Flood by Andrew Vachss

The main character a private detective known as Burke, comes to the assistance of a young woman named Flood. She is searching for a psychotic freak known as the Cobra, a child molester who has murdered her closest friend's child. After much fighting and chasing her down Burke finally accepts the job. Not necessarily a hitman, Burke is more of an avenging angel for hire, if he can be convinced the cause is worthy, and his dog Pansy doesn't rip a prospective client to shreds. His existence consists of an odd assortment of hookers, restaurant owners, gambling, and Max the Silent, his spiritual brother, and possibly the most dangerous man on Earth.

This is not a quick or easy or clean read. It makes you stop and think really shudder a bit as the story revolves around an underworld of S&M, perversion, and snuff films. Unfortunately we know from watching the news these things really do exist. Vachss is a lawyer specializing in child abuse cases and bases his stories on many true life situations he had found himself involved in.

The characters are interesting and intriguing and I'll probably read more but it will be awhile before my brain can really take another one.

Comforts of a Muddy Saturday by Alexander McCall Smith

Isabel Dalhousie Mystery

Edinburgh moral philosopher Isabel Dalhousie is living her life as best she can. She's recently assumed ownership of the obscure journal she's edited for many years, the Review of Applied Ethics. While this seems straightforward she has the dilemma of a former member of the board who submitted a paper for publication.

She is approached by a woman she meets at a dinner to investigate her husband, Marcus Moncrieff a doctor accused of scientific fraud. Did Dr. Moncrieff manipulate the data for a drug developed by the same company that funded his research? But as often is the case it is much more complicated than it first appears. It turns out that Dr. Moncrieff’s nephew, who is also his assistant, might have had good reason to exact revenge on his uncle. (At issue is the inheritance of a large farm on Scotland’s Black Isle.)

Meanwhile, Isabel’s much younger boyfriend, Jamie, continues to dote on Isabel and their infant son, Charlie. (Alas, Jamie’s extraordinary good looks have Isabel forever worrying that he will lose interest in her.) There are other moral dilemmas, too. Isabel suspects that Eddie, the vulnerable young man who works at Isabel’s niece’s deli, lied about the reason he needs to borrow money. And Grace, Isabel’s very assertive housekeeper, has been telling local residents that her adorable Charlie is her own.

Most of the story is Isabel contimplating how to best approach situations she is uncomfortable with. I enjoy her musings but find myself getting a bit tired of her fears about Jamie leaving her. Plus I really cannot stand her niece Cat who thankfully is not around much during this book. It is always like a quick vacation to Edinburgh and this is a much cheaper option.

Whiteout by Greg Rucka & Steve Lieber

Graphic novel set in Antarctica on a station with nothing but ice and snow for miles and miles. It is cold and desolete and the black and white drawings illustrate the starkness and almost depressive state of it all. Carrie Stetko is a U.S. Marshal, and though she's been exiled there she's made The Ice her home. Because she is one of the few year round women who live there she has to be cold and mean and hard to survive it. But she has also found a place where she can forget her troubled past and feel at peace. Then someone commits a murder in her jurisdiction and that peace is shattered. The murderer is one of five men scattered across the continent, and he has more reason to hide than just the slaying. Several ice samples were taken from the area around the body, and the depth of the drilling signifies something particular was removed. Enter Lily Sharpe, a British intellegence agent or spook, who wants to know what was so important another man's life had to be taken for it.

Just saw a movie trailer for a movie Whiteout based on this GN. This was a gritty and intense GN, I had to go back and reread sections as there is a lot packed into what originally looks like a simple story. It will be interesting to see how this translates on the big screen. There is one amazing sequence as Stetko and Sharpe are tied to a line and go out during a Whiteout to hunt down the killer. You see why the book is called the name as both are blind in their quest for the truth and finding the killer. Because of the harsh conditions everyone looks the same as they all wear the same gear so while you assume you know who the killer is you cannot be exactly sure.

