Briar Patch Books

Category: Uncategorized

  • On duty, always

    My husband, Lloyd Brinson, was a Marine officer (oops; I’m told there’s no such thing as a former Marine, so should I say is?) who served in Vietnam. Much later, he was an elementary school principal. He finds that this children’s book has much to offer readers of all ages. Reviewed by Lloyd Brinson GOODNIGHT…

  • Spenser’s in LA, but everything else is in its place

    Bob Moyer has read a lot of Spenser books, and he says Ace Atkins has things pretty well in hand in this latest. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer ANGEL EYES. A Spenser Novel. By Ace Atkins. Penguin. 320 pages. $27. Everything in its place. That’s what Spenser fans expect after 48 books in the series,…

  • New offering from an old master

    Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer AGENT RUNNING IN THE FIELD. By John le Carre. Viking. 281 pages. $29. He’s 88, he’s written 25 books, and along the way he’s picked up a few tricks in more than one trade. Espionage is one of them. To stay at the top of the thriller game, Le Carre…

  • Saving Grandma Mazur

    Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson TWISTED TWENTY-SIX. By Janet Evanovich. Penguin Audio. Read by Lorelei King. 6 ½ hours; 6 CDs, $32. Also available in print from G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Janet Evanovich is amazing. Here we have entry No. 26 in the adventures of Stephanie Plum, improbable New Jersey bounty hunter, and it’s just as…

  • It’s still summer…

    The heading above was the subject line of the email in which Bob Moyer sent me this, his latest book review. He’s making the point that yes, this book is a beach book, in a way, but we’re not behind on our review because by the calendar, it’s still summer for a few days. And…

  • Predators, human style

    Predators, human style

    Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer WOLF PACK: A Joe Pickett Novel. By C.J. Box. Putnam. 370 pages. $27. After a bruising political battle in book 18 of this series, Joe Pickett gets a new truck and his job back as a Wyoming game warden. Now perhaps he can return to handing out tickets for illegal…

  • Richard Russo, times two

    I don’t know when Bob Moyer finds time to read and  review books when he’s always traveling, playing pétanque and writing haiku, but I’m glad he does. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE DESTINY THIEF:  Essays on Writing, Writers and Life. By Richard Russo. Knopf. 194 pages. Two for one. That’s what you get in…

  • Dancing to a different beat

    I love most of Anne Tyler’s novels, but Bob Moyer thinks her books appeal to the bourgeoisie. He even singles me, his editor, out as part of that bourgeois fan club. My response would be, so what? I like Anne Tyler’s writing because yes, she writes about ordinary people, and in the end, there may…

  • A good thriller, laced with romance

    Bob Moyer’s not particularly into vampire romance fiction, but if a vampire writer wants to try writing a thriller, he’s willing to see what she can do. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE CHEMIST. By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown and Co. 528 pages. $28. Stephenie Meyer came out of left field with her Twilight series and…

  • From dark times, brilliant fiction

    Two novels, both set in France during World War II, provide Paul O’Connor with a feast of outstanding fiction. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor THE NIGHTINGALE. By Kristin Hannah. St. Martin’s Press. 440 pages. $27.99. ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE. By Anthony Doerr. Scribner. 531 pages. $27. It’s early summer. We’re in the family…