Richard Mann's Reading List for July to December 1999
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| No. | Date | Author | Title | Rating | Comments |
| 70 | 7/1/99 | Churchill, Jill | Anything Goes | 79 | Grace and Favor #1 (1999). I really enjoyed this new series from Jill Churchill, whose Jane Jeffries series is also a favorite. A young brother and sister who lost their family wealth in the crash of 1929 are trying to live through the Depression at menial jobs when they inherit a mansion from a previously little-known uncle. The terms of the bequest are strange, leading to a mystery. The characters are wonderful, the sense of what it was like to be poor (and rich) during the 1930s is powerful, and the story is fun. I can't wait for the next book in this great new series. |
| 71 | 7/3/99 | Farmer, Jerrilyn | Immaculate Reception | 78 | Madeline Bean #2 (1999). Mad Bean caters high-society and movie industry events in Hollywood. Somehow, she's landed the catering contract for a breakfast for the Pope. Of course, there's a murder. She has to deal with a former fiance who is now a Jesuit brother, Nazi sympathizers, Vatican historians, lost documents, and medieval treasure. Whew. It all fits together into a pleasantly entertaining story whose characters have some substance to them. Now I have to find a copy of the first book in the series. |
| 72 | 7/5/99 | Emerson, Earl | Catfish Cafe | 71 | Thomas Black #11 (1998). This Thomas Black adventure was well written (as always), but somehow it just didn't do much for me. I suspect that the problem was a lack of interest in the decidedly non-sympathetic characters. Emerson didn't succeed in making me care about the missing daughter of an old friend and former cop, so all the intricacies of the search for her weren't all that interesting. Nevertheless, I eagerly await the next book in the series. |
| 73 | 7/7/99 | Satterthwait, Walter | Masquerade | 76 | Beaumont & Turner #2 (1998). This series involves two Pinkerton agents (a man and a woman, with potential romance in the future) in the 1920s who get involved in mysteries in Europe (so far) involving famous people. In this adventure, we meet Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and others in Paris. The murder mystery is interesting, the characters are well drawn, and the setting is fascinating. Satterthwait does a nice job of giving us the feel of another time and place. |
| 77 | 7/11/99 | Chittenden, Margaret | Dying to Sing | 77 | Charlie Plato #1 (1996). This was a fun read; Ms. Chittenden has a breezy, clever style that keeps you entertained and happy. The story centers around a 30-ish woman named Charlie (it's against the law in some jurisdictions to have a woman mystery protagonist with a female-sounding name) who co-owns a country-Western dance bar. She and her partners find a skeleton in their flower bed and track down the killer. It's light, it's fun, and I love Charlie's unique voice. It was worth the effort of special ordering this. |
| 78 | 7/12/99 | Coben, Harlan | One False Move | 80 | Myron Bolitar #5 (1998). I have loved all the books in this series. As I approach each new one, I wonder how he's going to keep the series fresh and interesting. It turns out there's no problem there. Myron and his unusual friends deal with not only crime but some heavy emotional issues (love, friendship, freedom) as Myron learns, grows, and matures. It's a lovely book and you need to read it. |
| 79 | 7/13/99 | Crais, Robert | L. A. Requiem | 82 | Elvis Cole #8 (1999). Abridged audio tape, more's the pity. (My wife bought it as a tape; I wanted to read the book and savor every word, but who can afford both the book and tape?) If you're a fan of Elvis Cole, you'll absolutely love this compelling story that reveals the history of Cole's inscrutable partner, Joe Pike, who is one of the great characters in mystery literature. Bad things happen here, and all is not peachy keen at the end of the story, but no mystery fan should miss this great book. Best of the year (so far). |
| 80 | 7/15/99 | Riordan, Rick | Big Red Tequila | 72 | Tres Navarre #1 (1997). Tres Navarre comes home to San Antonio after ten years and starts mucking around in the ten-year-old murder of his father, who was the county sheriff. Things get complicated, violent, and bloody. I'm afraid I don't really like Tres much, which takes some of the fun out of the reading. I don't understand his love life (such as it is) at all and I found his bull-like tendency to do his investigating primarily by beating people up to be less than appealing. Nevertheless, I did finish the book and was interested in the outcome. |
| 81 | Pending | Chappell, Helen | Dead Duck | TBA | Sam & Hollis #2 (1997). Sam is ghost of Hollis' husband, it says here on the cover, so this has some potential to be a fun, unusual story. We'll see and report back soon. |
Would you like to see similar information on the first half of my 1999 reading year? Click here for 1999's First Half Reading List.
Would you like to see similar information on my 1998 reading? Click here for 1998's Reading List.
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Last Updated on 3/15/2000
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