Category: Fiction Page 130 of 341

I’m reposting this one because I thought of it during What Abigail Did That Summer because Abigail gets to shine a little bit in this collection—and because it was short Rivers of London stories, just like the (fairly long) novella).

Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection

by Ben Aaronovitch
Series: The Rivers of London

Kindle Edition, 139 pg.
JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc., 2020

Read: August 1-3, 2020

If asked, I’d have thought I posted about this book weeks ago, so imagine my surprise this past weekend when I saw this title still on my “To Be Written” list when I was checking for something else. Better late than never…

What are the Tales from the Folly?

The subtitle pretty much gives it away, really. These are shorter works set in the Rivers of London series. The Folly is the unofficial name for the recognized British magical organization, following in the first formal study of magic made by Sir Isaac Newton (no known relation, but that doesn’t stop me from claiming him as an uncle), it’s currently formally organized as the Special Assessment Unit of the Metropolitan Police. The Folly is also the nickname for their headquarters. Either use works for this collection.

There are seven short stores (or one novella and six short stories) told from Peter Grant’s perspective—just like the series. Then there are four stories from the point of view of other characters in the series and three “moments” (Aaronovitch’s term for “something that is more of a mood than a story, something that will last a page or two and conjure an atmosphere).

Peter Grant Stories

Obviously, this is Peter’s series (at least so far…), so he gets the bulk of the space. Most of these take place around the time of the first few books in the series, but at different stages of Peter’s development. I enjoyed them all and most of them are good enough to justify the purchase price on their own.

I can’t put my finger on why, exactly, but the first story “The Home Crowd Advantage” is my favorite. It’s about a French practitioner who got up to no good during the 1948 London Games who revisits the scene of the crime in 2012 when rookie apprentice Peter Grant is the only one around to deal with him.

The last entry in this section is the novella, A Rare Book of Cunning Device that I talked about when it was released as an Audible Original in 2017. It’s rare for me to go from hearing a work to reading it, so it was interesting that way. I enjoyed it just as much this time around, but I think Holdbrook-Smith’s voice is a better one for this series than whatever is echoing around in my skull.

Everyone Else

The fact that Aaronovitch is able to tell stories outside of Peter’s perspective shows the strength of the series in my book, he’s built the world and the characters out enough that they can carry the weight of a narrative for at least a little bit.

We get a story from the perspective of one of the Rivers, one from Abigail’s perspective that will warm the cockles of your heart (and maybe make you a little sad for a bit), a nice one featuring Vanessa Sommer from Germany (making me hope we get back to Germany for another novel soon), the answer about what happened to the River Lugg after Foxglove Summer. Then there are the moments, one featuring Nightengale, one with Reynolds and one with Sommer’s pal Tobias Winter years before The October Man

So, what did I think about Tales from the Folly?

That’s easy, I thought it was great. I’d buy volume 2 tomorrow, and volume 3 next month. If Aaronovitch wrote that quickly, anyway. They’re like the comic series in a way—a nice way to spend some time in this universe without having to put in the time of a novel.

The collection covered the gamut of emotions and types of story typical of the series with Aaronovitch’s evident charm and skill. It’s a must for every Rivers of London fan.

4 Stars

REPOST: Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

By HCNewton

On March 2, 2021

In Authors, Ben Aaronovitch, Fiction, Rivers of London (Peter Grant), Urban Fantasy

So the plan was, read What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch on Monday and post about it Tuesday. What happened was: read What Abigail Did That Summer Monday, do some parenting things and have no energy left for anything else. Whoops. So, I’m going to repost a couple of Rivers of London books I thought of while reading the upcoming novella and we’ll try again tomorrow. This novel explains why Peter wasn’t around to give Abigail a hand (not that she’d have asked for it).

Foxglove Summer

by Ben Aaronovitch
Series: The Rivers of London, #5

Mass Market Paperback, 323 pg.
Daw Books, 2015
Read: January 9 – 10, 2014

“Hail the conquering hero,” said Beverly and held up her bottle to clink.
“Sic transit Gloria mundi,” I said, because it was the first thing that came into my head — we clinked and drank. It could have been worse. I could have said, “Valar Morghulis” instead.

It’s always a pleasure to spend some time in the pages of a Peter Grant/The Rivers of London novel, but Foxglove Summer is probably the most pleasurable entry in the series since Midnight Riot (The Rivers of London for non-US types). I’m not sure I can put my finger on why that’s the case, but that’s not something I’m going to worry about. Unlike Peter’s mother, who

never saw a gift horse that she wouldn’t take down to the vet to have its mouth X-rayed — if only so she could establish its resale value.

Two young girls have vanished in a small village slightly north of London, and Peter’s sent to make sure that the (supposedly) no longer active wizard in the area had nothing to do with it. Having done so, he decides to stick around and see if he can help with some of the routine/mundane work needed.

