Early Autumn, Audio Edition (1981/1992) Robert B. Parker narrated by Michael Prichard I remembered that I really liked this book, but I’d forgotten was that really, I’d loved it. All the complexity of Spenser, and all the things I love are here in this story. “You have this at a restaurant?” “No. I made this […]
A Savage Place, Audio Version (1981/1987) Robert B. Parker narrated by Michael Prichard This is another fascinating look at Spenser, his ethics, and how he changes even over the course of the first few book. He’s still admitting to having served in Korea. “Do you remember the first time?” “The time, not the person. It […]
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, […]
The First Rule (2010) Robert Crais I really thought I hadn’t read this book–aside from the very beginning (the murder) none of it seemed familiar. It seems like I read it in the months before Grandmom died, so that explains that distraction. Apparently re-reading this series is just like reading it for the first time, […]
Chasing Darkness (2008) Robert Crais This story switches back to Elvis, who seems to be recovered from almost dying. And his cat is still old and a jerk who doesn’t like anyone except Cole and Pike. He was sitting by his dish where he waits for breakfast, only this time he brought his own. The […]
The Watchman (2007) Robert Crais To help Elvis Cole find Ben Chenier, the son of his girlfriend, Joe Pike agreed to do one last job for Jon Stone. That job has come: Defend a wealthy, spoiled heiress from the men who want to kill her, for what she saw during an accident. “Why don’t I […]
Looking for Rachel Wallace, Audio Version (1980/1987) Robert B. Parker narrated by Michael Prichard I’d somehow forgotten how good this story is. I’d forgotten that at the start of the series Spenser said he had fought in Korea, which would of course make him even older than I remembered. “And you were in combat in […]
The Forgotten Man (2005) Robert Crais The 10th Elvis Cole book. The story opens with the discovery of a brutal murder–the bodies of mother, father, and son are found, along with the bloody footprints of their unharmed four-year-old daughter. The girl is physically unharmed, but no one involved leaves that home unchanged. Padilla was relieved […]
Justice (1995) Faye Kellerman I am very conflicted about this story. The story is told from (mostly) two points of view: from Rina and Peter’s point of view, and from the point of the two teenagers, Chris and Terry. It felt like there was more of the teenagers than of the grown-ups, but that might […]
Earthly Remains (2017) Donna Leon The 26th Brunetti mystery sees nothing of Brunetti’s children, and very little of Paola. Although there is of course food. It seems like the corruption in Venice has finally gotten to Brunetti. In order to save Pucetti from himself, Guido pretends to fall ill, and then is unable to stop […]
Sanctuary (1994) Faye Kellerman The seventh Rina and Peter Drecker mystery. Marge feels like she is being given crappy assignments by their new lieutenant in homicide because she’s a women. So when she’s given a case where a woman has reported her brother’s entire family missing, Marge takes it seriously–partially because she wants to prove […]
The Judas Goat, Audible Version (1978) Robert B. Parker narrated by Michael Prichard Spenser has been hired by Hugh Dixon, a millionaire whose family was killed in a bombing in London. Hugh Dixon wants the terrorists caught or killed, and he’ll pay Spenser a bounty for each kill or capture. First, it’s odd for Spenser […]
Grievous Sin (1993) Faye Kellerman The 6th Peter and Rina mystery opens with the birth of their daughter. The hospital is understaffed, and the nurses that are there are overworked, so Peter’s older daughter, Cindy, offers to stay with the baby. Cindy nodded solemnly, thinking that Bellson would have been a great Puritan. She could […]
The Last Detective (2003) Robert Crais This is the 9th Elvis Cole book, and we learn a LOT here, from some of Cole’s family history His name was Philip James Cole until he was six years old. Then his mother announced, smiling at him as if she were giving him the most wonderful gift in […]
Promised Land, Audible Edition (1976/1987) Robert B. Parker narrated by Michael Prichard I’ve discovered that I exercise best with exciting mysteries I’ve previously read. If the book is good, then I want to keep walking just a little bit longer, to hear just a little more. But it can’t be something I’ve never read, because […]
