A Proposal to Die For / Molly Harper

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I am an unabashed Molly Harper fan. It started for me with Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs, featuring Jane Jameson, a children's librarian who accidentally becomes a vampire and who has a highly amusing inner dialogue. I continued on with more books set in the same town, Half Moon Hollow, then moved on to her Starfall Point series, witchy fantasy combined with romance. So, I was game to try this new offering, having enjoyed those books a lot.

This is a departure from those paranormal romances. It's a murder mystery with a romantic subplot. I found the writing style to be recognizably Harper's. The main character, Jess Bricker, has a very similar voice to the women from previous books, which suits me, as I enjoy Harper's humour. I appreciated that Jess didn't set out to become an investigator—she just kept stumbling across information (and bodies). I also liked that the romance was so low key. Jess has, after all, just met the Osbourne family that runs the resort where she has ended up with the client from hell. She is, in fact, getting to know all of them, not just Dean, a much more realistic situation than many mystery/romance hybrids out there.

Jess spends a fair amount of time convincing herself that she needs the big payday at the end of this gig, orchestrating the proposal for one of the mean girls that she went to school with. She had more determination than I would have in similar circumstances. Her attention to detail while setting up perfect proposals makes her an excellent mystery solver. She notices things.

Although I won't reveal the ending, it was more complex than I anticipated. I liked that I was caught flat footed, having no suspicions about who was guilty. If Ms. Harper writes more mysteries, I'll be ready to read them.

Deadline / Mira Grant

 

3.75 out of 5 stars 

Book number 534 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

I wondered where this series would head with the loss of Georgia Mason in the first volume. Can the media company she and her brother Shaun founded survive her loss? Part of the appeal of these novels is the clever vision of the role of bloggers and video to attract eyeballs to their product. The reporters who gather facts are the Newsies, but the best job title belongs to the Irwins, christened to reference Steve Irwin, he who grabbed snakes and jumped on crocodiles. The Irwins leave safe bases to go poke zombies with sticks for your viewing pleasure. The Fictionals provide poetry and stories appropriate to life in a zombie-infested world.

Shaun Mason has been driven to the edge of sanity by the loss of his sister. She was the brains of the operation; he was the reckless Irwin. When a CDC employee fakes her own death and ends up on their doorstep, Shaun must assess what is going on and figure out what to do about it. Strategy and analysis are not his strong suits and his emotional intelligence is low. Will he estrange his team, the folks who are better at these skills?

The scientific details of the virus which cause zombification are well thought out. The constant decontamination procedures and blood tests to detect infection made me think of all our early efforts to deal with Covid 19 in 2020, how our routines changed to include infection precautions. Since this novel was published almost 10 years before Covid 19, Grant scored points with me for her research and insight.

This is a very fast paced, tense novel. If you're into first-person shooter games, the constant presence of guns will make you happy. Maybe conspiracy theories are your jam? Welcome, you will love this book. It's more apocalyptic than post apocalyptic, as the zombie rising just continues on and on. Although I am not a big fan of the zombie genre, I found this novel engrossing. But I need a rest to get my nervous system under control before tackling the third volume.

Tales of Space and Time / H.G. Wells

 

3 out of 5 stars 

Ever since I catalogued a big collection of H.G. Wells' work for the library I worked at, I have been meaning to read more of his fiction. He was a prolific writer, interested in many things and thoughtful about their meaning. As I am experiencing some disruption in my ability to concentrate, I opted for a collection of short fiction.

I was struck by his story The Star, about a comet impacting Neptune. It made me think back to 1992, when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into Jupiter. Just as in this story, both the astronomical and popular press were excited and entranced by the event. Thankfully it had far less effect on Earth than in this fiction. Nevertheless, I noted that many people of Wells' story try to deny expert opinion and seem to think that refusing to believe the science will somehow spare them from danger, much like folk today refuse to believe in climate change despite floods, forest fires, destructive hail storms, stronger hurricanes and tornadoes. Wells understood human nature quite clearly. He also anticipated a worry which the astronomical community has today, the possible impact of Earth by an asteroid or comet.

