Black Diamond by Martin Walker

Black Diamond is the third of the Bruno Courreges series.  Bruno, the beloved Chief of Police in the small village of St. Denis, has such charm.  I'm glad to continue this series, although I haven't read the first one, I really enjoyed The Dark Vineyard, reviewed here.

The black diamond, or winter black truffle, is often referred to as the Perigord truffle.  Bruno is an avid truffle hunter and is establishing his own "truffle orchard"  with the help of his expert friend Hercule.  When he is asked to investigate some irregularities in the truffle market, he finds himself learning more about the economic and political influence of truffles.

Where to start on this novel?  There are several sub-plots that Walker manages to connect with great skill:  corruption in the truffle market, the murder of his good friend, Asian gangs, illegal immigration and human trafficking, environmental, political, and cultural differences.

Yet it all works and flows together sensibly.  In addition to all of the above, there is some fascinating information about truffles and some interesting French history (from Viet Nam to Algeria to Bosnia) easily incorporated.  And...the food!  Oh, I'm not a gourmand, but Bruno and his friends are, and the meals delight to the point of making my mouth water.

Good characterization, an interesting plot--I'm more a fan of Bruno, Chief of Police than ever.

Fiction.  Mystery/Crime.  2011.  320 pages.

In the Mail

The Pub Across the Pond by Mary Carter.  From a Bookish Librarian--Thanks, Deborah!  A disillusioned young woman buys a raffle ticket to own a pub in Ireland...and wins.  Sounds like fun!

ARCs:

If You Ever Need Me, I Won't Be Far Away by Bruce Farrell Rosen; a memoir of award-winning writer Bruce Farrell Rosen--some very positive reviews.

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore; will be released for sale Jan. 31; a mystery-- an appraiser of books for an auction house, an old estate in Norfolk with a wonderful library and some very valuable books on astronomy to be evaluated.  Yes, I like all of the elements!

Bring Me One of Everything by Leslie Hall Pindar

(I've begun this one--I've already flagged a couple of pages for quotes!  Love her writing.)  Canadians might be especially interested in this one.  "The title of the book is based on what the management of the Smithsonian is said to have demanded when sending ethnographers to native villages to gather artifacts for its collection: "Bring me one of everything."

Mr. Langshaw's Square Piano:  The Story of the First Pianos and How They Caused a Cultural Revolution by Madeline Goold;  nonfiction; "A handwritten note inside a neglected Broadwood square piano built in 1807 leads Madeline Goold on a quest to uncover the remarkable history of these now almost forgotten musical instruments."

I've also ordered a few used books from Amazon that have been on my wish list for a while.  Oh, and there are still library books that I haven't gotten through.

What books are in your TBR pile?

The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

The Hypnotist is a Scandinavian crime novel by a husband and wife team.  Reviews on the book are pretty evenly divided.  While I had several problems with the book, I still read through it avidly.

The book opens with a gruesome triple murder and the only survivor is so severely injured that he may not survive.  Detective Joona Linna asks Dr. Erik Bark to hypnotize fifteen-year-old Josef to get some information about the killer.  The information gleaned from Josef gives the case a surprising turn.

One of the problems with the book is that one of the plot lines feels abandoned (and was never quite clear on certain details) when the second plot line takes over.  The protagonist doesn't have much of a role in the first half of the novel, and several plot elements seem over-the-top.  Details of police procedure seem haphazard and unlikely, as do certain hospital details.  The book "feels" like it was written by two different people, and perhaps should have been two separate books.  Some writing teams manage to make everything coalesce; other aren't quite as successful.

Nevertheless, I did find the book a page turner.  I liked Joona Linna, the detective, and would have preferred that he play a larger role throughout the book.  The main characters were well-drawn, and although Josef and his sister Evelyn were a pretty thin, Erik Bark, his wife, son, and father-in-law develop nicely (if not entirely believably).

If the author(s) would tone down some of the violence and shock value stuff, give Joona Linna more attention, and tighten up the plots, I would enjoy seeing this become a series.  As it is, it doesn't meet the standards set by other translated Scandinavian crime novels.

Fiction.  Scandinavian/Crime/Police Procedural.  2011.  528 pages.

Now, I Can Begin a New Reading Year

Ahhhh, it feels better to have finally finished reviewing all of the 2011 reads.  And my reading this month is picking up after a long January dry spell.

Still reading 1Q84 by Murakami, reading Black Diamond by Martin Walker, and re-reading The Dyer's Hand and Other Essays by W.H. Auden after reading Stefanie's  posts (and enjoying it as much as the first time).

Finished The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler, another Scandinavian crime novel.  It has some problems, but it certainly kept my interest!

Started The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson, but it wasn't keeping my interest, so I set it aside for a while.  I know a lot of people really liked it, so I'm sure eventually it will get my full attention.

I'm going to fix myself a cuppa and read this evening.  Sounds like a plan to me.  :)

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

 Clockwork Prince is the sequel to Clockwork Angel (which I reviewed here).  A little steam punk (in the best way--there are real characters and a plot--which much of the steam punk fiction I've read simply fails to provide), action, romance, mystery, literary references, and Victorian atmosphere blend well in Clare's latest installment in her Infernal Devices series.  The Shadowhunters continue to battle evil and are darn cute while doing it.

When Benedict Lightwood seeks to unseat Charlotte as head of The Institute, everyone must step up to prevent her replacement.  Charlotte has been given two weeks to locate the Magister, and in the search for this arch villain, we learn more about Will's background and see Tessa and Jem grow much closer.  Will begins to open up and let his defenses down just as Tessa and Jem are beginning a romance.  Oh, those pesky triangles.

