I've finished two books since my last update and have, hence, started two more. It's been awhile since I last did a post on my Goodreads A - Z bookshelf so I'm going to take a break from my Mystery genre posts and go back to that this time. In my last entry, I discussed George Eliot, Kate Ellis and J. T. Ellison.
Just Finished
"Pacific Vortex! is the first book in Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventure series. I've previously enjoyed the first three books in his Isaac Bell mystery / adventure series and I've wanted to try his other series for a while now. I've purchased the first book in each of his other series.
So to start off with, before you take on this book, suspend disbelief. Very important. It's a far-fetched, full-on adventure. Dirk Pitt works for NUMA, the National Underwater and Marine Agency. He's a rebel, strong-willed, tough, handsome and can seemingly do almost anything; fly helicopters and planes, scuba dive, yada yada yada.
The story starts with the disappearance of an experimental US Navy nuclear submarine in an area known as the Pacific Vortex.. sort of the equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle, except it's little known and mysterious. Months after the disappearance, Pitt, while swimming in Hawaii, on a hidden beach comes across a flotation capsule that seemingly came from the Starbuck. He returns it to the Navy and they take him on to discover what happened to the sub, to try and locate its remains and also to find out more about the Pacific Vortex.
Thus begins a thrill ride of extraordinary dimensions. Attempts are made on Pitt's life, underwater adventures take place in the Pacific Vortex, more killings and dangerous exploits. Who is this mysterious Delphi? Are the Russians involved? And what the heck is Kaniloni? (and no it's not an Italian pastry... well, yes it is, but not in this case)
As I mentioned at the beginning, much of the action and the story is far-fetched, but at the same time, it's full of action, easy and fun to read... and a good introduction to Dirk Pitt. I think I preferred the Isaac Bell stories, at least so far, but I do want to try more of the series to see if the stories improve and if we find out more about Dirk Pitt. It didn't scare me away (a light 3 stars)"
"Outsider in Amsterdam is the first book in The Amsterdam Cops series by Janwillem van de Wetering. The Amsterdam cops are partners Detective Grijpstra and Sgt de Gier. While on patrol both are sent to investigate a suicide in the building owned and operated by the Hindist Society. The body belongs to the owner, Piet Verboom. The question they must answer is whether it was a suicide or a murder.
Thus begins their investigation. It's an interesting story, somewhat disjointed and rambling. What I did like was how the characters, both the cops and the victim and witnesses are developed. There is a lot of music in the book; Grijpstra likes to play the drums and de Gier, the flute. There are some neat scenes featuring the two of them.
The other characters are also interesting, from the Chief Inspector, their listening post and also their guide on the investigation, to van Meteren, possibly the main suspect, a Papuan ex-policeman from Indonesia, who now lives and worked for Verboom. Even de Gier's cat, Oliver gets a starring role.
The investigation rambles as I mentioned as the cops explore the possible motives for the crime, if it was in fact a murder and often runs out of momentum. But the Amsterdam cops persist, with humor and philosophical discussion. It wasn't a perfect story by any means but it held my interest and made me want to further explore the series. I liked the locale of Amsterdam, a place I've never visited and it was well portrayed. Most enjoyable and worth trying (3.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"1920s London. A shocking murder has stained the plush carpets of a handsome London townhouse. The victim is an older woman, the enormously rich Emily French. All the evidence points to Leonard Vole, a young chancer to whom the heiress left their vast fortune and who ruthlessly took her life. At least, this is the story that Emily's dedicated housekeeper Janet Mackenzie stands by in court. Leonard however, is adamant that his partner, the enigmatic chorus girl Romaine, can prove his innocence.
From the stunning original story which inspired the new BBC television thriller The Witness for the Prosecution to some of the most spine-tingling gems in detective fiction, these twelve tales of baffling crime and brilliant deduction showcase Agatha Christie at her dazzling best.
This collection includes an introduction by Sarah Phelps, who wrote the screenplay for the award-winning And Then There Were None and now The Witness for the Prosecution, and also Agatha Christie's Poirot and the Regatta Mystery, a story exclusive to this new edition."
"Glinda of Oz is the fourteenth Land of Oz book written by children's author L. Frank Baum, published on July 10, 1920. Like most of the Oz books, the plot features a journey through some of the remoter regions of Oz; though in this case the pattern is doubled: Dorothy and Ozma travel to stop a war between the Flatheads and Skeezers; then Glinda and a cohort of Dorothy's friends set out to rescue them. The book was dedicated to Baum's second son Robert Stanton Baum."
Bill's Ongoing Author's A - Z
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| P. N. Elrod |
"A delicious new novel of the The Vampire Files -- in which our undead detective finds himself caught in the middle of a Chicago gangland war!" (4 stars)
"A simple case of blackmail turns deadly for vampire investigator Jack Fleming and his human partner." (3 stars)
"Vampire detective Jack Fleming made a good bit of money cleaning up the streets of post-prohibition Chicago--enough to realize his dream of owning a nightclub. During renovations, workmen discover the remains of a woman, clad in a distinctive red dress. Vampire or not, Jack won't rest until he finds out who killed the lady in red--even if it means resurrecting secrets the mob would kill to keep buried." (3 stars)
The other books in this series are -
- Bloodlist (1990)
- Lifeblod (1990)
- Art in the Blood (1991)
- Fire in the Blood (1991)
- Blood on the Water (1992)
- Cold Streets (2003)
- Song in the Dark (2005)
- Dark Road Rising (2009)
- The Devil You Know (2009 / novella)
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| Marina Endicott |
"What a perfect book Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott is! It reminded me of books I read back during my university years when I took my Canadian Lit course; books like Who Has Seen the Wind by W.O. Mitchell or Why Shoot the Teacher by Max Braithwaite. It's a gentle, loving, caring story that had me smiling and crying at different moments.
