I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

Sometimes "Stand Alone" books by writers with a series do not captivate  a reader. This is not one of them. Ms. Lippman has shown that even without Tess Monaghan she can engage the reader and write a tight suspenseful novel. This "stand alone" novel proves that the author is more than capable of writing a book that does not rely on a particular character or protagonist. Some may find a correlation between recent events in the news but the book was written well before any of these crimes were brought to light. The author did not piggy back on the travails of recently discovered victims; it is merely a coincidence that this book was published at the time of present day court cases. That being said, there are some similarities to recent  news stories  which makes the book even more engrossing and relevant. I found her characters, each and every one of them, to have depth and a multi-layered personality. She writes with an empathy and an understanding of human nature that is not always the case with other authors. Other writers could have made the characters one dimensional and without foible. Ms. Lippman  gives all of the actors in this tale a  realism and none are painted as purely good or evil. I would highly recommend this "stand alone" novel for anyone who prefers depth in their characters and an excellent plot line.

Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane

Once again Mr. Lehane has proven why he is consistently at the top of the best seller lists. I flat out loved this book and could not put it down. The protagonists of previous mysteries, Angie and Patrick Kenzie are now married with a four year old daughter,Gabriella. Their P.I. business has been shuttered. Angie is working on her Masters degree and Patrick is working for a venerable old firm in Boston that investigates various alleged infractions that always end up with the least likable outcome. At least for Patrick. A midnight phone call and an encounter at a subway stop leads Patrick and Angie  back to a case that separated them ten years ago. Bound by his sense of compassion  Patrick sets out to find a young woman, Amanda McCready, now sixteen whom he returned to an unsuitable mother ten years ago, who is once again missing. The story is fast paced, tight and the characters well written with no stereotypical "bad guys". Even a Russian mobster is imbued with a sense of honor and humor. Mr. Lehane does not create cookie cutter personalities, everyone is fleshed out and given a humanity that is sometimes missing from other writers. He gives enough back story so that those who have not read his previous books are still able to follow along and understand the plot and the reasoning behind Patrick and Angie's actions. The novel is gritty but not overly so, although I would not recommend this book for readers who prefer "Cozies". I give this book a "buy it now" rating. You will not be disappointed.

IN THE DARK By Brian Freeman

I was not entranced by this book. Mr. Freeman's previous Jonathan Stride mystery novels were definitely more engrossing. The plot line was a bit too fragmented in places and several threads were not sufficiently tied together at the end. While Mr. Freeman is a very good storyteller I felt that he sort of dropped the ball with this book. It took me three days to finish which is highly unusual. If a book grabs my attention I will usually read it within a day. This did not grab me by the throat and cause me to drop everything in order to finish it. Based on his previous novels and their ability to draw me in I am going to give this a "meh" rating...... Not bad, not great.

Next Book Review

I will be reading Brian Freeman's IN THE DARK featuring Duluth police Lieutenant Jonathan Stride within the next few days..... a review of the book will be posted shortly thereafter. Please check back to read my review.

SWORN TO SILENCE by Linda Castillo

This mystery/suspense novel is the opening salvo for Romance writer Linda Castillo. Her writing is tight and evocative but a bit short on action after the first pages. After the first horrifying and graphic prologue she spends a bit too much time delving into her protagonists mind. It takes a bit of diligence to get past this but after that the pace picks up considerably. The main character, Kate Burkholder, is the police chief in Painters Mill,Ohio and a former member of the Amish community. Chief Burkholder is thrown into a case of violent murders that may be linked to her past as a young Amish girl. I read this book in 5 hours which gives it credence as to it's ability to pull the reader into the story. Unfortunately I was able to discern the identity of the murderer half way in to the novel. While Ms. Castillo  has a firm grasp on the basics of forensics and police procedure she leaves too many overt clues as to the identity of the killer. I enjoyed the book and will definitely read the next one in this series however I hope that in future books Ms. Castillo is a little more adept at creating red herrings for those of us who read a lot of mysteries.

My Blog Basics

Hello, my name is Daphne and I am an inveterate reader of most genres. I sometimes read up to 12 books a week... I will be offering critiques of the books I have recently read in hopes that people will either read the book or if it is without literary merit, pass.