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Member Reviews
Mike, great review. Tells me about the book, even the feel of the book. Does it in straight language.I may get the book, now.
Sean
I read the e-galley for Bet Your Bones: Dinah Pellerin Mystery and have posted a review here at Goodreads and on my blog.
It's sort of an action cozy, I guess, in that the protagonist isn't a detective, PI or other law enforcement type. The Hawaii setting is really great!
It's sort of an action cozy, I guess, in that the protagonist isn't a detective, PI or other law enforcement type. The Hawaii setting is really great!
Back in May I wrote this recommendation for Midnight SinI just finished this book and loved it. It started out with some exciting and tense action and from those events the story unfolded in ways I would have never guessed. As a big CSI fan, this is one of the best police stories I have read. You really felt you were working with the main character (a rookie cop) and could feel what he was going through. One of the best scenes was an Internal Affairs investigation - it was intense. I am looking forward to the sequel, and will not be surprised to see this made into a movie. You could tell that the author had a lot of experience. I highly recommend this book.
Midnight Sin
Wired The author was kind enough to e-mail me a free copy of his book on July 19th. This experience is part of the reason that I am a huge Kindle fan. I don't think I would have found this book/author at Barnes and Noble or any other brick and mortar store. I loved the book, and am looking forward to Mr. Richards' next offering. Anyone who likes David Baldacci, Vince Flynn, and Brad Thor will love this book.
Bite your tongue Bob, I do agree that we get great recommendations because of her ereaders, but I can't imagine life with out bookstores. The Border's closing has me very sad...... :(
Devil’s Kitchen by Clark Lohr 2011, trade paper back
http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Kitchen-...
Review:
“Perez had been thinking that these cops would be eating out of the palm of his hand. Now his convict’s instincts told him he’d made a crown out of tinfoil. Fear and self pity grabbed him like a whore grabs a mark’s elbow. ‘I’m in trouble,’ he said.” Excerpt from Devil’s Kitchen.
Tuscon is Manny Aguilar ‘s world. He’s a detective in the Pima Co. Sheriff’s office. And except for a Yaqui grandmother whose ghostly influence later saves his hide, the detective is much like an Arizona oak; strong, thick and stubbornly rooted in the heritage of Tucson’s Mexican American community.
A bachelor, he lives in a small house with a tom-cat he calls Gray Boy. He has a beautiful green –eyed woman he loves, an extended family, not to mention lots of friends. But, called to the local dump to investigate an apparent homicide, he’s thrown into the beginning of a very strange and dangerous investigation. And, that’s all Manny has to go on—one head, no body. The head has been tentatively ID’d as a drunk named Harper, and here we get another dose of the author’s macabre sense of humor, reminding me of another fine suspense author, Martin Cruz Smith, and the scene when Detective Renko brings a head for forensics to ID.
(Suzanna Storm, the forensic dentist has just finished the exam)
“Oh come back anytime,” she said. “We’ll be waiting.” She put her arm around Harper’s head as if she were putting it around the shoulders of a playmate. Then she stared at them and smiled. Manny & Daryl headed back to the conference building, looking for normal people and daylight.
Here and there I see a lyrical, almost hypnotic dance with Manny’s Indian side; like when Manny isn’t sure whether his girlfriend has been repainting the walls of her home or maybe the house is simply reinventing itself. And then there’s his Yaqui grandmother who taps into his dreams to give him clues. Reminds me of James Lee Burke and his Texas Ranger series where he has an on-going dialogue with the ghost of his partner.
I could rhapsodize all day about the incredible writing of this author, but then I’d run out of room before I told you that he’s also tells a hell-of-a-good story. He has a keen sense of humor and his research into local lore of Tucson, and especially Arizona, is spot on. His writing is very original and literary, with strong direct dialogue and beautifully sculpted characters that you will love—or hate –in appropriate doses.
Devil’s Kitchen is an outstanding read, and I believe that Mr. Lohr will soon stand shoulder to shoulder to some of America’s finest literary mystery and suspense writers… just read this book and see if you don’t agree!
RP Dahlke
www.rpdahlke.com
www.allmysteryenewsletter.com
Devil's Kitchen
http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Kitchen-...
