I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I had a great day with family for a delicious dinner and then woke up early for a day of shopping on Black Friday.
Do you plan on taking advantage of any Cyber Monday sales? Any booklovers on your shopping list or looking for something new for yourself? Here are a few great series that would make great gifts for the readers on your list or a nice way to treat yourself.
* Sue Grafton - Kinsey Malone series -Kinsey is an intelligent, independent PI in California. This is my all-time favorite mystery series, and I have been reading the series for years. If you haven't read any of the books in this excellent, well-written series, start at the beginning and work your way through the alphabet. My favorite is "C is for Corpse", but the lastest installment V is for Vengeance on my own Christmas list.
* If you are already a fan of Grafton and looking for something similar, you may want to try Sara Paretsky's VI Washawski series, Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series, or Linda Barnes's Carlotta Carlyle series.
* If you prefer books featuring amateur sleuths, then here are few series you may enjoy: M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin novels (although she does go into the PI business in the later installments), but the style is far from "hard-boiled". Former London PR expert Agatha moves to an English village and infuriates many of the local residents, but has a knack for solving murders. Mary Daheim's Alpine Series featuring Emma Lord series also has a main character that has left the big city for life in a small town. Emma has taken over a small newspaper in the small town of Alpine, Washington and gets personally involved investigating murders she's writing about. Emma's latest adventure, The Alpine Winter, comes out this month.
* My favorite British mysteries include any of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot books, but also Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse, Emily Brightwell's Mrs. Jeffries Victorian mysteries, and Deborah Crombie's Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series. (Duncan and Gemma are Scotland Yard partners as well as life partners).
* Alexander McCall Smith has several series, but my favorite is the #1 Ladies Detective Agency Series featuring Botswana's Precious Ramotswe and her assistant Grace Makutsi. These aren't traditional mysteries, but are wonderful stories featuring a wise detective. Any of the books in this series would make a wonderful gift for any reader on your list.
Happy Shopping and Happy Reading!
Showing posts with label Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Series. Show all posts
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Marcia Muller's latest Sharon McCone mystery
I have been ready Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series for several years. I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy of her lastest book in the series:
City Of Whispers
Marcia Muller
Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-446-57333-7
Rating: 4 Stars
It has been one year since San Francisco Private Investigator Sharon McCone was hospitalized in a near coma, and she is slowly getting her stamina back and learning to live with the after effects. Sharon receives a cryptic E-mail from her troubled half-brother Darcy Blackhawk asking for help, but Sharon doesn’t know how to reach him. While searching for Darcy, Sharon finds a dead body at a location her brother has been seen, but there is no sign of Darcy. It’s murder and this case seems to be connected to an unresolved murder of a young heiress, but what Sharon really wants to know is do either of these cases have anything to do with Darcy and where is he?
“City of Whispers” is the latest installment in the long-running Sharon McCone series. Sometimes an ongoing series like this one can get stale, but this book shows there are still interesting tales left to tell about Sharon’s adventures. The story is told from alternating points of view: Sharon, Sharon’s nephew Mick Savage, and Darcy. This keeps the story moving, builds suspense, and keeps the reader interested in what is going to happen next. I was intrigued about what was really going on with Darcy and the two murder cases.
Sharon’s point of view of the investigation makes up the backbone of the book. Sharon is the main character, so it is always interesting to see the case through her eyes. Sharon is a complex character. She is independent, but is learning to deal with her new health-related limitations. She can be prickly, but is a caring person and continues with her search for Darcy, who she doesn’t necessarily like, but keeps looking because he’s family and it’s the right thing to do.
Having a number of the chapters told form Mick’s point of view works well. Mick is impulsive, smart, and likeable and adds some needed fun into the series. He and Sharon have a bit of a role-reversal in this book with Sharon doing some of the computer research and Mick investigating in the field. They seem to gain a new appreciation of what the other one contributes to the agency, and the reader gets to see them in new situations.
The few chapters told by Darcy are helpful in the overall story since the reader gets to experience what he is thinking and feeling. However, because Darcy is so disoriented, either from drugs or mental illness, his chapters are confusing and sad. While these chapters play an important part in the book, they are often challenging to understand, and a bit frustrating.
