If you read my blog the last couple days, you know I read, or attempted to read, two literary novels in a row. That doesn’t work for me. So, I picked up a mystery from last year. Krista Davis’ Diva series always works for me. The Diva Sweetens the Pie features Sophie Winston, an event planner in Alexandria, Virginia. It’s been too many years to count, but I used to spend time in Alexandria, and Davis always takes me back there. Old Town’s annual Pie festival crumbles when a celebrity judge is murdered, and Sophie’s friends become suspects. I haven’t started it yet, but it’s going to make a welcome palate cleanser.
Tell us what you’re reading this week. Or, if you’d rather just tell us how you’re doing, that’s fine, too. We all want to make sure everyone is okay.
Take care of yourselves!
(We’ll be back on our regular schedule next week – Distractions on Monday; What Are You Reading? on Thursday.)
As mentioned the other day, I read The Mykonos Mob by Jeffrey Siger, latest about Ch. Insp. Andreas Kaldis. There have probably been more books set on Mykonos than any other island in this series, and this has plenty of action as usual. Not my favorite in the series, but a good, fast read.
And speaking of fast reads, next was Recursion by Blake Crouch, the first I've read of his books. This has a time travel theme, and gets rather nasty at times. Dr. Helena Smith is trying to find something to help Alzheimers patients like her mother, and ends up inventing a "memory chair" that leads very dark places indeed. Along the way she meets up with divorced NYPD Detective Barry Sutton, and the book takes many twists and turns that kept me turning the pages quickly.
I have read all (and yes, there have been a lot) of Crippen & Landru's small press publications of short story collections since the beginning, and they have published many of my favorite mystery writers over the years – Edward D. Hoch, Clark Howard, Doug Allyn, Brendan DuBois, etc. But we can't all like the same things. The current title, The Boy Detective & The Summer of '74 by Art Taylor, has some good (and award-winning) stories, but overall, I would not put Taylor on my list for future reading. It's hard to explain, but there is just something about the stories that leave me mostly cold. Your mileage may vary.
I think I am going to read the next Peter Turnbull book from my shelves, as it has been a while since I've read one of his Yorkshire procedurals, which are always short and fast reads.
Definitely true that your mileage may vary, Jeff. Not everyone likes the same authors, nor even the same stories in an anthology. And, sometimes, turning to the tried-and-true like Turnbull, or in my case, Krista Davis, just works. I sailed through the first 110 pages of her book last night, and, if I hadn't started it so late, I might have read the entire book. Tried-and-true is sometimes just comfortable.
Absolutely! I know every Turnbull book will have a scene with the Sergeant and his handicapped son, probably a scene where the Inspector visits his late wife's grave (or at least thinks about her), and a scene where he "visits" his girlfriend, the coroner, after her kids are in bed, Definitely comfort food. Plus, there is something to be said for a 215 page book!
Yes! I like some consistency. And, I like a little smaller book. 310 seems about all I like nowadays, but I'm nostalgic for the 1970s when the average mystery was 192 pages. Showing my age.
This week I finished GUESTS OF AUGUST by Gloria Goldreich. I wasn't sure at first as it started off slow and almost all the characters were introduced at once. The longer I read the more I got hooked and by the end I really loved it. This is a character driven story about a group of families that summer at a New Hampshire inn for many years. I thought the writing was just fabulous.
Now I am reading THE CHELSEA GIRLS by Fiona Davis. My daughter recommended it to me. It is good and fast paced but the writing style after reading GUESTS OF AUGUST is rather a let down.
I read both of Krista Davis' pen and ink mysteries and really liked them. It doesn't seem like there will be any more which is a shame.
Happy Reading and Stay Safe!
This is the first week I’ve felt like reading something besides short cozy mysteries.
I finished an ARC of TIL DEATH by Annette Dashofy, the latest book in her Zoe Chambers series. This is one of my favorite series and I read it all in one sitting. Unfortunately the author is working on a new series and won’t be writing any more of these for a while.
I also re-read two of Charlaine Harris’ Lily Bard books; SHAKESPEAR’S LANDLORD and SHAKESPEAR’S CHAMPION. They are both somewhat dark but I needed something different this week and it’s been so long since I read them that I really didn’t remember the stories.
