A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh

February 29, 2024

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintoch

Reality TV is all the rage, and there is a new one set in North Wales. But this one has a nasty twist: instead of being a survival show as advertised, the producer plans to expose each contestant's most shameful secret. It comes as a complete shock to the seven contestants, and after the first show airs, one contestant slips away into the Welsh mountain in the middle of the night, unable to face what may be coming for him. DC Ffion Morgan is assigned to the missing persons case, but that turns out to be the least of her problems.

This is the second book in the DC Ffion Morgan series, and we get to revisit many of the characters from the first book (The Last Party). There are many games at play here, not just the reality show, and everyone involved has their own agenda. The plot moves along at a good pace and kept me turning the pages. I hope Mackintosh is planning another book in the series, since I look forward to watching Ffion and Leo's relationship developing. And for all my dog-loving friends who used to call me wanting to know if the dog is okay at the end of the book (any dog, in any book), not to worry: Dave the dog is still with Ffion at the end of the book. (At the moment, I have a sweet but needy senior golden retriever foster dog who sheds constantly, so I can relate to Ffion's struggles with Dave.)

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

North Wales

Northwoods by Amy Pease

October 7, 2023

Northwoods by Amy Pease

After serving in Afghanistan, Eli Woods suffers from PTSD and self-medicates with large amounts of alcohol. He has a job as a sheriff's deputy only because his mother is the town sheriff. When a teenaged boy is found dead and his friend is missing, Eli partners with an FBI agent and joins the search. But the more answers he gets, the more tangled the mystery becomes.

The whole story here swirls around addiction. Although this is a decent mystery, the author tried to cover too many big topics: PTSD, alcoholism, addiction, the opioid crisis, big pharma, white collar crime, family relationships. The narrative would have benefited from less description involving extraneous characters (is it really important that the wife of the guy who owns the fishing camp wears a ton of make-up and has her boobs practically hanging out of her top?). 

Set in the North Woods of Wisconsin, this really could have been set in any small vacation town. I know this area - we vacationed there several times when I was a kid, and later with my husband. "Resort" is something of a misnomer - the term resort makes me think of luxury linens, spa facilities, golf, and fine dining. The resorts in the North Woods are more like fishing camps. Nothing bad about that, we loved them as kids. I've never seen a country club in this area like the one described in the book, but I do know the gangster John Dillinger had a hideaway in Wisconsin called the Little Bohemia Lodge (it's still there today).

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

North Woods fishing camp

The Maid's Diary by Loreth Anne White

August 30, 2023

The Maid's Diary by Loreth Anne White

Vancouver BC, Halloween night, 2019. A couple engaged in an illicit affair park in a secluded spot near the river to have sex, but they are interrupted when two other cars pull into the area. Two people get out of the cars and haul something out of the backseat of one car and throw it in the river. Then they push one of the cars into the river, get back in the second car, and drive away. Near midnight in a wealthy Vancouver neighborhood, an elderly woman calls 911 to say she heard a woman screaming in the house next door. When police arrive, the house looks like a bloodbath but there are a lot of unknowns: who is the victim? where are the homeowners? is the maid seen earlier in the day involved? who were the couple seen visiting around dinner time? was it accident, suicide, or murder?

Very good psychological fiction with an unreliable narrator and plenty of unlikeable characters. Kit Darling is a maid with a snooping problem that is going to land her in trouble one day, serious trouble. There are some really unexpected twists. You think you have the story figured out, but then something else happens to make you wonder what is really going on. Highly recommended if you want a story that will mess with your mind.

Vancouver BC

Where the Dead Sleep by Joshua Moehling

August 17, 2023

Where the Dead Sleep by Joshua Moehling

When a local man is found shot to death in his bed, acting sheriff Ben Packard finds himself with plenty of suspects, including the man's family, friends, and neighbors. At the top of the list are the man's wife and his ex-wife, sisters who hate each other. At the same time, Packard is trying to decide whether to run for election for sheriff.

