Into the Woods, but Don't Take this Book to Grandma's House

In the Woods by Tana French

     This is an award-winning book and I've heard many people enjoyed this book and the author's following books; however, I didn't enjoy this book.
     Rob Ryan is a detective in the Dublin Murder Squad.  Only four people know his true name or past.  When he was twelve, he and his two best friends went into the woods.  He was the only to come out of the woods.  He was covered in someone else's blood.  No one ever figured out what happened.  Now Rob and his partner are assigned the murder case of a young girl whose body was found in those same woods.  Sounds interesting...but the rest left me dissappointed
     Rob eventually screws up royally, hurting who he cares about most.  He doesn't redeem himself; he can't really, it's too late, what's been done 'sbeen done.  After missing some obvious clues, they do solve the girl's murder but with an unsatisfactory conclusion.  No headway is made on the case from Rob's past.  Maybe he turns it around in future books, and maybe we get some clues about his friend's disappearances in the next books.  I didn't care enough about him to find out.

Austen + James=Great Story

Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James

I liked this book.  I think James did an excellent job of writing in the Austen style.  The characters stay true to who they were formed by Austen to be, but the mystery spun by James is adds a wonderful component to Pemberley.  Probably, my favorite part of this book, was actually the Epilogue.  Darcy and Elizabeth spend time sharing with each other, the thoughts they were having during their unorthodox courtship.  I liked hearing the gaps filled in.

The Old is New

Absolution by Murder  (One Sister Fidelma Mysteries) by Peter Tremayne
Shroud for the Arch Bishop (Two Sister Fidelma Mysteries) by Peter Tremayne

I have thoroughly enjoyed learning ancient history with my kids as we homeschool. Since I'm Irish, I really enjoyed the time we spent on the Celts and the early Irish Monks. I also love mysteries. So, to me, a mystery series taking place in the 7th century focusing on an Irish nun sounds like the perfect book. This series has been around for a long time, but I just recently discovered it. 

In the first book, Absolution by Murder, we meet Sister Fidelma, an advocate for the Brehon court giving her investigative and judicial authority, and Brother Eadulf, a Roman monk from a family of magistrates.  The King of Northumbria has called a conference to finally decide whether his kingdom with follow the Columba Liturgy or the Roman Liturgy.  A murder take place.  In order to ensure peace between both sides, Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf are ordered to investigate together.  As the religious' chance to catch the killer dwindles, the chance of war grows rapidly.

I enjoyed the book.  The author does a good job of helping readers understand the culture and politics of the period without tedium or complication.  You don't need to be familiar with ancient history to enjoy this book.  The plot is not overly complex, but the story is enjoyable.  I hoped for better books as the series progressed.

In the second book, Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf again must pair up to solve a murder to prevent fighting between the Celtic and Roman Christian communities.  In the previous book, the two religious sometimes verbally sparred or let fall a terse comment, but both took it with some patience and understanding.  I felt in the second book, Sister Fidelma just came off like a condescending jerk and Brother Eadulf like her lapdog.  I didn't see it as verbal sparring as it is once referred to in the book.  I was quite disappointed. 

There are over twenty books in this series.  So, I imagine things must get better and the cattiness of Sister Fidelma is tempered.  Many of the early books are out-of-print but are available as ebooks.

Deadly Good

The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum

What a great book!!  I think Bookalicious Babe will agree with me. 

The book is about Charles Norris, New York medical examiner and his toxicologist Alexander Gettler, who worked in the 1920s.  Charles Norris along with Gettler and the help of others started the discipline of forensic science.

I also enjoyed learning about prohibition.  I didn't know anything about it except that it happened.  I love it when you learn something you weren't expecting to while you learn what you were hoping to.

 Blum did an excellent job of organizing the book.  The book follows a timeline while focusing on a specific poison for each chapter.  Blum does a fantastic job of combining the 1920s New York City culture, accurate chemistry, and true crime into one flowing story.  Fans of forensic science, chemsitry, and true crime will love this book.  You've finished Erick Larson and don't know what to read?  Now you do...Deborah Blum.  Co-workers have told me her other book Ghost Hunting, about the search for scientific proof of ghosts, is an excellent book.

