I finished one book since my last update. Most of the books I'm currently reading are somewhat door stoppish so my month has been a bit slower so far. I'm well into a few others mind you. I also received a book I'd ordered earlier in the month. I'll update my new arrival, the book I just finished and also what I've started in place. I'll then continue my look at the Mystery genre, with my 7th entry regarding the American PI sub-genre. So with all of that, let's get on with it.
New Book
"The woman out of nowhere ...
No one knew who she was, or why she came, or what made her do the ghastly things she did.
They only knew she had a terrifying beauty.
And that each time she appeared, a man died - horribly!"
Just Finished
"Death In Holy Orders is the 11th book in the Inspector Dalgliesh mystery series by P.D. James. It's the 4th I've read. The books are a joy to read, intelligent, thoughtful and excellent mysteries.
Commander Adam Dalgliesh works for Scotland Yard, in charge of a prestigious murder team.
In this story, Dalgliesh is asked to go to a seminary near Norfolk to look into a previously closed death. A young ordinand had been found dead at the base of a cliff. The death is deemed to be death by accident. The young man's father wants Scotland Yard to investigate. Since Dalgliesh is about to go to the area on vacation so he agrees to look into the case. It also turns out that as a child, his father being a parson, that Dalgliesh spent time at St Anselms and it becomes somewhat a visit into his past.
The story starts in the past with the original discovery of the boy's body by Margaret Munroe, an elderly woman who works at St Anselms. This part of the story is told through the means of Margaret's diary. She ends it with a statement that the death concerns her and that it reminds her of something that occurred in her past. Margaret is discovered dead the day after this last entry.
So there are two deaths that Dalgliesh looks into, wondering if they are related? At the same time the Arch Bishop responsible for St Anselms is coming for a visit. He is most unlikeable and wants nothing more than to close the seminary. There are also other visitors to St Anselms and there are links between them all. Another death, this time a murder, brings all of Dalgliesh's team into the case; DI Piers Tarrant, DI Kate Miskin and DS Robbins.
Thus begins an interesting investigation as the team try to find clues to the murder and to see if the other deaths are in any way related. I love the way James presents the story, delving into the personalities, in a way that you feel you know them and presenting the investigation methodically and neatly. James has such a clear manner of presenting the story. I thought it would be too long but the pages turn quickly and the story holds your attention and keeps you moving along nicely. Don't expect much action, just a well-crafted, excellent mystery and just an excellent piece of fiction. (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Following the tremendous success of "Cross Bones", Kathy Reichs explores another high-profile topic in Break No Bones -- a case that lands forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan in the middle of a gruesome international scheme. Summoned to South Carolina to fill in for a negligent colleague, Tempe is stuck teaching a lackluster archaeology field school in the ruins of a Native American burial ground on the Charleston shore. But when Tempe stumbles upon a fresh skeleton among the ancient bones, her old friend Emma Rousseau, the local coroner, persuades her to stay on and help with the investigation. When Emma reveals a disturbing secret, it becomes more important than ever for Tempe to help her friend close the case.
The body count begins to climb. An unidentified man is found hanging from a tree deep in the woods. Another corpse shows up in a barrel. There are mysterious nicks on bones in several bodies, and signs of strangulation. Tempe follows the trail to a free street clinic with a belligerent staff, a suspicious doctor, and a donor who is a charismatic televangelist. Clues abound in the most unlikely places as Tempe uses her unique knowledge and skills to build her case, even as the local sheriff remains dubious and her own life is threatened.
Tempe's love life is also complicated. Ryan, her current flame, has come down to visit her from Montreal, and Pete, her former husband, is investigating the disappearance of a local woman -- and he and Tempe are staying in the same borrowed beach house. Ryan and Pete compete for her attentions, and Tempe finds herself more distracted by her feelings for both men than she expected."
My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - American PI's #7
In my last entry, I covered one author, P.N. Elrod and her Vampire Files series. In this entry I'll highlight two more 'E' authors.
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| Loren D. Estleman |
"Kill Zone by American author Loren D. Estleman is the first book in his Peter Macklin mystery / thriller series. Macklin is a hit-man for the Michigan mob. In this first book a tour boat on Lake Erie is hijacked by a group called the Ziegfrieds. The FBI is struggling to find a way to save the people on the ship when they are approached by the lawyer for a mob boss currently residing in prison. His offer; he'll send his hit-man Peter Macklin to the ship to deal with the hijackers if his sentence is commuted.
An interesting plot line. There are some other twists in this story of course. The current mob boss (or the guy filling for the main guy) sends his own hit-man after Macklin as he is enjoying filling in and wants to stay in charge. As well, Macklin has family difficulties. And the FBI is trying to keep tabs on Macklin.
The story is nicely paced. Macklin works to find out more about the 8 people who make up Ziegfried. The story moves between Macklin, his opponent, the ship, the FBI and keeps you very interested in the goings on. Macklin is an interesting character, smart, capable and efficient. The story is tense and has plenty of action.
I enjoyed it very much, found it to be a comfortable, exciting read and it held my interest throughout. It'll be interesting to see how Macklin's life evolves after this first story (4 stars)"
"Peter Macklin, contract killer--retired--has found himself the perfect woman. He's convinced young, beautiful, innocent Laurie that he is simply a salesman from Detroit, and they're passionately honeymooning in Los Angeles. . . . until the phone call. Peter tells Laurie he has to go to Sacramento to take care of business, and he'll be back in a day. After a day passes, though, a man called Abilene shows up with a note from Peter saying Abilene will take care of her until his return.
Macklin's retirement seems to have been premature, and Laurie's innocence is about to end . . ."
