Well, when I commented about weather last week, I didn’t realize how bad it would be here. I was lucky, though. We had torrential rain on Thursday, with 70 mile an hour winds, and some places had hail. We had rain during the night on Friday and Saturday. Some people were without power for three or four days. As I said, I was lucky. We had the rain and wind where I live, but that was it, and I never lost power. I hope you’re all doing okay!
I’ve just started Reed Farrel Coleman’s new book, Sleepless City, that comes out July 11. I’m liking his new character, Nick Ryan. Here’s the synopsis.
When you’re in trouble, you call 911.
When cops are in trouble, they call Nick Ryan.
Every cop in the city knows his name, but no one says it out loud. In fact, they don’t talk about him at all.
He doesn’t wear a uniform, but he is the most powerful cop in New York.
Nick Ryan can find a criminal who’s vanished. Or he can make a key witness disappear.
He has cars, safe houses, money, and weapons hidden all over the city.
He’s the mayor’s private cop, the fixer, the first call when the men and women who protect and serve are in trouble and need protection themselves.
With conflicted loyalties and a divided soul, he’s a veteran cop still fighting his own private war. He’s a soldier of the streets with his own personal code.
But what happens when the man who knows all the city’s secrets becomes a threat to both sides of the law?
If you want to read an actual review, Kevin Tipple reviewed Sleepless City on his blog, Kevin’s Corner, the other day. https://tinyurl.com/mve73r8y Kevin has a no spoiler policy, so you can check out his review.
What about you? What are you reading this week?
Good morning. I read an ARC of THE BITTER PAST by Bruce Borgos and wound up enjoying it more than I expected. Here’s the blurb from Goodreads
Porter Beck is the sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, north of Las Vegas. Born and raised there, he left to join the Army, where he worked in Intelligence, deep in the shadows in far off places. Now he’s back home, doing the same lawman’s job his father once did, before his father started to develop dementia. All is relatively quiet in this corner of the world, until an old, retired FBI agent is found killed. He was brutally tortured before he was killed and clues at the scene point to a mystery dating back to the early days of the nuclear age. If that wasn’t strange enough, a current FBI agent shows up to help Beck’s investigation.
In a case that unfolds in the past (the 1950s) and the present, it seems that a Russian spy infiltrated the nuclear testing site and now someone is looking for that long-ago, all-but forgotten person, who holds the key to what happened then and to the deadly goings on now.
I also read THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF TANNER AND LOUISE by Colleen Oakley, An elderly woman and her 21-year old caretaker flee the police and go on a cross country road trip. This was just OK. I think I was expecting more humor and less angsty college student.
Sandy, Good to know I wasn’t the only who thought The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise was just okay.
Sandy, I had Tanner and Louise home from the library at one point. With your comment, and Sharon’s, I won’t be bringing it back.
I was hoping I’d like The Bitter Past. As you said, I liked it more than I expected. Now, I’m hoping for a sequel.
