This Side of the Grave (2011) Jeaniene Frost The head of the ghouls is fomenting trouble, claiming that Cat is involved in an attempt to subjugate the entire supernatural world, and if they don’t take care of her now, they’ll end up her (and the vampire’s) slaves. Unfortunately, some of Cat’s unique abilities and needs [...]
Nightside (1989) Mercedes Lackey Diana Tregarde and Andre are investigating a terrible something that is eating the souls of it’s victims. Another disappointment. Rating: 5/10
Satanic, Versus (1990) Mercedes Lackey As with the previous Diana Tregarde short story I got, it was ultimately disappointing. Diana and Andre go to a romance convention masquerade and trouble happens. I think that the root of the story would have been interesting if it hadn’t been wrapped in the romance convention package. That simply [...]
Bitter Gold Hearts (1988) Glen Cook The second book in the Garrett PI series finds Garrett at loose ends–and not particularly wanting to take another job, however, a beautiful fairy makes him an offer he really should–but won’t–refuse. To look into the kidnapping of the son of the local Stormwarden–and hopefully get things resolved before [...]
Uncertain Allies (2011) Mark de Franco This is the fifth book in the Connor Grey series. Boston–especially the Weird–is still reeling from the events in the past book (and seemingly doing little to recover from the destruction). Connor is now infamous for his participation in several catastrophic events, and doesn’t seem to receive much of [...]
The Godfather of Kathmandu (2010) John Burdett Several years ago I feel in love with Bangkok 8. Sonchai is a fascinating complex character and the city in which he lives is a character in the book as complex as he is. So I was happy to see The Godfather of Kathmandu arrive. I had waited [...]
Black and Blue (1997) Ian Rankin Inspector Rebus is paying for his actions in the last book. He’s been sent to one of the worst precincts in the area, supposedly to help them with their move and because another DI is out on medical leave, but Rebus knows why he’s there–even if no one else [...]
In the Shadow of Gotham (2009) Stefanie Pintoff Starting this book was rather odd. I had put it on my wish list, and got it for the Kindle when I needed something distracting to read, but wasn’t sure what kind of story it was–was it a mystery or a fantasy? I figured out it was [...]
Let it Bleed (1996) Ian Rankin The book starts with a car chase–a chase Rebus wants no part of–that leads to the death by suicide of the two teenagers they were chasing. This is followed by the death of an ex-con who just got out of prison. Neither suicide makes any sense to Rebus, and [...]
Mortal Causes (1994) Ian Rankin This is the sixth Inspector John Rebus book. It’s the Edinburgh Festival, and everyone is working extra shifts. Unfortunately for Rebus, on his Saturday night shift someone discovers the body of a man who was tortured and executed and it looks like it might be a sectarian/gangland murder, something that [...]
The Black Book (1993) Ian Rankin The fifth Inspector John Rebus book starts with Rebus being kicked out by Patience, he has been placed on a task force he doesn’t think will succeed, his brother Michael reappears in his life, and Brian Holmes being attacked and found unconscious. Trying to discover what could have lead [...]
Fire and Ice (1998) Dana Stabenow Liam Campbell is a state trooper who has been demoted and shipped off to Newenham AK, where he supposes he’ll rebuild his life–but isn’t much looking forward to it. As he steps off the plane the first thing he sees is a bloody death, and the second the woman [...]
Cold Copper Tears (1988) Glen Cook Garrett isn’t looking to take any work. Unfortunately, a beautiful woman charms her way through Dean and asks Garrett to take her case. He doesn’t want the work, so passes it along to someone else, but soon someone else–a high church official is asking Garrett to take on a [...]
The First Rule (2010) Robert Crais Frank Meyer, his family, and their au pair are brutally murdered by a gang of burglars. Except that this looks far more like an execution than a burglary gone wrong, and Frank was not just ex-military but was also a mercenary (now retired) with Joe Pike. When Joe finds [...]
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2010) Stieg Larsson This is another post just to track that I read the book. Fabulous series.
The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009) Stieg Larsson This post is pretty much just to track that I read this book. There isn’t a damned thing I can say that hasn’t already been said.
Late Eclipses (2011) Seanan McGuire Apparently the beginning of March is THE time for new releases. I received a TON of books I’d had on pre-order this week, and had a very difficult time deciding what I wanted to read first. C. S. Harris and Rob Thurman won that decision hands down. Additionally, I started [...]
Where Shadows Dance (2011) C. S. Harris There are several authors whose books I pre-order as soon as I see them available. A far smaller set are authors whose books I will pre-order in hardback. C. S. Harris’ Sebastian St. Cry series falls into that very select category. Interestingly, I quite enjoyed this book despite [...]
