Chasing the Night

This review is long overdue.  A special thanks to the Ann-Marie Nieves who offered this book to me in the first few days of October.  My mother was very ill at that time and I had stopped reading during her illness and I thought a riveting book by Iris Johansen would be just the thing to hold my attention.  I was right but I wasn't able to start reading it for many weeks after I received it.  Ann-Marie was so sweet and patient during a hard time in my life.

My 88-year-old mother started feeling sluggish last spring and repeated doctor appointments didn't find any reason for her declining health.  Her doctor and I kept reminding her that she was getting older.  At one point I commented to her that I was finally able to keep up with her!  Finally in August the problem was discovered -  Mom had stage 4 stomach cancer.  During the last 2 months of her life I was fortunate to be at her house for extended periods and had plenty of time to read but I would start one after the other books only to reach page 100 or so and loose interest.  One book, that I can't even recall its title, I only had 50 pages to finish and found I just didn't care enough to finish.  Meanwhile reading gave Mom something to occupy her mind and she read almost nonstop during her waking hours.  I am so grateful that there are so many good books and that they are so readily available to us.  Mom passed from this life on Oct. 15.  Let me tell you - she is sorely missed.

Chasing the Night was the first book I read after Mom's passing.  It did hold my interest and I can't wait to read Johansen's next book which comes out in April.   I read the first 2 or 3 books in this series years ago and loved them.  I wonder now what interrupted my continuing with it.  I plan to go back and read the ones I've missed.

Eve Duncan is a forensic sculptor who works to bring closure to families of missing children.  Her work touches a cord of heartache for her because Eve's own daughter was kidnapped years earlier and has never been found.  In Chasing the Night, Eve helps a CIA agent try to find her kidnapped son Luke by discovering what Luke might look like today.  That brief description does not sound particularly suspenseful, but trust me, there is plenty of intensity in this book.  The man who has a hold  on the CIA agent is pure evil.  And scary.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this last installment in the Eve Duncan series and being reintroduced to a literary character that I like a lot.  I'm sure it would be nice to have read all the books in order but this book could easily be enjoyed as a stand alone.  I liked this book so well that I want to pass it along to a fellow reader.  If you like mystery/suspense books and would like to win an advanced reader copy of In Chasing the Night, leave a comment and a way for me to contact you when you win the drawing.  I will draw a name on Monday, Feb 21 - One week from today.

Bury Your Dead

by Louise Penny

I read this weeks ago but haven't had time to write my thoughts about it until now and, only now, because I have the flu.   I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC from Penny's editor, Hope Dellon which meant I was able to read this before it is released in the U.S. on Sep 28.  The offset is that I have to wait even longer for the next installment.

This is #6 in the Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries series.  Like the other five I was able to dissolve into the story and feel like I was home even though I was far away in Old Town Quebec in the middle of winter.  That doesn't sound very much like home or even very cozy, but some how Louise Penny's writing pulls you in and wraps it's arms around you and you feel like you are right where you should be - right in front of that roaring fire, tucked into an overstuffed chair, covered by a lap quilt with your hands on a warm mug of hot cocoa. 

Expect to get caught up in three different mysteries at once.  Penny deftly winds and weaves three different mysteries into one with the common thread or theme of mistakes running through all three. Even though the main story is set in Quebec City the familiars from Three Pines are not left out.  One of the storylines takes Belvoir back to that quaint village where he has to deal with the inhabitants firsthand, without Gamache to shield him.  Be prepared for a few surprises.

Before I was able to read my copy I shared it with my mother and husband who are both in love with Penny's gift for writing and telling remarkable tales.  You can read Candleman's review of Bury Your Dead HERE.  After my turn the book has made it's way to my daughter and then to my sister.  We are all big fans.

The Brutal Telling

by Louise Penny

I wish I could describe my thoughts and feelings about Louise Penny's books.  Everything I come up with sounds so superlative - over the top and unbelievable, but that is really how I feel.  Those of you who have read them know what I'm talking about and those who haven't read them are greatly missing out.

Penny's  writing transports us to the village of Three Pines just south of Montreal and to the wonderful, kooky, flawed, generous characters who live there.  I feel like I could almost dissolve into the book and be there myself, surrounded by good friends.  Of course, I'd be hoping for a murder so Inspector Gamache would have to join the group. 

"He smiled and not for the first time she thought the rarest thing she'd ever found was Chief Inspector Gamache."