Last weekend it got up to 106 two days in a row here and got a bit cooler for July 3, when we had our town celebration and fireworks. At about 6:15 p.m. the sun got low enough that we no longer had to run for shade and there was a nice breeze. Tomorrow it will be in the high 80s–hurray! By contrast, today in San Francisco (about a 2.5-hour drive), there was a high in the low sixties and, with a stiff breeze and no sun, it felt COLD! Here’s what I read this week (I only finished two books but read quite a bit of a book at the hospital today while my son was having a procedure, then 4 hours of monitoring, and I’m almost finished reading Seth Rudetsky’s book):
In A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER by Jenny Bayliss, Augustus North was the owner of a curio shop who built up its inventory on the frequent trips he took when he felt the need for a change. It was in his later years that his travels resulted in three daughters, each by a different woman, who spent a month with him and each other in the village of Rowan Thorp each summer during their childhood. It’s been more than 20 years now since the half-sisters have connected, but they come together once more on the occasion of their father’s funeral. It is then that they learn that he requires them to complete two tasks together before they can sell his house, as certified by his attorney. Whether they can complete the required tasks, including reviving the town’s long-defunct Winter Solstice Festival, is questionable, as the sisters couldn’t be more different. Maggie, the oldest, lives in the same town with her father but still almost never saw him. She has a son and daughter by two different fathers and owns a grocery store in town. Simone is a prickly physiotherapist, going through heart-breaking IVF attempts with her wife to have a child. Star, the youngest, is a free spirit like her father, which has gotten her into some trouble, including hooking up with the wrong types of men. In addition, they must address issues with their existing and potential romantic partners. This is a holiday-centric novel that really does celebrate Christmas and the Christmas spirit. The way they and the townspeople come together to recreate this celebration of animals, each other, and the beginning of the lengthening days, not to mention the customs of Christmas, is moving and life-affirming. The characters are well-drawn and distinctive, and there is just enough whimsy and humorous dialogue thrown in to keep it entertaining. I loved the detailed description of Augustus’s shop and its abundance of diverse products–some just kitschy, some a lot more valuable. I think things are wrapped up a bit too neatly at the end, but that’s a small quibble. I appreciate the “5 years later” chapter that lets us know how everyone’s lives are turning out. (September)
Sometimes I’m in the mood for a good YA novel, and DONUTS AND OTHER PROCLAMATIONS OF LOVE by Jared Reck has everything I’m looking for: interesting and authentic young characters who develop in unexpected ways, older characters who are not stereotypes, a strong plot, and an impeccable writing style that expresses humor, friendship, family dynamics, teenage angst, and loss with equal credibility, and that can (and did) move me to tears. High school seniors Oscar and Lou seem like polar opposites. Oscar is bright but doesn’t know it because he’s not the best reader. He wants nothing more than to get out of high school and start working full-time on his beloved Swedish grandfather’s food truck. Lou, on the other hand, is president of the student council, part of the Homecoming Court, and obsessed with getting into an elite college. But in the same required public speaking class, they are surprised to realize that they are able to successfully work together on a project to eliminate food waste in the cafeteria. With Lou’s leadership skills and Oscar’s cooking expertise and creativity, they find themselves spending time together during one of Oscar’s independent studies periods. There’s so much more to the story, but it’s best to read it yourself and marvel at the author’s ability to build memorable characters, convincing relationships, and an absorbing plot that are rewarding for readers of any age and ultimately satisfying. Highly recommended.
Margie, You’re much further along in Seth Rudetsky’s book than I am. I have to make myself stop it, though, because I have other things to read, not because I’m not enjoying it.
It sounds as if you really enjoyed A December to Remember. I love the sound of the Christmas aspects. I’m not sure how I feel about the lackadaisical father coercing his daughters to come together.
What a difference between 106 and 80s! Enjoy the 80s.
Margie, once again I’m going to dive into a book that I had high hopes for, and now based on your review, they’re even higher. A December to Remember sounds like my kind of book. AND I’ll also be reading Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love. Thank you!
Glad I could add to your TBR list, Kaye! By the way, I just got approved by NG yesterday for Nora Roberts’ The Inheritance, and I’m so excited. I know you really enjoyed it, and the description sounds great.
Oh! Can’t wait to heat what you think, Margie!
Good morning everyone, and I’m sorry to hear about your weather Lesa. We’ve had days of cloud and rain, but nothing extreme – I just hope we do get a bit more summer before autumn. And I especially hope that it’s fine for the Edinburgh festivals next month, as otherwise people go away with such a dim view of Scotland (for many people – especially people from the south of England! Edinburgh = Scotland, which is of course nonsense.)