I could do with a little less emphasis on the romance--don't get me wrong, it is crucial to the dynamics of the story, but in a Victorian society, I think there would be fewer situations in which a young woman would risk so much.  So... there were a few minor details that were a bit annoying (Tessa's admiration for Will's looks gets repetitive;  I have to admit that Will sounds gorgeous, but Jem is nothing to sneer at either).

Nice touch-- the Warlock Magnus Bain and the connection to the Aesthetes.  There are plenty of references to books and poetry, and Will's love of books and reading increases my regard for this bad boy.

The series is YA fiction, but I've enjoyed it very much so far and look forward to the newest addition due out in 2013.  That's a long wait, folks.
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Last review of books read in 2011!  Finally!

Fiction.  YA, Steam punk, Fantasy.  2011.  528 pages.

Wicked Autumn by G. M. Malliet

Wicked Autumn  is a cozy mystery featuring Max Tudor, a former MI5 agent turned Anglican priest.  Sound intriguing?  I wish I'd found it so, but I didn't even find it very interesting.

Few of the characters come to life.  There are quite a few characters as almost everyone in the village has had some kind of conflict with the bossy, manipulative Wanda Batton-Smythe, who is so annoying that it is hard to work up any sympathy concerning her demise.  If you don't care about the victim, then it is even more important to care about the other characters, but I couldn't drum up much enthusiasm for any of them either.

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Next to last review of 2011 books!  Almost done!

Fiction.  Mystery/Cozy.  2011.  320 pages.

Where the Shadows Lie by Michael Ridpath

Where the Shadows Lie  offers lots of Icelandic atmosphere.  When Magnus Jonson, a Boston police officer, finds himself the target of a drug cartel, his boss seconds him to the Iceland police force which has requested someone with experience to aid them with their own rising drug and gang related crime.  Magnus, born in Iceland, and with duel citizenship, fits the bill.  The assignment would also keep him safe from the cartel's attempts to eliminate him before he can testify at the trial that would seriously damage the cartel.

On his arrival in Iceland, he is assigned to the recent murder of a professor  of Icelandic myth and legends.  Magnus doesn't exactly fit in with the Icelandic force and makes mistakes, but does find himself involved with a beautiful woman who has a definite connection to an ancient Icelandic saga that her family has kept secret for generations and, through her father's friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien, a link to the reason for the professor's murder.

Lots of interesting details about the myths and sagas of Iceland (that Tolkien studied and admired and used in his own LOTR work).  Myth and murder and Magnus' personal quest to find his father's murderer all intertwine.

 "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie...."

LOTR fans will find this one interesting for more reasons than the mystery aspect.

Fiction.  Mystery.  2011.  352 pages.

The Cuckoo's Child by Marjorie Eccles

The Cuckoo's Child is a historical mystery set in 1909.  When Laura Harcourt is offered a position cataloging a library in a small Yorkshire village, she accepts partly because she needs some time to consider what her own direction in life is to be.  Laura comes from a wealthy family, but longs for a life of independence and purpose; a removal from her current life might give her time to determine her own path.

When Ainsley Beaumont, the elderly man who hired her, is murdered, Laura discovers that he has left her a small fortune in his will.  Laura realizes that her employment was much more deliberate than she had imagined and sets out to discover why Ainsley Beaumont hired her in the first place.  (Well, of course, we have a definite clue from the title, but Laura must discover the truth of her situation for herself.)

Some history must be unraveled for Laura to find the answers she needs, and she already has one clue in a partial manuscript that she had discovered in Beaumont's library.  At first it was a matter of general curiosity, but after Beaumont's death, Laura recognizes that the  manuscript has personal significance.

Fiction.  Historical Mystery.  2012. 240 pages.

:)  So this is what they get up to!


Thanks, Nancy!
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Recently watched When Paris Was a Woman, a documentary of the literary and artistic scene in Paris between the two World Wars:

 "Between the World Wars, Paris was the world's artistic capital, attracting cultural titans like Gertrude Stein and others. Through home movies and intimate storytelling, this documentary re-creates the mood of this unique female artistic community."  


One particularly interesting aspect was the information about Shakespeare & Company (the original bookstore opened by Sylvia Beach in 1919, not the later one opened by George Whitman).  Another thing that was interesting was the flourishing of the lesbian community in Paris in the twenties and thirties.  Who'd a thought.

The behavior of James Joyce surprised and disappointed me, but many of the most influential writers of the time found support at Shakespeare & Company and many supported the book store in return.
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Two more reviews down, but I still have a few more 2011 books to review and hope to finish them by tomorrow.

The Moon Maze Game by Larry Niven & Steven Barnes

The Moon Maze Game is the third in the Dream Park series.  A detail that I wasn't aware of when I added the book to my library bag.  I have enjoyed previous Larry Niven books, even some he wrote with other authors--not this one, however.

The plot centers on live action role playing, as previously described in earlier books in the series.  I don't know if those books were better written and/or had better plots and characterization because I haven't read them.  From the beginning I found the skipping around from the characters on earth and those in the lunar colony a distraction, jumpy in a way that felt unnecessary and lacking in continuity.  From the less than compelling beginning...it moved into a less than compelling middle and end.

There are almost two plots.  Almost--because the plot about the designer of the game and his goals peters out almost immediately.  The plot about the kidnappers who enter the game setting was supposed to be exciting, but was actually tedious and lacked suspense.

