THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE (Susp-Hornclaw-South Korea-Contemp) – 1st book – Gu Byeong-Mo At sixty-five, Hornclaw is beginning to slow down. There are expectations for people her age—that she'll retire and live out the rest of her days quietly. But Hornclaw is not like other people. She is an assassin. Double-crossers, corporate enemies, cheating spouses—for the past four decades, Hornclaw has killed them all with ruthless efficiency, and the less she's known about her targets, the better. But now, nearing the end of her career, she has just slipped up. An injury leads her to an unexpected connection with a doctor and his family. But emotions, for an assassin, are a dangerous proposition. As Hornclaw's world closes in, this final chapter in her career may also mark her own bloody end.
Corona – Okay - I didn't want to like it. But I was rooting for her all the same and really cared about the motives coming out. It was well written; it had a childish or over-dramatic voice I wouldn't have tolerated the story but it read well. - but who wants to root for an assassin, not me but I did. Gabriel – DNF - The story took a bit long to get going for me. The first few chapters were mostly ruminations about how badly society treats the elderly--an important subject, but would have been better mixed in with other things happening. It was as if a story about a senior-citizen hit woman appeared in the New Yorker. Ginny – Ex - Fascinating character study of Hornclaw who’s still working as a contract killer. So much of the story was intriguing and held my interest especially how she balanced the hated of her nemesis versus her fondness for the doctor and his family and trying to protect them created the kind of tension I enjoy reading. I hope to read more books by the author. Helen – Fair - This book had an interesting start to the plot: an old, female assassin who is thinking about retirement and might be growing a conscience. But it quickly got strange with a conflict that was hard to make sense of and trips back and forth in time, and this was not a good strange for me. I wasn't really fond of the characters, but the dialog was all right. The pacing seemed off, dragging, then racing along. It's the author's first book, so I suppose this is just the author getting their feet under them. Maybe the book would have worked better as a short story or novella. Or maybe I just don't have the patience for subtlety anymore? Joni – DNF – Couldn’t relate to the character, but thought it was an interesting concept. She didn’t care whether anyone survived and quit the book. Kasa – Good – She read it a while ago. Was hoping for more insight on the elderly in Korea, but there was very little sense of place. Kathy – Good – She was confused when they started talking about “they,” as her perception was it was one person and it didn’t seem to be embracing the idea of gender-fluid pronouns. While there were occasional reminders of the setting being Korea, there was very little sense of place. She had trouble with believing the character’s change in outlook, but still liked the character. She didn’t care for the ending. Linda M. – DNF – Love the premise but lost interest. Nancy – VG – She was tickled by it. Patrick – Good - Not a mystery in the conventional sense, but rather a fascinating character study of an elderly woman with a highly unusual set of skills. I found several moments to be heartwarming, as Hornclaw (we never learn her real name) softens toward her dog and Dr. Kang’s family. I could have done without the intense violence in the climactic scene. Ron – VG+ - Liked it. Thought it held together well and that Hornclaw was a fascinating character. Found the ending rather bittersweet. Appreciated the author’s character development.
Group Rating Average: Good
FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT (Myst-Finlay Donovan-Virginia-Contemp) – 1st in series – Elle Cosimano A stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos. When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet. Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation. Corona – DNF - I didn't get far in this book before I realized I was not interested in her trials and tribulations. Gabriel – Good - Actually, somewhere between Okay and Good. It was good enough that I started reading the sequel. In "Killing It," Finlay's husband is so awful and controlling that it makes us identify and root for Finlay. Even though Finlay's procrastinating on her book was psychologically convincing, I was frustrated with her, given how much was riding on it. Ginny – Good - A bit of fluff. Light read. I found the story a bit stupid but liked it enough to finish the book. I liked the shocker. ending. Helen – DNF - Such a disappointment. This is Stephanie Plum with kids and an assassin job instead of a bounty hunter job. Slapstick humor isn't my style at all, and this book is full of it. Not creative, full of tropes, tiresome characters and dialogue, and a ridiculous premise for a plot. I couldn't get past the first chapter. DNF and would not recommend to anyone, even fans of Stephanie Plum. Y'all can do better than a mom that is silly enough to feed her kids something sticky while wearing her best pair of pants and doesn't think about how to get the duct tape off of her poor kid's head after she slaps it on. Ugh. Joni – DNF - I rate it DNF/BS (BS meaning Barely Started). So, I thought it might be funny and it kinda was. Then two things happened. The plot was just too ludicrous to buy into. And it was ultimate mommy-lit. I could almost get past the insane plot line, but I just can’t do mommy-lit. Linda M. – VG - I almost tossed this after the first chapter or two thinking it was another of the trope: Divorced woman whose husband left her for another woman is bitter, snarky, and barely holding it together with her adorable but messy children. But I got roped in with the accidental hitman angle. While there are a couple of hot guys as love interests, Finlay's friendship with Vero is the backbone of the story, and I adored it. Patrick – G+ - Funny in many parts, this was a unique read that plays on an interesting premise. As a mystery enthusiast, I have often wondered what eavesdroppers may think of my morbid conversation topics, and this story provides a possible answer. It was a very entertaining book with a farfetched plot, which is not a complaint. I could have done without the romances; it didn’t add much to the story and served as a bit of a distraction. I feel I may have enjoyed it even more had I been a mother.
