Monday, February 29, 2016

Review: Linda, As in the Linda Murder

Linda, As in the Linda Murder Linda, As in the Linda Murder by Leif G.W. Persson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Linda (as in the title) is a 20 year old police cadet who is found murdered in her mother's house. A team led by Detective Superintendent Bäckström is deployed from Stockholm to the town of Vaxjo to reinforce the investigating staff.

Evert Bäckström is not your typical police detective. Or maybe he is? He's lazy, he drinks, he takes advantage of his position, he even has his laundry charged to the Police Department. He loves no one, constantly thinks of women (he's an awful macho guy), and has no feelings for anyone or anything (except for Egon, his pet goldfish).

He does however, have a detective's instinct for solving cases, even if he wastes the government and the tax payers money requesting DNA samples from half the town. And he manages to recruit a very good investigating team, who will do all the hard work for him.

Although the characters and the story are very well written/described, the book as a whole dragged a bit. There are many diversions and maybe that is what made it a slow read. I just wanted the author to get to the point!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Waters of Eternal Youth

The Waters of Eternal Youth The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm always afraid to start reading a new book by an author I know and love, as you never know if this last book will be as good as the others (I've had surprises in this area!). With Donna Leon, I never worry. Once again she has written an amazing book, the 25th, in the series, featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti.

When Brunetti is asked by a friend of his mother in law, a Venetian Countess just like her, to look back into an accident her grand-daughter suffered 15 years ago, he gladly obliges and stars inquiring into a case that went cold before it was even opened and was ruled an accident.

Besides Brunetti, we find the usual set of great characters: fiery Paola, the lovely signorina Elettra, Vianello, Patta and Scarpa. And the food! The amazing food is also present.

This is not only a crime-thriller series. It depicts Italy's political and social situation perfectly. Many of the books end, sadly, with Brunetti not being able to do much (or anything). In this book, however, the ending gives him hope, and that was a plus for this excellent book.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Dark Kills

Dark Kills Dark Kills by T.J. Brearton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A young girl is found dead, drowned and Detectives Dana Gates and Robert Hamill are in charge of the investigation. Then two more girls die, and a list with their names on it is all they have to take them to the killer.

The first part of the book is very good, as it describes both the work they do and their personal lives. I was somewhat disconcerted at first as the writing was mainly in short sentences, but once I got used to it, reading was quite smooth.

However, the second part didn't grip me as much. I have to confess that although I read the book quite happily, at the end I realized I didn't understand anything about the killer or his reasons. Not a good thing, right?

So 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 just because I enjoyed it as a whole.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Big Brush-off: A Jake & Laura Mystery

The Big Brush-off: A Jake & Laura Mystery The Big Brush-off: A Jake & Laura Mystery by Michael Murphy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is such a good read!
It has all of the elements I like: a lovely and beautiful detective couple, a good murder, interesting characters and lots of glamour. And to top it off, there's the name dropping. Joan Crawford, Clark Gable or Dashiell Hammett, anyone?

Book 4 in the Jake and Laura series, set in the dazzling 30's, the book tells the story of Jake, a writer who is in a slump while his actor wife Laura is on her way to the top.

When an old cold case returns to haunt Jake's life, they embark on a second honeymoon that will double as a writing retreat and a chance to solve the murder of a young girl.

Fun, light (but in a good way, of course) I now have the 3 first books of the series on my reading list, and I'm waiting for the 5th one.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Girl In The Ice

The Girl In The Ice The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I promised myself I was going to avoid two things in books: one was a title that included the word "girl" and the other was a messed-up-female-single-police woman.

Of course I broke this promise and I read this book, which turned out to be very good.

It starts with the murder of Andrea, a beautiful young socialite with a secret life that is very, very disturbing. Called in to help solve the case is Detective Erika Foster. Recently widowed, she is trying to rebuild her life in London, away from Manchester. Problem is, you don't forget your problems that way.

