SUMMER READING SUGGESTIONS
(in no particular order)
From Linda at Whodunit? Books.
THE DARK HORSE by Craig Johnson
(Western) Police Procedural, Hardcover, VikingOne of the many things I like about Craig Johnson’s books is that although he’s writing in a series, the individual books aren’t duplicates of each other. This time Walt Longmire is "hosting" a beautiful prisoner in his jail. She’s accused of an awful crime and has even "confessed." Walt just doesn’t believe it and to prove his point he goes undercover in a neighboring county to find the truth! In THE DARK HORSE we see Walt not just as a good guy but as someone who knows true cowboy ways in the middle of Wyoming where the West hasn’t changed that much! He spends much of his time on horseback and the rest of it trying to stay alive. Mary Barsad had a good reason for wanting her husband Wade dead -- he locked all her horses in a barn and then set fire to it. But Walt soon discovers she’s not the only one who wishes Wade harm. You’ll just hope he can stay undercover long enough to find what he knows in his heart to be true. Really fun read!
STONE'S FALL by Iain Pears
Historical Mystery, Hardcover, Spiegel & GrauI was drawn to this story (a) because I hadn’t read Iain Pears before and (b) because it’s about a business tycoon. Now I don’t miss working around people like this but I enjoy reading stories about them. This story starts more or less in the present and goes as far back as1867. It begins when the narrator learns of the death of a past employer, the wife of industrial tycoon John Stone. John Stone died in London in 1909, as a result of a fall. She hires this young cocky newspaper reporter to find out the truth -- was it suicide, homicide or an accident? She doesn’t believe that it was anything but an accident but she needs to know for sure. There’s also a clause in her husband’s will leaving a tidy sum of money to her husband’s child. No other information about the child is given and Elizabeth Stone has never heard mention of any child sired by her husband. She wants to keep the information as quiet as possible. The reporter is told to investigate under the cover of writing her husband’s biography, something he’s not qualified to do. From there Pears tells the story in reverse, finally ending up in Venice in 1857 with stops all over Europe. Part of the story is told by the reporter, part by a banker who knew John Stone and worked with him off an on, and part from the pages of a journal written in Stone’s own hand. This is a long book -- but I was riveted. Watching the story unfold in reverse, seeing the beginning of international finance surge into modern times, and finding out John Stone’s deepest secrets was fascinating. And the ending was a stunner! Terrific read.
THE SCARECROW by Michael Connelly
Thriller; Hardcover; Little, Brown & CompanyThose of us who have grown up reading great newspaper reporting will understand Connelly’s desire to tell the story of Jack McEvoy, crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times in the age where great journalism and great newspapers are dying. If the name McEvoy sounds familiar he was the reporter involved in Connelly’s first stand-alone thriller THE POET. Many years have gone by now and the fame he achieved then has faded and McEvoy is just trying to keep his job on the crime beat. When he finds out he’s next to be let go, he’s determined to go out on the side of the angels by writing one last great story. And one falls into his lap -- about a 16-year-old killer who has confessed to a brutal murder. McEvoy wants to focus on what made the kid turn to crime and how he ended up being charged with murder in adult court at 16. Then he learns that the confession may not be all that the police say it is, and the chase to find the truth and the true killer is on! He gets some help from FBI agent Rachel Walling, also from THE POET. The killer they find, "The Scarecrow," is well hidden from public view, but he knows about McEvoy to keep one step ahead of him. The story is perfectly paced. I couldn’t turn those pages fast enough! Wonderful read with something to think about as well!
GONE TOMORROW by Lee Child
Thriller, Hardcover, Random HouseNobody sets up great reads as well as Lee Child does! By the time you’ve finished the first few pages you’re hooked. This time Jack Reacher, man in search of trouble, is riding the New York subway at two in the morning. Everybody looks pretty much as Jack expects them to at that time in the morning except one -- she has all the earmarks of someone about to pull the plug on a very big bomb! Jack is just trying to keep himself and everyone else in the car alive! Afterwards Jack has to know what made Susan Marks do what she did and who else was involved. From a politician who used to be a Delta Force officer and is now running for the Senate, to her co-workers in the Pentagon, and to others who Susan Mark touched in life -- Jack is caught up in a web of lies told for no apparent reason. You’ll read quickly just to find out what the heck is going on and if Jack Reacher will live to tell another exciting tale! Fun read.
