Cold Skies / Thomas King

4.25 out of 5 stars

Thumps DreadfulWater has finally found some peace and quiet. His past as a California cop now far behind him, he’s living out his retirement as a fine-arts photographer in the small town of Chinook. His health isn’t great, and he could use a new stove, but as long as he’s got his cat and a halfway decent plate of eggs, life is good.

All that changes when a body turns up on the eve of a major water conference and the understaffed sheriff’s department turns to Thumps for help. Thumps wants none of it, but even he is intrigued when he learns the deceased was developing a new technology that could revolutionize water and oil drilling . . . and that could also lose some very powerful people a lot of money. As strangers begin to pour into Chinook for the conference, Thumps finds himself sinking deeper and deeper into a conflict between secretive players who will kill to get what they want.

What do you do when a Thumps DreadfulWater novel arrives for you at the public library? Why, you clear your schedule of course and proceed to devour it in one sitting.

Thomas King is such an excellent writer, managing to combine colourful characters with an interesting plot, numerous entertaining sub-plots and sly commentary on contemporary society. These mystery novels are a joy to read.

In this third installment, I found Thumps’ cat, Freeway, and his new neighbour’s dog, Pops, to be stars of the show. 

”Thumps was pretty sure that Pops was a dog.
“He’s a Komondor,” said Dixie. “Real friendly, but he tends to fart a bit.”....
Thumps started to say something about photographs and computers when he was suddenly dropped into a septic tank.
“Sorry,” said Dixie. “That’s Pops. The move has been hard on him.”
Thumps had to blink several times to clear his vision.”

Of course, Freeway becomes enamoured of the dog.

Freeway was not a fresh air enthusiast. She preferred the luxuries of a toilet with water in the bowl, a soft sofa to scratch, a dish full of food, and a carpet upon which to puke.

As soon as the dog heard his name, he struggled to his feet, spilling Freeway off his head. The cat took the disturbance in stride. She rolled onto one side and leisurely licker her groin. Lovely. The queen at her toilette.”

The friendship between cat and dog manages to cheekily comment on Thumps’ unsteady relationship with Claire, and by extension on the majority of man-woman relationships. Without making a big deal of it, King also manages to comment on the habit of using vehicles as status symbols, the house beautiful & renovation trend, the “progress” of technology, foodie culture, and the tendency of city people to judge/underestimate people in rural or small town communities.

Sheriff Duke Hockney is particularly entertaining in this book and it is worth reading just for his part in it. Unbelievably, there are copies of the fourth volume available right now at my library and I have put a hold on that title. The only disappointment is that then I will be all up to date and will not have a DreadfulWater mystery to look forward to until the Master pens another one. Please, Mr. King, may I have some more? 

Rag and Bone / Peter Manseau

4 out of 5 stars

By examining relics—the bits and pieces of long-dead saints at the heart of nearly all religious traditions—Peter Manseau delivers a book about life, and about faith and how it is sustained. The result of wide travel and the author’s own deep curiosity, filled with true tales of the living and dubious legends of the dead, Rag and Bone tells of a California seeker who ended up in a Jerusalem convent because of a nun’s disembodied hand; a French forensics expert who travels on the metro with the rib of a saint; two young brothers who collect tickets at a Syrian mosque, studying English beside a hair from the Prophet Muhammad’s beard; and many other stories, myths, and peculiar histories.

With these, and an array of other digits, limbs, and bones, Manseau provides a respectful, witty, informed, inquisitive, thoughtful, and fascinating look into the "primordial strangeness that is at the heart of belief," and the place where the abstractions of faith meet the realities of physical objects, of rags and bones.

I often find myself reading somewhat odd books because I have heard their authors interviewed on CBC radio. This is one of those books. Where else would I have heard about a book featuring the bits and pieces of long dead religious people? Truth be told, I was puzzled last year, when I heard that my city (Calgary) was to receive a visit in the form of the severed arm of St. Francis Xavier. I knew that such things were important in the Middle Ages (read Ellis Peters’ excellent mystery story, A Morbid Taste for Bones, as an illustration of this), but I was unaware that religious relics were still a thing in the 21st century.

In preparation for this odd visitation, the author of this book was interviewed by our public radio station. I don’t remember the details of that interview, but I was intrigued enough to put this book on my TBR list and I’m glad that I read it, even if just for the quirk factor.

