Monday, October 30, 2017

Review: The White City

The White City The White City by Karolina Ramqvist
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of the most claustrophobic books that I've read, but it's a mental sensation I got, not a physical one.

Karin is living with her baby daughter Dream in a big, isolated house. There's no heat, it's dirty and there's almost nothing to eat. Her partner was some kind of big criminal (he's no longer in the picture) and despite his promises of nothing bad ever happening to them, she's alone and none of his "business partners" has done anything to help her. He´s gone and she's alone and broke. Also, the authorities have already told her they're taking the house and the car from her.

The sensation of everything closing in around her is real, as she travels to the city, white with snow, to search for John's friends and partners and find out if there's any money left for her.

You can feel Karin's physical discomfort, her almost mental breakdown, the cold and the grime surrounding her. But just when everything seems to be against her, she finds the resources and help to turn everything around.


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

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Review: French Rhapsody

French Rhapsody French Rhapsody by Antoine Laurain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Even the most staid people can have an amusing and fun life in their youth. Such is the case of Doctor Alain Massoulier, who in his middle age receives a letter that has been lost in the mail for more than 30 years.
Alain was the guitarist for the new wave group "The Holograms", and sent a tape to a record company, never receiving an answer. Now, so many years later, he learns that the company was interested in them. The band broke up as nothing ever happened to encourage them to keep on playing, but now Alain is determined to find them and rebuild the group.

The book portrays all of the group members and hangers on, who have taken separate and quite dissimilar paths: there´s a right wing extremist, an artist, a hotel owner, a new age guru, an antiquarian, and a businessman.

The book portrays not only French Society, but modern society in general. As Im about the same age as the characters in the group are, I related 100% with the description of the 80's, the music, the clothes, etc. It's deep and light at the same time, and can be quite funny. When you think things are on a certain path, the plot will turn and leave you quite surprised.

Great book!

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

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Review: Nineveh

Nineveh Nineveh by Henrietta Rose-Innes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For someone that hates bugs as much as I do, this would not be the ideal selection. Curiously, I didn't mind the bugs at all, and there are quite a few of them.

Katya Grubbs (quite a good name for someone in the pest business) is not an exterminator, as she values the lives of the creepers and crawlers she is called to erase from this earth, but a relocator, taking them where they will thrive and live happily ever after, without bothering any humans.
Her father was also in the business, but a traditional exterminator and quite a nasty human being.

When Katya is hired by a local (and very rich) businessman to eradicate the pests in an estate he constructed (the Nineveh of the title), she is faced with a huge problem. The whole place is uninhabitable due to some very strange bugs. To her surprise, her father was involved before her in this, which is not good news.

Good plot, good characters, a very good book from a new to me author.

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

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Review: The Confidant

The Confidant The Confidant by Hélène Grémillon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a dual timeline novel, that alternates between 1975 and the years before-during-after WWII.

In 1975, in Paris, Camille has just lost her mother when she receives a long, unsigned letter. She tries to find the anonymous sender to no avail, and she keeps getting letters about a woman named Annie and a man called Louis, describing their lives during the Second WW. Somehow, she feels this must be related to her, but doesn't understand why or how.

I thought I'd had my share of WWII books, but this one reads as a mystery, which happens to be one of my favorite genres, and although it speaks of the horrors of the war (no way not to mention them), it's more about the people.

It's also about Camille and the decisions she will make with her life, and how the letters influence her 30 years later after the events the letters narrate.

Great book, beautifully written and translated.

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

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Saturday, October 28, 2017

Review: The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes

The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes by Lyndsay Faye
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While I did like this book and enjoyed reading it, I didn't love it.
My mistake, perhaps, as the same has happened to me with the "remakes" of Agatha Christie's books. You have great characters, good plots and amazing writers but the whole doesn't seem to gel together.

I've been a Sherlock Holmes fan since I was quite young, and I've re read most of the books several times. The plots are very smart and Sherlock Holmes and Watson flow through the books, where their personalities complement each other and grow with each book.

In this book, some of the stories were much better than others, that is that I found them quite uneven. Also, I can't picture Holmes and his relations with women as they are described in this book. And Watson is not as interesting as in the original stories.

Overall, a pleasant read but not comparable to the original.


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

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Review: The Front Seat Passenger

The Front Seat Passenger The Front Seat Passenger by Pascal Garnier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another small-great book by Pascal Garnier.

When I first started reading this book, there was a sense of dèjá vu. A man learns his wife has been killed in an accident; she was a passenger in a car driven by her lover. The widower, Fabien, then decides to stalk and befriend the lover's widow.

