May Wrap Up + Elevation Review

OMG, Winter is here.  This morning was so cold and I didn't even want to stick my nose out from under the blankets.  When I finally emerged it was to discover that the mercury had plummeted to -2.4°c (felt like -4.8°c) and that does not bode well for the next few months.  It's at times like this that I really wish all houses in Australia came with wood heaters or radiators, because OMG it's so freaking cold.

On the book front, I have just filmed my book haul for May.  Not sure if I'll use that, or re-film it on the weekend because those last stragglers could arrive in the next two days, couldn't they? ;-D  Anyway, I'm feeling more upbeat about things, so hopefully that will translate into filming more, and actually editing the footage I already have.

In the meantime, I'm off to play with the new floof that I adopted on Sunday.  Earl Grey, or EG (as I've already dubbed him), is such a ball of energy. He can be so relaxed and chill and then be zooming off somewhere to chase a leaf.  Such a cutie.

Let me know what you thought of Elevation, and do you think King should stop publishing these novellas and just concentrate on his big ass novels? But I digress.  I'm out. Thanks for watching/reading this, and until I see you next time,

 

Book Review: NOS4R2 by Joe Hill

This has been a long time coming!  And because I hate being spoiled, I have made this a quick spoiler free review of how I felt about reading NOS4R2.

I had mixed feelings reading this book.  It was my first foray in to the world of Joe Hill (Stephen King's son if you somehow still didn't know) and I have heard only good things about his other books.

Let me know in the comments what you thought of NOS4R2 if you've read it, or if you are planning to read it.  I'd love to chat about this book.

Anyhow, must dash.  The washing won't hang itself on the line ;-D

And until I see you next time,

 

Book Review | Oh Danny Boy

Oh Danny Boy
A Molly Murphy Mystery #5
Rhys Bowen

First published in 2006
This edition published in 2015

Constable, paperback (format B), 359p.
ISBN: 9781472118417

How can Molly keep the man she wants out of her life out of jail, for although he may be a love rat, he's certainly no murderer!

Irish immigrant Molly Murphy is contemplating giving up PI work for something a little less . . . exciting.  Molly has had quite enough recently - especially from the handsome but frustrating NYPD captain Daniel Sullivan.  She wants him out of her life for good.  But when Daniel is accused of accepting bribes and lands himself in the Tombs, the notorious city jail, he begs Molly to help prove he was framed.  After everything they've been through together, how can she turn him down?

As Molly finds herself drawn further into Daniel's case, she begins to fear that his trouble is related to one of his investigations: catching a serial killer who is targeting prostitutes, known as the East Side Ripper . . .

{Note: I wrote this yesterday at the coffee shop}

I read Oh Danny Boy this morning.  I then got ready and headed off into town to meet some family, and while I waited for them at the coffee shop I thought I'd write down a few thoughts on the book while it was still fresh in my mind - only I drew a blank!

Yes, not only had I finished the book less than 40 minutes ago, but I could not remember anything.  Not even the title.  This only lasted about 20 seconds, but I seriously had to mentally review the books I'd received in the mail this week for the title to come to mind.  I can't remember this happening to me before, and it says a lot about what I thought of this story - forgettable.

ODB seems to pick up a couple of weeks after the events of In Like Flynn (#4) and although I do like Molly, the collection of misfits and bohemians she surrounds herself with do rather test my patience at times.  Gus and Sid would have to be my favourite of the friends.  But by far the most annoying character for me is the stereotypical Irish charmer, Daniel Sullivan.  His attitude and behaviour stinks.  While he doesn't want to hurt his fiancé feelings or cause her any humiliation in breaking their engagement.  However by doing this, and stringing Molly along, he has just hurt and humiliated the woman he claims to love!  When Molly runs home after the final events of the previous book, she keeps Daniel out of her life, binning his daily missives - only to find out he's in the clink.  So, Molly being Molly, sets out to clear Daniel's name.  I applauded her decision to rid herself of the charming rogue, but it seems like you can't have a cosy mystery these days without the obligatory star-crossed lovers who must overcome numerous obstacles, blah, blah, blah.  Pure claptrap (although it does zest up the subplots).

