A Red-Rose Chain (2015) Seanan McGuire This is the 9th Toby Daye book, and Toby and Tybalt have not yet gotten married, but everyone seems to be awaiting their wedding. But in the meantime, war is preparing to break out, and it’s up to Toby to stop it. And… that gets to me no longer […]
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 […]
By its Cover (2014) Donna Leon At last, we reach the books I had not yet read. The 23rd book finds Brunetti called to investigate the theft of both books and pages cut from old and rare books. Old books had always filled Brunetti with nostalgia for centuries in which he had not lived. … […]
The Golden Egg (2013) Donna Leon This mystery is good, but the resolution is so awful, it makes me dislike the whole book. This, I think, sums up what I found so awful (don’t worry, not a spoiler): ‘I wonder if it’s possible that he got to the point where his life was so bad, […]
Beastly Things (2012) Donna Leon Although I had forgotten most of the mystery, the scenes of Brunetti and Vianello going into the slaughterhouse I remembered quite vividly–their horror and disgust at what they witnessed. Again, Rizzardi continues to be one of my favorite characters, even though we usually only see him once a book. ‘Miracle?’ […]
Drawing Conclusions (2010) Donna Leon And older woman is found dead in her apartment by her neighbor, and although her death is ruled a heart attack, something strikes Brunetti as wrong about the scene, and so he looks into the life of the woman, and why someone might want to do her harm. Anna Maria […]
A Question of Belief (2010) Donna Leon The 19th Commisarrio Brunetti book finds Guido and his family ready for their vacation in the mountains–and an escape to the oppressive heat and humidity of Venice. Though the heat often drove people to violence, that was not the case this year. Perhaps there was some point where […]
About Face (2009) Donna Leon I clearly remembered parts of this book, which meant I wanted to re-read it. Guido and Paola are invited to a dinner at her parents’, and Guido meets a woman who captivates his attention. ‘I beg your pardon.’ Brunetti answered, stalling. ‘You beg my pardon because you don’t understand my […]
The Girl of His Dreams (2008) Donna Leon The 17th Commissario Brunetti mystery opens with a funeral–Brunetti’s mother has finally died. This isn’t a cruel statement, just a recognition that she wasn’t the woman who raised two sons, but was instead made into a shell of herself by dementia. The mystery starts when a priest–a […]
Suffer the Little Children (2007) Donna Leon Weirdly, I had no memory of reading this, and in fact thought I had not read it before. I know why this is so, but it is still a strange feeling, to re-read a book and have no memory of the previous reading. The book opens with a […]
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 […]
Blood from a Stone (2005) Donna Leon A young African man–a vú cumprá, or street vendor–is shot down on the street in what seems to be a professional hit. Brunetti, Vianello and Signorina Elettra attempt to discover why the man was murdered in cold blood, but at every turn they run into road blocks–and not […]
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 […]
Uniform Justice (2003) Donna Leon This is a somewhat distressing story, since it starts with the death of a teenager–just so you’ve been warned. Since he had learned of the boy’s death, Brunetti had been assailed by the desire to know if the man had other children, but couldn’t bring himself to ask. He had […]
Willful Behavior (2002) Donna Leon The eleventh Commissario Brunetti book finds both Guido and Paola involved in the favors and requests that pervade Venice (and Italy). ‘But you have to let me do something for you.’ ‘All right, you can,’ Brunetti said immediately. ‘Good. What? Anything.’ ‘The next time we eat at the restaurant, ask […]
A Sea of Troubles (2001) Donna Leon The tenth Commissario Brunetti mystery finds Signorina Elettra deciding to take a more active role in the investigation of the murders of a fisherman and his son. We get Brunetti’s observations upon the people around him, of course. Her smile, which exposed perfect teeth and permitted the appearance […]
Friends in High Places (1999) Donna Leon The ninth Commissario Brunetti book finds the Brunetti family possibly in danger of losing their apartment. ‘I’m afraid there is some doubt as to the official status of your apartment.’ “‘Official status”?’ Brunetti repeated, looking off to the left of Rossi, to the solid wall and then up […]
Fatal Remedies (1999) Donna Leon I actually didn’t repurchase this as an ebook, because I clearly remembered not liking it the first time around. Mind you, I’m not saying it’s not good, because it is good. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. The 8th mystery opens with Paola breaking the window of […]