The part where the plot is not like any other one is that it was written by Pascal Garnier, a master in describing strange people, with many issues, in strange circumstances. Most of the characters in the books I've read by Garnier are not what you can call "normal".

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

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Friday, October 27, 2017

Review: The Suicide Shop

The Suicide Shop The Suicide Shop by Jean Teulé
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In a not so distant future, where religions are all mixed into one and smiling is not a normal thing, the Tuvache family owns a suicide shop. That is, a shop full of artifacts to aid the general and depressed public in ending their life swiftly and safely.

The family is composed of Mishima, the father, Lucrèce the mother, Marilyn the daughter and Alan and Vincent, the sons. Perfect names for their profession.

But Alan, the youngest is not normal. He smiles, he sees life as beautiful and in a subtle way, changes all that surrounds him.

This little book (it's less than 200 pages long) is full of black macabre humor. And the ending... the ending is perfect!

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

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Thursday, October 26, 2017

Review: Two Lovers, Six Deaths

Two Lovers, Six Deaths Two Lovers, Six Deaths by Gretta Mulrooney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have a love-hate relationship with these series.

For one, the plots are very good! In book 3, Tyrone Swift is asked by the ex-wife and now widow of a man that has just killed himself to find out what really happened, as he was accused of killing his girlfriend. Sounds complicated, but it's very well developed and the characters are extremely well constructed.

The hate part refers to Swift's private life. The relationship with Ruth, his ex girlfriend and the relationship she has with her awful husband are just not very believable. Sure, I've heard about co-dependency, but this takes it too far. How can a strong man like Swift be such a wimp when it comes to Ruth?
Anyway, it's a series I like and I look forward to new books in it,

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

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Review: Shadow Over the Fens

Shadow Over the Fens Shadow Over the Fens by Joy Ellis
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Good follow up to "Crime on the Fens".

DI Nikki Galena is now living in the Fens, and DS Easter is again part of her team.
As soon as she's getting settled into her new home, her neighbor commits suicide. This later turns out to be a murder.
Also, someone seems to be stalking Easter and something/someone from his past is making him question his new life.

There's more murders, lots of action and a good plot, but somehow I felt the first book had a better, more believable plot.

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

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Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Review: Deadly Crimes

Deadly Crimes Deadly Crimes by Michael Hambling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm definitely in a minority here. After reading many reviews, I'm still not convinced it's an amazing book, although I did find it easy to read and enjoyable.

My issues are the same as in book 1: the story is good, well crafted and delivered, but the writing feels choppy and too colloquial, simple.

There's two stories going on: The "mystery" part which starts with the body of a man lying on a local landmark and then we have Sophie's life history, which is based on another mystery and gives us a better insight into her character, which is something I do like in a book.

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

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Review: Dark Crimes

Dark Crimes Dark Crimes by Michael Hambling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First in the DCI Sophie Allen series.
The book starts with the murder of a young woman, while she walks back home at night, after work. This is followed by the murder of her mother, strangled at her house. More murders follow and we have a serial killer for sure.

The story is very good, with the usual twists and turns, well plotted and delivered, the ending is very good and for me, quite unexpected.

The part that fell flat for me was all the praise that DCI Allen receives, even from herself. "She felt a mixture of pride in the fact her work was recognized... she saw the genuine enthusiasm and respect in her new assistant's face". Maybe I'm a grinch, but I just didn't buy it that she's always congratulating, thanking her team and that almost everybody adores her. I'm used to strong women that for the same reason step on everyone's toes. This is a murder investigations! There's tension, not good will always. Also parts of the dialogue/descriptions were a bit too simple. I liked the way the team worked together, even if it's their first joint investigation.

But overall, a good book and I will certainly read the next book in the series.

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

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Monday, October 23, 2017

Review: A Darker Sky

A Darker Sky A Darker Sky by Mari Jungstedt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've always wondered how books by two authors are written. In this book the writing is quite smooth, so it feels as if it's the work of only one author.

I'm a big fan of Scandinavian writers, but curiously this is the first one I read by Mari Jungstedt, and it does not take place in a cold climate, but in Gran Canaria, Spain.

A Swedish journalist living in Gran Canaria is covering the murder of a Swedish tourist. The author gives us an interesting view of the ex-pats living on the island and the tourists. When more deaths happen, Sara Moberg, the journalist, chief Diego Quintana, from the police and Kristian Wede, a former investigator who now works for the Swedish consulate, join forces to find the killer.

