Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Prime Minister by day, detective by night

Felix Grey and the Descendent by Mario Theodorou

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Felix Grey and the Descendent is a detective novel, the first in what promises to be a series featuring Felix Grey. The story is set in London, 1904, and Felix Grey is the second youngest Prime Minister in history. Felix is a progressive and was quite popular when elected a year or so ago, but increasingly he is facing challenges from both the Conservative Party and trade unions. In the midst of this political turmoil, two prominent lords are kidnapped by a sinister man wearing […]

That’s a lotta corpses, bro

A Man Named Doll by Jonathan Ames

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I liked the other Jonathan Ames books I’ve read, and learned ten seconds ago that he’s the creator of Bored to Death, which, for anyone who doesn’t know, is a show on HBO Max (which I haven’t seen, but which multiple people have told me I’d like). Anyway. A guy named Happy Doll – for real, his parents named him that…seriously? a little much right off the bat – is an ex-cop who’s now a fairly unsuccessful, i.e., not busy,  private detective. A friend comes […]

A whole bunch of Enola Holmes!

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (Enola Holmes #3) by Nancy Springer

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady (Enola Holmes #2) by Nancy Springer

The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan (Enola Holmes #4) by Nancy Springer

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline (Enola Holmes #5) by Nancy Springer

Enola Holmes and the Boy in Buttons (Enola Holmes #6.5) by Nancy Springer

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Somehow, I read book three in the Enola Holmes series before book two. I feel like it’s been a long time since I did that! (I used to accidentally do it all the time somehow) Anyway, Enola is still in hiding from her meddling brothers who just want to make a lady out of her. She super does not want to be made a lady. I’m fully taken in by the character of Enola Holmes. It’s so hard for me to envision a world where […]

The Serial Killer Book I’ve Been Waiting For

Notes On An Execution by Danya Kukafka

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I went in to this book so wary! I’m not a huge fan of serial killers or the true crime mania that glorifies men who murder (mostly) women. So even though I’d seen glowing review after breathless recommendation of Notes On an Execution, I doubted I’d get past 20%. I am never so pleased to be wrong than when it comes to loving an unexpected book. The premise of this one is simple, it is the day of Ansel Power’s execution. There are brief chapters […]

Secrets Typed In Blood: The Third Pentecost & Parker Mystery

Secrets Typed In Blood by Stephen Spotswood

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Hello howdy and hey y’all, it’s my first post ever! I love detective stories. I’ve got a brain that enjoys puzzles and being right, so it’s fun on top of fun. But I am also super picky and easily distracted or annoyed by most mysteries. I need a challenge but not something so convoluted it’s unsolvable. I don’t want anything too cozy or too grim, nothing with lots of graphic violence/mutilation/torture but a decent amount of action. I prefer women authors and characters, I like […]

Lost in the Noir of Iceland (And Liking It)

The Dark Iceland Series (1-6) by Ragnar Jónasson

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After reading the Martin Beck novels last year, I decided to continue with Nordic noir. I had heard about a series set in Iceland, specifically the remote area of Siglufjörður, and featuring  a young detective named Ari Thór Arason. I read these novels on Kindle and on Audible, where it helped to hear the correct pronunciations of some of the more challenging (to me) place names. Then author is supposed to be a big fan of Agatha Christie (as am I). He has translated fourteen […]



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