Naturally — well, I should say, Supernaturally, it’s not long before The Powers That Be ask him to see if there’s an angle to the case that’s more up his alley than theirs. Peter finds some undeniable evidence of magic at work and things get going from there.

Nothing against London — but loved this breath of fresh air in this novel. For example, Peter’s dealing with different superior officers to not want to deal with magic/supernatural — these don’t have the antagonism that usually shows up in London, they just don’t want anything to do with it. The town is full of interesting types — including traveling fair ride owners, tavern keepers, farmers, and vacationing journalists.

As always with this series, the sheer amount of British Police acronyms and assumed knowledge of structure and procedures are a hurdle many US readers won’t want to try (I’ve been told this by a few who I’ve tried to get to read these books) — it’s a little effort, and easily worth it to overcome.

My major — only? — gripe is that Peter’s not making a lot of progress with his magic, he seems to be pretty much where he was three novels back. Yes, he’s more confident, yes, he’s able to apply his knowledge of magic with some good old-fashioned police ingenuity — but his abilities and skills are still rookie-level. Without Beverly as magic back-up, he’d be in trouble. The two of them — plus one local cop out of his depth, but committed to work — are able to handle things.

Yeah, it was nice not to focus on Lesley and the Faceless One (which isn’t to say their shadows don’t loom over a good chunk of the book), but it’s clear that they’ll be back in a really big way soon. Which I’m looking forward to, as nice as it was to have this mental palate cleanser here. Foxglove Summer was great mix of police procedural, Urban Fantasy and Folklore — both traditional and contemporary (the area’s obsession with UFOs is great) — with Aaronovitch’s deft humor, pop culture references and tight plotting. We’ve got ourselves a winner here.

—–

4 Stars

He Drank, and Saw the Spider (Audiobook) by Alex Bledsoe, Stefan Rudnicki: LaCrosse’s Break from His Vacation Changes History

By HCNewton

On March 1, 2021

In Alex Bledsoe, Audiobook, Eddie LaCrosse, Fantasy, Fiction, Reread Project

Like with the previous Eddie LaCrosse audiobook, The Wake of the Bloody Angel, I can’t think of much more to say than I did in 2014 when I read the book. But, this is the last one in the series, and I can’t just let this pass unremarked. So I shuffled it a bit, cleaned a couple of things up, and added bit here and there. That’s not cheating too much, is it?

He Drank, and Saw the Spider

by Alex Bledsoe, Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)
Series: Eddie LaCrosse, #5

Unabridged Audiobook, 9 hrs., 6 min.
Blackstone Audio, 2014

Read: February 16-19, 2021

Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

I felt that little knot in my belly that meant a mystery was taking its irrevocable hold. Usually this was a good thing, because usually I got paid for it. But here and now I was on vacation, and the last thing I wanted to do was spend it unraveling the truth of the strange prince, his rotund protector, and the girl I’d once saved from a bear. But damn it, I knew that’s exactly what I was going to do.

What’s He Drank, and Saw the Spider About?

After a couple of adventures that aren’t quite typical in their nature, Eddie La Crosse gets back to basics with a fairly straightforward case. Well, that’s not exactly true—it’s just that the last was more grand-adventure-y, less LaCrosse-as-sword-jokey, and the one before that took on this epic nature by the end. This is Eddie doing what he does best. But still, there’s magic and monsters, and all the other trappings that keep this from being something that Sue Grafton or Dennis Lehane would’ve written.

Sixteen years ago, Eddie promised a dying man on the run that he’d take care of the baby that the other man was running to protect. He found a seemingly-trustworthy family willing to take the infant in, and went on his merry way, and actually forgot all about the incidents surrounding that. Years later, Eddie and his girlfriend, Liz, are on vacation in that area and suddenly it all comes back to him and he decides to try and track down the (now) young woman and see how she’s doing.

Naturally, things start to go poorly about there. He does find her—pretty easily, too—it is a small community, with an economy largely-based on sheep-herding and farming, so it’s not really a bustling metropolis where no one knows anyone else. But there’s a whole lot of interesting things happening around the young woman—royalty in disguise, a meddling sorceress, an untrustworthy mercenary-type, an over-protective mother, a dose of sibling rivalry, and some sort of articulate and super-strong inhuman creature with a healthy interest in the girl.

Even though he was just supposed to check on her and not interfere with her life—he had no intention of even introducing himself to her. Eddie can’t help himself, and before you know it, he’s neck-deep in intrigue and danger.

Biggest Magic Yet

When you think about Fantasy novels (or maybe I should just say “I”, who knows what you think) you think about magic all over the place. But if it’s really that ubiquitous, that takes away some of the special-ness of magic. In LaCrosse’s world, almost no one believes in magic. Eddie sure wouldn’t if magic, deities, and supernatural creatures hadn’t rubbed their existence in his face on repeated occasions.

That’s certainly the case here—most of the people that Eddie is around in this novel (and by most, I mean an overwhelming majority) refuse to admit that what they are seeing—some of them on multiple occasions—has anything to do with magic. I think this is a great choice—it’s another hurdle for Eddie and Liz to get over, it adds some real tension when you’d be tempted to think we’re done with tension, and it keeps the magic mysterious.