Star Trek Archives Volume 1: Best of Peter David
Includes 5 original comics in one collection
Star Trek Annual #3 - Retrospect
Star Trek #13-15 - Return of the Worthy series - co-written by Bill Mumy
Star Trek #19 - Once a Hero

Great fun. I am a big fan of Peter David - I've read most of his earlier work and was not aware he had written Star Trek comics. So when I saw this in my local comic book store on Thursday I had to buy it. All of these focus on the original Star Trek crew and seem to be after ST2. All of these have a definite nostalgic feel as the various ST crew deal with loss.

Retrospect focuses on Scotty, it beings as he receives a package from home we see him grieve for the woman whom he loved. The story is told in reverse and ends with the first time they meet as young children in Scotland. Very sweet and always nice to see a story revolve around Scotty.

Worthy is a trio of comics that focus on the legend of the Worthy that are discovered by the Enterprise when they are exploring the planet before they set up the Lamver Unit, which is an inter-planetary device which is scheduled to be tested on the planet. During their exploration they are attached by a flying robot and discover a small space vessel which houses several humanoids in suspended animation. As they wake up the humanoids they find out that they are the Worthy who are legendary beings who go from world to world saving them. The storyline goes from the crew of the Enterprise getting to know the Worthy to deciding not to use the planet as a test sight as it is now a burial ground for the fallen Worthy to taking them home and finding it destroyed. In the end the Worthy decide to take back up their mission and save planets from a fate their planet suffered.

Once a Hero - is mostly about Kirk trying to come to terms that a member of his crew, Ensign Lee died to save Kirk's life but no one including Kirk knows anything about Lee except his name and rank. The storyline focuses on Kirk interviewing various members of the crew who interacted with Lee to see what they know about him as well as re-living the mission that ends Lee's life. It ends with a eulogy in which Kirk challenges everyone to get to know their fellow crew members no matter how insignificant they might be.

Now unless you are a Star Trek fan these comics won't do much for you. But Peter David has written so many novels for Star Trek that it really shows in these comics plus he writes really excellent dialog. I so enjoyed it.

Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon

Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery

When legendary German conductor Helmut Wellauer is found dead in his dressing room two acts into a performance of La Traviata , police commissario Guido Brunetti is called in. Among those who might have provided the cyanide poison that killed the maestro, immediate suspects include the much younger wife and many in the music industry who are offended by his homophobia. Methodically probing into the victim's past, Brunetti also uncovers Wellauer's Nazi sympathies and a lead to a trio of singing sisters from yesteryear--one now destitute, one dead and the other missing.

You truly feel like you are wondering around Venice in this book. But what I enjoyed even more than exploring Venice was observing Guido interact with his family; his moody teenage son, mathematically driven sure-footed pre-teen daughter, and his independent English Professor wife who he truly does love and desire even when his eye is drawn to other women. Plus he has an almost love/hate relationship with his very wealthy in-laws. I felt like I was there watching over his shoulder as he interviewed the various suspects and tried to unravel who killed the conductor and most of all why. They mystery is finally resolved at the end with a surprising twist but satisfactory conclusion. I am intrigued enough to read more.

How to Live with a Neurotic Cat by Stephen Baker

Full of little stories, one liners and cartoons about cats and what they do, all very tongue in cheek. Illustrations are all in black and white and remind me of cartoons from the New Yorker. A friend recommended that I read this book so I found it at my local PL. I laughed a lot and quickly finished and returned it. This is not a book where one can actually learn anything about cats but rather makes you nod you head in agreement. I loved the segments on teaching cats tricks - basically the cat sleeps while you move it around. Hilarious!

I believe there is a dog counterpart but have not read it. It would be fun to read though I am more of a cat fan than dog.

Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell

1st book in the Kurt Wallender mystery series

Set in Sweden these books are now being translated into English. Also some of the novels have been an adapted for Masterpiece Mystery series on PBS starring Kenneth Branagh

The story opens with a horrific murder scene on the Lovgren farm in rural Sweden. An elderly farmer discovers that his neighbors, also elderly, have been attacked. The husband, Johannes Lovgren, was gruesomely tortured and killed while his wife, Maria, left for dead with a noose around her neck. Rydberg, a police force old-timer, says the noose's unusual knot and the word foreigner, which old woman uttered before she died, are important. Wallender puts those clues on the back burner when he learns that Johannes, ostensibly a simple farmer, had a secret life involving wealth and connections unknown to his wife. However, a leak to the press complicates the investigation by arousing anti-immigrant feelings, some of which are expressed in anonymous threats.

There is a lot of immigration tension in Sweden and refugee camps are being targeted - making the small police force even more stretched to the breaking point. When a Somali refugee is shot, the clues point to a retired former policeman of another town Wallander and his fellow police detectives are torn how to deal with it.

Kurt Wallender, a middle-aged cop in the small town of Lenarp. His wife has recently left him and he is drowning his sorrows in opera and far too much liquor. He is also dealing with the guilt he feels with his father who's mental health is failing. He tries to visit but gets caught up in the drama of the new case. Only after a neighbor calls after finding his father wandering along the roadside carrying a suitcase of dirty underwear and paint supplies. Wallender's father is a famous painter who has only paints one scene with or without a grouse. Wallender often wonders what his father wanted him to be as he is constantly berating him for being a policeman. Wallender feels estranged from his wife, his daughter, Linda and most of all real life.

You really feel the hopelessness he feels, the despair he feels his life has become. But he also has this way of finding the truth. This is a true police procedural and the cases take months to solve versus a few days. Plus I have a whole new appreciation to cold weather! brrrr.... A good book to read in Phoenix when it is 115+ degrees.

Dead Boys Detectives by Ed Brubaker

Featured in Sandman Comics - this collected one storyline. Neil Gaiman created the characters and Ed Brubaker wrote this comic.

The Dead Boy Detectives are Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine, two British schoolboys from different eras who are now ghosts. They take on a case of missing homeless teens who are later discovered shriveled and horribly dead. Since no one is taking this seriously one of the homeless teens find the detectives in their tree house and asks for their help. So in typical young boy fashion they both jump in feet first to the fray of witches, immortality and the occult. Not bad for a couple hours of reading.

So long and thanks for all the laughs....

Get Real by Donald E. Westlake

Final book in the Dortmunder series

It was with great trepidation that I started reading this book. Donald E. Westlake passed away on New Years Eve, and when I heard the news I burst into tears thinking, no more Dortmunder! Then I read about this book coming out and while I was happy to at least have one more Dortmunder novel to read, my heart is heavy.

During a taxi ride - Murch's mom talks to a fare about her son and his friends who steal for a living. The fare, Doug Fairkeep, is a producer for reality-show company, Get Real, and is always looking for a new concept. He tracks down Murch who recruits Dortmunder for a heist /aka reality TV show. Kelp, Tiny and the Kid are brought in too as you have to have 5 guys to make a crew. Doug throws his own people into the mix by adding actors to the crew - Roger, fulltime actor who also can climb walls like Spiderman and Darlene - who was brought in from another reality show as a possible love interest. There is Marcy who "writes what is going to happen" and Babe - Doug's boss, who every time he comes on set says "I'm shutting this down!".

Naturally, the gang has to make this gig pay more than what's offered, as much for the fun of it as for the extra cash. While Get Real helps them map out a robbery, the boys are mapping out the real robbery—of some of the company's hidden assets. See Get Real is owned by Monopole that is owned by TUI and so on and so on. So the building that Get Real uses has other purposes that make Dortmunder nad the gang real curious. There is money somewhere in the building and they are going to get it. The thinking is that Get Real can hardly come after them to retrieve cash that it can't admit that it has. The game plan changes nearly hourly, and the outcome is anything but certain.

I laughed, I cried as I said "goodbye' to one of my favorite mystery writers and realy one of greatest writers of the 20th Century. There is no one like him.

White Hot by Sandra Brown

Sayre Lynch returns to Destiny, La., for her brother Danny's funeral. Estranged from her family for the past 10 years, Sayre arrives in town believing Danny committed suicide, but after a surprise encounter at the cemetery and a disquieting interview with the sheriff's deputy determines that someone murdered her brother. She seaks to find out who would have killed her well liked little brother, the answer may be her own family!