Good beginning of the series, will read book 2 for sure.

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



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Review: The Girl and the Rat

The Girl and the Rat The Girl and the Rat by Jari Järvelä
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The good thing about this book: very well written, full of action, well described characters and situations.

The bad: Book 2 in a series, and I do feel you have to read the first one to grasp all about Metro, a graffiti artist and her friends. They live rough and have traveled from Finland to Germany, where they try to save a mural by Banksy. There's a whole lot of things going on, as this small anti-establishment group are causing chaos with their painting all around town.

Probably this was a book that is too young for me, but all in all, quite interesting.


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

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Review: Duplicity

Duplicity Duplicity by Jane Haseldine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is another book where I have to say that although I liked it, Book 1 was -for me- much better, but I do look forward to book 3 in the series.

We find Julia Gooden, trying to save her marriage, while working and taking care of her 2 sons. Her husband, a lawyer, is working on a high profile case against a big mobster.
When a bomb explodes in the courthouse, severely hurting David, Julia's husband, she is convinced Rossi, the criminal is responsible for it.

Julia, with Navarro faithfully helping her, will search for answers that put both her and her family in danger.
I still can't imagine why a mother of two young boys can put herself in so much danger, which is probably why I didn't like this book as much as the first one. Julia does silly things in that book also, but her main concern is her boy's safety, in light of what happened to her brother years before. But, we do get an insight into Julia and Navarro's past relationship, which I did feel was needed.

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

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Review: Unpunished

Unpunished Unpunished by Lisa Black
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book 2 in the Gardiner & Renner series.

This time, Maggie Gardiner, a forensic scientist is called to a crime scene: A body has been found in a newspaper office, an apparent suicide.
Jack Renner is part of the investigation team.
There's a complicated relationship between them, as Renner not only a policeman, but a vigilante, a cop that takes justice in his own hands, and Maggie is the only one that knows it.

As more murders happen, they must find a way to work together without compromising the investigation.

I don't recommend reading this book alone, as there are many references to the first one in the series: "That Darkness".

While I found this a very good book, it took me a long time to "get" into it, and I think I prefer book 1, as I found this one to be on the slow side. There was too much talk about the newspaper industry and how it's slowly dying.


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

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Review: The Shadow Land

The Shadow Land The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The more books I read by Elizabeth Kostova, the more I like this author. "The Historian", "The Swan Thieves" and now "The Shadow Land", all amazing.

It all starts with a "misunderstanding". Elizabeth Boyd, a young American woman, has just landed in Bulgaria. The taxi she takes to her hostel takes her to the wrong place, where she helps a Bulgarian family into another car. She realizes she has mistakenly kept a bag belonging to this family, and that she must return it as it contains human ashes.

Helped by Bobbie, her new cab driver who soon turns into a friend, she travels across the country searching for them.

Part mystery, part historical fiction, we discover along with Alexandra the history of a country that has suffered immensely.

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

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Friday, October 20, 2017

Review: Dangerous to Know

Dangerous to Know Dangerous to Know by Anne Buist
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Welcome back, Natalie King!

After having serious personal issues, Natalie King has spent a time in a psychiatric ward and now has exiled herself to the country, trying to lead a quieter life.

But that's not possible at all. It's just not in her personality.

And as the world is small, she finds out that the wife of her new boss is an old "enemy". Not a good situation in which to be, especially as the boss uses Natalie as a personal therapist and downloads all his personal problems on her. There's a certain strange attraction between Frank, the boss and Natalie, which adds to the story. His first wife died shortly before giving birth and his new wife is also pregnant. Will history repeat itself?

Though less complex a story, and with less characters than in Book 1, this book lives up to the first one in the series.

Will there be a book 3 in the series? I certainly hope so!

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

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Review: Medea's Curse

Medea's Curse Medea's Curse by Anne Buist
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Such a good book! Great start to the Natalie King, Forensic Psychiatrist Series.

Natalie King, the main character, is as complicated and unconventional a person as you'll ever find. Besides being a forensic psychiatrist, she sings in a band, rides a motorcycle, has affairs with married men and has her own mental health problems.

The book deals with very hard issues: mothers suspected of killing their children, pedophile rings, stalking.

I like that the main character is flawed but very human. She's strong even when things gets more and more difficult with each page, and the stories she hears from her patients (and her own) are enough to get anybody down. Add to it that her personal life is kind of messy and you have very complex story.
But the more complex it gets, the more it got me hooked. It's a great book, and one I recommend fully


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

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Thursday, October 19, 2017

Review: Blood's Echo

Blood's Echo Blood's Echo by Isabella Maldonado
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good debut book by Isabella Maldonado.

