I picked this up from the library on a whim, ‘how is it possible for a new Hercule Poirot to exist?!?‘ The estate approved a new title by a new author, bestselling Sophie Hannah. So money, an effort to revive interest in her existing works, perhaps. The first thing I noticed, after the shock wore off, is the sheer size of this book. Agatha Christie novels are never longer than 150, 175 pages maximum. This large book is 320 pages long. Hmmmm… We begin with […]
Naughty by Nature
Meh. I finished this book but will not be continuing with the series. I was pretty excited about a female protagonist, but my excitement was tempered pretty quickly. Tiny, bird-like, beautiful, damsel in distress needing protection from the big bad. I probably should have known better, but I am an optimist. Kiara Zamir is a famous dancer and the daughter of her planet’s president. She and her mother were kidnapped when Kiara was very young, tortured and made to witness the murder of her mother. […]
Killing Kinsey
These novels are solid time-fillers. Nothing earth-shattering, nothing (too) offensive. I’m a wee bit tired of the fat-shaming and woman-judging. It sucks me right out of the enjoyment of the mystery, but a few pages later I can forget it ever happened. G is for Gumshoe Kinsey turns 33 years old, her apartment is under loving re-construction. This mystery takes place out of town for the most part, in the Mojave Desert. She is hired by another Santa Teresa resident to locate her missing mother. […]
Kinsey Keeps Going
D is for Deadbeat starts out with a load of bullshit. We’re told from the beginning that ‘Alvin Lomardo’ is lying to Kinsey and she’s buying it. She even takes a check from him, which of course bounces three days later (ah, the days of checks). This leads Kinsey to LA in search of ‘Alvin’, where we find his very young wife with a shiner and no furniture because he sold everything right before he split. His name is not Alvin, and he’s probably back […]
Down in the Meat
I thoroughly enjoyed this series and plan to re-read it. Nanotechnology, mind control, global domination, wheels within wheels, double crosses and the grotesque reality of the human body as ecosystem. Wonderful. BZRK is set in the near future. We start with Sadie and Noah, two kids from totally different worlds. Noah is hand-to-mouth in London, reeling from the loss of his big brother to mental illness. Sadie is wealthy in New York, on a date at Big Sporting Event. In one of the most interesting […]
The Origins of Sassy Detective
B is for Burglar and C is for Corpse, books two and three in the Alphabet mystery series by Sue Grafton. I must say Kinsey Millhone is growing on me. Or at least the writer’s style. These books remind me of the Evanovich series starting Stephanie Plum, which may have been loosely inspired by this series, wink wink. Spoiler alerts for 30 year old books. You are warned. In book two, B is for Burglar, Stephanie, er uhm, Kinsey is hired by a woman who […]