Review:
“Perez had been thinking that these cops would be eating out of the palm of his hand. Now his convict’s instincts told him he’d made a crown out of tinfoil. Fear and self pity grabbed him like a whore grabs a mark’s elbow. ‘I’m in trouble,’ he said.” Excerpt from Devil’s Kitchen.
Tuscon is Manny Aguilar ‘s world. He’s a detective in the Pima Co. Sheriff’s office. And except for a Yaqui grandmother whose ghostly influence later saves his hide, the detective is much like an Arizona oak; strong, thick and stubbornly rooted in the heritage of Tucson’s Mexican American community.
A bachelor, he lives in a small house with a tom-cat he calls Gray Boy. He has a beautiful green –eyed woman he loves, an extended family, not to mention lots of friends. But, called to the local dump to investigate an apparent homicide, he’s thrown into the beginning of a very strange and dangerous investigation. And, that’s all Manny has to go on—one head, no body. The head has been tentatively ID’d as a drunk named Harper, and here we get another dose of the author’s macabre sense of humor, reminding me of another fine suspense author, Martin Cruz Smith, and the scene when Detective Renko brings a head for forensics to ID.
(Suzanna Storm, the forensic dentist has just finished the exam)
“Oh come back anytime,” she said. “We’ll be waiting.” She put her arm around Harper’s head as if she were putting it around the shoulders of a playmate. Then she stared at them and smiled. Manny & Daryl headed back to the conference building, looking for normal people and daylight.
Here and there I see a lyrical, almost hypnotic dance with Manny’s Indian side; like when Manny isn’t sure whether his girlfriend has been repainting the walls of her home or maybe the house is simply reinventing itself. And then there’s his Yaqui grandmother who taps into his dreams to give him clues. Reminds me of James Lee Burke and his Texas Ranger series where he has an on-going dialogue with the ghost of his partner.
I could rhapsodize all day about the incredible writing of this author, but then I’d run out of room before I told you that he’s also tells a hell-of-a-good story. He has a keen sense of humor and his research into local lore of Tucson, and especially Arizona, is spot on. His writing is very original and literary, with strong direct dialogue and beautifully sculpted characters that you will love—or hate –in appropriate doses.
Devil’s Kitchen is an outstanding read, and I believe that Mr. Lohr will soon stand shoulder to shoulder to some of America’s finest literary mystery and suspense writers… just read this book and see if you don’t agree!
RP Dahlke
www.rpdahlke.com
www.allmysteryenewsletter.com
Devil's Kitchen
Books 1 and 2 in the Commissario De Luca series. I liked the second more than the first, but both describe the period and the situation in Italy very well.
#1 Carte Blanche: Review here
#2 The Damned Season: Review here
#1 Carte Blanche: Review here
#2 The Damned Season: Review here
M. J. McGrath takes readers to the coldest, northernmost inhabited location on the planet: Ellesmere Island in the Canadian High Arctic, where winter temperatures regularly plummet to –50C, and the sun remains absent 24 hours a day a full four months of the year. This is a story of survival in extreme with a touch of murder. Great characters. Highly recommended, if you don't want to buy it than try your luck on new york journal of books giveaway. Here's the link to enter:http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/givea...
I downloaded An Uncertain Refuge, by Carolyn J. Rose for an afternoon read on the couch, chips and ice-tea at hand. I managed to move from couch to dinner table, then back to couch, then to bed and by 11:30pm I finished this very satisfying Indy author’s book in record time because I simply had to read it all without stopping.This is suspense at its finest.
Kate Dalton runs a women's shelter in Arkansas, but when an abusive ex-con husband takes a knife to his wife, Kate steps out of her comfort zone and in the altercation, he dies. Pushed by her superiors to capitalize on the incident with a sleazy movie company, Kate, without anything to keep her in this town, leaves her job for the open road, intent on starting over.
Then she gets a request from the battered woman whose husband Katy killed—take her son. Kate has no husband, no children and she intends to keep it that way. But, the woman is adamant, take him, or she’ll put him in foster care.
In spite of her better judgment, Kate’s heart softens and she agrees to take the shattered woman's nine-year old son, nick-named WayRay for two weeks while the woman recuperates—that is until they get to Oregon and the boy has a medical emergency and Kate must get the mother’s permission for an appendectomy. The message machine for the mother refers all questions to a lawyer. She’s gone, leaving behind a sick and agitated child, and Kate, who tries not to panic. The lawyer fixes the problem with the hospital and Kate’s guardianship, but not the final question of where WayRay’s mom has gone or why she ran.
