Ordinarily I don't care for short stories but I've been a fan of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone since A is for Alias so there was no way I would miss this book. Then I discovered that it is so much more than a collection of stories; it includes a lot of information about Grafton's life that she never talks about and some stories about a character named Kit Blue. Blue's stories are from the decade after Grafton's mother died. They deal with the alcoholism of both of her parents in real life as well as her mother's death. It's an emotional journey of self discovery.
The Kinsey stories are short versions of her books written for various publications. There is even one written for Land's End which features one of their parkas. I got a big kick out of these little gems, some with surprising twists at the end and all excellent examples of how to write a short story. Her quick portraits of characters are spot-on and most of the tales are very funny. I just began to write about some examples but realized they were spoilers so I can't very well tell you much because I'll drift into spoiler land. Well trust me, you'll love them.
The Kit Blue stories are heart-wrenching. They showed me the depth of emotion Grafton feels but also a different side to her writing skills. I never cry when reading a book but I came pretty close in this section. Kit and her older sister became the parents because of their parents' alcoholism, and they had to learn responsibility for others and how to take care of a home and family way too early. Then when their father remarried, learning to deal with a difficult stepmother was another challenge. It told me much about Grafton and the origin of her series characters.
I had gone to the library to get another book but just had to grab this one from the display in the fiction department. So glad I did. Kinsey and Me was a fast read but one that greatly affected me.
Highly recommended
Source: library
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
THE REDEEMER by Jo Nesbo
The Scandinavian invasion in crime fiction caught me off guard, so much so that I am only now trying my first novel from that phenomenon. I know, I'm years late but at least I finally decided to jump in. I had heard about Jo Nesbo and his hero Harry Hole; I even know how to pronounce Hole's last name, so I wasn't totally behind times. Anyway, I noticed Nesbo's newest volume was available at Amazon Vine so I requested it.
I wonder now if all of these novels would give me the same reaction. Reading The Redeemer is like watching a black and white movie. It's colorless for the most part, the only color being the light turquoise blue of one character's eyes, and of course red blood in the snow. Hole is a complex alcoholic loner detective whose heart is in the right place. He defies authority to do what he knows is right, and he has compassion for victims. I like him even though I find him somewhat depressing. He figures things out with the help of experience and thought rather than being a super-detective who just seems to know things. The killer is exactly his opposite.
Perhaps it's because this novel is set in Oslo in the winter, with a little foray into Serbia, but the predominant impression is of freezing cold, darkness, gloom, isolated characters who are irredeemably sad, and people who suffer through no fault of their own. The Salvation Army as an organization is very much a character as well and some of the characters are members. Despite the overwhelming sadness, I followed the story greedily as I tried to deduce who did what to whom and why. I didn't actually know until near the end.
Thankfully about the time I finished the book the sun came out here and the temperature went up into the 70s. Gosh, it was nice to warm up. I should read the next one in this series during a heat wave. And I will read more of them. The writing, the atmosphere, the characters are all beautifully written.
Recommended reading
Source: Amazon Vine
I wonder now if all of these novels would give me the same reaction. Reading The Redeemer is like watching a black and white movie. It's colorless for the most part, the only color being the light turquoise blue of one character's eyes, and of course red blood in the snow. Hole is a complex alcoholic loner detective whose heart is in the right place. He defies authority to do what he knows is right, and he has compassion for victims. I like him even though I find him somewhat depressing. He figures things out with the help of experience and thought rather than being a super-detective who just seems to know things. The killer is exactly his opposite.
Perhaps it's because this novel is set in Oslo in the winter, with a little foray into Serbia, but the predominant impression is of freezing cold, darkness, gloom, isolated characters who are irredeemably sad, and people who suffer through no fault of their own. The Salvation Army as an organization is very much a character as well and some of the characters are members. Despite the overwhelming sadness, I followed the story greedily as I tried to deduce who did what to whom and why. I didn't actually know until near the end.