The mystery of who set up Daniel is neatly solved, but only after Molly has a few close calls, and has to venture into the seedier parts of town.  Her dedication to this man is frustrating.  He doesn't mind calling on her to get him out of a jam, but No! Women should not be detectives or PI's!  Argggh!  I can't wait for Molly to spring a certain bit of news on him in the next book (which I may borrow from my library?) because I would love to see his reaction.

So while I haven't read the first couple of books, and I enjoyed (?) In Like Flynn, I'm not sure if I enjoyed ODB well enough to continue on buying the books.  Admittedly, I only have the two I've mentioned in this post (Murphy's Law is on it's way though), but I'm not sure that this is the cosy series for me.  I could be wrong and once this issue about them being together is sorted it could be great so I will cautiously be reading further books in the series from my local library as they become available.

Sadly, Oh Danny Boy was not the amazing comeuppance I thought it would be for a certain NYPD Captain - and for that fact I've given this book

Well, those were my thoughts on Oh Danny Boy.  I wish I had enjoyed the book more as the cover is gorgeous!  Have you reading this series?  Let me know what you think of Molly and Daniel's relationship in the comments below.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

And until next time,

 

Book Review | All The Little Liars

US Hardcover edition

All The Little Liars
Aurora Teagarden #9
Charlaine Harris

Published in Hardcover 2016
This edition published in January 2017

PIAKUS, paperback (format B), 244p.
ISBN: 9780349416236

Librarian Aurora Teagarden is basking in the news of her pregnancy when disaster strikes her small town: four children, including her fifteen-year-old brother, Philip, have vanished from the school football field. What's even more worrisome is the dead body found at their last known location. While the local police comb the county for the missing children, Aurora and her new husband, true crime writer Robin Crusoe, begin their own investigation. Could the two incidents have something to do with a group of school bullies? Are Aurora's father's gambling debts related to the disappearance of her brother? Or could it be that Philip himself, new to town and relatively unknown, is the one responsible? With Christmas approaching, Aurora is determined to find her brother ...if he's still alive. 

When Poppy Done to Death came out I was okay that the series wrapped up with Aurora's news.  It was done, complete, and I didn't need more.  Fast forward thirteen years (!!) and the news dropped that Charlaine Harris was continuing her Aurora Teagarden series and although I was excited - she is a great character - my main thoughts were "why?".  

Flash forward, again, to yesterday when I received the paperback edition in the mail.  Instead of jumping right in and devouring it as soon as I'd opened the package, it just sat on the coffee table where I'd placed it.  As I cleaned up before going to bed, I picked it up and put in on the bedside table thinking that I'd look at it at some point.  Then, when I was all snug under the blankets, I realized that I hadn't brought in the book I was hoping to read and instead All The Little Liars was there so I grabbed it and started to read...

... and nintey minutes later I was done.

It was OK.  Really, nothing style-wise had changed in the 13 intervening years.  All the characters felt the same, Aurora, Robin, Phillip, Aida and John, Phil and Betty Jo.  A similar style of mystery coupled with Aurora's inability to leave well enough alone... well, you know how it goes.  Basically, this could have been written 12 years ago for it felt so familiar.

However, there were two differences - Aurora's pregnancy, and her finally standing up to her father and his ex-wife, Betty Jo.  Now, we all knew going in that Aurora was pregnant - this little tidbit dropped in the last book - but Aurora had never stood up to her father about his shitty attitude and lack of responsibility towards his offspring or spouses.  Oh, she may have thought about the things that she'd like to have said, but they never passed her lips... until this book.  It is probably the biggest change in her character.  Is it only because she's pregnant that she's grown assured enough to finally speak her mind?  Well, I'll find out in the next book if it's a character trait that will stick.  I hope it does because self assured Aurora is pretty damn great.

Of the mystery itself, that was well done.  I had an inkling who might have been involved, and I was sort of right.  The disappearance of Phillip and friends was a great way to reintroduce Phillip to the readers, as well as his lackluster parents.  In earlier books Phil and Betty Jo came off as sanctimonious prats, but now the blinders are off and we see them for the self absorbed jerks they are.  I wasn't surprised to find out that Phil was in hot water with gambling debts to some rather unsavory characters (hmmm, will this be a future story arc perhaps?) or that Betty Jo had run off to a commune to get away from not only Phil, but the repercussions of his gambling strife.  Great potential drama, but not worth the aggravation.  I'm really hoping that we don't see more of them in future books.

