Strong Poison / Dorothy L. Sayers

4 out of 5 stars

Can Lord Peter Wimsey prove that Harriet Vane is not guilty of murder--or find the real poisoner in time to save her from the gallows?

Impossible, it seems. The Crown's case is watertight. The police are adamant that the right person is on trial. The judge's summing-up is also clear. Harriet Vane is guilty of the killing her lover. And Harriet Vane shall hang.

But the jury disagrees.

Change is afoot in the world of Lord Peter Wimsey. People are asking Peter to stay the way he is and it is chilling his soul. Not only does he envision his own altered future, but he sees the societal changes taking place around him, and he knows that change is inevitable.

Enter Harriet Vane. She is an author in the mystery genre, she has lived with a male author without the benefit of matrimony, and she is on trial for that man’s murder. It is said that Harriet is an alter-ego for Dorothy L. Sayers herself. I have a hold on a biography of that wonderful woman at my public library and am eagerly awaiting my chance to investigate! Especially since Harriet proclaims,

”Philip wasn't the sort of man to make a friend of a woman. He wanted devotion. I gave him that. I did, you know. But I couldn't stand being made a fool of. I couldn’t stand being put on probation, like an office-boy, to see if I was good enough to be condescended to. I quite thought he was honest when he said he didn't believe in marriage -- and then it turned out that it was a test, to see whether my devotion was abject enough. Well, it wasn't. I didn't like having matrimony offered as a bad-conduct prize.”

Ms. Sayers writing is divine and methinks she was a force to be reckoned with!

Also shining brightly in this volume are Miss Climpson and Miss Murchison, part of Lord Wimsey’s army of unattached women, whose talents are being put to full use! Whether they are learning to pick locks or staging séances to uncover evidence, they take great pleasure in being underestimated by the stuffed-shirt men who stand in their way.

Sayers is recording the shift that is leveling the social classes, allowing Wimsey to pursue his authoress and his sister to snag her policeman, and the beginnings of the escape of Western society from Victorian values that continues to this day.

Lion / Saroo Brierley

3 out of 5 stars

At only five years old, Saroo Brierley got lost on a train in India. Unable to read or write or recall the name of his hometown or even his own last name, he survived alone for weeks on the rough streets of Calcutta before ultimately being transferred to an agency and adopted by a couple in Australia.
Despite his gratitude, Brierley always wondered about his origins. Eventually, with the advent of Google Earth, he had the opportunity to look for the needle in a haystack he once called home, and pore over satellite images for landmarks he might recognize or mathematical equations that might further narrow down the labyrinthine map of India. One day, after years of searching, he miraculously found what he was looking for and set off to find his family.

The first book of 2019 with my real-life book club. I missed the meeting during which it was discussed, but I see at least two of my book club ladies have rated it on either side of my own rating. It wasn’t a bad story, but it certainly wasn’t the most riveting memoir that I’ve ever read either.

First off, the story is an amazing one. A four to five year old Indian child, separated from his family, too young to know his own surname or the proper name of his town. Eventually, we even learn that he mispronounced his given name! Judging from this account, it sounds like he didn’t have much vocabulary and he may have had speech difficulties, as he couldn’t seem to make himself understood to the adults in the new world he found himself in. He did come from a very impoverished family, so schooling was unavailable to him, but he was young for school attendance anyway. His family members were so occupied with survival that there was no time to spend educating the younger children.

I’m pretty sure that, at the same age, I wouldn’t have been able to identify the landmarks around my home with the degree of certainty and accuracy that Mr. Brierley did. That’s what makes the story so interesting, is his ability to recognize his home town from Google Earth.

I can see where the movie version of this tale would probably be superior to the book. The author is obviously not a practiced writer, so the writing is very average. There is a great deal of unnecessary detail and quite a bit of repetition.

People who are adoptees would probably have greater interest in this story than I did. I personally would recommend trying the movie before picking up the book.

Bayou Moon / Ilona Andrews

3.5 stars out of 5

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Walmart and magic is a fairytale–and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…

Cerise Mar and her unruly clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands between the state of Louisiana and the Weird. When her parents vanish, her clan’s long-time rivals are suspect number one.

