Tag: 3 1/2 Stars Page 15 of 41

Because You’re Mine by Luna Miller, Ludvig Christensen Parment (Translator): Another Missing Person Case for Gunvor Ström and Friends

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On April 16, 2021

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

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Because You're Mine

Because You’re Mine

by Luna Miller, Ludvig Christensen Parment (Translator)
Series: The Fruängen Bureau, #2

Kindle Edition, 277 pg.
Publishing Authority, 2021

Read: April 13, 2021

A Little Bit about Gunvor Ström

Two years ago, I posted about the first book about Gunvor, The Lion’s Tail*. I started off by saying, she’s “a rookie Private Investigator, forced to leave her career and changing her life after a divorce, she signs on to a Private Investigative Agency and mostly does grunt work—but does get the opportunity to do some investigative work. As much as she misses her old life, she relishes this new one (although she might like joints that are a little less painful).”

* In case you go looking for it, it has been repackaged as Looking for Alice—probably a more commercial title, even if it’s lacking the panache of the original.

She has a neighbor, Aidan, who serves as a drinking buddy (and they drink a lot), driver, and sounding board. During the case detailed in that book—her first major investigation—she ends up recruiting a couple of older teens/young adults from the neighborhood to help. The four of them somewhat jokingly dub themselves The Fruängen Bureau, and end up exposing some serious criminal activity in the course of what should have been a pretty simple inquiry.

What’s Because You’re Mine About?

It’s a few weeks later, and Aidan’s taking a friend to a nightclub to help blow off some steam after a recent breakup. While the friend is off flirting and dancing, Aidan strikes up a conversation with a woman who seems to be in a distress (he’s also attracted to her, but let’s focus on his chivalrous side—which does seem to be preeminent). She’s looking for a friend that seems to be missing—they’ve spoken almost daily for years and she hasn’t heard from him.

Aidan pretends to be much more of an investigator than he is (he’s surely picked up a few things from Gunvor, and anyway, she’ll be around soon and he can enlist her help if he needs it), asks a couple of questions, and arranges to meet the woman the next night to resume the search.

Meanwhile, Gunvor has a new client—a woman whose husband has gone missing. She insists he’s gone, she worried about his depressive bouts. His father (and employer) insists he took a two-week leave of absence. Everything Gunvor can find lines up with his father’s explanation, but the client doesn’t want to hear it.

Gunvor and Aidan end up working both disappearances together and bring in the rest of The Fruängen Bureau for assistance. Between the four of them (and a couple of new allies), they learn a few things about the two men they’re searching for—things that no one expected, but can’t seem to find either of them. Both the friend and the wife are insistent that the men be found but aren’t really forthcoming with information about themselves or the men they’re looking for. Which is strange, but the team doesn’t let that deter them.

The Fruängen Bureau

Gunvor Ström is supposed to be the protagonist of these books, but I’m not sure I see that. The first book in the series focused on her two young friends, Elin and David, at least as much as it did on her. Aidan gets the spotlight in this book—with Elin and David coming in second.* I’m utterly fine with this, it’s just odd when you have the entertaining and dynamic character that Gunvor is to set her aside.

* As always, I don’t have a word/page count or anything to back up this kind of observation. It’s the impression I walk away with.

It’s not so much the case with Aidan, but with the younger two, you see Gunvor as a catalyst for change in their lives—the events of The Lion’s Tail/Looking for Alice have changed their lives, their behaviors, attitudes, and futures. The people they encounter in this book do the same. Gunvor and Aidan seem pretty set in their identities and outlooks—but Elin and David are still works in progress. I wonder if that’s more interesting to write about, and that’s why they seem to overshadow the ostensible central character.

This isn’t a criticism, just an observation—sure, I’d like more focus on Gunvor, just because she’s interesting. But so are David and Elin, so I’m fine with that.

The Translation

This book has a different translator than the previous volume—I don’t know why. Ludvig Christensen Parment ends up capturing the same tone and feel as the previous translator did, they really feel like they were written by the same person. Which, I guess, is the point—and shows that it’s a pretty good translation. Also, on the whole, it’s really hard to tell that this wasn’t originally written in English. I think that counts as another sign that Parment did the job right.

So, what did I think about Because You’re Mine?

I spend a lot of time wondering if this was going to be how every book in this series went—Gunvor is hired to find a missing husband, only to discover that something else is going on —something possibly worse than a missing man (and probable adulterer). If so, at a certain point, I’d think that wives would stop coming to her (and/or she’d stop taking those cases). But in the meantime, it’s a perfectly decent formula for the books—and both have worked well.

Early on, I guessed what was going on in the missing person cases—and I was close to right. But what Miller did with those explanations—and the serious crimes tied to those explanations (so hard not to spoil anything there) caught me pretty off-guard. The last 20% or so of the novel really stepped up intensity and quality—it was a fine novel up to that point, then it became a good one.

I recommend this (probably more than the first, which you don’t need to read to appreciate this one, but you might as well) for a solid character-driven mystery and am very curious about what the future holds for David and Elin (and Gunvor, too).

3.5 Stars

My thanks to damppebbles blog tours for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the novel) they provided.

Blood and Treasure by Bob Drury, Tom Clavin: A Look at Dream Come Truers

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On April 15, 2021

In History, Non-Fiction

Blood and Treasure

Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the
Fight for America’s
First Frontier

by Bob Drury, Tom Clavin

eArc, 400 pg.
St. Martin’s Press, 2021

Read: April 5-14, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Blood and Treasure About?

It’s pretty much in the subtitle—this book is about 2 things—Daniel Boone and the fight (literal and metaphoric) for America’s first Frontier—with a focus on what we now know as Kentucky, but pretty much everything on the Western edge of the American colonies/states.

