The Christmas Cookie Killer / Livia J. Washburn

 

2.25 stars out of 5

Recommended only for the most devoted fans of cosy mysteries. The usual tropes apply: small towns, old fashioned values, religious details, a very low key romantic element, lots of food description, plus a son involved in law enforcement. Most of the plot is paint-by-numbers, but the identity of the perpetrator surprised me mildly.

I picked this novel for its Christmas theme and so I don't feel like I can complain too much about the writing, but I found it to be quite boring. An awful lot of telling rather than showing, a really simple plot with no plausible red herrings, an easily resolved murder, figured out by an only mildly intelligent woman. Even her love interest is boring!

I guess I moved away from the small town for a reason! I don't live a wildly exciting life in the city either, but at least I have more to my existence than competing with a roommate over who bakes the best cookies. Thank the Goddess for small mercies!

Defender / C.J. Cherryh

 

4 out of 5 stars

Cherryh writes a complex plot here, replete with who-has-said-what-to-whom confusion from beginning to end. Secrets are revealed on Captain Ramirez's deathbed, causing consternation among the three party agreements that were hammered out ten years previously. From Bren Cameron's point of view, it's the humans who are the problem, both the ones in the star ship and the ones on the planet. They all have to accept the atevi as trusted equals if the mission is to be successful and Bren is willing to be pretty ruthless on the atevis' behalf to make that happen. But both flavors of human are xenophobic toward their atevi partners, a major hurdle.

I'm somewhat dismayed that there has been so little change in ten years with Bren's mother, brother, and ex-girlfriend. They are still looking for attention and expecting him to solve all their problems. Even if he was there, they would all still be unhappy, for they just seem to be wired that way. The current mission, however, promises to solve this situation for Bren, as he will be incommunicado for at least two years. They will get on with things or they won't. But I doubt that we will find out in the next book—maybe in two books time?

So, nothing is settled at the end of this novel, and the ship commanders are going to have to decide if their other human and atevi passengers are friend or foe. Are they together against the hostile aliens or are they on different teams? Perhaps it will take a hostile outsider to unite this motley crew.

Book Number 435 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.

The Thousand Orcs / R.A. Salvatore

 

2 out of 5 stars

I have to say that this book was a big step backwards in the writing and plot aspects of this series. We are back to overly simplistic story lines and frankly boring villains. Although Drizzt and Cattie-Brie are officially a couple, we are left wondering if they have consummated their relationship. There is some doubt about the cross-fertility of their two species and whether half-breed children would face a fair future. The difference in life spans between the drow elf and the human is another consideration. There seems to be a bit of reconsideration on both sides.

After the more adult themed books that centered on Wulfgar, this reversion to a major juvenile outlook is a big disappointment to me. If you're into fight scenes, there are plenty of those (as there always are), but for me they are getting old. I need a bit more complex character development to keep me fully engaged.

Predictably, there is a cliffhanger ending, which may be sufficient to lure me on to the next book. My library doesn't have it, so we'll see if I'm motivated enough to interlibrary loan it in the New Year.

Book Number 434 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project. 

Kushiel's Avatar / Jacqueline Carey

 

4 out of 5 stars

I won't say that the two previous books in this series didn't have their dark moments, but this third volume takes things much, much deeper into shadow and despair. If you struggled with the earlier books, consider leaving this one unread, because it will test you. I won't deny that I floundered at points with the sheer brutality. I also won't deny that Phedre is a lot Mary Sue-ish. Sometimes, while nearing the end of the book, I reflected on the distances traveled, dangers faced, rulers placated and confronted, darkness embraced and overcome, languages learned, and knowledge acquired, and I realized that realistically no one woman would be capable of all of this in the course of a few years. Nevertheless, I couldn't put it down. I had to know how Carey would end the crazy journey.

So much stuff shoved into this one novel! The search for a lost tribe of Israel and the treasures of Solomon, time in the seraglio of an avatar of Death, rescuing the son of a betrayer, traveling the Middle East, Egypt, and Ethiopia. All under the fantastical names that Carey assigned the, of course. I don't often consult the maps in the first pages of fantasy novels, but I broke that habit with this one. There were so many place names to keep track of!

During the section in Darsanga, which Phedre spends with the crazy ruler appointed by Death, I was unwillingly reminded of Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. It was like Richard Cypher's time being tortured by the Mord-Sith, Mistress Denna, whom he becomes fond of despite her discipline. Being an anguisette, Phedre is built for the task, but those of us who don't get turned on by pain may find ourselves flinching at some passages in the text. I might look away briefly, but I needed to know what happened next.