Next But Not Last, Last But Not Least

I've been reading lots of sequels lately.  I don't think there much point in posting about other books in a series if I've already posted about the first book.  I have thoroughly enjoyed all the series I've been reading.

I finished the Leviathan trilogy.  It gets better as it goes.  Since I listened to the first book on audio, I missed out on the books' beautiful illustrations by Keith Thompson.  Though it was good on audio, don't forget to look at the artwork in the book!!  Scott Westerfeld (the author) has many other good books.  One of his most popular series is the Uglies Series.

I read the second in the Miss Dido Kent Series.  It's called A Gentleman of Fortune, Or the Suspicions of Miss Dido Kent.  It's just as good as the first if not better.  The third book, A Woman of Consequence, Or the Investigations of Miss Dido Kent, is due out April 10, 2012.

I've also been reading more in the Sister Frevisse Series.  They have all been fabulous.

I Had a Ball Reading Bellfield Hall

Bellfield Hall: Or, the Observations of Miss Dido Kent  by Anna Dean

Booker...
     I really liked this book!!  I could sum it up most simply by saying it is a Jane Austenesque mystery.  To sum it up with a little more detail, I would tell you this mystery is written in 3rd person with glimpses into Miss Dido's thoughts by the letters she sends to her sister.  I really liked getting a peek into her thoughts through the letters interspersed throughout the narrative.  Catherine Kent, sends for her spinster Aunt Dido to help find out why Catherine's fiance vanished from their announcement ball.  Shortly after Miss Dido arrives, a body is found on the estate's grounds.  Dido has many mysteries to unravel while at Bellfield not the least being the identity of the deceased.  This was a delightful book.  Anyone who likes mysteries (especially heady mysteries rather than blood and gore) and fans of Jane Austen will love this book!!  I can't wait to read the second in the series, A Gentleman of Fortune: Or, the Suspicions of Miss Dido Kent.

Sister Frevisse Is Simply Divine

Warning:  Many of the books in this series are out of print.  If you don't want to get interested in a series in which you may not be able to find the middle books, you may not want to read this review.

Booker...
The Novice's Tale by Margaret Frazer

This mystery takes place at an English convent in the 1400s.  A wealthy dowager, Lady Ermentrude, charges into the convent demanding her niece leave the convent in order to marry, despite the Thomasine's deep desire to take her religious vows at the convent..  While staying at the convent Lady Ermentrude dies.  The novice, Thomasine, seems the likely suspect.  Sr. Frevisse is secretly given the task to find the true cause of death, despite what the crowner may say.

I liked this novel for so many reasons.
1. I enjoy reading about the Medieval times.  The reader can tell Maragret Frazer has a vast knowledge of this time period.  I learned a lot.
2. The mystery is a good one.  I enjoyed the twists and turns it took.
3. Each nun is unique.  It seems so often religious people are portrayed as dull or extremely evil.  Here, the nuns have unique personalities, talents, faults that are all evident to the reader, despite the nuns' rule of silence.  Sr. Frevisse is a complex but very likeable character.  I wish she was my aunt.
4.  The Catholic religion is respected and described accurately.  It is neither white-washed to perfect purity nor vilified.  Many books I've read take unneeded jabs at the Catholic church.  Frazer's approach was rather refreshing.

I think whether you have read many Medieval novels or none, whether you are religious or not, you will enjoy this interesting mystery.

Unfortunately, many of the books in this 17 book series are out of print and unavailable as ebooks.  Books 1 and 2 are in print.  Books 3,4, &5, are available as ebooks.  I believe books 9 and above are in print.  If you become interested in this series, you can look a book up on the Barnes and Noble website (www.bn.com) and click the link that requests this book be offered as an ebook.  They send this on the publisher.  I could not find a way on the Penguin USA website to place a request.
Margaret Frazer has another series of books based on a traveling actor, Joliffe.  He is introduced in the second book of the Sister Frevisse series called The Servant's Tale.  The first book in the Joliffe series is called A Play of Isaac.  The seventh book in the series is due out this December.