KILLING ROMMEL by Steven Pressfield
Historical, Trade PaperbackFrom other reading I’ve done I’ve always thought German field marshal Erwin Rommel was a fascinating character so when this book showed up in my mail, I knew I had to check it out. Pressfield sets up the story as a memoir written by Lawrence "Chap" Chapman which is passed on to his nephew shortly after his death. It’s the story of the plot to assassinate Rommel during the North Africa campaign in 1942/43. But for me there’s lots more here than that -- there’s the story of Chap’s falling in love with Rose and his relationship with his tutor and mentor at Oxford, Zachary Stein. The plan by the Long Range Desert Group to stop the Nazi campaign in North Africa by killing it’s leader is one exciting story, no matter that we already know how it came out. If you remember the 1960 TV series, "The Rat Patrol," you’ll be a step ahead of the game visualizing this story but Pressfield does a wonderful job helping that along and in mixing military machinations and the characters personal lives. If you’re interested in WW2 stories, you’ll enjoy this!
IN GOOD FAITH by Scott Pratt
Legal Thriller, Mass Market Paperback, OnyxWe talked about Scott Pratt’s first book, AN INNOCENT CLIENT last year and I’m happy to tell you IN GOOD FAITH was a solid second effort. Joe Dillard after "Innocent Client" decides to switch from defense work to prosecution. He just wants to feel good about the work he’s doing when he faces himself in the mirror every morning. Before he can even settle in to his new job, there’s a vicious crime in rural Tennessee -- an entire family is murdered! Two Goth teens are accused of the murder but pretty early on Joe figures out that there’s someone else involved. The only catch is the two young men accused are too fearful of her to make a deal. Before he knows what’s hit him Joe discovers that in the world of prosecution sometimes you have to be willing to risk it all in the pursuit of justice!
What I liked about "Good Faith" is that it presents the whole picture of a prosecutor's life -- his family, other cases -- in addition to the one case that the story is about. The "Goth" part might be a tinge over the top but it didn’t destroy the enjoyment for me. I’m looking forward to reading more books by Mr. Pratt.
THE CASE OF THE MISSING SERPENT by Tarquin Hall
Detective, Hardcover, Simon & SchusterIf you’re looking for something different, I’d recommend that you try THE CASE OF THE MISSING SERPENT a debut novel by Tarquin Hall. Set in modern India it introduces a most fascinating character, Vish Puri. He’s known for keeping his investigations private -- very private, but he does it in a most entertaining way -- he nicknames everyone and every thing. His undercover operatives are Tubelight, Flush and Facecream (you’ll have to read why). You see Vish Puri is a modern investigator but he’s also able to use the rules of detection set up in India long ago -- even before Sherlock Holmes! Maybe that will help him find a missing young woman who’s only known as Mary. Now India is a big country with lots of people and finding "Mary" may be difficult for some but you get the feeling that Puri has a lot of confidence in his abilities.
The adventure will take you, the reader, to many different parts of India. Every time you open the book, you’ll feel the dust and smell the smells and if you’re like me, you’ll have a great time doing it! If you enjoyed the "The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency" series and you have an interest in India or in an enjoyable bunch of characters set in an interesting place, check out THE CASE OF THE MISSING SERPENT.
WHISPERS OF THE DEAD by Simon Beckett
British Forensic, Hardcover, BantamOk, it’s taken two years to find out if Dr. Hunter survived the injuries he sustained in "Written in Bone." Now I didn’t really think the author would kill off his main character but it’s nice to know that Dr. Hunter is very much alive in WHISPERS OF THE DEAD. He did survive (no surprise to you either, I’m sure) but emotionally he’s not quite all there. So to find out if he wants to continue in the field of forensics, he decides to take a trip to the U.S., more particularly to the forensic research facility known as the Body Farm, located in eastern Tennessee. He’s worked there before when he was training and hopes a trip back to work with his mentor and teacher again will help him decide his future. He came so close to death and it so greatly affected his personal life that it’s no wonder he needs a chance to take a breath and think about it. But he’s not there long before he’s drawn in to an investigation. When a body is found in a remote Smoky Mountain cabin, Hunter is quickly sure of one thing -- there’s a serial killer at work and whoever it is knows a lot about forensic investigations. Because of the type of perpetrator involved, his own insecurities and the clash of the locals investigating the crime, it’s not a given that Hunter will survive to complete the investigation!