Poor old Saint F-X, he wasn’t the most successful proselytizer of the Christian faith, but in death he managed to find more fame and sainthood (he is featured early in the book). It’s these stories of the people behind the relics that are interesting, as well as finding out that Buddhists and Muslims also have treasured relics. It seems to be a bizarre human tendency, perhaps starting when the Neanderthals buried their dead in the caves that they inhabited.

The author is a religion scholar, but this offering is not a scholarly tome. It is sometimes humerous and very informative, without being overwhelming. If you are looking for something a little different in your reading docket, you could definitely do worse than Rag and Bone.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice / Laurie R. King

In 1915, Sherlock Holmes is retired and quietly engaged in the study of honeybees in Sussex when a young woman literally stumbles into him on the Sussex Downs. Fifteen years old, gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned, the young Mary Russell displays an intellect to impress even Sherlock Holmes. Under his reluctant tutelage, the very modern twentieth-century woman proves a deft protégée and a fitting partner for the Victorian detective. They are soon called to Wales to help Scotland Yard find the kidnapped daughter of an American senator, a case of international significance with clues that dip deep into Holmes's past.

***2019 Summer of Sherlock***

Holy mixed feelings, Batman! On the one hand, Laurie King is a really good writer. On the other hand, I’m unsure about how I feel about her treatment of Sherlock Holmes.

King has not just borrowed Holmes, she has kidnapped him. And held him long enough that he is exhibiting Stockholm Syndrome and is participating in her nefarious scheme. Most of the time, I could just let go of the Conan Doyle version of our hero and enjoy King’s version, but every now and then the differences would simply slap me in the face and I would be unhappy for a page or two.

I can see why people love this series. After all, Sherlock Holmes is one of the great stories of our culture, in all his arrogant and misogynistic glory. There are LOTS of books that try to shoehorn women of one description or another into the tale and I completely understand this impulse. It’s about representation and women writers are inserting a female dimension into the mythos. I absolutely appreciate that and that one of the reasons that I ended up liking this book as much as I did. But the purists won’t be fans. This is certainly a version of Holmes that I will never recommend to my gentleman friend, who is a devoted aficionado and remains unamused by people messing with what he considers to be perfection.

In short, if you’re not deathly serious about the Sherlock Holmes canon, you may be willing to play along with Laurie King and enjoy the adventures of Mary Russell. If you do treasure the Holmes of Conan Doyle, I would encourage you to give this novel a try, but don’t be distressed if you are unable to get into it. 

Birds of Stone / Luis Chiappe, Meng Quingjin

4 out of 5 stars

When fossils of birds from China's Jehol region first appeared in scientific circles, the world took notice. These Mesozoic masterpieces are between 120 and 131 million years old and reveal incredible details that capture the diversity of ancient bird life. Paleontologists all over the world began to collaborate with Chinese colleagues as new and wondrous fossil-related discoveries became regular events. The pages of National Geographic and major scientific journals described the intricate views of feathers as well as food still visible in the guts of these ancient birds. Now, for the first time, a sweeping collection of the most interesting of Jehol's avian fossils is on display in this beautiful book.

Birds of Stone makes visible the unexpected avian diversity that blanketed the earth just a short time (geologically speaking) after a dinosaur lineage gave rise to the first birds. Our visual journey through these fossils is guided by Luis M. Chiappe, a world expert on early birds, and Meng Qingjin, a leading figure in China's natural history museum community. Together, they help us understand the "meaning" of each fossil by providing straightforward narratives that accompany the full-page photographs of the Jehol discoveries.

If you are interested in dinosaurs, birds, and the relationship between these two groups, this is a book you should have a look at. It was larger than I had anticipated (over 30 cm tall), but that meant that the illustrations were large enough to truly appreciate. There were many full colour photographs of museum specimens, showing off the many fossil birds or the Jehol Biota, found in the Liaoning Province of China. The book collects photos of fossils from fourteen museums, thirteen of which are located in China and not easily accessible to the average North American fossil enthusiast. Finding all of them in one volume is fabulous.

The fossils themselves are marvels of preservation. Often, feathers and fleshy structures are also present in these beautiful fossils, proving that this Cretaceous Lagerstatten in China is a priceless resource. Sometimes stomach or gizzard contents are present, providing important information about the food habits of some of these creatures as well. And of course, not only birds and bird-like dinosaurs are preserved. The second half of the book also illustrates some plants and small animals that are represented in the sediments.