After confronting each and every one of her superiors, Detective Foster is taken off the case. This is an order she won't obey until she discovers the murderer.
My only "but" to this book is how quickly Erika builds a relationship with her staff. She's barely been there a week and they're willing to put their jobs on the line for her?

Great read, lots of suspense, very good plot.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: In Fidelity

In Fidelity In Fidelity by Jack Wilson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is another difficult review. Why? Because, on one side I completely related to the story: The mc would be the same age as my parents and I would be the same as their kids.

On the other side, I just couldn't get the relationship between the main characters.
Christine is of one of those persons that can't allow a change of mind. What she thinks is what's right and that's the end of it. There's no flexibility in her.
Jack is a mystery to me. He struggles with his married life, has an affair but thinks it shouldn't affect it, only because he loves his wife?

I have to say that even if I didn't like the characters, the story is interesting as it deals with infidelity, morality and life as a couple.the book is well written (apart from a few very old fashioned words) and the pace of the book is very good.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Try Not to Breathe

Try Not to Breathe Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After drinking away her marriage, career, friends and in general, her life, Alex Dale finds a subject that may bring her journalist career back to life: Amy Stevenson, who has been in a coma for the last 15 years after being attacked.

As she investigates what happened to Amy, Alex slowly tries to rebuild her life. We can see that even through all the alcohol, the research is very good, and we get a glimpse of what she once was. The problem is I just couldn't get to like Alex. I had no sympathy or anything for her. I have read other books in where the mc was not likable, but at least there was a rapport of some kind with them.

Also, you can't but know where it is all heading. Right from the middle of the book I had figured out half of the ending.

The good things about this book: Amy's voice is lovely, well written, and it takes away some of the anguish you feel as you read about her lying in a coma.

The book in general is very easy to read, fast paced, with a good grip of the suspense

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Friday, February 19, 2016

Review: Career of Evil

Career of Evil Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great book in the Cormoran Strike series.

Reading was a bit disjointed as I half listened to the audio-half read it. I'm usually a fast reader, but I took a long time with this book, so had to go back and forth in order not to I miss anything.

I love the series (and JK Rowling and anything she writes) and this book is no exception.

In this book we finally see more of Cormoran and Robin's personal lives, as individuals and in their relationship to each other. It is a very tense book, and how couldn't it be, with all the gruesome events that happen in the first chapters?

This book is a perfect thriller: fast, full of suspense and drama. It's not predictable and it keeps you guessing what the next turn of the plot will lead to.
JK Rowling is IMHO one the best writers around.


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Thursday, February 18, 2016

Review: Perfect Days

Perfect Days Perfect Days by Raphael Montes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a book! It's one of the most stunning books I've read in the last months (and I've read many, believe me). The subject is creepy, sad, difficult, even sick... and I just kept reading.

Teo, a lonely medicine student, meets Clarice who is the opposite: fun, friendly, open.
He falls in love with her and starts stalking her. She finds out and firmly tells him she doesn't care for him and to get out of her life. So what does Teo do? He decides she has to know him better, as that will surely change her mind. In order for that to happen, he kidnaps her and takes her on a road trip that mirrors the places she writes about in a screenplay.

Clarice doesn't see things the same way so she tries to escape, several times, until the very end and with terrible consequences.

The book develops smoothly, one thing after the other, but the end is what makes it brilliant! No spoilers here, you have to read it. But be warned, it's dark!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Dangerous Allies

Dangerous Allies Dangerous Allies by Rickie Blair
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ruby Delaney (aka Ruby Danger) is on her second honeymoon with her husband when she finds out he's about to desert her (and also the investors in his company) and disappear with more than 500 million dollars. He's been laundering money from the Russian mob and he's in a hurry to make himself scarce. What's worse, she will surely be blamed for all this.

So, to make a long story short, Ruby disappears first. Through a series of improbable (but fun) events, she manages to go all the way from a ship in the Caribbean to Pintado Island, then to Florida and Canada.

