Tag: Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Purloined Poodle (Audiobook) by Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels

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On October 3, 2016

In Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne

The Purloined Poodle (Audiobook) The Purloined Poodle (Audiobook)

by Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels (Narrator)
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles, #8.5/Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries, #1

Unabridged Audiobook, 2 hrs, 57 min.
Kevin Hearne, 2016
Read: October 3, 2016


The best and most consistent part of The Iron Druid Chronicles has been Atticus’ Irish Wolfhound, Oberon. Now Kevin Hearne has given us a novella narrated by and starring him, with Atticus in the supporting role. It’s good that he kept the Druid around, because he has the whole opposable thumb thing going for him and can do things like communicate with other people

While playing in a dog park, Oberon stumbles upon a rash of dognappings — the victims are all Grand Champions. Oberon is appalled that such a thing can happen and vows to find the dogs and return them home. He enlists Atticus to assist him (and well, to do most of the work). They spend the next couple of days moving around the country visiting various dog trainers/owners and skirting trouble with the law. While Atticus does the heavy lifting of investigating, Oberon has a lot of fun meeting various Champion dogs — in particular, a Boston terrier named Starbuck.

The interplay between Atticus and Oberon is a lot of fun, but his narration is even better — between the repeated mentions of trying to pull off “the Full Jules” (reciting Ezekiel 25:17 at just the right moment); his summary/slash review of The Great Gatsby (which will forever alter the way I look at the book); Oberon as food critic (his takes on coffee and mustard are highlights); and a repeated tribute to Denis Leary’s best movie, this book was flat-out entertaining. Because it’s by Hearne and featuring Oberon, I assumed I’d enjoy it — I didn’t plan on (but should’ve) cackling by the 7% mark.

I thoroughly enjoyed this as a novella — the story was good enough to justify the time reading, but Daniels doing Oberon’s voice elevates the audio version to something great. Daniel’s Oberon doing a Pickup Truck commercial-voice over killed me — how Luke Daniels could read this whole book in that voice, I’ll never know. It must’ve required a lot of takes and more recovery time than you’d want to think about.

If you’ve read an Iron Druid Chronicle or two, you’ll know how good Oberon can be. Get this — you’ll squee.

—–

4 Stars

Small Wars (Audiobook) by Lee Child, Dick Hill

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On July 22, 2016

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

Small Wars Small Wars

by Lee Child, Dick Hill (Narrator)
Series: Jack Reacher, #19.5

Unabridged Audiobook, 1 hr, 30 min.
Random House Audio, 2015

Read: July 5, 2016


Reacher is still in the army for this one, and is pulled from his assignment to take over for an injured MP. Major Reacher’s first job at his new post is to investigate the murder of one of the Pentagon’s fastest rising stars.

To help him out (and to help train his underlings) Reacher gets Frances Neagly assigned to him. This story turns out to be a great spotlight for Neagly, actually. She even gets the big fight! This case hits close to home and ends up revealing a lot more about the Pentagon and the victim than anyone expected.

Dick Hill’s performance was fine — there wasn’t a lot for him to do here, but what he did worked.

This one didn’t work all that well for me — the solution was unsatisfying, and Reacher’s reaction to it might even be worse.

—–

2 Stars

Let There Be Linda Excerpt: Detective Gary Shuler

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On June 28, 2016

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

Detective Gary Shuler

Early on, when he was six, seven, and eight years old, when he was hurt and confused because he was the one and only child who was addressed by his full name plus a name that wasn’t his name, his parents had pacified him with tall cold glasses of milk and stacks of Oreo cookies. The cookies became physically, emotionally, and intellectually synonymous with safety and comfort. He ate them constantly throughout his life. He couldn’t stop eating them. At the same time that they were feeding him Oreos, his parents also recognized there was nothing they could do to stem the Gary Shuler Vista tide, so they taught their son to ride those waves with laughter, to be in on the joke instead of being the joke.

Oreos and comedy became the subconscious pillars upon which his life was built. He became the class clown in every class and carried an Oreo four-pack everywhere he went. He was popular and smart and a good athlete. But he was also a bit of offline, not your normal everyday kid. He saw the world at odd angles. He was an odd angle himself. “He’s a good guy, Gary Shuler Vista,” people would say, “but he’s a strange bird.” 

A Few Quick Questions With…David Ahern

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On May 3, 2016

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Fiction, Madam Tulip, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Earlier today, I posted my take on Madam Tulip, and now here’s a quick Q & A with the author, David Ahren.