The second half of the book, giving more information on the current state of research on the evolution of birds, was informative, but rather repetitive. If the pygostyle (the short fleshy tail of modern birds, the pope’s or parson’s nose) was explained once, it was explained ten times. There were other details were which similarly repeated, maybe not quite so often or annoyingly. 

Still, if is definitely worth borrowing from your local library if you are a bird and dinosaur nerd, such as myself.

The Magic Engineer / L.E. Modesitt

3 out of 5 stars

In L. E. Modesitt's The Magic Engineer, we return to the magical island of Recluce, where Dorrin, a young scion of the Order magicians, is interested in forbidden knowledge, in the working of machines. Promising, intelligent, but determined to follow his passion for scientific knowledge, Dorrin can invent machines. He is the Leonardo da Vinci of his age, but his insights violate the rules of the Order magic of Recluce. Now he must go into exile in the lands of Chaos to pursue his dangerous inventions.

Yet Dorrin remains loyal to the idea of Order, and is tortured by the knowledge that to preserve it he must constantly create new devices for war. For the forces of the Chaos wizards are moving across the land, devouring whole countries and creating an empire--and their ultimate goal is the destruction of Recluce.

My least favourite of this Saga so far, but it is still a very readable book. There was just too much technical detail on blacksmithing and machine building for my taste. Those with engineering tendencies would be entranced I am sure (or would be happily critiquing the text). 

In many ways, this book seems to be a carbon copy of the premise of the first book. Both Lerris (1st book) and Dorrin (this book) must take training and leave Recluce because they can’t find a way to be happy & fulfilled according the rules of Recluce. Lerris does it through magic, Dorrin through engineering. 

Isn’t it always the way, that we have the most conflict with the parent who is the most like us? I butted heads with my father (we are both stubborn Danes who think we know best) and Dorrin & his father exhibit this intergenerational struggle perfectly. That I could identify with, although these two take it to an extreme.

Too much technical detail, and not nearly enough attention paid to important relationships. Dorrin is so completely clued out about emotional relationships that I ended up wanting one of his blacksmith’s hammers to beat him over the head with! His occasional flashes of insight about people’s motivations are all logic based and very few human actions are purely logic based (as much as economists would like to believe otherwise). 

Book 323 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.

Extra note about the cover:  The ship is steam powered, but there's a dude with an oar/paddle/pole on the left--why?  Plus there are 3 guards standing around doing nothing!  The one on the upper level seems to be sans trousers?  I would find that distracting from what I was trying to do--but the woman on the cover isn't paying him any attention.  Maybe it accounts for him staring so intently forward, so as to ignore his pantsless state.  I do like the depiction of Dorrin on his horse Meriwhen.  Unfortunately, this illustrates the unhappy moment when Dorrin has to leave her behind.  I know that Darrell K. Sweet was a celebrated illustrator, but sometimes I wonder where he got some of his ideas....

Lord of Chaos / Robert Jordan

4 out of 5 stars

On the slopes of Shayol Ghul, the Myrddraal swords are forged, and the sky is not the sky of this world ...

In Salidar the White Tower in exile prepares an embassy to Caemlyn, where Rand Al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, holds the throne -- and where an unexpected visitor may change the world ...

In Emond's Field, Perrin Goldeneyes, Lord of the Two Rivers, feels the pull of ta'veren to ta'veren and prepares to march ...

Morgase of Caemlyn finds a most unexpected, and quite unwelcome, ally ...

And south lies Illian, where Sammael holds sway ... 

This wasn’t a straight forward read for me--I lost focus somewhere around halfway through the novel and had to go do other things for a while. But having done that, I came back and found the second part of the book to be great. Perhaps it should have been two books, instead of this enormous kitten-squisher.

I continue to be amazed at how many characters Jordan juggles during this series and the level of detail that he goes into. It must have taken incredible patience to write and edit these enormous tomes and his publisher was brave to believe that this many books in a series was a good idea.

Perhaps the second half of the book was more engaging for me because it seemed to feature the female characters a bit more. Egwene is currently my favourite--trying to find her inner viking princess warrior and subdue the Aes Sedai, who actually think that they’re going to control her and her BFFs. Not gonna happen.

