My First December Reading Update

Well, it's the first week of December. Egads! I've put up the outside lights so far, although I was going to try and add a few more. Now for the inside. Not feeling much like it, mind you. Ah well, once we get started, everything will swing into place.

So, let's see, where to now? I've finished my first book of December. It was a bit of a long 'un, so took me over a month to read it. Well worth it though. I'll update that book and also add a book that was left in my Little Free Library outside the front door, last week. Then I'll continue my winding down of my look at the Mystery genre - American Cops.

Just Finished

1. Middlemarch by George Eliot. I'd previously read 3 of Eliot's other books; Adam Bede, Daniel Deronda and The Mill on the Floss. Middlemarch was just as good. (My copy of the book, which is from the same publisher, isn't in quite such good shape. As Jo said, I should have purchased another edition and just kept this one on the shelf)








"I've previously read and enjoyed 3 of George Eliot's 7 novels. Middlemarch, Eliot's 6th novel, originally published in 1871-2, was my 4th of her novels. It's supposed to be her best work. I enjoyed it very much, especially once I got into the flow, but I do think I preferred others.

Middlemarch is set for the most part in a fictitious Midlands town of Middlemarch. It focuses on a number of characters, all involved in 'romantic; relationships. You have Dorotea Brooke, courted by both Sir James Chettam, a wealthy land owner, and Rev Edward Casaubon, who she prefers as she wants to help him write his great novel. You have Mary Garth, my favorite character, who works for an elderly rich crank, Peter Featherstone, who is courted by a ne'er - do - well, a good looking young man with many financial issues, Fred Vincy. As well, there is Rosamond Vincy, Fred's sister, who has set her oar for the new doctor in town, Dr. Tertius Lydgate.

Of course, those are the main character and we are surrounded, richly by a great supporting cast. The book, made up of 4 mini-novels, moves from the various main characters as their relationships develop and grow. I have to say that there were a number of characters who I didn't like at all, but they were nicely counteracted by those I did like. And like all of Eliot's books, all of the characters are beautifully crafted and the story is thoughtfully told. I won't get into the plot any more. Suffice it to say, if you try this story, you will enjoy it immensely. This story was made into a BBC mini-series in 1994 with a cast of fantastic actors. I will have to try it out as well. (4 stars)"

New Books

1. The Fly on the Wall by Tony Hillerman. I've enjoyed Hillerman's Navajo Police series so far. I found this book (a Hillerman standalone) had been left in my library (see above) out in front of the house, so thought I should try it myself. I sounds interesting.








"Ace reporter John Cotton is a fly on the wall -- seeing all, hearing all, and keeping out of sight. But the game changes when he finds his best friend's corpse sprawled on the marble floor of the central rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Suddenly Cotton knows too much about a scandal centered around a senatorial candidate, a million-dollar scam, and a murder. And he hears the pursuing footsteps of powerful people who have something to hide ... and a willingness to kill to keep their secrets hidden."

My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - American Cops
In my last entry, I looked at James Patterson's Women's Murder Club mystery series. 

Kathy Reichs

1. Kathy Reichs - Temperance Brennan. When I first moved to Comox and was on my own, I spent lots of time frequenting a local used book store, ABC Books, which is no longer in business. At that time I did lots of exploring of the mystery genre. I found a couple of excellent forensic mystery series by women authors, Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series and Kathy Reichs's Temperance Brennan series. People who haven't read the books might recognize Temperance Brennan from TV's long running series, Bones. Reichs was born in Chicago in 1948 and is a crime writer, forensic anthropologist and academic. She used her expertise in these areas to create Temperance Brennan who works both in the US and Montreal Canada with the police as a forensic analyst. Since 1997 she has written 19 books in the series and has one more due out in 2020. I have read 9 of the series, in no particular order and have another 3 on my bookshelf. I'll look at two that I've read and two of the others.

a. Cross Bones (#8 / 2005).












"Cross Bones is the 8th book in Kathy Reichs's Temperance Brennan forensic mystery series. I found it to be one of the more interesting ones so far.

Temperance is working at her 2nd job as forensic anthropologist assisting the Montreal coroner. (For those not familiar with the books, Temperance works in South Carolina most of the time, but spends time also in Montreal as part of an arrangement.) This story starts off with Temperance assisting with two bodies, one who is found in a chimney and another who may have committed suicide. His autopsy is witnessed by members of the Jewish community as well. During this autopsy, Tempe is given a photo of a skeleton and is advised that is the reason for the victim's 'murder'.

Thus starts an adventure that will take Tempe and her lover, police detective Andrew Ryan to Israel in search of further evidence and also to discover if the bones might be those of Jesus Christ. It's an intriguing story; a murder mystery and an investigation into the history of Jesus' family. The story moves along very nicely and provides an interesting history of the archeological digs in Israel as well as a nice glimpse of the country itself.

