Tag: 3 1/2 Stars Page 40 of 41

by S.J. Rozan
Series: Lydia Chin & Bill Smith, #4

Hardcover, 288 pg.
St. Martin’s Press, 1997
Read: June 5, 2014

Rozan was able to tap into her day job here and use her knowledge of architecture, construction — particularly the idiosyncratic way that construction is done in NYC. Bill, and the tune/atmosphere Rozan uses for his books, is able to be pensive, reflective, and almost poetic in thinking about the act of building. Lydia wouldn’t be able to do that. This type of thing is a real advantage to switching POV characters the way Rozan does.

The series feels different when Bill is at the center, and I found myself liking it more this time than last. I feel bad for him as far as Lydia is concerned. When the novel is told from her perspective, there’s something quixotic about his pursuit of her, and you can give a sympathetic chuckle when he tries. But from his point-of-view, it’s just sad.

There is just so much unsaid about Bill. The retreat to the cabin. His piano playing. Why he won’t move on from Lydia. Rozan’s walking a fine line between having an enigmatic character and just withholding information. I do want to see and learn more about him, but I’m not feeling cheated (for now).

Anyway, I should focus on the case in this book. Again we have Bill going undercover (also again, thanks to someone from his murky past) — with Lydia providing backup and support. This time on a construction site plagued by robberies, a disappearance — and perhaps a little bookmaking or drug dealing. Naturally, it doesn’t take long for things to get ugly and far messier than he’d expected. It’s deftly told with the right amount of twists, turns, and danger. Plus interesting and compelling sporting characters, and not your everyday detective novel crimes.

Come to think about it, that’s one of the best parts of this series — the crimes they are hired to investigate are not your typical mystery novel fare. Yeah, things eventually return to the mainstays (murder, blackmail, etc), but they start in interesting places.

No Colder Place is worthy entry to this series, and I’m ready for the next one.

—–

3.5 Stars

Kill Fee by Owen Laukkanen

By HCNewton

On June 5, 2014

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

Kill Fee

by Owen Laukkanen

Hardcover, 400 pg.
Putnam Adult, 2014
Series: Stevens & Windermere, #3
Read: June 4, 2014

Like I indicated back when I reviewed Criminal Enterprises, the biggest trick for Laukkanen is coming up with some reason to get his FBI Agent and his State Police Officer together to work on a case. Once that’s dealt with, we’re off to the races and anything goes. This time, our two heroes are hanging out with each other and witness the crime together. Simple and effective way to get them working together. Easy as pie.

This time they’re on the trail of a hit man who killed a billionaire right in front of them. But he’s not your typical hitman, there was something about his face — his eyes — that set him apart from others. His shooting (and subsequent kills) gets Stevens and Windermere hopping all over the country again on his trail.

Once again, we have a criminal in the midst of a very successful crime spree, which goes haywire about the same time as Stevens and Windermere start investigating. Not because of them — although they make it worse — but because of the heart. Sure, that’s a recurring plot point in this series — but that’s not a complaint, or a weakness, really. Because it makes sense, it seems real, there’s million different ways to use that plot point — and because Laukkanen pulls it off so well. So it comes across as a common bond amongst the people that he depicts, not a laziness.

There’s heightened emotional stakes between partners on the law side, too, as the Stevens and Windermere deal with the nature of their relationship (I really, really liked the way they dealt with this). Things are intense for Stevens on the home front, too — between his wife’s discontent with the new direction his career is taking and his daughter still dealing with the aftermath of her ordeal in Criminal Enterprises, he has more than enough to deal with even without a multi-state killing spree.

As is becoming commonplace in this series — a great plot, good pacing, a twisted criminal (truly despicable), good characterization. Everything moved well, things clicked just as it should. Laukkanen is becoming as dependable and reliable as Kirk Stevens, and as bold as Carla Windermere. I’m already getting impatient waiting for the next.

—–

3.5 Stars

The Christian’s Great Enemy: A Practical Exposition of 1 Peter 5:8-11 by John Brown

By HCNewton

On June 1, 2014

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The Christian’s Great Enemy: A Practical Exposition of 1 Peter 5:8-11

by John Brown

Paperback, 86 pg.
Banner of Truth, 2013
Read: June 1, 2014

Good, solid exposition of 1 Peter 5:8-11. No fireworks here, but plain, straightforward language — no rhetorical heights, no dazzling quotations, just straight-forward, orthodox discussion of the passage.

