The Dogs of Riga is the second book in the Wallander series by Swedish author Henning Mankell. There are 10 books in the series, published from 1991 to 2014. I have read 5 of them and over time, I hope to read them all. Since Kurt Wallander is a deeply flawed character and the Nordic noir stories are dark and sometimes harsh, I … Continue reading →
Rogue Protocol is the third book in the popular Murderbot Diaries. Murderbot is a sentient cyborg, a Security Unit which has hacked its governor module. As a “free agent”, it is neither a robot, nor a human. The stories are told from its point-of-view. From its time as a Security Unit protecting crews on missions on interstellar ships and on planets, it continues to protect … Continue reading →
Shake Hands Forever is a crime/mystery novel by Ruth Rendell, the 9th book (of 24) in the Inspector Wexford series. The author had written over 50 books in all, mostly psychological mysteries and thrillers. She had won many awards and had sold over 20 million copies. I have been reading her books for 40 years, completing about 22 to date. Shake Hands Forever starts with … Continue reading →
Razorblade Tears is a thriller novel by S.A. Crosby. Two hard ex-cons unite after their sons are brutally murdered. Although the fathers were homophobes and were distanced from their gay sons, they did love them in their own silent and rough manner. One of the fathers is black and the other is a somewhat racist white man, but they find common ground to seek … Continue reading →
Return to Sender is the 21st book in the Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson. This novel is another entertaining yarn, on par with the other books in the series. Having now read 20 of the books, I value the Longmire stories as a whole. Return to Sender is set in the Red Desert in Wyoming with Walt doing an investigation for a family … Continue reading →
Network Effect is the sixth book in the acclaimed Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells and I have read four of them now. All of the books are creative works, full of strong characters, humor, action, and plot twists. In this novel, Murderbot (a self-aware cyborg security bot) is joined by a sentient artificial intelligence, ART, now called Perihelion by its crew members, another … Continue reading →
James is a retelling of the Huckleberry Finn story, but told from the point of view of the slave (Jim). Modern themes of inequality, injustice, and institutionalized racism are found in all parts of the novel. It is a serious story with realistic period characters, but overall, told today with a humanist perspective. The noble character of James resonates while reading the book, … Continue reading →
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry is a novel by Frederik Bachman. It is narrated by a clever, but “different” seven year old girl (Elsa). She is close to her grandmother, but when she dies, she leaves Elsa with some questions, some clues, and some tasks to undertake. Her grandmother’s life, her family, and the people who live nearby are all … Continue reading →
The Lost Man is a mystery/thriller written by Jane Harper. It is set in the vast ranching country of the Outback of Queensland. The protagonist is Nathan who has been isolated from his family and the community. His brother is found dead and he probes to find out more about his brother Cameron’s secrets. It is a moody, suspenseful book that burns slowly, but … Continue reading →
The Black Tower is a detective novel in the Inspector Dalgleish series (the 5th of 14). P. D. James is one of the best crime fiction writers and all of her books feature careful craftsmanship of the plot, character development, and original stories. I have read most of the books over the years. I found this one to be slow and a little lackluster, … Continue reading →
