Case Histories: a Novel

I came across Case Histories through Masterpiece Theater. I am really enjoying the TV program and couldn't wait to read the book that the program is based on.

Private investigator Jackson Brodie has 3 cases to solve. He is an interesting detective -- a former police officer with authority issues and a childhood tragedy that still haunts him. He relates to his clients' pain and can't say no to cases that he should turn down. He does not solve mysteries through forensics and is not terribly concerned with legalities; he simply wants to get answers to help his clients. What the clients choose to do with the answers is entirely up to them.  

The cases are told  from the clients' perspectives as well as Brodie's. The narrative hops from client to client and jumps back and forth through time until slowly the various pieces come together and the answers are revealed.

I think I was expecting the novel's narrative to mirror the TV show and have a linear time line (with certain key flashbacks). It took a bit for me to adjust to the storytelling, but it was enjoyable read.

-Natalie

The Silence of the Grave

The Silence of the Grave is the second mystery by Arnaldur Indridason. (For a review of Jar City, the first book in this series, click here.) Police detective Erlendur is back, along with his subordinates in the department, Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg. Once again, the crime is murder. This time, however, the crime is some seventy years old and the victims have been reduced to skeletons. Using testimony from former residents of the crime site, as well as crime scene evidence, archival research and a bit of luck, the team gradually uncovers the identities of the bodies and the events that led to their deaths.

What I like most about these books is the personalities of the detectives: they seem believably real. I also like that the author makes it easy for the reader to feel he has guessed the likely suspect and outcome, only to have the details of the resolution twist off in unexpected directions. Iceland -- cold, snowy, and isolated -- contributes an essential bleakness to these novels.

-Paul

Claire Dewitt and the City of the Dead

It is always exciting to find a new author. When I happened upon Sara Gran's newest novel, Claire Dewitt and the City of the Dead, I knew I would add to my list of favorite authors.

The detail in this provocative mystery is griping. Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, the author gives her protagonist a memorable role in solving an unsettling crime amidst the ravages of the hurricane damaged city. This is a fast paced novel and one not to be missed.

-Anne

Love You More

I just finished reading  Love You More by Lisa Gardner.

The police are called to the home of State Trooper Tessa Leoni where they find her severely beaten, her husband shot dead, and her 6 year old daughter missing. She claims self defense from an abusive husband, and won't give any information as to where her daughter might be.

This book has alot of twists and turns, and some surprises. Some situations are a little graphic and disturbing, but overall a good, suspenseful read.

-Cindy

Jar City

"I don't read enough mysteries. I should read more." I say this to myself each time I read a good mystery. Then I go looking for more but cannot find any that live up to what I just read. Months later I stumble upon another good one and the process repeats itself. Fortunately, I think I have overcome this tedious cycle of reader's disappointment -- at least temporarily -- for I just read Arnaldur Indridason's first novel, Jar City. He has written many more in addition to this, and if they are only half as good as Jar City, I should have mysteries to keep me busy for some time.

Set in bleak, rainy Reykjavik, Iceland, Jar City follows police detective Erlendur as he and his team investigate the murder of a man found bludgeoned in his apartment. A cryptic note left on dead man's chest is initially all they have to work with. The trail leads eventually to the victim's violent past, his crimes and their repercussions for the living. Indridason's prose is elegant in its economy and is perfectly paired with the novel's quick pace and dark foreboding.

Fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo will enjoy Arnaldur Indridason.

-Paul

In the Woods

In Tana French's debut novel In the Woods a team of Dublin murder detectives works to solve the murder of a young girl, a crime that may have connections with the 20-year old disappearance of two children. The strain of the investigation takes a huge toll on both detectives and on their friendship, and shatters the family of the murdered girl -- a family that includes more than one possible suspect. 

This is a supremely well crafted psychological thriller, with imperfect, believable characters who do imperfect, believable things. French's prose is effortless and evocative. Her modern Ireland -- torn between its prosperous present and its downtrodden past -- is a character as fascinating as her protagonists.

I found In the Woods hard to put down and would have read it in one sitting if I had had the time. I do not read many books in this genre, but this is almost certainly the best of its sort I have read in a long while and the best book I have read recently.

Fortunately for me, Tana French has written two more novels with some of the same characters, and they are next on my list. These are The Likeness and Faithful Place.

You may wish to avoid this if you are bothered by graphic crime scene descriptions or explicit language.

-Paul


If you like Tana French, give the following authors a try:

Benjamin Black (beginning with Christine Falls)
Elizabeth George (try Traitor to Memory)

Sizzling Sixteen

I just listened to Sizzling Sixteen,  Janet Evanovich's latest installment in the Stephanie Plum series. As usual it was very fun to listen to!

Bounty huntress, Stephanie Plum is at it again. This time she must rescue her boss Vinnie from the mobsters who have kidnapped him because of a $1.3 million debt. In their attempt to raise the funds, Stephanie, Connie and Lula will keep you laughing with their antics. Wait until you meet Mr. Jingles! There is also a surprise relating to either Ranger or Morelli....can you guess which one it will be?