Brown calmly and thoroughly starts at the beginning of the passage and proceeds carefully, clause by clause through it. He doesn’t go off on any paranoid hunts for demons/Satan under every rock or anything. But he examines the ways of the world and the hearts of man and shows where the evil one will and can pounce — and how he will go about doing so. From there, he moves on to the hows, whys, and wherefores of our resistance — giving warnings, inducements, and encouragements to help along the way.

I can’t say I was dazzled by Brown’s work, but I was refreshed by it. I was reminded of my duties and pitfalls along the way. If you’re looking for sound teaching on the passage/topic but are intimidated by (or have no time for) Satan’s Temptations by Gilpin or The Christian in Complete Armour by Gurnall, this would be a great one to pick up.

—–

3.5 Stars

Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh

By HCNewton

On May 9, 2014

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

Shovel Ready

by Adam Sternbergh

Hardcover, 256 pg
Crown, 2014
Read: May 1 – 3, 2014

It’s the near future, NYC has been rendered nearly uninhabitable by terrorist attacks and most of those that are still there aren’t really in NYC — they’re permanently jacked in to a virtual reality, kept alive by IV feeding bags. (think of a dystopian vision of Ready Player One‘s OASIS)

One of the few not hooked to the VR world is Mr. Spademan, a hitman. He doesn’t care who, he doesn’t care why, as long as the money’s right and he’s given a name, he’ll take the job. Once he’s taken the job, you might as well consider it done, he never fails, he never quits.

Well, until this job. Otherwise, it really wouldn’t be much of a story now, would it? Something happens that keeps Spademan from doing what he does — and the aftermath is pretty deadly. Spademan, his friends/allies, and those around them will be fighting for their lives before long as they plunge into a world of the ultra-rich, ultra-pampered and pseudo-religious.

The voice that Sternbergh employs is strong — you want to hear this guy tell his story. It’s a little heavy-handed from time to time — particularly at the beginning. But there’s a purpose for it, I think — at first I thought it was just a product of this being his first novel, but that’s condescending, and blind. Sternbergh knew exactly what he was doing — persevere through the heavy-handedness and you’ll understand why it was there.

A great mix of noir, SF, and suspense — with a little extra thrown in. It’d be easy to just chalk up this book to a fun combination of style, setting, and premise. But it’d be a mistake, there’s real heart here. Heart, genuine suspense, and a good story (yeah, and style, setting, and premise).

—–

3.5 Stars

Dawn’s Early Light by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

By HCNewton

On May 2, 2014

In Fiction, Steampunk

Dawn’s Early Light

by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
Series: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, #3

Mass-Market Paperback, 374 pg.
Ace, 2014

Read: April 23 – May 1

Agents Braun and Books are back in action — this time in the U.S. of A. Teamed up with a pair of agents from the Office of the Supernatural and the Metaphysical, they set out to investigate a rash of missing ships (of both the air and sea varieties) along the Eastern Seaboard. While full enough of the requisite peril and adventure, this particular investigation is wrapped up quickly — but in doing so, the four agents uncover a plot that’s far more hazardous to both nations. The Pinkertons, the House of Usher, the British Royal Family, and a couple of notable scientists/inventors from the era soon are involved in twist-filled machination to wreak havoc.

This leads the agents chasing their suspects across the continent — with stops in Detroit, Flagstaff, and San Francisco. As fun as it is to see Ballantine and Morris show us around a Steampunk Victorian England, a tour of the States is a nice change (also, nice to see a Steampunk U. S. not filled with Priest’s Rotters). Books latest invention (not to mention the toys that the team at the Ministry give them) are perfect — just the kind of things secret agents need (and could even use today), “science”-y in a suspended disbelief manner, and outlandish enough to have to be fictional.

There are two storylines that only relate to the main plot at the end of the book — one involving the House of Usher attempting to kidnap a Ministry agent, and one involving the assassin Sophia del Morte and the Prince of Wales. I could’ve easily taken another fifty pages or more with both of these. Hope to see all these characters again soon. Speaking of characters to see again soon — the scientists/inventors I mentioned earlier? Yeah, we need more of them.

