Author: ekkarn

Dreamless – Jorgen Brekke

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Dreamless (Book 2 – Odd Singsaker Series)

 

Dreamless is the second book  from Norwegian author Jorgen Brekke and it’s a good one. The setting of the book is Trondheim Norway and the main character of the series is Chief Inspector Odd Singsaker. The book follows up where book one Where Monsters Dwell left off. Odd is still recovering and ,dealing with the effects of his brain tumor. He is now married to former American police officer Felicia Stone. All of the characters are still dealing with the aftershocks of the prior murder investigation, only to be immersed in an even more bizarre investigation, The new investigation starts when a young woman is found murdered,  her larynx has been removed and a music box stuffed in its place!!  The music box is playing a beautiful lullaby that no one has ever heard!

When the killer snatches another victim this one a teenage girl with a beautiful voice, Odd and his force know that they must find the girl quickly or she will meet the same fate as the first victim. But the question is why?? What is the ultimate objective of the killer? Is it murder for murder’s sake or does he want something more from these women something that revolves around the lullaby and its history??

The history of the lullaby is told in a series of flashbacks side by side with the modern story. That story involves the solving of another murder that of a young troubadour from Sweden who is found dead in Trondheim in 1767! The troubadour is the composer of the lullaby whose claim to fame is that it sends any listener into a long and blissful sleep. The mystery of the troubadour’s grisly murder must be solved by the Chief of Police Nils Bayer. Bayer not only fights to discover the murderer but also his addiction to alcohol!

Bottom Line: Dreamless is a great read and I can’t wait until I can get my hands on the next adventure of Odd Singsaker. See while Odd was tracking down the killer he was also having person problems stemming from his actions in book one of the series, and at the end of  Dreamless things were not resolved between Odd and Felicia! We need to know!!

I enjoy the way Brekke has blended current events with history in both books. The characters Odd and all his friends and co-workers are great and the mysteries are intricately plotted and the action fast paced with the final resolutions of both story lines finishing on the final pages, leaving you gasping and ready  for more!! Fans of Jo Nesbo, and Karin Fossum will love this one!

Links for Further Explorations

Website: MacMillan: Odd Singsaker
Amazon: Jorgen Brekke Page
Dreamless
Goodreads:Jorgen Brekke
Facebook

Book 16 for 2015 – 10 on a goal of 23 for the Cloak & Dagger  Reading Challenge!

 

RGranddad’s Wednesday Potpouri

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ADD Potpouri…Baseball, Bonamassa, Box and The Tangent –

 

I once worked with a guy named Garry, his brothers were Larry, Barry and Chuck …. Garry, Larry, Barry and Chuck like the above headline one does not belong…here’s a little ADD potpouri for a Wednesday…….

Once again I am apologizing for not posting much over the last few days, but I have been fairly busy. I babysat Zoe on Monday no problem and then yesterday I babysat Oliver and while we had a great day Oliver needed two naps to keep himself going and while Granddad made it without napping when he got home he was spent and napped through several baseball games!! The inning that I would have liked to have seen was the top of the ninth inning in Pittsburgh when the Cubbies scored three to beat the Pirates 9-8, after the Bucs had scored three in the eighth to go ahead.

I have decided that my alternates to the Phillies to root for are the Cubs in the NL Central and the Royals in the American League!My connection to the Cubs goes back to the early 60s when my mother’s first cousin Barney Schultz pitched for them! One time while he was pitching for them, my parents and I were allowed into the area outside of the visiting locker room in Connie Mack Stadium where I got autographs of Cubs players!! That was a big deal for a maybe 12 year-old kid!

As for the Royals while I have never been a fan of them, especially in 1980, but what they have done recently in building an exciting young team has bee impressive and there is a Philly connection through Mike Arbuckle who is now a top person in the Royals front office. He should have been named Phillies GM back when Amaro got the job!! Anyway over the first few weeks I have enjoyed watching both of these teams!!

Muddy Wolf Live at Red Rocks Joe Bonamassa

 

As for music over the last day or so. The soundtrack for the tip down to Paulsboro and Oliver was the new release from Joe Bonamassa Muddy Wolf – Live at Red Rocks, which from what I heard surely does rock. I will listen to it some more and let you know more about the album. On the way back I listened to a little of the latest release from the prog rock band The Tangent A Spark in the Aether.  While I am a fan of Joe  Bonamassa  I know little about The Tangent from ProgArchives I read that they are a multinational eclectic prog band…..

