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The mean streets of L.I.
The Briar Patch has a little catching up to do. Our excuse is that the Briar Patch’s physical location has moved. More about that later. But for now, fortunately, faithful correspondent Bob Moyer has taken time from his own travels to write a review. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer WHAT YOU BREAK. By Reed Farrel…
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The chase is on
This new book by one of Bob Moyer’s (many) favorite authors came out late last year, but we’ll forgive him for not getting around to reviewing it until now. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE OLD MAN. By Thomas Perry. Mysterious Press. 337 pages. $26. The Old Man looks like a harmless retiree, having lived…
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Still waters
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson INTO THE WATER. By Paula Hawkins. Penguin Audio. Read by Laura Aikman, Sophie Aldred, Rachel Bavidge, Imogen Church and Daniel Weyman. 11 ½ hours; 9 CDs. $40. Also available in hardcover from Riverhead Books. While I liked and was impressed by Paula Hawkins’ runaway bestseller The Girl on the…
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Disaster, resilience and Grace
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson THE STARS ARE FIRE. By Anita Shreve. Random House Audio. Read by Suzanne Elise Freeman. 8 ½ hours; 7 CDs. $35. Also available in print from Knopf. In the long, hot summer of 1947, a drought took hold in Maine with a vengeance. By October, conditions were dire, and when…
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At the intersection of nature and imagination
It’s always a pleasure to have a review from Tom Dillon, who draws attention to books I might otherwise miss. Reviewed by Tom Dillon THE INVENTION OF NATURE: ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT’S NEW WORLD. By Andrea Wulf. Alfred A. Knopf. 473 pages. $30, hardback Be honest, now. Who was Alexander von Humboldt? Do you know? The chances…
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What did the president know …
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson RICHARD NIXON: The Life. By John A. Farrell. Random House Audio. Read by Dan Woren. 29 hours; 23 CDs. $60. Also available in hardcover from Doubleday. There have been other biographies of Richard Nixon, the only American president to resign from office. From what I’ve read, this new one by…
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Probing the past in L.A.
Bob Moyer takes a look at the latest book in a series he’s long enjoyed. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer HEARTBREAK HOTEL. By Jonathan Kellerman. Ballantine Books. 351 pages. $28.99 The duo of LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis and child psychologist Alex Delaware has taken on a number of demeanors over the many volumes of their adventures…
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A most misunderstood president
Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor HERBERT HOOVER: A LIFE. By Glen Jeansonne. Berkley. 464 pages. $28. Also available from Penguin Audio, read by Mark Deakins. 16 hours, 28 minutes. $29.95. Head west across Interstate 80 from Chicago, and you’ll come across a National Park Service surprise in West Branch, Iowa: The Herbert Hoover National Historic…
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Can Jack be back?
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson THE CUTTHROAT. By Clive Cussler and Justin Scott. Penguin Audio. Read by Scott Brick. 9 ½ hours; 8 CDs. $45. Also available in hardback from G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Isaac Bell, the chief investigator for the Van Dorn Detective Agency, would not normally be assigned to find an attractive young woman…
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The art of death in Detroit
Bob Moyer takes a look at paperback original novel from a prolific writer of mystery stories. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer SHOT IN DETROIT. By Patricia Abbott. Polis Books. 302 pages. $15, paperback. The 12 bodies in this book don’t get dead the same way. Some are gunned down, some are stabbed, and one is…