Group Rating Average: Okay
AN ELDERLY LADY IS UP TO NO GOOD (SS-Maud-Sweden-Contemp) – 1st in series – Helene Turstan Maud is an irascible 88-year-old Swedish woman with no family, no friends, and... no qualms about a little murder. This funny, irreverent story collection by Helene Tursten, author of the Irene Huss investigations, features two-never-before translated stories that will keep you laughing all the way to the retirement home.
Christine – VG – Adorable, over the top. She loves Turstan’s writing. Thought it was hysterical. Corona – Okay - Got me again! - I read every one of these stories and was always glad she got away with it. - But I wouldn't choose a story with a murderer as the protagonist. Gabriel – NR - The premise is fun, but the actual writing didn't engage me much, for some reason. Maybe it's her prose style. I did find it interesting when I learned that Tursten put the characters who are the leads in her detective series in some of these stories, but as ineffectual supporting characters. Ginny – VG - I liked the short story format and found the entire book interesting The old woman was delicious! Helen – VG+ - I loved this book. It's silly in a good way, full of wry humor. Maud is not at all afraid to take care of things herself and has a rather different moral code than most. She was a great main character for me. The mysteries were connected enough for some character development, and I enjoyed each of them. VG+, not excellent, because of the final mystery. It had a cameo from a different series of the authors, and I didn't think that was needed. Still, a great, fast, entertaining read. Kasa – VG – Read this and liked it so much she immediately read the second book. The two books complete the story. Kathy – VG+ - Found it delightful, charming, fun, and very Scandinavian. Enjoyed the author’s humor. Linda M – Okay - My favorite thing about this book is the cover! I'm a cross stitcher, and I like a little subversive needlework. The stories were okay. I didn't find Maud particularly interesting, aside from the obvious curiosity of her being a murderous octogenarian. And honestly, I didn't find any of the other characters interesting either. Patrick – VG+ - A dark, morbidly funny, and very diminutive book. I enjoyed the short story format. Maud is hilarious as a sharp-witted person hiding behind an act of senility. She is truly a great actress. I enjoyed learning about her life and the interesting apartment building she calls home. I want to read more by this author. Ron – Okay – He loves quirky and thought the writing was good, but he hated the character.
At sixty-five, Hornclaw is beginning to slow down. There are expectations for people her age—that she'll retire and live out the rest of her days quietly. But Hornclaw is not like other people. She is an assassin. Double-crossers, corporate enemies, cheating spouses—for the past four decades, Hornclaw has killed them all with ruthless efficiency, and the less she's known about her targets, the better. But now, nearing the end of her career, she has just slipped up. An injury leads her to an unexpected connection with a doctor and his family. But emotions, for an assassin, are a dangerous proposition. As Hornclaw's world closes in, this final chapter in her career may also mark her own bloody end.
Corona – Okay - I didn't want to like it. But I was rooting for her all the same and really cared about the motives coming out. It was well written; it had a childish or over-dramatic voice I wouldn't have tolerated the story but it read well. - but who wants to root for an assassin, not me but I did.
Gabriel – DNF - The story took a bit long to get going for me. The first few chapters were mostly ruminations about how badly society treats the elderly--an important subject, but would have been better mixed in with other things happening. It was as if a story about a senior-citizen hit woman appeared in the New Yorker.
Ginny – Ex - Fascinating character study of Hornclaw who’s still working as a contract killer. So much of the story was intriguing and held my interest especially how she balanced the hated of her nemesis versus her fondness for the doctor and his family and trying to protect them created the kind of tension I enjoy reading. I hope to read more books by the author.
Helen – Fair - This book had an interesting start to the plot: an old, female assassin who is thinking about retirement and might be growing a conscience. But it quickly got strange with a conflict that was hard to make sense of and trips back and forth in time, and this was not a good strange for me. I wasn't really fond of the characters, but the dialog was all right. The pacing seemed off, dragging, then racing along. It's the author's first book, so I suppose this is just the author getting their feet under them. Maybe the book would have worked better as a short story or novella. Or maybe I just don't have the patience for subtlety anymore?
Joni – DNF – Couldn’t relate to the character, but thought it was an interesting concept. She didn’t care whether anyone survived and quit the book.
Kasa – Good – She read it a while ago. Was hoping for more insight on the elderly in Korea, but there was very little sense of place.
Kathy – Good – She was confused when they started talking about “they,” as her perception was it was one person and it didn’t seem to be embracing the idea of gender-fluid pronouns. While there were occasional reminders of the setting being Korea, there was very little sense of place. She had trouble with believing the character’s change in outlook, but still liked the character. She didn’t care for the ending.
Linda M. – DNF – Love the premise but lost interest.
Nancy – VG – She was tickled by it.
