Another lovely day in the Valley. The snow is melting slowly but the roads and sidewalks are bare and there is even a touch of green in spots.. LOL
I finished one books since my last reading update. I also have received two books in the mail. I'll provide a review of the completed book and the synopses of the next book in line and the two new books. Then I'll continue with my look at my favorite authors.
Just Finished
"Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam, the 10th Agatha book by M.C. Beaton finds Ms. Raisin grumpy and disconsolate and missing her on again, off again boyfriend James Lacey. I've skipped a bit in the series but suffice it to say that there has been some sort of disagreement and James has taken off and Agatha has decided to go to Norwich (town of Fryfam) to get away for awhile. She is considering moving there but can't bear the thought of leaving Carsley permanently so rent a cottage in the village.
Agatha is disappointed in the village and the climate, cold and miserable. Meeting the locals, she visits a rich couple who have moved from London. There is a death (murder) and Agatha begins her investigation, along with surprising and somewhat unwelcome visitor, Lord Charles (with whom she'd had a brief fling after her wedding to James fell apart in a previous book). The village is suspicious of Agatha and Charles, the cops suspect them, but the two persevere. Throw in a suspicion of fairies in the bottom of her garden, creatures that seem to be robbing homes, and you've got the basics.
There are an grouping of characters that Agatha must navigate, local villagers who've attached themselves to her, the beautiful owner of the only pub in town, the local hunt master, and of course, irritated police who want Agatha to keep her nose out of their business and you've got an entertaining story. Similar themes to the other Agatha Raisin stories; her ongoing doubt and love for Lacey (many phone calls to Mrs. Bloxby back in Carsley) and her doubt about herself and her general grumpiness, plus an entertaining mystery and you've got a cozy, entertaining story. (3 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Former drug addict Tommy Jarret rents a Scottish chalet to check out reports of a sea monster. But when he is found dead of an apparent drug overdose, constable Hamish Macbeth suspects foul play. Teaming with Glasgow Detective Inspector Olivia Chater, Macbeth goes undercover and dives into the underworld to root out a cartel secretly entrenched in the Highlands."
New Books
Two Sci-Fi books from authors I've started to read again.
"In this fourth novel in the Earthsea series, we rejoin the young priestess the Tenar and powerful wizard Ged. Years before, they had helped each other at a time of darkness and danger. Together, they shared an adventure like no other. Tenar has since embraced the simple pleasures of an ordinary life, while Ged mourns the powers lost to him through no choice of his own.
Now the two must join forces again and help another in need the physically, emotionally scarred child whose own destiny has yet to be revealed."
"Two reporters looking for a story in the outer reaches of the Solar System come upon a derelict spaceship. Inside, they find the only inhabitant, a beautiful young woman who has been imprisoned for a thousand years in suspended animation, suspended but aware for the whole time. Together they set off on a grand adventure across the vastness of space and time in a search for a race known as the Cosmic Engineers on a mission to save the universe."
My Favorite Authors - Karin Slaughter
Karin Slaughter is an American crime writer. She was born in Georgia in 1971 and her main crime series, the Grant County forensic series and the Will Trent mystery series are both set in Georgia. I discovered Slaughter's Grant County series when I'd started reading Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series and Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan series. Both also focus on the forensic aspects of crimes and both are also gritty, tense suspense novels. Slaughter's books are similar. I think I prefer her Grant County series but both are excellent. Since 2000ish, I've enjoyed 9 of her books. I'll look at the most recent 5 that I've enjoyed.
Karin Slaughter
"The victim was buried
alive in the Georgia woods–then killed in a horrifying fashion. When
Sara Linton and Jeffrey Tolliver stumble upon the body, both become
consumed with finding out who killed the pretty young woman. For them, a
harrowing journey begins, one that will test their own turbulent
relationship and draw dozens of life into the case.
For as Jeffrey and Sara move further down a trail of shocking
surprises and hidden passions, neither is prepared for the most stunning
discovery of all: the identity of a killer who is more evil and
dangerous than anyone could have guessed." (4 stars)
"Sara Linton--resident
medical examiner/pediatrician in Grant County, Georgia, --has plenty of
hardship to deal with, including defending herself in a heartbreaking
malpractice suit. So when her husband, Police chief Jeffery Tolliver,
learns that his friend and coworker detective Lena Adams has been
arrested for murder and needs Sara's help, she is not sure she can
handle the pressure of it all.
