Death Never Sleeps by E.J. Simon

This was included in the box of books I got from Get Red PR.  I had high hopes for this book as I liked the premise of the novel but it fell a bit flat for me.

Alex Nicholas is a bookie and loan shark living in New York City.  He leads a life that crosses over the moral and legal limits continuously and that life eventually gets him killed.  His brother Michael is the exact opposite; pillar of society, happily married man and successful businessman.  After Alex’s untimely death, Michael is pulled into his brother’s life in an effort to clean up his messes and provide for Alex’s family.  The problem is that Alex is not as dead as Michael thinks he is!

This is a story about family, values and artificial intelligence.  It should be a fascinating read and in some parts it is.   There is good information about the development of AI (artificial intelligence) and how it could impact society over time.  But the story didn’t really flow for me.  Each scene seemed to be set in a different restaurant in New York or Paris; there is lots of eating and drinking in this book!  There is an over -abundance of swearing in my opinion.  I just don’t think it’s necessary to portray every bad character with a curse word.   At times it felt a bit one dimensional; like reading a script.   There needed to be some life put into the conversations and action.

This is Simon’s first novel so some of the flatness could just be inexperience.   I’m sure that this will be a series so I’ll read the next book and hope that the writing improves somewhat.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

I was given a copy of this book by Penguin Books to review.

In the year 2059 London and several other cities are under the regime of the Scion.  This regime has banned all clairvoyants thus creating an underground of criminal activity which is where Paige Mahoney lives and works.  She is a type of clairvoyant termed a dreamwalker.  This is the one of the highest levels of clairvoyants and makes her a highly desirable commodity.  One night she is captured by an enemy that turns everything she thought she knew about her world upside down.  As she learns more about her surroundings, her captors and herself she’s faced with tough decisions and a battle for her mind, body and soul.

 The Bone Season is a fantasy novel that’s being compared to Harry Potter or The Hunger Games.  I’m not sure I agree with these comparisons.    It doesn’t have the rich detail of Harry Potter or the tension of the Hunger Games.  It reminded me more of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher with its interplay between the spirit world and humans.   However, the story is good and there is plenty of action as Paige learns to hone her gift and interacts with her captors. 

This is Samantha Shannon’s first novel and she is only 21 which I think accounts for the lack of depth in her characters and descriptions.  I suspect that she will only get better as there is a plan for 6 more books in this series.   I enjoyed the book and the story was entertaining and for a first novel I think it’s a good introduction and shows good potential for the rest of the series.

Ground Truth by Rob Sangster

I’ve discovered that I am considered a “professional reader” because I review books on my blog.   Because of that I’ve been able to join netgalley.com.    Netgalley is a place where professional readers can request titles to review direct from publishers.   There is a good selection of titles available.  As far as I can tell only digital formats are available so if you don’t have an e-reader you’re out of luck.  Otherwise they seem to support all the popular brands of e-readers.

So Ground Truth was the first title I requested.    I requested it because it was a mystery/thriller and because it is Sangster’s first novel. 

The main character is Jack Strider, a corporate lawyer with aspirations to the Supreme Court.  His world is turned upside down when his father commits suicide and ugly truths are revealed about what he was involved in.   Jack is immediately tainted by this even though he and his father were not close or working together.   As a result he is thrust into a new company with a new mandate which almost immediately starts getting him into trouble.

This novel is a fast-paced thriller that was only slowed down for me by some of the awkward formatting on my Kindle.    I felt some of the scene changes were a bit sloppy and I sometimes had to read a few pages back to figure out how the transition had happened.   This could just be an editing issue rather than a flaw in the writing. 

The plot centers on hazardous waste and water issues in Mexico.  It turns out that Sangster has the background to write this type of novel since he was a lawyer, has done a lot of travelling and is involved in bringing clean water to Mexico.

The story is interesting and the characters are well-developed.  It seems a bit preachy at times but clearly the author is passionate about his subject so that the novel not only entertains but informs.

I would highly recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

I often pick the books I’m going to read based solely on the title.    I like quirky names; I picked Jasper Fforde’s books to read because of the two F’s in his last name.  So when I saw this book that not only had a quirky name but was about a bookstore I was sold.