In short, Carey gives her main character several heavy burdens to bear for long distances and to uncertain receptions. She risks her status with her own gods at one point, by debating whether to keep going. Her faith is vastly superior to mine, her willingness to lean into the gods' appointed task is admirable. But really, if one has read this far, can one doubt that Phedre will prevail?

Book Number 433 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.

Gingerdead Man / Maya Corrigan

 

R

3 out of 5 stars

I may have started with the last book of this series, but it didn't handicap my understanding of any of the details. Val and her grandfather not only share a house, they share a natural nosiness that must drive their police chief friend bonkers. No matter what the poor man says to them, they just keep poking the bear.

This is a cozy mystery, so there is a great deal of focus on the food. Val is a caterer, so that's understandable here. There's also a lot of discussion on small community events and politics. I was somewhat surprised at how low key the romantic element was. Thankfully for once it wasn't the lawman who was the romantic partner. But you'd barely know that Val likes her guy from how little she thinks about him and how quickly she decides that he's moving away.

I had hoped for a little more Christmas content too. The murder occurs in the aftermath of a Christmas festival and there are casual mentions of gifts, but once again, extremely low key. I would expect Val, as a caterer, to be hopping busy during the holiday season, adding some pressure to her amateur sleuthing. I was a bit disappointed, as I read this kind of novel to get into the Christmas spirit.

So, I liked the book well enough—I enjoyed the first half more than the second. I found the solution to the mystery to be a little far fetched. Yes, I suppose it could happen, but it just isn't too likely. 

Scion of Cyador / L.E. Modesitt

 

3 out of 5 stars

Ever find yourself in a mood? You know, not a book slump per se, but at least a reading lull? As the pandemic drags on, I find myself balanced on this boundary quite often. Counterintuitive as it may sound, I find one of my best weapons is to pick up a book that I am sure that I won't love. That way I know it won't get tainted by my bad mood. Modesitt's books are perfect for this task for me. I like them well enough to read to the end, but I will never reread them and have zero desire to own them.

This novel is the second half of Lorn's story, begun in Magi'i of Cyador. And it confirmed my suspicions which started to develop when Lorn married Ryalth. Lorn shows himself once again to be very utilitarian, willing to do what must be done for Cyador's survival and good. He continues to be ruthless in pursuit of the good of his nation and the military personnel serving under him. Those above him are wary of him, those lower in rank reluctantly admire him.

Modesitt will never be my favourite writer, with his plodding style. At least in this book he refrains from giving measurements for every damn thing. But he still refers to horses as ‘mounts' and holds to the awkward ‘consortship' as opposed to saying marriage. The dialog was less repetitive in this book (fewer ‘yes, ser’s per page) and there was much less patrolling. Just a lot of meetings and report writing! Is that an improvement? Strangely, for me, it was. I also appreciated that Lorn's spouse, Ryalth, got a lot more page time here. The depiction of their son, Kerial, made me wonder if Modesitt had ever spent time with a baby unsupervised by a woman. He doesn't seem too well versed on realistic baby behaviour.

All of Lorn's life experience combines here to his advantage: his Magi'i parentage, his many years of service in the Mirror Lancers, and his marriage to a very successful merchanter. I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone who hasn't read these two books, but my brain began to fit the pieces together back in the first book of this dyad, when he married his lady merchanter. So although I found the plot somewhat predictable, I was interested in the details of how the author was going to deliver the goods.

I'm wavering on how much longer I intend to keep reading this series. Obviously I wanted to see how this adventure resolved. If I stick to my tentative reading plan for 2022, there are two more volumes coming up. I guess it will depend on what my reading mood is when the time comes.

Book Number 432 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.

Twelve Slays of Christmas / Jacqueline Frost

 

3.6 stars out of 5

I think I'm getting sentimental in my old age! I really enjoyed this Christmas mystery & romance. There are all the cozy mystery details: a heroine coming home to a small town when her Christmas Eve wedding gets cancelled, the loving parents ready to welcome her, the family Christmas tree business for her to slide back into, and the mysterious death on the tree farm just days before December 25th. Not to mention the handsome sheriff who shows up to investigate the murder and the charming newspaper reporter who seems interested in more than the story.

Just in case you're wondering about the title, there is only the one death, right at the book's beginning, not twelve as I had mistakenly assumed. The title is merely a play on the Twelve Days of Christmas. Although Holly (yup, that's her name) gets threatened regularly. In fact, there are piles of cheesy Christmas details, but I guess I am less of a grinch than I thought, as I really didn't mind. My absolute favourite detail was Holly's cat named Cindy Lou Who!