Vish Puri is Purely Wonderful

Booker...   (I hope Puri is pronounced like pure-ee)
The Case of the Missing Servant (Vish Puri Series #1) by Tarquin Hall

When I picked up this book, I was thinking it would be like a No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency set in India.  I was mostly wrong.  But, I was right to pick up the book.  I really enjoyed it.

Vish Puri, India's most successful private investigator, does long for the simpler more moral days of the past and his investigations don't include the violence and sexual content found in so many of the mysteries on the shelf these days.  In those ways this series is similar to the No. 1 Detective Agency, but in many ways it is different. 

Puri has all the modern technology an investigator could want.  He's also got more enemies than any person would want.  This story starts quickly!  We begin this story at the end of an investigation, giving you an idea of what Puri is all about.  Then comes an assassination attempt.  I really liked the start of this book. 

In the story, Puri investigate two cases, one more major than the other.  Both are solved in the end by the detective, who we discover is a compassionate upstanding person.  Yet, he is not perfect so he's very likable.  There's also a fun  meddling character in the family who adds humor to the book.

I don't know much about India and its culture.  I don't think I've even ever read a book that takes place in India, which actually made me a little hesitant to read the book.  But, I enjoyed learning a little about India from Hall, a British writer who lived and worked in South Asia, the Middles East and Africa.  Hall also provides a helpful glossary in the back of Indian words used in the book.

This is a great mystery book.  And the second in the series is now out in paperback (The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing).  Tarquin Hall also received Barnes and Noble's "Discover Great New Writers" Award for To the Elephant Graveyard.  It got excellent reviews.  He has other non-fiction work as well.

Move Over Miss Marple

No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Booker...
I do love Agatha Christie's Miss Marple books--better than the Hercule Poirot mysteries.  I like the Fr. Brown mysteries over Sherlock Holmes, too.  I guess that shows I prefer the unconventional detective over the "super" detective.  But, that's only part of the reason why I love the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series so much.

These books take place in Gabarone, Botswana.  Alexander McCall Smith does a fantastic job of describing Botswana enough that I can picture the scenery without bogging down the story.  The unconventional detective in this series is Precious Ramotswe, who uses her inheritance to open a detective agency.  Mma Ramotswe has many adventures in each book.  Some cases she takes turn out to be humorous, some heart-warming or heart-tugging, and others start out simple enough but end up getting the detective into danger.  As the series goes on, we get to better know Mma Ramotswe's friend Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni and her secretary Mma Makutsi--both fantastic characters.  This series is full of wonderful stories and characters that make me feel like I'm at home with them whenever I open the book.  The stories in this series are usually not intense, but are always enjoyable.  I recommend reading the books in order because the lives of the characters progress throughout the series.  The books are not numbered so I've listed the series below.  Don't miss out on the wonderful world of Precious Ramotswe.

1-No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
2-Tears of the Giraffe
3-Mortality for Beautiful Girls
4-The Kalahari Typing School for Men
5-The Full Cupboard of Life
6-In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
7-Blue Shoes and Happiness
8-The Good Husband at Zebra Drive
9-The Miracle at Speedy Motors
10-Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
11-The Double Comfort Safari Club
12-The Saturday Big Tent Wedding
13-The Limpopo Academy of Private Detecting  (due out 4/3/12)

Could Nellie Bly be my Next Amelia Peabody?

The Alchemy of Murder (Nellie Bly Series #1) by Carol McCleary

Booker...
A fellow co-worker pointed out a book to me she thought I would like.  It was called The Illusion of Murder, a book about Nellie Bly investigating a murder in Egypt during her trip around the world.  She knew I loved the Amelia Peabody mystery series about a woman in the late 1800s who goes to Egypt and becomes an archaeologist.  I was excited to read the book.  Before I started, I found it was actually the second in a series, so I started with the first.

This mystery series is very interesting because, as the name implies, Nellie Bly is the main character.  (Nellie Bly was a female newspaper reporter who did remarkable things, such as infiltrate a mad house by pretending to be a patient in order to report on the conditions inside, called for equal pay for equal work for women, conducted news investigations in Mexico, traveled around the world in 72 days, and more.)  In the first book, Nellie has tracked a murderer from New York to Paris, hosting the World's Fair.  There, she enlists the help of Jules Vern, and in turn gets help from Dr. Louis Pasteur and Oscar Wilde.

