura get caught up in a series of intertwined cases involving race, class, drugs, corruption, etc. An enjoyable series.

Laurie R. King, The Moor - B
This one moved pretty slowly for my taste, although it was well-written and the series has great characters.

Edna Buchanan, Shadows - A-
#2 Cold Case Squad - KC Riley and her team take on a cold case that has a new twist, while one of the detectives tries to solve his own cold case, the unsolved murder of his parents, who were killed when he was a child


Kate Wilhelm, The Deepest Water - A
A standalone thriller that I had never gotten around to reading. Involves a woman who is trying to solve her father's murder. Very suspenseful!

Kate Wilhelm, Skeletons - A
Another standalone featuring a young woman who housesits for her grandfather and uncovers a family secret that turns dangerous.

Jim Lehrer, The Franklin Affair - A
Light mystery featuring historians who specialize in Ben Franklin and the Revolutionary period of US History dealing with a possible historical mystery and other issues, like a plagiarism case.


Jess Walter, Citizen Vince - A
Set in Spokane in 1980, features Vince, a low level mob guy who's in witness protection and is trying to make a life for himself. His past comes to haunt him when another mobster is placed in witness protection in Spokane, but this novel offers more than action. With his new identity, Vince receives a voter registration card (due to his early entry into a life of crime, he'd been a felon prohibited from voting since he was old enough to vote). He takes his responsibility as a new voter very seriously, and the book deals with the politics of the time. I was too young to vote that year (and I noticed the author was born the same year I was), but the 1980 election was the first one I really paid attention to, so I found this part of the novel very interesting.

Robert Parker, School Days - A-
I love Spenser. I even enjoy his other series with Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. I do wish, though, that they would use a normal size font and margins and just let them be published as thin books. I get tired of turning the pages so fast :-) At any rate, this one involves Spenser investigating the aftermath of a school shooting incident. Hawk is not involved at all, alas, but Susan spends most of the book away on a consulting job, so it's not all bad :-)

P.D. James, The Lighthouse - A
Most recent Adam Dalgliesh, gets off to a bit of a slow start, but I may have also been distracted with holiday things. A murder occurs on a remote island that is used by dignataries and important businessmen as a retreat. Dalgliesh and his team are sent to solve the case. An interesting twist on the locked room style.


Kate Wilhelm, The Price of Silence - A-
Recent standalone featuring a woman who gets a job at a newspaper in a small town and uncovers the fact that a number of young girls have disappeared from town over the years with little investigation or concern.

Sujata Massey, The Typhoon Lover - B-
Most recent Rei Shimura - this one was a bit too far fetched in its setup, the plot lagged, and I'm tired of the on-again, off-again relationship with Hugh. Particularly disappointing given how strong the last one (The Pearl Diver) was.

Sue Grafton, S is for Silence - A
Recent Kinsey Millhone. We're up to September 1987 in Kinsey Time. Kinsey is hired to look into a 34-year old case, the disappearance of a woman from a small town. I liked the technique she used, where some chapters are told from the point of view of the people involved in the case and that those chapters are set in 1953, right before the woman disappeared.