Month: December 2021 Page 4 of 6

OCDaniel

by Wesley King, Ramón De Ocampo (Narrator)

Unabridged Audiobook, 7 hrs., 4 min.
Tantor Audio, 2018

Read: June 29-30, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s OCDaniel About?

I found myself saying way too much about this book—I’ve taken two attempts at this part of the post, and each gets too detailed. It’s hard to stop talking about this, apparently.

So let me fall back on the tried-but-true (albeit lazy) method of borrowing the description from the Publisher’s website:

Daniel is the back-up punter for the Erie Hills Elephants. Which really means he’s the water boy. He spends football practice perfectly arranging water cups—and hoping no one notices. Actually, he spends most of his time hoping no one notices his strange habits—he calls them Zaps: avoiding writing the number four, for example, or flipping a light switch on and off dozens of times over. He hopes no one notices that he’s crazy, especially his best friend Max, and Raya, the prettiest girl in school. His life gets weirder when another girl at school, who is unkindly nicknamed Psycho Sara, notices him for the first time. She doesn’t just notice him: she seems to peer through him.

Then Daniel gets a note: “I need your help,” it says, signed, Fellow Star Child—whatever that means. And suddenly Daniel, a total no one at school, is swept up in a mystery that might change everything for him.

OCD Portrayal

I didn’t note how far into the novel we are before someone uses either “OCD” or “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder,” but I’d be willing to guess it’s the latter third. Obviously, for anyone who even glanced at the title, they know what’s going on—but this novel isn’t about OCD per se.

It’s a novel about a kid who doesn’t understand himself, who doesn’t realize what’s going on with his brain, and who’s scared to talk to anyone about it. He loves his parents—and there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t be supportive and would help him to find the tools he needs. But he doesn’t want to be “weird,” he doesn’t really want to admit to it to anyone other than himself.

Sarah has her own struggles and isn’t afraid to let Daniel see them—and she sees his at least as clearly as Daniel’s. So he can open up to her.

This is based on King’s own experiences, his own OCD, practically ensuring that it’s a sensitive and sympathetic portrayal. At the same time, it does as good a job as any that I’ve come across in communicating what it’s like to those who’ve never experienced it. I’d recommend it to anyone in whatever age range just for that alone.

That doesn’t mean that King doesn’t have some fun with it, he takes opportunities for small and large comedic moments brought on by Daniel’s OCD. But it’s never mean-spirited, and the reader laughs while feeling sympathy (maybe even empathy).

A Few Thoughts on the Narration

De Ocampo is a pretty versatile narrator—I’ve previously listened to his work on Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Tropper’s This is Where I Leave You. He’s able to hit all the right notes here—the comedy, the uncertainty, the tension—Daniel’s “zap”s—the whole kit and caboodle.

I was pretty impressed—moreso when I looked him up and saw that I’d heard his work before. He did a good job here and did so in a way that didn’t make me think of the others I’d heard.

So, what did I think about OCDaniel?

I thought the whole mystery thing was a bit far-fetched, especially the way it resolved. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun—and the rest of the novel more than made up for the bits of the story that induced a bit of eye-rolling.

It was an entertaining and enlightening novel—great for the upper MG/lower YA crowd, but a solid enough work for older audiences, too.

Give this a read, or a listen—you’ll be glad you did.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child: Readers Would Be Better Off Without this Reacher 2.0 Mess

By HCNewton

On December 14, 2021

In Fiction, Jack Reacher, Lee Child, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Better Off Dead

by Lee Child and Andrew Child
Series: Jack Reacher, #26

Hardcover, 325 pg.
Delacorte Press, 2021

Read: December 7-9, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Better Off Dead About?

Continuing the westward journey he started back in Past Tense, Reacher finds himself about as close to the US/Mexican border as you can get in one of the smallest towns we’ve seen him in.

He encounters an Army vet hunting for her twin—who has gotten himself mixed up with some sort of smuggling operation—that might be getting into something more serious. Michaela Fenton gets Reacher to help out with a scheme to put her face-to-face with the head of the operation.

Things go south, and before you know it, it’s Reacher against this shadowy organization trying to save the Fenton twins and put an end to a plot that’s either an act of political protest or deadly attack (Reacher’s assuming the latter).

