What I've Been Reading It

This is an assessment of books read in the past month. I may make this a regular blog feature, provided people find it of interest.

The books:

James Oliver Curwood--The Valley of Silent Men.

Ngaio Marsh--Killer Dolphin.

Judy Sheluk--Skeletons in the Attic.

Juli Zeh--Decompression.

J. M. Lee--The Investigation.

E. S. Thomson--Beloved Poison.

Jonathan Yardley--Misfit.

As a youth, I was an avid fan of Curwood's adventure tales set in the Far North. On a whim, I downloaded a Kindle copy of his The Valley of Silent Men to see how his work stands with me now. Unfortunately, despite an intriguing plot that kept me turning pages, I found myself irritated by his flamboyant style and abuse of the exclamation point.

I also hadn't read Marsh in many years but am now inspired to read or re-read more of her work. Killer Dolphin allowed her to indulge in her love of theater. This, the 24th in her Roderick Alleyn series, focuses on a glove alleged to have belonged to Hamnet Shakespeare and the skulduggery it inspires. If you're a fan of Agatha Christie and haven't read Marsh, do.

I gave Skeletons in the Attic a five-star review. If you enjoy small town mysteries with feisty heroines, a cast of quirky characters, well-paced plots, twists and turns and a bit of romance, this is a book you'll want to check out. https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R3K23XEWQNO940?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl

Fueled by an interest in deep sea diving, I expected to enjoy Decompression more than I did. I gave it three stars. Zeh tells the story from the viewpoint of the three main characters, Sven, a dive instructor; Jola, an actress who hopes to land the role of a pioneer woman diver, and Theo, a struggling writer and Jola's lover. It was difficult to tell who told the truth and, frankly, I couldn't work up much sympathy for any of them. Review here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R2C9BI8WL8CODX?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl

The Investigation also rated five-stars. Lee is one of South Korea's top writers and this is his first novel to be published in the U.S. It involves a murder during World War II in Japan's notorious Fukuoka Prison. A majority of the prisoners, including famed poet Yun Dong-ju, are Koreans accused of fomenting rebellion against their Japanese conquerors. Review: https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R1FLB3SYYWA7FB?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl

Beloved Poison was another five-star read. I'm fascinated by the Victorian era and grew up reading classics from the period. In this debut novel, Thomson evokes the age and provides fully-developed characters with names right out of Dickens, a gripping plot and a distinct sense of place. Review: https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R2AAU1SZZ55SY3?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl

Yardley's stellar biography follows writer Fred Exley's alcoholic trail from his birthplace in football-dominated Watertown, N.Y., across the U.S. as he sponges on friends and strangers and achieves fame if not fortune. Yardley characterizes Exley as a "one-book author," centering his attention on "A Fan's Notes," the first and best known of his three "novels." That may be true but I found "Pages From a Cold Island" and "Last Notes From Home" entertaining expansions on the first autobiographical entry.

So, that's the books for this time. What am I reading now?

Loren Estleman--Detroit is Our Beat.

James Lilliefors--The Psalmist (first in the Bowers and Hunter mystery series).

Rob McCarthy--The Hollow Men.

Ian Mortimer--Millennium.