Category: books
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Book review: Pirate King by Laurie King
Pirate King by Laurie R. King My rating: 3 of 5 stars I have really loved this series, whose premise is centered on Sherlock Holmes coming out of retirement and marrying a young woman very much his intellectual equal, named Mary Russell. Unfortunately, as of late, the series has gotten a bit inconsistent. The eleventh…
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Book review: Smoker by Greg Rucka
Smoker by Greg Rucka My rating: 4 of 5 stars “Smoker” is the third book in the Atticus Kodiak series by Greg Rucka. The author has become my favorite author in the thriller genre for his clever plots, well-rounded characters, and lack of overly gratuitous violence (although violence there is–it is the thriller genre, after…
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Book review: Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith
Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Achilles’ heel of biographers are those who fall in love with their subject and fail to be objective about the subject’s failings (an excellent example of this is David McCullough’s biography of John Adams). In general, the author of…
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Book review: Monk’s Hood by Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael #3)
Monk’s Hood by Ellis Peters My rating: 4 of 5 stars This third installment in the Brother Cadfael mysteries lives up to its predecessors. A man is poisoned with one of Brother Cadfael’s concoctions, and his stepson is suspected of his death. Brother Cadfael is the only one who believes in the stepson’s innocence, and…
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Book review: One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters My rating: 4 of 5 stars I am (belatedly) and slowly making my way through the Brother Cadfael mysteries (and wondering how I missed these for so many years). I really really liked this particular mystery. The book takes place in Shrewsbury as Stephen and Matilda continue their…
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Book review: George Washington’s Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade
George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was an interesting book in several ways. First, it’s a fascinating look at a little known part of Revolutionary War history. The Culper Spy Ring was instrumental in helping General George Washington by…
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Book review: The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Having only recently launched into Bernard Cornwell books (see my review of “Agincourt”), I decided to tackle the author’s Alfred the Great series. This book was not at all what I expected, and despite this (or maybe because of it), I enjoyed it…
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Book review: Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn
Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn My rating: 4 of 5 stars I discovered this series a few years ago, upon the recommendation of the lovely folks at the Seattle Mystery Bookshop (located in Seattle, of course). The series takes place in England (mostly) in the 1800s. Lady Julia Grey comes from a family…
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Book review: Finder by Greg Rucka
Finder by Greg Rucka My rating: 4 of 5 stars It always (pleasantly) surprises me when I find an author in the thriller genre who develops three dimensional and flawed characters. Greg Rucka is one of those unicorns. The main character in this series, Atticus Kodiak, is an ex-Army professional bodyguard. He suffers a tragic…
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Book review: A Morbid Taste of Bones by Ellis Peters
A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have a dim memory of reading this book many years ago and not liking it (I’m not quite sure why). I picked this up (again?) a couple of weeks ago and found myself enjoying it very much. Brother Cadfael is…