But all is not as it seems. Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge—and Cerise’s life . William, a changeling soldier who left behind the politics of the Weird, has been forced back into service to track down a rival nation’s spymaster.

When William’s and Cerise’s missions lead them to cross paths, sparks fly—but they’ll have to work together if they want to succeed…and survive.

One of the main things that I love about the Andrews’ female main characters is that they are very self-sufficient & competent to run their lives. They are acknowledged to be high functioning people by their families & circles of friends. Not only can they handle the vicissitudes of life, they can defend themselves and their dependents.

Another reason that I love their books? The humour. In this book, when Cerise and William first meet, they are both “undercover.” She thinks he’s an ass and secretly calls him Lord Leatherpants. She is smelling rather pungent, and William not-so-secretly calls her the Hobo Queen.

William leaned forward and pointed at the river. “I don’t know why you rolled in spaghetti sauce,” he said in a confidential voice. “I don’t really care. But that water over there won’t hurt you. Try washing it off.”
She stuck her tongue out.
“Maybe after you’re clean,” he said.
Her eyes widened. She stared at him for a long moment. A little crazy spark lit up in her dark irises.
She raised her finger, licked it, and rubbed some dirt off her forehead.
Now what?
The girl showed him her stained finger and reached toward him slowly, aiming for his face.
“No,” William said. “Bad hobo.”

There are, of course, the obligatory rocks in the romance road. As Shakespeare told us, true love never did run smooth. But that line is from Midsummer Night’s Dream and the plot line of this story is more Taming of the Shrew.

What Angels Fear / C.S. Harris

3.5 stars out of 5

It's 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George III's England. Then a beautiful young woman is found raped and savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol discovered at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness both point to one man, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experience in the Napoleonic Wars.

Now a fugitive running for his life, Sebastian calls upon his skill as an agent during the war to catch the killer and prove his own innocence. In the process, he accumulates a band of unlikely allies, including the enigmatic beauty Kat Boleyn, who broke Sebastian's heart years ago. In Sebastian's world of intrigue and espionage, nothing is as it seems, yet the truth may hold the key to the future of the British monarchy, as well as to Sebastian's own salvation...

Perhaps a 3.5 star book?

Certainly good, but maybe not exactly my cup of tea. Probably because of the time period, which so many people seem to adore. I, however, have a complicated relationship with the time of carriages, cloaks, dueling pistols, and severe class distinctions.

I also went into this expecting a paranormal angle of some sort, which was completely off base. Yes, our hero, Sebastian St. Cyr, has a couple of special abilities, but as the author explains at book’s end, this is from a documented genetic condition, not a paranormal cause.

If you enjoyed this book or this time period, I would recommend Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia or Veronica Speedwell series. Also try E.L. Tettensor’s Nicolas Lenoir duology or The Hanged Man by P.N. Elrod. These last two have distinct paranormal aspects, which made them preferable for my reading tastes.

In the Bleak Midwinter / Julia Spencer-Fleming

4 out of 5 stars

Heavy Snow...Icy Desires...Cold-Blooded Murder

Clare Fergusson, St. Alban's new priest, fits like a square peg in the conservative Episcopal parish at Millers Kill, New York. She is not just a "lady," she's a tough ex-Army chopper pilot, and nobody's fool. Then a newborn infant left at the church door brings her together with the town's police chief, Russ Van Alstyne, who's also ex-Army and a cynical good shepherd for the stray sheep of his hometown. Their search for the baby's mother quickly leads them into the secrets that shadow Millers Kill like the ever-present Adirondacks. What they discover is a world of trouble, an attraction to each other—and murder...

I never know these days when I pick up a mystery whether it will be a hit or a miss—I have read so many of them at this point that I’ve become pretty picky.

So I was pleasantly surprised by this selection—for a first book of a series, it was great. First off, I enjoyed the author’s style. I was never distracted by the words, I was able to immerse myself in the world of Millers Kill, N.Y. and go with the flow.