I did find some of it confusing, especially the story (which is based on a true one) of the discoveries in Masada. As well, the possible implications of discovering the body of JC, if it turns out to be the case in this story, and its impact on Christianity, Judaism and even Islam are examined, sometimes a bit too much. There is lots of action and the interactions between Tempe and Ryan are excellent. All in all it was a fascinating mystery and a joy to read. I have found that sometimes Kathy Reichs seems to be going through the motions, but not in this story. (4 stars)"

b. Break No Bones (#9 / 2006)

"It's been 5 years or so since I visited the forensic world of Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs. I thought she'd been kind of going through the motions with the book I read at that time. I just finished Break No Bones, the 9th book in the series, and I'm sorry that I've been neglecting the series. This was quite excellent.

Temperance is leading a class of archaeology students at a Native American dig on an island near Charleston, SC to ascertain whether there are archives of any sort there. A developer plans to build homes on the site and the dig is necessary to ensure no historical relics are being disturbed. While there, her students find a body, a recent one. This is the start of an interesting mystery.

Tempe is asked to help the local coroner, a friend of hers, Emma Rousseau, as Emma is dealing with the effects of treatment for lymphoma. She asks Tempe to help with the case and as more bodies begin to crop up, Tempe becomes the lead for the coroner's office. This is a complex, entertaining story. Tempe's ex-hubby, Pete, a lawyer, arrives in town to investigate the financials of a local religious group. Ryan, Tempe's current boyfriend, also shows up and while there is steady friction between the two men, he helps Tempe with the investigation. Throw into the mix, local sheriff Gullet, who is somewhat distrustful of her involvement and you've got an all-round entertaining story.

There are many twists and turns in this story; there are threats to Tempe. There is the involvement of a missing PI who seems to be checking out a local medical clinic as part of an investigation into the missing daughter of a local well-to-do. As more bodies show up, Tempe and the others investigate whether there are links between them. Tempe also tries to deal with her feelings for her two beaus and also with her concern for Emma's health.

I enjoyed this story very much. I liked all of the characters. I have always liked Tempe, she's spunky, irritable, hard - working, funny, just one of the great characters. As always, the forensic aspects of the add to the interest. It's a tensely developed story and the intensity grows as the story moves to the climax. Most enjoyable. (4 stars)"

c. Bone to Ashes (#10 / 2007)












"Temperance Brennan, like her creator Kathy Reichs, is a brilliant, sexy forensic anthropologist called on to solve the toughest cases. But for Tempe, the discovery of a young girl's skeleton in Acadia, Canada, is more than just another assignment. Évangéline, Tempe's childhood best friend, was also from Acadia. Named for the character in the Longfellow poem, Évangéline was the most exotic person in Tempe's eight-year-old world. When Évangéline disappeared, Tempe was warned not to search for her, that the girl was "dangerous."

Thirty years later, flooded with memories, Tempe cannot help wondering if this skeleton could be the friend she lost so many years ago. And what is the meaning of the strange skeletal lesions found on the bones of the young girl?

Meanwhile, Tempe's beau, Ryan, investigates a series of cold cases. Three girls dead. Four missing. Could the New Brunswick skeleton be part of the pattern? As Tempe draws on the latest advances in forensic anthropology to penetrate the past, Ryan hunts down a serial predator."

d. 206 Bones (#12 / 2009).

"There are 206 bones in the human body. Forensic anthropologists know them intimately, can use them to reconstruct every kind of violent end. When Tempe finds herself regaining consciousness in some kind of very small, very dark, very cold enclosed space—bound, hands to feet—Tempe begins slowly to reconstruct...

Tempe and Lieutenant Ryan had accompanied the recently discovered remains of a missing heiress from Montreal to the Chicago morgue. Suddenly, Tempe was accused of mishandling the autopsy—and the case. Back in Montreal, the corpse of a second elderly woman was found in the woods, and then a third. Seamlessly weaving between Tempe’s present-tense terror as she’s held captive and her memory of the cases of these murdered women, Reichs reveals the incredible devastation that would occur if a forensic colleague sabotaged work in the lab. The chemistry between Tempe and Ryan intensifies as this complex, riveting tale unfolds, proving once again, that Reichs is the dominant talent in forensic mystery writing"

The remaining books in the series are listed below. I've provided ratings if I've read them and put an asterisk if I have an unread copy.

1. Deja Dead (#1 / 1997) (5 stars)
2. Death du Jour (#2 / 1999) (4 stars)
3. Deadly Decisions (#3 / 2000) (4 stars)
4. Fatal Voyage (#4 / 2001) (4 stars)
5. Grave Secrets (#5 / 2002)
6. Bare Bones (#6 / 2003) (4 stars)
7. Monday Mourning (#7 / 2004) (4 stars)
8. Devil Bones (#11 / 2008) (3 stars)
9. Spider Bones (#13 / 2010) *
10. Flash and Bones (#14 / 2011)
11. Bones are Forever (#15 / 2012)
12. Bones of the Lost (#16 / 2013)
13. Bones Never Lie (#17 / 2014)
14. Speaking in Bones (#18 / 2015)
15. The Bone Collection (#19 / 2016)
16. A Conspiracy of Bones (#20 / 2020)

Well, there you go folks. More to follow in a couple of days. Have a great week!