Police

Title: Police

Author: Jo Nesbo

Pages: 14 discs

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: A serial killer appears to be working in Oslo and targeting police officers and detectives.  The famous detective Harry Hole has retired from detective work, but the police are desperate for his help solving these mysteries.

My Review: Apparently Detective Harry Hole is famous because he starred in the 9 books of the series previous to this one.  This is the first book of Jo Nesbo that I've read, and it stood on its own decently well.  Lots of twists and turns and surprises as one would expect.

Always Time To Die

Title: Always Time To Die

Author: Elizabeth Lowell

Pages: 344

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: Carly May has been hired by the aging matriarch of the powerful Quintrell family in New Mexico to write a family history. As Carly begins to uncover skeletons in the family's closet, she becomes the target of violence from somebody who is trying to keep these secrets hidden.

My Review: I enjoyed this book, but my main complaint was with the complexity of the plot.  The family history and details were intricately laid out, and these details were critical to unraveling the mystery.

The Pyramid

Title: the pyramid - and four other kurt wallander mysteries

Author: Henning Mankell

Pages: 10 discs

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: The book contains 5 stories from the Swedish detective Kurt Wallander.  The stories range from the a murder case during the beginning of his career, to a complicated double homicide case that is eventually linked to a nearby plane that has crashed.

My Review:  I haven't read any other Kurt Wallander mysteries, but I still found these stories to be very enjoyable and easy to follow.  All could have been read as stand-alone mysteries.

Blind Descent

Title: Blind Descent

Author: Nevada Barr

Pages: 11 discs

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: A woman on an expedition to map yet unvisited areas of Lechuguilla Cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park is injured deep inside the cave and must be transported out through the treacherous cave.  Her only request is for her friend, Mesa Verde park ranger Anna Pigeon to come down with the rescue team.

My Review: I've had Blind Descent on my list of books to read for ages.  However, I don't think that this is the book that I was thinking when I originally put it on the list (there is a small handful ok books with the same name...).  I didn't love this book when I first started it, but after a few CDs, I was enjoying it.

The Curse of Senmut

Title: The Curse of Senmut

Authors: Vickie Britton & Loretta Jackson

Pages: 270

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: The archaeologist Ardis Cole is summoned to Egypt to help her good friend, Jane Darvin excavate a tomb that had recently been discovered.  They thought that the tomb had been for Queen Hatshepsut, but when somebody murdered Jane Darvin, it was up to Ardis Cole to continue to unravel the mystery of the tomb and Hatshepsut's lover Senmut.

My Review: The story and premise was not terrible, but something about the writing style and presentation made it so I didn't really love this book.  There was just enough intrigue to keep me reading, but overall it was not that great.

The Thirteenth Tale

Title: The Thirteenth Tale

Author: Diane Setterfield

Pages: 406

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: Margaret Lea is an amateur biographer who spends most of her time helping her father run their antique bookstore or reading.  Imagine her surprise when she receives a letter from one of the most prolific writers in England inviting her to come and write her story.  This writer, Vida Winter, has never really opened up to anyone and Margaret is afraid that Miss Winter will not tell her the truth either.  As she gets into the story, she realizes that there is a lot more to the story that Miss Winter is leaving unsaid.

My Review:  I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it.  There were a lot of names and intricacies that I had a hard time keeping track of.  This may have also been due to the fact that I read the bulk of this book while spending time with family (Hi family, sorry I ignored you during Christmas...) and there were always lots of distractions.

From the Book: "(p. 58) I shall start at the beginning. Though of course the beginning is never where you think it is. Our lives are so important to us that we tend to think the story of them begins with our birth. First there was nothing, then I was born.... Yet that is not so. Human lives are not pieces of string that can be separated out from a knot of others and laid out straight. Families are webs. Impossible to touch one part of it without setting the rest vibrating. Impossible to understand one part without having a sense of the whole."

Delusion

Title: Delusion

Author: Peter Abrahams

Pages: 297

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: Nell Jarreau witnessed the murder of her boyfriend and was able to finger the killer from a police lineup and he was sent to spend his life in prison.  After twenty years, additional evidence surfaces that exonerates the convicted killer Alvin DuPree.  Nell can hardly live with the guilt of sending an innocent man to prison and her sweet, caring husband is no help as he was the detective in the original case and has no desire to unearth the past.

My Review: The story was based on an interesting premise and the storyline jumped between Nell Jarreau and the falsely convicted felon Alvin DuPree which kept things interesting as the story unfolded.  I had no big complaints about the book.  The story wasn't predictable and there weren't too many unexpected twists and turns.  I would pick up another book by Abrahams in the future. (Edit: As I was typing in the labels for this post I realized this is the second book by Abrahams that I have read.)

The Skeleton in the Closet

Title: The Skeleton in the Closet

Author: M.C. Beaton

Pages: 6 discs?

