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Life and love amid the chaos
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson A LONG PETAL OF THE SEA. By Isabel Allende. Random House Audio. Read by Edoardo Ballerini. 10 hours; 8 CDs. $40. Also available in print from Ballantine Books. A Long Petal of the Sea, Isabel Allende’s new novel, is historical fiction at its best. It tells a remarkable story that…
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Why we read fiction…
Yes, Bob Moyer reads a lot of mysteries, detective stories and thrillers. But he also savors a good literary novel from time to time. Here’s one of his recent finds. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE DUTCH HOUSE. By Ann Patchett. HarperCollins. 337 pages. $27.99. Every now and then, a book comes along that reminds us why…
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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…
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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…
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Amid the chaos…
Wherever Jack Reacher goes – and that covers some pretty interesting and dangerous ground – Bob Moyer isn’t far behind. Here’s his review of No. 24 in the Reacher series. BLUE MOON. By Lee Child. Delacorte Press. 356 pages. $28.99. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer PFHHT! BLAM! THUD! THUNK! SNAP! CRACK! AIEEE! Did you hear…
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It’s about the procedure
Is the seasonal stress starting to get to you? Find a cozy warm spot and get caught up in a good novel about something entirely different. Bob Moyer has a suggestion for you. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE NIGHT FIRE. By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown. 405 pages. $29. … down these mean streets a man must go…
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A story to savor
Bob Moyer reviews a book he says takes a familiar story and makes it new, a story that’s a pleasure to read. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THIS TENDER LAND. By William Kent Krueger. Atria. 460 pages. $27. You’ve met this bunch of kids before–a ragtag group suffering abuse, in this case the only three…
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She’s back…
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson OLIVE, AGAIN. by Elizabeth Strout. Random House Audio. Read by Kimberly Farr. 12 1/2 hours; 10 CDs. $45. Also available in print from Random House. Anyone who met Olive Kitteridge in Elizabeth’s Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2008 book of interrelated stories by that name, will remember that blunt, sometimes abrasive retired…
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Our boys, our nation
Here’s the latest from our roaming correspondent, Bob Moyer, ever an eclectic and thoughtful reader. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer NICKEL BOYS. By Colson Whitehead. Doubleday. 213 pages. $24.95 Colson Whitehead is an important writer. He’s a good, sometimes great writer, yes, but above all — he’s an important writer. He homes in on material…