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Catching up

I have been seriously negligent about posting reviews of books I have read recently. I blame it all on the broken foot. I mean it is really hard to type with a broken foot! In an attempt to get back up to date, here are mini-reviews of my recent reads:

           

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman: This is number four in the Thursday Murder Club mysteries. Once again the crime-solving seniors - Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim - put their skills to work on solving a murder. The twist is that this time the victim was a friend of theirs, an antique dealer who was murdered after he was given an old box that turned out to contain heroin. The elderly detectives are not concerned about the heroin, only about who killed their friend. They are determined to find the answer and get justice. In fact, they won't rest until they do. My rating: 3 of 5 stars.

                             

The Hunter by Tana French: Tana French is one of my favorite writers of mysteries and her detective, Cal Hooper, is a favorite character. Cal took early retirement from the Chicago Police and moved to rural Ireland in search of peace. He found it but he's also found that murder can invade even this idyllic setting. Cal has made the teenager Trey Reddy his project as he tries to rescue her from her rather feral existence. In this one, Trey's wastrel father returns and he's brought with him an English millionaire and a scheme to find gold. What could possibly go wrong? My rating: 4 of 5 stars.


Findings by Mary Ann Evans: This is another in the archaeological mystery series featuring archaeologist Faye Longchamp. Faye is at home at Joyeuse, the family plantation in Florida that she is painstakingly restoring. Her joy at doing the work she loves is interrupted when thieves break into the home of her friend and mentor Douglas Everett and kill him. Inexplicably, they do not take any of the treasures in his home, but they do take Faye's notes from her latest dig that she had given to Douglas. What could be in those notes that the thieves/murderers wanted? My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Floodgates by Mary Ann Evans: This one finds Faye and her assistant Joe Mantooth working in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. They find a body in the house where they are working and the police at first think it is a victim of the hurricane but Faye begs to differ and shows them that the body was actually planted there. Faye and Joe must use their archaeological expertise to help solve the mystery of what was, in fact, a murder. My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Pay Dirt by Sara Paretsky: This is number 22 in Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series and I've read all of them all the way back to 1982 and Indemnity Only! I've enjoyed every one of them (some more than others, of course) and V.I. is another of my favorite fictional detectives. In this one, Angela, V.I.'s protege who attends college at Northwestern, is concerned that one of her roommates, Sabrina, has gone missing and she asks V.I. to find her. She does find her, close to death at a drug house and that's where the trouble really begins. My rating: 3 of 5 stars. 


*~*~*~*

And that brings us up to date to what I'm presently reading and that review will be posted in a few days. Stand by!

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Comments

  1. CarmenJune 20, 2024 at 8:15 PM

    It’s good to see you reviewing books again, Dorothy, and there’s nothing like comforting mystery series to get one back into the flow. Five books at a time, with two of them being very good, is a great load.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJune 20, 2024 at 9:37 PM

      Yes, I'm hoping to get back in the habit of more extensive reviews. I enjoy doing them and they help me to remember what I've read!

      Delete
  2. David M. Gascoigne,June 21, 2024 at 5:11 AM

    It’s a very good thing that you are back to doing your reviews, Dorothy. People have been waiting for weeks not knowing what to read!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lark June 21, 2024 at 8:47 AM

    That Tana French one does sound really good. Her book In the Woods was so impactful and memorable. She really knows how to write a good mystery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJune 21, 2024 at 10:06 AM

      I think I've read all of French's books and I've never read one that I didn't enjoy.

      Delete
  4. Sarah @ All The Book Blog Names Are TakenJune 21, 2024 at 6:50 PM

    I am hopelessly behind on reviews and will probably remain that way for the rest of my life. I do not have any good excuse, except that I'd rather read than write sometimes. Even though I am loud about my opinions and love shouting them, lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJune 22, 2024 at 10:18 PM

      I agree that I prefer reading to writing but writing the reviews does help my brain to remember and focus on what I've read. I see it as an important adjunct to reading.

      Delete
  5. thecuecardJune 22, 2024 at 3:53 PM

    This is a good recap. It seems you didn't find The Hunter too slow which some others had remarked about. You are a very loyal reader to French and Paretsky which makes it fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJune 22, 2024 at 10:16 PM

      No, indeed, I did not find "The Hunter" slow at all! It moved at just the right speed that it needed to tell the story.

      Delete
  6. Captivated ReaderJune 22, 2024 at 6:33 PM

    Yay, to reading your thoughts on what you've been reading! I've missed reading your book reviews. It looks like you've been reading some real winners.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJune 22, 2024 at 10:14 PM

      I have been pretty lucky in my reading selections lately. None have really disappointed me.

      Delete

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