Silence Fallen (2017) Patricia Briggs I have no idea how I did it, but I somehow completely missed reading this when it came out last spring. This story is slightly different in that for most of the book the POV switches between Adam and Mercy. Mercy is first person, Adam is third person. This would […]
Into the Fire (2017) Jeaniene Frost The fourth and final book in the Vlad and Leila series finds them trying to undo the links that Leila has to Mircea the necromancer–links that look as if they can only be undone by death. This becomes an even bigger problem when the necromancers discover they can use […]
The Limehouse Text (2006) Will Thomas Set in London in 1885. Inspector Bainbridge has come to Barker with new evidence in the case of the murder of Barker’s former assistant, Quong: a pawn ticket. This reopens a year-old case, and leads to several new murders before Barker and Llewellyn discover the murderer. “What exactly is […]
To Kingdom Come (2005) Will Thomas Set in London in 1884. Unknown Irish bombers have blown up Scotland Yard and several others places in London, as part of their fight for freedom. Because they have threatened another bombing within a month, and because Scotland Yard has been unable to infiltrate the Irish factions, Barker decides […]
A Long Day in Lychford (2017) Paul Cornell This is not my favorite of the Witches of Lychford stories. It isn’t bad, but the three main characters are separated for part of the book, and their interactions are often the best parts of the book. Not to say that there isn’t plenty of amusement. A […]
You’re the Earl That I Want (2015) Kelly Bowen Set in England in 1818. Heath Hextall never expected to inherit the Earldom. His only goal had been to increase his family wealth. He needs a wife to take care of the things he doesn’t have time for, so he asks one of his best friends […]
Valediction, Audio Version (1984/1992) Robert B Parker narrated by Michael Prichard Susan has finally graduated–and has decided to move to California. Spenser is very close to falling apart, and so takes on a case for Paul–one of the dancers in his company has disappeared and the head of the company (and her boyfriend) claims she’s […]
The Widening Gyre, Audio Version (1983/1992) Robert B. Parker narrated by Michael Prichard Spenser is hired to protect a conservative candidate for the Senate. There are several interesting things here. 1) I’ll need to check, but I don’t think his military service was mentioned here at all. So no Korea. 2) Susan Silverman is getting […]
Destined To Last (2010) Alissa Johnson Set in England in ~1814 Lady Kate Cole was, by most accounts, a young woman of exceptional beauty, extraordinary talent, and notable charm. She was also, by all accounts, a woman so remarkably prone to accidents that it was generally considered wise to back away if she happened to […]
As Luck Would Have It (2008) Alissa Johnson Set in England in 811 Miss Sophie Everton has spent years overseas following the death of her mother and sister, but has decided to return to London to experience the Season. Unfortunately, the cousin her father left in charge of their properties and monies has not done […]
Her Every Wish (2016) Courtney Milan Set in England in 1866 This is a novella in the Worth Saga, and follows after Once Upon a Marquess. Daisy Whitlaw is struggling to keep herself and her mother housed and fed. Everyone tells her to let her mother go, that she can’t support the two of them, […]
The Suffragette Scandal (2014) Courtney Milan Set in England in 1877 Free Marshall has done the things she told her brother Oliver she would, including going to college. Now she runs a women’s newspaper that calls for rights for women and points out injustices. (Free was based a bit on Nelly Bly.) She wagged a […]
Wildfire: A Hidden Legacy Novel (2017) Ilona Andrews This is the third book in the Hidden Legacy series. This was supposed to be a trilogy, but there are enough loose ends for at least another book. I could have done without the final bit with Victoria Tremaine, which felt more like a cliffhanger than this […]
The Sentry (2011) Robert Crais This is definitely a book I haven’t read before! This is also a book focusing on Joe Pike. Let me be clear, I don’t dislike Joe. I just prefer Elvis. But I see to be in a minority, from this blurb by Robert Crais about Joe Pike. Like Elvis Cole, […]
Milk and Honey (1990) Faye Kellerman The third Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus mystery. Decker is heading home when he finds an abandoned toddler wandering around in the middle of the night. The child’s clothing is stained with blood, but the child herself is unharmed. (F)or some reason, he felt obligated to the little girl. […]
Voodoo River (1995) Robert Crais Famous actress Jodi Taylor has come to Elvis Cole for help in finding her birth parents. Jodi Taylor was thirty-six years old, and beautiful in the way that only women with a measure of maturity can be beautiful. Not like in a fashion magazine. Not like a model. There was […]
The Ritual Bath (1986) Faye Kellerman Rina Lazarus is a young widow with two sons who teaches at the yeshiva and who helps maintain the mikvah–the bath used for ritual cleansing. Peter Decker is a detective for the LAPD, and is called out when a rape occurs at the yeshiva. “A rape in Jewtown,” Marge […]
