Briar Patch Books

Tag: thriller

  • 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…

  • A perilous “fairy story”

    Bob Moyer may have been traveling in Japan in real time, but in his reading world, he’s been in post-war Germany, courtesy of the latest in one of his favorite series. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer PRUSSIAN BLUE. By Philip Kerr. Putnam. 523 pages. $27. In this now-venerable series, Bernie Gunther has made his melancholy way from…

  • From morning sickness to mortal danger

    We’re all blessed when Bob Moyer takes time out from his world travels, drama, poetry and petanque to review some books. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer MOST WANTED. By Lisa Scottoline. Delacorte Press. 438 pages. $27.99 Chances are Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe never had a “best friend forever” who said “Ruh-ro” like Scooby Doo. Never did we…

  • Wealth, danger and scandal – what more could you want?

    Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson SCANDALOUS BEHAVIOR. By Stuart Woods. Penguin Audio. Read by Tony Roberts. Six CDs, seven hours. $35. Also available in print from G. P. Putnam’s Sons. Stone Barrington, having had many adventures, close calls and romantic encounters recently (as always), decides to get a little R&R visiting a friend (lady of…

  • 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…

  • Beware the wild New Jersey Chihuahuas

    What fun! Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson TOP SECRET TWENTY-ONE. By Janet Evanovich. Read by Lorelei King. Random House Audio. 6 hours; 5 CDs. $32. How many wacky adventures can Stephanie Plum get into? How many cars can be destroyed? How often can her apartment be trashed? How long will her relationship with Joe Morelli…

  • A Buffalo girl – detective

    A few books and CDs sit heavily on the table in my office, emanating a cloud of guilt whenever I look their way. These are books I read or listened to and liked enough to review – but something happened, and that review never made it out of my head and into print. One of…

  • From the bayous to Big Sky country

    Bob Moyer has enjoyed James Lee Burke’s Davie Robicheaux  novels for quite a while now. His enjoyment continues with the latest entry in the series. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer LIGHT OF THE WORLD. By James Lee Burke. Simon and Schuster. 548 pages. $27.99. Everywhere he goes, there it is – the human condition. Whether he’s in his…

  • This one’s a reach for Reacher

    Bob Moyer has returned from points north just in time to see snow here in North Carolina – and to tell us about one of the books he read when he was traveling. By Robert Moyer A WANTED MAN. By Lee Child. Delacorte Press. 405 pages. $28. A bevy of federal agencies shows up to…

  • To laugh or not to laugh

    Jesse Kellerman may know the business of writing best-selling novels as well as anyone. For him, it’s a family business; he is a son of Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, both highly successful crime writers. And he’s followed in the family tradition admirably with four novels: The Executor, The Genius, Trouble and Sunstroke. Sometimes, after a…