I’ve just finished reading FOREVER by Judy Blume. What a great book – I so wish I had known about Blume when I was a teenager, she has no real equivalent here (or at least didn’t then – of course there are far, far more YA authors now.) I read ARE YOU THERE GOD? THIS IS ME, MARGARET last year and enjoyed it very much – if anything I liked Forever even more. I particularly appreciated the way in which Blume subverted my expectations – I’d better not say how, since there may be someone somewhere who hasn’t read it, but I felt the story was so well written, and the characters well developed. Blume writes with such economy too – the story fairly flies along, but you don’t feel rushed. Five stars from me.
Before that I finished BLOOD IN THE WATER by Gillian Galbraith, the Edinburgh-set murder mystery I think I mentioned last week. I enjoyed this one too – Galbraith writes very well, her characters are nuanced and memorable, and she ties up the story without leaving any loose ends.
She also raises a number of interesting issues about women’s lives, from the pluses and minuses of independent living to parenting (what it’s like to be a parent of an adult, as well as of a child, and how even parents with very limited life skills do want the best for their children, even if they’re not really capable of providing it sometimes.) Medical negligence, and the way in which such cases are handled by an archaic and privileged legal system, are also highlighted. Privilege and class in general – such powerful forces in an Edinburgh that still operates largely in favour of an Old Money elite – are called out too. Yet Galbraith manages to do all of this with a really light touch, and without a hint of information overload, so that at the end we are left to form our own opinions. I’ll definitely aim to read more in this series.
I also read THE LARK by E Nesbit (author of The Railway Children). I had mixed feelings about this one. It was written in 1922 so I suppose I should make allowances for this, but it still irritated me. It’s about two orphans, Jane and Lucilla, who on leaving school discover that their guardian has lost almost all of the money he held in trust for them. All – all! – they have left is a country cottage and £500 a year. And of course the guardian (who has now disappeared overseas) has managed to provide a ‘woman who does’, so they have no cleaning, cooking or anything else of a domestic nature to bother them.
They come up with various schemes to make money, the main one being the sale of flowers from their garden. When they realise that they will never have enough flowers to meet demand (which seems to be exceptionally high in the small rural backwater in which they find themselves…) they discover a huge abandoned mansion nearby, which OF COURSE has a wonderful garden, just brimming with flowers.
They break in, are found by the handsome nephew of the owner, and to cut a VERY long story short, they end up selling produce and flowers from the garden, moving into the house, acquiring a handsome gardener who’s prepared to work for almost nothing, attracting numerous other admirers (who are of course all very helpful), and etc etc etc. I suppose it’s a comedy in some ways, but I found it far too predictable and annoying.
However, I then read the interesting (and commendably brief) introduction by Penelope Lively, and she explained that Nesbit was in fact burdened with a complete waster of a husband, and many children, and had to write to keep the family afloat. She was apparently a very positive person who always tried to look on the bright side, and this is the attitude she gives to her two heroines (it’s just that their ‘hardships’ are absolutely nothing like hers!) Nesbit, then, did not have an easy life.
The Lark is well written, and I know my blogger friend Simon loves it, so I expect it’s just me who didn’t.
I’m now half way through my 20 Books of Summer – a bit ahead of myself, but that’s good, as I doubt I’ll get so much read in August. I think my next book with be Dana Stabenow’s DEAD IN THE WATER.
On television I have started watching BLUE LIGHTS and it is fantastic. One reviewer said it’s as good as Line of Duty – it’s certainly not the same as LOD, but it really is good.
It’s set in Northern Ireland and follows three new recruits to the local police force. We know that only two will make it through their probation. Each is paired with an experienced officer, and off they go, out onto the streets, which are still rife with sectarian violence – although really most of it is now a cover for organised crime, especially large scale drug dealing and gun running. The police have to deal with understaffing, underfunding, terrorist threats, and on top of all that, with MI5, who operate undercover in the area, and frequently order the police not to arrest individuals of interest, or even to enter certain streets. Gripping stuff and very well acted.
And Netflix has just released a new film about George Michael. It’s getting great reviews, and I am looking forward to seeing it.
