Death and the Running Patterer by Robin Adair My rating: 4 of 5 stars This historical mystery was fascinating on so many levels. First, because the setting was a new one to the genre and the author took full advantage of this to convey the unique community of 1828 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In […]
Review: Death and the Running Patterer Read More »
Dragon Champion: Book One of the Age of Fire by E.E. Knight My rating: 3 of 5 stars First in a fantasy series that is unique due to the point of view: that of the dragon himself. It was recommended and was certainly different and interesting. The dragon’s rough-scrabble life and interaction with the species
Review: Dragon Champion: Book One of the Age of Fire Read More »
A Flaw in the Blood by Stephanie Barron My rating: 1 of 5 stars I was completely disappointed in this mess of a book from the author of another of my favorite series (Jane Austin mysteries). Yes, I allowed for a change of plot, setting, theme, and tone. I felt like I came into this
Review: A Flaw in the Blood Read More »
The Sentinels: Fortunes of War by Gordon ZuckermanSent by the Publisher, Greenleaf Book Group, for reviewMy rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a political thriller with a global banking theme, set during World War II. In 1938, a group of six UC Berkeley students — rich, intelligent, multinational and attractive, of course — attempt
Review: The Sentinels: Fortunes of War Read More »
The Snow Empress by Laura Joh Rowland My rating: 2 of 5 stars The 12th in the Sano Ichiro series, this was a slight departure from the series in that it takes place in far northern Japan, where Sano and Reiko’s son has been kidnapped, apparently to lure him away from the capital. The lord
Review: The Snow Empress Read More »
Death and the Chapman by Kate Sedley My rating: 3 of 5 stars The first of a series of historical mysteries set in fifteenth-century England and introducing Roger, a young man who quits the monastery to be a traveling salesman and discovers his talent for solving mysteries. Told in flashbacks by Roger as an old
Review: Death and the Chapman Read More »
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was a fun, quirky story of a dysfunctional English family and the 11-year-old, precocious heroine who likes to snoop and specializes in poison. The post-WWII setting was appealing and the characters were certainly entertaining. I could tell
Review: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie Read More »
The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi My rating: 1 of 5 stars I was truly disappointed in this book after reading the rave reviews. The plot looked fascinating and many people obviously loved it. But once I began, I realized how bleak the story truly is. One down. The writing itself is very descriptive and
Review: The Wind-up Girl Read More »
