Girl Missing (aka Peggy Sue Got Murdered) (Rom/Susp/Lic Invest-M.J. Novak-Boston-Cont)–Standalone – Tess Gerritsen M.J. Novak, a streetwise medical examiner, thinks she's seen it all. Then a red-haired women named Peggy Sue mysteriously dies, the first victim of what may be an epidemic. Her only clue is a telephone number scrawled inside the matchbook in the girls' lifeless hand. Could M.J. be at risk too? NOTE: This was Ms. Gerritsen’s transition book from writing Romance to writing Suspense. While I don’t expect it to be a stellar read, I thought it might be interesting to see that transition.
LJ – Good - It was interesting to see the transition of Ms. Gerritsen from romantic/suspense writer to thriller/mystery writer. This was a fun segue of those two subgenres. The hallmarks of Ms. Gerritsen’s style were apparent; smart female protagonist, scientific information based on fact, very good suspense and a surprising ending. What were a bit disconcerting were the location of a fictional city after being so accustomed to her books being set in Boston, love scenes, the hero coming to the rescue at one point, and the woman from a tough background with the privileged man. Certainly, “Girl Missing” was a quick read and never boring; there was never an inclination to put it down and it was a straight-through read because of its compelling plot. It’s enjoyable and perfect for an airplane read.
False Mermaid (For. Path-Nora Gavin-Ireland/Minnesota-Cont) – 3rd in series – Erin Hart Forensic pathologist Nora Gavin returns to Minneapolis, hoping to solve at long last the murder of her sister, Triona. Convinced that Triona was killed by her husband, Peter, but unable to prove it, Nora retreated to Ireland and began a new life. But now Peter is returning to Minneapolis, and Nora feels she must tackle the unsolved crime before he has a chance to wreak more havoc on her family, especially Triona’s daughter, 11-year-old Elizabeth. Meanwhile, back in Ireland, archaeologist Cormac Maguire becomes ensnared in another long-standing mystery, this one concerning the century-old disappearance of a woman believed to be a selkie a (mermaid who becomes human when she loses her sealskin).
Linda F – Good – She liked the main character but wasn’t thrilled about the US setting or the mystery. It was very much a movie-of-the-week book. The subplot of the story in Ireland was more interesting. She didn’t exactly love the book. LJ – G+ - After a very compelling opening, the story was a bit slow getting into, but well worth staying with. Ireland is always an appealing setting for the story and the sense of being there was certainly much stronger than being in Minnesota. The characters were not very well developed and, with the exception of Cormac’s father, neither were they particularly interesting and the angst surrounding them became heavy-handed and overwhelming. What saved them was the quality of the dialogue which captured both the characters and the locales. The plot with its dual threads was brought together in satisfactory manner at the end but the folktale really could have been omitted, making the story stronger by having each thread be a traditional mystery, and there were several rather large coincidences which felt awkward. What was well done were the descriptions were occasionally filled with a great sense of poignancy. Hart did capture the tragedy and pain of a family who has lost a child. There was a good building of the suspense and an effective twist, although it was broadcast a little too soon. The second twist, however, was extremely effective. “False Mermaid” felt a bit overwritten and heavy-handed at times; not quite certain what it wanted to be. Even so, it was an enjoyable read with an effective ending. Marcy S - VG – It was a movie-of-the-week book but she really enjoyed it. She had seen the movie “the Secret of Roan Inish” and enjoyed it, so she liked the Selkie theme. She enjoyed being able to get into the book without having to push herself. Group Average Rating - Good
Death of an Englishman (Pol Proc-Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia-Florence, Italy, Cont) – 1st in series – Magdalen Nabb It is just before Christmas and the marshal wants to go South to spend the holiday with his wife and family, but first he must recover from the flu (which has left the Florentine caribinieri short-handed) and also solve a murder. A seemingly respectable retired Englishman, living in a flat on the Via Maggio near the Santa Trinita bridge, was shot in the back during the night. He was well-connected and Scotland Yard has dispatched two officers to "assist" the Italians in solving the crime. But it is the marshal, a quiet observer, not an intellectual, who manages to figure out what happened, and why. NOTE: The carabinieri is one of eight branches of enforcement in Italy. They are a special branch of the army with similar functions to the police, sometimes overlapping with the other branches of the police. They are particularly concerning criminal investigation. They deal with national and serious crime, including organized crime, and are Italy’s most efficient, and best funded, and professional police force. Being a military force, they are housed in barracks (caserma) in all major towns and cities.
Andrea – NR - She couldn’t find this books, so she read “Death of a Dutchman” and did not like it at all. She hated the ending which didn’t directly have anything to do with the story. Libby - VG - Read it twice before and loved it. LJ - G+ - I actually reviewed this in 2008. I was not familiar with this author, but it was recommended to me and I thought I’d give it a try. I’m so glad I did. It’s the first of the series and a bit misleading since the actual protagonist spends most of the story being sick. I didn’t learn much about Marshal in this book, but when he did make an appearance, I became completely intrigued and wanted more. I loved the Florentine setting. Nabb is a wonderfully visual writer. Unfortunately, now I’ve found another author whose backlist I need to seek out and read. - I have since read several of her books and liked each better than the last. Group Average Rating for this book - G+
M.J. Novak, a streetwise medical examiner, thinks she's seen it all. Then a red-haired women named Peggy Sue mysteriously dies, the first victim of what may be an epidemic. Her only clue is a telephone number scrawled inside the matchbook in the girls' lifeless hand. Could M.J. be at risk too?