Lorelia King, who narrates for Janet Evanovich is great: her reading helps your picture the characters and keeps you rolling with laughter!  If you have the time, I highly suggest listening to a few of Evanovich's books.

-Denika


You can view the Stephanie Plum series in order here at Janet Evanovich's website.


If you liked Sizzling Sixteen, you may also wish to read:

Sarah Strohmeyer, especially those books featuring the Bubbles Yablonsky character.

Anthony Bruno, especially those books featuring the Loretta Kovacs character. Start with Devil's Food.

River in the Sky

I just finished Elizabeth Peter's A River in the Sky. She never disappoints. I've been reading her Amelia Peabody mysteries for almost 20 years.  Her characters feel like family and I love getting caught up on what they've been up to.

A River in the Sky takes place in Egypt in the 1920s and 1930s. Amelia and her husband Emerson are archaeologists who manage to get caught up in the politics of the time and meet up with unsavory characters.  Her stories are fun and lighthearted. The author's knowledge and love of Egyptian history comes across in a very entertaining manner.  I must admit that historical mysteries are my all time favorite kind of book.

-Natalie

206 Bones

I just finished Kathy Reichs's new book - 206 Bones.  I always enjoy her mysteries.  Kathy Reichs is one of the few forensic anthropologists in the country and she does a wonderful job of blending her actual work experience into the plots of her stories.  

When the novel's protagonist -- forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan -- regains consciousness she finds herself bound and confined in a tomb-like space. The novel then alternates between Brennan's current predicament and her recollection of the three murder cases that lead her there.

In addition to the murder mystery, the author addresses the issue of quality lab work. When justice depends on the forensic evidence, what happens when labs do inferior work?

Reich's books are so popular that the television show "Bones" is based on their main character.

-Natalie

Bone Garden

I just finished reading Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen. It has been a while since I picked up one of her books and I forgot how much I enjoy her writing.

Bone Garden is a suspense thriller.  The protagonist discovers buried bones on the old Boston farmhouse she has purchased to renovate. The mystery switches from the present day to 19th century. The historical details pulled me right in. Gerritsen blends true historical figures with her characters seamlessly.

The medical community of 1830s and 1840s knew so little and killed so many! (The authors note at the end discusses this. It gave me shivers.) As an illustration, the physician Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote a paper in 1843 in which he suggested that physicians should wash their hands. This was viewed as a radical suggestion!

Her description of the medical community's need for bodies for autopsies is also accurate (and disturbing).  

-Natalie

Note: This book is also available in large print.

Water’s Edge

Water’s Edge is another good mystery from the Norwegian author Karin Fossum. The novel finds the police investigating the death of one young boy and the disappearance of another.  The Norwegian setting makes a nice change from the standard American or English procedurals, but the book could have been set anywhere.  Similar to other Scandinavian mysteries, the mood is a bit melancholy, but not depressingly so.

Fossum’s style is reminiscent of Robert Parker and early Dick Francis.  The story is stripped down to its most important elements, with a spare use of words, description and little extraneous narrative.  People do what they have to do and move through life following a personal sense of right and wrong.  It has the basics I look for in a mystery – a good story, interesting characters, a focus on the mystery not on the backstory or the lives of the detectives, several narrative threads come together and the resolution was not easy to guess.

I liked and recommend this short, satisfying mystery.

-Alison

Kingdom of Silence (and Kingdom of Lies)

With a daily drive to and from work, I take great advantage of the audio book collection at Kelley Library. I just finished listening to Kingdom of Silence by British author Lee Wood. Another in the Kingdom series (along with Kingdom of Lies) of Detective Keen Dunliffe mysteries set in Yorkshire, England.

The crime procedural format of the books is realistic, and both plotlines and dialogue convincing, with well developed and likeable characters. Dunliffe is the classic divorced policeman, trying to reconcile a life separated from his boys, but still consumed by detective work. Living on a Yorkshire farm begrudging a fond affection for his cat Thomas, Dunliffe presents an interesting character; rural by first impression, but perceptive and persistent enough to be a respected detective.

In Kingdom of Silence, Dunliffe is charged with mentoring a fledgling female undercover officer in a surveillance operation aiming to infiltrate a radical animal rights group connected with several violent actions. Set against the backdrop of England’s Hoof & Mouth Disease outbreak of 2001, the author gives voice to his obvious dissatisfaction with the British government’s handling of the epidemic at the expense of the lives of thousands of uninfected livestock. A factual chronology of events during the outbreak introduces each section of the book, providing a backdrop to the action, along with a view of the extent of the devastation of the rural English culture at the time.

I was happy to find the second installment of the series again read by English actor Ralph Cosham. His authentic Yorkshire accent and measured tone compliment the story in a way some accented readings don’t.

-Andy