With some of us attending Bouchercon in October—LJ, Charlotte, Marcy G. and Marcy S. are the ones of whom I know so far—Charlotte suggested we read some of the books nominated for upcoming awards, so…
Starvation Lake - (Unl Inv/Journal-Gus Carpenter-Michigan-Cont) - 1st in series - Bryan Gruley Charlene - G+ - She found it hard to get into and, had it not been a group read, she might have stopped as there was just too much hockey for her. However, once she got into it, she enjoyed it. However, she did feel the protagonist was a bit slow on the uptake toward the end. Evanda - - Felt it was a bit Thornton Wilder because of the town. The writing was very good. She had a hard time with the hockey, but then realized the plot echoed the game. She thought it was a smart book. LJ - VG - I’ll admit this book started out a bit slow for me. I’m not a sports fan, and certainly not an ice hockey fan, so I wasn’t certain I was going to like this. However, the book quickly turned to being a book about people, rather than sport, and I never had any desire to stop reading. I read for character. Gruley creates great characters. Moreover, he creates fully-developed, interesting, realistically flawed, human characters. None of them are excessive or over the top. Instead, they are believable. Gruley also creates a very strong sense of place. He takes you to a town past it’s height of success, but struggling to maintain. It’s a town full of people who’ve lived there all their lives and see no reason to live anywhere else. He makes you feel the challenge of the weather but these are people accustomed to living with those challenges. The story is very well plotted and well written. One thing I personally appreciated was at points when other authors would have been tempted to insert a portent into the story; Gruley refrained from so doing. Rather than feeling manipulated into reading on, the plot and story’s pace compelled me to keep reading. Gruley has written a wonderful debut novel. I am looking forward to his next book. (Read March 2009)
Nemesis (Pol Proc-Insp. Harry Hole-Norway-Cont) - 2nd in series - Jo Nesbo Charlene - G - She liked it in the beginning but there were so many characters and so many twists, she reached a point where she just wanted it to end. She was particularly unhappy that one of the criminals went undiscovered. Marcy S - G+ - She had very mixed feelings; sometimes she thought it was terrific and other times; crap. She found the British English translation often jarring. The author had so many things going on, it was hard to follow at times. There were other points where the story seemed fragmented. At the same time, the book was very interesting and kept her reading.
A Beautiful Place to Die (Pol. Proc-Det Sgt. Emmanuel Cooper-South Africa-1952) - 1st in series - Malia Nunn LJ - Good - “A Beautiful Place to Die” gives a stark portrayal of South Africa during apartheid and the Immorality Act banning sexual conduct between whites and nonwhites. Although I was able to look the terms up, a glossary might have been helpful for those of us not as familiar with the history and terminology. Cooper makes a sympathetic protagonist with shades of Charles Todd’s Ian Rutledge character. While it’s an interesting homage, it also felt like a cheap, and not very satisfying, way of telling us about Cooper’s background. We do learn, though other means, some of this background throughout the story, but much remains vague about him. However, all the characters seemed stereotypical, from the Jewish doctor and his wife, to the enigmatic Zulu constable, to the storm trooper Security Branch and on. There was very little dimension to the majority of the characters. The plot conveys how unjust and brutal living was under apartheid. While interesting and educational, it’s not enough to make the book work. The mystery itself, and its investigation, became almost secondary. It did have a number of well-executed twists and revelations, along with suspense and some brutality. I did identify one villain early but not another. However, my largest complaint was that, although realistic, I found the ending unsatisfying. I certainly don’t regret having read this book. It was interesting, I did learn from it. However, I don’t believe this is a series with which I shall continue. Linda F - VG - Really good characterization and an interesting milieu and situation. However, the case seemed predictable. Linda S - Good - It was interesting being set at the beginning of apartheid, but there was too much focus on it. She liked Emmanuel and the interaction between him and Security Branch; thought it was well done. The book could have used more editing. She did wonder whether some of the language was anachronistic. Linda S. would read another by this author.
Starvation Lake - (Unl Inv/Journal-Gus Carpenter-Michigan-Cont) - 1st in series - Bryan Gruley
Charlene - G+ - She found it hard to get into and, had it not been a group read, she might have stopped as there was just too much hockey for her. However, once she got into it, she enjoyed it. However, she did feel the protagonist was a bit slow on the uptake toward the end.
Evanda - - Felt it was a bit Thornton Wilder because of the town. The writing was very good. She had a hard time with the hockey, but then realized the plot echoed the game. She thought it was a smart book.
LJ - VG - I’ll admit this book started out a bit slow for me. I’m not a sports fan, and certainly not an ice hockey fan, so I wasn’t certain I was going to like this. However, the book quickly turned to being a book about people, rather than sport, and I never had any desire to stop reading. I read for character. Gruley creates great characters. Moreover, he creates fully-developed, interesting, realistically flawed, human characters. None of them are excessive or over the top. Instead, they are believable. Gruley also creates a very strong sense of place. He takes you to a town past it’s height of success, but struggling to maintain. It’s a town full of people who’ve lived there all their lives and see no reason to live anywhere else. He makes you feel the challenge of the weather but these are people accustomed to living with those challenges. The story is very well plotted and well written. One thing I personally appreciated was at points when other authors would have been tempted to insert a portent into the story; Gruley refrained from so doing. Rather than feeling manipulated into reading on, the plot and story’s pace compelled me to keep reading. Gruley has written a wonderful debut novel. I am looking forward to his next book. (Read March 2009)
Nemesis (Pol Proc-Insp. Harry Hole-Norway-Cont) - 2nd in series - Jo Nesbo
Charlene - G - She liked it in the beginning but there were so many characters and so many twists, she reached a point where she just wanted it to end. She was particularly unhappy that one of the criminals went undiscovered.
Marcy S - G+ - She had very mixed feelings; sometimes she thought it was terrific and other times; crap. She found the British English translation often jarring. The author had so many things going on, it was hard to follow at times. There were other points where the story seemed fragmented. At the same time, the book was very interesting and kept her reading.
A Beautiful Place to Die (Pol. Proc-Det Sgt. Emmanuel Cooper-South Africa-1952) - 1st in series - Malia Nunn
LJ - Good - “A Beautiful Place to Die” gives a stark portrayal of South Africa during apartheid and the Immorality Act banning sexual conduct between whites and nonwhites. Although I was able to look the terms up, a glossary might have been helpful for those of us not as familiar with the history and terminology. Cooper makes a sympathetic protagonist with shades of Charles Todd’s Ian Rutledge character. While it’s an interesting homage, it also felt like a cheap, and not very satisfying, way of telling us about Cooper’s background. We do learn, though other means, some of this background throughout the story, but much remains vague about him. However, all the characters seemed stereotypical, from the Jewish doctor and his wife, to the enigmatic Zulu constable, to the storm trooper Security Branch and on. There was very little dimension to the majority of the characters. The plot conveys how unjust and brutal living was under apartheid. While interesting and educational, it’s not enough to make the book work. The mystery itself, and its investigation, became almost secondary. It did have a number of well-executed twists and revelations, along with suspense and some brutality. I did identify one villain early but not another. However, my largest complaint was that, although realistic, I found the ending unsatisfying. I certainly don’t regret having read this book. It was interesting, I did learn from it. However, I don’t believe this is a series with which I shall continue.
Linda F - VG - Really good characterization and an interesting milieu and situation. However, the case seemed predictable.
Linda S - Good - It was interesting being set at the beginning of apartheid, but there was too much focus on it. She liked Emmanuel and the interaction between him and Security Branch; thought it was well done. The book could have used more editing. She did wonder whether some of the language was anachronistic. Linda S. would read another by this author.