There is a mystery to be solved and Holly puts a lot of thought and effort into it, despite the sheriff's repeated suggestions that she butt out. This is also typical of cozies and if I worked in any kind of law enforcement role, I wouldn't be able to read them. It worked for me in this instance because the plot was at least as much about finding Holly a new love interest as it is about solving the murder.

This reminded me a lot of Vicki Delany's Year Round Christmas series, except that I think I like this one a little more. Perhaps I like Holly's lumberjack father or Holly's cat more than I thought. Actually, I think it's her better attitude towards law enforcement; she treats them as allies, not like incompetents as Delany's characters tend to. Unless Jacqueline Frost has another pen-name that she writes under, this is her only series. And with a name like Frost, how could she write anything but Christmas stories?

Fuzz / Mary Roach

 

4 out of 5 stars

Mary Roach never fails to delight me, both because I appreciate her sense of humour and because I love the somewhat off-kilter way she follows her research program. The conflict between humans and other animals is a topic that I know a little bit about. I grew up on a farm, so I have some awareness of agricultural pests. Mostly insects, but occasionally ground squirrels. I spent some time doing conservation education at our local zoo, so I know all about the people who want to pave the planet at one end of the spectrum and the other extreme who find it outrageous that the owls get fed dead chicks. Apparently in captivity they should eat carrots or something?

I also live in a place where deer, moose, bears, and cougars are resident. There have been reports of all of these species within city limits of our one million plus community. Heck, there are plenty of coyotes and bobcats that live right in my inner city neighborhood. (I once saw a coyote waiting on a street corner until the walk light came on, then trot across six lanes of traffic, being ignored by people crossing the opposite direction). So some of Roach's research was familiar.

I was impressed by the variety of places she visited. India (elephants, monkeys, leopards), New Zealand (penguins plus a poison centre striving for a humane solution), the Vatican (laser bird deterrence) plus numerous parks, cities, landfills, forests, and a mouse breeding facility In North America. Her willingness to follow the next odd step in the pathway truly endears her to me. Who else would hear about gulls ravaging Easter floral displays in Vatican City and say to themselves, “Well, I guess that's where I must go next?”

I will tell you right now that you will never survive the zoo lunchroom if you can't handle talk about poop and animal sex while eating your sandwich (and snickering without spraying crumbs). Mary would fit right in and would probably ask fascinating questions. She'd leave with promises to introduce her to the guy who knows all about that. She must be quite charming, to talk her way into as many offices and conferences as she does, in addition to the persistence to phone and phone and phone until she wears down the recalcitrant.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Mary Roach, if you should ever find yourself in Calgary and would be willing to have coffee with one of your fans, message me. I'll be there with bells on!

Mayhem at the Orient Express / Kylie Logan

 

4 out of 5 stars

Well, this was the perfect follow up to Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Having the events of that book fresh in my mind made this little cozy mystery even more enjoyable. However Logan gives no spoilers, so you can safely read it before Christie should you choose to.

The main character, Bea, has moved to a small town on an island to avoid some never-fully-explained nastiness in the big smoke of NYC. This is a common feature of this kind of mystery. There is usually some friction with neighbours too, which is where this novel gets its beginning. Bea, Chandra, and Kate are locked in a never-ending disagreement which has ended up in the local courthouse, where the judge sentences them to be a book club, run by his wife, where they must learn to talk to each other and to listen. And maybe read a book.

This is where Murder on the Orient Express  comes in. It is their first book pick. After their first rather cranky meeting, they all end up running into each other again at the local Chinese restaurant, the Orient Express. Naturally, they discover the proprietor dead on the floor. All of a sudden, these women have a mutual interest and the template of Hercule Poirot to show them what to do.

Just like Christie's book, there is an overwhelming snowstorm, trapping everyone on the island. Bea's bed and breakfast starts filling up with strays and neighbours when light and heat go out over most of the island. Clues are plentiful and contradictory and the women must use their little grey cells.

The action is well constructed and believable, the characters realistic, and the mystery resolves in a reasonable way.  We haven't learned Bea's personal history too clearly, although the guy introduced as a love interest for her thinks he knows what's going on. I must say that I'm looking forward to the second volume to understand Bea a little better and to see if Levi is going to stick around. Excellent fun!

Murder on the Orient Express / Agatha Christie

 

4.25 stars out of 5

It constantly amazes me how hazy even a really good mystery can become in my mind in the course of four years. Christie, even upon re-read, managed to lead me around by the nose. This time, there was no Hastings to share my confusion. Instead, Poirot's friend, M. Bouc, fills the role of bamboozled sounding board. Poirot treats him much the same, giving him all the facts and encouraging him to think. Sadly, real thought is not something that many people practice regularly. There are people in my circle who mistake feeling emotion or ruminating for reasoning, so I have sympathy for M. Poirot.