Thankfully about the time I finished the book the sun came out here and the temperature went up into the 70s. Gosh, it was nice to warm up. I should read the next one in this series during a heat wave. And I will read more of them. The writing, the atmosphere, the characters are all beautifully written.
Recommended reading
Source: Amazon Vine
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
THE TROUBLE WITH CHARLIE by Merry Jones
I don't want to short the murder mystery factor here, but this is a very funny book with quirky characters that will have you laughing out loud throughout. The quirkiest of all is Elle, through whose eyes we follow the story. She and Charlie are nearing a divorce when Elle finds him dead on her couch in the study with a knife in his back. That's the main trouble with Charlie although there are other issues as well; he's a very troublesome dead man it turns out.
The other main issue is Elle's problem. She tends to sort of space out when things get hairy. She imagines herself floating to the ceiling and watching whatever is happening to or around her. She has three bosom buddies who have their own oddities and they are determined to protect her at all costs. They have been close friends for years and know when she is "pulling an Elle" so they band together to make decisions for her - and she lets them. The results of making decisions by committee are mixed at best. However, one of the friends, Susan, is a lawyer and she immediately takes Elle's defense.
The spouse of course is the most logical suspect in the murder, especially in the midst of a divorce when the victim is also found in the wife's house bleeding all over her couch. There are plenty of other candidates though, and in a departure from comedy, some of the suspects are involved in some pretty disgusting and criminal behavior. A lot of questions revolve around Charlie's business partner for instance. Elle is in very real danger because of these suspects and the suspense is enough to have you madly turning pages.
There are times when you want to slap Elle up the side of the head because she's so dense, but then she or her friends have you laughing too hard to stay irritated. All in all I loved these characters, and really hated the bad guys. This is a terrific story, perfect for reading by the pool this summer.
Highly recommended
Source: Oceanview Publishing through Partners in Crime Book Tours
The other main issue is Elle's problem. She tends to sort of space out when things get hairy. She imagines herself floating to the ceiling and watching whatever is happening to or around her. She has three bosom buddies who have their own oddities and they are determined to protect her at all costs. They have been close friends for years and know when she is "pulling an Elle" so they band together to make decisions for her - and she lets them. The results of making decisions by committee are mixed at best. However, one of the friends, Susan, is a lawyer and she immediately takes Elle's defense.
The spouse of course is the most logical suspect in the murder, especially in the midst of a divorce when the victim is also found in the wife's house bleeding all over her couch. There are plenty of other candidates though, and in a departure from comedy, some of the suspects are involved in some pretty disgusting and criminal behavior. A lot of questions revolve around Charlie's business partner for instance. Elle is in very real danger because of these suspects and the suspense is enough to have you madly turning pages.
There are times when you want to slap Elle up the side of the head because she's so dense, but then she or her friends have you laughing too hard to stay irritated. All in all I loved these characters, and really hated the bad guys. This is a terrific story, perfect for reading by the pool this summer.
Highly recommended
Source: Oceanview Publishing through Partners in Crime Book Tours
Thursday, April 25, 2013
THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN, Hallie Ephron
There Was an Old Woman is labeled as a suspense novel, and I suppose that's technically true. To my mind, however, it is also a wake-up call to all of us about how easily in real life vulnerable old people, particularly women, are being taken advantage of all too often. You are old, maybe neglected, live alone and possibly have physical and/or mental issues. That makes you an easy target for unscrupulous con artists, maybe even relatives who want what little you have.
In this wonderful novel each character is so real that the reader really cares about them, or hates them and enjoys seeing their plans go awry. Evie Ferrante is our heroine. She is a curator at the Five-Boroughs Historical Society and she is shepherding a historical artifact from the Empire State Building to feature in her first exhibition. The topic is major fires in New York City, a natural for her since her beloved father had been a firefighter. It was not a good time for her sister to call and demand her help because their mother was hospitalized in bad shape.
