I saw some snow alongside the roads on my drive to Mom’s yesterday. That’s enough snow for me for the year. I am not a winter or snow person at all. But, I’m here safely, and we’ll have a relaxing holiday together. My youngest sister, Christie, and her family will be here on Christmas day.
In the meantime, I unpacked three boxes of books on Tuesday, and still didn’t find any of my Christmas books. So, I ended up buying a copy of Craig Johnson’s Spirit of Steamboat. I read that Christmas novella every year, and it’s what I would have been reading last night.
Here’s the brief summary. Sheriff Walt Longmire is in his office reading A Christmas Carol when he is interrupted by a ghost of Christmas past: a young woman with a hairline scar and more than a few questions about his predecessor, Lucian Connally. With his daughter Cady and undersherrif Moretti otherwise engaged, Walt’s on his own this Christmas Eve, so he agrees to help her.
At the Durant Home for Assisted Living, Lucian is several tumblers into his Pappy Van Winkle’s and swears he’s never clapped eyes on the woman before. Disappointed, she whispers “Steamboat” and begins a story that takes them all back to Christmas Eve 1988.
What about you? What are you reading this week? Do you have a special book or story you read this time of year, or are you catching up with your regular reading?
And, most of all, stay well, please. I know eight people who have COVID right now, and it’s hitting some of them hard, even though they’ve had the vaccine. Stay healthy, and I’ll try, too.
Calculated in Death by J.D. Robb.
I am running my Spirit of Steamboat review again Friday as part of FFB.
It was 65 here today. No snow. I was in shorts and a t-shirt. Again. 😎
I love Spirit of Steamboat, Kevin. And, of course, J.D. Robb is terrific.
She is and they are a great way to cleanse the mind for me.
I have 71 library books here as well as now six via NetGalley. Not to mention all the ones I have sent to me privately.
I really need Amazon to get me my READ FASTER brain implant delivered. Remains on back order due to supply chain and technology issues.
Yes, I can see supply chain and technology issues would be a problem. Maybe Scott can do something about that.
lol!
C. J. Box “Shadow Reel” and Robert Schrader “Badges Get Bent” (writing and proofreading my next book.)
I’ve read quite a few Christmas books this year, and I don’t have any on deck, so I’m just concentrating on the books on my Kindle and my NetGalley shelf (with a library book thrown in now and then). Here’s what I’ve been reading this week:
Book store owner and debut cozy mystery writer Samantha Washington is a new character to me, although I discovered there are no less than eight earlier entries in VM Burns’ Mystery Bookshop series. Would I have enjoyed MURDER ON TOUR more if I had started with the first book in the series? Most likely, as it would have allowed me more time to become familiar with the cast of characters, but I was was still able to appreciate the strong points of this book. For one, we are treated to a book-within-a-book, Samantha’s historical mystery, set in 1939 in England between the World Wars. In alternating chapters, the author cleverly juxtaposes the fictional mystery with the real-life mystery occurring in Samantha’s life in Northern Michigan. Feeling impostor syndrome when participating in a book tour with much more seasoned authors, Sam is also startled to hear some vitriolic behind-the-scenes arguments among several of the authors. One author is accusing another of not only stealing her lover but stealing her manuscript and publishing it as her own. A suspicious death takes place, leading in quick succession to two more. In the fictional world, Lady Elizabeth encounters high emotions and threats among Members of Parliament who are outraged by an author who brags of selling military secrets to another country. In both scenarios, it is the female protagonist who is center stage. In fact, Sam seems to be solving the mystery mostly on her own, as the detective is portrayed as a slovenly loser who seems all too eager to allow her to take responsibility. I found that difficult to swallow, as law enforcement personnel in cozy mysteries are usually warning civilians away from the investigation. Many characters in the plot, including Sam’s family, friends, and especially her Grandma Jo’s buddies at the retirement village, who provide assistance and humor to the process.
