Review: Murder Under Cover by Kate Carlisle

Format: Mass Market
Pub Date: May 3, 2011
Length: 304 pages
Publisher: Obsidian
FTC: Review copy provided by Jane Rotrosen Agency

I love cozy mysteries, but I am finicky about the whole amateur sleuth aspect of them. Sure, part of the appeal of the genre is watching how ordinary people deal with death and mysteries, but too often they veer into what's known as TSTL (too stupid to live), endangering themselves and everyone around them. Thankfully, this isn't one of those books.

Brooklyn Wainwright is a rare book restorer and binder. When her friend brings home a rare copy of the Kama Sutra to clean, restore and appraise, she's ecstatic. Until people start dying around her. Again. Thankfully, she has her lover, former spy and security expert Derek, to help keep her safe.

Review: Bless the Bride by Rhys Bowen

Pub Date: March 1, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Length: 272 pages
FTC: Review copy provided by Jane Rotrosen Agency

I have been in a history mood lately, so I dug out this copy of Bless the Bride . I had stalled on it a few months earlier, but sometimes finishing a book is more about mood and less about the book. I think this was one of those cases.

Set at the turn of the 20th century in New York City, Bless the Bride is the 10th installment in the continuing adventures of Molly Murphy, Irish immigrant and female amateur detective.

Overall, this felt like a novella and not a novel. At 272 pages, it is quite short. Which means that something had to give. And for me, that was the relationships. We get very little time between Daniel and Molly. In fact, we get far more time with Molly's neighbors than we do between the affianced pair.

Review: Gone with a Handsomer Man by Michael Lee West

Format: Hardcover
Pub Date: April 12, 2011
Page count: Approx 340
Publisher: Minotaur (St. Martins)
FTC: Review copy provided by Authors on the Web

I had no idea what to expect from Gone with a Handsomer Man. I had never read a thing by Michael Lee West. I do read a few mysteries now and then, but the cover of this one almost seemed very chick lit. And it's being pubbed in hardcover. Which I tend to avoid.

Wow am I glad I read this book. I read most of it on the plane ride to LA for the RT convention and earned myself some 'is she crazy?' stares for all of the chuckling I was doing. This is one hilarious book. It is outrageous, sweet, whacky, and sometimes a little bit sad. Not once was it boring, though.

I will get the cons out of the way first, so I can gush. My biggest complaint, by far, is that the characters were unevenly developed. The guys drew the short straws for sure. The women were all quirky, real, and vibrantly described. The men were wallpaper. And pretty dull wallpaper at that.

***POV Warning***
This is told in the first person. So if that bugs you, avoid. You've been warned. I happen to love 1st person as long as it is PAST tense.
***End POV Warning***

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear

Pub Date: March 22, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Harper Books (Harper Collins)
FTC: Review copy provided by the publisher

Sometimes coming to a series in the middle just doesn't work. This was one of those times. Although many love Maisie Dobbs, the book just didn't click with me. Everything was off: pacing, characterization, dialogue. It all seemed way too passive for my reading preferences.

A Lesson in Secrets is set in the slim amount of time between World War I and World War II. In fact, the aftermath of the first Great War is very much a part of what drives this book. Maisie is an investigator of sorts who is asked by the Intelligence Service to investigate a school founded by an author made famous by a pacifist children's book.

Falcon at the Portal [audio]: "Good Parts" version

I've already read the entire Amelia Peabody series from start to finish. Several times. I even have the Amelia Peabody companion book. In short, I'm a wee bit obsessed with the series. Just a smidge.

I had been working my way through Barbara Rosenblat's fab narration of the audiobook versions.  And then I reached Falcon at the Portal. Anyone who has read the series knows the significance of that. For those who haven't read the series, let's just say a major character acts out of character and FUBARs  the romantic story arc from the last few books.

I got about halfway through it. Then...I stalled. Not because I hated the writing. Or because I didn't want to find out what happens. I already knew what came next. But because I just didn't want to suffer through what happened again. Once was enough. In fact, the first time through Falcon, I pitched the print book against the wall. Literally.

So...I decided to skip to the last 20 minutes of the book. There's still some angsty stuff there. But the hit me in the gut emotion was skipped. And, cowardly though it seems, I'm glad I skipped. Because the next book, He Shall Thunder in the Sky rocks! And I don't have the cloud of depression and annoyance following me around that came from my 1st reading of Falcon at the Portal.

What about you? Are there any keeper books that you reread but only the "good parts?" Any books that you'll stop reading just before an emotionally draining scene? Or am I just weird? (Don't answer that last question.)