It’s not a biography of Boone (I’ll tell you now, I wrongly expected this to be more of one), it’s more like he’s the organizing principle for the book, as we learn about Boone’s roots, early life, and adulthood the authors talk about the conflicts with the Indians on the edge of white civilization’s expanse. We’d get a chunk of a wide-view of history over a period, and then we’d focus on Boone’s life around that time. Then the focus would widen a bit and we’d look at another period of time—and so on.

Two significant ingredients in “the Fight” for the Frontier were what’s called The French and Indian War and the American Revolution. There’s the French and Indian War (and conflicts that led up to it and sprang from it) to begin with, paved the way for the latter conflicts—we see the pressure put on various tribes from the expansion of settlers, the resistance those settlers faced (from shifting alliances of Indians between themselves, and varying alliances between Western powers and the Indians).

As for the Revolution—while most histories/documentaries/etc. about it will acknowledge the fighting in the South and West, few take any time to focus on it. Instead, we casual history readers just get repeated retellings of the stuff we learned in elementary school—Washington*, the Continent Army, Benedict Arnold, Nathan Hale, the Green Mountain Boys, and whatnot—and whatever expansions on some of those topics that Hamilton has taught us in the last few years. This book is a great corrective to that showing how the Indians were largely pawns for the British to use against the colonies, to distract from the larger skirmishes as well as to try to open up another front on the war—another way to steal power and influence from the colonies. You see very clearly how easily the entire War could’ve changed if not for a couple of significant losses suffered by the British and their Indian allies.

* Washington is also featured pretty heavily in the earlier chapters, too—even if he maybe only briefly met Boone on one occasion.

Language Choices

I know this sort of this is pretty customary, but I really appreciated the Note to Readers explaining the authors’ language choices—starting with the tribal designations they used—the standard versions accepted today (there are enough various entities mentioned throughout that if they’d gone with contemporary names and spellings, I—and most readers—would’ve been very confused).

At the same time, they did preserve the varied and non-standard spellings for just about everything else. For example, there were at least three variant spellings for Kentucky: Cantucky, Kanta-ke, and Kentucki (I think there was one more, but I can’t find it).

I was a little surprised that they stuck with the term “Indian” as much as they did—but their explanation for it seemed likely and understandable.

An Image Shattered—or maybe just Corrected

Yes, I know that the Fess Parker TV show I saw after school in syndication was only very loosely based in reality. And that the handful of MG-targeted biographies I read several times around the same time were sanitized and very partial. Still, those are the images and notions about Boone that have filled my mind for decades. So reading all the ways they were wrong and/or incomplete threw me more than I’m comfortable with.

His appearance was particularly jarring—the actual Boone eschewed coonskin caps because they were flat-topped and preferred a high-crowned felt hat to look taller. THat’s wrong on so many levels. “Tall as a mountain was he” is about as far from the truth as you can get.

The fact that he spent most of his life bouncing between comfort and/or wealth and massive debt is both a commentary on his strengths and weaknesses as it is the volatile times he lived in—he lost so much thanks to colonial governments being mercurial. It was reassuring to see the repeated insistence that he was an honest man, who worked to repay his debts even if it took too long.

In the end, Boone seemed to be a good guy trying his best to get by and provide for his family—who accidentally stepped into some degree of celebrity, that magnified some good qualities and replaced the man with a legend.

So, what did I think about Blood and Treasure?

The writing itself? There are moments that were fantastic. On the whole…., but from time to time, when Drury and Clavin wanted to drive an image or description home, they could be stunning. I would have preferred things to be a bit more even—a bit more balanced and consistent on that front. But the topic and scope didn’t really allow for that. So I’ll just enjoy those moments of it that I got.

As for the book as a whole? It was impressive, entertaining (generally), and informative. When it was at its best, it didn’t feel like reading dry history but a compelling look at that portion of US History. At its worst, it was a litany of names, dates, and ideas that didn’t do much for me. Thankfully, those moments were few and far between. It’s not a difficult read at any point, just pretty dry on occasion.

There are so many other things I’d like to have mentioned or discussed—but it would make this post unwieldy. The notes about hunting (both the good and the horrible), Boone’s heroics, his character, and family; various aspects of the Indian customs discussed and so much. There’s just so much in this book to chew on that I can’t sum it up.

I liked this—I liked it enough to look at a few other books by this duo to see what they can do with other topics, people, and eras. I think anyone with a modicum of interest in Boone will enjoy this and be glad for the experience.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

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.

Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh: A Fast, Addictive Introduction to a New Series

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On April 9, 2021

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

Cross Her Heart

Cross Her Heart

by Melinda Leigh
Series: Bree Taggert, #1

Hardcover, 319 pg.
Montlake, 2020

Read: April 5-6, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Cross Her Heart About?

Bree Taggert is a homicide detective in Philadelphia. She’s successful enough, has a great partner, and is able to generally keep her personal demons in their place.

And she has more demons than most—her abusive father killed her mother and then himself with Bree and her two siblings nearby. She was raised by a demanding aunt while her brother and sister were raised by their grandparents, who couldn’t handle their older sibling.

Then Bree’s sister, Erin, is murdered. Erin’s estranged husband, Justin, is the prime suspect and is missing. Erin’s body was discovered by Matt, Justing’s friend. Before a shooting left him unable to work, he’d been a detective and a K-9 officer for the local sheriff’s office. He’s not in law enforcement anymore, but he still has the experience—his knowledge of Justin and his experience tell him that Justin’s innocent. He just needs to prove it.

Recent events have left the department without a sheriff, and while the Chief Deputy seems to be a good cop, he’s not much of an investigator—recognizing this, he’s willing to work with Erin and Matt, assuming they share information with him. He knows he won’t stop them from looking into things, so he might as well profit from it.

Bree wants someone to pay for the murder, so does Matt, but he wants his friend to be safe, too. The question is—will both of them be able to achieve their goals?

Fastest Way to Make Me a Fan…

…is to include a dog. More and more I find myself a sucker for a strong canine presence, and Leigh delivers one here. On top of an already compelling read, that’s just icing on the cake.

