What's it about: small town, K-9, crime, murder, veterinary, family
I did think having the main characters married would make the story less appealing but it didn't but I still don't like Cole's viewpoint (main character) all that much. It's Mattie (main character) who is more interesting, being the cop but I don't have much interest in veterinary so reading Cole's view point sort of slows the story for me. Also, there is less Robo (the k-9) but there are other dogs too. Overall, a good addition to the series but I did think the writing seemed not as good as the previous books but that might not be true since I didn't re-read to compare.
What's it about: murder, inheritance, a depressed private eye, a missing girl, lots of people being irritated and lying
Twenty writers wrote this - each author wrote a chapter. Alafair Burke and Mary Higgins Clark are the only authors I had read before. If Clark wasn't one of the authors, I wouldn't bother with this. I wasn't paying attention to the style of the writing but it seems to go along without me thinking every chapter, 'hey, it's a different writer' though the beginning of each chapter has the author's name.
They called this a 'classic noir tale' but PI Christo (main character) used his phone to look up things on the internet which I thought they shouldn't do since this feels a bit un-modern even with cars. Mostly, there isn't one good character to care about, even the main character, PI Christo, is annoyingly unlikable. They could have cut a lot of Christo's many repetitive introspection, constantly reminding the reader about the depressing state of his career, relationship with his ex-wife and daughter and all the miserable things he had gone through. All he did was drive around, talk to people, meander about his miseries, drive some more, meander some more, talk to people, one confrontation, the end. It just seemed like they could have cut the book in half.
I disliked the viewpoint of the supposed killer in the second-person point of view with, You do this, You do that - those parts just irked me and they just dropped off suddenly and yes, you find out who it was but those parts just seemed like you're reading a different book. I don't think they offer much to the story beside breaks from Christo's melancholy.
I think of this as my 25th Mary Higgins Clark book that I read so that sort of makes it worth reading.
What's it about: financial fallout, crimes, murder, reporters, medical cures
The beginning was boring but it got better but it's hard to care about any characters since I found them unlikable and depressing and the overall mystery is a little bland. This might be the worst Clark book I had read but I haven't read all her books but this is definitely very low on the list.
What's it about: a boy, a forest, adventures, all types of weirdly/somewhat-scary creatures
This was good but I wasn't into the story all that much. And Twig, the main character, was okay but his journey through the forest is a bit repetitive - he encounters a creature or two, gets into some type of trouble, escapes and then do it over again. It's a first book in a series so there is no real ending but it ends on a good note. The illustrations are quite good. The illustrator, Riddell, had a certain style that I like. I'm not reading the rest of the series yet as I don't think I have the mindset to read them now but maybe later on.
What's it about: murder, detectives, police investigation, Jane Austen
This started out really good, got a bit boring, then it was kind of good but the end was not that great. The culprit was a surprise to me. You go about chasing after an answer and you get that so I guess I was a little disappointed. And we spent a lot of dull time with suspects that were deadends.
Peter Diamond's dislike of technology is the thing that made him supposedly the last detective of his kind, the kind who likes to knock on doors, ask questions, make deductions - that's the main reason I decided to read this book but he was stubborn and not quite open-minded. I just don't think I want to spend any more time with him and besides (THIS IS PROBABLY A SPOILER >) he quit being a cop at the end so how could they continue the series? I'm not continuing the series and there are so many more books.
This deluxe edition I read does contained an interview with the author and his muse (Peter Diamond) which is sort of amusing and some other stuff I don't care much for.
What's it about: a maid's life, the death of the maid's brother, Emily Dickinson and family, abolition, some very badly done investigations
This was okay but I think the main character Willa Noble was just not interesting enough. And Noble's brother had a diary which she could have read to find some answers but she put off reading it and then we find that it contains nothing useful so that's disappointing.
I don't know how accurate Emily Dickinson is portrayed but here she is aloof, eccentric, bold and basically bossy and arrogant. She ignores all conventions and is just way too modern for her time. Since we view her through Noble, this is what we get. In those time period, maids and their mistresses don't hang out and solve murders together. It certainly seemed odder that other people allowed Dickinson to have Noble around when her presence simply wouldn't be accepted.
It would have been nicer to have the story told through Dickinson's eyes. Why call this series the Emily Dickinson Mystery when we get don't even get her point of view? So maybe Noble is like the naive sidekick, like Watson and Dickinson is the wise detective like Sherlock but neither one seem to know how to keep a low profile nor do things in secret. Everyone knew what they were doing, even the killer. The mystery is too tied up with abolition and not all that interesting to me. But mainly, if Emily Dickinson wasn't a character here, I wouldn't bother with this book. I'm not continuing the series unless I suddenly had an urge to do so.
What's it about: a pony's life, animal ownership, murder, animal antics, travel, animal cruelty
Basically, this is a mystery/adventure book with a pony, a murder mystery and various animals antics with a slight paranormal element. This started with an arrest of Penny (the main human character) but I would have started with the Pony (the other main character) - he's an angry pony because he thought he was abandoned by his owner (Penny). He is given various names when he changes owners but he's just 'The Pony' but I like his character. He sort of have an adventure trying to find Penny. Toward the end, the murder mystery is slowly revealed. He did sort of found the answer but in a sort of lucky and unexpected way. The timeline, as this was told in two perspectives (The Pony and Penny), doesn't match up as Penny's timeline is sort of ahead of the pony so it got a bit confusing at one point toward the end but sorted itself out. I like Pony's perspective much more than Penny's as she spent a lot of time in prison and having flashbacks. The cruel treatment of horses and animals by humans is an important element to the story. Supposedly, it makes the ending all the more sweeter. This book was a lot of fun (I laughed a couple of times) and this has a satisfying and happy ending. (I updated my Best and Worst books of 2025 and added this book to my best list.)
Favorite passage: "I am a pony. But not just any pony. I am a pony who is bent on revenge. I am the lago of ponies, a furry Fury. I am both adorable and devious, and, until I get what I want, I'm going to make every human I meet pay for your collective crimes. I am a tiny, mop-topped demon, and I am coming for you."
Have you read any good books this month?
No comments:
Post a Comment
"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it."
- Kurt Vonnegut