But soon Sara and Jeffery are
sitting through evidence, peeling back the layers of a mystery that
grows darker by the day--until an intricate web of betrayal and
vengeance begins to unravel. And suddenly the lives of Sara, Lena, and
Jeffery are hanging by the slenderest of threads." (4 stars)
"I enjoyed my introduction to Will Trent, even if he was often on the periphery of the story. The story rather focused on John Shelley, an ex-con trying to get his life in order and discovering that someone has been using his identity. It's more about John's investigation into who is doing this that is the focus of the book. Other characters in the story include Michael Ormerod, an Atlanta cop, with his own secrets and Angie Polaski, a vice cop, with connections to all three men. Throw in a serial killer and you've got the makings of a tense, interesting story. Sometimes it seemed far-fetched to me, but ultimately it didn't really matter. I will try other Will Trent mysteries. (3 stars)"
"Fractured is the 2nd Will Trent, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent, mystery by Karin Slaughter. Overall, it's a tense, quickly - paced, interesting mystery. I do have some issues with Trent; how he is able to function effectively as an investigator, with all the paperwork and bureaucratic matters he must deal with, when he is dyslexic and basically can't read, does cause me some issues. However, having said that, people learn to work around physical and mental issues and Slaughter has worked hard to make it plausible. Trent is smart and imaginative and has found ways to deal with those administrative matters. His issues do at times mean he misses items that might be useful in solving cases, but his boss knows about his problem and accepts them. (As long as he doesn't screw up)
In this book, Trent takes over a kidnapping case from the Atlanta PD when they miss key clues at the crime scene and he ends up being teamed up with an Atlanta cop, Faith Mitchell, in working through the case. There are issues and tensions between them as well, as Trent's last case involved finding and dealing with corrupt Atlanta cops, including Faith's mother. (Yep, there are lots of twists and issues in this story).
It's interesting as Trent and Mitchell learn to work together (Trent is a bit of a loner) and the methodical manner in which they investigate and try to ascertain more about the victim, Emma,a young girl and her friends to find out who might have wanted to kidnap her.
Oh, let's throw in a couple of other little twists; Emma's mother came across the crime scene and killed a young man she thought was attacking her daughter, who turns out to have been a possible witness. And Emma's father went through the same foster system as Trent and has major issues with Trent being involved in the case.
Enough twists and turns and issues? Well, they do ultimately get resolved very nicely and the story moves along at a nice pace to keep you very interested. Do I like the Trent stories as much as I liked the Grant County series. Not yet, but still very enjoyable and I will continue to work through the books. (3.5 stars)"
"Undone is the 3rd book in Karin Slaughter's Will Trent suspense series. I had greatly enjoyed her first series, the Grant County books, featuring coroner Sara Linton as the central character. I'd read the first two books in the Will Trent series and enjoyed them but not as much as the Grant County books. Probably one of my difficulties with total enjoyment was wrapping my head around the main character, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) detective, Will Trent. Trent has so many issues, the main one being dyslexic, meaning he has great difficulty even reading, figuring out his left from his right (meaning it's difficult just getting from A to B), etc. But even so the stories themselves were highly interesting mysteries.
The 3rd book, Undone, was excellent. It's only problem was maybe being somewhat too long, but even with that minor complaint, it was easy to get into, an interesting, creepy, unsettling mystery, and the story just flowed. The other nice thing was that Sara Linton, one of my favorite characters in a mystery series, was in this story. She had just started working in the ER at Grady County and is immediately involved with the mystery.
So what is the basic story? A naked woman is hit by a car driven by two elderly people. It turns out she's near death, appears to have been tortured cruelly for a long time and by the time she is brought to Grady County, she's in a coma and the doctors are struggling to bring her back. Even though it appears to be a local police department case, Rockford County, Will Trent and his partner, Faith Mitchell, GBI detectives, get involved, causing interdepartmental headaches and friction. While Faith is at the hospital, Will discovers where the body has been kept (in a hole in the ground - not just a hole... but a scary place as you'll discover) and also discovers she wasn't the only victim.
So there you go. This starts a frustrating, intense investigation, with Will and Faith treading on the toes of other jurisdictions, with the help of their fantastic boss, Amanda Wagner (I love her. She's grumpy, smart, down to earth, strong - willed and scares the pants off people when she needs to.. including her own detectives). The case involves one of the creepiest serial killers I've yet to read about. The descriptions of his / her actions are just intense enough to give you the shivers. Will and Faith deal with their own problems and each other. Sara has her own issues, which I won't get into if you haven't read the Grant County series because they relate to incidents that take place there. (By the way, you should read Grant County before you dive into this series)
It's a long story, as I've mentioned, but it doesn't really seem to be as you move through the investigation, the character interactions and the final, exciting finish. It's been so nice to get back into Karin Slaughter's stories again. You'll love the characters and curl into a ball as you move into the story.. *shudder*... Great stuff (4 stars)"
I have 3 other Slaughter books on my shelf to enjoy. The complete listing of Karin Slaughter can be found at this link. If I've managed to pique your interest, I'd suggest you start with Blindsighted, the first Grant County book. Enjoy!
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