Veranda Cruz works in law enforcement in Phoenix, Arizona. She is obsessed with fighting the drug cartels, especially the Villalobos cartel. Living in a country where the cartels are day to day news, it's very vivid and well described.

I like the strong character that Veranda is, I also love her family who stands together always, and that there's a love interest in the book.

My only "but" is that the Spanish expressions sometimes sound wrong to me, but I have to take into consideration that I'm a native Mexican speaker and that the Spanish in the book is different from mine, as it's Tex-Mex and the idioms and expressions are not the same.

Looking forward to Book 2 in the series.

3.5 stars

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

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Review: Curious Minds

Curious Minds Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My first Janet Evanovich book (this one written in collaboration with Phoef Sutton)
I've read that she is one of the best cosy mystery writers, and her books have been recommended by many friends.

Sadly, this book was just ok with me. Janet Evanovich fans, please don't hate me

The plot, in a nutshell, is the following: Emory Knight is am eccentric billionaire. Riley Moon is a lawyer just a week into a new job in an investment firm when she is ordered to make Emerson invest his inheritance with them.
There's missing gold, evil characters and some very bizarre situations.

It's a funny, light book, and for me, forgettable. But, I'm still in for reading other books written by this author, just not these series.


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

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Review: Outsider in Amsterdam

Outsider in Amsterdam Outsider in Amsterdam by Janwillem van de Wetering
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There's something missing for me in this book. I don't know if it's the translation or the writing, but after I read it, I felt that I enjoyed it, but did not grasp everything. It is not a complicated book, for certain. It's probably just a slow read and I was hoping for something else.

This book is a best seller/classic mystery from 1975. Cops Grijpstra and de Geer are called to a murder scene, that of the leader of an esoteric sect. There's any number of suspects, as he was not a well liked man: his ex-wife, a boarder, the people that worked for him in his sect/society/restaurant.

Maybe because it was written more than 40 years ago, there are some racist and mysoginist comments that would not be acceptable now, and it was difficult for me to place myself in the context of the time.

A good thriller, with a well written plot and interesting characters.

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

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Review: Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet

Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet by H.P. Wood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Coney Island, 1904
It's full of locals, tourists and "freaks" who call themselves "The Unusuals"

Kitty Hayward, just arrived from South Africa is looking for a special medicine for her sick mother. When she returns to the ship where her mother is, she's gone. Looking for her, she meets all the inhabitants of Coney Island, especially those from Magruder's.

There's an extraordinary cast of characters, and this is a book that lets your imagination run wild. You can picture the boardwalk, the attractions, the clothes, the smells and the colors.

When the place is put under quarantine due to the plague, The Unusuals get together to defend their place against outsiders. There's the good ones and the bad ones, but they're all different, each one perfectly described.

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

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Review: Heidelberg Requiem

Heidelberg Requiem Heidelberg Requiem by Wolfgang Burger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't know what to expect of this book, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Alexander Gerlach has been promoted to Chief Inspector in Heidelberg. He must now move to that town from Karlsruhe with his adolescent twin daughters, typical teenagers with an attitude. His wife died some time ago and there's only the three of them.
Gerlach is one of the most agreeable characters I've found in thriller books. He's confused, trying to be a good father (and sometimes failing miserably), a good boss and in general, trying to get his life in track again. He's not a super policeman/detective/man. Quite the contrary!

His first case makes him question if he is fit to be a Chief Inspector, as what he really likes is the investigative work, not the paperwork part of it, much to the annoyance of his superiors. A man has been left to bleed to death and this will not be the only murder in the book.

The plot is made lighter by the interaction between Gerlach and his daughters, and also by a mystery woman with whom he embarks in a relationship.

I hope the next books in the series will be soon translated into English, as this seems to be the only one available now.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Ice Beneath Her

The Ice Beneath Her The Ice Beneath Her by Camilla Grebe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not sure if I can fit this book into the Nordic-Noir genre, which is one of my favorites, but is is certainly amazing (but quite gruesome in some parts).

A horrible crime brings together the three main characters of this book: Peter, the police detective; Emma, a girl working in a clothes store; and Hanne, the profiler.

A woman has been brutally killed in the home of Jesper Orre, the wealthy owner of the clothes chain where Emma works and he has disappeared.
Emma was in a relationship with him, and he has left her without a word. Also, Peter and Hanne were together many years ago. The relations between them are a very important part of the plot.