That takes Evie back to the neighborhood where she grew up and into the middle of a terrible mess. Mom is an alcoholic and her house looks like a hoarder's. There doesn't appear to have been any maintenance done on the house in years and it is literally falling apart. Evie is sad and discouraged, but when she talks to the neighbor Mina Yetner, the woman becomes a link to the happier past and a friend.
She also meets other neighbors and the man who has taken over his father's general store down the street. He at least is good looking and intelligent, and he is very helpful in her attempts to make the house safe and clean. Mina's nephew on the other hand is obviously up to no good as he seems to spend more and more time with her, and try to keep Evie away.
I was so involved in this story I could hardly put the book down. I figured out early in the book what was happening, although I under-estimated the extent of the crimes. It was the characters who kept me turning the pages, cheering for the old women and hoping Evie could save them from the evil in their midst. It is a psychological rather than violent mystery, but there is a bit of violence involved. I guarantee you will be horrified at the damage done to the victims in the story.
I also enjoyed the history of New York City that is a large part of the story and I think you will too. This is a unique novel and I enjoyed every page of it.
Highly recommended
Source: Publisher through Partners in Crime Book Tours
In this wonderful novel each character is so real that the reader really cares about them, or hates them and enjoys seeing their plans go awry. Evie Ferrante is our heroine. She is a curator at the Five-Boroughs Historical Society and she is shepherding a historical artifact from the Empire State Building to feature in her first exhibition. The topic is major fires in New York City, a natural for her since her beloved father had been a firefighter. It was not a good time for her sister to call and demand her help because their mother was hospitalized in bad shape.
That takes Evie back to the neighborhood where she grew up and into the middle of a terrible mess. Mom is an alcoholic and her house looks like a hoarder's. There doesn't appear to have been any maintenance done on the house in years and it is literally falling apart. Evie is sad and discouraged, but when she talks to the neighbor Mina Yetner, the woman becomes a link to the happier past and a friend.
She also meets other neighbors and the man who has taken over his father's general store down the street. He at least is good looking and intelligent, and he is very helpful in her attempts to make the house safe and clean. Mina's nephew on the other hand is obviously up to no good as he seems to spend more and more time with her, and try to keep Evie away.
I was so involved in this story I could hardly put the book down. I figured out early in the book what was happening, although I under-estimated the extent of the crimes. It was the characters who kept me turning the pages, cheering for the old women and hoping Evie could save them from the evil in their midst. It is a psychological rather than violent mystery, but there is a bit of violence involved. I guarantee you will be horrified at the damage done to the victims in the story.
I also enjoyed the history of New York City that is a large part of the story and I think you will too. This is a unique novel and I enjoyed every page of it.
Highly recommended
Source: Publisher through Partners in Crime Book Tours
Monday, April 22, 2013
IF YOU WERE HERE, Alafair Burke
McKenna Wright is a heroine I can believe in. No super powers or jumping into a situation wiser women would get away from. She's smart, yes, but also blessed with common sense. She's married to a West Point grad and they were both friends with one of his classmates, Susan Hauptmann. They were aware that Susan had problems with her stern military father. Then Susan seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. She left behind everything in her life in New York City, and no clue where she had gone. No body was ever found.
It has been ten years now and McKenna, a former assistant D.A. and now a journalist, is fact finding for a story about a young man who fell onto the subway tracks but was saved by a woman who ran off without identifying herself. When McKenna sees a tape of it, she is shocked to recognize the woman who saved him as her long-lost friend.
McKenna is no longer a lawyer and that in itself is a strange story. Now she is trying to find Susan and gets into the middle of another strange tale.
The characters McKenna meets along the way are believable as well. Through each one she learns a little bit more but doesn't know who to trust, even her husband is acting suspicious. Was he involved with Susan? Does he know she is actually alive? A detective McKenna had offended years ago becomes an ally in the hunt.
I didn't figure out the whole story until it was spelled out to me in the final chapters, but then it made perfect sense. I requested the book because I had read Alafair Burke before, and I certainly wasn't disappointed this time either.
