You Can Run / Rebecca Zanetti

 

2.75 out of 5 stars

I read a couple of books by this author earlier this year. They were post-apocalyptic romances which were okay, but not really to my taste. Somehow, I ran across this book and the description sucked me in. An FBI profiler, you say, on a serial killer case? And okay, there's a very attractive Fish & Wildlife officer, but surely the murder case will take priority, right?

Unfortunately this novel follows pretty much the same pattern. A very pretty and highly intelligent woman is attracted to a loner with a violent background (a sniper is violent, right?) At least Zanetti seems to have studied the thriller genre. She provides a buffet of possible killers and plenty of twisty-turny plot points. Laurel Snow is obviously being depicted as neurodivergent, she has trouble reading the subtext of interactions with the people close to her. This makes her character seem rather robotic and her interactions with those around her feel wooden and unnatural. Which makes it understandable that the whole thing feels rather wooden. Mind you, I usually feel that way about thrillers—they just don't thrill me. They are often all plot and very little character development.

The romance element is too obviously telegraphed from the very first, so although Huck Rivers is implicated as possibly the sought after killer, I was absolutely certain that he wasn't. I can appreciate that Zanetti doesn't tie the couple up in an HEA ribbon at the book's end, but the trajectory of the next two books is obvious. Laurel Snow also has discovered some family issues that she needs to tend to, keeping her in the Pacific Northwest.

Counterintuitively, I find myself wanting to read the next book. So I guess I'm glad that my library has it available.

A Tempest at Sea / Sherry Thomas

 

4 out of 5 stars

Halloween Bingo 2023

I love this series! I bought this newest volume back when it first came out, but kept finding my library books demanding my attention. Easy to let this volume sit, since I knew I owned it. But I finally decided to shove it to the front of the line and I'm glad that I did.

It is not only an homage to Arthur Conan Doyle's creations (Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Moriarty), it is also strongly reminiscent of several of Agatha Christie's works. It reminds me strongly of Murder on the Orient Express, just set on a boat instead of a train. Everyone is contained and they just happen to have a member of Scotland Yard aboard and when murder is discovered, this man is pressed into service and he commandeers Lord Ingram to be his note taker.

Now, Lord Ingram and Charlotte Holmes are on the ship as part of their own investigation and Charlotte is in disguise as she is avoiding the attentions of Moriarty's followers. This complicates things for her, as she follows two lines of inquiry at the same time. Lord Ingram is at once glad to be so close to the official investigation and alarmed that Holmes could be exposed, depending on the enthusiasm of the investigator.

Thomas also looses Charlotte's mother, Lady Holmes, into the mix. Her sudden appearance on the ship discomfits Olivia Holmes, who was finally getting to travel to longed for destinations and enjoy herself a bit. Having their mother show up casts a shadow over Livia's pleasure. Lady Holmes reveals her true colours immediately, and her own stubborn pride and class consciousness lands her in the middle of a murder case.

Thomas writes a very Agatha Christie ending, very cleverly wrought. Hopefully the next book will reveal that Charlotte will acquire Lord Remington's protective aegis and be able to appear in public as herself again. If you have read this far, you will likely be as impatient as I am for a HEA for Olivia Holmes. Thomas gives us a hint that she may get to at least see her beloved in the next installment. Fingers crossed!

I have the Day of the Dead square on my bingo card, but I used my Alice in Wonderland wild card, and abracadabra! I read this book instead.

The Stranger Diaries / Elly Griffiths

 

4 out of 5 stars

2023 Halloween Bingo

I love Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series, so I was very willing to try out another of her creations, Harbinder Kaur. I was somewhat surprised that the narrative began in Clare Cassidy's point of view. In fact, we don't get Harbinder's take on things until page 67!

However the mystery was just such a good one, I had a hard time putting it down. I quite liked Clare as a character. She is a high school English teacher with a penchant for Victorian literature. The school is located in the repurposed home of an author, R.M. Holland, whose gothic short story The Stranger provides the structure for the novel. Clare is researching the man and writing a book on his life. It was totally believable—I even googled the man and his story, only to discover that he is completely Griffiths' creation for the purposes of this mystery.

When her friend Ella is killed, Clare goes back to her diary to refresh her memory about circumstances surrounding a conference that she and Ella attended. There she finds a note, written by an unknown person, who adds notes to her diary every so often, a creepy detail. Since Clare has the habit of carrying her journal around with her, when the stranger accesses it is less than clear.

Being a fairly regular journal writer myself, I could identify with Clare. Just like her, I took mine to work so I could write on my breaks. As Clare says, it's a handy way of processing your life and getting perspective on life's events.