Rudnicki’s Narration

I think this is probably Rudnicki’s best work in the series. he nails every character—particularly the character of Billy Cudgel (the aforementioned untrustworthy mercenary-type). He captures the humor, the drunkenness, the misery, the madness, and everything else. I thought the choices he makes in the narration (he and/or the director) and tone were spot-on. He’s definitely a narrator I’m going to seek out in the future.

So, what did I think about He Drank, and Saw the Spider?

On the whole, this is a fun, brisk novel—a lot of humor, some good action, nice banter, and interaction between the characters (especially Eddie and Liz). Yet, even as the answers to the questions surrounding the girl’s mysterious origins become obvious, and some of the characters get to the point where they seemed irredeemable, Bledsoe (as he can every so well) keeps you completely drawn in and even tugs the heartstrings a bit as the truth is revealed to the characters. Just really, really well done.

There’s a lot of nice little touches along the way. For example, towards the end of the book, Eddie and those he’s traveling with encounter a preteen who joins their little band for a while. She’s pretty new to swearing and tries to get in as much practice as she can while with them. At first, I thought she was an odd (but entertaining) and pointless distraction. It didn’t take too long to see she was a perfect tension-breaker, just what that part of the novel needed to keep from being too tense and so much more serious than what had come before.

Eddie’s narration has never been better—humor-tinged and hard-boiled, a medieval Philip Marlowe or Elvis Cole. I liked all of these characters, and really wanted to spend more time with each of them—I don’t know how Bledsoe could’ve pulled that off without getting the whole thing too slow and ponderous (which would’ve sucked the fun out of 60-70% of these characters). This is really such a well-done and fully realized series.

Either Bledsoe or his publishers decided that was enough, and it doesn’t look like we’re going to get any more adventures from our favorite sword-jockey, but man, I’m glad we got what we did.

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: Dead in the Water (Stonebridge #2) by Chris McDonald

By HCNewton

On March 1, 2021

In Book Tour, Chris McDonald/Frost, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, The Stonebridge Mysteries

Welcome to The Irresponsible Reader’s part in the Cover Reveal for Chris McDonald’s Dead in the Water! If it doesn’t grab your attention, you should get your eyes checked. But before we get to the cover down below, but before the picture, I’ve got a few words to share about the book.

Book Blurb

The Stonebridge Regatta is looming. The town’s annual face-off against neighbouring Meadowfield is usually a weekend filled with sunshine, laughter and camaraderie.

This year is different.

A week before the race, the body of Stonebridge team captain Matthew Henderson is found dead in the water. The police file his passing as a tragic accident however, his grieving widow disagrees and suspects foul play is involved. She enlists the help of Adam and Colin, the town’s amateur (self-proclaimed) private detectives to unearth the truth.

Did Matthew simply slip and fall into the water, or is there more to his death below the surface?

Date of publication: March 27, 2021

About the Author

Originally hailing from the north coast of Northern Ireland and now residing in South Manchester, Chris McDonald has always been a reader. At primary school, The Hardy Boys inspired his love of adventure before his reading world was opened up by Chuck Palahniuk and the gritty world of crime. A Wash of Black is his first attempt at writing a book. He came up with the initial idea whilst feeding his baby in the middle of the night, which may not be the best thing to admit, considering the content. He is a fan of 5-a-side football, heavy metal and dogs. Whispers in the Dark is the second installment in the DI Erika Piper series, and Chris is currently working on his latest series, The Stonebridge Mysteries, published by Red Dog Press in 2021.

And now…

The Cover

Dead in the Water
The cover designers at Red Dog have done it again.

Again, this book comes out on March 27th, but you can pre-order this now at: Red Dog Press or Amazon (but you should absolutely order from Red Dog directly, the Bezos retirement fund is big enough, help out the publisher).

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

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding: BOOK XVI., vii. – x.

By HCNewton

On February 26, 2021

In Fiction, Fridays with The Foundling, General Fiction/Literature

Fridays with the Foundling
So Squire Western drags Blifil with him to go visit Sophia, who does not want to see him and excuses herself immediately. Mrs. Western chalks this up to them showing up unexpectedly and chases them off—schedule a visit (maybe even this afternoon) and she’ll see him, her aunt will see to that. It takes some work, but she gets them to leave—Western only because he insists this afternoon will work, but Blifil thinks something else is afoot.

And he’s right, Lady Bellaston (for whatever twisted reason she has) has come to visit Western and has convinced her that Lord Fellamar is a better match than Blifil, who really only has money to recommend him. Fellmar has a title, money, and class. Sure, he almost raped Sophia, but…I’m not sure Mrs. Western knows that (or would believe Sophia). That stupid proposal that Tom used to scare off Bellaston comes back to haunt him—she gives it to Mrs. Western to show Sophia.

