false 156 916 708 true 5639726 read 2 true 414119 currently-reading 206 true 414118 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79289225 The Gift of Murder (Perfect Paperback) by John M. Floyd
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79289198 to: Bloody Halls (Jack Marston Mystery) by Carl Brookins
I really enjoyed this book. It was set in one of my favorite cities and around one of my favorite things in life, higher education.

Jack is a mid-level administrator at a community college in Minneapolis. Because of his Navy intelligence background he is tapped to "liaise" with the local police when a student is found murdered in a local theater that the college uses. When a faculty member is also found dead, Jack is feeling pressure from all sides, and why does he feel like someone is following him?

Brookins keeps the tension on but doesn't overdo it, which means that he inserts some breaks for Jack, so he doesn't end up completely over his head. The cops are treated like real people and are alternatively helpful and secretive, which is refreshing since so many cops are portrayed as either all good or all bad.

This one was fun. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78384929 to: Face of a Killer (Mass Market Paperback) by Robin Burcell
This is a DNF for me. I am not in the mood for decades old, unjustly jailed, now who is the real killer and why. Or maybe I'm just not in the mood for a thriller, I've been reading mostly cozy or traditional and seem to be happiest with those.

This was well written and while I was reading it, it kept my attention, but I just can't seem to force myself to pick it back up - always a bad sign. I may try this again later but for right now I'm just not willing to spend time there. Sigh. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78385045 to: Miss Julia Meets Her Match (Miss Julia Book 5) by Ann B. Ross
Miss Julia is at it again, battling with her Pastor, fighting the gossip mill in her small town North Carolina and working to keep her non-traditional "family" safe and happy.

I loved the whole gender change issue as it was handled here, the world's best advice was just come out and hold your head up high, ignore the gossip and eventually it will go away.

Of course, Miss Julia has to keep some of her problems to herself so that eventually Mr. Sam can come to the rescue. Sometimes that irritates me but for this one I at least understood the motives.

Still more to read in this series. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78384991 to: Up Jumps the Devil (Deborah Knott Mysteries) by Margaret Maron
Judge Deborah Knott and her wide-spread and very numerous family members are in fine form in this addition to the Knott mysteries.

I'm glad I don't have to try and keep track of all of the family members, it doesn't bother me if I don't remember which son of which brother this nephew is - and I figure if it really matters the Margaret Maron will tell me!

This story involves a brother from California, a good friend of "Daddy" Kezzie and a host of other relatives on the sidelines. Land, its cost, its potential for development and greed are at the heart of the story and since the Knott family has hundreds of acres between them it is a touchy issue, especially when people start turning up dead!

Still enjoying this series so will be continuing to read it. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78384955 to: Dance Hall of the Dead (Navajo Mysteries, #2) by Tony Hillerman
This is the second book in the Joe Leaphorn series and I enjoyed it. It was a little confusing in places, mostly because I know absolutely nothing about the Navaho religious rituals, let alone the Zuni ones and both are strongly intertwined in this mystery within a mystery.

I still like Joe, I admire his integrity and I love the way his character works through things, at his own pace and in his own time.

This story centers around the death of a Zuni boy and the disappearance of his best friend, a Navaho. Joe is searching for the friend, afraid that either he killed the Zuni, or worse, that he is a target of a murderer.

I didn't see the ending coming, and I don't know why because it was so obvious when Joe explained it to me - guess that is a sign of an excellent author, give all the facts as clues and still confuse the reader.

I'll be going on in this series. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78384853 to: Landscape of Lies (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) by Peter Watson
I liked this book. It was a stark contrast to the last book I tried reading (Name of the Rose), although there were some similarities. Landscape is set in modern times but is (ala Da Vinci Code) a tale of hunting for ancient secrets. The secrets this time are all clues hidden in the painting Landscape of Lies. The painting owner teams up with a gallery owner and the two of them are in a race against someone else who is hunting for the answers, and is unscrupulous about how he goes about it. Unlike "rose", this one is very character driven and although there is a *lot* of information about paintings, styles, and 16th century religion and religious beliefs the story still moves along quickly and I felt like I learned something but it wasn't hammered into me to the point I didn't care.

I'll be looking to see what else Watson has written. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63841633 to: The Name of the Rose: Including Postscript (Paperback) by Umberto Eco
This is a DNF for me. I tried, even giving it four nights and over 100 pages (normally I can read 100 pages in less than an hour!) but I just couldn't get into the story.

I appreciate the fact that Eco writes in a dense and broad fashion but there was one chapter that started with four pages of flowery descriptions of castle walls, grounds, and numerous other things I don't remember because my eyes glazed over, not a good sign.

So, I am moving on to another book, never to know who killed the young monk, nor why. Sigh. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77165854 to: Shooting at Loons (Deborah Knott Mysteries (Paperback)) by Margaret Maron
Deborah Knott is at it again. This time she has been "loaned" to the North Carolina coast for a week to hear cases for a vacationing judge. She is staying at her cousins house out on the islands and has close friends that she visits with. When she finds a dead body the race is on, will she solve the mystery or will someone get to her first.

I do enjoy these stories and the cast of characters that inhabit them. Deborah is a fascinating character and all of her relatives just add to the fun.

I thought I had this one figured out and Maron threw me for a loop so as usual I was surprised at the ending.

More of her books are on my tbr list. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77165827 to: A Cold Christmas (Worldwide Library Mysteries) by Charlene Weir
I really like these stories. Susan is the Chief of Police in a small town in Kansas but she comes from the big city of San Francisco. She gets an offer to go back, and at first it seems like the perfect offer, that is until there is a murder, most of her staff/officers are out with the flu and the deadline for making a decision is only weeks away. Can she solve the murder and then walk away from all the friends she has made here - and can she go back to taking orders after having been police chief for three years.

I noticed the one clue that gave away the murderer but I didn't pay it much attention and so was surprised at who did the killings (yep, more than one, eventually). That to me is good writing, even when the clue is pretty obvious there are so many other things that qualify as red herrings that you don't get the answer.

I'll be moving forward in this series. ]]>