THE TOWER OF NERO by Rick Riordan

 THE TOWER OF NERO

(The Trials of Apollo #5)

by

Rick Riordan

    The Tower of Nero is the fifth and final installment in Rick Riordan's The Trials of Apollo series. In some ways, it seems a long time since we learned that Apollo (the Greek god) was ousted from Mount Olympus, landing in New York City as the awkward mortal teenager Lester Papadopoulos. But, even after he and Meg, his young demigod "master," battle their way across the country, the adventures of the first four books seem to have come and gone in a snap. Now Apollo/Lester and Meg return to New York to face Nero. Will they be able to defeat him, and will Apollo/Lester be able to reclaim Delphi?

    I am a big Rick Riordan fan, and The Tower of Nero does not disappoint. Like all the Riordan books that have come before, this finale is well written, clever, engaging, and action packed. And, it amazes me that, after all this time, Riordan can still make me laugh. 

    Rick Riordan is the master of myth, and I cannot wait to see what he does next. Highly recommended.

MOONFLOWER MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz

 MOONFLOWER MURDERS

(Susan Ryeland #2)

by

Anthony Horowitz

    Moonflower Murders is the second installment in the Susan Ryeland series by Anthony Horowitz. Like its predecessor, Magpie Murders, this installment also involves a book within a book. And like its predecessor, it is a smash!

    Susan Ryeland had retired from publishing and moved to a Greek island with her boyfriend, Andreas. One day, the Trehearnes appeared. One of the Atticus Pund novels on which Susan had worked - Alan Conway's Atticus Pund Takes the Cake - portrayed a murder that had taken place at the hotel that the Trehearnes ran in England. Their daughter, Cecily, read Conway's book, concluded that the wrong person had been convicted and jailed for the crime, and then disappeared. Susan returns to England to assist in locating the missing Cecily.

    Moonflower Murders is delightful. It is well written and engaging; clever and convoluted. Susan Ryeland is not my favorite of Horowitz's characters; nonetheless, I soaked up every word. 

    Anthony Horowitz is clearly one of the best classic mystery writers of our time. I cannot wait to read more of his work.

    Highly recommended.

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig

 THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY

by

Matt Haig

    In The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig, we meet Nora Seed. Nora was going through a rough patch in her life. In fact, she hated her life and wanted to die. When she took steps toward that end, Nora ended up in the midnight library, a place "in between." The books in the midnight library are all the possible lives of Nora Seed, lives that might differ from Nora's "root life" because of decisions that she made. Nora is able to visit all these alternate lives; however, as the librarian explains, you cannot take out the same book twice.

    One of my favorite things while studying philosophy was thinking about other possible worlds, and this book kept taking me right back there. The Midnight Library is a treasure. I thoroughly enjoyed this creative, refreshing reading experience.

THE SEARCHER by Tana French

 THE SEARCHER

by

Tana French

    Tana French's latest novel is The Searcher. Like her last novel, The Witch Elm, and unlike her Dublin Murder Squad series, it is a standalone novel. And, it is another blockbuster. 

    In The Searcher, we meet Cal Hooper, a retired police officer from Chicago. As Cal wanted a change, he bought a place to fix up in a remote Irish village. Although he finds the beauty and relative simplicity he is seeking, an unsolved mystery nonetheless finds him.

    Tana French is a master of character development. Not only does she create and beautifully describe complex characters, but she demonstrates an understanding of the seamy underside of humanity. And, The Searcher further epitomizes French's ability. Although The Searcher is considered a mystery, it seems to me that the mystery that finds and occupies Cal is incidental to French's magnificent character study.

    The Searcher is a fabulous read, and I highly recommend it.

THE WEIGHT OF A PIANO by Chris Cander

 THE WEIGHT OF A PIANO

by

Chris Cander

       The Weight of A Piano is the story of a Bluthner piano, beginning in the Soviet Union and ending in California, and some of the people whose lives it touched. The book is well written. The characters are well developed, although I am not sure that any are particularly likable or that I felt connected to any of them. Except perhaps the piano. It does raise the interesting question whether the piano has its own separate existence, whether it is more than the sum of its parts. Nonetheless, it feels like the story has been done before; it reminds me a bit of Annie Proulx, Disappearing Earth, and The Red Violin. Although it is novel in its application to a piano, I am not sure that it adds anything to what has been done before.

HEAVEN, MY HOME by Attica Locke

HEAVEN, MY HOME

by

Attica Locke

    Heaven, My Home is Attica Locke's second Highway 59 novel. In this book, a nine year old boy from a small town along Highway 59 has gone missing. Darren Mathews, an African American Texas Ranger, is assigned to the search for the boy, who is the son of a white supremacist.

    As with the first Highway 59 novel, Bluebird, Bluebird, I feel conflicted about Heaven, My Home. I did not really care for either book, yet I am drawn to read them. I am taken by the mythos of the Texas Rangers. I love the idea of the main character, I love the locality of the books, and I love the rich history that Locke includes. 

    Nonetheless, I do not like how the character is drawn. I find it difficult to believe that someone who had been capable enough to complete a portion of law school and to become a Texas Ranger could be so stupid as Mathews appears to be in this book. I also am not fond of the writing style. In my opinion, Locke overuses simile, and the similes that she uses are often not apt.

    Overall, I was disappointed with Heaven, My Home. I think Darren Mathews and Highway 59, as glimpsed through Locke's eyes, has such rich potential. But, Heaven, My Home falls short of actualizing that potential.

TROUBLED BLOOD by Robert Galbraith

 TROUBLED BLOOD

by

Robert Galbraith

 

 Wow. 

    When I finish a book like Troubled Blood, I usually like to let it sit for a while - to let the experience steep, or percolate - before I begin to write my review. This is especially true with a book like Troubled Blood, as the Cormoran Strike series by J. K. Rowling (writing as Robert Galbraith) is one of my very favorite series of all time. As I love Cormoran Strike, it is important to me to do my very best so that one who might happen to stumble upon my review will learn the gospel about this great series.

    But, as I finished this wonderful new addition to the series, all I could think was Wow. So, I waited a day or two - waiting to wax eloquent (or, perhaps, wax poetic) - but I cannot seem to get beyond Wow. I could summarize the plot - or explain a little about the characters - or describe how I think Troubled Blood, the fifth installment in the Cormoran Strike series, is the best one yet. But, when I think about so doing, my inclination is that these would be better achieved were I to stand on a corner and hand out copies of the book (though I would recommend that a reader unfamiliar with the series read them in order).

    So, for now, my review is simple:

Wow. Just Wow.