Skin and Bone (2019) TA Moore Here’s the problem: I still don’t like Javi. Half the time he didn’t like himself much. If he had a pet, he wouldn’t want it to be intelligent enough to understand his failings. Sorry, but being aware that you’re a complete asshole doesn’t excuse being a complete asshole. Be […]
The Mystery of the Curiosities (2017) C.S. Poe Sebastian and Calvin are making their relationship work. It’s hard for Calvin whose family won’t speak with him now, which is exacerbating the PTSD he won’t admit he has, but Sebastian is doing his best to make Calvin feel loved. And Calvin does his best to deal […]
Bone to Pick (2017) TA Moore I don’t know what I wanna read. I think a mystery. How about re-reading this one where I loved the dog? Cloister Witte is ex-military and currently a sheriff K9 deputy. Cloister lives for Bon, his dog. “I buy you shit, Bon,” he told her. “Good shit, but you’d […]
Point Blank: Five Dangerous Ground Novellas (2017) Josh Lanyon This is a collection of five novellas, featuring Taylor MacAllister and Will Brandt, agents for the Department of Diplomatic Security. Dangerous Ground (2008) Six weeks earlier, Taylor was shot during an investigation. Now, as Taylor is preparing to return to work (desk duty), the two have […]
Thrown to the Wolves (2019) Charlie Adhara Cooper is (again) recuperating, having had his leg badly broken in their last adventure–the one that got Park suspended for a month. They are still hiding their relationship from the BSI, but neither is sure if that will work once they are both back at work together. Every […]
The Wolf at Bay (2018) Charlie Adhara After solving the serial killer case four months previous, Cooper and Park have become partners at the BSI–and partners in the other sense as well, but neither of them is capable of talking about how they feel about each other. “That depends on just because what. Just because […]
The Wolf at the Door (2018) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf) Agent Cooper Dayton was transferred from the FBI to the BSI after a werewolf attack. The job of the BSI is to deal with werewolf crime–and keep the existence of werewolves from becoming known to the general public. The public could never know about […]
The October Man (2019) Ben Aaronovitch Let me be clear: This is NOT a Peter Grant story. It’s set in the same world, and Peter and Nightingale are mentioned, but it’s about another character entirely, policeman Tobias Winter, an investigator for the Abteilung KDA, the German equivalent of the Folly. I ended up in the […]
Hell & High Water (2014/2018) Charlie Cochet Dexter Daley’s career in the human police force is over–he just doesn’t know it yet. After testifying that his partner shot a unarmed teenager Therian in the back, he’s put on leave, and then beat up by his fellow officers. Eventually, he’s sent to THIRDS, the human-therian unit […]
Lady Cop Makes Trouble (2016) Amy Stewart (Kopp Sisters) Set in New York and New Jersey in 1915. Constance Kopp has been working as a deputy, but since the county won’t allow her a badge and official position, she ends up relegated to prison matron. At the start of the book, she meets with Mrs. […]
Girl Waits with Gun (2015) Amy Stewart (Kopp Sisters) Set in New Jersey in 1915. After the disappointment of the previous book I finished, I needed something completely different to clear my brain. I probably read the first paragraphs of about five books before I settled on this. First. Constance Kopp was a real woman, […]
Death at Sea: Montalbano’s Early Cases (2014/2018) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli These stories are set during the 80s, when Montalbano would have been in his 30s. Room Number 2 Double Investigation Death at Sea The Stolen Message The Transaction Standard Procedure The Apricot The Honest Thief There are eight stories, and look back […]
Criminal Past (2018) Gregory Ashe What. The hell? The previous books needed an editor to a level that was annoying, but not insurmountable. This book? Holy shit–it was all over the place, and none of it was good. First and foremost in the bad: Out of nowhere, we suddenly have chapters–as in more than one–of […]
Skin and Bone (2019) TA Moore (Digging Up Bones) Oh Cloister. You deserve to be treated well. Damnit. Cloister had been more than happy to make a fool of himself over Javi the last few months, up until he decided to see what would happen if he screwed everything up instead. He couldn’t even remember […]
Bone to Pick (2017) TA Moore (Digging Up Bones) Cloister Witte is a K9 deputy. He also has a problem with authority and recurring nightmares from his childhood. He was tanned the color of whiskey, and his hair was wet and honey streaked, dripping onto his shoulders. Ink scrawled up over his ribs, but the […]
Inspector Hobbes and the Gold Diggers (2014) Wilkie Martin The third Inspector Hobbes / Unhuman book. Andy Caplet is still living with Hobbes, and slowly (slowly) becoming a better human. Hobbes might not be human, but he’s good at being human. We finally discover things about Hobbes! ‘I expect,’ said Sid, with a glance at […]
Reasonable Doubt (2018) Gregory Ashe Ugh again with the editing issues. Somers freaks out when he discovers a twelve minute phone call that Hazard will make a couple chapters later. Years ago my husband and I watched Fight Club and Snatch, and after that we joked about only watching a movie if Brad Pitt got […]