These three characters are very complex and perfectly described. The plot is intriguing and the end is one of the best I've read in a long time. All is not as it seems and it was certainly a surprise.
The atmosphere is dark, such as I imagine a winter in Stockholm must be.

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


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Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Review: Marked for Life

Marked for Life Marked for Life by Emelie Schepp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another book to fuel my addiction to Nordic Noir.

Jana Berzelius is a prosecutor, and as the book info notes: "young, brilliant and emotionally cold".
The book starts with the murder of a migration official, and then with the discovery of the body of a young boy who was also killed. Both cases seem to be connected, and are also connected to Jana Berzelius.

The young boy has had letters carved in his flesh, and Jana also had them too.
Between remembering and wondering what her real story is, Jana is facing a chilling discovery. Murder and child trafficking are only a few of the things she'll encounter.

This is book 1 in a new series, and I'm already looking forward to book 2, which is already in my library.

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

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Review: Things We Have in Common

Things We Have in Common Things We Have in Common by Tasha Kavanagh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yasmin is 15, lonely, fat and a stalker. She lives with her mother and step father, as her father died some time ago. Her mother spoils her because of that, much to the anger and worry of Gary, her new husband.
To make matters worse, she's not very popular at school, maybe because people have noticed her stalking a girl named Alice. I'm afraid she wasn't very popular with me, either. I just have no patience for this kind of weirdness.
And then she gets "involved" with a man that also seemed to be stalking Alice, and Alice disappears. So now it's the police questioning Yasmin, as she's the perfect suspect.
Everybody's strange in one way or the other in this book, and it is quite a creepy book, but it's also very good.

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

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Review: Last Breath

Last Breath Last Breath by Robert Bryndza
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 4!
I might be repeating myself, but 4 is even better than 3.
Erika Foster is still fighting against the world (or shall I say the narrow minded superiors in the police force?) and when she stumbles upon a case that is not hers, she can't back away.

So this gets her into the usual trouble, as she fights to get herself into the investigating team. Once she manages it, she throws herself into work, in order to find the killer and maybe stop another death.
What was unusual in this book is that we, as readers, know who the killer is. We just have to wait until Erika finds out.

Another aspect of the book that I liked very much is how Erika is growing, trying to leave behind the death of her husband as she feels more comfortable in her relationship with Peterson.

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

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Monday, October 16, 2017

Review: Penhale Wood

Penhale Wood Penhale Wood by Julia Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A year before the book starts, little Sophie Flynn was abducted by her nanny and found murdered in Penhale Wood.
Her parents and sisters then moved to Australia and DCI Rob McIntyre, who was in charge of the case, hasn't had any new leads. The nanny was never found and the case has gone cold.
A year after, two days before Christmas, her mother lands on McIntyre's doorstep and demands the case be opened again.

So far, so good. But the problem is that after a year of nothing happening, everything starts going so fast it's kind of unbelievable. Once Iris Flynn is back in the UK, the case is hot again: suspects appear, things get sorted out and the case is finally solved.

Regarding the characters, Iris Flynn is very interesting and well described. McIntyre is kind of washed out. The rest are either uninteresting or plain unlikeable, such as Alison (McIntyre's ex and Madeline Roy).

On the plus side, Miss Thomas can certainly write and I did enjoy reading the book, even if it was so far fetched.


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

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Friday, October 13, 2017

Review: Dark Water

Dark Water Dark Water by Robert Bryndza
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

So, Robert Bryndza's Erika Foster series gets better and better with each book!

This is the third entry in the series, and I do recommend reading them in order. Trust me, this is a series you want to read from the beginning.

While investigating a drug case, the police find the remains of a little girl that disappeared more than 20 years ago. This is a cold case, and Erika will investigate until she finds what happened a long time ago. There's a very good build up regarding the case, as we learn what happened 26 years ago and we meet the people involved.

I especially like Erika. She may be rough and opinionated, and always at odds with authority, but there's something about her that makes her different from other female-lonely-DI-policewoman.
We get Peterson and Moss, also Isaac Strong. And Erika's sister and her children make a special appearance, showing her in a more human way.


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

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Review: While You Were Sleeping

While You Were Sleeping While You Were Sleeping by Kathryn Croft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found this book very easy to read, the overall plot was quite good, and the book well written, which is a must. But the characters were something else.
Tara Logan wakes up in her neighbor's bed. She's naked, he's dead. What on earth has happened? She can't remember anything, so she flees across the street to her house and family.

