Books Read in August

This typical summer month found me with out of town visitors and planning for them. A welcome break from the usual routine. When I did get a chance to read, the library’s picked-over summer shelves had a slim selection that suited my interests. Here they are.
Pier Pressure
© 2006 Dorothy Francis

Keely Moreno mystery
Nicely done Key West setting. After that, it falls apart. Keely finds a murdered body of a client (who is also stepmom of close friends). She reports it to the police and comes under suspicion because her gun is the murder weapon. A weak story made boring by a lot of character repetition, of scene action recapped, extraneous matter not pertinent to the case or characters, protagonist doing really dumb stuff. At one point it seems the author wrote herself into a corner and getting out was sloppy. I found myself chuckling with disbelief through the last third of the book, amazed that such tripe could be published by a reputable mystery publisher.

Death Splits a Hair
© 2005 Nancy Bell

Judge Jackson Crain mystery
Here's another slug. Good sense of place and competent writing, but the story was forced and corny.

Tainaron: Mail from Another City
© 2004 Leena Krohn, Translated by Hildi Hawkins

A connected series of letters written by a woman who has moved to a city of insects. Odd concept. Beautiful language as the essence of change is described in many forms. I liked it, but I'm not sure why.

The Fifth Cataract
© 2005 Jo Bannister Comments First Drop
© 2004 Zoë Sharp

In this thriller, Brit Charlie Fox gets her first bodyguard assignment, looking out for Trey, a teenaged boy, in Florida. His dad's a computer software developer, Trey has some cliché friends who come in handy. Hi-tech espionage, of course. Lots of carnage and really bad bad guys. That's the nature of a thriller. This was very well written, as I usually get tired of the main ingredients after about 150 pages, but Charlie's character was strong enough to keep me engaged.

Night Train to Rigel
©2005 Timothy Zahn

This SF reads almost like a spoof. The Our-Man-Flint superhero takes on mastermind of the universe--and wins, of course. Well written 60s style, male-dominated action mostly taking place on an Intergalactic train in a 200 - 300 year future. Interesting future technology and gizmos. Very convoluted plot where, even though told in first person, many of the protagonist’s key insights and information are not revealed to the reader.

A Dark and Deadly Deception
© 2005 Eleanor Taylor Bland

This Marti McCallister Mystery has really good police procedure and well-defined characters. The story had an interesting mix of cold case and modern crime, as Marti initially investigates the drowning death of an actress, Explanations at the end seemed forced and some parts weren’t well explained.