Die for You by Lisa Unger

Die for You 

I read Unger's latest novel In the Blood, in January of this year, so when I found this one at the library, I grabbed it.  Unger has several series that I may look into, but Die for You is one of her earlier stand-alones.

Isabelle Raine is an author and considers herself a close observer of human behavior, but she is stunned when her husband Marcus kisses her goodbye one morning and disappears--not only disappears, but leaves devastation in his wake.  Is he a victim?  Is he still alive?  Or did the man Isabelle married ever exist?

I really liked the idea of this novel, but unfortunately,  I didn't care much for the characters, the switches from past to present (I have nothing against switching from past to present and back again in general, but the technique didn't work for me in this novel), the switches in POV, or the plot that seemed a bit hollow at the core.

Overall, the book felt jumbled, lacked a truly sympathetic protagonist or secondary characters, and failed to overcome its complications.  

Nevertheless, I really liked In the Blood, so I'm not giving up on this author.  Has anyone else read Lisa Unger and have recommendations?

Library copy.

Mystery.  2009.  347 pages.

Mostly Mystery

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming

Book Description:     It's a cold, snowy December in the upstate New York town of Millers Kill, and newly ordained Clare Fergusson is on thin ice as the first female priest of its small Episcopal church. The ancient regime running the parish covertly demands that she prove herself as a leader. However, her blunt manner, honed by years as an army pilot, is meeting with a chilly reception from some members of her congregation and Chief of Police Russ Van Alystyne, in particular, doesn't know what to make of her, or how to address "a lady priest" for that matter. 

I enjoyed this novel and plan to read more in the series.

Purchased.  Minotaur Books

Mystery.  Reprint 2012.  Print length:  308 pages.


Chambers of Death by Priscilla Royal

I've enjoyed all of the previous books in this series, so when I was having a difficult time finding books I wanted from NetGalley, it was time to return to another medieval mystery.

Book Description:  When one of her company falls ill on a return journey to Tyndal, Prioress Eleanor accepts lodging at a nearby manor. The hospitality may be warm but the underlying passions among the steward's family are scorching. Master Stevyn's wife is having an affair with the groom while a local widow acts more like the lady of the manor than the lady herself. Stevyn's eldest son and spouse are obsessed with sin and heaven, while his youngest son, bound for the Church, unexpectedly returns with more interest in lute playing than the priesthood.

Murder, of course, can be expected.  The problem is that I didn't much care for this sixth book in the series.  Any series can vary in quality, but I'm not sure if that was the reason I didn't like it as much or if I'm growing a bit tired of the tension between Eleanor and her favorite monk. 

Purchased.  Poisoned Pen Press

Medieval Mystery.  2009, 2011. Print length:  261 pages.

Valley of Dry Bones by Priscilla Royal

Book Description: In the late summer of 1274, King Edward has finally been anointed England’s ruler, and his queen contemplates a pilgrimage in gratitude for their safe return from Outremer, a journey that will include a stay at Tyndal Priory.

I liked this one better than Chamber's of Death, but still wonder if by the 7th book, my interest in the characters is waning.  Maybe it is time for Ralf to have a story entirely to himself.  Or Sister Ann.  Or for the plots to have less to do with Eleanor's troubling attraction to Thomas.

I still love the history included in the books, especially Royal's Author's Notes and Bibliographic source material.

Purchased.  Poisoned Pen Press

Medieval Mystery.  2011.  Print length:  245 pages.

The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson

Book description:  On his return from South Africa, Charles Knox is invited to spend the weekend at the country home of Sir Neville Strickland, whose beautiful wife Rosamund was once Knox's fiancee. But in the dead of night Sir Neville is murdered. Who did it? As suspicion falls on each of the house guests in turn, Knox finds himself faced with deception and betrayal on all sides, and only the enigmatic Angela Marchmont seems to offer a solution to the mystery. This 1920s whodunit will delight all fans of traditional country house murder stories.