Though at first Ruby looks like the typical tabloid actress (pretty, silly, vain) we soon see she's more than that, and has many resources to save herself.

This book is light and pleasant. Not much depth to characters and, as I said before, many improbable situations, but worth reading

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Review: The Passenger

The Passenger The Passenger by Lisa Lutz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm still in shock about this book, it's that good!
My first book by Lisa Lutz and surely not the last, I read it in one go, couldn't set it down.

Tanya Dubois finds her husband dead. Instead of calling for an ambulance, as most people would, she grabs money and clothes and goes away. We soon find out she's been on the run for many years, and that Tanya Dubois is one of the many names she will use during this time.

Little by little we get to know what has her running, why and who. It's creepy to see how a 17 year old girl managed to survive all that she went through. She's not a nice person, for sure: she lies, cheats, steals and even murders in order to survive, but she's just a consequence of what other people did to her.

This is a thrilling, fast paced book. You never know what the main character is doing next and how she will deal with it.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Dressed to Kill

Dressed to Kill Dressed to Kill by Margaret Duffy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mrs. Pryce is hated by all the people that surround her, so when she is murdered, all her neighbors are suspects. And these are very peculiar neighbors!

Joanna McKenzie, an ex police woman who now runs a private detective agency, was hired by nasty Mrs. Pryce just before she was killed, to find out who was stealing the plants in her garden.
To make matters more complicated, the police officer in charge is Joanna's ex lover and colleague, Inspector James Carrick.

I'm not sure that the title matches the book very much (you get to know why it's called "Dressed to Kill", but to me it's a bit forced). And there's another investigation going on, about a very valuable artifact stolen from a church, that somehow ends up tied to this investigation.

This is a light, pleasant read and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Tuesday, February 09, 2016

Review: Vienna in Violet

Vienna in Violet Vienna in Violet by David W. Frank
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Vienna, somewhere around 1822. The beautiful Countess Eugénie von Neulinger asks her friend, the renowned opera singer Johann Michael Vogl, to put a poem she has written to music, with the help of his friend the musician Franz Schubert.
But Countess von Neulinger is a schemer, and the song will have terrible consequences for all involved, including herself.

After she is found dead, Vogl & Schubert must prove their innocence in a society where their best interests are not those of the people involved in the crime.

This book is beautifully written, but a bit slow for my taste. Perhaps too much description of Viennese society and politics?
3.5 stars for me.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

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Review: The Girl You Lost

The Girl You Lost The Girl You Lost by Kathryn Croft
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a great read! One of those books that keep you up till 3 am thinking: just one more page, just one more...

Simone and Matt Porter's daughter was kidnapped when she was 6 months old. Now, 18 years later, a young woman suddenly appears and tells Simone she thinks she's her daughter. And then she disappears again.

After this, Simone gets entangled in a web of lies, violence and even murder that will have horrible consequences. Nothing is what it seems and every chapter seems to lead you in a different direction. As the plot twisted and turned, I kept guessing at different endings. I did figure out a part of the final answers, but not the why.

Characters are well described, prose is very good. Kathryn Croft is a great writer and I look forward to reading her other books.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Passion of Mademoiselle S.

The Passion of Mademoiselle S. The Passion of Mademoiselle S. by Jean-Yves Berthault
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A French diplomat finds a bag of old letters in a cellar. This letters are more than 80 years old and are sent from Simone to Charles, her lover.

In them she describes with all detail their affair, what they did when they last saw each other and what she plans for their next appointment.
As we only have Simone's letters, the point of view is very partial. She is obsessed wither her lover and their erotic relationship, and at first, Charles seems to reciprocate her feelings, only to slowly fade away from the relationship at a later point.

I'm afraid that after the first 5 letters, it all seemed the same to me...

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: I'll See You in Paris

I'll See You in Paris I'll See You in Paris by Michelle Gable
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a lovely book!

It's fiction, and it's historical fiction: on one side, we have the story of the gorgeous, smart and crazy Duchess of Marlborough. On the other, a beautiful love story.
Both stories are entwined, told by the Duchess's biographer.

