A review of Get Real, by Donald E. Westlake. @@@@ (4 out of 5). The doleful John Dortmunder and his band of merry men make their last comic foray into the world of crime in this delightful story, the last of Donald Westlake’s more than 100 novels before he passed away in 2008 at the age of 75.
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A review of Phantom Prey, by John Sandford. @@@@ (4 out of 5). Phantom Prey, like others I’ve read in the series, is a flawlessly executed tale built around a complex and unusual plot. A young heiress, Frances Austin, has disappeared, leaving behind spatters of her blood in her mother’s house that suggest she was murdered, but she has apparently withdrawn $50,000 from an investment account and colected it in cash, suggesting that perhaps she was not murdered but has simply fled. Other murders take place in close succession, linked to the heiress through friendship. .
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A review of The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party: The New No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Novel, by Alexander McCall Smith. @@@@@ (5 out of 5). Join Precious Ramotswe for the weeks that elapse in this charming tale of life in Botswana, and you may emerge with fresh perspective on life. This is a celebration of the Africa that never was.
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A review of A Spy by Nature, by Charles Cumming. @@@@ (4 out of 5). A Spy by Nature, Charles Cumming’s first novel, is the semi-autobiographical precursor several subsequent espionage stories that have caught the attention of reviewers and the reading public alike. A Spy by Nature is an entirely worthy antecedent of Cumming’s later, more fully realized spy stories.
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A review of Broken: A Novel of Suspense, by Karin Slaughter. @@@@ (4 out of 5). Broken, last year’s entry in Karin Slaughter’s decade-long series of crime thrillers set in her native Georgia, brings together two of her leading characters, Dr. Sara Linton and Will Trent.Karin Slaughter, just 40 years old now, has been publishing best-selling thrillers for little more than a decade. I’m looking forward to a lot more from this talented Southern writer.
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Mysteries & Thrillers Tuesday includes my latest mystery and thriller book review,
with links to other science fiction content.
Nonfiction Wednesday includes my latest nonfiction book review,
with links to other nonfiction content.
The Weekly includes summaries and links to all the previous week’s three to five book reviews, including some that don’t appear in any of the other newsletters.
Mysteries & Thrillers Tuesday includes my latest mystery and thriller book review, with links to other science fiction content.
Nonfiction Wednesday includes my latest nonfiction book review, with links to other nonfiction content.
The Weekly includes summaries and links to all the previous week’s three to five book reviews, including some that don’t appear in any of the other newsletters.