AMONG THIEVES (Legal Thriller -Scott Finn-Boston-Cont) – 3rd in series – David Hosp In 1990, $300 million worth of paintings were stolen from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in what remains one of the greatest unsolved art thefts of the twentieth century. Now, nearly twenty years later, the case threatens to break wide open. Members of Boston's criminal underground are turning up dead. But these are no ordinary murders. The M.O. of the attacks suggests the involvement of someone trained by the IRA. But when Scott Finn learns that one of his clients, Devon Malley, was part of the heist, he's quickly drawn into the crossfire, and into the renewed hunt for the missing artwork-a hunt that may cost Finn and his colleagues their lives. Corona – Ex – This book had nothing that annoyed her. It told a good story. There was nothing in which she was not interested and she particularly liked the partnership. Linda S – VG – She loved the tie in with the real museum and thought the author did a good job of blending known facts with a plausible plot. She likes art-theft books in general and found the tie in with the IRA interesting. She did feel that, in spite of being the author’s third book, it had a very first-book feel to it and needed to lose about 50 pages as there was too much extraneous detail. She did like the relationship between the partners LJ – Poor - Let me start with the things I did like about this book, as it won’t take very long. The description of Isabella Stewart Gardner, her museum and now she created it was excellent. I hadn’t realized that much of the financing for the IRA (Irish Republican Army) came from stealing valuable art and ransoming it back. I particularly enjoyed the characters of Sally, the thief’s 14-year-old daughter, as well as Lissie and Kos, both of whom work with Finn. Unfortunately, there were many things I did not like about the book. Other than the description of the museum, there was very little sense of place. The story could have been set in any city. We were given area names and economic strata, but there was no read sense of Boston. For other than those mentioned previously, there was very little character development. There were good guys and bad guys and other guys but most were quite forgettable. Other than knowing Finn grew up in “the system,” I had no real feel for him as a character and certainly no affinity was created. Even the dialogue was indistinguishable, one character to the next. As to the story, it is not really a legal thriller. A couple visits to the jail and a couple short courtroom scenes does not a legal thriller make. The story, and even the dialogue, was very predictable. A considerable part of the story was told in the past. Unfortunately, that was more interesting than the present. Only in the last approximately 50 pages did the story become gripping. There is an interesting twist at the very end, but I was left feeling that Hosp didn’t really finish the story, even knowing the missing object are, in reality, never found. I did finish this book but was certainly not impressed by it. I doubt I’ll be reading more by Mr. Hosp. Marcy G – VG - based on the strong characters and complex plot. She greatly enjoyed the book. Marcy also likes reading books set in Boston and felt that the author did convey the city nicely.
IRON RIVER (Pol Proc (ATF)-Charlie Hood-California/Mexico-Cont) – 3rd in series – T. Jefferson Parker Hood is running the California-Mexico border with the ATF, searching for the iron river - the massive and illegal flow of handguns and automatic weapons that fuels the bloody cartel wars south of the border. Gunrunners by nature aren't exactly ethical, but the lengths they'll go to, and the innocent lives they'll risk, are shocking even to Hood. Most shocking of all is the close personal connection Hood finds wrapped up in events south of the border - a connection that shakes him to his core. Corona – Okay – Mixed feelings – the story was tough to read and she found the voice confusing as to who was telling the story. It did not have a satisfying ending. The story was too messy; too mean but she did learn a lot. The meanest parts of the story were probably based on fact, which was the hardest part of reading it. It was well written and she respected the author’s talent, but she did not enjoy it.
