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The world according to dogs and cats
Rita Mae Brown’s new book is pegged to Halloween, but it arrived at my house just a little late for me to get it read and reviewed in advance of that occasion. Not to worry; it’s a fun book to read at any time. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson THE LITTER OF THE LAW. By…
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The return of Leaphorn and Chee
For years, I loved reading Tony Hillerman’s mysteries. I enjoyed them even more after I was able to spend some time in the Southwest, the setting for his books starring two Navajo Nation police officers. I was privileged to meet Hillerman when he spoke at Elon College and generously granted an interview that lasted more…
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In tough times, loneliness and love
Jamie Ford, the son of a Chinese-American father, mines his heritage and the history of his hometown of Seattle well in his second novel. I have not read his debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a love story about a Chinese American boy and a Japanese girl during the World War…
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Is it a ghost? Not exactly…
What a happy day it is when a favorite author resurrects a series hero who was believed to be dead! Bob Moyer takes a look at the resurrected Easy Rawlins. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer LITTLE GREEN. By Walter Mosley. Doubleday. 291 pages. $25.95. Easy Rawlins back from the dead? No, that’s not quite right.…
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Haunting tales of Afghanistan
What a remarkable, haunting book. I have not read Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling earlier novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, but I’ve now put them on my to-read list. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED. By Khaled Hosseini. Read by the author, Navid Negahban and Shohreh Aghdashloo. Penguin Audio. 12…
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Under the ‘stinky’ ginkgo tree
I’m always glad when Tom Dillon reviews a book for the blog. Not only is he a clear thinker and fine writer; he also reads the most interesting books, ones that might otherwise not come to our attention. Reviewed by Tom Dillon GINKGO. By Peter Crane. Yale University Press. 384 pages. $40, hardback I was…
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Murder in wintry Oslo
No, to my knowledge, the frequent flyer Bob Moyer has not visited Oslo in recent months – except through the excellent fiction of Jo Nesbo. But that was quite a trip. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE REDEEMER. By Jo Nesbo. Alfred A. Knopf. 397 pages. $25.95. Also available as a Random House Audio book,…
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W Is for Wonderful
The only bad thing about the arrival of Sue Grafton’s W Is for Wasted is the anxiety that arises because there are only three letters left in the alphabet. What’s she going to do with Kinsey Millhone after the series reaches Z? Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson W IS FOR WASTED. By Sue Grafton. Random…
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The lowdown on the blues
Stephen Wishnevsky, a musician himself as well as a luthier and an author, has discovered a 2004 book well worth the reading. Reviewed by Stephen Wishnevsky ESCAPING THE DELTA: ROBERT JOHNSON AND THE INVENTION OF THE BLUES By Elijah Wald. Amistad, 2004. 368 pages. Elijah Wald is that rarity, a music writer who is a…
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Reality’s out; hilarity’s in
Bob Moyer knows a delightfully crazy crime novel when he reads one, and he’s just read the latest zany book by Carl Hiaasen. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer BAD MONKEY. By Carl Hiaasen. Alfred A. Knopf. 336 pages. $26.95 Take a severed arm, recently owned by a man suspected of massive Medicare fraud. Toss it…