As I said, Matt was a K-9 officer before his shooting. His dog, Brody, left the department with him. Brody’s a steady presence throughout the novel—Matt has to leave him home (or with Erin’s niece) frequently, but he’s still around, helping. Matt’s sister runs a rescue shelter, too, and so there are plenty of dogs around.

They’re all depicted as helpful—both for in the hunt for Justin and the killer, but also in helping Erin’s kids cope with their mother’s death and some of the other things going on around them. This is done in just the way I’d like to read it.

The Pilot Episode

Even if I didn’t know that there were three books in this series already (and, I assume, more on the way), I’d have known more Bree Taggert books were intended to follow this. The title/subtitle might as well have been “The Pilot Episode.” Sure, the emphasis of this novel is finding the murderer and possibly clearing Erin’s estranged husband, but it’s also about setting up the series.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, really. I’m just describing things.

Story beat after story beat you could just feel “oh, this is happening to establish this character/idea/etc. so we can revisit it later/in every book” or “this is going to play out for a while” or “this is how this relationship is going to be set up.” It eliminates a bit of suspense from the book, but just a bit. And there’s always the chance the reader’s wrong about thinking something/someone is safe.

Fool Me Once

Early on—partially due to the pilot-y nature of the book, partially due to the way Leigh started the book, partially due to hubris—I was convinced I knew all the major plot points, how they’d be resolved, how the reveals would happen, who the killer was, what the ramifications of various events would be and what new status quo would be set up for the series.

And for most of the book, I was either right or I gathered more evidence for my ideas. The key word is “most.” I’m not going to say exactly when Leigh started proving me wrong, but it was somewhere in the last quarter of the book. Boy howdy, was I wrong. At least about the two or three most significant storylines—overall, I think I’d give myself a B for predictions. But the things I was wrong about? I was very, very wrong about them.

I love that. She didn’t cheat—everything was right there for the reader to pick up and interpret the clues as they should be interpreted, but Leigh did it in such a way that you’d think I’d never read a mystery novel before.

So, she got me this time-I’ll watch for her next time.

So, what did I think about Cross Her Heart?

So, if I was so confident I knew what was going to happen, why did I keep reading? Because something about the way Leigh wrote this kept me from stopping. I can’t point to any one thing (or handful), but this book got its hooks in me and wouldn’t let go. I’d planned on reading a chapter or three just to dip my toes in the water one night—and ended up reading just shy of 100 pages! I gave serious consideration to just bailing on sleep until I finished, too.

While a good hook, an original idea/take on an idea, or a type of character no one’s thought of before are great to get you into a book. It’s the execution of an idea that keeps you reading (and coming back for more). And Cross Her Heart is well-executed. I’d like to be able to point out one or three things she’s doing that makes it work so well, but I can’t. She’s got some sort of alchemy going on here, and I just couldn’t stop reading.

I like this world that she’s established, and see a lot of promise for this kind of series with these characters and this setting*. I’m in for at least the next two books—give this a shot and I think you’ll be sticking around for more too.

* I didn’t have time or space to get into the way that Leigh weaves the personal and family stories into the mystery, but I really appreciated that too, and think it’ll be a strength of future books. Hopefully, I can address it more fully soon.

2021 Library Love Challenge

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: Animal Instinct by David Rosenfelt: The K Team Gets the Chance to Right an Old Wrong

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On April 6, 2021

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

Animal Instinct

Animal Instinct

by David Rosenfelt
Series: The K Team, #2

eARC, 304 pg.
Minotaur Books, 2021

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

What’s Animal Instinct About?

Every retired police officer or PI in fiction (maybe in real life, too, I don’t know), has at least one case, one incident, one moment that haunts them. If only they’d done X, if only they’d been able to solve Y, or stop Z from happening. Corey Douglas has one of those—a few years ago, he responded to a call about domestic violence. He was unable to make any arrests that night, or anything else–he was convinced that the woman had been abused, but she denied it.

Years later, this woman is murdered and Corey’s out to do the one thing he couldn’t do before—get justice for her. He keeps telling himself that he wants the killer arrested, but really, he wants to finally arrest the boyfriend for the murder. Laurie and Marcus, his partners in the private investigator business—as well as his dog, Simon Garfunkel, a retired K-9 officer, join him in this investigation that turns out to be far more than anyone expected. The team needs Laurie’s smarts and ability with people, Marcus’s mysterious abilities (and brute force), Simon Garfunkel’s teeth, and Corey’s determination—and more than a little luck—to get to the bottom of this.

Especially when more murders are committed.

Simon Garfunkel

The collective name for this group of investigators is The K Team, because of their K-9 member, right? So why doesn’t he get more to do? I realize he’s a dog. I’m not suggesting he join Sam in the hacking, or sit on stakeouts with Marcus (although I admit, I would pay good money for 10 pages or so of that). But Corey leaves him home a lot—yes, he retrieves him as quickly as possible and does what he can to spend time with him. But, I think he could do more.

When Simon Garfunkel is given a chance to do something—he’s great. And even when he’s just there for atmosphere, or as a conversational/narrative prop for Corey—he’s a handy addition. I just think we could get some more of him. Bernie Little brings Chet to many more places that Corey tries. Maybe that’s a function of Corey living in New Jersey and not the Southwest, and I think I could accept that as an explanation.

There’s a scene toward the beginning of the novel where Corey takes Simon to the beach for the first time—and like most dogs, Simon loves the water and the sand. It’s his enjoyment of the setting that gets Corey, who’s apathetic at best toward the beach, to embrace the beach. I couldn’t have enjoyed this scene more unless I was on the beach with them.

Corey’s Other Relationship

Of course, the reason that Corey’s at the beach for Simon to enjoy is his girlfriend, Dani. She’s one of the best things about this book.