I think I’m the same as many folk who read this series in saying that I care about the story and where it’s going, but I’m being driven crazy by the way the characters deal with each other, particularly the male/female dynamic. Rand doesn’t seem quite bright enough to pull off the whole “save the world” thing and if Mat and Perrin are his greatest supports, he is in a bad way. He’d be better off hooking his wagon to that of Elayne, Nyenaeve, and Egwene. 

My plan is to read one more of these books before the end of the year, but it will have to wait awhile. I will need quite a bit of palate cleansing before I proceed on.

Book number 322 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project

Once & Future / Cori McCarthy & Amy Rose Capetta

4 out of 5 stars

I’ve been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I’ve always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.

Now I’m done hiding.

My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.

When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.

No pressure.

A very intelligent and cheeky retelling of the King Arthur legend. Merlin has been recalled more than 40 times to train various versions of Arthur and since he is aging backwards, he better get it right this time, as he’s soon going to be far too young to be taken seriously! This time, his student is a girl and he is beginning to hope for a breakthrough.

Written by two people who identify as enby (non-binary) and demigirl, their characters are a delightful mix of male, female, and several other flavours of identification. All of them fit well in the story and the “explaining” is minimal and easy to comprehend.

I love the tag-line for the story: I’m Ari Helix. I’ve got a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.

With both Merlin and Morgause filling us in on the details of the Arthur legend as necessary, it’s easy to keep up with this Round Table in Space adventure. If you don’t care for cliffhangers, you may want to wait until the next book is published before you begin. I’m happy to have read it, although I think I’ll be quite comfortable waiting for the next part of the story.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes / Arthur Conan Doyle

3.5 stars out of 5

In The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, the consulting detective's notoriety as the arch-despoiler of the schemes concocted by the criminal underworld at last gets the better of him.

Though Holmes and his faithful sidekick Dr Watson solve what will become some of their most bizarre and extraordinary cases - the disappearance of the race horse Silver Blaze, the horrific circumstances of the Greek Interpreter and the curious mystery of the Musgrave Ritual among them - a criminal mastermind is plotting the downfall of the great detective.

Half-devil, half-genius, Professor Moriarty leads Holmes and Watson on a grisly cat-and-mouse chase through London and across Europe, culminating in a frightful struggle which will turn the legendary Reichenbach Falls into a water double-grave.

***2019 The Summer of Sherlock*** 

It’s always a treat to read Conan Doyle and return to the world of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. I suppose it’s no accident that a doctor should narrate the tales, seeing as Conan Doyle was himself a medical man. What is surprising to me is that a man with so many mystical interests would create so intensely logical and skeptical a character as Sherlock Holmes!

The last story in this little book is the final confrontation between Holmes and his nemesis, Dr. Moriarty. A man of as many interests as this author was not going to be happy pigeon-holed as a mystery writer, especially when all his audience seemed to want was more Sherlock stories. Talk about trapped in a corner! But I can definitely see why readers rebelled at this end to the great detective. The story is so short and really doesn’t do justice to the legend that Conan Doyle created. Perhaps it was a good thing that he didn’t document Sherlock’s demise too thoroughly and was able to engineer a return of the celebrated detective.

It is this truncated and unsatisfactory final story that drags my rating down to a 3.5 from my usual 4 star enjoyment of Holmes. 

Stranger in the Woods / Michael Finkel

4 out of 5 stars

Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality--not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own.

In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life--why did he leave? what did he learn?--as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded. 

What an oddly fascinating little book! Even though I am very definitely an introvert, I cannot imagine existing in the way that Chris Knight chose to live for nearly three decades. He wandered off into the wilds of Maine in 1986 with next to no planning and next to no supplies. He managed to find himself a sheltered campsite, right alongside civilization, where he existed in a tent even during the cold of Maine winters. Mind you, he could never have achieved it without pilfering supplies from nearly all of his civilized neighbours.

Mr. Knight might still be out there, still not speaking to other humans, if he had found a way to support himself without specializing in home break-ins. I can’t conceive of not letting my family know where I am and that I’m okay. I may withhold details of my holiday locations to prevent the more neurotic from pestering my tour company unnecessarily, but I generally try to email or Facebook if I think there will be any concern. Chris Knight just wandered out into the landscape without letting anyone know anything. He also abandoned a partially paid for truck that his brother (who had co-signed the loan) was stuck paying for without the benefit of being able to drive it.