This is an ingenious mystery! Not a solution that a reader would readily anticipate, but one that makes perfect sense when laid out in the end by Poirot. I love the way that Christie does the unexpected. This is another of those instances where she is lenient with the criminal. I'm amazed at how often she is sympathetic to the law breaker.

Sense and Sensibility / Jane Austen

 

4.5 stars!

How did I completely miss Jane Austen's fiction while growing up? Baffling but true. It means that I got to enjoy this delightful novel as my Dead Writers Society birthday book for December. I hope that I won't wait until next December to pick up another Austen book.

Jane Austen turns a very clear eye on the stratum of society to which she belongs. This story compares two sisters, Elinor (sense) and Marianne (sensibility). Elinor is a woman after my own heart. Keep your cards close to your chest, don't give others too much latitude to manipulate you, and never let everyone know how deeply you feel. Marianne is one of those let-it-all-hang-out types, feeling the need to dramatically share her every thought and mood. Setbacks are met with drama, requiring her to act out her emotions according to her exaggerated standards. 

I think we all know people in both of these camps. The drama llamas always think that the reserved people are “not being truthful" because they refuse to act out their emotions. The reserved think that the dramatists are being immoderate and giving others ammunition with which to hurt them. I have both kinds of folk on my Facebook feed and I am consistently horrified by the “loud and proud" contingent. My own view is that the less I say, the less I will have to regret later. Sometimes, it is more important to be kind than to be right. 

Perhaps because I am a member of the reserved, I think that Elinor comes out in the best situation at book's end. All the way along, I kept thinking, “Yes, that's what I would have done.” She must manage the emotions of Marianne and their mother in addition to her own. Boy, do I relate to that! Many times I have parsed my words carefully to prevent the emotional friend from charging away half-cocked to bugger up their own life. My favourite question: “What result do you want?” I admit it sometimes feels somewhat manipulative. I prefer to think of it as outcome planning and emotional management. And I often get what I want, so it's working for me.

But back to Jane. We tend to look back and think, “How awful that their marriages are based completely on money.” I wonder how much things have actually changed? Money is one of the major causes of divorces today. How much of courtship is determining whether the couple is financially compatible? Today we would call these people seeking rich spouses gold diggers. And anyone who critiques arranged marriages should be required to read a couple of Austen novels to see that it's an old English tradition too.

The Cellist of Sarajevo / Steven Galloway

 

R

4 out of 5 stars

I've listened to a few interviews of people who lived through the siege of Sarajevo. I think this novel represents that reality exceedingly well. I also checked to see if there was a real cellist and there was. This author used that real-life situation as the basis for his fictional version.

The chapters that I found most compelling were those from Arrow's point of view. Arrow isn't her real name, it's her sniper name. She was part of a sharpshooting team before the siege and gets recruited by those who are attempting to defend those trapped in the city. Her mission is to keep the cellist alive, safe from opposition sniping. She has survived the siege by suppressing her emotions, but finds the cellist and his music are reaching through her defenses.

This is the power of art in all its forms. Music, literature, painting, architecture, you name it. The men in the hills who are trying to bring Sarajevo to its knees are destroying all these things methodically. The library was one of the first casualties. All the psychologically important buildings are pummeled. There is the minor musical rebellion of the unnamed cellist, who determines that he will play Albioni's adagio every day at 4 p.m. for 22 days in honour of the 22 people killed while waiting in a bread line outside his home. His defiance through art moves everyone in Sarajevo. Everyone on both sides understands the power of his performances, the power of art.

The three viewpoints (Dragan, Kenan, Arrow) seem to be about the necessities for hope and survival: food, water, and art. I am reminded of Viktor Frankel's Man's Search for Meaning, where he credits luck and having an unfinished task waiting for him for his survival. The daily worry about snipers is in some ways the working of luck in this situation. The task of rebuilding the city awaits those who survive, their unfinished business.

[Do yourself a favour: don't research this author until you have finished the novel, if ever. He didn't talk to the real cellist until after the book was published, claiming that a public figure performing in public is fair game for fiction. That may be true, but it was kind of a jerk move, especially when he admits in the afterword that he searched for the female sniper who inspired Arrow. Mind you, the cellist wanted cash, so there was some equal opportunity awfulness. Then the author went on to demolish his own life through more poor choices. This is a phenomenal book, written by an imperfect person (as we all are). His life-wreck and unfulfilled talent are a crying shame, even if it is a self-inflicted wound].

