THE WENCH IS DEAD (PolProc-Insp. Morris-England-Contemp) – 8th in series – Colin Dexter Despite being bedridden with an ulcer, the idiosyncratic Inspector Morse is determined to solve a century-old murder for which two innocent men were hanged.
Gabriel – Okay – Found the book slow and dry. He definitely likes the television series better. Ginny – VG – Read it a long time ago. She rewatched the television series and particularly l liked learning what went on in Morris' mind. Marcy – Good - 1st impressions -- I realized as I opened the book and start reading, that although I have seen every episode of Inspector Morse at least 2, 3 maybe even 4 times, I have never read one of these books by Colin Dexter. The first few chapters are taken up with the routine of the hospital, forays into different books Morse has been given and basic laying around the hospital recuperating, but Dexter actually makes the routines enjoyable. Okay, I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I can't help but compare it to The Daughter of Time, in which her Inspector Grant is also stuck in a hospital and is given a book on Richard III and starts to investigate various sources -- ends up coming up with a very different picture of who Richard III is and maybe is infamous reputation is due to Tudor historians writing his history. Morse makes a lot of assumptions in his findings which I objected to but eventually, his guesses supported little by little in what he finds. Nancy – Good – She found it very slow, but liked the last 70 pages and the ending. She did particularly like learning about all the English and Irish processes. I guess I was expecting something more similar to all the episodes of Morse and Lewis I’ve seen online. Heck, I‘ve even watched enough of them to know that Morse’s first name was Endeavor. But to me, this particular book was much less enjoyable. “The Wench” felt almost ancient compared to all of those other stories . And while I enjoyed learning many new Irish & English vocabulary words and phrases, I also had to work hard to just stay awake while reading , until the last 70 or so pages when things moved along much more quickly. The ending was enjoyable though as was reading about a possible new love life for Inspector Morse.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: GOOD
THE DARKEST PLACE (Legal Mys-DA Robin Lockwood-Portland, WA-Contemp) 5th in series – Phillip Margolin Robin Lockwood is an increasingly prominent defense attorney in the Portland community. A Yale graduate and former MMA fighter, she's becoming known for her string of innovative and successful defense strategies. As a favor to a judge, Robin takes on the pro bono defense of a reprehensible defendant charged with even more reprehensible crimes. But what she doesn't know—what she can't know—is how this one decision, this one case, will wreak complete devastation on her life and plans. As she recovers from those consequences, Robin heads home to her small town of Elk Grove and the bosom of her family. As she tries to recuperate, a unique legal challenge presents itself—Marjorie Loman, a surrogate, is accused of kidnapping the baby she carried for another couple, and assaulting that couple in the process. There's no question that she committed these actions but that's not the same as being guilty of the crime. As Robin works to defend her client, she learns that Marjorie Loman has been hiding under a fake identity and is facing a warrant for her arrest for another, even more serious crime. And buried within the truth may once again be unexpected, deadly consequences.
Dianne – Poor – She didn't like it. The tangent on surrogacy was clearly written by a man who is clueless on the subject. She really did not like the book and found it poorly written. This book was annoyingly complicated and unbelievable. It had a surprise ending that was pretty obviously not a surprise. The main character was pretty unlikeable and her actions were hard to believe. The author went off on a tangent about surrogacy and bonding with a baby. The birth mother immediately nursed the baby, producing lots of milk and thus bonded with the child right after giving birth. Obviously, the author didn’t know what he was talking about. The detective was a bit naïve. Her status as a wrestler was not interesting to me. It gave an excuse for her to get physical with bad folks, but it was all too obviously a mechanism to advance the plot. Somehow her personality did not hold together. She was a sensitive, naïve wrestler. While the author has a series featuring this person, I don’t intend to read any more about her. Helen – Poor – The author was clearly a dude and knew absolutely nothing about having a baby. It was so bizarre. The story was overly completed. Everything in the courtroom tried up neatly in the end although the sequence of events was very vague. Gabriel – Okay – It was mediocre. The character bonding with the baby seemed very sudden. Ginny – Poor – She wasn't thrilled. She couldn't stand Robin and found the plot just slogged along. Marcy - G+ - This book kept my interest. I could see reading another. Robin is a lawyer based in Portland. More than one mystery is taking place, so as soon as one is settled you move right into the next one. Nancy – Poor - This book was annoyingly complicated and unbelievable. It had a surprise ending that was pretty obviously not a surprise. The main character was pretty unlikeable and her actions were hard to believe. The author went off on a tangent about surrogacy and bonding with a baby. The birth mother immediately nursed the baby, producing lots of milk and thus bonded with the child right after giving birth. Clearly, the author didn’t know what he was talking about. The detective was a bit naïve. Her status as a wrestler was not interesting to me. It gave an excuse for her to get physical with bad folks, but it was all too obviously a mechanism to advance the plot. Somehow her personality did not hold together. She was a sensitive, naïve wrestler. While the author has a series featuring this person, I don’t intend to read any more about her. Ron – Okay – There wasn't anything impressive about it. He wouldn't read more by this author.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: GOOD
OUTBACK (PolProc-D.S. Walker-Australia-Contemp) – 1st in series-Patricia Wolf DS Lucas Walker is on leave in his hometown, Caloodie, taking care of his dying grandmother. When two young German backpackers, Berndt and Rita, vanish from the area, he finds himself unofficially on the case. But why all the interest from the Federal Police when they have probably just ditched the heat and dust of the outback for the coast? Working in the organized crime unit has opened Walker's eyes to the growing drug trade in Australia's remote interior - and he becomes convinced there is more at play. As the number of days since the couple's disappearance climbs, Walker is joined by Rita's older sister. A detective herself with Berlin CID, she has flown to Australia - desperate to find her sister. Their search becomes ever more urgent as temperatures soar. Even if Walker does find the young couple, will it be too late?