Meanwhile, Fellmar has recruited a naval friend of his to find Tom, trump up some charges (he’s not a gentleman or anyone with a source of income, he’s a vagrant, so that’ll work) to put him on a sailing vessel.

Meanwhile, Tom has kept that appointment with Mrs. Fitzgerald. She’s still upset with Mrs. Western and wants to get back at her by helping Tom win Sophia. The next day, he returns for more discussion of the topic. As he leaves, he bumps into Mr. Fitzgerald—who after a minute, recognizes Tom and challenges him. Tom knows almost nothing about fencing, but knows enough, apparently, to stick him with the pointy end.

Naturally, about that time the group who was coming to grab Tom for Fellmar sees this and takes him off to the magistrate. Murder’ll do better than vagrancy, after all. While Tom’s locked up, the next day, Partridge comes with the news—Fitzgerald died from his wounds. He also brings a note from Sophia, she’s seen the proposal, and he should never contact her again.

Of the present situation of Mr Jones’s mind, and of the pangs with which he was now tormented, we cannot give the reader a better idea than by saying, his misery was such that even Thwackum would almost have pitied him. But, bad as it is, we shall at present leave him in it, as his good genius (if he really had any) seems to have done. And here we put an end to the sixteenth book of our history.

That’s a pretty eventful four chapters right there. There’ve been entire Books of this novel that haven’t had as many events as the last four chapters of this one. Fellmar and Bellaston prove that they’re the worst. Blifil has probably been spurred to new levels of knavery, and I’m kind of looking forward to Fellmar and facing off with him (and man, I hope that happens)

It was a little confusing because Feilding spent a lot of time going back in time when he switched the characters he focused on—but it wasn’t that bad. I feel like I should have more to say, but I really don’t—I just want to see what happens next!

The Friday 56 for 2/26/21: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

By HCNewton

On February 26, 2021

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

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:
The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

DCI Chris Hudson has been given a file on Tony Curran so thick it makes a pleasing thud if you drop it on a desk. Which is what he has just done.

Chris takes a swig of Diet Coke. He sometimes worries he is addicted to it. He had once read a headline about Diet Coke that was so worrying he had chosen not to read the article.

He opens the file. Most of Tony Curran’s dealings with Kent Police were from before Chris’s time in Fairhaven. Charges for assault in his twenties, minor drug convictions, dangerous driving, dangerous dog, possession of an illegal weapon. A tax disc misdemeanor. Public urination.

Then comes the real story.

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline: A Very 80s Sequel (IOW, Wholly Unnecessary and Completely Inevitable)

By HCNewton

On February 26, 2021

In Science Fiction

Ready Player Two

by Ernest Cline
Series: Ready Player One, #2

Hardcover, 336 pg.
Ballantine Books, 2020

Read: January 4-8, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

Like Marty McFly, I woke up at exactly 10:26 a.m., to the song “Back in Time” by Huey Lewis and the News.

This was courtesy of my vintage flip-clock radio—a Panasonic RC-6015, the model Marty owns in the film. Id had it modified to play the same song at the same time Marty hears it, after he finally makes it back to the future.

I threw back the silk sheets of my king-size bed and lowered my feet to the preheated marble floor. The house computer saw that I was awake and automatically drew back the bedroom’s wraparound window shades, revealing a stunning 180-degree view of my sprawling woodland estate, and of the jagged Columbus skyline on the horizon.

I still couldn’t quite believe it. Waking up in this room, to this sight, every day. Not long ago, just opening my eyes here had been enough to put a grin on my face and a spring in my step.

But today, it wasn’t helping. Today I was just alone, in an empty house, in a world teetering on the brink of collapse.

What’s Ready Player Two About?

While still basking in the immediate afterglow of his victory, sudden power, and fame, Wade Watts discovers a secret innovation that OASIS founder James Halliday had tucked away for the winner of his contest.

Some see this new tech as a giant leap forward and a way to lay the groundwork for saving humanity from the worsening climate crisis, food shortages, and so on. Others see it as a tool to distract people and divert resources from better solutions to the problems that plague the world.

Releasing this tech had an unintended consequence—a new riddle from Halliday. No one was sure what the prize would be, but after his last riddle, who could pass it up? This one didn’t focus on the life and interests of James Halliday, or even Og (Halliday’s former partner and Wade’s new friend), but on Kira Morrow—the other member of GSS’s founders. Og’s wife and the great unrequited love of Halliday’s life.

Years go by, no one makes a lot of progress on that riddle—Wade’s group grows apart, teens grow into adults and friendships take on different meanings (well, there’s one splintering, but the rest are from growth). And then one day, something happens to force Art3mis, Shoto, Aech, and Parzival to regroup and get serious about solving this riddle, or they—and millions of others—would die.

A Very 80s Sequel

The general approach to 80s movie sequels seems to be, “the same as the original, but just different enough to justify the new movie.” And that’s really what we got here. Instead of Halliday’s Easter Eggs, we get the Seven Shards to find. Instead of Joust, we get Ninja Princess; instead of Rush, we get Prince; instead of Steven Spielberg, we get John Hughes; and so on.