Many of the important supporting characters from prior books are included, but aren’t present throughout the entire book. Sharon’s friend, former assistant, and now sister-in-law Rae is a favorite character of mine due to her intelligence and outspoken manner. She shows her usual spunk, but makes too brief of an appearance in the book. Rae’s housekeeper Mrs. Wellcome makes some very insightful and helpful observations about some of the people involved in the investigation. Her curiosity, along with her eavesdropping skills, would make her an interesting addition to future investigations. Fan’s of Sharon’s husband Hy Ripinsky may be disappointed to see he isn’t involved a lot at the beginning of the story, but will be glad to see he plays an important role toward the end.
There are a few political comments in the book, and some come across better than others. Opinions in reference to 9-11 flow smoothly and fit in with the subject being discussed. Others, such as criticism of a specific TV network, seem random and don’t add to the story.
In spite of this, I enjoyed this installment and look forward to upcoming books in this series. I have followed the series for several years, but new readers would also be able to enjoy the book. However much of Sharon‘s back story and details about the many wonderful supporting characters aren‘t included in this book and require reading some of the earlier books in the series. If you aren’t familiar with Marcia Muller, but enjoy Sara Paretsky or Sue Grafton, then you will want to add “City of Whispers” to your reading list.
This book was provided to me by NetGalley, courtesy of Grand Central Publishing, in exchange for an honest review.
City Of Whispers
Marcia Muller
Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-446-57333-7
Rating: 4 Stars
It has been one year since San Francisco Private Investigator Sharon McCone was hospitalized in a near coma, and she is slowly getting her stamina back and learning to live with the after effects. Sharon receives a cryptic E-mail from her troubled half-brother Darcy Blackhawk asking for help, but Sharon doesn’t know how to reach him. While searching for Darcy, Sharon finds a dead body at a location her brother has been seen, but there is no sign of Darcy. It’s murder and this case seems to be connected to an unresolved murder of a young heiress, but what Sharon really wants to know is do either of these cases have anything to do with Darcy and where is he?
“City of Whispers” is the latest installment in the long-running Sharon McCone series. Sometimes an ongoing series like this one can get stale, but this book shows there are still interesting tales left to tell about Sharon’s adventures. The story is told from alternating points of view: Sharon, Sharon’s nephew Mick Savage, and Darcy. This keeps the story moving, builds suspense, and keeps the reader interested in what is going to happen next. I was intrigued about what was really going on with Darcy and the two murder cases.
Sharon’s point of view of the investigation makes up the backbone of the book. Sharon is the main character, so it is always interesting to see the case through her eyes. Sharon is a complex character. She is independent, but is learning to deal with her new health-related limitations. She can be prickly, but is a caring person and continues with her search for Darcy, who she doesn’t necessarily like, but keeps looking because he’s family and it’s the right thing to do.
Having a number of the chapters told form Mick’s point of view works well. Mick is impulsive, smart, and likeable and adds some needed fun into the series. He and Sharon have a bit of a role-reversal in this book with Sharon doing some of the computer research and Mick investigating in the field. They seem to gain a new appreciation of what the other one contributes to the agency, and the reader gets to see them in new situations.
The few chapters told by Darcy are helpful in the overall story since the reader gets to experience what he is thinking and feeling. However, because Darcy is so disoriented, either from drugs or mental illness, his chapters are confusing and sad. While these chapters play an important part in the book, they are often challenging to understand, and a bit frustrating.
Many of the important supporting characters from prior books are included, but aren’t present throughout the entire book. Sharon’s friend, former assistant, and now sister-in-law Rae is a favorite character of mine due to her intelligence and outspoken manner. She shows her usual spunk, but makes too brief of an appearance in the book. Rae’s housekeeper Mrs. Wellcome makes some very insightful and helpful observations about some of the people involved in the investigation. Her curiosity, along with her eavesdropping skills, would make her an interesting addition to future investigations. Fan’s of Sharon’s husband Hy Ripinsky may be disappointed to see he isn’t involved a lot at the beginning of the story, but will be glad to see he plays an important role toward the end.
There are a few political comments in the book, and some come across better than others. Opinions in reference to 9-11 flow smoothly and fit in with the subject being discussed. Others, such as criticism of a specific TV network, seem random and don’t add to the story.
In spite of this, I enjoyed this installment and look forward to upcoming books in this series. I have followed the series for several years, but new readers would also be able to enjoy the book. However much of Sharon‘s back story and details about the many wonderful supporting characters aren‘t included in this book and require reading some of the earlier books in the series. If you aren’t familiar with Marcia Muller, but enjoy Sara Paretsky or Sue Grafton, then you will want to add “City of Whispers” to your reading list.
This book was provided to me by NetGalley, courtesy of Grand Central Publishing, in exchange for an honest review.
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