Blue Door (PI-Eddie Cero-Philadelphia-Cont) - Standalone - David Fulmer Corona – Ex – I really liked this character. I was wrapped-up in the story and especially enjoyed the trip back in time [1962:]. But I am beginning to suspect a male fantasy that I was unaware of; like the well-known dream of teenaged girls to be ‘discovered’, I suspect many boys (men) dream of being recruited as clever PIs – it is a part of a few story lines. LJ – VG - I didn’t care quite as much for this book as I have all of Fulmer’s previous books,, particularly the St. Cyr series, but I think that’s more my fault than the author’s as the early 60’s are not my favorite time period, although I remember it very well. That said, Fulmer conveys the time beautifully, particularly the racial tension of the time. This book, for me, did lack the strong sense of place his other books have created. Still, Fulmer is a wonderful writer. He is a craftsman of plot and character. Eddie is wonderful with a touch of self-deprecating humor, and his mentor, Sal, may be my favorite character of all. Reading a book by Fulmer is always a delight, and this was no exception.
What Time Devours (Suspense-Thomas Knight-International-Cont) - A.J. Hartley Charlotte – G – This was a good airplane book. The character does do some really dumb things and there are things which doesn’t make sense. However, it held my attention and wasn’t too overdone on the Shakespeare information. It was fast paced with lots of action. LJ – G+ - As a fan of Shakespeare, I was really looking forward to this book. It definitely has a creepy grabber of an opener. Unfortunately, it delivers less than it promises and both the writing and pacing were very uneven. The book, for the most part, reads very flat. There is very little character development beyond the protagonist. We are almost one quarter of the way through when we learn about the situation with Thomas’ marriage. However, I did like Thomas’ thoughts and realizations about his wife and their marriage when she is facing a health crisis. Thomas makes some decisions that almost fall into the “too-stupid-to-live” category and he is fairly casual about breaking the law. There are massive coincidences. The timing of when Thomas is in threatening situations becomes overwhelming convenient. Interesting observations about the academic community and just how tightly focused is it; everyone knows everyone and if not enough people know you, you are no one. There are constant references to Thomas being involved in solving his brother’s death the year before. If found it annoying as, rather than giving information, it felt to be a plug to read the previous book. The suspense and action scenes are the strongest and most interesting part of the story. There is a very enjoyable reference to “The Da Vinci Code.” The historical information, and that on Shakespeare and his plays, is fascinating. The sense of place is very strong with wonderful descriptions of the various locales. It’s not a terrible book, but it’s not great either.
The Shaman's Knife Pol. Proc-Insp. Matteesie Kitologitak-Alaska-Cont) - Scott Young Charlotte – G – She was inclined to read a bit and put it down. The (information) on the Inuits and their life was interesting but became overwhelming. The book was very description heavy. She did read the whole thing and enjoyed it, but it felt like a bit of work. Linda – G – She loved all the information on the Inuit and native people. Thought the characters were interesting but was unsure how she felt about the protagonist and his relationship with his wife and his mistress. She wanted to like him, but felt he was reserved in himself. She was uncomfortable with it being first person POV. But she enjoyed it overall. LJ – DNF - It started well. Inuit policeman, ancient grandmother, hints of shamanism, Artic north setting—all elements that should have made a fascinating read. They didn’t. I did love the information on the Inuits and their customs and on the other people who live in such a harsh climate. There was some development of the protagonist, although I found I didn’t care that much for him. He is in a loveless marriage so every woman he meets is viewed as potential prey. While this may be an accurate reflection of male thinking, it was boring as an element of the story. The rest of the characters were flat. In fact, flat was the word that kept coming to mind as I read 97 pages of the book. The story is told in first person and much of it is protagonist’s mental narrative. There was no tension to the story and I found myself bored. When I hit that point, it’s time to move on to the next book. Corona – G+ – I enjoyed reading this book although it went slow at times. Not quite boring-slow, but seemed to reflect the rhythm of the scene. The detective was slow, numerous times; he didn't follow-up on answer he knew was incomplete or a lie, he put off an interrogation for later, he didn't even rush to investigate when he saw someone walk off with, what he thought, was the murder weapon! I know this sometimes happens but for this guy it was routine. But the slow pace brought me to Alaska, where you can't move so fast because your clothes are bulky and there is snow to walk through and/or slippery walks. - I was transported which I very much appreciated.