Of course, the Ministry’s missions (even those not actually condoned by the Ministry) are only part of what makes these books page turners. There’s the whole Will They or Won’t They thing with Books and Braun — scratch that. There’s never been a Won’t They, just a When Will They? That’s been obvious from the get-go, honestly. It’s merely a question of what obstacles will be in the way. This time, the obstacles are the American agents — clearly set-up to be stumbling blocks on their road to romance, the fetching librarian and the gun-slinger each with enough common ground and personality to match our heroes. It was a little too heavy-handed for me, and as much as I liked the Americans as characters, I really disliked them in their role as hindrances. Sure, our authors make those storylines pay off nicely — but I didn’t enjoy the ride.

Nothing against the book, it was a fun read with a couple of characters that I enjoy spending time with, but it wasn’t as good (on the whole) as the previous two (see above paragraph) — but the last two chapters, as they revealed exactly what stakes are involved, earned it the extra half star. A fun read, but mostly one that moved pieces into place for the next book or so while tying up a couple of loose ends from the previous books. I’m really looking forward to what’s next. It’ll be great.

—–

3.5 Stars

Death Without Company by Craig Johnson

By HCNewton

On March 5, 2014

In Authors, Craig Johnson, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Walt Longmire

Death Without Company

by Craig Johnson
Series: Walt Longmire, #2

Hardcover, 271 pg.
Viking Adult, 2006
Read: Feb. 11-13, 2014

Granted, I took too long to get back to this series, so it’s possible that my memory is more of the TV show than The Cold Dish, but I think I remember it well enough to say that Death Without Company has a more enjoyable, casual feel throughout than its predecessor did.

Which isn’t to say this is a laugh riot, or silly — Johnson is no Evanovich. But the atmosphere of the book, the relationships between Vic, the Ferg, Henry, Cady and Walt are effortless, they feel like coworkers and friends. So even when the bodies start to pile up, the external pressures mount, and answers are in short supply, there’s an ease to things that make the book more entertaining than it could’ve been. Even as Sheriff, Walt still comes across as deferential and secondary to his former boss Lucian Connally (though he doesn’t hesitate to put his foot down when necessary).

When Lucian tells Walt in no uncertain terms that a death in the retirement home he lives in is not from natural causes, he has to investigate. Even if he’s not entirely convinced. It’s not too much of a spoiler to say that Lucian’s right — otherwise, we wouldn’t have a novel to read. Which takes Walt on a journey through the the murky history of both one of Walt’s oldest friends and the area he calls home — this time with a different minority group as the focus (though the Rez and its inhabitants are always lurking around in the background).

There’s a new romantic interest in these pages — as well as a couple of new deputies for Absaroka County (the particular skill set of one of these is a bit too deus ex machina-y for my tastes, but he’s so likable, who cares?). Throw in the kind of snow storm you can only get in rural Wyoming (or areas like it) and some brushes with Indian spirituality, and you get a distinctive kind of mystery novel, making the adventures of Walt Longmire and his cohorts the kind of story you can get nowhere else. It won’t take me as long to come back to this series next time.

I had no idea where to fit this into the review, but I thought Walt’s observation deserved to be repeated — due to its wisdom as well as the way it’s phrased:

Everything to do with women is foolish, and, therefore, absolutely essential.

—–

3.5 Stars

Chimera by Kelly Meding

By HCNewton

On February 26, 2014

In Fiction, Science Fiction

Chimera

by Kelly Meding
ePub, 242 pages
Pocket Star, 2013
Read: Feb. 14-25, 2015

Chimera

a first-person account of super-hero life from an under-represented type of Super-Hero — Check!
Personal conflicts, Personal demons, general turmoil — moreso than most X-Men, even — heroes that carry emotional scars in addition to those earned in battle — Check!
Impending Government Persecution of Super-Heroes — Check!
A sex scene that goes on far too long for comfort — but is thankfully easily skippable — Check!

Yup. Chimera is a MetaWars book. It carries all the marks.

Renee Duval, aka Flex, is the focus this time around. She and a notorious ex-Bane have been dispatched to investigate a series of thefts that have to be being carried out by one or more teen Metas. With the threat of officially sanctioned internment of Metas hovering over them, the last thing the Rangers need is some punk kids bringing down the heat on them and any other law-abiding Meta. So Renee and Chimera have their work cut out for them — particularly considering that Renee’s doing her best to hang on to her anti-Bane sentiment, far after the rest of her team is softening. What they discover is unsettling for them, and doesn’t exactly fill the reader with a sense of joy, either.