That doesn’t make a lot of sense—but trust me, something as convoluted as this plot doesn’t make it easy to summarize in a coherent fashion.

So, what did I think about Better Off Dead?

I strongly considered listing all my problems with this—but why bother? Venting my spleen might make me feel better, but I don’t want to spend the energy on it.

Let me try to be concise—it was a giant, implausible, mess. The original plan that Reacher and Fenton come up with to take down the bad guy makes every single machine that Rube Goldberg drew seem efficient and straightforward. I couldn’t believe that Reacher would sign on to it—and even after he started voicing concerns, he still went along with it. Reacher’s known for his brawn, but his brain has always been—up to this point, anyway–just as important (if not more so). This was just dumb.

I was annoyed very early on, texting a friend, “Worst.Reacher.Ever.” Although I noted that the Child brothers had 250 or so pages to make me change my mind. I really wanted them to. But man, those short stories about pre-teen/teenager Reacher in New York City or Okinawa look really good to me now.

The least troublesome part for me was the voice—Lee Child tended toward the third-person, but occasionally used first to great effect. This time, first-person didn’t help matter—and while I haven’t read any readers complain about it, a lot of what I have seen people complain about I think would’ve worked if it was in the third-person (and/or wouldn’t have been part of a third-person narration).

There were some good scenes, a handful of chapters that worked for me, in fact.* But they were a distinct minority. Still, in trying to be fair, I’d say if this was a thriller by a relative newcomer? I’d be more positive about it (not much more, but more). But Andrew Child (née Grant) has a dozen novels under his belt and Lee Child has twice that—also this is a Jack Reacher novel. There are standards that must be upheld.

*I’d planned on talking about some of those, but this post is longer than I’d intended it to be already, so let’s leave it at “the whole thing wasn’t a dumpster fire.”

I knew that there’s be some growing pains as Lee backed off to let Andrew take over, but this was worse than that. The Sentinel wasn’t perfect, but it was something to work from. Better Off Dead was a major setback and will take some work to recover from. Sadly, I bet that no one’s going to make Andrew buckle down and do that work (please, please, someone prove me wrong).

I walked away from the interview I heard with them a few weeks ago with the impression that Andrew doesn’t typically work with the “no outline” approach of Lee—maybe if he didn’t try to ape that style, he’d be better off. There were a few times in my notes I wondered if they’d changed their minds about where the plot was going.

Give this one a pass—go back and read/reread 61 Hours, Nothing to Lose, Personal, or…you know what? Anything from The Midnight Line or earlier. It’ll be time better spent.

2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

I have a Few Unnecessary Thing to Say About A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry

By HCNewton

On December 13, 2021

In Audiobook, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

A Christmas Carol:
A Signature Performance
by Tim Curry

by Charles Dickens, Tim Curry (Narrator)

Unabridged Audiobook, 3 hrs., 31 min.
Audible Studios on Brilliance, 2016

Read: December 10, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry About?

Yeah, just kidding. We all know.

So, what did I think about A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry?

Really, all this post needs to be is: “Tim Curry read A Christmas Carol” and include a link to purchase. What else do you need? That’s pretty much all I needed to read from this post by Bookstooge.

But let me say something about the narration—it’s good, it’s really good. It’s also not what I expected, at least not fully.

I think I went into it anticipating an almost-over-the-top performance, whatever the audio-equivalent of a scenery-chewing showcase of Tim Curry excess. Which would have been delightful, make no mistake. Curry’s got one of those voices that would’ve lent itself to such a thing and I’d have made it an annual listen.

But no, Curry’s a pro. And he shows that here. He treats the material with respect and gives just the right emotional weight, sentimentality, personality, and life that the text and characters call for.

One line reading, in particular, made me chuckle (and came as close to what I anticipated as anything does):

“You will be haunted,” resumed the Ghost, “by Three Spirits.”

Scrooge’s countenance fell almost as low as the Ghost’s had done.

“Is that the chance and hope you mentioned, Jacob?” he demanded, in a faltering voice.
“It is.”

“I—I think I’d rather not,” said Scrooge.

I chuckled at that last line and went back to listen to it a couple of times.

This is just what I needed—did it make my heart grow three sizes that day? Nope. Too much of that moralism-disguised-as-Christianity so typical of Dickens and his era, this work will never have that effect on me. But it’s a nice dollop of holiday spirit, and sure to entertain anyone who gives it a listen.