Clara Purdy lives in Saskatchewan and while driving home gets into an accident with a young family. Clara lives alone, her mother having passed away and is in a rut. When she goes to the hospital to check on the family, she discovers that the mother, Lorreine has to stay because they've discovered she has cancer. The family; Lorreine, hubby Clayton, grandmother Mrs. Pell and three kids; Dolly, Trevor and Pearce are basically homeless, living in their van as they drive to find work.
Clara makes a big decision and lets the family move into her house while Lorreine is in the hospital. Clayton takes her mother's old car and leaves (to find work somewhere?) and leaves Clary to fend with the rest. That is the gist of the story and we follow Clary (her nickname) as she recreates herself, rearranging her home to accommodate them all, learn to live a life with children (she is a divorcee who never had the chance to have children of her own) and all the things that entails.
It's a rich, wonderful story. The book is peopled with a wonderful cast of characters, starting with the lovely Clary. The kids are great as they try to adjust to living with her, trying to cope with their mother's illness. Grandma Pel is a cantankerous old biddy but a great character. Lorreine is brave, hard put. Her brother Darwin shows up, moving in with Clara and is fantastic, looking after his sister, helping Clary, recreating her home. And you've got so many others, the local priest, Paul, trying to cope with divorce and finding solace with this strange put - together family. I could go on; her neighbour, Mrs. Zenko, who helps so much and Clary's sister Grace, her hubby Morland and their daughter, Fern. There is something about them all to love and cherish.
The story is so well-written, and it draws you in. I wanted it to end a certain way, but it took a twist at the end and then another. I can't recommend this book more. It's a must read. Beautiful story and characters. (5 stars)"
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| Howard Engel |
"Benny Cooperman's second murder case revolves around the half-million dollar kidnapping of a rich heiress. Although Gloria Warren was returned unharmed and the kidnappers caught, no one found the money. The quest is on for the missing ransom.
When Benny finds himself working directly for the Warren family, he must cope with the culture-shock of plying between his nickel-and-dime office and the regal mansion perched high on the Niagara Escarpment. The hairpin turns on the approach road are matched by many skillful twists of the plot, as Benny gradually unravels an astonishing sequence of events." (4 stars)
"A City Called July is the fifth Benny Cooperman Canadian detective series by Howard Engel. Cooperman follows the tradition of those great private eyes like Travis McGee, Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade.... well, sort of anyway. Put one of those detectives in Grantham Ontario (down the road from Niagara Falls) and you've got Jewish / Canadian detective Benny Cooperman.
Benny is a small town detective who does divorce cases and any other work he can find but also finds himself in over his head quite often. In A City Called July Benny is asked by his Rabbi to help find Larry Geller, a lawyer who ripped off his clients (mainly from the Grantham Jewish community) and has disappeared. Benny doesn't want to take the case as he feels the police are better equipped to look into it. But he agrees to spend a week checking things out.
In a convoluted at times story, Benny finds himself checking out the Geller family, the local mob, trying to avoid the cops (his friend Staff Sgt Pete Staziak) and also help out a homeless man find his friend. All are linked as you wind through this fun, entertaining mystery. Cooperman is a most likable character, down-to-earth, smart, at times lucky and at times risking his life as he works to solve the case.
It's an interesting story with likable characters and the series is worth giving it a chance. (3.5 stars)"
"I read some of the early Benny Cooperman mysteries back a few years and I enjoyed Benny and the stories. For the most part they were set in the town of Grantham, Ontario, just down the road from Niagara Falls.
Benny is a private investigator; his cases are interesting and he is an interesting character. In 2000, the author, Howard Engel , suffered a mild stroke, which left without the ability to read, without major effort and therapy, even though he could still write. The condition is known as alexia sine agraphia. In 2005, he wrote this book.
It starts with Benny waking up in a hospital in Toronto, after having been discovered in a dumpster. Benny was struck in the head and because of this, he finds that he has the same condition. He has great difficulty reading, remembering names and what happened yesterday. He can write and remembers things that happened earlier in his life. While in the hospital, Benny enlists the aid of his girl-friend, Anna, to continue investigating; what case Benny was actually involved with, and to find and interview many of the people involved.
At the same time, Benny works to develop techniques to improve his mental state and to find techniques to assist him; the Memory Book being one of them. As well, he continues his investigation from his hospital bed. It's a fascinating concept and interesting story, peopled with great characters. The mystery is almost secondary to Benny's experiences in the hospital. All in all, an excellent, well-written, entertaining story. (4 stars)"
The other Benny Cooperman books are -
- The Suicide Murders (1980) (1985 movie)
- Murder on Location (1982)
- Murder Sees the Light (1984) (1986 movie)
- A Victim Must Be Found (1988)
- Dead and Buried (1990)
- The Whole Megillah (1991)
- There Was an Old Woman (1993)
- Getting Away with Murder (1995)
- My Brother's Keeper (2001)
- The Cooperman Variations (2001)
- East of Suez (2008)
Well, there you go. See any authors that interest you? It's time for supper here, chicken carbonara and Chicago PD. We've already watched Med and Fire is just about over.. :0)
Enjoy what remains of your Wednesday and the rest of your week.
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