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Vanished without a trace…
Iceland’s most successful author has teamed up with the country’s prime minister to write a mystery/crime thriller that’s one of the best books I’ve read in quite a while. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson REYKJAVIK. By Ranger Jonasson and Katrin Jakobsdottir. Minotaur Books. 363 pages. $19, paperback. It’s 1956, and Kristjan Krisjtansson, a rookie policeman…
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A look through different eyes
Every now and then, my husband, Lloyd, reads a book that impresses him so much that he volunteers to write a review for my blog. This is one of those rare finds. Reviewed by Lloyd Brinson JAMES: A Novel. By Percival Everett. Doubleday. 303 pages. $28, Often, after reading a really good book – fiction…
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Behind the glitter…
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson THE QUEEN CITY DETECTIVE AGENCY. By Snowden Wright. William Morrow. 260 pages. It’s 1985 in Meridian, Mississippi. It’s the Ronald Reagan era, morning in America, so they say. But in Meridian, once known as the Queen City but now more of a dump, there’s often more darkness than dawn, especially…
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Surprise! Be prepared…
Bob Moyer has found a new mystery/ thriller writer, and he likes her literary debut. It probably helps that the setting is Louisiana, one of Bob’s favorites. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer BROKEN BAYOU. By Jennifer Moorhead. Thomas & Mercer. 265 pages. $16.99. Very few writers can make a reader both gasp and wince. Jennifer…
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New crimes, old desires
Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer FAREWELL, AMETHYSTINE. By Walter Mosley. Mulholland Books. 336 pages. $30. The title gives it away. In all previous 15 books about Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, dozens of beautiful women pass through the pages. None of them get more than a few chapters, however, and few of them make it to the…
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No rest for Sister Holiday
Bob Moyer loves to visit New Orleans, whether in person or through the novels he reads. Here he takes a look at the second in a quirky new New Orleans-set mystery series by Margot Douaihy. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer BLESSED WATER. By Margot Douaihy. Zando. 288 pages. $27.95 Fire first, then water. In her…
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If words were paint …
Bob Moyer considers a reissue of the novel Salvador Dali published in 1944. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer HIDDEN FACES. By Salvador Dali. Pushkin Press Classics. 352 pages. $16.95 If … . . . You are obsessed with Salvador Dali, have visited his incredible museums in Spain and Florida, have a replica of the melted…
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In the eye of the beholder
One of Bob Moyer’s favorite detective series has a notable change in offering No 24, and Bob approaches the new twist with an 0pen — maybe even eager — mind. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer CLETE. A Dave Robicheaux Novel. By James Lee Burke. Atlantic Monthly Press. 336 pages. $28. He’s a mess, but he’s…
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Sailing toward death, in fine style
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson DEATH ON THE LUSITANIA. By R.L. Graham. Macmillan. 381 pages. $18.99. On May 1, 1915, the RMS Lusitania, one of the most luxurious ocean liners then sailing the seas, left New York City, bound for Liverpool, England. Six days later, on the afternoon of May 7, as the Lusitania was…
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She got by with a little help from her corgi
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson THE QUEEN’S FAITHFUL COMPANION. By Eliza Knight. William Morrow. 368 pages. $18.99, trade paperback. I was between books, looking for something engaging and not too heavy, when the mail lady delivered an advance proof of The Queen’s Faithful Companion. The subtitle read: “A Novel of Queen Elizabeth II and her…