5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

The Last Time She Died by Zoë Sharp: The First Novel in This Series Will Keep your Brain Spinning

By HCNewton

On December 13, 2021

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Last Time She Died

by Zoë Sharp
Series: Blake & Byron Thrillers: Book 1

Kindle Edition, 384 pg.
Bookouture, 2021

Read: December 2-6, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s The Last Time She Died About?

I’m feeling pretty paranoid about what I’m going to write in this post, I don’t want to give anything away. It’d be really easy to do with this one, so I’ll just borrow this from Sharp’s website:

She came back on the day of her father’s funeral, ten years after she vanished. But she can’t be who she says she is…

When Blake disappeared as a teenager, on a cold dark night, her father never reported her missing. She is presumed dead.

Now, ten years later, a young woman with white-blonde hair sits comfortably in the family living room and smiles at the shocked faces around her.

“Don’t you recognise me?” she says. “I’m Blake.”

Detective John Byron isn’t sure whether she’s telling the truth. But as he investigates, he soon realises no one is happy to see her.

And the people who should be welcoming her back with open arms know she can’t be Blake. Because they killed her the night she vanished…

Didn’t they?

Lily

‘I’m Lily. Does this mean you’re sort of my sister? I’ve always wanted a sister. Well, I really wanted a kitten, but a sister would be nearly as good.’

At the root of everything in this novel are some deep and dark secrets—many of which will be brought out of the shadows–but there are several moments of light throughout. The brightest beam of light comes from Gideon Fitzroy’s twelve-year-old step-daughter, Lily.

She’s adorable—it jumps off of the page. She feels neglected by her mother and uncle, her older brother’s at that stage of adolescence where the last thing he wants to do is spend time with his little sister. So the prospect of having a brand-new, adult, sister? Lily’s awed by her. And then when Blake’s friendly with her, spends time with her? Lily’s devoted.

She doesn’t understand what’s going on—and is largely kept in the dark by her family. But she’s Blake’s biggest fan, no matter what that might mean for her family. There’s a sweetness to her that makes her future and welfare as important to the reader (at least this one) as Blake’s and Byron’s.

Byron +

Byron, considered solely, is an intriguing character—and I have a note or two about wanting to write about his psychology a bit. But I don’t think we have quite enough information yet to do the deep(ish) dive that I want to. Sure, not having that information is part of what makes him intriguing.

Where we really learn about him is from other characters and from his interactions with others. For example, PC Jane Hudson knew him as a trainee, and gained certain impressions of him, and shares them with her superiors, predecessor, and others (including the reader).

But it’s in his interactions with others that you really get to like him. With the pub’s skittish cleaner. He’s great at winning her over and getting her to talk. He’s got this wonderful banter with his superior that speaks to a long association/friendship and liked their conversations enough that I’d pay for a novella featuring them just meeting for tea and chatting. It’s probably there that I decided that I liked him as a person.

But in his conversations and interactions with Blake (and the way they both respond after each encounter) is where he really stands out. The two “get” each other in a way that just makes you want to read more, just to watch their verbal dance (and the choreography of what they don’t say is just as agile). We’re talking Poe and Tilly, Spenser and Hawk, Cormoran and Robin levels of chemistry here. It’s almost like there should be a series based on the pair.

Oh, wait…

So, what did I think about The Last Time She Died?

I’ve been reading Sharp’s Charlie Fox for over a decade, but I hadn’t read anything else by her. I’ve always suspected that was an error in judgment, and this certainly suggests that I’m right.

How many times since Martin Guerre* has the story of someone presumed dead come back and had to prove they weren’t an impostor? How many times have we read about a police detective with emotional and physical scars doing some off the books work because they can’t do anything else? How many stories of small-town secrets being exposed have been written? How many…well, you get the idea. This novel is full of ideas we’ve all seen more times than we can count. But Sharp shuffles them, remixes them, and presents them to the readers in a way that could almost convince you that you’ve never read/seen anything like it before.

* Sure. before that story, too.

How good is Sharp? The series is called Blake & Byron Thrillers—and yet you will wonder on more than one occasion if she’s actually Blake. And you may keep wondering after you finish the book.