So while All The Little Liars was a fast paced book, there was just something about it that left me feeling a tad disappointed.  It's been almost 24 hours since I finished it, and I still haven't been able to pinpoint where it fell down for me.  All the elements were there, but for some reason I just wasn't as into it as I'd expected to be.  I'm really hoping that's because I've been reading so many cosy books recently that it's just cosy overload.  I'm definitely going to be rereading this (and all the previous books) before the release of book 10 later this year.

For now, I give All The Little Liars

I hope you enjoyed my quick first thoughts on All The Little Liars.  Let me know in the comments if you have read it, and what your thoughts were about Charlaine Harris picking up the series 13 years later? 


Until next time, my lovelies

 

Book Review | Cheerful Weather for the Wedding

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding
Persephone Books #38
Julia Strachey

First published in 1932 by Hogarth Press
This edition published in 2011 by Persephone Books

Persephone Books, paperback, 119p.
ISBN: 9781906462079

It is a brisk English March day, and Dolly is getting ready to marry the wrong man. Waylaid by the sulking admirer who lost his chance, an astonishingly oblivious mother bustling around and making a fuss, and her own sinking dread, the bride-to-be struggles to reach the altar.

Well, this what not at all what I expected.  After watching a few book reviews on YouTube, I was expecting to find a book seething with emotion, angst and drama - instead I got a story that centers around an oddball family as they muddle their way through the morning of Dolly Thatcham's wedding.

Dolly seems to float through the events under a haze of rum, and Joseph (the ex) hangs around the house like a stray dog, while her family is just tedious.   Little sister Kitty is a gaudy, poor imitation of her beautiful elder sister, and is starting to become man crazy.  The descriptions of her makeup alone would send any gentleman running in the opposite direction!  Then you come across the terrible twosome - her brothers, Robert and Tom.  Robert is continuously going on about Captain Blood, or telling his OCD brother, Tom, to "...go and put your head in a bag." as Tom continuously nags, and manhandles, his brother about changing his socks of all things!  Very odd.

Mrs Thatcham is a disaster as organizer of the household during this stressful time.  She mixed up her buffet orders, double books bedrooms (so to speak, but with funny results), and is oblivious to anything but the goal of marrying off her daughter.

In one of my favourite scenes, Joseph finally unloads on Mrs Thatchum in regards to what Dolly did last summer.  It was probably made up, but there was almost a malicious hint of truth to parts of it that would have made a great addition, and twist, if the story had of been longer.  We only see Owen, the groom, once and that is at the end when Dolly and Joseph were arguing alone in a room and he barges in at the wrong moment.  There is such potential in this book and it is frustrating to see great moments fall by the wayside.

At only 119 pages, I sped through this.  The writing was simple and straightforward, the plot uncomplicated, but that lack of emotion and drama - especially when the ex turns up desperate to speak with the bride before her wedding! - was strange.  Where was the alcohol fueled rant from Dolly about her current situation?  About her discovering that Joseph, the ex, was there?  The wavering of courage and doubt about walking down the aisle?  There was none of that.

So, while not what I was hoping for, CWFTW was still an entertaining way to spend an hour of so, and has me intrigued enough to track down a copy of the adaptation to see what the changed, and how they adapted this into a full length movie.

I'm not sure if I'll collect any more Persephone Books.  They are crazy expensive, especially in Australia, but if you could recommend one last book I should buy what would it be?  Leave a comment and let me know ;-D

And until next time,

 

The Crossing Places | Book Review

The Crossing Places 

Dr. Ruth Galloway Mystery #1

Elly Griffiths

Originally published: 2009

This edition published: 2016

Quercus, pbk (format B), 314p.

ISBN: 9781786481863

A child's bones are discovered near the site of a pre-historic henge on the north Norfolk coast, and the police ask local forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway to date them.  Are these the remains of a local girl who disappeared ten years ago?

DCI Harry Nelson refuses to give up the hunt for this missing child.  Ever since she vanished, someone has been sending him bizarre anonymous notes about ritual sacrifice, quoting Shakespeare and the Bible.  He knows Ruth's instinct and experience can help him finally put this case to rest.

Then a second child goes missing, and Ruth finds herself in danger from a killer who knows she's getting closer to the truth...

