75 Books...More or Less! discussion
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Alecia's 2014 Challenge
message 51:
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Charleen
(new)
May 01, 2014 11:21AM
I just won The Accident in a giveaway. I haven't read his first book so I'm not quite sure what to expect. It sounds interesting, though. *fingers crossed*
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A lot of people like his books. Winning it is great! As I said, it's enjoyable and I hope you like it.
Book # 22 You Should Have Known 4/5 starsThis is the first book I have read in a while that really held my interest and kept me going. Although I found it a bit "wordy" in parts (I think a good editor could have trimmed it somewhat), I thought the writing was very good, and the subject matter was ironic (Grace,our protagonist/therapist wrote a book called You Should Have Known poised for publication), compelling and downright scary.
Grace Sachs has an idyllic marriage to her saintly husband, a pediatric oncologist, who is her soul mate and best friend and is the love of her life. They have a wonderful son together and life couldn't be better. That is, until Grace's life starts to unravel, and all kinds of worms crawl out of the woodwork.
Book # 23 City of Women 4/5 starsAnother book set during WWII...what could be left to tell? The author manages to weave an engrossing story from the German citizen's point of view. There are mostly women left in Berlin, as it is set during the waning days of the war. The Germans are losing, although the propoganda on their radios tries to tell them differently. This is an engrossing story, which drew me in immediately and kept in interested all the way through. There are some steamy sex scenes, intrigue, and moral choices to be made. Our flawed but admirable heroine, Sigrid, shows us how it's done.
Book # 24 Die a Little 3/5 starsI happen to have loved Megan Abbott's two later noir novels, Queenpin and Bury Me Deep. Die a Little is an earlier work of hers, also a noir novel, and I am not sure if it is her debut. The narrator in this one is Lora, a single schoolteacher, whose brother Bill marries Alice. Alice, we suspect very early on, is not who she represents herself to be, and is hiding a very checkered past. Lora's extreme love for her brother causes her to investigate further. I read it very quickly and it certainly kept me engaged. The writing is crisp and crackly, and the reader can tell they are in the hands of a good writer. But there were some plot lines left hanging, and I thought there was a sort of general murkiness to this story that was unsatisfactory to me. But it was a good harbinger of better noir books to come.
Book # 25 Glorious: A Novel of the American West 3/5 starsI was interested in reading this book as the writer, Jeff Guinn, had written the non-fiction book Manson last year. I liked that book very much, thought it was very well done, and I found it interesting that he also writes fiction. Glorious is set in 1872, and is a tiny mining town in Arizona Territory. Our hero, Cash McLendon, travels there to attempt a reconciliation with an old flame who has started a business there. Cash is also fleeing a tragic situation that he was in in St. Louis, and has an enforcer on his heels. This story starts off quite well, and the telling of the carriage ride to Glorious is vividly told, with all the discomforts of such a ride felt by the reader. I found that as the novel progressed, the story lagged a bit. Although it was always a pleasant read, the writing was never elevated to a point where I felt it deserved 4 stars. There is apparently going to be a sequel, as the ending is designed for one.
Book # 26 Shoot the Woman First 4/5 starsThis is an action-packed hard-boiled novel with a female lead character named Crissa Stone. I had read a previous Crissa Stone book, Cold Shot to the Heart, and enjoyed that one also. Stroby's writing is a combination of Richard Stark and Elmore Leonard. Crissa is Parker with more compassion, although there is no hesitation on her part to shoot other bad guys when necessary. It is a classic tale of a heist gone bad, and Crissa finds herself on the run. It's a very fast, well-written, enjoyable read. More, please.
Book # 27 What Has Become of You 2.5/5 starsI will round this up to a 2.5 as the writing is good. It is the questionable and incomprehensible behavior of the characters that caused me to give this book a less than stellar rating. Vera Lundy, a long-term substitite teacher in English at an all-girls private school in New England, is also a true-crime enthusiast. There has already been a murder of a local girl close to these student's age. Vera is teaching Catcher in the Rye to her classes, and one student in particular, Jensen Willard, catches Vera's attention by the intriguing and strange journal entries she makes and wants her to teacher read. This turned into a disappointing read for me, as I thought it started off well, and some of the descriptions of teaching the class, Catcher in the Rye insights, and Vera's observtions on some of her students were good. But I could not understand Vera's choices and behavior, and therefore the story went downhill for me.
Alecia wrote: "Book # 27 What Has Become of You 2.5/5 starsI will round this up to a 2.5 as the writing is good. It is the questionable and incomprehensible behavior of the characters that cause..."