PART 1: In Peter Swanson's EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS, Malcolm is a bookseller who wrote a blog post a few years ago about eight classic mysteries featuring what he considered to be perfect murders–impossible or nearly impossible to solve. One day he finds an FBI agent on his door because, she says, some recent unsolved murders bear a suspicious similarity to the murders in a few of the books on his list. After rereading most of the books, he has to agree, and it seems the murderer has started to send messages to Malcolm. I enjoyed the creepy, noirish story, but I have some bones to pick. The twists were interesting but not as surprising as they should have been. And don't bother looking for the books on his list–spoilers abound and will surely ruin the books' endings for you.
THE K TEAM by David Rosenfelt is the first in a spinoff series from the author's long-running Andy Carpenter series. Three former cops–Andy's wife Laurie, their friend Corey, and Corey's K-9 partner Simon Garfunkel–have come together as private investigators, naming themselves The K Team in honor of Simon. Their first case involves "Hatchet" Henderson, a seasoned judge who is clearly being set up for a fall, and it's an interesting one. But as it's narrated by Corey, there isn't as much of the snarkiness I love about the Andy series. And Corey doesn't stand out for his personality, except for what we find out about his reluctant relationship with his girlfriend. And if you're going to call them The K Team, there isn't nearly enough about the dog! Fortunately, one of my favorite characters, bruiser and man-of-few-words Marcus, is also part of the team. Hopefully this premise will develop over time. And I'm pleased that it looks like the Andy series will continue.
In Gretchen Berg's THE OPERATOR, secrets abound in the small town of Wooster, Ohio in the 1950s. Vivian is an operator for Bell Telephone, and she and her coworkers routinely listen in on the calls they connect. One day, Vivian hears a secret about her own family that changes everything in her life and sets a series of unfortunate events in motion. At the same time, snobbish Betty is one of the "four-flushers" that Vivian despises. She has a rich husband and four children and sees it as her responsibility to guide fellow well-to-do housewives into gossiping, shunning, and looking down at the less fortunate in town (including Vivian). Betty's father is the town mayor and owner of a bank where two of his employees have embezzled $250K and evaded the police. The story gets a bit more interesting in the second half, but there isvery little development of the mostly shallow characters–Vivian's teenage daughter, Charlotte, being one exception. Also, there were intermittent recipes and annoying dictionary definitions scattered throughout for very little reason or effect.
PART 2: In THE PEACOCK SUMMER by Hannah Richell, Lillian married a rich widower at age 21, knowing he would provide not only for her but for her disabled sister, who needed to be in a special facility. She also became the willing stepmother of young Albie. But life wasn't as she had expected. Her husband was brutal to her–and sometimes to his son–but Lillian knew she couldn't leave him. Enter Jack, an artist commissioned by Lillian's husband to paint a a mural in one room of their mansion, who spent the summer in their home. Later in Lillian's life, she provides a home for Albie's artist daughter Maggie, who has lost her way in life but is willing to take on the role of her ailing grandmother's caregiver. The story shifts back and forth in time, focusing on Lillian and Maggie alternately. It's mostly a fairly bleak story, but engaging enough to keep me reading to the end.
Just what I needed–UNDERCOVER BROMANCE by Lyssa Kay Adams, the follow-up to The Bromance Book Club, was a fun, escapist read for me. Liv is a pastry chef who discovers that the restaurant's celebrity chef owner, Royce, is a serial sexual harasser. Liv is fired when defending a coworker, and Royce sets out to ruin her career. When Braden Mack, a nightclub entrepreneur and one of the book club members, finds out, he makes it his personal crusade (with the help of fellow book club members) to stop Royce in his tracks and bring justice to his victims. In the process, he and Liv find each other particularly fascinating. Liv is not the most likeable character and the plot is a bit thin, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and was happy to learn that there is a third in the series, coming in October.
I originally planned to be finishing Jenn McKinlay's new Cupcake Bakery book today – PUMPKIN SPICE PERIL. But it was too good and I finished it last night. So today, I'm reading HUNTING FOR HIDDEN GOLD, one of the Hardy Boys mysteries. I've never read this particular book, although I always wanted to. Who would want to hunt for gold?