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: Fellworth Dolphin is a pretty simple kid who works hard to pay the bills and support his mother after his father died. The Dolphin's live in a simple house and have never really had anything exciting happen to them.  When Fellworth's mother dies suddenly Fell finds out that he has inherited a sizable sum.  He can't figure out how or where this money came from so he enlists the help of his homely friend Maggie to help him unravel the mystery.

My Review:  This book wasn't great, but I enjoyed it.  I started listening to this book back in January of 2012, but when my car was broken into and my stereo was stolen, the City Library required me to pay for the stolen disc.  At the time I was halfway through the book, it took me this long to find another audiobook and to startup where I left off. The story is unique and the characters each have flaws that help to make them more real. I was glad that I finally got the chance to finish the book.

Along Came a Spider

Title: Along Came a Spider

Author: James Patterson

Pages: 12 discs?

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the first Patterson novel with Alex Cross (It's also the first Patterson book that I've read).  Cross is an African-American detective working in the poor areas of DC.  He is pulled into a case where the son of The Secretary of the Treasury and the daughter of an American movie star are kidnapped by a deadly psychopath teacher at their private school. 

My Review: Sometimes you're just in the mood for a thriller and this story did not disappoint.  It's not a book for the fainthearted as the kidnapper is a major psychopath and doesn't hold anything back. 

The ABC Murders

Title: The ABC Murders

Author: Agatha Christie

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: When Alice Ascher from Andover is murdered and an ABC railway guide is placed next to the body, nobody thinks that this would be the beginning of a string of murders.

My Review: I was in the mood for a short Agatha Christie mystery and this book did not fail to deliver. I enjoyed the story and was surprised by the ending (although that's nothing new. Whenever I hear that people knew who was the bad guy all along, I'm afraid to admit that I'm usually clueless up until the very end).

The Swan Thieves

Title: The Swan Thieves

Author: Elizabeth Kostova

Pages: 16 discs?

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Andrew Marlowe is a single psychiatrist, satisfied with his life working at a full-time care center. He is devoted to painting and intrigued when the renowned painter Robert Oliver is entrusted into his care after he attacks a painting with a knife in the National Gallery. As Dr. Marlowe begins to try and unravel the mystery of Oliver's illness he crosses his own ethical boundaries in his search for more information about the obsessions of Robert Oliver.

My Review: As you may know, Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel, The Historian, is one of my favorite books. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book, her second novel. The Swan Thieves dives deep into painting, 100-year-old love letters and French Impressionism with Dr. Marlowe trying to unravel the mystery between them and it never really caught my fancy. I felt that the plot was fairly weak and the story slow as I found myself daydreaming quite often while I was listening to the book. That being said, from reading other reviews online, there are quite a number of people with whom the book really resonated.

And Then There Was One

Title: And Then There Was One

Author: Patricia Gussin

Pages: 302

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Katie and Scott Monroe are a bi-racial couple who have nine-ear-old identical triplet girls. Scott used to catch for the Yankees and Katie is a child psychologist, often testifying in child abuse cases. The family is torn apart when two of their daughters are kidnapped from a movie theater leaving one sister behind. The book follows the search for clues and the search for their daughters.

My Review: This book preys on a parent's fears. I enjoyed the book, but too much of it just feels fabricated. It feels like the author was trying to cram everything bad into the book that they could. Too many coincidences for my liking. In addition, the book was poorly edited with spelling errors throughout and questionable grammar in places as well.

Disclaimer: While there is no description of child abuse, there are allusions to it and some language that may be disturbing.

Tomb of the Golden Bird

Title: Tomb of the Golden Bird

Author: Elizabeth Peters

Pages: 9 discs?

Genre: Mystery

Grade: D

Synopsis: The book is part of the acclaimed Amelia Peabody series. Emerson and his wife Amelia are back in Luxor, Egypt excavating. Emerson has an idea of where a tomb may be located, but it is in the rights area of Howard Carter who eventually locates and excavates King Tut's tomb. Meanwhile, Amelia's family is being hounded by a mysterious group of people looking for somebody.

My Review: This book has generally received good reviews, but I found it to be dreadful. That may possibly be because I've never read any of the other books in the Amelia Peabody series, but this was a difficult one to finish for me. The only redeeming part of the book was in regards to King Tut's tomb, which was mildly interesting.

Hardy Boys #14 - Too Many Traitors

Title: Hardy Boys #14 - Too Many Traitors

Author: Franklin W. Dixon

Pages: 151

Genre: Mystery

Grade: D-

Synopsis: The Hardy Boys are at it again - they've got to solve a mystery in order to save their own necks.

My Review: I read literally dozens and dozens of these books growing up - and I've got to say that I'm not impressed... I found an old stack of these at my parent's house and I thought I'd give them all one last read before sending them off to the DI, but I'm not sure that I can stomach reading many more. While I loved them when I was younger, they seem to be a poor choice now.