Despite my reservations, this novel proves that wonderful art can be created by us less than wonderful people.

The God of Lost Words / A.J. Hackwith

R

4 out of 5 stars

A very satisfying ending to an entertaining trilogy. Maybe not exactly the ending that I was hoping for, but the inevitable “this makes sense" ending. The author tells us in an afterword that this book was written during the craziness that has been covid-19. The result, she tells us, is more affection, love, and caring in this last installment.

Claire, our former librarian in Hell's Library, is a typical urban fantasy heroine. She gradually assembles a circle of friends-who-are-family, quite a collection, including Brevity the muse, Hero the escaped fictional character, and Ramiel the fallen angel. Because the library is a collection of the unwritten works of human kind. What a great idea this is—when you consider how many unfinished manuscripts must have existed during human history. I loved the other characters that don't rest easy, snoozing in their books, inhabiting the Damsel Room. This group of feisty female characters get starring roles in book three, as they should.

I love the character development as our four main characters face difficulty together. Hero isn't just a character trying to escape the Unwritten wing. He is a Librarian in his own right, as is Brevity. Brevity doubted the ability of a non-human to become a Librarian, but she has overcome her self-imposed limitations. Rami is finally finding a spot that he can call home and isn't quite so homesick for Heaven. Claire has first been transferred to the Archive of Hell, the Arcane wing, then watched as her new domain is burned by demonic intervention. Now she must decide if she will support the Library of the Unwritten or if she will undermine Brevity's tenure.

All the characters face situations that call on all of their resources and must decide what's most important to them. We get to witness their bravery and resilience. And their love. I don't know about you, but this is just what I needed right now.

Macaws of Death / Karen Dudley

4 out of 5 stars

First things first: the author, Karen Dudley, is my friend. We volunteered together, teaching about animals and conservation. Her sense of humour appeals to me because I get it, unlike some others. We also have a mutual interest in birds. Maybe I'm off base, but I find that I get along best with biologists and geologists—I know we will laugh at the same things.

Robyn Devara is someone I feel like I could have in my own friendship circle. She's a field biologist, not a crime investigator. However, she keeps finding herself in these dangerous situations, fending off the bad guys while trying to defend the birds and her research. She has a mild case of imposter syndrome, doubting her instincts fairly often. I enjoyed the references to the city I live in (fictional Robyn lives there too when she's not chasing parrots in Costa Rica) and the many Canadian references scattered throughout the text. 

I love the title of this one. (I know Karen's husband was responsible for her titles and for once I will not complain about them being punny). I think I know the Andres that her field camp manager is named after (a Tico married to a mutual friend). I think the real Andres probably enjoyed being portrayed as the Latin lover in this novel.

If you enjoy the birdy aspect of these books, I'd recommend that you also try Steve Burrows' Birder Murder Mysteries, which begin with A Siege of Bitterns. 

The Caves of Steel

3 out of 5 stars

It was more interesting reading this novel after a biography of Asimov. He has given some of his personal characteristics to his main character, Elijah Baley. It's no accident that The Caves of Steel is set in a future New York, the city where Asimov grew up. Baley is very much a city man and he likes the windowless coziness of the enormous cities of this future earth. Asimov wasn't a traveler—he hated flying and he didn't move far afield from the cities that he felt comfortable in. He also like smaller, windowless spaces to write in. He may have been able to identify with his future New Yorkers who can't fathom being willing to go outside.

Asimov portrays a pretty dismal future, with Earth's surface essentially covered by enormous cities, people living in barracks-like accommodations, and most people eating yeast derivatives for most meals. (It is very reminiscent of the planet of Trantor in his Foundation series). Humanity needs to spread itself to other planets, but how do you do that if your population is agoraphobic?

Perhaps Asimov was thinking about the courage it took his Russian family to pull up stakes and move to the United States. I am continually amazed by the bravery of those who left behind everything they knew and moved to another continent, my grandparents among them. Moving to another planet would require adventurousness of another order of magnitude.

Asimov also uses the situation between Earth citizens, Spacers, and robots to explore the nature of prejudice and discrimination. He felt the bite of anti-Semitism during his life, despite not being an observant Jew. He makes the Earther objections to robots look as unreasonable as our xenophobic attitudes today.

I know I loved these books as a teen, but now as an older adult I am not so enamoured. However I recognize this author's significance to the science fiction genre and the place of these books in the history of Iain M. Banks' Culture series and Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries. Some of my current favourites.