The Brutal Telling is the 5th in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series.  It's a series that starts out strong and just gets better with each book.   In this one a murdered body is found in Olivier's bistro - a body that no one in the village can identify!  Gamache and his team are called to to strip back layers of lies and catch an unlikely killer.

There are many facets of meaning to every one of Penny's books.  The plot itself is immensely spellbinding as is Penny's ability to grasp the intricacies of human nature.  I love the way she will use a motif several times throughout her books and apply it to different circumstances or turn it in a new light to add greater meaning and depth.  I've often thought that if these books were not mysteries she would have a greater audience and be among the best selling fiction authors.  Many who shrug off mysteries as unfit literary fare would be surprised and pleased with the graceful, eloquent writing.

I'm anxiously looking forward to the next in the series which will be out the end of Sep.  I may have to fight my husband for it because he loves the books as much as I do.  And then there's my mother - but I think we can grab and run with it faster than she can!

A few of my favorite passages.  I like to reread the passages I've book darted and when I do the story comes back to life for me.  I'm only going to add two of the many that I marked.  You are welcome to read these, if you'd like, but I include them mostly for my benefit.

What a tale those eyes told Gamache.  In them he saw the infant, the boy, the young man, afraid.  Never certain what he would find in his father.  Would he be loving and kind and warm today?  Or would he sizzle the skin off his son?  With a look, a word.  Leaving the boy naked and ashamed.  Knowing himself to be weak and needy, stupid and selfish.  So that the boy grew an outer hull to withstand the assault.  But while those skins saved tender young souls, Gamache knew, they soon stopped protecting and became the problem.  Because while the hard outer shell kept the hurt at bay, it also kept out the light.  And inside the frightened little soul became something else entirely, nurtured only in darkness.

He was like Pinocchio.  A man made of wood, mimicking humanity.  Shiny and smiling and fake.  And if you cut into him you'd see rings.  Circles of deceit and scheming and justification.

Madam, Will You Talk?

by Mary Stewart

In an earlier post I mentioned how my high school best friend and I touched bases with each other recently.  Since then we've been corresponding through email and sharing bits about life and suggestions for good reads.  This is one of Diane's suggestions.

I remember reading a book a long, long time ago by Mary Stewart but I don't remember the title so maybe I'm up in the night or dreaming or both!  I also remember my mother and my aunt reading the series about Merlin & King Arthur written by Stewart.  They had good discussions about them and my recollection is that they loved the books.

I really can't say why I haven't really delved into a Mary Stewart novel before this.  I think I associated them with older women and I figured they were written so long ago they may be too dated.  This book was written in 1954.  I do know I associated them with the romance genre and that is a big turn-off for me.

On Diane's recommendation I read Madam Will You Talk.  Totally and thoroughly delightful.  I loved it!  There's much more mystery and suspense then romance and the mystery was great.  There were lots of surprises and adventure.  The only problem I had was how fast the perceived enemy became the love interest.  I mean 'snap your fingers' fast. 

Will I be ready more of Stewart's work?  You betcha!  Can't wait, but first I have a couple Louise Penny's that I've put off for too long and I have an ARC I need to read before the end of the month.  And I need to ask Diane which one she recommends next.  It's always so thrilling finding new authors and new books, isn't it?

Against Odds

by Dick Francis

A few weeks ago my high-school best friend called me from her home in Alberta, Canada.  We chatted for some time when the conversation turned to books.  She asked for some authors and books I really like.  I go blank when people ask me point blank for anything and I did then as well.  So I told her I'd email her a list, which I did and let me tell you it was not all that short!  She may regret asking me, but in return I asked for a list of her favorite authors and books.  I don't regret asking.

One author she recommended was Dick Francis.  I remember reading two or three of his books 20 or 30 years ago and liking them but I lost track of him.  I did a little internet research and discovered that 4 of his books feature an ex-jockey turned private detective, Sid Halley.  So I mooched those and started the first, Odds Against.

Sid Halley, an injured jockey, becomes a private eye and carries out some work for his father-in-law, who believes a man is trying to financially ruin Seabury racecourse, so that it can be sold to property developers. Sid and his father-in-law have a laughable relationship, though at the same time it is warm and endearing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, the characters and the mystery.  I'm anxiously looking forward to reading the next book featuring Halley, Whip Hand.  And then I'll be reading some of the stand-alones.  A big thanks to Diane for this recommendation.

I found this interesting write-up about Dick Francis on alibris.

Dick Francis was one of the most successful post-war National Hunt jockeys. The winner of over 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/1954 and rode for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, most famously on Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National. On his retirement from the saddle, he published his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write forty-three bestselling novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), and the biography of Lester Piggott. 