Seeing an opportunity to get a cheap place for the boy to recover and some additional money, Kate takes a temporary job in a local motel as manager, and in doing so, acquires a ready-made circle of friends in Rhea, the wise cracking, chain-smoking and big hearted motel manager, and Evie who runs a wildlife refuge on the coast; and eventually, a man of steadfast character who sees something special in Kate and comes to love her.
The question of why the boy’s mother is gone is soon resolved when Kate hires a PI to look for her. The dead ex-con husband has a half-brother and he’s hell-bound to finish the job his brother started and he kills first PI and then the mother, but when he makes a grab for the boy Kate and her friends fight back.
This book reads like women's fiction, thick with beautifully written atmosphere. The protagonist is a deeply introspective woman and the story has incredibly well developed secondary characters. The ending is perfect and remarkable in that there was not the over-the-top violence done in so many suspense novels.
I’m going back for more Carolyn J Rose books—they’re terrific at any price and this one is just $.99 on Kindle
RP Dahlke
A DEAD RED CADILLAC
A DEAD RED HEART
Wow RP, that sounds like a great book, I just downloaed it on my Nook, and I got it for $0.99 as well - thanks!!!
I recently read CHILDREN OF THE FOG by Cheryl K Tardif. This story will keep you in suspense. Here's my reviewhttp://russellparkway.blogspot.com/20...
Cheryl even asked me to ACT OUT a scene from the book. I put it up on YouTube. You can check it out here:
http://russellparkway.blogspot.com/20...
I recently read and reviewed the Baker's Wife. It is a suspenseful mystery steeped with religious overtones. Please check out my review at :http://kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewe...
I gave it a 4 out of 5.
Hayes, I felt much the same about Carte Blanche by Lucarelli, but I look forward to reading the next one too. There's too much to like for me. I recently reviewed The Quest for Anna Klein by Thomas H. Cook for Noir Journal. It's historical espionage about a would-be American spy who spends a lifetime tracking down the woman he longs for — and must avenge:
http://www.stephenfanderson.com/Autho...
Next up: 80s German crime noir classic More Beer by Jakob Arjouni.
To DAN re:The Matt Scudder series. It is one of my favorites I'll have to read the one yo u just reviewed . It sounds as good as all the others. Lucy @7:50on 9-4-11
I'm about halfway through it and so far, Dan's review is dead-on. This is a very good book and any Scudder fan will certainly want to have it.
I was reading Kirkus Reviews today and found out that the book I nominated for the Sept/Oct group read has won the Kirkus Indie Star. The review was fantastic! I am hoping that everyone gets a chance to read The Dark Before Dawn by Laurie Stevens. I am sorry that I was too late to nominate the book again for this next read.The Dark Before Dawn
Linda, I agree the Border's closing was devastating. There is nothing like sitting down with a stack of books that you just wanna look over and a cup of coffee. Oh well I guess we still have Barnes and Noble. Lucy @7:45 on10-6-11
Death After MidnightThis book came out this year. I read it a short time ago but couldn't find time to review it until yesterday.
If you enjoy reading about conspiracy theories and secret societies, this mystery is for you.
Erich wrote: "I just finished, Havana, by S. Hunter. I also noticed a few bad reviews of this book, but I don't think they're warranted. It's well-written and consistent. He uses Havana and the real history of C..."Erich, I read Havana some years ago, and I also enjoyed it a lot. Not my favorite of the Stephen Hunter thrillers, though; I prefer his Bob Lee Swagger series to Earl's, especially Point of Impact, Black Light, and Time to Hunt, which are sensational thrillers.
Mike wrote: "MY GUN IS QUICK by Mickey Spillane (1950)All the snide remarks and bad reviews that Mickey Spillane received during his sixty-year career couldn’t mask the passion that comes blasting through in ..."
Mike, let me add a simple "amen" to that. Mickey's (and Mike Hammer's) passion for justice propel these wonderful tales, and My Gun Is Quick was one of his best.
