Witty Debut Mystery Mash-Up

BACK TO THE GARDEN
Erica Obey
Five Star Books
February 2013


Laura Converse is a romance writer living in New York City, suffering through a massive case of writer's block and post-divorce blues. She is offered a gig ghost-writing the memoirs of Bliss Falco, self-proclaimed lover of everyone from Casanova to Hubert Humphrey in her various remembered reincarnations. Laura takes the job because she needs the cash. Laura is sure that Bliss is certifiable and when she finds out her sleazy ex, Rimes, arranged the job she knows she is in for big trouble. Rimes is a globe trotting tabloid reporter who, despite his genius IQ has no ethics and actually believes that he is pursuing serious journalism.

Laura is to meet Bliss in New Age mecca Woodstock NY, and settle into writing the memoirs. Thrown into the mix are a cast of very quirky characters including various aging hippie denizens of Woodstock, a drink and drug- addled music promoter and a very attractive gardener who just might be a warlock. The central mystery revolves around the disappearance of Patti Moran, up and coming rock star who disappeared fifteen years earlier in Woodstock, to whom Laura bears a strong resemblance. Back to the Garden is a very entertaining and witty mix of mystery, romance and the paranormal, liberally studded with pop culture references and a dash of Celtic Mythology. It could have been a mess, but Erica Obey manages to pull all the disparate elements together into a fun, fast read.

I picked up Back to the Garden at Book Expo and had no real idea what the book was about, but Ms. Obey graciously autographed a copy for me. I'm glad that I was able to read this debut novel and found it very engaging.

RATING- 3.5-4 Stars

The Affinity Bridge eBook is now on sale for $2.99 | Tor/Forge's Blog

The Affinity Bridge eBook is now on sale for $2.99 | Tor/Forge's Blog: The Newbury and Hobbes Series by George Mann is one of my  favorite Steampunk series and I'm delighted to see that the first book is on sale in ebook form. If you are looking for a new series and have an interest in Steampunk, this is the one for you. The fourth adventure, The Executioner's Heart, is coming July 9 from Tor/Forge after what seems like a very long wait.

The 7th Woman

THE 7th WOMAN
Frederique Molay
Le French Book
February 2013

A serial killer is loose in Paris with the intention of killing seven women in seven days. It falls to the elite squad of investigators, "La Crim", headed by Nico Sirsky. Nico is a rising star and as the investigation continues and the bodies pile up, it becomes apparent that the killer also has Nico in his sights. False clues are laid, incriminating and targeting his family.

The 7th Woman is very suspenseful and fast moving. Mme. Molay does a great job of getting us inside the mind of the killer, but not so much those of  Nico and the other characters. I don't know whether this is a translation problem but I never had a real sense of Nico, other that he is a likable sort with a lot of integrity. His immediate attraction to Caroline seems overdone and somewhat unbelievable.

On the whole, I think The 7th Woman is a fascinating look at the methods of investigation in France and one that would appeal to many readers. The 7th Woman won multiple crime writing prizes in Europe when it was  first published in 2006 and has become a series. Personally, the level of violence was way out of my comfort zone. I admit to skimming over all the killings after the first three deaths. I would give the book 2.5 stars tending towards 3 but it was not a book for me, no matter how well executed.

Thanks to netgalley.com and Le French Book for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

RATING- 2.5-3 Stars

Book Expo America 2013

Book Expo America
May 28- June 1, 2013
Javits Center
New York City

Book Expo was another great experience among the book people. I attended on Thursday and Friday, meeting a lot of authors, some new to me and some old favorites. I picked up lots of "swag", both Advance Reader's Copies and finished books. So I have a lot of new fodder for the blog over the next few months. Standing in line to meet and have copies signed by authors is always tiring, but I find there are always interesting and nice people to chat with. Some of the authors I met are: Alafair Burke, Allan Gurganus, Chris Pavone, Laura Lippman, Daniel Woodrell, Cathie Pelletier, Lee Smith, Rick Atkinson and Hilary Davidson. I am most excited about getting my hands on an ARC for Seven for a Secret, the follow up to last year's spectacular Gods of Gotham (reviewed here in April 2012). I did my best not to go all "fangirl" in Lindsay Faye but I am not sure I was entirely successful! Judging from the length of the line and the level of excitement Seven for a Secret will be a very big book in September. 

The overall atmosphere at BEA was positive, both among attendees and exhibitors. The feeling is that the business is stabilizing somewhat after several years of challenge and upheaval. One can only hope that the trend continues. Many of the events are available for viewing at www.bookexpoamerica.com. 

Now my only problem is what to read first!

Inspector Day in Darkest England

THE BLACK COUNTRY (Scotland Yard's Murder Squad #2)
Alex Grecian
Putnam Adult
May 2013

Rawhead and Bloody Bones

Steals naughty children from their homes,

Takes them to his dirty den,

And they are never seen again.

The Rawhead and Bloody Bones nursery rhyme, part of British folklore since the 17th century, plays a prominent part in the second adventure of Inspector Day of Scotland Yard's "Murder Squad". The Yard has been contacted by the village constable in the coal-mining village of Blackhampton in the Midlands. Members of a prominent mining family have gone missing; father, wife and youngest child. Inspector Day has been given only two days to look into the case. Accompanying him is his assistant, Sargeant Hammersmith, and joining them later is Dr. Kingsley, a pioneer in forensic science for The Yard.

