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I have just finished some mysteries, one of which will remain unnamed for bitter reasons and because through most of the story I did not have a clue about what was going on.
Each mystery was a different experience which I will share.
I can only rave about Tana French’s brand new book, Broken Harbor. I admit to liking her three previous books as well though The Likeness is my favorite of those.
In the Woods
The Likeness
Faithful Place
Broken Harbor
The title Broken Harbor has more than one meaning and is more than just a place which makes this story so enthralling. The narrator is involved in his own shattered life as well as in solving the murders. The murders are hard to read about because a husband and two children are dead and a mother is terribly wounded. It is Tana’s skill to get us to care about the family and the people who surrounded them and to worry about the investigating officers’ lives.
I highly recommend this book because it plumbed the depths of the heart and soul of the narrator. I did not really have a clue about who the murderer was until near the end and yet, it was not an unfair surprise because the foreshadowing was there. The suspense is so great that I barely laid the book down until I finished it.
The second book is Die a Stranger by Steve Hamilton whose investigator is Alex McKnight. The stories are set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near Paradise though Alex travels below the bridge often.
A Cold Day in Paradise
Winter of the Wolf Moon
The Hunting Wind
North of Nowhere
Blood Is the Sky
Ice Run
A Stolen Season
Misery Bay
Die a Stranger
This book is new, also, and I enjoyed it because it followed the formula I was used to in the other books and because I like the Michigan settings. It is not a cozy and there is a lot of action, but mostly it is the chance to sit down in the company of Alex and Vinnie and see what is happening to them that made me buy this book in hardback. The story is very poignant and I do recommend it. It is not as powerful as Broken Harbor because the narrator is not himself involved in the angst of what is happening, but the last sentences are perfect. I will be watching for the next book.
The third book is The Return of Captain John Emmet by Elizabeth Speller set just after WW I. It is a large book and it is set in an era that is interesting, but I am still trying to put a finger on what disappointed me about the book. I did finish it and I am not really sorry, but the words, “it was slow” and “it reminded me of Maisie Dobbs and Ian of the Todd books” does not quite explain why I am willing to give this book away rather than keep it.
I think I just didn’t quite appreciate the protagonist enough though he is a decent man. He learns about himself and there are other characters who are interesting, but mostly his stumbling along makes him seem dim and naïve. I guess I got impatient with his wanderings. He did not seem to have a clue. He didn’t seem to care. There is no tension. He keeps saying that John was not really a friend of his. He is collecting clues half-heartedly.
I was not surprised by the ending at all though I was sorry for the lost character. And yet, it is not the worst book I have ever read and I am sure there are people who loved this book and will be indignant with me. Fair enough.
I have read three books with bird titles by Donna Andrews and I think I will continue on and off with the series because it is weird in a good way when I need something lighter. The main character is a lady who is a blacksmith who creates many kinds of useful objects. In Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos she is part of a historical festival where re-inactors have set up camp and her craft friends are selling various kinds of things. She has created some flamingos for her mother’s friend, but she hopes no one else will ever see them because they are not serious projects. I liked this third book best in the series so far.
I really enjoyed The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith. There is just something about these stories that carries me to a different place in more than one way. The part about Mma Makutsi and the new boots was just pure fun despite more serious things. Driving through Botswana and taking the boat ride was fun, too.
The book that shall remain nameless is one of the worst books I have read in a while.
It is not the first book in the series, but that is not the problem. I was able to gather an understanding about the police officers fairly well. One of them is just a horror. Maybe if I had read more of the books, first, I would like him better, but I doubt it. I can’t even think of ever wanting to see him again. Maybe it is a “man’s book” though I have read lots of those in the past years without wincing as much as with this one. It was written in 1996 so it is not new. I got a lot of vibes about “strong women” that I didn’t like. I have read books that had coarse language, but if I have to clutch my pearls on every page it knocks me out of the story. The book was just totally confusing until near the end and by then I didn't care anymore. So, alas, I am done with this author.
I ordered some mystery books this week to try some other new authors because I like to do that. I have been richly rewarded in the past by finding a new author to love and a body of work to explore. I also read the Monday Murder Mystery diaries by Susan from 29 and get some good ideas of authors to try.
Even if you have shared your favorite mysteries before, remember we have new readers each night or some of us with brain fog…well, me…will suddenly set a fire under ourselves to buy a book you have described maybe more than once. Thank you!
Diaries of the Week:
Write On! fourth wall dialogue
by SensibleShoes
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Thursday Classical Music Series: Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem
by lone1c
http://www.dailykos.com/...
I was very sorry to hear that Maeve Binchy has died. I have enjoyed her books so much.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
After working as a teacher and newspaper columnist, Ms. Binchy was in her 40s when she published her first novel, “Light a Penny Candle,” in 1982. The book earned a large advance that saved Ms. Binchy and her husband from losing their house — they were two months behind on their mortgage — and vaulted her into the ranks of one of the world’s best-selling authors.
She went on to write 16 novels and several collections of short stories, most of which were built around the sometimes-awkward problems of women and families coming to terms with a changing Ireland in the second half of the 20th century.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...
Several of Binchy's works were adapted for screen, including Circle Of Friends, The Lilac Bus and Tara Road.
Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker, who starred in a number of the productions, said of Binchy: "She was charming, intelligent, warm, generous in her time, with her effort, with her work.
"I just had the greatest of respect for her because she suffered badly from arthritis, and she had a lot of pain, and she never complained, you know."
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