A Noble Radiance (1998) Donna Leon The seventh Commissario Brunetti mystery opens with a body (more bones than body) discovered when a field is plowed. We get to enjoy the usual characters, of course. Signorina Elettra was at his door before he could answer his own question. ‘Please come in,’ he called. ‘You found it […]
Quietly in Their Sleep (1997) Donna Leon The 6th Commissario Brunetti mystery finds Brunetti in charge while Patta is on vacation. It also finds a young woman in his office with claims of patients at a nursing home being murdered for the legacy they left to the church and home. ‘No, Commissario, it’s not your […]
Acqua Alta (1996) Donna Leon The fifth book in the Commisario Brunetti series finds the city of Venice a major character, as the Acqua Alta threatens the city with flooding. We also return to Flavia Petrelli and Brett, the women from the first book. Brett has returned to the city to speak to the Dottor […]
Death and Judgment (1995) Donna Leon The fourth book in the Commisario Brunetti series opens with a truck smuggling prostitutes crashing, and killing the driver and all the women in back. We then see the death of Avvocato Carlo Trevisan. Italy is a country in which many laws are passed one day, only to be […]
Dressed for Death (1994) Donna Leon And now, in the third book of the Commisario Brunetti series, we finally meet Elettra, who will become just as (if not more) central to the series as Vianello. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Signorina Zorzi,” Brunetti said. The name rang familiarly in his ear. “I believe I’m […]
Death in a Strange Country (1993) Donna Leon The second Commisario Brunetti books finds Brunetti investigating the murder of an American stationed in Vicenza, Italy. In this book, we meet Sargent Vianello, who will help Brunetti throughout the series, and become just as beloved. When Brunetti turned to leave, Vianello asked, ‘What about the deal […]
Death at La Fenice (1992) Donna Leon I love Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti series. It’s set in Venice, Italy, and the place is a much a character as Brunetti, his family, and the other members of the Questura. Like all street addresses in Venice, the one the American had given him was virtually meaningless in […]
The Mayfair Affair (2015) Tracy Grant Set in London in 1818. This book takes place three months after The Berkeley Square Affair, and although I read it earlier this year, I went back and re-read it after finishing The Berkeley Square Affair. Although I enjoyed this book the first time I read it, things made […]
The Berkeley Square Affair (2014) Teresa Grant Set in London in 1817. Interestingly, this is a re-writing of her first book, Secrets of a Lady, so I was slightly confused for awhile, until I realized what was going on. I actually like this better than the original book, partially because she didn’t take the “easy” […]
Sympathy for the Devil (2011) Justin Gustainis I came to this series because I very much enjoy his Occult Crimes Unit Investigations (despite the horrific covers), so I’ve been slowly working my way through his Quincy Morris series. Slowly, because I just don’t enjoy it anywhere near as much as the other series. I started […]
A Beam of Light (2012/2015) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli The problem with the “surprise” in this book is that it refers to events that happened early in the series, and since that character hadn’t been referred to in years, having him brought up again (when he hadn’t been for ages) made it pretty […]
Secrets of a Lady (2002) Tracy Grant Set in London in November 1819 This is the first book in the Malcolm and Susanne Rannoch (Charles & Melanie Fraser) series, but is set in a time after almost all the other books. Because I’ve read a lot of the other books in this series already, I […]
London Interlude (2015) Tracy Grant Set in London in June 1814. This is a very short story. 77 pages according to Amazon. So just be aware of what you are getting. This is the 8th book in the series, but set towards the very beginning of the overarching story, and probably a good introduction to […]
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 […]
Bangkok 8 (2003/2011) John Burdett narrated by Paul Boehmer This series has always fascinated me. Sonchai Jitpleecheep is a Buddhist ahrat and a Thai detective–a rare uncorrupt detective–and the son of a Thai prostitute and an unknown American GI. All of these things make him a man who is incredibly foreign to the western mind, […]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005/2008) Stieg Larsson translated by Reg Keeland I read this the summer I broke my ankle. Because of that, much of my memory of it was fuzzy, both because I read a lot that summer and because I was taking a lot of pain killers. So I figured I […]