 I would read a little and then put it aside and read another book, then come back to it, but I finally finished it (when I'd run out of other books to read) without ever becoming involved with plot or characters.

Fiction.  Science Fiction.  2011.  368 pages.

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

Me Before You  was an ARC from Penguin, UK.

I've been unable to find a good way to describe the book, so I'll begin with a product synopsis:

Synopsis

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

All the way through the book, I enjoyed the characters and their experiences, marveling at the way Moyes balanced an accurate description concerning details of a quadriplegic's life and the struggle Lou has in her attempt to improve Will's situation.  Plenty of light moments  offset the grimness of certain aspects of Will's life, and Moyes manages to include both humor and grim reality without becoming maudlin or sentimental.  

Let's face it, the life of a quadriplegic is a struggle for survival with so many medical issues in play.  Will is often angry and sarcastic and depressed, but Lou's presence in his life keeps him interested.  Moyes handles the subject with sensitivity and tackles some serious issues concerning freedom of choice.

Lou and Will are characters worth meeting, their stories are interesting, and although there may be tears, overall, the novel is uplifting.

Fiction.  2012.  481 pages.

Long Absence

I still haven't reviewed the rest of the books from 2011.  It has become a challenge, and I'm determined finish those reviews before the week is out.

In the meantime, I haven't finished a single book in 2012.  Nearly two weeks without finishing a book!  Almost unheard of around here.  I have been reading 1Q84 and enjoying it, but it sits alone and neglected most of the time; the new year is certainly getting a slow start.  Last year, I read 160 books, a new record for me.   This year, however, I hope to read fewer books, read better books, and read more nonfiction.  That is the goal at least.

So what have I been doing that has taken up reading time?  Making prayer flags, eco dyeing, embroidering (while watching the UK version of Being Human and Stephen Fry's Kingdom), and sculpting or finishing up a couple of dolls.

Autumn is finally finished.  She languished half dressed for at least a month, maybe more, before I made her trousers.

Getting ready to make prayer flags.  The strips are 5 x 11", then the top is folded down to make a passage for the twine to pass through.  Finished size is 5 x 8" -- I have 8 in progress now.  Check out the Prayer Flag Project for more information about prayer flags and check  here to see examples.  Jotted down possible embroidery designs on an envelope; I'm using some of my eco dyed fabrics, linen, and muslin for the flags -- raw edges, unsophisticated style.

eco dyed blues from, of all things, red cabbage

This lady now has a cap and white hair.

Experimenting with fly stitch and blanket stitch variations on Prayer Flag #1.

I've also been taking some Yang style tai chi classes.  Haven't done tai chi in several years and learned Wu style originally; the differences may be small, but are difficult.  My body wants to convert movements to Wu style and needs frequent reprimanding, but I'm enjoying the larger, looser movements of Yang.

After a long holiday break, I'm also trying to get back to my yoga classes.  Both tai chi and yoga are good for both body and spirit, and I always feel lighter after classes.

Fee and I went to see Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy this past weekend.  It has been so long since I've read LeCarre that all I could remember about the novel were George Smiley and Karla--not a bit of the plot.  Of course, I read it in the late 70's or 80's and when I can barely remember what I wore yesterday, it isn't surprising that the plot seemed brand new!

OK - back to my original thought:  I will finish reviewing last year's books by the end of the week.  Fingers crossed.

Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser

Mind's Eye , translated by Laurie Thompson, is the first  in the Inspector Van Veeteren series by Nesser; so now I've read three novels in this series.

When Janek Mitter awakens one morning with a serious hangover, he finds the bathroom door locked from the inside.  His wife doesn't answer, so Mitter uses a screwdriver to open the door and finds his wife drowned, face down, in the bathtub.

Although he vehemently denies having murdered his wife, Mitter has no memories after a certain point in the previous evening.  Van Veeteren thinks it is likely that Janek Mitter is guilty, but he admits that he isn't completely convinced.  Van Veeteren attends Mitter's trial, still vaguely bothered about the crime, and although Mitter is convicted and sentenced to a mental institution, Van Veeteren remains uneasy about the man's guilt.

When someone stays after visiting hours at the mental institution and murders Mitter, Van Veeteren enters the investigation with renewed determination.

Why was Eva Mitter murdered and what prompted the killer to wait so long to murder Janek Mitter, when he could have done so at the same time he killed Eva?  The answers lie in the past and Van Veeteren's only clue is a letter Janek Mitter wrote shortly before his death.

In order of their original publication (although not in order of English translations):

Mind's Eye
Borkman's Point
The Return
Woman with a Birthmark
The Inspector and Silence

I've read the titles in italics and look forward to reading Borkman's Point and The Inspector and Silence which have also been translated.

Fiction.  Crime/Mystery/Police Procedural.  orig. publ. 1993.  Eng. trans.  2008.  277 pages.

The Hand that Trembles by Kjell Eriksson

The Hand that Trembles is translated by Ebba Segerberg and features Swedish Inspector Ann Lindell.  I've read one other novel by Eriksson that features Lindell, The Princess of Burundi and didn't have any strong feelings one way or the other about it  (I read it in 2006).  I liked this one better.

The Hand that Trembles begins in 1956 with the relationship between the boy Sven-Arne Persson and his Uncle Ante who fought the fascists in Spain.  The relationship is unusually strong, but not always easy.

 As a middle-aged adult, Sven-Arne has become a county commissioner with the reputation of a man to watch for further political achievement.  Then one day, he walks out of a meeting and disappears.  The case remains unsolved, but no reason for suicide, kidnapping, or just abandoning his wife is uncovered.  Twelve years later, the son of a neighbor recognizes Sven-Arne in Bangladore, India.

