Tag: book-reviews

Book Review: London Is All Grown Up

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Edward Rutherford’s London is quite a literary feat with a page count that is over eleven hundred. It’s a great showcase for Rutherford’s prose style.

Rutherford takes his readers back to the time of Julius Caesar and creates several families as his vessels for exploring the rise and development of the great city of London. He creates quite a tapestry of historical events and personal struggles experienced by his numerous characters in his narrative.

Although this novel was not without moments of sluggishness in the plot, it is still an enjoyable reading experience on the whole. It was pretty thrilling to come across some of the historical events I recognized as not being that well-remembered. There are a lot of threads of which to keep track, and the sudden shifts in perspective kind of made things a little tricky.

There is no question that Rutherford is a talented storyteller. He also seems to have done an impressive amount of research which is laid out quite nicely.

It is a daunting book for many people, and I struggled a bit with retention of certain aspects of the novel. I think that may be more of an issue with my attention span rather than any downfall of the author.

I usually read simpler novels for my leisure time, but I like to challenge myself a couple of times a year at least, and London did satisfy that prescription. Even though I had some hurtles throughout the experience, I did enjoy the book and would recommend further examination of his other works. It may be a little while before I circle back to Mr. Rutherford, but I have no plans to avoid his other works. I was rather pleased with being able to take this on and stick with it.

I think it’s time to draw Harlan Coben out of the reading queue with Drop Shot, which features that sleuthing sports agent, Myron Bolitar.

Book Review: An Abandoned House, A Missing Doctor, And A Lot of Secrets About To Come To Light

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Never Lie by Freida McFadden is an outlandish and improbable thriller that is a pretty entertaining ride for those willing to suspend their disbelief.

A newly married couple are in the market for a new house and arrive during a blizzard to an isolated manor that was once owned by a prominent psychiatrist who has been missing for a few years. Tricia and Ethan are trapped at the manor, which is curiously still completely furnished. Tricia finds a secret room containing a cache of cassette tapes that have the sessions with Dr. Adrienne Hale recorded. Tricia has an opportunity to see if the solution of the doctor’s disappearance is contained within these recordings. More old secrets and lies are about to be exposed, and Tricia learns that not everything is going to stay as buried as deeply as she hoped.

McFadden has become one of today’s most popular thriller writers, and she does have quite an imagination. However, she does rely pretty heavily on some very common tropes of the genre. Also, there is quite a lot of implausible coincidence that can be a little exasperating. Sometimes, the characters are not that believable. As mentioned before, the suspension of disbelief can feel a little taxing.

Still, I did enjoy the novel. There are some clever twists that kind of surprised even me. McFadden is not really an extraordinary writer, but she gets the job done. She might just be the ultimate popcorn writer of today. If it pays the bills, who am I to complain?

McFadden may be a bit overrated, but she at least avoids being just flat out bad, which is an impressive achievement in today’s literary climate.

This is only the second novel I have read by her, but I work in a bookstore these days, so I am aware of her popularity. I do like that she writes a lot of standalone novels, so I can dip in and out of her works without worrying too much about continuity. There are actually a lot of series that I don’t read in order, but I do recognize that it an advantage that McFadden has with her bibliography.

McFadden is at least fun to read, and I am certain that it will not be all that long before I am perusing her section on the bookshelves.

My next read has been in the queue for a while. I have been putting it off because it seems to be a daunting volume by Edward Rutherford. I am looking forward to trying it because it isn’t my usual genre of enjoyment, and I like to test my mettle a bit when it comes to my reading choices. It is also about one of bucket list destinations for travel. It is well past time that I learn the intricacies of London as only Edward Rutherford can tell it.

Book Review: A Most Peculiar Adoption

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Unto Us a Son Is Given by Donna Leon is not one of the better novels featuring Venetian Commissario Guido Brunetti. It was first published in 2019.

Brunetti is invited by his father-in–law to a drink because he wants to lay out a concern over an old friend. An elderly art connoisseur in Venice is wanting to adopt a young man, and there does not appear to be much of a rational explanation for this move. Brunetti is asked to look into it and see if this young man has any trouble in his past. Brunetti agrees to take a look into it even though this isn’t his usual type of investigation. The old man drops dead in the street leaving the young stranger as an heir to his estate. Brunetti is back on familiar territory when another friend of the old man’s is strangled to death. He finds that the people in his life have more complicated pasts than even he realizes.

Leon describes the setting of Venice in loving and captivating detail. Brunetti is a pretty interesting protagonist with a stable family life.

Leon’s prose style is certainly distinctive and more than adequately displays her natural talent.

The problem I have with this novel is that it really seems to take a while for anything that interesting. The first death doesn’t occur until around halfway through the book. The murder takes a bit longer. It’s just kind of a slow book.