Secondly, I really connected with her two main characters, Rev. Claire Fergusson and the Chief of Police, Russ Van Alstyne. I loved Clare’s independence, the unexpectedness of her being an Episcopalian priest, being ex-army, driving an impractical hot little red car, and learning the ins and outs of this new community where she has been hired. I also couldn’t help liking Russ, who grew up in the community and has returned after his army career.

Just like Agatha Christie, Spencer-Fleming has chosen a small town as a setting for her story. It gives Clare and Russ a much better knowledge of the people around them, making the crime-solving aspect much more informed and interesting. Solving murders in a big city involves much more luck, while these mysteries set in small communities allow for much more exploration of the human decisions that pull people into criminal acts.

Unlike so many series where I’ve sampled one book and feel no need to follow up, I suspect I will catch up with Claire and Russ again in the near future!

The Wisdom of Psychopaths / Kevin Dutton

4 out of 5 stars

In this engrossing journey into the lives of psychopaths and their infamously crafty behaviors, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton reveals that there is a scale of “madness” along which we all sit. Incorporating the latest advances in brain scanning and neuroscience, Dutton demonstrates that the brilliant neurosurgeon who lacks empathy has more in common with a Ted Bundy who kills for pleasure than we may wish to admit, and that a mugger in a dimly lit parking lot may well, in fact, have the same nerveless poise as a titan of industry.

As Dutton develops his theory that we all possess psychopathic tendencies, he puts forward the argument that society as a whole is more psychopathic than ever: after all, psychopaths tend to be fearless, confident, charming, ruthless, and focused—qualities that are tailor-made for success in the twenty-first century.


If you choose to read this book, I would advise regarding it completely as entertainment. Don’t expect it to reveal too much about the issue of psychopathy—it tells the reader much more about the author than about this mental condition.

This is a book to be enjoyed for its anecdotes, not for its scholarship. The author seems to believe that quite a number of psychopaths populate his life—from his father to one of his childhood friends. Plus he tells an entertaining story of his visit to Broadmoor Hospital, where psychopaths are securely housed.

Despite the author’s enthusiasm, I’m not sure that we regular folk have anything of any great import to learn from psychopaths. Much more significant in my opinion is the ability of regular folk to recognize these damaged people and deal with or avoid them, something that the author doesn’t even broach. This seems to be more the author as a fan, rather than a realist about the condition.  Still an entertaining read.

The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic / Emily Croy Barker

3.5 stars out of 5

Nora Fischer’s dissertation is stalled and her boyfriend is about to marry another woman.  During a miserable weekend at a friend’s wedding, Nora wanders off and walks through a portal into a different world where she’s transformed from a drab grad student into a stunning beauty.  Before long, she has a set of glamorous new friends and her romance with gorgeous, masterful Raclin is heating up. It’s almost too good to be true.

Then the elegant veneer shatters. Nora’s new fantasy world turns darker, a fairy tale gone incredibly wrong. Making it here will take skills Nora never learned in graduate school. Her only real ally—and a reluctant one at that—is the magician Aruendiel, a grim, reclusive figure with a biting tongue and a shrouded past. And it will take her becoming Aruendiel’s student—and learning magic herself—to survive. When a passage home finally opens, Nora must weigh her "real life" against the dangerous power of love and magic.

Not quite what I was anticipating—which is a bit of an issue when the book is over 500 pages!

Under normal circumstances, I adore books which include the Fae, which this one does. Nora, our main character, bumps into an odd guy on campus and he rather obscurely grants her wish for a complete change of pace in life. One assumes that he is a member of this book’s Faitoren who was inhabiting our world, instead of the alternate world that Nora is transported to.

This is very much an alternate reality book—like Stephen Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant series, H. Beam Piper’s Paratime novels or Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. In this iteration, Nora gets transported into a rather medieval world which relies on magic rather than technology. Of course, she discovers some facility for magic, which saves her life from being total drudgery.

One of my main issues was the character of Aruendiel, the magician who rescues Nora from the Faitoren and assumes responsibility for her in this very, very patriarchal world. He’s no Dumbledore or Gandalf—he’s cranky, prejudiced, and arrogant. His relationship with Nora is a very reluctant one, consisting more of feeling responsible for her than any affection. Then when the balance seems to twist towards Aruendiel wanting more of their relationship, he isn’t willing to unbend enough to verbalize it, leaving Nora really to twist in the wind, wondering if she’s imagining things. Just to confuse things even more, Aruendiel seems to try fairly often to foist her on other men as a wife or he is searching for a “window” to send her home to her own reality. There’s a limited amount of speculation about the magician’s age and I gained the feeling that he was way too old to be a viable love-interest for Nora.