Back in Sweden, Ann Lindell is disturbed that her mentor in the police department has become old and discouraged after surgery for a brain tumor.  She tries to interest him in the Sven-Arne case when the reports of his sighting in India become known.  Berglund remembers the case, but isn't terribly interested.  He decides to delve into one his own unsolved cases involving the murder of an old man in a wheel chair, a cold case that has continued to haunt him.

In the meantime, Lindell is assigned to an investigation involving the discovery of a severed foot in a lonely rural area where the few inhabitants know each other well, yet remain somewhat isolated from each other.  Her investigation meets a lack of response from the inhabitants, who deny knowing of any missing woman in the area.  The foot definitely belonged to a small woman, but how did it end up in this small rural community, who was she, and who killed her?

In the midst of the different investigations, Ann Lindell attempts to come to grips with her own life as a single mother, with her sense of abandonment by her mentor who is not recovering emotionally as quickly as she would like, and with some differences in views among her colleagues.

The various strands and investigations are eventually tied together or resolved separately according to the situation.  There are a quite a few threads to this novel, many involving the sense of separation and aloneness that the characters are experiencing.  Whether or not they are physically isolated, many of the characters are emotionally isolated in some way.

Fiction.  Mystery/Police Procedural/Crime.  2011.  310 pages.

I have one more Scandinavian author to review (Hakan Nesser's Mind's Eye), a mystery set in Iceland by an English author (Where the Shadows Lie by Michael Ridpath),  a historical English mystery (The Cuckoo's Child by Marjorie Eccles), and an ARC that I'm not sure how to classify (Me Before You by JoJo Moyes).  Then I'll be finished with this year's reviews!

Until Thy Wrath Be Past by Asa Larsson

Until Thy Wrath Be Past by Asa Larsson; translator: Laurie Thompson, who has translated Henning Mankell, Hakan Nesser, and Ake Edwardson.  Another Rebecka Martinsson mystery, Until Thy Wrath Be Past begins with seventeen-year-old Wilma describing the day she and Simon died.

Wilma's voice is so charming that I couldn't help but form an attachment to her character immediately.  Although the supernatural element could have presented a problem, Larsson manages to weave it into the story effortlessly, making it feel entirely appropriate and necessary.

Rebecka Martinsson, who has recovered from her last awful outing, has left her old firm and become District Prosecutor for Kiruna, the rural area where Martinsson grew up.   In a period of transition in both her work and her personal life, Martinsson finds herself resisting the pleas of her lover to return to Stockholm.  She knows she has choices to make, but she isn't ready to make them.

When Wilma's body is discovered, Wilma has the strength to move about and is no longer confined under the ice of the river in which she was found.  In keeping with her character, Wilma has plans for solving her murder.  This is never stated implicitly, but Wilma's behavior is obvious. She visits Martinsson in a dream and tells her that she didn't die in the river where she was found.

The next day when Martinsson is informed about the discovery of Wilma's body,  she visits the pathologist and "wonders" if Wilma actually died in the river.  A test of the water in the girl's lungs determines that Wilma died elsewhere and was moved to the river.

The characters are all three-dimensional and the novel has a psychological aspect that works easily in tandem with the supernatural element.  Familiar characters from previous novels appear and gain substance, and Larsson's portrayal of one of the bad guys creates a surprisingly well-developed character.

Another engrossing thematic thread is one that appears over and over again in Swedish crime fiction--the Swedish collaboration with the Germans during the war.  It appears in the work of Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo, Steig Larsson, Asa Larsson, and others.  Sweden's conflicted/ambiguous position during the war appears to be an unresolved and pervasive issue in Swedish society.

The novel provides some unexpected turns.  Not surprising plot twists that leave you with your mouth open, but rather interesting developments that digress from a straight-line plot sequence.  I did have a quibble about a segment of the resolution, but found it easy to overlook.

Larsson's debut work Sun Storm (original title, The Savage Altar) received the Swedish Crime Writer's Association's prize for best debut novel.  The sequel, The Blood Spilt was chosen as Best Swedish Crime Novel of 2004.  As with all Scandinavian crime fiction that I've read, there is a particular darkness to Larsson's work, but I enjoy them.

Originally, I had titled this post "Three Scandinavian Mysteries," but the review of Until Thy Wrath... became longer than intended (and still just skims the surface), so I'll review the others separately, too.

Fiction.  Crime/Mystery/Police procedural.  2011.  256 pages.

Revenger by Rory Clements

 Revenger  is a historical mystery set in the Elizabethan period.  The novel casts John Shakespeare (Will's older brother) as an "intelligencer" for Sir Francis Walsingham, the great spymaster who gathered intelligence both at home and abroad that might help protect and strengthen Queen Elizabeth's reign.  Walsingham's intelligencers provided information that helped prevent several domestic plots against the queen and also proved extremely useful in foreign diplomacy.

After the death of Walsingham, John Shakespeare retired from the game and now runs a school for boys.  Robert Devereaux, the Earl of Essex, recruits John to  locate a young woman who may be Elizabeth Dare from the vanished Roanoke Colony.  If it is Elizabeth, how did she survive the fate of the rest of the colonists and return to England?

Robert Cecil, who replaced Walsingham as Elizabeth's Secretary of State, then approaches John and requests that John keep a close eye on the Earl of Essex, who may have some dangerous plans of his own.  Cecil and Essex have a personal rivalry, but Cecil has specific suspicions regarding Essex's current activities.