 

After finishing Amy Snow, I really needed something with a bit of an edge to it. Luckily The Crossing Places also arrived in the mail and it was perfect to lift me out of the slight book funk I found myself in.

Dr. Ruth Galloway was such a refreshing character to follow. At almost 40, Ruth is single, overweight, intelligent, unconcerned about her appearance (to a certain extent), and is more into her work than relationships - oh, and she has cats! I really connected with her, and found her to be a refreshing main character. DCI Harry Nelson was exactly what you would expect of a book copper. He's rugged, authoritative, and determined to catch the murderer. I wasn't sure what to think of their one night stand (he's married with 2 almost adult daughters), and yet, they both treat the matter like it was one of those things, and let's move on. Unlike Harry's wife (of the lovely hair, trim figure and outgoing nature), Ruth seems to attract his attention regardless of her rather unconventional appearance (by today's standards). So although I usually don't like books with cheaters in it, I did enjoy seeing a non-typical protagonist attracting the attention of the stern DCI. There are a few other flaky secondary characters that orbit Ruth and Nelson, and I'm hoping they come back in future books as they were a great contrast for these two intelligent, driven professionals.

Of the mystery itself, I was rather intrigued as I do love a good mystery, and if it involves archaeology - even better! I won't rave on about the archaeology, but it plays a large part of the plot line - especially those letters that DCI has been receiving. I twigged to one person, then discarded them. However I was right, but the red herrings placed along the way did a good job of distracting me.

Will definitely be picking up the next books - in fact, I let my fingers do the walking and impulse bought the next two books in the series because Ruth's revelations at the end of The Crossing Places made it too irresistible to pass up. 

★★★★☆

That was my first impression of The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths.  Let me know below what you thought of the book, or please recommend a similar series ;-D

Until next time,

Gritty crime series

Still not sure how I feel about Buried Strangers. Lots of corruption in the police force, mass graves, dead children and evil twisted people. #bookstagram #justfinished #reading #biblio #buriedstrangers #leightongage #detective #policeprocedural #brazil #bookaholic #bookaddict #booknerd #booknerdigan #bookobsessed #bibliophile #aussiebibliophile

A photo posted by Dallass (@tundrablue) on Jan 21, 2017 at 4:13pm PST

I posted this pic yesterday morning (Sunday in AUS), and even now I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about Buried Strangers.  It is full of tropes/themes that work great on the screen: corruption at the highest levels as well as the grass roots of the police force, forensic facilities that seem to be 30 years behind cutting edge technology used elsewhere, multiple POVs that you can follow, interesting - if horrific - crime to solve, potential romance between colleagues, numerous dodgy characters, and a central character like Chief Inspector Mario Silva that the whole shebang could revolve around.

However, in book form it just seemed to fall flat for me.  Don't get me wrong, Buried Strangers was well written with interesting characters, but killing children to steal organs for the black market? ... so not me.  Would I want to read any further books in this series?  I really don't know.  I've looked into it, and it seems that each centers on a pretty gruesome topic

"The whole collection is known as "The Chief Inspector Mario Silva Investigations". The books cover a vast array of subjects, including underage prostitution, organ theft, snuff videos, and much more." *

and I think that says it all!  I'd have to think really hard about it before I'd commit to another one as these topics sound truly disturbing to me.  I don't want to read about child prostitution or snuff videos.  I don't know who would read something like that for fun.  But, different strokes for different folks, right?

So those were my thoughts on Buried Secrets.  I didn't go into characters, plot points, etc., because it is more important that a potential reader is aware of the gritty nature of the books.  If you can't deal with these topics then I don't recommend you read the books as they don't shy away from their subject matter.  However, if a good gritty crime novel set within the seedy side of a corrupt police force seems right up your alley, then congratulations, this just might be for you ;-D

I hope this was in some way helpful.  Let me know if you've read any of the Leighton Gage books, and if you did - what did you think of them?  Would you read more?

Thanks again, and until next time...

 

Citation

* Leighton Gage. (2016, August 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:41, August 30, 2016

Review: The Virgin Suicides

The Virgin Suicides
Jeffrey Eugenides

First published: 1993 (my edition 2002)

Bloomsbury, paperback (format B), 249p.
ISBN: 978-0-7475-6059-3

The haunting, humorous and tender story of the brief lives of the five entrancing Lisbon sisters, The Virgin Suicides, is Jeffrey Eugenides' classic debut novel.