The village of Blackhampton is truly the "Black Country" of the title. Not only is it covered in coal dust; it is slowly dying and actually sinking into the earth. Over the years so many tunnels have been dug under the village homes and businesses in pursuit of coal it is only a matter of time until the earth reclaims it. The villagers are uncooperative and steeped in superstition. They, and we, know that there is more to the disappearances than meets the eye. Half the village and more has been stricken with disease since the Prices went missing, and on top of that- there is a strange man lurking around the village- one who closely resembles the bogeyman, "Rawhead and Bloody Bones".

The Black Country is rich in mystery, history and village characters. Inspector Day is a "straight arrow" who has a self-deprecating manner and a real gift for getting to the bottom of the human motivations in a case. Sargeant Hammersmith is prickly, opinionated and absolutely dedicated to the pursuit of justice. By the time the case is solved they have overcome challenges of biblical proportions. My only quibbles are a couple of plot holes that are never fully resolved, or even noticed by Day and Hammersmith. I was so caught up that I barely noticed until I had completely finished the book.

I am looking forward to the next installment in the series; hopefully it will be back in London. This visit to the provinces was engrossing, but I would like to see more of 1890's London and Dr. Kingsley. Be warned, The Black Country is a real page-turner.

RATING- 4 Stars

Time Travel Mystery to the Ripper's London

Ripped
Shelley Dickson Carr
New Book Partners
December 2012


Ripped by Shelly Dickson Carr is an entertaining YA adventure through the London of 1888, where Jack the Ripper has launched his reign of terror in the fog shrouded streets. Katie Lenox is a thoroughly modern American girl who has lost her parents in an automobile accident and now lives with her grandmother in London. Not only is she mourning their loss, she feels that she has lost her older sister, Courtney, who does not get along with her grandmother. 

Katie is settling in as well as might be expected with the help of her cousin Collin. She and Collin are visiting a Jack the Ripper Exhibit at Madame Tussaud's along with Collin's friend, Toby. After a chilling tour at the waxworks they visit the Stone of London, where Katie sticks her finger in a fissure in the stone and finds herself in 1888 London. Katie decides to try to find out who Jack the Ripper is, and perhaps alter his bloody history. She finds the 1888 counterparts of Collin and Toby on hand to help her.

Ripped is very fast moving and convoluted; perhaps a little too convoluted to resolve satisfactorily. The historical detail is well-researched- when the list of Ripper victims at the Exhibit included names that are not in the historical record, the reader knows that something interesting is going on. When Katie discovers that a female relative is on the the list, the quest to stop Jack becomes even more urgent.

I initially liked the inclusion of "Cockney Rhyming Slang" in the book, but found it a bit distracting by the end. The slang is certainly creative, but used a little too often for my taste. Ripped kept me turning the pages however and I would recommend it for a 12 and up audience who are interested in history with some mystery and thrills.

Thanks to netgalley for a digital advance copy.

RATING- 3 Knives

Breathtaking New Fantasy from Anne Bishop

WRITTEN IN RED
Anne Bishop
New American Library
March 2013


Those of us who have read Anne Bishop's Black Jewel novels know all about her unparalleled ability to build complex, multilayered and breathtakingly imaginative fantasy worlds. In Written in Red, she has ventured into urban fantasy territory with the same assurance. Written in Red shows us a contemporary world peopled by humans and "The Others": vampires, shape-shifters and the elementals, who embody the forces of nature itself. Unlike other urban fantasy worlds, the Others are the actual landlords and the humans exist only on sufferance. Unfortunately, despite uneasy coexistence, the humans tend to forget that they are holding none of the cards on occasion. 

Meg Corbyn is a cassandra sangue, a blood prophet prized by her human captors for her prophesies which are revealed by the cutting of her skin. Meg and the other women in her "benevolent institution" have been systematically mistreated. Meg manages to escape into a brutal winter where she stumbles into The Courtyard, a settlement of Others led by Simon Wolfgard. The Courtyard is one of the few progressive settlements allowing any access to humans. She sees a sign in the window of Simon's bookstore, Howling Good Reads (gotta love that!). The settlement is looking for a Human Liaison and Meg is desperate enough to apply. Simon is no fuzzy wolf looking for love; in fact he dislikes and distrusts humans as much as any of the Others. But his instincts tell him to give her a chance even though he knows she is not telling the truth about herself. Meg is grateful for a job, shelter and the fact that human law does not apply inside The Courtyard, but she also knows her Controller will stop at nothing to get her back. Can she, The Courtyard and the nearby human city of Lakeside survive the coming storm? 

Written in Red is not a short book and some may find it a bit slow moving. There are multiple story lines involving a decent human cop named Montgomery, and Asia Crane, a human woman stupid enough to try to scam The Others. I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters and watching trust develop between the Others and Meg. She has been institutionalized all her life and seeing her learn how to function in her new environment is both amazing and touching. It's clear in the end that Meg has found her place in the world. It is also clear that there is much, much more to tell so I must look forward to the next book in the series. Written in Red is sometimes terrifying and sometimes beautiful- a must read.

RATING- 5 Wolf Howls