Knife by Jo Nesbo is the 12th book in the Harry Hole series of Nordic noir books. It is a longer story with many twists and several layers of dark and unsettling sections. Hole is an alcoholic, sometimes suicidal, and flawed, but he is also a sharp detective. With a long complex history behind him, his estranged wife is murdered, and he can … Continue reading →
Gideon the Ninth is a fantasy novel which combines a number of genres, themes, and elements to bring a quirky, dark story of necromancers, warriors, and labyrinths, in a mystery thriller format. It was first published in 2019 and many readers were intrigued by the world, the characters, and the storytelling. The author has gone on to write two more stories and has a loyal following. … Continue reading →
Hamnet is a historical fiction book by Maggie O’Farrell. The life and circumstances of William Shakespeare’s life has been more of an outline than a full biography, but we do know some of the basics. This novel builds a story from young Shakespeare’s family life, his courting and marriage to Agnes, the birth of his three children, and the time of his family’s life in … Continue reading →
Force of Nature is a thriller/mystery novel written by Jane Harper, the second in the Aaron Falk series, set in Australia. Five women set out on a four day corporate retreat backpacking into the remote Giralang Range, but only four return. A search is started and the police question the women and anyone else associated with the missing Alice Russell. Their stories are not consistent … Continue reading →
The Children of Men by P.D. James is a dystopian novel set in recent times, in a world in which human fertility has failed and no more children have been born for 25 years. The spirit of the people has been broken and as the population decreases, a universal malaise sets in. Democracy fails and a dictator (Warden) rules, supported by State Police. Criminals … Continue reading →
The Survivors is a mystery novel written in 2020 by Jane Harper. It takes place in Evelyn Bay, a small town in Tasmania. The lead character Kieran, with his partner Mia and their infant daughter return to support his parents. Everyone knows everyone else, so they soon meet their childhood friends, Ash, Olivia, and others. There had been a tragedy more than … Continue reading →
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first book of ten in the Flavia de Luce mystery series by Alan Bradley. This was the author’s first book, going on to win the Debut Golden Dagger Award. He wrote the first chapter and a summary and from his proposal, he managed to get a contract to publish the book. The story is … Continue reading →
P.D. James has been called “the Queen of Crime” a title celebrating a life writing top-notch crime/mystery/police procedural novels (30 in total). Her books feature well-developed characters and carefully plotted mysteries. Her most famous series – Inspector Dalgleish – follows his career solving crimes from his start as a detective to his time as Superintendent, 14 books, and also a TV series. I have … Continue reading →
Small Mercies is set in a particular place (Southie, a poorer neighborhood in Boston) and at a certain time (1974, a time of desegregation), with a blend of genres – crime, thriller, mystery, historical fiction, and social commentary. The story centers on Mary-Pat Fennessy, an Irish American heritage white mother living in the Projects. She loses her children to drugs and murder and she … Continue reading →
A World of Curiosities in the 18th book in the Inspector Gamache series by Canadian author Louise Penny. It is a police procedural crime novel, but there are many layers and intriguing developments throughout the story, completed by a thriller ending. The tale begins with several back-stories. The main story is an early Gamache case in which a prostitute is killed and her two kids are … Continue reading →