Enter her family: husband Noah, daughter Rosie, son Spencer and sister Lisa. Welcome to some of the most unrelatable book characters you've met. The husband is a cheater and the daughter is a born liar and a stalker. The son is quite nice, but don't get me started on the sister. You've also got the nosy, nasty neighbors, another stalker/weird character in Mikey, Tara's coworker and a detective that gives information to the suspects family

I know I don't have to like the characters, but if you really hate them (and I hated Rosie), then half of the enjoyment for the book is gone. For me, this is the kind of book that you literally devour only to finish it and realize some things didn't add up.

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

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Thursday, October 12, 2017

Review: Instant Pot® Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook (An Authorized Instant Pot® Cookbook): Quick & Easy Recipes for Everyday Eating

Instant Pot® Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook (An Authorized Instant Pot® Cookbook): Quick & Easy Recipes for Everyday Eating Instant Pot® Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook (An Authorized Instant Pot® Cookbook): Quick & Easy Recipes for Everyday Eating by Sara Quessenberry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great book for learning how to use the instant pot, instructions well explained and detailed, good pictures.

Having just bought an instant pot, I felt overwhelmed at the many things my pot can do, so a cookbook that also explains how to use it, is a must.

Great recipes such as eggplant caponata, beef ragú and Italian seafood stew.
I'm still wondering if the rice on the instant pot is better or easier to cook than "normal" rice, though!


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

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Review: How to Instant Pot: Mastering All the Functions of the One Pot That Will Change the Way You Cook

How to Instant Pot: Mastering All the Functions of the One Pot That Will Change the Way You Cook How to Instant Pot: Mastering All the Functions of the One Pot That Will Change the Way You Cook by Daniel Shumski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a total newbie when it comes to the Instant Pot, so this book was very welcome. I was kind of overwhelmed with a machine that can do so many things.
First of all, it explains very well all the functions of the Instant Pot and has beautiful pictures.
I chose from a selection of recipes, and among the best I found were the Pressure Cooker Beef Stew and the pork roasts.

However, I found some that did not turn out that well: the caramelized onions turned out mushy and the meatloaf is something that's better baked in a traditional way, not in the slow cooker.

As with all cook books and recipes, some work for us and some don't, and it's probably a matter of adjusting the ingredients to our taste.


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

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Review: Missing, Presumed

Missing, Presumed Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

DS Manon is tired of internet dating, blind dates and the rest of it. Her personal life is quite a mess, but she's quite good at work. What I liked most was Manon herself: almost 40, single, no children, no partner. She's smart and successful at work, but she barely talks her only sister.

When Edith Hind's boyfriend reports her missing, Manon and her whole team go into overdrive investigating her disappearance, as the first hours are critical in these cases. Edith is the daughter of the Royal Physician, so the case is an important one, followed by the media at every step.

Focusing on several characters: Manon; Helena, Edith's best friend; Davy, Manon's police partner, Miriam, Edith's mother, the book slowly takes us into the story. There's a murder, people trafficking and some quite shady stuff among the characters. And by slowly I mean a good thing!


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


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Review: Earthly Remains

Earthly Remains Earthly Remains by Donna Leon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a total Donna Leon fan, and I'd usually give her 6 or 7 stars out of 5, that's how much I like the Commissario Brunetti series. This book, however, although very good, is not among my favorites.

For one, I think there were too many things going on. Some contemporary issues were recreated in the book and, for me at least, it was too much: we have both the death of bees and the hatred of Venetians for tourists.

We still have the amazing characters that we've met before: Brunetti, Paola, Patta, signorina Elettra, Brunelli, Pucetti.
This time, the book takes place near Venice, in Sant' Erasmo, in the middle of the laguna. Brunetti, suffering from burnout and a bit of depression from work, is spending a fortnight in a house belonging to one of Paola's wealthy relatives, in order to rest and recuperate.

There, he befriends the caretaker, who was also his father's rowing partner many years ago. When the old man is found drowned, Brunetti returns to work in order to find if it was an accident or murder.
And here we have the old Brunetti, somewhat disillusioned and wary of his work, but in top form when it comes to solving the case.


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

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Review: Girl in Snow

Girl in Snow Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A young, pretty girl is found dead in a playground carousel. This happens in a small, safe Colorado suburb, almost with no crime, which makes it even more horrid.

Aside from Lucinda, the murdered girl, there are three main characters. They all have their own private, unresolved issues, that haunt them and mold their actions.

