Julia Spencer-Fleming

I had purchased the first of Julia Spencer-Fleming's Russ Van Alstyne/Clare Fergusson mystery series when it went on sale in February.




This sale was followed by the two subsequent books going on sale as well: A Fountain Full of Blood and Out of the Deep I Cry.






I enjoyed In The Bleak Midwinter, and thought it was a nice series starter, but it didn't galvanize me to read the second and third books. It wasn't until my mom mentioned how much she was enjoying them that I read book two, and then book 3. A Fountain Full of Blood was a good, solid mystery that continued the character development that began in the first book. The relationship between Russ and Clare develops as well, as they have very clearly fallen in love with one another. This is a forbidden love, because Russ is very much married, and both of them struggle with their attraction to one another, and the consequences of falling in love.  

In Out of the Deep I Cry, the series really hits it's stride. This is a split narrative, with part of the book taking place in the present, when the staff doctor for the Millers Kill free medical clinic disappears, and a woman who butted heads with him over the danger of vaccinating children, comes under suspicion. The other portion of the book takes place in the past, when the patron of the clinic was a small girl, having lost four siblings to a terribly virulent strain of diphtheria. Her father also disappears, and her mother goes on with the business of raising her, seeking to have him declared dead so she can officially be considered a widow. His disappearance was never solved.  

Once I got to book three, this series became something of an addiction for me. The mysteries are enjoyable, and well plotted, but the true delight of the series is in the characters of Russ Van Alstyne, Clare Fergusson, and Millers Kill itself. There are a number of secondary characters that are introduced along the way, including skinny Flynnie, or Kevin Flynn, the youngest of the officers at the MKPD, the sexton of St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Mr. Hadley, Hadley Knox, his granddaughter and erstwhile police officer, among others. Some big events occur in that fourth book, and I can't do plot summaries, or even really plot references, without adding a major spoiler alert. Therefore, I will confine myself to simply linking to books 4 through 7, in order, here:









Miller's Kill is a fascinating small community, and by book seven, the series is confronting serious and significant issues, including emotional infidelity, the intersection of faith and faithfulness, whether we, as a society, are doing an adequate job of supporting our combat veterans, the impact of a bad economy on small towns, and service to one's greater community. All in all, Julia Spencer-Fleming has written a wonderful series of mysteries. At the end of book 7, One Was A Soldier, we are left with a piece of good news for Russ and Clare, and with a long wait to book 8, which is projected to be released in April, 2013. While this is a long time to wait, there is every reason to believe that Ms. Spencer-Fleming won't let her fans down.

In The Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I bought this book for a whopping 2.99 back in February, when it was on sale. It's taken me this long to read it, but I've been in a bit of a mystery frame of mind recently, and my mom recommended it to me, so I thought I'd give it a try.

This is the first in a series of books about Russ Van Alstyn, the police chief of the small town of Millers Kill in upstate NY, and Reverend Clare Fergusson, Episcopal priest and former helicopter pilot. Millers Kill is her first parish, and the story begins when someone leaves a newborn baby boy on the steps of the church on a dark winter's evening in December. The bodies quickly pile up after the police launch an investigation into the identity of the baby's parents.

In this book, the mystery took a bit of a backseat to the character development and to the rapidly developing relationship between Russ and Clare. Clare is single, but Episcopal priests are, of course, able to marry. Russ is married, and wife hovers at the fringes of this book, but never makes an appearance. The attraction between them is nearly immediate. I also love a good cold weather mystery set in a small town. Millers Kill is an appealing setting.

The mystery was interesting albeit predictable. I don't necessarily object to predictability in a crime novel, since most murders are, in actuality, fairly predictable events. A convoluted plot relying too much on coincidence does not, in my opinion, make a compelling crime story. I have the second and third books in this series already loaded onto my kindle, as they also went on sale in March and April, and look forward to reading them.

Not Mary Russell, but not bad, either

A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

***Plot Summary***

This is the first book in the Kate Martinelli series, set in San Francisco. When a third child ends up a victim of a homicide, Kate, newly promoted, is called into the investigation with her partner, Al. The bodies of the victims are found off of The Road, a commune-like place established by a wealthy, if somewhat eccentric, San Francisco resident. As the clues pile up, suspicion falls upon an artist who has been released from prison after she was convicted of the strangling death of a child as a teenaged girl. Kate and Al must sort through the clues and misdirections to find the truth about the murders, past and present.

