A Reason to Live (A Marty Singer Mystery) by Matthew Iden

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

BLURB:

In the late nineties, a bad cop killed a good woman and DC Homicide detective Marty Singer got to watch as the murderer walked out of the courtroom a free man. Twelve years later, the victim’s daughter comes to Marty begging for help: the killer is stalking her now. There’s just one problem: Marty’s retired…and he’s retired because he’s battling cancer. But with a second shot at the killer—and a first chance at redemption—Marty’s just found A Reason to Live.

~~~

I don’t often read “straight-up” mysteries, but something about this blurb appealed to me, so I gave it a try, and was happily surprised. I found Marty Singer to be a very likable guy, and I was engaged with the plot all the way.

It’s often difficult to make a character suffering from something like colon cancer sympathetic to the reader in just the right amount. Too much, and it’s uncomfortable. Too little, and it’s not realistic. I felt Matthew Iden hit the perfect balance. I believed Marty had cancer, and was floundering as he tried to figure out what to do with whatever was left of his life, but I never felt it overwhelmed the story, or became maudlin or depressing.

The murder mystery was well done and believable, too, if not earth-shattering at the conclusion. And most important of all when you are writing a series, A Reason to Live made me want to read the next book.

If you are a fan of mysteries with a bit more grit to them than most cozy ones, but without the heavy-handed violence and gratuitous sex of so many on the other end of the spectrum, I recommend you give this one a go. You just might find yourself a whole new series.

A Reason to Live

Make Me by Lee Child

 

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Reacher is BACK! Okay, he never left. But the last three or four books have been a bit slower than the earlier ones (not surprising after TWENTY books), and while I still enjoyed them, I wasn’t quite as excited about them as I wanted to be. However, with Make Me, Lee Child is definitely back on his game, 100%.

There is no real way to summarize a Jack Reacher story, without giving away far too much of the mystery involved, so I’m not going to try. What I am going to say is that no matter how many times I thought I knew what was really happening in the tiny little town of Mother’s Rest, I found out I was wrong. WAY wrong. All Reacher really wants to know is how the town got its name, but no one will tell him. They’re too busy trying to make him go away. Permanently, if need be. But Reacher’s general rule of thumb is, if you want me to leave before I’m ready, you’ll have to make me…an imposing task, at the very least.

Reacher doesn’t always get involved in a romance on his travels, but when he does, it’s usually pretty interesting. This one was my favorite to date, and part of me wishes he’d stay in touch with Michelle Chang for future books. But the rest of me knows that putting Reacher in a committed relationship changes all the rules. He’s been there, done that, and isn’t likely to try again.

If you are already familiar with Jack Reacher–the 6’5″, ex-MP, with hands the size of “dinner plates,” and a brain that never stops computing–you’ve probably been eagerly waiting for this one. And those of you who have never read one of these superbly done action/mysteries…well, what are you waiting for? Start at the beginning and read the whole delicious pile of them, one after the other. Reacher overload. Possibly fatal, but a good way to go. 😀

Make Me

 

Wednesday Author Interview: Paty Jager

Today, Bookin’ It would like to welcome versatile writer Paty Jager. Paty, it’s so nice to have you here with us. Let’s get started with you telling us a bit about about how you became a writer. When did you decide that’s what you wanted to be, and what steps did you take to prepare for a writing career? 

Wednesday Author Interview: Mystery Writer Evelyn Cullet

It’s Wednesday again, and today I have the pleasure of talking to mystery writer, Evelyn Cullet. Evelyn, Welcome to Bookin’ It. It’s great to have you here. Tell us a bit about how you became a writer. When did you decide that’s what you wanted to be, and what steps did you take to prepare for a writing career?

Evelyn: I loved to write short stories in high school. It was then I decided I wanted to be a writer. After graduation, life got more complex, but over the years I always jotted down ideas for stories, or character traits, or settings, or dialog, in spiral-bound note books. One day, my husband was cleaning out our desk and wanted to throw them all out, but when I protested, he suggested I put all the information on my word processor. When I finished, I found that I had nearly an entire novel written. But there were so many things I still had to learn about writing, so I began taking courses, first at college and then online.

W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton

My Rating: 3-1/2 of 5 Stars

I’m not going to claim that the “Wasted” in this title stands for my time, as a few uncharitable reviewers have said. I’ve been reading these books for years and years, and I don’t think Kinsey Milhone is ever a waste of time. However, I will say that I think this is one of the weakest books in the series. There were editing issues (which I think reflects upon the state of the traditional publishing industry in general), and the plot was slow-moving. Plus, the book left me feeling a bit depressed. Just the subject alone, the plight of the homeless, was enough to move the book from entertainment to reality, and that’s not generally why I read fiction. I get plenty of reality everywhere else.

L. A. Sleepers, A Noir Novel In Installments by Dakota Donovan