The shocking thing about the girls was how nearly normal they seemed when their mother let them out for the one and only date in their lives.  Twenty years on, their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshiped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear.

I read this book over the course of perhaps 3 hours last night, and to say I was left feeling unsettled is an understatement.  In The Virgin Suicides, we span the course of a year as we follow the narrator  as he reflects on the memories he has of those fragile Lisbon sisters some 20 years later, and the implosion of their family as the sisters all commit suicide that year.

Now that sounds a bit trite, but the way this book is written - through the eyes of a man reflecting on his adolescent crush on these girls, and how he - and the other boys who adored them, too - have seemingly spent 20 years gathering evidence and taking witness statements from as many people who knew the sisters as possible, gives you a real insight into this families dramatic decline.

After the first sister, 13 year old Cecilia, tries to take her life, you get a hint of things to come in the way this family is structured.  So when Cecilia finally succeeds in killing herself, it sets in motion a chain of events that still leaves the narrator, and reader, wondering. . . why?

Mrs Lisbon rules her house.  She is not demonstratively affectionate (and seems to carry no sense of blame in later interviews) and does not seem to see the withering of her daughters under the iron fist she uses to keep them under control.  They are not allowed to have boys in the house, no makeup, and she even went so far as to pull them out of school.  But was that for their sake as she claimed, or rather for her own selfish reasons?  You never really see a softer, loving side of this mother.

Then we have their father.  He is just lost.  He wanders around in a fog, escaping the house only to teach at the school, never seeming to see the isolation and ostracism his daughters encounter at school - and how they cleaved together in support of each other (or looking back, was it?).  Even the attitudes of the community were amazingly destructive. 

While reading this book I didn't see this as a story about adolescent teenage boys fantasizing over the sisters in general (i.e., didn't matter which sister, they were all beautiful and fragile), but rather as a window into this families destruction witnessed through the eyes of young observers who were baffled, scared, and angry at the treatment the girls endured at the hands of their parents, friends, and community.

Note: I also found the symbolism of a dying elm tree as well as the house and yard falling into disrepair and decline wonderfully reflective of the decay of the family as the year went on.  From suburban paradise, or at least no different to any other house in the neighbourhood, to an almost abandoned shell of a home when it was eventually sold.  Broken, just like this family.

If you are reading this book in the hopes that you will discover answers as to why they died, then you will be disappointed - but I think that is the point.  There are no answers.  You can't possibly know what is going through someones mind as they contemplate this course of action.  You can try to puzzle it out, try to use logic to fit all the evidence together, but there will still be key pieces missing, and the picture will never be complete.

Now it has been at least 10 years since I've seen the movie adaptation with Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett, but I think I'll try to find a copy as this book is something I wish we had read in high school as it is an amazing piece of social commentary about a very taboo topic.  It invites discussion, which is a wonderful thing, and a great way to broach this subject matter.

Will try another Eugenides in the future I think as I found his writing style easy to get through, and well written.  

I hope you enjoyed my thought on The Virgin Suicides.  I'd love to hear what you thought of the book, or movie, did you like it, hate it.  Let me know ;-D

Until next time,

 

Book Review || White Tiger

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

White Tiger 

Dark Heavens #1

Kylie Chan

Published: 24th July, 2006

HarperVoyager, mass market, 546p.
ISBN: 9780732282967

When 28-year-old Emma Donahoe becomes a nanny to John Chen’s daughter, Simone, she does not expect to be drawn into a world of martial arts, magic, and extreme danger, where both gods and demons can exist in the mortal world.

Emma gradually realises that John Chen is no ordinary businessman and that nearly all the demons in hell would like to see him dead. John and his American bodyguard, Leo, begin to teach Emma their particular brand of martial arts and special defensive techniques … they also begin to realise that there is something that is different about Emma but exactly what it is, nobody can say.

I have loved this book ever since I first read it way back in 2006. I was drawn to the cover while perusing my local bookstore one day. I picked it up, read the back, and told myself if it was there next time I'd buy it. Well, weeks later it was still there, so I bought it - and had finished it by the time I went to bed that night. It's amazing how we can remember some books so clearly. That first reading, how we felt, the excitement, the highs and lows as we follow the characters through their story. White Tiger is one of those books for me.

