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Fighting the invisible monster
Bob Moyer has produced a review in which he manages to use, correctly, the word “antepenultimate.” He even spelled it correctly. Impressive. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer. DESERT STAR. By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown. 388 pages $29. “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” A witness being interviewed by…
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Soldiers, assassins, music and food – Bruno is on the case again
What can persuade Bob Moyer to take time out from his busy schedule to read a book and write a review? The answer is simple: a new Bruno, Chief of Police novel by Martin Walker. The Bruno novels are always a delicious treat, and it sounds as though this one keeps the tradition alive. Reviewed…
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What’s going on???
Do you want to read a mystery that will really keep you guessing? Paul O’Connor found one that came from Sweden. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor GEIGER. By Gustaf Skordeman. Translated from Swedish by Ian Giles. Grand Central Publishing. 424 pages. $28, hardback. It’s been a pleasant afternoon for Stellan Boman, the long-retired but still…
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Still going strong
Looking for a good detective story? Bob Moyer has a suggestion. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer Robert B. Parker’s BYE BYE BABY. By Ace Atkins. Penguin. 315 pages, $28 hardcover. Fifty books. Robert B. Parker’s one-name Boston private detective, Spenser, has quipped, cracked wise, and quoted Shakespeare through that many books, while dispensing his…
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All this and COVID too
Bob Moyer reviews a Michael Connelly detective thriller that came out late last year. If you missed it in the holiday/pandemic craziness, you’ll thank him. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE DARK HOURS. By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown. 388 pages. $29. She hates taking her mask up and down for a sip of coffee, she…
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Another delicious crime entre’e
Thanks to Bob Moyer, I have another addition to my already lengthy must-read list. Martin Walker’s Bruno novels are pure pleasure, even if they do make me hungry. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE COLDEST CASE. By Martin Walker. Knopf. 315 pages, $27. In a Bruno, Chief of Police novel, the past is never past;…
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Madness in paradise
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson THE MADNESS OF CROWDS. By Louise Penny. Minotaur Books. 436 pages. $28.99. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is back in Three Pines, the Quebec village faithful readers know and love, for the 17th novel in Louise Penny’s wonderful series. But that does not mean that all is well. The previous novel,…
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Hollywood noir gets a new star
Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer A MAN NAMED DOLL. By Jonathan Ames. Mulholland Books. 208 pages. $26. For some time, the niche of mystery novel called Hollywood noir has been depleted. Not L.A., but Hollywood. The territory was once inhabited by the likes of Stuart Kaminsky’s Toby Peters, who helped Hollywood stars out of trouble,…
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The City of Devils
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE. By Louise Penny. Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s). 439 pages. $28.99. Among the many things I missed during the year of COVID was a long-awaited new novel from Louise Penny, one of my favorite authors. Sometime in 2020, All the Devils Are Here, the latest mystery…
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A treat for Spenser fans
Bob Moyer reviews the latest in a venerable detective series that has outlived its creator. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer Robert B. Parker’s SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME. By Ace Atkins. Putnam. 306 pages. $27. Since Ace Atkins took over the Spenser franchise, he has aptly inhabited not just The Spenser voice, but the habits,…