It's a story of secrets kept: Annie has always wondered about her unknown father and family history. Laurel, her mother, has never answered her questions. When they go to England to sell a mystery property that Laurel suddenly announces she owns, Annie starts to decipher both hers and her mother's past.

The part about the Duchess is very interesting, well told and almost funny if it were not so sad. From riches to rags and living in almost inhuman conditions.
Pru and Win's love story is beautiful and sad, but so human and real!

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because Annie, one of the main characters, is just not interesting at all. She's a bit lost and doesn't know what to do with her life, but seems more like a teen-ager than a 22 year old college graduate, engaged to be married.

Not withstanding that, it's a great read. Highly recommended!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Friday, February 05, 2016

Review: The Swans of Fifth Avenue

The Swans of Fifth Avenue The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is the perfect example of how to be rich but unhappy. Clothes, trips, big houses, lots of alcohol and drugs... bad combination.

This is a fiction book, but based on the true story of how Truman Capote lost the friendship of his "Swans", the worldly socialites who loved him, pampered him and made his life easy and beautiful. That is until he decided to publish a story about them.
The swans are beautiful, exquisitely dressed and shallow. Capote is enchanted, and makes each one of them believe she is her best friend and muse.

Capote is a strange character, a genius when it came to writing, but not an attractive personality, at least in this book. The swans are beautiful, bored and boring.
This is not, in my opinion, a book where you get to like the characters, and it probably isn't important, but at the same time it made me like the book less than I expected.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Short Drop

The Short Drop The Short Drop by Matthew FitzSimmons
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

YESSSSS! This book is good. Better than good, it's great.

It's been a while since I read such a good thriller. So good that I read it in less than 48 hours. And what's more, this is the first book by Matthew FitzSimmons. The first in a series, which is a very good thing!
The plot matches actual times, with the US candidates seeking their nomination to the presidency, and it makes the book even more interesting.

Suzanne Lombard, daughter of the US Vice President disappeared 10 years ago. Gibson Vaughn, her childhood friend is searching for her as new evidence has turned up.

Gibson Vaughn is a very interesting and well described character. A teenage hacker who went into the marines instead of going to jail, when he was caught. The pages of this book are full of violence, betrayal, power and money, all elements of a great thriller. The ending is quite unexpected.
I hope Gibson Vaughn returns soon in book 2 of the series!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: One More Day

One More Day One More Day by Kelly Simmons
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another difficult book to review, and I agree with several other readers that the description of the book is a bit misleading. Why? Because it has some paranormal elements that are never mentioned.

When a child disappears, the parents are usually the first to be suspected. In this book, Ben has been missing for a year. When he returns for one more day, and then goes missing again, his mother, Carrie, is the biggest suspect.

While very well written, the "paranormal" part of the book just didn't grip me. Ben comes back because his mother has been praying for him to return for one more day. She also "sees" her grandmother, her dog, an old boyfriend.
It is difficult to add this up with the police procedure part. Even if there's an explanation, it just doesn't seem right.

Regarding Ben's parents, Carrie is just an enigma to me, and her husband is described as a creepy stalker.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Missing Pieces

Missing Pieces Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The description for this book was great, but I'm sorry to say that although it was a light, fast read, it just didn't sum up.

After the murder of his parents, almost 30 years before, Jack returns to his hometown to visit the aunt who adopted him and his sister, and who has just suffered a life threatening accident. His wife Sarah meets his family for the first time, and is astonished to discover that almost all she knows about her husband is not true.
The main characters: Jack, who has been hiding his past from his wife and daughters; his wife Sarah who used to be a reporter and now gives advice on her local newspaper, and Jack's family.
What's more, Sarah is a busybody who overthinks everything, which only confuses her more (and the reader). Jack is just meh... after all the bad things that happened to him, he could be a moe engaging character.

