Book Review: Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn

Paw and Order

Paw and Order: Chet and Bernie Mystery #7 by Spencer Quinn
Published August 5, 2014; Atria Books

"Did you know Mr. St. John kept a diary?" Soares said.
"Of course not," Suzie said. "I told you - we weren't close."
"Yet," Soares said.
"Yet?" said Suzie. "What is that supposed to mean?" (ch. 6, from an uncorrected proof. Final copy may differ).

Bernie Little and his sidekick Chet the dog, partners in the Little Detective Agency in Arizona, visit Bernie's girlfriend Suzie in DC where she is an investigative reporter for the Washington Post. Eben St. John, a British man with intelligence connections, who is close to Suzie, is killed and Bernie is at first a suspect. After law enforcement tries to get him to leave town and stay out of the investigation, Bernie stays, hired by the St. John's father to find the killer and concerned about Suzie's safety.

There is politics involved, as far as Chet the dog narrator of the book knows, though he may not understand much of that aspect of the case. I followed Chet's thoughts closely and like him, the details of the case remain a bit fuzzy. I had a grand adventure reading the book and following Chet's thoughts or lack thereof, but I did remain a bit unclear at the end about the people and their involvement. In general, I got it, but the detailed plot and people connections? I stand with Chet. Who cares, as long as the "perp" is apprehended.

A fun read as always with this series in which Chet the dog tells the story. I give this a 4 out of 5 just because  Chet is such a good storyteller, from his point of view, of course...

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book.

Sunday Salon: Where Did Summer Go?

Welcome to the Sunday Salon where bloggers share their reading each week.Visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer; Also visit It's Monday: What Are You Reading hosted by Book Journey.

Getting to be early autumn? Yes, it's that time of year. The birds are ready to head south and I wish I could go along! Some books for fall reading.

Someone Else's Love Story

Further Out Than You Thought

Early Decision

Three Story House

One of Us

The Girl From the Well

The Drop

Click on the blue titles below the book covers to see book details and synopsis.

Now that summer is winding down, do you have any special books for fall reading? 

Any new resolutions for reading, writing, and/or blogging the rest of the year?

I'm still thinking ...

Chasers of the Light: Poems from the Typewriter Series by Tyler Knott Gregson

Title: Chasers of the Light: Poems From the Typewriter Series by Tyler Knott Gregson
To be published September 2, 2014; Perigree Trade
Genre: poetry

Oh  what  we

could  be  if  we 

stopped carrying

the remains  

of  who  we  were.

Here is the story of how a photographer became a poet...a typewriter poet.

One day, while browsing an antique store in Helena, Montana, photographer Tyler Knott Gregson stumbled upon a vintage Remington typewriter for sale. Standing up and using a page from a broken book he was buying for $2, he typed a poem without thinking, without planning, and without the ability to revise anything.

Three years and almost one thousand poems later, Tyler is now known as the creator of the Typewriter Series: a collection of poems typed onto found scraps of paper or created via blackout method. Chasers of the Light features poems that illuminate grand gestures and small glimpses, poems that celebrate a life spent chasing the light. (publisher)

The one-page poems are written as though typed on different kinds of scrap paper -  on graph paper, beige or blue or brown paper, red paper on occasion, and on photographs. Some poems are created using a black out method, with white words standing out on a black background.

Most of the poems in this book are love poems:

A  moment,
a  smile;
a  single burst
of  laughter
that  sounds  exactly  like
the  rest
of  my  life. 

I think the value of the Typewriter Series is that is makes poetry more approachable for those who might shy away from it, those who feel poetry too esoteric for them. The presentation of words in this informal, casual, and typed format makes poetry seem "down to earth" and thus easier to appreciate.

I would give this book to anyone I'd like to convince to start reading poetry.

Thanks to Oleg Lyubner Publicity for a review copy of this book of poems.

Book Review: The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar

The Story Hour

Title: The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar
Published August 19, 2014; Harper
Genre: fiction, women's fiction
Objective rating: 4.5/5

The power of stories to heal and connect. That seems to be part of the message of this novel by Umrigar, with its intriguing characters and storyline.

Two very different women are brought together by fate and circumstance - the unhappily married immigrant to the U.S., Lakshmi, who is healed by and in turn helps to heal her psychologist and friend, African-American Maggie, by telling Maggie stories of her life growing up in India. Both women are married to Indian men, have sad memories of mothers who died when they were younger, and both women harbor secrets from their past that hamper their lives in the present.

These two are fully developed characters and their interaction, not always a smooth one, brings the novel to life in a vivid and affecting way. Don't miss reading this book if you get the chance.

Book description: An experienced psychologist, Maggie carefully maintains emotional distance from her patients. But when she meets a young Indian woman who tried to kill herself, her professional detachment disintegrates. Cut off from her family in India, Lakshmi is desperately lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage to a domineering man...  

Moved by her plight, Maggie treats Lakshmi in her home office for free, quickly realizing that the despondent woman doesn't need a shrink; she needs a friend....When Maggie and Lakshmi share long-buried secrets, the revelations jeopardize their close bond and force them to confront painful choices. (publisher)

I received a proof/galley of this book for review. 