***Review***

Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of Laurie King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, which I recommend over this modern police procedural. It is not that I didn't enjoy this book, because it was a well-written, serviceable mystery, but the Mary Russell books are truly excellent. The subject matter of this book is disturbing, but the deaths of the children take place largely off-screen.

Laurie King excels at characterizations, and this book is no exception. Kate - or Casey as she is known for most of this book - is a fascinating, complete character. She behaves in ways that are consistent, and her compassion and integrity are very convincing.

If this book has a weakness, it is a little bit slow. Because it is the beginning of a series, Ms. King spends a lot of time introducing her characters. This slows down the action somewhat, and the first part of the book drags a bit, in my opinion. In addition, some of the psychological aspects of the book aren't terribly convincing.

Overall, I'd give it between 3 and 4 stars - an engaging read, but not extraordinary. The author is capable of more, but this one didn't disappoint.


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A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd

A Duty To The Dead by Charles Todd


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is my first Charles Todd mystery and I would rate it somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.

***Plot Summary***

Elizabeth (Bess) Crawford is a WWI nurse who is on leave because the hospital ship upon which she served, the Brittanic, hit a mine and was sunk. She was injured in the explosion, and returns to England to recover her health before being sent back to the front. While back in England, she is compelled to fulfill a promise she made to a patient prior to his death, to deliver a message to his family. Upon arrival in Kent, at the home of the Grahams, she delivers the message, and is ultimately drawn into the family's affairs as she becomes concerned that a grave injustice has occurred and that a man has been committed to an insane asylum for a murder he did not commit.

***Review***

A Duty to the Dead started out rather slowly, but picked up pace at approximately the fifty percent mark (I read it on a kindle). I really enjoyed the writing, and thought that the main character, Bess Crawford, was well-drawn and likeable. I have read Maisie Dobbs, and enjoyed those as well, and though there are similarities between the two main characters, they are very different women.

One of the things that drew me to this book was the setting. I am a sucker for a good historical mystery, and WWI England is a setting that was a bit different from the series that I have read in the past. The descriptions and other historical background about the setting was convincing.

This book focuses very closely on Bess Crawford, and did not introduce a lot of supporting characters who are likely to reappear from book to book. Her father was an interesting character, and I expect to see him again. There is absolutely no romance in this particular installment, so readers who are looking for an ongoing romantic arc may be disappointed with this book. It is possible that one will be introduced later in the series - I am hopeful that the authors will reveal a romantic interest for Bess. Finally, the ultimate resolution of the mystery made sense, but was a bit predictable. In addition, there were characters who bore responsibility for the events that occurred who emerged largely unscathed. Some remorse for their part in the events would have been nice.

The writing is solid and grammatically correct, and I did not notice typographical errors. I enjoyed this book enough that I will read additional books in the series. Duty to the Dead was an above average read - a high-three-star or low-four-star read.

The Blade Itself by Markus Sakey

This book was chosen as a group read by a goodreads group. It is unlikely that I would've found, much less read, this book, otherwise. Having said that, I found it to be a well-written, albeit somewhat forgettable, crime drama about an anti-hero.

 

 Plot summary: The book opens with a simple burglary break-in that goes very, very bad. Danny - our anti-hero - and Evan - our antagonist - are partners from the old neighborhood who are engaged in petty thievery. Things get ugly when Evan shoots and badly injures the business owner, and Danny takes off. Evan goes off to prison, and Danny starts to rebuild his life. Seven years later is really when the book begins, with Evan's release from prison, and recontacting of Danny with a plan for Danny to right the wrongs that Evan perceives have been done him by putting together one big score.

 Things rapidly go from bad, to badder, to positively awful, for Danny. Evan has not been rehabilitated by his stint in custody. It becomes clearly early on in the book that things are going to spiral out of control, and that there is the potential for Danny to lose everything that he has built over the preceding seven years.