So many of the characters really popped and will linger in the back of my mind for quite a while. I’m already impatient about getting answers to how Blake and Bryson will have another adventure together. I wouldn’t mind an update on some of the other characters, either—although it appears that Bryson’s new job will be taking him to a different part of the country.

The Last Time She Died is entertaining, twisty, tense, with just enough wit to keep you grinning. This is going to be a series to watch, readers, get started now.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

COVER REVEAL: The Other Side of Fear by Eoghan Egan

By HCNewton

On December 13, 2021

In Book Tour, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Welcome to The Irresponsible Reader’s part in the Cover Reveal for The Other Side of Fear by Eoghan Egan! I do this with a sigh of relief—unlike the last cover reveal I agreed to do for Red Dog, I saw the email with the details in my spam folder before the reveal date, and I’d hate to renege twice in a row. Also, this is a cool cover and I like sharing cool things with you. But before we get to the striking cover down below, why don’t we learn a bit about the book?

Book Blurb

Sharona Waters is determined to dig into loan shark Dessie Dolan’s business and see him brought to justice. But when a young woman she’s only briefly met goes missing, a much darker story emerges.

Pulled into the ruthless world of people trafficking—a world built on violent brutality and sudden death – Sharona finds herself caught between crime and conscience, pursued by powerful and ruthless criminals, and just one bad decision away from having her whole world crash down.

Sometimes, the only way forward is to risk everything, no matter the cost

Publication date: March 29, 2022

About the Author

A native of Co. Roscommon, Ireland, Eoghan wrote his first story aged nine. At college, he studied Computer Programming, works in Sales Management & Marketing, but his passion for reading and writing remain.

Eoghan’s stories were shortlisted for the 2018 Bridport Short Story Prize, and Listowel’s 2019 Bryan McMahon Short Story Award Competition. Others have been published in various anthologies. He has also completed two crime fiction novels in a planned trilogy set in the Irish Midlands and has started work on the third.

A graduate of Maynooth University’s Creative Writing Curriculum and Curtis Brown’s Edit & Pitch Your Novel Course, Eoghan divides his time between Roscommon and Dublin.

Eoghan constantly explores ways to increase his knowledge in the art of writing. He enjoys attending literary festivals and is excited about the prospect of getting back to face-to-face discussions with readers and writers. He’s also a heavy metal fan, and, post-Covid, can’t wait to headbang at a rock gig.

Find him on Twitter: @eoghanegan

And now…

The Cover

The Other Side of Fear

Once again, Red Dog Press nails the cover, their streak of winning covers continues.

As good as the cover is, I’m betting the interior of the book is better—you can (and should) pre-order this now at: Red Dog Press.

My thanks to Red Dog Press for the invitation to participate in this reveal and the materials they provided.

Who Is Jesus? Knowing Christ through His “I Am” Sayings by J. V. Fesko

By HCNewton

On December 12, 2021

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Who Is Jesus?:
Knowing Christ through
His “I Am” Sayings

by J. V. Fesko

Paperback, 93 pg.
Reformation Heritage Books, 2016

Read: December 5, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Who is Jesus? About?

This book does three things—at the same time—first and foremost, it looks at all fourteen times that Jesus uses the phrase “I am,” in the Gospel of John, and discusses the context and meaning of it. Fesko doesn’t just look at Christ’s meaning of “the door,” “the bread of life,” and so on, but the significance of the use of “I am” (ἐγώ εἰμι, ego eimi).

Secondly, it looks at the “seven signs of divinity” presented in John—and how they’re intertwined in the “I am” sayings. But Fesko doesn’t let the focus linger on these signs.

Lastly, and this is the unique part of this study, is to look at the Old Testament allusions and roots of the fourteen “I am”s. Seeing how Christ was self-consciously pointing to the Scriptures to show how he fulfills them is a real treasure.

Fesko concludes each chapter with a few paragraphs of application to the reader and some questions for further study.

So, what did I think about Who is Jesus??

This might not be the best comparison, but it’s the one that I kept thinking of as I read this, so…if you don’t like this, I’ll give you a full refund for the cost of your subscription.