Now, I liked the basic game design in the first book and it worked almost as well here. Some of the elements were great—like where the group had to go back to the pre-K level education planet and work through some of those games (and got to ride The Great Space Coaster!). I loved the John Hughes material (even stuff from movies I haven’t seen/obsessed over—which are the minority). But others didn’t work as well for me—the Sega Ninja/Ninja Princess bit seemed a bit too much like the Joust section—and even throwing in the twist to make it hard for Wade, it wasn’t that interesting. And don’t get me started on the interminable Prince* chapter—it felt like it was 110 of the 336 pages in this book.

* And no, it’s not just because I’m not a Prince fan—I probably like more of his songs than Rush’s. Which isn’t saying a whole lot.

Thematically this was the way to approach this book—it’s as 80s as you can get. It plays to Cline’s strengths, too. But, I wanted something newer, fresher in this book, and it just wasn’t there.

LØhengrin

Along the way, Wade makes a new friend, LØhengrin. She’s a young gunter, working hard on this second riddle, a popular YouTuber, and an unabashed fan of Wade’s (her avatar’s name is a clear tribute to his Parzival). Without her, Wade wouldn’t have made the progress he did before the threat—and it’s unlikely he’d have completed it.

The arc concerning LØhengrin and her crew is probably the best thing about this novel, actually. Which is only the secondary reason I have for mentioning her.

My primary reason is the voice-over that opens each episode of her YouTube show:

“Some people define themselves by railing against all of the things they hate, while explaining why everyone else should hate it too. But not me. I prefer to lead with my love—to define myself through joyous yawps of admiration, instead of cynical declarations of disdain. “

I just love the way that’s put. I should be more like that.

So, what did I think about Ready Player Two?

It was better than the Ready Player One movie. I should start there.

Unless you’ve been reading this blog since 2014, you won’t have seen me fanboy over Ready Player One (and even that was listening to the audiobook for my third time through the book). I get many of the criticisms and complaints readers have had over the book—and I share none of them. For me, it was a pure joy from beginning to end. I loved it. Which suggests that I’d be the ideal reader for this one, right? Wellllll…sort of.

Even if it doesn’t sound like it, this book was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the whole thing. I’ve liked these characters and this world for a decade now, and getting to spend some more time with them was a blast.

But…it was too much of a re-hash. As a certain Canadian Band sang, “It’s all been done before.” The higher stakes didn’t feel that real—the motivation seemed hollow, you didn’t read this worried that millions were going to be killed, it’s not that kind of book, so it didn’t seem as urgent. Wade’s narration at the beginning of Ready Player One tells us from the get-go that he’s writing about how he won—so there’s no worry that he’ll fail there, either. Somehow, though, I felt more suspense through all of that book than this.

I thought Cline did a better job of some of the emotional/psychological material in this book—Wade’s (and Samantha’s) motivations and reactions to events and people are dealt with a greater subtlety and authenticity than Cline showed in his first novel—and Wade’s emotional maturity–eventual as it may be–is really portrayed well (we’re never really shown where his friends needed it).

Actually, that point could probably be generalized to the book as a whole—the writing is probably better, it’s a higher quality prose. But, I still think the book is lesser.

Completists are going to want to pick this up—and they should, as long as they go in with low expectations. But on the whole, you’d be better off reading the previous one again (or for the first time)

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.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman: Well, I Know What I Want My Retirement to Look Like

By HCNewton

On February 24, 2021

In Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club

by Richard Osman
Series: Thursday Murder Club, #1

Hardcover, 351 pg.
Pamela Dorman Books, 2020

Read: February 22-23, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

“So, we were all witnesses to a murder,” says Elizabeth. “Which, needless to say, is wonderful.”

What’s The Thursday Murder Club About?

Britain’s first seventh “Luxury Retirement Village,” Coopers Chase is built on the remains of a Roman Catholic convent. On Thursdays, the Jigsaw Room is booked for “Japanese Opera: A Discussion,” during the two-hour slot between Art History and Conversational French. This isn’t actually what happens then, but it’s a great way to dissuade people from dropping in.

What actually happens is that a group of four residents get together to look over cold cases and see if they can make any progress with them. One of the group’s founders was a detective in the Kent Police, and it’s her cases they started going through. When necessary, or when the opportunity presented itself, they’d bring in various experts to consult. Shortly before the book opens, they’d had a change in membership, the former detective’s health had put her in the hospital ward, and when they’d asked a retired nurse for some input, she’d been curious enough to attend the meetings.

At that point, the roster consisted of a socialist activist of some renown, a retired therapist, and a well…we’re never told precisely what Elizabeth did, but The Official Secrets Act and a lot of foreign travel was involved.

