What Fiction are you reading this week, April 30, 2023?

[hermetic]

Robert Crais' cat, and books

I'm reading Sunset Express by Robert Crais. This Elvis Cole novel from '96 has a lot going for it: "..from edgy humor to subtly sensuous romance to virtuoso suspense writing that keeps you on the edge of your seat."
I'm happily reading along this pleasant, sometimes amusing tale and then, WHAM! I didn't expect THAT to happen. Yep, a page-turner for sure.

Listening to Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells, #6 in the fun with Murderbot series. In this one Murderbot will have to speak to humans. Again! Poor thing.

What fiction are you expecting to read this week?

[hippywife]

1. Just about finished my re-read of...

Michener's, The Source.

Have The Hollow Places, by T. Kingfisher on deck, and in a departure from the norm, have already begun reading some of it. (I usually wait until I finish one before starting another.)

[hermetic]

4. Mmmm

"A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle's house, leading to madness and terror in this gripping new (2022) novel...With her distinctive delightfully fresh and subversive prose and strange, sinister wonder The Hollow Places is another compelling and white-knuckled horror novel that you won't be able to put down."

Sounds good.

[bif]

2. "Bucky F*cking Dent" by David Duchovny

Just started it and it's okay.

[hermetic]

6. Wow, who knew?

Our beloved Fox Mulder has written 6 novels, mostly humorous, like this one. Also a couple that sound quite thought-provoking. I will for sure be looking into these, so thanks.

[Easterncedar]

3. Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson

Perfect for a rainy Sunday.

(I hope you don’t mind my chiming in.)

[hermetic]

7. Happy to have you here

We welcome all who read and want to talk about, a little anyway, fiction. Your book sounds quite good.
"Part fairy tale, part mystery, part coming-of-age novel, this is the story of a girl growing up in a typical 1960's British suburb." Once the home of William Shakespeare so that will be part of it.

[Easterncedar]

8. It's a very atmospheric page-turner

She’s one of my favorite writers.

[hippywife]

11. That does sound interesting.

I've never read her before, but added this one to my library website TBR.

[Easterncedar]

12. I'll be interested in your review!

[hippywife]

13. Not sure how long it will be before I read it.

The TBR is long, and they don't have the ebook edition yet. I used to prefer physical books, but since the start of the pandemic, have started reading ebooks instead. It's great to be able to check out a new book as soon as I finish one and not have to wait or drive into town.

[cbabe]

5. Panther Gap/ James McLaughlin

Almost end of the world: safe hideaway ranch, drug cartels, brother as a sort of wild mystic (revealed as white not native which is kind of a cheat), sister is the type A trying to save the ranch from the tax man/bankers.

And the kitchen sink.

Most interesting character is nyc accountant who stumbles into the plot. And the big white dog.

Three or five or seven themes makes confusion.

Better read if author would choose one or two as all the conflicts would make good books but switching back and forth and up and down made me wonder what exactly he’s trying to say.

Ps love Robert Crais.

[hermetic]

9. I found this

First, you got a pre-release copy since it's not due out until next year. Don't know if that means it can be changed up a bit before then, but anyhoo, it is...

"The thrilling follow-up to the Edgar Award–winning Bearskin, about two siblings on the verge of inheriting millions but who discover dark secrets in their family’s past." So maybe reading this one first would clear a few things up. That's just a guess, of course. I think I'll give it a look.

[cbabe]

10. Pre release copy? From the library. Huh. True sometimes

sequels stand alone and sometimes not.

Didn’t enjoy characters enough to read the first title.

Some reviews mention beautiful prose describing nature. Maybe that’s the hook?

….
Edit follow up:

First published April 4, 2023

So not pre release copy.

[hermetic]

17. Interesting

According to the Fiction Database, https://www.fictiondb.com/title/panther-gap~james-a-mclaughlin~3270473.htm
Published: Apr-2024
Apr-02-2024 (Release)

That's where I get all my info on books and that's the first time I've ever seen them make a mistake, which they obviously did. From now on I'll have to double check whenever they say 2024. Thanks for following through.

[cbabe]

27. Oh well, typos happen. Perhaps contact the site as a courtesy?

[bahboo]

14. City on Fire by Don Winslow...

first of a new trilogy by him. Absolutely phenomenal. Story of crime families in Providence. Irish, Italian and Black. Writing doesn’t get any more real than this.

[hermetic]

18. That does sound

pretty amazing. Being hailed as a "contemporary Iliad."

[Number9Dream]

15. Finished "Girl In Ice" by Erica Ferencik.

Thanks for the thread, hermetic.