I’ve had some nice walks this week – on Monday at Hazlehead woods in the city, with a friend I hadn’t seen for ages, then on Tuesday at Dunecht Estates with Nancy. Just as I was driving away from there, a huge bird of prey landed right in front of my car, determined to grab some roadkill. I instinctively and very stupidly slammed on the breaks, the bird got away with is lunch in tow, and I only then thought about looking in my mirror – thank goodness it was only Nancy behind me, and she always keeps a safe distance. If it had been someone in a huge BMW I’d probably have ended up as roadkill myself….
On Saturday I am back down to Edinburgh to have dinner out with my family. This is a very rare event for us, so I just hope it goes OK. We’re going to a gastropub called The Roseleaf – I’ve never been before but David and Anna both have, and liked it a lot, so fingers crossed.
David is currently in La defense, which is adjacent to Nanterre, epicentre of the Paris riots, but luckily they seem to have cooled off now. And he’s actually started reading a book – the first in months – THE DRY by Jane Harper.
And now I’d better get organised to meet my friend Heather.
I hope everyone has a great week.
Good afternoon, Rosemary! I hope you had a nice meeting with your friend, no matter where you ended up.
Penelope Lively’s introduction to The Lark actually sounds more interesting than the book itself. I didn’t know any of that information about Nesbit.
Judy Blume was a favorite of so many women my age and a little younger. She knew how to write for young people.
Blue Lights does sound interesting.
And, I hope David is okay!
Thank you for sharing your busy life with us!
Will have to watch out for BLUE LIGHTS when it gets here, as it probably will. And speaking of LINE OF DUTY, is it done for good? We’re watching RIDLEY with Adrian Dunbar. He’s always worth watching, but it’s no LINE OF DUTY.
Hi Jeff – I’m sure Blue Lights will come over to you – my only advice would be to have the subtitles on while you’re watching it, the accents aren’t (mostly at least) quite as strong as in Derry Girls, but they’re certainly going on that way!
I’ve not seen Ridley. So far as we know, Line of Duty is completely finished. There were a lot of rumours, just after the last episode, that it would come back, but that’s a long time now and no sign of it. Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar have all been in several other things since then, so it looks like LOD is over for good. Never say never though!
I hope you have a lovely holiday.
We hadn’t heard of line of duty and we’re looking for a new show to watch. I’ll have to get season 1 out of the library. Thanks
First a thumbs up for a book I didn’t even read! My husband flew through it and enjoyed immensely – David Grann’s THE WAGER: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.
Until I picked up BEFORE YOU KNEW MY NAME I wasn’t aware of Ngaios (The Ngaio Marsh Awards literary awards presented annually in New Zealand to recognise excellence in crime fiction, mystery, and thriller writing). This book by native New Zealander Jacqueline Bublitz won both Best Crime Novel & Best First Novel for 2022. A beautiful debut on the themes of love, loss and connection. A murder, but not a typical murder mystery. Instead, it asks: Who was she? And what did she leave behind? The narration is written from the point-of-view of the murder victim’s spirit, it works well in this setting.
For something lighter, the first book in Valerie Burns new cozy series Baker Street Mysteries TWO PARTS SUGAR, ONE PART MURDER August 2022. The author also writes the Mystery Bookshop series as VM Burns. Sweet & tasty like the bakery inherited by the main character, Maddy Montgomery, with social media thoughtfully woven in. “Snappy dialogue, a well-drawn supporting cast and an irresistible canine companion all add delicious flavor.”
I’d been wanting to read THE BEST MINDS (A Story of Friendship, Madness and the Tragedy of Good Intentions) since you introduced it your April Treasures, but at over 500 pages, it’s been easy to procrastinate. A cautionary true account of young man of exceptional promise and the illness of schizophrenia. It’s an interesting read, but more as a reminiscence of post 1960’s culture and psychiatry, the decline of psychiatric institutions. Centered primarily on the writer and his experiences, the “best friends” aspect was oversold.