Blackout (2011) Rob Thurman I. Love. Rob. Thurman. There it is. I’m tempted to never ever learn anything about her personal life for fear she’ll one day go all Orson Scott Card on me, and if I lost these books the way I lost Ender’s Game, I believe I would be mortally crushed. What is [...]
Iorich (2009) Steven Brust Vlad is once again back in Dragaera City. Aliera has been arrested for practicing elder sorcery. Yes, she has been doing so for years, but so have many other people, none of whom has been arrested. Although Aliera has friends–many powerful friends–their positions in court and the stability of the empire, [...]
The September Society (2008) Charles Finch Charles Lennox is visited by Lady Anabelle, a widow who is worried that something terrible has happened to her son. Lennox considered brushing her off politely until she tells him she found a murdered cat in her son’s rooms at Oxford. Lennox is actually looking forward to taking on [...]
Sweet Silver Blues (1987) Glen Cook This was the second book I read on the Nook, but unlike the first, this is available in paper format, so if you don’t have an e-reader, you aren’t out of luck. Garrett is a private investigator and hero (read: survivor) of the Cantard wars. When a friend and [...]
Silver Bourne (2010) Patricia Briggs Every time I get a new Patricia Briggs book, I hesitate before reading it, afraid that this is the time she’ll let me down. That her previous books can’t be nearly as good as I remember them, and maybe this time I’ll be disappointed. I never am, but that doesn’t [...]
The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny (2010) Simon R. Green John bloody Taylor is still in Nightside, just as appalling as ever. The Authorities are gone, replaced by the new Authorities; not necessarily kinder and gentler, but almost certainly less evil than the group they replaced. And Walker is dying. The man who was [...]
Footsteps in the Dark (1932) Georgette Heyer Peter, Margaret, Cecelia and Charles (Cecelia’s husband) have inherited an old house in the country–the Priory. Some claim the house is haunted, and others claim to have seen the figure of a ghost on the grounds. But the four–and their aunt Lilian–refuse to be driven from the house [...]
The Babylonian Codex (2010) C.S. Graham I found this book quite frightening, not because it was particularly suspenseful, but because the political scenario described so very well could come true. Toby is asked to do a remote viewing to see if she can discover where some of the artifacts stolen during the looting at the [...]
A Night Too Dark (2010) Dana Stabenow Rating: 7/10 Published by St Martin’s Paperbacks
The Track of Sand (2007) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli Despite the fact he is quite frequently a right bastard, I am terribly fond of Montalbano. Salvo awakes from a bad dream, and so wanders out to the beach behind is house to clear his head only to discover a dead horse–a horse that [...]
A Question of Belief (2010) Donna Leon It’s summer in Venice, and Brunetti wishes that all criminals would take a vacation with the rest of the country, to allow them to escape the oppressive heat. But even if the criminals were to take a break, two different problems that may or may not be crimes [...]
The Anatomy of Deception (2008) Lawrence Goldstone Ephraim Carroll is a young doctor studying under the great William Osler (a doctor who would go on to be one of the founding professors at Johns Hopkins). Osler is a somewhat controversial doctor, who embraces the newest medical techniques including sterile surgery, and autopsy as a method [...]
About Face (2009) Donna Leon Brunetti and Paola are invited to a formal dinner at her parent’s house. During the dinner, Brunetti is seated across from an arresting woman–her facial features are frozen–rumor says through too much plastic surgery. Brunetti is unsure how to take this woman, but when she begins to speak of books, [...]
The Naming of the Beasts (2009) Mike Carey The last Felix Castor book, Thicker than Water, ended with the escape of Asmodeus. Not a very good point to end a story in my opinion, however, it was a logical conclusion to the way things were going, so I didn’t particularly mind. After all, the series [...]
Bryant & May on the Loose (2009) Christopher Fowler At the close of Victoria Vanishes, the PCU was disbanded, the staff placed on leave, and Bryant remains at home, barely able to get out of bed and slowly slipping away. However, the accidental discovery of a body by a staff member at loose ends brings [...]
Ghost of a Chance (2010) Simon R. Green I can’t help myself. I know it isn’t good for me, but I have this addiction to Simon R. Green’s Nightside. I’ve read the Eddie Drood novels, and they’re OK, but they just aren’t the same. But I keep ordering them, and when I saw he had [...]
An Artificial Night (2010) Seanan McGuire How many miles to Babylon? Three-score and ten. Can I get there by candle-light? Yes, there and back again. If your heels are nimble and light, You will get there by candle-light. Things are not going well for Toby Daye. She sees an unpleasant harbinger, she’s getting calls from [...]