Dianne – G+ - This book was interesting as much for the setting as for the plot, etc. Western Queensland, Australia was unknown to me and I found the descriptions of such a hellish area very interesting. That people could live in such a place and find beauty and sustenance there was worth thinking about. That the author lived there as a child made the setting much more real and thus quite interesting. The fact that several of the characters were Germans originally from South America was interesting. Germans, South America, and Australia, it was all put together in a fairly believable way. The plot was a bit convoluted and it was definitely a gruesome story. The author created some pretty good red herrings. I really couldn’t quite believe the theory about the murders offered by the German policewoman. All in all, I would definitely read more by this author. Nancy – G+ - This book was interesting as much for the setting as for the plot, etc. Western Queensland, Australia was unknown to me and I found the descriptions of such a hellish area very interesting. That people could live in such a place and find beauty and sustenance there was worth thinking about. That the author lived there as a child made the setting much more real and thus quite interesting. The fact that several of the characters were Germans originally from South America was interesting. Germans, South America, Australia, it was all put together in a fairly believable way. The plot was a bit convoluted and it was definitely a gruesome story. The author created some pretty good red herrings. I really couldn’t quite believe the theory about the murders offered by the German policewoman. All in all, I would definitely read more by this author. Ron - G+— Very good sense of place and good characters. The protagonist was fine but not really that interesting.
Despite being bedridden with an ulcer, the idiosyncratic Inspector Morse is determined to solve a century-old murder for which two innocent men were hanged.
Gabriel – Okay – Found the book slow and dry. He definitely likes the television series better.
Ginny – VG – Read it a long time ago. She rewatched the television series and particularly l liked learning what went on in Morris' mind.
Marcy – Good - 1st impressions -- I realized as I opened the book and start reading, that although I have seen every episode of Inspector Morse at least 2, 3 maybe even 4 times, I have never read one of these books by Colin Dexter. The first few chapters are taken up with the routine of the hospital, forays into different books Morse has been given and basic laying around the hospital recuperating, but Dexter actually makes the routines enjoyable. Okay, I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I can't help but compare it to The Daughter of Time, in which her Inspector Grant is also stuck in a hospital and is given a book on Richard III and starts to investigate various sources -- ends up coming up with a very different picture of who Richard III is and maybe is infamous reputation is due to Tudor historians writing his history. Morse makes a lot of assumptions in his findings which I objected to but eventually, his guesses supported little by little in what he finds.
Nancy – Good – She found it very slow, but liked the last 70 pages and the ending. She did particularly like learning about all the English and Irish processes. I guess I was expecting something more similar to all the episodes of Morse and Lewis I’ve seen online. Heck, I‘ve even watched enough of them to know that Morse’s first name was Endeavor. But to me, this particular book was much less enjoyable. “The Wench” felt almost ancient compared to all of those other stories . And while I enjoyed learning many new Irish & English vocabulary words and phrases, I also had to work hard to just stay awake while reading , until the last 70 or so pages when things moved along much more quickly. The ending was enjoyable though as was reading about a possible new love life for Inspector Morse.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: GOOD
THE DARKEST PLACE (Legal Mys-DA Robin Lockwood-Portland, WA-Contemp) 5th in series – Phillip Margolin
Robin Lockwood is an increasingly prominent defense attorney in the Portland community. A Yale graduate and former MMA fighter, she's becoming known for her string of innovative and successful defense strategies. As a favor to a judge, Robin takes on the pro bono defense of a reprehensible defendant charged with even more reprehensible crimes. But what she doesn't know—what she can't know—is how this one decision, this one case, will wreak complete devastation on her life and plans. As she recovers from those consequences, Robin heads home to her small town of Elk Grove and the bosom of her family. As she tries to recuperate, a unique legal challenge presents itself—Marjorie Loman, a surrogate, is accused of kidnapping the baby she carried for another couple, and assaulting that couple in the process. There's no question that she committed these actions but that's not the same as being guilty of the crime. As Robin works to defend her client, she learns that Marjorie Loman has been hiding under a fake identity and is facing a warrant for her arrest for another, even more serious crime. And buried within the truth may once again be unexpected, deadly consequences.