Russ Fletcher, the police officer in charge of the case; Cameron Whitley, the young stalker in love with Lucinda; and Jade Dixon-Burns, also a student at Lucinda's school, who has every reason to hate her (and does).
They guide us around Lucinda's life and Broomsville's society. It's not easy feeling an outsider in such a small community, and in one way or the other, these three are on the fringe.

Although very well described, the secondary characters are also crucial to the story: the well meaning but clueless parents, the mean parents, the younger sister, the wives.

My only "but" to this book is that the outcome, the killer was a total cliché. The who and the why are something I have read in other books before.

Nevertheless, an amazing book.

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

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Review: The Breakdown

The Breakdown The Breakdown by B.A. Paris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've had B. A. Paris first novel "Behind Closed Doors" on my TBR list for a while, and having heard so many good things about it, I started reading "The Breakdown" with big hopes of discovering a new author.

The book did not disappoint! It's well written, fast paced and the characters and situations are extremely well described. I shudder just to think about Cass's memory lapses and the confusion that surrounds her. Add to it the extreme guilt of not having helped a woman in danger and it certainly leads to the famous breakdown of the title.

Although I did "guess" a part of the mystery, regarding what was behind Cass's memory loss, I had absolutely no clue as to the why, which made it even more interesting.

I'm now part of B. A. Paris's fan club and look forward to reading other books by her.

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

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Friday, September 15, 2017

Review: Merle: A French murder mystery

Merle: A French murder mystery Merle: A French murder mystery by Angela Wren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another amazing book by author Angela Wren.

Second in the Jacques Forêt series, it's as good as the first and worth the almost two year wait.

Forêt is now working as an investigator in a company full of problems. Owned by two brothers, they've been hacked, are losing clients and can't see eye to eye how to solve them.

When one of the workers in the company is murdered, the case goes from a simple commercial problem to one much more darker. Even though Forêt is no longer a gendarme, he takes an active part in the investigation, part because of his background and part because of his working in the same company as the victim.

The narrative goes to and fro, from the day after the murder to several weeks before, and then after.

We are reunited from some of the characters from the previous book "Messandrierre" and the atmosphere of a small French town is amazingly detailed. And there's also Beth, Forêt's love. All the characters in the book are extremely well described, including some very nasty ones, like Forêt's ex girlfriend who works in the same company as him.

All in all, a great book. Looking forward to #3.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.





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Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Review: The Vineyard: A Novel

The Vineyard: A Novel The Vineyard: A Novel by María Dueñas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While I liked this book, I didn't love it.

I'd heard so many amazing things about the author's other book "El tiempo entre costuras" (The time in between that, although I haven't read it, I was expecting probably too much.

This is the story of Mauro Larrea, a widower who emigrated from Spain to Mexico in the 19th century, worked in the mines, raised his two children and landed himself a place in society, only to lose it all after a bad business venture. From Mexico he goes to Cuba and then back to Spain.

I know this is fiction, but it was way too improbable. Even if money can buy most things, it was too much to believe.

Larrea is neither good nor bad, but he doesn't seem to have much of a conscience.
The other main character, Soledad Montalvo is much like him. They lacked depth. The plot and place descriptions, on the contrary, are extremely good and detailed

For me, it read like a soap opera: too many adventures, a bit of romance and a happy ending.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review


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Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Review: Everyone Brave is Forgiven

Everyone Brave is Forgiven Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was somewhat reluctant about this book, as I've read many WW2 books lately and I was a bit bored with the subject. I didn't know what kind of war book it was going to be and was surprised by the story.

Young Mary North drops out of finishing school in Switzerland as soon as she hears war has been declared, telegraphs the Home Office asking for a job and rushes to London. There, she finds out that she will be teaching young children, as most of the teachers are joining the war.

Rich and kind of useless, she does manage to be quite a good teacher, especially to young Zachary, the only black boy in the class, son of an American jazz musician. However, that's not what the other teachers think, so they fire her as soon as possible.

Trying to get her job back, she meets Tom Shaw and falls in love with him. But when Tom is killed in an air raid, her whole world falls apart.

The two main points of the story are the war seen from the city, as in Mary's life and the other side of the story, focused on Alistair, Tom's friend who is in the trenches. This is the scary war part.

Mary and Tom start a relationship as they write letters to each other, but will it survive the war?

I really liked this book, but I have to give it 3 stars because it's so slow. There are parts that -for me- could have been much more agile (Alistair in the island, for example)

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

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Monday, April 03, 2017

Review: Black Widow

Black Widow Black Widow by Christopher Brookmyre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm beyond excited to have read such a good book, and to have discovered a new author.