Guilt by Association (2018) Gregory Ashe Wow. Lots of things that irritated me in the previous book were fixed here with a vengeance. (H)e’d suffered from periods of severe headaches. Over the last six weeks, bruises and abrasions had healed; the gunshot wound to his shoulder and the deep slice across his palm had closed; […]
Paternity Case (2018) Gregory Ashe So. Many. Editing errors. And yet: I keep reading. First, I really really like Nico. “You could have helped him.” Somers gave Hazard an indignant look. “He’s right. You could have helped me.” “Nobody can help you.” … Emery, will you please iron his shirt?” “Hell no.” “Emery Hazard.” “He’s […]
Transposition (2018) Gregory Ashe Emery Hazard and his partner, John-Henry Somerset, are a mess. I’m making steak a lo pobre. And potatoes. And salad.” Stomach rumbling, Hazard said, “I’ll take the first two.” “And a salad. I’ve seen your refrigerator. Do you and Somers even own anything that grew in the sun?” “Does hamburger count?” […]
Pretty Pretty Boys (2017) Gregory Ashe Emery Hazard is given the choice of being fired or being sent home to join the Wahredua police force. Emery decides to take the opportunity to discover what really happened to his friend Jeff Langham, who died when they were in high school. Once, after escaping from his house, […]
Unto Us a Son Is Given (2019) Donna Leon Brunetti’s father-in-law is worried about a friend, and asks Guido to see if his concerns are justified. ‘Gonzalo’s my best friend. We were at boarding school together.’ He looked across at Brunetti and said, unable to restrain his surprise, ‘My God, it was more than sixty […]
Rivers of London Vol. 7: Action at a Distance (2018) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Brian Williamson Set in 2016. When these comics first started, I think that Ben Aaronovitch had a lot of extra material he couldn’t fit in the books. I think that he’s probably used up that material, because these last several comics […]
All the World’s an Undead Stage (2018) Angel Martinez The conclusion to the Offbeat Crimes series (or at least the story arc of who has been targeting Precinct 77) concludes with us going back to Carrington and Erasmus, who are happy enough together, although neither has said the “L” word yet. “Did you skip lunch […]
Jackalopes and Woofen-Poofs (2017) Angel Martinez Alex and the rest of the 77th are dealing with the fall out from the last book, when Kash destroyed the magical working that was creating the attack dust bunnies. Jason’s work is fine, but his family remains a big problem. Paul took five uncomfortable seconds to pounce. “You […]
Feral Dust Bunnies (2017) Angel Martinez I’m glad I purchased this book with the previous, because otherwise I might have ended the series there and that would have been a shame, because this story was great. Alex Wolf is an officer in Precinct #77. Like the others, he’s strange. Weird. When he was little, he […]
Fair Chance (2017) Josh Lanyon Elliot Mills and Tucker Lance are settling into something akin to domestic bliss. Things are still uncomfortable with Roland, after they put his father’s good friend and old radical partner in jail for murder. Elliot must have looked fairly horror-struck because Tucker laughed. “Listen, your father gets caught up in […]
Fair Play (2014) Josh Lanyon Elliot and Tucker are mostly settled down, although they still have the trial stemming from the last case to deal with. Tucker reached over, finding Elliot’s hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing his knuckles. “Can we not talk serial killers before bed?” When Elliot gets a call in […]
Fair Game (2010) Josh Lanyon Elliot Mills loved being in the FBI–until a shootout left him unfit for anything but a desk job. The pain after his knee replacement had been excruciating, beyond anything he’d imagined or previously experienced, barring the original experience of getting kneecapped. Yes, I did shudder when I read that. Now […]
Circle of the Moon (2019) Faith Hunter This book is set after the last Jane Yellowrock book, Dark Queen, but I’m not 100% clear on the time-line, which was problematic. As best I can tell, this is far enough after the big events that Jane has gone to ground to heal, which is why neither […]
The Pill Bugs of Time (2016) Angel Martinez This is the second half of Kyle and Vikash’s story, told from Vikash’s POV. Why are these two characters fun? Because they are ridiculously geeky–and proud of it. “Should get an Odo bucket,” Vikash murmured. “A what?” Kyle chuckled into his coffee. “Seriously, Carr? You never watched […]
Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters (2016) Angel Martinez Kyle Monroe has been a cop at the 77th precinct for several months, when he is assigned a new partner: the extremely stoic and handsome Vikash Soren. He wants to dislike Vikash, but instead falls for him–which is a terrible idea, since they’re partners. This is a […]
Hexbreaker (2016) Jordan L. Hawk Tom Halloran is a cop hiding a past that would get him thrown in jail–if not executed. Cicero is a familiar without a witch, and his time to remain in that state with the MWP is growing short, which means he may need to accept any witch or find his […]