Fiction River: Hex in the City (2013) edited by Kerrie L. Hughes “King of the Kingless” by Jay Lake “Speechless in Seattle” by Lisa Sliverthorne “Thy Neighbor” by Nancy Holder “Somebody Else’s Problem” by Annie Bellet “A Thing Immortal as Itself” by Lee Allred “Geriatric Magic” by Stephanie Writt “Red as Snow” by Seanan McGuire […]
Werewolf Smackdown (2010) Mario Acevedo I’m a sucker for supernatural detectives (See: Simon Green & P.N. Elrod) so I snatched up the first Felix Gomez books when I came across them, then I seem to have forgotten about them, so when I had the chance to pick up Werewolf Smackdown on sale, I grabbed it. […]
Pocket Apocalypse (2015) Seanan McGuire The 4th InCryptid book. Alexander Price is a cryptozoologist–he studies and protects the unique and sometimes magical species that inhabit our world with us–species that are often sentient and can even mimic humans. Alex accompanies his girlfriend Shelby back home to Australia where her family is dealing with an outbreak […]
The Mayfair Affair (2015) Tracy Grant Set in London in 1818. Malcolm and Susanne Rannoch have had a difficult three months, after Malcolm finally learns that Susanne had been a French agent. But when their governess is accused of murder–found on the scene in fact, they hope the tenuous peace between them won’t be shattered […]
The Snack Thief (1996/2003) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli Obviously, Camilleri didn’t stop after the second book, so we have the third in the series, which finds Montalbano investigating the stabbing death of an elderly man, while elsewhere, a fisherman is shot to death in a typically international incident with Tunisia. Yes, the title […]
The Terra-Cotta Dog (1996/2004) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli The second Montalbano book was, according the Camilleri, was supposed to be the last. I felt less than fully satisfied with how the figure of Montalbano had come out. I felt as if I had painted an incomplete portrait of him, favoring his role as […]
The Shape of Water (1994/2002) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli This is the first Inspector Montalbano story, and was supposed to be the only Montalbano story, however, the character got away from the author, and we now have many books to enjoy. “Inspector Montalbano? This is Mr. Luparello.” “What the hell! Didn’t you die?” […]
Lord John and the Hand of Devils (2007) Diana Gabaldon This is a collection of three stories–novellas, really rather than short stories: Lord John and the Hellfire Club, Lord John and the Succubus, and Lord John and the Haunted Soldier. “Lord John and the Hellfire Club” Set in London in 1756, prior to Lord John […]
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007) Diana Gabaldon Set in London in 1758. This is not my favorite Lord John story, although events that happen here are both the culmination of past mysteries, and the impetus for events in later stories. “But your brother is not now Duke of Pardloe?” Despite himself, […]
Lord John and the Private Matter (2003) Diana Gabaldon Set in London in 1757. This is the first Lord John book; his first novella is “Lord John and the Hellfire Club” which you can find in Lord John and the Hand of the Devils. This is a re-read for me–something about Lord John’s stories just […]
Foxglove Summer Audible Version (2015/2015) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith OMG I LOVE KOBNA HOLDBROOK-SMITH SO MUCH! (SWOON) ahem. I love this series, but I love Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s narration EVEN MORE. Peter Grant is somewhat despondent about the events that occurred at the end of the last book (not that he’ll admit it) so […]
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 Men’s Boots (2007) Mike Carey The last book ended with Castor being booted out of his living quarters by Pen, and the Stranger giving him 30 days to find somewhere else for Rafi, or they were sending him to Jenna-Jane Mulbridge–a fate even worse that his current miserable situation, timesharing his body with the […]
Who Buries the Dead (2015) C.S. Harris Set in London in 1813. “In my experience, people who view others as social or financial assets rarely do accumulate close friends.” A body is discovered at Bloody Bridge–its head sitting on the brick wall, the body lying nearby in the grass. At first, there seems to be […]
Vicious Circle (2006) Mike Carey Felix Castor can’t stay out of trouble. He’s taking some consulting work for the police, to bring in some money, but when parents as him to find their daughter–who is a ghost–Felix gets in bigger trouble than even he expected. There’s just something about the writing in these books. Felix […]
The Fourth Secret (2002/2014) Andrea Camilleri translated by Gianluca Rizzo and Dominic Siracusa These are not the usual translators for this series, and they were nowhere near as good as his usual translators. First, there were multiple errors (in this short novella), and second, Catarella’s voice is very different here than in the books, which […]