We’re told in the last book that Corey’s not really had any serious relationships as an adult, he’s always looking for the reason to end things. He just doesn’t want to end things with Dani. Whether it’s because now that he’s retired, he has time in his life for things other than police work; he’s finally found “The One” (or a right one, depending on how you like to think of that); or he’s finally maturing—or any combination of the three. Corey’s letting himself grow, letting himself want things that he hasn’t before—even at his age.

I love a character like that—I want to read about them, they’re inherently interesting. And Rosenfelt is writing this just right—a little sappy and a little realistic.

It helps that Dani’s a pretty fun character—but we could learn a bit more about her. Still, I like the way Corey seems to be changing because of her influence, I like him more than I did when we first met him in the Andy Carpenter series.

My Concern…

This is about The K Team as a series as much as it is about this book specifically.

There’s just too much Andy Carpenter.

Sure, this is a spin-off from that series, and as Andy’s married to Laurie and they largely work out of the Carpenter house, he’s going to be around. I don’t mind, but he has his own series, and gets two books a year lately. Not only do we need more Simon Garfunkel, but we also need more Laurie and Marcus.

I like Andy Carpenter, I’ve read 22 novels about him (some more than once)—and I’m probably going to read at least two novels in that series this year. I thought Animal Instinct was a good way to use Andy, and I’m absolutely glad that I read this book. I just think for The K Team series to have any long-term success, they need to stand on their own feet more and not be propped up by Andy.

The Unexpected Highlight

I don’t know if you typically read Acknowledgments pages/sections. I tend to glance at them, but like many people, I don’t spend that much time with them. So let me draw your attention to the Acknowledgments for this novel—any David Rosenfelt novel, really. You simply must read them. They are the silliest, goofiest writing Rosenfelt ever does (and in some cases, that’s saying something) and never fail to make me smile.

So, what did I think about Animal Instinct?

So I have some long-term concerns with the series and a couple of things I wasn’t crazy about when it comes to Animal Instinct, but I don’t want those to overshadow the central point I have about this book: it’s good*. I had a lot of fun while reading it, and while I was satisfied with the ending, I wish it didn’t end when it did, because that meant it’d be a few months before I got to spend more time with any of the characters in this book.

* I’ve said it on this site before, I’ll say it again: It takes few words to praise something, it takes several to fully explain a concern, problem, or even mild annoyance. As such, they tend to overshadow the praise. I think that’s what is happening here. I don’t mean it to.

David Rosenfelt is one of the most reliably entertaining novelists in Crime Fiction today. Every time I sit down with one of his books, I know I’m in for a good read. Characters you want to spend time with. Animal Instinct is a solid story with some great twists—and well-executed reveals. Corey’s got a great narrative voice and his sense of humor (which isn’t quite the same as Andy Carpenter’s) permeates the book and livens up the text just enough when things are grimmest.

If you have no idea who Andy Carpenter, Corey Douglas, Simon Garfunkel, or the rest are? Don’t let that stop you from trying this, it absolutely works as a jumping-on point—both to this series and the books it’s spun off from. I’m in this series for the long haul, and I think you’ll want to be, too.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this opportunity and the fun read.

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.

Small Talk by Robert Germaux: A Fledgling Task Force on the Hunt for a Serial Killer on the Streets of Pittsburgh

By

On April 2, 2021

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

So this is going to be Robert Germaux day here, apparently. I’ve got this post about Small Talk and Germaux was kind enough to give me a Guest Post and to do a Q&A with me, all of which is coming along shortly. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Small Talk

Small Talk

by Robert Germaux
Series: A Daniel Hays Mystery, Book 1

Kindle Edition, 266 pg.
2015

Read: March 24-25, 2021

What’s Small Talk About?

The area around Pittsburgh, we’re told early in this book, is made up of a vast number of local jurisdictions that are fiercely independent and don’t necessarily cooperate too well with each other—even when it comes to crimes being committed in various jurisdictions. After one recent crime spree took too much of a toll and had too little cooperation between various law enforcement agencies, a Special Assignment Squad answering directly to the Chief of Police is formed to deal with crimes of that type.

This team’s first real trial comes some weeks after its formation when a series of young women are being strangled. There’s no sexual assault, no robbery, simply a strangulation. There’s no connection—appearance, socio-economic status, profession, location—between the victims. If there’s anything not random about the selection of the victims, no one can see it.

Daniel Hays, the head of the SAS, is the lead investigator on the first murder before it’s officially a SAS matter. But it doesn’t take him long to assume that there will be another —probably many—after looking at the evidence, scene, and victim. Sadly, he’s proven correct fairly shortly. As more and more victims are found, it’s clear that the killer is getting more brazen, and the pressure—from within and from outside the SAS—increases.

The Killer’s Perspective

97 times out of one hundred, I’d rather not get the killer’s perspective (either told in first or third person) as well as the detective’s. I’m clearly in the minority, however, even judging solely on how frequently we’re given this setup.

Germaux handles this device as well as anyone could want. It does add a little to the novel and helps us understand the killer better than we would if we only had Daniel’s perspective. It also helped me to really dislike the character—you know, in case randomly killing women wasn’t enough. The guy is too impressed with himself, he’s a showoff and a blowhard with a penchant for monologuing (to himself or others). Some of that goes with the territory, obviously, but there’s something about him I liked even less than your typical budding serial killer.

For example, unless something is wrong with you, you’re charmed by Lecter in Silence of the Lambs—yes, he’s a deranged killer that needs to be kept away from people, but you can’t help but like the guy. Robert B. Parker gives us the killer’s POV in Crimson Joy, and all I wanted was for him to be stopped—I don’t know if I ever cared about him one way or the other. But this guy? I actively disliked him, in addition to wanting Hays and the team to get him off the streets.

Advantages/Disadvantages of Reading this Now

I almost never read books out of order anymore—I used to do it all the time, but now my default mode is: Start at Book 1 and move forward. But because it was for a book tour, I read the second Daniel Hays novel first. It was nice to see that gripes and questions I had while reflecting on One by One had been anticipated and dealt with in these pages.

