New Tricks (2008) John Levitt I really wanted to like this book. I enjoyed the first book, and was pleased when John Levitt came by to tell me I had misinterpreted something, which had affected my opinion of the book. The problem this time was that I knew quite quickly who the bad guy was. […]
Bangkok Haunts (2007) John Burdett Once again we return to Bangkok where Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is investigating another murder. A stuff film has appeared in Bagkok, and as the body of the prostitute has also appeared, it is apparent this is truly a film of her death. Sonchai is investigating–even against the orders of Colenol […]
Break No Bones (2006) Kathy Reichs Tempe Brennan is teaching a special summer anthropology course and running a dig in Charleston, South Carolina when her students discover bones that are not ancient, but are instead relatively fresh–a corpse that’s appeared in the last decade instead of the last millennium. Things get even more complex when […]
The Graveyard Book (2008) Neil Gaiman Nobody Owens lives in a graveyard. I’ve known this for quite awhile. You see, I read Neil Gaiman’s blog, and he’d been talking about The Graveyard Book long before he every got around to writing it. So I knew there would one day be a book about a boy […]
Making Money (2007) Terry Pratchett I always love Terry Pratchett’s books. Which is why I’ll never understand why I put off reading them. My guess is that I want to save them for a time when I want a new book to read that I know is going to be good. And Discworld books always […]
Brimstone Kiss (2008) Carole Nelson Douglas I’ve had Brimstone Kiss on my shelves for awhile, but had put off reading it. Now I know why. The fastest way an author can piss me off is to leave me hanging at the end of a book. Guess what Carole Nelson Douglas did at the end of […]
On the Prowl (2007) Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks, Karen Chance, Sunny Wow. Talk about a mixed bag. I read and thoroughly enjoyed the first two stories. I started the last two and thought, “meh.” But then realized that to review the book I had to finish all four stories. I should have trusted my first […]
A Kiss Before the Apocalypse (2008) Thomas E. Sniegoski I first came across Remy Chandler when I read the anthology Mean Streets. Thomas Sniegoski wrote the closing story, and I ended up reading that story in a single sitting. Remy Chandler is a private detective. And an angel. Except that he’s been on extended leave […]
The Devil You Know (2006) Mike Carey “I don’t know what I want to read.” Peruses bookshelves. “I remember buying The Devil You Know, why haven’t I read it yet?” Reads first paragraph. “Hmmm….” Hours later. “Wow!” First off, I believe this was shelved in the mystery section, which is part of why I put […]
Black Cherry Blues (1989) James Lee Burke Dave Robicheaux is an ex-cop and an alcoholic and a widower with an adopted daughter. He remains haunted by the murder of Annie, and now spends his time running his own small business–a boat dock in New Iberia on the Bayou where he also sells bait and food. […]
Spell Games (2009) T.A. Pratt I am annoyed. One of my least favorite things in the world is when a book ends with a major story arc unresolved, where you are left hanging to wait for the next book in the series. Guess what Tim Pratt did? Did I mention how much I hate it […]
The Hellfire Conspiracy (2007) Will Thomas Barker and Llewelyn are pulled into an ugly case–girls are going missing and then later turning up violated and dead. There seems to be a connection–however tenuous–to Charity Organization Society. Once again Llewelyn falls in love, and once again he gets beat up–although this time it’s truly his own […]
The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006) Michael Pollan I picked up The Omnivore’s Dilemma a year or so ago, and it sat by the bed, waiting to be read for the longest time. However, once I gave up trying to finish Herodotus, I started to enjoy reading non-fiction again, and was able to pick-up and read The […]
The Devil’s Right Hand (2007) Lilith Saintcrow Dante Valentine has been living in Toscano with Japhrimel, slowly recovering from the events in Dead Man Rising. Unfortunately for her, relaxation and recovery are about to come to a screeching halt when she receives a summons from the Devil himself. This book had a very different feel […]