Alecia, I'm sorry to see this one didn't live up to expectations. It sure did sound good.
Book # 28 Next Life Might Be Kinder 3.5/5 starsI liked this book, and will bump up the rating to a 3.5. It was hard to put down, and yet quite mysterious and lyrical. Set in the early 1970's, Sam and Elizabeth have been married for about 2 years when she is murdered. You find out about the murder in the book's opening sentence, " After my wife, Elizabeth Church, was murdered by the bellman, Alfonse Padgett in the Essex Hotel, she did not leave me." Their marriage was seemingly one of two soul-mates, passionate and deeply in love. The book alternates in short chapters between the past and the present. It's very mysterious and poignant...is Sam really seeing Elizabeth at night on the beach (is she a ghost?), or is he grieving so much he cannot separate his grief from reality? A touching tribute to love and the mysteries of grieving.
Book # 29 To Rise Again at a Decent Hour2.5/5 stars
Because I liked the author's previous two books so much, it was hard for me to give this one a 2.5/5 rating. The same terrific writing is in place with the same wit and insights I remember. But for me, the story just disintegrated after the first 100 pages or so. I thought it had a very good start. Paul O'Rourke, a Park Avenue dentist, is a committed atheist struggling with personal relationships. His on-line identity is hacked one day, and he finds that someone has posted a web site of him and his offfice staff, seemingly realistic but with obscure quasi-religious ramblings. Then he appears on Twitter, also posted in his name. So far so good, and generally amusing and scary at the same time. He cannot find a way to take get these postings off, and he starts an email dialog with whomever is doing the hacking (essentially talking to a person posting as him). But as the book continues, the religious musings and ramblings take over the storyline, and I found it murky in parts, while losing the flow of the original plot. I also noted that Ferris employs a one-sided spoken conversation device as dialog. For instance, he writes, "I'd tell her, she'd say...." This can work rather well but is perhaps overused. Paul O'Rourke calls smart phones "me-machines", which is kind of clever, and the book makes witty observations of how everyone is absorbed in their me-machines at every possible opportunity. I was disappointed that such a good start evolved into a kind of murky mess of O'Rourke's religious self-exploration. It might be interesting to some, but didn't work for m
Book # 30 I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller 4/5 starsWhat an ambitious and well-researched spy/thriller novel this is! It has many interwoven threads of story that add up to a meticulously planned, never-boring plot. It is a long book and a dense, but not difficult read. I enjoyed it the entire time I was reading it.
A retired high level operative is recruited back into the world he had been trying to escape. He is summoned from the highest level on a mission to save the world from a horrible terrorist plot, enacted by one man. The novel is narrated by our hero, whose code name is Pilgrim, but he goes by many other names in this book. The terrorist, known as The Saracen, is also given a highly detailed backstory so that the reader completely understands how brilliant and deadly he is. His mission is terrifying and all too realistically possible in this world. It is not a fantasy, which makes it even more terrifying.
There were just a few minor weaknesses and quibbles for me in this terrific novel. I found a tendency to overdramatize the endings of some chapters to keep the suspense going, and the resolution was sometimes an anticlimax. I also found the ending, although thrilling, a bit too pat. But all in all, for lovers of very well-done thrillers, this is a great bet.
Book # 31 Hop Alley: A Novel 3/5 starsI feel like I came in on the middle of something, reading Hop Alley. I later found out it was a sequel of sorts to Cottonwood, which I have not read. Scott Phillip's writing is so entertaining that I now would like to read Cottonwood. But this one, as a stand alone, feels like it's missing a piece or two to complete the story. Although I enjoyed it, it felt a bit unsatisfying as a stand-alone novel.
Book # 32 The Lemon Grove 3.5/5 starsI would round this to a 3.5/5 as it kept me engaged enough to finish in one sitting. It's not a long novel, but given it's subject matter, the writing is quite good. As for the subject, the reader will have to decide whether it is something they want to read about and accept. You know right away that there will be some "Mrs. Robinson" action between Jenn and her 15 year old step daughter Emma's 17 year old boyfriend, Nathan. Emma brings him along on a holiday in Majorca, and the family's equilibrium is shattered by this new guest. Nathan appears to be quite self-possessed and experienced for someone his age, which was a bit unconvincing to me. Jenn's age is never mentioned, but "middle aged" is mentioned quite a bit about Jenn and her husband, Greg, who are in a settled but not unhappy marriage. The countryside and foods of Majorca are beautifully described, making Majorca another character in this story, and the author is clearly familiar with the island. But it is essentially a tale of forbidden passion and obsession, where Jenn's judgement is completely obliterated by her lust for Nathan. The other relationships are examined also, especially Jenn and her step-daughter Emma. I'm not sure how I felt about the ending, as it is rather ambiguous.
