The Naming of the Dead (2006) Ian Rankin This is the penultimate Rebus novel. I have Exit Music left, and then I’m done. The G8 has come to Edinburgh, and almost every cop in Britain has descended upon the city, to help provide security for the heads of state that are coming. Except, of course, […]
Fleshmarket Alley (2004) Ian Rankin As he slowly approaches retirement, Rebus finds himself pushed more and more to the sidelines. When St Leonard’s closes, Rebus and Siobhan are sent to Gayfield Square, where they didn’t particularly need another Detective Inspector. Siobahn is slightly better off, but her long association with Rebus can’t do her very […]
Dark Entries (2009) Ian Rankin, Werther Dell’Edera I have a conflicted relationship with John Constantine stories. I love the idea of who Constantine is, but for some reason the stories always fall short of my expectations in some manner. But when I saw that Ian Rankin–whose John Rebus mysteries I love–had written a Constantine graphic […]
A Question of Blood (2003) Ian Rankin Once again, Rebus is in trouble. A thug who was bothering Siobhan has turned up dead, and Rebus has made himself a prime suspect. Because Rebus is partially out of commission with badly scalded hands, Siobhan ends up driving him around when he’s called in as an expert […]
Resurrection Men (2002) Ian Rankin Rebus has done it this time. He’s finally put himself in limbo of sorts–a last chance “retraining” course for cops who can’t keep themselves out of trouble. This “last chance” group is referred to as the “Resurrection Men”–a group who are being given once last chance to revive their careers. […]
The Falls (2000) Ian Rankin The daughter of a wealthy banker disappears, and all the police are placed on high alert to help in the search. Her boyfriend–with whom she had a fight the afternoon before disappearing–expects he’s the prime suspect, but a search of her email turns up a mysterious webmaster with whom she […]
Set in Darkness (2000) Ian Rankin Detective Chief Superintendent Watson has just months left until retirement, and wants to keep Rebus out of trouble until that time passes, so Rebus is put on the committee looking at the new Parliament building/old hospital. But as nothing goes smoothly with Rebus around, a skeleton is discovered boarded […]
Dead Souls (1999) Ian Rankin Inspector Rebus is not having an easy time of it. Pedophiles on trial and perhaps released back into the community. A serial killer shipped back to Edinburgh after he is released from prison in the United States, a missing person’s case to which he is inadvertently drawn, a continued rocky […]
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agness Nutter, Witch (1990) Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett With so much recent discussion of Good Omens on the web recently, what with its anniversary, and with my recent rereading of American Gods, I’ve been wanting to reread Good Omens. So a long flight seemed like a […]
The Hanging Garden (1998) Ian Rankin The story starts in the middle, moves back to the beginning, and then moves forward again. So we discover quite quickly that Rebus is in the middle of an investigation of a possible WWII war crime, a war is breaking out between the organized crime groups, and Rebus’ daughter […]
Shades of Milk and Honey (2010) Mary Robinette Kowal Oddly, Shades of Milk and Honey is in some ways a parallel to Under Heaven, only set in an alternate England instead of an alternate China. I also wish I had not read this immediately following Under Heaven–I should have read a thriller or a detective […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Black Moth (1929) Georgette Heyer This is the first of Georgette Heyer’s historical romances, and in it are all the elements of the later stories of hers I have read: love, romance, kidnapping, spouses misunderstanding one another, highway robbery–everything needed for a romantic adventure. Interestingly, although it is a romance, one of the main […]
Masked (2010) edited by Lou Anders Masked is a collection of superhero stories by a variety of writers, many of whom are well known comic writers. Matthew Sturges, who writes House of Mystery, wrote the opening story, “Cleansed and Set in Gold.” …and I just ended up rereading the story when I flipped through to […]
The Convenient Marriage (1934) Georgette Heyer The Earl of Rule has decided to finally get married. As he’s not particular about who he marries, he decides to request the hand of Elizabeth Winwood. Unfortunately, Elizabeth is in love with someone else, so her younger sister Horatia decides that Elizabeth should not have to make the […]
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 […]
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 […]
Frederica (1965) Georgette Heyer Lord Alverstroke is a selfish rake who hates–more than anything–to be bored. When his sister as well as their cousin ask him to throw a ball to launch their daughters, Alverstroke refuses unequivocally. Frederica has come to London determined to find a good marriage for her beautiful younger sister, while keeping […]
Devil’s Cub (1932) Georgette Heyer It took me a ridiculously long time to realize that this is (sort of) a sequel to These Old Shades. Dominic Alistair, Marquis of Vidal, is the son of Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, and he is, if possible, more of a rake than his father. And her certainly […]
Cotillion (1953) Georgette Heyer Kitty Charing has been adopted by the very rich and very unpleasant Matthew Penicuik who has decided that she will inherit his entire fortune–if she marries one of his great-nephews. Odds are on Jack, who is Uncle Matthew’s favorite (and Kitty’s too) but Kitty doesn’t like being told what to do, […]
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (2005) Lauren Willig Parts of this story I absolutely loved–Spies! Napoleonic France! Daring women! And did I mention spies! Other parts of the story I liked less well. It is a story within a story–an historian gets access to letters and diaries that she hopes will lead her […]
Faro’s Daughter (1941) Georgette Heyer Max Ravenscar is one of the most wealthy men in London, but seems to care little for high society and fashion. Yet, as trustee of his nephew’s fortune, a call from his sister to keep Adrian from marrying the niece of a woman who runs–of all things!–a gaming house, send […]
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 […]
