book reviews

First book review of 2009! The next one might not be for a while, as I started over with all new books. But for now, at least I can start the year off right. :)

Anne Perry, Highgate Rise. I really enjoyed this one. So often, Perry gets bogged down in all her careful, insightful observations and the lives of the mind enjoyed by so many of her characters that there's little real emotion in her books. Even the victims' families are so often conflicted or otherwise hiding their feelings that you don't see a lot of real, heartfelt grief. Thomas and Charlotte (and their families) are always feeling deep pity, but she tells you those - you rarely feel them. Highgate Rise actually had emotion in it and I felt the grief and anger of at least some of the characters. It was a nice change of pace.

Erle Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Stepdaughter's Secret. It was a nice entry. Inventive plot, interesting characters, a lot less of the often tedious bickering and really unwarranted near-illegal lengths to which the prosecutors often go in order to oppose Mason.

Kathryn Kenny, Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Velvet Gown. Unlike Nancy Drew, which seemed oversimplified and somewhat trite the last time I tried reading her, Trixie Belden actually holds up okay to adult reading, as long as you remember that she's supposed to be 14. I'd read about the first half of the series as a child, but now am getting up into the higher numbers (this one is #29) for the first time. Velvet Gown was a decent installment in the series - nothing particularly outstanding in it for good or bad.

Jenna Blum, Those Who Save Us. This was my book club's most recent installment. Can't say I enjoyed it. Firstly, what kind of pretentious nonsense is it to avoid using quotation marks around your dialogue? I skimmed half the dialogue because it gave me a headache. Second, there were a couple of glaring editing errors (minor, but obvious to those of us whose job it is) that I found disappointing. But ultimately, the worst of it is that I thoroughly disliked the mother's character, both in her flashbacks and in the modern portion of the story, and I felt nothing but pity and disinterest in the daughter's character. And every page felt like the author was screaming at me, "I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY! LISTEN TO ME!" and I never felt she was saying anything profound enough to be worth the stridency. I finished the book in a day because reading it made me angry and unhappy. I'm not sure if I'm going to pan it this thoroughly in book group, though ... it's only my 4th meeting. Tact might need to be exercised!