Well, what are you reading this week? Something new? Catching up on something old? A little of
both? We’d all like to know.
I’m catching up on a favorite series. I hadn’t read Krista Davis’ 2018 Domestic Diva mystery, The Diva Cooks Up a Storm, and the 2019 one is out. I don’t care about household hints, but I like Sophie Winston, the amateur sleuth. And, I love the setting of Old Town Alexandria because I spent a little time there when I was in grad school. In this one, a lawyer friend of Sophie’s sours a pop-up dinner party when he brings his new trophy wife to the party. By the next day he’s the one who is struggling to live.
This is a fun cozy mystery series. How about you? What are you reading this week? Mystery, fiction, nonfiction? We’re curious!
So far I'd call it fiction, but it won the Edgar as Best First Mystery (as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) so you make the call: THE SYMPATHIZER by Viet Thanh Nguyen. The unnamed narrator is a North Vietnamese mole in the South Vietnamese Army, working for a General, as the novel begins in April 1975 with the Fall of Saigon. He is evacuated to California and still working undercover (mostly, but not exclusively, keeping an eye on what the others were doing), and ends up as an adviser on a PLATOON-like movie filming in The Philippines. It is also couched as his "confession" to an unseen Commandant. I am very curious to see where it goes from here. Very well written.
The other book I read last week was BOMBER'S MOON, the 30th Joe Gunther mystery by Archer Mayor, and a good one. I like the way he moves the action to different areas of Vermont in each book, as well as bringing in other people to supplement Joe and his team. In this one, a lot of time is given to two young women, a reporter (the daughter of Gunther's girlfriend) and a PI with an interesting background of her own. I've read the series from the beginning and this is a good one.
I read an ARC of an anthology of paranormal romances set around the holidays and all featuring magical cats, MEOWS AND MISTLETOE. I enjoyed most of the stories.
I also read Kristen Painter’s latest Nocturne Falls paranormal romance, THE VAMPIRE’S PRICELESS TREASURE. I didn’t like it as much as I have the other books in the series. I didn’t really care for the main characters in this book and there didn’t really seem to be any chemistry between them.
I’m currently reading A KILLER CAROL by Laura Bradford. It’s the latest in her Amish mystery series and I’m enjoying it.
Jeff, How about a social crime novel for The Sympathizer? Steph Cha had an article out this week about 5 social crime novels. I like that description. I always think of you when I see Archer Mayor's books.
Sandy, I really liked A Killer Carol. I'm a big fan of Laura Bradford's Amish mystery series.
Ellen Byron's Cajun Country Mysteries are full of Louisiana local color. In FATAL CAJUN FESTIVAL, B&B proprietor and praline maker extraordinaire Maggie (Magnolia) Crozat is involved with the small town of Pelican's music festival, to be headlined by Tammy Barker, a young singer originally from Pelican who has made it big but has bad blood with Maggie's musician friend, Gaynell. When Tammy's manager becomes a murder victim, Gaynell is the prime suspect, but Maggie and her fiance, detective Bo, join forces to find the real culprit. I enjoy this series.
In THE STATIONERY SHOP by Marjan Kamali, there is a political upheaval in Tehran in 1953, and teenager Bahman wants to be involved. He and Roya meet by chance at a stationery shop and fall in love over Rumi's poetry. They set their wedding date, but there are, of course, obstacles. For one, Bahman's mother is dead set on marrying him off to another girl. When Bahman disappears before the wedding can take pace, Roya is devastated but agrees to go to America with her younger sister to further her education. She ultimately marries but never forgets her first love. Amazingly, she has one final chance to find out what went wrong many years later. Enjoyable, but sadder than I had expected.
Lynwood Barclay's ELEVATOR PITCH, there are not one, not two, but three fatal elevator accidents in three high-rises on three successive days in New York City, not to mention a car bombing and the beating death of an elevator technician. Hmm, can't be a coincidence, can it? Involved whether they like it or not are the mayor (on the hot seat), an intrepid journalist who has no love for the mayor, her daughter, the mayor's son, and a pair of detectives, one of whom has lingering medical/emotional problems from a previous incident. Not to mention a nefarious organization that doesn't mind precipitating violent acts to get its message heard. Imagine the fallout from shutting down all elevators in Manhattan for a day so they can be checked for suspicious devices. Yes, it's gimmicky and over the top, with the requisite culmination at the top of a luxury building with hundreds in attendance, but it was close enough to something that could really happen that it kept me reading quickly to the end.