There is some exploration of the notion that Nora, coming from our reality, doesn’t act enough like a (subservient) woman in the magic time line. But the chances to explore the nature of the relations between men and women gets short shrift (except on the many occasions when Nora is pissed off about it). She basically works like a galley slave on Aruendiel’s estate except when he grants her special privileges to study or practice magic.

Although Nora ends up feeling attracted to Aruendiel, I just couldn’t feel the basis for it. He was too old, too arrogant, too prejudiced against women. I could understand some respect for him as a teacher (although he didn’t seem to be all that great an instructor, honestly), but beyond that was beyond my ability to suspend my disbelief.

Nevertheless, there’s a lid for every pot and I’m sure that this book will suit a lot of readers better than it did me.

The Advent Killer / Alastair Gunn

3 out of 5 stars

Christmas is coming. One body at a time. Three weeks before Christmas: Sunday, one a.m. A woman is drowned in her bathtub.  One week later: Sunday, one a.m. A woman is beaten savagely to death, every bone in her body broken.  Another week brings another victim.

As panic spreads across London, DCI Antonia Hawkins, leading her first murder investigation, must stop a cold, careful killer whose twisted motives can only be guessed at, before the next body is found. On Sunday.  When the clock strikes one . .

Somehow this murder mystery didn’t grab me the way some of them do. I started it in late December, but then had a long hiatus until finishing it in early January. It’s a solid enough story, with enough red herrings to keep me from being positive who dunnit until close to the end of the book.

My problem was that I didn’t really connect with the main character, Antonia Hawkins. She seemed to me to be rather thin-skinned and inept for someone who had risen as high in the ranks as she had. And I really disliked her tendency to mix her work and private life indiscriminately. I know that it can be hard to keep those lines from blurring, but Tonia seemed to just heave herself precipitously back into a work relationship with no self-reflection at all. And there’s far more snotty weeping that I care for in a main female character!

Nevertheless, it’s not a bad book and was certainly appropriate for the Christmas season. A few good murders keep the holiday from getting too saccharine sweet.

In the Shadow of Agatha Christie / compiled by L. Klinger

3 out of 5 stars

Agatha Christie is undoubtedly the world’s best-selling mystery author, hailed as the “Queen of Crime,” with worldwide sales in the billions. Christie burst onto the literary scene in 1920, with The Mysterious Affair at Styles; her last novel was published in 1976, a career longer than even Conan Doyle’s forty-year span.

The truth is that it was due to the success of writers like Anna Katherine Green in America; L. T. Meade, C. L. Pirkis, the Baroness Orczy, and Elizabeth Corbett in England; and Mary Fortune in Australia that the doors were finally opened for women crime-writers. Authors who followed them, such as Patricia Wentworth, Dorothy Sayers, and, of course, Agatha Christie would not have thrived without the bold, fearless work of their predecessors—and the genre would be much poorer for their absence. So while Agatha Christie may still reign supreme, it is important to remember that she did not ascend that throne except on the shoulders of the women who came before her—and inspired her—and who are now removed from her shadow once and for all by this superb new anthology by Leslie S. Klinger.

A historically interesting collection of short stories by women in the crime/mystery genre. They are products of their time, published before the likes of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Don’t go into this volume expecting the quality of those two talented women writers!

These are the roots of women writing in this genre from the late 1800’s into the early 20th century. If you’ve read books like Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho or Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White, you will have a fairly clear idea of what you are getting in this collection. The best part is that these are short works—there is no need to wade through the pages and pages of description that the reader encounters in the two novels reference above. You can sample and decide if there are authors whose work you wish to pursue further.

I put a hold on this book in my public library, believing that I would get more contemporaries of Ms. Christie, those who were writing “in her shadow,” so it wasn’t quite what I was anticipating. Still, it made an excellent book for coffee breaks, allowing me to read a whole story before having to set the book down & return to business.