I thought this was a unique and interesting plot. In arctic Greenland, a young girl is discovered frozen in a glacier. When she is thawed out alive, she speaks a language that no one (even in Greenland) understands. Valerie “Val” Chesterfield is a linguist trained in the most esoteric of disciplines: dead Nordic languages. The scientist in charge requests that Val journey to Greenland to try to comprehend what the girl is desparately trying to tell them. The death of Val's brother at the same research station also motivates her to travel to Greenland. I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56898156-girl-in-ice?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=oMS60792wT&rank=2

[hermetic]

19. That sounds great

as well as unique. Thanks so much for telling us about it.

[Jilly_in_VA]

16. Isabeau

by N. Gemini Masson, a fictionalized account of Queen Isabella, Edward II of England, and Sir Roger Mortimer. It took about half the book to set the story, but it's now getting pretty good and I'm liking it more. There is a sequel and I'm somewhat torn about actually paying for it but I might.

[hermetic]

20. I know the feeling

Some books just seem like they really belong in your private library. I love reading about Scottish history. Especially in the hands of a really good writer. I see Thrift Books has a bunch of Masson's. Evidently she writes stories about dogs, too.

[Midnight Writer]

21. Down In The Hollow by Timothy Hobbs.

Horror thriller taking place in rural Texas in the early 1900s.

About a quarter way through, and it is much better than I expected.

[hermetic]

23. That's pretty new

and sounds good and creepy. A good one to put on the list for Halloween reading. Thanks.

[japple]

22. Rereading a book that I read during the early part of covid pandemic.

Terry Roberts' book, That Bright Land. I remember the first part of it, but I must have rushed through it. Good writing.

In the summer of 1866, Jacob Ballard, a former Union soldier and spy, is dispatched by the War Department in Washington City to infiltrate the isolated North Carolina mountain community where he was born and find a serial killer responsible for the deaths of Union veterans.

Based on true events, That Bright Land is the story of a violent and fragile nation in the wake of the Civil War and a man who must exorcise his own savage demons while tracking down another.

Robert Crais has excellent taste in cats. What a sweetheart.

[hermetic]

24. Indeed he does

There's a cat in the book I'm reading, but it's a solid black. There's also a kitten climbing on my keyboard right now, making it quite difficult to type. Now she's sitting on the mouse so I can't add a laughing emoji.

Your book sounds great. Arrrrrrgggghhh................

[yellowdogintexas]

31. Is the black cat a 20 pounder named Midnight Louie?

Those are such fun books. Louie fancies himself a PI and there are many quirky characters.

FYI the author, Carole Nelson Douglas was a very good Democrat!!!

[hermetic]

32. No, different cat

Cole's cat is just a normal feral who lives in the canyon but comes by for food and company, although he doesn't like anyone except Pike and Cole.

OTOH, the Midnight Louie Series by Carole Nelson Douglas is one I hadn't heard of until now so I will be checking those out. Thanks.

[yellowdogintexas]

33. Try to read them in order. First: Cat In An Alphabet Soup

(originally published as Catnap). (warning, it is another long series!)

List in order:
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/carole-nelson-douglas/midnight-louie/

Louie is quite a character and a real scene stealer. He narrates his own activities in first person. The rest of the book is in third person, using a different font.

There are lots of ancillary characters, and for the most part they are delightful.

[joshdawg]

25. "Sandstorm" by James Rollins

Just started it. Like the rest of Rollins' novels, it promises a lot of action and intrigue and maybe a little science fiction. Anxious to find out.

[hermetic]

26. Ah, the first Sigma Force novel

Sending you on a journey of 20+ more. That should keep you going for a while. Some of the best tales out there. Enjoy. Do stop in and share the latest with us.

[yellowdogintexas]

28. The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star (Baby Ganesh)

Currently about 1/2 finished. I really do like this series!

Rising star and incorrigible playboy Vikram Verma has disappeared, leaving his latest film in jeopardy. Hired by Verma's formidable mother to find him, Inspector Chopra and his sidekick, baby elephant Ganesha, embark on a journey deep into the world's most flamboyant movie industry.

As they uncover feuding stars, failed investments and death threats, it seems that many people have a motive for wanting Verma out of the picture.

And yet, as Chopra has long suspected, in Bollywood the truth is often stranger than fiction. . .

I am actually reading two books currently (something I seldom do), but I was working the polls and so had one book for work and one for bed time.

Second book is Classified: The Godmothers Book 6 (Fern Michaels!)

he riches that mean most to Teresa “Toots” Loudenberry are the loving friends and family she’s accumulated over the course of a life well lived. And now that her daughter, Abby, has married her beau Chris and settled down near Toots in Charleston, life is even more satisfying than the delicious pralines sold at Toots’s bakery, The Sweetest Thing.