Notes keep appearing, bodies keep falling, and Harbinder has her hands full. I have to say that I was completely clued out about the murderer's identity. Griffiths pulled a real Agatha Christie on me. Peeking ahead at the next two books featuring this police woman, I'm already excited to give them a go. I still have some Ruth Galloway books left too, so I'm happy as a clam.

I read this story of murder in a high school for the Dark Academia square of my bingo card.

The Gathering Storm / Robert Jordan and Bradon Sanderson

 

4 out of 5 stars

Halloween Bingo 2023

I didn't know what to expect in this twelfth volume, the first that Brandon Sanderson penned following the death of Robert Jordan. But I liked it a lot. Sanderson demonstrates his mastery of the details of the Wheel of Time, following Jordan's basic plan, but I think giving it a needed boost.

The fracture between men and women seems to be closing, though no thanks to some of the more arrogant Aes Sedai. Their attempts to control Rand are backfiring badly and still they are unwilling to acknowledge that it will take a team effort, men and women together, to see the Dark One destroyed. But enough people are starting to see this truth and there may be reason to hope.

But the big story of this volume is Egwene al'Vere and her fight to reunite the White Tower and the Aes Sedai. Egwene is tough, brave, and resourceful. She sees her duty and moves ahead. Like Rand, she must deal with those who want to control her or don't believe in her vision. She prevails, giving the reader hope that Rand will also be able to find a path through the Last Battle.

The book went quickly for a chunkster! With any luck, I will finish the series next year. For now, I will leave the whole enormous cast of characters behind with reluctance. Until soon, Towers of Midnight!

I read this book for the Film at 11 square on my bingo card, as The Wheel of Time has been made into a television series. It is also Book Number 509 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project.

Storm of Locusts / Rebecca Roanhorse

 

3.8 out of 5 stars

Halloween Bingo 2023

Maggie Hoskie admits that she is difficult to love. When people start calling you a Godslayer, they also start to back away. Despite this, she thinks she has found a real connection with Kai, a Diné man who also has fearsome clan powers. She is torn between being hurt that he left her behind when he went outside Dinétah and vowing to rescue him from the cult leader, the White Locust.

Maggie is still learning how to use her powers and how to employ the powerful sword of Neizghani she claimed when she killed him. Can she learn fast enough to avert another apocalypse? She inherits a young “niece," Ben, another woman with clan powers, and they set off into the world outside the Dinétah to find Kai. It's a jungle out there.

It's a great adventure, giving our women suitable challenges to overcome and a creepy cult leader to deal with. His ability to split into a swarm of huge locusts (just like a vampire becoming a cloud of bats) makes him next to impossible to kill. The novel's last pages strongly suggest that Roanhorse meant to write at least one more book in the sequence, a book which has never been published. That's a shame, as there are plenty of obstacles for Maggie and Kai to confront.

I read this book for the Monsters square on my bingo card, as Maggie the monster hunter takes on the White Locust.

A Death at the Party / Amy Stuart

 

3.25 out of 5 stars

Halloween Bingo 2023

It was fortunate for me that my bingo card included the Thriller square, as this book was my mystery book club’s selection for October. Since I'm not usually a fan of the thriller genre, this chance to double dip was fortuitous. Even before it was chosen for book club it was on my list after hearing Amy Stuart interviewed on a favoured book show on CBC radio.

As this genre goes, I quite liked it, despite the fact that I had things figured out by about the 75% mark. We are shown the death at the book's beginning and then left to try to piece together who the unfortunate man might be. Stuart provides us with a plethora of choices, since there are very, very few men that Nadine Walsh likes. I couldn't blame her, the majority of the men in her life have been slimey. And yet she keeps them all around, inviting the whole crowd to her mother's birthday party. As her mother says about her, “Nadine likes to keep her friends close and her enemies closer.”

Gradually, Stuart spoons out the details. My main question during the novel revolved less around “Who's the dead guy?” and more around “What the hell is wrong with Nadine?” She's always tense and nervous, she's paranoid, she's controlling, she's prone to risky behaviour. Anyone of these things would be understandable, but the whole constellation make her a loose cannon, liable to go off any time. How does anyone think she's charming or even normal? And that question didn't feel completely answered, at least for me. Stuart left me wanting just a little bit more.

I read this book for the Genre: Thriller square on my bingo card and also for my mystery book club.

Sweep in Peace / Ilona Andrews

 

4 out of 5 stars

I should have done any number of things yesterday: laundry, cooking, reading my book club novel for instance. But this long awaited audiobook came in for me at the library and I abandoned all responsibilities to listen to it. I really can't say that I regret it.