In The West Wing, there were repeated worries about the President’s approach to things—the way he interacts with people, there’s “The President at his Best”/”The Professor” or “Uncle Fluffy.” Fesko’s books feel like they’re written the same way. For example, Death in Adam, Life in Christ: The Doctrine of Imputation or Word, Water, and Spirit: A Reformed Perspective on Baptism are products of “The Professor.” Who is Jesus? is pure Uncle Fluffy.

This is not a complaint. This is an observation. Well, okay, maybe a little of a complaint. I’m glad this was the Uncle Fluffy Fesko—I appreciated that this was an accessible, short read—but I think it could’ve used a little more of The Professor. Just a little more depth would’ve been great. But it’s good as it is, just could’ve been a bit better.

At the same time—you give me a version of this book by The Professor? I’m there in a heartbeat.

Who is Jesus? is a quick read (it’s very easy to be too quick about it, I had to tap my breaks a few times), but it’s a good read. There’s a richness to the study of the “I Am” sayings and a real reward to looking at their Old Testament roots. This is well-worth your time, it’d be good for Bible Studies, Sunday Schools—even Family Worship aids.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Saturday Miscellany—12/11/21

By HCNewton

On December 11, 2021

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

I feel bad not having an introduction of sorts this week (I remember when I didn’t do that at all, but that was a while ago), but I really don’t have anything on my mind today. And then I started thinking that if I’m not careful, I’m going to end up as the bookish equivalent to a recipe blog that makes you slog through a thesis on the history of potpourri or finding just the right pillow for their dog or whatever before getting to the ingredient list. And who wants that?

Oh look, I found an introduction. I never said that I wanted a good one. I’d better shut up and make with the links.

Odds n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet A Double Loss: Ford and Waterman—there were something special about G. M. Ford’s Leo Waterman books, I’ll miss them.
bullet A novelist says fake editions of his works were listed on Amazon as centuries old, with one $7 book going for $1,008—what?
bullet Bookstores are dying. Barnes & Noble’s pricing policy may help explain why.—again, I say, what? (this feels like I’m starting an Amber Ruffin sketch from Late Night)
bullet PEN America Calls Out Texas School District for Banning Eleven Books—you know, I might (might) feel a teensy-weensy bit better about this wave of School Book purges if there was even one book on this list that punched Left.
bullet Of course, it’s spreading…Iowa legislators target books and teachers for upcoming session
bullet The 101 Best Book Covers of 2021—I usually enjoy this list, but the overwhelming majority of these didn’t do anything for me. There are some worth checking out though–and I’ve spotted those in the wild (and have been led to at least read the back of the book)
bullet The Curse of Englishness: Why Every British Thriller Is Also a Black Comedy
bullet How Can You Be A Fantasy Author If You Flunked Creative Writing Class? – An Origin Story by Thomas Howard Riley
bullet Humor in Books, and Other Places, Too! An Interview with Jamie Jackson—Lockhaven’s starting a series of interviews along these lines (I meant to drop a link to the first one, with Camila Sortica AKA Blackbird (@Bbird_26), back when it posted, too).
bullet Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Broken Room by Peter Clines—Nice interview to go along with that reveal, too.
bullet The #R3COMM3ND3D2021 series over at Damp Pebbles keeps chugging along, expanding TBRs of all who read the posts. The posts over the last week were:
bullet Book Blogger Sarah Swan
bullet Book Blogger Lynne aka Fictionophile
bullet Bookstagrammer Zoebeesbooks
bullet Book Blogger David
bullet Book Blogger Anne Williams
bullet Book Blogger Kate
bullet Let’s Talk About Mood Reading
bullet Quotables: Words that Stuck with Me- 2021—This is a great collection over at Witty and Sarcastic Book Club. It’s inspired me to start something in 2022, too, that will absolutely be the most blatant rip-off (but will hopefully be thinly disguised enough that I can get away with it).

This Week's New Releases That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon. This looks like it’s going to be a slim month for new releases, but at least it starts off promising:
bullet Risen by Benedict Jacka—As I whinged about Wednesday, I didn’t get this on time. So I can’t link to my (expected) tear-filled rave about the last Alex Verus novel, so check in mid-week next week for that. In the meantime, go procure your own copy.
bullet Family Business by S.J. Rozan—a new Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery? I’m in, even before reading about it: “The death of a powerful Chinatown crime boss thrusts private eye Lydia Chin and her partner Bill Smith into a world of double-dealing, subterfuge, murder, and—because this is New York City—real estate”
bullet The Liar’s Knot by M. A. Carrick—the follow-up to The Mask of Mirrors is out. I’m honestly a bit intimidated about diving back in to this world, but I imagine it’ll be worth it.