Looks like this thread has been dormant for a while. I'm glad to see Mickey Spillane was mentioned as I'm going to go even further back in the Wayback Machine and recommend one I've read and re-read several times.Raymond Chandler : Stories and Early Novels : Pulp Stories / The Big Sleep / Farewell, My Lovely / The High Window. Also his The Simple Art of Murder though the first one includes [I think] everything in the latter.
I just love how he writes Philip Marlowe in the first person and his descriptions are true scene setters. One of my favorites is the first paragraph from 'Red Wind':
"Those hot dry winds that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen."
James Ellroy (Author)is similar but he learned his craft from the master.
I always have liked R. Chandler. If you want to read about old L.A. he's definitely the one to read cause nobody told it like he did. LUCY @9:10p.m. on 11-4-11
Lucy wrote: "I always have liked R. Chandler. If you want to read about old L.A. he's definitely the one to read cause nobody told it like he did. LUCY @9:10p.m. on 11-4-11"Another is
Dashiell Hammett, best known for The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man Series both made into movies in the '40s. His Los Angeles work seems to pre-date Chandler by about a decade. When he writes of Santa Monica, its just a run down village on the coast. I like Red Harvest. What I didn't know before was Hammett was a Pinkerton before taking up the pen.
If you like Hammett, you might enjoy Devil's Garden, by Ace Atkins, which is a fictionalized account of the famous Fatty Arbukle case in which Hammett appears iin a major role as a young Pinkerton.
Here's my review of Paris Is A Bitch -- A Rain/Delilah Short Storyby Barry Eisler http://www.myspace.com/russellparkway...Excellent short story.
Russell Brooks
Just to remind everyone not to link to the book itself, but to your review of the book, because your review is not necessarily the first one in the list and may be hard to find. You have to open the review by clicking on "see review" and then copying that link.
I'll use yours Russell, thank you, as it's the last one posted.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Russell, you can post your books in the "Author's Corner" folder, which might be a better place for them.
I'll use yours Russell, thank you, as it's the last one posted.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Russell, you can post your books in the "Author's Corner" folder, which might be a better place for them.
Can anyone tell me why, when I go to write a review, I get a screen full of text that can not be deleted and begins like this?This is needed for Opera -- textarea innerHTML doesn't work on textareas that // were hidden, so we have to re-render them explicitly in the browser var userStatusTextArea = $$('#edit_user_status_review_233561798 textarea')[0] if (userStatusTextArea) { userStatusTextArea.setStyle({'display': 'block', 'height': '100px'}); } var reviewTextArea = $$('#form_review_233561798 textarea')[0] if (reviewTextArea) { reviewTextArea.setStyle({'display': 'block', 'height': 'auto'}); } window.toggleMoreOptions = function() { $$('.moreOptions').each(function(elt) {elt.toggle(
and goes on and on and on?
It's fixed itself now. I had three books to review and that salad appeared in all the supposed-to-be-blank review boxes but it had vanished by about 9 PM.
Timothy wrote: "Can anyone tell me why, when I go to write a review, I get a screen full of text that can not be deleted and begins like this?This is needed for Opera -- textarea innerHTML doesn't work on textar..."
My review showed the same way but I think goodreads might have been anticipating 'posting as a blog', hence the HTML. I clicked that but it hasn't showed up on my website yet so still playing with that feature.
Just this morning, for some reason, I started thinking how much I enjoyed Martin Cruz Smith and his Arkady Renko series. I added to 'my books' one of my favorites and, while searching, found there are three I haven't yet read. I'm looking forward to them.Here's my review of Gorky Park: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77...
Hi Ken,
Check your link: you've linked to another Smith Book (Polar Star) instead of your review.
I love the Renko series and have read the first 3. Gorky Park was a pretty good movie, too.
Check your link: you've linked to another Smith Book (Polar Star) instead of your review.
I love the Renko series and have read the first 3. Gorky Park was a pretty good movie, too.