Have I found a fun thing for you guys! Dakota Donovan, ghostwriter extraordinaire, is penning a noir novel about her many adventures as a Hollywood ghostwriter. Each day, there is a new bit added to the whole. It’s so much fun, and Dakota’s writing style is sharp and witty, with some great turns of phrase sprinkled throughout. Check it out!

To be reminded when each day’s installment is added, be sure to Follow the blog. Because each installment is only about a third of a chapter or so, it is quick and easy to keep up with Dakota’s trials and travails. To bring yourself up to date, start on the Home Page, at the bottom, and read the posts moving upward. Once you are caught up, you only need to read the new post, which appears at the top of the page. 

I’m really enjoying this book, and can’t wait to get farther into the mystery.  Hope some of you enjoy it as much as I do.

L. A. Sleepers, A Noir Novel In Installments 

Never Go Back by Lee Child

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Fair warning! I am a Jack Reacher fan. I have been a Jack Reacher fan from Lee Child’s very first Reacher novel. I have LOVED 17 out of 18 of these books, and felt differently about the one only because it just got too political for my taste. But overall, I wouldn’t miss a Jack Reacher book

Just Thinkin’….

I realized after reading a comment the other day that I haven’t reviewed a non-urban fantasy book in quite some time. Now this doesn’t bother me overly much, as I’m very fond of good urban fantasy and have been in that frame of mind for a couple of years. However, I certainly

A Wanted Man by Lee Child

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

As the blurbs all say, Reacher’s back!  Just finished this 17th book in the Jack Reacher series–can you imagine?  Number seventeen?  Sort of amazing, isn’t it?  But then I guess that Reacher’s books are kind of like Reacher is, himself–a force of nature following no law but his own.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

MY RATING (WAY BACK WHEN): 5 of 5 Stars

I’ve been looking around my library a lot lately, picking up books I read years and years ago, and thinking maybe I’m due to revisit some of them once again.  When this book came out in 1987, I thought

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

My main comment upon completing Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is that the book is…peculiar! In a good way, to my mind, though I know it’s not

V Is For Vengeance – Sue Grafton

MY RATING:  4 of 5 Stars

I think of Sue Grafton’s Alphabet series as being very like a bowl of oatmeal…nothing fancy, but it will stick to your ribs and make you feel as cozy as a pair of comfortable flannel pajamas and fuzzy slippers.  As always, “V Is For Vengeance” is a satisfying Kinsey Milhone tale. I actually think this might be the best book in the series. Grafton’s writing, always solid and entertaining,  has

Spellcrossed – Barbara Ashford

MY RATING:  5 of 5 Stars

This sequel to “Spellcast,” which I reviewed here last week, was entertaining to the very last page.  I won’t say it captivated me quite as thoroughly as the first book, but that’s probably because it was a continuation of the same story, and I was already familiar with the world and the characters involved.  I can definitely say that I was very glad to have read Book 1 with Book 2 waiting in the wings.  I NEEDED to know how it was all going to turn out, and in that, “Spellcrossed” didn’t disappoint.

For one thing, it was quite clear why

The Affair by Lee Child

MY RATING:  4 of 5 Stars

Let me say right up front that this review is really about Lee Child’s entire Jack Reacher series.  I have read all sixteen books, and with the exception of #12, “Nothing To Lose,” I have loved every single one.  (“Nothing to Lose” wasn’t bad, either, but got a bit too snipey about U. S. politics, and I don’t enjoy that when reading fiction.  Fiction, for me, is escape from the day to day, including whatever is coming out of Washington at any given time.  Therefore, I could only rate “Nothing To Lose” at 3 stars.)

I’m not usually drawn to male-oriented action books, but in the case of Jack Reacher,  

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

MY RATING:  3 of 5 Stars

I wanted to love this book…it had so many great elements going for it. But sadly, the first half of the book was way too long and too slow for me. I normally quite like character studies and really delving into what makes people tick, but this book carried that too far, and I was nearly ready to stop reading many times. In fact, I’m not sure why I continued, except

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

MY RATING: 5 of 5 Stars

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…”

So opens one of the great romantic mysteries of all time, written by my very favorite author, the incomparable Daphne du Maurier.  Over the years, I read every one of du Maurier’s books, and while they were all wonderful, vividly written stories, Rebecca is undoubtedly the most beautiful.   I always felt Daphne du Maurier dipped her pen into a bowlful of images,  and drizzled them down the pages.  Her descriptions are so vivid and real, you can smell the azaleas, feel the mist on your face, and hear

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

MY RATING:  4 out of 5 stars

Let me begin by saying, I love Stephanie Plum. Love her. I love Morelli, Ranger, Lula, Grandma Mazur, Connie, Vinnie, the Burg, and everything and everyone connected to Stephanie’s weird, weird world. No, I don’t consider these books to be “great literature,” and yes, I do think they are formulaic in the extreme. But the formula still works for me, because…and this is a BIG because…