AN INCOMPLETE REVENGE (Hist Mys-Maisie Dobbs-England-1931) – 5th in series – Jacqueline Winspear With the country in the grip of economic malaise, and worried about her business, Maisie Dobbs is relieved to accept an apparently straightforward assignment from an old friend to investigate certain matters concerning a potential land purchase. Her inquiries take her to a picturesque village in Kent during the hop-picking season, but beneath its pastoral surface she finds evidence that something is amiss. Mysterious fires erupt in the village with alarming regularity, and a series of petty crimes suggests a darker criminal element at work. As Maisie discovers, the villagers are bitterly prejudiced against outsiders who flock to Kent at harvest time--even more troubling, they seem possessed by the legacy of a wartime Zeppelin raid. Maisie grows increasingly suspicious of a peculiar secrecy that shrouds the village, and ultimately she must draw on all her finely honed skills of detection to solve one of her most intriguing cases. Evanda – Ex – Really liked reading it. It was like reading a script. The book was very girlish, very wonderful and made her feel like a kid reading it. She loved the book and will read the others in the series. Joy – Ex – She loves Maisie Dobbs – Loved it! Liked that she’s coming into her own as a character and liked the theme of reconciling the past. The plot was excellent; there was a lot going on in the story with Maisie and the Roma. Linda S – VG – Love book one and she liked this one pretty well. Likes the character of Maisie but she did feel the plot about the Roma was a bit romanticized. She felt it was unrealistic that Maisie had no prejudices. It’s hard for an author to give the protagonist flaws, but Maisie not having any seemed unrealistic. LJ - Okay - This is my second foray into Maisie Dobbs. I didn’t care for her first time and, I must admit, nothing much has changed. Winspear does include information on the gypsies that I found interesting until it became redundant. She also includes details to the point of minutia on things that aren’t particularly important. Her descriptions are informative but not evocative so that a feeling for the sense of place is missing. As a character, Maisie is the sort of person who would annoy me if I knew her. Yes, I can justify some of it by remembering she’s experience the trauma of war, but not all. There is arrogance to Maisie that surpasses self confidence and is somewhat unappealing as it borders on arrogance. Her friend, Priscilla, is the complete antithesis to Maisie and annoying in her own way. In fact, the most interesting characters in the book were Maisie’s father followed closely by the dog. The story itself is just not gripping. There’s no real suspense or emotion; everything is at a distance and somewhat dispassionate. The number of coincidences is overwhelming; Maisie’s perfection at everything becomes tiring. Everyone is willing to talk to her. There is no struggle or effort really required; it’s all quite neat and rather placid. For those who like cozies; no violence, no real threat, no swearing, no sex, no real evil, this would be perfect. Unfortunately, that’s just not my taste so although there were parts that were interesting, it was not really my cup of tea--single malt whisky, please.
In 1990, $300 million worth of paintings were stolen from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in what remains one of the greatest unsolved art thefts of the twentieth century. Now, nearly twenty years later, the case threatens to break wide open. Members of Boston's criminal underground are turning up dead. But these are no ordinary murders. The M.O. of the attacks suggests the involvement of someone trained by the IRA. But when Scott Finn learns that one of his clients, Devon Malley, was part of the heist, he's quickly drawn into the crossfire, and into the renewed hunt for the missing artwork-a hunt that may cost Finn and his colleagues their lives.
Corona – Ex – This book had nothing that annoyed her. It told a good story. There was nothing in which she was not interested and she particularly liked the partnership.
Linda S – VG – She loved the tie in with the real museum and thought the author did a good job of blending known facts with a plausible plot. She likes art-theft books in general and found the tie in with the IRA interesting. She did feel that, in spite of being the author’s third book, it had a very first-book feel to it and needed to lose about 50 pages as there was too much extraneous detail. She did like the relationship between the partners
LJ – Poor - Let me start with the things I did like about this book, as it won’t take very long. The description of Isabella Stewart Gardner, her museum and now she created it was excellent. I hadn’t realized that much of the financing for the IRA (Irish Republican Army) came from stealing valuable art and ransoming it back. I particularly enjoyed the characters of Sally, the thief’s 14-year-old daughter, as well as Lissie and Kos, both of whom work with Finn. Unfortunately, there were many things I did not like about the book. Other than the description of the museum, there was very little sense of place. The story could have been set in any city. We were given area names and economic strata, but there was no read sense of Boston. For other than those mentioned previously, there was very little character development. There were good guys and bad guys and other guys but most were quite forgettable. Other than knowing Finn grew up in “the system,” I had no real feel for him as a character and certainly no affinity was created. Even the dialogue was indistinguishable, one character to the next. As to the story, it is not really a legal thriller. A couple visits to the jail and a couple short courtroom scenes does not a legal thriller make. The story, and even the dialogue, was very predictable. A considerable part of the story was told in the past. Unfortunately, that was more interesting than the present. Only in the last approximately 50 pages did the story become gripping. There is an interesting twist at the very end, but I was left feeling that Hosp didn’t really finish the story, even knowing the missing object are, in reality, never found. I did finish this book but was certainly not impressed by it. I doubt I’ll be reading more by Mr. Hosp.
