The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime / Vicki Delany

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I cannot believe that I have just completed the tenth book in this series. I wondered after the ninth book, where it seemed that Delany had reverted to writing Gemma Doyle as an unbearable know-it-all. This time out, she does notice more than other people, but she isn't so obnoxious about it. I much prefer non-obnoxious Gemma.

Once again, Gemma and her posse are in London, this time for her sister Pippa's wedding. Gemma's luggage doesn't join her and she must shop before the event while everyone else gets their beauty sleep. As a result, Gemma leaves the reception early and runs into her ex-husband who appears to be waiting for her to appear. She eventually agrees to meet him the following day to discuss a book, but when she shows up at his bookshop, he is found dead in his office.

Of course Gemma is unable to simply let things be. She wants to know why Paul was killed, especially since he was obviously down on his luck. Things escalate (as usual) and once again we get to observe the sibling rivalry between Gemma and Pippa. There is also a very satisfying bar room brawl. I was completely diverted by those pleasures, and failed to figure things out. Not that I mind. It far better than being bored.

The Lies That Bind / Kate Carlisle

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I find this series absolutely delightful. There's enough mystery and action to balance the romance aspect. I'm a firm believer in slow burn romance, and Carlisle has managed to keep Brooklyn and Derek in the unsure romance dance for three books. Well done!

At an early stage in the book, I was shocked, thinking that the author had killed off Brooklyn's nemesis, Minka LaBoef. What would we do without her malign influence? Thankfully she was merely injured and horrified to realize that Brooklyn rescued her. She lives to torment our bookbinder again. Carlisle also excels at producing murder victims who seem to deserve their fates. Layla Fontaine is an obnoxious bully who gets what she wants with money, so I was unsurprised when Brooklyn discovered her body. Carlisle makes a bit of a joke about Brooklyn's talent for tripping over corpses, but even though it's highly unlikely, it fit with the other facets of the plot.

As usual, Brooklyn's family and Guru Bob fill meaningful roles in the story. I love how Guru Bob seems to know everything and to have been everywhere. His sponsorship of the mysterious Gabriel is also intriguing.

Looking forward to the next book!

The Reaping / Jess Lourey

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Steinbeck and Reed are two very damaged people who try very hard to protect others from similar fates. The first book of this series focused on Van Reed. In this volume it was Harry Steinbeck’s turn. They return to Harry's childhood home, Duluth, where he desperately hopes to avoid his mother. But Minnesota runs like a small town and gossip puts the kibosh on that desire.

There has been a murder which has disturbing echoes of an old cold case. Harry is the forensic guy and Van is the cold case investigator. Both crimes took place in a small town which was settled by Finnish families. By the look of the inhabitants, there hasn't been nearly enough out-crossing and the whole town's vibe is weird. It doesn't help that their only employer is a geriatric facility for serial killers, pretty creepy in it's own right.

Harry has spent years carrying a heavy load of guilt for the disappearance of his sister. The night she was taken, he was home from college and more focused on his old girlfriend than on listening to Caroline. If only he could remember what she said about the man who'd been following her, he might be able to find out what happened. Between the two cases and dealing with his difficult mother, Harry finds some equilibrium.

Judging by the final epilogue, which is told from Van's point of view, the next book will likely centre on her again, and the commune where she grew up. I can hardly wait—her prophetic dreams played only a small part in this novel, but are the major reason that I enjoy this series so much.

The Naturalist Society / Carrie Vaughn

 

4.5 out of 5 stars 

Most scientists seem to believe that taxonomy is one of the less thrilling fields of study. I was entranced with it when I first encountered it in Grade 7. If I had seen any way to turn it into a career, I might have tried harder to stay in the sciences in university. Carrie Vaughn has invented a way to make taxonomy a far more useful practice. The Arcanists in her world can harness the characteristics of the species that they know to change their environments. For example, channeling coolness by connecting with the Snowy Owl.

Beth Stanley was courted by and married to a man who appreciated her bird expertise and her Arcane ability. Of course, in this formal society, it is believed that women are incapable of either scientific interest or arcane talents. Harry Stanley has neither talent, but he covers for his wife, publishing her work under his name. They are a team until his unexpected death. Then Beth is stymied by the Old Boys Club, which can't be bothered to listen to a mere woman. This made me think of Mary Anning who mentored so many male paleontologists, Rosalind Franklin's work on DNA or Margaret Hamilton at NASA who was responsible for the Apollo program software. None of them were properly acknowledged for their expertise.

Beth feels intolerably hemmed in by propriety and her family's expectations. They don't want her to go birding, to travel on her own, to do the things that bring her joy. They are pressuring her to marry again. Some men from her husband's naturalist society have also figured out her secrets and want to take advantage of her by marriage. Well, except for one of her husband's best friends and his partner, who start out wanting her “husband's“ research, but become Beth's supportive friends .

If the suppression of women in historical times makes you irrationally angry, you may want to skip this book, because Beth experiences a lot of mistreatment. But if you are open to an unconventional and beautiful love triangle, this book may be just your thing. I loved that Beth rescues herself several times and claims her own happiness.

