"Dead Man's Tunnel" is the third book in the Hook Runyon mystery series -- out of a set of four written by Sheldon Russell (www.sheldonrussell.com).
The setting: near the end of World War II after an atomic bomb has been dropped in Japan. Hook finds himself banished to the high desert area of Arizona trying to find some copper thieves stealing from West's Salvage Yard while still attending to other railroad business.
Nearby is the Johnson Canyon Tunnel which has been guarded throughout the war by two military men but no one (at least outside the army) knows why -- including Hook. When one of the guards ends up run over by a train on the tracks in the tunnel, Lt. Allison Capron is sent by the Army Transportation Department to investigate. Hook and the Lt. form a loose team trying to decide if this was an accident, sabotage, or murder. In the meantime, the other guard disappears and becomes a suspect in a series of robberies.
As usual, Hook gets himself in some scrapes inside and outside his job as a railroad Yard Dog but he also is instrumental in solving the mystery of the dead guard. I'll miss the Hook Runyan books because I am pretty sure I have now read all that have been written. pazt
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Friday, January 1, 2016
"1st To Die"
"1st To Die" is the first novel in James Patterson's "A Women's Murder Club" series. The story tells us how a woman detective, a female newspaper reporter, female medical examiner, and a female attorney start their "Women's Murder Club" in an attempt to solve murders created by a serial murderer of brides and grooms.
I have a vague recollection of seeing a movie or made-for-tv movie based on this book but reading the novel is so much more satisfying. This tale has so many twists and turns that I was kept guessing throughout. Just when I thought we had a solution, doubts were raised and off we go in another direction. Patterson is a master when it comes to writing mysteries -- ready to read more!!!! pazt
I have a vague recollection of seeing a movie or made-for-tv movie based on this book but reading the novel is so much more satisfying. This tale has so many twists and turns that I was kept guessing throughout. Just when I thought we had a solution, doubts were raised and off we go in another direction. Patterson is a master when it comes to writing mysteries -- ready to read more!!!! pazt
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
"When I'm Gone"
"When I'm Gone" is a Rosemary Beach novel by Abbi Glines who is a New York Times bestselling author. You can learn more about her at AbbiGlines.com but you won't find her on my go-to source, fantasticfiction.co.uk.
I picked up this paperback from the "Best Picks" shelf at my local library and it was a quick read but disappointing. I might have enjoyed the sexual detail when I was a pre-adolescent or adolescent but it doesn't appeal to me as a more mature woman. I also found some of the language offensive and unnecessary.
However, the overall story line was a good one -- Reese Ellis was made to feel stupid by her teachers, her mother, her stepfather, and schoolmates growing up because she had an undiagnosed learning disorder - dyslexia. She also suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather. She is now supporting herself cleaning houses and her fear of men keeps her at home most of the time. The one male friend she feels safe with is her friend and neighbor, Jimmy, who is gay.
When Mase Colt-Manning, a Texas rancher, comes to town to visit his sister, their paths cross briefly but that brief meeting leaves them both changed forever. Mase has never felt about a woman the way he feels about Reese. He knows she's uncomfortable around men and he wants to be her protector.
Reese, on the other hand, slowly learns to trust Mase and is surprised when he genuinely appears to want to help her figure out why she can't read --- something he discovered accidentally. Their path to romance is rocky but they do eventually get there.
The book didn't convince me I want to read any more Rosemary Beach novels, though. pazt
I picked up this paperback from the "Best Picks" shelf at my local library and it was a quick read but disappointing. I might have enjoyed the sexual detail when I was a pre-adolescent or adolescent but it doesn't appeal to me as a more mature woman. I also found some of the language offensive and unnecessary.
However, the overall story line was a good one -- Reese Ellis was made to feel stupid by her teachers, her mother, her stepfather, and schoolmates growing up because she had an undiagnosed learning disorder - dyslexia. She also suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather. She is now supporting herself cleaning houses and her fear of men keeps her at home most of the time. The one male friend she feels safe with is her friend and neighbor, Jimmy, who is gay.
