Loved the story and the relationship with the brothers but mostly I loved the ending of this book and how it came out of nowhere….and also involved a location and subsequent case with which I was very familiar. Great read.

I would have liked this book much better than the previous book – I liked Thomas and Amelia a whole lot better than the previous characters – had I not read the two books in rapid succession – they take place at the same time and there just wasn’t enough of a difference in the two books and it just felt like a retread.

If there were a beyond worth consuming designation, this book would not even fit that because it is just so beyond – so far beyond. Loved it. Full of humor and generally pretty nasty but in a funny good way. I will be checking out Jeff Strand’s books with all haste.

This book marks the return of one of Konrath’s very best baddies – Alex Kork. As it happens, Alex isn’t Jack’s only problem – surviving the night might even be beyond Jack’s reach. “Fuzzy Navel” takes place over the course of 24 very action packed hours – made even more in the moment by Konrath’s use of the present tense which, gotta be honest, threw me off for maybe the first two chapters of the book. Thankfully, Konrath has very thoughtfully included a drink recipe and if Fuzzy Navels aren’t your tipple of choice, you might want to check out the front of “Bloody Mary” or “Dirty Martini.” I’m hoping that Mr. Konrath’s next book is called “Melon Ball” because I’ve always wondered how those are made.

I’m all about the baddies and we get some awesome new ones in this along with the true classic. The key to a good baddie – and Konrath has this locked up – is that you feel for them just a little bit and kind of understand (to an extent) how they got to be the way they are. The new baddies have obvious motives which, really, start out honorably but you don’t have to have known Alex before to get her how she got to be a psycho. She just loves being a psycho and – as Konrath lets us know – it’s all about the competition – the chase for her. She has a need for everyone to know how clever she is and, as a reader, this makes me want to stand up and applaud. I love the cattyness she brings.

Without the well placed shots of humor, Konrath would be writing the kind of stuff that only people dressed in black and obsessed with death – this book especially with its thriller type format – would be able to stomach. The book was gory – deadly gory – but the good humor in the midst of severe pain lightens it so I do think that those of you who don’t normally like the gory books would probably still like this one. It gives nothing away to say that someone sustains a head injury and a stapler is used to get them back on their feet (I’m taking notes in case I ever need to close a head injury) – ugggg – but through it all there’s a humor and focus which holds back the intensity and keeps it from being overdone. I have to applaud Konrath on this element as he walks a thin line which I know – having read some of the angsty/gory guys – not many authors can pull off.

And that cat, that cat is the best character no doubt. Look for the cat to make her (his?) usual nondiscriminatory excellent moves.

One character that surprised me as I really didn’t have any feeling either way for him before was Phin Trout. He’s Jack’s bar buddy and sometimes helper on the other side of the law. I liked him a lot in this book and liked how Konrath bounced around in people’s heads allowing us to really see what was going on with them. Herb also had a spotlight on him and – as usual – some of my favorite lines from the book came from him. There was an “of the moment” quality that really brought the reader in more than they might normally be drawn into the story.

Don’t get me wrong, few reads are perfect. There were elements that stopped the flow for me. One element really didn’t impact on the storyline but was far too convenient and generally just wrong. I HATED it at the time and stopped to wonder why Konrath had to go there. I actually never came to like the element but it was minor enough and made for some of the more touching/humorous scenes later. The ending made up for it all.
This was Part 1 – the story is far from over.

If you’re looking for a good read, get this book – even if you have to pay Canadian prices and, trust me, I know how painful that is. You won’t be disappointed. Go out and buy the whole series if you haven’t already.

Lex

Okay, so I’ve read the two books following this book already. This whole wedding, Cora engaged, Cora not engaged, Aaron misunderstanding, Aaron/Sherry fighting – just an excuse to bring Dennis into the series. Aaron was a much better character before this happened – as was Sherry. The slight Becky tension worked for them but Dennis is like the elephant who survived and won’t move his big tush out of the yard. As if Dennis wasn’t overkill in and of himself, there’s Brenda – former best friend who was WAY OTT. I don’t know about any of you, but I know someone who’s jerk loser boyfriend beat her up on a somewhat consistant basis and have never once thought, “Wow, he’s desireable. I need to get me some of that.” The whole “I’m gonna spring this on you and why can’t you be there for me.” Okay, so people are that self centered but still…..

Love the series – with only the new release left I’m gonna have to mark this one as my “what was this author thinking?” selection.

The title is kind of deceptive in that – while it makes mild parallels to the famous Ripper diary, the story in and of itself about Florence Maybrick, her life before marriage, her marriage, her affairs, the death of her husband and her subsequent trial. It was a fascinating read that seriously kept me riveted to the end. It’s not clear whether she did the crime or not and I don’t think the author – who clearly doesn’t like Florence much – really wanted to prove or disprove so much as highlight the lack of evidence in the case against Florence. Very well written and compelling and makes me want to google a few names to see if I can find what happened to the few people who weren’t “caught up” at the end of the book – specifically the nursemaid.

The first half was interesting, the second half dragged, and by the end, I had really lost interest in both characters.

Not great literature, but then it’s not meant to be. A funny and compelling fish out of water story about a man who is trapped by a spell and freed 400 years later. There are some implausible parts which are easily dismissed given the nature of the story. Overall it’s a really good read. I’ve read a few of Sandy Blair’s books including her first one which was the reverse – woman goes back 400 years in time and they’ve really tended to be well crafted, entertaining, reads.

Mike Myers is completely convincing in this role as someone that somebody might go way out of their way to kill.

Love the way that the gold rush diary is tied into the narrative.