Book Review: Tahoe Ghost Boat by Todd Borg

Tahoe Ghost Boat

Title: Tahoe Ghost Boat (Owen McKenna #12) by Todd Borg
Published August 2014; Thriller Press

This new release came out this month, one of a series of Owen McKenna thrillers set in and around Lake Tahoe, many of which I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. I think Tahoe Ghost Boat is one of Todd Borg's best!

My synopsis: A woman calls private detective Owen McKenna desperately asking for help as she is being chased in her car. McKenna comes to the rescue and finds out that his new client, Nadia, is being blackmailed to hand over the $2 million in insurance money that she is due after the death of her husband, Ian Lassitor. Lassitor was recently found drowned in Lake Tahoe when his boat was cut in two by an unknown boat in the middle of the night. 

So begins the suspense surrounding the mysterious "ghost" boat, the people who threaten Nadia, and McKenna's attempts to protect Nadia's 15-year-old estranged daughter Gertie, who is a target for kidnappers. But the plot is even more involved than it seems.

The action: The thrill of reading this novel lies in the multiple times McKenna risks his life while protecting Gertie from criminals that seem to come straight out of a James Bond movie - seemingly indestructible bad guys that have unusually and imaginatively cruel tendencies.

I loved every roller coaster ride as McKenna escapes and eludes his pursuers(we know he has to escape, as he is the main character, after all) many times.  But rest assured, you will get multiple thrills reading Tahoe Ghost Boat, as well as an intimate knowledge of the lake itself - the beauty and uniqueness of it as well as its possible dangers, in all seasons. A tremendous setting for a mystery series!

Objective rating: 5+ out of 5.  I didn't want it to end, and now I can't wait for Borg's next in the series.

Thanks to the author for a review copy of this book.

Book Review: CLAM WAKE by Mary Daheim

First Chapter, First Paragraph is a weekly meme hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea.

Clam Wake

First chapter:

Judith McMonigle Flynn stared at the mail on the credenza, glared at the thick packet's return address, and squared her broad shoulders before marching out of the front hall to confront her husband in the kitchen. 

"It's here, Joe," she announced. "Come and get it."

Book description:
Innkeeper Judith and cousin Renie face a cold-blooded killer in a beach community in this Bed-and-Breakfast mystery from author Mary Daheim. With the holidays gone and Hillside Manor almost empty, Judith has a housesitting stint at her aunt and uncle’s retirement home on Whoopee Island with cousin Renie. Surrounded by retirees in the off-season sounds peaceful and pleasant but it isn’t long before a dead body pops up. With suspicion over her and Renie, Judith begins sleuthing—if only to prove they didn’t commit the crime.

Digging for clams and answers, the cousins discover that retirement can be deadly—at least among the eclectic, eccentric residents of Obsession Shores.

My comments: A good plot in this newest in the series, with interesting and likeable main characters. Much of the book rests on the relationship between Judith and her cousin Renie; their amusing banter and commentary makes for interesting reading and a good chuckle, though their interchanges do not always hit the high mark for comedy.

Recommended for an easy and entertaining summer read.

Author Bio: Seattle native Mary Richardson Daheim lives three miles from the house where she was raised. Upon getting her journalism degree from the University of Washington, she went to work for a newspaper in Anacortes WA. Then, after her marriage to David Daheim, his first college teaching post was in Port Angeles where she became a reporter for the local daily. Both tours of small-town duty gave her the background for the Alpine/Emma Lord series.

Mary spent much of her non-fiction career in public relations (some would say PR is fiction, too).
She began her publishing career with the first of seven historical romances before switching to mysteries in 1991. At the time of her husband and mentor’s death in February 2010, David and Mary had been married for over 43 years. They have three daughters, Barbara, Katherine and Magdalen, and two granddaughters, Maisy and Clara. They all live in Seattle, too. 

See other reviews on the Partners in Crime Book Tour, which provided a review copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY: The publisher is giving away a copy of this book to a reader. Please leave a comment with your email address, U.S. residents only, or email me at harvee44@yahoo.com with your entry titled "Clam Wake Contest."  The contest will end August 26 and a winner announced August 27. 

UPDATE: The winner, chosen by random.com, is Patricia T. Congrats! 

Sunday Salon: Mid-August Books

Welcome to the Sunday Salon where bloggers share their reading each week.Visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer; Also visit It's Monday: What Are You Reading hosted by Book Journey, and Mailbox Monday each week.

My granddaughter has shifted her focus from all things My Little Pony to all things Frozen. Just sent off lots of Disney picture books, coloring books, and stickers, with the story and theme. Hope that will make her birthday a lot of fun. Am on the lookout for the t-shirts.

Goodreads is down right now, so here are some amazon links to books, mostly thrillers or mysteries,  recently added to my TBR:

Last Winter We Parted

Dog Beach

Blood Lake

Deadly Bonds

Lola Montez Starts a Revolution

Click on the covers and/or titles beneath the pictures to see the book descriptions.








Currently reading:

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

What books have you added to your desk and what are you reading this week?