Corona – Ex – I really liked this character. I was wrapped-up in the story and especially enjoyed the trip back in time [1962:]. But I am beginning to suspect a male fantasy that I was unaware of; like the well-known dream of teenaged girls to be ‘discovered’, I suspect many boys (men) dream of being recruited as clever PIs – it is a part of a few story lines.
LJ – VG - I didn’t care quite as much for this book as I have all of Fulmer’s previous books,, particularly the St. Cyr series, but I think that’s more my fault than the author’s as the early 60’s are not my favorite time period, although I remember it very well. That said, Fulmer conveys the time beautifully, particularly the racial tension of the time. This book, for me, did lack the strong sense of place his other books have created. Still, Fulmer is a wonderful writer. He is a craftsman of plot and character. Eddie is wonderful with a touch of self-deprecating humor, and his mentor, Sal, may be my favorite character of all. Reading a book by Fulmer is always a delight, and this was no exception.
What Time Devours (Suspense-Thomas Knight-International-Cont) - A.J. Hartley
Charlotte – G – This was a good airplane book. The character does do some really dumb things and there are things which doesn’t make sense. However, it held my attention and wasn’t too overdone on the Shakespeare information. It was fast paced with lots of action.
LJ – G+ - As a fan of Shakespeare, I was really looking forward to this book. It definitely has a creepy grabber of an opener. Unfortunately, it delivers less than it promises and both the writing and pacing were very uneven. The book, for the most part, reads very flat. There is very little character development beyond the protagonist. We are almost one quarter of the way through when we learn about the situation with Thomas’ marriage. However, I did like Thomas’ thoughts and realizations about his wife and their marriage when she is facing a health crisis. Thomas makes some decisions that almost fall into the “too-stupid-to-live” category and he is fairly casual about breaking the law. There are massive coincidences. The timing of when Thomas is in threatening situations becomes overwhelming convenient. Interesting observations about the academic community and just how tightly focused is it; everyone knows everyone and if not enough people know you, you are no one. There are constant references to Thomas being involved in solving his brother’s death the year before. If found it annoying as, rather than giving information, it felt to be a plug to read the previous book. The suspense and action scenes are the strongest and most interesting part of the story. There is a very enjoyable reference to “The Da Vinci Code.” The historical information, and that on Shakespeare and his plays, is fascinating. The sense of place is very strong with wonderful descriptions of the various locales. It’s not a terrible book, but it’s not great either.
The Shaman's Knife Pol. Proc-Insp. Matteesie Kitologitak-Alaska-Cont) - Scott Young
Charlotte – G – She was inclined to read a bit and put it down. The (information) on the Inuits and their life was interesting but became overwhelming. The book was very description heavy. She did read the whole thing and enjoyed it, but it felt like a bit of work.
Linda – G – She loved all the information on the Inuit and native people. Thought the characters were interesting but was unsure how she felt about the protagonist and his relationship with his wife and his mistress. She wanted to like him, but felt he was reserved in himself. She was uncomfortable with it being first person POV. But she enjoyed it overall.
LJ – DNF - It started well. Inuit policeman, ancient grandmother, hints of shamanism, Artic north setting—all elements that should have made a fascinating read. They didn’t. I did love the information on the Inuits and their customs and on the other people who live in such a harsh climate. There was some development of the protagonist, although I found I didn’t care that much for him. He is in a loveless marriage so every woman he meets is viewed as potential prey. While this may be an accurate reflection of male thinking, it was boring as an element of the story. The rest of the characters were flat. In fact, flat was the word that kept coming to mind as I read 97 pages of the book. The story is told in first person and much of it is protagonist’s mental narrative. There was no tension to the story and I found myself bored. When I hit that point, it’s time to move on to the next book.
Corona – G+ – I enjoyed reading this book although it went slow at times. Not quite boring-slow, but seemed to reflect the rhythm of the scene. The detective was slow, numerous times; he didn't follow-up on answer he knew was incomplete or a lie, he put off an interrogation for later, he didn't even rush to investigate when he saw someone walk off with, what he thought, was the murder weapon! I know this sometimes happens but for this guy it was routine. But the slow pace brought me to Alaska, where you can't move so fast because your clothes are bulky and there is snow to walk through and/or slippery walks. - I was transported which I very much appreciated.