Very Good, Jeeves / P.G. Wodehouse

4 out of 5 stars

Whatever the cause of Bertie Wooster's consternation — Bobbie Wickham gives away fierce Aunt Agatha's dog; again in the bad books of Sir Roderick Glossop; Tuppy crushes on robust opera singer — Jeeves can untangle the most ferocious muddle.

What an excellent first book for 2019! Wodehouse writes like a charm, making me giggle whilst turning a gorgeous phrase. And it’s as if he knew the women in my family when he says, “Hell, it is well known, has no fury like a woman who wants her tea and can’t get it.” My sisters, my niece and myself frequently suffer from being hangry if we are not fed & watered on a regular basis. Having a pleasant outing requires copious amounts of coffee, regular feedings, and sufficient snacks for the day. So Jeeves plan to disrupt Mrs. Bingo Little’s school friendship through depriving her of lunch plus delaying tea-time was entirely believable to me.

I love Bertie’s willingness to flee the house to avoid unpleasantness, his suffering being known as a lunatic in order to avoid jobs & women. He is the ultimate peace-at-any-pricer. The all-knowing expertise of Jeeves is the perfect foil to the very fallible B. Wooster.

If you haven’t yet made the acquaintance of Mr. Wooster and the inimitable Jeeves, what are you waiting for?

2018 Reading Summary

Total number of books read: 250 (my second-highest total ever)

Total number of books planned for 2018: 182 (of which I read 81%)

Total number of pages: 90,680

Longest book of 2018: The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan.

First book of the year: Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire.

Last book of the year: The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

Most anticipated releases of 2018: The Witch Elm by Tana French, Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews, Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews.

Shakespeare Project: This year I saw 3 plays performed. (Hamlet, Timon of Athens, Much Ado About Nothing). Timon of Athens was my least favourite, but I loved the other two. (Coming up in 2019 are Coriolanus, King Henry II, Anthony & Cleopatra, and The Tempest).

Progress on my Science Fiction & Fantasy reading Project: 37. Most enjoyed this year was Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. Honourable mention to Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman. I didn’t make as much progress on this reading list as I hoped to, but 2019 may be a better year!

Best Young Adult historical fantasy novel: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. Honourable mention to The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge.

Best Young Adult science fiction novel: Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre.

Best Young Adult fantasy novel: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson.

Best Adult historical fiction: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

Best Reinterpretation of Shakespeare: Dunbar by Edward St. Aubyn. I accidentally read this one all in one sitting! Best re-telling of King Lear that I’ve read to date.

Best Canadian novel: Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay.

Best Adult Historical fantasy: Vlad : the Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys

Non-fiction: 20. I think my favourite was a biography of Ian Fleming (by Andrew Lycett) which I read for my Summer Reading Project and which informed my reading of several of Fleming’s novels.

Female authors: 126

Summer Reading Project: 2018 featured The Summer of Spies (22 novels read). My favourite from amongst these was Assignment in Brittany by Helen MacInnes. In the same genre, I also really enjoyed London Rules by Mick Herron, although I didn’t read it until November (so it can’t really count towards the summer reading project).

When Words Collide conference: I read 7 new authors before attending the 2018 conference, adding 14 books to my year’s total. Delighted to make the reading acquaintance of Deanna Raybourn (who had to cancel her appearance) and Tasha Alexander (who replaced Ms. Raybourn). Also impressed with Fonda Lee (author of Jade City) and Peter V. Brett (author of the Demon Cycle).

2019 will be a more relaxed reading year. I haven’t signed up for any reading challenges. I’m continuing on with my Shakespeare Project and with my Science Fiction & Fantasy reading project. The series that I’m looking forward to getting back to: the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael (The Virgin in the Ice), Amelia Peabody (The Deeds of the Disturber), Philip Marlowe (The Lady in the Lake), Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (The Cruelest Month), SPI Files (The Myth Manifestation), Lady Julia Grey (Silent in the Sanctuary), Her Royal Spyness (Royal Flush), Lord Peter Wimsy (Strong Poison).