Clara Benson wrote during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, but none of her books were published until after her death.  She wrote for her own enjoyment and for her friends; I wonder how famous she would have become had she been published during her life time.  At any rate, I love this genre and enjoyed the novel.

Mystery.  2013.  Print length:  262 pages.

Paradigms Lost  

Bad choice of cover.  The book is a light read about a data miner named Jason, his psychic friend Sylvie, and his new client, a vampire.  But the novel is more science fiction than a typical vampire story.

Some interesting ideas, but not terribly satisfying.  

Read in Oct.

NetGalley/Baen

Science Fiction.  Dec. 2, 2014.  print length:  544 pages.  




  

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

The Goblin Emperor

I am late to this splendid addition to the fantasy genre, and like so many others, I loved the book.  I enjoyed the characters and the political intrigue. 

The main flaw in this lovely tale is that plot and characters are sometimes obscured by the strange multi-syllabic names and created language and by passages referring to a complex political, historical, and cultural system that even a member of the society would be hard put to understand completely.   And yet, I slipped into this world and found myself immersed in the story and unwilling to put it down. 

Maia, half-goblin and half-elf, is thrust into his new role as emperor when the airship that carried his father and half-brothers crashes.  Maia had only met his father once, at his mother's funeral, and had been relegated to an estate far away from the palace in the care of an abusive and bitter cousin.  When the news comes of his father's death, he is whisked to the court with little knowledge of court functions and without anyone he can truly trust.

Maia's father had never shown kindness to Maia or to Maia's mother, so he feels no grief at his father's death. He does know, however, that if he is to be emperor, it will not be in the style that has father has been.  While he has no experience or training in the world of politics,  Maia does have a kind and compassionate heart, and he makes an impression on those few individuals who serve him closely.

Most of the plot concerns the court intrigue and Maia's attempts to discover who was behind the sabotage of the airship that killed his father and half-brothers.  The action scenes and magic that usually accompany high fantasy are not here.  This is a story of young man who has been isolated and ill-treated trying his best to survive the intricate complexities of the court, the disparagement of those who should have supported and guided him, the exploitation of those who would use him, and the loneliness of his position.

Despite the perplexing language and  complicated political system, reading The Goblin Emperor was still a great pleasure.  If I gave stars, it would be 4 1/2 stars because what I liked I liked very much!

Library copy.  Macmillan/Tor Books

High Fantasy.  April, 2014.  447 pages.

There Was a War

Do letters from the past fascinate you?  They do me, which is why I love Letters of Note.  The letter posted today is a perfect choice for Veteran's Day.  The following quote is from the introduction that precedes the letter.

"On November 11th of 1918, the First World War effectively came to an end with the signing of the armistice—an agreement between Allied and German forces to end, with immediate effect, all hostilies and withdraw troops from the battlefield. Peace, at last, after four years of fighting and more than 37 million deaths. Shortly after the armistice was signed, 26-year-old Lewis Plush—a lieutenant with the American Expeditionary Forces—wrote home to his parents and spoke with great eloquence of his experience. He returned home in February of 1919."  (via Letters of Note)

If you are interested in reading the remarkable letter from Lewis Plush to his parents, click here.  Plush describes his role in the war that opened in 1914, one hundred years ago, with elegant prose and touching memories of his role as a pilot, his friends, his experiences.

Books for the New Year

NetGalley reads to be published in 2015.

The Just City by Jo Walton is due to be released January 13, 2015; blog post scheduled for December 30.   What if Plato's ideas from The Republic were actually carried out?  So many philosophical questions debated.  Loved it!

Monday's Lie by Jamie Mason -- I loved Mason's Three Graves Full and was thrilled to get this latest book from NetGalley.  It doesn't disappoint.  To be released in February; my review is scheduled for January 19, 2015.

Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe: An Elizabethan Spy Thriller by Kathy Lynn Emerson is a mystery set in one of my favorite historical periods. Release date March 1, 2015.  Haven't scheduled this review yet. 