Web designer Clay Jannon has lost his job and is on the hunt for a new one.  Being tired of sitting at a computer all day he decides to take a walk and discovers a sign in bookstore advertising for help.  But this is no ordinary bookstore as he finds out on his first evening shift.

This is a remarkable story based on the oldest theme in the world, the quest for immortality.  The story combines modern day technology with old world literature and charming characters. The mixture of old and new in the story is part of what makes this book so remarkable.  I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I can only say that technology helps to break an ancient code that is hiding in plain sight.  Old vs.  young is also a theme as the young Clay Jannon is mentored by the elderly Mr. Penumbra. And finally the book is about friendship; old and new and what friends will do for each other.

This is Robin Sloane’s first book, I sincerely hope that he’s working on another.

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

This was another book club pick that I normally wouldn’t have read on my own.  But from the first chapter I was hooked.

Towner Whitney fled her childhood home of Salem, Ma in order to escape her crazy family and after the death of her twin sister.  But she’s been drawn back by the disappearance of her Great-Aunt Eva.  In the opening paragraph Towner admits that she herself is crazy and lies all the time.   Her mother Mae is a recluse, living on an island and rescuing abused women and supporting them by teaching them how to make lace and selling it.  Both her mother and her aunts are lace readers; women who can see the future in the patterns of the lace they make.

This is a complicated story that flits between fantasy and reality; past and present.  Told mostly from Towner’s point of view the lines are always blurred as she tries to piece together the reason why her Aunt has disappeared and how that will affect the rest of her life.  This is a mystery on many levels; the disappearance of Eva; the mystery of what happened to Towner and her twin sister; who really is Cal Boynton, the resident cult leader.  Naturally since the setting is Salem, there are witches who are on a collision course with the Cal Boynton and his particular brand of religion. 

This book was hard to put down.    It’s fast paced with twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting.  The ending is particularly shocking but does help to make the rest of the story make sense. 

This is Barry’s first novel and I’m looking forward to reading her second one The Map of True Places. I highly recommend this book.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I don’t like books about racism. I’ve avoided reading this one because I thought I didn’t need to hear again about the racial conflict in the 1960’s. It makes me angry and sad to read about how white people have treated other people of different races and colours. And so, I have ignored all the hype about this book and steadfastly refused to read it.

Until I went on my vacation and my sister insisted that I would love this book. I broke down and bought it and was mesmerized by the first words. This book made me laugh and cry. It’s the type of book that people who see you reading it want to talk to you about. I talked to a guy in the elevator whose girlfriend was reading the book and loved it. It’s the kind of book that you can talk to about with a black hotel receptionist who grew up in Alabama and hadn’t read the book but had seen the movie. I encouraged her to read the book; I wish I could talk to her once she’s read it.

The story is told in the voice of the black women who work as servants and in the voice of the white woman who is writing the story. It was a bit difficult for me to adjust to each chapter being told in a different voice as the story was so mesmerizing that I was sometimes slow to realize that now someone else was talking. But that is really the only criticism I have of an other- wise flawlessly written novel.

This is a debut novel for Kathryn Stockett and I surely hope that she has a sequel in the works. If you’re like me and have avoided this book, please go out and buy it. It’s worth the read and worthy of the discussions you will have about it.

Red Right Return by John H. Cunningham

Red Right Return is set in Key West Florida and is the beginning of a new series. The main character is Buck Reilly. He is a treasure-hunter, pilot and bankrupt. He hides away in Key West after his company files for bankruptcy among some rumours and allegations of wrong-doing. During the investigation, he loses his parents and his only brother is estranged. He goes to Key West to lose himself and eke out a living as a charter pilot/salvage operator.

This is a fast-paced adventure story. It reminded me a bit of Clive Cussler and his character Dirk Pitt in the pace of the story. It’s definitely a page-turner. The timing is good and if the plot seemed a bit over the top sometimes that might just be the nature of adventure stories.
Buck Reilly is a flawed character who is beginning to figure out his flaws. He is a bit more introspective than most action heroes and I think that it will be interesting to watch him develop in future stories.

