Books and other stuff I feel like discussing
By education and experience - Accountant with a specialty in taxation. Formerly a CPA (license has lapsed). Masters degree in law of taxation from University of Denver. Now retired. Part time work during baseball season as receptionist & switchboard operator for the Colorado Rockies. This gig feeds my soul in ways I have trouble articulating. One daughter, and four grandchildren. I share the house with two cats; a big goof of a cat called Grinch (named as a joke for his easy going "whatever" disposition); and Lady, a shelter adoptee with a regal bearing and sweet little soprano voice. I would be very bereft if it ever becomes necessary to keep house without a cat.
Mood:
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Books Update
Based on my log, here's what I've read since the last update.
BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE by Lee Child
Child's quintessential lone hero turns out to have friends after all. Former MP's, all now in civilian life, respond to a distress call when one of their number is brutally murdered. In addition to catching the bad guys, Reacher and his Army buddies thwart a plot to unleash dangerous mayhem on the US.
THE OVERLOOK by Michael Connelly
More threats to the safety of the US, but maybe not. Harry Bosch, one of the most intriguing continuing protagonists in today's suspense fiction, investigates a strange series of clues in a murder/kidnapping.
FALLING MAN by Don deLillo
See my blog entry of June 27 for more on this one.
KILLER'S WEDGE by Ed McBain
The detective squad of the 87th precinct is held captive by a disgruntled woman who displays a gun and claims to have a vial of nitroglycerine. Disguntled isn't the half of it! While his colleages search for ways to distract and disarm her, Steve Carella investigates a suicide in which important facts don't hold up under scrutiny.
RELENTLESS PURSUIT by Kevin Flynn
A Washington DC prosecutor has written a very engrossing true crime story about his investigation and conviction of a man who murdered the mother of his child and one of her other children after a dispute over a child support order. We learn quite a bit about Flynn as well, and it's all worth knowing.
DARKHOUSE by Andrea Barclay
This was a real disappointment. After I saw it positively reviewed in a couple of places, and read positive comments in mystery related blogs I respect, I was looking forward to a good read. It isn't. I had it with me on the plane going to Alaska which is the only reason I even finished it. Thin characterizations are only the beginning. Cliche driven action, and poor follow through on resolving tensions. Oh, bother!
IN THE SHADOW OF THE GLACIER by Vicki Delany
I hope Delany has a series in mind, she has a very appealing pair in the two main characters in this police procedural set in a small town in British Columbia. A real estate developer is found dead in the center of town, and his murder reopens long simmering tensions in the area. Constable Molly Smith and Sgt John Winters are learning to work together, and the task doesn't always go smoothly.
THE CRITIC by Peter May
The forensic expert Enzo McLeod, who is working on solving cold cases after accepting a bet from a friend, is drawn into the investigation of the death of a wine critic. Lots to learn about wine and a picturesque area of France. This is a nice series, out of the ordinary, and May presents his protagonist warts and all!
BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD by Sean Chercover
A sort of paean to the city of Chicago, and its long history of unlawful activity. When a local PI is approached to work as a bodyguard, he immediately realizes that it would be prudent to clear his participation with a local crime boss. What neither he nor the crime boss realize is that a rival means to challenge the existing order of things. The PI and the crime boss both get caught up in the violence which results. Very enjoyable debut novel, and the first time I've ever been tuckerized! {Aside to those unfamiliar with the term, tuckerizing means using the names of your friends for names of characters in the novel. My surname is that of a Chicago police sergeant who appears briefly near the end of the action}
THE PERFECT SUMMER by Juliet Nicholson
The granddaughter of Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West has presented a very enjoyable summary of the Coronation Summer of 1911 in England, just before the upheaval of the First Great War. A way of life was ending and Nicholson's book presents a great deal of enjoyable detail.
INVISIBLE PREY by John Sandford
Lucas Davenport tracks down antique thieves who have been covering their tracks with murder. The usual first class read from Sandford.