L.A. Requiem (1999) Robert Crais Lucy Chenier and her son Ben have moved to LA, and they soon learn that there is a great difference between a long distance relationship and being together in the same town. Would you please move the couch again?” I stared at the couch. I had moved it maybe eight […]
Indigo Slam (1997) Robert Crais The book opens three years previously, with a father and three children being evacuated by US Marshals. This is actually important, because then the reactions make far more sense to the reader (even if they don’t make sense to Elvis). Lucy Chenier is working out a deal to move to […]
Sunset Express (1996) Robert Crais Book six of the Elvis Cole series. A high profile murder of the wife of a very rich businessman brings in a high-profile lawyer. When they hire Elvis Cole to look into the arresting officer, everything seems to be going normally, until suddenly it all gets strange. In the middle […]
False Prophet (1992) Faye Kellerman The fifth Peter and Rina mystery. The daughter of a famous actress is found naked and bruised in her home. Peter is first on the scene and the young woman latches onto him, making an already confusing case even more difficult. “Do you have the combination—” Brecht rose from his […]
Day of Atonement (1991) Faye Kellerman Rina and Peter are spending part of their honeymoon with the family of Rina’s late husband, because they want to see Rina and the boys over the High Holy Days. Although the family isn’t hostile to Peter, it’s still not especially comfortable. (T)he Lazarus family had been grateful, though […]
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 […]
Free Fall (1993) Robert Crais Book four of the Elvis Cole series. This is another one I don’t much remember reading. I do like this bit at the beginning. This edition contains the complete text of the original hardcover edition. NOT ONE WORD HAS BEEN OMITTED. Considering that I found some odd typos, I’m wondering […]
Lullaby Town (1992) Robert Crais The third Elvis Cole book finds Elvis searching for the ex-wife of a big-shot movie producer, because after ten years he’d decided he wants to see his son. “Everybody in his life is there because they want to screw him. Any time there’s a woman, he’s thinking it’s because she […]
Stalking the Angel (1989) Robert Crais Elvis Cole is hired to find an ancient Japanese manuscript stolen from the home of a prominent businessman. Unfortunately for Cole, the husband is an asshole and the wife makes it clear she doesn’t like her husband and what he does. And caught in the middle of all that […]
Sacred and Profane (1987) Faye Kellerman Peter Decker is trying to decide if being in love with Rina Lazarus is reason enough to take up practicing orthodox Judaism. He has become close with her sons, but chafes against the strictures and wonders if he truly has faith. There was an easy way out. He could […]
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 […]
Mission for a Queen (2016) Tracy Grant Set in London and Europe in the summer of 1818 Malcolm and Susanne/Melanie have fled London, along with their children, Raoul, and Laura, while the friends back on London try to piece together what happened, and keep their disappearance as quiet and boring as possible. David and Simon […]
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 […]
Shores of Desire (1997) Tracy Grant Set in Scotland and Europe in 1815 There are actually three primary characters in this story: Robert, Emma, and the War with Napoleon. Emma was used to dealing with everyday injuries, wounds from fights and falls and accidents. Save when Allan had been invalided home, his wounds already neatly […]
Dark Angel (1994) Tracy Grant Set in Spain and England in 1813 Still out of sorts and not sure what I’m in the mood for, I went for something completely different: historical mystery/romance. I think one of the things I particularly like about Tracy Grant’s stories is that the children are an integral part of […]
Rivers of London Volume 3: Black Mould (2017) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan This comic occurs between Foxglove Summer and The Hanging Tree . It’s also how Peter ends up working more with Sahra Guleed, who I also adore. And I love how snarky both of them are about the racism they deal with […]
The Rook (2012) Daniel O’Malley I spent what felt like an entire day starting a book, then putting it aside because THAT was not what I was in the mood for. Or what I thought I might want to read I don’t have as an ebook. Whine whine whine. So I opened up Calibre and […]
Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? (2016) Paul Cornell (Shadow Police) This is the third Shadow Police book, and finds the group in sad shape. The three other members of his team were standing apart from one another, looking off in different directions, like they were an indie band posing for an album cover. Quill is troubled […]