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Title: The Hound of the Baskervilles

Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Mystery

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes is requested to investigate the legend of the hound of the Baskervilles. Many local folk believe that a large black hound roams the moor searching for victims. Holmes' quest is to determine whether or not the legend is true or if what appears to be supernatural can be explained by reason.

My Review: I was pleasantly surprised by how well I like this book. Honestly, most books from this time period (and earlier) don't hold my interest like this one did. The story was engaging and easy to understand and follow. Without Sherlock's help I'm afraid that neither Watson nor I would have been able to figure the mystery out.

The Westing Game

Title: The Westing Game

Author: Ellen Raskin

Pages: 185

Genre: Mystery, Newbery Award

Grade: B

Synopsis: Mr. Westing is a rich hermit that gathers 16 supposed heirs for the reading of his will. He pits them all against each other in a game of wits and suspicion to figure out which of the heirs killed Mr. Westing. Only one of them can win the game. All of the heirs live or work in Sunset Towers, an apartment complex with a view of the old Westing mansion. Between bombs and deceit, the heirs are trying to unravel the clues given by Mr. Westing.

My Review: I fully planned on reading this book for a second time when I was 75% of the way through because I had a hard time following the comings and goings of all 16 heirs (and keeping track of them as well). Luckily, the book easily wraps up all loose ends and really came together in the end. I didn't enjoy the book as much as I expected I would - simply for the reasons mentioned earlier, that I had a hard time following everything. Otherwise, a good, solid mystery.

Vi Agra Falls

Title: Vi Agra Falls

Author: Mary Daheim

Pages: 8 discs

Genre: A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Judith Flynn operates a bed-and-breakfast in the Seattle area and has just recently remarried her ex-husband, Joe, who is a retired detective. Things get complicated when Joe's annoying ex-wife moves in next-door with her newest trophy husband (probably about her seventh). She announces that she is going to build a big condominium building on the street and that same night, a man is found hanging from a tree in her backyard.

My Review: Apparently this is the 24th installment of this particular bed-and-breakfast mystery series. I'm a bit surprised it has made it that long to tell the truth. I found the characters annoying and the book (especially the conclusion to the mystery at the end) a bit disjointed. After this book and the previous book I listened to (Mine are Spectacular!) I'm beginning to rethink my strategy of more or less randomly choosing books to listen to (or at least only by the picture or title).

The Woods

Title: The Woods

Author: Harlan Coben

Pages: 404

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Grade: A

Synopsis: 4 teenagers were killed by a serial killer after they snuck out from the camp they were in.  The person that was supposed to be on patrol that evening (Paul Copeland) had also snuck out into the woods for a bit of hanky panky with his girlfriend.  He and his girlfriend lived while the other four campers didn't.  Paul is now a county prosecutor and is in the midst of a rape case eerily similar to the Duke Lacrosse team case from a few years ago.  Somebody is trying to keep what really happened in the woods 20 years ago a secret from Paul.

My Review: The Woods has all of the elements that you would expect in a Harlan Coben mystery thriller. The twisted plot with unexpected turns and revelations and multiple storylines.  I enjoy books like these because I read them so quickly.  Even when I'm not reading the book I'm thinking about what's going to happen, what could happen and trying to decipher and figure out exactly what is going on.  Satisfyingly, all loose ends have been wrapped up by the end of the book.

From the Book: "(p. 76) I ordered a cheeseburger and a beer from a waitress who looked as though she wanted to be in one of those want-to-get-away? commercials. She called me hon. I love when a waitress calls me hon."

"(p.107) Her voice was polished with a hint of a New England-boarding-school accent that shouted refinement over geographic locale. I was trying not to stare. She saw that and smiled a little. I don't want to sound like some kind of pervert because it wasn't like that. Femal beauty gets to me. I don't think I'm alone in that. It gets to me like a work of art gets to me. It gets to me like a Rembrandt or Michelangelo. It gets to me like night views of Paris or when the sun rises on the Grand Canyon or sets in the turquoise Arizona sky. My thoughts were not illicit. Ther were, I self-rationalized, rather artistic."

Before I Say Good-Bye

Title: Before I Say Good-Bye

Author: Mary Higgins Clark

Pages: 332

Genre: Mystery

Letter Grade: A-

Synopsis: Nell Macdermont's husband, Adam, is hosting a business meeting on his yacht when it blows up in New York Harbor. Nell and Adam had argued that morning about Nell's decision to run for her grandfather's congressional seat. He had held the seat for 50 years and was loved by his constituency. Adam had been supoportive in the beginning but had since become almost hostile to the idea. Nell goes on a search to unravel who her husband's killers were and why they would do it.

Why I Chose This Book: I've read Clark's books many times and enjoyed them. I found this one sitting on a library display calling out to me.

My Review: I've read books by Mary Higgins Clark before and enjoyed them. This one was no exception. The plots are always easy to follow and the premises are very believeable. It's been a long time since a book has kept me up late reading until I finish.