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Is there romance in Doc Ford’s future?
By Linda C. Brinson I did this all backwards. The news here for fans of Randy Wayne White is that he’s introduced a new character, a woman who just happens to have an interest in Doc Ford, the hero of 19 suspense novels by White. I stumbled upon Gone, the book introducing Hannah Smith, grabbing…
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Recipe for entertainment
Want a book about travel, French food and wine, romance – and, oh yes, a good police mystery? Our world-traveling reviewer, Bob Moyer, has just the story for you. By Robert Moyer THE CROWDED GRAVE. By Martin Walker. Knopf. 324 pages. $24.95. Bruno, chief of police in the small French village of St. Denis, has…
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Picture this
Bob Moyer took a break from his travels long enough to send another review. I think he had as much fun writing this review as he did reading the book. That’s good for us, because we can read both the review and the book. By Robert Moyer BEAUTIFUL RUINS. Jess Walter. HarperCollins. 352 pages. $25.…
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A wonderful deception
Sometimes I choose to listen to an audiobook because I figure I’d never read the print version. That’s especially true in the case of serious nonfiction books. Perhaps because I worked in the newspaper business for so long, I have a difficult time making myself read nonfiction for pleasure. I started listening to the book…
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A story, honest and real
Anne Barnhill is back as a reviewer for this blog after taking some time off for health problems. I’m happy to say that she’s doing much better. And I’m glad to have her back writing reviews – and to know that she’s working on her next novel. Anne is the author of the historical novel…
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Does Spenser really live on?
Here’s another review Bob Moyer sent along during his sabbatical in Europe. He’s a longtime fan of Spenser as created by the late Robert B. Parker, so you know he read with a discerning eye the first Spenser novel to appear since Parker died in 2010. By Robert Moyer Robert B. Parker’s LULLABY: A Spenser…
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They make a case, but it’s hard to listen to it
Paul O’Connor is back in North Carolina, back in the UNC classroom, and back in the midst of the noisy political season. By Paul T. O’Connor IT’S THE MIDDLE CLASS, STUPID. By James Carville and Stan Greenberg. Penguin Audio. 6 CDs. $29.95. Read by the authors but adapted. Also available in hardcover from Blue Rider…
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A mystery, German style
Fittingly, Bob Moyer has sent from Germany a review of a mystery dealing with wartime Germany. Will Bob keep traveling the world, sending reviews to match his locales? Or will he return to North Carolina and join the rest of us in armchair journeys? Stay tuned. Meanwhile, enjoy this review. By Robert P. Moyer PRAGUE…
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“The Slaughter You Know Next to Nothing About”
For some reason, I often find myself reading or listening to fiction set around the time of the First World War. This masterpiece of a novel deals with part of that history of which I was only vaguely aware. I highly recommend it. By Linda C. Brinson THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS. By Chris Bohjalian. Random House…