Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

But Now Am Found

The Hunter by Tana French

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Cal Hooper is a former Chicago detective. Grown weary of his job, he’s upended his life and moved into a run-down fixer-upper in the small town of Ardnakelty, in an unnamed part of the Irish countryside. He’s found his place in the community, and that includes his girlfriend Lena and unruly, stoic teenager Trey, whom he teaches carpentry in an attempt to get life back on track. It works right up until the point where Trey’s long-lost father Johnny makes his return from London, bringing […]

“Being boring is among Cal’s main goals. For most of his life, one or more elements always insisted on being interesting, to the point where dullness took on an unattainable end-of-the-rainbow glow. Ever since he finally got his hands on it, he’s savored every second.

The Hunter (Cal Hooper #2) by Tana French

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We return to rural Ireland with Cal in this second installment of a new Tana French series. Cal came here after retiring from the Chicago police and in the first book was reluctantly pulled into town drama and an unsolved mystery. As with many French books, the ending of that one wasn’t wrapped up in a bow, but we learned who Cal was going to be: a man who would like to keep to himself, but won’t let the disadvantaged or those in need of […]

Same as it ever was

The Colony by Audrey Magee

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Ireland, 1979. Painter Lloyd gingerly takes a dinghy to a remote island off the Irish Coast, where he can lock himself in with the natives and paint for the summer. The natives eye him with wariness; they are happy to take his money and, in exchange, feed him, but they mistrust his motives. Not long after, French linguist JP also arrives on the island. JP is writing a dissertation about the Irish language spoken on the island; a language which is on the decline as […]

“I am forty four and I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.”

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

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When Sally catapults to national attention for putting her adoptive father’s body out with the trash, little does she know that this is not the first time she’s been in the headlines. I don’t read a lot of suspense, but after seeing this book all over my Goodreads feed the last couple of years I was sufficiently intrigued. That’s a pretty startling image to start off with, one’s father in the trash! Nugent creates a fascinating dual character study following Sally and Peter, and I […]

This Week, In Irish Trauma Porn…

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

The Gathering by Anne Enright

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To be fair, only half of this is Catholic trauma porn. One may wonder why Ireland, of all places, has spawned such a fabled literary heritage. Personally I think it’s their sly sense of humour, finely tuned after years of British occupation. Perhaps it’s the potatoes. Both of these books abundantly feature potatoes.  Small Things Like These (Claire Keegan) *** Bill Furlong is a coal merchant in a small town in Ireland in 1986. It’s nearly Christmas; the busiest time of the year for him. […]

Thanksgiving 2024 Leftovers

Remembrance Day by Henry Porter

Dead Lions by Mick Herron

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman

Killing Castro by Lawrence Block

Deadly Beloved by Max Allan Collins

Spy Hook by Len Deighton

London Rules by Mick Herron

Real Tigers by Mick Herron

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Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate. Remembrance Day**** An interesting take on the English-vs-Irish spy novel and while the author telegraphs too many things, he knows how to keep a story moving. Barely clears the 4-star threshold but if I invest time to read something almost 500 pages long, it has to be at least “good” and this was. Dead Lions, Real Tigers, and London Rules**** I had originally meant to do a big long post on my love/grr relationship with Mick Herron’s Slough House […]



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