Patrick – Good - Not a mystery in the conventional sense, but rather a fascinating character study of an elderly woman with a highly unusual set of skills. I found several moments to be heartwarming, as Hornclaw (we never learn her real name) softens toward her dog and Dr. Kang’s family. I could have done without the intense violence in the climactic scene.
Ron – VG+ - Liked it. Thought it held together well and that Hornclaw was a fascinating character. Found the ending rather bittersweet. Appreciated the author’s character development.
Group Rating Average: Good
FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT (Myst-Finlay Donovan-Virginia-Contemp) – 1st in series – Elle Cosimano
A stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos. When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet. Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.
Corona – DNF - I didn't get far in this book before I realized I was not interested in her trials and tribulations.
Gabriel – Good - Actually, somewhere between Okay and Good. It was good enough that I started reading the sequel. In "Killing It," Finlay's husband is so awful and controlling that it makes us identify and root for Finlay. Even though Finlay's procrastinating on her book was psychologically convincing, I was frustrated with her, given how much was riding on it.
Ginny – Good - A bit of fluff. Light read. I found the story a bit stupid but liked it enough to finish the book. I liked the shocker. ending.
Helen – DNF - Such a disappointment. This is Stephanie Plum with kids and an assassin job instead of a bounty hunter job. Slapstick humor isn't my style at all, and this book is full of it. Not creative, full of tropes, tiresome characters and dialogue, and a ridiculous premise for a plot. I couldn't get past the first chapter. DNF and would not recommend to anyone, even fans of Stephanie Plum. Y'all can do better than a mom that is silly enough to feed her kids something sticky while wearing her best pair of pants and doesn't think about how to get the duct tape off of her poor kid's head after she slaps it on. Ugh.
Joni – DNF - I rate it DNF/BS (BS meaning Barely Started). So, I thought it might be funny and it kinda was. Then two things happened. The plot was just too ludicrous to buy into. And it was ultimate mommy-lit. I could almost get past the insane plot line, but I just can’t do mommy-lit.
Linda M. – VG - I almost tossed this after the first chapter or two thinking it was another of the trope: Divorced woman whose husband left her for another woman is bitter, snarky, and barely holding it together with her adorable but messy children. But I got roped in with the accidental hitman angle.
While there are a couple of hot guys as love interests, Finlay's friendship with Vero is the backbone of the story, and I adored it.
Patrick – G+ - Funny in many parts, this was a unique read that plays on an interesting premise. As a mystery enthusiast, I have often wondered what eavesdroppers may think of my morbid conversation topics, and this story provides a possible answer. It was a very entertaining book with a farfetched plot, which is not a complaint. I could have done without the romances; it didn’t add much to the story and served as a bit of a distraction. I feel I may have enjoyed it even more had I been a mother.
Group Rating Average: Okay
AN ELDERLY LADY IS UP TO NO GOOD (SS-Maud-Sweden-Contemp) – 1st in series – Helene Turstan
Maud is an irascible 88-year-old Swedish woman with no family, no friends, and... no qualms about a little murder. This funny, irreverent story collection by Helene Tursten, author of the Irene Huss investigations, features two-never-before translated stories that will keep you laughing all the way to the retirement home.
Christine – VG – Adorable, over the top. She loves Turstan’s writing. Thought it was hysterical.
Corona – Okay - Got me again! - I read every one of these stories and was always glad she got away with it. - But I wouldn't choose a story with a murderer as the protagonist.
Gabriel – NR - The premise is fun, but the actual writing didn't engage me much, for some reason. Maybe it's her prose style. I did find it interesting when I learned that Tursten put the characters who are the leads in her
detective series in some of these stories, but as ineffectual supporting characters.
Ginny – VG - I liked the short story format and found the entire book interesting The old woman was delicious!
Helen – VG+ - I loved this book. It's silly in a good way, full of wry humor. Maud is not at all afraid to take care of things herself and has a rather different moral code than most. She was a great main character for me. The mysteries were connected enough for some character development, and I enjoyed each of them. VG+, not excellent, because of the final mystery. It had a cameo from a different series of the authors, and I didn't think that was needed. Still, a great, fast, entertaining read.
Kasa – VG – Read this and liked it so much she immediately read the second book. The two books complete the story.
Kathy – VG+ - Found it delightful, charming, fun, and very Scandinavian. Enjoyed the author’s humor.
Linda M – Okay - My favorite thing about this book is the cover! I'm a cross stitcher, and I like a little subversive needlework. The stories were okay. I didn't find Maud particularly interesting, aside from the obvious curiosity of her being a murderous octogenarian. And honestly, I didn't find any of the other characters interesting either.
Patrick – VG+ - A dark, morbidly funny, and very diminutive book. I enjoyed the short story format. Maud is hilarious as a sharp-witted person hiding behind an act of senility. She is truly a great actress. I enjoyed learning about her life and the interesting apartment building she calls home. I want to read more by this author.
Ron – Okay – He loves quirky and thought the writing was good, but he hated the character.
Group Rating Average: G+