David Rosenfelt is really prolific–I think DACHSHUND THROUGH THE SNOW is his third book of 2019! I love his long-running character, attorney Andy Carpenter, who is independently wealthy and thus able to take only cases he likes (or that his wife, Laurie, convinces him to take). He is also co-owner of a golden retriever rescue organization, as is the author. Laurie is a past police chief and now an investigator on Andy's team, which includes quite a few indelible (and sometimes hilarious) characters. But it is Andy's sometimes snarky voice, so well written by the author, that makes this series so enjoyable. In this case, Andy takes on a "giving tree" request from a young boy for the return of his father, who has been arrested for a 14-year-old murder he didn't commit (but circumstances make him look like the prime suspect). I particularly love the courtroom scenes, which seem quite realistic and include some interesting twists.
I breezed through DEATH IF A GIGOLO by Laura Levine in the last couple of days. I know they aren’t your thing, but I love them for something light and fun.
Today I’ll be starting APPLE CIDER SLAYING by Julie Ann Lindsey.
Margie, David Rosenfelt is kicking off a spin-off series that features Laurie, and a new K-9 unit. I didn't know if you had heard. Sounds as if you had a good reading week!
Mark, You know I like cozies. But, you're right. Some series are just not right for me, and Laura Levine's books are not my taste. I do have Apple Cider Slaying at home, so I'll be interested to see what you think.
Lesa, I did hear about THE K TEAM and have it on my TBR list for next year, but I didn't know it was a spinoff. Sounds interesting!
This week I finished MURDER IN THE LOCKED LIBRARY by Ellery Adams. Trying to catch up on this series before the new one arrives next year. I enjoyed this one about rare books but I wasn't satisfied with the ending.
Next I read JOSH AND HAZEL'S GUIDE TO NOT DATING by Christina Lauren. After reading THE UNHONEYMOONERS, my daughter suggested giving this one a try. I didn't find this as charming as that but it was fun easy read.
Now I am reading RUBY AND ROLAND by Faith Sullivan. This is my pick of the week. Ruby is an orphaned child from Illinois during the early 1900's before WWI. She eventually ends up in Minnesota as hired help for a farming couple where she falls in love with married Roland. The blurb on the front call it a more modern Jane Eyre. I'm not sure about that but I've read and loved everything Faith Sullivan has written. This one is no exception.
Happy Reading!
I'm reading The Stranger Inside by Lisa Unger – I usually like all of her books but this one isn't grabbing me like some of her others. You know who the murderer is and prefer unraveling it myself.
Lesa, we have had a few cooler days this week. We have had a very hot summer.
Has it gotten cool at your home ❓
Trust you and the fur babies are well.
Sounds like a lot of books are being read, good thing always.
Hugs~~
BOMBER'S MOON by Mayor. ABout two thirds of the way through and enjoying it.
Oh, I read that description of Ruby and Roland, Sharon. I wondered about that Jane Eyre bit. And, thanks for the summary of Christina Lauren's book. I won't go back and pick it up. I am on hold for her forthcoming one, though, Twice on a Blue Moon. It's out next week. We'll see what that one is like.
Donna, Right there with you. I don't like to know who the killer is ahead of time, either.
Oh, good, Kevin. You agree with Jeff, then.
I read mostly Men's Adventure this week:
Trained to Hunt by Simon Gervais; While his daughter is trying to kill his girlfriend, Pierce Hunt goes jetting around the world killing drug dealers.
The Raid by Steven Konkoly; Ryan Decker has to stop a conspiracy with some minor Cartels and politicians. It ends badly for the politicians.
Mission Critical by Mark Greaney; The Gray Man has to stop some Russians from infecting the intelligence agencies of the English speaking world with the Plague.
The Russian by Ben Coes; Dewey Andres's sidekick, Rob Tacoma takes on the Russian Mob.
A House Divided by David Putnam; Abraham Lincoln and Speed (and Stephen Douglas) are fighting over Mary Todd, when there's a bizarre murder. Lincoln and Speed have to solve their problems before they can get to Lincoln's client's problem of how not to get hanged.
Death of a Gigolo by Laura LeVine; I liked this better than you did. I think it would work great as a TV movie on the Hallmark Movie Channel.
Brief Horrible Moments by Marko Pandza; A collection of one sentence horror stories. Somewhat repetitive, and a lot of the sentences are run-ons.
Oh, Glen. That last review. "And a lot of the sentences are run-ons." Very good. Thank you for making me laugh, and for making me want to respond. I really wanted to comment about The Raid. "It ends badly for the politicians." Oh, I wish!
I am reading Stamped Out by Tonya Kappes. A lighthearted cozy mystery that is the beginning of A Mail Carrier Cozy Mystery series. Then I have A Fair Time for Death by Adriana Licio and Murder at the Courthouse by Meghan Carver. So many delightful new cozy mysteries coming out this month.
I know this is a late addition but…you talked about so-called thrillers the other day and what did or didn't fit the category. One book mentioned (by Margie) that definitely does is Linwood Barclay's ELEVATOR PITCH, a book that moves as quickly as a falling elevator without brakes. It's over 400 pages, but I'm sure I will finish it in a couple of days. I've read a couple of his earlier books, but this one really moves.
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