The Catholic/Protestant divisions have a great deal to do with the uncertainty of the times, and Clements addresses the danger of being a Catholic or even having Catholic sympathies during Elizabeth's reign.  Clements also covers many other unpleasant elements of the period:  the double-dealing and intrigue, the use of torture, the violence, the poverty, and the political machinations.  While many of the situations are purely fiction, they give insight into Elizabethan political and social conventions.

Although the explanation about what happened to the Roanoke Colony and about the Earl of Essex's marriage plans are speculative fiction, the novel includes plenty of actual events.

Fiction.  Historical Fiction/Mystery.  2011.  448 pages.

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

The Rose Garden  is both a time travel novel and chic lit.  As much as I love the idea of time travel, I find a lot of fantastical things --magic, fairies, and colonies in outer space-- much easier to accept.  For some reason, I always quibble with time travel.  Not when I read about the possibilities that quantum mechanics hypothesizes; I'm ready to entertain the real possibility, but I find fictional accounts impossible to reconcile.

I liked the setting and liked the characters (almost too many characters were very likable).  If the Cornish smugglers felt a little gentlemanly for their trade, that was OK, too.  And if so many romances worked out well, I can enjoy a few happy endings once in a while.

However, likable as some of the characters are, they felt like placeholders, and the romances were a bit conveniently coincidental. The time travel simply had too many discrepancies--or too few "logical" explanations.

Go ahead and make up a "logical" explanation for what causes the slippage, for the differences in the amount of time spent in past and present, for the arrival in a particular period or location--something more than the house being built on ley lines--and maybe I could suspend my disbelief.

I had no problem reading it, no place that I wanted to walk away without finishing, but neither was it a particularly memorable experience.

Fiction.  Chic Lit.  2011.  430 pages.

3 Mystery/Police Procedurals

A Restless Evil - Ann Granger - from Library Journal: "About 20 years ago, the woods at Lower Story were frequented by a still uncaught serial rapist. Now, shortly after a hiker discovers skeletal remains in the woods, a female churchwarden meets her untimely end in the local church: could the two events be connected? Supt. Alan Markby (Shades of Murder) thinks so, especially since he failed to find a perpetrator in the earlier case. With assistance from lover Meredith, he delves into the rumors and facts surrounding both cases, hoping for a break. This is a rock-solid British village procedural, complete with detailed setting, slightly degenerate denizens, and ongoing personal conflicts. "


Not bad.  I enjoyed it enough to be interested in other Mitchell & Markby mysteries, especially since other reviewers indicate that this is not the best in the series.  If A Restless Evil kept me interested and it wasn't the best, then maybe I'll enjoy others in the series, too.


Fiction.  Mystery/Police Procedural.  300 pages.  2002.

Among the Departed - Vicki Delany.  A constable Molly Smith novel.  When bones are discovered in a wilderness hiking area, an old missing persons case comes back into play.  As it turns out, the bones belong to the father of one Molly's childhood friends.  Brian Nowak's  disappearance fifteen years earlier has left the Nowak family weird and dysfunctional.  Many had written Brian's disappearance off as an escape from his wife, but the bones prove otherwise.


 Nicky Nowak returns home for the funeral, and the small town of Trafalgar, BC must look again at a disappearance that is now classified as a murder.


Fiction.  Mystery/Police Procedural.  277 pages.  2011.

Woman with a Birthmark - Hakan Nesser.  This is the second Inspector Van Veeteren mystery that I've read; only four of his 20 Van Veeteren novels have been translated into English.  I read The Return earlier this year and plan to read all English translations in the series.  


Hmmm.  Just discovered that there are several films based on Nesser's books.  Will be adding to Netflix que.


If you enjoy Scandanavian crime fiction, do give this series a try.  Woman with a Birthmark finds Van Veeteren and his crew confronted with a strange murder and no indication of a motive.  Then another similar murder, and Van Veeteren, Reinhart, and the other detectives begin searching for any connection between the two men.  And then another murder....


Fiction.  Mystery/Police Procedural.  1996.  Trans. 2009.  336 pages.

Two to Skip

Brainrush - Richard Bard - a 99 cent Kindle read.  Product description:  "When terminally ill combat pilot Jake Bronson emerges from an MRI with extraordinary cognitive powers, everyone wants a piece of his talent--including Battista, one of the world's most dangerous terrorists.  To save his love and her autistic child, Jake is thrust into a deadly chase that leads from the canals of Venice through Monte Carlo and finally to an ancient cavern in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan--where Jake discovers that his newfound talents carry a hidden price that threatens the entire human race.

An original weave of current events bound by colorful locations and cutting-edge technology, Bard's novel is a must-read for fans of Michael Crichton, James Rollins, Clive Cussler, and Brad Thor. A dynamic mix of fast-paced action and thought provoking soul, this book challenges the reader to keep pace with every sharp turn and shocking twist. Acclaimed by fans of action, sci-fi, and political thrillers alike, Brainrush is one of the most innovative and entertaining books of the year."

Started out fine, but quickly went downhill.  It has gotten great reviews and was OK for the price (almost free), but the characters had no depth and were sterotypical, the plot was too fantastic and too wide-ranging--from newly discovered brain capabilities to international terrorists to love story.  Oh, yeah, a deeply moving love story based on a few hours acquaintance.  And by the way, the product review mentions the love interest's autistic child, but she has no children.  There are autistic children being experimented on, however, to turn them into terrorists.  blah.