Good police procedural, second in the series. Tight plotting, fast pace that will keep you turning the pages. I guessed at some but not all of the players. Packard is a multi-faceted detective: he's very good at his job, he has a three-legged rescue Corgi named Frank, he is renovating his house himself, and he knows how to cook a spatchcocked chicken, all qualities that I like in a man. He's gay, but that doesn't bother me. There is some sex, but it's low-key and not enough to make me jealous. Looking forward to the next book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Minnesota lake

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh

September 17, 2022

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh

It's New Year's Day, and almost everyone in the small Welsh town of Cwm Coed has turned out for the traditional lake plunge. There was a massive New Year's Eve party the night before at the exclusive lake community called The Shore, and some people are hungover while others are still drunk. But the annual event is abruptly cancelled when a body is found floating offshore. Since the border between England and Wales runs right down the center of the lake, a detective from each side is assigned to the case. It seems like everyone in the community has something to hide or someone to protect, as well as a reason to want the victim dead.

This was a very good modern mystery. There was a twist in the middle that I did not see coming. Quite honestly, the murder victim was a thoroughly reprehensible person and needed killing. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys contemporary mysteries.

Lake country in Wales (not the lake in the book, which is fictitious)

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.

Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence

April 16, 2020

Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence

A young man is found dead in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, an apparent suicide, but Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton isn't so sure.  As the number of victims mounts, Hamilton realizes that there is a serial killer on the loose in Edinburgh.  With the murders increasing in frequency and scope, the detective finds himself desperate to interpret the few clues left by the ruthless and organized sociopath.

This is the first title in a historical series set in Edinburgh in the late 19th century, in the early days of forensic science.  Like all good detectives, Hamilton is a damaged man carrying secrets from his past.  The point of view changes with the chapter and sometimes it's hard to figure out what character is speaking or thinking at the moment.  But overall it is quite a good historical mystery.

During the shelter-in-place period here in Illinois, I've been doing what work I can from home, doing things like working on book orders, writing book reviews, and staying in touch with my staff.  I have also been sewing face masks for friend and family.

Last night was a movie night - Hulu is streaming some older movies for free.  I watched Blazing Saddles, which is randy, tasteless and certainly not politically correct but still hilarious.  It's similar to Blades of Glory, which is about two male competitive figure skaters who are banned from competition for brawling at a competition, but then team up as pairs figure skaters since the competition rules don't state that a pair has to be a man and a woman.  Predictable and stupid, but some parts are just so damned funny.  

Stay well!

The Tenant by Katrine Engberg

January 16, 2020

The Tenant by Katrine Engberg

A young woman is found brutally murdered in her Copenhagen apartment.  The police have few clues and no leads, except that the owner of the building was writing a crime novel that exactly describes the murder.

The plot was complex and original, and I was expecting some really dark Scandinavian noir, like something by Jo Nesbo.  But this one turned out to be disappointing.  It was all over the place – there was too much going on, too much unnecessary backstory.  Too much time was spent on the angst of one of the detectives, and almost no time was spent with the other one.  I found both of the detectives in this police procedural to be unlikable, and neither one seems to be very good at their jobs or enjoy what they do.  Anette is big, loud, sneering, sloppy, and socially inept – not good attributes in a detective.  Jeppe is weak, horny, self-pitying, dependent on pain meds, and socially inept – also not good attributes in a detective.  Their relationship is antagonistic at best.  I also disliked the author’s cutesy decision to give the two detectives rhyming surnames.  I believe this is the first book in a series, but I don’t think I’ll be revisiting Koerner and Werner in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in return for a review.

Killing with Confetti by Peter Lovesey

July 2, 2019

Killing with Confetti by Peter Lovesey

Meh.  Part of a long-running series featuring Detective Peter Diamond, and not the strongest entry.

The premise is intriguing:  the son of a police chief and the daughter of a crime boss decide to marry, causing a security nightmare for the Bath police force.  Diamond finds himself assigned to act as unwilling bodyguard to the crime boss.  But too much time was spent in the first half of the book on characters who have nothing to do with the plot and essentially disappear in the second half.  The final plot twist was clever, but not that well supported, so no recommendation on this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in return for a review.