When Mase Colt-Manning, a Texas rancher, comes to town to visit his sister, their paths cross briefly but that brief meeting leaves them both changed forever. Mase has never felt about a woman the way he feels about Reese. He knows she's uncomfortable around men and he wants to be her protector.
Reese, on the other hand, slowly learns to trust Mase and is surprised when he genuinely appears to want to help her figure out why she can't read --- something he discovered accidentally. Their path to romance is rocky but they do eventually get there.
The book didn't convince me I want to read any more Rosemary Beach novels, though. pazt
"Love Begins In Winter"
"Love Begins In Winter" is a book of five short stories by Simon Van Booy. Although I have read several of his books and find it difficult to describe Van Booy's writings, I always return for more. Each of the stories told in this novel are unique and beautiful and Van Booy has a way of drawing me into his story with his character descriptions. All I can say is give his work a try for yourself. pazt
Sunday, December 27, 2015
"The Wrong Girl"
?The Wrong Girl" by Hank Phillippi Ryan is the first book I've read by this author and the second one in her Newspaper Reporter Jane Ryland and Detective Jack Brogan series. It mentions incidents from the first novel in the series and I liked this one so well that I'm already looking for that one!
Ryan is the investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate as well an author. She's won 28 Emmys and 10 Edward R. Murrow awards for her journalism. Four of her mystery novels are best sellers and she's won 2 Agatha Awards as well as the Anthony and Macavity for her mystery novels. You can visit her on the web at www.HankPhillippiRyan.com for more info.
Three deaths happen in fairly quick succession in Boston and appear to be unrelated. The first two are declared murder by the new hotshot medical examiner and the third is suspicious but most likely not homicide. Detective Jack Brogan and his partner are called to the scene of the first murder where two small children have been left unattended when the young woman with them is found dead. Jane Ryland is on the scene trying to get a story for her newspaper without compromising the feelings that are growing between her and Jack which, if allowed to blossom, would jeopardize both their jobs.
In the meantime, a former colleague of Jane's has asked for her help in finding her real birth mother. While there are four or more different scenarios being explored in the book, it's a little difficult at first to move back and forth between the story lines. However, as the investigations and arrests proceed, everything that appeared to be unconnected may, in fact, be linked. Jane and Jack find themselves turning up at the same location following different leads -- on the murder investigations for him and story lines for her. Very well written and an absorbing read! pazt
Ryan is the investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate as well an author. She's won 28 Emmys and 10 Edward R. Murrow awards for her journalism. Four of her mystery novels are best sellers and she's won 2 Agatha Awards as well as the Anthony and Macavity for her mystery novels. You can visit her on the web at www.HankPhillippiRyan.com for more info.
Three deaths happen in fairly quick succession in Boston and appear to be unrelated. The first two are declared murder by the new hotshot medical examiner and the third is suspicious but most likely not homicide. Detective Jack Brogan and his partner are called to the scene of the first murder where two small children have been left unattended when the young woman with them is found dead. Jane Ryland is on the scene trying to get a story for her newspaper without compromising the feelings that are growing between her and Jack which, if allowed to blossom, would jeopardize both their jobs.
In the meantime, a former colleague of Jane's has asked for her help in finding her real birth mother. While there are four or more different scenarios being explored in the book, it's a little difficult at first to move back and forth between the story lines. However, as the investigations and arrests proceed, everything that appeared to be unconnected may, in fact, be linked. Jane and Jack find themselves turning up at the same location following different leads -- on the murder investigations for him and story lines for her. Very well written and an absorbing read! pazt
Thursday, December 24, 2015
"Howl's Moving Castle"
"Howl's Moving Castle" was authored by an Englishwoman, Diana Wynne Jones, who was born in 1934 and died in 2011. This book has been made into a motion picture and it is this movie that I saw first before deciding I'd like to read the book.
I loved her dedication: "The idea for this book was suggested by a boy in a school I was visiting, who asked me to write a book called "The Moving Castle."
I wrote down his name, and put it in such a safe place, that I have been unable to find it ever since. I would like to thank him very much."
This book is about three sisters but mainly it is about the eldest sister, Sophie. When their father dies, their mother is unable to keep the sisters in their private schools and must send them out as apprentices -- all but Sophie who she apprentices in the family hat business because this is the store that Sophie will inherit. While Sophie toils in the store, her stepmother is out and about "drumming up business."