A Dozen Deadly Roses -- Kathy Bennett.  Another 99 cent Kindle.  Oh, when will I learn!  Another superficial and silly disappointment.  Product Description: "Los Angeles Police Officer Jade Donovan is being hunted. There’s the lieutenant who’s out to get her, the psycho who’s stalking her and leaving dead roses at her door, but most frightening of all, she’s been assigned to partner with her son’s father, Mac Stryker. Mac doesn’t know he’s Donnie’s dad, and Jade will stop at nothing to prevent him from finding out and possibly taking away her son. She will protect and defend him at all costs."

Although, once again, the majority of the reviews are positive, read the 2 star reviews to get a better idea of content.

The Tin Ticket: The Heroic Journey of Australia's Convict Women by Deborah J. Swiss

The Tin Ticket is an enthralling examination of the lives of women convicts who were sentenced to deportation to Van Dieman's Land (modern Tasmania) and who, along with the many male convicts, became part of the founding generations of Australia.

The book focuses on four women convicted of minor crimes and sentenced first to the horrors of Newgate prison (Ludlow Tetter's young daughter accompanied her to prison and to Van Dieman's Land), then to the four month sea journey in disgusting conditions, to arrive in Van Dieman's land and be incarcerated in the House of Corrections where they endured hard labor and shocking abuses.

The treatment of the poor in general and poor women and children in particular, the ways in which they were exploited and mistreated may come as a surprise even to Australians who are well aware of the convict past that helped populate the land.  What passed for justice in the UK was often a way to remove the poor from their doorstep and deposit them where slave labor was needed.  "Under the Transportation Act of 1718, 162,000 women, men and children were exiled to Australia from 1788 to 1868."  At least 25,000 exiles were women.


The sentences were generally for seven years.  Seven years of hard labour, mistreatment, sexual abuse, separation from their children, and more, for crimes of petty theft or forgery.  Stealing a loaf of bread to feed one's children could easily mean not only imprisonment, but exile.


My only complaint is the way the author tries to "novelize" certain segments, but her research is thorough and well-documented, the book is informative and fascinating, and the ultimate triumph that many of these women achieved is amazing given the circumstances.


The following video shows some interviews with descendants of some of the women.





This book is another book that I read during October/November and am just now getting around to reviewing.


The Tin Ticket was an ARC from Jocelyn Kelley of Kelley and Hall.  Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book.  


Nonfiction.  History.  2011. 352 pages.

The Affair by Lee Child

The Affair is the latest in Child's Jack Reacher series.  I read this back in October or November, and as anyone who reads this blog knows, Jack Reacher is one of my favorite characters.  Lee Child writes great action-packed adventure and never fails to keep me wanting more Jack Reacher.

The Affair flashes back to Reacher's days as an elite MP and gives insight into the reasons Reacher leaves the military and begins his Paladin-like career as a wanderer.  Sent undercover to find out who murdered a young woman and to do damage control if necessary, Reacher ends up in a small Mississippi town near an army base.  Looking into the current murder, he discovers that it wasn't actually the first by this killer  (how the authorities  fail to connect murders of young women in a fairly short period of time in a small town seems a leetle bit incompetent, but there you go).  Yes, there are certainly elements that recur from book to book and no, the plots aren't always plausible, and yet Lee Child continues to captivate his audience.

This was not my favorite by any means, but it was still a page-turner.

Fiction.  Action/Adventure/Mystery/Suspense.  2011.  416 pages.

Hey girl.

I fell in love with the Handmade Ryan Gosling site only to discover that there is also a Literary Ryan Gosling site and a Librarian Ryan Gosling site!

Veil of Lies by Jerry Westerson (Merely Mystery Challenge)

Veil of Lies is a medieval mystery set in the same period as Cassandra Clark's Sister Hildegard series (The Red Velvet Turnshoe, Hangman Blind, The Law of Angels).  In 1383, Crispin Guest is a disgraced knight, stripped of rank, lands, and possessions after being implicated in a plot against Richard II.  His mentor, John of Gaunt, managed to save his life, but for political reasons abandons Guest to his fate.

Guest has established himself as a man who finds things and has earned the title "The Tracker," but his skills just barely keep him in food and lodging.  In this debut novel, Guest has been hired by a wealthy merchant, but before he could report back, the merchant is found murdered in a locked room.

For various reasons, Guest pursues this new conundrum and finds puzzle after puzzle to pursue.  Crispin Guest is full of flaws and is having serious difficulties connecting with individuals who are so far below his previous rank.  His previous friends (including John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, and Geoffrey Chaucer) are no longer available to him because of his connection to the treasonous plot against the king.  Associating with them would put them in danger.

Chaucer is actually a mere mention, but I have hopes that his character will become more important in the next two novels in this series.

I enjoyed the mystery, and even if I have some criticisms, I look forward to the next one in the series.

First in the Merely Mystery Challenge.



Fiction.  Historical Mystery.  2009.  288 pages.

Merely Mystery

A mystery challenge at Musings of a Bookish Kitty  is right up my alley.  Find out more about the Merely Mystery Reading Challenge 2012.  Check it out and join in!

I love all kinds of mysteries, and this challenge will be a great excuse to indulge myself.  Not that I wouldn't be reading mysteries anyway, but it sounds better if there is a reading challenge to give it gravitas.

5 More Catch-up Reviews

I have gotten so far behind on reviews that using product descriptions, etc. and grouping them together seems the only way to get back on track.