The protagonist Emma was an Australian. How many of those do you get? She was loyal, fierce, loving and intelligent. I could hear her voice in my head - no accent adjustment required ;-D I have lived on the Gold Coast, where her character finds herself at one stage, I know the beach, I could smell the sea, feel the beautiful white gold sand under my feet - even felt twinges when Leo got the sunburn of all sunburns. I've been there, done that.

Mixing a modern Aussie girl's adventures in Hong Kong with the Eastern Mythology was just the icing on the cake for me. It opened up so much more than just a contemporary romance could have managed - and made a richer palette from which to draw from. Xuan Wu is wonderful, and his daughter Simone is just so adorable. Leo is a mountain of a man with whom Emma has an almost brotherly relationship with, and don't get me started on Kitty Kwok.

White Tiger is a great first book (in what I originally thought was just a trilogy!), and it is so easy to let yourself just get swept away in the story.

Only negative I have is that none of the books in the series are available on audiobook, but hopefully that will change in the future.

View all my reviews

I hope you enjoy my thoughts on the first book in the series, White Tiger.  I just finished Black Jade and I will hopefully have a review up sometime soon.  It was the final book in the Dark Heavens/Journey to Wudang/Celestial Battle trilogies/series.  

I'd love to hear if you have read any of the books in the series, and what you thought of them ;-D

Until next time,

Book Review || Fire Bound

Fire Bound

A Sea Haven Novel #5

Christine Feehan

Published: 26 April, 2016

JOVE, mass market pbk, 367p.

ISBN: 978-0-515-15611-9

She possesses the power to inflame the most dangerous desire of all

Flame-haired Lissa Piner is a skilled glassblower whose delicate gift conceals a burning inner strength that can destroy as exquisitely as it can create.  Commissioned to design chandeliers for a string of luxury hotels, her remarkable skills have taken her to Italy.  But Lissa's real mission there is a secret.  For her entire life has been a lie, leading to a chance to avenge a terrible wrong.

Enlisted as her bodyguard is Casimir Prakenskii, a trained assassin living off the grid.  In Lissa, he sees a kindred spirit - something unexpected and wicked, mysterious and sensual.  But something more than desire is about to bring them together, because both of their pasts cry out for revenge.  And for two people with this many secrets, this much passion and this many enemies, someone is bound to get burned.

Well, we've almost reached the end of this series.  Fire Bound is the second last book in the Sea Haven novels that follow the Prakenskii brothers (Lev, Stefan, Maxim, Gavriil, Casimir and Viktor).  I have been eagerly awaiting each brothers story since finding out about Ilya's past in Turbulent Sea, but as the series has progressed I've been finding myself oddly disappointed with most of the books in the Sea Haven series, and Fire Bound was no different.

Now don't get me wrong, there were sections of this book that I did like, but I've reached the stage where I don't just want these characters to hit the sheets within a few days of meeting each other.  In Lissa and Casimir's case, they had only exchanged a handful of words, before they ended up jumping into bed with each other (p.64 and goes on for more than 20 pages!).  This bossy, dominating alpha stereotype is fine if he's a werewolf, but for a paranormal romance I want to see something other than the me-trained-assassin-you-mate-so-let's-have-sex attitude that I've been finding.  A book full of sex scenes does not equate to romance in my opinion.  I'd rather imagine somethings that have it describe in minute, and often very graphic, detail.  Is it just me?  When did author's stop leaving something to the readers imagination?

Okay, sex aside, the other major gripe that I had with Fire Bound was the ending with the Sorbacov's demise.  These two men have been the bane of the Prakenskii brothers life for over 30 years.  They are ruthless, well protected, going after them is a suicide mission and you may not be successful - according to the Prakenskii's themselves - and yet they are dispatched with ease by Lissa.  No help from Casimir, or any of the brothers, they're just set up and snuffed out by one feisty redhead.  Okay, she doesn't escape scott free, but it boggles the mind.  This was one of the places that thumbed its nose at the 'mythology' established in earlier books, and having Lissa basically assassinate two ruthless killers, pulled me out of my reading zone.