Most of the book takes place in the seedy parts of Paris, thus there is quite a bit of vulgarity in the book.  It's not necessarily unwarranted because it is certainly characteristic of the setting, but not a tale for the squeamish.  I enjoyed most of the author's portrayal of the real-life characters.  I think most of their actions seemed to follow what's known of their personalities, though I'm not a real expert on them, especially Jules Verne, so I can't stay for sure how much they may have "acted out of character".  There is probably always a delicate balance to maintain when using real-life people in a fictitious story.

I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as the Amelia Peabody Series by Elizabeth Peters for a few reasons.  The real-life people portrayed by Peters are secondary characters, so I think it is easier to have them following their perceived public personality and actions.  I also love these books because the setting is made very real without the blunt expression of vulgarity.  Hints, innuendos, and the like make known to the reader what is true without plopping the ugly truth right before their eyes.

Though it may not be my new Amelia Peabody, The Alchemy of Murder was a good story.  It took a different path than I thought it was headed for, and had a lot of suspense and twists.  I think those who enjoy historical mysteries, especially mysteries involving real-life events and people, will enjoy this book.  Happy sleuthing!

A Book to Sink Your Teeth Into

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Booker...
I'm years behind, but I finally read this best seller.  Actually, I listened to the audio book, which uses different actors for the different characters.  It was marvelous--the accents for each character (which I don't think I would have been able to hear in my head if I read it) really added to my enjoyment of the story.  And some of the voices made some scenes very eerie.  The whole audio book is very well done.

I enjoyed this book a lot, and I'm glad I was listening in the car rather than reading the book at night.  I'm sorry I can't remember the young girls name, but she lives with her father who travels throughout Europe.  She begins to travel with him and finally asks about her mother.  He has never spoken of her to his daughter before, but reluctantly begins to tell his daughter bits and pieces of the painful story over many months.  The daughter learns her parents met at an English university where they were both researching historical data on Dracula.  Things transpire and eventually a desparate hunt for Dracula begins again. 

This story has beautiful descriptions, interesting historical information, suspense, and a few shiver-inducing moments.  You don't have to be a Dracula fan to enjoy this intelligent book.  I highly recommend it. 

Move Over Encyclopedia, The Orignal Brown is Back in Town

The Innocence of Father Brown  by G. K. Chesterton

Booker...

I enjoyed this book, even a century after it was written.  It is filled with twelve short mysteries involving the Catholic priest, Father Brown.  I found every story intriguing.  I would have a hard time picking one favorite, but a few of my favorites included the beloved Blue Cross, The Queer Feet, and Three Tools of Death.  I really liked Falling Stars, as well.  I didn't figure out that one at all and I liked how it ended.

Chesterton converted to Catholicism and wrote many good religious philosophy books including his famous Orthodoxy.  Chesterton was also a good friend and encouragement to C. S. Lewis.  Both men are known for their spiritual writing and their great fiction books that still carry a layer of their Catholic beliefs, referring to Narnia and the Father Brown mysteries.  Chesterton has created Father Brown with opposite features one would expect a fantastic detective to display.  (Perhaps like a king that came and turned our ideas of a king and kingdom upside down.)  Fr. Brown's appearance deceives many people, leading them to believe he is insignificant.  But, he always solves the case, while showing mercy and offering holy advice when needed.  The closest comparison I would have for these mysteries is a cross between Agatha Christie's mysteries and Encyclopedia Brown.  The reader is always give clues to help them solve the case along with Fr. Brown, but Fr. Brown always fills us in on the imaginative and complex motives, as found in Christie's mysteries.

This may not be a book to read over a few days, but it would be very nice to keep on your night stand to stimulate your brain or to keep in the car for a bit of entertainment while waiting.  Once you've finished this book, pick up The Wisdom of Father Brown , The Incredulity of Father Brown, The Secret of Father Brown, and The Scandal of Father Brown.