THE TANGENT is a project originally formed by Andy Tillison, Guy Manning and Sam Baine of PARALLEL OR 90 DEGREES [Po90] as well as half of THE FLOWER KINGS including Jonas Reingold, Zoltan Csorsz and guitar virtuoso and former KAIPA member Roine Stolt. Of course to put further icing on the cake David Jackson of VAN DER GRAFF GENERATOR would lend his legendary sax to the band for their debut album. This started out as a mere project and was actually intended to be a Tillison solo effort before it became a full fledged band as Tillison felt the need to produce something more typically ‘prog’ than he’d been doing in Po90 Continue Reading

I am not sure how much I like this album yet based on my limited listening yesterday. So far at ProgArchives the album has a 4.19 rating which is very high! I think I will flip a coin to see which album is the soundtrack to today’s run!!

In addition to The Tangent, l listened to a few tracks from Wolf & Clarke Expedition 2 . This is one of my favorite new jazz albums. I had included the album on a playlist of new jazz albums last week, You can check out that playlist here.

C J Box

 

Finally, I have finished two books this week. First was the latest from Jorgen Brekke Dreamless and the second Island of the Sequined Love Nun from Christopher Moore. Both were great and I promise  reviews today or tomorrow!! Here also is an update on my reading challenges with the latest boos added. So far I am up to 17 books for the year a number I reached near the end of August last year!! As you can see, I am now only reading three books and I probably should concentrate on finishing those three, but Endangered the new C J Box  Joe Pickett novel is calling me from the shelving cart at the Riverside Library!!

So Missy should be home any minute now and babysitting duties will be over and it’s off to the library and then Trader Joes and then a run or maybe just a run and Trader Joes tomorrow……..

Reading Challenge From TBR Pile Buy/Library Total Goal %complete
2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge 0 2 2 11 18%
2015 Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 4 6 10 23 43%
2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 1 1 2thy 5 40%
2015 Science Fiction/Fantasy Challenge 2 1 3 12 25%
Totals 7 10 17 51 33%
Currently Reading Challenge From Page Total %complete
The President’s War Nonfiction Library 160 316 51%
What Then Must We Do-Gar Alperowitz Nonfiction Library 45 156 29%
Bowl of Heaven – Benford and Niven Science Fiction Library 36 412 9%

Reading Challenge Status Update – April 9, 2015

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2015 Reading Challenges Update and Projected April Reads

 

So we are almost a third of the way through April and I guess it’s time to update my Reading Challenges status and update the list of books I hope to finish this month!!! First yesterday I finished book 15 for 2015 Woo Hoo! To put this minor accomplishment in perspective I finished book 15 in 2014 on August 17th! I actually believe that having a plan and the reading challenges have helped me keep up this great pace!! (and not working full-time help just a wee little bit!)

Book 15 for the year was On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft  by Stephen King. The book was a Christmas gift from my wife along with two other books on writing.  On Writing Well by William Zinsser and The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. Do you think she’s trying to tell me something??? Anyway, the book was good and although it was written or those writing fiction, I did pick up some tips. I will be writing a more detailed review tomorrow. The book counts towards my 2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge bringing the total in that challenge to 2 on a goal of 11.

Earlier in the week I finished The Chessmen by Peter May, that book goes in the 2015 Cloak and Dagger reading challenge bringing the total in that challenge to 9 on a goal of 23!  .

I am still reading The President’s War and I WILL finish that book this month! Or maybe not. because I have some other really interesting books piled up for April ….. here are my proposed reads…..

What Then Must We Do = 2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge

2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge

I saw this book the other day when I discovered The Next System.com. Both out political and economic systems are not working well so maybe it;s time to start looking for a new system that can create a sustainable future for all.

 

Dreamless

.2015 Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge

Book 2 in the Odd Singsaker series. Set in Norway Odd is again chasing a murderer. The killer’s first victim had her larynx cut out and replaced by a music box, that plays a lullaby that no one has ever heard before!!

Island of the Squined Love Nun

 

2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

A while back I wrote I want to increase my happiness level by reading something funny. Well, it was between this on or the Tim Dorsey book on my TBR pile. This one wins!! Maybe Dorsey will win next month!!!

Bowl of Heaven

2015 Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Challenge

Okay I like hard science fiction and these are two of the best at the sub-genre. When I read the following I knew I had to read this book……

“What would you expect when two of the all-time greatest hard science fiction writers collaborate on a novel? Nothing less than this masterful, mind-expanding book. I am in awe.” – Robert J, Sawyer, author of Triggers

Switching back and forth between this book and the Christopher Moore book – going from the sublime to the ridiculous and  back don’t you think?? Should be fun!! Anyone care to join me??