 Review: The positives about this book: it is well-written and held my attention. I haven't read a lot of Dennis Lehane, but this book did remind me of what I have read of his work. A glimpse into the life of the street thug was interesting. The dialogue was convincing, and the plotting was workmanlike. The supporting characters were well drawn and engaging - Karen, Danny's unlikely girlfriend, the happy-go-lucky but doomed Patrick, Danny's friend from the neighborhood, Debbie, the rough around the edges consort of Evan who named herself after Debbie Harry, the lead singer for Blondie.

 The negatives about this book: in spite of the fact that I enjoyed the book, this will probably be a longer list. I never really connected with Danny. He is an anti-hero, to be sure, and I have a difficult time rooting for the anti-hero. I think that the author attempted to set up a convincing moral choice for Danny, but I don't think he really succeeded in this endeavor. I didn't like the ending at all. It felt, again, like Danny simply escaped responsibility for his own poor choices. I wasn't at all convinced.

Overall, I enjoyed the book enough that I will seek out other books by the author. As a debut it was a good, but not great, effort.

Review: Still Life by Louise Penny

In one of my GR groups, we're doing a "dusty bookshelf" challenge. I've committed to reading 15 books that have been in my TBR pile since 2011. I'm up to 5, with this one as the fifth:




I picked this book up either for free or for 99 cents at least a year ago. It is the first in Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series of mysteries set in Three Pines, Canada.

This book is deceptive. Looking at the cover, reading the product description, I went into the book thinking that it was going to be a classic cozy mystery set in a small town. While this book does have many of the attributes of a cozy, there is much more to it than that. This book is a compelling psychological study of a small town, of the difference between the public persona and the private person. It explores parenthood, childhood, and the differences in perspective between parent and child, and it also explores what happens when a parent allows a child to drive the community understanding of the parent/child relationship, where the child is not telling the truth. There are reasons that parents don't tell the truth, even when the truth is that the child is lying. This book explores those, and delves into the darkness and jealousy that can be harbored in the heart of a loved one.

I know that this paragraph is obscure. However, mysteries, above all, are books that should not be spoiled. It's not fair to the reader, and it's not fair to the author, to accidentally reveal the solution to the mystery in a book review. So, a clearer and more explicative discussion is not one that I am prepared to post.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm certain that I will read the rest of them at some point, although I don't like their kindle price. But starting a new mystery series is always a delight, because a reader is in for a treat in character development. Inspector Gamache is a bit of a cipher in this book, but he is already a compelling, interesting central character. I look forward to further exploration of his character. I'm hoping for the return of some of the interesting secondary characters as well.

Overall, this book is a solid four star read.

Review: The Mugger by Ed McBain

REVIEW (4 stars):

I really enjoyed this book, so I am pleased that there are 54 more of them available. Recently, 35 of these 87th Precinct mysteries were the Kindle Daily Deal. Which means that I bought 35 books for $35.00. Which is a bargain by any reasonable measure.

The Mugger is the second of the 87th Precinct books, and was published in 1953.. At the time that this book was written, fingerprinting existed, but modern forensics had not yet been fully developed. There was no DNA evidence. No fiber comparisons. Crime scene photography was in its infancy. Nonetheless, scientific evidence did exist, and Ed McBain relied upon in telling the story of this investigation. Because although police officers, especially detectives, relied primarily upon witness interviews and street sense to solve crimes, often it was street sense that solved crimes, and science that confirmed the truth of the solution.

The Mugger is two intertwined crime stories. The first is the investigation into the title character -- the mugger -- a man who assaults women while he robs them, completing his crime by bowing and saying "Clifford thanks you, madam.". The second is the murder of a very troubled young woman which is attributed to the mugger, although it is way outside of his usual signature.

In many ways, The Mugger reminded me of Homicide, Life on the Street, one of the best television shows ever produced for American television. The Mugger is more than the sum of its parts, it is more than a crime story. It is an introduction into Ed McBain's world, the world of Isola, the mythical city of the 87th Precinct, of patrolman Bert Kling, 24 years old and fresh out of the Korean conflict, of men who work hard and solve crimes. As Baltimore became a character in Homicide, so Isola becomes a character in The Mugger. McBain is an old school author, who writes clear, occasionally surprisingly lyrical, prose, and tells a good story.