It seems like there is a tendency among a certain segment of humanity to seek solitude. The author, Michael Finkel, provides just enough history of religious hermits, recluses, and other people seeking seclusion to be interesting without being overwhelming. It rapidly becomes clear, however, that it is very difficult to avoid human interaction even under those circumstances. And most of us don’t want to completely avoid other humans.

Mr. Knight’s whole family seems to be rather taciturn and isolationist, so in some ways his behaviour is no surprise. I do feel rather sorry for him, now that he has been returned to society and must deal with people again. It is obvious from Finkel’s observations that it is a great hardship for him. In this regard, he is certainly not neural-normative. I hope he can find some way to exist somewhat happily in the world.

A Brightness Long Ago / Guy Gavriel Kay

4.75 stars out of 5

In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man looks back on his youth and the people who shaped his life. Danio Cerra's intelligence won him entry to a renowned school even though he was only the son of a tailor. He took service at the court of a ruling count--and soon learned why that man was known  as the Beast. 

Danio's fate changed the moment he saw and recognized Adria Ripoli as she entered the count's chambers one autumn night--intending to kill. Born to power, Adria had chosen, instead of a life of comfort, one of danger--and freedom. Which is how she encounters Danio in a perilous time and place.

Vivid figures share the unfolding story. Among them: a healer determined to defy her expected lot; a charming, frivolous son of immense wealth; a powerful religious leader more decadent than devout; and, affecting all these lives and many more,  two larger-than-life mercenary commanders, lifelong adversaries, whose rivalry puts a world in the balance.

As usual, GGK writes like a dream. If you like historical fantasy, I would highly recommend his work. This volume features a world very much like Renaissance Italy, with all its political machinations and complications. 

But what I absolutely adore is Kay’s portrayals of women. They have exactly the same depth, the same complexity, the same motivations as the male characters. In other words, he treats women as equal people. It is such a delight to read fiction written to depict real women!

I was especially fond of Adria Ripoli (with her desire for a more independent existence and the freedom to ride in a horse race) and Jelena, the healer who rejects a traditional female life to pursue her calling and her interests. Because there must have been women during every time in history who weren’t willing to be relegated to being solely wives, mothers, or nuns. 

But there is also Ginevra della Valle, a woman who has chosen the traditional route to female fulfillment and succeeded. She began as a powerful mercenary’s mistress and has progressed to being his wife and mother of two sons. But there is absolutely no doubt in anyone’s mind that she is a power unto herself.

I cannot recommend Kay’s writing too strongly. I haven’t read his entire canon yet, but I have been delighted by everything that I have consumed so far.

A Serial Killer's Daughter / Kerri Rawson

3 out of 5 stars

What is it like to learn that your ordinary, loving father is a serial killer? 
 
In 2005, Kerri Rawson heard a knock on the door of her apartment. When she opened it, an FBI agent informed her that her father had been arrested for murdering ten people, including two children. It was then that she learned her father was the notorious serial killer known as BTK, a name he’d given himself that described the horrific way he committed his crimes: bind, torture, kill. As news of his capture spread, Wichita celebrated the end of a thirty-one-year nightmare.

For Kerri Rawson, another was just beginning. She was plunged into a black hole of horror and disbelief. The same man who had been a loving father, a devoted husband, church president, Boy Scout leader, and a public servant had been using their family as a cover for his heinous crimes since before she was born. Everything she had believed about her life had been a lie.

I wouldn’t have requested this book from the library if I hadn’t heard the author interviewed on the radio. She sounded somewhat exasperated and I wondered why, driving me to look for her book. Now that I’ve read it, I understand some of her indignation.

First, it seems that many people don’t read the title or don’t believe it. This is NOT a book about her father, this is HER story. Yes, her father appears in her account as a major player because he is her father, but the story is hers. It focuses on her life and her beliefs. I can see why she’s ticked that people read it only as a way to view her dad.

Secondly, it has obviously been written as what the evangelical Christians call “a witness.” She is professing her Christian faith and it is the most important part of the work to her. The discount of that by secular reviewers must drive her mad.

Truth be told, she could have used a good ghostwriter to assist her. There are several chapters dealing with one hiking trip to the Grand Canyon, where there should probably only be one. It was a good idea to use this trip as a way to illustrate her relationship with her father and to highlight his idiosyncrasies. It just drags on far too long and has too much religious reference in it.

