EBMRG discussion

Angel’s Tip (Pol. Proc-Ellie Hatcher-NYC-Cont) – 2nd in series – Alafair Burke (James Lee Burke’s daughter)
Andrea - Okay - I finished it, rapidly but without much pleasure. The writing and characters were okay, but I kept thinking “so what” and “who cares.” I was also terribly annoyed by the frequent references to stuff that happened in the first book in the series (the “first date” case; her father’s death; the death of the good cop). It was all unexplained and confusing. My last complaint is probably the biggest one: I thought the really sudden denouement and solution to the crime at the end was bad. It really seemed like the author decided, well I’ve written enough and now it’s time to solve this crime, or the publisher insisted that the book couldn’t exceed a certain number of pages, so rather than cutting unnecessary stuff in the beginning of the book (like all the references to the first case and her father), the author cut necessary stuff at the end, like how the cops figured out who the killer was. And, on the ending, I was annoyed by the fake clues tossed in that led the reader in one direction, when the solution was in the other. These weren’t just misleading clues; they were never explained false clues being the repeated implication that the killer showed a badge to the various victims. I guess my rating is a C—which, I guess, is the equivalent of an okay or good minus.
Charlotte – OK/G – It wasn’t as bad as some serial killer books; not as graphic. She did enjoy it. It was gripping
Libby – G – enjoyed it. It kept her reading. One complaint was that the author kept referring to the previous case. On page 20, the name of one of the characters was incorrect. Although set in NYC, it did not have a strong sense of place. Still, she might read another by this author.
LindaS - DNF – She read the first paragraph, in which the POV was the internal monologue of the killer. Next book….
LJ – Okay – It was another sociopathic serial killer who attacks young women, mutilates them, keeps a souvenir and gets off on it. The protagonist is the cute, perky, fast-advancing cop who ends up fitting the killer’s profile and is stalked. Predictable in the extreme, plus there were way too many references to the previous book. The author kept comparing their suspect as looking similar to a contemporary actor. I don’t know who this actor is, nor what he looks like. This, to me, is a bad ploy as it disenfranchises a large portion of the audience. I will say, I did not figure out the killer in advance. However, I’m afraid this author will not be on my ‘buy’ list.
Mercy – G – Enjoyed it. It carried her along. It was a classic ‘who-done-it’ which presented a couple suspects. It was a great book, but she didn’t put it down either. The play on words with the old television shows “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” annoyed her.

The Danger (Lic. Inv-Andrew Douglas-Italy-Cont) – Standalone – Dick Francis
Libby - - Just started it, for the 3rd time. She does, however, plan to finish it.
LindaH - VG - I loved it!! Andrew was a little too perfect for me, I like my main character to have a few flaws so they seem real to me but the rest of the characters were interesting, the situations were different than the usual, and the plot was OK, if not that exciting for being predictable. I have read other books of his and always enjoy the story!
LJ – VG+ - I read it many years’ ago and reread it for mystery group. I was delighted to find I felt it was a well-written as I remembered. He does character development very well, but more, really gives a sense of who they are emotionally. Although you know horses are likely to be involved in the story, he takes what could have been a coincidence from another author, and makes it the crux of the plot. It had international settings and each with an excellent sense of place. The information on kidnappings for profit, and the philosophy of those to deal in it, both on the right-and wrong-side of the law, as well as the impact on both the victims and their families, was fascinating. The research done by Francis’ is evident, but not intrusive. Reading him again reminds me why I have loved his writing from the beginning.
Marcy – DNF – Read 50 pages. She enjoyed those pages, but not enough to continue reading.

Faceless Killers (Pol Proc-Kurt Wallander-Sweden-Cont) – 1st in series – Henning Mankell
Charlotte - - Just started it but is enjoying it so far.
Joy – G – She is listening to it in audiobook and it about 2 hours from the end. It was a bit slow going in the beginning but it is really liking it now.
Libby – VG+ - Really liked it. Yes, it was dark, but Libby likes dark things. She can’t think of anything she didn’t like about it. It was very well translated. There is a good sense of place and the character of the country came through.
LindaS – VG – The translation is excellent. It is an excellent police procedural and seemed very realistic. Loved the relationship between Wallender and his partner. She appreciated the truth of his relationships with people. His view of women really did irritate her. She recognized the possible truth of them, but it still annoyed Linda. The women seemed very 1950’s, both in the way they are treated and that no one called the men on their attitudes toward women. Alto the racial attitudes also seemed dated and provincial. She did appreciate seen the struggles other countries have with immigration.

Hey! I finished Faceless Killers. Good ending. I like that his life finally started to come together. It was also a pleasant twist that after all the speculation about his son having done the murders it was actually a couple of random guys who just happened to pick up his bank slip! I like that. It's a nice change. :)