New releases that I’m anticipating: Shattered Bonds (Jane Yellowrock) by Faith Hunter, Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson) by Patricia Briggs, The Unkindest Tide (October Daye) by Seanan McGuire, Smoke and Iron (The Great Library) by Rachel Caine, The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air) by Holly Black, That Ain’t Witchcraft (InCryptid) by Seanan McGuire, In an Absent Dream (Wayward Children) by Seanan McGuire, Honor Bound (The Honors) by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre, Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy) by Ilona Andrews, A Dangerous Collaboration (Veronica Speedwell) by Deanna Raybourn, and an untitled volume of the Iron Covenant series by Ilona Andrews.

By and large, I am finding that I enjoy a great number of young adult authors—they are writing quality stuff. I will definitely read more of them in 2019! I am also planning to read Mermaid tales during the month of May and to have a summer reading project featuring Sherlock Holmes and those who embroider around the edges of that character.

Happy New Year, friends. I hope that 2019 is your best reading year ever!

The Crossing Places / Elly Griffiths

4 out of 5 stars

When she’s not digging up bones or other ancient objects, quirky, tart-tongued archaeologist Ruth Galloway lives happily alone in a remote area called Saltmarsh near Norfolk, land that was sacred to its Iron Age inhabitants - not quite earth, not quite sea.
      When a child’s bones are found on a desolate beach nearby, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson calls Galloway for help. Nelson thinks he has found the remains of Lucy Downey, a little girl who went missing ten years ago. Since her disappearance he has been receiving bizarre letters about her, letters with references to ritual and sacrifice.
      The bones actually turn out to be two thousand years old, but Ruth is soon drawn into the Lucy Downey case and into the mind of the letter writer, who seems to have both archaeological knowledge and eerie psychic powers. Then another child goes missing and the hunt is on to find her. 
      As the letter writer moves closer and the windswept Norfolk landscape exerts its power, Ruth finds herself in completely new territory – and in serious danger.

I’m still analyzing why I enjoyed this little mystery as much as I did. There are several factors, but I think I’m starting to put my finger on the appeal.

This book was like a cross between Lyn Hamilton’s Lara McClintoch mysteries and Steve Burrows' Birder Murder Mysteries. Like Hamilton’s main character, Lara McClintoch, Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway is an archaeologist. Like Steve Burrows’ main character, Domenic Jejeune, Ruth lives in Norfolk, in an isolated house on the saltmarsh.

Griffiths’ writing falls somewhere in between the two, not unusual for a first crime novel. Thankfully, she is much closer to Burrows in quality and her characters make up for a plot that lurches a bit from suspect to suspect.

Ruth Galloway is a wonderful main character. She is very, very good at her job (Iron Age archeology) but she is pushing 40, weighs more than she would like to, and is a bit sensitive about all the people around her who seem to think that marriage and children are the only possible fulfilling things in a woman’s life. I hear you, Ruth! Our Western culture has certainly decided that we women cannot possibly be happy without husbands and children and yet there are many of us out here who are doing just fine, thank you very much!

So, I obviously identify with Ruth, I adore reading about archaeology, I love Norfolk (although I have only visited there once), and I found the writing decent. The book encompasses both Christmas and New Year’s Eve, making it a wonderful little read during my Christmas vacation days from work. I will definitely be reading more about Ruth in the future!

Obsidian Butterfly / Laurell K. Hamilton

4 out of 5 stars

In her ninth adventure, vampire hunter Anita Blake owes a favor to a friend-a man almost as dangerous as the ancient evil she's about to face.

Edward, the empty-eyed sociopath who haunts the outskirts of Anita Blake’s life, is arguably the most interesting character in the Anita Blake series. A man of mystery, obviously dangerous, Anita values his occasional assistance and has a wary respect for him. When Edward calls in a favour that Anita owes him, she knows she has no choice but to go give him a hand.

The actual mystery portion of the book is predictable and rather uninteresting. The reason that I enjoyed this book so much was getting to know Edward and observing the dynamics of the “team” that he has assembled to solve the mystery. Four usually-lone-wolf killers must find a way to co-exist in Edward/Ted’s Santa Fe adobe home for the duration of the operation and it becomes obvious as the book progresses that Anita could be in danger from her fellow team members as well as the usual supernatural crowd.