Book # 33 The Last Dead Girl 3.5/5 starsI would give this book a 3.5/5 rating. It misses a 4 in my rating system, because although it is cleverly plotted, it's a bit overlong and perhaps has a few too many characters inhabiting this tale. There are many "bad" characters in this book, all of them men, who do purely evil deeds. Their terrible deeds propel the book, and David Malone, our hero and narator, is the unstoppable sleuth to solve the main mystery of who killed Jana Fletcher. That murder starts off the book, and along the circuitous path David takes to find the answer, he finds other answers to other crimes. The plotting takes twists and turns, and what starts out as a seemingly simple murder mystery, turns into a complicated plot with many layers.
David Malone finds out his girlfriend has cheated on him when she confesses to a one night stand. He sets off in his car on a ride, when fate puts him in the path of Jana. He lives with her for about 10 days, and then she is murdered. Because he has grown so involved and starts to love her, he feels compelled to find out "who done it". The story is full of dark deeds and evil people. But David is determined to stick with it to the end, and that he does.
Book # 34 The Fever 2.5/5 starsIf we were allowed 1/2 stars, this would be a 2.5. I am rounding it up to 3 stars because of Megan Abbott's talent and my enjoyment of her past period noirs, Queenpin and Bury Me Deep. I do not find her current fascination with teenage angst and cruelty to be enjoyable reading for me. She does have her pulse on teenage thoughts and behavior. I thought the second half of this book picked up a bit, as the mystery is solved. If you are a new reader to Megan Abbott's books, try the previous books mentioned first. But in a way, it's like two different authors wrote those two and the more current ones.
Book # 35 The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez 3.5/5 starsI would rate this a 3.5. I really enjoyed the writing, but felt that the threads of the stories, (although some of them were stand-alone lovely), did not make a cohesive whole. I thought a better and more searing novel about immigrants was The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle. This did have some very nice parts to it, however, and was a worthy read.
Book # 36 Cold Wind 3.5/5 starsI thought this was a very well-written book, and would give it 3.5 stars. However, it felt as if I came late to the party with this one. I am sure I would have enjoyed it more i f I had read some of the previous Joe Pickett books in this series. I was not sure why Joe hated his mother-in-law, Missy, so very much from the past. It was mentioned several times, and I could see that she was a minipulating, cold woman. But something happened in past books regarding this relationship, and his other relationship with his friend Nate. These storylines are alluded to, but never explained. I kept feeling I was missing some motivational factors integral to the characters. However, the plotting, dialog, and characterizations are good, and I found it an enjoyable read.
Book # 37 The Enchanted 4/5 starsThe enchanted place is a prison, and it's inhabitants are men on death row. This lyrical book is narrated by a death row inmate who is not named and his unspeakable crime is not described. He does not speak,and we do not know why he is mute, but he reads from the prison library, and this reading is his escape from his horrible environment. He also listens and observes, and he especially follows two outsiders, a woman known only as the lady, and a fallen priest.
This story , although written in beautiful prose, is horrific in it's subject matter, and doesn't shy away from the grim realities these inmates face. I read that the author was a Death Row Investigator, so most likely she is basing "the lady" on her own experience. This is a different, poetic tale about a difficult, grim subject.
Mod
Alecia, nice review, this one just went on my tbr list.
Book # 38 The Arsonist 2.5/5 starsI usually enjoy Sue Miller's books, and her writing is always good. Reading her novels remind me of reading Anne Tyler's work. But this one gave me a rather bland feeling while reading it. The main character, Frankie Rowley, returns home to her small New England town after working in Africa for 15 years. She is leaning towards not returning back to Africa, but is hazy about what she should do in the future. Problems become apparent to her with her parent's lives, and she begins a passionate affair with the local newspaper owner. All this is going on agains a backdrop of the puzzling burning of houses in the small town, and I thought the story had a rather humdrum resolution to that mystery. Although this is not an overlong book, it felt too long to me, and that's not a good thing.