The plot itself is rather interesting, but it just takes too long to get moving. Leon herself is still a writer worth checking out, and I am sure it will not be too long before I look in on Guido Brunetti, his family, and fellow police officers.

The next selection on the reading queue is Holly by Stephen King.

Book Review: A Gruesome Delivery

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith is another interesting installment in the Cormoran Strike series and is likely the most gruesome case yet. Strike is a former military investigator who has a prosthetic leg after losing his original limb to a bomb. He is a struggling private investigator who has also gained some notoriety after solving some high-profile murder cases in London. He has recently partnered with a former temp worker named Robin Ellacott, who has really been a huge assistance to the business.

Speaking of amputated legs, this little mystery begins with a severed leg showing up at Strike’s office. Strike quickly determines that one of his old adversaries is making a twisted attempt to rattle or threaten him. The reaction that Robin has when Strike comes up with four candidates capable of such a heinous act in his past is sort of amusing in a dark way.

More of Strike and Robin’s past is revealed here. Their friendship deepens until a seemingly rash decision threatens to wreck the trust they have built.

Robin’s upcoming wedding to a snarky Brit named Matthew is also on the brink of heartbreak. I am not sure if Galbraith is going to have a romantic union occur between Strike and Robin, but the progression in their relationship is compelling.

This is the third installment in the series, and Galbraith is getting better at fleshing out these characters.

Cormoran Strike is a pretty solid investigator in spite of his handicaps and hang-ups. I find him more likable and compelling with each novel. His relationship with Robin is just complicated enough to make things even more interesting.

There are some moments where the story is dragged down by a little too much exposition, but it’s not unforgivable. Most novels that come close to five hundred pages have that tendency. Galbraith’s writing style is just engaging enough to make the effort worth it.

Of course, Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling, the mastermind behind the Harry Potter franchise. I have yet to read her most well-known works, but her works featuring Strike also showcases a formidable talent behind her keyboard.

Career of Evil also features an interesting homage throughout to the music of the band Blue Oyster Cult. Rowling seems to have a quirky imagination when it comes to adding quotes or pop culture references.

This is a pretty good addition to the series, and the tumultuous relationship between Strike and Robin is often as compelling as whatever investigation is at the center of the plot.

Eventually, I will get to the fourth novel, but not just yet.

Next up, Murder wrecks the Parisian vacation of one Chief Inspector Armand Gamache in Louise Penny’s All the Devils Are Here.

Book Review: The Thursday Murder Club Reconvenes

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman is an amusing and effective second outing for the retirees Cooper Chase who have formed the Thursday Murder Club.

Elizabeth’s ex-husband emerges from her mysterious past on the run after being accused of stealing diamonds. Ibraham gets mugged. Ron and Joyce are there to lend their support as these two troubling events are the precursor to more murder and duplicity. The Thursday Murder Club, who meet once a week to discuss unsolved cases, get a crack at their second active case.

Elizabeth’s past kicks off the latest caper. Her charming, roguish ex-husband has turned up asking for her help to protect him from an irate mobster who believes him to have stolen a lot of diamonds worth an obscene amount of riches. The club’s police officer allies are after a vexing drug dealer, and an awkward romantic relationship is brewing.

Ibraham is understandably shaken by his attack, but he is still able to be of some help even if he is hesitant to leave the safety of his apartment.

Three bodies have turned up which galvanizes the club into searching for the purloined diamonds as a clever killer lurks within the retirement village.

Osman does another fine job of undermining any expectations or prejudices when it comes to the elderly. The four friends remain as quick-witted as ever. The friendship and support they offer each other is rather charming, even if they express some mild exasperation.

The reader gets a better idea of how efficient Elizabeth likely was in her prior occupation as a spy. The banter between her and Joyce often gets quite hilarious.

Ibraham is a former psychologist, so it’s interesting to find him struggling with fears and insecurities that were likely afflicting many of patients.

Elizabeth being a former spy does open up some interesting doors when it comes to plot. A series like this does lend itself to predictability, but Osman effectively avoids that criticism by delving into Elizabeth’s past a bit.

Osman has created a rather distinctive, charming series in which he challenges preconceptions of the elderly. This group of old people would be fun to hang out with.

In spite of the loads of humor throughout the novel, Osman does explore the tendency for many to underestimate older people who may still quite a bit of grit left in them. The friendship between the four main characters is at times a bit moving as well as amusing.

The case itself turns out to be pretty cleverly plotted with some pretty good twists. Elizabeth at some point realizes that the solution is simpler than she first thought. Although she is basically the leader of the club, all of the members get to shine a bit.

