Just Finished
"The Etruscan Chimera by Lyn Hamilton is the 6th book in Hamilton's Lara McClintoch Archeological mystery series and the 4th I've completed so far. I will never claim that they are the best mysteries I've ever read but at the same time I enjoy them whenever I pick one up. Lara McClintoch owns an antique store in Toronto Ontario and her mysteries find her in various parts of the world, searching for unique items to add to her store.
In The Etruscan Chimera, we find Lara in Italy, in Rome, having been hired to purchase an Etruscan artifact for a reclusive billionaire, Crawford Lake. Even the introduction to the recluse, requiring that Lara has to be blindfolded before she is taken to him puts her back up somewhat. Everything about the man and his requirements are mysterious. She only communicates with his assistant, Antonio. She is sent to France to try and purchase a statue of Bellerophon from another reclusive individual. On the way, Lara meets a number of mysterious people, other antique dealers and even an old friend.
Bodies start to fall and Lara finds that a stolen Etruscan artifact has been hidden in her luggage. The Italian police are after the theft of this artifact and arrest a woman who has met Lara. It's all very confusing at times and the story is somewhat convoluted. But at the same time, it moves along and holds your interest. There are many potential suspects and at times Lara seems to wander through things and manages to keep her head above water.
The story is entertaining. You do learn a bit about the mysterious Etruscan culture that was destroyed and assimilated by Rome, just enough to pique your interest. The story keeps your interest and ultimately is resolved satisfactorily. Always a fun series to dig into. (3.5 stars)"
"The Dead Shall Not Rest is the 2nd book in the Victorian mystery series featuring American anatomist / doctor, Thomas Silkstone by Tessa Harris. Silkstone practices in London and is engaged to Lady Lydia Farrell.
In this story we meet Irish giant, Charles Byrne, an actual figure in history. He is saved from the freak show by Lady Lydia and Count Boruwlaski, a dwarf friend of Lady Lydia. They want to help Charles gain a pardon from the Royal family for his father who was falsely convicted of murder. As well, Dr. Silkstone tries to improve the giant's health as he is very ill. Introduced into this story is another historical person, Dr John Hunter who wants Byrne's body for anatomical research and frequents grave robbers to get the corpses he needs to further his scientific work.
Complicating this story is the murder of an Italian soprano and the arrest of his mentor, another soprano and friend of Count Boruwlaski. We also get another spanner thrown into the mix, Lady Lydia meets somebody who upsets her and her relationship with Silkstone. So there is lots going on and it makes for a complex story. Silkstone has many pots on the fire, trying to prove that Signor Moreno didn't murder Signor Cappelli, trying to help Lady Lydia and sort out her issues, trying keep Charles Byrne out of Hunter's clutches. It makes for a busy entertaining story, if somewhat far-fetched.
The story kept my interest. I liked the historical elements and I like Lady Lydia and Silkstone. The resolution wasn't totally satisfactory but there is always the next book to read. (3 stars)"
"Inkspell is the second book in the Inkworld series by Cornelia Funke. I enjoyed the first book very much and this second book was just as good. It's a very rich fantasy peopled with interesting characters and a wonderful story.
In the first story Mo and his daughter Meggie and aunt are harassed by characters from a story created by Fenoglio. At the end, Meg's mother Resa is returned from captivity in Lombrica, but is unable to speak any more. Some of the characters from the book remain, especially Mortola and Basta and the are a threat to Mo and his family. With the help of Orpheus, and later Meggie, Mortola, Basta, Mo, Resa, Meg and Farid all get sent to the fictional world. Mo is shot and lies critically injured.
The story moves from the various characters as they search for each other and interact with the other characters that reside in this rich, wonderfully described world. You have two competing Kings; the Laughing Prince and the Adderhead. Fenoglio the author of the story and creator of this world, has also been sent there and tries to influence events. There are almost too many events and characters to give you a complete impression of the story and people.
There are so many unique aspects; the fire creating abilities of Dustfinger and Farid, this ability to change lives with the written / spoken word. I loved the 'good' people; Roxane, the Barn Owl, Resa, Dustfinger, etc.. and the villains are very scary. Mortola and Basta especially. It's just a fascinating second book and I can't wait to see what happens in the final story. The story was resolved to an extent but there are still unresolved issues that I need to get satisfied.. Excellent!! (5 stars)"
Currently Reading
Besides Vendetta by Michael Dibdin and Leave Me By Dying by Rosemary Aubert, I've started the following 4 books
"Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth.
Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance."
"A collection of 13 short stories spanning two decades in the lives of van de Wetering's Amsterdam Cops
Amsterdam isn’t exactly a hotbed of violent crime, but wrongdoing does occur, and the most bizarre cases tend to be passed to Grijpstra and de Gier. In one they investigate the death of a handsome oceanographer whose corpse is found amidst his tanks of shiny living mussels. In another they strong-arm a brutal crime lord whose henchman threatens the sergeant’s cat. Yet another leads them to uncover a most unusual murder weapon: a chocolate Easter bunny. With the curious blend of wit and the macabre readers have come to expect from the pen of Janwillem van de Wetering, the Amsterdam Cops have a way of seeing to it that justice, ultimately, is done."
"Examining a badly decomposed corpse is de rigueur for forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. But puzzling damage on the body of a shooting victim, an Orthodox Jewish man, suggests this is no ordinary Montreal murder. When a stranger slips Tempe a photograph of a skeleton unearthed at an archaeological site, Tempe uncovers chilling ties between the dead man and secrets long buried in the dust of Israel. Traveling there with Detective Andrew Ryan, Tempe plunges into an international mystery as old as Jesus, and centered on the controversial discovery of Christ's tomb. Has a mastermind lured her into an elaborate hoax? If not, Tempe may be on the brink of rewriting two thousand years of history -- if she can survive the foes dead set on burying her."
"Bellerton, North Carolina is reeling from a hurricane, but it's also devastated by another king of tempest that hits the town with equal force--a murder mystery with a macabre twist. An infant is found murdered on the grounds of Bonaventura, a controversial retreat for women, a place rumored to be a den of Satan worship--and worse. In pursuing the purse, former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian may learn that more than one person in Bellerton has an ungodly motive for murder."
There you go, folks. See anything interesting?
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