I find myself debating whether Hamilton did Edward any favours with this installment. Does the knowledge that he has acquired a girlfriend and step-children and that he seems to care for them (at least in his own limited way) weaken him in his role as stone-cold killer and psychopath? Or does it add an unusual dimension to an otherwise stereotypical sociopathic role? One way or the other, Hamilton gives us the even creepier Olaf as contrast and the implied promise at the book’s end that he’ll be back at some point in the future.

Anita must also deal with her own ethical slippage in this adventure, wondering just how much like Edward she has become and if the progression will continue. Can hard cases like Edward be redeemed by love? Is there hope for Anita too?

Perhaps the most enjoyable Anita Blake book (especially since I’m part way into the next one and I’m wondering if I’ll even finish it).

I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus / S.G. Browne

3 out of 5 stars

He sees you when you’re sleeping . . . he knows when you’re undead. 

How does the leader of a failed zombie civil rights movement from California rescue a group of his undead brethren and help a lonely Breather girl as he hides from a band of medical researchers while disguised as Santa Claus? 

If you’ve never believed in Christmas miracles, then you wouldn’t understand. 

How could I resist this dark little comedy? As soon as I saw the title on my library’s catalogue, I knew that I had to read it this Christmas season!

It may not rank up there with It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Carol, but it provided a little light relief during a season that can become rather overwhelming if one doesn’t take time to read a silly book.

Andy Warner, former zombie rights activist, escapes from the research facility where he has been held and experimented on, strips a Santa Claus in someone’s Christmas yard display, and tries to make his way through the world disguised as the jolly old elf. The author was obviously having fun with the whole concept.

Yes, there’s a bit of gore (this is a zombie book after all), but there’s also an uplifting story of a zombie who cares enough to make life better for a little girl with an alcoholic single-parent mother.

It’s not going to become an annual tradition for me, but it was a pleasant diversion this Christmas season.

Christmas Mourning / Margaret Maron

2 out of 5 stars

It's Christmas in rural North Carolina's Colleton County and Judge Deborah Knott is looking forward to a family celebration when a tragedy clouds the holiday season. A beautiful young cheerleader dies in a car crash and the community is devastated by her death. Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant soon learns that her death was not a simple accident, and more lives may be lost unless he and Deborah can discover why she died. 

I had hopes for this mystery, set during the Christmas season, featuring a husband & wife team, a Sheriff’s Deputy and a Judge. Yes, there is a crime and yes, they solve it, but OMG, the amount of irrelevant detail that I had to wade through it get to that!

I am not a big fan of the cozy mystery, so that was the majority of my problem. For lovers of this particular branch of the mystery genre, your experience will be more positive than mine. I do appreciate that knowing some details of the characters’ lives is a positive, but I felt absolutely bogged down in the all the intricate family details, the step-parent angst of Deborah, not to mention all the Christmas gift and food detail.

I’m not sure why every outfit that the Deborah wears needs to be described or why we need details about every meal. I do know, however, that other writers in this genre do exactly the same thing. I think that may be why I like Nordic noir, where the detectives are generally solitary men, eating sandwiches & drinking coffee and hoping that they still have a clean shirt, rather than all of the domestic detail.

Not a bad mystery, but a bit of a disappointment to me.

When Elves Attack / Tim Dorsey

3 out of 5 stars

Nobody does Florida weirdness quite like Tim Dorsey! Case in point: When Elves Attack, the New York Times bestselling author’s twisted Christmas present to his legion of adoring fans who can’t get enough of thrill-killer and Sunshine State historian Serge A. Storms, the most endearing psychopath since Dexter. Dorsey offers the perfect antidote for all those sappy feel-good holiday stories with this zany blockbuster extravaganza in which his wonderfully deranged serial killer Floridaphile delivers his special brand of Christmas cheer. 