Good to hear your husband enjoyed The Wager. I’m so interested in the movie Killers of the Flower Moon, based on Grann’s earlier book, but, knowing what happened to the Osage, I’m not sure how much I’d “enjoy” it.
I like VM Burns’ Mystery Bookshop series. My favorite part of that series is the story that the main character writes in each book.
It has been very hot in Cincinnati for the past two days. The sky opened up around 4 o’clock and we got 1/2 inch of rain which helped.
I finished The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston this week which Lesa commented on last Thursday.. It was very good but I had a hard time wrapping my brain around the time travel. I liked her first book better.
Then I finished Death Knells and Wedding Bells by Eva Gates. It takes place at the reception of Connor and Lucy’s wedding where a guest of Lucy’s great aunt winds up dead. Fortunately for me, Louise Jane was not prominently featured and Teddy had a sweet storyline. I think this installment will close the book on this series for me.
Happy Reading!
Isn’t it good, Sharon, when you can close a series even if it’s not actually finished?
You finished The Seven Year Slip, and it’s still sitting on my table. I had “must reads” to get through this past week, and for the foreseeable future.
Happy Reading to you as well!
Sharon, I’m close to the end of The Seven-Year Slip, and I know what you mean. I was trying to explain the plot to my son, and it’s not easy! I agree that her first book was better, but I’m enjoying this one as well.
It’s been pretty warm and very humid here, but that’s Summer in the City (to coin a phrase). Let’s just say, it’s been worse. We did have a lot of rain in thunderstorms on the Fourth, and yesterday we hit 93 – the hottest day of the year so far and the first 90+ day since early June. And our air quality has been variable. Apparently, after all the fireworks were set off on Tuesday, the AQI reading briefly went to over 400, but that might just have been in Midtown. It has been as high as 168 other days, 152 yesterday.
Monday we’re going to Connecticut to my cousins, and we go with them to Maine on Tuesday. So, we’ll be away next Thursday. I doubt I’ll get any reading but short stories done while we’re away. We’ll be home a week from Sunday. Looks cooler (70s) but rainy there. I will check in to see what everyone is reading.
I read and very much enjoyed Helen Ellis’s first collection of essays, SOUTHERN LADY CODE, just my kind of humor. I’m reading her second now (BRING YOUR BAGGAGE AND DON’T PACK LIGHT) and have the third on hold. Still reading the R. A. Lafferty short story collection (THE BEST OF), with each story introduced by another author who tells why it is special. Also reading the Agatha Christie collection, MIDSUMMER MYSTERIES. I believe I’ve read all the stories in the past, but I’ve enjoyed revisiting them. So far, each has had a different detective – Miss Marple, Poirot, Parker Pyne, Mr. Quin. I hope to finish the Jane Smiley book on the novel before we leave as it is way too fat to carry. And I need to read the Chris Offutt book, which so far I’ve just managed to start.
Things have been a little busy for reading. Have a safe week, everyone.
Maine sounds like a good break from NYC’s weather, Jeff. Enjoy that break, although we’ll miss hearing from you next week.
I’m going to have to try Helen Ellis since you continue to rave about her books.
Safe travels. Tell Jackie I said hi!
Thanks. I forgot to mention that she finished the Nora Roberts THE SEARCH and very much enjoyed it. It wasn’t much of a mystery, though it was touted as a serial killer story. It was more the K-9 and the romance, which she liked. She’s now reading GOING ZERO, which I recommended.
Jeff, Tell Jackie the Krewe of Hunters is going international with Blackbird. I just downloaded the first in that trilogy, Whispers at Dusk, to my Kindle because the first book is late getting into the library.
I am reading the 9th mystery in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery series, “Checking Out The Crime” by Laurie Cass. I have enjoyed all of the previous books in the series about Minnie and her cat, Eddie.
