Mysteries and Thrillers

Mysteries and Thrillers

In mid-to-late February, I read several mysteries/thrillers. You probably have never heard of these, but you might enjoy reading them.

Detective Inspector Huss

21. Detective Inspector Huss [1998] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] 

Another book that reflects my studied choice this year to frequently read books not only by new-to-me authors, but books by authors from different backgrounds from mine, writing in genres that I have not generally read. 

This is probably best described as a police procedural, although I like to just use the term detective novel (or more generally mystery).

Helene Tursten is a Swede (the novels are translated into English). The novel's setting is somewhat familiar to me from travels to Sweden in my youth. Her writing is good and the plot twists maintain interest.

I loved this detective novel. It probably doesn't hurt that I've spent a little time in Göteborg. The team of police detectives and inspectors and what not are all interesting and have a plethora of personalities and attitudes. The bad guys and relatives of the victims are equally varied. The author gets inside the head of the main characters very nicely. The writing is clear. The family interactions with the main police character are believable and interesting. 

From the crime standpoint, murder begets murders, some drug/narc complications come in, and a seasoning of both skin heads and motorcycle gangs provide a cornucopia of criminal matters to investigate. 

I look forward to reading more in this series.

And, of course, I did:

Night Rounds

23. Night Rounds [1999] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] 

This is the second installment in the Inspector Huss series.

Another page turner from Helene Tursten. Why does the inspector always get beat up by bad guys?  The mind boggles.  Are teenagers always weirdly rebellious?  Does Sam get enough attention? Will the chef tolerate veganism? Is the murderer a...  ghost?  How does the past shape the future? How many people in this book are named Svensson? Lots of bizarre and disparate questions throughout this case!

I haven't yet read the third installment, but I shall!

13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy

22. 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy [2006] by L. A. Starks [Kindle] 

This thriller is fascinating. It includes loads of technical details about the refining industry, engineering, chemistry, and so forth, as well as a host of characters. The protagonist is interesting and human and female (Yea!). The plot spans two or three continents. It's all good.  

It's a fantastic first novel from L. A. Starks, for sure.  I read it in a day (we were having an inclement weather day here) and quite enjoyed it.  I look forward to reading the next related novel.

Probably the only negatives are that some people won't like so much technical detail (think of it as a techno thriller but the technology here is mostly industry specific - I loved it, but some might not), and I do still want to know how the bad guy managed to get so many people to do his dirty work (some were obvious, others not so much) which is a minor thing.

L. A. Starks is an active member of Goodreads, which is how I first learned of this book. I believe she has some background in the industry described in this book, of course. I just love the use of a strong and intelligent female protagonist.

Books Completed in 2015
I have read (or listened to) 51 books so far in 2015! Here is a list of completed books (most) with links to their info page on Goodreads and to the reviews I have written on Goodreads and Amazon (or Audible).  More links added as the reviews go live (some have been posted but are not yet live on Amazon or Audible).  I'm getting the blog up to date in the coming week or two with all the reviews and comments.

51. The Hangman's Daughter [2008] by Oliver Pötzsch [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
50. Out from the Underworld [2015] by Heather Siegel [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
49. Inkheart [2011] by Cornelia Funke [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
48. Legion [2012] by Brandon Sanderson [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible.
47. The Reader [1995] by Bernhard Schlink [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
46. Station Eleven [2014] by Emily St. John Mandel [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
45. My Brilliant Friend [2012] by Elena Ferrant [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon.
44. Cold Comfort Farm [1932] by Stella Gibbons [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
43. Rabbit Proof Fence [1996] by Doris Pilkington [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
42. The Daughter of Time [1951] by Josephine Tey [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
41. Outlander [1991] by Diana Gabaldon [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
40. Illegal Action [2007] by Stella Rimington [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
39. Secret Asset [2006) by Stella Rimington [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
38. Magic's Pawn [1989] by Mercedes Lackey [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
37. Witch Hunt [2012] by Annie Bellet [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
36. Three Wishes [2003] by Liane Moriarty [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible
35. The Evolution of an Empire A Brief Historical Sketch of Germany [1892] by Mary Platt Parmele [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
34. Dear Committee Members [2014] by Julie Schumacher [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
33. Dept. of Speculation [2014] by Jenny Offill [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
32. The Specter of Salem: Remembering the Witch Trials in Nineteenth-Century America [2008] by Gretchen A. Adams [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
31. Command Authority [2013] by Tom Clancy [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
30. Emerald Green [2010] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
29. Sapphire Blue [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
28. Ruby Red [2009] by Kerstin Gier [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
27. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants [2001] by Ann Brashares [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
26. Dying for a Cupcake [2015] by Denise Swanson [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
25. The Bees [2014] Laline Paull [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
24. Bossypants [2011] by Tina Fey [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
23. Night Rounds [1999] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
22. 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy [2006] by L. A. Starks [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
21. Detective Inspector Huss [1998] by Helene Tursten [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
20. Crocodile on the Sandbank [1975] by Elizabeth Peters [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
19. Redemption in Indigo [2010] by Karen Lord [Audible] Review: Goodreads; Audible; Amazon
18. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [2014] by Claire North [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
17. The Mysterious Howling [2009] by Maryrose Wood [Kindle] Review: Goodreads; Amazon
16. My Life in Middlemarch [2014] by Rebecca Mead [Audible]. Review: Goodreads; Audible
15. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up [2010] by Marie Kondo [iBooks].
14. The Wreath [1920] by Sigrid Undset, translated by Tiina Nunnally [Kindle].
13. The Riddle-Master of Hed [1976] by Patricia A. McKillip [Audible Audiobook] [review: Goodreads; Audible]
12. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O [1990] by Sharyn McCrumb [Audible Audio] [review: Goodreads; Audible]
11. The Knitting Book [2011] by Frederica Patmore and Vikki Haffenden [hardcover].
10. Americanah [2013] by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche [audible.com audiobook] [review: Goodreads; Audible]
9. The Handmaid's Tale [1985] by Margaret Atwood [Kindle]. [review: Goodreads; Amazon]
8. The Lady Astronaut of Mars [2012] by Mary Robinette Kowal [Kindle]. [review: Goodreads; Amazon]
7. At Risk [2004] by Stella Rimington [audible.com audiobook] [review: Goodreads; Audible].
6. The Dispossessed [1974] by Ursula Le Guin [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon]
5. The Story of My Life [1902] by Helen Keller [Kindle] 4/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].
4. Middlemarch [1872] by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne or Marian Evans) [Kindle]. [review: Goodreads; Amazon]
3. Interpreter of Maladies [1999], short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri [audiobook]. [review: Goodreads]
2. Knitting for Beginners [2014] by Susan Wilters [Kindle]. 2/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].

1. Among Others [2011] by Jo Walton [Kindle]. 5/5 stars [review: Goodreads; Amazon].