Final Catch-Up: Double Edge

The final catch-up post for the blog! I picked this one up as a holiday freebie. Robert Walker had a huge list of his books available for free.




REVIEW (3 stars):

This was my first Robert Walker book, although I have downloaded a number of others to my kindle. In spite of the weaknesses of this book, I expect that I will try a few others.

On the plus side, the book was free. It was also interesting, and fairly well written. There were few typographical errors. The story made sense and did not contain multiple plot holes or other issues. I found it sufficiently entertaining that I didn't quit reading. Lucas Stonecoat, the main character, is Native American and I quite enjoyed the explanation of his backstory and history.

However, I found some fairly substantial negatives. First and foremost, I found the dialogue contrived, wooden and unconvincing. This presented a major problem for me, as it frequently pulled me out of the story. In addition, the relatiionship between the two main characters, Lucas and Meredyth, was not believable to me. Not because they were poorly matched, but because they are obviously attracted to one another, and Meredyth's professed reasons for not pursuing the attraction made her seem shallow and unlikeable. I don't think that the author intended her to be shallow and unlikeable.

I don't know how much of the negative impression is related to the fact that this book involved a great deal of psychic detection. I really didn't like that aspect of the story. I am a fan of the police procedural, which is what I expected when I picked up the book, so the whole pyschic angle turned me off. I felt that it provided a cheap and easy solution to what would have been a complex and difficult investigation. A different reader may feel very differently about this aspect of the book.

It is certainly not my intention to pan the book. I picked the book up for free & it is the second of the series. I wonder if I would have felt differently about it had I not jumped into the series at midpoint. I am interested enough in Lucas Stonecoat that I plan to buy the first book in his series.

I would recommend this book for fans of John Sanford's Lucas Davenport series.

Playing Catch-Up: The Lincoln Diary

I read this as my first self-published book-of-the-week. As the cover would suggest, it was simply dreadful. I picked up for free, although the author wants $5.99 for it now!




REVIEW (2 stars):

This book was a chore to finish, although I did finish it. I picked it up for free, and I am glad that I did, because it is extremely poorly written, with structural issues as well as issues of language.

First, in terms of the structural issues, the pacing is terrible. The book is very slow moving at the beginning, and while it does pick up near the end, it doesn't pick up enough to deliver an interesting read. In addition, dialogue is difficult to get right for even the most proficient authors. Mr. Fowler's dialogue is wooden and unconvincing. His characters never rise above stock, sterotypical characterizations. More specifically, in more than one area, he indulged himself in some fairly obviously anti-Conservative rants. The fact that I agree in principle with the content of the rants notwithstanding, their presence in this book was a cheap plot device to convey the "badness" of the character.

Second, the word choice is often wrong, or weird. Other reviews have noted his constant mispelling of b-line, instead of beeline. In addition, a small smattering of some of the weirdness included "But that didn't stop Sarah's questions from having minds of their own," "she had to fold herself up like a pretzel to slink down the aisle," windows that were "batted" down, and "long, poised strides." None of these images make any sense at all. Questions don't think. No one slinks like a pretzel. Windows are battened down. Strides can certainly be long, but they aren't poised. People are poised.

Finally, in terms of the content, this book has almost nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln, except for a few Lincoln facts that are scattered as total non-sequiturs throughout the book. It is a standard, if poorly written, murder mystery with an amateur sleuth who plays lacrosse and is, of course, way smarter than the "Keystone Kop" detective who is actually investigating the homicide. The police procedural aspects of the book are inaccurate and, at times, silly.. One of the reasons that I selected this book was because I am a bit of a history dork, and I thought that the historical aspects of the book might make it interesting -- sort of National Treasure-ish, if you will. It has almost nothing to do with the actual content of "Lincoln's Diary."

Overall, I cannot recommend this book, even for free. There are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of books available for the kindle that are much better than Mr. Fowler's freshman foray into publishing. While I suspect that this review will be poorly received given the number of five-star reviews that were submitted by individuals who are not verified purchasers, I did buy this book, and I did read it in its entirety, as difficult a task as that turned out to be.