In RESURRECTION WALK, the seventh book in the Lincoln Lawyer series (bringing his total books to 38!), Michael Connelly is at the top of his game. Connelly is a master when it comes to creating exciting legal thrillers with believable courtroom scenes and indelible characters. In this one, prominent defense attorney Mickey Haller and his half-brother Harry Bosch work together to overturn the conviction of a young mother who has been behind bars for five years for allegedly killing her ex-husband, a sheriff’s deputy. Having recently succeeded in freeing a man who was unjustly incarcerated, Mickey wants to again experience the deep satisfaction of the” resurrection walk” of the title–watching an unjustly convicted client walk out of prison and rejoin the real world. And there is no shortage of prisoners who have heard of his success and sent him letters asking for help. A career LAPD detective, Harry Bosch is now in his 70s, retired and struggling to come to terms with working for “the dark side” after 40 years of contention with defense attorneys. But Mickey has pulled strings to get him into a clinical trial that may improve his chances of defeating bone marrow cancer, so he agrees to do some research regarding prisoners who have contacted Mickey for help, in order to identify which cases may have merit. Once they have agreed to look into Cindi Sanz’s case, they have to deal with major issues of dangerous police “cliques,” contaminated evidence, incompetent lawyers, mystifying break-ins, a by-the-book judge, and more. Adding interest and timeliness, the courtroom activity includes a crime scene re-creation tool based on artificial intelligence and evidence based on geo-fencing. It all adds up to a spectacularly engrossing story that kept me reading frantically and even unexpectedly shedding a tear at the final courtroom scene. There is also a tantalizing exchange between Mickey and Harry at the end that might indicate a new direction in the next Lincoln Lawyer book. I can’t wait!
Set in Australia, THE BOOKSTORE AT RIVER’S END is not the first book by Phillipa Nefri Clark to be set in small-town River’s End, but this one features new characters–former librarian Harriet, approaching 50 years old, and her 20-year-old daughter, Olive, who have moved there to open a bookstore. After recovering from a potentially fatal brain tumor, Harriet’s husband had decided to end their marriage and his career abruptly to travel the globe to “find himself.” He had purchased the property in River’s End, where he had spent happy childhood days, to allow Harriet to turn it into her long-dreamed-of bookstore but didn’t endear himself to her when he did so without her knowledge or input. Nevertheless, a new venue and a new start are just what Harriet needs, not to mention what Olive needs after leaving her first year of college after a disastrous romance. The mother and daughter team find they work quite harmoniously together, each offering her own individual skills. It is when they find part of a diary from 1961, detailing three teenage friends’ adventures putting together a scavenger hunt and treasure hunt for a younger sister’s birthday, that the story takes flight. The diary entries ignite Harriet’s and Olive’s imagination and curiosity, leading them to investigate what really happened and the connection between those teenagers and members of the current River’s End community. Readers should be able to put together some of the facts even before Harriet and Olive do, but others remain difficult to discover. I like the combination of the mystery, the portrayal of the charming town, the intriguing, developing relationship between mother and daughter, and
the mature romantic relationship between Harriet and an attractive local chef. The story is told in such an engaging way that I may check out other books in the River’s End and Temple River series. (January)
I wish everyone the happiest of holidays and, for those who celebrate, a very merry Christmas!
Margie, I didn’t even think about it being the last Thursday before Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family. Merry Christmas!
The Bookstore at River’s End sounds fascinating. And, I’ve only heard positive things about Resurrection Walk.
With it being a few days before Christmas, I’m naturally reading about…St. Patrick’s Day. I’m two novellas into Irish Milkshake Murder. I really liked the first story by Carlene O’Connor. I enjoyed the second one, written by Peggy Ehrhart, as well, which I know you didn’t enjoy, Lesa. I’m expecting it to be my least favorite of the three, but I still think it was good overall. Thursday, I’ll be reading the final story, Liz Ireland’s contribution, which is the reason I picked up the anthology in the first place. I love her Mrs. Claus series so much. It will actually be nice reading one of them “in season” for a change, even if it is a St. Patrick’s Day setting instead of Christmas.
Driving north Friday. Have a Merry Christmas!
I laughed at your opening sentence, Mark. You’re right. We seldom read those stories “in season”. My review of Irish Milkshake Murder runs on Dec. 26.
Merry Christmas! Enjoy your holidays, Mark!
My review of the book will be running the same day. Assuming I get it finished with everything else Christmas going on. I’m cutting it closer than I normally would like.
Enjoy your visit, Lesa.
I finished an ARC of Hammers and Homicide Paula Charles which was a so-so cozy. And DNF’d The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan. It’s a fantasy book set during the Spanish Inquisition when the Jews were being forced out of Spain and it was putting me to sleep.
On the plus side for the week we visited with most of the childless adults in my boyfriend’s family last Saturday and no one has gotten sick. We’re invited to a baby shower / celebration in January but we’ve already decided not to attend since there will be a number of kids present.