When the Wicked Witch of the Waste shows up in the shop one day and casts a spell on Sophie turning her into an old woman, she decides to go out into the world. She can't tell anyone that a spell has been cast on her and she won't be recognized as Sophie.
She finally ends up the Wizard Howl's moving castle worming her way in and getting him to allow her to stay. That is when Sophie and Howl's adventures begin.
Although I enjoyed the movie, the book is really quite different and the depth of the story unfolded the more I read. There were plenty of surprises along the way, too! It is science fiction/fantasy and may not appeal to everyone but I enjoyed it enough to look for the second book in this series. pazt
I loved her dedication: "The idea for this book was suggested by a boy in a school I was visiting, who asked me to write a book called "The Moving Castle."
I wrote down his name, and put it in such a safe place, that I have been unable to find it ever since. I would like to thank him very much."
This book is about three sisters but mainly it is about the eldest sister, Sophie. When their father dies, their mother is unable to keep the sisters in their private schools and must send them out as apprentices -- all but Sophie who she apprentices in the family hat business because this is the store that Sophie will inherit. While Sophie toils in the store, her stepmother is out and about "drumming up business."
When the Wicked Witch of the Waste shows up in the shop one day and casts a spell on Sophie turning her into an old woman, she decides to go out into the world. She can't tell anyone that a spell has been cast on her and she won't be recognized as Sophie.
She finally ends up the Wizard Howl's moving castle worming her way in and getting him to allow her to stay. That is when Sophie and Howl's adventures begin.
Although I enjoyed the movie, the book is really quite different and the depth of the story unfolded the more I read. There were plenty of surprises along the way, too! It is science fiction/fantasy and may not appeal to everyone but I enjoyed it enough to look for the second book in this series. pazt
Sunday, December 20, 2015
"Girl Waits With Gun"
"Girl Waits With Gun" is a novel by Amy Stewart but the three sisters, Constance, Norma, and Fleurette Kopp, who are the heroines of this story are real women and this novel is based on what actually happened to them.
The oldest sister, Constance, was 35 years old in 1914 and all three unmarried sisters lived on the rural New Jersey family farm. Although their brother encouraged them to move to town to live with he and his wife and their two children, they insisted on staying on the farm after their mother's death. They survived by selling off pieces of the farm, raising chickens, and most of their food.
When their buggy is destroyed by a speeding car, Constance seeks compensation from the owner of the car who is also the owner of the local silk mill. What would seem like a straightforward request turns into something much more when the girls are blackmailed, threatened with kidnapping, shot at, and more! As the oldest, Constance takes on the responsibility of getting the sheriff involved. The sheriff provides them with deputies to keep an eye on the farm and arms the three girls (women) and teaches them how to shoot.
Although history has not said much about Constance, she was the first woman to become a deputy sheriff. She was also a rarity in her time because she stood 6 feet tall.
Stewart adds her own story line to this true tale but also includes newspaper headlines and articles from the actual events. The book makes interesting reading as well as insight into the times that these women lived and why what happened to them could have happened. pazt
The oldest sister, Constance, was 35 years old in 1914 and all three unmarried sisters lived on the rural New Jersey family farm. Although their brother encouraged them to move to town to live with he and his wife and their two children, they insisted on staying on the farm after their mother's death. They survived by selling off pieces of the farm, raising chickens, and most of their food.
When their buggy is destroyed by a speeding car, Constance seeks compensation from the owner of the car who is also the owner of the local silk mill. What would seem like a straightforward request turns into something much more when the girls are blackmailed, threatened with kidnapping, shot at, and more! As the oldest, Constance takes on the responsibility of getting the sheriff involved. The sheriff provides them with deputies to keep an eye on the farm and arms the three girls (women) and teaches them how to shoot.
Although history has not said much about Constance, she was the first woman to become a deputy sheriff. She was also a rarity in her time because she stood 6 feet tall.
Stewart adds her own story line to this true tale but also includes newspaper headlines and articles from the actual events. The book makes interesting reading as well as insight into the times that these women lived and why what happened to them could have happened. pazt
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