The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories (2015) Ian Rankin This is a collection of all the Inspector Rebus short stories. ‘Dead and Buried’ (2013) ‘Playback,’ ‘The Dean Curse,’ ‘Being Frank,’ ‘Concrete Evidence,’ ‘Seeing Things,’ ‘A Good Hanging,’ ‘Tit for Tat,’ ‘Not Provan,’ ‘Sunday,’ ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ ‘The Gentleman’s Club,’ ‘Monstrous Trumpet’ from A […]
Voice of the Violin, Audible Version (1997/2003/2008) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli narrated by Grover Gardner This book begins the slow and slight redemption of Catarella. “Oh, Chief, I got another streamly impoitant ting to tell ya. Somebody from Montelusa Central called to talk to me in poisson, Inspector Whatsizname, Tontona.” “Tortona.” “Whatever’s ’is […]
The Snack Thief, Audible Version (1996/2003/2007) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli narrated by Grover Gardner The third Inspector Montalbano book. Montalbano’s relationship with Augello is quite antagonistic. Catarella is still an idiot, and although he argues with Livia, their relationships isn’t quite as hostile as it has gotten in later books. When the spaghetti […]
Rivers of London:
Death of a Hollow Man (1989) Caroline Graham The Causton Amateur Dramatic Society is putting on Amadaeus, and its a seething pit of dramas and resentment. He always tried to get home before his wife, not only because she hated finding the house empty but because he looked forward to hearing the continuing saga of […]
The Temptation of Forgiveness (2018) Donna Leon One of Paola’s co-workers comes to Brunetti because she fears her son is using drugs. Elletra seems to have gotten herself into a spot of troupe. Patta wants Brunetti to deak with issues with Scarpa. The instinct to institutional survival stilled Brunetti’s tongue. He waved his hand and […]
The Killings at Badger’s Drift (1987) Caroline Graham Miss Emily Simpson was found dead in her home. An elderly woman, her death didn’t seem suspicious, but her best friend, Miss Lucy Bellringer insists that something was wrong and the death should be investigated. I had very very vague memories of this book. First, that Inspector […]
The Terra Cotta Dog, Audio Edition (1996/2002/2007) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartaelli narrated by Grover Gardner I do enjoy this series, and I’m glad that Michael is enjoying listening to it (since I couldn’t get him to read it). We see Montalbano become fascinated with a murder that happened during WWII–a completely inexplicable tableau. […]
The Myth Manifestation (2018) Lisa Shearin Our world is populated by a greater variety of creatures than we might imagine, from vampires and werewolves to goblins and dwarves and all variety of creatures considered mythical. For these creatures to hide in plain sight, a treaty was hammered out 100 years earlier, to keep fights that […]
The Brimstone Deception, Audio Version (2016) Lisa Shearin narrated by Johanna Parker This is a series that we both listen to on car trips. I generally try to get input as to what Michael wants to listen to (since he’s the driver) but generally it’s me picking a couple books and him choosing one of […]
The Pyramid of Mud (2014/2018) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli Book 22 of the Inspector Montalbano series. At the end of a Beam of Light, Montalbano receives a shock that causes him pain and apparently put Livia into a great depression. Because of the strange publishing of the Montalbano books, this was two novels […]
Jar City (2000/2004/2011) Arnaldur Indridason translated by Bernard Scudder narrated by George Guidall This ended up being the next book to listen to in the car. Michael doesn’t love mysteries as much as I do, but he does enjoy them, so I decided to try this one, since I do love this story. First, this […]
Bangkok Tattoo (2005) John Burdett narrated by Paul Boehmer I had all but forgotten this story. (To be honest, I kept thinking bits from other books belonged here. I was wrong.) I remembered this book as being better than I found it this time around. Not to say it was bad, but it was far […]
Bangkok 8, Audio Version (2003) John Burdett narrated by Paul Boehmer I’ve been meaning to go back though this series for awhile, so when I had to take a break from the Spenser books for awhile, I decided that the Bangkok 8 series was what I wanted to listen to. Interestingly, it’s been long enough […]
Rivers of London: Vol. 4 Detective Stories (2017) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Luis Guerrero, Lee Sullivan The fourth Rivers of London comic finds Peter being interviewed to become a detective. The gentleman interviewing him is a bit unprepared for what he’s about to get. There is a lot to love about this comic. First off, […]
Volatile Bonds (2017) Jaye Wells One of the things I like about kindle books is that you can mark typos and other errors and submit them. Does this information go anywhere? Probably not, but it makes me feel better. The editing of this book was so bad that I didn’t bother submitting errors, because I […]
A Rare Book of Cunning Device, Audio Short Story (2017) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith This is a Peter Grant short story, available only as an audible short story (currently free). Oh My Dog I love this so much. Peter is summoned to the London British Library because the library (who knew his mother) […]
Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? Audio Edition (2016) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch Quill’s group is in trouble. After events in the last book, Ross is abrely acknowledging Costain’s existence, Quill is obsessed with the sign outside Hell, and Lofthouse is finally looking into resolving her own problems. The three other members of his team […]
The Severed Streets (2015) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (Shadow Police) Even though I *knew* the big surprise of this story, it still came as a shock when it happened. This is an amazing entry into this series, and the narrator continues to do a fabulous job. Published by Audible Studios Rating: 9/10
Rivers of London: Detective Stories #3: Cry Me a River (2017) by Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan, Luis Guerrero This one is actually a murder mystery–a ghost is trying to get his murder resolved, even though most of the principals died long ago. Because Peter can talk to the ghost, he looks into it. […]
Rivers of London: Detective Stories #2: Old Soldiers (2017) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan, Luis Guerrero, Gary Erskine, Yel Zamor This story takes place before Leslie left the Folly to join the Faceless Man. They are called to an art gallery not because of a theft, but because a painting appeared–an authentic Goya. This […]
A Nest of Vipers (2013/2017) Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli (written in 2008) Cosimo Barletta has been found shot in his beach house, but the murder is strange–stranger than a normal murder–and the dead man was so horrible there seem to be too many suspects to count. “(H)ow did you explain to your father […]
Rivers of London Volume 3: Black Mould (2017) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan I read these as ebooks, but being able to read on paper made a surprisingly huge difference. It’s possible I picked up on more things because it was the second read, but I think it’s because I could read it as […]
The Furthest Station (2017) Ben Aaronovitch My current theory is that the reason the previous novel took so long to come out was because it was too long, and a lot had to come out, and that material has made up the comics and this novella. Sounds good anyway. This is a Rivers of London […]
Rivers of London: Detective Stories #4.1 (2017) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan, Luis Guerrero, Mack Chater I am… confused by this. This is Detective Stories #4.1 and it just came out. Rivers of London: Detective Stories #2 comes out July 12. Rivers of London: Detective Stories #3 comes out August 9th. All I can […]
The Shape of Water, Audible Version (1994/2006) Andrea Camilleri narrated by Grover Gardner I’ve been trying for years to convince Michael to read Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano series. Finally, on a long drive, he agreed to listen to the audio book. He liked it. Just as I knew he would. At first, it felt weird […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]