The Monkey’s Raincoat (1987) Robert Crais I read this series while I was recovering from my broken ankle, so I had very little memory of this book. In fact, I was 87% through the book before I came across a scene and thought “I remember that!” Those were definitely some very good drugs I was […]
Magic Slays (2011) Ilona Andrews Book five. Kate is no longer a member of the order, but is now running her own investigative agency. Not that she has any cases, but it’s her agency. After having disappeared for two months, Andrea returns–a very different woman now that she has been kicked out of the order […]
Magic Bleeds (2010) Ilona Andrews Book four finds Kate waiting for Curran, having made him dinner as he specified–except he doesn’t show up. While she’s tending to her broken heart, she gets called to deal with what sounds like a bar fight that got out of hand. Who the hell would attack the Steel Horse […]
Magic Burns (2008) Ilona Andrews A magic flare is coming, and everyone from the lowliest witch to gods is looking to take advantage of the increased magic. Kate, as an associate of The Order, is being run ragged, but when she comes upon a lost girl in search of her mother, she takes the young […]
Kitty Steals the Show (2012) Carrie Vaughn Kitty, Ben, and Cormac are all headed to London. Kitty and Ben to attend the First International Conference on Paranatural Studies, Cormac to look for Amelia’s family. Luckily, Kitty has friends across the ocean, including Emma, Allete’s great(s)-granddaughter, and Tyler and Schumacher representing the US government’s interests. We […]
Kitty’s Big Trouble (2011) Carrie Vaughn After finding an old interview with a Civil War soldier claiming that General Sherman was a werewolf, Kitty goes looking for a way to prove it one way or another. She’s also get some other historical figures who may or may not have been supernatural as well. When a […]
A Perilous Undertaking (2017) Deanna Raybourn Set in London in 1887. The second Veronica Speedwell mystery finds Veronica and Stoker preparing for an expedition–until their benefactor breaks his leg tripping over his giant tortoise. This leaves both cranky with each other until a new mystery is dropped in their laps. Veronica is summoned to the […]
Arctic Chill (2005/2009) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Bernard Scudder and Victoria Cribb This story opens with the finding of a dead child. ‘Where do you think he’s from?’ Sigurdur Óli wondered. ‘He looks Asian to me,’ Elínborg said. ‘Could be Thai, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese,’ Sigurdur Óli reeled off. ‘Shouldn’t we say he’s an […]
Ghosts in the Snow (2004) Tamara Siler Jones Dubric sees ghosts. But not all ghosts, just the ghosts of the murdered. Cursed by the Goddess Malanna after his wife’s murder forty-three summers before, Dubric had long struggled to ignore the horrid images of wrongful death. … He often wondered if he solved their murders to […]
Burnt Sugar (2014) Lish McBride Ava, Lock, and Ezra have been sent by the Coterie (magical mafia) to collect a tithe from a witch who has missed payment. But when the find a gingerbread house, they know things are more serious than they expected. Lock stopped and crossed his arms, giving us a look that […]
Dark Heir, Audible Version (2015) Faith Hunter, narrated by Khristine Hvam The story opens with the SOD (I shan’t elucidate for those who haven’t read the previous books) escaping from Leo’s sub-basement with the help of Adrianna, who Leo has kept bringing back every time Jane has killed her. Meanwhile, Jane and Beast are still […]
The Complaints (2009) Ian Rankin Malcolm Fox works in The Complaints, Complaints and Conduct – Professional Standards Unit, the British version of Internal Affairs. They investigate crooked cops, and are usually despised by other cops. “I hate to say it,” she laughed, “but you do look like a cop. I think it’s the posture, or […]
Shades of Milk and Honey (2010) Mary Robinette Kowal Set in Alternate Regency England ~1814. The first time I read this, it was immediately following a Guy Gavriel Kay book, and so this story suffered in comparison. Nothing against Mary Robinette Kowal, it’s just that Guy Gavriel Kay is that good. So searching for something […]
Tremontaine: Season One Volume One (2016) by Patty Bryant, Joel Derfner, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Ellen Kushner, Malinda Lo, Racheline Maltese and Paul Witcover Let me explain… No, let me sum up. There is a book called Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner that is one of my favorites–a comfort read. After Swordspoint came The Fall of the […]
The Escapement of Blackledge (2016) Mary Robinette Kowal Set in alternate Regency London The Duke of Blackledge does NOT want to attend his coming-of-age birthday party, however, his mother is insistent. But there is only so much he can take, so he escapes to his laboratory where he works on his automatons, only to find […]
A Gift of Sanctuary (1998) Candace Robb Set in Wales in 1371. Owen Archer finds himself accompanying his father-in-law on a pilgrimage to Wales. ‘Age brings many blessings,’ Michaelo said. ‘And much humiliation,’ Sir Robert retorted. Owen and Geoffery Chaucer are on a secret mission to determine whether a Welsh upstart (Owain Lawgoch, or Owain […]