The strange choice of having some of the chapters presented as diary entries written by Joyce adds to the quirkiness of the series. It does work that the whole novel isn’t written entirely from her perspective, but the occasional account from her sort of adds to the charm.

Osman continues a rather implausible yet fun, so I am looking forward to catching up with the Thursday Murder Club when another case is added to the agenda.

Robert Galbraith is going to reveal a bit more of Cormoran Strike’s past in Career of Evil.

Book Review: Holmes, Marple & Poe Investigations Is Open For Business

~ Peter Kanelis ~ 1 Comment

James Patterson kicks off what appears to be a new series with a promising thriller entitled Holmes, Marple & Poe. Brian Sitts shares the writing credit as well. Although, this could mean that Sitts actually wrote it under Patterson’s banner. Anyway, the novel contains kind of a fun plot and characters that were rather intriguing as well as implausible.

Brennan Holmes, Margaret Marple, and Auguste Poe have emerged from some murky pasts and unite to form a high-class private investigation agency. Each member shares some familiar characteristics with their famous namesakes. Brennan Holmes has a similar scientific approach to Sherlock’s; however, he also has a very keen sense of smell that is often useful as well as overwhelming. Margaret Marple is considerably younger than Jane Marple, but she is able to encourage a bit of underestimation much like the famous spinster sleuth. Auguste Poe does have a vice that ended up killing his namesake, who isn’t a fictional character. He is also very knowledgeable about weapons and is very find of beautiful women, but he has demons that have yet to be laid to rest. There are a variety of cases that converge on the agency, including an apparent kidnapping and art heist. They also come across a perplexing serial murder case.

A NYPD detective starts her own investigation into the agency and finds the partners as enigmatic as the cases themselves.

I had some fun reading this one, probably because I am a sucker for most anything referencing Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. I am not a necessarily a Poe fan, but I appreciate the cultural impact he had on the literary landscape.

I enjoyed how Patterson and Sitts weave the stories around each other, and the reader gets to see how the trio copes with different cases. They trade off who takes the lead on each case, which is kind of cool. The sleekness of the operation as a whole is somewhat too fanciful to buy into, but I suspect that’s par for the course for a Patterson novel. It wasn’t so outlandish that I found it exasperating. I have not read many of Patterson’s works, and I am not likely to be one of his most rabid readers. I also am not really swearing him off, and I will likely dip back into his catalogue occasionally.

Patterson writes very short chapters. This one has 118 chapters stuffed into 359 pages. I am not a fan of these absurdly short chapters. I also don’t like really long chapter. I guess I just want a chapter length just right, whatever that would look like.

In spite of these minor annoyances, I still enjoyed the novel and will likely revisit this particular trio.

I enjoyed the introduction to this trio well enough, but the required suspension of disbelief was almost too demanding.

There were some pretty good plot twists throughout the story. Even though this is not exactly to be considered highbrow literature, I was impressed with the imagination displayed by the authors here.

This book seems to be a love letter of long-time mystery readers, and I wouldn’t mind another one.

The Thursday Murder Club catches another case in Richard Osman’s The Man Who Died Twice, so it seems like a good time to revisit Coopers Chase.

Book Review: Murder Of The Coldest Kind

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Snow is an unfortunately predictable murder mystery written by John Banville. The story takes place in Ireland during the year of 1957. A young detective named St. John Strafford is the protagonist investigating a gruesome murder of a Catholic priest.

Detective Inspector Strafford is understandably perturbed by the murder and mutilation of a priest in a manor owned by the influential Osborne family. The case takes an even stranger turn when his deputy disappears. Strafford is told that the priest was popular in the community, but some very dark secrets are unearthed, and the victim may not be as virtuous as one would hope.

It’s an interesting setting. I have an automatic affection for stories that take place in Ireland. I just had a hard time staying interested in the plot, and Strafford doesn’t really draw me in. He seems kind of boring, honestly.

The motive for the murder is something would easily expect considering that it’s a Catholic priest who is the target. He was castrated, so it’s not hard to guess why the killer took that extra step.

Banville does have a nice prose style. He isn’t a terrible writer, but this particular novel may have just been the wrong one to introduce me to him.

My efforts to read new authors sometimes misfires, and Banville just didn’t do it for me.

Time to move to an old favorite of mine in the world of fictional detectives with Robert B. Parker’s Broken Trust, which is actually written by Mike Lupica, who has continued the Spenser series since Mr. Parker has been deceased for some time now.

Book Review: A Wounded Sheriff In Hiding Catches A Case

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Copper River is my first sampling of William Kent Krueger’s writing and is unlikely to be my last since I enjoyed this novel quite a bit.

