Reviews: Three Tana French Novels

The Witch Elm

The Witch Elm by Tana French, October 9, 2018, Viking
Genre: psychological thriller
Source: library book
Comments:

A little different from her Dublin mysteries, The Witch Elm features the upper or upper middle classes, those with privileges in looks and heritage. What happens when looks are taken away, however, and the advantages of birth and privilege no longer seem to count? This seems to be the theme of the new book by Tana French, in addition to a suspenseful mystery plot. A novel that is compelling yet disturbing, all at once. I also finished: The Trespasser The Trespasser by Tana French, October 2016, Hodder and Stoughton Genre: police procedural, thriller Source: library book Comments:This is the sixth in the Dublin Murder Squad Series, a book I gave five stars. The main characters Antoinette and Stephen are detectives on the Dublin murder squad and are portrayed as many-faceted and complex characters, which gives the crime novel an added advantage. Antoinette is fairly new on the squad and has had to put up with taunts and pranks from her fellow detectives that were meant to deride and harass her as not only a newbie but as female. Her instincts propel her forward in spite of everything and in the end, change her mind about leaving the force. Faithful Place Faithful Place by Tana French, July 2010, Penguin Viking AdultGenre: police procedural, thriller Source: library book Comments: Frank Mackey, a detective, returns to his home, Faithful Place, to try to solve the mystery of the disappearance of his girlfriend Rosie Daly twenty-five years before. Had Rosy changed her mind about running away to London with him or had she been prevented from meeting him that fateful night when they were supposed to leave together but never showed up? The last time anyone ever saw her? Suspenseful plot, disarming detective, and plot twists that kept me reading. I have read Broken Harbor and The Secret Place, both equally good books in the Dublin series, and have two others to read - The Listeners and Into the Woods.  I must say I'm a fan!

Visit the Saturday Review of Books

Book Review: It All Falls Down by Sheena Kamal

It All Falls Down by Sheena Kamal, July 3, 2018, HarperLuxe
Genre: thriller, mystery set in Vancouver and Detroit
Source: ebook bought

This is a follow up to The Lost Ones, the first in the Nora Watts thriller series (my review). In this book, Nora takes an emotional trip to Detroit to find out more about her deceased father and his past, while dodging attempts on her life from unknown persons. 

Though the book is a bit slow at the beginning, when Nora's search into her father's history seems to be getting nowhere, the book picks up soon and becomes a suspenseful read that is heart-wrenching at times. This happens when Nora's own violent past that she thought she had escaped, follows her in her new quest. 

I'm looking forward to the third in the series, hoping there will be one. A Canadian from Vancouver, Sheena Kamal's protagonist Nora is part-Native American and an intriguing personality who fights through her fate from abandonment as a child to a survivor in Vancouver. 

Visit Saturday Review of Books, by Semicolon.
Also, the 12th Annual Canadian Book Challenge by The Indextrious Reader. 

Sunday Salon: Books Read in 2013: 100+ Books in a Year Reading Challenge

Welcome to the Sunday Salon! Also visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer.

Last year, I signed up with Book Chick City for the 100 Books in a Year challenge to read 100 or more books from January 1, 2013 to the end of the year. I joined the challenge again as I did the past two years. The books I don't finish don't get on the list and not all the books I read were reviewed. Click on the titles to see reviews or information about the books. 

1. A Passionate Love Affair with a Total Stranger by Lucy Robinson, humorous women's fiction
 2. Merciless by Lori Armstrong, mystery *
 3. The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis, mystery *
4. A Whisper to a Scream by Karen Wojcik Berner, contemporary women's fiction *
5. Absolute Liability: Southern Fraud Suspense by J.W. Becton, mystery
6. Rally 'Round the Corpse by Hy Conrad, mystery
7. The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley, historical fiction
8. The Woman From Paris by Santa Montefiore, contemporary fiction
9. Birds in Paradise by Dorothy McFalls, Hawaiian mystery novella
10. Shimura Trouble by Sujata Massey, Hawaiian mystery *


11. The Midwife's Tale by Sam Thomas, historical mystery
12. The Blood Gospel by Rollins and Cantrell, sci-fi/fantasy
13. A Tainted Dawn: The Great War, Book 1 by B.N. Peacock, historical fiction
14. Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley, mystery *
15. The Lost Soul by Gabriella Pierce, paranormal, fantasy
16. The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin, historical fiction *
17. Perfect Hatred by Leighton Gage, police procedural, mystery
18. Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards, by Kit Brennan, historical mystery
19. The Doctor of Thessaly by Anne Zouroudi, mystery
20. The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers, contemporary fiction
21. The Secret of the Nightingale Palace by Dana Sachs, historical romance
22. The Burning Air by Erin Kelly, psychological suspense
23. A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry, mystery
24. The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg, thriller
25. Seven Locks by Christine Wade, historical fiction


26. The Woman Who Wouldn't Die by Colin Cotterill, mystery
27. Murder Below Montparnasse by Cara Black, mystery
28. Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright, memoir
29. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruis Zafon, literary fiction
30. The Missing File by D. A. Mishani, mystery
31. When Maidens Mourn by C. S. Harris, mystery
32. Undercurrents by Pamela Beason, mystery
33. The Boreal Owl Murder by Jan Dunlap, birding mystery
34. Rocamora by Donald Michael Platt, historical fiction
35. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, fiction
36. Have Mother, Will Travel by Claire and Mia Fontaine, memoir
37. Telling the Bees by Peggy Hesketh, fiction
38. The Man Who Turned Both Cheeks by Gillian Royes, mystery
39. The Great Escape by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, romance
40. Tiger Babies Strike Back by Kim Wong Keltner, memoir
41. Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd, historical fiction


42. Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans by Joanne DeMaio, women's fiction
43. The Gods of Heavenly Punishment by Jennifer Cody Epstein, historical fiction
44. The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott, cozy mystery
45. A Half Forgotten Song by Katherine Webb, fiction
46. Mayhem at the Orient Express by Kylie Logan, cozy mystery
47. The Wonder Bread Summer by Jessica Anya Blau
48. Lethal Outlook: A Psychic Eye Mystery by Victoria Laurie
49. Running With the Enemy by Lloyd Lofthouse, Vietnam historical novel, suspense
50. The Original 1982 by Lori Carson, fiction


51. Gaijin Cowgirl by Jame DiBiasio, adventure
52. I Never Promised You a Goodie Bag by Jennifer Gilbert, memoir
53. The Alley of Love and Yellow Jasmines by Shohreh Aghdashloo, memoir
54. Slingshot by Matthew Dunn, thriller
55. Blind Curves by Linda Crill, travel memoir
56. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, fiction
57. The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy, literary fiction
58. The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley, historical fiction
59. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, fantasy
60. Snapper by Brian Kimberling, fiction
61. Candy and the Cankersaur by Jason Sandberg, illustrated picture ebook
62. Evil and the Mask by Fuminori Nakamura, thriller
63. This is Paradise by Kristiana Kahakauwila, literary fiction
64. The Translator by Nina Schuyler, fiction
65. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio, historical mystery


66. The Nine Fold Heaven by Mingmei Yip, historical novel
67. The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March, women's fiction
68. Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw, fiction
69. Bend Not Break by Ping Fu, memoir
70. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, fiction
71. The Third Son by Julie Wu, historical fiction
72. Redemption (A Conspiracy of Faith) by Jussi Adler-Olsen, Scandinavian thriller
73. Mystery Girl by David Gordon, fiction
74. The English Girl by Daniel Silva, thriller


75. The Girl Who Married An Eagle by Tamar Myers, mystery
76. Going Through the Notions by Cate Pric, cozy mystery
77. The Sound and the Furry by Spencer Quinn, mystery
78. Reese's Leap by Darcy Scott, mystery
79. Moonrise by Cassandra King, mystery
80. Murder by Syllabub by Kathleen Delaney, mystery
81. The Shogun's Daughter by Laura Joh Rowland, historical mystery
82. The Case of the Love Commandos by Tarquin Hall, mystery
83. I Am Venus by Barbara Mujica, historical fiction
84. A Secondhand Murder by Leslie A. Diehl, mystery
85. An Incurable Insanity by Simi K. Rao, fiction
86. Cartwheel by Jennifer DuBois, fiction, suspense
87. A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry, mystery
88. The Pieces We Keep by Kristina McMorris, fiction, historical
89. Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis, Scandinavian crime
90. Itsy Bitsy Spider by Willow Rose, thriller/horror
91. The Detachment by Barry Eisler, thriller
92. The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan, historical fiction
93. Paws for Murder by Annie Knox, cozy mystery


94. Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen, women's fiction
95. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny, crime fiction
96. The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom, literary fiction
97. The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes, historical fiction, romance
98. Brady Needs a Nightlight by Brian Barlicks and Gregory Burgess Jones, children's book
99. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty, women's fiction
100. Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford, literary fiction
101. The Yoga Face by Annalise Hagen, yoga, health
102. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, women's fiction
103. The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout, fiction
104. Larry's Kidney by Daniel Asa Rose, memoir
105. Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy by Elizabeth Kiem, YA novel
106. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella, contemporary romance
107. Tahoe Chase by Todd Borg, thriller, suspense
108. How to Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman, women's fiction, suspense
109. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Books almost all read, but not quite...
1. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
2. The Death of Yesterday by M.C. Beaton, mystery

I began to star books I really liked, but then thought I'd have to star just about every one I read in 2013, so...the starring stopped. I don't normally finish books I don't like, unless they are for a book tour, and I don't recall hating any of those. So, you can just assume I loved all these books! (I keep adding to this list as I realize I didn't include all the books I read this year.)

Louise Penny, Amy Tan, Laura Joh Rowland, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Spencer Quinn, Ruth Ozeki, are among the many authors whose novels I enjoyed. And there are others I have not listed here - I'd have to include way too many!

Don't ask me to choose....but I do ask you. What were your favorite books in 2013?

I'm sending this list to semicolon's special edition of the Saturday Review of Books, a wrap up of books for 2013 by bloggers. Note that my list is of Books Read, as most, but not all, were reviewed. 

Book Review: The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura

Title: The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura, translated from the Japanese by Satoko Izumo and Stephen Coates
Published March 20, 2012; Soho Crime
Source: library

I was pleasantly surprised by this award winning novel by the young Japanese writer Fuminori Nakamura. He won Japan's largest prize, the 2009 Oe Prize, for this book and I can see why.

Not nearly as noir as I was expecting, the book shows the flaws and the humanity of this young man, a Tokyo pickpocket so skilled that he can unbutton a man's coat, take a wallet from the inside pocket, and rebutton the coat without being noticed or caught. Working in tandem with two others, he can even remove the cash and return the wallet to the unsuspecting victim's pocket in the flash of an eye.

The Thief targets only wealthy, well dressed Tokyo businessmen, as they walk along the street or ride on the subway. This is until he gets involved in more serious pickpocketing for gang members who have a political agenda. The noir ending I was expecting didn't happen, and there is hope for the Thief who risks his life to protect a young boy, a budding pickpocket, and put him on a path different from his own.

This was an easy read, only 211 pages. The dialogue and plot lines are both excellent.

Nakamura's first book, The Gun, has also won an award.

Visit Saturday Review of Books for a weekly collection of book reviews.