Book # 39 Runner 2.5/5 starsI would rate this a 2.5. Although it started out with a bang and kept moving for a while, it bogged down a bit in parts. Using the plot device of mind control as an ultimate weapon is a good idea, and might have been very effective, perhaps with more thoughtful, in-depth writing. But in this case, it somettimes got confusing to me as to who was reading whose mind, and it all became somewhat murky in the exposition. Also, this is an "action" thriller, more like a video game or movie (with some feelings and sentiment thrown in), and, as such, has a very superficial treatment of it's characters. The 10 or 12 year old child, Rachel, at the center of the book, many times behaved as an adult would, and I had a hard time beleiving she was just a child. But the story does move along for the most part, it was just not a book for me.
Book # 40 Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? 5/5 starsI laughed with tears in my eyes when I read this graphic memoir in one sitting. Roz Chast explores the subject of an only child witnessing and coping with her parents ageing into their nineties and their deaths. She manages to combine humor and pathos, love and resentment, pain and giddy hilarity, all told with a brutal honesty. There were many conflicting emotions explored here, but the love and obligation of the middle-aged child prevails. This was a very wretched time in her life, and anyone who has witnessed or has been a caregiver to ageing parents can find something to identify with on these pages.
Book # 41 Mr. Mercedes 3/5 starsSometimes Stephen King blows me away, as he did in 11/22/63, Misery, and a few others. I have not read all of his books, but certainly enough to know, and frequently enjoy, his wordy, pop-culture-laden prose. In this novel, King has attempted (or so it has been written about it) a "hard-boiled" detective novel. I was eager to see how he managed that genre. His style is the the same as always, thereby making this a bit less of a "hard-boiled" effort than I had hoped for.
His protagonist, Bill Hodges, a retired police detctive (or RET DET), is on the verge of despair, hating his empty days watching TV (very well described by King). He receives a letter from a suspect in an unsolved horrific crime (the Mr. Mercedes of the book's title), and he's back in the game. But he's on his own, as he wants to catch this guy himself. Along the way he develops a love interest ( I found this part to be a bit cliched, and I could tell what was going to happen before it did...not a great sign), and two quirky sidekicks to help him try and catch this crazy guy.
Although I found the writing and some of the characterizations to be enjoyable and amusing (as usual), it was a bit too wordy (as usual), and did not achieve the terse, hardboiled style that might have made this a different experience.
Mod
I really want to read You Should Have Known! I might buy it once I get some of my other books read. I also love the style of your reviews! It's a little late for this year but I might use your system for next year if you don't mins. I just find them so easy to read and helpful in knowing if I would like the book. I would like to do the same for other people.
Andrea,Thank you for the kind review of my reviews:). I just cut and paste my general reviews onto 75 books. it actually helps me remember what I read, and I like to look back after the year is finished and see how many I truly enjoyed. If it helps anyone in this very subjective world of reading, that's a good thing.
Book # 42 Those Who Wish Me Dead 3/5 stars
This is a fast-paced suspense story that was a cut above serviceable for me. Two creepy, evil killers, who happpen to be brothers, are letting nothing stand in their way of finding a young witness to one of their gruesome murders. This witness, 13 year old Jace Wilson, is sent to a wilderness-skills program in Montana, to hide him from these killers in a remote place. Of course, things go wrong, the killers are on his trail, and add a raging forest fire to the mix. Although this was not a "deep" character-driven story, it moved along and was a pretty good read.
Book # 43 Never Look Back 2.5/5 starsThe writing in this book had me hoping that it would be a better than average mystery/police procedural. But as I read on, I did not find this to be so. The lead Detective, Mike Lockyer, is a good character, and there is an added interest as he has an autistic brother who is institutionalized. But the story line became confused and a bit murky for me.
Book # 44 Saints Of New York 3/5 starsThis was a mostly well-written, if overlong, crime novel. NYPD Detective Frank Parrish is a rogue detective (what else is new?), who makes his own rules to solve cases. His job is hanging by a thread because of previous infractions, and he is assigned to see a therapist. A good part of the book dwells on his therapy sessions discussing his late father, a legendary NYPD detective, one of the original "Saints of New York". But his father was a dirty cop, and Frank has a lot of bitterness about this. Frank is also an alcoholic, and his personal family life is broken. Add to this mix a serial killer who is murdering young girls, and Frank's obsession with solving this case escalates as the book progresses.
Book # 45 Love You More (Detective D.D. Warren, #5) 2/5 starsI forced myself to finish what started out as a not-bad mystery/thriller. I found the plotting awkward, forced, and all over the place, and the writing pedestrian. This is the first (and willl be the only) book I have read in the "Detective D.D. Warren" Series, so I am not familiar with the one-dimensional lead detective,D.D. It is told in alternating chapters, with Tessa Leoni, a state trooper accused of murder, narrating her story in the first person, and D.D.'s investigation of the case narrated in the third person. I have noted the excellent reviews from other readers, but this was definitely not the case for me.
