The Master by Claire North

by Carol1 Comment
Ah - the last of the trilogy. I'm sad to see it end. Honestly - read it. If you enjoy fantasy or games or just thrillers for that matter, this is a great set of novellas. In this last one, we even have a love story of sorts. This time around the game is chess and our narrator has become one of the players, a player in the Great Game - the game for control of the Gameshouse. His name is Silver and he's been working toward this moment for ages. He's a King in the game, of course, and has gathered forces that he can deploy. His opponent has her own resources, possibly more powerful than his. This one had even more action than the last two. Chess is a dangerous game, but it also has more meaning - for the world as a whole and for Silver personally. My one complaint had to do with a part near the end. Silver...
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The Thief by Claire North

by Carol2 Comments
I'm not a fan of playing hide-and-seek. When I was a kid, I was always afraid everyone else would go inside or to another kid's house and just leave me hiding. I don't think it ever actually happened, but that doesn't mean I didn't worry about it. And it was even worse if it was dark. The hide-and-seek game in The Thief is awesome though. The "board" is Thailand in the 1930s and the stakes are huge, but the game might be unfairly weighted. This is the second in the trilogy and I think they should definitely be read, or listened to, in order. Thene's game in The Serpent was not exactly fair either, but that was nothing in comparison to the disadvantages our player is dealing with here. It's a thread thoughout - the Gameshouse may not be as fair as it (she) would like you to believe. Once again, North does  wonderful job building her world. Thailand in the 30s...
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The Serpent by Claire North

by Carol3 Comments
We play a lot of games at our house- for me it's mostly board games. I just don't feel the draw of video games that Amber and David do, but I love board games. We play a variety, from old standards to newer ones, board games, card games, dice. That's what drew me to the Gameshouse trilogy. I love that North took playing games and made into a world transforming power. The Serpent is the first of the novellas. The story is told to us by the narrator, an unseen watcher who takes us with him as he observes the gamers. He's sly and smart and his outlook rubs off on us. I listened to the audio and this narration style worked really well that way. The narrator was the narrator, if that makes sense. It's short, but rich and full. I love the way North uses language and world she creates, both of historic Venice and the Gameshouse itself. Thene is an...
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Short Stories – Audible Channels

by Carol2 Comments
I've been enjoying the new Audible Channels and have listened to several short stories recently. Most of them come from the Mystery Channel, of course. "The Sign of the Broken Sword" by G. K. Chesterton -  Features his famous characters Father Brown and former criminal Flambeau. In the center of the story is the mysterious death of General Sir Arthur St. Clare, who was hanged on a tree with his broken sword hung round his neck. The descriptions are excellent and Father Brown does a good job about telling us how he reaches his conclusion. "Too Many Have Lived" by Dashiell Hammet - One of only three Sam Spade short stories, this one involves a blackmailing poet, a seductive chanteuse, her rough-hewn stage-door-johnny, and, of course, murder. The story was interesting but I found the full cast performance a bit distracting. "If You Can't Stand the Heat" by Lawrence Block - Story about a dangerous woman. It's the first of the Kit Tolliver series and...
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In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

by Carol2 Comments
Did you read the blurb above? It sounds really good, doesn't it? First off, i like house party murder mysteries, so the glass house in the middle of the woods with a small cast of characters appealed to me. Add an unreliable narrator and secrets of the past and it should have been a winner. Unfortunately, all the characters were annoying and juvenile and the big surprise wasn't that surprising. I didn't care about Nora and found her agreement to go to the party unlikely. Add in her obsession with a high school boyfriend character and she was just a pretty sad character who I didn't relate to or sympathize. Actually, I was hoping for a final twist that took into account her knowledge from crime writing, but no, she just puts herself in a dangerous position alone with the killer like so many amateur female detectives. Really, when will they learn to at least tell someone where they're going? I...
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Night Night, Sleep Tight by Hallie Ephron

by Carol4 Comments
The blurb gives the set-up -  and of course all the events are connected. I think Hollywood in the '80s with secrets going back to the late '50s was a great setting. Stars and writers with their careers and public image to think of give an interesting outlook on the mystery. My main problem with Night Night, Sleep Tight was that I just didn't care about Deidre. I didn't like her, didn't hate her, didn't feel sorry for her, or any of the main characters really. I didn't get to know her mother and brother enough to fully understand their motives and the family friends were all pretty self-absorbed. The mystery itself was fine but not compelling enough to carry the book.Deidre happens to find her father's memoir quickly after his death, which was more than a bit convenient. It gave her a direction to take her questions and other people a motive for murder. I was surprised, and a bit disappointed, by...
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