Sayre is the middle child of Huff Hoyle, powerful owner of the local foundary. 10 years ago she left Destiny determined never to return and now lives in San Francisco as a interior decorator. Ater meeting Danny's fiance she decides to stay to investigate her brother's last days, as well as confront her father and big brother, Chris. This dynamic duo run the foundry that provides most of the town's jobs and all its corruption. Everywhere she goes, Sayre crosses paths with Huff's handsome lawyer henchman, Beck Merchant, whom she finds irresistible although he represents everything she despises.

We see several storylines as we learn more about Huff, her father and other people who live in Destiny. This is a romance and it is Sandra Brown so lots of sexual tension between her and Beck. I know that Sandra Brown is a big name in the romance fiction world but this was my first experience actually reading one of her books and it was ok. Nothing earth shattering but I can see why she has a big fan base. She has a way of mixing the family saga up.

Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas

Commissaire Adamsberg Mystery

Newly transferred from his home in the Pyrenees to Paris, 45-year-old Adamsberg arrives with a reputation for solving big cases, though his diffident manner doesn't impress his colleague and foil, Adrien Danglard. A solitary man drawing blue chalk circles at night around stray objects in Paris streets manages to create a media sensation, but Adamsberg senses evil behind the act. When the corpse of a woman is found encircled in chalk, he's proven right. Adamsberg's indirect approach, his ability to sense cruelty and to let solutions percolate to the surface make him one of the more intriguing police detectives in a long time.

I really enjoyed this book and am so glad that they finally translated it into English. The rest of the series have been translated except for this one. Go figure!?! This book reminds me of Hercule Poirot in some ways as it is much more cerebral feel than the police procedural it is portrayed. The outside characters are interesting and I found myself thinking about them after I finished the book. Danglard - a single father raising two sets of twins! You get a little bit of his home life and it really intrigued me and made wish there was more info about his life.

Funny story about how I got this book. I read about this series and it mentioned that this was the first book but it was the 6th one translated and came out June 30, 2009. So of course my local library does not own it. Since I was attending the American Library Association in Chicago in July I hunted down the Penguin publisher's book and they had one copy left and let me buy it for $5. Since it is an oversized paperback worth $14, I scored a deal! Then while I was waiting in line to win something at the Demco book they covered the cover with that stiff plastic so it is almost like a hardback now.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

Book 15 in the Stephanie Plum series

It's hot and summertime in Trenton, NJ. Stephanie has recently broken up again with Morelli and is done with men. She's ready to throw herself back into being a bounty hunter. But then Lula inadvertently witnesses the beheading of culinary TV star Stanley Chipotle in a Trenton, N.J., alley. Stephanie convensinces Lula to call Morelli, who reluctantly takes the case. When the Chipotle bar-b-q sauce company offers a reward of 1 million dollors, Lula, with the help of Grandma Mazur, enters the same barbequing competition Chipotle was in town to promote, hoping to lure the murderers out of hiding. Ranger has recruited Stephanie to help solve a series of break-ins at properties under the protection of Rangeman Security.

There are 3 car fires and one house bombing so the stakes are rising. Most of this story focuses on Stephanie and her men. I miss some of the other characters but enjoyed that there were fewer characters this book.

This is a book to read over a weekend of during a plane ride and it still makes me laugh outloud. I'll keep reading a Stephanie Plum book as often as Evanovich keeps writing them.

Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

The story is set in New Orleans in the early 1960s. The story revolves around Ignatius J. Reilly, an odd, educated but slothful man still living with his mother at age 30 in the city's Uptown neighborhood. During an outing with is mother is almost arrested and during their escape they hide out in a bar/strip club. After a few drinks his mother runs her car into a building. When they get the bill for $20,000 Mrs. Irene Reilly insists Ignatius get a job to help pay for damages. In his quest for employment he has various adventures with colorful French Quarter characters. He nemesis is Mryna Minkoff, who through correspondence both try to impress one another by starting riots and various other altercations with various religious, ethnic and sexual orientation groups.