The tales varied from one about human ancestors (A Story of the Stone Age) to people of the future (A Story of the Days to Come) . The prehistoric people were depicted as well able to deal with the world around them, while the very urban people of the future have highly romantic and unrealistic ideas of rural life. Denton and Elizabeth are clueless about weather, animals, and how to support themselves outside the city. I thought it was interesting that Wells' future included huge corporations and unrecognizable ultra-processed food. He didn't envision a cashless society, as they still worry about money and find it to be a limiting factor in their lives. Wells' socialist leanings are on clear display as he critiques the capitalist system that cuts his future society off from nature, crowds them into cities, feeds them unidentifiable foodstuffs, and still limits their dreams. I also thought I glimpsed some of the thought that later produced The Time Machine.

The final story (The Man Who Could Perform Miracles) explores the plight of a skeptic who suddenly finds himself possessed of miraculous powers. Wells explores the morality of tinkering with other people's lives and the dangers of not fully thinking through the results of certain miracles. It seemed to me to have a similar flavour to Ursula K. Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven, with the “whole miraculous manipulation of the world” aspect.

There are good reasons that we still read H.G. Wells. He was an influential and progressive thinker. Although his writing style is slow and wordy compared to modern science fiction, he is still fairly easy to read. I bet he would love to see where the modern genre has gone and that we are still exploring many of the same issues.

Ocean Light / Nalini Singh

 

3.75 out of 5 stars 

I've chomped down three of these books in four days. They're like popcorn, irresistible. Each one focuses on a different character who was peripheral in a previous novel. I keep getting pulled along to explore a new aspect of the Psy-Changeling world.

This is the book where we learn about the marine Changelings and see them build bonds with Bowen Knight, head honcho of the Human Alliance. Bowen has two strikes against him: he has a electronic chip in his brain to protect him from Psy manipulation, but it is rapidly degrading, threatening to kill him. Additionally he has taken a sniper's bullet to save his sister. There's a scientist deep under the sea who can maybe help with both problems. That's where Bowen awakes.

Bowen is pulled in multiple directions, especially when he meets a lovely shifter, Kaia. She starts out hostile and suspicious, but comes to realize that love of family and loyalty to coworkers isn't limited to shifters. Kaia is a bubbly, mischievous caretaking woman. Opposites attract, so they say, and Bowen and Kaia are proof of that adage.

My mini reading binge halts here for a while, as the next book has a looong waiting list at the library. This is just as well, as I have a stack of library books staring at me, wondering when their turns will come.

Allegiance of Honor / Nalini Singh

 

3.7 out of 5 stars 

It's been over a year since I last visited the Psy-Changeling world and I felt the pull this week. Singh has increased the ante in the last few volumes. Of course there's still a strong romantic element--that's her signature, after all, but the global politics between the Changelings, the Humans, the Forgotten, and the Psy have become absorbing for me. This change in focus is noticeable in the cover art for recent books. They no longer feature headless, shirtless male torsos. With the introduction of plotlines focusing on Psy main characters, clothed male figures became more prevalent, followed by this novel with a much more abstract image. I don't mind one little bit!

This story involves a big win for multi-species co-operation. Working together, they recover a kidnapped member of the aquatic shapeshifter community. The wolves and leopards may be leading the way, but other groups are seeing the benefits of the Trinity group too. Now the challenge will be deflecting the malign influences of the Consortium. 

There's a little too much baby kissing in this book for my taste, but I decided at age 11 that children were not on my list of life goals. I realize that I am in the minority on this issue. Babies agree with me, however; they start to fuss soon after some well meaning person insists that I hold them. Inexperienced as they are, infants recognize a rank amateur. 

I had hoped to plunge on into the next book and was ever so disappointed to find that it would be necessary to wait. Humph! But Libby promises that a copy will be available soon. I certainly hope so.

Exit Strategy

 

3.75 out of 5 stars 

Kelley Armstrong is going to be attending a conference this summer that I am registered for and it is my practice to read something by the featured guests before the event. I have previously read two books from Armstrong's urban fantasy Otherworld series and, despite being a UF enthusiast, they didn't inspire me. Since then, the author has branched out into other genres and I decided to give this series a try. I'm glad I did, as I quite prefer it.