Here’s my updated chart……

Reading Challenge From TBR Pile Buy/Library Total Goal %complete
2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge 0 2 2 11 18%
2015 Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 4 5 9 23 39%
2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 1 1 2 5 40%
2015 Science Fiction/Fantasy Challenge 1 1 2 12 17%
Totals 6 9 15 51 29%
Currently Reading Challenge From Page Total %complete
The President’s War Nonfiction Library 154 316 49%
What Then Must We Do-Gar Alperowitz Nonfiction Library 0 156 0%
Bowl of Heaven – Benford and Niven Science Fiction Library 0 412 0%
Dreamless – Jorgen Brekke Cloak & Dagger Library 44 308 14%
Island of the Squined Love Nun – Christopher Moore Fiction TBR Pile 24 325 7%

The Chessmen – Peter May

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The Chessmen Book # 3 in the Award-winning Lewis Trilogy from Peter May

 

The Chessmen – Book #3 in the Award-winning Lewis Trilogy from Peter May

The Chessmen is the third and final book in Peter May’s outstanding Lewis Trilogy. The series follows ex-Detective Inspector Fin MacLeod as he returns to his home on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

Through May’s vivid writing, the reader is swept into that rugged landscape and given a true sense of the people who live there.

In this final installment, Fin has left his old life behind and is temporarily living with his childhood love, Marsaili. He’s working as head of security for Red River Estates, where his first assignment brings him face-to-face with his childhood friend John Angus Macaskill — “Whistler” — a poacher who lives on the estate lands.

One night, while pursuing Whistler across the hills, they are forced to shelter in a cave. The next morning they discover that a loch has drained overnight, revealing the wreckage of a small aircraft. It turns out to be the long-missing plane of their friend Roddy MacKenzie, who vanished seventeen years earlier. Inside is a decomposed body — a man who didn’t die in a crash, but was murdered. Finding out who killed Roddy, and why, will upend the lives of Fin’s closest friends.

May tells Roddy’s story, and that of his band Amran, through flashbacks that weave into Fin’s own life. These glimpses show how their college band rose to fame, with Fin helping as a roadie and his friend Donald as manager — a tale that ended in tragedy with Roddy’s disappearance.

I love books that take me to places I’ll never visit, and May certainly does that with this trilogy.

From The Scotsman:

“Vivid descriptions of the barren landscapes and cruel weather are a poignant backdrop for a melancholy tale.”

From The Daily Record:

“Steeped in atmosphere and set in a location that permeates the story like a falling mist, The Chessmen takes the reader on an enticing reel, forwards, backwards, side to side, every step leading to a breathtaking climax.”

The Lewis Chessmen
The Lewis Chessmen in the British Museum

The title The Chessmen refers to the Lewis Chessmen, a group of 12th-century chess pieces discovered in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis. Carved from walrus ivory, they are among the few surviving medieval chess sets.

Bottom Line:

The Chessmen, and the trilogy as a whole, are five-star reads for me. I love Fin MacLeod and his circle of friends, and I’ll miss them. May creates a “sense of place” like few writers can, and his characters feel incredibly real. I rarely reread books, but this series may be an exception — I can see myself returning to the Hebrides with Fin again and again.

The Lewis Trilogy wasn’t my first encounter with Peter May. Years ago, I read The Firemaker, the first book in his China Thriller series featuring Li Yan and Margaret Campbell. I may have to revisit that series, or perhaps dive deeper into the Enzo Files to get my next Peter May fix.

From The New York Times:

“Peter May is a writer I’d follow to the ends of the earth.”

Book 14 of 2015 – Book 9 of the Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge

✅ Tightened your summary without losing your personal touch.

When Gods Die (Sebastian St Cyr) – C.S.Harris

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When Gods Die – Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery Series – Book #2

 

I often joke that if I was ever on Jeopardy and the Final Jeopardy category was English Royalty I should just be prepared to be a loser!! When it comes to that category, in the infamous words of Sgt Schultz of Hogan’s Heroes fame, “I know NOOOTTTHHHHING!” But I do know a bit more after reading When Gods Die by C.S. Harris.