The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen was a Kindle bargain buy.

from Booklist:  When Olivia Keene arrives home to find her father strangling her mother, she picks up the nearest blunt object and bashes him on the head. Fearing that she will be charged with murder, Olivia, with her mother’s help, flees. While en route to a potential position with an old friend of her mother’s, Olivia finds herself caught up in a series of dangerous adventures culminating in her arrival at Brightwell Court, where she accidentally eavesdrops on a conversation between Lord Edward Stanton Bradley and his father, the Earl. Realizing that the information the now speechless Olivia unknowingly possesses could ruin him, Edward insists that she accept a position in his family’s nursery, never expecting that the silent new governess might be his one hope of salvation. Klassen expertly infuses her Regency-set inspirational tale with a gothic atmosphere, resulting in a sweetly intriguing romance worthy of Victoria Holt. --John Charles


My opinon:  :)  I have to say that I enjoyed this romance.  It was a fun read.

A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch was another Kindle bargain read.


from Publisher's Weekly:  Set in England in 1865, Finch's impressive debut introduces an appealing gentleman sleuth, Charles Lenox. When Lady Jane Grey's former servant, Prue Smith, dies in an apparent suicide-by-poisoning, Lady Jane asks Lenox, her closest friend, to investigate. The attractive young maid had been working in the London house of George Barnard, the current director of the Royal Mint. Lenox quickly determines that Smith's death was a homicide, but both Barnard and Scotland Yard resist that conclusion, forcing him to work discreetly. Aided by his Bunter-like butler and friend, Graham, the detective soon identifies a main suspect, only to have that theory shattered by that man's murder. Finch laces his writing with some Wodehousian touches and devises a solution intricate enough to fool most readers. Lovers of quality historical whodunits will hope this is the first in a series. (June) 


My opinion: Yep!  I liked this one, too. I will look for more in this series.  Light, but entertaining.




The Sunday Philosophy Club  -Alexander McCall Smith-

Amazon description:  Introducing Isabel Dalhousie the heroine of the latest bestselling series from the author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Isabel, the editor of the Review of Applied Ethics and an occasional detective, has been accused of getting involved in problems that are, quite frankly, none of her business. In this first installment, Isabel is attending a concert in the Usher Hall when she witnesses a man fall from the upper balcony. Isabel can’t help wondering whether it was the result of mischance or mischief. Against the best advice of her no-nonsense housekeeper Grace, her bassoon playing friend Jamie, and even her romantically challenged niece Cat, she is morally bound to solve this case. Complete with wonderful Edinburgh atmosphere and characters straight out of a Robert Burns poem, The Sunday Philosophy Club is a delightful treat from one of our most beloved authors.


My opinion:  I did NOT find it a delightful treat. I found it annoying and am surprised it didn't go into the DNF file, but I hung in there until the bitter end.

No Trace  by Barry Maitland-- a  Brock and Kolla mystery.

Amazon description:    Cited as one of the top ten crime novels of 2006 (Kirkus Reviews), No Trace is the finest novel yet by one of best crime novelists of our time.

In a London neighborhood known for its artists and bohemian style, six year old Tracey Rudd is abducted from her home without any warning, or sign of violence. She is the third child abucted under similar circumstances in recent weeks. But this case is different. She is the daughter of notorious contemporary artist Gabriel Rudd, best known for the grotesque "Dead Puppies," a work centered around his wife's suicide five years earlier. While Rudd exploits Tracey's abduction as an inspiration for a major new work in his upcoming exhibit, D.C.I. David Brock and Detective Sergeant Kathy Kolla hunt for the missing girls' kidnapper, who is suspiciously connected to the eccentric community of artists, dealers, and collectors in the neighborhood.

My opinion:  Some very tense moments in this one.  I'll be giving another one in the series a try.

Silent Mercy by Linda Fairstein is an Alexandra Cooper novel.

Publishers Weekly:


In Fairstein's exciting 13th novel to feature New York ADA Alexandra Cooper (after Hell Gate), a middle of the night call brings Alex and NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace to Harlem, where the decapitated body of a young woman has been burning on the steps of the Mount Neboh Baptist Church, originally a synagogue until the neighborhood changed. Initially, the authorities suspect a hate crime until another dead woman turns up at a cathedral in Little Italy a few days later. A religious motive emerges, especially since both victims were considered "outcasts" because of their uncompromising demands about the role of women in organized religion. Meanwhile, Alex is prosecuting a defrocked Catholic priest accused of molesting boys, a high-profile trial that a politically connected bishop wants stopped. Fairstein excels at describing New York's complicated religious history as well as the vagaries of the city's legal and religious politics. 12-city author tour. 

My opinion:  I usually enjoy Fairstein's novels and this one was no exception.  I always like the historical information about New York that she includes.

--

OK, I'm making headway on reviews.  Trying to catch up on some blog reading, too.  

Sewing, Dyeing, Surface Design

For the last month, I've done a lot less reading of fiction because I've been busy with the following books and with dyeing fabric, embroidering, and doll-making.

I've still got several fiction books to review, but I'm grouping all of these non-fiction books together as they easily fit into one broad category.  Many of them I read in August and September.

Sew Wild - Alisa Burke - Various techniques of painting, stamping, stenciling, and other surface design techniques for fabric.  Not exactly my style and nothing really new, but informative, and I can adapt some of the techniques for some projects.

Create with Transfer Artist Paper - Lesley Riley - I still haven't tried this, but am eager to.  I have some of Riley's transfer paper and plan to use it in some of my projects, but have been too busy with the eco dyeing and eco printing.

Stitch Alchemy - Kelly Perkins - More surface design techniques.  As with the previous two, I've read them and intend to use them, but haven't yet.