The Overnight Kidnapper (2015/2019) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli The 23rd Inspector Montalbano book. The joy of these stories isn’t the mysteries, although they are never bad, but the time spent with Montalbano and all those around him. Like Catarella. “Fazio in?” “Nah, Chief, ’e’s atta scene o’ the kidnappin’ insomuch as the guy’s […]
Inspector Hobbes and the Curse (2013) Wilkie Martin This is the second Inspector Hobbes book. Weirdly, I still can’t decided how I feel about this series. It’s very silly, but it sometimes feels like it’s trying too hard to achieve that silliness. Wolfifesting is the process whereby a werewolf transforms into wolf form; it’s the […]
Lies Sleeping (2018) Ben Aaronovitch This is the seventh Rivers of London novel. And it’s set in 2014, because the story moved slower than real publishing time. You can read this if you haven’t read the novella or comics, but if you haven’t read the previous books? Forget it. The story opens with the following […]
The Phoenix Illusion (2018) Lisa Shearin The 6th SPI Files book finds Mac and and her friends celebrating when a house suddenly appears in an empty lot–and catches on fire. More distressingly, the house that appeared is Rake’s, and it’s from his homeworld (which isn’t Earth). First, Mac remains one of my favorite fictional law […]
The Hanging Tree, Audio Edition (2017) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith Now I’m all caught up on Peter Grant and ready to read the newest book. One of Lady Ty’s daughters has gotten into trouble, and she has called Peter to ask for his help in solving a problem. “Peter,” said Lady Ty, “Nightingale […]
The Furthest Station, Audio Edition (2017) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith This actually comes after The Hanging Tree, but I ended up reading it prior, and it didn’t matter. This is a novella that features Abigail as much as it does Peter, which I really enjoyed, since I love little bits, like this conversation […]
Inspector Hobbes and the Blood (2013) Wilkie Martin I actually had a great deal off trouble with this book. At the start of the story, the narrator is an idiot AND rather unlikable. Unlikable enough that about a third of the way through I was thinking, “if this guy remains this much of an asshole […]
Rivers of London Vol. 6: Water Weed (2018) Ben Aaranovitch Andrew Cartmel These are getting more and more frustrating, because they’re become less good with each comic story-line. The problem is that the stories aren’t forwarding the story or the characters at all–they’re just what the characters happen to be working on while he’s writing […]
Foxglove Summer, Audio Edition (2014) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith The fifth Rivers of London book. Lesley is gone. Peter is a mess, but doesn’t realize it. So Nightingale sends him out to the country. If I’d been about four ranks higher up the hierarchy I’d have regarded it as an opportunity to realize […]
Broken Homes, Audio Version (2013) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith First, we meet Varvara Sidorovna. “Nochnye Koldunyi,” said Nightingale. “A Night Witch.” “Is that like a person or another thing?” asked Lesley. “Like Peter’s Pale Lady?” “A type of Russian practitioner,” said Nightingale. “Recruited during the war, the training had a very narrow scope. […]
Whispers Under Ground, Audio Edition (2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith The third book finds Lesley May moved into the Folly, having become the newest apprentice (it’s understood this is allows only because of the damage done to her in the first book). A body is found in the Underground, and as much as […]
A Blunt Instrument (1938) Georgette Heyer The 4th Inspector Hannasyde mystery. Ernest Fletcher seems to have been a likable man, so his death–bludgeoned to death in his story–came as a surprise to everyone. The obvious suspect is his nephew Neville, his heir who seems to owe money to everyone, and who was heard to have […]
Moon Over Soho, Audio Edition (2011/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith This is a story about jazz vampires. “You can’t die of jazz,” said Dr. Walid. “Can you?” I thought of Fats Navarro, Billie Holiday, and Charlie Parker who, when he died, was mistaken by a coroner for a man twice his real age. […]
They Found Him Dead (1937) Georgette Heyer The third Inspector Hannasyde mystery. This one I was pretty sure who the murderer, even if I couldn’t figure out why. Or quite how the second murder was managed. Silas Kane is found dead the day after his 60th birthday celebration. He’s survived by his mother, and a […]
Behold, Here’s Poison (1936) Georgette Heyer The second Inspector Hannasyde mystery. Gregory Matthews is found dead in his bed one morning, with a terrible look up on his face. Everyone assumes it’s a natural death, except for his sister who insists upon an autopsy. The list of possible culprits is quite large, especially since two […]
Death in the Stocks (1935) Georgette Heyer This is, as best I can tell, set around the time it was published, the mid 1930s. What I found fascinating was that I was totally unable to pin down the time. I was pretty sure it was post WWI, but wasn’t quite certain. I think the police […]
Midnight Riot, Audio Edition (2011/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith I finished all the Nightside books that I own, and instead of buying the next book (none of them are available at my library) I decided to re-listen to the Rivers of London series, since there is a new book. I do love this […]