The Cat Who Played Post Office

by Lilian Jackson Braun  262 p.

  This is the sixth Cat Who book in the series. It takes place right after the main character, journalist and amateur detective, Jim Qwilleran, has inherited ridiculous amounts of money. There were more deaths than I expected. Also when I read a couple of these as a kid I did not remember them being so silly with names of things. It was alright.

Living Dead in Dallas

by Charlaine Harris
291 pages

The gay cook at Sookie's bar is found dead in the back of a cop car.  On top of that, the vampires of Dallas have called upon Sookie to solve a missing vampire case.  In the course of events, an anti-vampire group begins to cause lots of trouble for Sookie.  Sookie must use her telepathy and gut instincts to solve these problems and keep herself safe.  In the mean time, her  romance with Bill is continuing to blossom and develop, but Sookie has trouble dealing with some of Bill's vampire tendencies.

Overall, this was an interesting read.  Sookie is definitely not a "worldly" girl, but she has spunk.  I'm still not sure how I feel about her romance with Bill, and I admit that I would like to see her with Sam.  However, I always side with the shapeshifter.  (I'm not a huge Twilight fan, but I am definitely on Team Jacob.)

Dead Until Dark

by Charlaine Harris
312 pages

Sookie is just your average 25-year-old barmaid in small town Louisiana, except for one thing--she's telepathic.  This, of course, complicates her life.  Most people don't acknowledge her "gift" and just think she's crazy.  Being telepathic has certainly made dating almost impossible for Sookie, until she meets a vampire named Bill.  She can't read his mind at all, which is a joyous relief.  Unfortunately, women in the area begin to turn up dead, and Bill and Sookie's brother are the prime suspects.  Sookie soon learns that being a vampire's girlfriend can add many complications to life.  Is this budding romance worth the risk?

I have heard many good things about the Sookie Stackhouse novels, and I can see why.  Sookie's perspective is unique, and I'd like to see how this character develops.

Guilty Pleasures

by Laurell K. Hamilton
266 pages

This first book in the Anita Blake series is definitely full of action.  Anita is not your average petite girl.  She is a zombie animator and a vampire executioner.  She's great with knives and guns.  She's smart, strong, stubborn, witty, sarcastic, and a little bit quirky.  (Okay...I really like Anita.  I'm obviously gushing.)  Anyway, there have been a slew of mysterious vampire murders recently, and the master vampire has decided that Anita is going to be the one to solve them.  Though Anita's not exactly willing, the vampire master makes her an offer she can't refuse.

There is plenty of blood and guts in this novel.  I thought there would be some romance in this book, but that element is surprisingly absent.  However, I have the feeling that future novels in this series will have a more romantic feel.  I'd recommend this book to female horror fans, and I will probably attempt to read the next book in the series.

Cape Refuge

by Terri Blackstock
382 pages

Cape Refuge, a Georgia island, has always been a safe place for the broken and downtrodden.  Many people come to Hanover House to start a new life, including many convicted felons.  Thelma and Wayne Owens have dedicated their lives to the Hanover House ministry and helping those who are broken and downtrodden.  When they are found murdered, the whole community is shocked, especially their daughters Morgan and Blair.  Morgan's husband is soon arrested when the police discover that he is the owner of the murder weapon, though there are serious doubts about his guilt, especially since Hanover House is currently housing other potential suspects.  Blair, who is also the town librarian, and Police Chief Cade work to solve the murders and make Cape Refuge safe again.

I now understand Terri Blackstock's popularity.  This novel is definitely a page-turner.  I do have a few quibbles about her portrayal of public records all being easily accessible in electronic databases, but other than that, it was a good novel.  Christian mystery is definitely a good choice for people who don't like the coarse language of regular mystery novels.  However, Blackstock's characters weren't all squeaky clean like you see in some Christian fiction novels, either.  I liked her engaging writing style and will probably read more of her novels in the future.

The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare

by Lilian Jackson Braun
249 pages

The fourth book in Braun's The Cat Who . . . series, this book follows along with Jim "Qwill" Qwilleran and his two side-kicks, Siamese cats named Koko and Yum Yum. After the death of a family friend, Qwill realizes that something doesn't feel quite right about the death. When Koko begins pulling seemingly relevant works of Shakespeare off the shelf, Qwill must trust his instincts to solve a crime generations in the making.

This book was a fun, quick read. I don't think you'd need to read the other books in the series before dropping in with this one.

A Study in Scarlet

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 208 pages



The first story featuring Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. After the pair join forces, Sherlock is faced with a murder mystery that stumps everyone. When the murderer is revealed, his motivations are yet unclear. What could drive a man to murder? Fans of the BBC series Sherlock may be familiar with this story, though there are certainly enough differences to keep the reader's interest.

Though a classic, this story may fall short for some die-hard mystery fans. Readers who want to "solve along" with Sherlock may have some difficulty. The clues aren't as obvious to readers as they are to our hero. This story features American history, love, murder, and, of course, mystery. Fans of any modern Sherlock will should give the seminal works a read. It was certainly fun to contrast the new Sherlocks with the original.