Krueger has a protagonist named Cork O’Conner, a sheriff in Minnesota. O’Conner has apparently had quite a difficult time in the previous novels that I have yet to read. He starts off this story with a bullet in his leg and in hiding from a crime family who believe that he had killed one of their members. He ends up in Bodine, Michigan where he has a cousin that is able to meet some of his medical needs. The cousin, Jewell, is a widow with a young son, who is able to help with the bullet wound.

Cork’s investigative instincts awaken when a body is discovered in the river. A young girl has been murdered, and Cork needs some help when it appears that there is a conspiracy involving runaway teens. The killing doesn’t stop with one girl in the river. Cork has his own troubles and needs to get back to his wife and children, however he is not going to leave his cousin and her to face their threats without him.

Krueger is a pretty good writer and is not afraid to put his main character through the wringer. O’Conner is a typically pragmatic and likeable law enforcement officer. Of course, I am meeting this character in the middle of the series, but Krueger does a decent job of catching up the reader on events in the more recent novels without it seeming too clunky.

Apparently, Krueger also has some interest in Native American culture and history which he peppers in quite effectively.

Anyway, Krueger is a writer I am going to revisit in the not-too-distant future.

Next up, I haven’t read a Mickey Spillane novel in a while, but I do happen to have “Vengeance is Mine” in my stack of books on the dresser.

Book Review: Christmas Cheer And Trouble On Baker Street

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

What Child is This? is an adequate Sherlock Holmes novel written by Bonnie MacBird. It takes place during the Christmas season of 1890.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson foil an attempted kidnapping on the streets of London and are engaged by the mother to identify the would-be adductor. The father of the child has made his own arrangements for an investigation. Also, another case of a wayward son presents itself when an aristocrat shows up at Baker Street to enlist the assistance of the consulting detective. Holmes is engaged to ensure some peace for two families in time for Christmas, but he and Watson have to navigate some dangerous waters so they can find some contentment in the holiday as well.

Bonnie MacBird is one of the better writers to carry on the legacy created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but this is not one of the better ones in her series of Holmes novels. Holmes does display a certain compassion that can be overlooked in other pastiche works at times, so that is kind of a nice touch.

I just found myself less than enthralled by the cases Holmes was investigating. My interest was only mildly piqued from time to time.

There were some illustrations peppered throughout the book that were done by Frank Cho. I didn’t hate this entry into the series, but I was sort of just going through the motions in reading this.

I am still interested to see what MacBird’s next Holmes venture will contain. She is a talented writer, but she rather missed the mark with this particular release.

Now that is done, the next reading indulgence is going to be a visit to Copper River, where Sheriff Cork O’Conner, recovering from a gunshot wound, has involved himself in a very disturbing murder investigation that also involves abducted children. I have yet to read one of the thrillers by William Kent Krueger, but Copper River seems to be a promising introduction.

Book Review: Writing The Perfect Conspiracy

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill is an implausible, yet still enjoyable thriller dealing with new starts, eccentric families, and disturbing conspiracies.

Theodosia Benton is a young woman who has left law school and shows up on her brother’s doorstep with aspirations to be a writer. The Benton siblings are originally from Australia, but Gus Benton has established himself as a formidable attorney in Lawrence, Kansas. Theo begins her wiring project as she starts her new life under the care of her older brother. She meets a fellow writer, who takes on a mentor role in her life. When the relationship starts to develop into something more personal, the mentor is murdered quite brutally. Gus falls under suspicion, which forces Theo to take some drastic actions to protect her beloved brother. The more Gus and a good friend named Mac Etheridge start to uncover, they find that there may be a darker conspiracy at the root of their troubles.

Gentill takes her readers though quite a journey to arrive at the truth. Her characters were pretty interesting. The plot becomes a bit outlandish, but Gentill still makes it work. There are some interesting twists and surprises. I liked that there were some time jumps in this one. The story does not reach its resolution all that quickly for the characters.

Gentill has a writing style that flows pretty easily without seeming too boringly rudimentary. The characters are pretty likable and easy to care about. It seems that both Mac and the Bentons grew up with unconventional families. Mac’s family are conspiracy enthusiasts and doomsday preppers, yet it’s hard to not find them charming when comes onto the scene. Mac obviously loves his family but does find them somewhat exasperating.

Gentill does pepper some humor throughout her tale, but some serious revelations about the Bentons’ past comes to light.

Gentill seems capable throwing in some impressive twists which seems to be getting harder to do in this genre. I don’t know if she is the greatest mystery writer of the age right now, but she is certainly interesting enough for me to keep an eye out for her other works.

The Christmas holiday is behind us, but that’s no reason to avoid revisiting the Yuletide season during the 1890’s from the rooms of 221 B Baker Street, especially since Bonnie MacBird has continued her series of Sherlock Holmes novels with What Child is This?