Books for July 3rd are: THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES (Pol Proc - CD Carl MØrck – Denmark – Contemporary) – 1st in series - Jussi Adler-Olsen Chief detective Carl MØrck, used to be a good homicide detective-one of Copenhagen's best. Then a bullet almost took his life. Two of his colleagues weren't so lucky, and Carl, who didn't draw his weapon, blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing Carl expects. But it all becomes clear when he sees his new office in the basement. Carl's been selected to run Department Q, a new special investigations division that turns out to be a department of one. With a stack of Copenhagen's coldest cases to keep him company, Carl's been put out to pasture. So he's as surprised as anyone when a case actually captures his interest. A missing politician vanished without a trace five years earlier. The world assumes she's dead. His colleagues snicker about the time he's wasting. But Carl may have the last laugh, and redeem himself in the process.
Christine – G+ - She loved the detective and his sidekick. However, she hated the ending of the book as she felt it was unrealistic/over the top, and that spoiled it a bit for her. Still, Christine would read more by this author. Linda S. – Good – The story is told from two perspectives. She loved the detectives and thought the way he reacted to the traumas of an incident he experienced was very well done. Department Q is funny, in a bitter way and she loved the assistant. She also liked the little shot of Denmark as a good, new setting. Linda hated the victim’s perspective and ended up skipping almost all of it. It put images in her head she really didn’t want there. It felt too sensationalistic and turned the book more into suspense than a mystery. She would read more by this author but only if it doesn’t include the victim’s perspective. Marcy G. – VG – The protagonist and his sidekick are wonderful; the detective has so much humanity. The plot was unfathomable, very dark and gruesome. However, she loved the characters and the police department, which is what kept her going.
Group Read Average: G+
FLOODGATES (Unl Inves - Faye Longchamp - New Orleans - Contemporary) – 4th in series – Mary Anna Evans In New Orleans, archaeologist Faye Longchamp and her team of archaeologists are horrified when a corpse surfaces that's far too new to be an archaeological find. Faye and her fiance Joe Wolf Mantooth are drawn into the investigation by a detective who believes their professional expertise is critical to the case. They quickly learn that trouble swirled around the victim, Shelly Broussard, like winds around the still, quiet eye of a hurricane. Does Shelly's heroic rescue work in the aftermath of Katrina the key to her death? Or does the sheaf of photos in her work files hold the answer?
Christine – G+ - She loved the detective and his sidekick. However, she hated the ending of the book as she felt it was unrealistic/over the top, and that spoiled it a bit for her. Still, Christine would read more by this author. Linda S. – Good – The story is told from two perspectives. She loved the detectives and thought the way he reacted to the traumas of an incident he experienced was very well done. Department Q is funny, in a bitter way and she loved the assistant. She also liked the little shot of Denmark as a good, new setting. Linda hated the victim’s perspective and ended up skipping almost all of it. It put images in her head she really didn’t want there. It felt too sensationalistic and turned the book more into suspense than a mystery. She would read more by this author but only if it doesn’t include the victim’s perspective. Marcy G. – VG – The protagonist and his sidekick are wonderful; the detective has so much humanity. The plot was unfathomable, very dark and gruesome. However, she loved the characters and the police department, which is what kept her going.
Group Read Average: G+
GHOSTS OF BELFAST (Susp – Fegan – Ireland – Contemporary) – 1st book – Stuart Neville Fegan has been a “hard man,” an IRA killer in northern Ireland. Now that peace has come, he is being haunted day and night by twelve ghosts: a mother and infant, a schoolboy, a butcher, an RUC constable, and seven other of his innocent victims. In order to appease them, he’s going to have to kill the men who gave him orders. As he’s working his way down the list he encounters a woman who may offer him redemption; she has borne a child to an RUC officer and is an outsider too. Now he has given Fate—and his quarry—a hostage. Is this Fegan’s ultimate mistake?
Linda S - Ex - This was her favorite of the books she read and felt the writing transcended the genre. The author talks about who really bears the responsibility for the actions of the boots on the ground. The story does destroy the romantic notions of Irish Freedom Fighters, which is good. This is so not the rosy, romantic picture of stories. It is very powerful. The appreciated the dose of reality and realism. Given the character and the setting, the violence was not over the top and felt the use of the spirits was very well done. Marcy G - G+ - She kept waiting to find herself putting it down but she couldn’t because she really liked the characters. In spite of it being very dark and violent, bit was a very hard read. She did finish it and, although the writing was very good, it was way too violent for her. Marcy S - NR - The character is very well developed and puts shot to any romanticized notion of the Irish Freedom Fighters, but she really hated the book. It does have a very good sense of place but didn’t like where it was set and the fact that the characters had no redeeming qualities. This was definitely not the book for her.