During his lifetime Dick Francis received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and three 'best-novel' Edgar Allen Poe awards from The Mystery Writers of America. In 1996 he was named by them as Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. In 1998, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2000. Dick Francis died in February, 2010, at the age of 89, but he remains one of the greatest thriller writers of all time.

Think Twice

by Lisa Scottoline

You all know I love mysteries and I love Lisa Scottoline so when I stopped at the library to get some books for my mother and saw this on the new shelf -- well, you know!  To my credit I did finish the book I was reading before starting Think Twice.

In Think Twice we get to catch up with the fabulous characters that make up the all female Rosato & Associates Legal Firm.  Bennie Rosato's twin sister shows up again and causes untold problems for Bennie.  

The format reminded me of a Mary Higgins Clark novel - chapters switching between characters and action of the story.  Chapters shuffled between Bennie, her twin sister Alice and Mary DiNunzio until all 3 characters come together for the final chapters of the book.

The pacing is fast and I zipped through this book in a hurry.  Had to get answers and find out if Alice was going to totally fool Bennie's boyfriend.  

I love Scottoline's stand-alones but it's always fun to come back to this series.  What Scottoline needs to do is write one stand-alone and one Rosato book every year - or more often, I won't complain!

Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge

It's been 18 months since my last reading challenge. Oh heck, that's not entirely true - I tentatively joined 4 last year. I say tentatively because I don't know that I even added my name to the challenge site. One that I officially joined was Heidenkind's Art History Challenge. I only read one of the four required books before the challenge ended. I don't see it as a total failure though because I've been more mindful of this category and I have read several books since that fill that category.

In the time of my challenge hiatus I've acquired some control over my reading appetite and think I can safely take on one challenge.  Since my favorite genre is mysteries, I feel some hope at being able to complete this one.

As you can see from the super-cute button, the challenge is hosted by Book Chick City.  It runs from Jan 1, 2010 - Dec 31, 2010 and you can sign up anytime, even as late as I am!  The challenge is to read 12 books.  I'm going to include some of the books I've already read this year so I'm not so far behind.

My list:
1.  4th of July by James Patterson
2.  Borrower of the Night by Elizabeth Peters
3.  O' Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor
4.  Silent Lies by Mary Lee Malcolm
5.  Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scottoline
6. The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
7.  The 5th Horseman by James Patterson
8.  Witches' Bane by Susan Wittig Albert
9.  The New Maisie Dobbs mystery by Jaqueline Winspear
10. Face Down Beside St. Anne's Well by Kathy Lynn Emerson
11. Simple Genius by David Baldacci
12. The Brutal Retelling by Louise Penny

O' Artful Death

by Sarah Stewart Taylor

I have had this book on my shelf for years along with the 2nd book in the series featuring Sweeney St. George.  I've been biting the bullet when it comes to review copies only saying yes at the weakest of moments and only if the book sounds like it would be perfect for me. The results have been a return to blissful reading.  Blissful being defined as reading what I want when I want.

What I wanted when I picked this book off the shelf was a light, interesting cozy.  I was richly rewarded and as I read I felt that this series would join my favorite 5 or so cozy mysteries.  It's always nebulous picking favorites but among those would be Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series, Jaqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs, Laurie King's  Mary Russell, Kathy Lynn Emerson's Lady Susanna Appleton, Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody and Anne Perry's William Monk series.

Sweeney looks nothing like a university professor with her unruly red curls and preference for vintage clothing.  Single and wary of relationships, she pours her energy into her college teaching and a passionate interest in cemetery art.  Cemetery art!  That's the part that piqued my interest.  Learning more about cemetery art was a fascinating part of the book but that was just an added bonus.

The mystery involved a macabre graveyard statue that may provide a clue to a hundred year old murder as well as some disturbing behavior in the present-day Byzantium, Vermont.

I look forward to reading book 2 in this series and meeting Sweeney again.  She's an interesting person with some very human foibles and some emotional baggage but also a good dose of determination and likability.  She has the potential to become one of my literary heroes. 

Lots of surprises in a well-told story, interesting characters, and good writing put this series comfortably tucked in with my other favorites.  There was one problem and it almost upset the whole feel I had for the book.  I was reading along and all of a sudden I was in the middle of a sex scene.  STOP!  What?!  I had to go back and reread the two paragraphs before to find what I missed leading up to this.  Talk about jumping into bed together!  I felt like the lead-up was almost non-existent.  When the couple of mildly explicit paragraphs were through I found myself totally baffled.  It was the worse case of  "throw it in to please somebody" I've ever read.  Mind you the scene itself wasn't particularly disturbing, though it was totally unnecessary, it was the jump - no transition in an otherwise well-written book.