NOTE: This was Ms. Gerritsen’s transition book from writing Romance to writing Suspense. While I don’t expect it to be a stellar read, I thought it might be interesting to see that transition.
LJ – Good - It was interesting to see the transition of Ms. Gerritsen from romantic/suspense writer to thriller/mystery writer. This was a fun segue of those two subgenres. The hallmarks of Ms. Gerritsen’s style were apparent; smart female protagonist, scientific information based on fact, very good suspense and a surprising ending. What were a bit disconcerting were the location of a fictional city after being so accustomed to her books being set in Boston, love scenes, the hero coming to the rescue at one point, and the woman from a tough background with the privileged man. Certainly, “Girl Missing” was a quick read and never boring; there was never an inclination to put it down and it was a straight-through read because of its compelling plot. It’s enjoyable and perfect for an airplane read.
False Mermaid (For. Path-Nora Gavin-Ireland/Minnesota-Cont) – 3rd in series – Erin Hart
Forensic pathologist Nora Gavin returns to Minneapolis, hoping to solve at long last the murder of her sister, Triona. Convinced that Triona was killed by her husband, Peter, but unable to prove it, Nora retreated to Ireland and began a new life. But now Peter is returning to Minneapolis, and Nora feels she must tackle the unsolved crime before he has a chance to wreak more havoc on her family, especially Triona’s daughter, 11-year-old Elizabeth. Meanwhile, back in Ireland, archaeologist Cormac Maguire becomes ensnared in another long-standing mystery, this one concerning the century-old disappearance of a woman believed to be a selkie a (mermaid who becomes human when she loses her sealskin).
Linda F – Good – She liked the main character but wasn’t thrilled about the US setting or the mystery. It was very much a movie-of-the-week book. The subplot of the story in Ireland was more interesting. She didn’t exactly love the book.
LJ – G+ - After a very compelling opening, the story was a bit slow getting into, but well worth staying with. Ireland is always an appealing setting for the story and the sense of being there was certainly much stronger than being in Minnesota. The characters were not very well developed and, with the exception of Cormac’s father, neither were they particularly interesting and the angst surrounding them became heavy-handed and overwhelming. What saved them was the quality of the dialogue which captured both the characters and the locales. The plot with its dual threads was brought together in satisfactory manner at the end but the folktale really could have been omitted, making the story stronger by having each thread be a traditional mystery, and there were several rather large coincidences which felt awkward. What was well done were the descriptions were occasionally filled with a great sense of poignancy. Hart did capture the tragedy and pain of a family who has lost a child. There was a good building of the suspense and an effective twist, although it was broadcast a little too soon. The second twist, however, was extremely effective. “False Mermaid” felt a bit overwritten and heavy-handed at times; not quite certain what it wanted to be. Even so, it was an enjoyable read with an effective ending.
Marcy S - VG – It was a movie-of-the-week book but she really enjoyed it. She had seen the movie “the Secret of Roan Inish” and enjoyed it, so she liked the Selkie theme. She enjoyed being able to get into the book without having to push herself.
Group Average Rating - Good
Death of an Englishman (Pol Proc-Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia-Florence, Italy, Cont) – 1st in series – Magdalen Nabb
It is just before Christmas and the marshal wants to go South to spend the holiday with his wife and family, but first he must recover from the flu (which has left the Florentine caribinieri short-handed) and also solve a murder. A seemingly respectable retired Englishman, living in a flat on the Via Maggio near the Santa Trinita bridge, was shot in the back during the night. He was well-connected and Scotland Yard has dispatched two officers to "assist" the Italians in solving the crime. But it is the marshal, a quiet observer, not an intellectual, who manages to figure out what happened, and why.
NOTE: The carabinieri is one of eight branches of enforcement in Italy. They are a special branch of the army with similar functions to the police, sometimes overlapping with the other branches of the police. They are particularly concerning criminal investigation. They deal with national and serious crime, including organized crime, and are Italy’s most efficient, and best funded, and professional police force. Being a military force, they are housed in barracks (caserma) in all major towns and cities.
Andrea – NR - She couldn’t find this books, so she read “Death of a Dutchman” and did not like it at all. She hated the ending which didn’t directly have anything to do with the story.
Libby - VG - Read it twice before and loved it.
LJ - G+ - I actually reviewed this in 2008. I was not familiar with this author, but it was recommended to me and I thought I’d give it a try. I’m so glad I did. It’s the first of the series and a bit misleading since the actual protagonist spends most of the story being sick. I didn’t learn much about Marshal in this book, but when he did make an appearance, I became completely intrigued and wanted more.
I loved the Florentine setting. Nabb is a wonderfully visual writer. Unfortunately, now I’ve found another author whose backlist I need to seek out and read. - I have since read several of her books and liked each better than the last.
Group Average Rating for this book - G+