I'm a mystery fan, and it's beyond me that I hadn't read anything by Cristopher Brookmyre before.

This is book 7 in the Jack Parlabane series, but it's so well written and the plot is so good that you don't feel you're missing information about the books published before (you just want to run to the nearest library or bookstore and get them all).

Jack Parlabane is a reporter who's going through a bad moment, both personally and with work. He's made a few mistakes that cost him his reputation and he just divorced.

Diana Jager is a surgeon who almost lost everything when she was outed as the author of a certain blog that berated other doctors. Now working in a smaller and less prestigious hospital, she falls in love and marries Peter, who works in IT for the same hospital.

Six months after the wedding, he is dead in a strange accident, and it all point to Diana as being guilty.
But all is not what it seems, and Mr. Brookmyre will take us on a journey where the ending will leave you more than surprised.


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

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Review: The History Major

The History Major The History Major by Michael Phillip Cash
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

One more book that I don't know how to rate. It is impeccably written, but I did not care at all for the main character, and the setting seemed too far fetched at first. It's only in the final pages that I understood what this book was about, and even if it is short, a novella, I found it disconcerting to not understand what it was about.

The main story is as follows:
Amanda Greene is a college student who one day wakes up with a massive hangover, only to find out she has a roommate she's never seen before and has to attend classes she never registered for, in a strange campus where something like a ghost lurks in the buildings and gardens

She's had a fight with her boyfriend (and constantly moans and whines about missing him) and grudgingly attends a History seminar, where the lecturer is none other than Aristotle. She also whines all the time about History being a major waste of time. Not very endearing, right? And let's not talk about her girlfriends, who all fit the description of mean girls perfectly.

During this lecture, Amanda is "transported" to the world of Lucrezia Borgia, Jeanne d'Arc and Eva Braun.

Why? That is for the reader to find out, no spoilers here.


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

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Review: The Beautiful Dead

The Beautiful Dead The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm turning into a Belinda Bauer fan. I haven't read many of her books (yet) but the ones I have read are so good I just want to keep on reading.

In The Beautiful Dead, we have the story of Eve Singer, a young TV reporter who covers the crime section. If it sounds ghoulish, trust me, it is! She fears life and success are passing her by, so she will do anything to at least maintain her job. At the same time, she is taking care of her elderly father, who has dementia, so life is complicated, lonely and kind of sad for her.

Then she covers a horrible crime scene, and then another; But the killer has chosen her to promote his story, and when he reaches out to her, she realizes there is a very fine line between right and wrong. Will she encourage the killer and with it promote her career? Will she survive this story?

Eve is a great character: she has morals, but she also knows that this might be the end of her career if she doesn't ditch them. But she is smart and knows that the killer can't be trusted and that what she is doing is so wrong, in so many levels. I was struggling with her all along the book.


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

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Review: Murder in the Marais

Murder in the Marais Murder in the Marais by Cara Black
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book, Why? Because I can't say it's that good, but I enjoyed it very much.

Aimée Leduc has an investigation agency, mainly tech stuff. When she is approached by a friend of her late father, who wants her to look into an old photograph and break the code/mystery around it she hesitates, but finally accepts.

Then there's a murder, and Nazis, and more murder attempts, and it goes on and on. I think this was, for me, the main problem. We have a tech investigator who suddenly turns into something like James Bond.

But I did enjoy the fast pace, the story was a good one (if you stick to the main plot) and the characters are well described. I really liked the feeling of the city and the way the mc moves around it.

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

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Review: Christodora

Christodora Christodora by Tim Murphy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit it took me a while to get into this book, but it was worth it.

New York in the 80's, the AIDS epidemic, many characters: artsy, dysfunctional, endearing.

From 1981 to 2021 we follow the lives of Milly and Jared and Mateo, their adoptive son. Also of Hector, the gay aids activist. They are the main characters, although there are myriads more, beautifully portrayed, that connect with each other and make the book flow.

Christodora is the name of the apartment building where they live and that will be witness to 40 years of love, sorrow, illness and so much more.

I don't think I can make an accurate description of what happens in this book, except to say that we follow the lives of the main characters during four decades, with the Christodora as the main witness. The characters lives are linked in so many ways that sometimes it seemed I was reading a mystery novel (which for me is always a good thing!)

I'm so glad I kept on reading as this is one amazing book!

My only complaint is that, if you write anything in another language, even if it's only a few phrases, please check the grammar and the spelling. I was shocked with the Spanish used in the book, starting with Ysabel Mendes, which (if it was her grandmother's name also) should be Isabel Méndez.

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



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