Book # 46 Life Drawing 4/5 starsI would give this a 3.5 rating but am rounding it up to a 4/5 stars just for the relief of reading a well-written, intelligent novel. It is a nicely-drawn portrait of a long, childless marriage between Augusta (Gus) and Owen. Gus is a painter and narrates this book, and Owen is a writer. They have moved to the country and live a rather solitary life. Gus has had an affair, which is now over, but she confessed the affair to Owen. Their relationship is now reeling from the results of that confession. The arrival of a neighbor, Allison,and then her daughter, changes their solitary existence, and also changes the dynamics of the relationship. The book starts with Ownen's death, and backtracks from that point.
Alecia wrote: "Book # 46 Life Drawing 4/5 starsI would give this a 3.5 rating but am rounding it up to a 4/5 stars just for the relief of reading a well-written, intelligent novel. "
Alecia, my To Read list just grew by one more book! Looks like this was Robin Black's first book - did you like it enough that you would read more of her?
Book # 47 The Woman Before Me: A Thriller 3.5/5 starsI would give this a 3.5/5, as this is a nicely written psychological mystery (they call it a thriller, but I'm not sure about that). Most of the book is narrated by Rose, telling her story from her prison cell, and also from entries in chapters entitled "Black Book Entry", a journal she kept. Rose is in prison for the murder of a baby. The other chapters are about her probation officer, Cate Austin, who is starting her job in the prison Rose is in, and must give her opinion whether Rose should be released on parole. I understand that there is a second Cate Austin book, and I intend to read that one also.
Book # 48 book:Remember Me Like This|18112175] 3/5 starsThis is a very sensitive portrayal of a family's reaction to a terrible tragedy. Justin, one of two brothers, disappeared at the age of 11, leaving his parents and brother searching for answers and struggling to hold themselves and their family together. Four years later, Justin has been found, and after the initial delirious happiness wears off, a new set of wounds emerge within the family. The exploration of these very nuanced feelings is empathetic and heartfelt. Some of Johnston's writing reminds me of Anna Quindlen or Anne Tyler. Although many of the emotions described rang true, I found the general pace of the book to lag a little, especially at the end.
With a few exceptions, I enjoy those author's books so I'm adding this one to the tbr list. Thanks!
Book # 49 Friendswood: A Novel 3/5 starsThere are two storylines going on in this well-written novel set in Friendswood, Texas. One is about a toxic land spill, and the other is about a date rape. In a small town, and in this story, the characters intersect. The chapter headings go back and forth between a few main characters, and the plot develops through these separate, but connected streams. I thought the toxic land story (full of greedy, ignorant characters)worked better than the date rape, but all of it is well-written with fully-fleshed-out characters.
Book #50 The Sacrificial Man 2/5 starsRuth Dugdall can write rather well, and that is why I am giving this book two stars instead of one. But the subject matter and grotesque turns this story takes left me cold and somewhat repulsed. The purported theme of this book is the consideration of whether assisted suicide is ethical or not, and the sentence recommendation for the defendant, Alice Mariani, is to be decided by Cate Austin, a probation officer. Cate's character is not as well drawn here as in the previous book I read with her as a character, The Woman Before Me. I found some of the details provided about this suicide agreement rather gratuitous and exploitative.
Book # 51 The Handle 4/5 starsSince I have not read the Parker series in order, it is a wonderful surprise when I discover one I have not yet read. In The Handle, the formula is similar;Parker is pitched an idea for a heist, a crew is gathered, things go wrong and double crosses take place. This time the heist is on an island location with a gambling casino run by a sketchy Baron. I have read the few stand-alone Grofield books by Stark, so it was fun to see the Grofield character play off against Parker's no-nonsence persona. I love that Grofield is a part-time actor with so much integrity he only does stage parts he deems worthy, and needs this other career as a thief to make ends meet. But he brings his acting career with him on the job and imagines different background music playing for each location he is in. It brings some more of Donald Westlake's (aka Richard Stark) humor into this particular book.