That’s just what I love about readers, Lynn. I couldn’t get into that series at all. I love that everyone has different reading tastes.
Finished Flamenco, Flan, and Fatalities by Mary McHugh and loved it. Learned how to do a Flamenco time step but won’t try as my ankle is painful. The book told about a camera that can be attached to eyeglasses that can tell you what color the traffic light is and can read the box of ingredients to you. Wish I had the name of that.
Now starting to read Buy A Whisker by Sofie Ryan. It has a larger print. Now my stash of cozies is starting to get now to small and tiny print. I would read the tiny print ones but get tired of holding a magnifying glass above the book. Think I have still have about 30 left. But have to give up on the tiny print ones.
I have been struggling through Attic of Dreams: A Memoir by Marilyn Webb Nagley. The author is two months younger than me. I do not recommend if you do not want to get depressed. I would have not have picked it in a contest if I knew what a terrible childhood she had with an alcoholic mother who started drinking when Marilyn was four. As a child, she had to find adults when when she found her mother unconscious several times. Her father would go off on business and she was left alone with her mother, when her mother got delirium tremors, her father and a doctor put her in a state mental hospital several times. Her father wants to fill for divorce and the little girl wonders what will become of me. There are happy times in the book but they are too few. I think that book does really bring to light the need to take care of the children of alcoholics. Many times, she wondered if she was dead. Her father needed help and his daughter lost a lot of her childhood.
Hope that your weather is much calmer now!
Oh, Carol. I’m glad you had one book you loved because Attic of Dreams just sounds sad.
Yes, our weather is much calmer, now. Thank you!
74 degrees in these beautiful NC mountains. That makes me a happy girl.
I loved Sleepless City! It was one of the books in my Favorites of 2023, So Far list. Some of those books were so outstanding, so memorable that I’m having a very hard time finding anything that I can settle into now.
I’ve read 2 books that were light easy fun reads, and a biography about a group that Donald and I have followed all over the Southeast for years, The Allman Brothers. We saw Gregg Allman perform only a few weeks before he died and it was a beautiful performance with no clue he was so ill. The bio, Brothers and Sisters by Alan Paul, is excellent.
Summer on Sag Harbor by Sunny Hostin and The Life She Wanted by Anita Abriel were both fun beach reads.
The one read I can’t recommend highly enough is Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s recent dissent.
I’m so happy you’re home in the mountains right now, Kaye. Enjoy home and the weather!
It is always tough to find another good book after reading an exceptional one. You’re right.
But, my favorite comment on your post was that last sentence.
Hi Lesa — There’s a Goodreads giveaway active for Sleepless City. I found out when I popped over there to mark the book “Want to Read.”
Our spring and summer has been uncharacteristically wet this year, so we also have an unusual number of mosquitos in our yard. The flowers and lawn are loving it, but they’re getting very little care because those darned bugs love me too much.
I’m reading The Hidden One by Linda Castillo (good story, as always), and I just finished an old Harlan Coben thriller I’d missed called Caught. Enjoyed the interesting twists and the determined protagonist, a newswoman with finely tuned instincts.
Thanks, Patricia! If my comment and Kevin’s review entice people, they can enter to win a copy over at Goodreads. Thanks for letting us know.
I’m sorry your flowers and lawn aren’t getting care, but they’re probably thriving anyways.
Linda Castillo knows how to write a good story.
I read that bad weather was headed for Indiana and wondered if it would affect you. I am glad that it was not so bad where you live. We have had mild weather here in Santa Barbara, coolish and overcast in the first of the day. Today however we have sun, maybe all day. It is not supposed to go over 70 all day.
This week I finished SWORN TO SILENCE by Linda Castillo. I had avoided the book (and the series) because the story was described as full of violence and the scenes too graphic. Well, it was beyond my normal limit for violence and graphic depictions of such, but it was also very well written and I liked the characters, so I will stick with the series for another two or three books and see what I think.