Group Read Average: G+
NOTE: As I've come to realize how dark/noir are a couple of this month's reads, I've added alternative books that lead in to the August reads; the first and/or second books in the Insp. Montalbano series.
THE SHAPE OF WATER (Pol Proc-Insp. Montalbano-Sicily-Contemp) - 1st in series - Andrea Camilleri When a local politician in his car, half naked, in a seedy neighborhood known for prostitution and drag trafficking, it's assumed that he died of natural causes in the middle of a sexual escapade. Hoping to avoid an embarrassing situation, Montalbano's superiors expect him to close the case quickly. But the inspector senses that not all is as it seems and determinedly launches a full investigation.
For those read that book with the group early on, there's: THE TERRA-COTTA DOG (Pol Proc-Insp Montalbano-Sicily-Contemp)- 2nd in series - Andrea Camilleri In sunny Sicily, Inspector Salvo Montalbano is juggling an assortment of puzzling cases with no obvious connection except for Montalbano's involvement. However, the threads from each investigation keep tangling with others. Montalbano is lead to put together the pieces of the strangest puzzles of all and discover evidence of still another crime and links tragic deaths from WWII to the violent events of today.
Christine - - She is about half-way thorough and very much enjoying it. It is a fun, enjoyable, light read. Corona - G+ - Liked the character and his life, but thought the plot was a bit weak. LJ - Good - The author has also created a strong, interesting character in Montalbano. He is a study in contrasts; calm facing a Mafia chief in a tense situation, yet goes into panic before the press; he can be quite crass, yet also very sensitive “That morning, by surprising the two kids making love, he had desecrated life; and now, by exposing the two bodies that should have remained forever unknown to the world in their embrace, he had desecrated death.” He has a morbid fear of being promoted and suffers from mild synesthesia which converts smells into colors for him. There is very good dialogue, including amusing non-sequesters, which adds realism to the story as well as retaining a sense of Italy. The plot is intriguing and clever as it is one thread which leads to another, but it is the character of Montalbano who really kept me reading.
THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES (Pol Proc - CD Carl MØrck – Denmark – Contemporary) – 1st in series - Jussi Adler-Olsen
Chief detective Carl MØrck, used to be a good homicide detective-one of Copenhagen's best. Then a bullet almost took his life. Two of his colleagues weren't so lucky, and Carl, who didn't draw his weapon, blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing Carl expects. But it all becomes clear when he sees his new office in the basement. Carl's been selected to run Department Q, a new special investigations division that turns out to be a department of one. With a stack of Copenhagen's coldest cases to keep him company, Carl's been put out to pasture. So he's as surprised as anyone when a case actually captures his interest. A missing politician vanished without a trace five years earlier. The world assumes she's dead. His colleagues snicker about the time he's wasting. But Carl may have the last laugh, and redeem himself in the process.
Christine – G+ - She loved the detective and his sidekick. However, she hated the ending of the book as she felt it was unrealistic/over the top, and that spoiled it a bit for her. Still, Christine would read more by this author.
Linda S. – Good – The story is told from two perspectives. She loved the detectives and thought the way he reacted to the traumas of an incident he experienced was very well done. Department Q is funny, in a bitter way and she loved the assistant. She also liked the little shot of Denmark as a good, new setting. Linda hated the victim’s perspective and ended up skipping almost all of it. It put images in her head she really didn’t want there. It felt too sensationalistic and turned the book more into suspense than a mystery. She would read more by this author but only if it doesn’t include the victim’s perspective.
Marcy G. – VG – The protagonist and his sidekick are wonderful; the detective has so much humanity. The plot was unfathomable, very dark and gruesome. However, she loved the characters and the police department, which is what kept her going.
Group Read Average: G+
FLOODGATES (Unl Inves - Faye Longchamp - New Orleans - Contemporary) – 4th in series – Mary Anna Evans
In New Orleans, archaeologist Faye Longchamp and her team of archaeologists are horrified when a corpse surfaces that's far too new to be an archaeological find. Faye and her fiance Joe Wolf Mantooth are drawn into the investigation by a detective who believes their professional expertise is critical to the case. They quickly learn that trouble swirled around the victim, Shelly Broussard, like winds around the still, quiet eye of a hurricane. Does Shelly's heroic rescue work in the aftermath of Katrina the key to her death? Or does the sheaf of photos in her work files hold the answer?
