Skip to main content

EIGHT DETECTIVE + WINTER COUNTS + NEXT TO LAST STAND - Review

It was nearing the end of October and what seemed like the 10th or 11th day in a row of receiving packages in the mail is when Mrs. Hungry Detective called a timeout on buying things in the form of a delivery of a box or padded envelope.  She was quite right to do so even if I had a couple of November releases to purchase.  Neither was desperate, both come from best selling authors. Finding those books in December was not a challenge. [Editor's Note: Well, not until they shipped the wrong book...]

More distressing was a 20% off sale from a seller for the month of November. I was anticipate making at least one purchase to fill a hole in my Craig Johnson books. The same seller also has a complete run of James Benn novels. I own Mr. Benn's first and was thinking about buying the next 3-4 books. With the sale, I figured I could get a nice start without having to scour ABE for each book separately. Alas, they will have to wait. [Editor's Note: Sale has been continued through December. Mrs. Hungry Detective will be 'thrilled'.]

EIGHT DETECTIVES - Alex Pavesi

This was fun, but I will rip the bandage off and say the end just is not supported by the rest of the novel. I enjoyed the structure of seven shorts stories being used to elucidate the present day story of a Book Editor visiting the author of the aforementioned short stories about a new release. But about halfway through it was clear we weren't spending enough time with those two characters to get an accurate picture of what was at stake. When the end comes it certainly was an intriguing conclusion, but because this part of the story was underdeveloped it just kind of happens, and then the book ends. Still I found the shorts stories contained within to be entertaining, and certainly pulled me a long well enough to make it an enjoyable if not entirely successful read.

WINTER COUNTS - David Heska Wanbli Weiden

WINTER COUNTS shambles a long for the first 150 or so pages developing characters and more importantly the setting. I was waiting for the dead body, occasionally looking at the dwindling pages wondering when it was going to show up. It never does. WINTER COUNTS delivers something else. WINTER COUNTS is a vibe book, one that I enjoyed quite a bit. In real terms, the plight of drugs on Indigenous Peoples is an annihilation, one undoubtedly in need of exploration. But in terms of a Crime Fiction it took a second for me to click into that narrative....which is my issue with the book and not the authors.

NEXT TO LAST STAND - Craig Johnson

This is a cozy. Craig Johnson writes cozies. Yes Longmire is a professional crime fighter and yes the violence is often front and gruesomely center. Probably a bit more cursing here as well... NEVER THE LESS this is a cozy. Try and talk me out of it. Loved this by the way.

Currently Reading -- BILLY BOYLE - James Benn
To Be Read -- 2.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Fogotten Post: A Remembrance

[Editor's Note: Started this missive, never came back to it. Still relevant, I suppose.] I am reading MURDER IN OLD BOMBAY by Nev Marsh. This was... technically still is... on my to buy pile. In the before time... the overwhelming to be read pile time... I would have bought this and thrown it on the shelf to read in the near or more likely distant future. I hope I like it enough to buy the second in the series. Buying a book is fun, buying a book that is good is better. [Editor's Note: Abandoned this book, unfinished.] BLACKTOP WASTELAND - S.A. COSBY So glad I didn't buy this last summer. Good decision to put off buying and reading what would have certainly been one of the best books of the year. New goal for the remaining 2021 calendar. Don't be dumb. Buy Mr. Cosby's follow up and read day one! [Editor's Note: I did buy a signed copy of RAZORBLADE  TEARS, meanwhile B.W. won every award, except the Edgar where it wasn't even nominated!? Also Signed firsts of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Small Mercies - The Return of Dennis Lehane

 A time honored tradition at The Hungry Detective HQ is to perform the twice annual, and largely ceremonial, 'Dennis Lehane New book 20XX" Google search. Nothing comes up on his long abandoned Website, except notification of the script work for his television and film projects.  Grousing aside, 2022 was a big year for Mr. Lehane. BLACK BIRD, a show he created, played on Apple+ to solid acclaim. The show's star, Paul Walter Hauser, won a Golden Globe. But despite that I have yet to watch it. Not for any other reason than I am a movie person more than a TV person. The TV I do watch is watched in an arcane order that is difficult to decipher and even more baffling to explain. Short story, I need to watch ANDOR [Editor's Note: Slow going on ANDOR despite everyone telling me it is amazing.] And then BLACK BIRD, or maybe SLOW HORSES. I'll get there...  Anyway at the dead end of 2022, I did the search. Found out he wrote a book. SMALL MERCIES . I was excited to hear it. I...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Very Best of Mr. Michael Connelly - Part 2

My August 31 post of The Hungry Detective ranked all the non-Bosch books. This list returns to take on the larger task of Mr. Heironimous Bosch. 9 Dragons made its appearance right before the Indy B'Con, and try as I might... ok I didn't try that hard... I didn't have time to read it for inclusion in these rankings. As a quick aside I don't want to undersell any of the books at the bottom of the list. Mr. Connelly doesn't know how to write a bad book, but in my case there have been occasions where I have not connected with his work. 13. THE NARROWS - 2004 It is because I love THE POET so much that this book is at the end of the list. When Mr. Connelly is at his best his works has the precision of a watchmaker. THE NARROWS just felt forced and not worthy of the intricacy of THE POET. 12. BLACK ICE - 1993 Second book. Third read. I thought the story was pretty flat. It has been well over a decade since I read this book, but the story of Mexican drug runner...
1 comment
Read more