Review ~ Two Evils by P J Tracy

Michael Joseph (17 Jan 2013)
Monkeewrench #6

Two Evils

by

P J Tracy

In Two Evils, when Native American girls are kidnapped from the reservation on which they live, there seems to be no correlation between them and Grace McBride, a maverick computer analyst, and John Smith a retired FBI agent, who are on board a small boat in the Florida Keys, but with great skill the authors, successfully merge all the various strands of this crime story into a believable and tense narrative. Gino and Magozzi, are the two Minneapolis homicide detectives who feature strongly in the Monkeewrench series, and it is clear that their relationship is a big part of the story and their interaction with each other is one of brotherhood forged by adversity. When they are faced with a series of unexplained execution like killings in a  Minneapolis area known as ‘Little Mogadishu’, they discover that a complicated and malevolent conspiracy is in progress. 

Despite Two Evils being the sixth book in the progressive series of crime thrillers known as ‘Monkeewrench’, it is remarkably easy to follow, although I guess that some of the finer points of the continuing story are missed, if like me you are a newcomer to this mother and daughter writing combination. Without giving away any elements of the plot which is rich and varied, there is a degree of spirituality from the Native American characters which I found interesting, as was the scenic background around Elbow Lake where some of the later action takes place. If I have any criticism of the book it is that the show down finale, when it came seemed more of a damp squib, rather that the trumpet blast I had been expecting, but overall, I thought that the book was well worth reading, and I am now inspired to start at the beginning of the series to see where Monkeewrench began and how it has evolved over time.

4****

My thanks to Real Readers for a review copy of this book.

P.J. Tracy is the pseudonym for the hugely popular mother and daughter writing team P.J. and Traci Lambrecht. 

Monkeewrench aka Want to Play? (2003)

Live Bait (2004)

Dead Run(2005)

Snow Blind(2006)

Shoot to Kill aka Play to Kill (2009)

Two Evils aka Off The Grid (2012/2013)

Wishlist Wednesday..

 I am delighted to be part of wishlist Wednesday which is hosted by Dani at pen to paper

The idea is to post about one book each week that has been on your wishlist for some time, or maybe just added.

So what do you need to do to join in?

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.

Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.

Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.

Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.

Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.

Quercus 31 January 2013

Blurb from amazon.co.uk

This is the fifth book in the Ruth Galloway series of mystery thrillers from Elly Griffiths.

Ruth's old friend Dan Golding thinks he has made a discovery that will change archaeology forever - but he needs Ruth's help. Then, Dan is killed in a fire, leaving Ruth with one clue: the tomb of the Raven King. DCI Nelson is also rediscovering the past. He meets his friend Sandy Macleod, now at Blackpool CID, who tells him there are mysterious circumstances surrounding Dan's death. A Neo-Nazi group at Dan's University has been making threats and could be involved. Many of Dan's colleagues seem fearful and have secrets to hide. Ruth is drawn into the mystery, and where she goes, so does her daughter, Kate. This time, it's not just Ruth's life at risk.

I've loved the previous four books in the Ruth Galloway series and without doubt this one will find its way to me in the next few weeks.

Review ~ Ignorance by Michèle Roberts

January 22nd 2013 by Bloomsbury USA

Ignorance 

by

Michèle Roberts

Jeanne Nerin and Marie-Angèle Baudry grow up in the small French village of Ste Madeleine, where Marie-Angèle as the daughter of the local grocer thinks she is superior to her friend, Jeanne, whose mother, a Jewess, washes clothes for a living. However, the outbreak of WW2 will alter the dynamics, not just of the two girls, but also of the time in which they live.

This is not a story exclusively about war; it is rather more the story of the individual effects of war on a community and as both Jeanne and Marie- Angèle come of age in this troubled time, the consequences of their lives will impact greatly on those around them.

Beautifully descriptive, the detailed exploration of culpability, combined with the starkness of the prose lends an overwhelming seriousness to the narrative, which is as compelling as it is shocking.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury.

