Natchez Burning by Greg Iles

by Carol3 Comments
I really expected to like Natchez Burning. I've read Iles' books before and found the gripping and thought-provoking. This one just didn't work for me. The plot itself is good, I liked, or hated, the characters, and the setting was well-done. I enjoyed seeing the story from different characters points of view and it was easy to follow whose side of the story we were hearing. I did listen to the whole 35+ hours, but in the end I wished I hadn't bothered. First, there is a lot of repetition. Cut some of it out and it would be a tighter, more enjoyable book. I hate it when authors seem to think I'm going to forget things two chapters after they told me the first time. Second, it was overwrought. I don't know whether to blame the writing or the reader, but it was all overdone, just too much. Maybe the goal was to maintain tension and be descriptive, but it came...
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Spotlight: Rise of the Iron Eagle by Roy A. Teel, Jr.

by Carol1 Comment
Excerpt from the opening of Chapter 8: John walked into Starbucks at the corner of Topanga and Lassen just before six thirty a.m. He got a coffee and a copy of the Daily News, and the headline said it all, “‘Billy the Kid,’ Crips Gang Member and Serial Rapist, Body Found in Legion Park: Iron Eagle Said to Be Killer.” He shook his head, “I should really start looking for the people who leak this stuff.” He walked to a flower shop a few doors down to purchase a dozen long-stemmed red roses. His truck was parked in front of Country Deli, a local landmark for nearly fifty years. He knew the area very, very well, but he knew it for all the wrong reasons. He pulled out of the lot and headed west through the neighborhoods of oak and eucalyptus trees, following Lassen as it turned from a busy thoroughfare into a quiet neighborhood of post-World War II homes and...
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The Dead Key by D. M. Pulley

by Carol1 Comment
I liked the sound of this one and it's set in Cleveland, which is kinda cool. I just couldn't get into and finally set it aside. I doubt I'll pick it up again. I just didn't care about any of the characters, in '98 or the '70s. Maybe it was the back and forth between times periods and points of view that kept me disconnected or maybe I just picked it up at the wrong time. Maybe I just couldn't relate to either of the main female characters. They just seemed so young, especially Iris, who should have been an adult with a career but was more intent on drinking than working at least in the section I read. The writing wasn't bad, and the characters could have been interesting, but for me it was blah. I had to give up and move on to something I'd enjoy more. I think this is my first DNF of the year....
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The Genesis of Roger Legion: Guest post by Vince Aiello, author of Legion’s Lawyers

by CarolNo Comments
Today I'm happy to welcome Vince Aiello, author of Legion's Lawyers, to my notebook today. He's discussing on of his main characters. The Genesis of Roger Legion By Vince Aiello When I first set out to create a character that would be the leader of a pre-eminent insurance defense law firm, I looked to my experience. There were great lawyers, there were fools, and there were incompetent lawyers that do a disservice to the profession. One thing that all the great lawyers possessed was that they were sociopaths. In the courtroom, they had flair and panache, but when they dealt with others, they were simply terrible people. They would yell and scream, make misogynistic jokes, and let you know that your life doesn’t matter. What matters is billing the client and winning; either in the courtroom or through settlement. What I wanted next was a man with a warrior mentality. Someone who had no problem with throwing a punch, no fear, and would be...
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Night Film by Marisha Pessl

by Carol6 Comments
I really enjoyed Night Film and I have to say that it kept my attention all the way through, which at over 23 hours is pretty impressive. McGrath was not my favorite of the characters. I didn't exactly understand his obsession, but I did like the two young adults who are his side-kicks. Their reasons for caring made more sense to me. He just let a story overtake him, their concerns are more personal. It's a long books and tends toward sprawling in places. It meanders and we follow trail after trail that (maybe) go nowhere. It's not a novel with answers, just more questions. And that's even before McGrath (maybe) loses touch with reality a bit. I have to say I really liked the whole set-up and the way reality mirrored fiction portraying reality - maybe.  I guess it's one of those stories where I just went along for the ride, let Pessl lead me down the alleys she wanted to. I loved her...
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A Colder War by Charles Cumming

by Carol6 Comments
Maybe it was a mistake to listen to this one so soon after The Cairo Affair since they are both spy thrillers, but I found A Colder War more annoying than anything. You have Kell, a train agent in his 40s who knows the game, knows the people, knows how it all works. You have Amelia, his boss, who has called him back to look into Wollinger's death and then do some searching for the mole. She's obviously intelligent, and also, we're told, his actual friend. So far, so good. Amelia's keeping info from Kell, but he's doing the same things. They can't trust the Americans, but have to pretend to cooperate with them. Standard spy stuff and it could have been a good thriller. Until The Girl enters the picture and Kell apparently loses his mind. He becomes obsessed, or "in love," and stops thinking clearly. And I just wanted to smack him.  It's obviously not going to be in his...
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