I wouldn't bother with a regular audiobook, but these graphic audio versions are full cast. They are like listening to a radio play production. It is interesting to realize that my mental pronunciations are sometimes incorrect. I gave entirely the wrong emphasis to the Khanum's title. I've also realized that I pronounce the word “shone" differently than the actors. I noticed this in the Murderbot recordings too. I don't know if I'm just off base or if Canadians and Americans say it differently. I say it “shawn" and the actors say “shown."

Funny details stick out like that. However it was highly enjoyable and now the wait for the third book begins. (Actually I've had it on hold at the library for a while, but whatever). No doubt I will drop everything when it becomes available too.

The Hollow / Agatha Christie

 

4 out of 5 stars

My library only had the audiobook of this title, so I had my first experience of listening to an Agatha Christie novel. I really enjoyed Hugh Fraser's narration. He speaks quickly enough that I was able to listen at normal speed (unlike some narrators who read incredibly slowly). I do wonder how long I shall remember the details, but I thoroughly appreciated the experience.

Christie does her magic once again, giving us a striking assortment of characters to contend with. For the first third of the novel, we must endure the egomaniac John Christow. Rarely have I cheered so strongly for someone to be murdered! What an insufferable narcissist! And he had the nerve to be all sad because his first lady love was a bitch and they broke up. “Poor John,” who married a doormat and then cheated on her continuously! But I didn't reserve all of my judgement for him—I also wanted to shake his wife Gerda and his mistress Henrietta for their putting up with and encouraging his ego. His ex-fiancée Veronica was equal to John in terms of narcissism, so I could cheerfully dislike her without wanting her to be any different. 

I think one of the best aspects of the plot is that several of the other characters have to re-examine their lives and make some changes. The silver lining of murder, as it were. Actually, I felt that the murder itself was just an excuse for complex character relationships. Perhaps that's why the ending feels like a bit of a cop out. Once everyone had been put through their paces, they lose their appeal and Christie just wanted to quickly wrap things up and get back to living her life. 

Definitely not my favourite Christie, but still an entertaining entry in her works.

The Privilege of the Sword / Ellen Kushner

4 out of 5 stars

Halloween Bingo 2023

You'd never know it from the first few pages of this book, but it quickly becomes a swashbuckling good time. Lady Katherine is plucked from the family's country estate, where she has been destined for a marriage to secure funds to maintain their farming endeavors. Her uncle, the Mad Duke, will restore their family finances if Katherine will come to the city and learn to be a Swordsman.

Kat is more than reluctant. She is horrified. What does he mean, she must dress like a man? Why can't she wear dresses when not actively sword fighting? She is slowly won over as she gains skill. It turns out that she has a competitive nature. But she is so naïve about sexuality and relationships—her beliefs are derived from romantic literature.

The Mad Duke has things to do, places to go, people to screw. He alternately ignores and manipulates Katherine, mostly the former. She essentially finds her own way within the parameters that her uncle has laid down. From time to time, the anticipation of what was coming required me to set down the book and go do something to deal with my own anxiety.

I have enjoyed Kushner's world of Riverside with its rather Victorian society and her rebellious characters who push at its boundaries.

This book was perfect for the Sword and Sorcery square on my bingo card, with all the sword play in the fantasy world of Riverside. It was also Book number 508 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project.

Earthly Delights / Kerry Greenwood

 

4 out of 5 stars

Halloween Bingo 2023

I’m still quite amazed at how much I've come to enjoy the cozy mystery genre. It's always a pleasure to enjoy the first book of a series and look forward to hours of future entertainment.

Corinne Chapman is a lovely main character. A divorced ex-accountant who now owns and operates a bakery in downtown Melbourne, she treats the neighbourhood like her own small town. She knows and likes the majority of the flat owners in her building. We get to meet the selfish ex-husband, who sets us up to appreciate the dark and mysterious Daniel, who has managed to integrate himself into Corinne's life.

As is typical in cozies, there are cats. Horatio, the house cat, plus Heckle and Jekyll, the Mouse Police. These three and the baking schedule gave Corinne's life a realistic structure. I think one of the reasons that I have warmed up to this genre is the starring role of independent women who run their lives to their own standards and take no guff. Romance is allowed, but it shouldn't require the main character to radically change her life.

If you're a cozy mystery fan I would recommend you try this novel.

I read this to match the Death Down Under square on my bingo card, as it is set in the city of Melbourne. 

A Night in the Lonesome October / Roger Zelazny

 

4 out of 5 stars

2023 Re-read

I was delighted to easily get this library book this year, as I have a notion to make it an annual event. I was musing about purchasing my own copy and came to realize that the edition with the wonderful James Warhola illustration is out of print. I am very disappointed, but I will make the rounds of book sales and second hand shops and cross my fingers. The cover of the more recent edition is very bland by contrast.