”Wait up!” Coleman skipped alongside Serge. “But I still don’t get this elf thing. How can we be elves if the mall didn’t hire us?”
“And that’s what everyone thinks.” Serge skipped and waved at curious shoppers. “But there’s no law that says you can’t just unilaterally decide to be an elf, buy a costume and hit the mall. That’s the whole key to life: Fuck the conventional wisdom on elves.”
“So that makes us…”
“That’s right: wildcat elves.”
“What are they going to say?”
Serge stopped skipping. “It’s like clipboards. You walk around all smart and serious, writing on a clipboard, and people stand back in respect. Or orange cones. You can buy them at any Home Depot. Then you set them out according to your needs, and the public thinks “He must be official. He’s got orange cones.” Those are the big three: clipboards, orange cones, elf suits. People don’t question.”

Ah, the wisdom of the social-justice-minded serial killer, Serge, as imparted to his drug addled sidekick, Coleman.

This was a fun little holiday story, filled with darkly humourous situations, perfect for the overly sweet Christmas season. Learn how to use a deep fryer to blow up a hotel room, among other useful skills. Plus how to look official with a clipboard, orange cones, or an elf suit.

The Leper of St. Giles / Ellis Peters

3.5 out of 5 stars

A savage murder interrupts an ill-fated marriage set to take place at Brother Cadfael's abbey, leaving the monk with a terrible mystery to solve. The key to the killing is hidden among the inhabitants of the Saint Giles leper colony, and Brother Cadfael must ferret out a sickness not of the body, but of a twisted mind.

I do love Brother Cadfael and his calm ways of solving the mysteries of his community. It helps that he has been a man of the world and has experience that those who took Holy orders early in their lives are missing. His knowledge of the behaviour of his fellow man, both positive and negative, makes him uniquely qualified in the monastery to undertake these investigations.

I wonder if a medieval Abbott would truly be so accepting of Cadfael’s adventures, but they make an excellent story series, so I’m glad that Peters came up with the idea. I love the way that she documents the details of daily life during this time period, and gently teaches the reader a bit of history along the way. A very pleasurable way to expand one’s knowledge.

I’ll look forward to reading the further adventures of the good Brother and learning more when I pick up the next book in the series.

Silver Borne / Patricia Briggs

4 out of 5 stars

Mercy is smart enough to realize that when it comes to the magical fae, the less you know, the better. But you can't always get what you want. When she attempts to return a powerful fae she previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secrets - and the fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side - leaving Mercy to cover for him lest his own father declare Samuel's life forfeit.

All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she may not have many more...

2018 Re-read:

I felt quite different this time around reading The Silver Borne.  I’m willing to give it a full 4 stars, without reservation.  I also enjoyed the Fae-ness of this installment much more this time around.  Which brings me back to a thesis of mine, that some books need to be given second chances, when I’m in a different mood.

I’m still impatient will all the books that depict women’s relationships as competitive, rather than cooperative.  Perhaps because I’ve encountered more collegial or friendly relationships with the women in my life, rather than competitiveness.  There are always a slim minority of women who aren’t supportive, but I find far, far more who are willing to work together on things.  If there’s more of this female competitiveness out there than I run into, I am most glad that I’ve got a better situation.

I am now declaring myself slump-free, this book having been the last step needed to rekindle my love of reading.

Bone Crossed / Patricia Briggs

4 out of 5 stars

Marsilia, the local Vampire Queen, has learned that Mercy crossed her by slaying a member of her clan—and she's out for blood. But since Mercy is protected from direct reprisal by the werewolf pack (and her close relationship with its sexy Alpha), it won't be Mercy's blood Marsilia is after.

It'll be her friends'.

2018 Re-read:

One of my favourite Mercy Thompson novels!  Lots of vampire drama, but most importantly we get to know Stefan better.  Is it wrong that I still wish Mercy had chosen him rather than Adam?  Mercy gets to really draw on her skinwalker powers, proving once again that being a growly werewolf is not necessarily as tough as the wily coyote!  (BTW, I saw a big fluffy coyote over the Xmas holidays, and thought of Ms. Thompson).

Re-reading this series has really re-set my internal reading-metre.  I’m enjoying myself again, recovering from a potential reading slump before it really got hold of me.  Thank you, Ms. Briggs, for giving me that oomph to escape the downward pull of the book-slump-undertow!