*sigh*

So now having bitched about the cons, and while the above problems did bring down my rating, there were one or two moments that held this books head just above the 2 star waterline.  I enjoyed finding out about Lissa's past, and I was just about clapping when her uncle, and his bodyguard, got their just desserts, but by far, my favourite moment would have to be the surprise introduction of Viktor.  OMG, Viktor is one hell of a scary SOB! We find out what he's up to now (bring the series full circle with events from Hidden Currents), and got a few tidbits about his and Blythe's past - which was definitely enough to get my mouth watering for the final book in the series.  And it is for these scenes that I gave Fire Bound 3½ stars.  Major fireworks ahead.

I hope you enjoyed my review of Fire Bound by Christine Feehan.  Let me know if you have read the book - or a planning too - and if you have, what did you think of it?  

I'm hoping to get another quick review up later this week, so until next time...

Book Review || The Body in the Library

The Body in the Library
Miss Marple #2
Agatha Christie

Originally published in 1942 (Review edition reprinted in 2002)

HarperCollins, mass market, 272 p.
ISBN: 0-00-712083-4

It's seven in the morning.  The Bantrys have awoken to find the body of a young woman in their library.  She is wearing evening dress and heavy make-up, which is now smeared across her cheeks.

But who is she?  How did she get there?  And what's the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry?  The alarmed Bantrys invite Jane Marple to solve the mystery, before tongues start to wag. . . 

Yes, I know I'm so late in reviewing my February pick for A Year of Marple, but honestly I just wasn't feeling it last month.  However, with the lovely stormy weather I'm enjoying for Easter, it is finally cosy mystery time.  So with that in mind, I picked The Body in the Library up last night and powered through, finishing it in one session... yeah me!

I will state right off the bat that I have always loved the TV adaptations of this particular book, however unlike Murder at the Vicarage, I also enjoyed the original story itself.  So it wasn't a great surprise when I had to scramble to find some paper so I could jot down some notes to myself.  Such is the life of a reader.

... and this is why I usually have an old envelope, or two, handy!

The 1950's feel of the book is very much present.  Clothing and class distinctions are very much of the era, which is no surprise given it was written over 70 years ago.  If you are not familiar with some of the rigid, and tightly held to, prejudices of the day, then you may not pick up on some of the underlying, and subtly hinted at, tensions (such as Colonel Bantrys reactions before and after the revelation of Basil Blake's past injury) but it shouldn't detract from the overall storyline if you are not.

In regards to Christie's style of writing itself, one of the things I enjoyed was the multiple POVs - which was surprising as I usually hate that! - and while there are quite a few differences between the TV adaptations and the novel, it wasn't enough that I couldn't cope with the shift in the storyline.  I was, however, quite surprised to see how little a part Basil Blake played in the novel, and yet this character's involvement with Ruby Keene is always at the forefront of any adaptations investigation into who killed the her.  Strange, but true.

Speaking of characters.  I adored seeing more of Sir Henry Clithering.  He is such a dear.  I love this character as he isn't as pompous or arrogant as the other males that deal with Miss Marple tend to be.  The retired former head of Scotland Yard could have been an arrogant cross between Inspector Slack and Conway Jefferson in personality, but instead we have a shrewd yet personable gentleman - just what you need when dealing with Miss Marple.  He understands her, which is a step up from the other neanderthals in the police force, and is demonstrated when he asks her for the "Village parallel, please".  Such a pity that he didn't end up in the 2004 adaptation with Geraldine McEwan.

The other main characters were well done, and played off each other nicely.  There was not one particular character that was horrible, or that I hated - although Inspector Slack comes close as I really do not like his attitude - and yet if you did not know anything about the story, there is nothing to give the culprit away either.  The scene with Basil Blake confessing to Miss Marple about his drunken prank seems to come out of the blue, plot wise, and there is also a few snippets from Raymond Starr that I have never seen in an adaptation.  Was this a very well crafted whodunit, or a story that is missing elements?  I'm still not sure which, but I had a good time anyway.

This would be a great book to start with if you like classic whodunits, or are curious about the Miss Marple universe.  There is more action and odd tangled threads that should appeal to mystery readers. 

I hope enjoyed my review of The Body in the Library.  It was a fun read, and I'd love to know what you though of the book, or any of the adaptations.

The next book in my A Year of Marple is The Moving Finger, which I hope to get up during the week.

Until next time, my lovelies.