March 14, 2008
Deja Dead
By Kathy Reichs
I was unimpressed with this book for two reasons, one of which is admittedly unreasonable.
Firstly, I read the book because I love the TV show based on it, "Bones." Every single thing I loved about the show was missing here -- the geeky secondary characters, the socially awkward but strong and brilliant (and childfree!) female lead, the relationship between her and her FBI partner... all gone. Replaced with a frequently stupid, emotionally-driven, alcoholic divorced Mom. Tempe of the book is a reasonably well-crafted character, but nothing like the Brennan I love in the show. Unreasonable, I know, but it bugged me. A lot.
The real reason I will not only not give this book a good rating but not even bother keeping it in my library is that it's full of female victims. Tempe is strong in that she refuses to give in to her alcoholism even when stressed but she is driven by her heart instead of her head and repeatedly makes bad judgments that make her look stupid and put her in danger. I know this is a first novel and I should probably give it a break, but it annoyed the crap out of me.
(Book 4 in 2008)
September 20, 2007
The Way of the Traitor
By Laura Joh Rowland
I devoured this in a few hours while waiting for a badly-delayed airplane. It's a quick read, with loads of interesting details. I have read several other books in this series about Sano Ichiro, the Shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, and really enjoyed them. They're not terribly deep, and they tend toward the melodramatic, but come on! It's a murder mystery, people!
This one starts when Sano is sent off to the port city of Nagasaki by an enemy in the Shogun's court. He finds himself caught up in the dangerous political minefield of Dutch trading with Japan when a Dutch trader goes missing and then turns up dead. Loads of intrigue, excitement, and politics. Good times.
Book 20 in 2007.
January 22, 2007
How to Succeed in Murder
by Margaret Dumas
The second book in the series. Whipped through this one even faster than the first, and was ecstatic to see the return of my favorite character, Flank. Flank is a bodyguard and is representative of everything I like about these books: He's a bit of a stereotype (bodyguard, super-hairy, built like a tank, mafioso-looking) but he's just plain fun. He can only speak clearly when he's holding a gun (or something equally macho and phallic, like the gearshift of a Hummer). He's nigh-unstoppable when the person he's supposed to be protecting (usually Charley, the series heroine) is in danger. He's a source of much tension-relieving comedy, and generally a lot of fun to have in a scene. Yay.
Book 2 in 2007
Speak Now
by Margaret Dumas
This is the first published novel by Margaret Dumas, and although at times it seems a bit first-novel-ish, once I got into it, I didn't care anymore. The characters are fun and engaging, the plot is straightforward and a solidly well-written mystery, and I had an absolute blast reading it. Honestly. (I do work for Margaret at our day job, but I'm not just sucking up here. It's a good book!) I whipped through it and tore through the second one in the series even faster. Now I just have to wait for her to write another.
Book 1 in 2007.