Then I read THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Shaffer and Barrows. I don’t know why I never read it before now. I guess it was just a case of waiting for the right time. I think most people probably know about this book, but just in case… It is an epistolary novel set in London and on Guernsey Island in 1946. Juliet Ashton is an author who begins to correspond with Dawsey Adams, a pig farmer who lives on Guernsey. I was only vaguely aware of the German occupation of Guernsey during World War II, so I learned a lot from the book (and want to know more) and I enjoyed the story immensely.
And now I have started SS-GB by Len Deighton. I am a huge fan of Deighton’s books, I have read 16 of his books. But SS-GB is an alternate history and I have avoided it for that reason up to now. This one is set in the UK, after the British have surrendered to Germany in 1941. I read Jo Walton’s trilogy about this same subject and mostly liked it, especially the first one, FARTHING. I only just started the book last night, have just read a couple of chapters. I think it also is an espionage story so I should like that part for sure.
Glen is reading THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR by Amal El-Mohtar. We bought it together but I am still not sure what it is about. Apparently has elements of time travel and romance, and it is just over 200 pages.
I was so lucky, Tracy. Over 9000 people were without power here, but I had it all last weekend.
I’ll be interested to see what you think with Linda Castillo’s next books. I don’t remember the next ones being as graphic as the first one.
I really liked THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY. But, I felt a letdown at the end. When one of the authors died before the book was finished, I think the story reflected that.
As I started to write this, I realized I have been immersed in the past this week. I read My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor, a fictionalized account of Vatican monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty who organized the concealment and smuggling out of Italy of 6500 Jews and Allied personnel during the German occupation of Rome in 1943 and 1944. Breathtaking writing.
Then my name finally came to the top of the reservations list at the library for Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. It is, as everyone says, a powerful story. My reaction is deep sadness, as 50 years on, this country has not made much progress on race relations.
And then I revisited Death in the Garden by Elizabeth Ironside. A Gold Dagger nominee, it starts with a murder and acquittal in 1925 and ends with the investigation and solution 60 years later. Brilliantly structured and plotted.
Reading The Black Gardenia by Elliot Paul, a 1952 mystery set in Hollywood, it’s slow going.
I’m going to have to pass on the title of My Father’s House, Aubrey. I have some family members who might really like that book.
You’re right. There really hasn’t been progress in race relations fifty years later. Powerful story, though.
It was 110 where I live. It was pretty bad. Usually, we have time to get used to the heat, but it happened very quickly, then went away, and will come back on Monday, they say.
I watched the new Indiana Jones movie. It wasn’t as bad as I feared it would be. The sidekick has so little screen presence you almost don’t notice her. Harrison Ford seemed like he was actually trying. Not a patch on the first three movies, but considering our movie landscape of today, pretty good.
This week I read:
I want to Know You When You’re 40 by Josie Eamer; a poetry book about her break up with a boyfriend and her grieving process. I wasn’t sure if it should be set to blues music or old country.
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan; A kid moves to Hawaii, and become a surf bum, travelling around the world looking for the great surf, like Patrick Swayze in Point Break, only this guy doesn’t rob banks. There’s a price to pay for every addiction.
Ranger Games by Ben Blum; True Crime about a straight arrow who trains to be a ranger, and gets caught robbing a bank. I guess robbing a bank isn’t as easy as Patrick Swayze made it look.
Wine Club by Maureen Petrosky; an excellent book about how to form a wine club, with a different varietal every month, and tasting contests, and recipes to pair with each wine. Great stuff for those of us who go wine tasting.
Anansi’s Gold by Yepoka Yeebo; the story of a con man who bilked the west with tales of a huge bank account in Switzerland. Like WC Fields used to say, you can’t cheat an honest man.
