A Swollen Red Sun by Matthew McBride

A Swollen Red Sun by Matthew McBride   243 p.

Author Chuck Wendig calls McBride’s particular brand of fiction Chainsaw Noir. While that’s a beautiful term, I will stick with “Missouri noir”, putting it firmly into Daniel Woodrell territory while taking nothing from this unique piece. Gasconade County is a contender for Missouri meth capital, and not so very far from here. Deputy Sheriff Dale Banks keeps the $52,000 he finds, knowing it’s drug money, knowing it’s wrong, but Dale is not a bad guy. Unfortunately, our actions do come back to haunt us, sometimes with a vengeance. McBride starts out with a number of disparate story lines, gradually weaving them together with brutal black humor, so that the finale is as inevitable as it is surprising.

Tombland by C.J. Sansom

Tombland by C.J. Sansom   866 p.

Henry VIII’s eleven-year-old son Edward VI now rules England (well, his uncle the Duke of Somerset actually rules). Intrepid lawyer Matthew Shardlake is feeling his age and his physical disability more and more, but when Lady Elizabeth (later to become Queen Elizabeth I) requests his help in exonerating her distant Boleyn relative of murder, he knows he must treat it as a royal demand. The stakes are already high and the intrigue thick, and then Sharklake and his trusted associates are thrown into the middle of Kett’s Rebellion, a bloody clash between peasants and aristocratic landholders. Will anyone survive? This page-turner concludes with an informative historical essay and extensive endnotes – perfect for the English history nerd.

Reasonable Doubts by Gianrico Carofiglio

Reasonable Doubts by Gianrico Carofiglio – 288 p.

Good legal suspense story translated from the original Italian. When criminal defense attorney Guido Guerrieri is called upon to defend a childhood archnemesis, he must re-evaluate long held feelings and assumptions. I especially enjoyed immersing myself in the southern Italian setting.

“Fabio Paolicelli has been sentenced to sixteen years for drug smuggling. The odds are stacked against the accused: not only the fact that he initially confessed to the crime but also his past as a neo-Fascist thug. It is only the intervention of Paolicelli's beautiful half-Japanese wife that finally overcomes Guerrieri's reluctance. Matters are further complicated when Guerrieri ends up in bed with her.”

Mr. Flood’s Last Resort by Jess Kidd

Mr. Flood’s Last Resort by Jess Kidd – 340 p.

Caregiver Maud Drennan is assigned to look after Cathal Flood, the non-bathing, crotchety hoarder who inhabits a crumbling mansion in West London. Maud uses good sense and snarky humor to cover up her tragic past, and ends up uncovering Cathal’s family’s unsavory history. Lovely language, a fully realized cast of sympathetic misfits and a cracking plot make this novel a winner. I look forward to reading the author’s novel Himself.

Bryant and May: Wild Chamber by Christopher Fowler

Bryant and May: Wild Chamber  
Christopher Fowler
448 p.

The gang at London’s Peculiar Crimes Unit is still fighting to keep their credibility, not to mention their jobs. This time out the story is a bit less convoluted than usual.  I did guess the murderous culprit this time, if not the exact motive. The story focuses on several murders in London parks that all seem to revolve around an apparently accidental, traffic-related death. We still get plenty of Fowler’s trademark juicy historical facts, and the usual snarky humor abounds. This time out, delightful codger (and very senior detective) Arthur Bryant has taken to using obsolete insults, especially when dealing with long-suffering boss Raymond Land. Bryant’s been “studying archaic slang to improve the strength of his invective”. My favorite is lack-linen dumbsquint [Mid-eighteenth century, sexual]. Anyway, this series continues to keep me laughing out loud.

The Séance by John Harwood

The Séance by John Harwood - 328 p.

This deliciously creepy gothic, set in the Victorian English countryside, hits all the right notes: Ancient decaying mansion surrounded by a gloomy forest – check. Apparitions, spiritualists and mysterious mishaps (as well as naysayers and skeptics) – check. Star-crossed lovers and crazy mothers – check! The book is written from several viewpoints at different time periods, and the story threads wind closer and closer until all is revealed, and not exactly how one would have expected. Very fun read! 

The Falls by Ian Rankin

The Falls by Ian Rankin   467 p. 