Plaster Studio - Stephanie Lee, Judy Wise - Using plaster in mixed media projects.  I really like this book, and it will be useful when I get around to actually trying the techniques.

The Art of Manipulating Fabric - Colette Wolf - I didn't find this one particularly useful, but it will be a good reference.

Three-Dimensional Embroidery - Janet Edmonds - not exactly what I wanted.  Not useful for me, although certainly might be for others.

Hand Dyeing Yarn & Fleece - Gail Callahan - a good dyeing reference, although right now I'm interesting in eco dyeing, rather than synthetic dyes.

The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing - J.N. Niles - haven't actually finished this one, but the dyes in this one call for some mordants that are toxic, and I don't want to fool with disposal.  Some dye recipes might be useful, though, if I use other mordants.

And My Favorites:


**Eco Colour - India Flint - I've had this since the summer, have read it twice all the way through, and consult it frequently.  India Flint is an inspiring resource for eco dyeing and printing.

**The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes - Sasha Duerr - Another inspiring book on natural or eco dyeing.  Very useful.

Some dyed with acorn dye, some with a leaf mixture dye, and some with cranberry.  Also some leaf prints from bundling and steaming.  Fabrics:  some habotai silk, some muslin, some flour sacking.

Habotai silk embroidered, gathered, twisted.

Several dolls in progress.

More progress.

As a Mystery Lover

I am interested in this book:


James Morton
The First Detective: The Life and Revolutionary Times of Vidocq: Criminal, Spy, and Private Eye (2004; Overlook Press 2011) is an entertaining biography of the inspiration for both Gaboriau's Lecoq and Poe's Dupin. Eugene-François Vidocq (1775-1857) led an amazingly complicated life. His adventurous "career" began with ripping off his parents and going on the lam, although his mother repeatedly bailed him out and followed him around France. Vidocq enlisted in the French army at an early age, where he engaged in many a fencing duel before deserting. His military career was typified by repeated enlistments and desertions. Frequently imprisoned, he demonstrated his innate abilities by quickly adapting to the prison power structure, while also acting as a snitch. Vidocq was also a talented escape artist; when the authorities managed to catch him, they had a difficult time holding onto him. When Vidocq tried to go straight, he had to fend off his former associates, but also found jobs for many of them as police or private detectives. Ultimately, his fame rests on his dual role as founder of the Brigade de Sûreté (undercover police detective force) in 1811 and as creator of the first private detective agency (Bureau des Renseignements) in 1833, as well as inspiring Poe, Gaboriau, and other authors. His 1827 ghost-written autobiography and other memoirs are unreliable, but Morton has sorted through the historical records and provides a densely detailed account, with interesting asides reminding us of the wild and crazy criminality and chaos of Vidocq's time. Footnotes abound in this relatively brief and highly readable biography.  (via SYKM newsletter)


And as a Historical Mystery lover, I was saddened to learn that there will be no more in The Mistress of the Art of Death series featuring Adelia Aguilar.


Ariana Franklin's (Diana Norman)  obituary.

The Law of Angels by Cassandra Clark

The Law of Angels  is the third book I've read in this medieval mystery series, and Cassandra Clark has created another vivid view of the events of 1385.  Tying together the strands of her story with the historical events, Clark manages to involve the reader in the life of Sister Hildegaard as she attempts to protect two young charges from the danger that threatens them , and at the same time, give insight into the political issues of the time.

Historical novels always intrigue me because I love reading about what might have happened to individuals in the midst of another historical era. Cassandra Clark's Sister Hildegaard series provides interesting mysteries and characters that continue to develop as they  face the difficulties of the 14th century--the personal (even if fictitious) touch.  Some elements  that interested me concerned the Miracle or Mystery Plays of the time, Wycliff's Bible, the papal schism, and of course, there are still the after-effects of Wat Tyler's murder and the John of Gaunt/ Richard II political turmoil.

Thumbs up.

Other Reviews/opinions:  Genre Go Round, anyone else?

Fiction.  Historical Mystery.  2011.  368 pages.

A Dead Man's Tale by James D. Doss

A Dead Man's Tale is one of the strangest mysteries I've read.  It is part of a series that I'd never heard of, but will investigate again.


Charlie Moon (all seven feet of him) is a Ute rancher whose household includes his eccentric Aunt Daisy Perika (also a Ute Indian, shaman, and possibly, a witch).  On a normal, run-of-the-mill day, "...Daisy would commit a fresh outrage sufficient to shock a deranged Nazi storm trooper."  An outrageous old woman, Daisy insinuates her way into quite a few things she shouldn't.  She also has an occasional visit from a raucous crow who might be the deceased Debra Darkwing, an old friend.


The plot centers on millionaire Samuel Reed's remembering of a future (?) that entails his own murder.  This unusual ability may have a lot to do with his success on Wall Street.  Samuel gives Charlie Moon and Moon's best friend Police Chief Scott Parrish the date and time of his murder and makes a wager that the two can't keep him alive.  It is a bet that Samuel Reed wants to lose.


It takes a little while to adjust to the manner in which the tale is told.  Doss sometimes goes over the top, but overall, I really enjoyed the bizarre and unorthodox story, the quirky characters, and the wisecracking.


Recently, I read Nymeth's post On Ambivalence (something I often feel about a book), and this novel fits that description.  Doss may go a bit too far at times, but there was plenty that kept me involved and amused, and Aunt Daisy is worth disregarding any flaws.


Other Opinions:  The Cataloger's Reading List,  Murder by Type, My Favorite Mystery  


Fiction.  Mystery.   2010.  296 pages.