The downside is that there are some things that didn’t hold as much suspense for me because I knew the status of various characters in the sequel. There was one scene that held absolutely no suspense for me, and I regretted that lack as I read it. Thankfully, Germaux still handled that scene in a way I didn’t expect him to, so while it came with the resolution I expected, the journey to it was a nice surprise.

So, what did I think about Small Talk?

Before I wrote this post, I read what I said about the sequel just to compare the two. Plot-specifics aside, I could have just re-used that post here.

Small Talk has an interesting and solid approach to the Serial Killer, some nice twists, and a good group of core characters.

Professionals who treat each other as professionals, with respect and camaraderie. It could be made slightly more interesting or challenging if there were a bit more friction in the team or spillover from Daniel’s personal life (for example). But that’s only marginally more interesting.

I do wish there was a greater sense of urgency to this. The SAS is driven to find the killer, but they’re not obsessive about it. They clock out at the end of the day, go home and bake, or go on a date, or something else. And as nice as those side stories were, and as realistic as it might be, it’s somewhat dissatisfying when it comes to drama.

Like with all of Germaux’s writing, there’s a pleasantness to reading this. No matter how dire things may be, the book is just a pleasant experience. It’s a fast, gratifying read with some fun moments and justice prevailing. It’s hard to go wrong with that.

I recommend this—like all of Germaux’s Crime Fiction—especially if you’re not in the mood for gritty depictions of police detectives going about their work. In my earlier post, I compared them to “blue sky” dramas like NCIS, Burn Notice, or White Collar, and the same is true here. And sometimes that’s just what the doctor ordered.

3.5 Stars

The Wasteland War by Michael R. Underwood: The Genrenauts are (FINALLY) Back—Are They Up for the New Challenges?

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On March 31, 2021

In Genrenauts, Michael R. Underwood, Science Fiction

The Wasteland War

The Wasteland War

by Michael R. Underwood
Series: Genrenauts, Episode 7

E-Book, 53 pg.
2021

Read: March 26, 2021

The first thing Leah noticed was the dust. It whirled and whorled and danced everywhere. Orange and brown and soot-gray, this place had it all. She pulled the scarf up to cover her nose, holding it in place with her goggles.

She’d felt like a steampunk raver when she’d first put the outfit on, but now it totally made sense, both aesthetically and practically. It was hard to keep your eyes open when they were constantly filled with dust.

What are The Genrenauts?

Many of my readers weren’t reading this blog back in 2015-2016 where it likely seemed I talked about the Genrenauts every couple of weeks (14 posts from November 2015-December 2016, and one the following June), so let me give you a quick idea about the series, taken from the author’s site:

In Genrenauts, our Earth is just one of many in a multiverse. Each other Earth is the home to a familiar narrative genre: Westerns, Fantasy, Romance, Crime, etc. Each world is constantly playing out stories from its genre – archetypes and tale types smashing up against one another making tragedies and happily ever afters. But like any system, sometimes entropy takes hold, and a story breaks down. When that happens, the Genrenauts step in to fix the story.

Because if they don’t, the dissonance from the broken story ripples over and changes Earth on a fundamental level. (Science Fiction world goes off-track and scientific innovation stagnates, exploration halts; Fantasy world goes off-track and xenophobia rises, cultural rifts widen).

Our series starts when Leah Tang, a struggling stand-up comic, is recruited to join the Genrenauts and discovers that her seemingly useless genre savvy is suddenly an essential skill for survival in the story worlds. She arrives just in time, as story breaches have been ramping up – coming faster and causing more ripples.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

What’s The Wasteland War About?

There are two things going on in this brief novella—first, Angstrom King, the AWOL Team Leader, stumbles upon a story breach while he was trying to resupply his stores. He believes that this breach will help him get evidence to support his theory so that he can eventually convince the High Council that he’s right about the rogue Genrenauts—or just that he’ll be able to find a way to stop the rogues himself.

While he’s trying to understand the nature of the breach and find this evidence, his old team arrives—adding a layer of difficulty and danger to everything he’s doing.

That breach is the second storyline—two communities in this wasteland—one a safe haven for those who need one, and a battleship with resources the other needs—had recently formed an alliance sealed by a marriage. And now, a few months later each side is convinced the other is betraying that alliance and are starting to retaliate against the other.

Hey, Where’s Leah?

Leah’s the point-of-entry character for the reader, we came into this world with her and she’s the one we understand things through. She’s largely sidelined during this mission, which makes it a little harder for me to connect with it. We’ve had extended periods where we focus on others in the team before, but Leah still carried the narrative weight of the novel/novella. This novella focuses so much on King and Shirin that there’s not that much time for Leah.

It was absolutely the right way to tell this story, King and Shireen ought to have been the focus of this novella, but I don’t want that to be the case for too long.

There’s another team member who’s even more absent from this mission—but it makes sense story-wise (as fun as it would’ve been to have them around).

The New Guy

Shirin and King exchanged messages…Shirin keeping King updated on the team and how Mendoza was leading—like a man that only has a hammer and therefore sees nothing but nails.

I know we’re not supposed to like the Team Leader brought in to replace Angstrom King, but it’s like Underwood went out of his way to ensure we wouldn’t. He’s proof that King had a very special thing going on, and that the Genrenauts as an organization might not be as great as Leah and the readers might have thought. King assembled a team with a variety of skills, interests, and abilities—and a team that relies on and trusts each other to function. Mendoza doesn’t value that variety and doesn’t care how it functions best, he’s only concerned with how he wants it to function.

I hope Underwood shows us enough about Mendoza so that we can appreciate him, and maybe even see that he’s trying to do the right thing, even if it’s not the way the King would’ve done it.

On the other hand, I don’t mind not liking the guy at all, so if he doesn’t do that, I won’t complain too loudly.

So, what did I think about The Wasteland War?

Entropy had its teeth in every world. But here, they were serrated.

First, it was so, so, so good to be back in this series. The last episode of Season One came out in the Fall of 2016, and I’ve been missing this series since. I’m glad Underwood has been able to pick this up again.