We see other sides of the story by various characters Ignatius encounters during his quest.

Lana Lee owns the strip club/bar in French Quarter, where Ignatius and his mother hide out in. She hires Burma Jones for under minimum wage and he plans his revenge by enticing Ignatius back into the bar. We meet Jones in the first few chapters when Claude Robichaux meets him in the local jail.

The first job that Ignatius gets is at Levy Pants own by Gus Levy and his wife Mrs. Levy. Gus and his wife live a life in which they absolutely hate each other but love their wealth and status more. Their life is at a totally different level of living, yet are they any better than Ignatius? I love how we get these detail descriptions of the luxury of Levy and his wife. Mrs. Levy has also made it her pet project to protect Miss Trixie, a very elderly senial woman who only wants to retire from Levy Pants.

Some of the funniest scenes are when Ignatius is at the movies and screams out his displeasure of how the acting or storyline is going. It is absolutely hilarious. He also has this habit of screaming "Oh, my God!" when he can't believe what he is hearing and/or seeing.

During the first part of the book, Irene Riley seems like a flat, screechy drunk of a mother. But as she evolves and makes relationships with other she becomes a person who wants her own identity and is tired of living her life for her son who will never leave. She finds herself a boyfriend, Claude Robichaux, a much older Jewish man who is constantly on the look out for communists. Claude is introduced in the first few pages of the book when he is arrested instead of Ignatius by a local policemen, Angelo Mancuso. Poor Angelo, after making several wrong arrests, the sergeant in charge gets fed up with him, and in punishment Angelo is reduced to wearing ridiculous disguises, and spending time in the bus station toilets in order to arrest "suspicious characters". He ends up saving the day by busting a pornography ring.

Sad but interesting side note:
The author, John Kennedy Toole, was born in New Orleans in 1937. He received a master's degree in English from Columbia University and taught at Hunter College and at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He wrote A Confederacy of Dunces in the early sixties and tried unsuccessfully to get the novel published; depressed, at least in part by his failure to place the book, he committed suicide in 1969. It was only through the tenacity of his mother that her son's book was eventually published and found the audience it deserved. His long-suppressed novel The Neon Bible, written when he was only sixteen, was eventually published as well. A Confederacy of Dunces won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

I actually listened to this on CD while driving around and found myself laughing outloud. I did have to be in the mood for it so it took me awhile to get into it. I did enjoy the reader as he did a good job with all the accents.

A Trouble of Fools by Linda Barnes

Carlotta Carlyle Mysteries

This book introduces us to Carlotta Carlyle, a red-haired, 6 foot-1 inch tall and size 11 shoe wearing ex-cabbie, ex-policewoman, now private investigator in Boston. She has inherited her Aunt's house and rents out the upper floor but hasn't changed much so it still looks like an old lady lives there. Her companions are TC (Thomas C. as in Cat), an inherited parrot named Emma Goldman and her best friend is Paolina, her 10-year-old "Little Sister", who lives in the projects. It is her weekly visits with her and her local volleyball games that help pass the time as she hasn't had much luck as a PI yet.

So she isn't too chosey when an elderly Irish woman hires her to find her brother, Eugene, who has vanished from their home. He left his taxi standing empty weeks before but no one except his sister seem concerned. His cabbie cronies and the police think he has flown the coop to live in the old country aka Ireland. But Carlotta's interest is peaked when she finds the battered body of the sister along with a trashed house. After taking her to the hospital she finds a mysterious cache of $13,000 hidden in the attic. Eugene's cronies, who, like himself, are drivers for a taxi fleet are secret sympathizers with the Irish cause, and seem to be involved with a scheme in support of the IRA. Having once worked for the cab company herself, Carlotta hires on again to monitor their activities, an action that eventually sets her at odds with a major drug ring, the FBI and a certain Mafia-connected former lover.