When Gods Die is the second historical murder mystery featuring Sebastian St Cyr, Viscount Devlin. Set in Brighton and London in June of 1811, Sebastian is charged with the task of solving the murder of the beautiful Guinevere Anglessey. The young Marchioness of Anglessey was found dead in the arms of George IV, Prince of Wales and from early in 1811 Prince Regent of Great Britain. She had been stabbed with a dagger from the family’s collection, The dagger once belonged to Bonnie Prince Charlie. The quest to find the killer becomes personal for Sebastian, when he discovers that Guinevere was wearing a necklace that belonged to his mother and vanished with her on the day she was lost at sea!! In addition to solving the murder Sebastian is also is thrust into the middle of a plot to overthrow the monarchy!! Needless to say the Viscount Devlin has a lot on his plate. Helping him out are his lover actress Kat Boleyn and his new servant reformed pickpocket Tom.

This is the first book that I have read from C.S Harris and one of the few historical novels I have read in recent memory and I can tell you it will not be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a real page-turner and I love both Sebastian and Kat!!

Bottom Line: When Gods Die was a 4 to 5 star book for me I really, really liked it! The plot was well-developed and kept me guessing who the killer was until the very end of the book. I will be going back and reading book one of the series What Angels Fear.I need to know what happened in that story when Sebastian was accused of the murder!!

Book 13 of 2015 and Book 2 on a goal of 5 in my Historical Fiction Challenge!

Reading Challenges – A Quick Update – April 2, 2015

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Edward finishes Book 13 of 2015 – brings home 3 new Reading Challenges Books -Oh My!

 

A quick Reading Challenges Update! This afternoon I finished book number 13 for 2015.When Gods Die -a Sebastian St.Cyr mystery from C.S.Harris. This is the first book that I have read in this series and it will not be my last!! It is actually Book #2 of what is now a 10 book series. The book’s setting is London in June of 1811, where Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin is investigating the murder of a beautiful young wife of an aging marquis. The young woman was found dead in the arms of the Prince Regent with a jeweled dagger that once belonged to Bonnie Prince Charlie in her back. And a necklace that belonged to Sebastian’s dead mother around her neck! I will write my complete review tomorrow but for now I’ll just say I really, really liked the book!!

As far as the books I am currently reading and my proposed April reads, let’s recap. I’m am still reading The President’s War, On Writing from Stephen King and Sarah J Maas’s Crown of Midnight.

Now I should be satisfied to just keep reading those three books, but Noooo! I had to go to Barnes & Noble the other night and while there I saw that The Chessmen the third book in Peter May’s terrific Lewis trilogy has been released along with Dreamless, the next installment of the Odd Singsaker series from Norwegian author Jorgen Brekke. I have read the first two books in May’s series The Black House and The Lewis Man and loved them both. I also read Brekke’s first Where Monsters Dwell. and loved it as well! So, after I came home I went to my library’s website and saw that they had both books so I requested them. I also had previously requested the first Jack MacTaggart book Hush Money. I did not think that all THREE of the books were available or that they would come so quickly, but I picked up all three at the library today!!  Now of those three books, I have to read,  The Chessmen,   that series is just too good. So I will set aside the other two books and concentrate on the three books  have been reading and The Chessmen starting either of the other two upon completion of my next book! .

Anyway here is the current status of my reading challenges and the books I am currently reading!! I do believe working on these reading challenges and keeping these charts have helped me focus on my reading, In 2014, I didn’t finish the 13th book until August!! In 2013 I finished book 13 a little earlier in the year, but it was still on May 24th!! So now i just have to keep  going!! So excuse me while I go read!!

 

Reading Challenges From TBR Pile Buy/Library Total Goal %complete
2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge 0 1 1 11 9%
2015 Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 4 4 8 23 35%
2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 1 1 2 5 40%
2015 Science Fiction/Fantasy Challenge 1 1 2 12 17%
Totals 6 7 13 51 25%
Currently Reading Challenge From Page Total %complete
The President’s War Nonfiction Library 142 316 45%
On Writing Nonfiction TBR Pile 176 284 62%
Crown of Midnight Fantasy Library 90 418 22%

Green-Eyed Lady – Chuck Greaves

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Green-Eyed Lady –  Chuck Graves – Jack MacTaggart No 2

 

Green-Eyed Lady from Chuck Greaves has a great opening. Liberal Democratic candidate for the Senate in California Warren Burkett three weeks before the election, encounters a damsel in distress. The young lady’s pursue and keys have been stolen by an unknown assailant. Burkett offers to give the beautiful green-eyed lady a ride back to her mansion. Reminiscent of another Democrat, this one was elected President, Burkett’s libido doesn’t stop. He believes he has hit the mother lode with this young woman! So much so, he helps break into her mansion (remember her keys were in her purse, which was stolen!) But when the door to her bedroom bangs open,  where a lust-filled Burkett  lies in wait for a thankful young woman to repay her debt it’s not the damsel who enters the room, but the police. They had responded the break-in at the mansion! When the dust settles, the green-eyed lady is gone along with a 2 million dollar plus painting and  maybe Burkett’s hopes of winning the election!

