General Info May Total (Including my current read)
Books Read - 10 53
Pages Read - 2900 14800 (Avg per book - 279)
Pages Breakdown
< 250 4 25
250 - 350 4 15
351 - 450 1 10
> 450 1 3
Ratings
5 - star 1 6
4 - star 5 28
3 - star 4 18
2 - star
No Rating (NR) 1
Gender
Female 7 29
Male 3 24
Genres
Horror 1 3
Fiction 2 13
Mystery 6 33
SciFi 1 2
Non-Fic 1
Classics
Young Adult 1
Top 3 Books
"The Winter Thief by Jenny White is the third and so-far, the last book in her historical mystery series featuring Turkish Special Prosecutor Kamil Pasha. I do hope that at some point, she decides to continue the series but this third book was published in 2010 so it's not looking good.
This book is a rich. exciting mystery and historical adventure. It starts off with the robbery of the Imperial Ottoman Bank of a haul of gold and gems by purported Armenian nationalists. At the end of the robbery, there is an explosion that also destroys a near-by café, causing a major fire. It seems that Kamil's brother-in-law, Huseyin, may have been hurt severely by the fire as he meets in the café with another woman.
The investigation conducted by Kamil, at the direction of the Minister of Justice, Nisam Pasha, will lead him into conflict with the head of the secret police, Vahid, a terrifying, evil man. This conflict will endanger, Kamil, his sister, Feride and his friend, Elif, and all of his close friends and acquaintances.. Besides himself of course.
The investigation will ultimately lead him to a conflict in Eastern Turkey, where a group of idealistic Socialists are trying to form a Utopian community (with the help of arms bought in America and also the stolen gold.. but let's not think on that too much). That is the gist of this fantastic story.
The story, itself, will move from character to character; Kamil, Vahid, Armenian woman Vera, held and tortured by the secret police, Feride (searching for her missing husband), Omar, Kamil's friend and police chief, and so many others. There is intrigue, danger, love and so much more. It's a fascinating story, offering a historic perspective of the time and a great picture of such an exotic country as it struggles with the past and the future. There is a constant menace from the secret police, especially Vahid, who will give you the creeps. Great story and excellent, satisfying conclusion, leaving a teaser of future stories. I definitely hope there will be more. (5 stars)"
"Laura by Vera Caspary is a classic of the noir genre. Originally published in 1942, it was also turned into a successful movie in 1944, starring Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb and Vincent Price.
The premise is that Laura Hunt, a successful ad executive, is found dead in her apartment, killed by a shotgun blast. Det Lt Mark McPherson is assigned the case. His investigation will bring hm into contact with author / newspaper columnist, Waldo Lydecker and Laura's fiance, Shelby Carpenter. The other main characters are Laura's aunt, Ann Treadwell, and her maid, Bessie.
The story is told from 3 perspectives, in a similar format to Wilkie Collins' Moonstone. It starts off being told from Waldo Lydecker's perspective, as the investigation commences. Lydecker is a strange, interesting character. He obviously loves Laura and has been her best friend for a number of years. He attaches himself to McPherson, providing input into the various other personalities. McPherson seems to like him.
As we move into Part 2, McPherson takes over the narrative. He obviously has developed an attraction to Laura, spending considerable time at her apartment, getting a feel for her. It's difficult to say that there is a lot of investigating going on, but McPherson has his suspicions.
At the end of this section, a development you don't expect occurs. The narrator of the 3rd portion... well, I'll stop there as it's a neat twist and the remainder of the story moves along neatly and at a nice pace with some nice developments. Overall, it's a fascinating story, told in a thoughtful, intelligent manner. The story was excellent and the ending was satisfactory and neatly resolved. Most enjoyable. (4.5 stars)"
"Minette Walters has been one of my favorite standalone mystery writers since I discovered her a few years back. I rank her up there with Margaret Millar in my list of favorite mystery authors. The Echo, originally published in 1997, was no exception. It was a perfect little gem; well, almost perfect as I only rated it 4.5. But I could easily have rated it 5 out of 5.
The body of a drunk homeless man, Billy Blake, is discovered in the garage of a wealthy woman after he'd been in place for a few days. She is shocked by the discovery. The police investigation reveals that he seems to have just waste away, possible suicide. A reporter, Michael Deacon, doing an article on homelessness is tasked to interview the woman, Amanda Powell, to possibly provide a perspective for the story. She had paid for his cremation and burial and seemed to be interested in discovering more about Billy.
The beginning of the story features excerpts from a book (fictional, of course) about Unsolved Mysteries of the 20th Century, specifically about two missing men, Peter Jensen and James Streeter. What Michael Deacon begins investigating is whether these disappearances might be related to dead Billy Blake. His investigation becomes more interesting when he discovers that Amanda Powell is also Amanda Streeter.
We meet a fascinating cast of characters, including both Deacon and Amanda Blake. There is Terry a 14 year old homeless boy who lived with Billy (with a group of homeless persons) near Amanda's home who attaches himself to Deacon. There is Barry Grover, a strange reclusive employee of the same newspaper who helps Deacon with the investigation but also has his own secrets. There is Lawrence Greenhill an elderly lawyer who assists Deacon with legal issues and then there is DS Harrison who gets involved with the investigation. The characters all are well-developed and you find yourself drawn to them. And who is the mysterious lady who appears periodically in South Africa?
The story is a rich, textured tale and just so fascinating. The intricate ways Walters draws the various threads together makes it so appealing. The interactions between the characters are excellent and enhance the story. The ending was satisfying for the most part as well. I continue to enjoy Walters and I'm glad I still have stories of hers to read (4.5 stars)"
Challenges
12 + 4 (Finish off Some Series) (completed 7)
1. The Winter Thief by Jenny White 5 stars
Individual Challenge - First Book in Series (completed 6)
Individual Challenge - Next Book in Series (completed 15)
1. A New Lease of Death by Ruth Rendell 3.5 stars
2. Daughter of Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer 3 stars
3. Kat's Cradle by Karen Kijewski 4 stars
4. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie 4 stars
Individual Challenge - Non Series (completed 12)
1. Killing the Shadows by Val McDermid 4 stars
2. Laura by Vera Caspary 4.5 stars
Monthly Challenge - January (CanCon) (completed 1)
Monthly Challenge - February (Margaret Millar) (completed 4)
Monthly Challenge - March (C.S. Forester) (completed 3)
Monthly Challenge - April (Minette Walters) (completed 2)
1. The Echo (1997) 4.5 stars
Monthly Challenge - May (Dennis Wheatley) (completed 2)
1. The Devil Rides Out (1934) 3.5 stars
2. The Secret War (1937) 3 stars
Currently Reading
2. First in Series - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (All Souls Trilogy #1)
3. Next in Series - Brother Odd by Dean Koontz (Odd Thomas #3)
4. Non-Series - Stardust by Joseph Kanon (2009)
5. June Challenge (George Orwell) - A Clergyman's Daughter (1935)
Next In Line (Possibles)
2. First in Series - The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri (Inspector Montalbano #1)
3. Next in Series - Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith (#1 Ladies Detective Agency #7)
4. Non-Series - Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (1966)
5. June Challenge (George Orwell) - Coming up for Air (1939)
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