Contract killers seem to be having a moment. I guess they are exotic and intriguing to us ‘normal’ folk and their inner lives are fun to speculate about. Most of us will never meet such a person, so a novel chock full of them, like this one, multiplies the allure. Maybe it's like the current fascination with true crime—our society trying to figure out its dark side.

At any rate, I rather liked Nadia, the former police officer, who now owns a vacation lodge in the Ontario wilderness and takes hit jobs to pad her budget. Kind of like the farmer who has a job in town so he can keep on farming. Her mentor, Jack, is more enigmatic, taciturn to the point of ridiculousness. It becomes obvious that he would like to be more meaningful in Nadia's life, but has no idea how to accomplish that. He can easily plan someone's death, but can't plan how to advance a relationship. Armstrong introduces the rogue FBI agent Quinn in part to inspire Jack to quit dillydallying. Quinn has no problem relating to Nadia and she is attracted to him in return. Although I'm not usually into love triangles, I find this one interesting and I found myself placing a hold on book two immediately after finishing this one.

I guess I have found a way into Armstrong’s work. I'll be interested to hear her speak in August. 

The Paris Mystery / Kirsty Manning

 

3 out of 5 stars 

I’m trying to find my reading groove again, so I picked up this mystery chosen by my RL book club and hoped for the best. I was in luck, as Manning wrote a decent story. The setting was distinctly outside my experience, so I have no idea how realistic her version of 1938 Paris and the news business of the time is. In order to enjoy the book, one must make several assumptions: that a young Australian woman would slide into Parisian society so seamlessly, that her employer would be as supportive as depicted, and that opportunities for investigation would be achieved so easily. One must avoid looking at these details too directly or risk destroying the pleasure of a convenient plot.

I admit that I groaned a bit when I picked up the book and realized it featured a journalist. I did not expect to be converted to liking Charlie and it took me about 60 pages to find myself okay with her.

In short, it was better than I anticipated and not a hardship to read (unlike some other book club selections). Some of this is due to me, not the book, as I have a concentration problem currently.

At Bertram's Hotel / Agatha Christie

 

4.25 out of 5 stars 

Book 10 of the 2025 Read Your Hoard Challenge

I've been having difficulty settling on a book recently. I pick up one, then another, but can't seem to concentrate on any of them. What cures that? Agatha Christie, of course! Especially if it's a Miss Marple. I admired the structure of the mystery as I read, watching Christie weave together a train robbery, an underhanded young heiress, an absentminded clergyman, and the anachronistic hotel that Miss M has chosen as her get away.

Despite the presence of my favourite old bird, Miss Marple doesn't actually solve this one. She is merely the sharp eared and observant bystander. Chief Inspector Davy, to his credit, quickly realizes that she is a valuable resource and treats her accordingly, but it is he who does the heavy lifting, figuring out the whole web of crime.

I must confess that I enjoyed the delightfully vague Canon Pennyfather. The fact that he would wander the world continually unsure where he was going was amusing. The people who know him wait quite a while before starting to worry about him. I've gone through the same chain of emotion: starting with wondering, moving on to mild annoyance, followed by exasperation, and culminating in being acutely worried. I thought Christie managed that emotional arc very skillfully.

One other observation—when the jeweler comments on Elvira Burke, that young heiresses are more strictly separated from their cash than other inheritors, it made me think of Brittany Spears and how hard her family worked to keep her under a conservatorship so they could avail themselves of its advantages. There's really nothing new under the sun, is there?

Jack the Bodiless / Julian May

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

2025 Re-Read

Book 9 of the 2025 Read Your Hoard Challenge

I am bumping my rating of this novel up to 3.5 stars. I came to it with fewer expectations this time, ten years after my first reading. I am appalled by my lack of memory—this was like reading the book for the first time.

I paid more attention to the Lylmik this time around, wondering about their guardianship of the Remillard family. Does it make sense that entities who only wear bodies occasionally would be interested in Jack Remillard, who essentially becomes a brain in a simulated body. I have to question how the Lylmik came to dominate the Galactic Milieu? Why do they get to manipulate and veto everybody else?

