I always like to look for some thread running through my week’s reading, and I can usually find one! But this week, each book is pretty different, even if two are murder mysteries in the bunch. We have a high-octane YA scifi-adventure, a frantic race against time (and the courts), a shadowy period mystery, and a madcap historical romance. The one thing they do have in common? The stakes are high. Let’s get into it, shall we?
Gemina (“Illuminae Files_2”) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff: And this completes my reread of the “Illuminae Files” series! The first time through, I remember liking this one best among the trilogy, but I think this time I have it bump it down to #2 in favor of Gemina. But I still love it a lot. It’s a great wrap-up to the series, giving us all the characters we’ve already come to love, plus a few new ones who’ve been living in a very different but no less dire situation, trapped back on the planet. The tension and the final showdown are nail-bitingly good, but the real highlight is the devastating humanity of these characters amidst inhuman cruelty and hopeless circumstances – and the truth that, at the end of the day, no one really wins in war.
Strong Poison (“Lord Peter Wimsey” #5) by Dorothy L. Sayers: Harriet Vane has arrived! What can I say? I’m a hopeless romantic, programmed to ship. But all that aside, this is just a cracking good story. Did I guess the murderer and method early on? Yes. But as anyone who watches Columbo will tell you, it’s the getting there, the chase, that counts. And I found the twists and turns, as well as the various characters chasing them, a lot of fun. Long live Miss Climpson and the Cattery!
A Rising Man (“Sam Wyndham” #1) by Abir Mukherjee: On paper, this book ticks all my boxes – post WWI setting with a veteran protagonist, murder mystery, consideration of empire and colonialism, etc. But, for reasons that are hard to articulate in a one-paragraph review, the tone just doesn’t sit well with me. Otherwise, it’s a fairly standard murder mystery.
The Perfect Rake (“Merridew Sisters” #1) by Anne Gracie: Yes, I’m back to more Gracie! She’s quickly become one of my favorite historical romance writers. Her characters are not only delightful and distinct (meaning, the heroes and heroines aren’t all just the same character recycled for different plots), but the writing itself is so funny. I think there was a stretch of about 8 chapters where I laughed nonstop! Of course, it gets serious later because the heroine’s situation really is dire, but the characters remain charming and likable throughout. I’m looking forward to reading the sequels!
–b
Book It With Becca 