Borrower of the Night

by Elizabeth Peters

I have read eight of the Amelia Peabody books written by Peters and one of her Jacqueline Kirby books but this is my first look at her series featuring Vicky Bliss.  And as luck would have it, this is book one in that series.  As you know I don't always start a series at the beginning.

Vicky is a tall, beautiful, intelligent and capable historian who is challenged by a fellow professor and suitor to a search for a lost piece of art.  The purpose of the challenge is to prove he is smarter than her, which will convince her to marry him.  This man needs help with his personal relationships!  It will be interesting to see if he is a major player in subsequent novels.

What began as a treasure hunt in an old German castle soon turned into a game that was being played in deadly earnest and Vicky becomes the target of greed and finds herself in mortal danger.  Since there are more books in the series, it was obvious that Vicky wasn't going to die but I wasn't sure that the others with her would live. 

Peters writes a cozy mystery with witty banter, oddball characters, a funny romance, historical intrigue which develops into perilous situations.  I tried to mooch the other 5 books in this series but not one of them was available.  I may have to check my library.

4th of July

by James Patterson

 I really enjoy these books.  The association between the 4 women is a fun part of the mystery.  Yuki Castellano, who is an attorney, joins the women as a new member.

In this 4th book in the Women's Murder Club series, Lindsay is charged with police brutality.

DNF & Giveaway - Rough Country

by John Sanford

This a review copy that I thought I would like.  I wanted to like it but after 110 pages I realized I didn't like it.  When I decided to quit I tried to encourage myself to, at least,  find out who committed the murder and how, but I just didn't care.

If you've read a book by John Sanford that you liked please tell me.  I would like to give this author another try because I suspect I may like a different one.  This one just didn't do anything for me.

If you would like to win this book, just say so in a comment.  I will draw a winner on Oct 11.

This contest has ended.

Relentless

by Dean Koontz

You all know I am a big Dean Koontz fan. I pre-ordered this book from amazon.com and told my husband so he wouldn't pick it up at Wal-Mart. He did anyway. We kept the receipt so we could return it. When the one I ordered didn't show up I checked on amazon. Lo, and behold, I didn't actually order it because it was still in the cart. So I threw away the receipt and lent the book to my daughter. A few days later, Relentless showed up in the mail from amazon! So I got back on the computer and sure enough I had pre-ordered it, but I had also put it in the cart sometime later to pre-order it again. Cheezzzz!
So we ended up with 2 of the same books - a whoopsabooksy!

The daughter who is reading Relentless has a hard time getting into a book so I suggested this one and told her it would grab her by page three. Was I ever wrong on that point. Relentless starts off at a slow-let's-get-to-know-everyone pace. (I didn't start to read the 2nd copy until Kristi was already on page 30.) Luckily, she's been really busy and hasn't had time to read any further. Somewhere around page 50 the intensity begins to build and as I read further into the book I realized this story is going to keep her up at night. She tends to worry and I knew that the idea of a seemingly omniscient character being in the bedroom while the main character and his wife are sleeping, as well as what he plans to do to them was not the best thing for her to ponder.

I thought this book was relentless at times. There were sections of the book that were slow, but overall, I liked it. Luckily, I don't get creeped-out or have nightmares. One of the things I like about Koontz books is the portrayal of good and evil. There are times in his book when you feel like the evil is too great, not just in the book but in real life, but by the end of each book I feel a sense of hope. There are things that we can do to combat the evil and darkness, there is a reason to fight a good fight and there are reasons to hope.

I marked several passages with book-darts, but I'll just share two:

"It's just that he made so many mistakes. And his sytax is so bad. I could really eviscerate him."
"Dear, the man can't be eviscerated because he has no viscea. He's a walking colon. If you cut him open, you only end up covered in crap."

Among other things, my past had taught me that the very fact of my existence is a cause for amazement and wonder, that we must seize life because we never know how much of it remains for us, that faith is the antidote to despair and that laughter is the music of faith.

Split Second

by David Baldacci

I read Hour Game by Baldacci back in January without realizing it was book 2 in a series. It could have been a good stand-alone, but I was delighted to find out there were more books featuring former Secret Service agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell.

