Tag Archives: book

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Jenn McKinlay: Due or Die

 

 

Cozy mystery time is here again.  I picked up this book and another in the series Book, Line, and Sinker.  I am reading it out of order, primarily because my library didn’t have the first in the series.  For some reason, when it comes to cozies that is often the case, oh well.

This was a well written library-centric cozy.  Usually any cozies that have to do with books or reading are some of my favorite.  The characters are cute, classic “small town” types.  The librarian is the “upstart newcomer from the big city” who disrupts the way the library has been run by “the lemon”, a sour faced librarian.  There is a circle of friends who gather to craft, gossip and support the Lindsey, the newcomer.  A misunderstood, bad boy ex-convict, who seems like he may become important later in the series and many others.  This is the primary weakness in the book, the characters are a little too flat or stereotypical, but it is still early in the series so perhaps they are not developed yet.

The plot is well done and the mystery and clues are convincing.  It was an engaging read and paced well.  I will read Book, Line and Sinker next to see where the story goes.

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Long Gone by Alafair Burke

This book had a lot going for it.  A female protagonist floundering along her career path, something I can relate to well.  A current plot hook to drive the story, identity theft connected to social media.  A Hollywood royal family rounds out the cast of characters.  All of these factors should add up to a great book, but for some reason it was just okay, not great.  I didn’t really feel that sense of suspense that you want to feel building in a thriller.  There were no feelings of dread or foreboding.  I just read through to the end with no real feeling of anticipation for the resolution.  I can’t point to any one attribute of the book that caused this lack of emotional response to it, but nonetheless there it is.

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S.J. Bolton: Now You See Me


I read this book as a selection from the British English Kindle Mystery group on Goodreads. It was a very engaging and well written mystery.  So much so that I actually took my Kindle to work so I could finish it at lunch because I didn’t want to wait to find out how it ended. Twists and turns throughout, but still kept within the realm of the probable. I got slightly confused at one point but I assume that was due to the boatload of cold meds I was taking while reading .Although, I knew some of the mystery prior to the reveal, I didn’t have all the details right.

Great, well-developed characters with strong, authentic feeling personalities. The character of Lacey Flint is complicated with secrets of her own, much like a real person.  The chemistry between Lacey and DI Joesbury keeps the reader guessing throughout the book.

The author took a big risk with the “Jack the Ripper” hook. There are so many Jack the Ripper books and movies that it is difficult to be original.  S.J. Bolton managed to keep the story line fresh and interesting in Now You See Me.  There were some similarities to a plot from an old Dirty Harry movie, but to say more would be a spoiler so I won’t…besides most people reading this now probably don’t even know who Dirty Harry was :). Highly recommended for British mystery fans.

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Independent Book Stores

Just a quick post to push forward a small second hand and new bookshop I found and visited yesterday: Booktrader of Hamilton. I

Anyway, I had gone to their shop years ago when they were in a different location and I lived closer. I assumed that it had gone the way of many of our other independents and closed its doors, but it hadn’t. It had just moved. They had a great selection of books and several that are on my to-be-read list and on top of that, they gave very good credit for books I turned in. Yay! I will definitely be returning with a list in hand.

Now, I just need to get rid of this cold. It is making my head hurt so bad I can’t read for any extended period of time :(, very sad, so very sad. My pile of books is sitting next to me all lonely and neglected.

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It was a dark and stormy night…

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents–except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford (1830)
English dramatist, novelist, & politician (1803 – 1873)

 

There it is, the often parodied quote, “It was a dark and stormy night..”. and tonight, at least here, it is.  But for me, no worries, home in bed with a cup of tea and  a stack of books and a book light too, in case of power outage.  Starting The Elegance of the Hedgehog tonight, finally.  I’ve had it about a week and am  just now cracking the cover.   I also have a few others in case I can’t get into it right a way.  The first sentence was enough to make me want to put it down for a minute, but I’ll give it a try.