Inspector Rebus still smokes, still drinks too much, and still loves to flout the rules and ruffle his superiors’ feathers every chance he gets. It’s how he survives the mean streets (and consistently abysmal weather) of Edinburgh. But under the cynical, curmudgeonly shell is a humane and thoughtful intelligence that, while often using questionable methods, usually gets to the heart of the matter. In this outing, a college student has vanished, and Rebus and pals must sort out the clues, including tiny carved coffins and a cryptic Internet game.

The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London

The Call of the Wild by Jack London  97 p.

White Fang by Jack London  225 p.

These are not really children’s stories, although they are often abridged and adapted for young readers. The two books are companion pieces. The Call of the Wild tells the story of Buck, a St. Bernard mix, who is kidnapped and put on a dogsled team. Buck eventually succumbs to the “call of the wild”, escaping the team and joining a wolf pack. White Fang, a wolf with just a touch of husky, is born wild but ultimately becomes a dedicated companion to the man who saved his life.

The economic prose conveys the harsh and often violent Arctic landscape. London gives the dogs and wolves distinct personalities, without any hint of anthropomorphism. The action is nonstop while the books also explore some fairly complex themes.

I think I may also re-read London’s “To Build a Fire”, but only wrapped in a snug blanket, sitting near the hot woodstove.

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen   510 p.

Lifelong, diehard fans – like me – will devour this memoir…well, I freely admit to skipping through some of Bruce’s philosophical ramblings. But, this is a highly entertaining and readable memoir of the superstar’s life, personal and musical, from childhood to the present. The writing is warm, thoughtful, and pulls no punches whether discussing his brilliant triumphs or more painful moments. The reader is drawn right into the world of The Boss, as if you had bumped into him at happy hour and ended up drinking and trading stories until closing time. 

The Girl From Venice by Martin Cruz Smith

The Girl From Venice by Martin Cruz Smith   -   352 p.

It is early 1945 and Cenzo Vianello, a simple fisherman who just wants to avoid trouble and survive, retrieves an apparently dead girl floating in his lagoon. But things are never as they seem, especially in war time. In his efforts to help someone in the wrong place at the worst time, Cenzo becomes more and more deeply involved with a select circle that includes his movie star/war hero brother, a talented forger, and even a Nazi officer, who endeavor to shape the future of Italy once the war is over.

The author of Gorky Park proves here that he is a master of international suspense told through the individual stories of unforgettable characters.  

The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo

The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo - 397 pages

The Redeemer is sixth in Nesbo’s superior Harry Hole series, set in the capital of Norway. This time, Harry has to stop a contract killer and sort out bad apples within the hierarchy of the Salvation Army as well as his own Oslo Police District. Harry is a perfectly flawed hero, and personal demons rule in this tale of…retribution? revenge? Or redemption? Read this one with cup of hot tea or an Irish coffee – it’s cold out there.

Mozart's Last Aria by Matt Rees

Mozart’s Last Aria by Matt Rees – 303 pages

Just after Wolfgang Mozart’s untimely death, his beloved but estranged sister Nannerl travels to Vienna to investigate. There she encounters murder, intrigue, secret societies, even a little romance. I wanted to love this book as much as the other reviewers made me believe I would, but it just didn’t grab me. The best part of the story was Nannerl’s opportunity to allow her prodigious musical talents to shine once more.

The Drop by Michael Connelly

The Drop by Michael Connelly – 416 pages

Police detective Harry Bosch is firmly back where he’s supposed to be – L.A. – and doing what he does best – doggedly working to separate the truth from the spin and putting the bad guys away. Another fun, fast read by Connelly.

Honor's Kingdom by Owen Parry

Honor's Kingdom by Owen Parry - 328 pages.

A good read in the Abel Jones Civil War mystery series. Jones finds himself in London investigating increasingly confusing murders and other criminal behavior. The depiction of 1860’s London is not pretty – the deprivation and hardship endured by the poor are all too realistically portrayed. While the storyline gets fairly convoluted it’s still entertaining, especially Jones’ struggles to maintain propriety, cameos by famous members of society of the time and many literary in-jokes.

Call Each River Jordan by Owen Parry

Call Each River Jordan by Owen Parry - 321 pages.
Another excellent entry in the Abel Jones Civil War mystery series. While the plots are quite good, the writing style makes these books standouts. This title begins by plunking the reader right down into the middle of the bloody Battle of Shiloh, as Jones begins investigating the mass murder of runaway slaves. Atmosphere, characterization, steady pacing all combine to make it a topnotch read. Just got the next book in the series today - can't wait to start it!