I Didn't Fall for This Book

Christine Falls by Benjamin Black  (aka John Baneville)

Booker...
It's 1950s Dublin and Christine Falls is dead.  Dublin pathologist, Quirke, in a somewhat inebriated state, stumbles upon his brother-in-law rewriting the file for this dead woman, who is due for an autopsy the next day.  The next day, her body is missing with no trace of its ever being in the morgue.  The search for the truth will bring this brooding and depressed pathologist as far as away as Boston and as close as the secret affairs of his own family and Church. 

This is a very dark mystery with a protagonist who is not perfect, but doesn't even seem to try to be half-way decent.  It was hard for me to root for him because he seemed so ambivalent about his downward spiral, but yet he was driven to discover the truth of this mystery.  I didn't understand why he wanted to find the truth out so badly until the end of the book, but I wonder why he even started in the first place.  Though there are some priests and nuns portrayed as evil people, I didn't object to this as I do sometimes.  Other books I've had a problem with presented the religious as evil or hypocritical, etc. simply as a jab at the Church, but I don't feel that was the case in this plot. 

There were several times when I thought I had things figured out and then would realise I definitely didn't.  But the overall dark tone to the story just didn't appeal to me.  There are also several instances of casual sex that didn't seem necessary to me or even to make a whole lot of sense of why they happened.

If you like mysteries and especially dark mysteries, you may very well like this book.  Those who enjoy family secrets and intrigue would also have a good read with this book.  If you think you might be interested in this book, it is available as an ebook at http://www.bn.com/ for only $2.99 right now.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye of this Faire Book

WICKED WEAVES (Renaissance Faire Mystery Series #1) by Joyce and Jim Lavene

Booker...
I was really excited to read this book.  I love Renaissance festivals!  My family and I have such a blast at our local festival.  Some Faires (like the one in Shakopee) are not so family friendly with nearly nude fairies and overflowing bosoms, but ours is fantastic family fun!!

So, I love Renaissance festivals and mysteries!  I was so stoked to read this book.  What more could I want?  Well......

Jessie is an assistant history professor at the local university, who works summers at the local permanent Renaissance Faire.  She has decided to do her dissertation on crafts of the era, so she is apprenticing with a different crafter each year.  This year she is apprenticing with Mary, a Gullah who handweaves baskets.  Mary's husband, whom she has not seem for 20 years, is found murdered at the faire.  Jessie is determined to prove Mary's innocence.  While this is going on, Jessie finally gets together with her long-time crush, Chase.

It's a good story.  It's a good book, but...for me there was too much casual sex.  It's never described, only alluded to.  It seems at first Jessie is a shy person not confident in her relationships, but later you discover, she finds a new fling at the faire every summer.  That just wasn't for me.  I was also confused if the basket weaving she was learning was really a Renaissance craft.  There was one other minor point that truly annoyed me.  Jessie has a twin brother, Tony, who is very different from her.  She mentions twice that she can't believe they came from the same egg.  They didn't or Jessie can't be who she says she is.  I have many twins in my family and as friends, and believe me, they know the biological rules of their twinship.

The mystery itself was a good mystery.  Many people who like the faires and mysteries, may very well like this book, but I don't think I'll be reading the second one.

I Can't Lie About this Book

COMPANY OF LIARS by Karen Maitland

Booker...

I will first say that three of my co-workers at the bookstore read this book and really did like it...but I didn't.  It's a bit like Canterbury Tales by Geoffery Chaucer; a group of people eventually gather together as they encounter each other on the desolate roads through plague-country.  None of them tell the truth about who they really are or for what purpose they are traveling other than to escape the plague.

There's some fairly gross icky things that happen along the way.  It didn't bother me in Mistress of the Art of Death, but for some reason it really bothered me in this book.  Maybe it was because in this book it seems the story is just one icky situation, then trudging, then another icky occurrence.  I don't know.  I also figured out the truth of some of the characters including the character telling the story much sooner than it was revealed.  So, rather than the suspense building for me, I became impatient waiting for the reveal.  This book also had an element of the supernatural.  I thought things would be explained, but in the end your left with the fact that, well, it was spirits and ghosts and witches.  I was disappointed with the answer to the mystery.  I think it's more interesting to see how someone fooled or haunted others than to just say, it was a real ghost, it wasn't a person, when the entire focus in on the people.

