A PLAY FOR ISAAC (Hist Mys-Joliffe-England-1400s) – 1st in series – Margaret Frazer When his band of traveling players are taken in by a patron, Joliffe and company find that murder has taken their place in the spotlight--and it's up to them to catch a killer in the act. Marcy G – VG - Marcy really enjoyed the book even though she knows nothing about the 13th Century. She liked the tone and the characters and felt she learned quite a bit about the period due to the setting. She really liked that there was a character with Down’s Syndrome and the manner in which he was treated by others. The mystery was okay but she really enjoyed the setting and would definitely read more in the series. Andrea - - Andrea was unable to find the selected book so instead read “The Apostate’s Tale” from Margaret Frazer’s Sister Frevisse series. Unfortunately, she hated it. It was much to “nun-y”; too heavy on religion. There was no feel for the period and the mystery was mediocre. She rated it as “Poor”.
MIDNIGHT FUGUE (Pol Proc-Dalziel/Pascoe-England-Cont) – 24th in series – Reginald Hill It starts with a phone call to Superintendent Dalziel from an old friend asking for help. But where it ends is a very different story. Gina Wolfe has come to mid Yorkshire in search of her missing husband, believed dead. Her fiancé, Commander Mick Purdy of the Met, thinks Dalziel should be able to take care of the job. What none of them realize is how events set in motion decades ago will come to a violent head on this otherwise ordinary summer's day. A Welsh tabloid journalist senses the story he's been chasing for years may have finally landed in his lap. A Tory MP's secretary suspects her boss's father has an unsavory history that could taint his son's prime ministerial ambitions. The ruthless entrepreneur in question sends two henchmen out to make sure the past stays in the past. And the lethal pair dispatched have some awkward secrets of their own. Four stories, two mismatched detectives trying to figure it all out, and twenty-four hours in which to do it: Dalziel and Pascoe are about to learn the hard way just how much difference a day makes. Corona – Ex - A mystery that takes place within 24 hours, which gives the impression that all the mysteries will be revealed quickly but it still takes 352 pages. The story is full of interesting people and complicated enough to make it interesting but not so complicated that I dropped the strings. This is the first investigation run by The Fat Man since being in the hospital; it is hit and miss a few time as to whether he is up to the task. I was surprised to find myself rooting for him. But I needn't have worried, The Fat Man is back! Marcy S – VG+ - Very much enjoyed the book. Even though it comes quite late in the series, she appreciated the author not spending a lot of time on back story, but would have liked just a little more information. There were so many acronyms, a glossary would have been helpful. Marcy will probably read another book in the series.
TOMATO RED (Noir-Sammy Barlack, Missouri-Cont) – Standalone – Daniel Woodrell When one of their number, a young gay man, is killed, three friends from the American South set out to expose the so-called upstanding citizens who have no qualms about killing another human being because of his sexuality. Linda F – VG – One thing she really noticed was that the characters were teenagers. She thought Woodrell very accurately conveyed the sense of desperation some teens have. The writing was so good, she stopped thinking about the characters’ behavior as mistakes when they became the victims of injustice. Linda S – Ex – She loved the language. She was amazed she was reading such a dark book, which she normally doesn’t like, but the author made her care about the characters, almost against her will. She doesn’t like noir, but the characters were so compelling and the writing so strong, she loved it. Marcy G – VG – Really liked it. They were not characters she usually would like, but the author imbued them with such humanity through his beautiful writing. She loved the dialogue and the use of dialect. Wonderful use of language.
When his band of traveling players are taken in by a patron, Joliffe and company find that murder has taken their place in the spotlight--and it's up to them to catch a killer in the act.
Marcy G – VG - Marcy really enjoyed the book even though she knows nothing about the 13th Century. She liked the tone and the characters and felt she learned quite a bit about the period due to the setting. She really liked that there was a character with Down’s Syndrome and the manner in which he was treated by others. The mystery was okay but she really enjoyed the setting and would definitely read more in the series.
Andrea - - Andrea was unable to find the selected book so instead read “The Apostate’s Tale” from Margaret Frazer’s Sister Frevisse series. Unfortunately, she hated it. It was much to “nun-y”; too heavy on religion. There was no feel for the period and the mystery was mediocre. She rated it as “Poor”.
MIDNIGHT FUGUE (Pol Proc-Dalziel/Pascoe-England-Cont) – 24th in series – Reginald Hill
It starts with a phone call to Superintendent Dalziel from an old friend asking for help. But where it ends is a very different story. Gina Wolfe has come to mid Yorkshire in search of her missing husband, believed dead. Her fiancé, Commander Mick Purdy of the Met, thinks Dalziel should be able to take care of the job. What none of them realize is how events set in motion decades ago will come to a violent head on this otherwise ordinary summer's day. A Welsh tabloid journalist senses the story he's been chasing for years may have finally landed in his lap. A Tory MP's secretary suspects her boss's father has an unsavory history that could taint his son's prime ministerial ambitions. The ruthless entrepreneur in question sends two henchmen out to make sure the past stays in the past. And the lethal pair dispatched have some awkward secrets of their own. Four stories, two mismatched detectives trying to figure it all out, and twenty-four hours in which to do it: Dalziel and Pascoe are about to learn the hard way just how much difference a day makes.
Corona – Ex - A mystery that takes place within 24 hours, which gives the impression that all the mysteries will be revealed quickly but it still takes 352 pages. The story is full of interesting people and complicated enough to make it interesting but not so complicated that I dropped the strings. This is the first investigation run by The Fat Man since being in the hospital; it is hit and miss a few time as to whether he is up to the task. I was surprised to find myself rooting for him. But I needn't have worried, The Fat Man is back!
Marcy S – VG+ - Very much enjoyed the book. Even though it comes quite late in the series, she appreciated the author not spending a lot of time on back story, but would have liked just a little more information. There were so many acronyms, a glossary would have been helpful. Marcy will probably read another book in the series.
TOMATO RED (Noir-Sammy Barlack, Missouri-Cont) – Standalone – Daniel Woodrell
When one of their number, a young gay man, is killed, three friends from the American South set out to expose the so-called upstanding citizens who have no qualms about killing another human being because of his sexuality.
Linda F – VG – One thing she really noticed was that the characters were teenagers. She thought Woodrell very accurately conveyed the sense of desperation some teens have. The writing was so good, she stopped thinking about the characters’ behavior as mistakes when they became the victims of injustice.
Linda S – Ex – She loved the language. She was amazed she was reading such a dark book, which she normally doesn’t like, but the author made her care about the characters, almost against her will. She doesn’t like noir, but the characters were so compelling and the writing so strong, she loved it.
Marcy G – VG – Really liked it. They were not characters she usually would like, but the author imbued them with such humanity through his beautiful writing. She loved the dialogue and the use of dialect. Wonderful use of language.