Blameless (2010) Gail Carriger I loved Soulless, the first book in this series. I thought Changeless was good with the exclusion of the ending, which I despised, so I had mixed feelings about starting Blameless. Alexia is pregnant, and Lord Maccon–who is a werewolf and an immortal–has thrown her out, believing that the child cannot […]
Thicker than Water (2009) Mike Carey Felix gets a call to come out to a crime scene–something that had not happened since he was accused of murder and became persona non grata with the police. Unsurprisingly, nothing good comes of the call, and Felix is embroiled in a mystery involving involving individuals from his past–way […]
The Grand Sophy (1950) Georgette Heyer Horace Stanton-Lacy needs to get his daughter married. He also needs to go to South America on a diplomatic mission, thus he Sophy to stay with her aunt in London, where he hopes she can be introduced to society and find a good match. The Ombersley house, however, is […]
Dead Men’s Boots (2007) Mike Carey I’ve actually been waiting for this book for awhile. The American publishing and access to this series is… quirky. I was able to get the British copies of the two books that follow this, but I had to wait about a year for this to be put out by […]
Newton and the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World’s Greatest Scientist (2009) Thomas Levenson The first third of the book is simply a biography of Newton, from his childhood up until he took the position of Warden of the Mint in London. Although it was interesting, I’m not certain the background had a […]
Strip Jack (1992) Ian Rankin When a raid on a brothel operating secretly in Edinburgh nets a local MP, Inspector Rebus thinks things feel a little off–Gregor Jack isn’t the kind of MP you’d expect to find at a brothel, and his reaction during the raid isn’t precisely what Rebus would have expected. From there, […]
The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker (2009) Leanna Renee Hieber Picked this up a few weeks ago after breaking my leg, but as I was on pain killers, I couldn’t focus and put it back down. Now that I’m still laid up but no longer spaced out, I’m tearing through books and came […]
Hide and Seek (1990) Ian Rankin After reading his anthology A Good Hanging, I decided to pick up another of Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus books. I had ’em in the house, just never got around to reading any further in the series, because the first two books I read were quite dark, and I wasn’t […]
A Good Hanging (1992) Ian Rankin A Good Hanging is a collection of Inspector Rebus short stories. I read Knots and Crosses a couple years ago, and although I enjoyed it, found it very dark, so I’ve been hesitant to continue in the series because I haven’t been in the mood for that much darkness. […]
The Masqueraders (1928) Georgette Heyer A couple weeks ago I decided I wanted something completely different to read. After coming upon a review of The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer, “I thought this might be a fun read,” and ordered it. I will admit, the language took some getting used to. The book is set in […]
A Broken Vessel (1994) Kate Ross Continuing my effort to lift my mood, I read the second Julian Kestrel book, A Broken Vessel.
Cut to the Quick (1993) Kate Ross Amazing how reading–and rereading–an excellent book can lift one’s mood. I love Kate Ross’ Julian Kestrel series, which starts with Cut to the Quick.
Playing for the Ashes (1994) Elizabeth George Synopsis: Kenny Flemming is a brilliant cricket player who seemed to have come out of nowhere, and came to cricket not through the school system by through a factory league. Just before players are to be chosen for the Test matches, Kenny Flemming is found dead, in a […]
Missing Joseph (1993) Elizabeth George Synopsis: Deborah St. James is still struggling over her inability to have a child. When she ducks into a museum to escape a storm, she meets a vicar with whom she feels she feel she could talk, however, when she and Simon arrive at Lancashire for an out-of-season vacation, they […]
For the Sake of Elena (1992) Elizabeth George Synopsis: Lynley is still keeping busy as things are still uneven between him and Helen, while Havers continues to struggle with finding care for her mother. When Lynley volunteers to take a case in Cambridge, both of their personal situations come to a head. Elena Weaver is […]
Changeless (2010) Gail Carriger Well, that was disappointing. As I have mentioned repeatedly before, I really dislike cliffhanger endings. When I read a book, I like the story arc to end at the end of the book. This doesn’t mean I dislike threads that carry from story to story–that’s fine. But what I do NOT […]
A Suitable Vengeance (1991) Elizabeth George Synopsis: Going backwards in time, we see the engagement of Lynley and Deborah, which we well know isn’t going to last, and we meet other members of Lynley’s family, including his mother and his brother, and spend time in the town where he grew up. Unfortunately, Lynley’s engagement weekend […]
Well-Schooled in Murder (1990) Elizabeth George Synopsis: Thomas Lynley is called upon by an old schoolmate from Eton, when a boy at his school–a boy for whom he was ultimately responsible–is discovered to have been missing for the entire weekend. As Lynley is currently taking every case that comes across his desk (and a number […]
Payment in Blood (1989) Elizabeth George Synopsis: Once again, Thomas Lynley is called from vacation to deal with a murder. And once again Barbara Havers is to be his partner. As the subject of their investigation the upper class to which Lynley belongs, he feels that Havers may cause more problems that she might help […]
A Great Deliverance (1988) Elizabeth George I’ve been out of sorts recently, and keep picking up books, reading a few pages, and then putting them back down, because they’re not what I’m in the mood for. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily) for me, Amazon provides endless recommendations, based upon other books you’ve read and enjoyed. Thus, […]
The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity (2010) Mike Carey, Peter Gross After the disappearance of his father, Tom Taylor has been surviving by going to convention and doing book signings for the series he father named after him. Because Walter Taylor disappeared–and there is no proof of his death–Tommy cannot touch any of […]
What Remains of Heaven (2009) C.S. Harris The Archbishop of Canterbury enlists the help of Sebastian St Cyr’s aunt to ask Sebastian to look into the death of the bishop of London, who’s body was found in an abandoned crypt. In the meantime, he is attempting to determine just how Hero Jarvis is doing, after […]