There are some other subplots that all tie up at the end to make this a very satisfying vacation read. You get this great flavor of Boston as she drives around the city plus she loves to play the blues and read poetry. I'm looking forward to see how this series develops.

Gardens of Covington by Joan A. Medlicott

2nd in the Ladies of Covington series

Amelia, Grace and Hannah are happily living in their beautiful old farmhouse in the foothills of North Carolina, but when developers threaten to turn Cove Road into a condo haven, all 3 worry what will their future will be. Grace and her lover, Bob, are busy preparing to open a tearoom. Both have to deal with Bob's son, Russell, who has fallen in love but not thought about how his young son would react. Amelia's photography talent continues to bloom and in a fender-bender she meets the man of her dreams, but the new romance isn't all sweetness and light. Her housemates quickly determine his mean side while Amelia senses it but allows his smooth ways and glitzy gifts to blind her to his true nature. She starts to neglect her friend Mike and her photography. Hannah has troubles of her own as she trys to rally the community to save the valley, and at first she has their support but when she tries to stop a local from selling his farm to developers "it's Yankee go home!". But during this she befriends an ill and lonely woman at the farm next door. Sadly Mrs. Maxwell dies before all three ladies can meet her. Grace continues her friendship with one of the very elderly local old maids who decides to marry one of the local old men nicknamed "old Man". National News gets involved as they come to cover the wedding, it's never dull ds

Times goes by, Grace loves the tearoom and her relationship with Bob, but worries about what to tell him regarding his request to build a cabin on the women's property. Russell and his son Tyler finally come to terms with his new love and finally decide it's ok for Dad to get married or "hitched" as the locals say. Grace's son Roger and his partner offer to decorate for the wedding and come out a few weeks before the wedding to get everything ready. Grace has to deal with all this plus the bride's mother. Throw in some flooding and you have a grand old read. Entertaining and not terribly taxing to read I enjoy catching up with the Ladies of Covington.

More in the series
From the Heart of Covington
Spirit of Covington
At Home in Covington
Christmas in Covington
Two Days after the Wedding
An Unexpected Family
Promises of Change

Truth or Dare by Jayne Ann Krentz

Book 2 in the Whispering Springs series

Zoe Luce, psychic interior decorator, has finally settled down to domestic life in Whispering Springs, Ariz., with private investigator Ethan Truax. They are now working to create a successful marriage, but events in their pasts keep interfering with their hopes for wedded bliss. Ethan is still haunted by his brother's murder and his own pursuit of justice in that case, so part of him expects Zoe to dump him, just as his previous three wives did. Zoe is plagued by memories of her imprisonment in a private psychiatric sanatorium, as she unexpectedly encounters psychic "spider webs" clinging to several places she has recently visited. As Ethan and Zoe struggle with their pasts, both become caught up in the dilemma of Zoe's friend, Arcadia, who fears that her ex-husband has returned from the dead to settle an old score.

Both have started their businesses - Ethan a private detective agency and Zoe her own interior design business. Since I have not read the previous book I'm assuming that their various friends came with them so they have their gang to hang out with. The characters were a bit flat and the mystery of who is creating the "spider webs" leads to a disappointing conclusion. It was an OK book but sadly does not make we want to read more of these characters. Book 1 is Light in Shadow. I have really enjoyed other books by Jayne Ann Krentz but this just didn't do much for me.

Isn't it Romantic by Ron Hanen

Natalie Clairvaux, a Paris librarian specializing in Americana at the Bibliotheque Nationale, embarks on a grassroots "See America" bus tour of out-of-the-way U.S. landmarks in an effort to escape the unwanted attentions of her philandering fiance, Pierre Smith, scion of a family of French wine sellers. Maddened by her unexplained disappearance, Pierre tracks her down and catches up with her tour group in Omaha. The quarreling couple abandons the tour at a tiny crossroads outside of Seldom, Nebrask, (pop. 395), on Wednesday, agreeing that Natalie will reach a decision about their wedding by noon on Saturday.

