SKIN GAME (The Dresden Files #15)
Jim Butcher
Penguin Audio, Narr. James Marsters
May 2014
I don't really know why the audio version of Skin Game sat on my iPod for nearly a year before I got around to listening. Maybe it was because I listened to the first thirty minutes or so and couldn't get into it or more likely I found the dark turn that the three previous books had taken uncomfortable. It just doesn't get darker than the events of Changes, Ghost Story and Cold Days. I hated that Harry was forced by events and Mab, the Winter Queen of Faerie, to become the Winter Knight. Being the Winter Knight comes with both character changes and a very short life expectancy; neither of which I wanted to see for Harry. Most of my fears were allayed by Skin Game, and in the non stop style that has made The Dresden Files the best out there in Urban Fantasy.
Skin Game opens with Harry still on Demonreach, an island on Lake Michigan that serves as a prison for supernatural criminals and maniacs; some so ancient they have no names. Harry is the Warden of Demonreach but that is the least of his problems. He also has a psychic parasite that threatens to kill him and everyone he loves. Mab appears on the island with a job for Harry he can't refuse. The parasite will kill him "Alien" style in three days time but Mab will remove it if the job is successful. Too bad it involves a heist, no less than the Holy Grail, which is located in the Vault of Hades (yes, that Hades). The heist is masterminded by Nicodemus, Knight of the Blackened Denarius, millenniums old and entirely evil. Nicodemus and Harry have tangled before and Harry would much rather kill him than work with him.
The action is breathtaking as Harry struggles to fulfill Mab's word to Nicodemus while simultaneously thwarting the plot. Most of the usual gang are present; Murphy, Butters and Michael Carpenter play a large part. To my mind Waldo Butters and Michael Carpenter just about steal the book this time as they provide the most emotionally affecting moments. There are many changes in Skin Game but on the whole it ends on a much more positive note. I am now eagerly looking forward to the next Harry Dresden and to Butcher's upcoming Steampunk series.
RATING- 5 Stars for book and narration.
SHADOW STUDY (Soulfinder)
Maria V. Snyder
Harlequin MIRA
February 24, 2015
It's been about seven years since the last of the Study series featuring Yelena, magician and soulfinder, and Valek, second in command to the Commander of the land of Ixia. Valek is also an accomplished assassin and spy feared by all. The two are "heartmates" after a very bumpy start when Valek forced Yelena to become poison taster to the Commander under threat of execution. Ms. Snyder has written two other series in the interim (as well as a young adult series) but none have resonated with me as much as the Study series and I think that is true for many readers.
Shadow Study begins with an assassination attempt on Yelena as she is riding to meet Valek at their cottage.The two are kept apart for long periods of time by their respective duties, Valek to the Commander and Yelena as liaison between Ixia and her home of Sitia. Struck by a poisoned arrow, Yelena uses her healing abilities and thinks all is well when Valek is called back to duty early. Or at least as well as she can be after an assassination attempt! Over the years both she and Valek have collected enough enemies that they have no idea as to which one might be the culprit. The poisoned arrow has long lasting effects however and makes Yelena more vulnerable than she has ever been.
Told in the alternating voices of Yelena, Valek and their loyal subordinate, Janco, I particularly enjoyed hearing in the voice of Valek just how he became an assassin and the most loyal supporter of the Commander. Valek's story was lightly touched on in the earlier books but I could never understand how he remained so loyal to the Commander. It always seemed to me that the Commander was little more than a totalitarian thug, little better than the corrupt monarchy he overthrew. My opinion hasn't changed but I do understand Valek's motivations to a degree. Janco's voice and his attempts to cope with a new female character who has been partnered with him provide some welcome humor.
I would not recommend reading Shadow Study as an introduction to the world that Valek and Yelena inhabit. Even though Ms. Snyder weaves in enough information to refresh the minds of those who read the first three books it would be better to start with Poison Study, Magic Study and Fire Study. This return to much loved characters made Shadow Study very satisfying and I look forward to more books in this new series.
Thanks to Harlequin MIRA and netgalley for an advance digital copy.