I finished Salt River by Randy Wayne White, the newest book in the Doc Ford series. Ford's hippie sidekick was a sperm donor, and now a number of his children want to come visit. Some of them might be terrorists. Meanwhile, treasure hunters want the treasure Ford stole in the last book. Not bad, but none of the spy jinx of some of the earlier books.
Sandy, I wonder if that series by Annette Dashofy was by Henery Press. They've been dropping some of their series, so that might be why she's moving on. LOVED the Lily Bard series. It really was my favorite by Charlaine Harris.
Margie, I'm so glad we read similar books so you can weed them out for me. I was wondering why I just couldn't get into The K Team. Well, that one's moving on the bookmarked pile. And, The Operator sounded good, but I'm moving that off the TBR pile. Thanks for culling several piles for me. I'll look forward to Undercover Bromance, although I wasn't a big fan of Liv in the last book. But, I knew her relationship would be the next one up.
Mark, I'm sure Jenn would appreciate knowing that you couldn't put her book down last night. Good recommendation!
Thanks, Glen. I was curious about that book with the sperm donor aspect. Not bad isn't really a bad recommendation from you. Thank you! Stay safe since you're still out working in the real world.
Less,
Annette’s series was published by Henery Press and she’s finished her contract with them. She says that she plans to possibly self publish some more books in that series in the future but has something else she wants to write now. I like her writing so I’m willing to try a new series by her.
I thought that might be what was happening, Sandy.
In eBooks I have been doing some mystery and crime fiction short story stuff. In print, I am reading OUTPOST by Terry W. Ervin II. Basically, some college kids get sucked into a magical fantasy role playing game and are trapped inside.
The last couple of days the reading has taken a back seat to watching BOSCH Season Six. Got one episode left at this point.
I have never binged on TV, Kevin. I just don't want to let go of that last episode.
Done it a lot. Did it with this. Finished the season just after nine last night. Withdrawal agony hit just about midnight….
I finished bingeing Season 2 of Big Little Lies last night. I don't have HBO, but right now HBO is allowing some of its programs to be viewed for free. I watched season Season 1 when my son gave me 3 months of HBO Now a couple of years ago, and I enjoyed it (not as much as the book). Season 2 had author Liane Moriarty as executive producer and collaborator on the story (there is no book 2). It was unrelentingly bleak and I almost gave up, but in the penultimate episode Nicole Kidman's character decided to be her own spokesperson in custody court, and I just couldn't not watch the last episode for that reason. Glad it's over, though. Merle Streep was, of course, outstandingly awful as Nicole's dead husband's mother, trying to get custody of Nicole's twins. Is there any role she can't play?
I don't think there is a role that Meryl Streep can't play. She's fantastic.
Just beginning In Search of Safety..Voices of Refugees by Susan Kiklin. Five refugees are profiled in Nebraska. I am reading about the first one who came from Afghanistan. He was over whelmed when he arrived. N0 war here!!!
Carol, Makes you wonder what he thinks now with the virus.
Hope you're doing well, Lesa. I am good. I work in a public library and though we are currently closed, we have plenty of tasks to keep us busy. I am grateful to still be able to come to work. I am currently reading A Reasonable Doubt by Phillip Margolin. On audio, it will be Me & Patsy Kickin up Dust by Loretta Lynn.
Funny, katstev. I feel just the opposite. I'm working from home, and I'm happy we're not going in. I don't think it's safe. Of course, everyone in my department, including me, is in a high-risk group so that might be why. I think the audiobook sounds fun.
I thought of the same thing, Lesa. Then I looked up the packing plant that he worked at and his still did. It was hit hard with Co-Vid 19. Awful. People are not thinking about the packing plants. We do not have one nearby but we do have nursing homes. The reports two days ago said that two people in their 80's died. Postal people are afraid to deliver the mail to our senior retirement center. They recently had two die at the Post Office. We are living in a different world now.
I started reading The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey. Missy is 79. I am finding that I snatch up books about any character older than me. I am 73 now. Anyway, there were a few bad weeks by younger people, and I think that the ones who gave it good reviews are older. Last night I ordered a book about a 101 year old man. As I get older, I am more and more aware of age! Not far in it because I set it down and think about what has been written. Part of it is funny, part tragic and the other part makes me think!