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 […]
The Hanging Tree (2017) Ben Aaronovitch I just went back and checked, and I pre-ordered this August 2015. The publication date of this book got pushed back a lot. Yes, there were three (almost complete) comics published in the interim, but I know that didn’t appease a lot of people. Me? I’m good with it. […]
A Curious Beginning (2015) Deanna Raybourn Set in London in 1887 This had been on my wishlist for awhile, because although I found her other series vaguely annoying (both not so annoying that I didn’t read multiple books) this seemed right up my alley. As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee, Veronica […]
Strange Shores (2010/2012) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Victoria Cribb Hear that wooshing sound? That was the foreshadowing of the previous two books AND events in this book going right over my head. I finished the book, blinking in surprise at the ending, and then I thought for a moment and wondered why I was surprised–this […]
The Ghoul Vendetta (2017) Lisa Shearin I adore this series. It’s so fun and enjoyable–despite all the ghouls and monsters. The nephew of a vampire lord is kidnapped at an elite yacht party Mac is attending with Rake (the wealthy goblin businessman and dark mage she’s sort-of dating, but still isn’t sure about.). This is […]
Black Skies (2009/2012) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Victoria Cribb This story is set parallel to the previous, Outrage and the detective is Sigurdur Óli. I decided to buckle down and finally read this. There are several different threads to this story, which made it easier for me to read once the story got going. First, […]
Outrage (2008/2011) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Anna Yates Erlunder has taken a leave of absence and headed east to where he grew up, leaving Elínborg in charge of a bloody murder–a murder where the victim is found in possession of Rohypnol and clearly had sex shortly before he died. This is an interesting book on […]
Hypothermia (2007/009) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Victoria Cribb When a woman arrives at her friend’s lake house, she is horrified to discover her friend’s body hanging from the rafters. The dead woman had been seriously grieving since the death of her mother, and everything points to suicide, except that something doesn’t seem quite right. An […]
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 […]
The Draining Lake (2004/2007) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Bernard Scudder A skeleton has been found in Lake Kleifarvatn–a skeleton with a hole in its skull and a rope tied to a piece of defunct Soviet spying equipment around its waist. The story shifts back and forth between the present-day search for the murderer and the […]
Voices (2003/2006) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Bernard Scudder A hotel worker is found dead in the tiny closet in which he lived in the hotel. His drawers are down and he has been stabbed repeatedly. ‘Is he up or down?’ Erlendur asked. ‘Up or down?’ the fat manager puffed. ‘Do you mean whether he’s gone […]
Silence of the Grave (2003/2006) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Bernard Scudder The second Inspector Erlendur book finds Erlendur, Sigurdur Óli, and Elínborg called to a construction site, where a boy has found a human bone. A quick inspection discovers more bones–a skeleton dating back to probably WWII. The skeleton is to be dug up by […]
Jar City (2000/2004) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Bernard Scudder Inspector Erlendur works for the Reykjavík police, and he and his colleagues are called to an apartment where and old man was murdered. The elder son, 9 years old, was not as cautious as his father and quick as a flash he was in the neighbour’s […]
The Water Room (2004) Christopher Fowler The second Peculiar Crimes Unit finds everyone at loose ends until the Met assigns them new cases, as they set up their new offices. Afraid that they’ll lose the few people they have if they aren’t kept busy, Bryant and May give them errands based upon requests friends and […]
Full Dark House (2003) Christopher Fowler Bryant & May met during the bombing of London during WWII, when May joined the force and was set to the Peculiar Crimes Unit, where Bryant was the lead detective. The story starts in the modern day, when the PCU office has been blown up and it is believed […]
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 […]