I read The Spirit of Steamboat last Christmas at your suggestion Lesa, great holiday story. I currently have a large stack of library books with some very enticing reads, so plenty to read. Perfect as winter weather sets in.
Currently reading THE MYSTERY GUEST by Nita Prose. She really engages the reader in the story.
I enjoyed Claire Keegan’s SO LATE IN THE DAY: Stories of Women and Men. This recent collection, published as more readers become aware of this author’s powerful short fiction, consists of three previously published short stories (So Late in the Day, The Long and Painful Death and Antartica). My favorite is The Long and Painful Death for the glimpse into the mind of a writer.
My second Christmas read for the season – HERCULE POIROT’S SILENT NIGHT by Sophie Hannah. It is her fifth novel authorized by Agatha Christie Ltd. A fun romp in a crumbling mansion on the Norfolk coast starts off with a murder. Inspector Catchpool is assigned to decorate five rather large trees in the course of his duties with his mother assisting in the investigation (but not the decorating). Its all tidily summed up at the end of course. It reminded me of a fun little theater production.
MAYBE NEXT TIME by Cesca Major (aka CD Major, Rosie Blake and Ruby Hummingbird) is a thought provoking love story. What if you had a chance to redo your life? But only one day – a very terrible day. And you had to do it over and over.
And ACTS OF VIOLET by Margarita Montimore was absorbing, surprising because the person that recommended only liked all the detail about magicians. The story revolves around two sisters, one a star magician, but is about families, fame, deception and forgiveness. Various methods are used to tell the story including podcast transcripts, best one I’ve read that takes this current approach.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable holiday season and avoids all the viruses making the rounds.
It is, MM. Just my type of Christmas story, and the right length for me this time of year!
I really enjoyed The Mystery Guest. I liked it more than The Maid.
The chance to live a day over again, a terrible day, sounds absolutely awful. It might be fun to read, though.
Wise, Sandy, not to go to the baby shower. I know eight people who have COVID right now. And, last year it was a child who gave everything to my sister’s family. Brought it home from nursery school.
I can see why you didn’t finish The Pomegranate Gate.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, if you celebrate.
Hi Lesa. I’m glad you’re enjoying your visit. I just finished reading a mystery I enjoyed very much, Leonard Rosen’s ALL CRY CHAOS, about the murder of a mathematician in Amsterdam just before he’s scheduled to give a talk about his research. When it came out in 2011 it was nominated for every possible reward, including an Edgar. It’s very well-written and exciting but a little heavy for the holiday season, I’d say. Now I’ve started RAFT OF STARS (2021) by Andrew J. Graff, which is about two ten-year-old boys who run away in a Wisconsin forest and the adults who are searching for them. Very good so far.
Whoops, not reward–AWARD!
Good morning, Kim. I received your book. Thank you! I didn’t bring it with me, though, because I won’t be reading much in the next week.
Interesting. I never heard of Rosen’s book.
Thank you! Enjoy the holidays, if you celebrate.
I’m with you. We have just two more weeks until we leave for Florida and we’re hoping it stays dry (or at least wet, not white, until then). Since they are predicting 50 on Christmas day, that’s good for us. I hope those of you craving a white Christmas get it, as long as it is nowhere near New York!
Jackie took my advice and is reading Lee Goldberg’s CALICO, which will definitely be on my favorite books of the year list. She likes it too. (SPOILER ALERT) I finished it last Thursday. It may eventually go on the shelf with other favorites like TIME AND AGAIN and Ken Grimwood’s REPLAY. (END SPOILER)
Then it was Claire Keegan’s collection SO LATE IN THE DAY. I’d already read two of the three stories (other than the title tale) before. I got a free copy one month from Amazon of Ian Rankin’s novella (he calls it a short story, but it is 85 pages long), THE RISE. Instead of his usual Edinburgh, this is set at a luxury high rise adjacent to Hyde Park in London, where the night security man is found dead, presumably murdered. It was nothing exciting to me, but a fast, short read if you need a quick book to pump up your totals.
