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The Long Slide
Book
Thirty years ago, Tucker Carlson got his first job out of college fact checking for a quarterly...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Knits, Knots, and Knives in Books
Dec 8, 2022
Can Lia Knit Together the Clues from Another Knotty Murder?
Lia Geiger’s normal weekend craft fair is looking a bit different thanks to a Civil War reenactment taking place on the property. She’s looking forward to it, although she quickly learns that there has been a recent power struggle in the group of reenactors. When the smoke on the battle clears, the dead body of Arden Sprouse is discovered. He was the one most responsible for the conflicts in the group. Unfortunately, suspicion has fallen on Lia’s neighbor. Can she figure out what really happened during the battle?
I’ve enjoyed this series because I really like Lia and her immediate family and friends. She is a little older than a typical cozy sleuth, which I appreciate. Her relationship with her daughter is a highlight as well. While the suspects are all strong, I wish we’d had more of a reintroduction to the minor characters who populate Lia’s world. The plot is good. I do wish we had gotten shorter clue recaps, but there were several good twists along the way to the logical climax. I also enjoyed some solid sub-plots. The reenactment combined well with the crafting theme. Those who have been enjoying this series will be pleased with the latest entry.
I’ve enjoyed this series because I really like Lia and her immediate family and friends. She is a little older than a typical cozy sleuth, which I appreciate. Her relationship with her daughter is a highlight as well. While the suspects are all strong, I wish we’d had more of a reintroduction to the minor characters who populate Lia’s world. The plot is good. I do wish we had gotten shorter clue recaps, but there were several good twists along the way to the logical climax. I also enjoyed some solid sub-plots. The reenactment combined well with the crafting theme. Those who have been enjoying this series will be pleased with the latest entry.
John Brown's Women
Book
As the United States wrestles with its besetting sin—slavery—abolitionist John Brown is growing...
Historical Fiction
David McK (3425 KP) rated Corpse Thief (Joshua Hawke #1) in Books
Feb 26, 2022
I remember reading Michael Arnold's seemingly-abandoned Captain Stryker Civil War Chronicles books when they first came out, and quite enjoying them.
I wasn't so sure about the setting of his new series, of which this is the first (and currently only) entry.
None-the-less, I thought I would give it a chance anyway: after all, a gin-sodden opium addicted grave robber ex-policeman who previously participated in the Peterloo massacre is hardly, shall we say, your standard protagonist!
Set in and around London's seedy underground of the 1820s, I got a strong flavour of Jack the Ripper when reading this; of a murderer who strikes at his (or her?) victims before disappearing again, and of whom the authorities seemingly have little interest in apprehending until he - or she! - jeopardises their own interests.
It's interesting, therefore, seeing the life and time from the 'other side', as it were, from the points of view of the downtrodden masses rather than from the rich and powerful.
Be aware, however, that this is NOT a self-contained novel in its own right (well, it is and it isn't), in that some major plot threads are purposefully left hanging for the inevitable sequel.
I wasn't so sure about the setting of his new series, of which this is the first (and currently only) entry.
None-the-less, I thought I would give it a chance anyway: after all, a gin-sodden opium addicted grave robber ex-policeman who previously participated in the Peterloo massacre is hardly, shall we say, your standard protagonist!
Set in and around London's seedy underground of the 1820s, I got a strong flavour of Jack the Ripper when reading this; of a murderer who strikes at his (or her?) victims before disappearing again, and of whom the authorities seemingly have little interest in apprehending until he - or she! - jeopardises their own interests.
It's interesting, therefore, seeing the life and time from the 'other side', as it were, from the points of view of the downtrodden masses rather than from the rich and powerful.
Be aware, however, that this is NOT a self-contained novel in its own right (well, it is and it isn't), in that some major plot threads are purposefully left hanging for the inevitable sequel.