Outside of the short story, There Will Always Be a Max, this is the shortest Genrenauts episode, and while that’s frustrating because of my greed, it’s a great length for this particular story (but I hope it’s not the beginning of a trend). It’s also a great way to get back into this world—we get just enough to remember who the players are, remember the ongoing arc, and are treated to another adventure in the Wasteland.

Post-apocalyptic wastelands in the Mad Max mold are probably never going to be my thing, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy something like this. I actually would’ve liked a little bit more of the Wasteland War story to balance out the larger arc. It felt like it was given short shrift—not quite as much as the Western World story was in The Shootout Solution, but it was close—although that had to establish the series, introduce the characters, and teach us the concept of a Genrenaut.

My gripes aside, this was a good story with plenty of action and a great atmosphere, and it sets up the rest of Season Two. I’m eager to see where things go from here.

3.5 Stars

Animal Instinct by David Rosenfelt: The K Team Gets the Chance to Right an Old Wrong

By

On March 31, 2021

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

Animal Instinct

Animal Instinct

by David Rosenfelt
Series: The K Team, #2

eARC, 304 pg.
Minotaur Books, 2021

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

What’s Animal Instinct About?

Every retired police officer or PI in fiction (maybe in real life, too, I don’t know), has at least one case, one incident, one moment that haunts them. If only they’d done X, if only they’d been able to solve Y, or stop Z from happening. Corey Douglas has one of those—a few years ago, he responded to a call about domestic violence. He was unable to make any arrests that night, or anything else–he was convinced that the woman had been abused, but she denied it.

Years later, this woman is murdered and Corey’s out to do the one thing he couldn’t do before—get justice for her. He keeps telling himself that he wants the killer arrested, but really, he wants to finally arrest the boyfriend for the murder. Laurie and Marcus, his partners in the private investigator business—as well as his dog, Simon Garfunkel, a retired K-9 officer, join him in this investigation that turns out to be far more than anyone expected. The team needs Laurie’s smarts and ability with people, Marcus’s mysterious abilities (and brute force), Simon Garfunkel’s teeth, and Corey’s determination—and more than a little luck—to get to the bottom of this.

Especially when more murders are committed.

Simon Garfunkel

The collective name for this group of investigators is The K Team, because of their K-9 member, right? So why doesn’t he get more to do? I realize he’s a dog. I’m not suggesting he join Sam in the hacking, or sit on stakeouts with Marcus (although I admit, I would pay good money for 10 pages or so of that). But Corey leaves him home a lot—yes, he retrieves him as quickly as possible and does what he can to spend time with him. But, I think he could do more.

When Simon Garfunkel is given a chance to do something—he’s great. And even when he’s just there for atmosphere, or as a conversational/narrative prop for Corey—he’s a handy addition. I just think we could get some more of him. Bernie Little brings Chet to many more places that Corey tries. Maybe that’s a function of Corey living in New Jersey and not the Southwest, and I think I could accept that as an explanation.

There’s a scene toward the beginning of the novel where Corey takes Simon to the beach for the first time—and like most dogs, Simon loves the water and the sand. It’s his enjoyment of the setting that gets Corey, who’s apathetic at best toward the beach, to embrace the beach. I couldn’t have enjoyed this scene more unless I was on the beach with them.

Corey’s Other Relationship

Of course, the reason that Corey’s at the beach for Simon to enjoy is his girlfriend, Dani. She’s one of the best things about this book.

We’re told in the last book that Corey’s not really had any serious relationships as an adult, he’s always looking for the reason to end things. He just doesn’t want to end things with Dani. Whether it’s because now that he’s retired, he has time in his life for things other than police work; he’s finally found “The One” (or a right one, depending on how you like to think of that); or he’s finally maturing—or any combination of the three. Corey’s letting himself grow, letting himself want things that he hasn’t before—even at his age.

I love a character like that—I want to read about them, they’re inherently interesting. And Rosenfelt is writing this just right—a little sappy and a little realistic.

It helps that Dani’s a pretty fun character—but we could learn a bit more about her. Still, I like the way Corey seems to be changing because of her influence, I like him more than I did when we first met him in the Andy Carpenter series.

My Concern…

This is about The K Team as a series as much as it is about this book specifically.

There’s just too much Andy Carpenter.

Sure, this is a spin-off from that series, and as Andy’s married to Laurie and they largely work out of the Carpenter house, he’s going to be around. I don’t mind, but he has his own series, and gets two books a year lately. Not only do we need more Simon Garfunkel, but we also need more Laurie and Marcus.

I like Andy Carpenter, I’ve read 22 novels about him (some more than once)—and I’m probably going to read at least two novels in that series this year. I thought Animal Instinct was a good way to use Andy, and I’m absolutely glad that I read this book. I just think for The K Team series to have any long-term success, they need to stand on their own feet more and not be propped up by Andy.

The Unexpected Highlight

I don’t know if you typically read Acknowledgments pages/sections. I tend to glance at them, but like many people, I don’t spend that much time with them. So let me draw your attention to the Acknowledgments for this novel—any David Rosenfelt novel, really. You simply must read them. They are the silliest, goofiest writing Rosenfelt ever does (and in some cases, that’s saying something) and never fail to make me smile.

So, what did I think about Animal Instinct?

So I have some long-term concerns with the series and a couple of things I wasn’t crazy about when it comes to Animal Instinct, but I don’t want those to overshadow the central point I have about this book: it’s good*. I had a lot of fun while reading it, and while I was satisfied with the ending, I wish it didn’t end when it did, because that meant it’d be a few months before I got to spend more time with any of the characters in this book.

* I’ve said it on this site before, I’ll say it again: It takes few words to praise something, it takes several to fully explain a concern, problem, or even mild annoyance. As such, they tend to overshadow the praise. I think that’s what is happening here. I don’t mean it to.