Undercity by Catherine Asaro

Undercity by Catherine Asaro 

When I received the e-book from NetGalley, I had never heard of  Catherine Asaro, but when I read and loved the book, it was time to find out more about this author.

Asaro is one of those multi-talented individuals who excels in at almost everything.  She has a PhD in chemical physics and an A.M. in physics from Harvard; a B.S. with highest honors from UCLA; she teaches chemistry, physics, and math and coaches national competitions; she is a dancer and a musician; she writes science fiction novels that have won all kinds of awards including 2 Nebulas.

OK--now, it is possible to not only love the book, but to thoroughly admire the woman who works both hard science and science fiction!

Major Bhaajan, a former military officer, is now an experienced P.I.  On accepting a case from an anonymous but well-paying client, she ends up back in the city of Cries and working for  the Majda imperialists, who want her to find a runaway prince.  (Very interesting concept:  the men are kept isolated and treated, in general, as light-weights while the women rule and make all important decisions.  Ha!  The men are in the harem in this culture.)  

And then there is the Undercity and its inhabitants.  Here dwell the impoverished and marginalized--but the denizens of the Undercity have their own unique culture, and it is in the Undercity that Asaro's world-building shines.  Major Bhaajan comes from these tunnels deep in the earth, and although she has been gone a long time, she is uniquely qualified to understand the characters and the culture of the "city" that exists underneath the city of Cries.

Highly recommended for science fiction fans.

Read in Oct.;  blog post scheduled for Nov. 10

NetGalley/Baen Books

Science Fiction.  Dec. 2, 2014.  Print length:  304 pages.

Four Brief Reviews

I think this about finishes the catch-up reviews from September and October. Computer problems plagued much of October and early November (had to have our friendly tech guy out again to see where I was picking up the Malware). Third time's the charm?  




The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear 

WWI setting; static characters; abrupt ending.    

This is not a Maisie Dobbs novel, although it does cover some of the same WWI issues that were significant in the first Maisie Dobbs books and those of Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge mysteries.  What is missing is a genuine sense of plot.

Library copy; HarperCollins

Historic Fiction.  Jan. 1, 2014.  336 pages.            



Skin Hunger:  A Resurrection of Magic by Kathleen Duey

Two connected stories, centuries apart.  

I don't remember where I saw this one mentioned, but I ordered the first two books in the trilogy.  A finalist for the National Book Award, Skin Hunger is a dark YA fantasy.

A compelling novel that hooks you, but ends with a cliff hanger. I was glad I had ordered the second book as well.  The narrative switches from the early story in which Sadima, a young girl who can communicate with animals ends up as housekeeper for two wannabe magicians.  Somiss and Franklin want to resurrect magic.  

In the alternating story, Somiss has been successful in establishing an Academy for Wizrds, but don't think Hogwart's.  Pretty much the opposite--this academy is  unrelenting in the mistreatment and abuse of the boys admitted.  

Purchased.  Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Fantasy.  2007.  368 pages.



Sacred Scars:  A Resurrection of Magic (bk. 2)-Kathleen Duey

I was glad to have the second book in the trilogy since the first one ended in such a cliff hanger.

The two alternating stories continue.  When I finished I was sorry that the third book has not yet been published.  

After a week or so, however, that compulsion to continue reading lessened as I considered the two books together.  Not much good ever happens.  Somiss is evil; Franklin is co-dependent, unable to function as an individual, and therefore, an accomplice in evil he doesn't condone; after Sadima's memories are taken by Somiss, she doesn't remember anything about the past; and Hahp (the boy protagonist in the Academy section) continues to survive the tests of the academy.

OK - the above is an oversimplification, but after giving the books a rest for a couple of weeks, that was what it boiled down to for me.  If  the third installment had been published, I would have dived right into it immediately, but now...it is more of a maybe.

Purchased.  Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Fantasy.  2009.  560 pages.