Then one of the owners of Coopers Chase, the man who did the actual building, is murdered. Suddenly, they’re not that worried about cold cases, when they have a current case to help the police with (whether the police want/need their help isn’t a consideration).

How the Story is Told

Primarily, the book is told from a variety of third-person perspectives—focusing on most of the Club, a police constable, a Detective Chief Inspector, and others involved in Coopers Chase. It’s a great way to tell this story, you get to know all the characters, see everything going on, and get a real feel for this world. But what makes this better—what helps the reader get into this world, is the retired nurse, Joyce. As she gets into the Club as a whole, and especially as she becomes friends with Elizabeth (in less charitable moments, you might say she’s becoming Elizabeth’s sidekick—and I’m not certain Joyce would mind that), she starts keeping an electronic diary, and Osmund will insert an entry between chapters as a way of breaking up the text and helping the reader to focus on certain elements of the third-person narration.

Through this diary we see her joy in finding something to do, in making friends, in pursuing a romance, in skirting trouble with the police. It’s not really clear how involved Joyce was in the overall Coopers Chase community until this case, but this gives her a spark and opens new worlds and possibilities for her, and it’s heart-warming (at least) to read the progression of this. I will say, in bed with limited light, the typeface that is used for her diary entries (at least in the American Hardcover) wasn’t that easy for me to read—but it was absolutely worth the effort.

Initially, that’s all I wanted to talk about, but I realized the other way to interpret “how” could use some discussion. Osman writes with warmth, gentle humor, heart, and charm. Joyce’s diaries are delightful and the this-person narration is close to that, too. This is a book of dark things—murder, secrets, depravity, scandal, declining health, dementia, grief, loneliness, and death are everywhere. But there’s also community, friendship, and hope—and those latter three so characterize the book that the darkness seems surmountable and something you can be carried through because of the warmth and community. It’s hard to pull that off while being honest about the human condition—but Osman pulls it off with aplomb.

A Pond’s Worth of Red Herrings

I don’t remember the last time I read a mystery novel so full of red herrings—in terms of clues or viable suspects. I loved that—sure, some were easy to spot as being a red herring. But more than once I had to admit to myself that Osman had fooled me.

I love a smart mystery, one that makes me think, one that tricks me (without cheating too much), one that surprises me—and that’s exactly what we get here.

So Many Confessions

Part Two of the novel is called, “Everyone Here Has a Story to Tell,” and man, is that descriptive. There are, by the time all is said and done, several criminals in this book—and some people who aren’t criminals, yet carry a terrible weight of guilt (both deserved and not). And we get all of their stories—sometimes through the narration, but largely from their own dialogue. Secrets are laid bare—primarily for the Club and the reader, but some for a larger audience. Not all of them help anyone get closer to the killer (killers?)—but they all help tell the story.

Some confess because they’ve been waiting for the opportunity (as well as dreading it), some because they’ve been forced into it, some because it just doesn’t matter anymore. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter why they do it, only that they do.

So, what did I think about The Thursday Murder Club?

It is this kind of thing that keeps me reading Crime Fiction—as much as I might read police procedurals and PI (or PI adjacent) novels by the handful, you give me a clever assortment of characters doing interesting things and getting results from a combination of work and smarts and I’m in hog heaven.

A moment ago, I mentioned the title of Part Two. Part One is called, “Meet New People and Try New Things.” For Joyce and Donna (the Police Constable), that’s plainly what this book holds—Donna’s first homicide case and something that puts a spring in Joyce’s step and a twinkle in her eye. But it’s actually true for just about all the characters, and who doesn’t like the idea of a group of septuagenarians (give or take a couple of years) having new experiences to try?

On the off-chance my mother reads this in the next couple of days, I’m going to spoil her birthday and tell her that this is going to be waiting for her on her e-reader. I mention this publicly to illustrate how much I like this book—while I still had over one hundred pages to go, I was already planning on getting it for her (unless the ending was a mess).

A smart mystery, told well, with characters that are just as smart and well-told. I can’t think of a thing about this novel I didn’t like—it was touching, amusing, honest about the circumstances that these characters found themselves in, but life-affirming, too. There’s a lot of profundity mixed in with the amusement—and a clever mystery, to boot! This is not one to pass up.

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.

Pub Day Repost: Smoke by Joe Ide: What Happens When Isaiah Quintabe Leaves LA?

By HCNewton

On February 23, 2021

In Fiction, IQ/Isaiah Quintabe, Joe Ide, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Smoke

by Joe Ide
Series: IQ</a, #5

eARC, 336 pg.
Mulholland Books, 2021

Read: February 8-12, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

Not that any of the previous IQ novels have been cookie cutters of the rest, but this really feels less like an IQ novel than I was ready for. In fact, it felt* like this was more of a Juanell Dodson novel for most of it. When Isaiah left town at the end of Hi Five, he left his friends behind. But their problems didn’t leave with him, they all have to step up and take care of things now without him. But the way they go about taking care of these problems is heavily influenced by Isaiah—he might not be playing an active role in most of the storylines in this book, but this is still his book.