David Rosenfelt is one of the most reliably entertaining novelists in Crime Fiction today. Every time I sit down with one of his books, I know I’m in for a good read. Characters you want to spend time with. Animal Instinct is a solid story with some great twists—and well-executed reveals. Corey’s got a great narrative voice and his sense of humor (which isn’t quite the same as Andy Carpenter’s) permeates the book and livens up the text just enough when things are grimmest.

If you have no idea who Andy Carpenter, Corey Douglas, Simon Garfunkel, or the rest are? Don’t let that stop you from trying this, it absolutely works as a jumping-on point—both to this series and the books it’s spun off from. I’m in this series for the long haul, and I think you’ll want to be, too.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this opportunity and the fun read.

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.

Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire: Toto, I Have A Feeling They’re Not In Kansas Anymore

By

On March 25, 2021

In Fiction, InCryptid, Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy

I had more I wanted to say about this novel, but I’ve lost track of where I was going with a few of the paragraphs I started. Which is annoying. I could spend another two weeks to figure out what those points were going to be and get further behind, or I could post this with a lot of what I wanted to talk about and be able to move on with my To Write list.

Calculated Risks

Calculated Risks

by Seanan McGuire
Series: InCryptid, #10

Mass Market Paperback, 353 pg.
DAW, 2021

Read: February 26-March 3, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

“I have so many knives,” said Annie. “I am the Costco of having knives. You really want to provoke me right now, cuckoo-boy?”

“I am not a good place to store your knives,” he said. “I don’t know how many times I need to tell you this, but sticking knives in living people just because they say something you don’t like is the reason no one likes you or the rest of your fucked-up family.”

What’s Calculated Risks About?

So, the cliffhanger ending of Imaginary Numbers led to Sarah Zellaby transporting herself, her adopted cousins Artie, Annie, James, and a fellow cuckoo, Mark, to an alternate universe. Part of that transporting resulted in Sarah being deleted from their memories.

Which is a pretty inconvenient thing to do. Sarah has to spend a lot of time convincing the Prices (and friends) to not kill her. And then she has to earn their trust. Just so they can all survive long enough to allow her to attempt to return them to their home dimension.

Of course, they have to learn how magic works in this reality, find ways to survive the indigenous flora and fauna, and try to keep the humans that were dragged along with them alive, without breaking their minds by realizing where they are.

The Mice!

You can’t talk about an InCryptid novel without talking about the Aeslin Mice. As usual, they were a delight. But better than that, their presence is important for the plot. But not important enough—they almost vanish for most of the book, but what they do at the beginning of the novel allows everything else to happen (and is frequently invoked), so it’s hard to complain. But I’d have like to see them a bit more.

Nature vs. Nurture

One of the givens of this world is that the Johrlac (aka cuckoo) are nasty, territorial, apex predators that must be killed. With the exception of Sarah and Angela Baker. And now, Mark. Something about their circumstances has allowed them to not fall into the mind-controlling sociopath mold that every other one has been fit into.

So…why? What’s made them different? It can’t be something inherent in them, as we’re told time after time after time, the various members of this species are so similar that they’re practically interchangeable. So is it something in their environment? Or are they just individuals like humans, gorgons, or dragons? And as such, shouldn’t the Prices abandon their stab first-ask questions later approach to these? Sarah starts to ask questions like this in this novel, and I’m hoping it’s revisited soon.

So, what did I think about Calculated Risks?

I hate it when people tell me not to be afraid. They never do that when something awesome is aout to happen. No one says “dont’ be afraid” and hands you an ice cream cone, or a kitten, or tickets to Comic-Con.

This was a fun adventure—making up for whatever reservations I had about Imaginary Numbers—and together they serve as a good follow-up to the Annie-trilogy that preceded it.

The last chapter was a perfect way to end it, a great mix of magic, hope, and heart. My heart didn’t grow three sizes or anything, but it was certainly warmed.

I have no idea where this series is headed, and I don’t care, I’m eager to find out. There’s nothing like this in Urban Fantasy, McGuire tells different stories with this series, the kind that show what the genre is capable of when it breaks outside the typical mold (nothing against that mold, I love it).

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.

PUB DAY REPOST: What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch: Peter Grant’s Cousin Searches for Missing Kids

By

On March 18, 2021

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

What Abigail Did That Summer

What Abigail Did That Summer

by Ben Aaronovitch
Series: The Rivers of London, #5.7 (or so, I’m not sure how it’ll get numbered)

eARC, 232 pg.
Subterranean Press, 2021

Read: March 1, 2021

There are a few, uh, provisos, a, a couple of quid pro quos.

I almost feel like I need to go back and do a lot of re-reading before writing much about this book. I’d have thought that Abigail’s involvement with the Folly and Peter wasn’t this developed until later in the series.

Also, I know there’s a connection between Abigail and the talking foxes, but I don’t remember exactly when it comes about and how much of this book is Aaronovich filling in the backstory that he just breezes past in one of the novels.

I didn’t feel at a loss for context while reading the book, but I tell you what, I’m feeling it as I try to talk about the novella. So, I guess I’m saying, be nice and forgive any lapses in what’s to come:

What’s What Abigail Did That Summer About?

This novella is set during the events of Foxglove Summer and Peter’s not in London. But never fear, Abigail does talk to Nightingale a couple of times.

Abigail has a strange interaction with someone she used to know and sees someone else acting slightly strangely. She starts, not really investigating, but taking a close look around at everything. Then when the police start asking questions of kids in the park, showing pictures of those same people, she knows something’s up.

Not that she tells the police that, because they’re not going to believe her. She’s told that these children (and others) have gone missing, but then reappear at home, with fuzzy memories of the last couple of days. If Abigail, she thinks, with the help of some of the local talking foxes, can figure out what’s going on, she can point Nightingale in the right direction—which might help convince him that she’s ready for training.

But mostly, Abigail’s curious about what’s happening and has to figure it out.