The Carpathian Assignment by Chip Wagar

I read this in September for the R.I.P. challenge, but then ended up going on vacation and letting this ARC get buried in a pile of books.

It was a great choice for the R.I.P. challenge and for folks who love Bram Stoker's Dracula and analogs of the original Dracula.  The Carpathian Assignment is the story from a different perspective--that of Kálváry Istvan, a retired Hungarian calvary colonel, who accepts an assignment as chief of police in Bistritz, in the province of Transylvania.

Almost as soon as he arrives at his new assignment, Istvan learns that his predecessor disappeared.  It isn't long before he realizes that he is involved in a complicated and frightening hunt for a serial killer.

The viewpoint is entirely different from the original.  Instead of the very English pov provided by Jonathan Harker and his friends, The Carpathian Assignment examines the case from the Austrian-Hungarian perspective.  The most important characters are part of the police force, the Royal Hungarian Gendarmerie, the Roma, and various inhabitants of isolated villages in the region.

In many ways, the book follows the original, but there are specific and interesting differences in the way Jonathan Harker tells the tale and what transpires in Istvan's version. 

A great book for  for those who enjoy Gothic novels written in nineteenth century style.  

The e galley was too difficult to read, so Lynn Coppotelli of Smith Publicity kindly sent me a physical review copy, and I'm sorry it has taken me so long to review it.

Gothic Novel.  2014.  324 pages.

The Griever's Mark by Katherine Hurley

The Griever's Mark  is a YA fantasy novel.                  

Book description:    Before Astarti’s mother abandoned her to the deadly ocean tides, she gave her infant daughter a parting gift: a tattoo known as the Griever’s Mark, meant to carry her into death. But before the tide could claim her, the Earthmaker Belos, cast out by his people for his cruelty and for delving into forbidden magic, found and saved her. At least, that’s his story. 

For seventeen years, Astarti has served Belos, using her control of the energy world, known as the Drift, to help Belos gain power throughout the kingdom of Kelda. Though she hates her master, the Leash he has anchored deep within her makes defiance impossible. 

But when Logan, a handsome Earthmaker with his own reasons to hate Belos, recognizes that Astarti may be more than she seems, Astarti begins to unravel Belos’s lies: about her Mark, about her parents, and, most importantly, about her power. Astarti also discovers that Belos’s plans are bigger and more terrible than anyone has guessed, and she must decide: how much will she risk to stand against him?          
What I liked:  there were some new aspects in the use of magic and in the world Hurley created.  

This YA fantasy follows pretty predictably in the YA romance mode.  It should appeal to its target audience, and yet, I don't feel any great compulsion to continue the series.  

Read in Oct.; review scheduled for ??

NetGalley

YA/Fantasy.  Nov. 11, 2014.  print length:  333 pages.

Fear No Evil

Fear No Evil 

Jayne McCartney (no relation, even though they are both from Liverpool) is a P.I.  When a couple comes to her with the request that she investigate their daughter's death, Jayne is reluctant, but agrees.  Although their daughter's death has been ruled a suicide, the parents believe their daughter was murdered by a ghost that had been stalking her.

Jayne feels her charge is prove the police investigation was thorough, and hopefully, to relieve the minds of the girl's parents.  She doesn't believe in ghosts.

But what Jayne encounters is much more than she expected.  Maybe ghosts and demons are real and deadly.

There is a handsome ex-Priest, a dead Scouse princess (new word for me; Scouse is the Liverpool accent and can be employed as adjective or noun), a vicious crime boss, some additions to Team Anti-demon,  and a few murders along the way.

Crime and paranormal mix in this entertaining read.  I will be interested in seeing how this series develops.

NetGalley/Harper Collins

Crime/Paranormal.  Oct., 2014.  Print length:  400 pages.

Dark Triumph by Robin La Fevers

Dark Triumph      

A while back, I reviewed Grave Mercy, the first in this trilogy.  Unsure initially about whether or not the book would keep my interest, I found myself quite intrigued with the idea of a convent that trained assassins and worshiped Mortain, the god of death.