It was fun going back to book one, Split Second, and learning how King and Maxwell met each other and became partners. In addition, it was a gripping, page turning mystery. I look forward to reading book three.

Look Again

by Lisa Scottoline

Over the last few years I have added Lisa Scottoline to my list of favorite authors and am always on watch for the release of her latest work. Look Again was released in April 2009. When I spotted it at the library a few days ago, I added it to the stack of books I was checking out.

I have come to expect suspenseful mysteries from Scottoline, this one was not very suspenseful, but as a contemporary life drama it was excellent.

Here's the premise of Look Again- When reporter Ellen Gleeson gets a "Have You Seen This Child?" flyer in the mail, she almost throws it away. But something about it makes her look again, and her heart stops. The child in the photo looks exactly like her adopted son, Will. Could the child in the photo really be her son?

Everything inside her tells her to deny the similarity between her son and the photo, because she knows her adoption was lawful. But she's a journalist and won't be able to stop thinking about the photo until she figures out the truth. And she can't shake the question: if Will rightfully belongs to someone else, should she keep him or give him up?

She investigates, uncovering clues no one was meant to discover, and when she digs too deep, she risks losing her life — and that of the son she loves.

In this emotionally charged, heart-pounding thriller Lisa has broken new ground. Look Again questions the very essence of parenthood and raises a moral quandary that will haunt readers long after they have finished the last page, leaving them with the ultimate question, "What would I do?" (taken from the author's website)

I disagree with the "heart-pounding thriller" notion, but I still recommend this book.

Just Take My Heart

by Mary Higgins Clark

I just have to say that this is one of the ugliest covers I've seen. The one I posted looks a little better than the one I checked out from the library. On mine you don't see the face or the arm on the left or any hint of a waistline, so all you really see is the ugly dress and the girl's hand. Everything looks flat, nondimensional and blase (if anyone knows how to type an e with the little mark over it to make it French, I would love to know). When I saw it on the shelf I had to do a bit of searching to convince myself that it was by the real Mary Higgins Clark and not another, rip-off author. The back cover convinced me. You know how Mary is always pictured on the full back cover looking all fixed up? I find myself wishing they would always show more of the background. I want to see the whole room. A home magazine should really do a feature on her house. Maybe I'm assuming too much, maybe the pictures aren't taken in her home.

Anyway, I saw this at the library and knew it was the perfect thing to read to get my reading going again. (May was a slow month.) It was just what I needed - a good, light, interesting and captivating mystery that was fast to read. I think this book was better than the last several. It's the first time I remember Higgins writing a courtroom drama. There were a few things I thought were cheesy, but all-in-all I really enjoyed it.

Among the Mad

by Jacqueline Winspear

I became a fan of the Maisie Dobbs mysteries with the first book. This series is gently and intelligently written with close attention to the time period just after WWI.

Winspear has developed a likable character with the young Maisie. She's strong, independent and yet, ladylike and down-to-earth.

In my opinion, Among the Mad, is the best one yet.

The Case Against My Brother

by Libby Sternberg

Orphaned and penniless in Boston after the death of their mother, two teenage brothers move to Portland, Oregon to live with their uncle. The year is 1922. WWI has ended but Americans have a great fear of the spread of Bolshevism.

The campaign for the Oregon School Question provides the backdrop for this Teen/YA mystery. The Ku Klux Klan and other unsavory groups add fuel to the referendum, an anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic movement which would outlaw parochial and non-public schools in Oregon. The law was passed but eventually overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The brothers are Polish Catholics who have never experienced the hatred and bigotry they are faced with in Portland. The oldest brother, Adam, is charged with burglary. Fifteen-year-old Carl, who has always relied upon Adam, must take control of the situation and find a way to clear the charges against Adam.

I really enjoyed this book. Good writing, great characterization, and a mystery set against a little-known historical event made for a very good reading experience. I had no idea that the Klan ever operated anywhere but the South. I like a book that entertains as well as teaches. Most books do both, some of the lessons are quite as noticeable. Maybe I should say some teach historical facts and others teach us something about ourselves. Some do both. This one did both.

One passage that I noted:

Things happen so fast in life you don't realize something important is going by. Or maybe it's that things happen too slowly and we don't take notice because we expect the big moments to be accompanied by fireworks. Instead, they glide past us so peacefully that we're tricked into thinking everything's as easy as the passage of time itself.

Incomplete Revenge

by Jacqueline Winspear

Hooray! I'm caught up in one of the series I'm reading. It's astonishing that I've had this book for so long (over a year) and only just read it. I can't believe how time flies and gets away from us.

