Whatcha Readin' ?

Book Reviews

Okay, it’s time to discuss books. What have you been reading of late? I hope the busy holiday season hasn’t interrupted this necessary pleasure. I’ve got a few things to say about some of the books I’ve been reading. Here goes.

The 13^th Tale

By Diane Setterfield

What an interesting book. Gothic-y, a mystery wrapped in enigma.  Two women set out on a journey. Oh, gag. I hate it when someone says that. Here’s the deal. A young woman, who lives and breathes books, snags an interview with an old woman whose writing has captivated the world for decades. The thing is, the old woman has never told the world the truth about her own life – until now. Oooo, sets the stage nicely for some murder, mayhem, mental problems – and a connection the two women share that keeps them talking. I liked it.

Cover of Snow

I met the author, Jenny Milchman, when she attended our November Mavens of Mayhem meeting. I often will buy the books of authors I’ve met, and I bought hers. She told me she liked my speaking voice and she laughed at the bit I'd read from The Red Shoelace Killer. I'm a sucker for flattery, I guess. Several authors read from their works at that meeting. Raising my hand as one of them. Anyway, her book was quite good. Set locally (Adirondacks) and with a protagonist who would do what I hope I’d do if I woke up one morning and found my husband hanging from the rafters. She grieves, wonders, and then goes looking for his killer, butting heads with authorities who have held sway over the town for decades. She uncovers naughty secrets about them all and one about her husband that’s a shocker. Worth the read.

Anne Perry

This writer’s own disturbing past was revealed not too many years ago and lends a certain aura to her work. She’s a convicted murderer. Read about it here. I met her at Bouchercon, briefly, when she signed the book I’d bought. I’d never read her. And I haven’t read the book she signed because she warned me not to. Creepy sounding, I know. But it’s the last in her Monk series and she advised that I read the others first. What I did do was purchase several of her earlier books for my Kindle. The Cater Street Hangman is the first in another series she wrote early on in her career. She develops her characters and sets them up for future installments. Victorian. Detective meets strong woman. Unlikely, but guilty, perpetrator. Worth my time to the extent that I “Kindled” two more. I'll get around to Monk. 

Now, tell me what you’re reading. 

Image: Free Digital Photos