Beckett really puts Hunter and the reader through their paces forensically. There’s much more detail and insight in to the world of forensic science. It’s fast paced and the tension is high. Probably not bed time reading -- but for me it’s wonderful reading!
ROAD DOGS by Elmore Leonard
Hardboiled, Hardcover, William MorrowOnly an experienced author could do this and succeed, and Elmore Leonard fits that description beautifully. He takes 3 characters from 3 different novels and puts them together in a new novel. There’s Jack Foley from "Out of Sight," Cundo Rey from "LaBrava" and Dawn Navarro from "Riding the Rap." When Foley mysteriously gets his 30 year prison sentence reduced to 30 months (which is almost time served), FBI agent Lou Adams is highly suspicious and bound to keep an eye on Foley. Foley is having the time of his life living high on the hog at one of Cundo’s houses in Venice, California -- you know -- sunny beaches and the high life! It’s typical but terrific Leonard -- high on character and high jinks. Nobody makes crude bad guys seem more fun!
THE BLACK DOVE by Steve Hockensmith
Western Mystery, Trade Paperback, St. MartinsI know -- I’m a sucker for a Western! Well, not always but when they’re this entertaining I am so there. Old Red and Big Amlingmeyer are back for their third adventure. This time they’ve left the spacious skies and lonely praries for the big city -- San Francisco 1893. They’re still into using Sherlock Holmes’ methods in detecting, even to the point of trying to get hired on by Pinkerton. You’ll chuckle as they are faced with completing a written job application -- especially since one of them doesn’t read and write! After that bit of fun, the two join up with Diane Corvus to investigate the death of Dr. Chan whose luggage was thrown from the same train the brothers patrolled back when they worked for the railroad (On the Wrong Track). This book takes us into the mysterious world of Chinatown and the "shake your head" world of the local police. Hockensmith must have worked hard at researching the time period and the place and it shows in the story. These two guys are always a hoot but you can’t help but root for them to succeed. They’re so sincere in their desire to find justice and to live another day to use the detecting methods of Sherlock Holmes! Fun stuff!
SILESIAN STATION by David Downing
Historical Mystery, Trade Paperback, SohoA couple of years ago I told you about "The Zoo Station" by Downing about John Russell in Berlin in the late 1930’s. Russell is back in the second book, SILESIAN STATION. Now the pressure is ramped up for John because Hitler has already taken over Czechoslovakia and everyone seems to know that Poland is next. John understands that staying in Berlin is going to be more and more difficult even though he’s become an American citizen. (Remember, America wasn’t involved at that point.) Becoming an official American might not help him protect his girl friend or his son much less let him stay near them. It goes from bad to worse when his girl friend is arrested by the Gestapo and when John takes an interest in a Jewish girl who has gone missing in transit from the country to the big city.
I continue to think highly of this series. Downing does a good job of portraying Berlin in the early stages of the war and at keeping the reader in the middle of the chaos and terror that was Nazi Germany. Terrific read!
SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE by Alan Bradley
British Cozy, HardcoverAfter reading something like "The Silesian Station," it was good to turn to a fun read like SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE. This is Alan Bradley’s debut novel and it’s a corker! The main character is 11-year-old Flavia de Luce who wants to be a chemist and is lucky enough to have a laboratory left to her by her mother and her great uncle. Yes Flavia is 11 but she’s 11 going on 35! One morning she discovers a dead body in the middle of the cucumber patch outside her bedroom window. She’s determined to set her chemistry aside and solve the crime herself!
This is a hoot! I loved Flavia and laughed at her a lot. But this is also a full-fledged mystery not just a bit of fluff. I enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more!
And finally, now I’m reading THE LIKENESS, the second book by Edgar-award winner Tana French ("In the Woods"). It’s really terrific! Cassie finds herself going undercover due to some bizarre circumstances. The person she’s shadowing is dead, looked just like Cassie, and had assumed an identity Cassie had established the last time she worked undercover. In French’s hands this plot line works like a dream -- makes your head spin at times but really well done!
The M-3 (Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem) Reviewers meet at Whodunit? Books, 119 Fifth Avenue S.E., Olympia, WA 98501 PH:360-352-8252
More suggestions later...
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