The book takes an almost Northern Exposure turn as the townfolk announce that the couple will be elected king and queen of an annual local festival honoring a Frenchman who founded the town. Of course all manner of rather predictable fun and games begins. No hankypanky before marriage so Pierre is quartered with Owen Nelson. Owen is the local mechanic and his penchant for wine making is second only to his obsession with Cornhusker football. Natalie is moved into a women only boarding house. Natalie soon becomes captivated by handsome Dick Tupper, a 50-year-old rancher. And, true to form, womanizing Pierre starts hitting on Iona Christiansen, a comely waitress at the local cafe.

This is a very light book only scattered with sarcastic whitisms of French phrases that the locals think are just too cute. The locals plan a wedding between the couple but each find themselves torn between what is love and what is just new and different. It is quite the contrast as most people go to Paris to find something new and different and here we have these Parisians come to Nebraska to show us it with fresh eyes. I won't say this was the best book I ever read but very sweet.

Live Bait by P.J. Tracy

2nd title in Monkeewrench series.

Elderly Jews are being murdered in Minneapolis, and detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth work to solve the case. On the surface it appears to be some kind of crazy serial killer who is going after old people. But as they delve into the details in the victims lives it becomes apparent that the people who were being killed have more in common than what meets the eye.

We also have the original characters from the Monkeewrench crew in the story but in a much more background mode.

While the mystery was not as good, the storyline and development of the police detectives are excellent as always. Plus we see more develop between Leo and Grace.

Book five comes out in a few months so I'm re-reading this as it's been a few years. Can't wait!

Sewing Circles of Herat: A Personal Voyage Through Afghanistan by Christina Lamb

Former British journalist Christina Lamb return to Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks to observe the land and its people firsthand. Because of her previous experiences in Afghanistan she is able to interview locals, Afghan warlords, former members of the Taliban and other influential personalities ignored by the Western media. Lamb paints a vivid picture of Taliban rule and offers a broader sense of life devastated by two decades of war. Her well-written and moving account also reveals the heroism of the Afghans, who not only survived but also resisted their Soviet occupiers; clandestine literary circles and art preservation techniques, for example, helped Afghans salvage their education and history from total destruction.

It offers a very interesting perspective and one I did not expect to have. I think for the first time there is a face on the people of this wartorn country and I can't help but feel empathy for a country that will never be the same again. The photos are truly amazing as there are photos she took during her time there in the 1990's and post-911. Such destruction and so much history and literature lost forever. Personally I am not a non-fiction reader but I found this book fascinating.

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

Told from the point of view of the youngest daughter, Nadezhda, this family saga is set in London. During one of their many phone conversations, her 84 year old father announces he intends to marry a blonde, big-breasted 36 year old Ukrainian woman. He met her at the local Ukrainian Social Club in the English town where he lives, just north of London. It is clear to Nadezhda and her sister, Vera, that the femme fatale Valentina is only after Western luxuries—certainly not genuine love of any kind. Smitten with saving two Ukrainian lives, their father forges ahead to help Valentina settle in England, spending what little pension he has buying her cars and household appliances and even financing her cosmetic surgery.

In the meantime, Nadezhda, a socialist, and Vera, a proud capitalist, confront the longstanding ill will between them as they try to save their father from his folly. As time goes Nadezhda, starts to feel differently about Valentina and wants to discover who she is. Nadezhda has never known much about her parents' history, starts asking questions and actually listening to the stories her father tells her. She starts to piece it together with her sister and learns that there is more to her father than she once believed. The story alternates with narrative from her father's book "Short History of Tractors" which she helps him translate into English.

I listened to most of this on CD until I put the final CD in to discover it was a repeat of the previous CD. So I had to finish it in print. I really enjoyed this story but found myself getting fixated on the time frame. Initially I thought it took place in current times but then when Nadezhda talked about her birth being in the 1940's and she was 48 I knew I was a bit off. The conversations between the daughters and their father were fascinating. The fights between Valentina and their father were hysterical as both get their English confused. You get a real feel for the Ukrainian immigrants who settled in the UK during the war. I did skim over the tractor history though, it was a bit much.