One the one hand, I get Meding’s motive for varying P.O.V. characters in each book — and in many ways, I prefer this to the books that jump P.O.V. every chapter or so. But it’s also a weakness — for example — Trance was our entry into this world, we saw it all through her eyes. But we don’t get a whole lot of Trance any more — and what we do is just in brief bursts of conversation, and we don’t get the same impression of, knowledge of, experience of her. Still, Flex is a strong, yet flawed character, and it was nice to get in her head.

Plenty of action, some solid character growth, good plot advancement — Chimera is another good installment in a very satisfactory series. For a dystopian future, there’s something welcoming about this world, and I enjoy any time I get to spend in it. This book took me a freakishly long time to finish. That’s not a reflection on the character(s), the story, or the author — I was apparently busier and more tired than I realized until I saw just how long I’d spent reading the book (I’m not so unaware to not notice it was taking me awhile, just didn’t see how long I was taking). It was a good read, an engaging read.

—–

3.5 Stars

Dusted Off: The Girl in the Steel Corset

By HCNewton

On February 24, 2014

In Fiction, Steampunk, YA/MG/Children's Books

The Girl in the Steel Corset

by Kady Cross
Hardcover, 473 pg.
Harlequin Teen, 2011
Read: June 26-27, 2012

When I started this, I kept thinking, “this is the steampunk version of Twilight.” A good, fun read, but nothing to get too excited about. But as I read on, I started thinking that less and less. Maybe because it was getting better, maybe because I just got into the story fully. Doesn’t matter.

Midly predictable plot, but entertainingly told. The characters are engaging and frustrating (in a way that serves to underline how much you like them). The steam-tech is fun and well thought out. The whole super-power thing? Very well executed. Super Powers and Steampunk? That’s some peanut butter you can get in my chocolate, anytime.

Fun, fun, read–with a good jump start to the sequel.

—–

3.5 Stars

Mandarin Plaid by S. J. Rozan

By HCNewton

On February 13, 2014

In Authors, Fiction, Lydia Chin & Bill Smith, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, S. J. Rozan

Mandarin Plaid

by S.J. Rozan
Series: Lydia Chin & Bill Smith, #3

Mass Market Paperback, 275 pg.
St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 1997
Read: Feb. 10, 2014

As much as I enjoyed Concourse, Mandarin Plaid reminded me of the problems I had with it — namely, it didn’t have enough Lydia Chin. We’re back to Lydia as narrator, and her carrying a lot more of the investigative and sleuthing burden. Which leads to a more interesting and satisfying read.

Once again, it’s one of Lydia’s brothers that brings her the client — and then tries to get her off the case — which starts off pretty simply, Lydia making a money drop to retrieve some stolen property. Lydia’s Chinatown connections prove invaluable to her sussing things out when the ransom drop doesn’t go according to plan.

Not that her partner, Bill Smith doesn’t bring connections to the table — he has a long history with the NYPD in general, and the NYPD detective they cross paths with. Whereas Lydia’s connections provide assistance and (mostly) useful information; Smith’s bring them grief and harassment from the NYPD.

Things move along at a good clip, Lydia’s voice is just as strong and self-assured. The case itself was pretty interesting and tricky enough to satisfy the whodunit reader. Rozan faked me out a couple of times, and in the end, when I was wrong, I could take it, because she laid the groundwork for what was really going on.

I think I’m in this series for the long-haul.

—–

3.5 Stars

Dusted Off: Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

By HCNewton

On January 6, 2014

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

Someday, Someday, Maybe

by Lauren Graham
Hardcover, 344 pg.
Ballantine Books, 2013

Lauren Graham’s as entertaining a writer as she is an actress. Which makes her too talented for any one person to be. Her protagonist, Franny, is a struggling actress trying to get her break in New York in the mid-90s. And it’s nearly impossible to not see Graham as Franny — it’s beyond impossible to not hear Graham in the narration (frequently) and in the dialogue (always).

That’s not a complaint, it’s an observation.

This is fun, heart-warming, and laugh-inducing. A breezy read that’s well worth the time.

Heck, the last paragraph said by Franny’s agent about being faster, funnier and louder is alone worth reading the book.

—–

3.5 Stars