Quickie Review: Goodnight Irene by Jan Burke

Format: Mass Market
Pub Date: 1993
Publisher: Pocket (Simon and Schuster)
FTC: Personal library

This is an oldie but goodie mystery that sits on my keeper shelf. Originally published in 1993, Goodnight, Irene introduces Irene Kelly, a former journalist with a sharp wit and a penchant for trouble.

This book has everything wonderful about the amateur sleuth subgenre of mysteries: first person narration, funny one-liners, a sometimes abrasive lead character, a hot guy and a very, very good plot.

There's something wonderful about Burke's writing. There's a simplicity to it that just makes the narrative flow, and the characters are so well developed that they become real almost instantly.There's also some lovely chemistry between Irene and Detective Frank Harriman, too, which appeals to the romance fan in me. I love how Irene never ventures into the TSTL* category and that Frank treats her as an equal.

This isn't a forensic mystery, so the gore is kept to the minimum. There's some gruesome stuff, people are dying after all, but it's not too descriptive or icky. This is a very dialogue-heavy book, which is likely the reason it reads so quickly.

Goodnight, Irene is the first of a series, and I've loved every one that followed. I hope you do, too.

*TSTL=Too Stupid To Live

Kathy Reichs: Book Watch

Ok, I admit to being a couple of books behind in this series. But I love Tempe Brennan. I love Bones, too, but as those familiar with both the books and the series know, they have nothing in common besides the main character's name and profession.

Spider Bones, the 13th! installment in the Temperance Brennan series, is being released in hardcover in just a few weeks (August 24th).

I'm a big fan of the audiobook versions narrated by Barbara Rosenblat (produced by Recorded books, not the awful ones produced by Simon and Schuster).  Audible only carries the icky S&S versions for the most part, though. And while I love Recorded Books, their audiobooks are (how do I put this politely?) outrageously freaking expensive. The CD version is available for preorder on their site for $92.75.

The Kindle price is currently set at $12.99. Too expensive for me right now.  So I'll likely be picking this book up in hardcover or waiting until I can find a used copy of the audio.

You can preorder the hardcover at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Book Depository or your favorite local indie.

Review: Tiles and Tribulations by Tamar Myers

(And you thought I never reviewed mysteries...)

It's officially mystery reading weather (brrrrr) so I thought I'd dig out one of my older books on the TBR pile. This is book #10 in the Den of Antiquity series featuring antique shop owner Abby Timberlake Washburn. It was originally published back in 2002 (or 2003) so it's definitely not a new release.

If you're looking for hard boiled detective novels or seriously complex whodunnits, this book is not for you. It's a solid cozy. Which means there's very little foul language, the characters are nearly all in the 40 and up age range, and the story is short on peril and long on characters. The mystery in this one isn't all that compelling. But I kept reading it anyway because the narrator (told in the 1st person by Abby) is so hysterically funny.

The book is set in Charleston, SC and the story is steeped in the culture of that city. And of the south in general.  Myers nails the genteel snobbiness and snarkiness that is so uniquely southern. I could not put the book down after being introduced to "Apparition Americans." (Ghosts).

I'd honestly classify this as a caper rather than a mystery because the charm and appeal is mainly due to the crazy, wacky characters that populate the novel. Still, it's a cute, quick read that is perfect for snuggling up with by the fire on a rainy or snowy evening.

My grade: B-

Borrower of the Night by Elizabeth Peters Audio

The Vicky Bliss series by Elizabeth Peters has spanned 20 + years. In that time, a lot has changed. When the first book was written, feminism was new. Vicky was an extremely modern character. Now, her opinions and self-sufficiency are something women tend to take for granted.

There are the political and technological shifts, too, which make rereading (or in this case listening) to the stories seem like peering into a time capsule. Vicky's adventures have taken her from a divided Germany to a world connected by the internet, cell phones and instant communication. From telegraph to email.

It can be a bit disconcerting to hear something that is so dated--it throws me out the narrative every once in awhile--but it is also fun to revisit a series with such terrific, memorable characters. And when listening to Barbara Rosenblat narrate Herr Professor Schmidt, the story just comes alive. No one does accents like Rosenblat.

I think this series is an excellent microcosm of how popular literature can truly reflect the history, culture, values, and technology of a time without us being fully aware of it. It is only when a series spans this length of time (and the characters do not age) that we notice how much our society truly has changed in the last 20 years. It's something we are aware of intellectually, but I don't think we truly understand most of the time.