Book # 52 Mrs. Hemingway 4/5 starsI really enjoyed both the writing and the approach taken in this book. Naomi Wood gives us a fictional (after much research on her part)account of all four of Hemingway's wives at crucial points in their marriages to him. He seems to have been determined to be married, while at the same time he seemed to have been looking for a replacement love as soon as he was married. He also appeared to have loved each of his wives, but apparently this was not enough for him. It is an interesting take on Ernest Hemingway, his appeal and magnetism very well described as seen from these women who loved him. Mary's (his last wife) section is very poignant, and I found all of it very engaging and well-written.
Book # 53 Treasure Coast 3/5 starsIn addition to comparisons of Tom Kakonis's writing to Elmore Leonard and perhaps Carl Hiaason, I would also add Donald Westlake in his humorous mode to that list.
My favorite characters were the bogus preacher and his partner in crime, Waneta. I loved the flowery prose the preacher spouted while carrying out his cons and scams. Although I enjoyed the first half of this book quite a bit, and especially some of the characters, I did not think the second half worked as well in keeping with the humorous flow, and I found it lagged a bit. The language spouted out by one of the hardened criminals was offensive, although I realize Kakonis was using this to define his awful character. And the violence in the latter part of the book comes suddenly and jarred my enjoyment of the first part of the story. But I appreciated his writing, and I remember reading him years ago.
Book # 54 Red Joan 4/5 starsI got caught up in Joan's story right away, and found it to be engrossing and well-written, with Joan a fully fleshed-out character. When she is in her 80's, Joan Stanley is arrested for being a spy. She worked as a personal assistant to a director of important metals research during the Cold War, and passed along secrets to making the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. When she attended Cambridge, studying science, she became friendly with a group of friends who were Communists, and she fell in love with one of them. She became convinced that the choice to share the bomb information was the way to make the world a better place. Her character is based on the true story of Melita Norwood who was identified at age 87 as being a long-serving Soviet spy.
Although Joan's choices were very naive and repellent to me, her reasoning is somewhat understandable, as we readers get to know her background quite well.It is an engaging, well-told story.
Alecia wrote: "Book # 54 Red Joan 4/5 starsI got caught up in Joan's story right away, and found it to be engrossing and well-written, with Joan a fully fleshed-out character."
Sounds really intriguing, Alecia.
Book # 55 Mean Streak 1/5 starsIf this was a free library book, it would have been set aside early on and rturned. However, since I purchased it as an e-book, I plodded on and finished it. I read about 30 pages in the sample and it seemed to be a nice light, diverting entertainment. And I also read all of the many stellar reviews, which led me to think I might enjoy it. But for me, this was an inanely plotted, cliched, silly bodice-ripper. I will not bother reading Sandra Brown again.
Book # 56 A Colder War 3.5/5 stasI really enjoy Charles Cumming's writing, and this was no exception. I would give this a 3.5. The only reason it doesn't get a 4 from me is that the foreshadowing of one of the character's fate had me already suspecting cerrtain events. That, mixed with my usual confusion with spy novel plots, made it somewhat predictable, and yet confusing as always. But, the protagonist, Tom Kell, was in a previous novel, and I enjoyed reading about him again. I find the writing better than average,the plots intricate and clever, the locales exotic, and I continue to look forward to new Cumming books.
Alecia wrote: "Book # 56 A Colder War 3.5/5 stasI really enjoy Charles Cumming's writing, and this was no exception. I would give this a 3.5. The only reason it doesn't get a 4 ..."
Alecia, I'm not familiar with this author at all. I've read a couple of books by John le Carré and really liked them. I rarely go in for "spy" novels, but perhaps I should make an exception for Cumming.
Karol,I don't read a lot of spy novels, but Cumming is an exception, and I think you should give him a try. I see by my reviews that I liked A Foreign Country best, and it has the same character in it that he brings back for this last book I reviewed.
Book # 57 The Hollow Girl 3/5 starsI think I came a little late to the party in this last installment of the Moe Prager Mystery series. Although it is a stand-alone book, there are many references to past cases and people in Moe's life. I did find it to be a well-written, intelligent mystery, but I probably would have been more interested if I had been reading this series from the beginning.
Book # 58 Strangers 3/5 starsI have enjoyed Bill Pronzini's writing, and his "Nameless Detective" series for many years. This one was, as usual, well-written, but the story did not really take off for me. And I think the usual way Pronzini tells his Nameless stories is to break it up with chapters about his assistant, Tamara, and the other PI working for him, Jake Runyon. He also usually has a bit of Nameless's personal life mixed in. But this time, it is straight Nameless (now known as Bill) and a plot about going to a small Nevada town to help out an old girlfriend. Her son has been arrested on rape charges, and she is certain he is innocent.
75 Books...More or Less!
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