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Rough winds and murderous seas
My partner for this review is my younger son, a U.S. Navy officer who has served two deployments aboard Navy ships and is now an instructor in seamanship and navigation at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson and Lt. Samuel F. Brinson THE ADEN EFFECT. By Claude Berube. Naval Institute…
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Too close for comfort
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson DEEP BLUE. By Randy Wayne White. Penguin Audio. Read by George Guidall. 8 ½ hours; 7 CDs. $40. Also available in print from G.P. Putnam’s Sons. You’d think that, having written 22 crime novels starring Doc Ford, Randy Wayne White might be running out of plot ideas. After all, how…
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Is the wurst story written lately? Fat chance.
Turn Bob Moyer loose with fairy tales, frogs and puns, and you’re in for a treat. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer GRETEL AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING FROG PRINTS. A Brothers Grimm Mystery. By P.J. Brackston. Pegasus Crime. 233 pages. $15.95, paperback. Sometimes the funniest thing about a joke is its setup. Sometimes the…
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Seeking redemption in a harsh land
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson MIDNIGHT SUN. By Jo Nesbo. Random House Audio. Read by Kim Gordon. 5 CDs; 6 hours. $30. Also available in print from Knopf. Jo Nesbo is best known for his series of crime novels starring the Norwegian detective Harry Hole, but he also has written several stand-alone novels. Midnight Sun,…
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Mystery, poetry and mountains
Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer The North Carolina mountains have produced and inspired several fine writers over the years. Bob Moyer takes a look at the last book by one of them, published last September and not to be missed. ABOVE THE WATERFALL. By Ron Rash. Ecco. 252 pages. In his latest novel, Ron Rash…
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East side, west side, all around the town
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson BROOKLYN ON FIRE. By Lawrence H. Levy. Read by Cassandra Campbell. Books on Tape. 10 hours; 9 CDs. Mary Handley was the first woman to work as a detective with the Brooklyn Police Department. Her success there gained her quite a bit of fame, or maybe notoriety. She’s not giving…
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A fresh perspective: Bold gambit
Here’s another of our interesting and well-done reviews by students in the opinion-writing class at the University of North Carolina’s School of Media and Journalism. Reviewed by Nick Niedzwiadek DISCLAIMER. By Renée Knight. Harper. 336 pages. $25.99. Starting a story by introducing a book-within-a-book — and having it be central to the plot— is a…
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A fresh perspective: Grisham’s lawyer pushes the limits
Here’s another review by a student in the opinion writing class at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Media and Journalism. Reviewed by John Thomas ROGUE LAWYER. By John Grisham. Doubleday. 344 pages. $28.95, hardcover. John Grisham’s latest legal thriller, Rogue Lawyer, follows the story of defense lawyer Sebastian Rudd, a self-described “lone gunman” who loves…
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A fresh perspective: Horrors from David Mitchell
Here’s another in a series of book reviews written by students in the opinion writing class in the School of Media and Journalism at UNC Chapel Hill. Reviewed by Josiah H. Graham SLADE HOUSE. By David Mitchell. Random House. 238 pages. $26 In Slade House, every corner and crevice is a trap; do not wander,…