This year I actually checked how often the full moon falls on Halloween—every 18 or 19 years apparently. Trust Zelazny to get the details right. He includes aspects of many supernatural and occult traditions. The Count in his casket. The Good Doctor with his animated corpse stomping around. Crazy Jill with her witchery and the cat Graymalk. The Mad Monk and the Vengeful Vicar. Werewolves, potential human sacrifices, the midnight meeting around the banefire. The imaginative addition of the Great Detective and his sidekick. Not to mention the slithery Things held captive in the mirror, suggesting Lovecraft to the reader immediately without any direct reference.

I couldn't confine myself to the chapter-per-day schedule. For one thing, there's a growing list of people awaiting this library copy, but mostly because I just wanted to enjoy the story without the delay. A very enjoyable October tradition.

The Verifiers / Jane Pek

 

3 out of 5 stars

Halloween Bingo 2023

It's not a good sign when I have a hard time picking a book back up again after a break. And I think it's me, not the book. Pek has provided an interesting mystery, a young woman as a main character, and lots for her to investigate. A lot of the mysterious details revolve around the murky world of online dating apps. I expected to find it more exciting somehow, although I can't put my finger on exactly what I found off putting.

What bothers me is that I should have liked this more. Claudia, our main character and amateur sleuth, uses her knowledge of detective fiction to guide her investigation. Usually this would endear her to me, but I found it very difficult to care about her. She also seemed to plunge into things impulsively which just rubbed me the wrong way. Plus, for someone working in the matchmaking industry, she is remarkably clueless about people.

What can I say, beyond wishing that I liked the book more.

I read this to match the Free square on my bingo card.

The Last Devil to Die / Richard Osman

 

4.5 out of 5 stars

This book was part of my birthday present to myself. Yesterday I decided that it was time to enjoy it. This makes two nights in a row that I have stayed up far too late reading, unusual for a woman who is often in bed before 10 p.m.

Osman has created very engaging characters. He also has a sense of humour that shines through the work. I think he's pretty good at plotting too. The mystery is complex but not at all confusing. I loved that the bad guy who got away was a Canadian. Garth may be ruthless, but he was always polite about it.

It was great to see Joyce come into her own, channeling her inner Elizabeth. I also loved the Murder Club's chutzpah as they dropped in to have tea with various criminals and then casually arranged for a luncheon summit including two drug lords and two art forgers.

I was a bit regretful to read in the acknowledgements that Osman is pausing this series in order to publish something else. Of course I will read that new thing, but he also promised another Murder Club book and I will be (im)patiently awaiting that.

Shalador's Lady / Anne Bishop

 

4 out of 5 stars

I did an impulsive thing last night and checked out the e-book version of this novel from the library. I thought it was safe—I like these books, but don't love them. I could set it down at any time and go to bed, right? Wrong! I was up until 2 a.m. finishing it and this morning I am guzzling coffee like my life depends on it. I have therefore bumped my star rating of this book up to 4.

I mean, there are still all the conflicting ideas about magic, rank, and who protects whom. There's still a lot of unconvincing snapping and snarling. But I have to agree with the idea at the core of this book: leadership is important. It's much preferable to have a government leader who actually cares about the governed people rather than a selfish leader who just cares about what they can get out of their position.

Theran Grayhaven proves that he's a complete and utter idiot in this volume. Cassidy has been the attentive, caring queen who found his family's hidden treasures, but he can't ditch her quickly enough when her nemesis Kermilla turns up. And we know from the previous book that Kermilla is selfish, extravagant, and manipulative. Still, Theran invites her to stay at Grayhaven as his special guest. Cassidy has a crisis of confidence and a personal meltdown. Her First Circle decides to move her court to Shalador and leave Grayhaven and Theran behind. A very sensible move.

Cassidy may not be classically beautiful (and I have to ask, why is this point emphasized so?), but she cares for those in her lands. She wants all of her subjects to be healthy and happy. So you can probably guess a lot of the subsequent plot points. What's kind of sad is that Theran cares about his people too. Just not enough to quit selfishly wanting Kermilla to be Queen of his lands.

I did think it a bit exaggerated when nobody at all supported Theran. There should have been a few entitled Blood characters who couldn't see past appearances. I also wished that Bishop had given Cassidy a bit more backbone. I would have liked her more if she didn't need her confidence bolstered by the men in her First Circle so regularly. She should have stood up for herself more forcefully. After all, you aren't a good leader if you don't believe in yourself and your programs.

Apparently this series is growing on me. Now back to my regularly scheduled reading. Coffee cups up to enjoyable books!

Book number 507 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project