In steps attorney Jack MacTaggart,, who is hired to defend Burkett and unravel the mystery! When the painting surfaces in a most unusual place, the election is rocked again! And it appears that MacTaggart has stepped into some deep, you now what, as he takes on not one but two swarmy politicians, a mobster, and an urban artist! This tale has lots of twists and turns and it’s hard to tell who the good guys are. Hint it may not be the politicians!!

I started this book early in the month and liked it, but I set aside, and I raced through both Alex Kava’s Breaking Creed and Parnell Hall’s Safari.When  I came back to the book, within a few pages of where I had left off, Greaves hooked me and he didn’t let go until the final pieces of the puzzle f ell into place! Douglas Preston says this about the book…..

“GREEN-EYED LADY by Chuck Greaves is the wickedest read of the year, smart, real, vivid as hell, and so plausible it could be in the Times. Greaves is a master of the language. I loved this book.”

Green-Eyed Lady is the second book in the Jack MacTaggart series. Book One is Hush Money which may soon be on its way to me from my library!!  Hush Money won the Southwest Writers International Writing Contest and was named a finalist for several national honors including the Rocky Award from Left Coast Crime, the Reviewers Choice Award from RT Book Reviews and the Audie Award from the Audio Publishers Association.

Bottom Line: Green-Eyed Lady was definitely a 4 star out of 5 book for me. I really enjoyed Jack MacTaggart and his associates. The story was well-crafted with lots of twists and turns and you really didn’t know who was responsible for the various murders, and there are a few. Mr. Greaves who was a trial lawyer for 25 years certainly knows both his stuff – both the law and writing!..So here I go again with another series to follow and one of the few that features a lawyer!!

Breaking Creed -Alex Kava

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Breaking Creed – Ryder Creed #1 – Alex Kava

Alex Kava has been one of my favorite authors ever since I read A Perfect Evil, the debut Maggie O’Dell novel. That was one helluva way to start a series. Over the years, Kava wrote 10 more Maggie O’Dell books, each one a wild ride.

In Breaking Creed, Kava introduces a brand-new character to her fans: Ryder Creed. Like Maggie’s debut, Ryder’s first outing is a gripping, well-crafted thriller that pulls you in from the start.

Introducing Ryder Creed

Ryder Creed is a retired Marine who rescues homeless dogs and trains them to sniff out contraband and track down criminals. In this case, Ryder is called to search the Choque Azul, a ship suspected of carrying drugs. Working with his fearless Jack Russell Terrier, Grace, Ryder searches the hold beneath the ship’s fish catch. What he finds isn’t drugs — it’s something far worse: children being trafficked. The discovery upends Creed’s life and puts him in the crosshairs of dangerous people.

Enter Maggie O’Dell

Meanwhile, Maggie and the FBI receive a gruesome package: a body floating in the Potomac, accompanied by a promise of more to come. When Ryder is called in to help Maggie locate the murder scene, sparks fly — both professionally and personally.

The pairing of Maggie O’Dell and Ryder Creed feels natural, much like Karin Slaughter blending her Grant County and Will Trent series. The chemistry between the two suggests this won’t be their only case together — and fans will be glad for that.

Why It Works

One of Kava’s trademarks is giving her characters unique, high-stakes challenges — from Ebola exposure (years before the 2014 outbreak) to tangling with violent cartels. That carries over here, with Creed and O’Dell facing off against ruthless criminals while relying on the specialized skills of Creed’s dogs. Grace, in particular, is a standout character you can’t help but root for.

The Bottom Line

Breaking Creed earns 4 stars from me. Ryder Creed is a welcome addition to the thriller genre — a memorable, compelling character with a unique skill set. As author Gayle Lynds put it:

“Creed is special, a memorable character — he trains homeless dogs to sniff out contraband and hunt criminals. When he teams up with Kava’s iconic FBI forensics specialist Maggie O’Dell, you’ll discover the most exciting crime-solving duo of the year.”

And with Grace at his side, he’s even harder to beat. So check them out — this is the start of something special.

