A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
While this book was published in 1994, it holds up beautifully today. Mystery, corruption, domestic violence, child abuse, and urban warfare are all interconnected. The personal and working relationships of Patrick & Angie are funny and a little heartbreaking. Really great detective story with depth.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Until searching around on goodreads, I had no idea that romantic suspense was a genre. Well apparently I have been woefully ignorant as this genre is often on best seller lists!
Sizzle was a fun and easy read. Garwood writes interesting characters and the dialogue was quite good. There is a hapless assassin who is a great source of humor. However, I have no idea why this book is entitled Sizzle. The cover art isn’t indicative of the tale’s contents at all. Perhaps it refers to the romantic chemistry? In my opinion this book was primarily a romance, contrary to the way the suspense was marketed in the book’s description. The suspense was written around the romantic intrigues. Sizzle is a nice escapist read – perfect for the summer. True mystery lovers may not appreciate this story, but it will be a popular choice for many readers.
The Devil’s Rooming House: The True Story of America’s Deadliest Female Serial Killer by M. William Phelps
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
The true story of America’s most prolific serial killer, Amy Archer-Gilligan, is fascinating. But the author’s writing style and poor editing detracted from this true crime story. Certain sections were repetitive. Also, the parallels between the heat wave of 1911 and the serial murders were not well demonstrated. I think Phelps has tremendous talent and truly knows his topic. But he/his editors decided to write in an everyman vernacular which degraded the quality of this book. I speculate that he was trying to be dramatic but this just came across as poor writing that would earn you an F in English class. Some sentences were overly long and others weren’t even true sentences.
For example:
It was near 3:00 p.m. when, a few miles away from this treacherous corner, a Fairfield police officer, patrolling his normal beat on Fairfield Avenue, heard a tremendous crash. Steel against steel. Crumbling and twisting. He ran.p.49
Phelps frequently referred to male figures as “the guy” which was also distracting. He made a serious and professional study of this case; it would have been more appropriate and compelling to write professionally. Yet in other paragraphs and sometimes whole chapters Phelps writes beautifully and pulls the reader into this tale. Chapter 30, Grave Robbers, is one such example. Phelps describes the exhumation and autopsy of one victim in a clear and concise way. The reader understands the science and horror of the crime. I only finished this book as I live in Connecticut and have a strong interest in local history. If The Devil’s Rooming House was reorganized and edited, I think it would be superb.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A delightfully twisted thriller. Cain has written interersting characters for for the the good guys and bad girls. The female serial killer Gretchen is fascinating and terrifying. This book is a real page tuner. Beware – there are detailed torture scenes punctuated thoughout this book. These sections are hard to read but are well-done.
Human Resources: Reality vs. Perception.
Love the diagrams!
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
For a salacious read, this was quite well-written and researched. I enjoyed reading this escapist novel about women, wine-making, and competition. The author does know how to talk about wine. Warning – the sex scenes are graphic so I wouldn’t share this with teen readers. Many people would probably consider this a beach read.