Marcy G – VG - based on the strong characters and complex plot. She greatly enjoyed the book. Marcy also likes reading books set in Boston and felt that the author did convey the city nicely.
IRON RIVER (Pol Proc (ATF)-Charlie Hood-California/Mexico-Cont) – 3rd in series – T. Jefferson Parker
Hood is running the California-Mexico border with the ATF, searching for the iron river - the massive and illegal flow of handguns and automatic weapons that fuels the bloody cartel wars south of the border. Gunrunners by nature aren't exactly ethical, but the lengths they'll go to, and the innocent lives they'll risk, are shocking even to Hood. Most shocking of all is the close personal connection Hood finds wrapped up in events south of the border - a connection that shakes him to his core.
Corona – Okay – Mixed feelings – the story was tough to read and she found the voice confusing as to who was telling the story. It did not have a satisfying ending. The story was too messy; too mean but she did learn a lot. The meanest parts of the story were probably based on fact, which was the hardest part of reading it. It was well written and she respected the author’s talent, but she did not enjoy it.
AN INCOMPLETE REVENGE (Hist Mys-Maisie Dobbs-England-1931) – 5th in series – Jacqueline Winspear
With the country in the grip of economic malaise, and worried about her business, Maisie Dobbs is relieved to accept an apparently straightforward assignment from an old friend to investigate certain matters concerning a potential land purchase. Her inquiries take her to a picturesque village in Kent during the hop-picking season, but beneath its pastoral surface she finds evidence that something is amiss. Mysterious fires erupt in the village with alarming regularity, and a series of petty crimes suggests a darker criminal element at work. As Maisie discovers, the villagers are bitterly prejudiced against outsiders who flock to Kent at harvest time--even more troubling, they seem possessed by the legacy of a wartime Zeppelin raid. Maisie grows increasingly suspicious of a peculiar secrecy that shrouds the village, and ultimately she must draw on all her finely honed skills of detection to solve one of her most intriguing cases.
Evanda – Ex – Really liked reading it. It was like reading a script. The book was very girlish, very wonderful and made her feel like a kid reading it. She loved the book and will read the others in the series.
Joy – Ex – She loves Maisie Dobbs – Loved it! Liked that she’s coming into her own as a character and liked the theme of reconciling the past. The plot was excellent; there was a lot going on in the story with Maisie and the Roma.
Linda S – VG – Love book one and she liked this one pretty well. Likes the character of Maisie but she did feel the plot about the Roma was a bit romanticized. She felt it was unrealistic that Maisie had no prejudices. It’s hard for an author to give the protagonist flaws, but Maisie not having any seemed unrealistic.
LJ - Okay - This is my second foray into Maisie Dobbs. I didn’t care for her first time and, I must admit, nothing much has changed. Winspear does include information on the gypsies that I found interesting until it became redundant. She also includes details to the point of minutia on things that aren’t particularly important. Her descriptions are informative but not evocative so that a feeling for the sense of place is missing. As a character, Maisie is the sort of person who would annoy me if I knew her. Yes, I can justify some of it by remembering she’s experience the trauma of war, but not all. There is arrogance to Maisie that surpasses self confidence and is somewhat unappealing as it borders on arrogance. Her friend, Priscilla, is the complete antithesis to Maisie and annoying in her own way. In fact, the most interesting characters in the book were Maisie’s father followed closely by the dog. The story itself is just not gripping. There’s no real suspense or emotion; everything is at a distance and somewhat dispassionate. The number of coincidences is overwhelming; Maisie’s perfection at everything becomes tiring. Everyone is willing to talk to her. There is no struggle or effort really required; it’s all quite neat and rather placid. For those who like cozies; no violence, no real threat, no swearing, no sex, no real evil, this would be perfect. Unfortunately, that’s just not my taste so although there were parts that were interesting, it was not really my cup of tea--single malt whisky, please.