I am on record as a big fan of Val McDermid’s (Edinburgh-set) Chief Insp. Karen Pirie series. PAST LYING is the latest. This is set in the early days of Covid, when Edinburgh is under lock down and people are only allowed out to exercise one hour a day. It does kind of throw things in the book off, as much of it takes place in apartments over the phone. Also, it is a little hard to get a handle on just what happened. They get word that a manuscript by a now dead mystery writer hints that a missing woman was killed, possibly by said author, in order to frame another person. But is she really dead? And did he kill her? Then why would he have written a book implicating himself? It seems to take a long time to get to the gist of this 450 page book, though it does get clearer and better as it goes along. Far from my favorite in the series, it is definitely worth reading if you’re a fan of McDermid, and how can you not be? I found the Scottish slang a lot of fun too.
Currently reading A MANUAL FOR CLEANING WOMAN, a very good collection of short stories by Lucia Berlin, as well as THE PENGUIN BOOK OF MURDER MYSTERIES, a collection of early – 19th Century – stories. I rarely read pre-Holmes mysteries but it’s nice to have a change once in a while.
Nita Prose’s THE MAID was a favorite book from last year, and I’ve started her sequel, THE MYSTERY GUEST. Molly Gray, our heroine, is now Head Maid at the posh Regency Grand Hotel, when a noted mystery writer drops dead in the ballroom (poising, clearly) just as he was about to make some revelation. I’ve just started it, so we’ll see next week.
Have a wonderful Christmas, all you who are celebrating. We’ll be watching our usual Christmas fare of MEET ME IN St. LOUIS (which introduced “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”) and a bunch of Christmas episodes of favorite British shows.
l hope the good weather remains so you have clear sailing to Florida, Jeff. And, of course, if we all have that good weather, that means the roads will be good when I head home late next week.
SPOILER ALERT – That is a spoiler. You’re right. I get it when you say those are two of your other favorite books. Big Jack Finney fan here. I think we’ve discussed that before.
I enjoyed the Sister Boniface Christmas episode on BritBox.
Sending hugs to you and Jackie! Happy Reading!
Wow, Jeff, I couldn’t agree more about Replay and Calico. I’ve never read Time and Again, so maybe I will have to look for that one.
Oh, Margie. Yes, Time and Again.
I should be reading the long list of e-ARCs from Netgalley that I have on my Kindle, but instead I’m starting Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos and the Washington Post, by Martin Baron. As a longtime Washingtonian, I am also still trying to adjust to the thought that Bezos owns the Post.
I can understand that, Sandra. It does take something to wrap your head around it.
Not my type of seasonal reading, but I hope you enjoy it!
I read two Christmas books this week and am ready for something more substantial.
In The Christmas Village by Bella Osborn, Blythe sells a cottage to Sam trying to win the office’s sales quota for the month. She omits the fact Christmas is an over the top celebration in the village and Sam hates Christmas. I enjoyed all the secondary characters in this but Sam and Blythe had absolutely no chemistry.
The second book was A Christmas Castle in Scotland by Julie Caplin. Izzy inherits a castle from her uncle (as one does) and wants to turn it into a hotel. Her over the top mother spends the money on decorating before they have it. And there’s the mysterious “leave me alone” writer and hidden sapphires.
Both of these were pleasant enough reads but rather on the fluffy predictable cookie cutter side.
Merry Christmas and Happy Reading!
Merry Christmas, Sharon.
You’re right. Sometimes, it’s time for something a little heavier. Fluffy doesn’t always cut it.
It’s been raining here, and when it isn’t raining, it’s foggy. Typical winter weather. I’ve been busy for the holidays, but this year I haven’t been as stressed out as in some other years.
This week I read:
Footsteps on the Stairs by Stella Pevsner; A kid with a fear of water and an interest in haunted houses has to handle both when a new kid moves into a house that may or may not be haunted. It’s amazing how much better kids’ books used to be.
Dig Two Graves by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; Somebody runs over Velda’s mother right in front of Mike. Bad idea. He chases the string to a retirement/witsec village in Arizona, and adds a few new gunfights to the West.
Reluctant Siege by J. Clifton Slater; Sisera is part of an unsuccessful siege of Etruscans and has to make his way to Rome through enemy lines to get reinforcements, and that’s just the beginning. Sisera is one busy soldier.
Hanging The Devil by Tim Maleeny; A new series to me, won in a goodreads drawing. Cape Weathers is a San Francisco PI, with a Chinese assassin woman as his Hawk type side kick. When thieves crash a helicopter into a museum in order to rob it, the only witness, a young girl, runs away and finds Weather, who, looks into the matter, with the help of beautiful Interpol art expert. I may just have found a new series to collect.