Winspear provides us with glimpse of the time period just after WWI. In England the class system is very much alive and so is hate and suspicion of unfamiliar groups of people. This book deals with a group of gypsys and the crimes they are suspected of committing in an English country village.

The Maisie Dobb's mysteries have a gentle pace but they are such good stories. Winspear brings together an interesting cast of characters and weaves an interesting tale of events that she brings together in a satisfactory conclusion. I love this series.

Still Life

by Louise Penny

Many of you have read this book over the years. It was your enthusiastic reviews that encouraged me to pick this up. I loved it!

Still Life is the 1st of four in the Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series. This one is set in a village south of Montreal. I don't know if any of the others will continue with this same group of people or if Gamache will be tracking down the killer in another area. I can see that he may have to move to a different area if that's were the murder occurs, but I would love to come back to the same people in this book.

Penny does such a wonderful job of fleshing out the characters and making them real-life people. I felt like I wanted to move into the neighborhood and get together with those characters as they celebrate life. I wish I could have seen inside Jane's house. Don't you? (those of you that have read this) And didn't you really like Inspector Gamache? I wish I knew how to pronounce his name.

Last summer we visited Montreal and a cute little village southeast of Montreal named Knowlton. It was such a beautiful area and I pictured the little village in the book looking something like it. And there were some mention of 'Canadian' icons that I wouldn't have known about if I hadn't visited. I don't know how many Canadian Tires we passed on our trip before we learned it was an eating establishment and not a car hardware store. And when Ruth stood up at the funeral and started singing, "What do you do with a drunken sailor" I really enjoyed a good laugh. We listened to that and many other shantys as we drove for weeks through Canada. This book helped to rekindle those good memories I have of my visit to Canada.

I thought the mystery was a good tale and I didn't figure it out until it was obvious who the murderer was. In addition, the writing was superb. I used quite a few book darts to mark passages that I really liked. This passage about a mother of a troubled teenage boy brought me to tears:

"She'd tried praying, but had forgotten the words. Instead she kept repeating the only thing she could remember: Little Boy blue, come blow your horn, the sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn. She's recited it over and over to Philippe when he was little but now she couldn't remember the rest. It seemed to matter, even though it wasn't itself a prayer. it was more than that. It was proof she'd been a good mother. Proof she'd loved her children. Proof, whispered the little girl's voice inside her head, that it isn't your fault. But she couldn't remember the rest of the nursery rhyme. So maybe it was her fault."

This passage reminded me of the feelings I had when my father died:

"All Quiet of the western front, thought Gamache, listening to this gentle life. His magical thinking allowed him to be surprised that when such a good soul dies it isn't remarked. The bells of the church didn't set themselves off. The mice and deer didn't cry out. The earth didn't shudder. It should have."

I thought I had book 2 sitting on my shelf, but since I couldn't find it and didn't have it entered in Library Thing* I got online and ordered it. It's so fun to have it to look forward to.

*neither of these things guarantees it's not somewhere in my house since it's hit and miss with me.

Dead on Arrival

by Jeffery S. Savage

Most of us know Jeffery Savage as Scott Savage, the author of the fabulous fantasy Farworld: Water Keep. Whichever name he uses he tells a good story.

Dead on Arrival is one of two LDS mysteries written by Savage and featuring Shandra Covington. The setting is Salt Lake City, Utah - so if you are looking for a good Utah book for the states reading challenge, this one would qualify. Is there a state capitals reading challenge?

Shandra is a journalism. One day at work she is approached by an older gentleman claiming that he needs her help. His wife is trying to kill him. Only thing is his wife is dead and so is he. Of course, Shandra doesn't put much stock in what this old, and perhaps crazy, person has to say until she later witnesses him fall to his death from a hotel room.

Lots of questions about how the story is going to turn out. I was glued to it from start to finish. About the finish - the basic mystery is cleared up, but something happens that made me want to scream, "Where's the next book!" I just interrupted this post to email the author in hopes of encouraging him to write more mysteries in addition to his fantasy series. I don't want him to neglect his family in acheiving this, but maybe he could quit his day job?!

I highly recommend this one. It's published by Covenant books. If you are concerned about it being an LDS novel, don't be. There's only a minor mention of the church early on. I definitely wouldn't classify this novel as Christian literature. The great thing is there's no vulgarity. I appreciate that. A complex, well-written mystery with no crudeness - isn't that refreshing? Why do some authors feel it's so important to add that?