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Georgia
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Apr 16, 2016 08:39AM
I would just like to comment that I'm enjoying this thread as these reviews are greater in depth than the average comment and will result in choosing what I may read. Jim does a great job on All the Light We Cannot See
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Who Buries the DeadI want to thank the publisher for sending this book in return for an honest review, through the Goodreads Giveaway program. I enjoyed reading this book and found it hard to put down once I was halfway through. This book is a tale of historical fiction, which takes place from March 21-31, 1813, London, England. A wealthy plantation owner's body is found, with the severed head a short distance away. The local magistrate calls in Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin and Earl of Hendon.
Devlin has a talent for solving murders and does not charge the magistrate.
Devlin's old enemy, former army officer Lord Oliphant, is one of the suspects. Not until the end did I find out the identity of the murderer and it was a surprise. The plot moved along well and the characters were believable. This is book 10 in the series, and I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous books in the series, but it read ok as a semi stand alone. I plan to read more of this series. This book is a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
Cold Shot to the Heart
is a straight-ahead, fast-reading crime novel set against a familiar backdrop and full of familiar character types doing fairly familiar things. Buckle up for sheer speed, don't expect to be dazzled by original twists and turns, and you'll have a good time. 3.5 stars rounded down to three.Read the full review here.
I was just blown away by Lunar Options by T.R. Locke.
I've read it twice so far, but I have a feeling I'm going to be reading it two more times. You can see the link to my review of it here. Check it out thriller lovers. He's a new author and there are three other books coming in the series. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Crush
is a fast, fun, vitamin-free ride while you're in the thick of it and being dragged along at warp speed; it's only when you stop that the whole thing dissolves into fairy dust. At bottom, it's a novelization of a Vin Diesel movie that hasn't been made yet, with all that implies. Two stars.Read the full review here.
Finally, I got around to posting my review of
by Fiona Barton. It fell between three and four stars (reasons explained in review) and in the end, I gave it three stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...
Despite being written by a Cuban and set in Cuba,
Havana Blue
could just as easily take place in any other decaying Third World city, such as Miami or Detroit. It's steeped in all the detective-story tropes that have become so familiar through overuse. The characters are well-drafted, though, and interesting enough to hang around with if you're not looking for plot twists or excitement. Three estrellas.Read the full review here.
Science has gone boho to help answer one of the thornier questions in art: is that painting real? This is the story Dr. Jehane Ragai tells in clear, non-textbook prose in The Scientist and the Forger.Whether you’re marking time until CSI: National Gallery comes along, or you need the latest scoop on what not to do while you’re producing your next counterfeit Picasso, you need this book. But it’s also a good pick if you’re into art crime, forensic science, or just seeing scientists doing things that fit Clarke’s third law. Five gold stars for an academic book.
Because I reviewed this book for Criminal Element, I can't copy it all here. However, you can read the entire review -- and a bunch of other good stuff -- here.
This was a little hidden gem, a novella by Maggie James: Blackwater Lake
. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Another quick read: Bone Dry: An Action-Packed Medical Technothriller
.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finally got around to reading Ruth Ware's first novel In a Dark, Dark Wood. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Now I can't wait to read her next one!
For more reviews and author interviews visit: https://fictionophile.wordpress.com/
The Kings of Cool
is two stories smashed together. One is a prequel to the successful
Savages
, detailing that book's trio of antiheroes before they were the kings of the Laguna Beach artisanal pot world. The other is the saga of the organized drug trade's birth on the SoCal coast in the 1960s. Both benefit from the patented Don Winslow attitude and wordsmithing, but the latter is far more interesting than the former. Three stars.Read the full review here.
Bad Blood
might not be for everyone, as it has a serious subject, but Virgil Flowers fans will probably like it. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A debut novel from NetGalley: The Homeplace: A Mystery
. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished!
My review on Goodreads (without images): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review with images: https://fictionophile.wordpress.com/2...
Yes! recently read and am v happy to recommend the new Easy Rawlins novel by Walter MosleyStill sparkles. Still slices. Still brilliant...
Full review:-
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress...
Quick review:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you read heist books for the heist, be prepared to be seriously let down by
Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History
. If you read them for the interesting/charismatic/compelling culprits, ditto. If you want a master's class in making nonfiction read like fiction, this book is for you. I wasn't, so I gave it two stars.See the full review here.
Lance wrote: "If you read heist books for the heist, be prepared to be seriously let down by Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History . If you read them for t..."I read it some time ago and don't remember all the details but do recall thinking that"The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History" was well off the mark as a description of what happened.
Among the Wicked
may be my favorite of Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder novels. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Even if I weren't a beta reader for HN Wake, I would LOVE her books.
Serpents in the City just hit Amazon today. Here's my review:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Finished 'Victim without a face' and put my thoughts together. A 3* book for me - and I'm obviously out of step with the majority who seem to adore it. But it was so outlandish, and the author appeared to confuse 'more' with 'better'...https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress...