Christine – G+ - She loved the detective and his sidekick. However, she hated the ending of the book as she felt it was unrealistic/over the top, and that spoiled it a bit for her. Still, Christine would read more by this author.
Linda S. – Good – The story is told from two perspectives. She loved the detectives and thought the way he reacted to the traumas of an incident he experienced was very well done. Department Q is funny, in a bitter way and she loved the assistant. She also liked the little shot of Denmark as a good, new setting. Linda hated the victim’s perspective and ended up skipping almost all of it. It put images in her head she really didn’t want there. It felt too sensationalistic and turned the book more into suspense than a mystery. She would read more by this author but only if it doesn’t include the victim’s perspective.
Marcy G. – VG – The protagonist and his sidekick are wonderful; the detective has so much humanity. The plot was unfathomable, very dark and gruesome. However, she loved the characters and the police department, which is what kept her going.
Group Read Average: G+
GHOSTS OF BELFAST (Susp – Fegan – Ireland – Contemporary) – 1st book – Stuart Neville
Fegan has been a “hard man,” an IRA killer in northern Ireland. Now that peace has come, he is being haunted day and night by twelve ghosts: a mother and infant, a schoolboy, a butcher, an RUC constable, and seven other of his innocent victims. In order to appease them, he’s going to have to kill the men who gave him orders. As he’s working his way down the list he encounters a woman who may offer him redemption; she has borne a child to an RUC officer and is an outsider too. Now he has given Fate—and his quarry—a hostage. Is this Fegan’s ultimate mistake?
Linda S - Ex - This was her favorite of the books she read and felt the writing transcended the genre. The author talks about who really bears the responsibility for the actions of the boots on the ground. The story does destroy the romantic notions of Irish Freedom Fighters, which is good. This is so not the rosy, romantic picture of stories. It is very powerful. The appreciated the dose of reality and realism. Given the character and the setting, the violence was not over the top and felt the use of the spirits was very well done.
Marcy G - G+ - She kept waiting to find herself putting it down but she couldn’t because she really liked the characters. In spite of it being very dark and violent, bit was a very hard read. She did finish it and, although the writing was very good, it was way too violent for her.
Marcy S - NR - The character is very well developed and puts shot to any romanticized notion of the Irish Freedom Fighters, but she really hated the book. It does have a very good sense of place but didn’t like where it was set and the fact that the characters had no redeeming qualities. This was definitely not the book for her.
Group Read Average: G+
NOTE: As I've come to realize how dark/noir are a couple of this month's reads, I've added alternative books that lead in to the August reads; the first and/or second books in the Insp. Montalbano series.
THE SHAPE OF WATER (Pol Proc-Insp. Montalbano-Sicily-Contemp) - 1st in series - Andrea Camilleri
When a local politician in his car, half naked, in a seedy neighborhood known for prostitution and drag trafficking, it's assumed that he died of natural causes in the middle of a sexual escapade. Hoping to avoid an embarrassing situation, Montalbano's superiors expect him to close the case quickly. But the inspector senses that not all is as it seems and determinedly launches a full investigation.
For those read that book with the group early on, there's:
THE TERRA-COTTA DOG (Pol Proc-Insp Montalbano-Sicily-Contemp)- 2nd in series - Andrea Camilleri
In sunny Sicily, Inspector Salvo Montalbano is juggling an assortment of puzzling cases with no obvious connection except for Montalbano's involvement. However, the threads from each investigation keep tangling with others. Montalbano is lead to put together the pieces of the strangest puzzles of all and discover evidence of still another crime and links tragic deaths from WWII to the violent events of today.
Christine - - She is about half-way thorough and very much enjoying it. It is a fun, enjoyable, light read.
Corona - G+ - Liked the character and his life, but thought the plot was a bit weak.
LJ - Good - The author has also created a strong, interesting character in Montalbano. He is a study in contrasts; calm facing a Mafia chief in a tense situation, yet goes into panic before the press; he can be quite crass, yet also very sensitive “That morning, by surprising the two kids making love, he had desecrated life; and now, by exposing the two bodies that should have remained forever unknown to the world in their embrace, he had desecrated death.” He has a morbid fear of being promoted and suffers from mild synesthesia which converts smells into colors for him. There is very good dialogue, including amusing non-sequesters, which adds realism to the story as well as retaining a sense of Italy. The plot is intriguing and clever as it is one thread which leads to another, but it is the character of Montalbano who really kept me reading.
Group Read Average: G