My April 2010 Reads:- A MURDEROUS PROCESSION by Ariana Franklin This is 4th of 4 in series featuring Adelia (Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar of Salerno), a “doctor for the dead” working for King Henry II in 12th century England. Here is a description:
Medieval forensic pathologist Adelia Aguilar has been an enjoying a quiet life in the countryside with her daughter and friends. Then Henry II demands that she accompany his daughter and her formal procession to Sicily and offers to “keep” her daughter with Queen Eleanor until her safe return. But death stalks the procession, and Adelia and her loyal friends soon realize that the killer is someone from her past bent on revenge.
It was just published and has 352 pages. From the first book, one can so hear Peter O'Toole as Henry and Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor. I like this time period a lot but I don't like cliffhangers when the next book won't be out until next year.
- HAND OF FATE by Lis Wiehl and April Henry. This is 2nd of 2 in series featuring Cassidy Shaw, a reporter, Allison Pierce, a federal prosecutor, and Nicole Hedge, an FBI special agent, in the Triple Threat series. Here is a description:
When the host of a popular radio talk show is murdered, the suspects almost outnumber his millions of listeners. Outspoken radio talk show host Jim Fate dies tragically when poisonous gas fills the studio while his polarizing show, "The Hand of Fate," is on air. In the ensuing panic, police evacuate downtown Portland--and the triple threat of FBI Special Agent Nicole Hedges, crime reporter Cassidy Shaw and Federal Prosecutor Allison Pierce begin piecing together the madness, motive, and the mystery of what just happened. And this time it's personal since one of the women was secretly dating the host and has access to his home...as well as possible evidence.
It was published this month and has 320 pages. I'm reading it on the Kindle. It was fluffy and over the top but okay.
- SHADOWS IN THE STREET by Susan Hill. This is 5th of 5 in series featuring Simon Serrailler, a police Chief Inspector in Lafferton, England. Here is a description:
Simon Serrailler has just wrapped up a particularly exhausting and difficult case for SIFT - Special Incident Flying Taskforce - and is on a sabbatical on a far flung Scottish island when he is called back to Lafferton by the Chief Constable. Two local prostitutes have gone missing and are subsequently found strangled. By the time he gets back, another girl has disappeared. Is this a vendetta against prostitutes by someone with a warped mind? Or a series of killings by an angry punter? But then one of the Cathedral wives goes missing, followed by another young married woman, on her way to work. Serailler follows lead after lead, all of which become dead-ends. The fear is that more women will be killed, and that the murderer is right under theirnoses; meanwhile the public grow more angry and afraid.
It was published April 1, 201o in the UK and has 384 pages. Hill writes very well but the crimes were solved by accident. I think she is more interested in plumbing into the depths of a characters rather than writing actual crime fiction.
- A VEIN OF DECEIT by Susanna Gregory. This is 15th of 15 in series featuring Matthew Bartholomew, physician, and his colleague Brother Michael, in 14th century Cambridge, England. Here is a description:
Despite a new influx of well-heeled students, Michaelhouse has suffered from an acute lack of funds that has made itself manifest in a lack of decent provisions. When the Brother in charge of the account books dies unexpectedly, an explanation is revealed: large amounts of money had been paid for goods the college never received. A pregnant visitor to Matthew's sister's household has died from an overdose of pennyroyal. Had she meant to abort her child, or had someone else wanted to ensure that she was unable to provide an heir to her husband's wealthy estates? When Brother Michael and Matthew learns that it was the dead woman’s husband who had received Michaelhouse's missing money, they begin to search for other connections and quickly exposes a deep and treacherous conspiracy.
It was published in 2009 and has 480 pages.
- SAVOR THE MOMENT by Nora Roberts. This is 3rd of the Brides Quartet. Here is a description:
Wedding baker Laurel McBane is surrounded by romance working at Vows wedding planning company with her best friends Parker, Emma, and Mac. But she's too low-key to appreciate all the luxuries that their clients seem to long for. What she does appreciate is a strong, intelligent man, a man just like Parker's older brother Delaney, on whom she's had a mega-crush since childhood. But some infatuations last longer than others, and Laurel is convinced that the Ivy League lawyer is still out of her reach. Plus, Del is too protective of Laurel to ever cross the line with her - or so she thinks.
Published April 2010 and has 352 pages. Roberts has used this setup before in a series but it works. This is sort of like Sex in the City only they've got long-term romance in their lives. I've gotten a young c0-worker -- who is a huge TWILIGHT-er -- hooked on them.
I've started but not finished three books in April: THIS BODY OF DEATH by Elizabeth George, THE GAME OF KINGS by Dorothy Dunnett, and THE CRUELEST MONTH by Louise Penny. I hope to complete them this month.
I think I have only one book release in May that I'm anticipating. That is THE SCENT OF RAIN AND LIGHTNING by Nancy Pickard, releasing this Tuesday. Otherwise, I still have a couple that were published this last week in April that I've not gotten to yet. So I'm not lacking for reading material. (I'm not counting the series reads I need to get back to)
So, once again I'm only averaging five books a month which sucks. Better than nothing, yes, but with so many books to get through, this doesn't help.
It's a dark windy day so far on this Sunday, maybe I could hunker down and read. Last night we watched Angels and Demons on one of the movie channels. I'd read the book but it had been so long ago some of the details were fuzzy. In some ways it was more plausible (for a thriller) than The Da Vinci Code. The movie got hyped when it was released but didn't seem to have much impact. At least Tom Hanks' hair was better. Too many people on fire scenes -- Steve was kind to mute it while I hid my face during them. It's a long movie at almost 2 1/2 hours so it took up a chunk of the evening.
I have a ton of 4ma digests yet to read so have a lovely Sunday ...
Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster
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