Hi all new to the group but just finished The Cutting by James Haymanhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38...
and I thought the following which i have just reviewed
My review....This is a book of 2 halves and the first in a series by James Hayman. The story is simple and well told,a number of young girls are being killed and it would appear that their hearts are being stolen, presumably harvested to be used in a later transplant auction. The first half is fast, taut and moves along at a great pace....the doubts begin to emerge when it becomes apparent that the killer is using the hearts to sell to the highest bidder...to harvest them. It is strange that Tess Gerristen has sanctioned the book especially as she wrote a very similar (and much better) story a few years ago titled strangely enough "Harvest" The second part of the book seems to fall apart, McCabe our chief detective has a young daughter who is 14 and naturally the reader presumes that she will at some point be captured by the killer and murdered as part of the "heart harvesting" operation...this does not happen...and it seems to me that the author used this as a red herring...although I do not understand why. Secondly the killer's id is known well before the book's conclusion...and so there are no real surprises at the end. It appears to me that Mr Hayman had a really good read for the first half and then it all ran out of steam....both plot and story telling...it's a pity because I did enjoy his writing style and hopefully the second in the series "The Chill of Night" will make good these mistakes.
Hayes wrote: "Hi Ken,Check your link: you've linked to another Smith Book (Polar Star) instead of your review.
I love the Renko series and have read the first 3. Gorky Park was a pretty good movie, too."
Oh well, as long as they get to the series. I reviewed Polar Star but recommended the reader start with Gorky Park
Hi Trev, welcome.
Ken: What I meant was that your link isn't going to your review, but to the book itself (in the last case to a different book) and since we're not "friends" I can't find your review among the hundreds that are there. I wanted to take a look at your review is all. :-)
Ken: What I meant was that your link isn't going to your review, but to the book itself (in the last case to a different book) and since we're not "friends" I can't find your review among the hundreds that are there. I wanted to take a look at your review is all. :-)
Hayes wrote: "Hi Trev, welcome. Ken: What I meant was that your link isn't going to your review, but to the book itself (in the last case to a different book) and since we're not "friends" I can't find your re..."
Not sure how to get there because I'm getting to the review from my bookshelf. The review is from 11-13-11
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77...
The alternative is friend each other. I'll go first.
When you click on the book link you should see the main book info at the top. The link that is at the top of the page is the main book link, and should look like this:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/XXXXX (where the Xs are each books identifying code)
You need to go down to "My Review" (which will be your review, really), and right above the comment box you should see "see review" in green. Click on that.
Now the link at the top of the page should say
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
and your review will be linked.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/XXXXX (where the Xs are each books identifying code)
You need to go down to "My Review" (which will be your review, really), and right above the comment box you should see "see review" in green. Click on that.
Now the link at the top of the page should say
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
and your review will be linked.
Hayes wrote: "When you click on the book link you should see the main book info at the top. The link that is at the top of the page is the main book link, and should look like this:http://www.goodreads.com/boo..."
This work? http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Ken wrote: "This work?"
Perfect! Thanks for sharing Ken.
Perfect! Thanks for sharing Ken.
Just read Gone by Mo Hayder....what a disappointment..here's my reviewhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73...
Trev wrote: "Just read Gone by Mo Hayder....what a disappointment..here's my review
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73..."
Hi Trev... read the instructions in message #92 because you too have linked to the book and not to your review, which I can't see.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73..."
Hi Trev... read the instructions in message #92 because you too have linked to the book and not to your review, which I can't see.
got you Hayes...and here's my review for what it's worth :))http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Is there a page where I can call attention to a review by someone else that I enjoyed? I'm not so good at tooting my own horn and feel self-conscious about posting my reviews in a way that seems self-congratulatory (even if they deserve it), but I' feel a lot more comfortable praising someone else's review and that would save them feeling uncomfortable about plugging it themselves.
I just finished Kelli Stanley's City of Secrets set in San Francisco in 1940. Her previous book in the series City of Dragons won the Macavity Award for Best Historical Mystery in 2010, so, as you can imagine, she writes a compelling story. Gritty characters that you like even when they aren't always behaving well, so to speak! And she completely puts you in SF in that intriguing period. My review.
My review of The Alienist is here. For those involved in the current group read of this book, the review isn't spoiler-y.
Hugh (A.K.A. Hermit the Curmudgeon) wrote: "Is there a page where I can call attention to a review by someone else that I enjoyed?.."Hugh, if the person whose review you like is a member of this group, I can't see any reason why you couldn't put a link in this thread.
The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group
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I wrote a full review of it, so you can get a better idea of the book. Go here: http://mikedennisnoir.com/review-kiss...