MURDER AS A FINE ART (Thriller-Thomas De Quincey/Emily-London-Vict/1850s) – 1st in series – David Morrell Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier. The blueprint for the killings seems to be De Quincey's essay "On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts." Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives.
Corona - G+ - For her, it started slowly at first but by the end she was into the story. She did enjoy it and was glad she had read it. (review via phone). LJ – Good – There is tremendous attention to detail with very visual descriptions. The historical information is exacting and fascinating; it’s amazing the things I learned. He included actual historical figures in a way that was in keeping with them but gave veracity to the story. The characters were interesting, particularly Emily—De Quincey’s very modern, intelligent and independent daughter. There was also some very good suspense. However, I could have done without the italicized diary entries, and after awhile, I felt as though Morrell was so caught up in the history, he forgot about the story. It took me a month to go back and read the last 20 pages. Marcy G – Good – Started out well but the beginning was very disturbingly graphic and gory. The author created a good sense of time and place. She didn’t really care for the characters and found the book became tedious toward the end. Marcy S – Ex – Two words came to mind for her; compelling and repulsive. The first chapter was repulsive, but the more she got into the story, the more she liked it. She wanted to find out what was real and what wasn’t. Reading the author information at the end of the book was really interesting.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: G+
SNOW WHITE MUST DIE (Pol. Proc.-Inspectors Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein- Frankfurt, Germany, Contemp) – 1st in series – Nele Neuhaus A 30-year-old man returns to his small German hometown of Altenhain after a decade in prison for the murders of two young women. He finds his father a broken man and his mother living elsewhere under a new name. When she is attacked and thrown from a bridge onto a busy highway, police inspectors Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein are drawn to seemingly quiet Altenhain, where the stolid burghers are actually hiding a roiling cauldron of secrets, enmities, scandals, infidelities, red-hot rages, and cold-blooded attacks.
Kathy – VG – Really liked it. She really appreciated the female detective. She felt as though there were five mysteries in the story, but it was very good even though there was a lot to keep track of. She liked the writing and would read another by this author. Marcy G – DNF – There was just too much to keep track of for her. Marcy S – VG+ - She really enjoyed it. There were a few times where she wondered about the choices the characters made, but she really enjoyed it overall.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE – G+
DOG ON IT (PI-Chet and Bernie-Valley of an unnamed Western state-Contemp) – 1st in series – Spencer Quinn In this, their first adventure, Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of Madison, a teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavoury characters. A well-behaved, gifted student, she didn't arrive home after school and her divorced mother is frantic. Bernie is quick to take the case - something about a cash flow problem that Chet's not all that clear about - and he's relieved, if vaguely suspicious, when Madison turns up unharmed with a story that doesn't add up. But when she disappears for a second time in a week, Bernie and Chet aren't taking any chances; they launch a full-blown investigation. Without a ransom demand, they're not convinced it's a kidnapping, but they are sure of one thing: something smells funny.
Kathy – Okay – It was cute. The author seems really intrigued with trying to make us see the world through the dogs eyes by having him reference phrases that didn’t make sense to him. He was rather creating the analogy of a human hearing someone use a foreign language of which they understand the meaning but not the individual words. She would probably read more. It was light fluff. LJ – Okay - It was cute and light and fun. The author created an interesting prospective of the world that was entertaining. I doubt I’d read more in the series, but it was enjoyable and okay. Marcy G.- G+ - She read this book and the 2nd in the series and enjoyed them. Marcy S - - She read on of the other books in the series. It was cute.
Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier. The blueprint for the killings seems to be De Quincey's essay "On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts." Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives.
Corona - G+ - For her, it started slowly at first but by the end she was into the story. She did enjoy it and was glad she had read it. (review via phone).
LJ – Good – There is tremendous attention to detail with very visual descriptions. The historical information is exacting and fascinating; it’s amazing the things I learned. He included actual historical figures in a way that was in keeping with them but gave veracity to the story. The characters were interesting, particularly Emily—De Quincey’s very modern, intelligent and independent daughter. There was also some very good suspense. However, I could have done without the italicized diary entries, and after awhile, I felt as though Morrell was so caught up in the history, he forgot about the story. It took me a month to go back and read the last 20 pages.
Marcy G – Good – Started out well but the beginning was very disturbingly graphic and gory. The author created a good sense of time and place. She didn’t really care for the characters and found the book became tedious toward the end.
Marcy S – Ex – Two words came to mind for her; compelling and repulsive. The first chapter was repulsive, but the more she got into the story, the more she liked it. She wanted to find out what was real and what wasn’t. Reading the author information at the end of the book was really interesting.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: G+
SNOW WHITE MUST DIE (Pol. Proc.-Inspectors Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein- Frankfurt, Germany, Contemp) – 1st in series – Nele Neuhaus
A 30-year-old man returns to his small German hometown of Altenhain after a decade in prison for the murders of two young women. He finds his father a broken man and his mother living elsewhere under a new name. When she is attacked and thrown from a bridge onto a busy highway, police inspectors Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein are drawn to seemingly quiet Altenhain, where the stolid burghers are actually hiding a roiling cauldron of secrets, enmities, scandals, infidelities, red-hot rages, and cold-blooded attacks.
Kathy – VG – Really liked it. She really appreciated the female detective. She felt as though there were five mysteries in the story, but it was very good even though there was a lot to keep track of. She liked the writing and would read another by this author.
Marcy G – DNF – There was just too much to keep track of for her.
Marcy S – VG+ - She really enjoyed it. There were a few times where she wondered about the choices the characters made, but she really enjoyed it overall.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE – G+
DOG ON IT (PI-Chet and Bernie-Valley of an unnamed Western state-Contemp) – 1st in series – Spencer Quinn
In this, their first adventure, Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of Madison, a teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavoury characters. A well-behaved, gifted student, she didn't arrive home after school and her divorced mother is frantic. Bernie is quick to take the case - something about a cash flow problem that Chet's not all that clear about - and he's relieved, if vaguely suspicious, when Madison turns up unharmed with a story that doesn't add up. But when she disappears for a second time in a week, Bernie and Chet aren't taking any chances; they launch a full-blown investigation. Without a ransom demand, they're not convinced it's a kidnapping, but they are sure of one thing: something smells funny.
Kathy – Okay – It was cute. The author seems really intrigued with trying to make us see the world through the dogs eyes by having him reference phrases that didn’t make sense to him. He was rather creating the analogy of a human hearing someone use a foreign language of which they understand the meaning but not the individual words. She would probably read more. It was light fluff.
LJ – Okay - It was cute and light and fun. The author created an interesting prospective of the world that was entertaining. I doubt I’d read more in the series, but it was enjoyable and okay.
Marcy G.- G+ - She read this book and the 2nd in the series and enjoyed them.
Marcy S - - She read on of the other books in the series. It was cute.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE - Good