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Saving “runners”
Here’s an intriguing review by Bob Moyer. The book is the latest in an interesting-sounding mystery series that I have somehow missed. What a treat to discover not just a new book that sounds good, but a whole series. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer A STRING OF BEADS. By Thomas Perry. Mysterious Press. 388 pages.…
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Danger is in the eye of the beholder
Paula Hawkins’ debut thriller is getting a lot of attention, and for good reason. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN. By Paula Hawkins. Read by Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey and India Fisher. Penguin Audio. 9 CDs. $40. Also available in hardcover from Riverhead Books. When the blurb on the box calls…
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Plenty of reasons to read
One danger in a long-running detective series is that the stories might get stale. Bob Moyer finds that the Alex Delaware series may be predictable in some ways, but it’s still worth reading. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer MOTIVE. By Jonathan Kellerman. Ballantine Books. 336 pages. $28. Motive, indeed. After following the adventures of this…
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Where the fire always burns
Happy New Year, at last! Bob Moyer is back from wherever he’s been when he wasn’t writing book reviews. That’s always cause for rejoicing. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE BURNING ROOM. By Michael Connelly. Little Brown and Company. 388 pages. $28. Harry Bosch has been an L.A. cop so long it’s easy to forget…
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A step back in time
For 16 novels, Charles Todd has brought us the detective adventures of Ian Rutledge, who returned to police work at Scotland Yard while battling the lingering effects of his time as a British officer in World War I. Now, the mother-son writing team that is Todd brings us a prequel: The newest novel steps back…
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Flavia crosses the pond
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson AS CHIMNEY SWEEPERS COME TO DUST. By Alan Bradley. Read by Jayne Entwistle. Random House Audio. 11 hours; 9 CDs. $41. Also available in print from Delacorte Press. 392 pages. $25. What a relief! Or, as Flavia would shout, “Yaroo!” When I reached the end last year of The Dead…
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Flesh, blood and bones enough to go around
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson DUST. By Patricia Cornwell. Read by Kate Reading. Penguin Audio. 14 hours. $39.95. FLESH AND BLOOD. By Patricia Cornwell. William Morrow. 369 pages. $28.99. BONES NEVER LIE. By Kathy Reichs. Read by Katherine Borowitz. Random House Audio. 9 CDs, 11 hours. $40. Patricia Cornwell deserves lots of credit for creating…
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Big coal, big problems
A few years ago, I flew as a passenger in a small private plane over a mountaintop-removal coal mine in West Virginia. The image of that huge, ugly wound on what had been a beautiful wilderness still haunts me. Most people will never see the ravages of modern strip-mining up close, but John Grisham’s new…
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Say it ain’t so, Bo
While I’m still more or less in holiday mode, Tom Dillon is back to business with a review of what threatens to be the last in one of his favorite mystery series. He’s right: It’s time to get things going for 2015. My New Year’s resolution is to be as industrious as Tom! Reviewed by…
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Looking through Easy’s eyes
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson I’ve come late to the Easy Rawlins mysteries, mostly because my longtime reviewer friend Robert P. Moyer always snatched them up. Bob’s thoughtful praise for Walter Mosley’s books always made me want to read them, but the downside of running a book review page or site is that you feel…