This is John H Cunningham’s first novel and it’s a very good one. I should mention that I hope he cleans up the language a bit in the next books although it was appropriate for the setting. I should also mention that it's only available as an ebook. But if you’re looking for a fun adventure story to read then buy this book, you won’t be disappointed.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

This first novel by Canadian Alan Bradley is about 11 year old Flavia de Luce. She lives with her Father and 2 sisters in an old English mansion and the story is set in the summer of 1950. Flavia is a budding chemist with a particular interest in poison. She doesn’t have just a child’s chemistry set though, no she has a working lab where she mixes concoctions and tests them on her unwitting sisters.

Flavia literally stumbles upon a body in the garden one night after overhearing an argument between her Father and a stranger. Thus begins Flavia’s quest to discover the murderer. This will use all of her considerable mind and powers of persuasion. During this quest she will learn about herself and her family.

This book is a kind of Anne of Green Gables meets Nancy Drew. Flavia is bright and articulate endowed with an active imagination. She is also curious and prone to getting in trouble. All in all this is a delightful book and hints at a series in which Flavia encounters more crimes to solve. Although the main character is a child this really isn’t a children’s book although I think teenagers would enjoy it. Oh yes, the mystery does indeed involve pie.

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

Silent in the Grave is a debut novel by Deanna Raybourn. It’s a mystery set in Victorian England. The main character is Julia Grey. Her husband Edward has just been murdered and she sets off to find out who did it. Of course, being in Victorian England there are many cultural taboos to overcome and her handsome side kick, Nicholas Brisbane brings a touch of romance to the story.

I was a little surprised to find out that Deanna Raybourn is a 6th generation Texan. It seems like she might have been better suited for writing about America at the turn of the century. However she has done a beautiful job on the Victorian atmosphere. The heroine is constantly kicking against the pricks of society and shows a modern bent in her thinking and actions. It’s fun and horrifying to imagine what life was like for women back then.

The mystery is good, the ending is surprising and I’m looking forward to reading the second in the series, Silent on the Moor. If you enjoy Victorian mystery/love stories you will enjoy this series; go to your library and get started on it.

Switch by Grant McKenzie

I’ve said before that I really enjoy reading first novels and it adds to the enjoyment when the author is a Canadian. Switch is Grant McKenzie’s first novel and it will be published in Canada in August. I was given a copy by Penguin books to do a review.

Two men are being terrorized by someone who has kidnapped their families. Sam is an out-of-work actor employed as a security guard and Zack is a plastic surgeon. Their lives collide when Sam’s house is blown up and Zack thinks it’s his family that was killed. The rest of the book is their attempt to identify the person who is holding their families while carrying out the instructions forcing them to become criminals themselves.

The first few chapters are brutal. There is more swearing than I like in the book but it isn’t gratuitous; it does fit the scenario and adds to the atmosphere. The chapters are short which adds to the frantic pace of the action. At times I felt like I needed to stop reading just to catch my breath. The characters are likeable and the story behind the action is great.

This is story about families and what people will do to keep their family safe. It’s a story about relationships; some twisted, some beautiful. It’s a story about brutality and a story about love.

Look for this book when it comes out in August. And block off some time to read it because once you start you won’t be able to put it down.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

I really like reading debut novels. Especially if they’re great books because there is a promise of more great books to come. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is a great debut novel. I read it one weekend when I was home sick and I literally could not put the book down.

It’s a story about families, mostly dysfunctional ones. It’s a story about stories. It’s about people trying to discover their story and how that story fits into their family’s story.

The story opens in a bookshop where the main character, Margaret works with her father. She has received an invitation to write the biography of a reclusive well-loved author with a mysterious background; a story that others have always wanted to hear. Margaret accepts the invitation and sets out to find a tale that will also help her tell her own story.

One of the more intriguing themes that run through the book is the theme of twins and their twinness. Another theme is childhood cruelty; this is not always an easy book to read. But the twists and turns of the mystery keep the reader coming back to the book for a thoroughly satisfying ending. I hope Diane Setterfield is well on her way to publishing another book; I for one will buy it.