Cold Wind

Cold Wind by C.J. Box

Cold Wind is one of C.J. Box's best -- with more twists and turns than any of the others. I couldn't wait to finish this one. Joe Pickett discovers the body of his mother-in-law's husband and soon after his mother-in-law, Missy, is accused of the murder. Despite the animosity between Missy and Joe, Joe's wife convinces him he must work to clear her of the accusation. As with other Joe Pickett novels, this one combines a detailed but well-developed plot; dry, Western humor and twists and turns that leave the reader/listener unable to stop reading until the last page is finished.

This was the first Box title I have listened to; narrator David Chandler didn't quite pull off the role of game warden Joe Pickett as well as I would have liked and I found his narration of female characters somewhat annoying. But that's okay -- as long as Box keeps writing Joe Pickett mysteries, I'll keep reading them. And occasionally listening to them.

The Husband

By Dean Koontz, 400 pp.





I was shocked at how this story ends! I could not put this down! If I had to put it down, I just kept thinking about how I could go back and read more!
This was an amazing read by Koontz. Normally, I do not like his work much, but this one was recommended to me by a patron, so I thought, "Why not?"
I am so glad I did! If there is not a movie out of this story, there should be!

Mitch Rafferty and his wife, Holly Rafferty, live in a small bungalow in California. Mitch owns his own business of landscaping and gardening, and Holly is working as a receptionist at a real estate office while she works on getting her real estate license. So you see they do not make much money...
However, for some reason, someone kidnaps Holly thinking they can get two million dollars from Mitch for ransom!
As Mitch is frantic and feeling useless and vulnerable while awaiting the kidnappers calls on what to do next, he is discovering some family secrets among his own family. Find out what these secrets are in "The Husband" by Dean Koontz! You will be just as surprised and astonished as I was!

Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross

A very literate mystery, this story weaves the story of Sam Sheppard (of which numerous books and tv and movies have been made...think The Fugitive) and the story of a New York couple and another side story about a detective and his spousal issues into one really interesting story.  At times, it's difficult to tell which story Adam Ross intends to make the main one and for folks who don't like books that "jump around" from story line to story line, I would recommend avoiding this one.  But if you like your mysteries wrapped in studies of human behavior and observations of the marital condition, then you'll enjoy Mr. Peanut.
Kim

The Murder of King Tut

by James Patterson & Martin Dugard
p 332

Every 8 years I read a James Patterson offering, whether I need to or not. The last time was 2003 and the book was The Court Jester, a pleasant change of pace from the prolific and predictable thrillers I have come to expect. When The Murder of King Tut came my way I was hoping for another break from the norm. "The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Non-Fiction Thriller" was jointly written and extensively researched by the authors to put to rest the ancient mystery of King Tut.
The book is written in 3 areas - the life and death of Tut, the discovery of his tomb almost 600 years later and the present day attempt by Patterson to solve the mystery shrouding Tut's life and death. The historical evidence presented was interesting and engaging. The story behind Howard Carter's discovery in 1922 is equally intriguing, a well-documented curse that surrounded the expedition that was fraught with problems and mishaps. The present-day tale of writing this book was somewhat self-absorbed and I could not help but feel that Patterson's view of his work is much more important that what I have given him credit for.
I did not feel that his effort really shed that much new light on the subject, though he uses a variety of sources to draw his own conclusions, thus "solving the mystery of Tut". All-in-all this book is a quick and easy read, which Patterson excels at. But ultimately it was not the page-turning thriller I would have expected.
Giving it a Rock and a Chalk!

What I Did.

by Jason, 268 pages

This melancholic Norwegian graphic short story collection features three tales that share themes of death, guilt, and time. "Hey, Wait..." recalls a childhood friendship and the shock of growing up. "Sshhhh!" wordlessly follows a bird man's life through its ups and downs. And "The Iron Wagon" adapts a 1909 Norwegian psychological mystery's tale of murder and its toll.

Although it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the various dog, bird, and rabbit men and women from one another, these stories succeed in conveying a sense of the inevitable nature of death, the ephemeral nature of life, and the weight of what we do with it for the brief time it is in our hands.

The Sherlockian

by Graham Moore, 350 pages

I had been waiting for this book since December, so I was all fired up to read it last week. I enjoy Sherlockiana, and this is being billed as a literary thriller, so I kicked back ready to be drawn in to the story.

The dual story is split between a murder mystery set in the modern world of Sherlockian scholars and a historical investigation featurung Conan Doyle and his friend Bram Stoker as they attempt to solve a series of London murders.

I won't give any more plot details, except there is a rather extraordinary afterword by the author about his inspiration. It involves a real life mystery about the death of the prominent Sherlockian Richard Lancelyn Green in 2004. Was it suicide or was it murder?

The book was enjoyable, but I didn't find Harold White (the modern "detective") or Conan Doyle to be very likeable characters. It's rather ironic that Bram Stoker comes off as the better man and author. It's makes an interesting debate: who left the bigger literary legacy?

If you like novels about Sherlock Holmes, I would recommend Laurie R. King's series of Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books. They are literate, fun and always well-plotted. Start with The Beekeeper's Apprentice.