Abby isn’t the only one enjoying a little romance. Toots’s friendship with Dr. Phil Becker has grown unexpectedly close . . . and that brings both joy and complications. As a distraction, Toots throws herself into helping Abby and Chris open an animal rescue shelter on their estate. But life takes a serious turn when two young children disappear after visiting The Sweetest Thing. Toots immediately enlists Ida, Sophie, and Mavis to help in the search. As they draw closer to the culprits, they realize the stakes are much higher than they ever could have imagined
.
. .Ms Michaels never disappoints! The Godmothers are as engaging as The Sisterhood, but with a definite cozy mystery style.

[yellowdogintexas]

29. Read 2 more during the long Early Voting period

We had terrible turnout and lots of time to read!

First up: In Shadowlands, by Timothy Ashby

President Teddy Roosevelt's son Quentin was killed in World War I. So why is another man's corpse in his grave?

J. Edgar Hoover summons Special Agent Seth Armitage, a US Marines veteran haunted by the carnage of the Western Front, back to the Bureau to investigate the mystery.

Armitage is soon targeted by powerful and ruthless forces on both sides of the Atlantic who are committed to keeping the scandal secret - at any cost.

The line between enemies and allies blur as the agent is drawn into a conspiracy, which leads him to Germany and an encounter with a burgeoning political force. The Nazi Party.

Armitage eventually uncovers the truth in an ancient Bavarian castle.

But at what price?

This is my second Seth Armitage novel; I do hope there are more to come!!!

Book #2: One Fine Mess by Mark Peterson

All Jules Nichols wants is to off her abusive hubby. But soon the baddies are popping up everywhere, the staties are suspicious, and her wacko sister won't go away. There's also that darn head in a box. It's no time to lose her own head. But who could've known it'd be so hard to commit one little murder?

Abusive hubby's death sets off one wild event after another; I found myself cheering Jules on throughout the book.

[yellowdogintexas]

30. "In Crime" Kat Makris #4

Back in Greece with Kat Makris and her hilarious gangster family.

Heir to Greece’s biggest crime family Kat Makris’ life is scheduled to explode when she’s catapulted into a counterfeiter’s deadly path, in this hilarious fourth installment of the Greek Mafia series.

After a covert attempt to buy Marika a pregnancy test fails, everyone in Greece wants to know who is the father of Kat’s baby? If a rampant case of mistaken pregnancy isn’t bad enough, an encounter with Greece's National Intelligence Agency turns sour fast, and soon Kat finds herself stuck in Naples, Italy, with a probably-pregnant Marika and a crime lord’s nephew for company. No money. No food. Working cellphone? Fuggedaboutit. What they do have is a gun, thanks to their new—and suspect—guardian angel, a hobo with urinary issues and what used to be a very nice coat.

There’s no way out of Naples; not in their condition. Not unless Kat can scrounge up some intelligence—which is even more difficult than it sounds, given the company she's keeping—for the NIS. Unfortunately the way out involves a deadly game of cops, forgers, and bakers.

Hot cop Detective Nikos Melas can't save her, and the equally tasty, far more deadly Xander is busy watching over Grandma, who is in the hospital after a table-dancing incident gone awry. Which leaves Kat on her own, more or less, to strike a deal with Mario Fontana, a criminal with Camorra connections ... and a professional relationship with Kat's missing father.

I love these books! The author has such a great sense of humor and a real skill in shaping her characters. It was a perfect read for the plane trip out to Phoenix.


Currently, I am reading "Moscow Sky" A Dak Harper thriller
This is #5 in the Relic Runner series by Ernest Dempsey.

When the Russian military invaded Ukraine, the world watched from the sidelines as shells rained down on homes, schools, businesses, and factories. But what the media didn't show us was a sinister plot carried out by a rogue Russian unit.

In the frigid chill of winter, while the Russian army barreled into Kyiv, an elite band of fighters had a different target in mind. Led by a notorious Colonel, the rogue unit broke into the Ukrainian Museum of National History, and took every valuable artifact connecting the country to its Scythian past.

Enter Dak Harper.

On the run, both hunter and hunted. He learns of the museum theft. But this is one mission he can't handle on his own. With more danger than he's ever faced, his life isn't the only one that hangs in the balance.

From the streets of Kyiv to the mountains of Romania, and into the hills of Hungary, Dak must use every contact he can muster to track down the Russian thieves.

But the Russians aren't the only enemy he must face when Dak's past comes full circle.

Dempsey can really weave a good thriller! I am enjoying it.