TITLE: PLUM LUCKY
AUTHOR: JANET EVANOVICH
Pages: 166
Date: 19/05/2009
Grade: 4
Details: A Stephanie Plum between the numbers novel
Own
This was another wacky adventure with Stephanie and Co.
When Stephanie's grandma Mazur finds a bag filled with cash, she hightails it to Atlantic City for a spot of gambling.
But, a little man in green pants who had the money before her is after Grandma and that money, which he needs to ransom a horse. And the horse is being held by a mobster who claims to own the money.
Throw in Diesel, Lula and Connie and you have mayhem on every page, with a few laugh out loud moments.
Unfortunately there's not much of a role for Ranger and Morelli, but there was plenty to enjoy.
A great holiday read.
TITLE: DE COCK EN DE MOORD IN DE HONDSDAGEN
(The Kok and the murder in the dog days)
AUTHOR: A.C. BAANTJER
Pages: 142
Date: 15/05/2009
Grade: 4
Details: no. 69 De Cock Mystery
Own
A few hours after he has been reported missing, De Cock and his side-kick Vledder find Petrus van Wijngaarden murdered. In the trunk of his car they find six dead puppies, perished in the heat.
Petrus was an animal rights activist who also delved into the supplying of young dogs to research facilities. He was also engaged in an extra marital affair. All in all there are more than enough motives for his murder.
When more members of the animal activist group end up murdered, it only increases the mystery. But true to form, De Cock does arrive at the right conclusions and unmasks the murderer.
These are fun mysteries. Of course they are all written according to the same formula, and they are not complicated or intricate. But they do make for an easy and fun reading experience.
And reading this book while I actually was in Amsterdam increased my enjoyment.
TITLE: WITHOUT FAIL
AUTHOR: LEE CHILD
Pages: 398
Date: 11/05/2009
Grade: 5-
Details: no. 6 Jack Reacher Thriller
Library
Jack Reacher is doing his usual thing of roaming from here to there with no luggage, no address and no official documentation when he's tracked down by M.E. Froelich. M.E. is the former partner of his diseased brother Joe and heading the security team in charge of the vice-president elect. Death threats are being send to the vice-president to be, and M.E. needs Jack's help in assessing the risks and providing protection.
After a nearly successful assassination attempt the official enquiry goes in one direction while Jack is sure they need to look elsewhere. If he's wrong all effort and loss will have been for nothing.
As always, a very gripping and thrilling story, almost impossible to put down. There was one slightly disappointing moment though when all supposedly talented investigators missed out on a clue that stood out like a sore thumb.
TITLE: NIGHT-TIME IS MY TIME
AUTHOR: MARY HIGGINS CLARK
Date: 10/05/2009
Grade: DNF
Details: Audio: 10 Cd's / 9 hours 55 minutes
Narrator: Kate Harper
Because I did listen to 8 of the 10 Cd's of this audio, the decision not to finish it took some time to take. It seemed a waste not to listen to the rest of it.
However, once I admitted to myself that I just didn't care how the story would end, and that I really didn't want to listen to anymore of it, that decision was easy enough.
TITLE: HET DERTIENDE STERRENBEELD
AUTHOR: UNNI LINDELL
Pages: 378
Date: 10/05/2009
Grade: 4-
Details: no. 1 Inspector Cato Isakson Mystery
Own
Even though I scored this book a 4-, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. The mystery itself was certainly good. Men are being killed in Oslo, and underneath their bodies short notes with lines from a nursery rhyme are being found. In a country were serial killings are rare to non-existent, this creates a huge headache for Cato Isakson and his colleagues.
About halfway through the book it seem like the killer has been revealed, but thankfully things turn out to be less obvious than they seem.
It was the rest of the story that didn't quite sit right with me. Too large a part of the story was taken up by Cato's private life and problems for my liking. Yes, some part of his private life story tied in to the mystery, but I would have liked more attention to the detection and less for Cato's love and family life.
So, will I read more books in this series? I haven't made up my mind about that. I will be looking for books to bring home with me when I'm in Holland, and if nothing else peaks my interest I may pick up another Cato Isakson mystery, but I do not feel an urgent need to get one.
The Dutch have marketed this book as a "literary thriller"; for me it could have been less literary and more thriller.
TITLE: AMERICAN WIFE
AUTHOR: CURTIS SITTENFELD
Pages: 555
Date: 07/05/2009
Grade: 5-
Library
This book tells the story of the life of Alice Lindgren Blackwell, a small town girl who ends up being America's First Lady. What makes this a remarkable book is the fact that the character of Alice has been modeled on Laura Bush, with Sittenfeld trying to get into her mind and her heart in order to find out what motivated her and what kept her going.
It's a shame that I know so very little about the real woman, Laura Bush (although if she's anything like the character of Alice she would prefer it that way), and therefore have no idea how biographical this story actually is.
Did Laura Bush kill a young man she was in love with in a car accident? Did she have an abortion? And did she take a stand against her husband's war in Iraq? I just don't know, and I don't think I'm going to try and find out, because it wouldn't affect the way I think about this book.
It doesn't really matter how much of this story is based on fact since this is a beautiful story, examining what makes a marriage, why people stay together despite differences and how having different opinions doesn't have to mean you can't love each other or make a life together.
The only reason I marked the book a minus with the five is because there were times when Alice's tolerance, passivity and "anything for peace in my life" attitude made me dislike her and want to give her a good shake. But then, I suppose it's a mark of a good writer when her work evokes such strong emotions in me.
TITLE: FATAL LIES
AUTHOR: FRANK TALLIS
Pages: 421
Date: 03/05/2009
Grade: 4+
Details: no. 3 Dr. Max Liebermann Mystery
Library
When a young cadet is found dead in a military school in Vienna in 1903, an autopsy seems to suggest death by natural causes. However, there are some strange injuries, some old and healed and some fresh, on the boy's body, and they stimulate Inspector Oskar Reinhardt to investigate further, with the help of his friend Dr. Max Liebermann of course. Very soon they discover a web of bullying, abuse, secrecy and misuse of power with more than just one victim.
At the same time, Max's involvement with Amelia Lydgate appears to have come to an end, leaving him in the grip of strong feelings of jealousy and anger. When he subsequently meets the beautiful and passionate Hungarian violinist Trezska, he quickly falls for her charms. But there is far more to Trezska than meets the eye, and Max could find himself losing more than just his heart.
I wasn't overly impressed with either of the mysteries in this book. However, what ever strength the book lacked in that respect was adequately made up for by the descriptions of the society in Vienna, early in the 20th century. And I do love the way historically correct events and people (like Sigmund Freud) feature in these stories.