Highly recommended
Source: Amazon Vine
It has been ten years now and McKenna, a former assistant D.A. and now a journalist, is fact finding for a story about a young man who fell onto the subway tracks but was saved by a woman who ran off without identifying herself. When McKenna sees a tape of it, she is shocked to recognize the woman who saved him as her long-lost friend.
McKenna is no longer a lawyer and that in itself is a strange story. Now she is trying to find Susan and gets into the middle of another strange tale.
The characters McKenna meets along the way are believable as well. Through each one she learns a little bit more but doesn't know who to trust, even her husband is acting suspicious. Was he involved with Susan? Does he know she is actually alive? A detective McKenna had offended years ago becomes an ally in the hunt.
I didn't figure out the whole story until it was spelled out to me in the final chapters, but then it made perfect sense. I requested the book because I had read Alafair Burke before, and I certainly wasn't disappointed this time either.
Highly recommended
Source: Amazon Vine
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Tragic Week for our Nation
We were thinking about going to the Boston Marathon last weekend. Actually we had thought to go to many events like it after we retired, but so far retirement has been more about health care than fun. That marathon is fun in that Boston, one of my favorite cities, is at its best that day. It's a holiday, Patriot's Day, and normally the weather is good so everyone gets out. The sports teams play home games, and thousands of amateur athletes take part in the run. Their families and friends flood the sidewalks along the route, taking photos and cheering everyone on. It's a very special day.
Of course this year's race turned into a tragedy which a few days later turned Boston and some of its suburbs into ghost towns as law enforcement agencies (working together seamlessly) hunted for the remaining suspect. We were so relieved when they took him into custody alive, and now we hope he will talk. All of us need to know why they set off bombs. What did they hope to accomplish? What in their lives turned them into terrorists? They had so much, mainly education and opportunity. I cannot understand.
One part of the search practically made my heart stop. The owner of the boat the fugitive was hiding in saw blood on the cover which had been loosened. Rather than go inside and call 911 like any sane person would do, he got a ladder, pulled the cover back, and looked into the boat. Only when he saw a lot of blood and a person curled up inside did he call the police. Thank heaven the suspect didn't shoot him, so it ended without further loss of life.
On top of the Boston story we had flooding in the Midwest and the fertilizer plan explosion in West, Texas. I was expecting locusts next. Hadn't we had enough for one week? So much disaster was too much to take in, and it isn't over. They're still searching for bodies in Texas and flooding is still devastating areas of the Midwest where I grew up. Today I feel exhausted by the emotion of the week.
However, I'm a realistic, stubborn American. I don't allow myself to live in fear. I try to mourn for the people lost in tragedies but then accept what I can't change and go on living. It's really the only thing we can do. Otherwise we'll cower in fear, and what kind of life would that be? Reality demands that we enjoy every day of our lives because we don't have an expiration date marked on our bodies. That is a lesson I was reminded of last year when I had cancer. I had always been healthy, never thought that I stood a chance of dying until I was quite old, and then suddenly I was faced with a diagnosis that used to be a death sentence. Wake-up call indeed.
The moral of this week? Attend events you're interested in, don't take dumb chances but go where you want and do what you want to do, take advantage of local fun times and opportunities to travel, hug your loved ones and friends, smile, laugh every day, and for Pete's sake get cancer screening tests. You only have one life, my friend. Live it every day.
Of course this year's race turned into a tragedy which a few days later turned Boston and some of its suburbs into ghost towns as law enforcement agencies (working together seamlessly) hunted for the remaining suspect. We were so relieved when they took him into custody alive, and now we hope he will talk. All of us need to know why they set off bombs. What did they hope to accomplish? What in their lives turned them into terrorists? They had so much, mainly education and opportunity. I cannot understand.
One part of the search practically made my heart stop. The owner of the boat the fugitive was hiding in saw blood on the cover which had been loosened. Rather than go inside and call 911 like any sane person would do, he got a ladder, pulled the cover back, and looked into the boat. Only when he saw a lot of blood and a person curled up inside did he call the police. Thank heaven the suspect didn't shoot him, so it ended without further loss of life.