Dianne – Poor – She didn't like it. The tangent on surrogacy was clearly written by a man who is clueless on the subject. She really did not like the book and found it poorly written. This book was annoyingly complicated and unbelievable. It had a surprise ending that was pretty obviously not a surprise. The main character was pretty unlikeable and her actions were hard to believe. The author went off on a tangent about surrogacy and bonding with a baby. The birth mother immediately nursed the baby, producing lots of milk and thus bonded with the child right after giving birth. Obviously, the author didn’t know what he was talking about. The detective was a bit naïve. Her status as a wrestler was not interesting to me. It gave an excuse for her to get physical with bad folks, but it was all too obviously a mechanism to advance the plot. Somehow her personality did not hold together. She was a sensitive, naïve wrestler. While the author has a series featuring this person, I don’t intend to read any more about her.
Helen – Poor – The author was clearly a dude and knew absolutely nothing about having a baby. It was so bizarre. The story was overly completed. Everything in the courtroom tried up neatly in the end although the sequence of events was very vague.
Gabriel – Okay – It was mediocre. The character bonding with the baby seemed very sudden.
Ginny – Poor – She wasn't thrilled. She couldn't stand Robin and found the plot just slogged along.
Marcy - G+ - This book kept my interest. I could see reading another. Robin is a lawyer based in Portland. More than one mystery is taking place, so as soon as one is settled you move right into the next one.
Nancy – Poor - This book was annoyingly complicated and unbelievable. It had a surprise ending that was pretty obviously not a surprise. The main character was pretty unlikeable and her actions were hard to believe. The author went off on a tangent about surrogacy and bonding with a baby. The birth mother immediately nursed the baby, producing lots of milk and thus bonded with the child right after giving birth. Clearly, the author didn’t know what he was talking about. The detective was a bit naïve. Her status as a wrestler was not interesting to me. It gave an excuse for her to get physical with bad folks, but it was all too obviously a mechanism to advance the plot. Somehow her personality did not hold together. She was a sensitive, naïve wrestler. While the author has a series featuring this person, I don’t intend to read any more about her.
Ron – Okay – There wasn't anything impressive about it. He wouldn't read more by this author.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: GOOD
OUTBACK (PolProc-D.S. Walker-Australia-Contemp) – 1st in series-Patricia Wolf
DS Lucas Walker is on leave in his hometown, Caloodie, taking care of his dying grandmother. When two young German backpackers, Berndt and Rita, vanish from the area, he finds himself unofficially on the case. But why all the interest from the Federal Police when they have probably just ditched the heat and dust of the outback for the coast? Working in the organized crime unit has opened Walker's eyes to the growing drug trade in Australia's remote interior - and he becomes convinced there is more at play. As the number of days since the couple's disappearance climbs, Walker is joined by Rita's older sister. A detective herself with Berlin CID, she has flown to Australia - desperate to find her sister. Their search becomes ever more urgent as temperatures soar. Even if Walker does find the young couple, will it be too late?
Dianne – G+ - This book was interesting as much for the setting as for the plot, etc. Western Queensland, Australia was unknown to me and I found the descriptions of such a hellish area very interesting. That people could live in such a place and find beauty and sustenance there was worth thinking about. That the author lived there as a child made the setting much more real and thus quite interesting. The fact that several of the characters were Germans originally from South America was interesting. Germans, South America, and Australia, it was all put together in a fairly believable way. The plot was a bit convoluted and it was definitely a gruesome story. The author created some pretty good red herrings. I really couldn’t quite believe the theory about the murders offered by the German policewoman. All in all, I would definitely read more by this author.
Nancy – G+ - This book was interesting as much for the setting as for the plot, etc. Western Queensland, Australia was unknown to me and I found the descriptions of such a hellish area very interesting. That people could live in such a place and find beauty and sustenance there was worth thinking about. That the author lived there as a child made the setting much more real and thus quite interesting. The fact that several of the characters were Germans originally from South America was interesting. Germans, South America, Australia, it was all put together in a fairly believable way. The plot was a bit convoluted and it was definitely a gruesome story. The author created some pretty good red herrings. I really couldn’t quite believe the theory about the murders offered by the German policewoman. All in all, I would definitely read more by this author.
Ron - G+— Very good sense of place and good characters. The protagonist was fine but not really that interesting.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: GOOD