Gomorrah: A Personal Journey Into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System
is billed as “a personal journey.” As a native Neapolitan who grew up under the shadow of the Camorra, the whole subject is personal to Roberto Saviano, the author. It's both a blessing and a curse; while he's clearly deeply connected to the material and tells some fascinating stories, he also tends to ramble, and much of the book is mafia inside baseball that will often confuse any reader without an Italian passport.Because I wrote this review for Criminal Element, I can't reproduce it all here. Read the complete review -- and other good stuff -- here.
A new book from one of my favorite home-state (Minnesota) authors: Manitou Canyon
. Love this series! More please, Mr. Krueger!https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished Angela Marsons' fifth Kim Stone books, Blood Lines
.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Two books I just finished: Dark Water
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Blood Lines
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jean wrote: "Even if I weren't a beta reader for HN Wake, I would LOVE her books. Serpents in the City just hit Amazon today. Here's my review:https://w..."
I have to agree with Jean - I've just started 'Serpents' and am thoroughly enjoying it so far...
Took a break from Christmas cozies to read (re-read, actually) Stacy Green's Hear No Lies
. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm reading
by Francis Nevins--great noirish shot stories, often with a twisted sense of humor. I especially recommend "Night of Silken Snow" and "Toad Cop."
Web of Deceit: A DI Sally Parker novella.
I've been spoiled by some fantastic novelists. This was a 3.5 for me.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Well... here's my review of this classic: TDOTJ. “Half a million dollars is the price,” says the blonde Englishman being hired to assassinate French President Charles De Gaulle. “Considering you expect to get France itself, you esteem your country very cheap,” he adds noting the shock at his fee...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A review of Tinker Tailor… by John le Carre. ‘Tinker, Tailor...’ is an enduring Cold War thriller given fresh life by the 2011 film and Gary Oldman’s performance as George Smiley: brilliant spy and totally inadequate man…
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Rock Paper Tiger
is a fast-paced thriller with a bowl-of-noodles plot and a massively flawed protagonist. Through it, you'll get a rat's-eye view of the chaos caused by wreaking drastic, jet-speed change on China, which has been through more seismic shocks in half a century than most nations see in a millennium. Like that chaos, the story isn't pretty and doesn't always make sense. But if you're looking for something different, this could be your bowl of jiaozi. Three and a half dumplings rounded up to four for sheer attitude.Read the entire review here.
I read The Devil's Feast by M.J. Carter. I preferred the first book in the series, which was terrific. My review if the latest:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Michael Connelly is still writing very good books! The Wrong Side of Goodbye
is 21st in the Bosch series!https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Gunshine State
is fast-reading empty calories perfect for a transcon flight or a day on the beach. Its worldview is darker than the inside of a wombat's pouch and its characters all come from that infamous basket of deplorables. If all this sounds good to you, check it out; you'll have a nasty good time. If you'd like a character to root for, or some fresh plotting, or at least twists worthy of the name, then move along, mate. Three meat pies.Read the full review here.
I Am Pilgrim was on my reading list for some time. 
There was much to recommend, but, unfortunately, I found the on-going, xenophobic undercurrent made it a distasteful read.
What a shame.
Here's a link to my review-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3 stars.
Not strictly a crime book, though the events are often criminal...The conflict in eastern Ukraine is one of the world's many festering sores. How did a country that should be so rich end up as such a basket case? In Wartime: Stories from Ukraine takes us on a pointillistic tour of modern Ukraine to talk to the locals and show us how two centuries of rotten-to-the-core history have made the current war inevitable. Four big bulletholes.
Read the full review here.
Crime and the Art Market
is a serious, solid introduction to the broad issues surrounding art-related crime, that also happens to be reasonably readable. Although it’s short (160 pages), you won’t want to try to read it on the beach, but it won’t break your brain, either. It’s not so much reportage as is it truth-seeking. Don’t come in expecting James Patterson and you won’t be disappointed. Three and a half special-exhibit tickets rounded up to four as a membership bonus.Because I wrote this review for Criminal Element, I can't reproduce it all here. Read the complete review -- and other good stuff -- here.
Savage Season
is a solid introduction to a personable pair of common-Joe protagonists who can navigate the gray area between straight and crooked. Solid characterization of the protagonists and a world that feels like it's earned its frayed edges balance off against an Act 3 shift in tone that may leave you a bit whipsawed. Still, pop open a Pearl and have a gander -- you might find something you'll like. Four stars.Read the full review here.
Just finished listening to
The Narrows by Michael Connelly, in which The Poet, Connelly's best ever villain, makes a reappearance. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life: A Former CIA Officer Reveals Safety and Survival Techniques to Keep You and Your Family Protected
may give you some valuable advice if you've led a sheltered life. Mostly what you'll get is, in essence, the lecture notes for one of the author's classes, or an extended pitch for his many business endeavors. You won't finish this book as James Bond, but you may learn an important spy secret: how to promise more than you deliver. Two microdots.Read the full review here.
Just finished the first book in Stacy Green's new series, Killing Jane
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (other topics)The Grey Wolf (other topics)
A Tale of Two Cities (other topics)
Being Lena Levi (other topics)
The Little Drummer Girl (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Louise Penny (other topics)Elle Cosimano (other topics)
John le Carré (other topics)
John le Carré (other topics)
John le Carré (other topics)
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