On top of the Boston story we had flooding in the Midwest and the fertilizer plan explosion in West, Texas. I was expecting locusts next. Hadn't we had enough for one week? So much disaster was too much to take in, and it isn't over. They're still searching for bodies in Texas and flooding is still devastating areas of the Midwest where I grew up. Today I feel exhausted by the emotion of the week.
However, I'm a realistic, stubborn American. I don't allow myself to live in fear. I try to mourn for the people lost in tragedies but then accept what I can't change and go on living. It's really the only thing we can do. Otherwise we'll cower in fear, and what kind of life would that be? Reality demands that we enjoy every day of our lives because we don't have an expiration date marked on our bodies. That is a lesson I was reminded of last year when I had cancer. I had always been healthy, never thought that I stood a chance of dying until I was quite old, and then suddenly I was faced with a diagnosis that used to be a death sentence. Wake-up call indeed.
The moral of this week? Attend events you're interested in, don't take dumb chances but go where you want and do what you want to do, take advantage of local fun times and opportunities to travel, hug your loved ones and friends, smile, laugh every day, and for Pete's sake get cancer screening tests. You only have one life, my friend. Live it every day.
Monday, April 15, 2013
DEAD WRONG by Connie Dial
This is Dial's second book in the Josie Corsino series. The first one, Fallen Angels, was a book I enjoyed a year ago. LAPD Capt. Josie Corsino is a character who embodies all of women's torn emotions about job v. family. She has worked hard to reach the rank of captain and loves her job despite some of the other officers she has to deal with daily. For instance, her boss who demands daily reports but never reads them. She then calls Corsino to tell her off for not notifying her of things that were in that daily report. Definitely frustrating.
Corsino has been married for years to a man she still loves and they have a grown son who is the cause of most of the strife in their marriage. Said son lives off of handouts from dad. Then he brings home a woman he's serious about who happens to be about 20 years older than he is. Corsino isn't happy with either situation but between that and her irregular hours for her job, she and her husband are growing apart.
The plot of this book involves a cop shooting a suspended cop in a dark alley. The dead cop had aimed a gun at the cop on duty. The investigation into this shooting uncovers corrupt cops and a hornet's nest of problems in the LAPD. It's a believable scenario starring excellent characters and it kept me turning pages, although I must admit I knew who the bad guys were early on.
My one complaint about Dead Wrong is that Corsino's best friend on the force is a lieutenant who couldn't put a short sentence together without offensive profanity if she had to. Yet not one other character in the book cusses. If Dial has managed to portray various types of characters including street savvy cops without having them swear, why does she have to write in a woman who can't talk without swearing? The lack of profanity in other characters didn't deter Dial from describing them well. Each was unique and well-drawn and this woman's personality alone would have made her sufficiently her own person.
Recommended reading
Source: LibraryThing win
Corsino has been married for years to a man she still loves and they have a grown son who is the cause of most of the strife in their marriage. Said son lives off of handouts from dad. Then he brings home a woman he's serious about who happens to be about 20 years older than he is. Corsino isn't happy with either situation but between that and her irregular hours for her job, she and her husband are growing apart.
The plot of this book involves a cop shooting a suspended cop in a dark alley. The dead cop had aimed a gun at the cop on duty. The investigation into this shooting uncovers corrupt cops and a hornet's nest of problems in the LAPD. It's a believable scenario starring excellent characters and it kept me turning pages, although I must admit I knew who the bad guys were early on.
My one complaint about Dead Wrong is that Corsino's best friend on the force is a lieutenant who couldn't put a short sentence together without offensive profanity if she had to. Yet not one other character in the book cusses. If Dial has managed to portray various types of characters including street savvy cops without having them swear, why does she have to write in a woman who can't talk without swearing? The lack of profanity in other characters didn't deter Dial from describing them well. Each was unique and well-drawn and this woman's personality alone would have made her sufficiently her own person.
Recommended reading
Source: LibraryThing win
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