Book 11 of 2015015

 

 

 

 

 

Safari – Parnell Hall Stanley Hastings (Book #19)

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Safari (Book #19) is the first Stanley Hastings mystery set outside the United States. Most of the series takes place in New York City, where Stanley works as a private investigator for negligence attorney Richard Rosenberg, much to the annoyance of NYPD Sergeant MacAullif.

The only other book set away from New York was appropriately titled Cozy, in which Stanley and Alice vacation at a bed and breakfast in New England.

The Story

In Safari, Stanley and his wife Alice are finally on the trip she’s dreamed about forever — a safari in Zambia. Stanley, of course, is less enthusiastic. They book with Clemson Safaris, a budget outfit led by the gung-ho great white hunter Clemson. The tour offers up-close encounters with elephants, lions, hyenas, and other wild animals. But soon, a spotter working for Clemson is found dead — supposedly from a falling fruit from the sausage tree. Then a tourist dies in her sleep. Both deaths are soon determined to be murder, and Stanley is called upon to solve the case… though as usual, he doesn’t have a clue!

What Makes It Work

Parnell Hall’s strength has always been dialogue — witty, funny, and full of wordplay. Marilyn Stasio of the New York Times Book Review noted:

“The Stanley Hastings mysteries depend on subversively sly wordplay. In the violent verbal world he inhabits, Stanley would be happy just to win an argument.”

The San Diego Union wrote:

“A light-hearted romp, drolly told, and made pleasant by its deprecating, much put-upon and wholly charming hero.”

And when reviewing Stakeout, Booklist observed:

“Stanley, who seems to have more in common with Barney Fife than Sam Spade, is actually a pretty fair detective, and, more important, his narration is witty, self-deprecating, and observant. The plot is logical in a convoluted sort of way, and the resolution is satisfying. Stakeout continues the Hastings tradition of murder with a wink and a smile.”

Bottom Line

Safari was a three-star book for me. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think it was one of Hall’s very best. Still, it’s a cozy, light, quick, fun mystery — and fans of Janet Evanovich and other humorous authors will definitely enjoy it

Author’s Website
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Goodreads

Parnel Hall - author of Stanley Hastings and Puzzle Lady novels

About Parnell Hall

If you like a little humor in your books….

You might enjoy these authors:

Tim Dorsey
Janet Evanovich
Christopher Moore

Whether you’re solving crosswords with Cora or running from the mob with Stephanie Plum, these authors prove that a good mystery is always better with a side of laughter.

Reading Challenge Update and March Reads

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March Reading Challenge Update and Current Reads

 

So I finished book 8 of the year The Things Carried on February 27 and Book 9 Hard Rain by Barry Eisler on March 2nd. Both of those books were from my TBR pile and they bring the total number of books I have read in 2015 from my TBR pile to six. Since The Things They Carried is about the Vietnam War,it is historical fiction and the first book I have read this year that counts toward that challenge! While Hard Rain is a cloak & dagger book and brings the total in that challenge to 5! So here is where I stand now on my various challenges!

Reading Challenge From TBR Pile Buy/Library Total Goal %complete
2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge 0 1 1 11 9%
2015 Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 4 1 5 23 22%
2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 1 0 1 5 20%
2015 Science Fiction/Fantasy Challenge 1 1 2 12 17%
Totals 6 3 9 51 18%

 

Now as for what am I planning to read in March.Well I’m still reading The President’s War about the six presidents who were still alive during the Civil War and what five of them thought of the actions of the sitting President Lincoln’s actions, along with Breaking Creed and Crown of Midnight. However, other night when I was reviewing the new books arriving in March, I came across a new Stanley Hastings mystery Safari from Parnell Hall!! I love the Hastings series so I checked the library and it was available,so I requested it I picked it up on Friday. I have to read it, So I put Green-Eyed Lady on hold.  The good thing though is that Hall’s books are usually fast reads! While I was at the library, I also picked up When Gods Die by C.S. Harris. It is the second book in the Sebastian St.Cyr series. Set in England in 1811, the book goes towards my historical fiction challenge!! Si if you excuse me I have some reading to do!!

Currently Reading Challenge From Page Total %complete
The President’s War – Chris DeRose Nonfiction Library 130 316 41%
Breaking Creed – Alex Kava Cloak & Dagger Library 14 310 5%
When Gods Die – C.S. Harris Historical Fiction Library 30 336 9%
Crown of Midnight – Sarah J Maas Fantasy Library 86 418 21%
Safari – Parnell Hall Cloak & Dagger Library 20 261 8%