* Yes, I said “felt like,” I could be wrong. This isn’t the kind of blog where you’re going to find me doing word counts to prove things like this.

The LA Stories

Grace is trying to get over Isaiah and focus on her art. She’s got a show coming up and needs to get some more paintings ready—that’s all that matters.

But while she and Isaiah know they’re over—most people don’t (and some of those who do know, believe it’s temporary). When someone that Isaiah helped put away gets back to town and is looking for a little payback, he only hears that Grace is Isaiah’s girl. Which puts her right in the cross-hairs.

Deronda’s life is going great—she’s getting some media attention for her success (which is only serving to build that success), her food trucks are doing great, and her son is fantastic (just ask Deronda, she’ll tell you). But then someone comes along to help himself to a share of that success and uses Janeel as his tool. Deronda goes nuclear and tries everything she can think of to stop this.

Grace tries to help—and gets one of Isaiah’s former clients involved, too. And even Dodson gets in on it. There’s nothing about what they try or the solutions they come up with that Isaiah would have done. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’d have seen some of the problems with her theories and stopped Deronda before she tried to act on them. But for fear of repeating myself, without Isaiah’s influence on the three of them, none of them would’ve tried anything like they did.

Cherise has had enough of Dodson’s bouncing around from opportunity to opportunity, trying to make some money, but with no stability. He needs to grow up and get a real job, and to help with that, she’s arranged for an internship at a local advertising agency. Dodson isn’t interested at all in this, but she’s not negotiating.

So he shows up for the first day, and something clicks. He thinks about the way Isaiah had approached goals in his life and applies it in his way to this situation. It wasn’t quite a “What Would Isaiah Do?” thing, more of a “How Would Isaiah Do This?”

Now there is zero percent of the Dodson storyline that is Crime Fiction. It’s about character development, character growth—it’s a transition point for Dodson. Yet this is my favorite part of this Crime Novel. Because it’s Dodson going through all this. Also, as Dodson pops up in their storylines to help Grace and Deronda, he gets plenty of Crime Fiction action.

There’s a fun part of this storyline where Dodson, who started as Isaiah’s Dr. John Watson, now becomes an Eliza Doolittle figure. Cherise’s mother, Gloria, who tries to equip him into someone who could make it in the Corporate World. On the one hand, I felt bad for poor Dodson—this wasn’t easy for him—but man, it was funny. We also got Dodson’s commentary on Pop Music and TV—which is not to be missed.

The LA stories interweave, Grace helps Dodson, Dodson helps Grace, Dodson chips in with Deronda…and so on. IQ is mentioned, he’s talked about and he even converses with some of them—but not about the challenges they’re dealing with (and vice versa) in this novel. He’s as removed from their stories as possible. Yet, without him, without his influence in their lives—none of this would’ve happened. So it absolutely was still part of an IQ novel, even if it was for all intents and purposes IQ free.

Isaiah’s Story

Isaiah’s trying to be IQ-free, too. He’s pulled up stakes to get away from the enemies he made in Hi-Five, and away from everything else, too. He’s decided he wants a new life. He wants nothing to do with the violence, the depravity, the danger that has so characterized the last few years of his life.

Which, of course, means that despite his best efforts—and really by dumb chance—he’s brought into a hunt for a serial killer by one of the least likely, least credible people we’ve encountered in this series.

While I did say this felt like Dodson’s book most of the time, at one point the Isaiah/Serial Killer story took over—and we see heroism and depravity on display (not quite in equal parts, but we get an excess of both). As much as Isaiah has said he wants away from this life—when the chips are down, he finds a way to try to stop another murder, at great risk to himself.

The final confrontation can be seen as darkly comic or as intensely human and maybe even realistic to an extent you don’t usually see. There’s a visceral desperation to it—everyone involved seems to believe on some level that they’re doomed, but they press on anyway. It’s harrowing really.

So, what did I think about Smoke?

This really feels like a transition novel—probably for the series as a whole, and definitely for all these characters. In a book or two, it’ll be easier to see (not that it’s difficult now) exactly what role this is going to play in things, but choices are made, steps are taken that insure wherever Isaiah ends up, he’s going to be a different man than he was in Hi-Five, ditto for everyone else. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing where Dodson is. Hopefully, he’s still going in the direction he started to move in here.

But that’s for 2023. What about the 2021 novel? While Ide seemed to be writing with an eye to the 2022 and 2023 novels, he also produces a fine read in Smoke. There are a lot of balls in the air, a lot of Point of View characters (those we know and those we only meet here). There are blasts from the past and new characters that we could be seeing in the future.

And while we get some very strong resolution to just about everything in the novel, there’s a cliffhanger at the end that makes it difficult for me to say most of what I want to say. It’s a complete novel, this isn’t just a book that you read so that you have to read the next. But I tell you what, when you finish you want that next IQ novel now.