It quickly becomes obvious to the reader that Dennis Rader was a volatile man and a challenge to live with. His daughter, having known no other way of life, didn’t realize the extent of his abusiveness until long after his arrest. She has fought a life-long struggle with anxiety and depression and that is unsurprising, given her family situation. Interestingly, it seems that she and her mother are the ones who are depended on to “manage” Rader. Funny how it’s always up to the women in the family to handle the volatile man! 

The important aspect of this book, to my mind, is the fact that we tend to forget the families of serial killers when we are thinking about their victims. Rawson shows us in no uncertain terms the difficulties encountered by her family and their attempts to put their lives back together. Dennis Rader may be BTK to the world, but he was still a husband and father, uncle, neighbour, and working man. Those who shared his life were shocked by his arrest and confession and had hard work to do to put all of this behind them to some extent. We need to extend to them the same compassion that is offered to the murder victims’ families, as they have been betrayed and damaged too.
 

The Red Power Murders / Thomas King

4 out of 5 stars

Thumps DreadfulWater has never liked surprises—even the good ones are annoying. So it’s no shock that a string of seemingly random occurrences is causing Thumps some real discomfort. First Noah Ridge, the Red Power Native activist, arrives in Thumps’ sleepy town of Chinook. Then the body of a retired FBI agent turns up at the local Holiday Inn. In the background hovers the ghostly presence of Lucy Kettle, second-in-charge of the Red Power movement, a tough woman in a tough place until her disappearance years ago. Now the sheriff wants Thumps to trade in his photography gig for a temporary cop beat. And it won’t be over, Thumps soon realizes, until everyone’s dead—or famous.

Hailed by critics in his first appearance, Cherokee ex-cop Thumps DreadfulWater is back in rumpled but razor-sharp form, doing his laconic, comic best to avoid trouble—and catch the bad guys. Bestselling writer Thomas King has penned a second entertaining DreadfulWater mystery, injected with the author’s characteristic dry wit and biting social commentary.

Thomas King is such a good writer! I’m loving these murder mysteries of his, starring Thumps DreadfulWater. We get both a good, convoluted mystery and a dose of King’s irreverent humour. Plus, he manages to tackle social issues that he cares about without getting preachy and without info dumps. For example, the reader just gets to witness the behaviour of the bigoted white deputy of the little village of Chinook and draw their own conclusions. 

I’m particularly fond of the elder Moses, who has a whole collection of old trailers out behind his house and many old computers too. With his younger associate, Stick, they often go out to check the internet, or as Moses puts it, consult with the Nephews. No matter when Thumps arrives, the elder is always expecting him, tea brewed and ready to consult. I’m also partial to Cooley Small Elk, the huge man who may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but who can knock down the shed to find what he’s looking for. King writes the best side characters!

King sticks with many aspects of the murder mystery recipe. Poor old Thumps is perpetually unlucky in love, has difficulty getting along with the sheriff, and always seems to be close to broke. But he has a cop’s mind and instincts and can’t seem to disengage once a problem presents itself. 

I can hardly wait to get my paws on book three. Thank you, Mr. King, for a great deal of reading pleasure!

A Tiding of Magpies / Steve Burrows

4 out of 5 stars

When his most celebrated case is suddenly reopened, Detective Chief Inspector Jejeune‘s long-buried secrets threaten to come to light. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Lindy, faces an unseen threat of her own, one from which even Jejeune may not be able to protect her. Between fending off inquiries from the internal review and an open murder case that brings more questions than answers, Jejeune will have to rely on the help of the stalwart Sergeant Danny Maik more than ever. But Maik is learning things that cause him to question his DCI‘s actions, both past and present. In the current case, and in the former one, the facts seem clear enough. But it is in the silences, those empty spaces between the facts, that the truth is to be found.

I’ve got to hand it to Mr. Burrows, each of his books seem to be better than the previous one. His writing reminds me a lot of Louise Penny, and her Inspector Gamache series, with added birding details. Both authors may allow their detective to solve the issue of each book, but there is an overarching story-line about the main characters that keeps the reader anxious to read the next installment. Interestingly, both men face questions about their professional integrity and they tackle these issues in similar fashion, by quietly working behind the scenes.

I’m up-to-date now, and very ready for A Dance of Cranes to be released later this month (and I’m number 3 on my library’s hold list, so that’s good). I’ll be waiting to see if Dominic JeJeune can sort out the predicament that he’s got himself into now, through his own wish to withhold information from Lindy.