Review ~ The Children of Henry VIII by John Guy

Oxford University Press
 2013

The Tudor family of Henry VIII has been the subject of much discussion, and whilst this book brings nothing new to the table, when all is said and done history cannot be rewritten, but what it does, is put all the children into one easily accessible volume. From Henry’s illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond, through to the last of the Tudor babies, Edward, son of Henry’s marriage to Jane Seymour, this is a comprehensive look at the political affairs and passions which dominated the Tudor landscape and of the children’s unique place within it.

There is always going to be salacious interest in this period of English history, a king who married, divorced or executed his wives is bound to be the dominant feature in any documentary on the Tudor period. However, to see the children of this inscrutable ruler make their mark on history is a fascinating and intriguing look at, not just sibling rivalry on a grand scale, but also on the politics that formed the basis of Tudor England.

The book is a quick read in many ways, not because it is light on substance, far from it, the content is abundant and clearly annotated, but its easily readable format make it the sort of book to dip into and out of, and if like me, you read copious historical novels, sometimes it’s essential to have an aide memoir in your literary store cupboard to determine who is who in the Tudor hierarchy.

John Guy clearly knows his subject well, the research is impeccable and the comprehensive bibliography at the end of the book certainly provides enough impetus for further reading.

4****


My thanks to NetGalley and Oxford University Press for an advance reading copy of this book

Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary...

Pride and Prejudice 

by

Jane Austen

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

...so begins Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen which is celebrating the 200th anniversary of its publication.


Pride and Prejudice has got to be my favourite Jane Austen - I've lost count of the amount of times I've read the book, watched too many film versions, viewed copious TV dramas....

....but ultimately there is only one Fitzwilliam Darcy...

BBC

Pride and Prejudice was Jane Austen's second published novel. The copyright of the novel was sold to publisher Thomas Egerton of Whitehall for £110. The first edition of the book was published on the 27th January 1813 and was priced at 18 shillings and promptly sold out ,with a second edition publication run in November of the same year, the third edition was published in 1817. Since then the book has gone on to sell over 20 million copies world wide and is regularly listed as one of the most popular novels in English literature.

Friday Recommends...

Published February 2012

The Snow Child

by

Eowyn Ivey

After they fashion a snow child, both Jack and Mabel are bewildered when they glimpse a young girl running in the snow -  is the child real or a figment of their imagination.....?

I enjoyed this magical fantasy set in the wilds of the Alaskan wilderness. The starkness of the landscape is portrayed in such a believable way that you can sense the chill from the snow and feel the isolation as pioneers, Jack and Mabel try to eke out a living in this inhospitable land.

At first the child, Faina, answers a need in them which is painful to witness but as the story progresses it becomes more obvious that the child, Faina is with them for a reason.

Based on the classic Russian fairy tale Snegurochka, The Snow Child is a haunting tale of love, loss and the power of friendship.

4****

Wishlist Wednesday

I am delighted to be part of wishlist Wednesday which is hosted by Dani at pen to paper

The idea is to post about one book each week that has been on your wishlist for some time, or maybe just added.

So what do you need to do to join in?

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.

Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.

Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.

Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.

Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.

The Silence

by 

Sarah Rayne 

Severn House Publishers Ltd (31 Jan 2013)

Publication Date: 31 Jan 2013

A century-old crime menaces the present in this spine-tingling tale of supernatural suspense. Antiques dealer Nell West is valuing the contents of her late husband Brad's childhood home, Stilter House. Set on the remote Derbyshire Peaks, there was once a much older property there, in which the notorious Isobel Acton committed a vicious crime. Warned against visiting the house by an elderly aunt of Brad's, Nell hears mysterious piano music soon after her arrival. It becomes clear that the music is tangled with Isobel Acton's macabre fate more than a hundred years earlier. A fate whose consequences still menace the present.

I really like the sound of this one !