AAR

[maggie b.]

[dick]

I admit that what little I know of the Mormon religion I gained from visits of their missionaries over the years, having lived and often visited Nauvoo, Ill--I grew up in Burlington, Iowa--and odd bits of information gleaned from reading. I recognized the bitterness, but the portrait painted, bitter or not, was still scary, even if only a quarter of the attitude both the main character and the author had toward it.

That being said, I too thought it an average read; I didn't much care for the style in which it was written, and the very limited point of view she employed left me dissatisfied.

[Tee]

Blackout - Lisa Unger

This was definitely a psychological thriller, but it took almost a week for me to finish it, due to other things going on. Even when more free time opened up, I was already accustomed to reading only two or three chapters at a time and I continued that pace with it. It was good, but not great. I kept expecting something more as the story was winding down, but I'm not sure exactly what it was. I do believe Unger has a voice in suspense; and from reading Fragile and Darkness..., I do want more of her. Seems as though she's still in the process of perfecting her style; and when she does, I feel she will be awesome.

[maggie b.]

A Duty to the Dead
Charles Todd
A-

The Amazon blurb:

[Manda]

I finished up the Kovac and Liska trilogy. I noticed that Tami Hoag has another one coming out in January. I'm curious about whether she'll let Sam or Nikki get any kind of HEA. So far it seems unlikely.

I picked up THE MISSING by Chris Mooney a few weeks ago and just got around to finishing it. I really liked the protagonist--Darby McCormick, a female criminalist with the Boston PD. The story itself read a bit like an episode of CSI but the characters were interesting. I was looking to see if there were any others in the series and was bummed to see that they are available but only in England. Mooney says he's working on getting foreign rights (or I guess domestic in this case) deals in place. (As an author, I totally understand the whole foreign rights issue--my publisher owns all the foreign rights to my books but they do seem to be trying to sell them at least). Anyway, I've ordered the next few and will report back on how they go.

Something I appreciate about the Mooney books is just how dull some of crime fighting must be. Fortunately he doesn't spend too much time detailing the tedious process of combing the victim's clothing for stray threads and trace evidence, but there's enough of it that make me happy when Darby gets out of the lab and investigates things in person. And unlike your typical CSI episode the story is told from Darby's POV, with a few exceptions for the victim and the bad guy.
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Manda Collins

[maggie b.]

I've looked but can not find who recommended the Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd. Let me just say a heartfelt THANK YOU to whoever it was. They were absolutely fabulous.

I am reading Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody. Off to a bit of a slow start, unlike the Todd books.

maggie b.
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http://maggiebbooksandteas.blogspot.com
She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain. - Louisa May Alcott

[MrsFairfax]

[Susan/DC]

[maggie b.]

[maggie b.]

double post. my apologies

maggie b.
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http://maggiebbooksandteas.blogspot.com
She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain. - Louisa May Alcott

[MrsFairfax]

[maggie b.]

[maggie b.]

Dying in the Wool
Frances Brody

I didn't like this as much as the Maise Dobbs or Bess Crawford books but it was still an interesting read. Kate is a WWI bride whose husband was declared missing in action. When an old friend from the VAD asks for help finding her father who has been missing for years, Kate agrees. What she discovers rocks the family to the core and exposes her to the darkest side of humanity.

maggie b.
_________________
http://maggiebbooksandteas.blogspot.com
She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain. - Louisa May Alcott

[maggie b.]

The Girl is Trouble
Kathryn Miller Haines

Iris Anderson, girl detective, finds herself dealing with more mysteries than your average teen could handle. Luckily, she's not average. As she works to understand the photos in her dad's safe, the notes being sent to the Jewish Student Union and the question of just who is having an affair she discovers secrets she may well wish she had never learned. While this is a YA book, it doesn't have a very kid like feel. It is a terrific WWII era mystery.

maggie b.

* edited for clarity. One should never type while drowsy.
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http://maggiebbooksandteas.blogspot.com
She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain. - Louisa May Alcott

[Manda]

I've blown through nearly the entire Darby McCormick series by Chris Mooney in the past week. In order, they are:

THE MISSING
THE SECRET FRIEND
THE DEAD ROOM
THE SOUL COLLECTORS

Darby is kind of insanely competent. And she's gone from working in the lab to doing SWAT too. (Does this even happen? I doubt it.) But they are totally readable. And I like the variety of mystery types. In one book there will be a crazytown serial killer, but in the next it's an Irish mafia thing. I'm pretty sad right now about the direction the potential romance has taken. But I'm not quite finished with THE SOUL COLLECTORS so I'm hoping there's still a chance for an HEA. And it doesn't have to happen in this book, I suppose.

A funny thing about these books is that 2-4 have been published in the UK only, and I've come across many Americanisms that have been changed to fit the UK audience. I know it's always a big beef with Australians when AUS/NZ books are altered for the American audience, and I know how they feel now. Tire is now tyre. Counter is now worktop. The trunk of the car is the boot, etc. All for a story set in Boston!
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Manda Collins