The end, however, was a complete surprise, and that's what saved the book for me. I really didn't imagine the twists and turns in the final part!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Murder at the Manor: Country House Mysteries

Murder at the Manor: Country House Mysteries Murder at the Manor: Country House Mysteries by Martin Edwards
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The 16 stories that form this book were written by some of the best mystery authors: Conan Doyle, Margery Allingham, Chesterton.

As the title says, they celebrate the British country house mystery and a time so different from today: upstairs-downstairs in every story.

However, the stories are all very different and I have to say some were very very good and others not so much.

The Sherlock Holmes (The Copper Beeches) is one of the best. Others, like "The Problem of Dead Wood Hall" and "Gentlemen and Players" were quite good. But others, like "The White Pillars Murder" by G. K. Chesterton I just couldn't figure out why they were selected.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The God's Eye View

The God's Eye View The God's Eye View by Barry Eisler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just love a good thriller, and this book is on top of my "great thrillers" list.

What if your whole life could be seen, searched and followed by the government? What if they could control your every step and move?
Scary, right? And this is exactly the premise of this book. Wherever you go and whatever you do, somebody is watching you.

When Evelyn Gallagher spots two people who are not supposed to be together, and reports it to her boss, the Director of the National Security Agency, she has no idea of the chain reaction she has just triggered.

Spies, murderers, gruesome violence and some sex... mix them together by a very good writer and you have a great thriller in "The God's Eye View"

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The High Mountains of Portugal

The High Mountains of Portugal The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my first book by Yann Martel. I saw the movie of his book "The Life of Pi", but I didn't read it... Shame on me!

The High Mountains of Portugal is beautiful and poetic and sad.
Divided into 3 parts: Homeless, Homeward and Home, each tell the story of a different man and are linked one with the other.

The link, however, seemed to me to be loneliness.

In Homeless, Tomas suffers from the death of his lover and his son. In Homeward, Dr. Eusebio Lozora misses his wife and Maria Dores her husband and son. And in Home, Peter Trovy grieves the life he had with his wife.

In all three stories, there were parts where I couldn't see the point of some situations: A man walking backwards so as to object: he shows his back to the world and to God
Agatha Christie being compared to the Gospels...
And last but not least, the adoption of a chimpanzee!

In the end, all these makes sense and what's more, it is woven together to make a whole, amazing narration.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Thursday, February 04, 2016

Review: The Woman in Blue

The Woman in Blue The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If I'm a big mystery fan, so why hadn't I read anything by Elly Griffiths?

I've been missing out on one of the best mystery writers!
Book 8 in the Ruth Galloway series, it left me wanting to read all the series, from book 1.

This is a classic murder-mystery book: A woman is found murdered in the medieval town of Walsingham. Police and a few more people, including Ruth Galloway, investigate what lead to her killing.

The book has a great combination of strange, lovable characters, a very particular setting and a very good plot. Besides the initial murder (the "woman in blue" from the title), there's a bunch of anonymous letters to women priests, some talk about religion and a few unsavory types, followed by another murder and an ending that I couldn't foresee.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Flood Girls

The Flood Girls The Flood Girls by Richard Fifield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an awesome-beautiful-funny-sad-bitter-sweet book!

Rachel Flood returns to her home town, after 9 years away, to make amends to all the people she hurt when she was a teenager. It's part of her 12 step AA program and most of the 956 inhabitants of Quinn, Montana still hate her for the chaos she created all those years ago.

The cast of characters is a mix of messed up people living in a messed up town. To name a few: Rachel's mother Laverna, the two Mabel's, the Jim's (a very popular name in Quinn), Bucky and Jake, a 12 year old going on 82 gay boy. All I can say is I fell in love with all of them.

I'm not a sports fan. What's more, I don't understand anything about any sport, but Mr. Fifield's description of the softball games the Flood Girls (the local Quinn team) play, are so well written they had me cheering with the rest of the fans.

I started the book at 7 pm and read through the night. That's how good this book was for me.

Thank you Mr. Fifield for an amazing story

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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