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Wednesday, October 03, 2018

Mystery and Horror



The Dogs in the Street is the third book in the Dark Yorkshire series by J M Dalgliesh.  

DI Nate Caslin's control over his life has improved, and when asked to do a favor for the journalist (with whom he has a connection from earlier books), Caslin looks into the disappearance of  a young woman.

Things get messy in a big way, and a friend from his past makes an appearance.  Fast-paced with an interesting twist, Caslin discovers a scary connection with the intelligence services.

Read in August.  Review scheduled for ?

 British Detectives/Noir.  2018.  Print length:  241 pages.  




In June, I read Belinda Bauer's Snap, which I liked so much I looked for another book and decided on The Shut Eye.

Missing children, a man who claims to have psychic powers, and a DCI who has been working on both cases.  I was surprised to see the character of DCI Marvel, a character I initially disliked in Snap, was also in The Shut Eye, and we get the backstory of why he ended up in Somerset.

Marvel's boorish and curmudgeonly behavior doesn't keep him from being sympathetic--he refuses to give up on the year-old case of the missing Edie Evans whose bike he keeps at the station.

More--I want more of Belinda Bauer.  Her touching ability to write about children and her skillful narrative make this one of those novels that made me hesitate to put it down.
 I knew when I read Snap that I would be reading another book by Bauer, now that I've read two, I have to decide what to read next.

Mystery/Detective Fiction.  2015.  Print length:  318 pages.


Another summer read, but an excellent choice for R.I.P. Challenge--only if you dare.   Mystery, paranormal, and horror in the chilling A Game of Ghosts by John Connolly.

From description:  It is deep winter. The darkness is unending.
The private detective named Jaycob Eklund has vanished, and Charlie Parker is dispatched to track him down. Parker's employer, Edgar Ross, an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has his own reasons for wanting Eklund found.
Eklund is no ordinary investigator. He is obsessively tracking a series of homicides and disappearances, each linked to reports of hauntings. Now Parker will be drawn into Eklund's world, a realm in which the monstrous Mother rules a crumbling criminal empire, in which men strike bargains with angels, and in which the innocent and guilty alike are pawns in a game of ghosts . . .

As in all of the  Charlie Parker novels, the battle of good vs evil theme prevails.  Creepy and suspenseful as all of these novels are, A Game of Ghosts makes a spine-chilling read for Halloween.

Mystery/Paranormal/Horror.  2017.  Print length:  464 pages. 

14 comments:

  1. I'm torn between The Shut Eye and A Game of Ghosts. Sigh. Guess I'll have to read them both. ;D

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    1. Both are good, but as a warning, John Connolly's books are creepy, scary!

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    2. Sometimes creepy and scary is just what I'm in the mood for. :)

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    3. All of the Charlie Parker books are chilling! :O

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  2. The Shut Eye and A Game of Ghosts sound good. Like you, I want to read more books by Belinda Bauer after reading "Snap". :)

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    1. I was so surprised to find DCI Marvel in The Shut Eye. He's a character, and while at first I didn't like him in Snap, I ended up admiring the way he kept on the case. He's just as abrasive in The Shut Eye, but he never lets up on the two missing kids!

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  3. "The Dogs in the Street" sounds good for me.
    Thank you for your review.

    Have a great October

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    1. I've liked all three books in the Dark Yorkshire series. :)

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  4. I tried Snap but unfortunately I couldn't get into it. I really think it was me so I will definitely try it again. The other two books sound so good too!

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    1. It took me a while, too. I'd forgotten about that. The waiting in the car and walk to the phone had me wondering. But once I got into the story, it was gripping.

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  5. You know, I'm not entirely sure about Snap, but I didn't think to look for Bauer's other work for some reason -- I might start with the Shut Eye I think after reading your review.

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    1. I liked the way the relationships worked in Snap and the combination of humor and pathos. In Shut Eye, DI Marvel is as offensive and as dedicated as he was in Snap, and it was interesting to see him before his downfall. :) Still rude and offensive, but so determined.

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  6. I have to say the Booker controversy over Snap has made me extra curious to give it or any other Belinda Bauer books a go.

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    1. :) There have been several Booker Prize winners that I found dull and pretentious. Bauer's Snap making the long list evidently upset a lot of people because it was a crime novel. Val McDermid's endorsement, and she is one of the judges, is enough for me. Snap may not be Shakespeare, but it is an intriguing crime novel--which doesn't mean everyone will like it. Does it belong on the Booker long list? Certainly not a typical choice, but a readable one. :)

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