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Review Date: 2/27/2023
Set in Los Angeles in 1946, After the Blue, Blue Rain recalls the time when GI's returned home from the war, many in damaged condition, physically or mentally. Private eyes Kit Comfort and Henry Richman are hired to find a missing doctor who boarded a train for LA but never arrived. Finding him doesn't take much time. Finding the Nazi that delayed him, and their mysteriously absent employer, does. As they work the case, Kit helps to attend to her brother, who has returned from the Pacific with part of his memory missing. Henry's wife is also fragile mentally, and she is always his primary concern.
Author A.D. Price's strongest suit is characterization. Each of her characters is well developed, with a detailed back story and set of unique traits. While I can't say I could actually visualize the main characters, I found their behavior consistent. The story is told primarily in third person, with the focus of each short chapter on one of the main players, usually in present tense. The exception is that the Nazi culprit's tale is told in first person, past tense, interspersed with the other characters' chapters, roughly in the same timeline, as part of a confession statement. This, unfortunately, reveals beforehand that the Nazi survived, and produces an uneven narrative.
While the fast-paced ending gives the novel a thriller feel, for the most part this is a PI procedural, not really a mystery or a thriller. It's worth reading for its interesting characters and their stories as much as the primary plot. I'll look forward to the next installment.
This book was provided to me by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
Author A.D. Price's strongest suit is characterization. Each of her characters is well developed, with a detailed back story and set of unique traits. While I can't say I could actually visualize the main characters, I found their behavior consistent. The story is told primarily in third person, with the focus of each short chapter on one of the main players, usually in present tense. The exception is that the Nazi culprit's tale is told in first person, past tense, interspersed with the other characters' chapters, roughly in the same timeline, as part of a confession statement. This, unfortunately, reveals beforehand that the Nazi survived, and produces an uneven narrative.
While the fast-paced ending gives the novel a thriller feel, for the most part this is a PI procedural, not really a mystery or a thriller. It's worth reading for its interesting characters and their stories as much as the primary plot. I'll look forward to the next installment.
This book was provided to me by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
Review Date: 6/2/2007
Helpful Score: 2
I'm reading all of Barr's Anna Pigeon mysteries in sequence, and while I like all of them, this one is my least favorite so far, partly for personal reasons. The personal part is that I am claustrophobic, and the whole idea of caving in "wormholes" gives me the willies. As a matter of fact, I just had to put the book down a couple of times because I was so uncomfortable. Less personal, the book has a lot of spelunking and climbing technical lore in it that I just didn't follow. Ultimately, the plot is OK and the characterizations good, so if you don't share my personal phobias, plunge in.
Review Date: 4/15/2007
Career testing system; national best-seller
Review Date: 8/12/2010
The 15th Stephanie Plum humorous mystery is pretty standard fare to those familiar with the series. Thats not all bad; its a quick, breezy read that makes you smile every few pages. As far as plot goes, this isnt one of the best, with fairly obvious culprits and motives. And as for character development, well, have you noticed that there really hasnt been any change in Stephanies situation, or that of any of the main characters, since day one? I doubt if well ever see her get good at her job or settle down with either of the men in her life, or even have to replace her hamster (whos pretty elderly by now). The faithful probably wouldnt have it any other way. Its pretty much a long-running written sitcom now, and why upset the audience? Go here for a beach read, or a subway time-passer.
The I-Can't-Chew Cookbook: Delicious Soft Diet Recipes for People with Chewing, Swallowing, and Dry Mouth Disorders
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
1
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
1
Review Date: 2/26/2009
Helpful Score: 3
My wife has difficulty swallowing and I prepare all her meals. This cookbook was recommended by a speech therapist, and I was really looking forward to getting some good recipes and helpful hints. What a disappointment! Im a scratch cook, and I didnt find an entrée that didnt use a can or package of something, usually condensed soup. And I really didnt need a cookbook to help me make lemonade or a smoothie or chocolate pudding! Theres a real need for a good cookbook of recipes for people with chewing and swallowing issues. Unfortunately, this isnt it.
Review Date: 1/22/2013
This is the second George Smiley novel, and like its predecessor, Call for the Dead, it isnt the spy thriller that one associates with le Carre, but a mystery. Smiley, in semi-retirement, is called by a friend to investigate allegations made at a Dorset Public School. Its a brief work, just 146 pages, but its fun to see how le Carre weaves a web of lies, confusing facts, and red herrings in an excellent prelude to his more famous spy novels. The setting also gives him full reign to express his hatred for the Public School mentality and morality, which he was subjected to as a young man.
Review Date: 1/22/2013
This is the second George Smiley novel, and like its predecessor, Call for the Dead, it isnt the spy thriller that one associates with le Carre, but a mystery. Smiley, in semi-retirement, is called by a friend to investigate allegations made at a Dorset Public School. Its a brief work, just 146 pages, but its fun to see how le Carre weaves a web of lies, confusing facts, and red herrings in an excellent prelude to his more famous spy novels. The setting also gives him full reign to express his hatred for the Public School mentality and morality, which he was subjected to as a young man.
Review Date: 1/13/2011
Helpful Score: 3
This isnt the type of book I normally read (or, in this case, listen to) but I was genuinely impressed with Diane Setterfields first novel. Ive seen references to it as gothic fiction, but it really is missing both of the typical gothic elements, horror and romance, at least in the traditional sense of the genre. Rather, its an atmospheric mystery, in the sense that the truth about a famous novelists past is gradually revealed. Its a complex telling, as the novelist dictates her biography to our protagonist. Each revelation seems to raise more questions and more suspicions. There are some gruesome aspects to the story, but the overall feeling Setterfield arouses is curiosity what happened, who is who and what is the novelists true identity?
Setterfields language is refined, elegant, and evocative. In that sense, The Thirteenth Tale does invite comparison with Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. While I was a little let down by some of the eventual revelations (too anticlimactic in my view) and on coincidental encounters, those flaws did not diminish my enjoyment much. I listened to the unabridged CD version of this book in my car, and I confess to taking the long way home a few times so that I could hear more of the story. The CD employs two women as readers, and both of them (Bianca Amato and Jill Tanner) are superb, articulate and expressive.
Setterfields language is refined, elegant, and evocative. In that sense, The Thirteenth Tale does invite comparison with Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. While I was a little let down by some of the eventual revelations (too anticlimactic in my view) and on coincidental encounters, those flaws did not diminish my enjoyment much. I listened to the unabridged CD version of this book in my car, and I confess to taking the long way home a few times so that I could hear more of the story. The CD employs two women as readers, and both of them (Bianca Amato and Jill Tanner) are superb, articulate and expressive.
Three Hands in the Fountain (Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries (Hardcover))
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
12
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
12
Review Date: 6/15/2009
Its 73 A.D. and a serial killer is loose in Rome. Since he deposits parts of his victims in the Roman aqueduct system, he garners more than a little interest from the citizens. Our hero, Falco, and his friend Petronius are hired to find the killer, leading to a manhunt not only in Rome but in the nearby countryside. As usual, Ms. Davis research is deep and exposition informative. If you want to learn some intricate details about the Roman water system, this is the place. And as in the eight previous Falco novels, Davis maintains a light tone with Falcos domestic woes to balance the darkness of the murder mystery. Its been a while since I read the previous installments, but I have to think that this is one of the better books in the series.
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