Recommended Reads

As the year winds down, I like to assess the books I've read and make some recommendations.

To date in 2017, I read (re-read in some cases) 61 books--a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Among acclaimed writers new to me with whom I got acquainted through several books were Ann Cleeves and Louise Penny. The month isn't quite up, so I may complete a few more reads.

Here then, in no particular order, are books I'm recommending to friends:

Fool's River by Timothy Hallinan. This is the eighth in his Poke Rafferty series. His obvious love for the Thai people shines on every page. Hallinan creates living, breathing characters and plots to keep one guessing and flipping pages. He depicts life in Thailand as one who is familiar with both the respectable tourist scene and the seediest districts of Bangkok. His characters are pragmatic people who have learned to live with corruption. There's violence, but also empathy, pithy dialogue and quirky humor.

Wanted: Dead by Wayne D. Dundee. Bounty hunter Bodie Kendrick is on the job again.
Only this time around (in the fifth book of the series), Bodie isn't intent on bringing bad guys to justice. Instead it's his job is to protect Tyrone Avery, a man fresh out of jail and with a $50,000 price on his head. If you have yet to read a Bodie Kendrick story, you owe it to yourself to grab one now. And this is as good a place to start as any. Trust me, you'll want to read the rest, too.

The Hemingway Files by H. K. Bush. It's a brilliant first novel with intriguing characters and situations, suspense and romance. If you love a book that will pull you in and continue to haunt you afterward, you'll want to read this novel.

Yellow Bird: A Webb Sawyer Mystery by Douglas Quinn. As always, Quinn has crafted a fast-moving, entertaining plot with colorful characters, a realistic North Carolina setting, a bit of humor and plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing. I think this is the fifth in his popular Sawyer series. Concern for an aging relative is Webb's route to troubling crime in this episode.

The Peacemaker by Andrew McBride. Up for an exciting western? Andrew McBride has crafted a gripping adventure tale with sympathetic characters and a secure sense of time and place. Well researched. Recommended to all who enjoy a good tale.

The Coroner's Daughter by Andrew Hughes. Another absorbing Victorian drama by the author of the brilliant The Convictions of John Delahunt. Hughes presents a canvas with likeable, realistic characters; a glimpse into early 19th century Dublin, a gripping plot that kept me turning pages and a satisfying conclusion.

A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee. A Kiplingesque mystery with an intriguing plot, lots of twists, sympathetic characters and convincing intrigue. This is the first in a series featuring Captain Sam Wyndham of Her Majesty's Imperial Police Force and his second, Sgt. Banerjee, commonly known as Surrender-Not. I've already read the second in the series, A Necessary Evil, and look forward to more of their adventures.

Trouble In Nuala by Harriet Steel. Set in the British Colonial period of the 1930s in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), this first in a new series introduces Inspector Shanti de Silva, recently transferred from busy Colombo to the sleepy hill-town of Nuala, and Jane, his English wife, a former governess. I found this a quick, entertaining read with a well-paced narrative, a pragmatic protagonist, an interesting variety of characters, a dash of humor and a balanced look at the political and cultural differences between the Sinhalese, the Tamils and their British overlords.