N.O.V.A. 3 - Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance
Games
App
“If you're an iOS gamer who demands the very best, you should buy N.O.V.A. 3.” - Slidetoplay...
sarah smedley (301 KP) rated Nellie (The Brides of San Francisco Book 1) in Books
Oct 4, 2018
Nellie Wallace is a young widow with two children. In post civil-war New York, the men are scarce and none want the burden of a wife with children. Her dead husband's family is wealthy, and cruel. Desperate to escape their influence, and eager for a home, a husband, and a stable life for her children, Nellie decides to make a new life in San Francisco as a mail order bride.
Saloon owner Blake Malone is a bachelor and likes it that way. He worked hard for everything he has, but the San Francisco City Council won’t approve his plans to build a family emporium unless he is a family man himself. The solution? A mail order bride from New York who will bring him a ready-made family, stability, and the council's approval.
Blake expects his future wife to care for his home and, other than helping him impress the city council, to stay out of his business. He expects life as usual. What he gets is an unexpected desire to win Nellie's heart, a dangerous threat to his new bride, and a rich benefactor determined to steal his new family out from under him. Blake believed his battle for success a hard one. But he will discover that the battle to win Nellie's heart and keep his family safe is going to take everything he's got.
Saloon owner Blake Malone is a bachelor and likes it that way. He worked hard for everything he has, but the San Francisco City Council won’t approve his plans to build a family emporium unless he is a family man himself. The solution? A mail order bride from New York who will bring him a ready-made family, stability, and the council's approval.
Blake expects his future wife to care for his home and, other than helping him impress the city council, to stay out of his business. He expects life as usual. What he gets is an unexpected desire to win Nellie's heart, a dangerous threat to his new bride, and a rich benefactor determined to steal his new family out from under him. Blake believed his battle for success a hard one. But he will discover that the battle to win Nellie's heart and keep his family safe is going to take everything he's got.
David McK (3425 KP) rated Predator: If It Bleeds in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Towards the end of 2017/at the start of 2018 I picked up both this and [b: Aliens: Bug Hunt|31416104|Aliens Bug Hunt|Jonathan Maberry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474300660s/31416104.jpg|52265710], as I'd always had a soft spot for both those films.
Both as sci-fi anthologies; both are based around their respective properties.
I read the latter first, and (truth be told) wasn't overly impressed: while there were some good stories amongst those included, none really stood out all that much.
As a result, I put off reading this until I worked my way through some 'proper' novels, and only came back to this relatively recently.
Thankfully, of the two anthologies, I found this to be the better (despite a somewhat ropey start). I think that may be due to the central conceit of the Predators: as (effectively) alien Big Game hunters, that allows these stories to be set at any point throughout human history, not 'tied down' to the future as the Alien stories are.
That's a concept put into full use in this, with stories that run the gamut from the traditional sci-fi setting of the future, to the American Civil War, to the Wild West, to feudal Japan, to present-day Third World countries and to pretty much every point in-between!
Both as sci-fi anthologies; both are based around their respective properties.
I read the latter first, and (truth be told) wasn't overly impressed: while there were some good stories amongst those included, none really stood out all that much.
As a result, I put off reading this until I worked my way through some 'proper' novels, and only came back to this relatively recently.
Thankfully, of the two anthologies, I found this to be the better (despite a somewhat ropey start). I think that may be due to the central conceit of the Predators: as (effectively) alien Big Game hunters, that allows these stories to be set at any point throughout human history, not 'tied down' to the future as the Alien stories are.
That's a concept put into full use in this, with stories that run the gamut from the traditional sci-fi setting of the future, to the American Civil War, to the Wild West, to feudal Japan, to present-day Third World countries and to pretty much every point in-between!
The Last Stalinist: The Life of Santiago Carrillo
Book
The life of the complex, ruthless adversary of General Franco, whose life spanned much of Spain's...
WW
When We Walked Above the Clouds: A Memoir of Vietnam
Book
The mythology of the Green Berets, of their clandestine, special operations, has been celebrated in...
Big Jim Larkin: Hero or Wrecker?
Book
Much has been written about 'Big Jim' Larkin but, remarkably, this is the first full-length...