Most of the Remillards are pretty difficult to feel much affection for, except maybe for Rogi. But he's one of the untalented members of the family, an alcoholic who self medicates perhaps to deal with all the arrogant relatives who expect him to do their bidding. Little do they know that Rogi only co-operates because he has been coerced by the Lylmik that he calls the Family Ghost.

At any rate, this is background for the Marc Remillard that I met in May's Saga of Pliocene Exile. He is well on the trail towards his self imposed exile back in time, even as a youngster here. I note that the human race is represented as troublesome in this future, similar to David Brin's Uplift series where they are considered feral upstarts. A pretty cocky self-assessment, truly. I wonder if this species self-confidence is warranted?

May Day / Jess Lourey

 

R

3.5 out of 5 stars 

In 2020 I jumped into this series at book 7 (November Hunt). I was charmed and read on to the series’ end. I always thought that I would return to the earlier volumes and enjoy getting to know Mira, Mrs. Berns, and the whole cast of Battle Lake characters. Finally, I've got around to it.

I'm glad that I didn't begin here actually, as Lourey hadn't really found her groove yet. Mira is fairly well defined—I recognize her despite her potential alcohol problems and her non-vegetarian menus. I was thrilled when Mrs. Berns showed up in the first pages (more stewing hen than spring chicken), but she and Mira haven't connected yet. I'll be interested to see which book sees them becoming friends and co-conspirators.

I may be mistaken, but this is the earliest book I could find by Lourey, but I can already see a lot of the things that make me like her work. Her female characters are realistic, not a Mary Sue among them. They've got problems, they've got secrets, they've got questionable judgment, plus they are curious as cats. I also love the Minnesota setting, a place I've never visited but feel like I know because of Lourey's novels. Battle Lake seems like the Minnesotan version of Agatha Christie's St. Mary Mead, a small community where it's possible to recognize everyone and to have an opinion about them. Plus, Lourey is really good at thinking up really creepy situations for her characters, even in this cozy mystery.

I wouldn't do the amount of lock picking that Mira does, which is the one thing that I didn't care for here, but this is a common feature of cozy mysteries, much to my chagrin. I hate it but I can't avoid it. And it makes me wonder how many people would feel justified doing a bit of B&E to find out a bit of information? Despite this bugbear of mine, I enjoy Mira and this series and I plan to continue on reading them.

The Masquerades of Spring / Ben Aaronovitch

 

3.75 out of 5 stars 

I'm glad that my library's only option for this novella was in the form of an audiobook, for otherwise I would have missed a wonderful performance by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Aaronovitch, I have heard, likes to test Kobna's mettle with as many regional accents as possible. Kobna does the British voices with authority and to my Canadian tin-ear seemed to do a creditable Southern voice, as well as several flavours of New York.

Augustus Berrycloth-Young, our narrator, seems to me to owe a great deal to P.G. Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster. His name (and his nickname Gussie) would fit into one of B. Wooster's tales quite smoothly. As would much of Gussie's vocabulary and his tendency to discount his own intelligence. He admits to wanting merely to live quietly and comfortably with his lover, Lucian, while enjoying the jazz of New York. His valet, Beauregard, isn't the absolute fount of wisdom that Jeeves was, but he is a very able assistant.

The spoke in the wheel of Gussie's routine is the appearance of Thomas Nightingale, seeking a place to stay and magical assistance. As happens when we deal with a person from our past, Gussie falls into his former role as the follower, despite needing a low profile both as magical practitioner and as a gay man when his orientation is considered illegal.

Although starting quite gradually, the author picks up speed until the reader/listener is pulled compulsively along, needing to know if Nightingale and Gussie can achieve their mutual goal without ruining Gussie's existence in the Big Apple. Much of the tension in the story results from dealing with prejudice against Lucian as a black man and against both Lucian and Augustus as gay men.

An interesting peek into the life of Nightingale well before Peter appeared on the scene and when practitioners were more numerous.