Book Reviews – Page 124 – Carol's Notebook

Blood Money by Doug Richardson

April 25, 2019April 25, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

Blood Money is an action-packed thriller with plenty of violence—it's not surprising to learn the author is also a screenwriter of action movies. The book is non-stop, it never gives you time to breathe. There are several people whose lives intersect in disastrous ways. Few of the characters are likable, but you get their motives. Lucky Dey is out for revenge against the man who killed his brother, if he can find him. He is relentless and is basically a renegade cop at this point. He is hard to like. He's mean and single-minded and just a tough guy. He is joined by Lydia "Gonzo" Gonzalez, his "chaperone" from the LAPD, who is my favorite character. She's a single mom who realizes how close to out of control Lucky is, but still hangs on for the ride. Lucky's interactions with Gonzo and her son let you see his softer side a bit, which helps. The man Lucky is hunting is a...

Final Curtain by Ngaio Marsh

April 18, 2019April 18, 2019 by CarolNo Comments

The Final Curtain has a lot of similarities to many of Marsh's other mysteries. We've got a country house party. Inspector Alleyn doesn't show up until about halfway through. We've got a young couple who are meant to be together but have difficulties in the way. We've got a tie to both art and the theater. But Marsh winds these bits together with a pretty terrible family and comes up with an enjoyable mystery that had me stumped. WW 2 is over and Agatha Troy is waiting for her husband, Inspector Alleyn to return from New Zealand. To pass the last couple of weeks, she accepts a commission that takes her to Ancreton Manor to paint a portrait of Sir Henry Ancred, a famous Shakespearean actor in his Macbeth costume. The first half-ish of the book shows us the Ancred family from Troy's point of view and they are overall a melodramatic, argumentative bunch, not people to enjoy spending...

The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt och Dag

April 12, 2019April 12, 2019 by Carol6 Comments

Wow! The Wolf and the Watchman is the most engrossing novel I've read in a while. I want to tell you that you should read it and you should, but only if you like historical mysteries and don't mind some gruesomeness and brutality. It is not for everyone; it's dark and disturbing and if it was a movie I would have had to cover my eyes. It's also brilliant and I loved it. Stockholm in 1793 seems a terrible place to live unless you're rich. Crime, sickness, poverty, filth, corruption, rape, and death. Against this backdrop, two men with little to lose are on the hunt for a killer. Mikel Cardell, a former soldier with no family, no friends, one arm, and little money, pulls the mutilated body of a young dead man out of the lake. Cecil Winge, dying of consumption, takes the case in his position as consulting detective for the Stockholm police. Winge and Cardell are both interesting...

Willful Behavior by Donna Leon

April 11, 2019April 12, 2019 by Carol2 Comments

I don't read the Commissario Guido Brunetti series in order. I jump around depending on what's available at the library. The series is currently at 28, so Willful Behavior is toward the middle. Paola, Guido's wife, brings the case to his attention. One of her students has a question about receiving a pardon for her dead grandfather. She doesn't provide many clues, just enough to make Brunetti curious. And then she ends up dead, killed. This time the mystery involves events from World War II and Guido talks to his father-in-law and some friends about their experiences during the war and stories they've heard. The most interesting part of the story for me was the history of Italy during World War II. I honestly don't know much about Italy during that time period. World War II tends to come up in European mysteries much more than American ones, for obvious reason, but I still find it rather fascinating. Mussolini led Italy...

The Loch Ness Papers by Paige Shelton

April 10, 2019April 12, 2019 by Carol9 Comments

The Loch Ness Papers is #4 of the Scottish Bookshop Mysteries. It does work as a stand-alone but like so many series books, it's better if you have all the background and know the characters and their quirks. And the books are all set in and around a unique little bookstore in Edinburgh, Scotland, so really, why wouldn't you want to? Delaney and her handsome-as-all-get-out pub owner Tom are getting married in a week or so, but of course, a mystery has to pop up. Delaney meets the slightly-off-his-rocker Norval Fraser who is a firm believer in the existence of Nessie and has a houseful of papers and artifacts to try to prove it. The next day, Norval's nephew is found murdered and Norval is hauled off by the police - and Delaney needs to help him out. I feel like I am just repeating things I've said before. Delaney and her friends are warm and smart and funny. The setting...

Moonshine & Murder by Kathleen Brooks

April 9, 2019April 12, 2019 by Carol8 Comments

Zoey's life in LA fell apart dramatically in the most public and embarrassing way possible. And the scene in the book is funny, but this is a novella at just over 100 pages and it's so fun that I don't want to ruin any of it for you. Anyway, fate brings her to Moonshine Hollow, Tennessee where she sets up a bakery and honestly, her new life makes her happier than her old one ever did. Zoey has a "family" in Moonshine Hollow and close friends and she's feeling like her life is coming back together. And then, another fateful night. A man in town is murdered, her best friend is accused, and she becomes a witch. Of course, she needs to get her friend off the hook, figure out her new powers, and flirt with a couple of sexy men. And maybe save the world. Moonshine & Murder is fun. It's short and there's a lot going on, so maybe the...