Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Precious and Grace - Alexander McCall Smith

Precious and Grace - Alexander McCall Smith

She read

If you enjoy the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, you will enjoy this one, the 17th.  Light reading, simple lives, but deep philosophical thoughts.  It almost doesn't matter what the plot is, for the joy of these novels are the interactions between and musings of the by now very familiar main characters.

Sunday, November 13, 2016

The Wrong Side of Goodbye - Michael Connelly

The Wrong Side of Goodbye - Michael Connelly

He and She read

Another of Connelly's Harry Bosch (with an appearance of "The Lincoln Lawyer", Mickey Haller) mysteries.  I am a fan of Connelly's and especially his Bosch series.  A good story that made we want to keep reading long into the night.   Not Connelly's best, but I enjoyed it.  One of the list of prolific mystery/legal thriller writers, Connelly didn't disappoint in this one as some of the others have recently. So glad that Harry's career isn't over yet!

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The Whistler - John Grisham

The Whistler - John Grisham

She read; he is reading next

Old fashioned Grisham legal investigative "procedural".  A decent read....but not quite a thriller.  The action moved along, though.  Spoiler alert:  don't expect any twists and turns!

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Exhume - Danielle Girard

Exhume - Danielle Girard

She read

Even though the story was a little over the top, I enjoyed this book and found it difficult to put down.  This was the first time I have read anything by Danielle Girard, but I will look into some of her other books.  Purported to be the first in a new series about medical examiner Annabelle Schwartzman, I look forward to reading the next one and hope that the story will  be a little more grounded.  

Saturday, October 22, 2016

The Trespasser - Tana French

The Trespasser - Tana French

She read

I have read most, if not all of Tana French's other novels and have enjoyed them.  This one was not my favorite.  It seemed to get a little bogged down, taking a while to get where it was going.  I didn't feel particularly sympathetic to Antoinette Conway, the only female member of the Dublin Murder Squad.  But, still, this is an enjoyable read for anyone who enjoys this author or police procedurals.  

Friday, October 14, 2016

Out of Bounds - Val McDermid

Out of Bounds, Val McDermid

She read

A Scottish police procedural, this is the fourth in the Inspector Karen Pirie series, and the 30th by McDermid; it is the first I have read.  I really liked it.  A member of the Historic Cases (cold cases) Unit, Pirie is a strong, intelligent, vulnerable, but not  overly flawed character.  I liked her better than many of the female protagonists who have inhabited other procedurals I have read recently. There are a few story lines here, but all could be followed easily and when they overlapped, they did so realistically. A gripping story, good character development and I liked the inclusion of topical issues/conversation such as Syrian refugees and the banter about Donald Trump. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery/police procedural.  I'm glad I discovered this author!

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Home - Harlan Coben

Home - Harlan Coben

He read; she read

I've read a few of Coben's novels that I have really liked; this one, not so much.  This is one in the Myron Bolitar series, the first in this series I have read.  Although the story held my attention and I was interested in finding out what happened, some of the main characters were a bit much.  I like realistic characters; Coben's character of Win, for example,  was a little too much of a "superhero" for me.  There were instances of humor throughout that I did enjoy.  I don't think I would read another Bolitar novel, but certainly look forward to other Coben works.