Three Bags Full / Leonie Swann

 

4 out of 5 stars 

”You won't be able to herd anyone until you can herd yourself.”

Equal parts philosophy, religion and self-help, this is the tale of George's flock of sheep investigating George's death. Yes, the sheep can talk, but only to other sheep. They still behave like proper sheep: grazing, being nervous of the sheepdog, nibbling a geranium or trying to swipe food foolishly ignored by a human. They have more brain power than humans credit them with, but they can be easily distracted. Miss Maple (what a great name) is reputed to be the best at reasoning, Mopple the Whale is the memory sheep, Zora knows about the Abyss, and Othello was in the circus at one point, so understands humans better than the others.

The sheep must move from things they know for sure (sheep become clouds after death, humans are rather dim, goats are crazy) to figure out what is going on in the human village. They have skewed ideas of what motivates people and a well founded fear of Ham, the butcher. Many of their interpretations are charmingly off kilter.

By the end, the sheep and the reader all know what went on, but the sheep can scarcely believe it. These ovine philosophers think that humans are very odd.

An Easy Death / Charlaine Harris

 

4 out of 5 stars 

Some time ago, I first tried this book in print but didn't make it past the first chapter. However I have a good history with Harris' books, so I decided to give the audio version a try. That proved to be an inspired idea. I was quickly absorbed into the story.

Harris uses the American mythology of the Wild West in this alternative timeline story. Instead of the usual “Manifest Destiny,“ this is a USA that has been torn apart by historical events. Our protagonist, Lizbeth Rose, hails from Texoma and makes her living guarding people who are traveling between the various new states, preventing robbery, rape, murder and kidnapping as best she can. Harris provides some interesting twists on the iconic gunslinger of the Old West. For one, our fearsome gunnie is a woman. Lizbeth is taciturn, as all good Western heroes are, and she has professional standards, but she is understandably money motivated. After all, a girl's gotta eat and buy ammo. The book opens with Lizbeth's crew getting killed, leaving her to become the lone gun(wo)man of legend.

In 2025, the significance of a California that is ruled by the Russian royal family, who escaped the Russian Revolution, gains an odd flavour. Lizbeth is hired by two Gregoris, wizards from that kingdom, on assignment to find a man whose bloodline is important to the survival of their Tsar. It becomes obvious that not everyone in the kingdom share their aims and Gunnie Rose has her hands full. Especially since her two charges are overly confident in their magical abilities but forget that people skills are necessary too. Lizbeth gets some satisfaction out of being proven right on a number of occasions. I would too.

Harris works her usual magic, creating unique and interesting characters, some with murky motivations. Even Lizbeth, who prides herself on her directness, isn't always honest with herself about her own reasoning. I also found her reworking of the historical context to be fascinating and I enjoyed exploring this alternate reality. Being Charlaine Harris, I suspected there'd be a paranormal angle, so the magic of the Gregoris fulfilled my expectations. Lizbeth reminded me strongly of Harris' Sookie Stackhouse character in that she is a mortal woman with a rare talent who ends up working with a man who is stronger in magic, but who benefits from her analytical skill and knowledge of human behaviour. Elie is very much the Eric to Lizbeth's Sookie. Both Lizbeth and Sookie end up performing a lot of the social and emotional work for the men folk in their ventures.

While I may have had some difficulty getting into this first Gunnie Rose book, I am excited to continue with the series. The ending of this novel leaves things wide open for further adventures in Texoma.

Box of Secrets / Susan Jane Wright

 

2 out of 5 stars 

I did not choose this book—it was picked by my RL book club as our March selection. It is a legal mystery/thriller which is a genre which I studiously avoid. In the interest of group discussion, I gave it the old college try, but facing it each day was destroying my joy in reading. I compromised: I read the first 30% and the last few chapters. My rating reflects my personal bias. Your mileage may vary.

I wanted to like this book. The author is local and she used many details of our city into her unnamed city setting. She herself was a lawyer here, hence her choice of topics. My youngest sister was a legal assistant for a number of years and she loves legal mysteries. Me, not so much. I find them boring. Wright adds in a political campaign that her main character volunteers for. Also something that I care nothing about. Too many arrogant men with too much money and too little empathy. When Evie goes to a gala and her newest client introduces his wife Marianne, it becomes obvious that she finds her husband and his business as absolutely boring as I did. Marianne was my spirit animal in this novel.

I know I skipped a lot of the story, but if I'm interpreting things correctly, Wright includes a strong feminist theme, regarding powerful men taking women for granted. For example the hyper organized women who run political campaigns on a volunteer basis or the supportive wives who run households without input from their husbands, providing him more time to pursue power. When I was working full time, I often said I didn't need a husband but I could sure use a wife.

I will be interested to see what my book clubbers think of this. We always have a wide variety of opinions, so I'm sure it will have at least one champion. I hope it does, but it will not be me.