Slaybells Ring by Karen MacInerney; When she sees some guy shot in her front yard, our amateur sleuth goes to work. A very short mystery, and not really Christmas-sy.
Of course, the real mystery this week is the cocaine found in The White House. What a strange thing to happen. I remember when people respected the Secret Service, but the organization has done its best to squander all that good will.
I agree with your last paragraph, Glen. It’s sad to see what happened with the Secret Service.
I’m not familiar with blues music. But, I know old country well. I can envision what you’re saying about any book that would be set to old country.
That kind of heat, especially suddenly, is tough for anyone to take. I hear it was 116 in Phoenix. And, I know Texas has been hit by that heat. Stay safe!
Hi Lesa, I am currently reading “Murder on Mustang Beach” by Alicia Bessette and listening to “The Quiet Tenant” by Clémence Michallon on audio. Also planning to start an E-ARC of “Betrayal” by Phillip Margolin.
Katherine, You’ll have to let me know what you think of Murder on Mustang Beach.
It’s still Thursday my time! Between the holiday and the craziness of close, I forgot to check in.
I’m currently reading TEACHER’S THREAT by Diane Vallere. This is in her Madison Night series, and it finds Madison going back to college to get an MBA. Of course, murder is right behind her. I’m enjoying it. It’s a bit more focused on her personal life than the mystery – or at least that is how it seems to be, but as a fan of the series, I’m not minding at all.
Mark, I’m glad you checked in. Thank you. I always wonder about the regulars, but just guess they’re busy, and it sounds as if you were.
I love to catch up with what you’re reading. I recognize the author, but not that series. Thank you!
Morning, one and all… I was gone dealing with various errands that had to be done, including spending time at the dealership while the Subaru was worked on, so I am very late.
Thank you for the mention of my Sleepless City review, Lesa.
Currently I am reading BLESSING OF THE LOST GIRLS by J. A. Jance. Due out in October.
NetGalley Description:
From J. A. Jance’s New York Times bestselling Brady and Walker novels, federal investigator Dan Pardee, Brandon Walker’s son-in-law, crosses paths with Sheriff Joanna Brady as he traces the bloody path of a merciless serial killer across the Southwest in this intense thriller.
Driven by a compulsion that challenges his self-control, the man calling himself Charles Milton prowls the rodeo circuit, hunting young women. He chooses those he believes are the most vulnerable, wandering alone and distracted, before he strikes. For years, he has been meticulous in his methods, abducting, murdering, and disposing his victims while leaving no evidence of his crimes—or their identities—behind. Indigenous women have become his target of choice, knowing law enforcement’s history of ignoring their disappearances.
A cold case has just been assigned to Dan Pardee, a field officer with the newly formed Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s Task Force. Rosa Rios, a young woman of Apache descent and one-time rodeo star, vanished three years ago. Human remains, a homicide victim burned beyond recognition, were discovered in Cochise County around the time she went missing. They have finally been confirmed to be Rosa. With Sheriff Joanna Brady’s help, Dan is determined to reopen the case and bring long-awaited justice to Rosa’s family. As the orphaned son of a murdered indigenous woman, he feels an even greater, personal obligation to capture this killer.
Joanna’s daughter Jennifer is also taking a personal interest in this case, having known Rosa from her own amateur rodeo days. Now a criminal justice major, she’s unofficially joining the investigation. And as it becomes clear that Rosa was just one victim of a serial killer, both Jennifer and Dan know they’re running out of time to catch an elusive predator who’s proven capable of getting away with murder.
Good morning, Kevin! I hope you had a good weekend. I’m sure Noir at the Bar was fun. I hope there was a good turnout despite the heat.
Of course! Since I haven’t finished Sleepless City, it seemed only right to link to your review of the book.
I wondered about Blessing of the Lost Girls. Since I don’t read the Joanna Brady mysteries, I didn’t know if it would be easy to pick up. One reviewer on NetGalley said she had a hard time because she didn’t know the backstory.