Lastly I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to Peat Long who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger!

The Friday 56 for 12/10/21: Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

By HCNewton

On December 10, 2021

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it

from Page 56 of:
Grave Reservations

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

“You’re really going out on a limb here, aren’t you?” she asked.

He shook his head and gazed balefully at the clippings. “This case has never made any sense, and we’ve never had any real leads, Something about it just … stuck in my craw, as they say.”

“Who says that?”

“My late wife’s family, in North Carolina. They have a wide selection of colorful expressions in circulation out there.” He used his index finger to move a few of the paper scraps around. “Consensus is that the murders were part of an interrupted robbery … but that explanation never felt right. This isn’t that kind of hotel, you know what I mean? We’re in the wrong part of town for a cheap shakedown, and this isn’t the kind of place that a tech CEO would choose for legitimate business activities.”

The restaurant manager sauntered by with a plate of pungent chicken wings and a lifted eyebrow.

“No offense,” Grady called over his shoulder.

Book Blogger Hop: Main or Supporting Character?

By HCNewton

On December 10, 2021

In Book Blogger Hop, Books, News/Misc.

Book Blogger Hop

This prompt was submitted by Julie @ JadeSky:

If you were in a book, would you rather be the main character or in the background?

When I saw this question, a line from The West Wing* jumped to mind, President Bartlet asks Josh:

You know what the difference is between you and me? I want to be the guy; you want to be the guy the guy counts on.

That’s me. Put me as the loyal sidekick, the comic relief guy, the one the protagonist comes to for answers, resources, venting, whatever. Keep me out of the limelight, let me get stuff done.

* from “Guns Not Butter” from Season 4, Episode 12

What about you?

Time and Tide (Audiobook) by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson: The Times They Are a-Changin’

By HCNewton

On December 9, 2021

In Audiobook, DC Smith & Kings Lake, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Time and Tide

by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator)
Series: A DC Smith Investigation #7

Unabridged Audiobook, 13 hrs., 29 min.
Tantor Audio, 2018

Read: May 7-11, 2021

What’s Time and Tide About?

A new DI has been named at King’s Lake—and it’s a person we’ve run into before—and it’s a bridge too far for DC Smith. He’s been thinking about retiring since the first book, and that thought’s been getting louder. He’d probably stick it out for a little longer if not for this new boss, but…so he turns in his papers and starts to prepare to leave.

But first, there’s a murder to solve. Smith sets out for what’s likely the last time with his team and their new DI to solve the case of a suspected figure in organized crime being murdered in a small tourist town.

Everyone tries to treat this as just a typical investigation, but the specter of Smith’s retirement looms over everything. This is Smith’s last chance to impart his training on his team—Chris Waters in particular. Waters is doing his best to prove to his mentor that he’s ready to fly solo (all the while trying to soak up anything he can). Smith’s also busy trying to put his team in the best positions for their career—even if their immediate future is under the DI that led him to resign.

Also, he should probably figure out what he’s going to do when he doesn’t have a job anymore.

So, what did I think about Time and Tide?

So, I know there are more books in the series, which takes a little sting out of it, but I wasn’t ready for Smith to leave Kings Lake.

I thought the story meandered a bit more than I’m used to, but it worked. It felt appropriate for the time. It’s not just Smith’s upcoming retirement, there’s a lot about changing of times, former careers/lives, the past defining people, and so on. It’s probably the most obvious that Grainger’s been about matching the themes of the plotlines, but I’m not going to complain.

Like I said, I know there are more books to come in the series, so it’s not an ending—or really the beginning of the end—it’s a transition novel. Things are going to change, and while I’m not necessarily a fan of change, I’m betting that Grainger’s going to pull it off. He’s doing so already.

On top of that, we get the typical wise and witty Smith with his very capable team unearthing secrets, and making sure the truth is revealed. Narrated by the man who continues to make these characters come to life and elevates the already well-written text. You really can’t go wrong with this series.

4 Stars