It seems to me that Burrows is enjoying the British/Canadian interplay and the details of the two countries that he has considered “home.” And every time I read one of these books, I want to return to Norfolk--it’s been 20 years since I first visited there and I’m due for a return one of these days.

Middlegame / Seanan McGuire

3 out of 5 stars

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

I’m reluctant to admit that I didn’t adore something that Seanan McGuire has written. And I’m pretty sure that it’s not her, it’s me. I love her October Daye, InCryptid, and Wayward Children series and I expected to feel the same way about this book. Unfortunately, I think I may have read it at the wrong time--maybe a re-read at some future date will leave me more impressed.

There were an awful lot of moving parts in this one, lots of details in a complicated world and plenty of characters to keep track of. For me, it took a long while to connect with the main characters, maybe ⅔ of the way through the book. Finally, though, I felt it reluctantly click into place.

This felt to me like an uneasy work, straddling the gap between the Wayward Children series and McGuire’s work under the name of Mira Grant. There are definitely more horror related details in this one that would be more at home under the aegis of the Grant persona. 

But, if you, like me, love McGuire’s writing, you should definitely give this one a try. The writing is every bit as skilled as her other works and the ideas are good. As I say, I think it was just me who wasn’t in the proper state to appreciate this one. Your mileage may vary.

Storm Cursed / Patricia Briggs

4 stars out of 5

My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic. And a coyote shapeshifter. And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.

Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn't stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae.

The reality is that nothing and no one is safe. As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming and her name is Death. But we are pack, and we have given our word. We will die to keep it.

Mercy Thompson, the Witchcraft edition

When this book arrived at the library for me, I dropped everything and started to read. These books are always over too quickly and they leave me wanting the next installment NOW. Unfortunately, that’s not how these things work, but judging from the ending, there will be more volumes, so that’s a good thing.

This one had all the urban fantasy goodness--a little less of all the growly werewolves, much more Fae and Vampire fun. Although I have to say, not enough Stefan. Mercy needs to get that relationship mended, because I miss Stefan! Plus, I am intrigued by what happened to Wulfe during this adventure--further details are needed. But the witches & the goblins get front-and-centre roles in this book, something that was a-okay with me.

If you jumped in at this volume (number 11, holy cow), you would wonder what kind of mad-house you had joined. But as we slowly make our way from volume 1 to present, we’ve had time to learn about the Mercy-verse, making all the details seem much less chaotic. Still, if you’re not a die-hard urban fantasy fan, this book is not the book you are looking for.

I note that the next book, Smoke Bitten, will be published next year and there doesn’t seem to be a new volume of the Alpha & Omegaseries anticipated yet. I trust that there will be another one. Between Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews, I spend an awful lot of time on tenterhooks, waiting for the next book to appear. To facilitate smooth publishing schedules, sacrifices to the book gods will obviously be required (see, I’ve learned a thing or two from all those witchy scenes!)

Saving Thunder the Great / Leanne Shirtliffe

 "If you have to evacuate while I'm away, just take Thunder the Great."

Those were Mamma's instructions the day before flames roared into Fort McMurray. On May 3, 2016, Mamma and Thunder the Great — a gerbil belonging to her son Jackson — were forced to flee their home. In a frightening rescue attempt, Mamma faces wildfire, traffic gridlock, an empty gas tank, and other challenges … all to get Thunder and herself to safety for the sake of her son.

Saving Thunder the Great is the true story of a hungry gerbil's rescue, a mother's love for her child, and the community who helps her.

This author will be a featured speaker at a conference that I am attending in August. Since I try to read something by each of the key-note speakers before the event, I requested this children’s book from my library. As Friday was exceedingly smokey from northern wildfires, this particular book seemed especially appropriate. Based on actual events following the Fort McMurray wildfire of 2016, it follows the path of a mother and her son’s pet gerbil, Thunder the Great, during the evacuation of that city.

If I wasn’t already familiar with the events of that summer, I think I might have sometimes wondered what was going on in this book. There is a lot of knowledge that the reader is just assumed to possess. In my opinion, the fearsome nature of the evacuation is rather glossed over--to prevent nightmares amongst the target audience presumably. If we are to abandon factual accuracy, it would have been more effective to make the child the main character of the book--I’m not sure how much children will identify with the mother as main focus. 

The artwork is lovely and very realistic. It’s not often that I see gerbils appearing in illustrations in books. An explanation for Thunder the Great’s name would have been welcome, at least to me.

3 out of 5 stars