Dark Triumph is Sybella's story (she made a few brief appearances in Grave Mercy).   Sybella has a background of abuse from her own family, but like Ismae in Grave Mercy,  Sybella is rescued from her horrific family and delivered to the convent to begin training as Death's handmaiden.  However, the abbess who treated Ismae kindly exhibits little compassion for Sybella despite the terrible abuse the child has endured.  Perhaps the third book will reveal the cause of this strange animosity.   

Although the abbess treats Sybella without warmth or empathy, she nevertheless recognizes Sybella's value as an assassin.  After three years, the abbess sends the seventeen-year-old Sybella  back to her despicable father as an assassin and a spy.  Why would the abbess return the girl to the very situation that led Sybella, half-mad with fear and grief, to the convent of St. Mortain in the first place?

The story is a darker one than Grave Mercy, and there are some unpleasant aspects, but it kept me engrossed throughout.  I especially liked seeing the Beast of Waroch, the ugly knight who had a small role in Grave Mercy take a larger role in Dark Triumph.

I look forward to the final book in the series and finding out more about the abbess of St. Mortain.  Although this is a book listed for "young readers," I would classify it in the recently added New Adult category.

NetGalley/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Fantasy.  2013.  Print length:  405 pages.

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni

My Sister's Grave 

from the Book Description:  Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House—a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder—is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers.

I was surprised to see mostly 4 & 5 star ratings for this book.  From the beginning, my thoughts were that a good editing was necessary, but I was reading an uncorrected proof from NetGalley, and perhaps the other readers had a better edited version.  On the other hand, as I read some of the 4 star reviews on Amazon, I noticed that many of them mentioned some of the problems I had with the book.

The premise is interesting.  I liked that Tracy Crosswhite noted the discrepancies in the arrest and conviction of Edmund House.  Even though she felt a certain repugnance about the man, she didn't think he was guilty and was determined to find out what really happened to her sister. House's conviction didn't feel right, and Tracy wanted to know the truth.  Yet, the twist is strongly hinted at from the beginning and the events that follow the discovery of Sarah Crosswhite's body could so easily (and logically) been avoided.

While other readers seemed to find Tracy a strong and sympathetic character, she didn't really emerge as a three-dimensional character for me.  The frequent flashbacks interrupted the narrative flow and didn't always add meaningful information.  Much of the book seemed awkwardly paced and predictable.

NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer

Mystery.  Nov. 1, 2012.  Print length:  418 pages.

How the Light Gets In and The Long Way Home

I'm still missing two novels in this series (# 7 & #8).  I should have reviewed How the Light Gets in and The Long Way Home) a while back, but with all of my October computer problems, I failed to do so.  I'm still catching up with October reads.

How the Light Gets In 

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack, a crack in everything 
That's how the light gets in.   
     --From the lyrics to Leonard Cohen's Anthem

The two novels in the series that I'm missing are the two right before this one.  Kick me!  I should have read these in order.  Not that this book can't be read and understood without the back story. It can, and I had no trouble doing so. On the other hand, when you love a series, it is always preferable to read the books in order.  

The current mystery functions completely within this novel; it is the corruption within the  Sûreté du Québec that has run throughout all of the novels that comes to a head here.

OK - Constance Pinauilt, an elderly friend visits Myrna in Three Pines and promises to return for Christmas.  When she doesn't show up, Myrna enlists Inspector Gamache to find her friend, but when he does find the missing Constance, it is too late.  Why would anyone want to kill this mild elderly woman?  Even after Gamache discovers that Constance was once famous throughout the world, the reason for her murder is a mystery.  

This contained mystery is interesting because it creates a fictional account of the sensational birth of quintuplets (remember the Dionne quints?) and the subsequent removal of the girls from their family.  