I could never write a book as good as Company of Liars so it is very hard for me to write this review, but it just wasn't a book for me.  I wondered what others thought, so I checked out ratings on some website to see if I was way off in my opinion.  It seems people either really enjoy like my co-workers or really don't enjoy  it, like me.  It may be a book for you if you enjoy reading about that time-period (I feel Ms. Maitland gives an accurate view of that time) or you like books with a supernatural aspect to them.

(The picture is of the hard cover; it just came out in paperback with a different cover.)

An Unexpected Delight

THE UNEXPECTED MRS. POLLIFAX by Dorothy Gilman

I am so happy a co-worker of mine introduced me to this plentiful series.  Mrs. Pollifax is a widow whose two children live far away with families of their own.  She spends her time between pushing the book cart around at the nursing home and her garden club.  She feels unneeded and unproductive and contemplates suicide in a very matter-of-fact way.  Convinced by her doctor to give herself a little more time, she stalls on the suicide plan and through a case of misunderstanding finds herself on a plane to Mexico on a mission for the CIA!  The beginning moves quite quickly and before you know it, Mrs. Pollifax in undercover for the CIA in Mexico to bust a drug ring.  Mrs. Pollifax is so practical and matter-of-fact, and so unexpected as a CIA agent, that she is actually rather successful...until things become complicated.

This series has humor and mystery.  Mrs. Pollifax is a fantastic character who you can't help thinking of as a very clever friend that takes you all over the world from Mexico, to Turkey, to Eastern Europe, to Africa.  Sit back and enjoy the ride.

The Medieval Ages Meet CSI

MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH by Ariana Franklin

Booker...

I LOVE this book.  I really like science and I like reading about the times of kings and queens or fantasy lands of kings and queens, so I knew I had to read this book and I was not disappointed. 

Adelia Aguilar is trained by her unconventional adoptive parents in the science of forensics, in other words "the art of death".  She is summoned to England by King Henry II (after he has taken his lashes for the death of Thomas a Becket).  Several children have been killed and the townspeople are blaming the local Jews.  King  wants to Jews exonerated so he can keep collecting taxes from them.  However, as hard as that task may sound it's even trickier because she is a woman.  She must convey her findings through a man in order to avoid accusations of witchcraft.  Thus, a thrilling suspenseful story ensues.

I also enjoyed the mix of true characters and events Franklin includes in the story.

Now, I normally cannot handle much violence in books, especially when it involves women and children.  I read River God by Wilbur Smith.  Good book.  After reading that, I figured I could handle more than I thought, but then with Kite Runner, I couldn't even read up to chapter 2.  So, what I'm saying is this:  Yes, we know there have been children murdered.  We get information as to how they were killed and the end is a bit violent and a little grotesque, but it's quick.  I don't think it would bother most people at all, but since I'm really sensitive to that stuff, I always feel I need to let people know so they can decide if it's okay for them.  I figure if I can handle them 98% of people won't have a problem with it.  I was very motivated to read this book and that my have helped me just get past the short gruesomes.

I like this book so much, I've recommended it to many people.  Everyone has really really liked it, but one, who said it was okay.  I read this book during the summer and I will admit that I wanted to know who the killer was so badly, I put a movie in for my kids, got them a treat, told them to just watch the movie and enjoy their food, all so I could read and find out who-dun-it.  I do not usually do that type of thing at all!!

I was thrilled when I found out the book was the first of a series.  The fourth book just came out in paperback recently.  I've enjoyed the other books in this series as well.  The second one is probably my least favorite, though I still really liked it, and I have not yet read the fourth.  I'm starting this week, which inspired me to write this blog post.  Here is a list of the other books in the series so far.  (The second book happens within a year of the first book.  The third and fourth books happen several years after their predecessor.)

The Serpant's Tale-involves King Henry II mistress, Rosamond
Grave Goods-has the grave of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere been discovered or is the fabled King still alive as some hope?
A Murderous Procession-Adelia accompanies King Henry II's daughter to Sicily for her wedding

Thrilling Murder Mystery Series

Blogger--
THE PAWN by Steven James

This the first book in the Patrick Bowers series. Patrick Bowers is an FBI agent who specializes in environmental profiling. Basically, his theory is that criminals have patterns and go through the same things as normal people do, so by looking at the patterns of the crimes, one can identify where and who the most likely criminals are. I'm not doing it justice...trust me it's cool.