I think it says a lot about the kind of world that Ide has created that his main character can only show up in 50±% of a novel/its stories and the novel to still be as strong as any of the others. The series isn’t about Isaiah (and other characters) now. It’s about Isaiah, Grace, Dodson, and Deronda—and their families, no matter what the series is called. I love that evolution, that development.

I think existing fans will find their enthusiasm for this series rewarded. I think new readers are going to want to grab the earlier novels to fill in how the characters got to where they are. Either way, people who pick up Smoke are in for a treat.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Mulholland Books via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

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.

The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds: A Wonderfully Ridiculous Adventure

By HCNewton

On February 23, 2021

In Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, YA/MG/Children's Books

The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter

by Aaron Reynolds
Series: The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter, #1

Hardcover, 213pg.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2020

Read: February 19-20, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

There’s a hum from the game and it roars to life…The Grim Reaper inside starts to move. He puts his bony hand near a small chute and my quarter falls into his palm.Behind him, a little sign spins into place:

PLAY AGAINST THE GRIM REAPER
WIN AND YOUR WISH IS GRANTED
LOSE AND SUFFER THE REAPER’S CURSE!

“Whoa!” cries Darvish in realization. “This is just like that old movie from the eighties.”

“What movie?” I ask.

“You know,” he persists. “The one with Tom Hanks.”

“Never heard of him.”

“He wishes to be tall,” Darvish says. “Or grown. What was it called? Tall? Large?”

“No idea,” I tell him. “Unlike you, I do not spend my time on ancient movies from a bygone era.”

What’s The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter About?

Rex Dexter is a sixth-grader who desperately wants a pet. Well, no. He wants a dog—and considers all other kinds of pets as beneath him. A Chocolate Lab in particular, or he’d settle for a Yellow Lab. Even a Black Lab. Or, if he must, a Golden Retriever. The kid has standards.

Due to a mishap a few years earlier with a Goldfish and, well, his entire personality, his parents have decided he’s too immature for a dog, but they do get him a rooster for his birthday to see how he handles that. Sure, this makes no sense—who gives a rooster as a pet? But don’t worry, the chicken dies in a strange mishap hours later. (That’s not a spoiler, he’s literally dead on the book’s cover).

It’s about this time that Rex plays the Reaper’s game, and loses. Soon after that a very flat chicken starts talking to him—but no one else can see or hear the chicken, but Darvish is able to see the Rooster move things, so he believes Rex. So, the Reaper’s curse has something to do with seeing dead animals. Rex and Darvish barely get the chance to start believing that when a Rhino’s ghost shows up, too. It had died in a fire at the local zoo.

The Rhino (Rex calls him Tater Tot) tells Rex she needs help finishing something on Earth before he can move on—Drumstick (the rooster) has no intention of leaving. Rex and Darvish need to figure out who killed Tater Tot to help her move on. While they’re trying, more dead zoo animals arrive—making quite the mess in Rex’s room and making it difficult for him to focus on school (never a strength in the first place).

Their age and inexperience are a couple of the biggest strikes against their success, but there are bigger obstacles. Starting with the fact that their Sixth Grade Teacher, Ms. Yardley, keeps trying to educate them, and then there’s a research project looming on the horizon, as well as the Evening of Enchantment dance. That’s just a whole lot to go up against, but these ghosts need his help.

Rex and Darvish

Rex is the kind of over-confident (arrogant-adjacent) and not all that bright hero that MG books seem to love filling themselves with lately–Greg Heffley and Timmy Failure are the two examples that jump to mind. He’s got attitude to spare, opinions on everything under the sun, and a blind spot to his own strengths and weaknesses that’s larger than himself.

Where Timmy has that Polar Bear, Rex has Drumstick. And where Greg has Rowley, Rex has Darvish. Darvish is a lot like Rowley—upbeat, considerate, and pretty clever. Also, they’re much better friends to Greg/Rex than Greg/Rex are to them. Both of them would be better off getting a new best friend, but neither do. It’s a fun dynamic to see, but man…I feel for them, you know?

So, what did I think about The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter?

First off, thanks to The Bookwyrm’s Den for letting me know about this book and making it sound fun enough to look into.

This is a ridiculous book, a goofy premise, and an outlandish execution of that premise. And I loved it. There’s a higher joke-density to the text than The Wimpy Kid books or Timmy Failure‘s adventures. Maybe it’s too much, honestly, I had to take a couple of breaks because I just needed a break from the relentless barrage of jokes. I don’t see anyone in the target audience doing that, but it was at over-dose levels for me (like you get when you get near to the end of a package of Double-Stuff Oreos if you eat the entire thing at one sitting).*

It’s ridiculous, it’s hilarious, the story holds up, and the characters (living and dead) are just great. I think this works for all ages, there’s just enough story to keep you invested and even if all the jokes don’t land, just wait for the sentence and you’ll get another one.

It’s been a while since I just read a book for fun, with no other expectations or goals. That’s all that Reynolds offers and that’s exactly what he delivers.

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.