According to your author bio, Madam Tulip isn’t your first novel — but it’s the first published, though, right? What made this one different than the others?
My last novel was a dark thriller, edgy and disturbing. When I was lucky enough to get to talk to several publishers about it, I found they were only interested if I meant to follow up with a couple more in the same vein. I really didn’t want to do that. So it sits in the imaginary drawer and will probably stay there.
In the writing of Madam Tulip, what was the biggest surprise about the writing itself? Either, “I can’t believe X is so easy!” or “If I had known Y was going to be so hard, I’d have skipped this and watched more TV”.
How much sheer fun they are to write was a real surprise. I love living with these characters.
I particularly enjoyed the character Jacko. What can you tell me about him — where did he come from?
Ah! He sprang up fully formed, hair and all. I love characters who are impossible people you can’t dislike. Jacko owes a lot to one of my grandfathers who had a wonderful ability to relish life. He had extraordinary energy and always had a scheme of some sort, usually unwise.
Did you intend from the beginning on this being a series and construct things with that in mind, or was this a novel you liked enough that you wanted to continue with Derry and the rest?
Madam Tulip was a series from the start. I used to make TV documentary series in another life, so thinking that way is instinctive for me. I like the way a series forces you to be consistent with your structures. You have to set yourself strict rules. Tough, but satisfying when you succeed.
Is there a genre that you particularly enjoy reading, but could never write? Or are you primarily a mystery reader?
That question really makes me think. These days I read mostly non-fiction, because I don’t like to be influenced stylistically by other novels while I’m in the middle of writing one. Historical novels I love. In fact my all-time favourite writer of series is Patrick O’Brien who wrote the most wonderful series of sea-stories. But any time I tried to write in that genre, I got bogged down in hugely enjoyable research and forgot I was meant to be creating a story.
Thanks so much for your time, hope the launch goes well!
And thank you H.C. for your interest in Madam Tulip. She thanks you too and sees a wonderful future for your blog.

Stay by Victor Gischler

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On July 9, 2015

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

StayStay

by Victor Gischler


Hardcover, 295 pg.
Thomas Dunne Books, 2015
Read: July 4, 2015
I must say that it sort of bugs me that everything I read about this book mentions the deal with CBS for the rights — I’m happy for Gischler, but that doesn’t make me want to read it more (or less). Still, Stay can at times seem like a really thorough pitch for a movie deal.

Beyond that — I was a little disappointed. Gischler takes so many suspense novel mainstays — the special ops guy with a troubled past forced into violence to protect his family, the paranoid old service buddy who’s an expert hacker and willing to drop everything to help his pal, the foreign mobsters who will stop at nothing . . . yada yada yada. There was virtually nothing new here. Now just because you have so many genre tropes, doesn’t mean the book has to be hacky (I’m not saying this was, but you could see hacky from the front porch) — take Finder’s Nick Heller books. Almost entirely the same tropes, but Finder pulls it off. Gischler doesn’t.

The dialogue was mediocre, the characters were thin, the sex was a touch too detailed, the violence was about right (maybe a less detailed than expected a few times). One thing I don’t need is the same narrator justifying the use of a head-butt twice in the same novel — and almost in identical terms.

Ultimately, I wanted more. More surprise, more details, more originality to the characters, more depth to David and Amy (and heck, the bad guys as well). There wasn’t enough grit, enough horror, enough….anything. I guess you could say that I think this was a good start — but not a good final draft. Entertaining enough to keep me turning the page. But could’ve been so much more.

—–

2 1/2 Stars

Dusted Off: In Pursuit of Spenser, Otto Penzler, ed.

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On December 23, 2013

In Authors, Robert B. Parker, Spenser

In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation of an American HeroIn Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation of an American Hero

by Otto Penzler
Paperback, 247 pg.
Smart Pop, 2012

I loved this book.

It has been years since I’ve read a festschrift–and this is the only one I’ve read that wasn’t about a figure in the Presbyterian/Reformed tradition. I’d forgotten how nice they can be.

It was like hanging out with a bunch of articulate friends talking about our dearly departed friend/mentor/idol. Insightful, occasionally moving, occasionally factually wrong (extreme fanboy alert)–a great tribute to Dr. Parker.

—–

5 Stars

Dusted Off: Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich

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On December 16, 2013

In Janet Evanovich, Uncategorized

Eleven on Top (Stephanie Plum, #11)Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich
Series: Stephanie Plum, #11


Mass Market Paperback, 321 pg.
St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 2006

So here in number eleven, Evanovich shakes things up a bit. Stephanie’s had enough of the way things are going and quits the bounty hunter biz. This leads her to the first of a series of ridiculous and embarrassing jobs (and one great one). Great, funny stuff there.

But, of course, the bounty hunter biz isn’t done with Stephanie–someone from her past wants to settle a score, so the book’s more than just a montage of crappy jobs.

The more things change, the more they stay the same: Despite her best efforts, Stephanie gets her man; the family and relationship stuff are at their usual goofy levels; and once again, car insurance premiums in the Burg are jacked up.

I have no doubt that there will be a return to the status quo, but I’m hoping we keep the current setup for another book or two.

—–

3 Stars

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