BROKEN HARBOR by Tana French

BROKEN HARBOR

by

Tana French

            Broken Harbor is book four (of five) in Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series. I listened to this audiobook third (after the number five book, The Secret Place, and the number three book, Faithful Place). This book features Detective Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy, whom we met in Faithful Place.

            In Broken Harbor, the Spain family was murdered in their home at Broken Harbor, a half built, deserted housing development. Kennedy is assigned to the case. He finds oddities in the Spain home: holes in the walls, an open attic hatch, lots of video baby monitors.

            Although Scorcher Kennedy is one of the best detectives, he has a history with Broken Harbor. As we work the murder case with Scorcher, we learn about his family, the nuances and complexities of his personality, and the secrets of this history with Broken Harbor.

            As always, French is masterful in the weaving of her tale and in the superb development of her characters. Her writing in general is magical. For example, at one point Scorcher talks about how murder is chaos. In the old days, Scorcher notes, people smiled at strangers, talked to their neighbors, left their doors unlocked, and helped old women; the murder rate during this time was almost zero. But now, Scorcher goes on, people are “turning feral” – and the final step into feral is murder. This sort of poignant development is typical Tana French and makes reading her work truly a memorable experience.

            I greatly enjoyed Broken Harbor, and I look forward to the two Dublin Murder Squad books I have not yet read (despite the mis-ordering of my reads). I am rapidly becoming a devoted Tana French fan.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

DEATH OF AN ALCHEMIST by Mary Lawrence

DEATH OF AN ALCHEMIST

by

Mary Lawrence

            When I reviewed Mary Lawrence’s first book, The Alchemist’s Daughter, I stated that I looked forward to reading about more of Bianca Goddard’s adventures. Well, Bianca is back, and she does not disappoint. Lawrence’s second novel, Death Of An Alchemist, is even better than her first.

            Death seems to follow Bianca. In Death Of An Alchemist, Bianca consults a well known alchemist, Ferris Stannum, seeking advice from him about an alchemical process that she needs in making some of her healing concoctions. She leaves him alive and expects to find him that way when she returns: “The next day, Bianca expected to find Ferris Stannum busy at work. Instead, she found Ferris Stannum busy being dead.” (p. 52) Stannum’s alchemical journal, in which he had recorded his making of the elixir of life, was missing. Bianca desperately needed to locate the journal so that she could concoct an elixir to heal the ailing John. Meanwhile, other deaths followed Stannum’s.

            While I enjoyed The Alchemist’s Daughter, Death Of An Alchemist is even better. The writing, which was good in the first book, is even better in the second, as it feels more relaxed and more natural. Furthermore, this mystery seems to involve more action and adventure.

            I continue to be amazed by Lawrence’s Tudor era mysteries in that they depict this historical time from the ordinary person’s point of view. The pictures that the books paint from this point of view are not as attractive as those painted by many historical novels set in this time period; nonetheless, as uncomfortable as the pictures might make me feel, I find them to be novel and much more realistic.

At the end of the book, Lawrence includes a much appreciated Author’s Note in which she discusses the sweating sickness that was feared so in Tudor England, hemorrhagic disease, and the historicity of this work of historical fiction. As one who values historical accuracy in historical fiction, I welcome this addition.

            At this point I feel as I did after reading and reviewing The Alchemist’s Daughter: I thoroughly enjoyed Bianca’s latest adventure, and I look forward to sharing many more with her in the future. Even though Death Of An Alchemist will not be published until January 26^, 2016, I already cannot wait for book three!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

(Quotation and citation are from the Advance Uncorrected Proof provided by the author.)

FAITHFUL PLACE by Tana French

FAITHFUL PLACE

by

Tana French

            I recently grabbed an unknown audiobook from a library shelf – The Secret Place, by Tana French – not knowing that it was the most recent of French’s five book Dublin Murder Squad series. I absolutely loved the book, see review October 11, 2015 http://imobookreviews.blogspot.com/. So, standing in front of that same shelf weeks later, I grabbed the only other audiobook from the series that was available, Faithful Place, the third book in French’s series.

            To my delight, I discovered that the centerpiece of Faithful Place is Detective Frank Mackey and also involves his daughter, Holly Mackey, and Detective Stephen Moran. All three are characters I had met in The Secret Place.

            In Faithful Place, we learn Frank’s backstory. He grew up in a poor, dysfunctional family, one of five kids. When he was 19 years old, he planned to run away to London with his girlfriend, Rosie Daly. When Rosie failed to show, Frank concluded that she had dumped him. He left home alone and later joined the Guard.