In "The Pawn", Bowers is called to North Carolina to track a serial killer who leaves a Pawn with each body. The killer, called "The Illusionist" is murdering young women throughout the Asheville, North Carolina area. Once Patrick Bowers is on the case, The Illusionist steps it up a notch, and Bowers fears that he has finally met his match. Complicating things is that 2 of the murders seem out of place, and Bowers is still struggling with the death of his wife and his new role as father to her 17 year old daughter.

I really enjoyed this book. Apparently it's by a Christian publishing house, and there are occasions in the book where Bowers is really seen to struggle with why God lets things happen the way they do, but it's not the focus of the book. The mystery kept me guessing until the end, and, well, I was wrong. If you like a good mystery, give "The Pawn" by Steven James a try.      

THE ROOK by Steven James

This is the 2nd book in the Patrick Bowers Files series, which is up to 4 books at this time. In this installment, Agent Bowers is in San Diego, investigating a string of 14 fires that the San Diego police believe to be the work of the same arsonist. At the same time, Bowers stumbles across some mysterious murders, and a possible corporate/government cover-up. All the while, the mysterious "Shade" seems to be pulling every one's strings. This is a fast paced thriller that didn't disappoint after the successful first book, "The Pawn". I look forward to reading the next 2 books in this interesting, thrilling series.


THE KNIGHT  by Steven James 

 The third book in the Patrick Bowers Files is my favorite of the four books thus far. I think it's because this book was a bit more focused than the others, but still having enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the end. Patrick Bowers is almost as cool as Jack Bauer. In "The Knight", Bowers is struggling against a serial killer known only as Giovanni. In addition, he has a budding romance and the on-going struggle of learning to be a parent to his teenage step-daughter. Oh, and there's the little matter of the retrial of his first big collar, who also happens to be one of the darkest killers Bowers has ever captured. All this, and Bowers is still struggling to find his faith, which doesn't dominate the book, but is a neat addition by Steven James, who happens to be a Christian Author.
THE BISHOP by Steven James

 The 4th book in the Patrick Bowers series, "The Bishop" is actually my least favorite of the 4 books. I still enjoyed it, but it did feel a bit disconnected at points. It was almost as if there was too much going on. The serial killers Agent Bowers is chasing in this one almost take a backseat to Bowers on-again/off-again romance, and to his issues with his step-daughter. I also found this book a little more predictable than the others have been. I'm still looking forward to the release of book #5, which is called "The Queen", later this summer, so this book was still good enough to keep me interested. I think it was just a little bit of a let down after the terrific 3rd book, "The Knight".

One of my All-Time Favorites

Booker--
CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK by Elizabeth Peters

This is the first in a long line of fantastic books in the Amelia Peabody series.  They are written under the premise of old journals and papers found in a mysterious trunk, so the book is first person from Amelia's point of view.  She lives in England during the late 1800s.  She inherits a fortune so she travels to Egypt to follow her passion for archeology.  It is a scandal that a woman would travel by herself, but Amelia doesn't let any feminine expectations hinder her.  Along the way she befriends a young woman in need of a friend and has a grand adventure in Egypt attempting to solve the mystery of the mummies' curse.  I love this book for so many reasons.  First, it incorporates real historical events and people; I enjoyed learning about the time period in England and in Egypt.  I love mysteries, especially mysteries where nothing gory or unspeakable happens.  Though there are some murders, there is no gore and it's usually a bad guy.  This book also has action and a little romance.  After all that in one book, what else could you ask for!?  And, each book in the series gives you adventure, mystery, romance, and history!  The romance is delightful in that Amelia hints and things with phrases such as "the benefits of marriage".  It's really hard these days to find a romance in a book handled with care and tact.  I couldn't recommend this series enough.

Interestingly, the author's real name is Barbara Mertz.  Elizabeth and Peter are her children.  She got a degree in Egyptology, but found it was hard for a woman to get a job in that field at the time.  She eventually became a writer.  I am so glad she did.    --Booker