Forfeit Dick Francis I hadn’t read “Forfeit” in, oh, twenty years or something, until I recently picked it up and reread it. As always, rereading is as enlightening as reading. “Forfeit” is one of Francis’s slighter works in many ways, but it gets added depth by the interactions between Ty (the hero) and his wife […]
Read more "“Forfeit” by Dick Francis"A Scone to Die For H.Y. Hanna Gemma gave up her high-powered job in Sydney and moved back to Oxford to open a tea room. But she soon becomes embroiled not just in scones and toast, but in murder. “A Scone to Die For” is pretty much the quintessential cozy mystery. It has an uber-cute […]
Read more "“A Scone to Die For” by H.Y. Hanna"Brand New Friend Kate Vane Paolo (real name: Paul), a BBC journalist, discovers that an old college friend from his activist days is really an undercover police officer, who may or may not have “gone native.” Paolo ends up getting drawn back into their circle, and investigating old and new murders as he questions who […]
Read more "“Brand New Friend” by Kate Vane"Rowan’s Well CJ Harter Is Mark Strachan a guy who’s had a tough hand dealt in life? Or a sociopath? “Rowan’s Well” follows the story of Mark and Will from when they become roommates in college to when Mark commits a shocking, unforgivable crime, and everyone has to pick up the pieces afterwards. It’s a […]
Read more "“Rowan’s Well” by CJ Harter"Career of Evil Robert Galbraith In “Career of Evil,” the third Cormoran Strike book, Galbraith/Rowling takes a decidedly macabre turn. While “The Cuckoo’s Calling” and “The Silkworm” were not without their gruesome aspects, they were as much satires of the entertainment industry in its various facets–modeling, tabloid reporting, fashion, publishing–as they were crime novels. “Career […]
Read more "“Career of Evil” by Robert Galbraith"For Kicks Dick Francis In “For Kicks” Francis continues to demonstrate the mastery of the horse-thriller genre he established in “Nerve.” Even more so than “Nerve,” “For Kicks” is slightly bizarre, unrealistic wish fulfillment, but that in no way diminishes its charm–in fact, it is one of the key factors in its charm. Who doesn’t […]
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E. P. Clark: Author, Book Reviewer, and All-Around Literary Handiwoman 