Book reviews, including some audio versions

The Rule of Nine–book review

By Steve Martini–This story was just full of twists, and has two really, really evil characters. One is the mastermind, and the other is an assassin. The author hides the … Read more

Review of Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff:

Since there is very little record of her life, this was not your average biography. I liked the way Stacy was able to support the conclusions she came to, though. … Read more

Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese

This book really caught me by surprise–it had good reviews, but it just didn’t seem like my kind of book. But, I took a chance and I’m very glad I did. It takes place in Ethiopa (another first for me), and tells the story of twin boys who are almost butchered during their birth, and whose father deserts them immediately after a miraculous birth. The mother dies in the process.

Best Served Cold, Joe Abercrombie

What a roller coaster ride. At first, I thought this book was going to be a wannabe “Pillars of the Earth,”, but I was soon proved wrong. It takes place … Read more

The Poet, Michael Connelly

A killer is leaving clues from stories written by Edgar Allen Poe. But the police miss the connection, and a reporter recognizes the vital link because the last person killed … Read more

Money to Burn, James Grippando

Ha–great timing. How often do you read a book about some arcane stock market definition, wondering if it’ll ever be useful, and then read about the very same thing in … Read more

Deeper Than the Dead, Tami Hoag

You know how oftentimes a story is told from the viewpoint of a main character? Tami Hoag manages to do it with two children that stumble across a dead body … Read more

Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

This is a delicious book–it has it all: intrigue, deception, treachery, violence, wars, and oh yes, a little sex. It takes place in England in the 1600’s, but covers several … Read more

The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson

The full name of this book is: “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America.” It’s quite a mouthful, and it covers an equally complex topic.

Finger Lickin’ 15, by Janet Evanovitch (audio version)

Janet’s books are pretty predictable, not that you can solve the mystery easily, but the interaction between Steph and Ranger, for example, is always the same. And way too much of it. But Lula is always unpredictable and she was laugh out loud in this one.