The Nun’s Tale (1995) Candace Robb Set in England in 1366. This is the first Owen Archer book I read, many years ago, and I have forgotten how very unlikable the nun of the title was. (T)here is yet something else— something that frightens her. She was given the last rites in Beverley. She fears […]
Black Arrow (2006) I.J. Parker Set in Echigo Province, JAPAN GODS-ABSENT MONTH (NOVEMBER), A.D. 1015 Akitada has been sent to Echigo as provisional governor, and discovers that there are many problems at his new post, from the decrepit compound to a possible revolution to outcasts possibly harboring fugitives. Plus the fact that the winters are […]
Jack the Giant-Killer (1987) Charles de Lint Jackie Rowan is stunned when her boyfriend walks out on her, and stumbling home after a binge, she sees the unbelievable and is pulled into a world just under the surface of her own world, that she never knew existed. The map was of Ottawa, but all the […]
Keeper of the King’s Secrets (2012) Michelle Diener Set in England in 1525 Susanna Horenbout and John Parker believe that things have settled down, now that the king has agreed to allow them to marry, however, intrigue spawns in the court of Henry the VIII, and Susanna’s life is one again in danger. Parker knew […]
And Only to Deceive (2005) Tasha Alexander Set in England (and Paris) ~1889 The first time I read this book (soon after its publication) I didn’t like it. I felt it was more romance than mystery, and I wasn’t interested in reading a kissing book. Upon later reading, knowing what I was going to be […]
Incident in Berkeley Square (2015) Tracy Grant Set in London in April 1818 The latest Malcolm & Suzanne Rannoch short story takes place after the events of The Mayfair Affair. Malcolm and Suzanne are hosting a party–an event to help introduce Laura (their former governess) into society, when Raoul and two other spies take refuge […]
Unspoken (2015) C.C. Hunter This is the conclusion to Della Tsang’s Shadow Falls story arc. I presume we’ll soon get a Miranda arc, but as she’s my least favorite character of the three, I’m not sure how excited I’ll be about that. Della is still not sure how she feels about Chase, although she’s been […]
She-Hulk Vol. 1: Law and Disorder (2014) Charles Soule, Javier Pulido, and Ron Wimberly The A-Force Presents Vol I was my introduction to Jennifer Walters. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy her story (after all, she’s not damaged and conflicted–she’s instead stable with a good head on her shoulders). But I wasn’t expecting a well-adjusted lawyer, […]
Falling in Love (2015) Donna Leon And now, I have read and re-read all the published Donna Leon, Commisario Brunetti books. We return once again to the Opera and Flavia Petrelli. La Fenice is putting on Tosca, and Flavia has the lead role. Brunetti and Paola meet her after the opening night, and invite her […]
Through a Glass, Darkly (2006) Donna Leon This book does not open with murder–or even with much in the way of crime. It instead finds Brunetti and Vianello heading out to Mestre to help one of Vianello’s friends/acquaintances who had been arrested during environmental protests. I haven’t said much in these reviews about food, which […]
Doctored Evidence (2004) Donna Leon An unpleasant old woman is found murdered–bludgeoned to death in her apartment. It seems like an open-and-shut case of the badly-treated hired help having done it–especially when the woman is found fleeing the country and is hit by a trail and killed trying to escape the police. But all is […]
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (2010) Sarah MacLean Set in London in 1823 Lady Calpurnia Hartwell (Callie to her family) is a spinster. It’s been 10 years since her coming out, and so she has come to accept that she is never going to get married (and she is quite lucky that […]
A Dangerous Madness (2014) Michelle Diener Set in London in 1812. Phoebe Hillier has been engaged to Sheldrake at the instance of her father and her family, because their families were close, and because Sheldrake desperately needs her money. So when he breaks her engagement her feelings are complicated. She had all but accepted the […]
Wickedly Dangerous (2014) Deborah Blake It’s no secret that I love folk and fairy tales, and since I first read about her hut on chicken legs, I have loved Baba Yaga. She’s a witch who is sometimes wicked, but sometimes not. Nobody insulted her house. Not even in the old days when it was a […]
The Soldier’s Dark Secret (2015) Marguerite Kaye Set in England in 1815 If this hadn’t been on sale AND highly rated, I would never have given in a second look. The title is kinda terrible, and something about the look on the model’s face on the cover weirds me out a little, but I took […]
Game of Mirrors (2011/2015) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli I really enjoy these books. Inspector Montalbano is continuing to age, and continues to worry that he’s losing it (what “it” is, varies from book to book), which I am okay with, because it adds another dimension to his character. He still lives for food. […]
Dead Heat (2015) Patricia Briggs This is the fourth Alpha & Omega series, the story of Charles and Anna. Charles is the enforcer for all the werewolves in North America, and Anna is his wife–a werewolf herself who he rescued from a pack gone bad. If you have not read the previous books in the […]