Postmartin’s Contribution

Abigail’s first-person account is littered with footnotes by the Folly’s archivist, Harold Postmartin. Largely, these footnotes are to explain some of the more slang-y terms Abigail uses (although sometimes it’s a more technical note). He seems to go to great lengths to make sure that American readers can get what she’s saying. I halfway wonder if in UK editions those notes have differences.

I think I could’ve worked out the terms I wasn’t already familiar with, but the footnotes were entertaining enough that it doesn’t matter if I could’ve. This was a better way to deal with it.

So, what did I think about What Abigail Did That Summer?

This is absolutely a Folly-story, one that belongs in this series, but there’s no way that Peter Grant was the right character to use for this story, Aaronovich needed to use someone like Abigail to tell this, conveniently enough, there she was. She has a different way of thinking than Peter—and while there’s humor to her narration, it’s not the same as Peter’s (even if it’s occasionally similar). Seeing things from her perspective, it’s a great way to see how she’s similar to her cousin, while very much being her own person.

Frequently, with novellas, I walk away wondering why couldn’t we get a full novel out of it? This isn’t one of those times—the story is as long as it needs to be—it’s complex and satisfying. Also, we get a lot of development out of Abigail and get a better degree of understanding of her than we’ve had before.

That said, there are just so many things I want to know more about, but just making this novel-length wouldn’t take care of it. For example, we learn right off the bat that there’s something…different…about Simon’s mom—and Aaronovich teases us with a couple of more things. I want more of this. I want to know just what it is that Abigail’s doing for her. I want more adventures with Abigail and the foxes.

I’ve always wanted to see more Abigail in the novels—this underscores that for me.

In short, this was a fun story—a strange one at times, but fun—that makes me more curious about a character I already enjoyed, but now I want more of her—both on her own (like this) or in the main novels. I had a similar reaction to the novella The October Man, too. Although that probably is my reaction to anything in this universe (at least so far)—”I enjoyed that, can I have more like it?”

This would be an interesting jumping-on point for the whole series—I’m not sure I’d recommend it, but it might be enough to convince you to dive into the rest.

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

3.5 Stars

What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch: Peter Grant’s Cousin Searches for Missing Kids

By

On March 4, 2021

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

What Abigail Did That Summer

What Abigail Did That Summer

by Ben Aaronovitch
Series: The Rivers of London, #5.7 (or so, I’m not sure how it’ll get numbered)

eARC, 232 pg.
Subterranean Press, 2021

Read: March 1, 2021

There are a few, uh, provisos, a, a couple of quid pro quos.

I almost feel like I need to go back and do a lot of re-reading before writing much about this book. I’d have thought that Abigail’s involvement with the Folly and Peter wasn’t this developed until later in the series.

Also, I know there’s a connection between Abigail and the talking foxes, but I don’t remember exactly when it comes about and how much of this book is Aaronovich filling in the backstory that he just breezes past in one of the novels.

I didn’t feel at a loss for context while reading the book, but I tell you what, I’m feeling it as I try to talk about the novella. So, I guess I’m saying, be nice and forgive any lapses in what’s to come:

What’s What Abigail Did That Summer About?

This novella is set during the events of Foxglove Summer and Peter’s not in London. But never fear, Abigail does talk to Nightingale a couple of times.

Abigail has a strange interaction with someone she used to know and sees someone else acting slightly strangely. She starts, not really investigating, but taking a close look around at everything. Then when the police start asking questions of kids in the park, showing pictures of those same people, she knows something’s up.

Not that she tells the police that, because they’re not going to believe her. She’s told that these children (and others) have gone missing, but then reappear at home, with fuzzy memories of the last couple of days. If Abigail, she thinks, with the help of some of the local talking foxes, can figure out what’s going on, she can point Nightingale in the right direction—which might help convince him that she’s ready for training.

But mostly, Abigail’s curious about what’s happening and has to figure it out.

Postmartin’s Contribution

Abigail’s first-person account is littered with footnotes by the Folly’s archivist, Harold Postmartin. Largely, these footnotes are to explain some of the more slang-y terms Abigail uses (although sometimes it’s a more technical note). He seems to go to great lengths to make sure that American readers can get what she’s saying. I halfway wonder if in UK editions those notes have differences.

I think I could’ve worked out the terms I wasn’t already familiar with, but the footnotes were entertaining enough that it doesn’t matter if I could’ve. This was a better way to deal with it.

So, what did I think about What Abigail Did That Summer?

This is absolutely a Folly-story, one that belongs in this series, but there’s no way that Peter Grant was the right character to use for this story, Aaronovich needed to use someone like Abigail to tell this, conveniently enough, there she was. She has a different way of thinking than Peter—and while there’s humor to her narration, it’s not the same as Peter’s (even if it’s occasionally similar). Seeing things from her perspective, it’s a great way to see how she’s similar to her cousin, while very much being her own person.

Frequently, with novellas, I walk away wondering why couldn’t we get a full novel out of it? This isn’t one of those times—the story is as long as it needs to be—it’s complex and satisfying. Also, we get a lot of development out of Abigail and get a better degree of understanding of her than we’ve had before.

That said, there are just so many things I want to know more about, but just making this novel-length wouldn’t take care of it. For example, we learn right off the bat that there’s something…different…about Simon’s mom—and Aaronovich teases us with a couple of more things. I want more of this. I want to know just what it is that Abigail’s doing for her. I want more adventures with Abigail and the foxes.

I’ve always wanted to see more Abigail in the novels—this underscores that for me.

In short, this was a fun story—a strange one at times, but fun—that makes me more curious about a character I already enjoyed, but now I want more of her—both on her own (like this) or in the main novels. I had a similar reaction to the novella The October Man, too. Although that probably is my reaction to anything in this universe (at least so far)—”I enjoyed that, can I have more like it?”

This would be an interesting jumping-on point for the whole series—I’m not sure I’d recommend it, but it might be enough to convince you to dive into the rest.

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

3.5 Stars

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