RATING- 4 Stars
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
Paula Hawkins
Riverhead Books
January 2015
The Girl on the Train debuted at the top of the NYT list, something almost unheard of for a first book. Necessarily that called for a lot of pre publication hype and the usual comparisons to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. I have never read Gone Girl and generally avoid books so extensively hyped. In the case of The Girl on the Train though, I found the book's premise almost irresistible. Rachel commutes to London daily and has taken to watching a couple who live in a house close to the tracks. They appear to have an idyllic life and Rachel dubs them "Jess and Jason". One day Rachel sees something quite shocking from the train and hears the next day that "Jess", actually named Megan, is missing. Rachel feels that she must tell the police what she saw. But if she does will she do more harm than good?
Told in the alternating voices of Rachel, Megan and the new wife of Rachel's ex, Anna, The Girl on the Train kept me riveted throughout. That is no small feat considering that each narrator is not only entirely unreliable but also entirely unlikable. Rachel is an alcoholic who has let everything in her life go after the break-up of her marriage. She lives in a fantasy land and is making no attempt to straighten herself out. I did have a little sympathy for her but none for Megan or Anna. The Girl on the Train is a gem of plotting and a twisted tale that will keep you guessing from beginning to end.
I recommend The Girl on the Train highly!
RATING- 4.5 Stars
A MURDER OF MAGPIES
Judith Flanders
St. Martin's Minotaur
February 24, 2015
Samantha "Sam" Clair is a successful book editor in her late 30's or early 40's for a smallish British publishing house. Her usual clients write what is known as "women's fiction" but she does have a few that don't fit that niche. One of those others is a flamboyant fashion writer, Kit Lovell, whose books usually require close vetting by libel lawyers. Kit's newest manuscript threatens to be more incendiary than usual, however. In it, he suggests that the death of the chief designer and head of a major Parisian fashion house was not the accident it was supposed to be by the French Police, but a murder. As well there are allusions to possible money laundering through the House of Vernet. When Kit disappears and Sam's flat is burgled, it is clear that someone is desperate to get hold of the manuscript. Afraid for Kit's safety and her own, Sam turns amateur sleuth. To top off her problems her most successful author, one who writes a bestseller every year has turned in what Sam thinks is an unsaleable book.
Having worked in publishing for a while, I really enjoyed A Murder of Magpies. Sam has a very humorous and down-to-earth attitude towards her work and the people she works with. Most of the characters were instantly recognizable to me, from the publicity folks who can't spell to the condescending young "literary fiction" editor. Her descriptions of the endless meetings she must attend are hilarious. Sam herself is very likable, if perhaps too much buried in her work. The attractive CID Inspector investigating Kit's disappearance thinks so too, along with her somewhat scary super lawyer mother. I did get a little bogged down in the money laundering and stalking subplots, as well as the many characters introduced throughout the book. The primary characters were vivid and memorable but the secondary ones were confusing to me at times. I do hope that this is just the beginning of a series. I would love to spend more time with Sam and her friends, old and new. Thanks to Minotaur and netgalley.com for an advance digital copy.
RATING- 4 Stars
WHITE HEAT (Edie Kiglatuk #1)
M. J. McGrath
Viking Adult
August 2011
I was looking around hoopla for something to download and listen to while working on an extended project; a project requiring little or no actual thought. White Heat popped up and since it was narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Kate Reading, I thought I would give it a try. Little did I know that White Heat would be one of those books that remind me just why I love to read. Books offer me the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture of a place that I will never visit. White Heat is set in the Canadian High Arctic region among the Inuit People. Edie Kiglatuk is a half-Inuit, half-Caucasian part time teacher and hunting guide. She is divorced, a recovering alcoholic and an accomplished hunter who is not not quite accepted in the community. Not accepted, even though she has lived there all her life. White Heat opens with Edie leading a hunting trip for two men from the US, men that she doesn't much like. The trip goes as bad as it can get when one of the men is shot and a blizzard sets in. Shortly afterward Edie loses someone to suicide who is very dear to her; she is convinced that the two events are related but community leaders are anxious to shove it all under the rug.