PATIENCE OF THE SPIDER by Andrea Camilleri
While he recovers from a gunshot wound, Inspector Montalbano consults on a kidnapping. As usual, he perceives things the other investigators are missing. The poor guy is also contemplating his own mortality. This is such a marvelous series, Camilleri is on my list of authors who should write faster!
BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE by Lee Child
Child's quintessential lone hero turns out to have friends after all. Former MP's, all now in civilian life, respond to a distress call when one of their number is brutally murdered. In addition to catching the bad guys, Reacher and his Army buddies thwart a plot to unleash dangerous mayhem on the US.
THE OVERLOOK by Michael Connelly
More threats to the safety of the US, but maybe not. Harry Bosch, one of the most intriguing continuing protagonists in today's suspense fiction, investigates a strange series of clues in a murder/kidnapping.
FALLING MAN by Don deLillo
See my blog entry of June 27 for more on this one.
KILLER'S WEDGE by Ed McBain
The detective squad of the 87th precinct is held captive by a disgruntled woman who displays a gun and claims to have a vial of nitroglycerine. Disguntled isn't the half of it! While his colleages search for ways to distract and disarm her, Steve Carella investigates a suicide in which important facts don't hold up under scrutiny.
RELENTLESS PURSUIT by Kevin Flynn
A Washington DC prosecutor has written a very engrossing true crime story about his investigation and conviction of a man who murdered the mother of his child and one of her other children after a dispute over a child support order. We learn quite a bit about Flynn as well, and it's all worth knowing.
DARKHOUSE by Andrea Barclay
This was a real disappointment. After I saw it positively reviewed in a couple of places, and read positive comments in mystery related blogs I respect, I was looking forward to a good read. It isn't. I had it with me on the plane going to Alaska which is the only reason I even finished it. Thin characterizations are only the beginning. Cliche driven action, and poor follow through on resolving tensions. Oh, bother!
IN THE SHADOW OF THE GLACIER by Vicki Delany
I hope Delany has a series in mind, she has a very appealing pair in the two main characters in this police procedural set in a small town in British Columbia. A real estate developer is found dead in the center of town, and his murder reopens long simmering tensions in the area. Constable Molly Smith and Sgt John Winters are learning to work together, and the task doesn't always go smoothly.
THE CRITIC by Peter May
The forensic expert Enzo McLeod, who is working on solving cold cases after accepting a bet from a friend, is drawn into the investigation of the death of a wine critic. Lots to learn about wine and a picturesque area of France. This is a nice series, out of the ordinary, and May presents his protagonist warts and all!
BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD by Sean Chercover
A sort of paean to the city of Chicago, and its long history of unlawful activity. When a local PI is approached to work as a bodyguard, he immediately realizes that it would be prudent to clear his participation with a local crime boss. What neither he nor the crime boss realize is that a rival means to challenge the existing order of things. The PI and the crime boss both get caught up in the violence which results. Very enjoyable debut novel, and the first time I've ever been tuckerized! {Aside to those unfamiliar with the term, tuckerizing means using the names of your friends for names of characters in the novel. My surname is that of a Chicago police sergeant who appears briefly near the end of the action}
THE PERFECT SUMMER by Juliet Nicholson
The granddaughter of Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West has presented a very enjoyable summary of the Coronation Summer of 1911 in England, just before the upheaval of the First Great War. A way of life was ending and Nicholson's book presents a great deal of enjoyable detail.
INVISIBLE PREY by John Sandford
Lucas Davenport tracks down antique thieves who have been covering their tracks with murder. The usual first class read from Sandford.
PATIENCE OF THE SPIDER by Andrea Camilleri
While he recovers from a gunshot wound, Inspector Montalbano consults on a kidnapping. As usual, he perceives things the other investigators are missing. The poor guy is also contemplating his own mortality. This is such a marvelous series, Camilleri is on my list of authors who should write faster!
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