The remaining books are -
- Roses Are Dead (1985)
- Any Man's Death (1986)
- Little Black Dress (2005)
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| Janet Evanovich |
"BLOWN UP
All New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has to do is bring in semi-retired bail jumper Eddie DeChooch. For an old man he's still got a knack for slipping out of sight--and raising hell. How else can Stephanie explain the bullet-riddled corpse in Eddie's garden? Who else would have a clue as to why two of Stephanie's friends suddenly vanished? For answers Stephanie has the devil to pay: her mentor, Ranger. The deal? He'll give Stephanie all the help she needs--if she gives him everything he wants...
MESSED UP
As if things weren't complicated enough, Stephanie's just discovered her Grandma Mazur's own unmentionable alliance with Eddie. Add a series of unnerving break-ins, not to mention the bombshell revelation leveled by Stephanie's estranged sister, and Stephanie's ready for some good news. Unfortunately, a marriage proposal from Joe Morelli, the love of her life, isn't quite cutting it. And now--murder, a randy paramour, a wily mobster, death threats, extortion, and a triple kidnapping aside--Stephanie's really got the urge to run for her life..." (3 stars)
"Fugitive Apprehension Agent Stephanie Plum has a big problem on her hands: Seven-year-old Annie Soder and her mother, Evelyn, have disappeared.
Evelyn's estranged husband, Steven, a shady owner of a seedy bar, is not at all happy. During the divorce proceedings, he and Evelyn signed a child custody bond, and Steven is demanding the money guaranteed by the bond to find Annie. The money was secured by a mortgage on Evelyn's grandmother's house, and the True Blue Bonds Bail Agency wants to take possession of the house.
Finding a kidnapped child is not an assignment for a bounty hunter. But Evelyn's grandmother lives next door to Stephanie's parents, and Stephanie's mother and grandmother are not about to see their neighbor lose her house because of abduction.
Even though Stephanie's plate is full with miscreants who missed their court dates, including old nemesis and violent drunk Andy Bender and an elusive little old lady accused of grand theft auto, she can't disappoint Grandma Mazur! So she follows the trail left by Annie and Evelyn-- and finds a lot more than she bargained for. Steven is somehow linked with a very scary Eddie Abruzzi. Trenton cop and on-again, off-again fiancé Joe Morelli and Stephanie's mentor and tormentor, Ranger, warn Stephanie about Abruzzi, but it's Abruzzi's eyes and mannerisms that frighten Stephanie the most. Stephanie needs Ranger's savvy and expertise, and she's willing to accept his help to find Annie even though it might mean becoming too involved with Ranger.
Stephanie, Ranger, Lula (who's not going to miss riding with Ranger), and Evelyn's lawyer/laundromat manager set out to find Annie. The search turns out to be a race among Stephanie's posse, the True Blue Bonds' agent, a Rangerette known as Jeanne Ellen Burrows, and the Abruzzi crew. Not to mention the fact that there's a killer rabbit on the loose!: (3 stars)
"Just like every other Stephanie Plum mystery / adventure, To the Nines is a fun, entertaining ride. Just pack all your troubles away for the few days (hours?) it takes to get through her trials and tribulations.
As always, Stephanie's life seems to be a shambles. Her family is at loggerheads, what with perfect sis, Valerie camped at her parent's home with her two girls and one on the way. Stephanie is forced to move in with on and off again boyfriend, Morelli, due to threats on her life. She still can't seem to make up her mind between Ranger and Morelli, although, she now seems to be leaning toward Morelli and has an uneasy agreement with Ranger to avoid shenanigans. Even Morelli and Ranger have accepted the situation and are willing to work together to keep Stephanie out of trouble.. which follows Steph around.
Stephanie and her best friend, Lula, are tasked by their boss and Steph's cousin, Vinnie, to bring in Samuel Singh, who has disappeared. Their investigation leaves behind a trail of bodies. Steph, Connie (Vinnie's assistant) and Lula take a trip to Vegas to try and track down Singh. (This is a great part of the book). Ranger's gang of bounty hunters, tasked to keep an eye on Steph, end up in various states of injury. So much going on and such fun to read.
If you're feeling blue at all, try a Plum mystery. It's sure to cheer you up. It's sexy, funny and a great mystery. (3 stars)"
"Swing off the Jersey Turnpike and you'll be in bounty hunter Stephanie Plum's neighborhood. You'll know it because all hell will be breaking loose. Not that she looks for trouble - it just seems to follow her. In Ten Big Ones it explodes at a deli, and when Stephanie pegs a robber as a member of a vicious Trenton gang, they peg her as dead. Vice cop Joe Morelli fears she's in way too deep - even with the help of crime-solving, cross-dressing, bus driver Sally Sweet, and Stephanie's friend Lula riding shotgun as backup. With a notorious killer on her tail, Stephanie figures the best hideout is Ranger's secret lair..."
The remaining books in the series are -
- One for the Money (1994) (4 stars)
- Two for the Dough (1996) (4 stars)
- Three to Get Deadly (1997) (4 stars)
- Four to Score (1998) (4 stars)
- High Five (1999)
- Hot Six (2000) (4 stars)
- Eleven on Top (2005) *
- Twelve Sharp (2006) *
- Lean Mean Thirteen (2007) *
- Fearless Fourteen (2008) *
- Finger Lickin' Fifteen (2009)
- Sizzling Sixteen (2010)
- Smokin' Seventeen (2011)
- Explosive Eighteen (2011)
- Notorious Nineteen (2012)
- Takedown Twenty (2013)
- Top Secret Twenty - One (2014)
- Tricky Twenty - Two (2015)
- Turbo Twenty - Three (2016)
- Hardcore Twenty - Four (2017)
- Look Alive Twenty - Five (2018)
- Twisted Twenty - Six (2019)
There you go.. Watching Diggstown at the moment while Jo gets dinner ready. Yummy butter chicken, followed by a nice crumble.
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