I have to admit to almost total ignorance of the Inuit culture and the people who live in such a cold, dark, alien and deadly place. McGrath has the power to paint a vivid picture through her words of both landscape and people. Like most indigenous people in places where the white man rules, the Inuit have more than their fair share of poverty, drug and alcohol abuse and despair; all of which play a part in the story of Edie's quest for the truth. Edie is a pint-sized, resourceful dynamo who is as stubborn as they come. She does get some help from her friend, policeman Derek Palliser, but precious little from anyone else, especially her no-good ex-husband.
There are so many things that I enjoyed about White Heat; the descriptions of place and culture, the full-bodied secondary characters and of course Edie herself. I did feel that the mystery at the heart of Edie's quest for the truth was overly convoluted. McGrath gets bogged down at times with minute accounts of Edie's every action and thought. Edie is extremely competent but reckless and seems to get out of tight spots with sheer luck on several occasions. Those are the only quibbles I have but keep me from giving a full 5 Star rating. I would recommend White Heat to mystery fans, especially those looking for something a little different.
RATING- 4 Stars
WINTER AT THE DOOR
Sarah Graves
Bantam Books
January 2015
I first discovered Sarah Graves' Home Repair is Homicide series when I received a galley for the most recent in that seris, A Bat in the Belfry. As a long-time Maine "summer complaint" I was surprised that I had not seen the series before and enjoyed it. I have since read my way through the series and looked forward to the new one featuring Lizzie Snow, the tough homicide cop we met in A Bat in the Belfry.
Lizzie is in the Boston PD when she receives word of a sighting of her long-lost niece, Nicki. Lizzie's sister's body was discovered about eight years before in Maine and the child has been missing ever since. The trouble is that news of the sighting came from the ex-homicide cop who broke her heart, Dylan Hudson. Lizzie is not quite sure whether to trust him but feels that it might be her last chance to find the child. She takes an assistant deputy job in remote Bearkill, Maine and plans to search for Nicki. Meanwhile, Sheriff Cody Chevrier has his own ulterior motive for hiring Lizzie. There has been a string of deaths of ex-cops, all ruled accidents or suicides, but Cody believes that they are murders. He needs an experienced murder cop to help him prove it.
There is a whole lot going on under the surface of Bearkill, Maine. Drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, and stalking all happen in this little town. But no one is willing to talk about any of it. Lizzie is immensely likable, tough and plain-spoken but kind underneath. The supporting characters, both good and bad, leap off the the page and the Great Northern Woods form a brooding backdrop. I thought that some of the threads came together a little too easily at the end of the book but I am looking forward to the sequel. Sarah Graves has really upped her game in Winter at the Door.
RATING-4.5 Stars
DREAMING SPIES: Russell and Holmes
Laurie R. King
Bantam Books
February 2015
Readers of the Russell and Holmes series have been waiting for a long time for Dreaming Spies. Alluded to often in other books it covers their adventures in Japan and falls chronologically between The Game and Locked Rooms. Leaving Bombay en route to San Francisco where Mary has long neglected family business to attend to, the pair boards ship and plans to stop in Japan. As soon as arriving on the ship Holmes sees a fellow passenger board with whom he has unfinished business. Lord Darley is an Earl, but Holmes is convinced that he is also a blackmailer. Holmes despises blackmailers more than any other criminal and wants to find out what he is up to in Japan. Mary befriends a young Japanese woman who is clearly not what she seems; and a passenger disappears on the first day of the voyage. What does Lord Darley have to do with the disappearance and just who is the Japanese woman?
One of the pleasures of the Russell and Holmes series is the in-depth research Laurie King obviously does for each of the novels. By the end of the book I felt I had a mini immersion into Japanese culture and history, especially that of the Samurai caste. While not as good (at least to me) in this regard as Oh Jerusalem, the descriptions of the landscape and people of 1925 Japan gave me a better understanding of a culture that is so alien to my own. I also found out that 24 days on a passenger ship would probably drive me mad! The events of the voyage were necessary to set up the rest of the the novel but seemed interminable at times. The journey of the two disguised as Buddhist Pilgrims in Japan was much more interesting and entertaining.
I did not feel that Dreaming Spies was the best of the Russell and Holmes adventures but I still recommend it to readers of both historical fiction and mystery. Time spent with the intrepid pair is never time wasted. Thanks to Bantam and netgalley.com for an advance digital copy.
RATING- 4 Stars
