A great start to the year:
Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein
Protagonists: Ceepak and Danny
Setting: New Jersey seaside town
Rating: B+
Comments: Officer Ceepak and Danny, a part-time cop, are the first on the scene of a murder. The only witness, the man's daughter, later disappears, Ceepak has made a vow to protect her, so he and Danny are soon on a case which takes all manners of twists and turns. Characters nicely drawn, great humor, fast-paced. This is Grabenstein's debut novel, and he's definitely an author to keep an eye on. There's an interview with Chris over at themysteryreader.com.
The Devil's Feather by Minette Walters
Protagonist: Journalist Connie Burns
Setting: Zimbabwe, Baghdad and Winterbourne, a town in the English countryside
Rating: A+
Comments: A psychological thriller with an intertwined mystery. Connie Burns uncovers a series of women's murders, first in Zimbabwe and then in Baghdad, and she's sure she knows who is behind them, but has no proof. Then she's kidnapped in Baghdad. On her release, she goes into hiding in England. But we all know that the man behind the murders, and her kidnapping, will soon show up again. The tension was so well-maintained that it was hard to put this book down, and it continues to haunt me weeks later. This is the first Walters book I'd read, but certainly not the last.
Saturday by Ian McEwan (on audio)
Protagonist: Henry Perowne
Setting: London
Rating: A
Comments: Henry Perowne is a successful doctor in a happy marriage, with well-adjusted grown children. All seems perfect, until Henry is in a minor car accident. The book is hard to classify: thriller? Somewhat, but the story moves slowly, even though all the events take place in a day. As usual, McEwan's prose is wonderful. And when the story does pick up, it's hard to walk away from it.
Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason
Protagonists: Insp. Erlendur, with Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg
Setting: Reykjavik, Iceland
Rating: A
Comments: When a man is found murdered in his home, with few clues except for a note -- "I am him" -- Erlendur and his team must delve into his past to find out who murdered him. Not much of a whodunnit, but an excellent police procedural. A story of family ties, as well.
Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason
Protagonists: Insp. Erlendur, with Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg
Setting: Reykjavik, Iceland
Rating: A+
Comments: Again, Erlendur and his team must go into the past when a skeleton is found at a construction site. Is the skeleton a woman who disappeared shortly before her wedding, or someone who lived at a nearby house? Long-ago secrets are finally uncovered. This one was a whodunnit, as well as a who-is-the-skeleton mystery? Gripping -- and very moving.
L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton (on audio)
Protagonist: Kinsey Millhone
Setting: Texas
Rating: B
Comments: This time, Kinsey actually leaves California! Funny characters and funny situations, especially when Kinsey has to go undercover as a hotel maid. Better than recent books.
Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein
Protagonists: Ceepak and Danny
Setting: New Jersey seaside town
Rating: B+
Comments: Officer Ceepak and Danny, a part-time cop, are the first on the scene of a murder. The only witness, the man's daughter, later disappears, Ceepak has made a vow to protect her, so he and Danny are soon on a case which takes all manners of twists and turns. Characters nicely drawn, great humor, fast-paced. This is Grabenstein's debut novel, and he's definitely an author to keep an eye on. There's an interview with Chris over at themysteryreader.com.
The Devil's Feather by Minette WaltersProtagonist: Journalist Connie Burns
Setting: Zimbabwe, Baghdad and Winterbourne, a town in the English countryside
Rating: A+
Comments: A psychological thriller with an intertwined mystery. Connie Burns uncovers a series of women's murders, first in Zimbabwe and then in Baghdad, and she's sure she knows who is behind them, but has no proof. Then she's kidnapped in Baghdad. On her release, she goes into hiding in England. But we all know that the man behind the murders, and her kidnapping, will soon show up again. The tension was so well-maintained that it was hard to put this book down, and it continues to haunt me weeks later. This is the first Walters book I'd read, but certainly not the last.
Saturday by Ian McEwan (on audio)
Protagonist: Henry Perowne
Setting: London
Rating: A
Comments: Henry Perowne is a successful doctor in a happy marriage, with well-adjusted grown children. All seems perfect, until Henry is in a minor car accident. The book is hard to classify: thriller? Somewhat, but the story moves slowly, even though all the events take place in a day. As usual, McEwan's prose is wonderful. And when the story does pick up, it's hard to walk away from it.
Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason
Protagonists: Insp. Erlendur, with Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg
Setting: Reykjavik, Iceland
Rating: A
Comments: When a man is found murdered in his home, with few clues except for a note -- "I am him" -- Erlendur and his team must delve into his past to find out who murdered him. Not much of a whodunnit, but an excellent police procedural. A story of family ties, as well.
Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason
Protagonists: Insp. Erlendur, with Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg
Setting: Reykjavik, Iceland
Rating: A+
Comments: Again, Erlendur and his team must go into the past when a skeleton is found at a construction site. Is the skeleton a woman who disappeared shortly before her wedding, or someone who lived at a nearby house? Long-ago secrets are finally uncovered. This one was a whodunnit, as well as a who-is-the-skeleton mystery? Gripping -- and very moving.
L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton (on audio)
Protagonist: Kinsey Millhone
Setting: Texas
Rating: B
Comments: This time, Kinsey actually leaves California! Funny characters and funny situations, especially when Kinsey has to go undercover as a hotel maid. Better than recent books.
1 comment:
I read the Icelandic novel and it was surprisingly great. I didn't expect much but in the end, I enjoyed it a lot.
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