            Twenty-two years later, Rosie’s suitcase was found. Frank finally discovers what really happened that night, what happened to Rosie, and much more. The discoveries hit close to home and upend Frank’s life. French gives new meaning to “you can’t go home again.”

            Faithful Place is very well written. Tana French is not only insightful, concerning the human psyche, but she is a master of conveying that insight through her character development. She can capture complexities in a manner that is rare for many writers.

            And, I am actually happy that I read The Secret Place before reading Faithful Place. I think that knowing what later transpires between these characters helped me better appreciate the nuances of the backstories and how they engender the later events.

            French is a true literary master – and, I cannot wait to read the rest of the Dublin Murder Squad series!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

BURNED by Karen Marie Moning

BURNED

by

Karen Marie Moning

            Mac is back! Okay, so that may not be original, but it truly was one of my first reactions to Burned, the latest installment in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. I had a problem with the last installment, Iced – I like Dani, but I am not so much a Dani fan to want to read a Dani book. I am a Mac-and-JZB fan, and I was thrilled to be sitting down with another Mac book. It was so nice to be back in Mac’s world. When I finished Burned, I immediately restarted the book so that I could remain in her world a little while longer.

            Nonetheless, the book was disappointing. There did not seem to be much of a plot. The book included more of the same that we have experienced with Mac, and there did not seem to be much to move the story along. The book involves the continued pursuit of Christian, the question of Dani’s whereabouts, and Mac’s continued angst about Dani. We do learn some more about the players, but other than this character development, the book felt like a sort of picture of the status quo.

            I was surprised at the number of excerpts I had previously read that were included in Burned. Certainly, I expected to see the parts or chapters that Moning had released early as “teasers”; other parts, however, surprised me. For example, I had thought that the “sex scene” with Mac and Barrons was a sort of internet only “present” for fans; I was astonished to find it in Burned. Even though Moning did a decent job of working it into the plot, Burned felt pieced together or choppy – as if Moning were trying to take these previously written parts and smooth them together into a cohesive plot.

            One thing that I really liked about Burned was Moning’s increased mix of the Highlander and Fever series. I am a fan of both. However, what she did to one of my “favorites” felt unforgiveable – and, I might have quit on her had I not suspected the ending. Moning included a lengthy guide, at the end of the book, entitled “People, Places, and Things”. The guide is very impressive and nice to have.

            In general, Burned is not very well written. For example, there are references to people “that” (instead of people “who”….), there are typos, and there are questionable grammatical structures (such as “me and _____”). I understand that some of these writing faux pas might have been intentional on Moning’s part, for a certain character, but the prevalence of these writing gaffes led me to wonder about the editors.

            Burned is not going to win any awards for its literary prowess – so, if you are looking for a high quality literary fiction, this is not the book. Nonetheless, as a devoted fan, I devoured this book. Despite its shortcomings, I will read it again, and, along with the other devotees, I impatiently await Moning’s next release in her Fever series. I cannot wait for Mac to come back again!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE TAPESTRY by Nancy Bilyeau

THE TAPESTRY

by

Nancy Bilyeau

            The Tapestry is Bilyeau’s final installment in her Joanna Stafford trilogy. The first book, The Crown, was published in 2012; the second, The Chalice, in 2013. When I began reading The Tapestry, published in 2015, I found that I had forgotten a great deal of the trilogy that took place in these prior books.

            Joanna Stafford had been a Dominican novice at the priory in Dartford before it was closed by her cousin, King Henry VIII. She subsequently remained in Dartford, intent on living a quiet life weaving tapestries.

            Her quiet existence was cut short, however, when the king summoned her to Whitehall Palace. While she was at Whitehall, the king appointed Joanna to be “the permanent Tapestry Mistress of the court, to oversee, maintain, and add to our collection, which is the finest in all of Christendom.” (p. 124).

While at Whitehall, Joanna discovered that someone was trying to kill her – but who and why? Her friend, Constable Geoffrey Scovill, helped to protect her and to discover who was behind the attempts on Joanna’s life.

            The Tapestry is a work of historical fiction. Bilyeau introduces us to some interesting historical figures, it is a decent plot, and the writing is good. However, the book did not “grab” me. It is possible that I would have appreciated this book much more if I had reread the first two installments in the trilogy prior to reading it.

But, I was also left wondering about the book’s historical accuracy. It is a personal pet peeve, but in general, I dislike historical fiction with low historicity. Overall, however, I am glad that I read this book.

RECOMMENDED