Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me; the present only toucheth thee

O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker

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On a windy night, at the foot of a set of stairs in a run-down mansion buried deep in the Scottish highlands, the body of a young woman is found. Her name is Janet; she’s dressed in her mother’s black lace ballgown. Outside, in the stormy skies, a jackdaw flies in search of her. He seems to be the only one who misses her.  I had never heard of this 1991 novel, but I’m so glad I did. It’s a small gem; that rare combination […]

Elvis in Edinburgh

The Black Book by Ian Rankin

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Inspector John Rebus is having a tough time. His girlfriend, with whom he has recently moved in, has thrown him out, leaving him stranded in his own flat which is now full of students as well as his brother, who has recently been released from prison. To make matters worse, his underling is found in an alley behind an Elvis-themed eatery with a headwound and no idea how he got there. Rebus investigates but is soon thwarted both by his superiors and by a devious […]

Eat the Rich.

Strip Jack by Ian Rankin

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On a balmy summer night in Edinburgh, the filth razes an illicit brothel in a well-to-do area. Johns and working girls alike are piled into the back of a police car to be given a fine and a stern talking to, with one exception. One of the men coming out of the building is MP Gregor Jack. He is well-liked by his constituents and respected by his peers, but the press are waiting outside and he is proverbially, if not literally, caught with his pants […]

Family Feud: Medieval Scotland

The Highlander's Stolen Bride by Madeline Martin

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Elspeth is on her way to wed a childhood friend when she is abducted by Calum Campbell, who hopes to use her as a bargaining chip to gain an audience with her brother. But when they begin to fall in love, they must figure out how to end the war between their clans if they hope to be together. Though it was slow going at first, I soon got sucked into this story of warring clans and unlikely romance. Calum’s gentle nature provides an interesting […]

Immersive, engaging and a whole lotta fun

Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T.L. Huchu

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T.L. Huchu’s The Library of the Dead was one of my favorite books of last year, so you better believe I went nuts when I saw that unbelievable cover. Just like the first, this book is captivating, immersing you in the world of a post-catastrophe Edinburgh through the eyes of one teen girl who can quote Sun Tzu one moment and then fall back into Scottish slang the next. After the events of the last book, Ropa’s ghostalking business has tanked. But that’s ok because she’s […]

It’s Set in Scotland. Of Course it’s Bleak.

Knots and Crosses (Inspecor Rebus #1) by Ian Rankin

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Edinburgh, 1986. A number of young girls disappear. They’re abducted seemingly randomly, strangled and their corpses abandoned. All of Edinburgh’s police force is on top of it and so is John Rebus, a chain smoking, hard drinking former marine who now works as a burnt-out office drone for Edinburgh’s constabulary. It’s not that he doesn’t care, but the work he does is monotonous and neverending, and he’s far away from the action – at least, he thinks so. But someone keeps sending him letters, letters […]



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