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The pain, the horror – and the love
One of the lesser-known atrocities committed by the Nazis is central to a new novel that caught Bob Moyer’s attention. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer SUNFLOWER HOUSE. By Adriana Allegri. St. Martin’s Press. 336 pages. $29. Atrocities committed by the Nazis during the Third Reich have been thoroughly documented, examined and commented upon. It is surprising…
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War is hell, and it has lessons for us
Paul O’Connor takes a look at what he considers an outstanding novel, set during the war that turned Yugoslavia into a hell on earth in 1992. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor. BLACK BUTTERFLIES. By Priscilla Morris. Alfred A. Knopf. 278 pages, $28, hardcover. For those old enough to remember the 1984 Winter Olympics, the thought…
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Bending the rules – for justice
Bob Moyer starts our reading year off right with a review of the new novel from one of his (many) favorite authors. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE WAITING. By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown. 403 pages. $30. Buy two, get one free That’s what happens when you get the latest Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch…
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Bruno, chief of police, is at it again
Bob Moyer reviews the latest in a much loved series rich in with French history, culture, food and, oh yes, crime. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer. A GRAVE IN THE WOODS. By Martin Walker. Knopf. 283 page. $29. The past is never past; it is always present. In this charming, slightly addictive (to some) series,…
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Classic hard-boiled detective – deftly updated
Like a fast-paced, atmospheric, well written detective story? Bob Moyer has found a series that’s all that while adapted to our modern age. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer BLIND TO MIDNIGHT. By Reed Farrell Coleman. Black Stone Publishing. 291 pages. $26.99 Back in the good old days, a hard-boiled detective wore a fedora, drank cheap…
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Tough times in the Big Easy
Bob Moyer reviews a thought-provoking, haunting novel about justice – and lack of it – in New Orleans. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer SERAPHIM. By Joshua Perry. Melville Press. 272 pages. $18.99 In post-Katrina New Orleans, a woman, a local legend, is shot and killed on the street. Sixteen-year-old Robert is arrested and confesses. Except…
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A cautionary tale for our time
Paul O’Connor, veteran journalist, reviews a dystopian novel with a timely message about “the madness of the autocratic right.” Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor PROPHET SONG. By Paul Lynch. Atlantic Monthly Press. 309 pages. $26, hardcover. An old man in my neighborhood has a contingency plan in case the world’s current madness gets any closer…
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Vanished without a trace…
Iceland’s most successful author has teamed up with the country’s prime minister to write a mystery/crime thriller that’s one of the best books I’ve read in quite a while. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson REYKJAVIK. By Ranger Jonasson and Katrin Jakobsdottir. Minotaur Books. 363 pages. $19, paperback. It’s 1956, and Kristjan Krisjtansson, a rookie policeman…
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A look through different eyes
Every now and then, my husband, Lloyd, reads a book that impresses him so much that he volunteers to write a review for my blog. This is one of those rare finds. Reviewed by Lloyd Brinson JAMES: A Novel. By Percival Everett. Doubleday. 303 pages. $28, Often, after reading a really good book – fiction…