The other story line (that threads through all of the previous books) deals with the corruption and the bad (very bad) apples in the Sûreté who are determined to punish Gamache and end his career.  This is where I must go back and pick up the two previous to books that lead up to the reasons Jean-Guy Beauvoir, Gamache's most trusted colleague, has returned to a devastating drug addiction and refuses to talk to Gamache.

As usual, characterization is excellent and so is the writing.  I do have a problem with the completion of the Sûreté story line that has been woven since the first book in the series.   With this plot line completed, what comes next?  Has Penny wrapped up the series?  Well, perhaps not because 2014 sees the publication of The Long Way Home.     

Purchased.  Minotaur Books.

Mystery/Police Procedural.  2013.  print length:  416 pages.

The Long Way Home is the ARC that started me reading the books I've missed in the series.  Before reading this one, I went back and picked up the first three novels in the series ( reviewed here and here).

After all the positive things I've had to say about all the previous books, I've read (and expect to say when I pick up the two that I've missed), I'm at a loss about how to review this latest in the series.

It isn't that I wanted to put it down.   Yet, for several reasons, I simply didn't feel as involved with this book as I did with all of the others.  

  Just to note a few things:
(Spoiler Alert - highlight if you want to read)
Gamache is retired.  This doesn't make me happy.
Most of the book is set outside of Three Pines.
I found much of it slow and a bit repetitive.
It felt as if she ended the series in the previous book, and then decided on  "Just one more."
Is she planning a new series?  Maybe with Jean-Guy or Isabel the featured protagonist?

ARC from Minotaur Books

Mystery.  2014.  print length:  385 pages.

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

 APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
             --T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland

The Cruelest Month, the third in the Inspector Gamache series, shows a bit more of the serious turn that continues to take place in the rest of the novels.  Of course, there is a murder with plenty of suspects and plenty of possible motives, but there is also a psychic and a seance, jealousy, and a betrayal within the ranks of Gamache's own team.

Ruth Zardo, the curmudgeonly old poet and my favorite character, continues to grow.  Sly, witty, bitchy, and compassionate in turns, Ruth is a highlight in every book even though she makes only brief appearances each time.  The familiar village characters are all here, but new ones are introduced.  

While the willingness of everyone to feel the inherent evil of the Hadley house and then proceed to conduct a seance there seems far-fetched, I always love the characters themselves--full of personal flaws and secrets.  The comic relief provided by several characters and their dialogue continues to amuse me, even as the machinations within the Sûreté du Québec to cover past and present crimes continue to add to the darker element and growing apprehension.

It is best to read the series in order (I wish I had done so) and to keep in mind that they get better with each new addition.  Better and darker, but still with plenty of warmth and compassion from Gamache and witty repartee among the Three Pines familiar characters.

Read in Oct.; blog post scheduled for ?

Purchased.  Minotaur Books

Mystery/Police Procedural.  2010.  Print length:  318 pages.  

Quick Reviews

Blue Labyrinth by Preston & Childs

Trying to avoid Spoilers.

Remember Special Agent Pendergast's twins?  One of them turns up unexpectedly on his doorstep.  

Blue Labyrinth is just as weird and unbelievable as all of the others in this series. Lots of twists and family history in this one.  While this series has nothing to do with literature, if you have followed Pendergast's bizarre adventures over the years, you won't want to miss it. Addictive as any bad habit--I can't turn them down.

Read in Oct.  Review scheduled for Nov.

NetGalley/Grand Central Publishing

Mystery/Crime/Weirdness.  Nov. 11, 2014.  Print length:  416 pages.

The Silence of Six by E.C. Myers

Book description:

“What is the silence of six, and what are you going to do about it?”

These are the last words uttered by 17-year-old Max Stein’s best friend, Evan: Just moments after hacking into the live-streaming Presidential debate at their high school, he kills himself.

The Silence of Six is a YA novel by the author the Norton Award-winning author of Fair Coin and Quantum Coin (neither of which have I read).  