The Shamshine Blind by Paz Pardo; During the Falklands War, Argentina developed a drug that created synthetic emotions, and now everybody is an addict.
The Dobson Affair by Julien Rapp; Hawaiian cop is planning a vacation, but the chief insists he attend an Interpol conference, but his goddaughters are coming to visit. Meanwhile, there are spy games and murder afoot.
Violent Country by Frank O’Rourke; Boring western about a feud caused by a lamb.
Yes! I’m glad you liked the Cape Weathers book, Glen. At least you’ll have to check out the earlier. books.
Enjoy the holidays, and I hope they stay stress-free for you.
We are having heavy rains here today. Very welcome, but since there are flash flood warnings and we just got an alert to stay off the streets, some areas may be badly affected. I hope not.
Last week I read WINTER SOLSTICE by Rosamunde Pilcher. I have never read anything by Pilcher so this was a new experience. At 500 plus pages, I was hoping I would like it, and I did, more than I expected. It was the perfect read for this time of year. If I had any complaint, and I don’t really, it would be that the main characters are too perfect. But I liked all those almost perfect characters, and cared for them.
Now I am moving on to Christmas stories and reading more chapters in Deborah Mitford’s memoir, WAIT FOR ME!
Glen just this morning finished reading all the stories in SUNLESS SOLSTICE: STRANGE CHRISTMAS TALES FOR THE LONGEST NIGHTS. It is part of the British Library Tales of the Weird series. He liked most of the stories, especially “The Apple Tree” by Daphne du Maurier, which was a novella.
He just started reading CHASING JACK by Parnell Hall. I am looking forward to hearing what he thinks of that. I think that was Hall’s only standalone novel.
Stay safe, Tracy. I know you and Glen will stay off the roads if they’re bad.
I’m so glad you liked the Rosamund Pilcher book. There are other good ones out there when you’re in the mood for another one.
Just finished an ARC “Invisible Woman” by Katja Lief for review. Started off great, but not ultimately satisfying. I have to think more about why before I write my review. But I’m taking the holiday weekend off to read the third Thursday Murder Club mystery, “The Bullet that Missed.” Pure fun!!
(Lesa – if the following is too much, please just strike and accept my apologies)
And as a very lovely solstice gift, Harvard Book Store (my favorite local indie) just sent me the link to the event a truly wonderful and generous group of local authors did of my new “To Conjure a Killer” (I was recovering from surgery so couldn’t do it). If you want to see the likes of Joe Finders, Caroline Leavitt, Vicki Croke, Kate Flora, Susan Oleksiw, Dana Cameron, Toni L.P. Kelner, and Leslie Wheeler tackle a cat cozy, here’s the link: https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/play/yBvArEv7mY9WIFVVHDiMAgsFe7ehsZQvqkJN9Aq9XN0xIUdmcR29RROdQWhMOOwJqx3ClHkUihrphfEm.feIU9GirPm-bDcpb?canPlayFromShare=true&from=share_recording_detail&continueMode=true&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fus06web.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2FHfgDzDzLtjbao5B_8v6ECi20ho3PfmG-vJ-xfYFB2mR–hJoky0ErnD4t-O-Wcbo.lTKjaaHgprXjxAza&fbclid=IwAR3zcRsVZR3I3EhWLWURmXu-FHN4cC5Fcf2TH4l3zxDjA17vman7g9EiAAc
My current read via #NetGalley is Obey All Laws: A Probation Case Files Mystery
by Cindy Goyette. Comes out Jan 9th. Am enjoying it very much and am about a third of the way in the read.
NetGalley Blurb: When Phoenix probation officer Casey Carson goes to work, she expects naked people to answer doors, meth-addicted clients to hit on her, and angry judges to chew her out in court. After a routine home visit with a client, a Diablo gang member, goes horribly wrong, she knows she must watch her back. Even she must admit that a one-eyed, bad-ass, angry gangster and his crew gunning for her is a bit more than she was trained to handle.
Casey has even more reason to fear Diablo when her cousin Hope goes missing, and it looks like their handiwork. With women vanishing at an alarming rate in the area, police treat Hope’s disappearance as a priority. Still, Casey can’t sit on the sidelines, even with her ex-husband leading the investigation. After she receives information that proves her suspicions about Diablo right, the gang will do anything to keep her from sharing it with police, even if that means taking her on a one-way trip to the desert.