TITLE: THE SUDOKU PUZZLE MURDERS
AUTHOR: PARNELL HALL
Pages: 308
Date: 13/02/2009
Grade: 3.5
Details: no. 9 Puzzle Lady Mystery
Library
I realize that it is possible that the reason I didn't really get into this mystery is because I haven't read any of the previous books in the series. However, I don't really think so. This book was just too silly for me. It seemed to string itself along on misunderstandings, confusing conversations, guesswork and never taking anything (including domestic violence) seriously.
This has been one of several American mystery series that I have been having a hard time getting my hands on. At least now I won't mind so much that this particular one is hard to find.
In this story, Cora Felton, the puzzle lady, is approached by a Japanese publisher to write a sudoku book. She agrees to his proposal, but then her niece Sherry accidentally signs a contract with another Japanese publisher. It turns out that the two men are long time rivals, willing to do anything to undermine each other. But does that include murdering two private detectives? And where does Sherry's unstable ex-husband fit in?
Like I said, I won't be out hunting these books down. But this was a very easy read. I just didn't find it funny, and I'm sure it was meant to be just that.
TITLE: THE TIN PRINCESS
AUTHOR: PHILLIP PULLMAN
Pages: 276
Date: 12/02/2009
Grade: 4+
Details: no. 4 Sally Lockhart Mystery / YF
Library
I have this down as the fourth Sally Lockhart Mystery because this is the last book in this series. However, Sally only makes two token appearances in this book, and now that she's married, her name isn't even Lockhart anymore.
The real star of this book is Jack Taylor who is reunited with Adelaide, the girl who disappeared during the events in book one. She has, after some very hard years, married a prince from a tiny middle European country. When the prince suddenly and unexpectedly becomes next in line to the throne, he and Adelaide have to travel to Razkavia, bringing Jack for protection and a young girl named Becky as translator. Soon they find themselves in the middle of plots, treason and invasions.
This was more of a thriller than a mystery and a bit more far fetched than the previous ones, but good fun to read.
It's a shame Pullman never wrote more books in this series, but the way everybody ended up, this does make for a satisfying finale.
TITLE: THE TIGER IN THE WELL
AUTHOR: PHILLIP PULLMAN
Pages: 392
Date: 10/02/2009
Grade: 4
Details: no. 3 Sally Lockhart Mystery/YF
Library
Sally appears to have her life in order. Her business is a success, her daughter is healthy and although she still misses Frederick, her daughter's father, she is mostly content.
Then disaster strikes in the form of a man she has never heard of filing to divorce her and gain custody of her daughter.
Although Sally knows she has never been married, a marriage and birth certificate seem to prove differently.
Threatened with losing everything, Sally has the biggest fight of her life on her hands.
Once again Pullman delivers a thrilling and intriguing story and look at Victorian London and the political situation at the time.
I skimmed my way through this book though, because I knew who was behind the plot against Sally and why from very early on.
But, I'm liking this series enough to go straight on to the forth and final instalment.
TITLE: THE INTELLIGENCER
AUTHOR: LESLIE SILBERT
Pages: 330
Date: 09/02/2009
Grade: 4.5
Details: no. 1 Kate Morgan Thriller
Library
This was a fascinating novel, set both in the late 1600's and in the present time.
In the present, Kate Morgan is a private eye working for a firm that doubles as an unofficial U.S secret service agency. She is called in when a mysterious and centuries old manuscript is found and almost stolen. her job is to find out what secrets the manuscript holds and who is so desperate to get their hands on it.
She has another assignment too; to find out what an enigmatic arts dealer bought from an Iranian intelligence officer. She is unaware that the first investigation might kill her while the second could break her heart.
The manuscript of the first investigation concerns the various networks of spies during Elizabeth 1st reign, and in deciphering the documents Kate and the reader get an insight into the final days of Christopher Marlowe, famous playwright and suspected spy, who was killed in 1593.
Both stories in this book are thrilling and intriguing. And the fact that I had the modern day villain pinpointed fairly early on didn't matter at all since there were several other mysteries which reminded just that until the very end.
This book was published in 2004, and although a second Kate Morton book was promised, no publication date has been announced yet. I do hope the sequel will come, and sooner rather than later.
TITLE: CAPTIVATED
AUTHOR: NORA ROBERTS
Pages: 332
Date: 07/02/2009
Grade: 4+
Details: no. 1 The Donovan Legacy
Own
It's hard to know what to write about a novel by Nora Roberts because the books all tend to follow the same basic story line. Which should be putting me off reading them, because I tend to detest predictability in my books, but has for some reason I can't quite put my finger on, the opposite effect when it comes to Roberts. Her books feel like coming home to a warm house on a cold night; familiar and comfortable.
In this series, we meet the Donovans, Morgana, Anastasia and Sebastian, three cousins from a long line of witches, each with their own special powers.
Nate Kirkland, writer of block buster horror movies wants to meet up with Morgana in order to research the subject of his next script: witchcraft.
Not that he believes she actually has any magical powers, but he does find himself attracted to her. When he does eventually come to believe in her powers, it turns out that he and his past are the real obstacle to any future together.
TITLE: FLESH AND BONE
AUTHOR: JEFFERSON BASS
Pages: 400
Date: 06/02/2009
Grade: 4
Details: no. 2 Body Farm Mystery
Library
Before I get into the story of this book, I should point out that as a rule I don't really like story lines in which the main character is accused of the crime and the rest of the book is dedicated to proving his innocence and finding the real murderer. It only gets worse when I know from fairly early on who is the guilty party.
This book has both these "faults".
Somebody close to Dr. Bill Broxton is killed and left in a nightmarish set-up on the body farm. And who ever did it went out of their way to implicate Broxton. He never even considers the person who did it, which ends up nearly getting him killed.
And that's another weakness; it didn't make sense for this person to stay under the radar.
However, the book was rescued by some interesting characters and decent underlying story lines.
Maybe it wasn't the greatest mystery, but it was by no means bad enough to put me off reading more.
TITLE: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
AUTHOR: STIEG LARSSON
Pages: 533
Date: 02/02/2009
Grade: 5
Details: no. 1 Millennium Trilogy
Library
This was a very good book. The story is quite intricate and does require that you pay attention at all times. And while the story is fast paced with a lot (at first apparently unconnected) things going on, the other never rushes the story and does take his time for descriptions that give the reader a good picture of the characters involved and the settings of the story.
As for the story itself, there is too much going on for me to write a comprehensible summary. Suffice to say that the story centers around a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, who is hired to look into what happened to a 16 year old girl who disappeared without a trace 40 years ago, and a girl in her twenties with a mysterious past, who has been declared legally incompetent ad is a highly effective researcher, named Lisbeth Salander.
I'm so glad that the second book in this trilogy will be available to me shortly. And it's heartbreaking to think that Larsson died shortly after delivering his trilogy to his Swedish publisher.