The first chapter or two had me wondering if I'd continue reading (very YA), but then I became interesting is some of the information about hackers.  The two groups mentioned are Anonymous and Dramatis Personae -- and the loose group of hackers known as Anonymous (they released private information in Ferguson) actually exist.  I don't know about D.P.  (one more interesting example of social media influence: a psychological experiment where Facebook manipulated emotions) 

While elements of The Silence of Six are not realistic, the theme about cyber security and the possible use and/or misuse of private information is quite genuine as most people have reason to know.  The story is fast paced, and while I failed to truly feel much connection to the teen protagonists, the vulnerability of our personal and financial privacy on the internet and the ways in which social media can be used and/or abused are certainly relevant to all of us.

Read in October.  Review scheduled for Nov.
NetGalley/Adaptive Studios

YA/Mystery/Tech/Conspiracy.  Nov. 5, 2014.  Print length:  245 pages.

The Absent One and A Conspiracy of Faith by Jussi Adler-Olsen

To catch up on the Dept. Q series by Jussi Adler-Olsen, I went to the library and was fortunate to find the second and third in the series sitting on the shelf.  Just the two I needed! 

The Absent One 

When a twenty-year-old cold case concerning the murder of a young man and his sister leads to other old cases connected to a gang of wealthy prep school kids, Dept. Q's Carl Morck finds that someone doesn't want these cases re-opened.  The members of the prep school gang are now famous, influential, and powerful.

Eventually, Morck focuses on finding a street woman named Kimmie, a woman who has a cunning gift for survival and camouflage.  Kimmie has lots of experience at avoiding unwanted attention.  She appears as a bag lady most of the time, but when needed, she can transform her appearance into that of an expensive, well-dressed wife or business woman.  She needs these chameleon-like skills; the police are only a recent concern;  Kimmie has been hiding from something much more deadly for nearly twenty years.  

Rose is introduced in this second book in the series, but there is too little of Assad, and it is Assad who leavens this bread of good and evil.  The sly humor and comic relief added by Assad, that clever and mysterious man, keeps the viciousness of the crimes from becoming too much.  

I have to hesitate a bit on this one.  The bad guys were a little too depraved for me and the plot pretty far-fetched.  Yet, while I didn't like it as much as I hoped, the book was, nevertheless, riveting.  

Translator:  K.E. Semmel;  British title:  Disgrace

Library copy/Dutton

Nordic Crime/Police Procedural.  2012.  406 pages.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Conspiracy of Faith suited me better than The Absent One.  More Assad, more humor to contrast with the evil doings.  There are certainly plenty of detestable villains in most of Nordic crime novels, and they are present in the Dept. Q books as well. Fortunately, Adler-Olsen doesn't dwell on the graphic details of the crimes; his ability to create tension and dread works even better than lengthy, gory descriptions.

The books, however, are long and there are plenty of details--but they are details concerning Morck (his ex-wife, his friend Hardy, his romantic interest in Mona), Rose (and her sister, Yrsa), and Assad (where does he really live?).  There are also details concerning another crime concerning arson under investigation. 

As a result of these digressions, many readers find the books too slow and too long.  I'm not one of those.  I like them long.  I like most of the details about what goes on in the private lives of the Dept. Q team and about politics within the police department.  They are the real reason I love the series.

A Conspiracy of Faith begins with a message in a bottle--a long delayed cry for help.  When the message finally makes its way to Dept. Q, it is so damaged that determining much of the message is a difficult guessing game.  

This isn't a whodunit, a matter of having several suspects and determining which one is the killer.  We know who the killer is and have insight into his goals and his methods.  There is information about his childhood and dysfunctional family, and about his married life and the control he exerts over his wife and her behavior--but we don't know his real name, where he works, or how he conducts his life when he isn't involved in his murderous activities.

I am now all caught up on all 5 English translations of Dept. Q!

Translator:  Martin Aitken (I like his translations);  British title:  Redemption   

Library copy/Dutton

Nordic Crime/Police Procedural.  2013.  504 pages.